Editorial – Many wrongs do not make a right

A contentious rezoning application has boiled over in South Dundas, with the fallout highlighting multiple wrongs on all sides of the issue. At the April 8 South Dundas council meeting, three-fifths of council voted against accepting a rezoning application denial by the municipal planner — choosing instead to proceed with the property rezoning. As reported in this issue of The Leader, a threat was allegedly made by a member of the gallery, which prompted council to pause and police to be called. This issue, from start to finish, highlights multiple wrongs and frankly, many parties are to blame.

No one should feel threatened in the workplace or in public. Public officials continue to report increased threats of violence and harassment for doing the job they are elected to do. In no way should public officials be harassed or denigrated for the work they do. For elected officials, if people are unhappy with their performance, the ultimate and only recourse for dealing with their unhappiness is at the ballot box.

This specific issue highlights many faults in the system. Clearly this rezoning is contentious, and many of the residents affected by this rezoning feel that their concerns have not been heard. It is important to note that the municipal planner did recommend against the rezoning. Deputy Mayor Marc St. Pierre, and Councillors Danielle Ward and Cole Veinotte chose to vote against that recommendation. If residents are unhappy with that, the municipal election is in 196 days (October 26).

Outside of Mayor Jason Broad calling a pause in Wednesday’s meeting to address possible legal issues related to the allegation of a threat, nothing has been handled well by the municipality. A statement from Chief Administrative Officer Ben de Haan was posted online that did not include the word “alleged,” a word used when legal matters have not been tested in a court of law. The statement was then posted to the social media platform Facebook, with the comments left open — effectively rage-baiting viewers to continue to exacerbate the situation. Instead of calming and curtailing a situation, it only inflamed it more.

There is the issue of rezoning a property to make it compliant after the fact, without addressing a business operating against current zoning. The bylaw issues are what have contributed to continued acrimony.

Councillor Ward said at the meeting she was voting for the rezoning because she supported “building community” — that is an oxymoronic way to provide perspective. Voting for a divisive issue in order to build community is akin to building a home by removing all the nails.

The lessons of poor communication, poor representation, and poor community relations are often learned the hardest at the ballot box. Again, October 26 is not far away — nominations open May 1.