Tag Archives: Donald McArthur

Attitude Check – Hero Worshipping

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Excessively praising a person with a disability can be insulting because it implies that you have low expectations of them. For example, calling someone a “hero” or an “inspiration,” though it may seem complimentary, can sound condescending to a person who is simply trying to live their life just like anybody else. 

HIE HELP CENTRE

As a person with disabilities, I regularly encounter physical barriers that provincial legislation mandates to be identified, prevented and removed. But attitudinal barriers offend me the most and there is a list; for example, people make generalized assumptions, behave awkwardly out of ignorance, or adopt an outdated model of disability like pity/charity which leads to patronizing.

During the September 25 council meeting, Councillor Crain spoke briefly and thought it was only right that they help the Bolger family recognize their daughter, Brittany, whereas Councillor McArthur, council’s representative on the accessibility advisory committee, spoke longer and repeated his message throughout that Bolger made a clear, convincing and compelling case.

McArthur weighed in that he was supportive of the motion, acknowledged the town has a policy and stated the developer wasn’t asking for a favour or trying to pull a fast one. He stated Mr. Bolger made a clear, convincing and compelling case to name this after his daughter, who has a remarkable story, and has overcome adversity and serves as a testament to that we are all able that we all have special abilities and that no matter what hand we’re dealt, we can make compelling contributions to our community and she can serve as a role model for youth going into the future. McArthur said he wasn’t going to read Bolger’s letter aloud but he has made a clear and compelling case that the street name will serve a greater good and allow his daughter Brittany to be remembered forever and to serve as a role model for Amherstburg youth and he was happy to support that.

Since I embrace any opportunity to challenge attitudes, I emailed members of council.

the burg watch: As a person with disabilities, and an activist, I encourage you to learn beyond what appears to be very basic training materials you received when elected regarding accessibility and inclusion. 

As you may recall, I pointed out examples of ableism during the election campaign and have since mentioned examples of inappropriate language. As a result of the Brittany’s Gate discussion, I am enclosing a portion of a UN document: 

‘Inclusive language is a key tool in combating ableism and its entrenched manifestations. Ableism is a misguided and biased understanding of disability that leads to the assumption that the lives of persons with disabilities are not worth living. Ableism can take many forms, including harmful language. 

AVOID LABELS AND STEREOTYPES 

Disability is a part of life and of human diversity, not something to be dramatized or sensationalized. Persons with disabilities should therefore not be portrayed as inspirational or “superhuman”. This language implies that it is unusual for persons with disabilities to be successful and productive and to live happy and fulfilling lives. Descriptions of persons with disabilities as “courageous” or “brave” or as having “overcome” their disability are patronizing and should be avoided. Persons with disabilities are the same as everyone else in terms of talents and abilities.’

Councillor Pouget, as usual, was the only one to respond and thanked me for sharing.

The late disability activist Stella Young says it all so well.

Deputy Mayor Gibb And Councillor McArthur Flip-Flop On Gallery Members Speaking

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It was only two weeks earlier, at the September 11 council meeting, that both Gibb and McArthur spoke against and voted against allowing gallery member Larry Amlin to speak; both voted to allow Bolger to speak at the September 25 council meeting.

Mayor Prue acknowledged there were no delegates at the September 25 meeting, just one Presentation – Mr. Norbert Bolger. Prue then asked Bolger to come forward and stated just before he did, he needed a motion from council to bring forward items 13.2 and 19.1 which both deal with the matter at hand; it carried and Prue told Bolger the floor was his.

Bolger then stated he was not going to make a presentation; he was just going to be there to answer any questions; he explained that he sent a letter in to the town and everybody has it. He also said he’s talked to some members of council regarding the naming of the street, one of the streets in Brittney’s Gate. He went to the heritage committee and got their endorsement on it so he was there for the final endorsement from council and if there’s any questions he’d be happy to answer.

Prue asked if there were any questions of Mr. Bolger, stated there were no questions, and as Prue thanked him, Bolger took his seat in the gallery and Prue said it was back to council.

Prue asked if there was any discussion on the issue and there was for approximately 8 minutes; Councillor Pouget spoke, then Councillor Crain, Councillor Courtney, Prue passed the gavel and directly addressed Bolger, who went back up to the podium, then Crain again, Clerk, Deputy CAO, and then Bolger raised his hand and said something inaudible. Prue said it would require the unanimous consent of council.

