As a child, I was taught the saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” as were most children in the Western world.
It was a lesson in resilience, helping us navigate through life’s harsh words and insults. However, it seems several members of the CVRD/North Cowichan council missed this lesson and are now pushing for a new “safe spaces” bylaw, which acts as a form of censorship on public input. According to Chair/director Morrison, words like “harassment” and “condemned” are deemed too harsh to be spoken in council chambers—unless, of course, they are the ones using them.
In my 20 years in the valley, I don’t recall any council member being attacked with “sticks or stones” or even bumped into at a grocery store. Have our council members become so fragile that they perceive words as a genuine threat to their safety? We already have ample laws covering actual safety, so it’s clear this proposal is about censoring and controlling public discourse.
The reality is, the only words they seem to find “over the line” are those that express legitimate concerns from a public growing increasingly frustrated with directives from council members who blindly follow orders from centralized government and non-elected global entities. These officials ignore local residents’ well-being and legitimate concerns about local issues like environmental protection and land use. If the CVRD council actually prioritized their constituents’ best interests and spent tax dollars responsibly on local necessities rather than on costly global plans, the dialogue would shift to far more positive interactions.
It’s ironic that at a recent council meeting, when a member of the public referred to repeated unannounced property inspections by the “water police” as harassment, Director Morrison scolded them, halting the proceedings to insist, “we don’t use that language here—this needs to be a safe and respectful space.” Meanwhile, Aaron Stone had a headline in the paper expressing concern about the “harassment” (referring to words) directed at local officials, likely in response to a peaceful protest against the outrageous tax increase that would bring our taxes up to 19.9%.
I can see how terrifying words like “You need to learn how to budget!” and “This is outrageous!” could be to someone who doesn’t want to be told how to spend other people’s money. Area B director, Sierra Acton, even referred to her constituents as “complainers” during a CVRD public input event—though perhaps she meant it with the utmost respect. Just more examples of glaring double standards. Rules for thee, but not for me.
This isn’t about the emotional “safety” of elected officials; it’s about shutting down our right to free speech and excluding us from our own governance. They know they’re infringing on our rights, pricing us out of our homes, and destroying the life we’ve known on the island—just as is happening in other communities across Canada. The CVRD Directors and local mayors know we’re aware of this, but they’d rather not hear our dissent as they proceed with their global mandates. All these elected members need to put on their big boy/girl/they/them pants and start listening to us, not taking measures to silence us. If they’re triggered by a “word,” they should remember what every child used to know: “Sticks and stones—but words will never hurt me.”
In a free speech society, you must be prepared to occasionally hear things you find unpleasant. When rulemakers decide to mute dissenting voices, that’s where true dictatorship begins. This is unacceptable behavior from those elected to represent us.
Kate – CVRD
