The difference between the 300 protesters out in Wednesday's scorching weather and the 30 residents inside an air-conditioned information session was like the difference between hot and cold.
Despite the announcement of a third public information session which featured the same presentation as the previous two sessions, and held at the request of a ‘Stop the Build’ group, approximately 300 Tiny residents braved one of the hottest days of the year to make their stance known at the Tiny Township municipal offices.
At the heart of the protest was a council-passed initiative to go ahead with a new multi-million dollar administration centre using state-of-the-art building technology with the goal of creating a net-zero energy regenerative design.
Protesters gathered at 4 p.m. on Wednesday to stand in the shaded areas and on the grassy hill of 130 Balm Beach Rd. W., where the 67-year-old municipal office and adjacent portables are located.
Many had ‘Stop the Build’ signs which were raised or worn by the crowd, and many had opted for their own slogans including “our town, our say”, “keep taxes low”, “ego build”, and a child with a sign that said “new build bad for my future.”
While a few people were roadside to encourage honking from passersby, nearly all attendees encircled organizer Karen Zulynik, who held the bullhorn to share her insights about the controversial project approved by council.
Heat played a factor with a 37 C humidex, including a medical emergency for an elderly individual suffering symptoms of heat stroke; OPP were on the scene and promptly provided support with paramedics requiring the ‘Stop the Build’ slogan vehicle to relocate so as to treat the person.
Cyberbullying had been an issue over several council meetings leading to a head in the January protest; but, as requested on the Tiny Township: Community Discussion All Things Council social media site which Zulynik moderates, the protest was peaceful.
However, MidlandToday, an affiliate of BradfordToday and InnisfilToday, did observe resident and former Tiny council candidate Erik Schomann placing a black plastic dog bag at the staff entrance of the office. When asked what was in the bag, Schomann replied: “That’s dog poo. My dog went to the bathroom. I just put it down there, I’ll go and pick it up when we’re done.”
MidlandToday spoke to resident Judy Lynch about her reasons for attending the protest.
“I’m here because we just can’t afford this build. It’s just — if you look around here, the majority of the people here are seniors, and people just can’t afford the tax increases. We can afford to fix up this building, but we can’t afford a huge new building," said Lynch.
“With this council, I think it’s a lost cause, but we’re still going to fight them. We’re trying to get a referendum to stop them. Hopefully we can stop them, and if not then the next council will hopefully stop it.”
When asked about the dog bag and the potential for agitation in the crowd, both Lynch and familiar protester Dave Wulff admitted there was agitation because of the belief that council wasn’t listening.
“The council and mayor will not listen, and so there’s agitation. A bag of dog shit, that’s stupid to even raise that,” stated Wulff.
Lynch agreed. “How do you know it came from somebody that’s here? They’re (protesters) not going to put poop out here. It could be somebody on their (municipal’s) side trying to incite something.”
Zulnyik passed the bullhorn to several speakers, from Wulff and others who had been providing deputations over the past year, and one moment for Coun. Steffen Walma to have his say. MidlandToday spoke to Walma following the meeting.
“This wasn’t about myself or council’s opinions on the night; it was about them having an avenue to be heard,” said Walma. “On the bullhorn, all I said was ‘this is about you, give your feedback, I understand you’re here in opposition of the build, if you do want to have a one-on-one off to the side, I’m here and happy to field any of those questions.’
“Everyone was peaceful in that regard,” Walma added, noting the passion of the crowd, “however it wasn’t friendly if that makes any sense.”
When asked if the cyberbullying rhetoric had diminished since his January comment, Walma replied: “I would say the intensity of it has died down,” but while admitting that politicians carried the brunt of those attacks, “the big one for me is I have seen a diminishing bullying on our staff, which at the end of the day was important for myself and council.”
Zulnyik’s claims included being the only person in council chambers at regular meetings until their conclusion, and of having heard no one speak in favour of the build.
Once the hybrid virtual and in-person meeting started at 6 p.m. inside the cooled basement of the 56-person capacity office where council chambers are located, the two-hour information session began as it had with sessions prior.
Senior project lead Janet Stewart of Unity Design Studio Inc. provided concept designs and goals for the build, while municipal questions were addressed by Deputy CAO Haley Leblond and public works director Tim Leitch.
Including members of the media, just 14 people initially sat through the opening remarks, which swelled to 30 at its peak, including Zulynik and Walma.
One virtual question regarding connectivity to the Tiny Trail system prompted Zulynik to denounce it as a planted question as it had been brought up in the previous meeting; however, two following questions asking to stop the build received no similar comment from Zulynik even though they were asked at the previous meeting as well.
Polite opposition said they would “agree to disagree” with the council decision for the build. Several speakers stated they found the concept design to be beautiful, but that it was “too much” and asked for a smaller size of facility.
Notably, Zulynik had her say at the microphone, with Mayor Dave Evans asking her to keep her questions in regards to the public spaces and community areas which was being offered for input.
After several minutes of heated discussion and armed with questions about artificial intelligence and the seven satellite locations to be integrated into the new build, Zulynik vacated the speaking area for the next in line.
Among the new questions, one person listed off a slew of items for suggestion, including integrating Indigenous features more prominently, consideration of a water wall, and concerns about skylight illumination and partition accessibility features which impressed Stewart and Leitch.
Another audience contributor reasoned that infrastructure costs would rise, unintentionally reiterating the council mantra by saying: “it’s not a question of if, but when.”
The question of the cost of the build came up as anticipated with Leblond sharing the complex estimate as per the latest figures that the $25.6 million facility, after potential lending or debentures and with prospective grants applied, would reduce the amount to $21.9 million; and with financing over 30 years would calculate to roughly $21 per $100,000 of residential MPAC Assessment value per year.
Upon conclusion of the meeting, audience members politely applauded; Zulynik swiftly exited the chambers. Evans shared words on the empty seats during the information session.
“Given that there was a protest outside, I think we all anticipated that it would be full,” Evans told MidlandToday. “We had a lot of great online content tonight.
“I keep pumping our ad hoc committee and I really want people to take advantage of that. It’s a great opportunity to get involved, to have an impact, and to create a legacy for the township of Tiny.”
Evans added that for updated information and frequently asked questions on the administration building, anticipated for a completion date of 2027, residents could visit the relevant page on the township website.
Afterwards, Walma was outside in the cooled air of the night further addressing the concerns of some who had been in the audience.
The plastic dog bag had also been removed from the staff entrance.
