Off It Goes; Where It Lands You'll Never Know!

We all realize that speaking to a politician can be a risky business. It can lead to a wasteland of confusion or a never Neverland of conflicted and conflicting messages. It is not for the faint of heart. But sometimes, one just has to recognize and applaud true excellence, regardless of how ignoble the field of endeavour.

Marianne Meed Ward is one worthy of such recognition. She has so refined the craft of artful political discourse that a particular tangental arabesque now bears her name. It is the "Meed Ward Ricochet" (MWR).

The MWR is a practiced communications technique (both oral and written) whereby direct challenges and questions are deflected away from the key issue to a related but less detrimental subject which then becomes the primary focus.

An effective ricochet borrows from the context of the original issue but repositions it so that a generally affirmative and favourable response is made and then featured as a positive outlook or scenario.

The “ricochet” is a subset of the common practice of “spin”. However, the “ricochet” not only puts the most favourable face on a given event or issue, it is used to change and shape the narrative entirely.

Over the next few days, I shall compile a fairly rich list of MWR's. However, to wett the appetite and provide an initial sampling, I offer the following examples:

When she speaks it is often best to duck.

• Meed Ward is asked how she can accept and defend the autocratic Strong Mayor powers. She responds that Burlington Council is completely aligned and that she confers with each councillor before exercising a decision under the Act. She then focuses on how harmonious Burlington Council has become.

• Meed Ward is asked whether she had an opportunity to reject Strog Mayor powers. She says “no” then focuses on the housing challenges that Burlington faces and the need for the provincial incentives. She does not address the fact that other mayors have rejected the powers.

• ·Meed Ward is asked about the renovation project for Civic square – why it wasn’t initiated when originally approved and why it has grown so substantially in projected cost. She responds that it will proceed now in order to take advantage of federal and provincial funding. The actual need for the reconstruction and its extent becomes an argument over losing funding from other sources.

• ·When challenged about the degree to which the city has prepared for and addressed the impacts of severe climate change events such as the flooding of August 2014 and July 2024, Meed Ward focuses on the responsibilities of individual homeowners (drain clearing and backvalve use) and the components of future remediation efforts such as enhanced culvert, creek bed and drain inspections. She also emphasizes the unique aspects of the July event such as the 407 berm washouts. Focus is deflected to the Hwy 407 Corporation and the Region.

Much more to follow ....

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