Looking for Respect

After the recent disturbing verbal assault on Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, I flashed back to 1965.  Remember that hit song Eve of Destruction song by Barry McGuire?  

Songwriter P.F. Sloan bemoaned the disintegration of human respect; found “the whole crazy world  ...just too frustratin'” Grim as it was in 1965, I doubt Sloan or McGuire could have imagined the extent of disintegration we are facing in 2022. 

Based on what I and others observe that is offered up on social media these days this attack on Freeland is not unique. Women. racialized individuals and groups, LGBQT people, non- Christians are all targets.  The list could go on.  

Deputy PM Freeland

In fact, it is pretty much open season for attacks against anyone whose opinion differs from that often anonymous person tethered to the keyboard whose only qualification to shout and fume is their ability to remember a password  

Politicians at all levels are under siege and things are heading downhill fast.

In my time as a municipal councillor (1991-97) it wasn’t like this.  In 1998, after serving for six years I presented a paper at a health promotion conference on local government and how it could work most effectively with community. 

The mainly European audience at a Scottish university challenged my thesis that local government was up to the task.

My theme was based on a fairly positive perception of local government and my optimistic, clearly biased view of elected officials

I put it all down to the fact that we just did a better job of local governance in North America.  The old world didn’t get it.

Then I moved on to other things.

After a nine year break I was back in local politics when my former wardmate moved on down the road to the House of Commons. Nine years away and boy how things had changed.

That change was brought about as people gained access to electronic mail, the internet and social media.

Back in the old days if a constituent had an issue to discuss it could often get resolved through something called dialogue. You remember that concept perhaps.

The councillor would make a phone call or meet in person with the constituent.  There were often nuances or complexities that one or the other had failed to take into account   Issues got resolved.  There was no shouting.

By the 21st century constituents simply had to go to their computer and punch in the requisite putdown, question your integrity and/or intelligence and copy the whole diatribe to everyone on their contact list. 

I should have seen this coming.  Back around 1998 I met futurist Robert Theobald.  Theobald argued that a “failure to listen” by decision makers had meant “that groups with certain attitudes and beliefs may come to feel they have been left out of the democratic process.”  In Reworking Success (1997) Theobald proposed that we move beyond “polar positions” and learn to define problems in wholly different terms.

Something to think about.

In the meantime let’s: 

**Stop the name calling in our public spheres. 

**Teach civics in our schools.  (Ontario is introducing a compulsory half credit program in September 2022 – a positive development)

**Find ways to ensure that news coverage focusses on facts.  I’m pretty sure the earth is round although I haven’t actually seen it in its roundness. We don’t give equal time to the flat earth society.  Why do we give it to crazy conspiracy theorists?

**Establish new rules for social media.  It won’t be simple but a balance needs to be found between the right for us to speak our minds and what is appropriate,  constructive and healthy.   

"Truly Troubling"

Back in the day when I was a municipal councillor there was no such thing as an Integrity Commissioner.

Now, according to the Municipal Act, municipalities must have such a person.

That individual is expected to report to Council in an independent manner on a number of local government functions.  For example, they will look at the application of the code of conduct for Council and local Board members and the application of any procedures, rules and policies governing the ethical behaviour of members of council and of local boards.  There are other functions set out in the Act. 

The concept of promoting transparency and ensuring codes of conduct are adhered to is a good one.   There are detractors of course. Cost is an issue.  But that is beyond the scope of this brief post.  

Let’s take a quick look at the 2020 Annual Report of the Integrity Commissioner for the Corporation of Norfolk authored by John Mascarin.

The report  can be found beginning at page 31 at https://www.norfolkcounty.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/CIC-Agenda-April-13-1.pdf

Here are some highlights.

Complaints

Three complaints were examined in 2020. 

