Ghanaian-Canadian Association of Toronto Suspends Vice-President

The Ghanaian Canadian Association of Ontario (GCAO) Executive is now embroiled in crisis at a time when the Association is making very positive strides in its quest to provide effective voice and leadership for the Ghanaian Community in Ontario. The Vice President of the Association, James Blankson, has been suspended from the Executive Committee for what the President of the Association describes as "a pattern of behavior which is making it difficult for other GCAO Executive to work with (Blankson) in a team atmosphere".

In a letter dated December 12, 2005 titled "Disciplinary Suspension", the President of GCAO, Mr. Francis Ahinful, enumerated a number of issues that he claims were unacceptable behavior patterns of Mr. James Blankson that is "not helping the building of this community". Ahinful ended his letter by giving the suspended Vice President the right to appeal the suspension to the Association's Board of Directors.

When contacted by The Ghanaian News, Mr. James Blankson strongly refuted the allegations leveled against him by the President. He accused the President of being dictatorial and that his purported suspension was unconstitutional. He alleged that the President had tried to physically assault him, threatened his life and that he was contemplating legal action against Arhinful. The GCAO President however countered that the Constitution Blankson refers to has not even being promulgated and that the Executive Committee has been functioning with its own internal rules and regulations. He said it was the collective decision of the rest of the Executive Committee to suspend the Vice President to allow peace to prevail for the Association to move forward.