We the undersigned believe that the Mayor of Charlottetown, along with the rest of City Council should move to dismiss Eddie Rice as City Councillor of Ward 1.

Due to an incident on July 13th 2017, Councillor Rice had been issued a stay-away order from Holland College after it was reported that he had forcefully grabbed and uttered threatening remarks to a female employee of the college. The incident and altercation were caught on security tape by Holland College cameras and lasted 7 minutes. 

When CBC PEI questioned Councillor Rice, he stated "I went in, said my say and left the building,…I really don’t know what their thinking is,". This response and dismissal following a police-issued order is contradictory to the facts detailed by Holland College. There is a clear lack of accountability from both Councillor Rice as well as City Hall with regards to this troubling incident. 

This news has been concerning for City Residents as we trust our representatives to act in our interests with both dignity and respect. Charlottetown residents voted for those they believed would represent them fairly and be strong advocates. The constituents of Ward 1 include some of the more vulnerable groups in Charlottetown whose interests and voices need to be heard - how are they to feel safe bringing their concerns to Councilor Rice who has shown a history of disruptive behavior? How are residents to feel comfortable in the coming months when candidates begin door-to-door campaigns, knowing this individual has been issued a stay-away order on the premise of assault and harassment?

We ask that the Mayor of Charlottetown and City Council protect Ward 1 residents and the respectability of their own Council by taking this demonstration of aggression seriously and removing Rice from his post. The City must take a stand against bullying and combative behavior - this cannot be the way Charlottetown is represented to the public. In light of these very serious allegations, the City of Charlottetown should hold Councillor Rice accountable and remove him immediately. The safety of Ward 1 constituents and our reputation as a municipality are at risk.