10/18/2026
A recent post by Granville Anderson prompts me to speak out. Something has been troubling me during this campaign.
Granville Anderson and I have been accused of saying that Bowmanville is racist. That is not what we believe, and it is not what we have said.
Acknowledging that discrimination exists in Clarington is not the same as labelling an entire community. No community is immune. Clarington is not defined by a small, vocal minority.
What concerns me is that standing up against discrimination can be turned into a political weapon. Surely, anyone seeking public office should agree that everyone deserves to feel safe, welcome and valued, regardless of their background, creed, who they love or how they identify.
I often use the word “Careington,” an expression attributed to a person experiencing homelessness that I learned about at a Council meeting.
To me, it captures who we are today: a community that cares about people and looks out for its neighbours. There will always be more to do, bridges yet to build, friendships yet to be made, and experiences yet to be shared. Every effort to understand someone whose life may be different from our own brings us closer together.
We can be proud of our community and still work together to live up to our best values. The two are not in conflict.
