As Mayor, I get emails. Lots of them. I received one today from a young resident who was concerned about a post I made on my Instagram Story this weekend. Posting in isolation of context can sometimes cause unintended misinterpretations. The resident was concerned that I was promoting Joe Rogan’s “anti-science attitudes related to Covid-19” and the timing of my post- Sunday when the Freedom Convoy was in Ottawa. There are always lessons to be learned and the timing of this post is one of them for me. I thought I’d share my response to clarify the “WHY” behind the post which I hope helps some who maybe thought huh.
See below.
“Thanks for your email. I appreciate you taking the time to share your views. I am sure you can understand that I am the recipient of literally hundreds of emails and calls from residents weekly regarding our Covid response. Many residents are very upset for various reasons. When I have the opportunity, I listen to them, try to show empathy and support them as much as possible. Many are having a hard time wrestling with the mandates, lock downs and they are fearful about getting their kids vaccinated. Mental Health is a serious concern emerging in Stouffville. I come to this conclusion from having conversations with people in real trouble. As recent as last evening, a resident used many expletives on an IG post to share his feelings about me posting the province’s reopening plans.
I do stand by what I shared though. I listened to 2 specific podcasts intently and found Josh Szeps’ rebuttal to Rogan’s opinions factual and important for people wanting to listen. If I just shared Rogan’s podcast, I would agree with your concerns. But I shared both sides of the argument. I do not believe sharing the podcasts is in anyway an endorsement of Rogan or his views nor and I am very confident that the community knows where I stand. My social media record from my @Mayor acct of sharing factual, public health information related to the pandemic and the promotion of vaccines and safety of our community speaks for itself. I was the driver of getting our drive-thru clinic at Soccer City established after all. I also do not believe posting this to my IG story (which only lasts for 24 hours) has undermined the work I or the town has done to promote vaccinations and the safety of our community.
On the contrary, if anything, I hope it demonstrates an openness I have to listening to opposing views in the context of a very difficult time for many in our community. I take my responsibility to ALL residents of Stouffville seriously, even those who do not feel the same way you or I might. The actual point of the post was on the last 2 slides regarding listening, mutual respect and love in spite of having differing opinions. In my opinion, we need to relearn that as a society. Taking a position (vax or anti-vax as an example) without being open, respectful and willing to listen to one another’s opinions is one of the drivers causing division in our community. We can be loving and respectful regardless of our differing views. Just last week I blogged about this very issue. https://lovatt.ca/news/f/have-you-filled-someones-bucket-today Sadly, we have become so encamped and I am truly worried about how we exit this pandemic.
I hope you can hear my heart behind the “why” of the post. That said, was the timing of sharing this wrong? Upon reflection I agree with you L, it was and I regret that and apologize. I will consider the timing of future posts in the context of important events happening in our world and how they could be perceived. I appreciate you calling that forward. Thanks again for your email.“
