Dear Editor:
RE: Guelph/Eramosa councillor voices concerns about COVID mandates, April 7.
Councillor Corey Woods’ comments and the silence with which Guelph-Eramosa’s mayor and council greeted Woods’ toxic words are deeply concerning.
As a longtime councillor and deputy-mayor, Woods is now on record as someone who hates Canadians for who we are, speaks of the PM of Canada as a dictator, and mocks a virus that has killed thousands of Canadians and millions of people worldwide.
COVID-19 does not discriminate, recognize borders of any kind, or give a pass to even the most fit among us. The majority of Canadians have faced the many challenges presented by COVID-19 in the past two years with pragmatic action, listening to top scientists and leaders, ensuring we take recommended steps to take care of ourselves, our families and friends, as well as our communities, and doing so in the hope that COVID-19 will eventually move from pandemic to endemic status.
Woods is an elected municipal councillor whose job is to represent all of his constituents and ensure their well-being. His personal opinions and choices have no place in council chambers, but now, Guelph-Eramosa ratepayers know Woods as someone who supported an anti-government protest in Ottawa and as a municipal politician who has made it clear he does not care for the people he is supposed to represent.
The fact that the mayor and other councillors who attended the council meeting April 4 listened to Woods’ hate-filled speech and failed to stop him or say anything in response is troubling. In a moment when strong leadership was called for, Mayor Chris White and the other councillors said nothing. That the mayor sits on the board of health (WDGPH) seems incongruous given his silence. While wishing Woods and members of his family a good recovery from COVID-19, his vitriolic rant must be addressed.
Freedom of speech is a right that was won at a high cost by men, like my father, and women who fought a world war to ensure democratic freedoms prevailed. But freedom in a democratic country requires vigilance, reason and continual effort. It should never be a throwaway excuse or a convenient out used by haters – particularly by the men and women we elect to speak on our behalf in government.
Woods has failed to respect or adhere to the tenets of his elected office and broken our trust. He should resign.
Susan McSherry,
Guelph/Eramosa