As citizens, we elect politicians to provide services for the betterment of our lives; through laws, regulations and codes of conduct these are created by politicians.
Unfortunately, we are reminded when the system fails we’re to blame for electing the wrong party or individual. Sound familiar?
My wife and I live next door to a Derelict Property and if you have followed my editorials in the Moose Jaw Express of the abandoned property that continues to decay, it's pretty much like dealing with city hall.
Silence from our fine elected officials and administration has prompted me to go public. My wife and I are in our seventies and the sales of our house “will be” affected by the aforementioned property.
My latest editorials the last couple of weeks talked about the Code of Ethics Bylaw 4381 and its lack of process to file an ethics complaint.
I also read a very disturbing story in the Express paper during the same time regarding Myron Gulka-Tiechko, city clerk/solicitor, wanting $25,600.00 fee for the file concerning the failed Carpere Canada deal, requested by the aformentioned paper.
So, a couple points on Myron Gulka-Tiechko, city clerk/solicitor fee structure based on his “search,” there’s 99,447 items related to Carpere Canada.
The reference to Chinese Investor when key words appeared in other documents city hall provided about Carpere Canada cost an additional $620.00 for a Total Cost of $25,620.00.
So, a couple of uneducated observations, Mr. Gulka-Tiechko,
- You had your staff search through paper items and they counted paper items to a total of 99,447?
- Or you did a search of city hall’s electronic records and discovered 99,447 items?
A citizen making minimum wage ($11.45 per hour effective October 1, 2020); $23,813.00 a year before deductions [makes me realize] it’s quite obvious a minimum wage earner and all senior’s on fixed incomes couldn’t afford your fees for copies.
As of 2018, the city clerk/solicitor “earned” $162,640.99 so he could afford this, but according to his fee, it would cost him 15.76% of his salary.
Would I be safe to say no-one in Moose Jaw would pay this fee for the above report?
As the city clerk/solicitor, you’re a lawyer...are you bound by the following?
1 “The Legal Profession Act”, 1990.
(b.1) “competence” means bringing adequate skill and knowledge to the practice of law,
(c) complainant” means a person who makes a complaint,
(d) “conduct unbecoming” means any act or conduct, whether or not disgraceful or dishonourable, that:
(i) is inimical to the best interests of the public or the members; or
(ii) tends to harm the standing of the legal profession generally; and includes the practice of law in an incompetent manner where it is within the scope of sub-clause (i) or (ii);
adjective: inimical: tending to obstruct or harm. “actions inimical to our interests"
harmful, injurious, detrimental, deleterious, pernicious, damaging, hurtful, dangerous, destructive, ruinous, calamitous, antagonistic, contrary, antipathetic, unfavourable, adverse, opposed, hostile, at odds, prejudicial, malefic, maleficent.
I have to be honest, some of these words I would have to look up but the jest according to the Law Society is that your statement on fees could be construed to....well you can pick the word that best defines your conduct towards not only the Moose Jaw Express but all citizens that provide your pay check.
So what’s wrong with a business that employs Moose Jaw citizens (the Moose Jaw Express) examining and copying these files (items) according to Cities Act 91.1 onto one of the following “Storage Devices?”
- hard drive
- CD-ROM
- DVD-ROM
- flash media
- "thumb" drive”
- “memory stick”
- iPOD
- digital camera.
I had planned to write about the lack of process in Bylaw 4381 yet required by Cities Act 66.1. Guess what, updates to bylaws are a requirement of his (Mr. Gulka-Tiechko’s) job.
If city officials’ time and energy were better spent, it might show that they might “give a rat’s ass,” about it’s citizens.
-- Carter Currie
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
