RLGG Delegation to RL COUNCIL May 13, 2022

Good morning Mayor Hoogenboom and Council

I am Wendy Alford and I am here as a spokesperson for the Rideau Lakes Grassroots Group, to shorten that we refer to it as RLGG.  I am accompanied this morning by our group’s two other spokespersons…Dan Berty and Howard French.

RLGG is here as a delegation to raise the awareness of this Council on the genesis and mission of our group. We felt the need to do this because some councillors have made many misleading statements and accusations about the nature of our group. 

In particular, at the Regular Council meeting of May 6th, Councillor Paula Banks, while attempting to rationalize her violation of the Township’s Code of Conduct, used the opportunity to blame her behaviour on others and, for RLGG, went a step too far. 

Councillor Paula Banks called RLGG a hate group and falsely accused our group of physical and other forms of harassment. As a group we felt that RLGG could not let this stand unchallenged and so we are here today to correct these statements for the public record.

First, I think it is relevant to highlight the commonly used definition of a hate group.

A hate group is a social group that advocates and practices hatred, hostility, or violence towards members of a race, ethnicity, nation, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or any other designated sector of society.

In contrast, I want to quote the official guide to Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms:

“Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms:

• Freedom of conscience and religion;
• Freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media or communication;
• Freedom of peaceful assembly ; and
• Freedom of association.

These freedoms are set out in the Charter to ensure that Canadians are free to create and express their ideas, gather to discuss them and communicate them widely to other people. These activities are basic forms of individual liberty. They are also important to the success of a democratic society like Canada. In a democracy, people must be free to discuss matters of public policy, criticize governments and offer their own solutions to social problems.” 

Bringing the discussion back to the Rideau Lakes Grassroots Group, over the early summer of 2023, at various public and private events and venues, many citizens of Rideau Lakes expressed common concerns at the disturbing direction and decisions being made and directed by certain members on this Council. 

In August 2023, at the first in-person meeting of RLGG, residents from across the Township decided to create a group that could act as a voice for the broader community and the Rideau Lakes Grassroots Group was formed.  There have been wild accusations made by a councillor at this table that RLGG was created and is directed by a Township councillor and/or we were working for the Mayor.

It may be those accusations stem from an uncomfortable feeling for some councillors that citizens were actually disturbed to the degree that they were organizing to oppose them.  Let me be crystal clear, we take direction from no one and we are self-managed.

RLGG has evolved organically.  As more people expressed interest in supporting our efforts, we became more organized. With growth, we realized that as a group, we needed to enhance our communications and openly share our purpose, our research and our opinions.  To that end, we decided on a name to reflect the nature of our group, created a website and a Facebook page to share thoughts, positions and opinions on-line.   In consultation with our many supporters, we developed a Mission Statement that would serve to express our common purpose as well as help focus our efforts.

Our mission statement is:

• To provide a voice for all residents and businesses in all wards of Rideau Lakes Township, including those in villages, on lakefronts and on rural properties, to ensure the township’s council represents their interests in all financial and communication undertakings in a professional manner.

Our mission is published on our website and you will note, contains absolutely no element of hate of any kind. Rather it embodies the Canadian Charter of Rights, and I quote again “… {to} be free to discuss matters of public policy, criticize governments and offer their own solutions to social problems.” 

Despite these stated rights and freedoms, RLGG does operate with some self-imposed constraints. 

As our online presence started to grow and RLGG began to respond to Township issues being discussed, both at Council meetings as well as on social media, many supportive residents from across the Township communicated to the group, that they were afraid to openly express support for RLGG and, even more disturbing, to voice opinions contrary to the decisions of Council. In fact, many of our supporters expressed the fear that they would face backlash, intimidation and be ostracized, not only by some on Council, but also by other residents who aggressively support those same councillors on social media or at community events. So they asked that their participation remain anonymous and we have respected that.

As we have seen from the abusive emails and communications that were the basis of recent complaints to the Integrity Commissioner, as well as the several occasions upon which the RLGG spokespersons have been maligned at council meetings, their concerns were not unfounded. 

Indeed, at the April 2nd meeting addressing the recommended consequences for the Code of Conduct violation, not only did three councillors speak against and vote down the penalty, but Councillor Dunfield expressed the view that the public should not question or debate the integrity of its elected representatives.  That statement, in and of itself, is telling.

RLGG faced criticism for being an anonymous group. With the growth in our local public profile and our advocacy efforts, it became evident that complete anonymity was not conducive to maintaining our credibility. Yet at the same time, we did not want to compromise the privacy concerns of so many of our supporters. These supporters include senior citizens, business owners, prominent citizens along with many others…most of who were not prepared to endure the kind of intimidation tactics we have seen. Our eventual decision was to identify public spokespersons for the group who felt prepared to face for any intimidation that might levied against them and to publicly inform and defend the perspectives of RLGG. All three of us are present today.

The strategies RLGG uses to raise awareness, promote discussion and challenge councillors on their positions and decisions include engagement in social media discussions, publishing blogs on our website, letters to the editor, media interviews, emails to council and attendance at council meetings along with emails to and from our supporters. Contrary to the accusations that some councillors have made against their colleagues, the subjects and issues we choose to address come from following the council meetings, social media posts and insights shared with us at community events or the many private emails sent to us. Exerpts from some highlight the kind of feedback we receive:  

• “I am upset with….. The 20th century build of a hall in Portland with no understanding of 21st century needs…the complete lack of care about any other part of the municipality ….the lack of respect for the opinions of staff….the ignorance of proper governance”.

It would be more accurate to state that RLGG’s direction is directly influenced by the councillors at this table with whom we disagree. We watch, we listen, we hear from supporters, we research and we respond with words and participation in public events.

It may be of interest to Council and to the public observing that, although we have existed for less than a year, we have seen significant growth and interest in our work.  Since January 2024, the Rideau Lakes Grassroots Group web site has 2,280 views of which 630 are new and 650 are regular visitors. Our Facebook “friends” have increased by 40%. 90% of our audience are permanent or seasonal residents in Rideau Lakes.

We have stated publicly, more than once, that we do not agree with, encourage or support any form of verbal or physical harassment. And no person or persons who behave otherwise represents RLGG.

Still, certain councillors at this table seem to perceive those who openly express displeasure or disagreement with their positions as “attacking” them. 

There also seems to be the broad assumption that every voice of opposition is directed by RLGG. While our group appreciates the support throughout all wards of Rideau Lakes, not every voice of opposition or like-minded taxpayer is linked to or known to, RLGG. Nor will RLGG accept any accusation or innuendo that we promote violence or hate against anyone.

Our communications and actions are based on facts obtained by viewing Council discussions and on research of publicly available documents. We share our opinions and inform and promote causes relevant to Rideau Lakes. We remain respectful, but we will not be silenced or intimidated from expressing the views of the group and we will vigorously defend our right to speak, criticize or challenge our elected officials. The public engagement many current Councillors champion is not only going to come from those who agree with them.

Councillors are expected to respect the Code of Conduct and the Municipal Act and accept the consequences when either is contravened. Councillors are expected to abide by the Township’s rules, bylaws and policies and not arbitrarily change them to suit personal agendas. Councillors are expected to communicate with the public with civility and to listen to all points of view with an open mind.

Councillors are expected to represent our entire Township and not just individual wards and to make fact based and objective decisions that are in the best interests of the entire Township. 

RLGG and its supporters do not demand more than that and will not accept less.

We will not be taking any questions as we feel, based on past experience, this would not result in a productive exchange.  We do thank you for your time.