Advocates attending the meeting of an Ontario municipality shouted their frustrations Tuesday evening, as a councillor facing a criminal charge was allowed to speak on the very topic they had been banned from discussing.
Members of the Women of Ontario Say No advocacy group sat in the Niagara Falls council chamber, alongside supporters of Coun. Mike Strange, where Mayor Jim Diodati struggled to maintain decorum from both sides.
The meeting followed dramatic events in June, where the advocacy group was denied the chance to speak about issues of municipal conduct because the city said it could impact an ongoing legal matter.
After they were told they could not speak, the group attended a June 17 meeting with signs, and its members were arrested. They were later released without charge.
Their frustration bubbled over at Tuesday’s meeting, as Coun. Strange, who was charged with domestic assault in May, was allowed to stand during the council meeting and talk about municipal accountability legislation — and the allegation against him.
The charge against Strange has not been proven in court.
“Every individual is presumed innocent until proven guilty,” Strange said during Tuesday’s meeting.
“This is not just a legal technicality; it is a fundamental protection of fairness and justice in our society. To remove an elected official based on an unproven and unfounded allegation would set a dangerous precedent and undermines the very democratic principles that we rely on.”
His speech was punctuated with expressions of frustration from the advocates and met with applause from his supporters. The councillor had previously asked his friends and supporters to attend the meeting and applauded his speech.
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It has been roughly six weeks since the Women of Ontario Say No first asked to present to Niagara Falls council about municipal reform. Their intention, they say, was to seek support for amendments to provincial law, including having councillors put on paid leave if they are criminally charged.
Emily McIntosh, the founder of the group, said it was “shocking” that Strange was allowed to speak on the very topic her group had been denied a delegation on.
“It really undermines the credibility of council to allow double rules,” she said.
“Frankly, it felt terrible to be on the other side of that, where we were denied the opportunity to speak because it may relate to ongoing legal proceedings — even though that wasn’t the case, it was very general in nature — and then a councillor could get up, not only speak to that but then also speak to his own personal support that he received.”
McIntosh said it was “extremely unprofessional” that council allowed Strange to speak at all on the topic. “This is exactly why the public is losing trust in publicly-elected officials,” she said.
Another councillor did suggest Strange should not address the ongoing legal matter during the meeting, but the city’s CAO said he believed Strange could talk on the topic because he could waive his own privilege rights.
Mayor Diodati, who makes calls on who can speak as the chair of the council meeting, told Strange he should avoid referencing his own situation. He did not intervene when Strange discussed the charge.
McIntosh said she spoke to a member of the local group who turned out to support Strange. She said they agreed to add supporting the Women of Ontario Say No’s municipal reform plans to the agenda at their next meeting.
“So, I will give credit where credit is due,” she said. “It is very fascinating to me that that core group is willing to provide space to discuss and engage and we couldn’t see the same from the Niagara Falls council.”
The Women of Ontario Say No has also retained a lawyer, who wrote to the city and local police after the arrests in June. They are considering a legal challenge to force Niagara Falls to allow them to make their presentation and for a public apology.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Coun. Lori Lococo said her colleagues and the city had not treated the group fairly.
“It was stated that they could not have a delegation; there was no opportunity for something to be put on the agenda,” she said.
“I’m all about fairness — they weren’t treated fairly to provide what they needed. I understand what you’re saying, maybe in the lawyer’s correspondence, they were given that option, but they were not given that option from day one.”
During the meeting, Strange tabled a motion to ask staff to research proposed municipal conduct legislation. He said the advocacy group could speak on the day the staff report is finished, at which point — they say — it will be too late.
The legislation that the Women of Ontario Say No wanted to discuss at Niagara Falls council is currently being debated by a legislative committee, as the Ford government decides if it needs to make changes.
Ontario NDP MPP Jeff Burch said Niagara Falls council was in danger of distracting and taking away from a discussion on how to improve the law.
“It’s really detracting from what is supposed to be a bill that makes the municipal arena safer for women, so more people feel comfortable putting their name in the ring to become councillors and work for municipalities,” he said.
“It’s about making things safer for women and all of these actions designed to silence the voices of women who are trying to make things safer for women is something I find very troubling.”
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Ontario councillor facing criminal charge speaks at meeting, advocates denied deputation
