As residents of Norfolk County you can’t help but notice all
of the news regarding the upcoming municipal elections. There is a distinct buzz in the air as each
brave, determined, soul announces his or her candidacy for either Mayor
or Councilor. Elections, of all types,
in Canada have changed drastically since the first elected assembly in 1758,
and for the better, if we might add. The
ideology remains the same in the fact that a person would put themselves
forward as a deserving candidate and the qualified voters would choose who is best
to represent their riding.
The notable difference in Canadian elections history within the 202 years following the 1758 election is regarding equality and transparency in our electoral systems. For these two hundred plus years the people of this great Country struggled with the limitations of the “Privilege” to vote for their rights and freedoms. Although Canada entered into Confederation in 1867, it did not put an end to the manipulation of the vote or the blatant discrimination encountered at the time of each election.
The notable difference in Canadian elections history within the 202 years following the 1758 election is regarding equality and transparency in our electoral systems. For these two hundred plus years the people of this great Country struggled with the limitations of the “Privilege” to vote for their rights and freedoms. Although Canada entered into Confederation in 1867, it did not put an end to the manipulation of the vote or the blatant discrimination encountered at the time of each election.
Canadian elections were riddled with controversy including
ever changing voter’s rights. An ever-changing
voter eligibility was one of the tactics to ensure the vote went in a
particular party’s favour. The Province
had held the power to manipulate the voter list based on income, race,
ethnicity, religion, sex and so on, and they did. If too many immigrants from a particular area
had recently reached eligibility to vote, and the parties thought it would not
work to their advantage, they would change the rules to list a specific
exclusion based on the home Country. The
practice of giving oral votes was also another method of vote manipulation as
it left much room for blackmail and bribery.
Imagine the previous Mayor has given you $100 dollars to vote in his
favour and you must stand in front of him while you proceed to vote for the
other guy. Imagine the Mayor, for whom
you did not vote, gets re-elected…. Good luck getting that building permit and wait ‘till you see your tax bill.
Two hundred years of these types of practices shaped the history of Canadian Democracy but also forced the charge of the Canadian people to equality. Work groups and secret clubs formed Canada wide putting together petitions and rallies for voter equality. One of the most notable petitions was that presented to Premier Tobias C. Norris, said to contain 45,000 names, requesting woman’s voting rights. Maybe this struggle is why women are still the highest percentage of voters in Federal Elections.
The Jewish population would not take their oath under the Christian faith and were thus not Canadian and unable to vote. Anyone of African or Native descent was denied the right. If you were of German or Japanese descent, or any other country with which Canada was at war, you may have been a spy, and your vote was not allowed. The Chinese boycotted Dominion Day by shutting down their businesses until they were granted the vote in 1947. Each group took to the streets in their own fashion and eventually their equality was recognized.
Two hundred years of these types of practices shaped the history of Canadian Democracy but also forced the charge of the Canadian people to equality. Work groups and secret clubs formed Canada wide putting together petitions and rallies for voter equality. One of the most notable petitions was that presented to Premier Tobias C. Norris, said to contain 45,000 names, requesting woman’s voting rights. Maybe this struggle is why women are still the highest percentage of voters in Federal Elections.
The Jewish population would not take their oath under the Christian faith and were thus not Canadian and unable to vote. Anyone of African or Native descent was denied the right. If you were of German or Japanese descent, or any other country with which Canada was at war, you may have been a spy, and your vote was not allowed. The Chinese boycotted Dominion Day by shutting down their businesses until they were granted the vote in 1947. Each group took to the streets in their own fashion and eventually their equality was recognized.
