The Corporation of the County of Prince Edward Agenda Special Council Tuesday, November 17, 2020 @ 6:00 PM Virtual via Zoom This meeting will be live streamed, recorded and available on the internet by visiting the County's website at www.thecounty.ca Page 1. CALL TO ORDER 1.1 Due to COVID-19, the meeting will be held in a physically distant manner. The public is able to follow and participate in the meeting electronically. Members of the public who wish to provide comments under Section 6 of agenda "Comments from the Audience" can do so by contacting [email protected] by noon on Monday, November 16 to register. 2. TRADITIONAL LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT STATEMENT 3. CONFIRMATION OF AGENDA 3.1 Motion to Confirm Agenda THAT the Agenda for the Special Council meeting of November 17, 2020 be confirmed. 4. DISCLOSURE OF PECUNIARY INTEREST AND THE GENERAL NATURE THEREOF 5. DEPUTATIONS 6 - 8 5.1 Brian Barber to address Council regarding the future of the 'Holding Court' Sir John A. Macdonald Statue THAT the deputation by Brian Barber regarding the future of the 'Holding Court' Sir John A. Macdonald Statue be received. Deputation Page 1 of 273 9 5.2 Bruce Pardy to address Council regarding the future of the 'Holding Court' Sir John A. Macdonald Statue THAT the deputation by Bruce Pardy regarding the future of the 'Holding Court' Sir John A. Macdonald Statue be received. Deputation 10 - 14 5.3 David MacKinnon to address Council regarding the future of the 'Holding Court' Sir John A. Macdonald Statue THAT the deputation by David MacKinnon regarding the future of the 'Holding Court' Sir John A. Macdonald Statue be received. Deputation 15 - 17 5.4 Former Mayor Leo Finnegan to address Council regarding the future of the 'Holding Court' Sir John A. Macdonald Statue THAT the deputation by Former Mayor Leo Finnegan regarding the future of the 'Holding Court' Sir John A. Macdonald Statue be received. Deputation 18 - 20 5.5 Gord Fox to address Council regarding the future of the 'Holding Court' Sir John A. Macdonald Statue THAT the deputation by Gord Fox regarding the future of the 'Holding Court' Sir John A. Macdonald Statue be received. Deputation 21 - 50 5.6 Greg Piasetzki to address Council regarding the future of the 'Holding Court' Sir John A. Macdonald Statue THAT the deputation by Greg Piasetzki regarding the future of the 'Holding Court' Sir John A. Macdonald Statue be received. Deputation 51 - 54 5.7 Ian Inrig to address Council regarding the future of the 'Holding Court' Sir John A. Macdonald Statue THAT the deputation by Ian Inrig regarding the future of the 'Holding Court' Sir John A. Macdonald Statue be received. Deputation 55 - 61 5.8 Marilyn Warrick to address Council regarding the future of the 'Holding Court' Sir John A. Macdonald Statue THAT the deputation by Marilyn Warrick regarding the future of the 'Holding Court' Sir John A. Macdonald Statue be received. Deputation 62 - 63 5.9 Patrice Dutil to address Council regarding the future of the 'Holding Court' Sir John A. Macdonald Statue THAT the deputation by Patrice Dutil regarding the future of the 'Holding Court' Sir John A. Macdonald Statue be received. Deputation 64 - 74 5.10 Paul Allen to address Council regarding the future of the 'Holding Court' Sir Page 2 of 273 John A. Macdonald Statue THAT the deputation by Paul Allen regarding the future of the 'Holding Court' Sir John A. Macdonald Statue be received. Deputation 75 - 78 5.11 Richard Jones to address Council regarding the future of the 'Holding Court' Sir John A. Macdonald Statue THAT the deputation by Richard Jones regarding the future of the 'Holding Court' Sir John A. Macdonald Statue be received. Deputation 79 - 81 5.12 Shannon Helm to address Council regarding the future of the 'Holding Court' Sir John A. Macdonald Statue THAT the deputation by Shannon Helm regarding the future of the 'Holding Court' Sir John A. Macdonald Statue be received. Deputation 6. COMMENTS FROM THE AUDIENCE (ON ITEMS ON THE AGENDA) 7. ITEMS FOR CONSIDERATION 82 - 271 7.1 Report of the Community Services, Programs and Initiatives Department dated November 17, 2020 regarding The Heritage Advisory Committee on the Sir John A. Macdonald "Holding Court" Working Group Recommendations STAFF RECOMMENDATION 1.THAT the report of Prince Edward Heritage Advisory Committee (hereafter PEHAC) and the enclosed report of the 'Holding Court' John A. Macdonald Statue Working Group (hereafter Working Group) be received; PEHAC RECOMMENDATIONS 2.THAT the Prince Edward Heritage Advisory Committee (hereafter PEHAC) recommend to Council to acknowledge the Working Group recommendation for removal of the Holding Court Statue of Sir John A Macdonald (hereafter statue) from Picton Main St., and; 3.THAT while a location for it to be removed to has not been specified, PEHAC supports