This week's perspective from Bob Reid: I have previously been critical of the Occupy Toronto movement for its lack of a clear message, objective or call to action (aside from setting up camp in a downtown park and messing up streetcar traffic through the financial district from time to time). Let me also call a communications Fumble on City Hall for failing to set and manage an expectation at the outset of the movement: namely, that the tents in St. James’ Park wouldn’t be permitted to remain forever. Because guess what: now they’re busy winterizing. I understand – and agree with – the administration’s original strategy of sending messages of tolerance and non-confrontation to the demonstrators when they first gathered; it would have been foolish in post G-20 Toronto to have done otherwise. But what was missing was any indication that the city’s leadership would not tolerate the park squat indefinitely. Now that Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday and others are beginning to make noises to that effect, it’s being viewed as a change in attitude – and it will be (at least rhetorically) that much more difficult to bring about a tidy resolution to the occupation. Getting the communications right at the outset would have gone a long way to mitigate that.
Bob Reid has been a journalist and media advisor to a former Ontario Premier. He is now Veritas' principal media coach.
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