The motion to allow a member of the gallery to speak carried.

After Bolger briefly spoke, Pouget asked a question and Bolger returned to the podium to answer her question; Prue didn’t call him out of order – Prue echoed Bolger’s answer.

Related: September 11 Council Meeting RECAP Part 1

Then-Candidates Prue And McArthur On Open Air At Chamber Candidates’ Nights

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Then-candidate Prue mentioned his hope that some of those businesses will contribute; then-candidate McArthur mentioned conditions that are going to allow a hotel to open and flourish in downtown Amherstburg. Excerpts of their speeches are below, as well as links to the Chamber of Commerce videos.

Question from the moderator to the mayoral candidates: What are your views on partnering our tourism department with other municipalities to lower costs?

Michael Prue:

I know it’s not everybody’s cup of tea, but…We need to have a real hard look at that and see whether or not it should continue. If it continues I would hope that some of those businesses will contribute because it should not all fall on the taxpayers. If they are making money off this and they want to have it keep going then they have to shoulder some of that responsibility. But I do think that Open Air is a good thing, and I had a really good suggestion from someone the other day we put up barricades, but there are stores on both sides of the barricades that are not getting business. We should put up big posters at the end to say it doesn’t end here at the barricade. There are stores in this direction in this direction and this direction to make sure everybody has an opportunity to benefit.

Chamber of Commerce YouTube video: Prue’s comments at 2:25:58

Question from the moderator to the councillor candidates: What are your views on the future of Open Air?

Donald McArthur:

My views on this are pretty well known. I love open air weekends. I’ve been a proponent from the start.

If we send a message as council that we believe in the transformative potential of Open Air weekends those are the conditions that are going to allow a hotel to open and flourish in downtown Amherstburg. If there are issues with accessibility, we need to ensure that we have accessible parking spaces on the edge, but we need to invest in open air it needs to continue because it’s fantastic for residents and for our tourists.

Chamber of Commerce YouTube video: McArthur’s comments at 33:58

Three Councillors Campaigned To Remove Barriers During Open Air

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The burg watch Open Air posts’ viewing statistics have increased, particularly then-candidates’ opinions, which is worth repeating.

Will you remove barriers during Open Air weekends that block people with disabilities from driving to the bank, local stores, bars, and generally driving through town?

  1. Councillor Peter Courtney: Of course I would!
  2. Councillor Diane Pouget: Yes, I am definitely in favor of removing barriers for people with disabilities during Open Air.  The fact that 51% of the businesses in the downtown core want the closure of streets for 3 days on weekends and 4 days on long weekends from May to September is unreasonable and unfair.  This is especially true, since 49% claim that Open Air hurts their business, especially their clients with disability issues.  Further to that, the taxpayers are footing the bill to hurt our most vulnerable residents.  It was disappointing to learn that only one person with a disability was consulted. This is unfair and must be revisited.
  3. Councillor Linden Crain: Yes. It is important that all members of the community can experience Open Air. If there are particular barriers in place, I am more than willing to investigate further and help find a solution.

Councillor Donald McArthur: If there are persisting issues with accessibility, let’s work collaboratively to address them in consultation with the Town’s Accessibility Advisory Committee. Let’s not give up on something that engages our youth while promoting economic development, something that sets our Town apart in a positive way and creates the sort of bustling environment where a hotel cannot only open but flourish.

Councillor Molly Allaire: I love Open Air Weekends, my family partakes every weekend for sure. I will be honest after going door to door my eyes have been opened up to a great deal of problems in our town that I was unaware of. Open air has many positives and negatives. I think the blockades that they created this year allow better parking for the majority. We could make it more accessible for people with disabilities by blocking off the waterfront parking area specifically for them allowing closer access to amenities. I also believe that open air is wonderful but should only be one day instead of 3. Many residents say that it is more of a nuisance trying to get to their bank, business, home etc. Business owners have stated that their business has actually done worse during these hours because lack of access to the area. I think having it one day would be a fair compromise and make it still an event for people to come and enjoy.

No Answers:

Mayor Michael Prue
Deputy Mayor Gibb

“Co-An Park, An Underutilized Jewel”, Donald McArthur

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McArthur continues with his ‘town hall blog’ and posts, ‘Council agreed in September to spend up to $10,000 to work with the Town of Essex to engage the public and identify redevelopment opportunities for the sprawling park.’