the assumption of the Working Group that the statue would be removed to storage for later consideration, and; 4.THAT further consideration and public engagement be undertaken on the future of the statue for permanent removal or a more appropriate alternate location on either private or public property, and; 5.THAT PEHAC recommends such further consideration and public Page 3 of 273 engagement and final decision on permanent removal or alternate location occur no later than September 2022, and 6.THAT PEHAC recommends developing a public art policy by the end of 2021 for the future display of any public installations or pieces of art, that reaffirms Prince Edward County's commitment to anti-racist attitudes and to inclusiveness of marginalized peoples in its community, and; 7.THAT PEHAC supports private ventures or pursuing efforts of its own or the Municipality to greater showcase indigenous art and culture (e.g. those of the Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte), and; 8.THAT PEHAC supports the recommendation of the Working Group to obtain a formal legal opinion prior to temporary or permanent removal, and; 9.THAT, should the removal of the statue prove unworkable (e.g. due to legal or other considerations), PEHAC supports the Working Group’s agreed second-highest ranked choice to modify the statue in its existing location. CSP-57/2020 Schedule A - Working Group Report to PEHAC Att 1 - Donor Agreement Att 2 - WG Terms of Reference Att 3 - Public Suggestions Att 4 - HCWG Options - Condensed Att 5 - Conversations with City of Kingston Att 6 - Public Emails to October 2 2020 Att 7 - HCWG Ranked votes by member Att 8 - Public Feedback after Nov 4 Att 9 - Public Feedback from Oct 2-Oct 28 PEHAC - Written Response (addendum) October 19 Statement (addendum) RAbernethy Statement (addendum) HCWG - Oct 20 Meeting Notes (addendum) 8. CONFIRMATORY BY-LAW 272 - 273 8.1 By-law to Confirm the Proceedings of this meeting THAT the following by-law be read a first, second and third time and finally passed: A By-law to Confirm the Proceedings of the Council of the Corporation of the County of Prince Edward at the special meeting held on November 17, 2020. By-law Page 4 of 273 9. ADJOURNMENT 9.1 Motion to Adjourn THAT this special meeting now adjourn at __________. Page 5 of 273 AGENDA ITEM #5.1 Deputation to Council on the Macdonald Statue (Nov 17-2020) Very few great national figures who have played a critical role in the development of their country have been without flaws. Many have made questionable decisions in the course of discharging their public responsibilities. Recognizing this acknowledges the complexity of history. Labeling historical figures as “all good”, or “all bad”, contradicts reality, and strongly suggests the promotion of a particular agenda, rather than a meaningful analysis of the facts. We should all strive for a balanced, accurate judgement of history from which we can learn, and which serves to inform future actions. Continuous improvement is essential. We must always strive to do better, while not forgetting how we got here. Learning the whole truth is required to inform a lasting reconciliation with history. Winston Churchill was a great national figure. Very few would dispute that he played a critical role in the defeat of the Axis powers in the Second World War. Widely praised for his war-time leadership, and a hero amongst most of the Western World at the end of the War, he was not a man without significant character flaws, or serious mistakes in judgement. Does this diminish his principal achievements, or cause us to reject his outstanding contributions to world peace? It shouldn’t, and in the minds of most it doesn’t. But Churchill should not be celebrated as some sort of saint or blameless savior of the Free World. His character and actions through a critical period of world history should be examined in the context of his times and judged accordingly on the basis of the known facts. I would hope that reasonable people everywhere could agree that even flawed individuals, who have sometimes made questionable decisions over the course of a long public career, could still be recognized and celebrated for substantial achievements. We should all be capable of making such a balanced judgement. One in which perspective and context are critically important. John A. Macdonald was no Winston Churchill, but he deserves to be judged by history using the same standards. I bring Churchill into our discussion to illustrate that even the most prominent national leaders who have made substantial contributions to the development of their jurisdictions are not immune from 1 Page 6 of 273 AGENDA ITEM #5.1 serious criticism and second-guessing. My point is that our judgement should be capable of balancing the “good” with the “bad”, while not overlooking either.