Education and early career
Trainer was first elected to municipal office in 1985 as the councillor for the Hagersville Ward in the former Town of Haldimand . In 1988, she was elected a councillor for the short-lived Regional Municipality of Haldimand-Norfolk .1991 Election campaign and ouster of Edith Fuller
In November 1991, through "a stunning upset" Trainer defeated incumbent Edith Fuller, in office since 1980, in the Town of Haldimand mayoralty race . Trainer had campaigned with two main platform points: her opposition to "a proposed $500-million waste station to be located near"... denied running a dirty campaign, although she admitted she had heard rumors about the mayor. But, she said, she told her workers to ignore them and not to spread them. 'We didn't run anything like a dirty campaign at all,' said Mrs. Trainer."
2000 Election campaign
The Township of Haldimand was a municipal entity that ceased to exist with the creation of the municipality of Haldimand County on 1 January 2001. Municipal elections were held in November 2000 to determine the mayor of the new county; there were two candidates and both were mayors of one of the county's constituent townships, Trainer (of Haldimand) and Lorraine Bergstrand (of Dunnville). Trainer announced her candidacy on March 28, 2000, and initially campaigned on "her record at the helm of 'one of the best-run, financially stable municipalities in Ontario with no debt, more than $6 million in reserves and only one minor tax increase'" . Trainer later adopted the slogan "The People's Mayor.""Godly" candidate controversy
On October 31, 2000, Trainer wrote a letter to 55 church ministers within the new county boundaries which "was typed by municipal staff on the letterhead of the existing town of Haldimand, signed by Trainer as mayor of the existing town of Haldimand and mailed using the town's postage meter" . The Hamilton Spectator was contacted anonymously by town staff who "said they were uncomfortable about the fact the letter was produced and sent by staff at election time" although "Gerry van der Wolf, Haldimand's chief administrative officer, said it's not up to individual employees to determine the appropriateness of work generated by the mayor's office" . In the letter, Trainer asked the church ministers "for prayers for 'governmental leadership with high moral standards'" and urged "ministers to encourage the 'churched people of our community' to get out to vote to ensure a 'Godly influence in our governments'" . reported that "several of the 55 ministers who received the letter say the implicit message is that a vote for Trainer is a 'Godly' vote" and quoted Rev. Jeff Veenstra of Dunnville's Knox Presbyterian Church:"Although it's not explicit, it is implied that she (Trainer) is the Godly candidate, the right moral candidate, the candidate with the right values, ... I found the timing of this letter very opportunist."The Rev. Ian Kirby-Smith of Grace United Church in Dunnvile also saw "the letter as an effort by Trainer to garner votes" . Trainer claimed the letter "was merely an effort to get people out to vote at a time when restructuring has caused confusion among municipal voters" . Trainer ultimately lost the election.
2000–2003
Between 2000 and 2003, Trainer "assisted in the family beef operation", sat on the "management boards of Cottonwood Mansion and2003 Election campaign
In 2003, Trainer again campaigned as "The People's Mayor" , noting in interviews that "she always talks to people as equals" . On commencing her run for office, Trainer's primary criticism of the incumbent council was that "council asnot listening to the taxpayers...It just seems it's a dictatorship" . She also noted that in "her opinion, too much council business is kept from the people. 'There is an awful lot of P and C (private and confidential business),' Trainer said. 'I would have a more open council and not so much P and C and I would let the public speak when they wanted to'" . During December 2004-February 2005, she would be criticised for her role in offering for sale, without first holding a public meeting, the municipal hydro utility, Haldimand County Hydro. Trainer also commented on concerns she had regarding a "bitter""defended those caps. 'Yes there were zero increases but not less dollars,' she said. 'The additional tax base from new residents and businesses was used to finance additional budget items,' she said. Trainer also emphasized that the former town reviewed its roads and set a priority for maintenance" .Trainer "collected $13,190.44 in contributions compared to Bergstrand's $18,080" during the campaign and won by a 1111 vote margin, with 7303 votes cast for Trainer. noted that in "
"Strange" voter turnout patterns and strength of mandate
