There is of course – nudge, nudge, wink, wink – no connection between Dougie Dollar’s tough talk on crime and the most recent slew of justices of the peace appointments. No. Of course not.
The premier thinks too many repeat offenders are getting the kid-glove treatment when it comes to being released on bail. He has vowed to shake it up.
Justice of the Peace appointments are made by an independent body with no political strings attached. Yes, course. Sort of akin to how one gets a job as a Canadian Senator. You have to apply and pass the litmus test. Political affiliation is not taken into consideration.
But it is interesting that of the 42 freshly-minted justices of the peace listed on the attorney-general website, half come from law enforcement. A cynic could suggest that this is not a coincidence, given the premier’s statements of late.
If there is one group that thinks the court system is too often, too lenient, it is a police association.
The new appointees come from the Ontario Provincial Police, Toronto, Peel Region, Thunder Bay, York Regional, Ottawa, Waterloo and RCMP. One served with CSIS, Canada’s answer to the U.S. Secret Service.
One new justice didn’t carry a gun, but he is a Greek orthodox priest who had a side gig as police chaplain.
The freshest crop of justices of peace also includes the former mayor of Prescott, a biologist, paramedic, professor, social worker and school principal.
No legal/court experience is required for the $172,000 a year job that comes with pension and health insurance benefits, but most already have public pensions and benefits.
The positions – at least the application process – is open to, as they say, all comers.
A police officer looking for a new career?
Fill out an application form (on the attorney general website) and wait for a phone call.
BACK IN MAY 1962: A high-speed chase that started on Highway 2 just west of Long Sault ended in Brockville when the teen-age driver of the vehicle stolen in Montreal crashed. Const. Lloyd Fitzsimmons found himself in the early-morning chase that reached speeds of 95 miles per hour when the car refused to pull over. The vehicle blew through OPP roadblocks at Iroquois and just outside Brockville before crashing. The driver and his passenger suffered minor injuries. … Two Cornwall Bottling Works (Coca-Cola) employees were in the right place at the right time when fire broke out in a Fifth Street West home, trapping a 62-year-old woman in her upstairs bedroom. Sylvio Lascelle and Robert Brunet were repairing a Coke sign across the street when they saw smoke and flames poking though the roof of a house and a woman at the upstairs window calling for help. Using a ladder one of the men climbed to the window and pulled the woman out and with the help of his partner eased her down to safety. The woman suffered first and second-degree burns. … Workers in the industrial sector of the city earned on average $2.08 an hour and $84 a week. The Dominion Bureau of Statistics showed the the average industrial worker in Toronto earned $1.88 an hour and $75.32 a week, while in Montreal it was $1.72 an hour and $71.46 a week. … For beating and robbing an Apple Hill man in his home, a city man was given a five-year sentence to be served at Kingston Pen. … The former Conservatory of Music building at Augustus and Trinity was destroyed by fire. It was built by Trinity Anglican Church in 1883 and had served as the church hall until a new hall replaced it. … Cornwall native Rejean Lebrun was ordained to the priesthood. He was a graduate of Classical College. … Nativity Parish marked its 75th anniversary with three days of celebration that included a midnight open air mass with 5,000 attending, a banquet and music concert. … Linden Wells had three hits that included a three-run homer to lead Courtaulds to a 7-3 win over Howard Smith. Shad St. Jean had a two-run home for Howard Smith with Jack Murphy collecting three base hits. … Montreal goaltender Jacques Plante was named the NHL’s most valuable player. Doug Harvey, playing coach of the New York Rangers, won his seventh Norris Trophy as the best defenceman. … A carton of cigarettes sold for $2.99 and could be purchased in vending machines and at drug stores. … Members of the Red Cap 10-pin bowling title-winning team were Gary Empey, Marcel Gareau, Satch Herrington, Doug Taillon, Fern Moquin and Roger St. Germain. … A strike over the work schedule (and money) by Howard Smith Paper Mill union employees ended after five days.
HITS AND MISSES: Florida Panthers’ pain-in-the-butt forward Brad Marchand is the kind of player every fan loves to hate, unless he is on your team.. … Local musician Robert Cote has retired after 52 years of providing musical entertainment. … Former long-time public board trustee Art Buckland has made a great recovery from a stroke. He has praise for the treatment and care he received from the health care system. His most recent birthday cake had 90 candles. … There is something wrong with a political system in which a political party that claims 6% of the vote can take down a government. Or even worse, a party that wants to break up the country. … Stop the press, as they once screamed: Canada 5 France 0 at the Ice Hockey World Championship. Ditto for Canada 7 Latvia 1. Does anybody care?
TRIVIA: Two CJSS radio announcers who left the air waves to serve a total of 16 years as mayor of Cornwall.
TRIVIA ANSWER: Maggie MacDonald, daughter of city councillor Elaine MacDonald, was the New Democratic Party (NDP) candidate in the 1999 Stormont-Dundas-Charlottenburgh provincial election won by Liberal John Cleary.
QUOTED: America is a country where the Olympics and divorce lawyers have the same slogan – ‘Go for the Gold’. – Bob Hope
L’article Ex-cops being re-invented as JPs est apparu en premier sur Cornwall Seaway News.
