Dear Editor:
RE: Tense exchange over Boreham Park at Puslinch council meeting, March 28.
Wow! I am hearing impaired and am flabbergasted, embarrassed and ashamed with the behaviour of James Seeley, the mayor of my township, and other council members.
To actually threaten Helmuth Slisarenko with calling the OPP because he tried to say he could not hear; one would expect more. Especially in current times with educated awareness of people with disabilities.
Serious matters arise at any given moment for the police. To require an officer not to be available for an emergency in our township because they are required to remove someone from a council meeting – someone insisting he cannot hear what is being said – is unbelievable. We go to the meetings to hear what is going on in our township. Many of us are seniors.
Mr. Slisarenko was told if he wanted to address the gallery, he needed to submit a delegation request form. Really? All Mayor Seeley had to do was ask council members to please speak up. To me, this was a misuse of power and disrespect for the residents of Puslinch. I do not understand why no one on council or in the gallery supported Mr. Slisarenko in the moment.
Hearing loss affects many people as they age. Elected officials are expected to have enough people skills to be sensitive and accommodating to people with disabilities of all types.
Council would do well to have a system where people in the gallery can point to their ears when they cannot hear the speaker. I’ve seen it done quite successfully in meetings and have done it myself. Speakers often are unaware their voice has dropped and there is no crime in someone pointing it out. We go to meetings to hear.
Bruce Taylor says that Mr. Slisarenko should receive a written apology. To me the residents of Puslinch Township are deserving of an apology as well; we were let down. I urge Puslinch council to address this.
Judi Morris,
Puslinch