London city council poised to stop issuing proclamations, again

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Four years after restarting the long-dormant process, London politicians appear to have lost their appetite for proclamations, with past controversies top of mind.

During Monday’s meeting of the corporate services committee, councillors Hadleigh McAlister, Peter Cuddy, Susan Stevenson, Corrine Rahman and Paul Van Meerbergen unanimously endorsed scrapping the policy altogether.

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“Just as a matter of course for London, we looked at it and what we’re doing, there’s some inconsistencies in terms of how we do it.” said McAlister, chair of the committee. “I personally felt more comfortable doing recognitions in my ward, in the city.

The city’s proclamation policy allows individuals and organizations to apply for public recognition from the city for causes that are local or have local connections.

Rahman put forward a motion in May calling for city staff to review the policy when three proclamations were requested for Shine the Light on Woman Abuse, Christian Heritage Month and Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

The staff report brought back Monday outlined that between the 1960s and 1990s, the city occasionally issued proclamations without a formal policy. One was established in 1989 where the recognitions were issued at the discretion of the mayor.

What is left out of the report is what eventually killed the policy for about two decades. In 1995, then-mayor Dianne Haskett refused to issue a Pride weekend proclamation, sparking a complaint to the Ontario Human Rights Commission that resulted in a $10,000 fine.

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A few years later, council decided to have proclamations issued by the city clerk instead of the mayor. Then, a white supremacist group that hadn’t been vetted properly was issued a proclamation, later rescinded, for European Heritage Week.

Council ceased the issuance of proclamations in October 1998, the report says.

In 2020, then-Coun. Arielle Kayabaga advocated to restart the practice by proclaiming February of that year Black History Month. The city piloted a new policy for one year before opting to continue on a regular basis.

City staff laid out four choices for politicians in its report: to continue the status quo with tighter regulations for applications from individuals and local connections for causes; having one intake period; having the policy reviewed by a community advisory group, or stopping proclamations altogether.

Rahman acknowledged proclamations can stir controversy, but said the mayor and council can champion causes in their own way through statements or by attending events.

“I was personally inclined to move toward the non-issuance of proclamations going forward, just because I do see it as something that we did in the past that maybe doesn’t hold the same kind of significance and weight, and also has the opportunity for some controversy,” she said in an interview.

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The staff report also highlights that many Ontario cities, including Kitchener, Waterloo, Chatham-Kent, Hamilton and Mississauga, do not issue proclamations.

Rahman said, with the research being done into applying groups, confirming local connections, and the fact the provincial and federal governments sometimes issue their own proclamations on the same theme, ceasing proclamations could save staff time and resources.

Van Meerbergen pointed to the period the city stopped issuing proclamations.

“I’m sure most of us remember that it wasn’t that long ago, we did not issue proclamations in the City of London for a little more than two decades,” he said. “It was a policy that served us well then, and . . . will serve us well now.”

Scrapping the policy will still require the approval of council at its next meeting Sept. 24.

jmoulton@postmedia.com
@jackmoulton65

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