Caslin: Tweet is ‘homophobic’
Regional chair seeking apology from St. Catharines Coun. Andy Petrowski
Regional Chairman Alan Caslin will ask Andy Petrowski to apologize to the community for what he called “homophobic comments” made by the St. Catharines regional councillor on social media.
“I’m really hoping that residents, politicians and journalists alike would join me in refraining from giving guys like Andy a pedestal to air their homophobic comments in any form,” Caslin said Tuesday.
The chairman said he intends to speak with Petrowski about his “entirely inappropriate” online remarks that “don’t reflect the values or the high standards that we as regional councillors are expected to live up to.”
On Saturday, Petrowski took to Twitter, writing: “Does the gay ‘PRIDE’ community understand where the rainbow came from? PRIDE is a sin. James 4:6”. Included was a photo of a T-shirt with a large rainbow on it. Under the arch, the text reads, “God made the rainbow & it still belongs to him. Romans 1: 26-27”.
Contacted Monday, Petrowski denied he was attacking the gay community and quoted several Bible verses about pride and rainbows.
Caslin said he expects to see Petrowski sometime this week.
“It’s my view that this councillor should be apologizing to the community for his remarks. I’m going to suggest he does that,” he said.
Despite what the public may think, Caslin said council does not have the authority to take action against the councillor.
However, as chairman, Caslin does “have the authority to have a talk with him and let him know that his conduct is not appreciated and is inappropriate.”
This is not the first time Pet row ski’ s comments regarding the LGBTQ community have landed him in hot water.
In July 2015, on both his Twitter page and in an interview with The Standard, the councillor expressed religious views against gay marriage, comments for which he later apologized.
“It’s sad what we have to keep reminding people that these sorts of homophobic comments are inappropriate time and time again, and I’ll continue to do so as often as necessary,” Caslin said Tuesday.
St. Catharines MP Chris Bittle believes an apology is not enough.
He has called on Petrowski to resign from regional council.
While the councillor is entitled to his beliefs, “free speech is not consequence-free speech,” Bittle said, adding this is not the first time Petrowski has used his Twitter account to “preach hate.”
“It’s time for him to do the right thing and step down. He represents all people in St. Catharines and he is using religion to spread hate and intolerance in our community … It has to stop.”
Bittle said there is “disbelief” in the community that Petrowski is “continuing on this path, seemingly unabated.”
Contacted for comment Tuesday, Petrowski replied with an e-mail to The Standard, including a screenshot of a social media post by Bittle calling for his resignation.
“I am disturbed by the ineffective local MP who should keep his nose out of municipal politics and stick to his word,” the e-mail read.
It also quoted Bittle from a previous interview when the federal representative said he has no desire to get involved in municipal politics.
“Human rights is a matter for all levels of government,” Bittle told The Standard Tuesday in response, adding the Charter of Rights and Freedoms is federal legislation.
“This is a matter of hate in my mind. This isn’t a matter about municipal politics. (Petrowski) is a municipal politician but this isn’t a municipal issue. It goes beyond that.”
St. Catharines Mayor Walter Sendzik feels Petrowski’s words go against what the city represents.
“We work so hard to build an inclusive community and to make everyone feel that St. Catharines and Niagara are a part of who they are,” he said. “With one tweet or one post, it just keeps setting us back, setting us back.
“I want to remind the public that this is not our city. These comments are not reflective of our community. I will be the first to stand up and say they are not tolerated.”
Sendzik took issue with the “language and insinuation that (Petrowski’s) making through his tweets,” calling the remarks “disappointing.”
“It’s one of those things where you make a mistake once and you can say, ‘OK, we can learn from it.’ Keep making the same mistake and you start to question someone’s judgment.”
Council, he said, does not have the abilitytocensororremovePetrowski from office.
However, the mayor said he’s “confident” the regional chairman will address the “recurring situation.”
“He’s got to put Andy in his place on this,” Sendzik said.
The situation, he added, is also an opportunity to strengthen Niagara Region’s code of conduct.
“We can actually put in stronger language that doesn’t hinder someone’s ability for free speech, but also allows for a balance when intolerance is shown toward a group of people or a class of society, so we have a ways and means to sanction or address that in an effective way.”
St. Catharines regional Coun. Tim Rigby said that while he does not agree with Petrowski’s comments, he doesn’t believe the issue is one to be addressed by council.
“This is Andy Petrowski, an individual who has an opinion, and I don’t know why we keep pushing it as if it’s regional council’s problem,” he said.
“We can bring it up and try to censor him in council, but that won’t work. We have no grounds to do so.”
Petrowski’s remarks are not reflective of council, Rigby said, adding religious beliefs have “no position within government.”
He believes the best step going forward is to allow the public to have its say on election day — which next is 2018.
A frustrated Kelly Edgar felt compelled to take to social media himself to express his concerns after hearing about Petrowski’s recent tweet.
In a Facebook post, the St. Catharines regional councillor said he believes Petrowski needs help and that intervention of some kind is needed. “It’s got to stop,” Edgar told The Standard Tuesday. “The chair’s got to do something. It’s ridiculous.”
He said council is in a difficult position because it keeps hearing from community members who are angry nothing is being done to address the issue. “But there’s nothing we can do.” He questioned whether the Ontario Ombudsman could be contacted about the situation, but was uncertain where, if anywhere, that would lead.
St. Catharines regional Coun. Brian Heit said “a number of us” have spoken with the clerk over time to try and find a way to resolve the ongoing issue, but all have come up empty-handed.
“If he was charged and convicted of a crime, he can be removed,” he said, but otherwise, council’s hands are tied.
“It’s an embarrassment and it’s unfortunate,” Heit said of Petrowski’s recent tweet. “Unfortunately, he doesn’t represent the people very well.”