Irish media reporting on Gwen Boniface's troubles in Caledonia
From the Irish Daily Star (transcribed by this blogger, all emphasis as per the original newspaper article):
Garda Woman's "Policing Crisis"
Michael O'Toole
Crime CorrespondentA Canadian police chief brought in by Justice Minister Michael McDowell to improve Garda efficiency has been blamed for a policing crisis back home, The Star has been told.
"There is no rule of law…the people are blaming Gwen," an elected Canadian mayor said last night of Gwen Boniface.
She is one three people appointed to the newly-created Garda Inspectorate.
But a Justice Department spokesman said last night that officials here had full confidence in Boniface, and had been aware of the Canadian issue during the recruitment process.
"She is a leading policewoman in Canada and has been a commissioner for eight years," he said.
"We have full confidence in her and we are sure she will make a strong contribution to the inspectorate."
More than 1,000 Canadian citizens signed an online petition demanding Boniface's resignation over her handling of a crisis in the Caledonia area of Ontario, where she has been chief of police for the past eight years.
Boniface also faces a class action suit by Caledonia residents who believe the force she commands has let native protesters run amok in the town during the violent six-month stand-off.
Local Mayor Marie Trainor told The Star last night: "I have respected her opinion up to the Caledonia occupation."
But she said locals were furious that land seized by native Canadians was now a no-go area for the Ontario Provincial Police - headed by 30-year police veteran Boniface.
The local police union said officers have been ordered not to wear riot gear when dealing with confrontations between natives and non-natives.
And Trainor claimed police had been ordered not to arrest natives who committed crimes.
"There is no rule of law - it is not being enforced," she said.
"We are not blaming the front line workers or our inspector. But people are blaming Gwen - someone has to be telling them to step back when it's natives."
Boniface is due to start work in October with the Garda Inspectorate - which is to carry out a root-and-branch review of how gardai operate on a day to day basis.
She and two other members of the Inspectorate - Chief Inspector Kathleen O'Toole from Boston and Robert Olsen from Minneapolis - have the power to make recommendations to McDowell on changes at all levels.
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Comments
Consider it fair payback for Irishman Bono's support of the Liberal Party of Canada.
Posted by: Haha at August 4, 2006 09:33 AM
Haha - Ha-Ha!! (Sorry, couldn't resist. And that's likely not the first time you heard that one either, right?)
Posted by: Joanne TB at August 4, 2006 10:13 AM
Yes, but the front page of which Irish paper? The Irish Daily Star is best known for its celebrity gossip, sports coverage, and sensationalistic crime reporting--not exactly an authoritative source for the issues of the day. Funny how this "story" never made quite it to the pages of the Times or the Independent.
I wonder who brought it to the Irish press's attention in the first place?
Posted by: at August 4, 2006 10:19 AM
what kind of advice is the usless buffoon going to give them? hide with their head up their asses anytime shit hits the fan? The only good that come out (for us) is if she never comes back
Posted by: x2para at August 4, 2006 11:32 AM
You can see the Irish Daily Star copy on our website.
"Funny how this "story" never made quite it to the pages of the Times or the Independent. "
Well the Times emailed us yesterday and wanted to run the story - because I was out and time difference they didn't speak to me until today.
Irish Daily had beat them to it - that was what the Times reporter told me. However, you'll see them run their own story over the next few days.
While post it on our site when it is available.
Posted by: Gary McHale at August 4, 2006 11:42 AM
A,
Who really cares what the format of "The Irish Daily Star" is. By attacking the messenger and not the message you have simply shown yourself to be nothing more than an ignorant boob. If you have something insightful to contribute please counter with plausible arguments supporting this incompetent political animal.
Posted by: vieux loup at August 4, 2006 04:14 PM
After a few years in office in Ireland, the LPC MSM will point out that there haven't been any Mohawk uprisings there since she arrived, demonstrating her full effectiveness at dealing with such issues, therefore she is fully exonerated.
Posted by: Shaken at August 4, 2006 09:49 PM
The fact that "Commissioner Boniface was invested into the Order of Ontario in 2001 for her work with the First Nations communities" (Wikipedia) says volumes about her handling of the lawlessness and disorder at Caledonia. It seems clear that she is unable to be dispassionate and objective, and that there was a clear conflict of interest in her dealings with the Natives in Caledonia.
Another example of a "bullshit standard" RNC uses in another thread when talking about policing by the RCMP in Canada.
Ireland can have her. It's pretty obvious that the RCMP have given her a way to save face and not have to face the music here in Canada. What a Banana Republic we're becoming.
Posted by: new kid on the block at August 5, 2006 08:06 AM
bonifarce people; thats boniFARCE
Posted by: RobertJ at August 5, 2006 01:56 PM
Perhaps I'm mssing something,new kid on the block. But what does the Commissioner Boniface have to to do with The RCMP?
Posted by: Gordon Dundas at August 5, 2006 01:58 PM
'Caledonia'
...you know, I wonder what we'll be thinking a year from now when we hear that?
Or "AdScam", or "Gun Registry", or "Liberals"...
...ick, even miy keyboad is% revoltinkg tyi;paoingk thi0se w$ie4rds...
Posted by: tomax7 at August 5, 2006 02:01 PM
Gordon Dundas: "...what does the Commissioner Boniface have to to do with The RCMP?"
Nothing. Sorry, I meant the OPP. They are NOT interchangeable, obviously; a slip on my part. Thanks for pointing this out.
Posted by: at August 5, 2006 02:35 PM
That's my post @ 2:35 re correction.
Posted by: new kid on the block at August 5, 2006 02:37 PM
"vieux loup": I was attacking the message, though in this case, the message I was targeting wasn't what the Daily Star wrote. I was targeting Steve's misleading insinuation that Ms. Boniface's performance in Caledonia was emerging as a major concern in Ireland ("Gwen Boniface's handling of the Caledonia land dispute has made front page news in Ireland", "Irish media reporting on Gwen Boniface's troubles in Caledonia"). Yes, in a limited literal sense, it did make the front page of one Irish paper, but that paper is read by only a tiny fraction of the population when compared to the bigger news outfits. Usually, though, when people say something is "front page news," what they mean is that it's on all the front pages, as well as on everyone's lips. So the fact that the story made only one paper hardly suggests that even a minority of the Irish are up in arms about the appointment.
But if it's "plausible arguments" that you want, how about the fact that the international competition for the Garda position started before Caledonia erupted, or that the selection committee was fully aware of the situation in Caledonia when they selected Ms. Boniface? How to explain their decision to give her the job? Perhaps it's because they looked at her entire CV rather than just focus on this latest incident. When you accuse her of being an "incompetent political animal," what evidence are you going on? Her whole career as a law enforcement officer? Or just the stuff you read on this blog and on CaledoniaWakeUpCall?
Posted by: at August 6, 2006 02:44 PM
 
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