Administration recommended ‘An unbudgeted expenditure, not to exceed $10,000 plus applicable HST, BE APPROVED for Phase 1 Public Engagement and Consultation to identify redevelopment opportunities for Co-An Park. September 12 Report to council.

How would a public consultation meeting and an online survey cost $10,000? By the way, there should be a variety of feedback mechanisms.

Isn’t the point of public consultation to listen to what the residents have to say and then make up one’s mind?

McArthur, who campaigned as being a responsive councillor, has already acknowledged, “I know some people think Amherstburg shouldn’t invest in this park because it is technically in Essex but I don’t share that view.

What’s more, operating this park and adding new amenities only costs Amherstburg fifty per cent of the total because Essex pays for the other half. That opens up a host of possibilities, like a splash pad, for example, that might be out of reach if Amherstburg residents had to solely foot the bill.”

And why would amenities be out of reach for Amherstburg residents? Oh, because we spent money on amenities like maybe a $160,000 dog park?

Candidate Question Open Air Barriers – Donald McArthur

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Will you remove barriers during Open Air weekends that block people with disabilities from driving to the bank, local stores, bars, and generally driving through town?

The eighth candidate to respond:

Hi Linda,

Thanks for the opportunity to connect with the residents of Amherstburg!

Open Air Weekends has provided our youth a safe place to gather. I’ve been astounded this year to see how many more teens and younger kids are playing street chess, ping pong and corn hole instead of sitting at home staring into their phone. They come to Open Air on their feet, their scooters and their bikes and they get fresh air and exercise in the open and in the community, away from isolation and away from trouble.

Open Air Weekends has become a family-friendly attraction in a Town with so few things for our youth to do. I think we need to embrace that energy and that momentum and build on it, creating even more programming for our kids and young families. Open Air has improved every year and it still hasn’t reached its potential.

The Town has taken in feedback each year and made improvements. The footprint was made smaller this year, creating an intensified experience and more parking. The revised footprint added 21 additional spots, including two new accessible spots. There are accessible parking spaces in the King’s Navy Yard Parking lot and at the different entrances to Open Air. All told, there are 549 parking spaces within a six-minute walking radius of Richmond and Dalhousie and 312 within three minutes, according to an administrative report.

If there are persisting issues with accessibility, let’s work collaboratively to address them in consultation with the Town’s Accessibility Advisory Committee. Let’s not give up on something that engages our youth while promoting economic development, something that sets our Town apart in a positive way and creates the sort of bustling environment where a hotel cannot only open but flourish.

Thanks,

Don

Amherstburg Council Meeting a Rude Awakening

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You might recall the post Decorum, Please! where I shared my observations about council and the town’s Accessibility Advisory Committee meetings.

The Legion was added as a fourth delegate in the Supplementary Agenda for tonight’s meeting but was invited to be first up.

Second, AMA Sportsmens’ Association rep, who could benefit from disability etiquette: twice he used the outdated and offensive “handicap.”

Third, Nancy Atkinson, Amherstburg Taxpayers Association about the audit.

Fourth, former Councillor Diane Pouget about the town’s credit rating.

Councillor McArthur debated with Pouget and Mayor DiCarlo ended up pounding the gavel and reminding Pouget of the time limit.

Of all the elected officials’ behaviour we sit through, it’s ridiculous that delegates’ democratic input is restricted to 5 minutes; especially considering the soccer club’s delegation was 18 minutes, followed by a 48 minute Q and A for a total of 66 minutes.

Vote October 24, 2022

Councillor Donald McArthur’s Response to Police Officers’ Breach of Information Question

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In yesterday’s post I asked members of council if any violation of the employee code of conduct, section 15, was addressed?

Just to recap, section 15.0 Confidential Information:

The following information must not be used or disclosed, except in accordance with the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (“MFIPPA”):

    • information which is personal

Today, McArthur’s response regarding the breach of personal and sensitive information of 40 police officers, employees and family members is:

“It is my understanding that the disclosure of personal information was inadvertent and that it is the opinion of the Clerk, the Treasurer and the Director of Corporate Services, who conducted an investigation, that the inadvertent disclosure was not a Code of Conduct violation.

It is my understanding as well that the Town advised the Information and Privacy Commissioner of this issue and notified the affected individuals. It is also my understanding that the Town took steps to help guard against similar inadvertent disclosures in the future.”

Nowhere in the Employee Code of Conduct does it state not to worry, it was an inadvertent disclosure. Carry on.