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  City Inquiry Bill Tops That of Six Other Groups Combined

By Elisabeth Johns
Cornwall Standard Freeholder
November 29, 2007

http://www.standard-freeholder.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=796922&auth=Elisabeth+Johns

The Cornwall Community Police has spent more than eight other parties combined at the Cornwall Public Inquiry.

And the total bill for the inquiry itself sits at $11.96 million.

To date, the city's costs at the inquiry through the police service, has totalled some $4.3 million, it was announced Wednesday.

The province covered $3.2 million of the city's tab, up until March 31, 2007.

An additional $1,160,707 was spent from April 1 to Sept. 30. Of that, the city paid $369,094 (or 31.8 per cent) while the province paid $791,613.95 (68.2 per cent).

During that period, Cornwall police also incurred $18,581 in "out of pocket" costs related to the inquiry, such as court security, document preparation and copier and courier services.

Meanwhile, the six parties who have received funding - Citizens for Community Renewal, the Alexandria-Cornwall Roman Catholic Diocese, The Victims Group, The Men's Project, city lawyer Jacques Leduc and Rev. Charles MacDonald - and two others that have received partial funding have spent a combined $2.75 million to date.

Lead Commission Counsel Peter Engelmann confirmed this figure also includes funding for lawyers the commission hired for David Silmser and John MacDonald, both sexual abuse survivors.

Mayor Bob Kilger told the Standard-Freeholder recently it's like "comparing apples and oranges" when referring to the city's costs compared to some of the other parties at the inquiry.

"We've got more clients and more cause to cross-examine people. The city's doing its very best to defend the integrity of our police services," the mayor added.

Commissioner Normand Glaude announced Wednesday morning the total expenditure for the inquiry itself is $11.96 million.

This cost includes the commissioner's lawyer, staff, fees for documents and transcripts, the webcast and translation as well as counselling and experts.

Of that, nearly $10 million has been spent on the inquiry with about two-thirds of the costs being spent on personnel like commission lawyers and staff.

The rest of the figure is for Phase 2 of the inquiry, which deals with the healing and reconciliation of the community. Which means, in total, in both legal fees and inquiry costs, taxpayers have picked up a nearly $15-million tab.

 
 

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