Chopp cites ‘utter desperation’ for protest, but apologizes to those who were offended
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Mayor Kristal Chopp has acknowledged that her protest of the province’s plan for re-opening parts of the Ontario economy did not go over well with some Norfolk residents.
In response to negative feedback on social media and elsewhere, Chopp delivered an unscheduled statement at the start of Norfolk council’s committee meeting on June 9. That statement included an apology.
“I will actually apologize if I offended anybody,” Chopp said. “I decided to use my platform for advocacy for our residents. I don’t believe this is a public health issue anymore. It has become a political issue.”
Chopp and Haldimand Mayor Ken Hewitt are disappointed that the province has opted for a phased approach to re-opening Ontario’s economy based on COVID-19 data from the province’s 34 health-unit jurisdictions.
The pair believe the province’s approach is creating different classes of Ontarians based on health criteria while putting area businesses at a disadvantage based on their location. Monday, Hewitt said the province’s approach is creating pandemic “winners and losers.”
The Chopp-Hewitt protest saw the mayors receiving haircuts in front of Governor Simcoe Square in Simcoe.
This display was chosen because hair salons in Norfolk and Haldimand are among the non-essential businesses that will have to stay closed until further notice. Meanwhile, competing salons in Brant County, Oxford County and elsewhere are able to open as of June 12 based on their comparatively low COVID-19 numbers.
In her statement, Chopp said there are inconsistencies to the province’s approach that are unfair, illogical and threaten the viability of local businesses. She said the haircut protest was borne out of “utter desperation,” adding, “I’m scared for them too.”
“We’re tired of trying to explain the unexplainable to people,” Chopp said.
Much of the criticism levelled at the mayors stems from the absence of social distancing in the images that emerged from the protest. The mayors are seated and wearing salon aprons as local beauticians cut their hair. All participants are wearing face masks.
“This is a slap in the face to all our front-line workers who are risking their lives to keep us safe,” Martha Kursell of Simcoe said in one of many critical statements posted on social media.
“Shame on our mayors. You are being totally disrespectful to the very people who are trying to protect you.”
At the urging of Dr. Shanker Nesathurai, Norfolk and Haldimand’s medical officer of health, Norfolk and Haldimand have stepped up enforcement of social-distancing measures in public places.
A doubling of bylaw enforcement staff in Norfolk and a move to seven-day-a-week patrols have ensured that non-essential businesses remain closed and that crowds don’t gather in popular public spaces.
Chopp and Hewitt have also advised owners of cottage and recreational properties in Norfolk and Haldimand who live outside the area to refrain from visiting during the pandemic alert.
Nesathurai backed this up with a public health order imposing fines for non-residents who stay at recreational properties overnight. The Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit is the only jurisdiction in Ontario to adopt the measure, which was rescinded in May following an appeal to a provincial health panel.
The strict approach to pandemic enforcement has prompted some to ask if Chopp, Hewitt and the stylists who cut their hair will be charged for violating public health laws governing social-distancing.
A municipal official says no charges are anticipated.
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