In what has become something of a trend for Stratford’s city council, the June 24 meeting came to an abrupt end before reaching the half-hour mark as another of the banned citizens made an appearance in chambers and refused to leave.
Barb Shaughnessy arrived in chambers nearly half an hour after the meeting had begun, and Mayor Martin Ritsma halted proceedings to ask if Shaughnessy would consider leaving so council could continue with their business. He then excused council members for a brief five minute recess to allow Shaughnessy time to depart, but she remained in chambers when the meeting reconvened. Ritsma then called for a motion to adjourn the meeting.
Coun. Cody Sebben was one of two councilors to oppose the motion in a recorded vote (9-2), and he said it’s important to have the documentation on decisions like this. And he went on record again saying he disagrees with how the city has handled this situation from the start.
“I’ve said from the beginning that there should have been a review, and I’ve heard a lot of concerns, which I share, that it would’ve been more appropriate to issue a warning to the people involved instead of banning them,” he said. “If we’d done that, individuals would have an opportunity to understand more what the expectations are. This is the first time that this (respectful workplace policy) has been implemented for members of the public speaking to council, and I think it’s unfortunate that the level of things has gotten to where it is. I don’t know if conflict is the right word, but with any sort of disagreement on both sides, it’s never beneficial or helpful when both sides are digging in.”
Sebben and Coun. Geza Wordorfa were the dissenting votes, and Coun. Brad Beatty expressed his disappointment that the vote wasn’t nearly unanimous.
“I’m disappointed that it wasn’t 11-1 - I believe that a respectful workplace is simply that,” he said. “I believe that our staff, my fellow councilors and the citizens of Stratford need to know that we as leaders are ensuring that everyone can feel safe and comfortable wherever they are. If you can’t come into our city hall and feel comfortable, there is an issue there. This should have been a united vote, so I’m very disappointed in the two fellow councilors that did not support the motion to adjourn.”
Beatty wasn’t alone in his anger, but Coun. Bonnie Henderson pointed her frustrations at Shaughnessy. Upon returning to chambers following the recess, Henderson looked at Shaughnessy and questioned her lack of respect for staff and council before calling her decision to remain disgraceful.
“I believe the banned individuals, who have been banned until July 4, should honour this whether they agree with it or not,” she said via email. “My understanding is they have appealed this, but by coming to council and subcommittee meetings, they are disrupting the business of the city, which I don’t agree with. I should’ve held my tongue as I understand they are frustrated also, but lots of things happen in our society that make us upset but we have to wait. I might not agree with some things, but I respect the decision until I can do something else about it.”
As Henderson said, the ban on Shaughnessy and the other citizens expires on Thursday, July 4 - in time for the next regularly scheduled council meeting. Sebben said he’s tried to have the decision reviewed and he’s advocated for a different approach so Stratford can avoid a repeat of this type of thing, and he maintains his support of city staff even if he disagrees with how the situation played out. He was unable to comment directly on the actual incident that triggered the banning, but did have an opinion on its aftermath.
“I do think the (respectful workplace policy) is subjective, because you have comments that are made that can be taken differently by different people,” he said. “One person could interpret it as disrespectful and another could see it very differently.”
Beatty also commented on the differentiating line between what is harassment and what is fair comment but added people on either side of that line shouldn’t have to determine where it is when it comes to feeling safe.
“The fact is I always say treat others the way you’d like to be treated yourself, and when we walk into this particular building, there’s no choice,” he said. “We call each other by proper titles and treat each other with respect. Where that line is … I don’t want to have to determine that. Plain and simple, everybody needs to feel safe. I don’t know how we move forward from this, but my hope is that we can do so respectfully.”