1. It was alleged that Mayor Chopp offended the Code and the County’s Procedural By-law when she displayed a cartoon image of a fecal sandwich in a meeting with provincial staff.  The Commissioner found “when considered in context, however crude and juvenile the display of the cartoon may have been in a formal meeting it did not amount to a breach of the Code.”  We trust that this wasn’t a lunch meeting.

2. A second complaint grew out of the first one.  That complaint “related to the improper disclosure of the identity of the complainant on the part of the Mayor.”  A Norfolk County bylaw is clear.  The Integrity Commissioner shall identify all complainants to the individual who is subject of the complaint and require that the subject maintain the identity of the complainant as confidential. (See Section 14.6 of By-law 2018-33) Mayor Chopp contended that the Commissioner was the one who had breached confidentiality. The Commissioner “concluded otherwise” and determined it was the Mayor who had breached. 

3. This complaint alleged that the Mayor Chopp contravened three provisions of the Code of Conduct in interactions with members of the public in Port Dover on May 2nd.  The Commissioner concluded she hadn’t.

Inquiries

The report summarized  inquiries received over the last year.  They fell into three areas.  People were concerned about that fecal sandwich cartoon and the Mayor’s public square haircut stunt but most importantly, in my view, were concerns regarding the dysfunction of Council. 

Haircut Protest - Photo from blogTO.com

The Commissioner called this situation “truly troubling.”  

Council Relations

The November 17, 2020 Council meeting is cited. Many will recall that the attempted addition of the topic of Council Relations to the Agenda prompted the mayor to make allegations of a witch-hunt, axe and replace the Deputy Mayor, and exit the building in the midst of the meeting.

In an understatement the Commissioner wrote that  “the acrimony between members of Council was never more apparent than at this meeting.” And if you thought that was bad the Commissioner noted that “we have been advised that the level of discord has not abated in 2021.”

Should the average Norfolker care if Council members get along?

For sure.

The report notes: 

• The lack of team unity.

• The “dread” some feel about attending meetings of Council and committee.

• The adversarial and hostile atmosphere both inside and outside the Council Chambers.

• That Council operates in a debilitated state but also in a selectively secretive manner with a “complete disregard for the Code of Conduct, Council and staff policies, and policies that are put in place to protect members of the public.”

Council training and team building, agreed to some time ago,  have not happened yet.  It may be too late for the team of 2018-2022.  But when elections come around in October 2022 voters should expect answers from incumbents and contenders on how this will all be fixed. 

Just a Thought- How about a Caretaker for Ward 2?

On Tuesday,  Norfolk Council will consider a 41-page staff report on how to fill the Ward 2 Council vacancy.   https://www.norfolkcounty.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/CIC-Agenda-Feb-9.pdf

We live in a democracy so a by-election is clearly the way to go.

Some will take issue with the financial cost of such a by-election.  Not me.  The expenses are pegged at a reasonable $22,000-$33,000.

However,  as with everything else these days, the pandemic puts up significant barriers to a successful by-election. 

Staff identify these obstacles and list special procedures that could address legitimate  health and safety concerns.  Some examples: 

*The nomination process set out in provincial legislation can’t be amended.  That means that at least 25 people must sign a candidate’s nomination papers.  Since electronic signatures are not allowed a separate form for each signature is needed to reduce touch points of the mandatory forms. 

*Door to door canvassing is problematic.  Staff recommend that candidates undergo a daily health self assessment; door campaigning should take place “through the door” whenever possible and hand sanitizer should be used by all involved in campaigning.

These are all good ideas but impractical and not easily enforceable. 

Other Concerns with a By-Election

There are issues with voting methods as well ;  “complexity” concerns with internet voting, for example.  And internet access is problematic for many in Ward Two.   

Staff prefer a mail-in ballot, although the accuracy of the voter’s list is a big problem which can’t be resolved until 2024.  

One concern not mentioned is that the successful candidate won’t be sworn in and able to begin serving Ward 2 and Norfolk constituents until June 8th. As we know it takes quite a while to learn the ropes in any new job.   Municipal government presents a big learning curve for new members.  By the time the new councillor is up to speed the October 2022 municipal elections will be here.

