KENORA, Ont. - Calls for the resignation of Senator Lynn Beyak have found support from an unexpected corner. The Kenora District Services Board (KDSB) passed a resolution Thursday adding its voice to a growing chorus of those insisting the Senator step down over her refusal to acknowledge the harms of residential schools and posting of racist letters on her website.
The board oversees the delivery of social services like EMS, childcare, and social housing in the district, which encompasses the cities of Kenora and Dryden, and smaller municipalities including Sioux Lookout, Pickle Lake, Ear Falls, Red Lake, and Ignace.
In a statement released Friday, the board acknowledged it was unusual for a social services board to take the stance, but insisted it was necessary in order to uphold its commitment to Truth and Reconciliation.
“We acknowledge that this is a unique situation and unprecedented for the District Services Board to provide such a resolution," said board chair Barry Baltessen. "We believe it is important for our community leaders, Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler and Grand Council Treaty #3 (GCT3) Ogichidaa Francis Kavanaugh to know that we stand with them in their fight against racism and bigotry.”
The move stands in contrast to a vote by Dryden's city council in late April, when a motion to call for Beyak's resignation was soundly defeated. That result sparked condemnation from regional Indigenous organizations including GCT3 and NAN. Fiddler called for event organizers to boycott the city in response.
The KDSB's release emphasized the importance of supporting those leaders' efforts.
“In 2016, the KDSB board passed a resolution accepting the calls to actions of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission; the resolution in part called for ‘playing our part in the advocacy efforts of others,’” it reads.
“There is a reason our region has such high rates of homelessness, poverty and poor health. There is a reason our youth experience such high rates of addictions and suicides. These rates will continue if our governments and community leaders do not address the impacts of Colonialism.”
