Oro-Medonte council has reaffirmed its support for the township’s code of conduct for members of the public.
Council unanimously approved the creation of the code in December as an attempt to address concerns over what it considered to be harassing correspondence and misinformation from “a very small group” of residents, directed at council members and staff, Mayor Harry Hughes said at the time.
Councillors Randy Greenlaw and Ian Veitch tabled a motion to reconsider the decision, and it was debated for more than two hours during a council meeting this week.
Greenlaw noted he and Veitch voted in favour in December because, if they had opposed it at that time, they wouldn’t have had the option to bring it back for reconsideration.
Coun. Cathy Keane introduced the motion at the Dec. 9 meeting, but it wasn’t on the agenda. It instead sprouted from a discussion about the township’s own code of conduct.
“I had no idea it was coming forward. I couldn’t properly prepare to give substantive discussion,” Greenlaw told OrilliaMatters this week.
Because it wasn’t on the agenda, the public “didn’t have an opportunity to provide input” prior to council’s decision, he added.
“A key thing to the public in this day and age, with the internet and social media, is people want transparency,” he said.
During this week’s meeting, Greenlaw told his council colleagues, “l think we can all agree that disrespectful and aggressive dialogue serves no productive purpose in any discussion between the public, staff and council.
“This motion of reconsideration is to address the concerns regarding the procedural process and manner in which this motion came forward and was passed without adequate notification or public input.”
He also said the original motion was not time-sensitive and could have been added to the agenda for a special meeting that was held a week later.
It shouldn’t have arisen under the umbrella of the township’s own code of conduct, he said, adding a staff report prior to a vote would have been helpful.
Veitch echoed those concerns, along with his own about the code’s use of the word ‘harassment.’
“Perhaps ‘disrespectful communications’ would be more appropriate in most cases, as ‘harassment’ can have more complicated definitions with more severe implications,” he said.
Council unanimously approved the motion to reconsider so everyone could have their say, but in the end, the original motion was approved, with an amendment by Keane that calls for an “external third party” to review all of the township’s existing documents and policies on workplace harassment and health and safety to confirm the municipality is in compliance with federal legislation.
Greenlaw drew the ire of some of his council colleagues when he suggested “missteps” were taken with regard to procedure at the December meeting.
“We all make mistakes,” he said.
That’s when Coun. Shawn Scott called a point of order.
“Coun. Greenlaw has made an assertion that somebody has made a mistake as it relates to procedures during the Dec. 9 meeting,” Scott said, asking staff if mistakes had, in fact, been made.
He was told there were no mistakes in terms of procedure.
Prior to the vote this week, Keane defended her original motion and lamented how far news of council’s decision had travelled.
“I think everyone here today and watching from home has seen the comments in the OrilliaMatters and BarrieToday article and, subsequently, on social media. Seeing the effect by the perpetrators of the misinformation, the damage it has done goes far beyond this virtual council table,” she said.
The township, she added, has received “international notoriety” since the article was published, “and it is a black mark on this municipality.”
“Oro-Medonte is now world renowned, and not for what it should be. We have been showcased internationally as an embarrassing, behind-the-times municipality rather than the moving-forward-with-everything-to-offer place to be.”
Despite that, she said she was contacted by a member of the Canadian branch of the Association of Workplace Investigators, who told her the township was “on the right path.”
“As a council, we have knowledge of an ongoing problem,” Keane said. “We took the first step, and I thought the rest of council supported me in December with the passing of this motion. I will not be retracting or pausing this motion as that will be an action against provincial and federal legislation and, essentially, an inaction in the eyes of compliance enforcement officers.”
The original motion from Dec. 9 is as follows:
Whereas, the government of Canada has stated: “Every Canadian has the right to work in a healthy, respectful and safe environment”…“including the public service”…“free from harassment and violence of any kind”
Whereas the Township of Oro-Medonte is committed to providing a work environment in which all persons employed by the Township are treated with respect and dignity;
Now therefore Be it Resolved that
1. The Township of Oro-Medonte adopts a “Code of Conduct for Members of the Public” when communicating with Township Council and staff regarding matters related to the Township.
2. It is at the discretion of the Clerk, in consultation with the CAO, to determine what constitutes a breach in the “Code of Conduct for a Member of the Public” as defined herein:
a) Harassment, including disrespectful, intimidating, vexatious and/or defamatory actions, comments or conduct that is reasonably expected to cause offence to an employee or Member of Council of the Township of Oro-Medonte shall not be tolerated.
b) Harassment includes actions, comments or conduct from customers, clients, members of the general public, residents of Oro-Medonte and members of groups and Associations representing a subject or an issue.
c) Harassment includes actions, comments or conduct from an individual outlined in item 2) of this Motion by way of any form of electronic, written and verbal communication; including email, text, messaging and telephone correspondence; during any Township Committee or meetings of Council; and, in-person interactions (on or off Township property).
Should an offence occur, a clear statement will be provided to the member of public stating that such forms of harassment shall not be tolerated and may reference the “Code of Conduct for Members of the Public” as adopted. In addition, a copy of the “Code of Conduct for Members of the Public” may be provided to the individual or group. Employee(s) and/or Council member(s) for the Township of Oro-Medonte continue to exercise the right to refuse to respond, or meet with individual(s) in the future resulting from breaching of the “Code of Conduct for Members of the Public.”
