OCA Trillium Report (term used loosely)

[Bob Armstrong]

Hi Bob:

I doubt that you will ever see the Committee reconstituted to improve their report.

Eric, who I believe was one of the most vocal of those wanting an investigation, is no longer the OCA Secretary - he resigned to focus on CFC matters. I think he is still an OCA Governor, but I doubt he wants to pursue it further. Maybe he will contradict me on this.

The current President of the OCA, Chris Mallon, was never very much in favour of the investigation in the first place, feeling the trail was too cold.

Thorvardson was cooperating only limitedly, if at all.

Trillium has closed the matter and doesn't want to deal with it ever again ( we don't know if they are happy with it or unhappy, after their explanation meeting with Hal Bond ).

That leaves Michael von Keitz, OCA VP, and Egis Zeromskis, as the other 2 members of the Committee I believe. Neither of them have said squat about their report, and the criticisms of it. Nor have they, in the light of the criticisms, voluntarily come forward to ask the OCA to reconstitute their committee - do they also feel now, that what could be done, has been done? And that further investigation will be fruitless? Maybe we will hear from them on this, but I kind of doubt they will want to stick up their heads at this point, and have them blown off.

Peter McKillop is not even a CFC member or OCA member, and so he has no standing to formally bring any motion himself, to get back on the trail of all this.

To me, the biggest point made, has been that the OCA felt Barry breached the OCA Bylaw in acting as he did on the grant, and he has been soundly thrashed for it - permanent ban from ever holding OCA office again.

The biggest difficulty is that Trillium won't cooperate - they won't even release Thorvardson's Grant Report to the OCA , who got the grant, or anyone for that matter it seems ( which Thorvardson claims he gave the OCA, and which OCA claims never to have received, and Barry has no copy, or won't now make a copy available ). How can anyone get anywhere if they can't obtain any relevant documentation?? How could they ever get the police/Crown attorney to even consider laying any criminal charges ( I myself do not believe that there is a crime here, just bad judgment, and perhaps bad intention )??

Those are my thoughts as to why this matter, unfortunately, just has to be let drift into history as a bad OCA experience.

Bob

[Aris Marghetis]

Hi Bob:

I doubt that you will ever see the Committee reconstituted to improve their report.

Eric, who I believe was one of the most vocal of those wanting an investigation, is no longer the OCA Secretary - he resigned to focus on CFC matters. I think he is still an OCA Governor, but I doubt he wants to pursue it further. Maybe he will contradict me on this.

The current President of the OCA, Chris Mallon, was never very much in favour of the investigation in the first place, feeling the trail was too cold.

Thorvardson was cooperating only limitedly, if at all.

Trillium has closed the matter and doesn't want to deal with it ever again ( we don't know if they are happy with it or unhappy, after their explanation meeting with Hal Bond ).

That leaves Michael von Keitz, OCA VP, and Egis Zeromskis, as the other 2 members of the Committee I believe. Neither of them have said squat about their report, and the criticisms of it. Nor have they, in the light of the criticisms, voluntarily come forward to ask the OCA to reconstitute their committee - do they also feel now, that what could be done, has been done? And that further investigation will be fruitless? Maybe we will hear from them on this, but I kind of doubt they will want to stick up their heads at this point, and have them blown off.

Peter McKillop is not even a CFC member or OCA member, and so he has no standing to formally bring any motion himself, to get back on the trail of all this.

To me, the biggest point made, has been that the OCA felt Barry breached the OCA Bylaw in acting as he did on the grant, and he has been soundly thrashed for it - permanent ban from ever holding OCA office again.

The biggest difficulty is that Trillium won't cooperate - they won't even release Thorvardson's Grant Report to the OCA , who got the grant, or anyone for that matter it seems ( which Thorvardson claims he gave the OCA, and which OCA claims never to have received, and Barry has no copy, or won't now make a copy available ). How can anyone get anywhere if they can't obtain any relevant documentation?? How could they ever get the police/Crown attorney to even consider laying any criminal charges ( I myself do not believe that there is a crime here, just bad judgment, and perhaps bad intention )??

Those are my thoughts as to why this matter, unfortunately, just has to be let drift into history as a bad OCA experience.

Bob

Hi Bob, on the one hand, there is merit in what you are saying about letting this go. On the other hand, I and it seems some others, are finding it hard to let this go. Sometimes I stop and ask myself why, and for the life of me, I cannot figure out why it bothers me so bloody much. If anything, my bitter frustration seems to be getting worse. All I can think of is that I believe that I could let it go if it were less money? However, who knows, the amount of money doesn't change the obvious questions that keep getting asked, but which people seem hesitant to answer, or hunt down answers for. Finally, there is a dark feeling that there is something else that most of us don't know? I hate this feeling, like the accounting scandals when I was at Nortel, but in the end, the chess world is much better for me than Nortel was, LOL!

