Mayor calls Balfour vote ‘defining issue’ for council

‘... They’re not breaking the law and they’re not asking us to break any laws,’ Eisenberger says of Cardus as council approves proposal

It may well have been Fred Eisenberger’s longest council speech ever.

If so, it was justified given that the mayor branded the matter an important and “defining issue” for this term of council.

The normally succinct Eisenberger spoke for a solid nine minutes Wednesday night in support of the contentious proposal by Cardus, a Hamilton-based Christian thinktank, to repair and sublease Balfour House, the vacant 1830s heritage mansion on the Mountain brow.

In the process, Eisenberger gave a timely reminder to all Hamiltonians that inclusivity and bigotry can have more than one face.

Coun. Brad Clark neatly set the table for the mayor by noting the local LGBTQ community and its allies want the city to reject Cardus’ proposal because the organization’s website allegedly publishes homophobic and Islamophobic articles which are inconsistent with the municipality’s values.

Cardus has previously denied both accusations. But Clark went on to root the organization’s defence as an exercise in the freedom of expression, conscience and religion guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Clark said he himself wrestled with both sides of the controversy. But after looking at a number of relevant court decisions, he decided that even though some residents may object to Cardus, there is no

legal reason to deny the Balfour sublease.

“If we go down that route, I think we’ll find ourselves in court and at taxpayers’ cost,” Clark said.

Picking up on the legal theme, Eisenberger began by warning that council will be on a “slippery slope” if it starts making business decisions based on a company’s religious beliefs around issues such as homosexuality and abortion.

Like Clark, the mayor said he struggled with the proposal but ultimately decided that the city should support it conditional on Cardus meeting all heritage requirements for Balfour House, which is owned by the Ontario Heritage Trust (OHT) but tended by the city.

Eisenberger’s position is worth quoting at length. At times, it had the welcome and forceful ring of a manifesto for community tolerance.

“I don’t agree with Cardus on their views on homosexuality; I don’t agree with Cardus on their views of abortion,” Eisenberger said.

“There may be many other things I don’t agree with. But they’re not breaking the law and they’re not asking us to break any laws. And they’re asking us to be inclusive. So when we talk about equity, diversity and inclusion, it’s not inclusion only for those we like to agree with. It’s inclusion for everyone; everyone that’s living within the law, finding a rightful place in this community, no matter what they believe, who they love, or they choose to marry.”

Eisenberger said he understands the fight that’s going on. He praised the queer, trans and nonbinary communities for doing an “excellent job” in getting council and the city to appreciate, include and protect people in those groups.

“That doesn’t mean, though, that we exclude anyone else that may not agree, that may not appreciate it in same way we do.

“I don’t think that we ought to be in a position of interpreting the laws of the land that already state clearly what all organizations and individuals need to adhere to — human rights, employment standards, all the things that are put in place to protect individuals from discrimination, harm, exclusion of any sort and any kind.”

Calling Cardus a “respectful” organization that’s prepared to spend millions of dollars to restore Balfour at no cost to taxpayers — as well as covering the cost of city staff time during their discussions with OHT — Eisenberger said he admires the Christian think-tank for stepping up knowing there would be pushback.

“The question is, how will council deal with it?”

The answer wasn’t long in coming. Council voted 12-2 to support Cardus’ bid to obtain OHT’s permission to turn Balfour into a meeting and office space and to negotiate a subleasing agreement with the city.

Councillors Nrinder Nann and Maureen Wilson cast the dissenting votes.