Cambridge, Ontario Mayor cuts off woman's mic, summons security to remove her for expressing safety concerns about a universal gender-neutral change-room and bathroom being designed for a new recreation facility in the city.
Janice Fiaschetti is the woman addressing Cambridge, Ontario Mayor Janice Liggett and city councillors. She spoke with The Canadian Independent to share her story. Fiaschetti is a resident of Kitchener, Ontario, which is part of the Waterloo Region, connected to Cambridge and Waterloo.
Fiaschetti says she is a retired teacher who dedicated 30 years to educating students of all grades, including those with special needs. Additionally, she held a position on a collaborative team at Grand River Hospital, working alongside psychiatrists, psychiatric nurses, psychologists, social workers, and child and youth workers. This program provided support for young adults dealing with mental health issues.
During her delegation, Fiaschetti began by questioning the safety of children in these areas. She expressed concerns, saying, "Having these open areas, where a young child or young female may be changing, using the washroom, or showering with men who could potentially be naked or choose not to cover themselves, would not provide a safe environment for them."
She further presented another scenario, asking, "Or what about women who also choose to be uncovered while changing or showering, and there are young males present? What type of situational setup are you proposing?"
Fiaschetti drew attention to the blueprints for the universal bathrooms, change rooms, and showers, highlighting the “grooming change cubicle” areas. According to the blueprints, these cubicles have high walls, a private shower, and lockable doors for privacy. She expressed concerns about the possibility of these “grooming change cubicle” areas enabling opportunistic individuals to have contact with a vulnerable young child.
She continued by saying, "Let us not be naive; our children are exposed to people who do not have their best interests in mind. And now you offer the universal open areas for males, females, and children to change and shower together."
She then attempted to explain the process of grooming children, drawing on her experience with mandatory training during her time as a teacher. However, she was cut off by Mayor Liggett, who summoned security to remove her from the building. After Fiaschetti's microphone was cut off, the gallery erupted in disbelief, and another woman in the audience could be heard yelling at the Mayor and city councillors in the background.
Fiaschetti maintains that she was never escorted from the building or chambers by security. The following day, she discovered that Cambridge Today, a news company owned by Village Media, had published what she says are false allegations about her.
The article implied that Fiaschetti called the Mayor and city councillors “groomers” and was subsequently removed from the chambers by security. She expresses deep embarrassment over reading about herself in Cambridge Today, saying that the reported statements about her calling the Mayor and city councillors “groomers” and being removed by security are entirely untrue.
Fiaschetti plans to issue a legal demand to the media company, requesting retractions. Additionally, she plans to reach out to the Mayor and city councillors to request an apology.
WATCH: Cambridge, Ontario Mayor cuts off woman's mic, summons security for expressing safety concerns about a universal gender-neutral change-room and bathroom in a new recreation facility