Alexandra Bonham - Community Driven

I have noticed a concerning increase in attempting to silence elected officials amongst residents and councillors in recent weeks. Our elected officials have a responsibility to listen to the concerns of residents. They act as a liaison between residents and Government, be it municipal staff, fellow councillors, or in some cases our Regional, Provincial, and Federal officials. Our elected councillors have a responsibility to ensure that their ward residents are heard and to keep residents “in the know”. That being said, some residents and Councillors are appropriating the idea that they should be in charge of what our elected officials communicate, don’t communicate and when it is appropriate to communicate.

We all know that resident engagement is low. Residents do not have the time to attend every council meeting, nor do they have time to tune in and or watch them at a later time. Over the years there have been a number of Council motions and resident delegations, directing staff to improve community engagement and to update and add a variety of communication methods – be it print, social media, email, live and shared video streams or billboards and posters.

As such the Town of Aurora has made improvements to written and online communication, updated the website to be more user friendly, created Engage Aurora, and improved social media use and policy. Access to Council and Committee meetings have improved dramatically. Our elected officials have also taken steps to follow suit to some degree or another.

By comparison Federal MP’s and party leaders have been discussing their opinion on the 2026 budget for weeks – on the news, in the papers, via their websites, and on social media. That is quite literally, their job. To engage with Canadians, seek public opinion, and get their views out there.

As well as, Federal leaders and MP’s have shared images of themselves shaking hands, meeting everyday Canadians, and speaking passionately in chambers. Why? Because getting your face out there – matters. It makes you personable, it makes you recognizable, it makes you approachable. So why is it a select number of residents and councillors suddenly believe that doing so is inappropriate – when quite frankly – it is part of their job.

There is nothing stopping our elected ward councillors from using every method (including social media) at their disposal. Strong communication requires an actual commitment to residents using whatever tools are available to them, though I should note professionalism should be maintained. We have obtained a higher degree of resident awareness; this is not a negative – this is a positive. There are huge benefits to be had from our increased ability to communicate with one another, we just have to ensure that what we present (fact or opinion) is with good intention.

As promised, here is a rundown of the September 16th Public Planning meeting about a potential residential development at Addison Hall Circle.

I am glad to see this move forward - the application is well done but, I do believe that they need to consider a park as an amenity for the potential residents. I hope they have something to present at Committee of the Whole.

On Friday, I had the privilege of attending the Aurora Sports Hall of Fame inaugural Summer BBQ hosted at the Armory, soon to be host to Slabtown Cider Co. It is such a fabulous venue, and I love that much like the Petch House, and Aurora Town Square we have found meaningful ways to hold on to history while also looking to the future. Progress and change are inevitable, but the truth is – we all want to hold on to things that mean something, our history and our cultural identity in some way or another.

The recent announcement of the new partnership with Slabtown has some residents questioning why such matters are discussed behind closed doors. To quote the website of the Ontario Ombudsman:

“Government transparency and the ability to observe the political process are foundational to democracy… the guiding principle has always been that municipal councils must meet in public, except in certain specific circumstances… When in doubt, open the meeting.”

There is a specific list set out by the Municipal Act, 2001, Section 239 that require municipal councils, committees and local boards to meet behind closed doors, including:

• A trade secret or scientific, technical, commercial, financial or labour relations information, supplied in confidence to the municipality or local board, which if disclosed could reasonably be expected to prejudice significantly the competitive position or interfere significantly with the contractual or other negotiations of a person, group of persons or organization.

To see the complete list and detailed guide pertaining to Open Meetings:

https://www.ombudsman.on.ca/en/info-public-bodies-and-officials/municipal-government/open-meetings-guide-municipalities %20Ombudsman%20and%20closed%20meetings%20investigations

This does not mean that once a decision has been made, the information cannot be made public should the majority of all members of council, the committee or local board agree. It is also important to note that before such a meeting, council must pass a resolution at a public meeting and must disclose the general nature of the meeting, and as of January 2008 anyone is free to file a complaint with the Ombudsman if they feel this process has been abused.

Personally, I am excited about this partnership. Ontario is known for its Craft Beers, Ciders, and more and it is about time we had one right here in Aurora. I also imagine that the Armory had a number of potential vendors interested in the site, these vendors need to sell themselves, their business, and provide a “bidding number” if that information was public from the get go it would skew the outcome greatly.

The important question isn’t “why the secrecy”. That is simply an attempt to imply that shenanigans are afoot. We should wait until after a motion has been voted on to open the meeting to question whether accountability and transparency are being upheld. Until then, it's important to be aware of the processes that Municipalities are beholden to in situations such as these.