It seems it was the City of Kingston’s woke deputy clerk — who goes by the pronouns he/him/his —who decided to illuminate City Hall in the colours of Palestine last Friday to mark the UN’s International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.
According to freedom of information documents obtained by True North, Derek Ochej went ahead with the plan to recognize “Palestinian rights” despite concerns raised by the city’s mayor Bryan Paterson and knowing full well that the decision would “draw significant media attention and negative feedback.”
FOI expert Michael Teper sought out the background to this decision.
The documents indicate that the request for a flag raising and illumination of City Hall came from Independent Jewish Voices (IJV), a fringe group that does not represent Canada’s Jewish community and is scorned for its promotion of terrorist sympathizers.
The IJV application indicates it is based on Woodbine Ave. in Toronto. It says IJV Kingston submitted the request, although no address is provided for the alleged branch.
The application says that commemorating Nov. 29 supports the city’s objectives to create “an inclusive city where everyone is welcomed, respected and empowered.”
The paperwork suggests that Ochej got involved almost immediately after the requests came into the clerk’s office on Nov. 12.
On Nov. 13, the he/him/his clerk wrote to the city’s inclusion and diversity bureaucrat, Vanessa Mensa, and community planning manager Ruth Noordegraaf (a they/them) to advise that the International Day of Solidarity is a “legitimate day of recognition” and both the illumination and flag raising should be approved.
Ochej includes no research to support his comments that it is “legitimate” but does concede that approval of the requests “will create significant controversy in the community.”
In a Nov. 14 email, Ochej maintains that the mayor “agreed with approving the requests” and “understood the rationale” for permitting them.
But on Nov. 15, Ochej was forced to backtrack, indicating in an email that the mayor “raised concerns” with the flag raising.
He conceded that the flag raising can’t be approved after all because it goes against the city’s flag raising policy which states among other things that a country must have “active diplomatic relations with Canada” to receive such an honour.
Considering there is no such country as Palestine, I’m guessing that diplomatic relations were not exactly occurring, let alone “active.”
But not to be denied his attempts to be woke, Ochej indicates that the illumination will be approved.
He added in his email that it might be a “good opportunity to review the flag display policy.”
I’m not sure what he means by that since he did not respond to my requests for comment on his decision to go forward with this tasteless and biased display.
(He does say in his Nov. 15 e-mail that all public or media requests should be directed towards him but I guess he couldn’t handle the heat after all.)
The party line — which was shared by communications flak Paul Whittingham (another he/his/him) — indicates that the decision to light up City Hall in the Palestinian colours of red and green last Friday was delegated to the city’s clerk’s office under the First Capital Place Illumination Policy.
The illumination was done for free.
The request had to meet certain criteria, the city statement says. That includes fostering “inclusion” among and “respect” for Kingston residents as part of the city’s increased emphasis on DEI(!).
The illumination must promote events and issues that affect Kingston residents and — get this — “promote a sense of community.”
The event must have a “recognizable colour or colours associated with it.”
Lastly, the application should be submitted by a representative of a non-profit based in Kingston.
As far as I’m concerned, none of these criteria were met.
The last thing this incredibly idiotic decision did was foster “inclusion” and “respect” and “promote a sense of community” for all Kingston residents. Imagine being Jewish and seeing this last Friday night. It was tasteless, inappropriate and further promotes a divide between Jews and pro-Palestinians in the midst of a terribly controversial conflict and while antisemitism is already raging out of control.
If Ochej had done his homework — and I suspect his wokeness (or pro-Palestine agenda) got in the way — it would have been easy to find out that IJV does not have anything remotely resembling an active chapter in Kingston.
But this also begs the question—where was Kingston’s mayor?
Is he that spineless?
Paterson indicated his reservations with the idea, according to the FOI documents provided.
Does he not have the final say over such controversial decisions? Or are the woke bureaucrats running the show in Kingston? Did Ochej take it upon himself to make a decision that was not sanctioned by his superiors?
Frankly he should be placed on leave and the whole decision-making process investigated.
It is disgusting to think that a woke and uninformed bureaucrat can push an agenda that is not in the best interests of the city—especially one so controversial and ill-thought-out.
