To: mayor&council@nanaimo.ca
CC: Ezra@EzraLevant.com
I must congratulate you on the almost unanimous solidarity of your decision to ban the Chic-Fil-A leadership conference at a city facility! As I will soon be of retirement age, I am investigating various locales in which to retire. I had thought of Vancouver Island because, though not as warm as Panama or the southern US, it is in Canada and I would be covered under the Canada Health Act. Your decision on banning the leadership conference and the comments about christians, has helped me in my decision on where to retire. In fact, your decision assists me in determining where I should vacation during the winter. It gets cold in Calgary during the winter and it is tough to decide if one should vacation in Nanaimo, the BC Interior or in the South. I thank you for the help you afforded me!
Your vote has convinced me not to venture into Nanaimo, neither as a retirement spot, nor a vacation spot, nor to do any business with any organization within the bounds of your small city. After all, being a (hopefully) 'strong' Christian, at least 'strong' in my belief in the truth of the Bible, I would not wish to be a 'criminal' element (as Councillor Kipp describes 'strong' Bible-believing Christians) in your city. (And by the way, Mr. Kipp, the sponsor of the Leadership Conference is called 'Chic-Fil-A' not 'chickfillia'.) If Mr. Kipp did not have access to the name of the company, perhaps he might have been wise enough to find out before speaking. If he has a learning disability affecting his reading skills, and so, could not pronounce the company name properly, I'm sure that BC Health Services could assist him in overcoming his disability. I noted that the well informed Mr. Pattje claims Dr. Henry Cloud to be a psychiatrist, when in fact, he is a psychologist. This is easily verified, even on the internet. Councillors Pattje and Kipp would be wise to review the words of Proverbs 18:13 which states, 'If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame.' Wise words indeed. As the telecast of the council meeting can be seen by anyone with access to the internet, it will surely gain an international audience. There is an old saying that goes something like, “It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.” Many members of the City Council and the Mayor would be wise to consider such an aphorism before your next council meeting!
Councillor Pattje, and in fact, all but one City Councillor, demonstrate either a lack of understanding of basic contract law in Canada or, even worse, a disdain for contract law and precedents established as far back as 1877! ANY first year business student is aware of the doctrine of Promissory Estoppel, as established in precedent law in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries in Hughes v Metropolitan Railway Co. (No, I am not a lawyer, this is merely 'Contract Law 101' from 1981!) I believe that a citizen has a reasonable expectation that a City Councillor would ensure that any action he or she caused his city to take, would be vetted by the city's Legal Department, to ensure the legality of the action. Council's action opens the City of Nanaimo to large lawsuits that are readibly winnable by any plaintiff. Unfortunately, as councillors, you will not be held responsible for any damages from any law suits stemming from breaking the doctrine of the promissory estoppel, regardless of what the city may have to pay. I hope, for the sake of their pocket books, that citizens remember such unnecessary costs at election time! I won't even get into the many clauses of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms that your decision and your comments contravene!
I thank you for broadcasting your council meetings on an internet broadcasting system, paid for by the citizens of Nanaimo. The coverage afforded to this decision will most certainly travel well beyond the boundaries of the City of Nanaimo. There are perhaps 3 million evangelical Christians (that is the 'strong' Christians, or 'criminal' kind, if you will, Mr. Kipp) and perhaps 5 million other Christians in Canada. In the US, there are at least 30 times as many of each. There are perhaps, 2 million homosexuals in Canada and 20 million in the US. By now, the words and actions of Council are well noted by many. If you are aiming for tourism by homosexuals, you are up against much bigger draws in Canada, like Montreal and Toronto, so don't expect much success with that demographic and don't expect many 'criminal' Christians to visit your city anymore. And yes, the next time I am at the Calgary International Airport, I'll be sure to eat at Chic-Fil-A, thank you very much!
Sincerely,
name redacted
PS: Please don't respond that you issued a form of apology on June 26th. There is an old African proverb that says,“A word uttered cannot be taken back”. Any apology after the orgy of false statements and innuendo against Christians, is too little and too late. Proverbs 15:2 states 'The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly.' I forgive, but I don't forget. I will be suggesting to friends, to have a look at the May 5, 2014 council meeting, before they head on vacation.
><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>><>
Excellent and a well written argument. Too bad the Nanaimo city counsel doesn’t possess the intelligence to digest such logic.