Reader showed “democratic spirit”

October 2, 2013 · 0 Comments

I have to say that I am impressed with the democratic spirit and fearlessness demonstrated by Bruce Walkinshaw, who wrote a letter to the editor on September 25 entitled “Gallo’s letter had a delicious touch of irony.”
Regardless of what was specifically said in the letter, I am impressed by the simple fact that anyone in this town would remain willing to express their political views in a way that may run contrary to any given Councillor who appears to support the Town funding of private defamation lawsuits.
While it is true that the provincial Liberals are currently trying to pass legislation in order to address SLAPP litigation and the potential harm that it can do to public discourse, it also remains to be seen how much support they will get from our local Liberal Association executive committee or certain members of Aurora Council.
The potential passing of Anti-SLAPP legislation in the form of the Protection of Public Participation Act, 2012, could conceivably help to protect members of the public who dare to weigh in on matters of public importance in the future, but we have also learned from experience that laws and Codes of Conduct are clearly open to interpretation.
For that reason, I applaud Bruce Walkinshaw’s bravery in sharing his political views.

Richard Johnson
Aurora

(Editor’s Note: This summer, Aurora Councillors signed a letter to Premier Kathleen Wynne endorsing stronger anti-SLAPP recommendations.)