York Region politicians balk at heated rhetoric over COVID-19 measures

'No hidden agenda' -- but empathy for struggling businesses

Yorkregion.com
May 5, 2021
Kim Zarzour

After listening to anti-vaxxers, anti-maskers and others about COVID-19 at several council meetings throughout the pandemic, members of York Region council voiced frustration over comments coming their way.

Council members this month received five more letters and heard from four more delegations -- many of them repeat appearances -- voicing theories about censorship, communist takeovers and removal of rights and freedoms.

During the emotionally charged presentations on April 22, some described individual business troubles, while others demanded that council members forfeit their pay.

“Give up your salaries if you guys have any kind of a conscience,” said Barb Everatt, who broke down in tears describing how her business has suffered. “I have hardly any money now and I don’t want your subsidy; I want my sovereignty. I want my freedom. I want my independence.”

Written submissions to council questioned the science behind pandemic measures and called for an end to the lockdown. Not all letters were included in the public record because, according to council chairperson Wayne Emmerson, they contained unacceptable language.

After hearing from the delegations, several council members said they empathize, but hold the line at mistruths and accusations.

“I can’t sit here and allow some of these comments to be made on the public record without commenting,” said Richmond Hill Acting Mayor Joe DiPaola. “There’s a lot of information being circulated that I’m not able to verify … I don’t know what the sources are, where the information comes from.”

While the hardships and health implications are real, he said, “details that come from the health industry today are so extensive, it’s not a mystery as to what is happening. There is no conspiracy. There is nothing but transparency … No hidden agenda. The goal is to stop the spread of the virus, which is real.”

“I have not been called a communist before in my life,” Markham Regional Councillor Jack Heath said. “I’ve not been called compromised before in my life. I’ve not been called a non-patriot before in my life -- ‘patriot’ not being a Canadian word you hear very often … It's certainly not in this country’s terminology.”

If regional council members gave up their salaries, Heath said, the small amount of money saved would be a symbolic gesture alone and have “no impact whatsoever.”

Newmarket Mayor John Taylor also questioned the logic behind forfeiting salaries.

Even if everyone that is calling for lockdowns, elected officials in Ontario, those who work in pandemic management, experts on science tables, hospital employees and administrators gave up their pay, it would not serve a constructive purpose, he said.

“I understand where the emotion is coming from, but I don’t think it achieves anything to have tens of thousands more people relying on government subsidies and resources.”

Taylor expressed “deep, deep concern and sympathy” for those who are upset during the pandemic.

“I think every member of this council has had conversations like this ... I’ve certainly had people call the office, yell at me and cry on the phone and share frustrations throughout this experience, and it’s heartbreaking.”

There may be a need for government to find targeted supports for businesses that have had significant numbers of days of total closure, Taylor said, but, he added, “there were some things mentioned here today that, frankly, if they were posted online, might be removed because they’re expressing what I believe were dangerous misinformation.

“This is not communism; this is not us wanting to control people’s lives. This is us trying to find the right path to getting through this, providing targeted support, supporting other levels of government and getting this thing under control.”