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Originally published at www.alyssawright.com As part of The Women of Simcoe Say No (led by Emily McIntosh), many of us are applying to give deputations to City and Town Councils across Simcoe County, asking them to pass a motion to endorse Bill 5, the Stopping Harassment and Abuse By Local Leaders Act, and to write a letter of support to the province, urging them to get this important legislation passed quickly. This was my second deputation for Women of Simcoe Say No – now

Originally published at www.alyssawright.com. As part of The Women of Simcoe Say No (led by Emily McIntosh), many of us are applying to give deputations to City and Town Councils across Simcoe County, asking them to pass a motion to endorse Bill 5, the Stopping Harassment and Abuse By Local Leaders Act, and to write a letter of support to the province, urging them to get this important legislation passed quickly. This was my (spoiler alert: successful) deputation in person

It was a quick return, as this was the last week of City Council until after the municipal election on October 24. Circulation List: https://barrie.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=953350&GUID=A9D40A69-2DEA-4547-9979-BF839FABF60A&Options=info|&Search= City Council Minutes: https://barrie.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=M&ID=913856&GUID=41FB387C-1475-4CCA-BC48-56F1708D9E66 Watch Again: https://www.youtube.com/citybarrie (direct link not yet provided) Agenda: https://barrie.legi

The Annual Report of our Integrity Commissioner. Surprising lack of public concern for re-zoning from "Environmental Protection" to "Industrial" in Ward 5. And a cynical ignoring of an important community program in need of assistance. Circulation List: https://barrie.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=953333&GUID=7DE37F18-0636-4722-9706-50775E6A7F32&Options=info|&Search= City Council Minutes: https://barrie.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=M&ID=913812&GUID=FDC8695A-E9AB-4A40-9D6

Much better than the previous week, but still not stellar. Concerns of staff safety, as well as indications of bullying of Councillors, plus total lack of accountability (from respondent or City) in the workplace harassment case. Circulation List: https://barrie.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=951827&GUID=A75C15FA-0792-41B5-BA04-6AC031024DA5&Options=info|&Search= Disappointing and frustrating that note that our Statement – Stopping Sexual Violence In the Workplace – was

Circulation List: https://barrie.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=937075&GUID=6957472B-F6C1-4CEF-A26C-93439A578E19&Options=info|&Search= We apologize for taking so long to update this follow-up – we needed to re-watch, as there were many serious concerns we and our members had about the City Council meeting, in particular. General Committee Minutes: https://barrie.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=M&ID=913792&GUID=53E2D4C5-8CEC-4E3D-920E-743E3293074A Video: not available (held in

Our statement on the new information brought forward re: the City's Workplace Investigation. (a PDF version available at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jR4UjUda5Legk52cWIlJFnzYJZ0A09cM/view?usp=sharing) As an organization that strives to encourage public involvement in Barrie politics, and advocates for accountability and transparency in local government, the recent article by Chris Simon at Simcoe.com – outlining alleged harassment, battery, and sexual assault by a Barrie

Private Member's Bill by Stephen Blais, motivated in part by Barrie's recent Workplace Investigation. The Private Member's Bill put forward by Stephen Blais, MPP for Orléans, has passed first and second reading, and has now been referred to the Standing Committee on Social Policy. This Bill would amend the Municipal Act and City of Toronto Act to require a municipality's Code of Conduct to include a requirement for Councillors and members of Local Boards to comply with workpl

Circulation List: https://barrie.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=913886&GUID=31A12EA5-BE84-457E-916E-E4732C69289A&Options=info|&Search= Lots of highlights this week! The Market Precinct Task Force got the go-ahead at General Committee, as well as the new Stormwater Climate Action Fund Program, and Transit Service Guidelines. The Wastewater Asset Management Plan got initial approval at City Building Committee, and will now go forward to General Committee. And the City's