If someone more in the know would be willing, I would gladly pay the long distance to call you and pick your brain about this, "no questions asked"

P.S. Thank you to the people who have shed more light on this via the above posts, and those who have been squeezed between a rock and a hard place investigating, reporting, etc. I know you're all busy, and you took the time.

Did anyone ever propose to Barry that he clear the air, I guess on his terms? Who knows, maybe he could convince us it was less money than we think? I am serious, for example, there would be legitimate expenses he recorded, etc.

[Mark S. Dutton, I.A.]

----- Original Message -----
From: Hal Bond
To: Mark S. Dutton ; Patrick McDonald
Sent: Wednesday, September 26, 2007 6:14 AM
Subject: Fw: Motion of Censure


Gents;
FYI.

Hal
----- Original Message -----
From: Hal Bond
To: Barry Thorvardson
Sent: Wednesday, September 19, 2007 4:01 PM
Subject: Motion of Censure


Dear Barry;

Below is a brief discussion and text of an executive motion which passed unanimously by Patrick McDonald Mark Dutton and I. As you know I have struggled with the issue of your self hire from the Trillium grant and have deliberated extensively on the correct course of action. The motion of censure is the result of these deliberations. I would be grateful if a copy of the interim Trillium Report, the final report, and the new applications be forwarded to me either by email or by post. In case of the latter my address is:

Hal Bond
6 Wildwood Place
Guelph, ON N1H 7X9

Good luck with the executive meeting tonite. As you know I am not available due to work. I look forward to an update from the meeting at your convenience.

Best regards,

Hal
Gentlemen;

For the past month we have been discussing the actions of OCA President Barry Thorvardson, particularly his decision to hire himself with respect to the Trillium Grant. This decision resulted in $ 80,000- $ 90,000 in salaries being paid to Mr. Thorvardson without written disclosure of any kind.

I believe that Mr Thorvardson should be removed from Office for these actions. They are contrary to our constitution. Given the current state of the OCA Executive however, it also seems that replacement candidates are not in view. As OCA Vice President I am next in line but this is not practical given my Presidency with the CFC. Mr. Thorvardson is prepared to stay on as OCA President, and has indicated that he has no further interest in paid positions resulting from Trillium funding.

Hence the motion: (Bond, McDonald) that the Executive Board of the OCA pass a motion of censure against President Thorvardson for hiring himself as Trillium Program Coordinator. Mr. Thorvardson is reminded that any future remuneration connected to his role as OCA President is strictly forbidden. Furthermore, any contracts which may arise with the OCA shall not be awarded without full and written disclosure.
Please cast your vote to my email address by midnight, September 15, 2007.

Thank you

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hal Bond, Vice President, OCA

halbond@rogers.com


VOTE RESULT: Unanimous IN FAVOUR

that the Executive Board of the OCA pass a motion of censure against President Thorvardson for hiring himself as Trillium Program Coordinator. Mr. Thorvardson is reminded that any future remuneration connected to his role as OCA President is strictly forbidden. Furthermore, any contracts which may arise with the OCA shall not be awarded without full and written disclosure.

[Steve Douglas]

Steve, well said.

I was very disappointed in the report myself. Thanks to Peter, we now know a little bit more from Eric's reply.

You have an excellent list of report deficiencies. I hope the committee will now go back to the drawing board and try again!

If the chess community is ever going to be taken seriously, we need to be accountable and transparent in our financial and political dealings.

Hi Bob:

Unfortunately the level of urgency in clearing this matter up reminds me of the four stages of dealing with a crisis from Yes, Prime Minister:

"Stage One: We say that nothing is going to happen.

Stage Two: We say that something may be going to happen, but we should do nothing.

Stage Three: We say that maybe we should do something about it, but there's nothing we can do.

Stage Four: We say that maybe there was something we could have done but it's too late now."

Steve

[Bob Gillanders]

Hi Bob:

Unfortunately the level of urgency in clearing this matter up reminds me of the four stages of dealing with a crisis from Yes, Prime Minister:

"Stage One: We say that nothing is going to happen.

Stage Two: We say that something may be going to happen, but we should do nothing.

Stage Three: We say that maybe we should do something about it, but there's nothing we can do.

Stage Four: We say that maybe there was something we could have done but it's too late now."

Steve

Yes Prime Minister is one of my all time favourite shows.

Humour is a powerful tool. It can help you keep your perpective in stressful situations. Yes Prime Minister should be required study for anyone thinking of entering Canadian Chess Politics!

[Steve Douglas]

This was posted by Hal Bond on Chesstalk. I felt it should be included here since it adds further details that some (or all) may not have been aware of.

Steve

-----------------------

Dear Chess Talk readers;

Spraggett's story is untruthful. My VP report below was filed for the 2008 OCA AGM. At the 2009 AGM Barry received a lifetime ban. Most recently he was replaced as a Chess Foundation Trustee.