Given all the above the appointment process might be a better approach. Here is a thought:

A Caretaker

In 2006, I was selected over 20 other applicants through a transparent community process as Ward 5 Councillor for Burlington/Halton.  That process involved a public meeting and an in-camera interview (allowed under the Municipal Act) with Council and senior staff.

What did I offer?  For six years I’d served most of that ward as Councillor before deciding to return to my old field of work.  Voters had not tossed me out and that, I’m sure, was a consideration.  

I had been off council for more than eight years but still had an understanding of how local government generally and local governments specifically worked.  What was most important though was,  in combination with my experience,  I made a commitment that I would not run in the upcoming municipal election.  As Norfolk staff correctly note in their report there is a huge advantage for incumbents in municipal elections.  It can be argued that those who have that advantage by being elected by voters deserve it.  But one who has not faced the electors certainly doesn’t.

I spent nine productive months as a caretaker councillor. I worked with constituents, brought forward some new initiatives that had been put to one side, plugged away on Official Plan updates that I had background on from my earlier term on council and other matters.  I was also quite involved in promoting civic participation through organizing and chairing an all candidates meeting and making myself available to discuss issues with those candidates.

Norfolk County

An appointment process with interviews in public and applicants’  intentions for the next election being factored in to the decision could be the way to go for Norfolk. 

As far as I’m aware, candidates in an appointment process can’t be required to commit to not contesting the next election.  In fact, I recall some who made such a promise then broke it.

My view is that Council can ask for the commitment and if it is broken then the voters can decide in 2022.  

That would be the democratic thing to do. 

City Council Matters #2

The Ontario government is moving ahead with a review of regional government.

They’ve appointed Michael Fenn and Ken Seiling as Special Advisors for the review.

Michael Fenn, experienced
and respected bureaucrat

The review will examine Ontario's eight regional municipalities (Halton, York, Durham, Waterloo, Niagara, Peel, Muskoka District, and Oxford County), the County of Simcoe, and their lower-tier municipalities.*

We’ve been told that the advisors will work with the Ontario Government for the People to figure out how to make it easier to access municipal services. They will identify processes to deliver efficient and effective services, ways to cut red tape and, of course, ensure municipalities are open for business. 

A Useful Resource

A paper entitled The Potential and Consequences of Municipal Electoral Reform, published in 2017, would be a useful resource.

The paper was written by Aaron Moore, an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Winnipeg and  an Adjunct Professor in the Department of City Planning at the University of Manitoba.

Aaron, Moore

Moore puts forward five categories that capture many of the key factors to look at when considering the effectiveness of municipal electoral systems.  They are local democracy, representation, engagement, intelligibility and accountability.  Some elaboration follows:

1. The ideal of local democracy should mean the public has easy access to their elected officials.

2. Representation suggests  that equal or adequate representation of societal groups that have traditionally gone unrepresented is attempted.

3. As elections are the primary means citizens have to indicate their support for or opposition to government and government policies, a system that strives for greater engagement of the electorate is preferred.

4. An electoral system should allow voters to easily find information on candidates and to navigate the system.  Moore uses the term intelligibility to describe this goal.

5. Voters should also be able to use the electoral system to hold elected officials accountable for decisions.  Correctly connecting elected officials to policy decisions addresses the goal of accountability.

Using that framework, Moore then looks at four variants of municipal electoral systems that can be part of reform efforts.

Council size, ward  versus at large elections, the electoral formula ( First-Past-the-Post vs. Ranked Ballots) and political parties aren’t the only potential changes that could be made to local councils, of course.  They may be the most commonly talked about though.

There is a fair bit more research that Moore has looked at can be helpful than I would have imagined.

For example, the idea of ranked ballots is a change that is long overdue in my view.  San Francisco has had a ranked ballot system since 2004.  But research studies have shown it is confusing and causes voters to over vote (voting and ranking more candidates than allowed) thus spoiling their ballot.

