Wilmot Prime Minister’s Path consultation underway

Denise Soueidan-O’Leary (left) and Benny Skinner (right) from Lura Consulting speak with an area resident about the Prime Minister’s Path consultation process. Photo by Lee Griffi

By Lee Griffi, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The second round of Wilmot Township’s consultation into what to do about the controversial Prime Minister’s Path is underway and the consulting firm hired said this time, the community’s voice is of the utmost importance.

The township held an open house at the Wilmot Recreation Centre Tuesday to begin a dialogue with residents on how to proceed with the statues of several Canadian prime ministers on township property. About 100 residents attended along with members of council to provide input on next steps.

Denise Soueidan-O’Leary is part of the team at LURA Consulting, the group hired by Wilmot. She said the goal is to correct the missteps of the first consultation.

“People feel they didn’t have an opportunity to feed into the process and so let’s change that. There was a divisiveness that came into the community and it really polarized people into a for and against,” she said.

She said outside influences playing a role in issues affecting small communities like Wilmot can have detrimental results. That is what happened the first time the township hired a consultant to come up with a plan.

“It’s heartbreaking, as far as I am concerned, to have it polarized in that way where people are against each other. This is not a binary discussion,” Soueidan-O’Leary said.

She added it is not a yes or a no, not a statues or no-statues situation, but rather a process designed to find a way connect with the community.

“We need to engage in ways that allow us to have discussions to reconnect in ways that allows those discussions to get us to a place that is not yes or no. It is our job to steward the process, not to direct it. Benny (Skinner, another consultant from LURA) and I will hold the container in which these conversations happen and it is our hope the process comes to a place of collaboration and understanding.”

She said they have no idea what those consultations might look like, but they are very confident there is a solution out there everyone can feel comfortable with. Special interest groups were criticized for their roles in hijacking the first public-consultation process, something Soueidan-O’Leary said won’t happen this time.

“It is not an Indigenous issue, specifically. Should Indigenous people be at the table is a different question. The answer to that is multifold. We think everyone should be at the table and all voices should be represented and especially groups whose voices are often not represented.”

She added it is her company’s responsibility to consult with all groups who have an interest in the Prime Minister’s Path.

“Otherwise, we are wasting money. Otherwise, we get to the end of this process and someone will say, ‘I wasn’t invited to the table, why not?’ Indigenous, or whoever it is, if they feel they need to have a seat at the table to have a conversation, they should be there.”

Soueidan-O’Leary added the process is designed so no special interest group can lead the consultation process.

“We are taking in feedback and input that will go through an analysis. It’s not a numbers game of how many people said this and how many people said that. We are taking the thoughts and ideas to make sure people’s voices are represented. That figures into the working-group process.”

The working group will comprised a dozen people who will be selected by the pair of consultants to represent Wilmot demographically and in terms of thoughts and opinions about the Prime Minister’s Path.

“It’s very hard to be in a group of 12 people and have an agenda. Our rule is not to direct the process but to make sure it is sound.”

Soueidan-O’Leary added she expects councillors to participate as residents first, not as elected officials.

“I can very happily say to somebody, ‘Take that hat off and wear your other hat.’ Yes, there are special interest groups who will gather together with other people who feel the way they do. The process is designed to not be dominated by any one group or opinion.”

Once the consultation process is done, she explained the next step is up to members of Wilmot Township council.

“The working group will present recommendations to council what should happen with the statues and education pieces. We will tell council how many people were engaged, where they where from, as we asked for postal codes.”

She added everyone is welcome in the process, inside or outside Wilmot, but they want to let council know how many people who aren’t local residents were involved in the process.

“There is a defensible process in terms of how we are engaging the community and we can ensure we did what we could to engage as many people as we can and hear from as many people as wanted to engage in the process.”

Soueidan-O’Leary expects a report to be delivered to council by the early spring.

“One of the things we heard early is members of council want to ensure the process is sound. If that takes an extra month, it takes an extra month. We have already been granted a bit of extra time. As of now, our dates align with late March or early April to have those pieces back to council.”