Taking the ‘MeToo’ campaign to the next level here in Waterloo Region

A year ago, Julie Barker-Merz was watching the Oktoberfest parade with her young daughters.

A float passed by with a sign on it. Barker-Merz recalled that it said: “Mayors and Their Wives.”

(The executive director of K-W Oktoberfest says she’s not remembering correctly, and the banner had actually said: “German Club Presidents and Their Wives.” More on that later. But you get the picture.)

Barker-Merz was also puzzled by the Miss Oktoberfest float, which featured “a beautiful princess standing there and waving to the crowds.”

These two experiences at the parade were “striking,” said Barker-Merz, who moved to this area from Toronto just over a year ago, and is senior vice-president at the Bank of Montreal, with responsibility for southwestern Ontario. “Is it time to rethink?” She has thought about the recent multiple sexual harassment allegations against Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, and the “MeToo” campaign in which women write the hashtag on social media to signify that they, too, have been sexually harassed and assaulted.

The enormous response gives a sense of how pervasive this predatory behaviour is.

But Barker-Merz wants to take it a step further and start thinking about concrete solutions that will reduce sexism in society.

As a member of the board of Themuseum in downtown Kitchener, she spoke with its chief executive officer, David Marksell. She will moderate a community discussion next Monday at Themuseum.

Perhaps, for example, it’s time to discuss mandatory job training about sexual harassment at workplaces, she said. Perhaps it could be included in a code of conduct that is reviewed each year.

In the business community, “could we come up with a declaration, or some principles we could sign onto?” she said. Could something be done to improve gender parity on board of directors?

Or perhaps we should reconsider the Miss Oktoberfest contest, which selects an unmarried woman to be ambassador for the festival.

If we want an ambassador, why not include men as well as women?

Monday’s community discussion starts at 6 p.m. and will end by 7:45 p.m. at Themuseum. It’s free, but you need a ticket.

You can get yours by going to Eventbrite.ca and searching “METOOISNTENOUGH.”

As for the offending Oktoberfest banner, the festival’s acting executive director, Alfred Lowrick, said “it was a mistake” that it was displayed.

It caused “no end of grief ” in previous years, and now “I’ve had it destroyed,” he said.

Lowrick said the Miss Oktoberfest contest is all based on interviews now, and hasn’t been a traditional beauty pageant for years. However, it still is open only to women who are unmarried, he confirmed.

He said Oktoberfest president Margot Jones will be at the discussion next Monday.

It promises to be lively, and productive.