MidlandToday welcomes letters to the editor at [email protected] or via our website. Please include your daytime phone number and address (for verification of authorship, not publication). The following letter is in response to story titled, 'Resident stress heightens at Fox St. apartment report.'
I attended the Penetanguishene council meeting on December 13th, and I have a few issues with the article as I did not witness the events in the same way.
The “gallery of Bay Moorings subdivision residents” is a generalization. I am not a resident of Bay Moorings, neither is John Barrett-Hamilton, nor Connie Stewart, and others who were also present.
Some of the citizens in attendance were in fact residents of Champlain Shores subdivision, and not Bay Moorings, which is located across the road.
In addition, I feel that the article does not portray the events impartially. For instance, “then came question period, which was anything but.” Sticking to the facts and the unfolding of events, I would suggest “Then came question period.”
I question the use of the word “de-escalation,” defined as a method to prevent potential violence.
“De-escalation” makes it sound like the ‘upset gallery’ was “potentially violent.” People are certainly impassioned and perhaps frustrated, but the discussion was an adult one, if repetitive – that happens when people feel they aren’t being heard. Though, I do agree that the interruption when Ms. Betty was speaking was poor form, though the questioner apologized immediately.
In day-to-day discussions, I speak to the person I am addressing. Speaking through the chair to the person to whom the question is directed is a less usual form of communication.
I feel that raising the fact that some people didn’t follow protocol during question time is somewhat condescending and portraying the residents as uneducated, though most speakers were articulate if long-winded, and did need to be reminded that it was not deputation time, and to pose their questions.
Once again, there was a generalization that all residents who addressed council during question period “took council to task looking to speak their minds as a continuation of their concerns three hours prior, successively ignoring the question aspect of the opportunity’. I myself asked two questions, with no ‘struggling on the fly’ as you state in the article.
In retrospect, while reading a previous article on the same topic, Amid 'stabs and jabs' from residents, council delays zoning decision, I ignored similar issues. At the time, I chose to let it pass. However, it seems there is a tendency for the dramatic versus the factual in reporting on this topic in particular, or council proceedings in general. I hope you look into this tendency more closely and make adjustments as appropriate.
Overall, I think the article seems biased toward Penetanguishene’s 'empathetic and calm' council and staff, while unfavourably depicting the upset residents/members of the public raising their familiar concerns jeopardy-style while berating staff.
I look forward to reading you in the future with a few less adjectives and generalizations.
Thank you,
Nadine Lalonde
Penetanguishene
