ELORA – Centre Wellington councillor Bob Foster has been removed from the township’s Healthy Growth Advisory Committee after being accused of being “disruptive” and driving the other community volunteers to the point of quitting.
Mayor Kelly Linton presented a report to council on March 29 recommending a change of councillors on three committees:
- councillor Neil Dunsmore will replace Mayor Kelly Linton on the Fergus BIA;
- councillor Kirk McElwain will replace councillor Steven VanLeeuwen on the Heritage Committee; and
- VanLeeuwen will replace Foster on the Healthy Growth committee.
In explaining his recommendations, Linton said it makes sense for Dunsmore, who represents Fergus, to be on the Fergus BIA and for McElwain, with his vast years on council, to sit on the Heritage Committee.
“He shares their vision and position,” Linton said.
But Foster is a liability on Healthy Growth, Linton said, and during the last three Healthy Growth meetings, Foster blocked discussion of attainable housing.
“It is not the role of councillors to dominate or direct discussion” at committees, Linton said.
He explained the Healthy Growth committee has decided to focus on attainable housing and the issue “is too important to have a councillor blocking that discussion. We will lose committee members.”
BOB FOSTER
Foster countered that preserving heritage structures in Centre Wellington is just as important as attainable housing and the topics aren’t mutually exclusive.
He said protecting heritage and complying with the Planning Act must be part of attainable housing discussions.
In a call to the Advertiser on March 30, Foster reiterated his stance on protecting heritage structures.
“As a community we have to decide whether to conserve or destroy heritage. This needs to be an election issue,” he said. “All I did at committee was raise these important points.”
At the council meeting, McElwain said he is excited to be on an advisory committee again, but concerned with Linton’s reasons for the shuffle.
“We seem to be setting a policy that councillors have to follow the party line,” said McElwain.
Councillor Stephan Kitras shared those concerns and proposed a motion for staff to devise a policy around council committee appointments and rotating councillors through committees.
“We need to take the subjectivity and bias out of these decisions,” Kitras said.
Linton said the procedural bylaw, which is currently under review, will bring clarity around appointments.
Councillor Neil Dunsmore said councillors should do more listening and less talking on committees.
“Citizen advisory committees are our opportunity to hear citizens,” he said, adding the council horseshoe is the appropriate place for councillors to voice opinions.
Councillor Ian MacRae said he spoke with some Healthy Growth committee members who said Foster is “disruptive” and wastes time.
“Watch the video from the February meeting to see the challenges they’ve had,” MacRae said.
In a recorded vote, Foster, McElwain and Kitras voted against the reappointments, while VanLeeuwen, MacRae, Dunsmore and Linton voted in favour.