In his conclusion, Moore states that “any argument for reform must clearly state such reasons and keep them at the forefront of the ensuing debate…”

That is good advice that it is hoped the Ontario government takes into account.

Moore’s paper can be found at https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/bitstream/1807/78793/1/IMFG_perspectives_20_electoral_reform_AaronMoore_Oct_17_2017.pdf

------------------

*A quick look at Regional governments shows that the results of this review could impact 73 local councils who are part of two-tier or county systems that have been identified for the review and more than 5 million local voters.

Hamilton Politics

Boundary Making*

                     Sixteen blinkered decision makers in the city of ambitions

                                                  Advised by experts to create more democratic conditions

                                                   Know, of course, what`s best for the municipality

                                                   Yet their views are fraught with illogicality

                                                   We need leadership not colouring competitions.

* http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/hamilton-city-councillors-will-try-to-redraw-ward-boundaries-themselves-1.3824643

London Ontario Endorses Poverty Plan

 (This post originally appeared at www.hamiltonjustice.ca) 

Earlier this month Last night City Council in London Ontario gave unanimous support to a report called London for All – A Roadmap to End Poverty.

An eight member panel including former Hamilton Deputy Medical Officer of Health Chris Mackie (pictured to the right) produced the report after six months of consultation. It contains 112 recommendations.  

Remarkably, many of these recommendations are intended to be acted upon within twelve months.


Here is a sampling of the recommendations.

Eight Recommendations from the (London Ontario) Mayor’s Advisory Panel on Poverty that Impressed Us

**Increase the number of organizations providing Indigenous Cultural Safety training.
**Become a Basic Income Guarantee pilot site.
**Engage landlords in keeping more people housed.
**Allow children under 12 to ride public transit free.
**Leverage funding and invest in the regeneration of existing London and Middlesex Housing   Corporation (LMHC) properties.
**Increase the number of licensed childcare spaces.
**Reduce the wait time to receive childcare subsidy
**Engage people with lived experience in democratic processes and institutions.


You can read the full report at https://www.london.ca/city-hall/mayors-office/Documents/London-for-All-final-report.pdf

Local Leaders Talking about Reducing Poverty

It is encouraging to see that the Tamarack Institute is running a conference in Edmonton this week dedicated to looking at how municipal governments can and should make poverty reduction a major priority. http://events.tamarackcommunity.ca/cities-summit2016

The Event is called Cities Reducing Poverty: When Mayors Lead.  Organizers are billing the conference is as a milestone event. I’m watching it from afar on twitter (#MayorsPovertySummit) and can say that the billing seems on the mark. It began yesterday and wraps up tomorrow (April 7th).

Pam McConnell

Participants in the Conference include Mayors of major cities like Don Iveson of Edmonton, Brian Bowman, Winnipeg’s first Aboriginal Mayor, Fred Eisenberger of Hamilton and others. 

Pam McConnell, Deputy Mayor of Toronto who leads Toronto's Poverty Reduction Strategy, is a presenter.

I’m hoping the conference will get the wheels turning faster to tackle problems like the impacts on gentrification on communities (and particularly on people with lower incomes) and also look at human rights issues.  We’ve written about the Right to an Adequate Standard of Living before http://whenthemayorsmiles.blogspot.ca/2016/02/the-right-to-adequate-standard-of.html.  Municipalities undoubtedly have a role to play here.

Calgary's Mayor Nenshi

The Calgary Herald ran a story yesterday talking about Mayor Naheed Nenshi’s involvement in the conference and his call for a guaranteed annual income.  You can read that story at http://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/nenshi-pushes-guaranteed-income-as-canadian-mayors-gather-for-poverty-summit

Following this event on twitter yesterday it was encouraging that when speaking about poverty participants were going beyond the idea of reduction and actually talking about the “elimination” of poverty.  Good to see.