A firestorm of controversy has been brewing in Niagara Falls, Ont., in the weeks since a former Olympian-turned-councillor was charged with domestic assault.
Mike Strange, 54, turned to politics, first elected on council in 2014, after representing Canada as a light-welterweight boxer in three Olympics. On May 3, police were called to a Niagara Falls home around 3 a.m. and found a woman with injuries. Strange was charged with domestic assault.
In the wake of the criminal charge, Strange has continued to sit on council. He maintained his innocence during a July 8 council meeting, stating “the truth will come out,” and his next court appearance is July 20.
Meanwhile, unrelated to the Strange criminal case, a women-led advocacy group was holding delegations across Ontario about proposed Bill 9, the Municipal Accountability Act, which If passed would give municipalities more tools to crack down on negligent and misbehaving politicians.
When Women of Ontario Say No (WOSN) requested to delegate at Niagara Falls council in June, it had begun advocating for a new addition to Bill 9: that any councillor charged with assault be placed on automatic, paid leave until it was resolved in the courts, WOSN’s lead advocate, Emily McIntosh, told CBC Hamilton. (The proposed rules could see them removed from office if a series of requirements are met.)
City staff blocked WOSN from speaking about Bill 9. Then, on June 17, Niagara police officers arrested three women in the council chambers after they refused to put away signs that said the name of the advocacy group.
“There is, of course, an obvious and painful irony in women being arrested for peacefully holding objectively inoffensive signs, while a sitting councillor was able to remain and participate in his public role in this official capacity despite being charged with serious violent offence involving assaulting a woman and released,” lawyer Susan Toth, representing WOSN, wrote in a letter to the city last week.
McIntosh said that during the public consultation period, which ends in August, the group is speaking to different councils to get their support for Bill 9 and for their ideas to strengthen it.
For instance, automatically removing a councillor from office if found guilty would be comparable to rules applied to police officers facing criminal charges, she noted.
McIntosh said WOSN realized they’d need to advocate for automatic leave when they learned of Strange’s charge because it “showcases a gap in the legislation.”
“We believe in the criminal judicial system,” McIntosh said. “We’re just saying it’s not an appropriate space to be interacting with the public in that official role at that time.”
Niagara Falls staff denied the WOSN’s delegation because “the true subject” wasn’t Bill 9, but rather “an ongoing legal proceeding,” according to a report by the city’s chief administrative officer (CAO), solicitor and clerk. The ongoing legal proceeding is presumably that of Strange.
McIntosh said the city’s decision is “completely lacking merit,” and if Strange does have a conflict of interest, he could leave for their delegation.
CAO Jason Burgess told CBC Hamilton in an email it’s not that simple because a council debate about Bill 9 could impact the criminal proceeding, although he didn’t elaborate on how.
“Staff was put in a difficult position and decided not to allow the item on the agenda,” he said.
Then, the arrests in council chambers happened.
Three supporters of WOSN sat on a bench reserved for the public at the start of the June 17 meeting, protesting the city’s decision to not allow them to delegate. The women sat holding their signs printed on letter-sized paper, as seen in a video. When staff asked them to leave, they refused.
Niagara police received a call for a “disturbance” at city hall and were told the women were violating city rules, said spokesperson Stephanie Sabourin. After a “prolonged discussion,” the three women were arrested and escorted off city property.
They were released “after the city declined to proceed with formal charges,” Sabourin said.
Afterwards, Burgess told council it was important to uphold “decorum” in the council chamber so that anyone with “divergent views” doesn’t feel intimidated.
Allowing signs in support of women’s rights could lead to people holding ones that say “staff are stupid” or “police are corrupt,” or that are homophobic, the report said.
But Toth, WOSN’s lawyer, called the arrests “unlawful,” and said in letters to the city and police that her clients are demanding apologies and a commitment neither party will interfere in WOSN members exercising their rights to free speech. They also requested to be allowed to delegate at the next meeting on July 8, but that was again denied by the city.
McIntosh told CBC Hamilton they’re now exploring other legal actions.
Police said they were preparing a response to Toth’s letter. Mayor Jim Diodati did not respond to a request for comment.
Tensions rose again ahead of the July 8 meeting.
The news website Pointer published a story about an email sent on behalf of Strange to all members of the Falls View Hose Brigade, a local fundraising group, to “fill the chambers so there is no space for the women’s group to sit.”
Strange told CBC Hamilton he didn’t send the email directly and it was “taken out of context.”
“I felt targeted by the protesters [during the June] meeting, and asked my friends and supporters to be there,” he said in an email. “I am confident that the truth will prevail in my proceedings and I am committed to my responsibilities in my elected office.”
Some brigade members did show up, said McIntosh, who was also in attendance. They clapped when Strange made a speech stating, “To remove an elected official based on an unproven and unfounded allegation would set a dangerous precedent and undermines the very democratic principles we rely on.”
Burgess told CBC Hamilton there is no issue from a rules standpoint of the brigade attending the meeting at the request of a councillor.
“The concept of filling council chambers is a standard practice,” he said, adding that WOSN called for its supporters to do the same.
The brigade did not respond to a request for comment.
Strange also put forward a motion directing staff to prepare a report on Bill 9 so there’s an opportunity for WOSN to delegate in the future. McIntosh yelled out she was ready now but she wasn’t allowed to delegate at that time.
Burgess said that as of Thursday, there’s no timeline for when the Bill 9 report will return to council.
The provincial deadline for public feedback is Aug. 18.
A Niagara Region councillor, Haley Bateman, in St. Catharines, was among those arrested for holding a WOSN sign. She posted on Instagram on Tuesday that she is “beyond disappointed” in how it has all played out.
Bill 9 “is not about [Strange], this is legislation that’s long overdue,” she wrote. “Stop this nonsense.”
Over 200 municipalities — as well as several other organizations, including Ontario Big City Mayors — have signalled their support for Bill 9 and for more oversight of elected officials, said McIntosh.
When it comes to Niagara Falls, McIntosh said she’s shocked and alarmed at how it has all played out.
“I find it so fascinating the extent and lengths this municipality has gone to to silence women,” she said. “I think anyone who is interested should watch the council meeting and make up their own minds.”
For anyone affected by family or intimate partner violence, there is support available through crisis lines and local support services. If you’re in immediate danger or fear for safety or that of others around you, please call 911.
