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w at er lo oc hr on ic le .c a W at er lo o C hr on ic le | T hu rs da y, S ep te m be r 20 ,2 01 8 | 8 ABOUT US This newspaper, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 80 community publications across Ontario. This newspaper is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. Complainants are urged to bring their concerns to the attention of the news- paper and, if not satisfied, write The National NewsMedia Council, Suite 200, 890 Yonge St., Toronto, ON M4W 2H2. Phone: 416-340-1981 Web: www.mediacouncil.ca editorial@waterloochronicle.ca facebook.com/waterloochronicle @wlchronicle WHO WE ARE VP, Regional Publisher Kelly Montague Regional General Manager Nelson Parreira nparreira@metroland.com Regional Advertising Director Bill Ford bford@metroland.com Sales Lead Michelle Stevens ext. 795062 Advertising Representatives Cassandra Dellow ext. 795066 Zach Peters ext. 795068 Jan Bodanka ext. 795072 Regional Editor Mike Wilson Reporters Adam Jackson Bill Jackson Namish Modi CONTACT US Waterloo Chronicle 630 Riverbend Dr. Kitchener, ON N2B 2G1 Phone: 519-886-2830 Fax: 519-579-2029 Web: www.waterloochronicle.ca Letters to the editor All letters must be fewer than 200 words and include your name and telephone number for verification purposes. We reserve the right to edit, condense or reject letters. Delivery For all delivery inquiries, e-mail customerservice@metroland.com or call 519-894-3000 OPINION TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT WATERLOOCHRONICLE.CA EDITORIAL Premier Doug Ford showed us this week that he's not afraid to use every tool at his disposal to reduce the size of Toronto council - including invoking the notwith- standing clause. The notwithstanding clause, one of the checks and balances contained within the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, allows Parliament, a province or a territory to declare that one of its laws or part of a law applies temporarily (notwithstanding) overriding sections of the charter, voiding any judicial review for five years. Ford pulled out the big bureaucratic stick Monday after a judge ruled the Progressive Conservatives' pro- posed legislation that would cut the size of Toronto council from 47 councillors to 25 was unconstitutional. In his ruling, Ontario Superior Court Justice Edward Belobaba stated, "It is only when a democratically elect- ed government has clearly crossed the line that the 'judi- cial umpire' should intervene. The Province has clearly crossed the line." However, it is Justice Belobaba, appointed by the Liberals in 2005, who crossed the line. The province is well within its legal right to shrink the size of Toronto council, as well as using the notwith- standing clause to get the job done. In fact, the clause has been used more than 15 times, mostly in Quebec, and the sky didn't fall on democracy. Section 92(8) of the 1867 Constitution gives Ontario jurisdiction over "municipal institutions in the prov- ince." Through this legal mandate, Ontario has enacted the Municipal Act, the Municipal Elections Act and the City of Toronto Act that regulate local governance, elections and ward size. Combined, the legislation gives the prov- ince considerable legal authority over municipalities, including reducing council size. Ontario's Municipal Act and the City of Toronto Act allows changes to ward boundary structure and can be initiated by a municipal government, as well as the province. It's worth asking if Justice Belobaba would have ruled the same if Toronto council initiated a ward reduc- tion in an effort to save money and pay for something useful - like public transit. Ford was given a majority mandate with 40.49 per cent of the popular vote and while Toronto is a great city, it has no business holding up the province's agenda simply to save a few councillors' jobs. Ford said it best Monday when he said, "No one else is the judge and jury with the people of Ontario, except for the people of Ontario." Ford should stay the course and let voters have the final say in five years - that's truly democracy at work. FORD MUST STAY THE COURSE ON T.O. I grew up in a multicul- tural community in the late 1970s. Back then, the suburb of Rexdale northwest of To- ronto was filled with first generation families trying to fit in as new Canadians. There was discrimina- tion for sure. Being brown skinned from Trinidad with Indian names threw people off. An island of people from Africa, South Asia, China and Europe who formed a so- ciety by sharing cultural tra- ditions? It seemed like a bit of an enigma, because in that Rex- dale neighbourhood, the cul- tural mosaic was just begin- ning to form. I moved from a small multicultural society to a larger one filled with neighbours and school friends from various coun- tries around the world. And that's where my most valu- able life experiences come from. Despite the colour of our skin, the varying accents of our parents, and the smell of foreign food, we realized that we're all pretty much the same - newcomer kids looking to find our way. As I made my way through the years, I was con- fident of one thing - when I became older, colour wouldn't matter anymore. It was only a matter of time before we accepted the cultural mosaic like the is- land where I was born. That was more than 40 years ago and I'm not sure about our progression. Race and religion have become paramount, threat- ening to divide us. While gov- ernments try to change be- haviour by slapping on a di- versity brand and touting it as part of their marketing ef- forts, kids form circles of friends who look like one an- other. Some of them speak a language other than En- glish, amongst themselves. And discrimination holds its head higher than ever. Outwardly, we're polite. We watch our politically cor- rectness and we indulge in each other's cuisine. We march in groups against dis- crimination and we post our anger on social media. But are we invited into each other's homes to break bread? Do we accept the partner our children bring home, if the colour of their skin is not what we hoped? Do we have close friends who aren't part of our cultural background? Some days, I close my eyes and long for my life in Rexdale, with a neighbour- hood filled with people who all looked different. Priya Ramsingh is a Kitchener Post contributor, communications consultant and the author of the fic- tional novel, Brown Girl in the Room. She can be reached at priya@arka- comm.ca. BEFORE THE CANADIAN BRAND OF DIVERSITY, THERE WAS A MOSAIC DIVERSITY HAS BECOME A BRAND PRIYA RAMSINGH Column