A VERY SHORT WHILE AGO: (4 1/2 Years )

The Waterloo Region Record of March 24, 2016 had an interesting article titled "Woolwich mayor's charges tossed". This of course was in regards to alleged mayor Sandy Shantz's multiple violations of the Municipal Elections Act (MEA). The mayor and a number of her colleagues on Woolwich Council had apparently felt that the legislation was intended for others but not for themselves. Myself, Dr. Dan Holt and Richard Clausi decided otherwise. .................................................................................................................... The Crown prosecutor, Fraser Kelly, stated that it was not in the public interest to proceed with the ten charges laid against mayor Shantz. These charges first had to face the scrutiny of a Justice of the Peace for their approval and then also were examined over a period of months by two different Prosecutors. Eventually Fraser Kelly also suggested that the charges were not laid properly. Horse .... in the extreme. They were laid exactly as directed by the Superior Court and their staff. Any errors were totally and completely due to either professional incompetence, intent or a failure of the process set in place by the courts in the first place. ..................................................................................................... Regarding not in the public interest to prosecute I was quoted in this article as saying: "If the Crown advises that the specific laws broken by Mayor Shantz are minor or trivial then...clearly I missed that part of the (Municipal Elections Act) which specifically stated that the following sections are trivial or minor, therefore merely suggestions to be followed by election candidates, if they feel like it". .............................................................................................................. Overall this entire process convinced me that our judicial system is badly compromised. It plays favourites with charged police officers, politicians and other sensitive individuals. Judges are appointed and the system is very cliqueish and internalized. Worse it is neither transparent nor accountable other than to those who benefit from its' largesse and bias.