PHOTO CREDIT: ST. CATHARINES STANDARD/FILE
It appears that the OPP has cleared the NPCA of any “criminal” wrongdoing after investigating allegations of such, but that doesn’t mean the storm has passed for the agency that seems to have little trouble attracting controversy.
The NPCA has gladly trumpeted this finding and has spun it to look like a full exoneration of itself… but with the hawks of a Provincial audit circling them, it might not be time to celebrate quite yet. Several local Councils including Hamilton have also asked the province to step in and take over the daily operations at the NPCA.
Ed Smith in the St. Catharines Standard weighed in on the finding, which shows there could be much more to come out in the wash:
“The OPP said it found no criminal wrongdoing,” Smith said. “That is not the same as finding no wrongdoing, as the NPCA headline states. The two are very different issues.
“I was also debriefed by the OPP on their findings, and I would be happy to attend a public forum with the NPCA and discuss those findings.
“The NPCA chair alleges that Justice Ramsay debunked all of my allegations of fraud, which is incorrect in many ways. First and foremost, there never were any allegations of fraud. The NPCA has been the agency talking about fraud — constantly.
“Second, Judge Ramsay actually found that many, in fact, most, of the issues in my report were actually not challenged by the NPCA.”…
“I look forward to the auditor general’s report providing the answers that this government agency has so far refused to provide.”
For a full reading of the article, please visit this link: http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2018/01/25/opp-clear-npca-of-criminal-wrongdoing