Letter

-By John Archie Rankin West Lake Ainslie and Dartmouth

“Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.” That’s us in the situation of The Gaelic College, the board, and its president. Let me explain.

Four years ago (December 2022), I wrote the chair of the Gaelic College board (GCB) expressing my displeasure that their president was splitting our community by wearing two hats in the controversial bid by the Cabot Group to lease the West Mabou Beach Provincial Park (WMBPP). To wit:

I personally have written a number of letters…expressing my disappointment that Rodney MacDonald, as president of the Gaelic College, is involved in a leadership role on this proposal – indeed, wearing two hats in the community, one for Cabot and one for the Gaelic College. He obviously has an influence (as a major employer) on one side of this divisive community issue…

I proceeded to explain, or elaborate, that the Gaelic College board (GCB) would not tolerate the splitting of their communities of St. Ann’s and Baddeck if their president was living in Baddeck and was the lead for the local Bell Bay Golf Club lobbying to use “unused” land at the Alexander Graham Bell Museum property for a practice golf tee or an RV park.

The Chair of the GCB got back to me with the following (in part):

The issue you raise regarding the West Mabou Beach Provincial Park is not within the mandate of the college and as such we will not be making any comment with regards to it.

I replied (again by letter):

To be clear, it is unethical that the president is acting in a leadership role, in our community, on behalf of Cabot whilst, in a concurrent role, president of the Gaelic College on such a very divisive community issue. To treat the Cabot role – for your president – as just another side job which he is entitled to (which you are implying) is, to my eyes, wrong.

Now here we are four years later with the Mabou community again split over the governance of our college. It has the same thread: GCB, the president and some questionable governance. In the former case it was seemingly a GCB-granted carte blanche acquiesce for the president’s actions (wearing two hats in the community); and, in the most recent situation, important decisions seemingly made without proper oversight and governance. Furthermore, in both cases, the president wields a power in the community(s) as a major employer and influencer (you could see this factor in action at the meeting in St. Ann’s the evening of September 8^th last). Thankfully, many of the GCB Foundation members are not led astray by the beguiling actions. There was something in the latter meeting at the Great Hall of the Clans, too, that reminded me of my father when he loaded sheep at the old CNR station in Mabou. The sheep were led into a narrow chute, tagged, and then loaded onto the rail car for the abattoir in Truro.

There’s no excuse for there being questionable governance practices by the GCB. Each time we’ve probed, we’ve found debatable judgement; and this time around we’re not so readily bamboozled – whether it be by the GCB or by the president. Einstein said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” I for one won’t be going to the “Strategic Planning Session” called by the GCB for October 29^th. I’m 75 now and not so easily led. We (GCF members) have asked the questions; we are awaiting the answers.

Thanks again to the Oran for giving us the opportunity to discuss and debate these public issues in this space.