Dear Editor,

I have submitted the following letter to the Mayor and Council in response to proposed amendments to the Procedural Bylaw recommended to Council.

Hello Mayor Boddy and Members of Council,

I have some questions and concerns regarding a Staff Report being brought before Council tonight, CR-21-069. I think if adopted, Recommendations 5-9 will be very harmful to the practice of democracy in Owen Sound, and I urge Council to reject them.

“Recommendation #5 (Communication): Amend section 65 to only allow questions to be asked of items listed on the agenda.”

Has Council considered this would endow them with the ability to ignore any and all issues brought to them by members of the public, by simply refusing to add the issue to the agenda? Does Council consider this an affront to the practice of democracy?

“Recommendation #6 (Governance): Amend section 68 from five (5) minutes to two (2) minutes.” AND “Recommendation #7 (Communication): Add section 69 to include that where a person is unable to attend a meeting, they may submit a question to the Clerk who will read out the question; provided it includes the persons name, the municipality they reside, is 100 words or less and is submitted at least twenty-four (24) hours prior to the meeting.”

The concern I have with these two recommendations is that two minutes is not adequate time to communicate complex ideas and questions; nor is 100 words. For example, including listing the Recommendations for reference, this communication is taking me more than 600 words.

Has Council considered that if it finds it takes too much time to give Owen Sound citizens five minutes, or upwards of 100 words to express their concerns, then Council should instead be considering why so many citizens have so many concerns?

“Recommendation #8 (Communication): Add section 70 to provide that a question asked at Council or committee may not be asked again by the same person at any other Council or committee meeting within a calendar year.” AND “Recommendation #9 (Governance): Add section 71 to provide that the Chair may curtail multiple questions on the same topic or questions that have been previously answered.”

I believe these two recommendations pose the same problem for a healthy democracy. I recently had an exchange with City Hall that required me to ask the same question three times over a period of two weeks, in order to receive a frank and honest answer.

Has Council considered that limiting community members’ right to ask questions will only create more opportunities for local politicians to evade accountability?

Given these concerns, I would ask Council to reject Recommendations 5-9. And I would ask any Councillors who choose to support them, how they can justify limiting Owen Sound community members’ access to the democratic process in such a way?

Thank you for your attention and consideration.

Tamara Sargent,
Resident of Owen Sound