With the upcoming "See Me, Hear Me mayor's summit" just over two months away, some residents are showing their displeasure with the choice of keynote speaker.
Michael Shellenberger, a controversial US-based author and "anti-woke" blogger whose opinions range from climate change denial to support for conversion therapy, has been selected to speak at the "summit" about families seeking better mental health and addictions support.
In response to learning about the event, Cambridge resident Donna Main has created a petition to encourage organizers to cancel Shellenberger's invitation to speak.
To date, it's been signed by 245 people.
"I decided to start this petition because I don't believe that Michael Shellenberger is qualified to speak, never mind be the keynote speaker, at a mental health summit," Main said.
"Shellenberger has an anthropology degree. He has zero credentials to make him an expert in mental health."
The paid event is touted by the mayor's office as providing "a platform by giving voice to and for the families and individuals, through legal, health, and grief professionals to discuss the shortcomings of Ontario’s mental health and addictions treatment system."
Shellenberger is the author of the book San Fransicko: Why Progressives Ruin Cities, which the mayor gave to councillors the night of her inauguration in 2022. The book covers a range of topics about the city and blames its homelessness, mental illness and addiction issues on a "woke agenda."
The event has yet to be advertised on any city run social media platforms and Ward 7 councillor Scott Hamilton said the invitation in his inbox was the first he'd heard of the summit, which is scheduled for April 25 and 26 at the Islamic Centre of Cambridge.
Other councillors have also said they hadn't been involved in the organizing process.
"I was told that ticket sales would cover his costs," Main said of the response she received when she contacted the city.
"How exactly would that happen if it's not advertised? Are invited people expected to buy a ticket?"
It's unclear how much Shellenberger is being paid to appear virtually and who is on the hook for the bill.
The mayor responded to the petition late Tuesday afternoon, saying it doesn't reflect the nature of the event.
Over the last few weeks, Liggett has responded to the controversy through the Office of the Mayor Facebook account to explain she expects speakers' fees and other costs to host the event will be covered entirely by donations and sales of $50 tickets to attend the two-day summit.
She told CambridgeToday all speakers at the event will be told to stick to narrow parameters and to share their personal experiences.
"Award-winning journalist, Michael Shellenberger, isn't attending the summit to have input into policy decisions, he's attending to speak about his experience with families affected by the mental health and addiction crisis," Liggett said.
"The summit is about the family’s needs and the meaningful solutions they have been asking successive governments for. Families have been blamed as the cause of their loved one’s trauma, often being labelled as the perpetrators when in reality they are the victims."
She also questioned the petition and the description within it.
"The write-up of the petition doesn’t outline the intent of the summit and it spreads misinformation," Liggett said.
"Petitions like this have little merit."