Bradford West Gwillimbury Mayor James Leduc issued the following statement in the wake of a contentious council meeting Tuesday night, which was adjourned after striking Bradford Library workers and supporters refused to be denied an opportunity to speak.
I would like to start by sharing details on the role of council meetings and the procedural bylaw council follows to conduct the meetings.
Council meetings are formal business meetings where town council can adopt binding motions and bylaws. Regular council and committee of the whole meetings are governed by a procedural bylaw that lays out where items appear on the agenda, regulates the roles and responsibilities of council members, and outlines the procedures to follow during the meeting.
Our procedural bylaw outlines that open forum is allotted 20 minutes in total, and each speaker has five minutes to present, equalling four speakers to make up the allotted time for open forum.
In relation to the Sept. 19 meeting, at the beginning of open forum, I announced I would allow four people to speak on the matter of the library strike. At the conclusion of the four speakers, I attempted to close open forum and proceed with the other agenda items.
Many of the audience members failed to comply and quickly became disruptive. At this point, I called a recess to de-escalate the situation and get things under control.
During the recess, CUPE and their supporters continued on the microphone, so I advised staff to remove the microphone. The microphone was removed, but audience members brought out other devices including a megaphone and their own microphone.
Things quickly escalated and the audience became even more disruptive and unruly, with personal verbal attacks consuming the auditorium. At this point, I directed a staff member to call police out of concern for the safety of the residents in attendance as well as my fellow council members and staff.
I believe in democracy and freedom of speech but I also respect our procedural bylaw, the other presenters who took the time to attend the meeting, and our employees who were in attendance to present reports related to other business. Open forum is certainly an important component, but council meetings are for council to conduct town business, and other matters that require work and attention.
I am disappointed that things escalated as they did, but as the head of council, I took appropriate actions to get things under control.
As BWG’s mayor, I have a responsibility to ensure the best interests of all residents are at the forefront, at all times. My actions are not intended to favour or slight any resident or group but rather to serve the community as a whole. Although I know that I cannot please everyone at all times, please know that I always have the town's best interest at heart.
Bradford West Gwillimbury Mayor James Leduc
