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By Steve LeBlanc CANADIAN CHAMPION STAFF A proud father and lifelong comediâ€" an. That‘s how Janet LeClair rememâ€" bers her beloved son. "We don‘t have a single photo of him with a normal face," she quipped. Asked about the pain of losing Terry to cancer, the lighthearted tone inâ€" CHAMPION | Thursday, June 1, 2017 | 12 www.insidehalton.com | MILTON CANADIAN % t Olga Shewchun is photographed at a community meeting in 2016. Champion file photo Resident can to speak to council, say ombudsman By Melanie Hennessey s CANADIAN CHAMPION STAFF A municipal ombudsman investigaâ€" tion has concluded that Town staff should never have denied a Miltoniâ€" an‘s request to speak during a recent council meeting. The results of the inquiry were preâ€" sented during Monday night‘s (May 29) council session, when local politiâ€" cians also approved amendments to the council procedure bylaw stemâ€" ming from the investigation. A report from ADR Chambers omâ€" budsman office reveals that rural resident Olga Shewchun was denied the chance to delegate during the February 27 council meeting, when she had wanted to address council regarding the 2016 ombudsman anâ€" nual report. While the report was presented to the Committee of the Whole at its February 6 meeting, Shewchun was unable to attend due to health reaâ€" sons, explains the ADR Chambers analysis. . She then submitted written comâ€" stantly disappears. ~Therve are no words (to describe it)," said the still grieving mom. Recalled husband and father John, "Getting that call and hearing him say ‘I‘ve got cancer‘ it was like someone kicked me in the chest and then kept their foot right on my chest for the next year." Terry was about to welcome his second daughâ€" ter into the world with high school sweetheartâ€" turnedâ€"wife Lisa when he began an 18â€"month battle with cholangiocarcinoma â€" more comâ€" monly known as bile duct cancer, a somewhat rare form of the disease that attacks the liver and small intestines. Hopeful outtook Remembered fondly for his courage and unyieldâ€" ing hopeful outlook, he lost his fight on Dec. 22, 2014 at 34 â€" after a yearâ€"andâ€"aâ€"half of constant trips from Sudbury to Toronto for treatments and i T ooo NEWS ‘There are no words; says mom of losing son to cancel consultations. "He definitely stayed positive," said John, whose electrician son was initially thought to be a suitable candidate for a liver transâ€" plant and responded well to chemo early on â€" both of which turned from hope to heartbreak. Having participated in the Relay for Life in Sudbury years earlier, the LeClairs resumed their commitment to the fundraiser shortly w Since 1906 =â€"â€"â€"â€" & CONNON â€"â€"NURSERIES â€" PROFESSIONAL & KNOWLEDGEABLE â€" GROWERS OF QUALITY PLANTS & TREES â€" sAVINGS GROWER DIRECT NOW OPEN! Robson Production Sales Yard 656 Robson Rd. Waterdown ON to 905 689 7433 ments for the committee‘s consideration and followed up with a request to delegate at the next council meeting. "Milton indicated to the complainant that her ‘application does not identify any information that was not previously available, therefore (her) request was turned down," explains the omâ€" budsman report. The investigation found that Town Clerk Troy McHarg relied on a section of the procedure byâ€" law that stated if a matter has been previously considered by committee, "delegations shall be limited to a maximum of five minutes and delâ€" egates are requested to confine their delegation to information that was not available when the matter was previously considered." PROGRAM THE GARDEN CENTRE 383 Dundas St. E Waterdown ON tei : 905 689 4631 Grower Direct Card not applicable at this location 6 Milton indicated to the complainant that her‘application does not identify any information that was not previously available: 99 Ombudsman‘s report McHarg also tod ADR Chambers that in his deâ€" cision to deny mmewchun‘s request, he looked to sections of he bylaw that say "Members have a right toan efficient meeting" and "The after Terry‘s diagnosis â€" doing so in Oakville. Now staunch supporters of the Milton event â€" set for Friday, June 9 this year at Counâ€" try Heritage Park â€" Janet said it "made me feel like I was doing something. Fundraising makes me feel like | have a purpose. It gives me a place to channel my anger and grief and makes me feel like I am doing my part in this fight. If those of us that truly underâ€" stand the loss that this disease causes don‘t do anything, how are we to expect others to step up?" To say the couple and their TerBear (after Terry‘s childhood nickname) crew have done their share in the fight against cancer would be putting it mildly. Champions On their way to be among the top fundraisâ€" ers again this year, the LeClairs® team has brought in roughly $72,000 since returning to the event, in which they were honoured as Relay for Life Champions in 201 5. A yearâ€"round fundraiser for the Caâ€" nadian Cancer Society, Janet serves as TerBear captain and has now takâ€" en on sales of Crush Cancer Tâ€"shirt. "It‘s (Tâ€"shirt sales) another avenue that I can pour my energy into." Along with giving back and helpâ€" ing to ease the hopeless feeling that comes from losing a child, Relay for Life proâ€" vides the couple â€" and all in attendance â€" with a yearly support circle abundant with emotion and compassion. "We‘re way too connected (to cancer). There‘s no escaping it," said Janet, who lost an uncle to cancer, while John‘s mother was also among its victims. Carp clerk shall be responsible to interpret the rules of procedure." "The clerk did not point the investigator to where there is a provision in the current bylaw or elsewhere that reduces the time a delegate may speak to less than the five minutes stipuâ€" lated, even if the information was previously adâ€" dressed or considered," writes the ombudsman. "The investigator was also unable to indepenâ€" dently find any support for this position." The report concludes "that the complainant‘s delâ€" egation request should not have been denied" and recommends council reconsider Shewchun‘s request, allowing her the chance to speak during the May 29 or subsequent meeting. It also recommends the Town should accept CE ,_â€"______