A Fine "Fix-ed"?

(Can a Mayor Fix a Fine?)

(Original posting : 11 May 2010 )

Under what power or law can a Mayor make a fine/invoice issued as a by-law infringement disappear? Listen to the recording of a voice left on an answering machine. This is a message by a City Councillor left on the answering machine of an individual who asked for help. The councillor approached the Mayor and the Mayor decided to do as he wished with the law. As citizens of this country we are proud of our way of life, of our equality and quality of life. We have sent brave Canadians to foreign lands because we believe that our Canadian ideal of justice and equality is worth emulating. Our sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers stand bravely shoulder to shoulder in our Canadian uniforms and sadly some have paid the ultimate price with their lives. Equality is the cornerstone of democracy. Our Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees equality for all Canadians before and under the law. The Charter does not see small or big laws, but all laws.

The individual had gone to Cuba for a couple of weeks. When he left the grass was green. While he was away it snowed. He wasn’t there to shovel the snow. City employees did shovel his snow. A fine/invoice was sent to him under BY-LAW 2008-315. On his return the individual called the St. Catharines Public Works Department and tried to explain. He told City employees that he was away in Cuba and was not able to clean his sidewalk. He said that his partner is handicapped and unable to clean the snow. The City employees told him that as he knew that he was going to Cuba he should have arranged for a neighbour or someone to shovel his sidewalk and the by-law fine stood. Then the individual called his City Councillor for help in the issue. The result is this message from the Councillor on the answering machine.

Premier Dalton McGuinty was provided with all the details. He replied that it was Minister Bradley’s responsibility as Minister for Municipal Affairs. Minister Bradley’s reply to me is a contradiction to the Premier’s instructions. The essence of all law in Canada is equality in its application. What of those who paid their fines? What of the Charter of Rights? No one in elected public office has the legal right to make a fine disappear or be “taken care of.” There is a proper and legal way to object to an unjust fine and it had already been tried. It is your voice as the people of St. Catharines, of Canada that counts now.

The Documents

Transcript of phone message

Transcript of Councillor’s phone message on answering machine:

“Hi, Mark Jenn Stevens calling I met with Mayor McMullan and the engineering department, Dan Dillon and Mike Wilson yesterday in regards to your water um, damage and that ah, occurred in your yard as well as your snow shovelling um, invoice.

"The Mayor is going to look after your snow shovelling invoice so you won’t have to pay that, so you can put that aside. Um, I’ll have a letter of to follow up on that um, so you don’t have to pay it, and I’ll drop that out to you.

"Also they will be digging a trench from 20 feet from the east side of um, Sun Collision all the way down to back to the park’s department shovelling the water into the drain-off that goes off of Merritt Street so hopefully that will alleviate a lot of your water problems. Um, thank you very much and ah, we’ll keep in touch, thank you and take care.”

(Original posted 26 May 2010)

Letter Two

Alexander Davidoff
53 Almond Street
St. Catharines, Ontario
L2T 1G2

May 24, 2010





Premier Dalton McGuinty
The Premier of Ontario
Legislative Building
Queen’s Park
Toronto, Ontario, M7A 1A1


Dear Premier McGuinty,

Yes I know I have sent you a letter already informing you of the Blog. Yet events over the last couple of days require that I keep you up to date Premier as I also do so on the Blog.

On Friday May 21st 2010 an apparent attempt was made to have the audio removed from the Blog. I had been informed this can only be done if a complaint had been made that it was offensive. The truth often is offensive in particular to corrupt politicians on any level. It took several hours but we had been able to solve that problem and make the audio available again to anyone who wishes to listen.

Then in the early hours of Sunday May 23rd 2010 more insane acts. I was alerted by neighbours later in the morning that my front garden was attacked. I have provided here copies of my letter to Chief Southall of the NRP, some photos and the Blog update so as to save you from taking time on the computer keyboard. Heck I am horrible with the one finger method and just trying to be helpful sir.

Humour is my release Premier but this is no laughing matter nor a coincidence. I have children and my photo is on the Blog. I have every reason to be concerned. Plus here the police only take phone reports on intimidation and harassment; soon it will be “at the tone of the beep record your report.” The ‘beep’ is to black out something more unprintable.

It now seems that the fight for the truth in Canada is met with attempted censorship and when that doesn’t work than intimidation and harassment. Here the truth is politically not only inconvenient but down right dangerous for some! In our Canada can something like this be possible! Truth is wilder than fiction it seems.
I am not going to repeat myself read the letter to the Chief of the NRP, Southall and look at the photos for yourself. Now this flyer here promoting the Blog is being prepared to be delivered by volunteers in the thousands all over St. Catharines. Corrupt cowards have made attempts to smother the truth and then when that didn’t work, intimidation was their choice. Our reply is simple make it wider now! Make it more public now!

