Initially, I had no reason to be suspicious of anything, nor am I suggesting that there would be anything to be suspicious about.
I was simply asking a question, a question I felt entitled to ask, one that would be of some interest to people who pay their property taxes in Renfrew, Ontario.
It’s like standard journalism, the kind that existed before we were left with empty shells purporting to cover “news” at a local level. The kind of stuff that goes beyond the old “cat stuck in tree” slosh. Something that’s maybe more than a short paragraph in length.
But this isn’t about local journalism, that would be a whole other story in its own right. This is about a simple request for information that has been met with opposition, deflection, institutional ambiguity, and just good-old-fashioned bewilderment. It’s like they have no idea how to respond.
So they won’t.
My question involved the leasing terms and requirements for tenants occupying space at the newly re-vamped Ma-Te-Way Activity Centre. I understand a natural reluctance of sorts to any questions regarding Ma-Te-Way, especially given the fact that a lot surrounding that expansion is controversial, and some of that morass may likely find its way to court someday, either criminal, civil, or both. So I would expect them to be careful. I’d be disappointed if they weren’t.
All that was needed from them to me was a simple statement: (my words follow)
“Information relative to the Ma-Te-Way expansion is currently a topic of investigation by police. Therefore, respectfully, we’ve been advised not to offer comment on it as doing so may impact that investigation.”
It’s pretty bad when I have to write the damned response for them, but there we are.
I’d have no option but to respect that. I’m not some wannabe Woodward and Bernstein trying to find my own version of Watergate to cash-in on. I’m just a freaking guy who asked about the leases over at Ma-Te-Way. I’d be content to just go home and pick up my knitting.
But of all possible responses, that was the one I never got. What I got was a whole bag of awkward shoulder-shrugging, attempts to simply not reply to me in any form, and what seemingly appeared to be a strategy of “if we ignore him, he’ll go away, just like everybody else does.”
Remember how I said I entered all this free of any preconceptions or suspicion? Their response, lack thereof, or ham-handed attempts to deflect me or dissuade me have led to just one thing and one thing only: suspicion.
Maybe that’s not fair. Maybe that’s a tough burden for people who find themselves suddenly tasked with fending off people like me and tending to the barricades. And I truly don’t mean to be a jerk, although some would likely revel in that assumption. I truly appreciate their situation.
But it’s a fair question.
It started when I reached out to a Renfrew town councillor with the initial request. I itemized a number of things that I was interested in learning more about. The councillor, understandably, didn’t have that information, so directed me to the Town Clerk, who then didn’t reply. After three days waiting for something, I simply went to Renfrew Town Hall to ask in person. I wasn’t expecting a response there either, rather I was sort of going to see how my presence in person would be received, expecting another brush-off, but was pleasantly surprised when the Clerk actually came down to speak with me in person. So good on her for doing that.
She did what she was tasked to do. Gave me the boilerplate reasons why that kind of information wasn’t available to the public. I was also cautioned that I shouldn’t take what I hear on the streets of a small town as gospel, that small-town folk like to gossip. I have no reason not to be cognizant of such advice, except that my request didn’t come from anything like that, it came from going out to Ma-Te-Way to take some pictures and get information for a story celebrating the presence of an indigenous cultural organization at Ma-Te-Way. A positive, celebratory story.
But that place wasn’t open. I asked a couple of people who were familiar with the complex when a good time might be for me to return with the same goal. It was their response that got me to the point where I wanted to take a look at that lease, and while at it, maybe the other leases as well. Nobody shared any small-town scoopies with me, nobody took me under their conspiratorial wing. Nobody dishing any dirt that I could see.
The Clerk did mention that I had the opportunity to make a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, and mentioned she’d email me the necessary link to the application. But she didn’t. But that’s okay, I had already downloaded it from the site prior to meeting her anyways. But the lack of response was telling. Telling of what I don’t know, but telling of something.
My experience has taught me that sometimes “nothing” means a great big “something.”
When people ignore me, like anyone else, the next question is why? Are they just rude? Arrogant? Some other personal failing? I want to state clearly that the Town Clerk was none of those things. She was professional with me and far more generous with her time than I had expected, so again, good on her. But she did what she was sent out there to do.
To deflect me off-course. And that means something. What I don’t know, but it sure as hell means something.
Yesterday, I received an unsolicited email from the town’s Chief Administrative Officer, another person who I feel I’ve put in an awkward spot. This person has my respect as much as the Clerk does, but it was interesting that she had reached out to me. She said about as much as the Clerk offered initially, but went further in stating that, as the matter was “political” in nature, that town administrative staff could not and would not comment about it. That such “comments” could only come from elected politicians, and only as they “saw fit.” This was from a pre-drafted boilerplate “communication” sent to anyone having the temerity to ask questions. Ask around, as I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one receiving this response. So there we go, again. A total lack of respect.
Okay, fine. I get the admin staff not commenting on political stuff. The responsibility for that was placed upon the town councillors, the reeve, and the mayor. In fairness, I’ve not directly ever reached out to the reeve, why should I? It’s a lame-duck title that won’t be around after 2026, with maybe the attendance figures to back that up. But I have reached out to the mayor, with email CC’s to all council members and senior staff, but received no reply. This issue, the leasing issue notwithstanding, my point remains that there appears to be a pattern of non-return of emails from these “political” folks with respect to me that I hope isn’t the way they deal with others, even though I know for a fact that it is. So, after receiving the email from the CAO, which I appreciated the effort to send in the first place, it appears that I had come full-circle. It appeared they were playing me like a hamster on a wheel. And I’m not alone on that wheel.
My big question in my email response, one made that very afternoon, because that’s the way I do my business, was simple: How is asking about lease terms for a publicly-funded building a political question? And, if so, who gets to make that call?
I’ll not get into the specifics of my initial set of questions at this time, nor will I identify the councillor who eventually fielded my initial request. I thank him for the respect he accorded me, and am somewhat thankful as well for the “level” of respect shown by the Town Clerk and the CAO. The “specifics” behind all of this have not gone away. And there’s still two years to pick the place apart before the next election, something not hard to do as there are loose threads lying all over the floor. And perhaps primary actors not up to their roles.
I’ve contemplated making a Freedom of Information request, if only to see the redacted, semi-informative, non-informative result I might get after spending $30/hour to fund town staff’s efforts to attain that information. My goodness, how long would that take? And if it took too long, what would be the reason for that? For the record, senior town administrative staff, backed by their political underlings — the politicians think it’s the other way around — feel such requests for information are a drain and strain on their noble efforts, preventing them from going about their already taxing business. My goodness. Maybe if you just answered the question, or provided a legitimate excuse not to, there wouldn’t be such drain and strain upon your daily doings. If you spent half the time being forthright as you spend on the exercise of obfuscation, who knows how much productive time you could free up?
If I didn’t have a blog, and if I didn’t have some background in media, I’m sure I would be, and remain, thoroughly ignored.
I guess I was supposed to simply go away.
Here I am, early on a Saturday morning, and it appears I haven’t.
NEWSMAGRENFREW 