Outcome of December 3rd community meeting and vote

Thank you to all community members who attended the December 3rd virtual meeting and provided input ahead of time. Participants voted overwhelmingly in favour of responding to the situation with Councillor Chiarelli by sending emails on behalf of the community to Councillor Chiarelli asking him to step down, and Mayor Jim Watson expressing concern about our lack of representation and support. The following emails were sent on December 4th:

1) Email to Councillor Rick Chiarelli (91% of meeting participants supported sending this letter)

Dear Councillor Chiarelli,

We write to you on behalf of the Leslie Park community in College Ward.

Residents are deeply concerned, given the current situation, that their representation in City Council is not equal with others in the city - putting the community at an unfair disadvantage. We believe that under these unfortunate circumstances, you are no longer able to perform this duty as effectively and with the dedication that you have in the past. Therefore, it is with regret that we respectfully ask that for the good of all concerned, you step down for the remainder of the current term and allow interim representation to be officially recognized.

Respectfully,

Rachel Tweedy

President, Leslie Park Community Association

2) Email to Mayor Jim Watson (99% of meeting participants supported sending this letter. Note: the message was modified from the version sent to all residents to include examples of when the community has not received notice or support on important issues).

Dear Mayor Watson and Council Members,

We write to you today on behalf of the Leslie Park community which is part of Ward 8, College Ward. Given the findings of the Integrity Commissioner's Second Report on Councillor Chiarelli and the council-approved sanctions, we would like to understand how the College Ward constituents will be fairly and equally represented in Council.

We feel that due to Councillor Chiarelli's situation, he is no longer able to serve our community as effectively and with the dedication that he has in the past. Here are two examples of decisions in the past 18 months where our community was not contacted or consulted by the Councillor's office:

* The community was not advised of a committee of adjustment meeting for a development at 2940 Baseline where the plans for 1 of the buildings went from a retirement home to 14-storey condo. The community learned of the meeting 3 months afterwards when a notice was posted at the construction site.

* Permits were approved on a townhome complex under renovation at 39 Costello to add secondary dwelling units and double the number of units from 24 to 48. There were no additional parking spaces built and that stretch of the street has no on-street parking.

Thank you in advance for giving this important matter your attention.

Best regards,

Rachel Tweedy

President, Leslie Park Community Association