Dear editor:
I applaud Jim Huggins who, at the candidates’ session sponsored by the St. Davids Ratepayers Association, confronted the panel regarding the sewage and flooding crises plaguing our homes.
Honest and direct questioning must be the tone of such forums, given that a lack of transparent communication has too often characterized local governance over the past term.
We have witnessed an over-reliance on closed-door sessions and a shortage of meaningful public engagement on critical community issues, from heritage trail access to costly out-of-court awards. We must hold our local government accountable more than just at election time.
When critical decisions — such as filling mid-term council vacancies — are decided behind closed doors rather than through open, traditional processes, the foundational trust between the community and its leadership erodes.
We cannot afford another four years where public consultation is treated as an inconvenient afterthought rather than a core democratic obligation.
We hear a great deal of talk on the campaign trail about “experience,” but we must ask ourselves what that entrenched approach has delivered for our neighborhoods.
A look at the St. Davids roundabout project reveals the limits of that administrative style: a contentious design pushed through despite widespread resident concern and clear warnings from our community planners.
True leadership means listening to the town, not just managing it from the top down.
Public voting records confirm what this town is fully aware of: we have had two dedicated individuals on council who consistently support the democratic process and fight for the community.
They stood alone in voting against bypassing proper procedures for mid-term appointments, and they opposed granting multi-million dollar breaks to developers at the taxpayers’ expense. Their integrity and alignment with the community are commendable, and we owe them our gratitude for holding the line.
However, the reality of our current municipal dynamic is that a couple of isolated voices — no matter how dedicated — cannot alone shift the direction this town is embracing. When the system itself lacks openness, even our most principled representatives find their perspectives sidelined.
Moving forward, it is unfair to expect a few individuals to carry this heavy burden. We need to elect a completely unified, energized team — leaders who will act as a loud collective megaphone for the public and actively champion a culture of openness.
Look no further than how our local representation has been eroded. Under the Municipal Act, a strict Jan. 1 deadline exists to alter council composition — a timeline explicitly designed to guarantee proper public notice, debate and resident input.
Missing that democratic window should have paused the conversation. Instead, a hasty municipal motion was pushed through on March 24 to bypass that timeline, requesting provincial intervention.
The resulting late amendment to Bill 100 stripped us of two local council seats this election year, without a single town hall meeting or resident vote.
The new council must address this legacy of internal structural issues, kicking aside democratic principles, and now compounded by the imminent threat of amalgamation.
This is not the time for green-lighting and managing endless developments; this is a time for creating a strong team and a path forward, dedicating all our resources and energy toward protecting our borders, enacting our vision and values.
With regional governance frameworks shifting under the provincial government’s restructuring plans, we should never have lost those extra council seats at a time when we needed local representation the most.
The compression of our voice means Niagara-on-the-Lake’s representation at the regional table will be intensely restricted.
Our next lord mayor and councillors will serve as our solitary line of defence for our voice, our heritage, and our unique place in Canadian history. If we elect a leadership prone to quiet consensus, our historic lands and commensurate culture, agricultural base and local tax dollars will be completely swallowed by larger urban interests.
This October, we are electing more than just some maintenance of the status quo; we are electing a diplomatic shield to protect our town from political erasure.
Its wisely said, “Fool us once, shame on you; fool me (us) twice, shame on me (us).” This community cannot be given a second chance to be blindsided. We deserve fresh, informed, principled, articulate and energized leadership.
Judith Barnes
NOTL