In the November 10, 2003 municipal elections in Haldimand County "the council voter turn out exceeded the mayoral balloting in every ward" . The strength of Trainer's mandate from the community was unclear and surveyed "county political observers", who offered the following "possibilities for the voting trend": *Dunnville Chamber of Commerce president Marg Clark suggested "there was a preconceived notion that there was not much to choose from in the slate of candidates running for mayor. 'I would not be surprised that (those with this opinion) chose not to vote,'... People were soliciting candidates to enter the mayoral race up to the nomination deadline and this is another indication of dissatisfaction with the options" . *Catherine Berry Stidsen surmised that voters noted "Trainer's personal approach and ... Bergstrand's business like approach ... and nobody could get a feel for Marlowe ... With all these factors in play, some people opted not to vote for mayor" . Stidsen further commented that " ecauseof the low voter turnout in this election and the past, she2003–2006 Term in Office
Mayor Marie Trainer and the Haldimand ward councilors elected in theRole in the attempted sale of Haldimand County Hydro in 2004–2005
The council of the corporation of Haldimand County discovered, "during ay2004 budget discussions", that Haldimand County Hydro would likely fail "to provide a forecast dividend of $280,000." Council met with the utility and "despite low profits due to a rate freeze, the utility did provide the original dividend amount" . However, according to statements made by Trainer to the Dunnville Chronicle in November 2004, "council felt it was getting a poor return, one per cent, for their $23 million investment" . Haldimand County Hydro is the county's biggest asset; the utility's sole shareholder is the Haldimand County corporation, acting on behalf of the county taxpayers . Trainer gave the value (after debts are deducted, the shareholder's interest) as $23 million while the chief administrative officer for the Haldimand County corporation, Bill Pearce, noted "Haldimand Hydro has 20,000 customers and the book value of the utility is $20 million. 'But we're hoping to get more than that thanks to competition,'" . Trainer noted that "if that kind of money was in the bank, council could do more for residents. ... If the utility is sold, staff will recommend using the proceeds to finance hard assets like buildings, roads and equipment" . Ward 3 ("Donna Pitcher presented petitions with 2,967 names voicing opposition to the utility sale. She wondered why no economic impact study was done when, by using the county's own economic development impact formula, she calculated an annual $15 million blow to the county's economy if HCH was sold."Bernie Corbett stated at the meeting "the community is dumbfounded. They cannot understand why you continue to pursue a course of action contrary to their wishes. ... There would be no problem getting enough signatures if the public had the right to recall council members" . Lorraine Bergstrand also "reminded Trainer about her election promises for open, accessible and responsible government for the people" and "criticized council for its quick decision to look for a buyer" . At the meeting's close, Trainer addressed her fellow councilors and stated that she "hoped" the councilors "would take citizen comments under advisement and make sure they were addressed in purchase applications" which would be considered at the closed meeting scheduled for January 31, when Trainer and the other councilors would make their final decision . Marsha Cox, a Dunnville resident who registered and spoke at the meeting noted to that, in "her opinion, council members acted like school yard bullies who didn't care and who were acting in a parochial manner ... 'It's about control.'" On February 1, 2005 "council decided unanimously to stop the divesture process" . In a closed session on March 21, 2005, Trainer and four of the six councillors voted not to renew Bernie Corbett's term on the hydro board; the council returned the two other citizen members and appointed a councilor, Buck Sloat, to the now-vacant chair position, thereby changing the citizen representation on the board . Donna Pitcher commented: "There's something seriously wrong with this council," and suggested Council did not have expertise in electricity without Corbett . On April 13, 2005, Bill Pearce reported to County council that " ostsfor the request for proposal and sale process for Haldimand Hydro exceeded estimates ... The final bill came to $243,501.77. Legal fees amounted to $162,096.25, consultant fees were $80,738.69 and meeting expenses came to $666.83" . noted that "Council is financing these costs from the contingency reserve, which is used to cover unexpected expenses and is a temporary fund for transition costs."
