Right off the bat I can think of three crises that should have had public inquiries decades ago. That would be the 1989 Elmira Water Crisis, The Grassy Narrows mercury crisis and the Ron Archer student abuse scandal at the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB). Now let's not be too naive here. Two of three of these are right here in Waterloo Region. Not for a minute do I think that each and every other Region and city in Ontario have not had their fair share of government coverups, scandals and low life behaviour. Over the decades I've been disappointed in literally from city to city how little information has been shared in local media particularly newspapers. For example the Bishop St. community in Cambridge suffered horribly from the Northstar Aerospace (& more) TCE groundwater contamination and yet so very little of it was transmitted outside of the City of Cambridge.
Who or what determines whether or not a public inquiry will be called? You guessed it, the dirty politicians get to pick and choose. From a distance I can only surmise that their criteria differ widely from those of honest citizens. In fact I strongly suspect that local politicians very early on decide how dangerous an inquiry could be to themselves. Afterall if political influence was involved or political favourtism or meddling then what self-serving politician is ever going to recommend a public inquiry.
Look at Elmira during two Environmental Appeal Board hearings in 1991. The second one only got as far as Uniroyal Chemical witnesses being examined and cross-examined and was adjourned for the summer only to be aborted in the fall immediately prior to the Ontario Ministry of Environment being put on the stand. Someone in government may have gotten a bonus and early retirement over that move. Those EAB hearings were exposing government incompetence, favourtism and corruption only to be ended prematurely. This of course is the big problem with Public Inquiries . Unless you can totally control them it could cost a sitting government their mandate. Inquiries could cost Cabinet Ministers their jobs and careers. No politician is ever going to call a Public Inquiry that could result in a loss of public confidence regarding our institutions, personnel and overall democratic ethics and behaviour.
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