StratfordToday received the following open letter from Councillor Jo-Dee Burbach in response to Robert Roth's Open letter to Stratford Councillors of June 21.
Hello Mr. Roth,
Thank you for your letter. I’ve taken the time to read through it carefully, as well as the e-mail thread you forwarded, and I can confidently say that the Clerk has done her job well and has followed the proper procedures for approving a delegation.
The language around our procedures might be somewhat confusing, so I’d like to take a moment in this open letter to try to clarify how the process of delegating to Council works.
A delegation to Council must relate to something that is already on the agenda for that meeting. The only exception to that are delegations from community agencies and relevant organizations who are giving updates to Council (for instance the Stratford Public Library or the United Way). The primary purpose of Council meetings is for Councillors and the Mayor to forward the business of the City. At a Council meeting, we give final consideration to the information previously provided at the sub-committee and committee levels, and any new information about a matter, and make a final decision. This process of discussing matters at a progression of meetings allows for what some call “sober second thought”. It avoids having issues introduced, discussed, and decided upon within a few days (or even hours, if the delegation requested to register on the same day of the meeting). All municipalities in Ontario use a similar process and the purpose of Council meetings remains the same everywhere: to forward the business of the municipality.
With regards to your specific request to delegate, the Respectful Workplace Policy was brought to Council in May 2023, we considered it and approved the version of the policy that is being followed by staff. Many Ontario municipalities have a similar policy, it is not unique to Stratford. It is possible for Council to re-consider this policy, but the proper procedure must be followed. This is why the Clerk directed you to delegate to the sub-committee. The matter you’d like Council to re-consider is not currently on the Council agenda. To get it onto the agenda, the subcommittee will discuss and decide whether the issue is one that Council should re-consider. This is why I encouraged you on June 17 to come back and delegate to the Finance and Labour Subcommittee in July. This matter won’t make it onto the Council agenda without going through the proper process.
As far as delegating and discussing a decision previously made by staff based on an existing policy, this is not within the purpose of Council, committee or sub-committee meetings. We are there to move forward the business of the corporation, and we cannot undo previous actions taken based on an existing policy. That is why the Clerk advised that your delegation could focus on the policy, but not a previous decision. It is possible to change the policy, and there is a set process to do this.
As far as the Respectful Workplace Policy goes, in my mind it is quite easy to delegate, share one’s thoughts and opinions on a particular matter, and stay well within the bounds of this policy. The vast majority of citizens who have come to delegate to Council have no problem at all with these guidelines. First, stick to the topic at hand. If you are delegating about a zoning matter, please don’t bring up chem trails or recycling issues. Focus on the topic at hand - the matter that Council has the ability to decide upon. Citizens are welcome to make suggestions, present research and ideas, and to criticize or challenge public policies or procedures, if directly related to the agenda item being considered.
Second, avoid targeting individuals. What is not allowed while delegating at a public meeting are verbal assaults on identifiable individuals, whether they are staff, councillors, or other members of the public. Anything that humiliates, harasses, threatens or denigrates individuals (as defined by the Respectful Workplace Policy) is just not acceptable, not only because it’s disrespectful and harmful but also because it’s the wrong forum to address any perceived issues with these individuals. If the person delegating has a problem with someone, the channels to address that are to go directly to either the CAO, the Mayor, the Integrity Commissioner, or the police (if warranted).
I hope this helps to clarify some of the questions you raised in your open letter.
Sincerely,
Jo-Dee Burbach
City councillor
