Two residents return to city council as Sebben wants to suspend politics

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At least one Stratford councillor is calling for the repeal of the much-maligned “respect in the workplace” policy that resulted in three city residents being banned from city property for three months.

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After submitting a motion to that effect on Monday, Council Member Cody Sebben intends to bring it forward to a vote at the July 22 council meeting.

After the ban ended last week, two of the residents – Barb Shaughnessy and Mike Sullivan – returned as delegations to speak to the council and support Sebben’s upcoming motion. Before beginning his presentation, Sullivan asked all council members to close their laptops after accusing one of reading through an online seed catalog earlier in the meeting. Sullivan said the council did not fully understand the impact of the Respectful Workplace Policy when it was passed last year. The policy is ““We try to view voters as (city) employees,” he said.

“Workplace policies as they apply between your co-workers are probably fine, but they should not apply in the same way to the public as voters in your community,” Sullivan said.

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In his remarks, Sullivan referenced the Bracken V. Fort Erie case, in which the city issued a stay-at-home notice to a resident who staff said felt unsafe. However, the appeals court ruled in 2018 that while Fred Bracken was confrontational, he was not threatening or violent, and that Fort Erie’s notice violated the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

“He neither threatened nor participated in violence against anyone. That is the trigger. That is the point where the mayor and the police will intervene. But before that happens … we are free to speak and express our opinions. That is what it means to live in Canada,” Sullivan said.

“In a free and democratic society, citizens must not be handcuffed and removed from public spaces traditionally used for the expression of dissent, simply because their protest causes discomfort,” he said.

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Although many cities in Ontario have similar workplace policies, Sullivan said those policies do not apply to the public. Some of those cities, he added, actually cite the Court of Appeal ruling in their policies.

“The way this policy was implemented (in Stratford) has created chaos, illegally restricted charter rights and given Stratford a bad name. A thorough review is needed before further damage is done,” he said.

Speaking to the Beacon Herald on Tuesday, Sebben said he had heard from “a lot of people” who had concerns about the policy and its application, and he shared those concerns.

“The policy was aimed at creating a better atmosphere and a better workplace. However, in my opinion, it has definitely had the opposite effect. The last few months have been very, very tense in the council,” he said.

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The situation that has unfolded at City Hall since April has led residents to tell Sebben they are concerned about expressing their opposition to other, unrelated city policies, he said.

“Instead of encouraging community engagement, a lot is being done to discourage it. … It takes a lot to even get someone involved and to come before the city council and speak. Then when you hear other people’s experiences with (the policy) and the way it’s been implemented recently, it just discourages people even more,” Sebben said.

In addition to suspending the directive, Sebben is also calling for a review to examine the pitfalls. For example, two council meetings and a subcommittee meeting were shortened or cancelled altogether before they even began. Sebben was one of two council members, along with Geza Wordofa, who voted against ending a meeting early on June 24.

“I think there is a need for (this policy). I think the way it is now, I think it is not working the way I certainly imagined it would,” the councilman said.

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