Now, more than ever, we are able to learn more about the
candidates for whom we are voting. With
the internet at our fingertips, social media exploding and the County posting their information online to promote transparency, there is a lot of information
to be had to better educate you about your vote. For those who aren’t as internet savvy, we
can even watch Council meetings from the comfort of our own homes if you have cable tv. Unfortunately Norfolk County is mostly rural and cable is not available to a great number of Citizens. We can buy the DVD’s of Council Meetings from
the County at $25 each. It's obvious that Norfolk County keeps all of these video's on file and it's curious that they are only available for public viewing while streaming so if you want a previous meeting you need to purchase the DVD. If you actually work until 5PM by the time you get home it's already into the meeting. Guess we don't pay enough taxes to have the meetings hosted online or even on the Cloud. Maybe NetFlix will carry them!
In Norfolk, we have civic web. This link takes you to all of the Council meetings, and meeting notes as they are to be posted online for everyone to see and if it’s not there, you can ask for it. You are able to see the motions, and past decisions made by each Councilor which can show you where a Councilor’s allegiances lay. If you were to look at the Mayor’s twitter account, you can clearly see whom he supports and likes and with whom he shares comments. If you watch your Council meetings, you will hear what your Mayor and Councilors and future elected officials really have to say about their community.
In Norfolk, we have civic web. This link takes you to all of the Council meetings, and meeting notes as they are to be posted online for everyone to see and if it’s not there, you can ask for it. You are able to see the motions, and past decisions made by each Councilor which can show you where a Councilor’s allegiances lay. If you were to look at the Mayor’s twitter account, you can clearly see whom he supports and likes and with whom he shares comments. If you watch your Council meetings, you will hear what your Mayor and Councilors and future elected officials really have to say about their community.
One of such instances comes to mind is what Councilor
Sonnenberg had to say about the people of Norfolk County during the Budget
Meeting. There was a discussion in a Council meeting about whether only approximately 30% of eligible voters turned
out to vote at the last municipal election. We were disgusted with the response given as Councilor
Sonnenberg claimed he felt that the other 70% were not educated enough to cast
their ballot. We think Councilor
Sonnenberg needs to go back to 1758. You
can request video copies of the budget meeting from Norfolk County to hear for
yourself. This type of comment from an elected official is very unbecoming of
our wonderful County’s representation.
If you were a manager at a private organization, and you expressed these
sentiments openly, we would fear your job would be in serious danger. Councilor Chanyi had blamed all of her inadequacies
on the Norfolk County Staff and has now spent the past couple of months
apologizing and boasting about the staff’s great work. It is these types of moments that show the
true character of elected officials.
Our question for all of Norfolk County is this… Why after 202 years of protesting the denial
of the right to vote have we now decided that voting is no longer necessary. Our unemployment keeps going up, our
low-income families are starving, according to last night’s council meeting. It appears most of our Councilors support
turning Ward 1 of Norfolk into some sort of NCC run, private park. Our County can’t seem to come within budget
on any project. They blame policing salaries on half of their problems all
while their own salaries are ridiculous and comparable to the Toronto area. They blame the staff for all the mistakes,
but approve giving their staff raises every year. Backus Mill is sitting in ruin and it looks
like this will only change with private money.
Yet, somehow, we re-elect the
same people to run our County.
2010 Election results can be found here.
We're tired of hearing you can’t change anything, and voting is useless! The only reason things don’t change is because the majority of 30% of people who are voting continue voting for the same people.
2010 Election results can be found here.
We're tired of hearing you can’t change anything, and voting is useless! The only reason things don’t change is because the majority of 30% of people who are voting continue voting for the same people.
“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and
expecting different results.” –Albert Einstein.
“Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If
they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they
will just have to sit on their blisters.” ― Abraham Lincoln
These next 4 years are the time to change Norfolk County for the better. It is time to make it a place where people can afford to live. Support new businesses, encourage growth of businesses already in place. Encourage visitors, build infrastructure to grow tourism and accommodate visitors.
These next 4 years are the time to change Norfolk County for the better. It is time to make it a place where people can afford to live. Support new businesses, encourage growth of businesses already in place. Encourage visitors, build infrastructure to grow tourism and accommodate visitors.
“To make democracy work, we must be a notion of
participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to
complain.” ― Louis L'Amour
Change
can and will happen this October!
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