WBRA Member says it best in letter to Mayor and Council!
I have recently become aware of the endorsement by most of Wasaga Beach
Council and mayor of a change to Bylaw 2019-05, whereby a resident's
right to speak to council and the subject to be raised will be severely
restricted by the Town. By anyone's reckoning, this proposed change to
the Bylaw represents nothing more than a gag order and a way for council
to prevent two way communication with the resident's that they
represent. This change to Bylaw 2019-25 that has been approved for vote
by most of the elected Council and Mayor can only be seen by the voters
in Wasaga Beach as a way to govern without representation and to prevent
any opposition or feedback from being heard. This is unacceptable and
will surely be remembered well at the polling booths at the next
municipal elections.
As elected representatives it is incumbent upon you to listen to Wasaga
Beach residents and to encourage the dialogue, rather than to shut down
the means of communication. Transparency in Government is a democratic
right. The right to speak out by providing questions and comments and
receiving answers from their elected officials are fundamental rights
under the "Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom" in this Country. What
most of Council and the mayor seem to be doing with this proposed change
is to bypass our democratic rights, thereby subverting our legal rights
in order to help to keep what they are doing unopposed and unchallenged.
Council and the Mayor, should not take this legally given citizen's
right lightly. The fact that you have taken this ill advised action to a
vote makes us all suspicious of your motivation.
In speaking with neighbours and friends about recent council decisions,
there is a lot of negativity out there. Issues we have spoken about
include the fact that elected officials trying to cut off communication
with their constituents, Town employees not returning calls, emails and
text messages after multiple attempts at trying to contact them (do we
have to come to Town Hall?) and work around our neighbourhoods that
isn't being done in a timely fashion, if at all. The Casino fiasco is
another prime example of governing without representation and/or
communication.
We are not happy and we encourage you to rethink your decision to vote
to enforce this gag order.