Niagara, Ontario Regional Chair Repeats Call For Governing With ‘Respect’

A Foreword by Doug Draper

At the beginning of the October 27, 2011 regional council, the Region’s chair, Gary Burroughs, repeated a few lines from an an inaugural address he delivered to the council a year ago, asking councillors to show respect for one another, for staff, and for residents and community groups across Niagara. One cannot help but wonder why he felt the need to repeat this message and expand on it a year later, but Niagara At Large feels it is worth posting here. Perhaps other government bodies that have sometimes lost it when it comes to civil discourse, can also draw some inspiration from Gary Burroughs words, which follow.

Tonight, I want to address another issue, one that I addressed in my „election speech to Council, and one that I am firmly committed to upholding as we approach the one-year mark of this Council.  I feel it necessary and timely, to speak to that issue tonight.

Niagara, Ontario's regional chair Gary Burroughs

I want to read a few paragraphs from my inaugural speech to you during my election as Chair:
§ …“We need significant improvement in the fundamentals required for an effective Council and then take those fundamentals to bring about service excellence, value for money and innovation.

Let me start with the fundamentals. Respect.
§ Respect for the process of a Council meeting, respect for fellow Councillors, for staff as well as residents, community groups and taxpayers, and we need every councillor to have the opportunity to participate fully in the decisions and direction of this Council and this government.
Because, like me, each and every one of you, each and every one of us, have been elected for a reason. And as Chair, it is my commitment to you to ensure your reasons for being here are heard and engaged.
§ As I look around the Council Chamber and see new faces and experienced veterans, I see tremendous expertise, vigour and vitality. I see people committed to job creation, transportation, infrastructure, governance review, social service, partnerships and growth. I see people committed to innovation and accountability and I see people dedicated to our taxpayers.”

I don‟t really think I need to say why I am reaffirming this commitment I made to you almost a year ago.
But my concern is that the voices of some are drowning out the voices of others, and that means too much of the commitment, passion and perspective that this Council as a whole encompasses – is being left unheard and untapped.
It means that we as a Council are not leveraging our collective assets as effectively as we should. It means that not all of Niagara is being heard in this chamber

As Chair, it‟s my commitment to you as colleagues, and to the residents of our region, to ensure that all of our voices are heard, and to facilitate that discussion and decision making, in an environment of collegiality and mutual respect.
Deliberating together, discussing together, deciding together, listening and genuinely hearing each other before we decide, is what will make this Council stronger, make our decisions better – delivering the regional government the residents of Niagara actually elected. This does not mean the loudest is the wisest.

I do want to point out, we have seen a number of excellent decisions made as a result of fulsome discussion at Committee and Council. These discussions have enriched the quality of debate at both levels, and led us to delivering good sound policy for the residents we serve
But there are many more debates, discussions and decisions to come, and we owe it to all the residents of Niagara who elected us, to ensure this Council functions to the best of its ability. That means everyone has to participate and everyone has to be given the opportunity to participate in a productive, open and receptive environment.

That‟s not to say that feelings won‟t and don‟t run strong. That‟s not to say that debate won‟t be vigorous and that sometimes our emotions may get the best of us, but we must ensure we channel that passion to achieve positive change.

You know, one of Niagara Region‟s 5 corporate values is respect. That means respect for each other, for our differences of opinion, for the taxpayers, and for those in Niagara unfortunate enough to not even be able to pay property taxes.
We cannot allow personalities or disparaging comments aimed at one another, to cloud the mandate given to us by the residents of Niagara.

I am firmly committed to ensuring this Chamber serves Niagara with the dignity, respect and the collegiality expected of us, by those who elected us to represent them.

Tonight we will continue the debate on the issue of a renewed model for Regional economic development. It is my firm belief the time has come to move on to a better, more efficient and effective system that puts business, jobs, prosperity and growth first – what economic development is meant to deliver – and I trust Council will make that positive change tonight.

I think we all anticipate a diversity of opinion, but I hope that those opinions are delivered and received in a respectful and honourable way, and that each one of you around this Chamber who wants to participate, feels confident and comfortable that they can.

I have asked staff to revisit a previously deferred Code of Conduct, and I anticipate further discussion on this issue very soon.

And before I leave this topic, I want to also stress that the way we work with staff too should follow the same level of respect that we expect from each other.

This Chamber represents a wealth of knowledge, experience and diversity, and as Council we are served by a dedicated and highly capable staff with tremendous expertise and commitment to excellence – all of which as Chair I am committed to ensuring is utilized and maximized to the full benefit of our residents.

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