Letter to th Editor:
Re: your editorial “At what Cost?"
In my opinion your assessment reflects a lack of legal knowledge of what is involved in a settlement of this nature.
At one point in the editorial you write this statement “It appears that the Town must have been at fault when dismissing her.” Then you proceed to write later “In the end there are no real answers as to who was in the wrong as it is all confidential. “ Upon reading these two contradictory statements how can one take any of your views in this editorial seriously?
It seems to me that instead of rushing to put this editorial out as quick as you could, you could have taken a little time to do a little research and place more thought into what you actually transcribe to paper and the consequences that they may cause.
Maybe you should have taken the time to revisit and consider the very informative letter written by Shana Ivall last year. Apparently you would rather jump to questionable conclusions and attempt to agitate the community’s emotions.
The cost question you raised is a valid point. The citizens of Rainy River are entitled to know how much and where their tax dollars are spent. In this case, the amount of dollars spent on the legal costs can and was disclosed in a timely fashion. Because of the nature of this settlement (confidentiality agreement), the terms of the settlement can not be disclosed. The use of speculation as the basis for your opinion on this case is doing a disservice to all parties. The fact is that both parties involved agreed to a settlement. Both parties came to the conclusion that the agreed upon settlement was in the best interest of all involved.
It is common knowledge that long protracted legal actions are costly and the cost of continuing these legal disputes is a major factor that must be carefully considered. The vast majority of cases such as this are settled in the manner as this one was. There are rarely any winners or losers.
Your use of the by-law to reach your conclusions about the settlement and place the fault at the door step of the Town is in my own opinion, irresponsible. I am positive any fair minded and objective person would have read it as such.

–Brent Anderson,
Town Councillor,
Rainy River