I took a walk down Main Street this evening, peeking in windows so beautifully dressed with summer displays and smelling the incredibly fragrant tree in front of the Royal Bank as I passed. As I walked, I reflected on my time here. I was born and raised in this town. I left for a year as an exchange student. Then I left again for graduate school. But other than that, I have lived my whole life here. I’m a townie. I now live in what’s known as the “fringe” area of the County but once a townie, always a townie.
And those townie thoughts made me feel utterly heartbroken for my little town. My little town that may soon cease to function as a town; consolidating instead with the Municipality, we may be one unit in the near future. Now I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing that we join forces. But what makes me heartbroken is how the process has divided the people, created bad blood, instilled a deep distrust and created an “us” verses “them” chasm a million miles wide.
I don’t claim to be an expert on the details. From my perspective, this is a synopsis. Both town and county officials had apparently fielded questions about why they are two separate units when we are such a small population; so the Mayor and Warden decided to look into that question further. They brought it to their councils and hired some kind of company to investigate the pros and cons. That company would later go on to create “engagement sessions” held on varying evenings and afternoons in various parts of the town and county. I attended an early session, in town. There was no presentation. No group discussions. Simply information panels all around the room where you could read about why consolidation was a good thing.
I was a little shocked that this was the scenario given that I thought these sessions were about presenting the pros and cons of uniting and getting feedback from residents about how they wished to proceed. The format was, in my opinion, terrible. BUT, it was during covid so I chalked it up to one more thing that was a little wonky due to covid. I did have an opportunity that day to sit down, one-on-one, with the mayor who explained to me why she felt like this was the best move forward for the town. I expressed to the mayor that day that I felt like the process was deeply flawed and that they desperately needed a PR firm to right this ship!! That even if it WAS a good idea, no one knew details and people felt disrespected and not valued in this process.
I had no idea that it was about to turn into even more of a situation.
Later “engagement sessions” changed their format and actually included a presentation and community discussion afterwards. But those of us who had attended earlier sessions had no way of knowing that things were very different elsewhere. Had that PR team been in place, they could have let the community know: we’re listening; we hear you; we recognize that this process wasn’t working super well so we changed it up cause we really want you to have a voice; we really want to hear your feedback. But, there was no PR team.
I attended a town council meeting, following these sessions. Oh, I should have a sidebar before I get into that. A facebook group emerged that was rallying the troops, so to speak — asking for one of two things: either a vote on the consolidation issue or that councils wait until the next election cycle, enabling councilors to make it an election issue. Two members of that group prepared presentations for that council meeting i attended. People in this group simply didn’t think it was within the mandate of this council to make this kind of decision.
It was the very first council meeting I’d ever attended. While I’d always heard talk of politics being ugly, I didn’t dream that local politics could be quite that ugly. I mean, these are our neighbours, our friends. One councilor proclaimed himself the very best person to make these decisions for the town. He cited his education and his work experience. While his arrogance irritated me, I actually agreed that he was likely pretty darned qualified to make this kind of a decision. But none of the other councilors sitting at the table with him had the same education or experience and he still thought they should make the decision too; and that’s where I disagreed vehemently with him.
Another councilor, in response to the presentations from the group members, very condescendingly tried to make light of the situation and the audacity of group members to suggest the process was flawed; that it was happening too quickly; that it was happening during the pandemic (when just about everything under the sun was on pause). She joked that in the time the councils had been investigating, she could have birthed a baby. No one laughed.
What struck me as the most ugly, however, was the entire us verses them mentality that was on display and what we’ve seen play out ever since. Several members of council appeared adamant that consolidation is happening and residents weren’t going to be able to stop it. They seemed to suggest residents had their chance at the “engagement sessions”. But, remember, those “engagement sessions” were different each of the nights, so depending on where you attended, you may not have actually had a comfortable forum to express positive or negative feedback. A plebiscite isn’t binding but it would give council an idea of what the electorate thinks. They cited low voter turnout and the fact that only the opposition side would bother to vote. Well, voter turn out was low in the last municipal election which saw all of you elected, so should we not accept the results of that vote either??
In the end, the motion was carried to move forward with consolidation. 4-3. The three that voted against were actively engaging with constituents. They were strong in their belief that the people deserve a say in an issue as big as consolidation. That it needed to have more public input. They became champions in the eyes of those so frustrated by the ugliness of the politics.
That same group of people on facebook, which has members from all walks of life, from every corner of the community, launched a campaign to fight this decision legally and that is still winding its way through the legal system. An independent poll, however, was conducted and determined that a very high majority of residents wanted a say in the matter and wanted to vote on the issue. Then the provincial politicians decided they would not give it the special legislation to consolidate afterall. At least not in the spring session.
That seemed to indicate, to me anyway, that if this issue was to continue to move forward, those involved would have to follow existing models of consolidation; which include a non binding plebiscite.
Now, as someone who has been actively atoning for sins of the past and trying to live my life from a place of kindness and compassion and humility, we are finally at the point in the story where, for me, the real heartbreak sets in. If I hurt someone, I try to make it right. If I’m asked to speak for a group and I speak for myself instead of the group I’m supposed to speak for, I try to make it right. If I know that my friends, family and neighbours are so frustrated that they desperately try over and over and over again to appeal to me, I try to understand where they’re coming from since they feel so strongly about something. Maybe if they feel so strongly about something, there might be another way?
I’ve watched the frustration in that group morph into anger and hopelessness.
When that anger and frustration and hopelessness is expressed, they’re turned into villains. They’re accused of being anti-unity. Anti-progress.
A perfect example of this is the second facebook group that has emerged. While the original is residents against an undemocratic merger, the new one is residents in support of a united town. The first is anti-something. The second is pro-something. One seems negative by comparison. But, guess what? One can be against an undemocratic merger and in support of a united town all at the same time. They are not mutually exclusive ideas!!!
Ay yi yi, my head! No wonder I had to get this out of my psyche and write it down (if you’re new to this blog, writing is what helps me sort and process things in my world). I do not know if I’m pro consolidation, even after all this time. Even after being actively engaged in the process. I would like to think my friends and neighbours on council wouldn’t steer us wrong…but I also thought they wouldn’t be arrogant or condescending. So it’s hard to trust at this stage. I do know that I am anti-this whole process. I’m anti any process that causes such divisiveness. I’m tired of the finger pointing and the whataboutisms. I’m tired of the blame game. I’m tired of the temper tantrums and pot stirring.
Things always make me think of a song. And right now I’m hearing my favourite old Guiding song: On my honour, I will try, there’s a duty to be done and I say aye. There’s a reason here and a reason above. My honour is to try and my duty is to love. No one needs to know my name. If I’ve hurt someone then I’m to blame. If I’ve helped someone, then I’ve helped me and that’s the way that it should be.
If you’ve hurt someone, FIX IT. Don’t double down on the hurt. Don’t poke and poke until the hurt rise up then point fingers at the hurt saying they’re the problem. If you’ve hurt someone, you don’t get to decide you didn’t. Fix it! It’s not too late. For the love of all that is good, bring in an Olivia Pope!!! Bring that PR firm that you should have had from the very beginning. Heal the rifts. Let’s unite because we love and respect one another and our beautiful slice of paradise. Maybe that will look like consolidation. Maybe it won’t. But at least by respecting each other and actually listening to each other, we’ll have a much brighter future, either way. Maybe I’m way too naive but I truly believe, it’s not too late.
Dandelion Wishes 