Steeltown mayor OKs canines at city hall
Hamilton allows dogs after human rights complaint over issue The Hamilton mayor’s dog, Dash, is a regular visitor, but has spurred an employee complaint.
Will the “No Pets” signs at city hall be coming down soon? That depends on your interpretation of an emoji-laced tweet from Mayor Fred Eisenberger.
In response to a photo that Spectator columnist Susan Clairmont posted of her dog, Eisenberger tweeted on Tuesday night that she should bring her pup to city hall, as there is no policy banning them.
“Just a sticker on the door that should be removed soon,” the mayor tweeted.
When asked if this was a “scoop” worth stooping for, Eisenberger responded on Twitter with two emojis — a smirking face and thumbs up.
This comes amid a City of Hamilton employee filing a human rights complaint over the mayor bringing his dog, Dash, to city hall three days a week.
The complaint was filed in March by Susan Creer, who has allergies and asthma and is “a little afraid” of dogs.
It alleges the mayor is making city hall “inaccessible” by bringing his pet goldendoodle to work.
Eisenberger has previously said the pup creates a welcome break for staff and noted that staff had been looking into modifying the ban to allow dogs into city buildings prior to the last election.
Asked Wednesday to speak to the mayor about his tweets, city media relations adviser Michelle Shantz said he was not available for comment and referred questions to city spokesperson Jen Recine who promised more information soon.
The employee alleged the mayor was making city hall ‘inaccessible’ by bringing his goldendoodle to work.