Rumours that several Guelph-Eramosa councillors have repeatedly billed taxpayers for attending Remembrance Day ceremonies seem to be overblown.
But one councillor has filed expenses for the Nov. 11 services over the past few years.
After following up several inquiries from the public, the Advertiser has learned councillor John Scott, himself a past member of the Armed Forces, last year billed $75 each for Remembrance Day ceremonies on Nov. 6 and Nov. 11 in Rockwood.
Scott also billed for Remembrance Day in 2008. Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Janice Sheppard said going back to 2005, those are the only incidents of councillors billing for attending the services at the Rockwood cenotaph.
Calls to other administrative officials confirmed Scott is the only councillor in Wellington County submitting such expenses.
But Scott contends the expenses, all tied to his role as “veterans liaison” and the current organizer of Remembrance Day ceremonies in Rockwood, are approved by council.
“I don’t believe … any of the other [municipal representatives] who participate in the Remembrance Day ceremonies do the amount of work that I do in the background, but never put a claim in for it – even though I could,” Scott said.
He explained that in conjunction with staff, he spends “hours” coordinating various aspects of the Nov. 11 services.
“I do this as a representative of the municipality. I’m working with the township to promote the values of the community,” he said. “I’m not doing it to make money … I’m not doing it behind anybody’s back, to be sure.”
Scott added he donates the money he receives for his role as veterans liaison to the local food bank.
As for why he only filed Nov. 11 expenses in 2008 and 2010, when he’s been taking on the veterans liaison role for about four years, Scott said he “just forgot” to file the expenses for the other years.
He explained that following the 2006 death of veteran Jim Milne, who was previously in charge of the Remembrance Day ceremony, he stepped forward to take over the organizational duties.
Some who knew Milne say the Second World War veteran would be upset if he knew a councillor was charging expenses for anything related to the annual Nov. 11 service.
“I think he’d be disgusted,” said Bryan Alder, a Rockwood resident who took over the village’s poppy campaign from Milne.
“In my mind, no one should ever get paid for anything to do with Remembrance Day.”
Alder, who served in the air force in England after the Second World War, has been a member of the Acton Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion for about 15 years. He said he had no problem voluntarily taking over the Rockwood poppy campaign and he seemed shocked when informed Scott was filing expenses for organizing the Nov. 11 ceremony.
He pointed out everyone involved in the annual services – from speakers to Army Cadets to Legion members carrying flags – are volunteering their time for the cause.
“No one gets paid for that … “It’s not a thing anyone should even expect remuneration for,” Alder said.
When asked how they reconcile the costs for such an important occasion, both Sheppard and Mayor Chris White pointed to Scott’s leadership role in Remembrance Day ceremonies since Milne’s passing in 2006.
“When we lost the Legion affiliation a term ago, suddenly we found ourselves with nobody with direct Legion contacts in this area, but we still had a service to perform,” White said.
He noted he doesn’t review councillors expenses and said he has never personally filed expenses for Remembrance Day, but he is not the veterans liaison.
“John would have billed for it in his role as liaison and organizer of the event … that’s what he’s assigned to do by council,” White said. “He puts a lot of his own time in setting it up.”
“So what?” Alder responded when informed of the reasoning from Scott and the township. “That’s not work, that’s volunteering.”
The only people who should get paid for Remembrance Day ceremonies are the on-duty OPP officers who close roads for the parade, Alder opined.
“For anybody else it should be voluntary – or don’t show up,” he said. “I’m surprised the township even agreed to paying it.”
White said the biggest issue is the township has no Legion to organize the annual ceremonies.
“We have to do that internally,” he said.
In Puslinch, the only other Wellington County township without a Legion, the local Optimist Club has for decades offered an annual ceremony for Remembrance Day. Club member Robert McFarlane organizes the annual event.
“It sort of became my job,” McFarlane said, adding all the costs are picked up by the club and he has never received any payment for donating his own time towards the cause.
“I don’t expect anything,” he said. “It’s just something you do … It’s the least we owe those who joined the Forces at such a young age and went overseas, many of whom never came back.”
White did acknowledge that from a purely philosophical point of view, Remembrance Day ceremonies are “probably not something you should bill for.” But he insists the “minimal” expenses filed in the past are not a big deal and said it’s “unfortunate” something so negative is coming from such a positive role played by Scott.
“[The cost] seems reasonable when the results are a greater respect and enhancement of the services,” White said. “At the end of the day, we’re having great services and John’s doing a great job … Without him, we wouldn’t have done this stuff.”
