Petition demands his removal

Cathy Dobson/Local Journalism Initiative

Sarnia city councillors did their best to make amends Tuesday for divisive and disrespectful online comments by Councillor Bill Dennis that were directed to Indigenous people 

But the damage is done and municipal councils do not have the tools to go further than demanding an apology, say several members of council.

It’s up to the province to provide municipal councils with a process to remove politicians for Code of Conduct violations, said Mayor Mike Bradley, and Councillors Adam Kilner and Anne Marie Gillis during council’s special meeting about Dennis’ social media comments.

They said Ontario’s Bill 9 has not been given Third Reading and needs to be approved, not just for Sarnia but for all municipalities.

“We desperately need the Ford government…to get legislation on the table,” said Kilner.  “It feels like it’s moving at a snail’s pace.”

Meanwhile, council approved four motions from Kilner including a demand that Dennis apologize in writing within 30 days. 

At the centre of council’s latest controversy involving Dennis is a mural by Indigenous artist Kennady Osborne unveiled March 18 at city hall.

The mural is part of Sarnia’s actions under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) Act, which is federal legislation setting a national standard for reconciliation, and according to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities “fundamentally shifts how (municipalities) engage with Indigenous people, manage land use and deliver services.”

The mural highlights the relationship between Sarnia-Lambton and The Council of Three Fires Confederacy; the Ojibway, Odawa, and Potawatomi people.

On social media, Dennis took aim at what he called “woke” art. “Do you feel that this is a smart way to spend almost $5,000 of your tax dollars? This in my opinion is nothing more than virtue signalling by woke politicians who are out of touch with the vast majority of Sarnians,” he wrote.

Aamjiwnaang First Nation Chief Janelle Nahmabin replied, in part; “The race division you continuously perpetuate resolves nothing. This art reflects the history of this area. Does the presence of Aamjiwnaang bother you? Or rather, our existence? Seems like it does.”

Dennis replied the Chief is “terrified” of his ambitions to become mayor because he would fight what he says are Nahmabin’s plans to shut down petrochemical plants. He added if Nahmabin didn’t like his plans she could “put that in her pipe and smoke it.”

The online exchange led First Nation leaders from Kettle and Stony Point, Chippewa of the Thames, Walpole Island and the Caldwell First Nation to ask the city’s Integrity Commissioner to investigate.

Among Kilner’s approved motions was a request for council to seek input from the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal and the Canadian Human Rights Commission. Only Councillor Terry Burrell opposed the move.

Council will also send thanks to Osborne for her work on the mural and will receive an update on the progress of Sarnia’s UNDRIP committee.

Possibly most pressing is an apology that council has requested from Dennis to the artist and local Indigenous leaders. 

 Although she supported the motion for Dennis’ apology, Councillor Chrissy McRoberts doesn’t think it will be genuine.

“I don’t believe that Councillor Dennis believes he’s done anything wrong, so an apology from him isn’t actually going to be real…,” she said.  

McRoberts said Dennis has supported other arts and culture initiatives “but the moment it became something Indigenous, it was shot down,” she said.

She said she was ashamed by the image of Sarnia broadcast to outsiders as a result of Dennis’ words.

“It is unacceptable. I will do everything I can to make (the city’s relationship with Indigenous people) go back to being respectful and civil,” she said to a round of applause. 

Dennis, who is vacationing in Florida and normally attends council meetings virtually, was absent for Tuesday’s meeting. Afterward, he wrote on social media that an apology would not happen. “There is NO way that I will be doing any of this,” he wrote. Dennis also poked fun at the mayor as he struggled to speak during the special council meeting. “I’ve never seen so many crocodile tears in my life. What an actor. We need an Alpha Male back in the Mayor’s Chair so badly,” Dennis wrote accompanied by a picture of Bradley from the meeting.

Council’s special meeting packed council chambers with about 70 people.  Another 835 people watched online, reflecting an unusually large amount of interest.  

Outside city hall, members of an Aamjiwnaang First Nation drum circle performed.  

If Dennis apologizes, it won’t make a difference because it won’t be sincere, said drummer Alphonse Aquash.  “I don’t think (Bill Dennis) is your best representative with all his biases but others on council like Brian White and Adam Kilner help out and support us.

“That’s appreciated,” Aquash said.

City council should adopt a “zero tolerance” policy against all hate speech,” said Gary McNickle. 

“If this happened at any large private corporation, there would be immediate dismissal.

“We have to hold our elected people accountable,” said McNickle. 

“Words hurt and they matter,” said Ernest Walker who is community liaison at the Sarnia-Lambton Native Friendship Centre. “It’s about understanding one another and learning each other’s ways.”

Meanwhile, a change.org petition is circulating that has more than 3,618 signatures and calls for the removal of Councillor Dennis from office.  

“Let us send a clear message that hate speech and discrimination have no place in our democracy,” the petition reads.  

Mayor Bradley said he finds the controversy “very saddening” after decades of building positive relationships with local First Nations.

Bradley became emotional when he said Tuesday’s meeting might be seen as a renewed commitment to good relations.

“I think this has helped in the sense that those who care have ratified that they care and why,” he said.  “It’s like any relationship; you can take it for granted or you can do something to reinforce the relationship when you get into troubled waters.”