Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor and Councillors of Springwater Township,
Some thoughts in reference to the discussion and subsequent endorsement of Simcoe County Council Resolution 2022-263 on April 3, 2024 by Springwater Council. The common thread throughout the Council meeting was that Public Libraries are “lacking in accountability” because they are not under the direct control of the Municipal government nor under the jurisdiction of the Integrity Commissioner.
What I find most intriguing is the failure to acknowledge that Police Services are also governed by a separate Act: The Police Services Act. A municipality’s policing service is required to have an independent civilian governance board. Just like the Library Board. Neither the Ombudsman nor the Integrity Commissioner has jurisdiction over Police.
According to Springwater Township’s 2024/2025 multi-year budget, approved by Council Dec. 6, 2023, the cost of Police Services (page 180) amounts to $2,208,554. That figure is slightly double that of Library Services (page 174) at $1,068,377. Yet there was no mention of any “lack of accountability” regarding police services. Why the double standard? After all both Boards are funded by the taxpayers through the municipality but neither are “directly accountable” to Municipal Council.
Police Services Boards and Public Library Boards were purposely set up as legally, independent Boards to protect basic human rights. In its declaration of principles the Police Services Act states the importance of safeguarding fundamental rights guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Human Rights Code.
The Ontario Public Libraries Act asserts that the core responsibility of public libraries and their Boards is to safeguard and facilitate access to constitutionally protected expressions of knowledge, ideas and opinion. That is why no fee can be imposed for admission to the library or use of materials. The access to information must be equal and universal.
Both of these Boards serve an equally essential function in our democracy. Do you Councillors who voted to support Simcoe County Resolution 2022-263 doubt that public libraries are of equal value to police services? I can state unequivocally that the public’s free access to information is just as important as our policing system. You see, there cannot be justice without free access to information. I know this firsthand; I spent twenty five years assisting my husband as a researcher. He, recently retired, was a senior criminal defense lawyer.
Now, answer me this: does Ontarians right to free access to information and intellectual freedom deserve less protection from political interfere than the police?
Our past leaders had the wisdom and the foresight to put in place checks and balances to safeguard human rights from political interference. They had learned, through great cost and sacrifice, what can occur when a government threatens the rights of its own citizens and the peoples beyond its border. Unfortunately, it appears that the lessons of the past are being ignored.
The ill-conceived Simcoe County Resolution 2022-263 is nothing less than an attempt to undermine the fundamental human rights of the citizens that you swore to serve.
Deputy Warden/Mayor Jennifer Coughlin; I would like to say that it took courage and depth of character to take a stand in an open forum on public record and admit that you were wrong to support Simcoe County Resolution 2022-263. To put public interest ahead of your own ego is the sign of a true leader. I salute you.
Sincerely,
Susanna Malick
