A Kincardine councillor has avoided suspension for conduct regarding the Secord monument that once stood in front of the town’s library for decades.
Three members of council had filed complaints about Councillor Bill Stewart for his conduct during council discussions regarding the decommissioning the Secord monument, which used to sit in front of the town’s library.
In a report provided to council, Jeffrey A. Abrams, Co-Principal of Principles Integrity outlined Stewart’s code of conduct violations, where he made public statements that undermined the work of council, and that he had shared confidential information that was intended for a closed session meeting.
Complaints received by the integrity commissioner included that Stewart refused to accept the decision of council when he was the only vote against decommissioning the monument, and that his two letters to the editor of the Kincardine Record on the subject were in appropriate and inflammatory.
The integrity commissioner had recommended that Stewart be suspended for one week, the equivalent of half a pay period.
“This situation is most unfortunate, particularly for our voting public, because I feel they lose out twice in this circumstance,” said Councillor Rory Cavanagh. “Recognizing that we’re sitting as a judicial body and reading the report, paragraph 3 is one that stands out to me, where it says ‘The Councillor shared confidential information intended for a closed session meeting, without the authority to do so, and for the sole purpose of undermining Council’s decision to decommission the Secord Monument.'”
The Secord monument was one of two erected to memorialize Dr. Solomon Secord, who worked within the municipality as a doctor for 50 years.
Secord lived from 1834-1910, and the sundial monument was installed a few years after his death.
The monument also outlined that he had served as a surgeon for the Confederate Army during the American Civil War, and read:
“I mark the Sunny Hours.
To Solomon Secord, 1834-1910.
Our family physician for 50 years.
This memorial was erected by his loving friends. Served as a surgeon with the Southern Army during the American Civil War. All that lived he loved, and without regard for fee or reward, he did his work for the love of his fellows.”
Discussions about the stone monument were initially surrounding whether it should be moved back to its home in front of the library on Queen Street, but needed to be relocated during the construction work known as the Downtown Dig.
When work completed, a recommendation was brought to council to work with a consultant how where to put the monument, but given the part of history that was associated with it, some felt that it didn’t belong on display within the town.
Following consultations with Dr. Laura Mae Lindo, who is an educator, activist, and former Member of Provincial Parliament, who had worked to engage with members of the community before turning over her 78-page report to council.
Several members of council were torn between preserving the history of Kincardine, and not wanting to continue to have a monument on display that memorialized a member of the Confederate Army.
During council’s discussion on September 11, 2024, where they discussed whether to decommission the monument, Stewart said at the time, “This issue should [in] no way ever come up to council. It’s cause us to fracture the community and fracture the council. Our responsibility to the community is not to be the moral compass.”
He had continued, “We’re not really supposed to be involved with things like this, even if the community asks us to be involved. It’s a very difficult decision. I’m looking around the room, people are crying, people are very emotional. The community is very emotional about this. Whether we say yes or no, we’re going to hear about it, unfortunately. So I hope it’s a valuable lesson for us as council, that we sort of steer away from this kind of stuff. This kind of racism is dealt with at home, church, schools, and things like that.”
Ultimately, council voted to decommission the monument, with its fate to be decided at a later date.
In addition to his responses during the September 11th council meeting, he had also written to the Kincardine Record on two occasions to voice his dissatisfaction with council’s decisions.
The second time he wrote a letter to the newspaper, he shared that he had been working on a legal case to protect the monument, but at that point, the monument had already been destroyed.
“My comments are to express my appreciation for the work that he’s done, the extensive investigation report that we’ve received – we are not privy to the investigation itself, only to the investigation report. That’s all. We have no idea what’s gone on, but the recommendations are based on Mr. Abrams’s understanding of the whole situation as best described to him by any of the participants in this complaint and recommendation report,” said Mayor Ken Craig.
Councillor Beth Blackwell, who sits next to Stewart during council meetings, said of her colleague, “I think we have grown as a team since this incident, but I will give my colleague credit for acknowledging through the report and acknowledging that there were breaches made, and that there were actions taken that he would potentially not do, or not do going forward. I think that does take humility to recognize. I think everyone makes mistakes, I think this one was one that potentially does undermine our ability to work together and I find that challenging.”
During discussions about the monument, which initially began in January 2024, municipal staff had also pointed out that the sundial was not the only monument erected in memory of Secord, as there was another monument — minus a reference to the Civil War — is still standing in Kincardine Cemetery, which reads:
“In memoriam to Solomon Secord, M.D.
Erected by his friends to a man who was unalterably opposed to all forms of insincerity cant and hypocrisy. He loved children and animals and was rich in all things worth while. His life was devoted to benevolence and charity and he still lives in the affection of the people. His last words were “give my love to everybody.”
The motion to carry through with a one-week suspension for Stewart was defeated.
Councillor Jennifer Prenger then put a new motion forward to receive the report as information with no further actions taken, which was passed four votes to two.
