Some people think I should be quiet about this.

By Sharon Collingwood

 

This is a small matter, but it brings a close focus on what is wrong at City Hall. Here’s my story:

 

I joined the Energy and Environment Advisory Committee nearly two years ago. I applied because I wanted to show that climate activists can be helpful to the City, supplying knowledge and energy that is sometimes in short supply. I kept my participation in Get Concerned Stratford separate from what I did on the E&E, where I  chaired two working groups, in addition to being vice-chair. I worked hard. I never missed a meeting. I hope I was useful.

 

In May of this year the chair of the committee resigned due to illness. I knew this, and arrived at the May meeting expecting to run it, as I had done before when the chair was absent. I assumed we would begin with the election of a new chair. Instead, I was surprised to learn that it had already been decided that Councillor McCabe would continue as chair, although he could not attend that day, and therefore Councillor Burbach would chair in his place.

 

I was amazed. There had been no notification of this, no conversation, no email, no committee vote, no notification at all for the members of the committee. I looked round at the other members. They seemed as puzzled as I was, but administrative staff present supported the decision. As I do not accept anti-democratic actions in my city administration, all I could do was leave. The minutes of the meeting do not record my discussion of this, but the choice of chair was listed in the minutes as an “administrative decision.”

 

This is not how citizen committees are supposed to be run.

 

Later I received an email from Councillor McCabe, asking me to come to his place of work to discuss the matter. During that meeting I said that I couldn’t participate in a committee that so easily disregarded administrative process. I thought it was a reasonably friendly meeting, and hoped things could be worked out. Imagine my surprise when Councillor McCabe made a comment on one of my Facebook posts:

Councillor McCabe’s comment demeans the City’s hardworking and responsible city representatives, and I am very sorry he wrote it. I have included his comments in my complaint, as it contravenes the City of Stratford Code of Conduct.

It wasn’t till Joan Ayton gave an interview to Stratford Today  that I realized that my problem with committee work was not unique. I’ve never meet Joan Ayton; she’s been on the Stratfords of the World Advisory Committee for the past seven years. She’s the chair, so she must be doing a good job. Then one day she received a letter from the City calling her in to discuss her “inappropriate tone of voice” in committee, and her accompanying “facial microagressions.”

Think about that. Someone who has volunteered their time for seven years. Called on the carpet for facial misbehaviour.  Good thing she wasn’t chewing gum. We all know how hard it is to get volunteers for citizen committees, and it’s not a good idea to start insulting or threatening people. 

A pattern seemed to be developing. I decided to make a complaint over the “administrative decision” made in my own committee. It took some time to discover that in my case the decision had been made during a private meeting between staff and councillors Nijjar, Burbach and McCabe. I also learned that councillors are not held responsible under the Respectful Workplace Policy, and that I therefore had to do two separate complaints, sending the second to the Integrity Commissioner.

The October 7 response to my complaint under the Respectful Workplace Policy was more than disappointing. I was amazed to receive a letter from Mr. Dave Bush, telling me that I could not speak about the problem with anyone about my complaint. Residents of Stratford should be aware that confidentiality cannot be imposed in a free society.

I was also surprised to learn that the City had hired an “independent investigator” (a lawyer) to deal with this simple matter. The Respectful Workplace Policy does not require this expensive step. It merely advises that “The Director and CAO may seek legal advice or refer the incident to a consultant at any time for investigation if deemed necessary.” This relatively small incident hardly seems to require legal advice. We have a burgeoning HR department.

I replied to Mr. Bush, advising him I had no intention of either being silent or being interviewed by a lawyer. On October 7 he thanked me for my response, and I have heard nothing else from anyone at the City. I am also waiting for a response from the Integrity Commissioner regarding the conduct of Councillors Nijjar, Burbach, and McCabe.

So that’s about it. I have done what I believe is my responsibility as a citizen, and have exercised my right to free speech. No one’s job hangs in the balance. I have not asked for consequences for those concerned, and I have not requested an apology. I merely ask that those responsible reform their conduct, so that we can all get on with the serious business of dealing with climate change and other environmental threats. Lawyers aren’t needed for this, and the threat of legal costs can be seen as intimidating for complainants. A competent administration should be able to handle the complaint; the regulations are written down, and easily accessed. All staff and councillors need to do is to know and follow the rules