Harassment complaint, censure by council, and lawsuit
As later revealed in a report prepared by human resources consultants The Burke Group, during the 2003 election campaign "Trainer declared that she did not want to work with McLachlan and other senior staff" in the event that she took office and became head of the municipal corporation . On November 13, 2003, four days after winning the election and two weeks before taking office on December 1, "Trainer spoke to a senior county manager about changing administrative assistants" . The administrative assistant to the mayor was, at that time, Janice McLachlan, hired to the position in 2000 by then-mayor Lorraine Bergstrand. On November 19 Trainer "reported having a real problem working with McLachlan" . quoted Trainer's summary of her relationship with McLachlan in an August 2005 Hamilton Spectator article:"Trainer denies that arassment occurredand says what is getting lost is that McLachlan was hired by former mayor Lorraine Bergstrand, whom Trainer defeated in the 2003 election. 'She was hired by her and was her assistant for three years ... It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what's going on,' the mayor said after council's four-and-a-half-hour in-camera meeting. Trainer said the two did not get along from the time she assumed the mayor's chair. 'I tried, but she was very upset. I can understand that. I kicked her friend out of her job.' She said she asked for McLachlan to be reassigned but nothing happened."At a municipal corporation meeting held on November 25, 2003, "Trainer was advised by the county lawyer to inform McLachlan about expectations before her performance was criticized. She was warned that the issue could lead to a harassment charge against her or the county" . However, The Burke Group report gave evidence that Trainer "made derogatory comments regarding McLachlan's performance and publicly blamed her for errors", "denied her administrative assistant access to e-mail and voice mail," and "failed to proactively provide good communication, clear direction and an understanding of her expectations, thus setting Janice up to fail" . On May 17, 2005, "Trainer asked again for a new administrative coordinator and suggested dismissing McLachlan without cause" . , paraphrasing The Burke Group report, noted the effect the mayor's actions had on McLachlan, particularly on May 18 and May 19, 2005:
"McLachlan told a senior manager that she was frustrated and had made some errors. She also said the mayor was rarely in her office and was not following up all phone messages", McLachlan "started crying and shaking at work as a result of the poisonous atmosphere and mental intimidation", McLachlan noted that the mayor's "relentless pursuit to remove her from her job" made the situation "intolerable".McLachlan commenced a leave of absence. "Most citizens had no inkling of strife in their mayor's office until news broke about McLachlan's unexplained leave of absence" . In May 2005, McLachlan expressed the above concerns in an email to a senior manager and management deemed the email "a complaint of harassment" and, at that point, commissioned The Burke Group to investigate and report to the municipal council. In August 2005, the offices of The Dunnville Chronicle and Haldimand Review received the report via anonymous fax and noted in a subsequent article that "Trainer, who did not send the report, later verified that the faxed edition was a copy of The Burke Group report. During the investigation, the firm interviewed 15 people and reviewed newspapers, meeting tapes and county policies and procedures on workplace harassment." On August 10, 2005, after receipt of the report and a "4½-hour private meeting, Haldimand council confirmed in a 6-0 vote that the mayor had harassed McLachlan" . Council voted that three actions be taken: "a written apology be extended to the employee on behalf of Haldimand County council; the mayor be requested to voluntarily reimburse the county for the costs of an investigation by the consulting firm; the mayor be requested to take training in the areas of sensitivity, understanding of harassment legislation, conflict resolution and effective communication skills" . However, Trainer's response was that she was "not going to pay for it" (giving as one reason that "she had no input in hiring the firm") and that "all of council should take the training and that she had not decided if she would undertake the training if council would not join her" . Council's actions, and the ultimate consequences for Trainer, represented a mild reprimand compared to the one recommended by The Burke Group report, which noted:
Trainer had "a general lack of concern for the importance of both corporate and legislative policy." "This behaviour clearly indicates a lack of competence as a manager and a definite lack of the required supervisory skills necessary to properly address the concerns identified." "As head of a corporation, Trainer had added responsibility to ensure that the workplace remain free from harassment." "If the mayor were a senior employee in a non-municipal setting, she would be removed from her position immediately, for cause." ( and ).The Burke Group report "suggested council seek legal advice to see if emovalis an option" , and also suggested that Trainer be given "the opportunity to step down or retire from her role immediately" . However, Bill Pearce, county chief administrative officer "said a council member can be removed for a conflict of interest or an act in bad faith. To do so, council would require a judge's order to have the position vacated ... if a council member is convicted of a criminal act, council has no legal recourse to force the member to step down, but any council member can decide to leave" . Given the report and on "legal advice from the municipal lawyer" council formulated the three actions listed above and "Trainer said the censure does not make her ponder resigning" . "After Trainer was re-elected in the fall of 2006, McLachlan said she felt enough time had passed that she could return to her old job but was told that was not possible. She also said the county then refused to participate in a negotiation for a fair severance package and demanded she accept a lesser role in the planning department on a full-time basis" . On February 2, 2007, Janice McLachlan was dismissed from her job and on April 23, 2007, Janice and Allan McLachlan "filed a $1.37-million wrongful dismissal suit against the mayor and the county" . The statement of claim was served May 8, 2007—the suit "seeks wrongful dismissal damages of $500,000 due to 'harassment and intimidation;' $150,000 general and aggravated damages for her alleged constructive dismissal; $150,000 for defamation and 'intentional infliction of mental distress;' another $500,000 in punitive damages; and $75,000 general damages for Allan McLachlan usband to Janice .
