Letter: Building a Better River District - From Scapegoats to Solutions
Joel Pennington writes a letter to the editor about the need for collective responsibility and collaboration in improving Owen Sound's downtown core.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
After facilitating a multistakeholder event a few weeks ago centred around how to improve business conditions in the River District, I wanted to share my reflections and suggestions for how to move forward together. Overall, based on discussions I’ve had since the meeting, emails I’ve been sent, and second-hand feedback, the meeting was successful.
I understand folks want to see action. There have been many stalled and thwarted efforts previously. But to bring such a diverse group of conflicting stakeholders together and garner commitment to working together in the future leads me to believe the meeting achieved its stated goal.
Watching almost the entire room stand up at the end of the meeting to demonstrate their commitment to continuing the dialogue and working collaboratively to build a thriving downtown is something that I haven’t seen in Owen Sound in my 3+ years here. It gives me hope for the future. I acknowledge that plenty of work still lies ahead, though.
When a community is struggling, there are a few possible responses. The easiest, least productive one is to find a scapegoat. History is full of examples: governments blaming immigrants for economic issues, corporations pinning systemic failures on a single department, and even personal relationships collapsing under cycles of blame.
The worst thing about scapegoating isn’t just the rejection of shared responsibility; it’s also the surrender of your power. If you say “it’s all the city's fault!” or “Safe N Sound is responsible for ruining our community!” then you’re saying you have no power or influence. You’re telling yourself and everyone around you that you’ve no impact on the outcome.
While I did hear some of that rhetoric at our meeting, I mostly saw people talking about systemic issues. Yes, it’s bad for business to have people experiencing homelessness and/or addiction sleeping in a shop doorway. But without looking at downtown holistically, we won’t solve the underlying problems that hurt business conditions.
There’s a lot of work to be done. But let’s not get symptoms mixed up with causes. People suffering from addiction and homelessness are being failed systemically. All levels of government have a responsibility to provide adequate housing and addiction services.
We, as citizens, have a responsibility to hold elected officials accountable. I talked about collective responsibility in a column a few months ago, and that message is just as relevant when we talk about the River District.
What excites me after that meeting is exactly that — collective responsibility. It was tangible. I believe we can get past the finger-pointing and start working collaboratively. I believe most of the folks in that room felt that too.
There’s momentum here to work with. I encourage all the stakeholders from that meeting to seize that. The suggestions in the report that we put to council for their meeting in September don’t need to live or die at that table — it’s possible to set up similar stakeholder discussions, and we don’t have to, nor should we, sit back and wait for the city to solve all our problems.
The real test isn’t whether one meeting went well — it’s whether we keep showing up for each other. If we seize this momentum, if we stay curious, and if we keep talking, we can turn frustration into progress. This isn’t the end. It’s the beginning.
Joel Pennington
Owen Sound
Letters to the Editor do not necessarily reflect the opinions or beliefs of The Owen Sound Current and its editor or publisher.
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My husband Don was an expert in group organization and process. Small groups! How to build them and use them? Once I experienced axlarge group meeting in the library auditorium here split up into small groups to discuss the issues and put them forward. These were read and duly noted. BUT were not followed up on as Don taught me is essential. Had the receiving body acted on any of the ideas? Was a continuing structure put into place to follow-up on concerns, arrange to meet again, etc. At 97 I am not part of the “boots on the ground” so may be off track here.
I've been following the story of this meeting and the letters written about it. It's great that everyone got together and expressed their concerns and ideas. Unfortunately, ideas are a dime a dozen. The real work comes in the implementation. Time and time again, this city asks for "input from stakeholders", and then appears to ignore it. At least, little comes to fruition. Having a brainstorming meeting is a good start. But without follow-up, there will be no implementation. To suggest these problems should be solved by the stakeholders without the city is asking a lot of the businesses in the River District Area. Owen Sounders already pay more per person in taxes than any city of a similar size. On top of that, businesses in the River District pay an additional tax above and beyond what other businesses in the city pay. It is the city's duty to show leadership in this area. They must ensure laws are followed, can help ensure services aren't duplicated, and can provide budgets where money is needed. Business owners are trying to run businesses. They shouldn't be serving the city, the city should be serving them. When downtowns are healthy, the whole city thrives. Enough with conversations, let's get to action plans.