ONE STEP CLOSER TO FULL DISCLOSURE OF MAYOR SHANTZ'S ELECTION ACT CONTRAVENTIONS

Yesterday morning was both reassuring and discouraging. The discouragement was once again that the incompetence of the legal system was on full display. The reassurance however was the very same human element at its' very best also on display. The lesson for me was don't let human failures along the way discourage me. Justice Radulovic stepped up and in my opinion pulled a reverse Richard Nixon. "Pulling a Richard Nixon" is an old saying borne out of the Watergate fiasco. It means snatching defeat from the very jaws of victory. In this case Justice Radulovic did the exact opposite. She was faced with a joint submission from the Crown Prosecuter and from Sandy Shantz's lawyer requesting/insisting that all charges be withdrawn and the case in its' entirety be dropped.

Once again we have seen Mayor Shantz's preferred and bragged about method of doing business behind the scenes and out of the public's sight. Unfortunately this most especially includes monkey business whether disgusting pretend "stakeholders" meetings concerning Chemtura (April 9/15), incredibly reduced public consultation at RAC and TAG or private conversations with MECAC members, prosecuters and more. Yesterday's joint submission explains Sandy's briefly renewed confidence this week at Council. She figured that yesterday's court appearance was a done deal as she had a joint Crown/defence submission in her back pocket.

Mr. Dickson, the prosecuter, made it very plain to the court that my charges as accepted by Justice of the Peace (Marquette) were totally unacceptable, inappropriate and a gross contravention to Superior Court. He also made comments regarding some tests of criminality which I didn't understand. Sandy's lawyer, Mr. Randall Martin, was in complete agreement with him. It looked very bad. Then Justice Radulovic decided that justice and fair play were more important than convenience and a bad resolution. She looked over the court and asked if there was anyone present with additional knowledge regarding this case. She may even have asked specifically if the complainant/informant was present. I was stunned.

I approached the bench, identified myself and at her request spoke briefly to the issues. Mr. Dickson sputtered a bit about the wrong court at that point. Justice Radulovic then made her decision. Mr. Marshall she stated had both done his research and his due diligence into the appropriate court processes regarding filing an "Information" with a Justice of the Peace. Furthermore he had suceeded in satisfying the legal requirements necessary prior to Justice Marquette issuing process such as the Summons to mayor Shantz. The fact that somewhere along the line after Mr. Marshall had satisfied all the legal hurdles someone had issued the Summons to the wrong court was unfortunate but not fatal to the case.

As Justice Radulovic stated the crown was present, Mayor Shantz's lawyer was present and Mr. Marshall, the informant, was present. She therefore immediately scheduled a court date for October 28, 9 am. in Provincial Offences Court, 77 Queen St. Kitchener, Courtroom 101. She decided that she was not going to take the expeditious route suggested by Mr. Martin and Mr. Dickson which would have completely killed the ten charges.

To date neither MECAC nor any court have taken even a remotely careful look at the Mayor's election financials. MECAC's alleged ten minute purview of thirty pages of Financials on July 2/15 was given far more weight than it remotely deserved both by MECAC and by Superior Court who restored Sandy to the Mayor's chair. Sandy used a tame and compliant MECAC to avoid scrutiny of some very strange evidence within her various Financial Statements. It is time for a serious examination by the authorities of her election finances.