Circulation List: https://barrie.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=913884&GUID=12176C48-7E21-43BA-BC78-1A723B1483A7&Options=info|&Search= General Committee (Part 1 – In Camera) Minutes: https://barrie.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=10436099&GUID=BE52355B-6F2D-4B4A-AFF5-D619C592B113 Video: not available Engage's Summary: https://www.engagebarrie.org/post/general-committee-part-1-monday-jan-24-5pm-in-camera Still no video provided of the public vote, so it is unclear whethe

https://www.barrietoday.com/letters-to-the-editor/letter-reader-says-barrie-has-significant-work-to-do-when-it-comes-to-local-democracy-4702046 The link above is a letter I wrote in response to a recent story about Barrie's results in the Municipal Democracy Index commissioned by Unlock Democracy. (Text follows below) The original story in BarrieToday is available at https://www.barrietoday.com/local-news/barrie-ranks-low-in-democratic-health-report-but-mayor-questions-findi

Good evening, Mayor and Councillors, My name is Alyssa Wright, and I am a musician, educator, writer and performer who made Barrie her home just over seven years ago. Some of you have since come to know me as one of the original admins of Barrie Families Unite, Board member of Glowing Hearts Charity, advocate for the Women and Children’s Shelter, and Child and Youth Advocacy Council — and I think some of you regularly curse my name as one of the founding members of Engage Bar

We have received a reply from the City regarding our questions from February 28. In Short: "It is staff’s understanding that the Respondent has scheduled the training in paragraph (a), based on program timing. The Respondent has stated that they will strictly comply with the City’s Staff Council Relations Policy noted in paragraph (b). In terms of paragraph (c), City staff would not be aware of whether a written apology had been provided to the Complainant, if requested or if

Simcoe.com has a story on the Workplace Harassment case, including Engage's letter to Council. ‘Set an example’: Advocacy group calls for answers in Barrie council harassment investigation: https://www.simcoe.com/news-story/10347408--set-an-example-advocacy-group-calls-for-answers-in-barrie-council-harassment-investigation/

Statement by MPP Stephen Blais on International Women's Day Motivated in part by Barrie's recent Workplace Harassment case, alongside similar situations in Ottawa and Brampton of "serious cases of workplace violence and sexual harassment by members of Council," Ontario MPP Stephen Blais intends to bring forward measures to improve local accountability, to stop harassment and abuse by local elected officials. After his concerns were dismissed outright by the Minister in charge

(or, why some seemingly innocuous things are actually a "big deal" to many) Dear Councillors, Next week, March 8, is International Women’s Day – so Happy one-week-before IWD 2021! This year’s theme is #ChooseToChallenge – something I tend to do all year round. Many of you already know me through my participation with various local advocacy and activist organizations, but today I’m addressing you as just myself. “Just myself” is a musician, writer, public speaker, performer an

Engage Barrie sent the following letter to the City, asking about the corrective actions undertaken on the Workplace Harassment Investigation. [Original as PDF below text] February 28, 2021 TO: Michael Prowse, CAO Anne Marie Langlois, Director of Human Resources Mayor and Council City Clerk / Circulation List re: corrective actions undertaken on workplace harassment investigation We are writing to follow up on the General Committee minutes from December 21, 2020, specifica

Barrie Community Media's interview with three core members of Engage Barrie – Victoria Butler, Shannon Murree and Alyssa Wright – about the Workplace Harassment Case at City Hall. An unnamed City Councillor has been accused – as substantiated by a CUPE investigation, as well as a third-party investigation the City hired – of workplace harassment against a city employee. For more background, please read the posts included in our blog: https://www.engagebarrie.org/blog/categor

Tonight's motion passed unanimously (other than McCann, who was not on-screen and not voting) That the following corrective actions be undertaken in response to the workplace investigation identified in staff report HRS-002-20: The Respondent undertake training relative to workplace violence and harassment, to be funded by the City, and that training be approved by the City's CAO and/or the Director of Human Resource; That going forward, the Respondent be required to strictly

I can’t think of a better day to send this letter than on Human Rights Day, the day we celebrate the passage of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948. We have come a long way since then, in recognizing and protecting human rights in Ontario, but we still have work to do. This is especially clear in the area of discrimination on the basis of sex, and in particular sexual harassment. The Ontario Human Rights Code makes it very clear that sexual harassment is a ty