"the settlement was reached on the recommendation of a mediator and on the advice of the county's lawyer and the lawyer from its insurance company. The amount being paid by the county is $80,000 and the insurance firm is paying $95,000. The settlement includes $30,000 in legal fees."also reported that "Trainer said she was glad the affair was behind her as it was not a happy situation. 'It's never a nice thing to happen to anyone. I wouldn't wish it on anyone...'" and that Trainer "noted the lawsuit had sought $500,000 from her personally 'but nothing came from me.'"
Association with the group Prayer for Haldimand
On August 10, 2005, a special Haldimand County council meeting was convened to consider the June 28 report prepared by The Burke Group subsequent to the May 2005 complaint of harassment filed against Trainer. The "meeting began with Trainer praying for peace for everyone present" . The meeting entered a closed session and Trainer retired to her office because her presence would constitute a conflict of interest during the council's deliberation on the investigation evidence. "For the first two hours of the closed session, two members of Prayer for Haldimand sat with Trainer in her office" . Trainer returned to the council chamber once the council voted "that the mayor had harassed McLachlan" , an open session resumed and when "the meeting was finished, Trainer remained in the chamber for an interview and then approached two Prayer for Haldimand members. One embraced her" .Controversial role in the Caledonia land dispute
The Caledonia land dispute began on 28 February 2006 when a "small group of Six Nations protesters from the Grand River Territory reserve"Our politicians are hiding, .. and it makes me sick."That evening, 500 of these demonstrators confronted the police and the Six Nations protestors, approached the barricades, smashed a police vehicle and caused "100 police officers okeep them away" (one person was arrested) .
Disingenuous comments insult protestors and incite demonstrators
On April 25, 2006, Trainer, as mayor of Haldimand County and not a member of the provincial government negotiating team, " nfuriatedprotesters when she"...have to get to work to support their families. If they don't go to work, they don't get paid and if they don't get paid then they can't pay their mortgages and they lose their homes. ... They don't have money coming in automatically every month. ... They've got to work to survive and the natives have got to realize that."Six nations members understood Trainer was "labelling them as welfare recipients" and at least one unidentified Six Nations member confronted her on national television :
"I don't know where you get off. Your redneck attitude is what's causing this whole thing," the woman said. "There's no way you're going to make us come off as welfare recipients. You put it right on the air and I just seen it. You had no damn business saying it."The noted that the "incident marked a further deterioration in relations between the protesters and town residents following a noisy confrontation at the barricades Monday night that led to the arrest of one person." "After Trainer adethe comments, Haldimand County Council otedto replace her with deputy mayor Tom Patterson as its spokesperson on the issue." On April 28, 500 residents of Caledonia again demonstrated near the barricades and the additional conflict between residents, the police and the Six Nations protestors was firmly established.
Prejudicial comments regarding power outage
On May 22, 2006, a truck was lit on fire and placed inside a hydro substation near Argyle Street in Caledonia, near the Caledonia land dispute . Two transformers were damaged and residents in two counties –2006 Election campaign
2006–2009 Term in office
Taxation
References
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