Mayor John Henry's Oshawa

From the Toronto Star's Website:

Oshawa votes to oust auditor general in wake of controversial report

Excerpt from article by Jessica McDiarmid:

Oshawa city council voted to get rid of its auditor general — both the position and the person — about seven hours into a raucous meeting that saw plain clothes police officers, guns visible, wrestle angry residents into handcuffs on the floor of council chambers on Tuesday night.

Durham police said Wednesday that two men have been charged with assault and failing to leave the premises when directed.

A motion to eliminate the position of the auditor general — tasked with the financial stewardship of the city — passed in an 8-3 vote after 1 a.m. A further motion not to renew the contract of current auditor general Ron Foster, which expires this week, passed by the same margin.

Instead, council instructed the city’s acting treasurer to look into alternative ways to ensure financial accountability at Oshawa’s city hall.

Click to expand...

There's two videos embedded in showing older gentlemen arrested by plain-clothes cops in Oshawa Council Chambers. In the shorter, non-YouTube one, older man arrested gets bleeding cuts and his shirt torn as he was roughed up by a security guard when he was about to leave on his own accord (though not quietly). Then the plain-clothes cops show up after the security guard grabs the guy. You hear the cops keep yelling "stop resisting". A second man was forcibly arrested by the three Durham cops in the longer YouTube video.

Firing the Auditor General after he claims serious problems about a land deal and then roughing up and arresting a few loud protestors doesn't look good. Bringing in plain-clothes cops, to me, makes it look like they wanted to be rid of a few thorns. I would have had several visible uniformed police present if there was a real legitimate concern.

That's seriously messed up!

I always wondered what if John Henry (the steel-drivin' man) were to be mayor of Oshawa instead.

Absolutely disgusting! When you watch the video the grey haired security guard assaulted the man in an unprovoked attack (you can see the man was reaching for his backpack to leave) and yet it is the victim who gets charged? No doubt the grey haired security guard felt emboldened by the fact that plain clothes goons were seated nearby. I hope the next time he tries to assault a citizen there is no backup nearby and he ends up dead in the morgue.

Back in the 1930s, GM workers in Oshawa struck (not long after the famous Flint Sit Down Strike). The Liberal Premier at the time, Mitchell Hepburn created a personal police force, known to many as 'Hepburn's Hussars' or 'Sons of Mitch's' to oppose striking autoworkers.

John Henry and Council seem to follow old Oshawa traditions of intimidation.

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/oshawa-strike

Peepers said:

I hope the next time he tries to assault a citizen there is no backup nearby and he ends up dead in the morgue.

Click to expand...

Agree with it all except wishing that emboldened rent-a-cop was in a morgue - that's going too far. But otherwise, you know he knew he could get away with assault knowing the three plain clothes goons would quickly back him up and start yelling "stop resisting" like it was a schoolyard taunt (because it reminds me so much of "stop hitting yourself").

Peter Kuitenbrouwerof the National Post has a good article about his recent visit to Oshawa.

Here's what he said on twitter:

@pkuitenbrouwer: My spidey sense starts to tingle when a city fires its auditor because it dislikes his report.

Click to expand...

‘Reign of terror’ and arrests at Oshawa council makes a Toronto boy feel right at home

John Henry and his allies on council look like a bunch of goons:

Thus began a raucous session of the Oshawa Corporate Services Committee, at which Councillor Marimpietri (whom the mayor kicked out of a council meeting last week) called the current administration a “reign of terror.” Councillor John Neal accused Mayor John Henry of “dismantling certain committees.”

Click to expand...

That, with new by-laws that permit council to ban citizens from city hall, almost make Toronto look good.

Guess who is in Jamaica??

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/12/27/oshawa_mayor_in_jamaica_as_ice_storm_ravages_gta.html#