WATCH: Hamilton city councillor drops F-bomb during tense meeting

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Published May 26, 2022 at 7:01 pm

The first partially in-person city council meeting in Hamilton since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic included an F-bomb from Ward 15 Coun. Judi Partridge.

On Wednesday, the elected leadership in Hamilton had a meeting that was both long — the archived on YouTube, counting breaks and in-camera sessions, is nine hours 30 minutes 20 seconds long — and often tense. Councillors, some of whom were around the City Hall horseshoe but were mostly attending virtually, had a heavy agenda that included a motion to pause the vaccine verification policy for city workers and a vote to approve a 17-year lease agreement with the Christian think tank Cardus that will allow the latter to restore and reside in the Balfour Estate heritage home.

Many City of Hamilton employees who were facing termination due to hesitating or refusing to be vaccinated against COVID were in the galleries. Ward 14 Coun. Terry Whitehead, who was attending virtually, also sparred with Deputy Mayor and Ward 1 Coun. Maureen Wilson throughout the meeting, along with wards 3 and 8 Couns. Nrinder Nann and John-Paul Danko.

All of that was essentially prologue to Partridge swearing when there was a slight lag before the result of a vote appeared on screen. The square around Partridge’s WebEx screen activated when the swear word was said. The video was captured by The Public Record, but the curse word was also audible on the City of Hamilton’s live stream, which is posted on YouTube.

Theere were some moans from the gallery and councillors. Wilson tried to move to the next speaker, Ward 10 Coun. Maria Pearson — who seemed to take to mean she was being accused of the remark. A few gentle chuckles were heard as the situation seemed to run its course.

Partridge, a three-terms councillor, announced in March that she is not seeking re-election. There is not yet a registered candidate to run in Ward 15.

Cardus deal ‘legitimate’ economically

The votes to pause the vaccine verification policy and to enter into the agreement with Cardus on Balfour Estate both passed 11-3.

Balfour Estate is a 19th-century heritage home on the Hamilton Mountain brow. The city has been the steward of it on behalf of the Ontario Heritage Trust since 1979. However, it costs about $23,000 a year to maintain and there are issues with public access and the building’s state. In exchange for taking over the space rent-free, Cardus has promised to put $1.5 million into renovations.

During the process, many Hamilton residents have raised concerns that Cardus espouses some anti-LGBTQ2S+ and anti-reproductive health political positions. But cost was job one for councillors, Ward 9 Coun. Brad Clark said, with others echoing that.

“The motion before us is a legitimate motion,” he said, adding, “We try to infer authority that we do not have.”

(In Septembrer 2019, Clark stated there is “little doubt in my mind that some of Cardus’s publications could be interpreted by many as homophobic, Islamophobic and transphobic … there was also many other publications that demonstrated acceptance of Canada’s pluralistic, multicultural and religious diverse society.”)

Danko, Nann and Wilson cast the three dissenting votes. Danko called the agreement a “sweetheart deal.”

Nann did raise a concern about whether councillors were in conflict with EDI (equity, diversity and inclusion) principles. When she used the term “my body, my choice,” a phrase that originated in the women’s health movement and has been co-opted by vaccine refusers, there were hoots, hollers and some cheers from the galleries.

One woman, carrying a sign, left the council chamber and could be heard saying, “You should all be fired.”

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