How could this happen you may ask? The biggest deception tool in Barry's arsenal the story that "the best is yet to come". The York region grant was a pilot project which if successful had reasonable chances of rolling out province wide. There was also a second grant, based on Nevada tickets if I recall, which would be an indefinite annuity. Couple these promises of gold with a lack of forthrightness and an opportunity is created. Sad but true.

It's not clear to me what a second report was supposed to achieve. The Trillium folks told be point blank that they would not consider recovering the money.

OCA Vice President’s Report, 2007-2008

Before proceeding to the heart of my report, I would like to congratulate a number of Ontario players who have distinguished themselves over the board during the past year. Nikolay Noritsyn earned the IM title at the 2007 Canadian Championship, where Raja Panjwani and Michael Barron both earned their FM titles. Great job, lads! Yuanling Yuan continues to impress everyone and most recently scored an awesome 6.5/9 to take silver at the recent Pan Am Women’s Championship. I hope Yuanling can join the women’s Olympic team where she will gain some vital experience and help move Canada up the rankings.

Unfortunately, there have been very few positive developments within the OCA this past year. Most of my energies has been consumed with the issue of the now infamous Trillium grant to the OCA.

In August of 2007, while pursuing the matter of OCA rebates to the various leagues, I learned that more than 90% of the Trillium grant’s salary budget was paid directly to OCA President Barry Thorvardson. This is contrary to our constitution and contrary to Trillium regulations.

The appointment was made without notice to the OCA Executive. After consulting with the Board, I asked Barry to tender his resignation and he refused. OCA Secretary Mark Dutton was moving to BC, and my availability was reduced due to new CFC duties. Given the weakened state of the Executive, and the absence of an apparent successor for Barry, it was decided to censure the President for his actions and defer the matter to the AGM.

On May 9, 2008 I attended a two hour meeting in Toronto with President Thorvdarson at the request of Trillium Regional Co-ordinator John Pugsley and Inga Lubbock, who worked with Barry on the original application. Their concerns included alleged use of Trillium funds by the CFC, deliverables under the grant, and payment to an OCA board member for staffing costs.

Barry and I convinced the Trillium officials that none of the grant money was used by the CFC. Barry provided explanations for why the deliverables in York Region were less than expected. They questioned these explanations at some length before moving on.

We then discussed the staffing question. Both Pugsley and Lubbock were adamant that board members are ineligible for such funds. They would not have approved the grant had they known that such a move was contemplated. Ms. Lubbock further expressed disappointment that the grant did not result in employment for someone who resides in York Region. They also questioned the governance of the OCA and requested copies of the minutes of the meetings at which Barry was hired. Such minutes do not exist.

At this point I made it very clear that the OCA Executive had not approved Barry’s appointment, that it was discovered in August 2007, he had refused to resign when asked, that he had been censured by the Executive and that further actions were left to our AGM. The Trillium personnel accepted this answer and look forward to learning the outcome of our Annual Meeting. They advised that the file was “red flagged” for the staffing irregularity, and no further actions were contemplated by Trillium.

Among other things, our future success with Trillium will depend on a demonstrated improvement in OCA governance. While new chess projects are not necessarily doomed with respect to Trillium, it is inconceivable that Barry Thorvardson’s name will adorn a successful Trillium grant ever again.

Had Barry resigned as President AND been approved by the Executive to staff the Trillium grant, he would only be accountable to us for its deliverables. Sadly, neither of these critical steps was taken, and we must still hear from Barry exactly what work was performed in exchange for the $90,000 paid to him.

I file this report with great regret. Notwithstanding the Trillium grant, I believe that Barry has been an energetic, positive force in Ontario Chess and I thank him for his service. It is time for new leadership in the OCA and I wish the incoming Executive every success.


Respectfully submitted

Hal Bond
Vice President, Ontario Chess Association

Thursday, June 05, 2008

[Hal Bond]

Looking at the report I filed in 2008, I can see that a few questions remain about Barry's final report to Trillium.

I am only aware of the verbal report which he provided at our face to face meeting with Pugsley and Lubbock. His report was more of an explanation of why so little happened. Barry cited another recreation group that had booked all the available space in York Region. Barry was able to spend over an hour talking about it and both staffers were very disappointed. The equipment purchases were made pro forma.

As for the outrage, I fully empathise. Been there, had to leave.

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

pypt. pypt. pypt. (there was more but as always I just deleted...)

Is there any chance to publish openly FULL MINUTES of the 2009 OCA AGM, including a document presented by Van Dusen (interim report of an action committee)?

[Peter McKillop]

... The equipment purchases were made pro forma. ...

Hal, I'm not sure I understand what you mean. Would you please explain?

[Caesar Posylek]

pypt. pypt. pypt. (there was more but as always I just deleted...)

Is there any chance to publish openly FULL MINUTES of the 2009 OCA AGM, including a document presented by Van Dusen (interim report of an action committee)?

Any chances for us to read and be familiar with those FULL MINUTES, Gents?