By Pepper Parr
September 5th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
The comment struck some people as a little over the top. The medal the Mayor was given is something handed out by each Member of Parliament. In this situation the Medal was handed out (awarded is not the appropriate word here) by Pam Damoff who is the MP for Oakville North Burlington.
Oakville North Burlington MP Pam Damoff with Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward after receiving a King Charles III Coronation medal
Why it was given by Damoff rather than Karina Gould who is the MP for Burlington isn’t clear – maybe they jointly decided on who the recipients should be. Each Member of Parliament was given 35 medals they could hand to whomever they wanted.
Here is what Mayor Marianne Meed Ward had to say on social media about the medal she was given:
“I am deeply honored to have received the King Charles III Coronation Medal last evening from PamDamoff
“I am grateful to be recognized alongside so many dedicated individuals who share a commitment to improving the lives of others. This award inspires me to continue working tirelessly to make a positive impact and to contribute to the advancement and well-being of our community. Thank you to MP Damoff for her ongoing support and the incredible honour. ”
Marianne was born in the United States and would therefore be an American citizen.
Several Burlington citizens took exception to the occasion when Mayor Meed Ward did not take the steps necessary to ensure that the National Anthem was played before the commencement of a Council meeting.
Slip ups happen – the polite thing to do is apologize for the error and assure people it won’t happen again.
The medal is traditionally worn at ceremonial occasions.
One wonders if the Mayor will stand tall facing the Canadian flag when the National Anthem is played proudly wearing her King Charles III Coronation Medal. The practice is for such medals to be worn at ceremonial occasions.
When the funeral for Queen Elizabeth II was broadcast the Performing Arts Centre broadcast the event on their large screens. Few attended. Marianne was one of the few sitting in a row at the front of the theatre.
this guy “Bob” ….. is he related to MMW.
Only a relative or someone who is “obliged” could that blind.
My comment had nothing to do with whether or not I support MMW so how am I blind?
The Canadian spelling is honoured.
Thank you Lynn by far the greatest compliment we have ever had.
You aren’t whistleblowers though so her comment is really irrelevant.
All you are is a couple of busybodies who have opposed every decision made by this council. If the sun rose this morning you’d delegate that you think it should be dark longer
There is a group on here I’ll call the Hateful 8 that think they speak for all citizens of Burlington with their opposition to everything City Hall does.
I for one am quite pleased with the way our city is run and it’s why we are continually voted in the top 2 or 3 cities in Canada to live.
As the old saying goes “you can please all of the people some of the times, and some of the people all of the time, but the Marsdins will be unhappy ALL of the times”
Editor’s note: Is that not their right? Given that Burlington has a voter turn out of around 25% (you must be proud of that number) the number of people that do speak up is relevant and important. Interesting that you chose to use Hateful.
To Editor:
Having the right and being right are not always inclusive. Furthermore why would you assume I belong to the 75%? And you must not be aware of Tarantino’s work if you need ask why I’d choose the Hateful 8
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for this honour, a person must have: Made significant contributions to the country, a province, territory, region or community, or made an outstanding achievement abroad that brings credit to Canada; and. Been alive on May 6, 2023, the date His Majesty was crowned.
It will be interesting to which Burlingto Citizens get one of the 35 medals ?
What did MMW do to deserve such a honour?
Meed Ward was honoured for her principles of integrity, transparency, and accountability, the event program reads. It continues that she is leading forward-thinking planning for environmental and climate-focused city planning.
Pam Damoff must see something I don’t. I’ve never seen any of these qualities in MMW. I can list many, but this is not the place.
Pam Damoff’s actions clearly represent her thoughts that there was no-one in Oakville more deserving of this medal and she wanted to make sure she gave them all out. Heartily disagree with her but have not seen the list of Oakville residents who she gave them to.
Is there anything at all that happens in the city that you agree with? You two have to be the most disgruntled people I have ever seen.
Hear Hear !
Not disgruntled Bob and now Last Word Barker. We just don’t bury our heads in the sand. We take stands on those issues that are not compatible with the biblical command to work for the well-being of our city.
You surely do not complain about the Provincial Auditor earning his pay cheque who spends his time disagreeing with those who utilize our tax dollar and get them to put it right. The Berlin Wall would still be standing but for the advocates who disagreed with it being built and publicly stated such, knowing they put their lives on the line for their efforts.. We also use our own dime to bring such matters to the pubic attention, thanks to the generosity of the One who supplies all our needs. .
Married for 58 years, there are lots of things we don’t agree on but neither of us is disgruntled with our marriage otherwise we would not celebrate it as often as we do. (Today we are celebrating 60 years since we committed to spend the rest of our lives together through a very beautiful engagement ring that looks none the worse for 60 years of wear.)
Several years ago I read and saved a fascinating article on whistleblowers. Instead of criticizing those who spend considerable personal time trying to alert people to things which they feel are wrong and need to be exposed, and who get attacked and insulted for their troubles, perhaps we could instead thank them.
A few quotes from the article, which h is titled “What Makes Whistleblowers Speak Out (while you stay silent?)”
“A select few risk their status or livelihood to make sure injustice gets exposed. One trait that sets them apart is their ability to stick to their principles while facing extreme pressure.
Whistleblowers are relatively rare. A whistleblower’s belief in the rightness of his or her action must be strong enough to overcome the hazards of speaking out.
People who value fairness over loyalty are more likely to blow the whistle. “A lot of it comes down to their ability to hold on to a set of principles in the face of countervailing social information” says Zeno Franco, a psychologist at the Medical College of Wisconsin. “That’s a very tough call. Most of us don’t want to be in the out group.”
Franco is an expert on heroism. Like others in his field, he regards whistleblowers as members of a category called “social heroes”, who typically make some sort of personal sacrifice on behalf of the greater good.”
Thank you Anne and Dave for continuing to try to speak out for the greater good despite how you’re treated by the Mayor, some council members, and random commenters on the Gazette.