MORRISBURG – A gesture that was perceived to be threating in nature led to a short break during the April 8 regular council meeting and the subsequent information bulletin by Chief Administrative Office Ben de Haan encouraging residents to “think carefully about what municipal participation looks like.”

The incident came at the end of agenda item 8 f, a zoning bylaw amendment for 10308 Chess Road. The applicants had wished to formalize the property’s current use as a contractor’s yard, not for the purpose of any expansion, but just to bring it into conformity. Other residents in the area had opposed the change, and municipal staff as well as Peter Young, SDG counties Director of Planning and Economic Development Services had recommended against it, but suggested that if Council wished to consider a zoning change, they could defeat the current motion and come back at a future meeting with a new motion containing a list of  conditions to be met.

Council chose this option, and all parties were advised accordingly. As Council prepared to move to the next item, Councillor Danielle Ward’s expression changed, apparently from something she saw in the public area. She turned towards Deputy Mayor Marc St. Pierre and Mayor Jason Broad and demonstrated what appeared to be a hand motion across the throat (this can be seen at 1:38:32 on the Council YouTube video.) Following a brief discussion, Mayor Broad asked that the recording be paused and Council took a short break. The meeting resumed approximately 17 minutes later.

Ontario Provincial Police attended, but their investigation did not support any further action at that time.

The following day CAO de Haan released the following:

Upholding safety and respect in civic proceedings

“Last night’s Council meeting included a deeply concerning incident following a rezoning decision in which threatening and unwelcome gestures from the public gallery were directed toward members of Council. The behaviour was unacceptable, and we unfortunately had to pause our proceedings to address it.

Council members come to this role with one focus – to make South Dundas a better place to live, work and play. Council and Staff understand that governing means making hard decisions, and that not all outcomes will be welcomed by everyone. We genuinely encourage respectful dialogue, as it is incumbent on us to stand behind our decisions and be accountable to the community we serve. What we will not accept is intimidation, threatening gestures, or behaviour that puts the safety and dignity of staff, elected officials and the public at risk. There is simply no place for it.

Fortunately, the vast majority of residents who engage with their municipal government do so respectfully and with professionalism. Unfortunately, it only takes one individual to make an already difficult and often thankless job harder than it needs to be. It was not lost on us that later that same evening, Council was considering a draft Social Media policy designed, in part, to address exactly these kinds of concerns staff and Council encounter online.

With a municipal election on the horizon, we encourage residents to think carefully about what civic participation looks like at its best. Disagreement is healthy, and democracy depends on it.

There is a right way and a wrong way to disagree; last night reminded us of that, and of why it matters.”

It is not known at the present time if the incident will lead to changes at future council meetings.