You are the Premier of Ontario and trust in you to show dignity and faith in our system of government, even if it’s only because we have no choice. You as the Premier of Ontario cannot shrug off responsibility to “Honourable” Jim, and leave it at that. We the people of St. Catharines demand action and will make this as loud as we can, take the fight for the truth as far as is needed. This is not something you can sweep under the rug and hope it will go away Premier McGuinty.

This too will be posted on the Blog.

Sincerely yours,




Alexander Davidoff.

Letter One

Alexander Davidoff
53 Almond Street
St. Catharines, Ontario
L2T 1G2


May 24, 2010




Chief Wendy Southall
Niagara Regional Police
68 Church Street
St. Catharines, Ontario, L2R 3C6

Re: Incident Report #10-44914


Dear Chief Southall:

This report was only taken over the phone and I was told that an officer will call within 48 hours by phone. Photos attached show what had happened with a written description attached. Without hesitation this was deliberate attempt at intimidation and harassment. I have no way of proving who had done this and therefore can not in dignity make accusations. Yet without hesitation I say it was because of my Blog and Facebook.

Blog: http://mayorgate.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://en-gb.facebook.com/people/Alexander-Davidoff

On Friday an apparent attempt was made to block the audio recording from being heard. I have demanded an explanation and clarification in writing. Only a complaint that the audio was offensive and I have been informed it would create a block. I was able to get around the block and have the audio open again in a matter of hours. No such further attempts would be successful. Look at the Blog and the material.

From the photos you will see that a vehicle had mounted the sidewalk deliberately as scratches were made on the concrete. This was not an out of control vehicle not the angle it had mounted to the intersection. The vehicle then crossed over the City Garden with tire imprints clear over the planted material. At this point it is only 6 feet in width to my Juniper shrub and it was not disturbed. The vehicle then moved forward on a curve approximately some 30 feet not damaging anything in a space only 5’11” (five foot, eleven inches) to 5’8” (five foot, eight inches) in width. A dry stacked stone wall at the other end of my front yard was then pulled apart. Stones have been taken/stolen and the vehicle then crossed again over City planted material; again vehicle tire imprints are clear over the sidewalk and onto Glendale Avenue. A yellow fire hydrant is opposite the stone wall of my garden which was vandalised and only approximately 5’8” (five foot, eight inches) of space in between, yet the fire hydrant not even scratched.

This was intentional! This was deliberate! This was not simple vandalism! Whoever did this intended it to be unsettling, to be intimidating. There is no coincidence here not with the apparent attempt to block the audio on Friday on the Blog and then this. My garden walls have been up for some eight years and never anything like this. My photograph is on the Blog and address clear, I have to be concerned what could be next. In all fairness I could not provide a witness or a description of a vehicle to the dispatch on the phone yet I did get less than expected in return from your NRP.

I have provided all this to you Chief so that there is an official record on file not a simple phone call. This letter will be posted also on the Blog.

Sincerely,




Alexander Davidoff.

An Update to a Fine ‘Fix-Ed’ - May 25th 2010

On Friday May 21st 2010 an apparent attempt had been made to silence the truth. It has not been clarified as yet but clarification has been demanded if a block had been placed on the audio recording due to a complaint it was offensive. Though we were able to work around the apparent block and still provide everyone the audio within some hours I apologise to anyone who had wanted to listen and was not able to. It would seem that the truth indeed is a dangerous inconvenience.

Then on Sunday May 23rd 2010 my home, or the front yard in particular was vandalised - some photos attached. Was this some form of harassment or intimidation? My front garden has been as is for over eight years now and never touched. It is too much of a coincidence I think, in particular as I don’t believe in coincidences.

In font of my house on Almond Street is a City of St. Catharines garden. It is along Glendale Avenue into Almond Street. Whoever it was came with a vehicle onto the City Garden area, tire tracks are clearly imprinted and had not hit the yellow fire hydrant with only approximately 5’9” (five foot, nine inches) of width plus whoever had not mowed down my Juniper bush opposite the fire hydrant! Only to stop, attack my dry stacked stone circular garden wall, steal a number of stones and leave at the other end over the City Garden leaving tire imprints. This was intentional and deliberate the area narrow from end to end approximately 6’ (six foot) down to 5’9” (five foot, nine inches). Marks on the sidewalk show the vehicle mounting, no tire marks on the street and the angle proves it was not a drunk driver or I would have no wall at all.

This happened in the early hours of Sunday morning the 23rd. On Friday the 21st the audio was apparently attempted to be blocked, yet we got around that. A report made to the police, Incident Report #10-44914 though it appears an officer will only do a phone call on this. A letter and photos sent to Chief Southall of the Niagara Regional Police in case the facts may be needed for the record. This was intentional harassment and intimidation. I won’t stop fighting for the truth, the equality we all demand as Canadians and our City of St. Catharines.

Raise your voices if you find the material compiled here to be unacceptable. It seems the truth now in Canada is not tolerated. All updates will be posted.

Letter One : Images