Before We Can Rebuild Owen Sound, We Must Learn to Work Together

No single councillor can solve these problems alone. No single candidate has all the answers. And no campaign platform, however well conceived, will accomplish much if the people elected to implement it cannot work together.

The relationships candidates build today could determine how effectively they serve tomorrow.

The Cost of a Divided Council

A municipal council is more than nine individuals elected to represent their constituents. It must function as a team, capable of debating difficult issues, challenging assumptions, compromising where appropriate, and ultimately working toward decisions that serve the community.

When councillors approach their responsibilities as nine separate individuals, each pursuing a different agenda, progress becomes difficult. When disagreements become personal, communication breaks down, and energy that should be devoted to solving community problems is consumed by conflict.

Owen Sound has experienced periods in which public disagreements between councillors have overshadowed the work residents expect their elected representatives to do. The 2018-2022 term, in particular, saw serious interpersonal conflict and complaints between members.

Whatever the underlying causes, the lesson is clear: personal animosity and fractured working relationships make effective governance harder.

And the people who ultimately pay the price are not the councillors. They are the residents, businesses, workers, families, and vulnerable people who depend on their municipal government to make progress.

Every year spent arguing instead of solving problems is another year in which opportunities may be lost, public confidence may erode, and difficult challenges may become even harder to address.

We cannot afford to make the next term another exercise in division.

The Stakes Have Never Been More Personal

Behind every municipal statistic is a human story.

There are local business owners wondering whether their businesses can survive. There are families struggling with the cost of living and property taxes. There are people experiencing homelessness who need practical, compassionate solutions. There are workers facing uncertainty as long-established employers prepare to close their doors.

When a major employer leaves Owen Sound, the consequences reach far beyond the factory gates. Families lose income. Other businesses lose customers. Young people may see fewer reasons to stay. And the community loses not only jobs, but also the confidence that comes from knowing there is a future here.

These challenges will not be solved by political point-scoring, personal grievances, or nine councillors working in isolation.

They require a council that can listen to different perspectives, recognize shared interests, and work collaboratively toward practical solutions.

But there is a profound difference between disagreeing about an issue and becoming disagreeable toward a colleague.

We should expect our councillors to challenge ideas vigorously while treating the people who hold them with respect.

A Misunderstanding We Should Put Behind Us

Some candidates may wonder whether meeting informally with other candidates, or later with fellow councillors, risks violating the Municipal Act, 2001.

The Act does impose important transparency requirements. Under section 239(1), council meetings must generally be open to the public, subject to specified exceptions. Section 238(1) defines a meeting in terms that include the presence of a quorum and discussion that materially advances the business or decision-making of council.

But the Act does not prohibit councillors from having ordinary conversations, getting to know one another, or building professional relationships outside formal meetings. Under section 238(1) of the Municipal Act, 2001, a gathering generally meets the definition of a council meeting only when both conditions are present: a quorum of members is present, and the discussion materially advances council business or decision-making.

The Ontario Ombudsman's guidance is an important resource for understanding these requirements. Candidates and councillors should familiarize themselves with that guidance and seek appropriate advice whenever they are uncertain.

Transparency must be respected. Informal discussions must never become a way to circumvent public debate or make decisions behind closed doors.

But neither should a misunderstanding of the rules discourage ordinary human interaction and the development of relationships essential to effective teamwork.

Openness and collaboration are not enemies. A council can respect the public's right to transparent decision-making while its members build the trust necessary to govern well.

A Cup of Coffee Could Be the Beginning

So here is a simple suggestion to every candidate running for council.

Reach out to another candidate. Invite them for coffee. If you disagree on an issue, ask them why they see it differently. Explain your own perspective. Talk about your priorities, your concerns, and what you believe Owen Sound needs most.

You may discover that you agree on far more than you expected. You may find that a person whose policies differ from yours has valuable experience, a thoughtful perspective, or an idea worth exploring.

You do not need to abandon your principles. You do not need to promise support for another candidate's platform. And you certainly do not need to pretend that every disagreement can be resolved.

You simply need to recognize that the person across the table may one day be your colleague, and that the success of the next council will depend, in part, on whether you can work together.

Imagine what could happen if candidates began the next term already knowing one another - not merely as names on a ballot, but as people who have shared a conversation, listened to one another, and discovered some common ground.

Imagine a new council able to begin tackling its challenges without first having to overcome months or years of mistrust.

Imagine disagreements handled through respectful conversation rather than personal confrontation.

That is not an unrealistic expectation. It is a reasonable aspiration for a community that needs its municipal government to work.

And What If You Are Not Elected?

There is another important reason to build these relationships now.

Not everyone who runs for council will win a seat. But that does not mean their ideas, experience, or commitment to Owen Sound should disappear on election night.

An unsuccessful candidate may have identified an innovative solution to homelessness, a way to improve municipal services, an opportunity to attract investment, or a practical means of controlling costs. Those ideas do not lose their value simply because their author was not elected.

Candidates who build relationships during the campaign can continue to exchange ideas afterward. They can support constructive proposals, participate in public discussions, and help elected representatives understand community concerns.

Those who are elected should be willing to listen. Those who are not elected should know that they can still contribute.

Rebuilding Owen Sound must be a community effort, not a contest in which half the participants are expected to walk away when the votes are counted.

The Choice Begins Now

Owen Sound faces difficult decisions and an uncertain economic future. Turning things around will require leadership, accountability, new ideas, fiscal discipline, and compassion for those who are struggling.

But before a council can deliver any of those things, its members must be able to work together.

That process need not wait until the first council meeting. It can begin now, over a cup of coffee, with a willingness to listen and a recognition that we all have a shared interest in the future of this city.

To every candidate: Make the first call. Extend the invitation. Sit down with someone whose views may differ from your own. Find the common ground.

You may not agree on everything. You may never agree on some things. But you can still develop the mutual respect that allows good people to work through difficult problems together.

And to those who are elected, carry that spirit into the council chamber. To those who are not, keep contributing your ideas and experience.

Owen Sound does not need its future leaders to think alike. It needs them to care enough about this community to work together.

The challenges before us are too serious, the consequences of inaction too great, and the future of too many residents too important for anything less.