Apologize for curses, Eadie told

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This article was published 30/11/2011 (5437 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Members of city council want Coun. Ross Eadie to apologize for a profanity-laced email rant he sent to fellow politicians.

On Tuesday morning, council’s property committee voted to allow a developer to build a two-storey, side-by-side fourplex at 108 Scotia St., which is in Eadie’s Mynarski ward. Eadie lives on Scotia Street, about seven blocks away from the proposed development. He said the fourplex does not fit with the character of the neighbourhood.

The move overturned a previous decision by the Lord Selkirk-West Kildonan community committee that nixed the project. About 100 community residents signed a petition against the development, and many people — including former mayoral candidate Judy Wasylycia-Leis — voiced their opposition to the project.

Eadie was angered by Tuesday’s decision and reacted by sending an email peppered with F-bombs to members of council’s property committee, which includes Couns. Jeff Browaty (North Kildonan), Mike Pagtakhan (Point Douglas) and Russ Wyatt (Transcona). He also sent the email to Coun. Paula Havixbeck (Charleswood-Tuxedo), who no longer sits on council’s property committee.

The angry outburst stunned councillors, and council Speaker Grant Nordman (St. Charles) called on Eadie to apologize to his colleagues.

In an email, Nordman told Eadie to disagree in a letter laced with profanity is “completely unacceptable.”

Eadie said he apologized to Havixbeck, but he will not apologize to Browaty, Wyatt or Pagtakhan.

“F sharp is used all the time. I didn’t use it in the chambers. There’s nothing the matter with what I said,” Eadie said. “And those three don’t deserve any respect at all.

“I’m just sick. This is why people don’t vote.”

Pagtakhan said in an email statement he feels there is no place for the use of profane language between councillors since they have to work with one another over a four-year term. He said council’s property committee carefully considered the proposed development and voted to give the community the opportunity to approve the final landscaping plan for the project.

Havixbeck said she felt Eadie’s behaviour was unprofessional and disrespectful. However, she said Eadie apologized to her and probably got caught up in the heat of the moment.

“Some days you just have a bad day,” she said.

Eadie’s outburst comes less than two weeks after Manitoba NDP MP Pat Martin came under fire for profanity-laced comments he made on Twitter.

Martin tweeted that “this is a (expletive) disgrace” to protest the Conservatives forcing an end to the debate on a budget-implementation bill. He dropped the F-bomb a second time a few minutes later, after another person tweeted that Martin capitalized the word “Budget” but not “God” in another tweet. “(Expletive) you,” Martin wrote.

Martin did not apologize for his comments and faces no disciplinary action.

 

— with files from Bartley Kives

jen.skerritt@freepress.mb.ca

 

What was said

Here’s a copy of the email Coun. Ross Eadie (Mynarski) sent to members of council’s property committee over a decision they made on Tuesday:

“So this is how people treat someone who is not trying to be the typical politician. This move deeply hurts me.

 “Mike, if you voted for this f—— crap, you are not going to like Community Committee any more. Nobody f—- with my home. I have a definition of density that says no f—— multifamily structures mid block. If this f—— project was at the corner of a feeder street and Scotia, it might be okay with a proper design.

 Rus you are just a f—-a——. Your pal could have made lots of f—— money without this crap. I knew you would pull this s— when you lied to me about Jenny.

 Jeff, how would you feel about pulling this s— on Kildonan Drive? Paula, not sure how you voted, but how would you feel if this crap was pulled on you?

 Ross Eadie