Where are our Leaders?

Sudbury and for a larger part Northern Ontario, is facing a crisis of historical proportions. Our Provincial Government is leading from the front lines. Premier Doug Ford can be seen giving daily briefings on the situation in Ontario. The Prime Minister can be seen everyday around 11:30 am to give Canadians an update on the National Situation.

The question I have to ask is, where is our Mayor? Where is Brian Bigger? Where is our Chief Medical Officer of Health? They are no where to be found. In fact the only updates from them seem to be the impersonal updates via Twitter and Facebook.

Mayor Bigger came out of hiding to declare a State of Emergency, then promptly disappeared again. He hasn’t surfaced since. Come to think of it when’s the last time we saw our Chief Medical Officer of Health?

Absent Leaders

Now is the time that we need leadership. On one hand the people are scared and panicky but mostly still holding it together. On the other hand there are still people who are not abiding by the Emergency Orders. Still people gathering in groups over 5 people. This weekend saw hundreds of Cottagers flock to their summer retreats from Southern Ontario. Instead of demanding action from the Premiers Office, Mayor Bigger issued a polite “Please stay away” statement.

Where is our leadership? Where are the people who are supposed to guide our society through this crisis? Where is our Mayor, it is his job to lead us, through the good times, the not so good times and through any crises that may arise. He has been absent.

A search of CTV Northern Ontario, CBC Sudbury and Sudbury.com show he’s given 2 Press Conferences in the last month. The first was an “update” on what the city was doing. The second, almost a month later. Was to declare a State of Emergency. In between, from wherever he is hiding, he has issued 4 statements. That’s it.

Our Chief Medical Officer Dr. Penny Sutcliffe, the person who is supposed to be the subject matter expert guiding us all through this. Has held 2 press conferences. Again, one at the beginning and one a month later. Her Federal and Provincial counterparts have held daily press conferences. The Prime Minister and the Premier have held daily Press Conferences. Where is our Mayor? Where is our Medical Officer of Health. Instead of the transparency of a Press Conference, where they can be asked a host of questions. We get impersonal Facebook and Twitter Updates. Shame on them. The Citizens of Greater Sudbury deserve more.

Where is City Council?

In fact, where is our City Council? If the Mayor will not, or cannot do his job then it is up to the Deputy Mayor to do it? Where is she? I emailed her a list of 7 questions. That surely the Deputy Mayor would have answers to. Such as;

• The City of Owen Sound is already preparing a local community center to act as a field hospital.  Are there any plans to use local arenas or other facilities to do this?
• There are reports of parties and other large gatherings, what enforcement measures are being taken.
• There are still large line ups at Costco and Walmart, what measures is the city taking to curb this activity
• Has the City considered requesting Medical Assistance from the Military to relieve our Doctors and Nurses and to give them a break when the time comes
• Why doesn’t our Mayor provide Daily Updates

Instead all I got was a one line answer.

I am forwarding your concerns to the Mayor’s office for the most updated and accurate response.Best regards.

If the Mayor and the Deputy Mayor cannot or will not take the lead, where are our Councillors? Again they are no where to be found. Our city has been left to it’s own devices and there will be consequences to this. There is no local leadership happening, none.

In 2022 when it’s time to elect a new council, I hope the people of this great city remember that when we needed them most, those now serving were no where to be found.