Well they’ve done it again. For those of you keeping track, Town of Canora Councillor Brent Pelechaty has been suspended from town council for a third time. This latest 180-day suspension will bring his total suspension from town council to 360 days. That’s almost a year of a four- year term. Compile this with the lack of any portfolios under his belt and the current Canora Town Council has taken great measures to silence one of their own.
By word on the street, the latest “just” reasons were mediocre at best and in my opinion easily dealt with without suspension. I hope that all councillors are being held to the same high standard and accountability that Mr. Pelechaty is. If the minor infractions are punishable by suspension, a serious offence must warrant a byelection. Something to consider as we move forward.
The fact that council has manipulated our democracy for their own benefit bothers me. I mean it must be for their own benefit, why else would they wish to keep a voice silent. One must wonder about the reasoning behind this situation. The stakes are high folks, this is another example of political games and in the end the people pay the price. The people that faithfully did their civic duty and voted their voice on council have been denied what is theirs. Freedom of speech is being threatened more and more all the time. People are being silenced for fear of being labelled in a derogatory way, and if that doesn’t work, rules are used to silence you.
We see it in international politics all the time, sad to think it may be happening in our community. Soon even the simple act of writing a letter to the editor may be illegal. No wonder so many are skeptical of the voting process. I would think that working together for the betterment of the community (the same that elected you) would be the top priority, but instead petty grievances prevail.
By the time Mr. Pelechaty is allowed back to council duties it will almost be election time. The last election came on the heels of a dispute between both parties, and I think the dispute was mishandled. I believe we are still feeling the results of that dispute and will continue in the future. I don’t think that a council this closed minded, losing sight of the big picture, can be beneficial to our community’s future. I hope that the community will remember these actions at the coming election, I know I will.
From the outside looking in, that’s the way it looks to me. I’ve been a resident of this town a long time and I enjoy Canora. I hope it prospers for many years, but today’s environment is a challenging one and we need our council working as a team with all voices being heard. Mike Davis
Canora
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