Haldimand County Public Statement – June 20, 2024
PUBLIC STATEMENT
Re: Jesse Little
Recently, members of the public have raised questions concerning the interactions which Jesse Little has had with Haldimand County and its representatives. Jesse is the individual who is often seen at the entrance to the Haldimand County Administration Building parking lot or at other intersections throughout Haldimand County. What follows is an overview of those interactions, based on legal advice as to what can be openly shared at this time.
In the Fall of 2018, the Ontario Provincial Police issued two Provincial Offence notices against Mr. Little.
Haldimand County has a defined and limited responsibility for dealing with Provincial Offence records. Through a minor administrative error by municipal staff, Mr. Little was recorded as having been found guilty of a provincial offence when this was not true. County staff promptly had the electronic records corrected by a Justice of the Peace and communicated with the Ministry of Transportation immediately, in order to present an accurate account of what had occurred. Mr. Little was provided with a package of the relevant documents, but the forms indicating the correction were omitted. County staff subsequently sent a written apology to Mr. Little and provided the documentation. The offences were subsequently heard in court via the normal process and the error had no bearing on the outcome of the hearings.
Mr. Little has had many communications with County staff, over several years, concerning this issue, and other, unrelated issues.
In December 2019 Mr. Little was charged with several Provincial Offences and Criminal Code offences. He entered into an undertaking with the Ontario Court of Justice to refrain from going to the County administration building until such time as the charges were heard in court. Nevertheless, staff have communicated with Mr. Little, as required for municipal business on an almost constant basis between October 2018 and the present. Staff have made considerable efforts to answer Mr. Little’s requests and concerns. They have tried, without success, to arrange face-to-face meetings with Mr. Little to address his concerns, even offering to provide financial assistance for independent legal representation in an effort to ensure he fully understood his rights and the County’s position.
Because of the volume and tone of Mr. Little’s excessive email and telephone communication, in August 2021 the County asked him to confine his communications to a single point of contact.
Once the above noted charges were heard and the order to not attend the County office was lifted, Mr. Little began attending inside the County Administration Building on a regular basis. On two occasions, Mr. Little has been asked to leave meetings of County Council because of what was deemed to be inappropriate or offensive conduct.
In 2023 Mr. Little made two complaints about the conduct of members of Council in asking him to leave Council meetings. The Integrity Commissioner for Haldimand County dismissed both complaints.
Recently, Mr. Little has stood in different locations in Haldimand County holding signs containing false and inflammatory messages about the County, including some which are highly offensive to a named staff member.
Since 2018 the County has from time to time made the OPP aware of its dealings with Mr. Little.
The County is presently consulting outside legal counsel about all of the above.
The County has an obligation pursuant to the provincial Occupational Health and Safety Act to maintain a safe and respectful workplace for staff, and it is wholly committed to ensuring this.
