"YOUR WORSHIP"

A Feudal Practice

Worship, (noun) (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) (preceded by: Your, His, or Her) Brit a title used to address or refer to a mayor, magistrate, or a person of similar high rank

   Should the practice of referring to elected officials (i.e. mayors) as “Your Worship” be continued? Some argue that the practice be discontinued on religious grounds, as expressed recently by G. Peachey; that the term is reserved for addressing our Creator God. I have never heard anyone use it that way, nor have I ever referred to God as “Your Worship”, but when used as a verb, it has for me always denoted an action directed towards God.

   Used as a noun, however, it does not convey the same meaning for me. I will, however, suggest that it should be discontinued on other grounds, which speak more directly to its origin, dating back to the feudal era. At that time, there was a wide social and economic disparity between the peasants and their landlords, who were obliged to provide safety and justice in return for the peasants’ labour. These landlords not only provided security, but also ruled the feudal lives of the lower-class serfs.

   It was in this relation of landlord-peasant, where subordination and obedience was demanded and accepted, that the landlord was addressed as “Your Worship”, signifying a higher-ranking status. Following the industrial revolution, society moved from a feudal to a capitalist order, and in this environment, landlords were gradually replaced by appointed, and later, elected mayors in the English political context. Notwithstanding a total social revolution and structural change, mayors continued to be addressed as “Your Worship”, particularly in the English world.

   Canada has inherited its parliamentary system of government and judicial system from Great Britain. Many of the practices, titles, and terminology associated with both continue to be found in our country. With respect to the title, “Your Worship”, it specifically has its origin in a society and political structure that reflects inequality and subordination. Using that term in a democratic society in the 21^st century is questionable, and if we are to discontinue using it for that reason, I would certainly agree. In fact, I would support the position that it’s unacceptable. Our mayors are elected representatives and “servants” of the public, as are all elected officials. Let’s resolve to discontinue its use, but for the right reason.

REJECT "GROUPTHINK"

Reject “Groupthink” on November 15!

   AbbotsfordFIRST (AF) has put forward five candidates as a group of representatives (“Groupthink”) that it wishes to send to the Council table to represent our community’s interests. From the very start (August), when the first press release was issued, to this last week before election, AbbotsfordFIRST has presented a platform on a variety of issues, containing some unsupportable statements of fact.

   AbbotsfordFIRST and its candidates have maintained a stubborn refusal to acknowledge those factural errors, not to mention an unwillingness to make corrections when the errors were pointed out. One example will suffice. Its website states that the City has been without an Official Community Plan for three years. In fact, the Community Charter stipulates that every municipality must have an OCP, and each year a bylaw is passed renewing our OCP. That fact was communicated by email, in person, and several weeks ago at the All-Candidates Forum. Yet, a stubborn persistence continues to stay with that message: this week’s 16-page flyer (page 11) perpetuates that error, and its website has not been corrected. This reflects stubbornness, bordering on arrogance, of not willing to be held accountable, both individually and as a party.

   Abbotsford is the third most culturally-diverse community in B.C., and its economic base is similarly diverse. The citizens of Abbotsford not only need and deserve to be well-represented at the Council table, but also to have a council of approachable and accountable individuals. There is no place for party politics (Groupthink) at the municipal level, and certainly not in Abbotsford. I have expressed my views on the matter on more than one occasion; both mayoral candidates also have strong views on this matter - Henry Braun has expressed his views in a blog - The Importance of Independent-Thinking And Principle-Based Decision-Making - and I know that Bruce Banman has a similar view.

   This is not a personal plea, but a general plea to elect 8 independent voices to the Council table on Election Day – November 15^th!

If you agree, please circulate this among your acquaintances.

VERACITY OR FICTION

Disinformation Continues

   Walter Neufeld and I have had disagreements over the years with respect to property taxes and tax rates. The background for our discussions on the topic is the amalgamation of Abbotsford and the former Electoral Area known as Area 'H', where Mr. Neufeld resides. After amalgamation, property tax increases were phased in over a five-year period, as the difference between Electoral Area taxes and municipal taxes is significant, regardless of which Electoral Area one chooses to examine.

   In Mr. Neufeld's most recent comments on the subject (see Link), he claims that Abbotsford has among the highest taxes in the province, and in particular, higher than the local governments listed below. Furthermore, he claims his information is based on provincial statistics, which he conveniently omits to include. His claims, by the way, are not true! I suspect Mr. Neufeld prefers fiction!

   I couldn't resist checking the veracity of his claims, so I did visit the Ministry of Community, Sport, and Culture website, and examined the data provided for 2014. Because there is such a wide disparity across the province with respect to property values and taxes, the government ministry provides calculations based on a "Representative House". It is, they say, the only way to draw fair comparisons across the province.

   To give Mr.Neufeld the benefit of the doubt regarding his claims, I checked two sets of figures:

       A. General Municipal Total
       B. Total Residential Property Taxes and Charges

   Here are the figures provided by the Ministry, for 2014:

                               Source: Ministry Website

   The table also indicates how each municipality is policed, which is very important to be mindful of when using these statistics. It has been estimated that jurisdictions using RCMP have a subsidy advantage of about 10% over those local governments employing their own municipal (M) police forces. Coincidentally, the only two cities in the table above, that have a lower “General Total” than Abbotsford, are policed by the RCMP.

   The following table is included here again, as it provides a larger and more complete snapshot of the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley, with respect to this discussion.

                               Source: Data based on Ministry Website

   For more clarity on the topic of Assessed Property Values, Tax Rates, and Tax Revenues, please read the article I provided last month. Link