Link to the September 12th, 2018 letter with then CAO calling me "hostile and aggressive"

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1AJncz7Kte/

Blueberry Creek's public response from the latest attack from Tay Valley Townships CAO:

As the sole owner of Blueberry Creek Nature Centre, I would like to offer my defence on the recent public statement by Larry Donaldson on Lake 88.1 on September 7th, 2018:

…”I note that the interview is silent on the exchange between Mr. Reid and myself during the Public Meeting on Tuesday September 4, 2018, at which, I challenged Mr. Reid publically to release a complete, unedited copy of the audio recording that he surreptitiously recorded without informing the Township staff in attendance he was doing so, back in January of 2018, and he now uses as the basis for his defamatory comments. Releasing the recording will allow the public to decide for themselves who is doing the bullying and how inaccurately Mr. Reid is portraying the situation. I also challenge Mr. Reid to disclose how he came into possession of a Confidential e-mail between myself and the 8 members of Township Council dated March 8, 2018, and to disclose a complete copy of it, so again, the public can judge for themselves its accuracy.

It is absolutely appalling to me that a sitting Member of Parliament would conduct himself in this way and so carelessly make personal comments about someone that he has met once in his life.”

Here is my side.

On January 16th, 2018, I attended a meeting at Tay Valley Township to ask staff why the Stop Work Order issued November 14th, 2017 on the Arts Studio at Blueberry Creek had not been lifted, even though all conditions listed in the Order had been met. At that meeting, Larry Donaldson informed me that my Nature Centre was “illegal” and that we could not have a School in a flood plain. The township had issued the building permit in September but had not involved the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority, who had ordered the site visit.

At the January 16th meeting my husband and I read out loud the definition of "School" in Tay Valley Township’s zoning bylaw: “SCHOOL shall mean an educational establishment under the jurisdiction of a Board as defined in the Education Act.” We commented that Blueberry Creek was not a school as defined by a Board. We did not meet the definition of School, but that of Community Service. This was the first time the CAO had read this definition as well, and he admitted that we likely did not meet the definition.

This meeting, including the CAO’s admission that Blueberry Creek is not a school as defined in the zoning law, was recorded by my husband Scott Reid, and I am very grateful it was.

This is why:

Two months later, with no further progress on our zoning, The Perth Courier ran our story on March 5th “Blueberry Creek School fighting Tay Valley Township over art studio”. The CAO had apparently not told anyone on Town Council that he was threatening to close Blueberry Creek Nature Centre. The CAO later responded to the Perth Courier the following week with a public statement with several inaccuracies in it.

One Councillor wrote the CAO and asked why this was the first they were hearing of our centre. The CAO responded on March 8th by writing an email to all of Council, in which he characterized my behaviour at that meeting in a very negative light. Larry Donaldson wrote:

“Dealing with members of the public on an issue like this is a normal occurrence for us and we don’t feel it necessary to update Council each time we do. This issue was following a very normal course until the meeting of January 16, at which time the owners of the property became aggressive and hostile and staff had to caution them several times during the meeting. Frankly staff who who were in attendance, including myself, were shocked at the conduct of the owner(s)…I would also hope that Council trusts my judgement and ability in dealing with these types of difficult situations and people, because I believe I’m actually quite good at it. In the end however, there are some people who simply are programmed a certain way, or have other motivations to further and look for opportunities to do so. I can’t control that. I can assure you I have had many dealings with difficult people during my time in Tay Valley, but have not felt the need to inform Council about each one…If anything I am understating the situation.”

This is how Tay Valley Council was first introduced to me. The audio recording is my only defence that I was not “aggressive and hostile” at that meeting, as Mr. Donaldson asserts, and that my behaviour was not “shocking” to the staff members who were present at the meeting. In truth, I was fighting back tears as he accused me of having misled Township staff in my building application, and my voice was barely audible. Not once was my voice raised, nor did I utter anything remotely aggressive. In Canada, it is lawful to record a meeting in which you are a participant. Sometimes, it turns out that it will be the only defence you have.

If Mr Donaldson genuinely had been shocked by my behaviour in the meeting, surely he would not have waited almost two months to share his alarm with Council? It was only after I had taken our story to the media, and after he had been questioned by Council that he made these accusations.

Finally, there is Mr. Donaldson’s demand that my husband should “disclose how he came into possession of a Confidential e-mail.” It is entirely right that one of the recipients, believing its contents to be untrue, sought verification of the facts. Although his letter finished with “It is my hope that this communication is kept amongst those circulated,” it was not unlawful to share it with us. Mr Donaldson’s assertion is, in so many words: “If I declare something to be confidential, you are forbidden to do any fact-checking.” If this had been written about you, would you not want the opportunity to defend yourself? And if, as a Council member, you were a recipient of such an email, would you not want the opportunity to confirm whether you are being misled?

And so, back in March, we asked Mr. Donaldson for a retraction of his statement of our conduct. And when it was refused, we released the full, unedited transcript of the meeting to Council on March 22, so that they could decide for themselves. We never received a response.

And now, the procedural bylaws in Tay Valley Township are being amended to ban any recording devices at private meetings, and only at public meetings with granted permission and full release of the tape within 48 hours. The new procedural bylaw will allow any document to be declared confidential by the CAO.

Those who know me will confirm that I am the last person to become hostile and aggressive in any circumstance. I am trained in conflict resolution as well as crises management. I am a Child and Youth Worker, and Early Childhood Educator, and a Forest School Practitioner, and a Foster Parent. Without this recording, I would not have proof of my conduct at that meeting in which I was defamed by the CAO of Tay Valley Township.

I attach a copy of Larry Donaldson’s letter as requested.

Sincerely,

Robyn Mulcahy