Arkell resident who has continually butted heads with Puslinch council and staff says he's going to keep fighting for what he believes is right PUSLINCH – Every municipality seems to have its community watchdog and Puslinch is no exception. But what happens when that watchdog is sometimes seen as more of a relentless pit bull that just won't take no for an answer? Arkell resident Bruce Taylor said he was shocked when he received a cease and desist letter from the Township of Puslinch last October ordering him to stop trying to influence a safety study for Arkell's Boreham Park or face legal repercussions. It was an unusual step for any municipality, but after several battles with the 73-year-old retired psychotherapist and professor, it's a step the municipality felt was called for after Taylor handed the township's outside consultant 174 pages of printed material related to his latest beef. The next day he sent the same materials to the consultant's company by courier. It appears to have been the final straw for the small township. The cease and desist told Taylor to stop all direct or indirect efforts to "actively communicate" with the project consultants as the township believes his conduct is "attempting to prejudice" the process by prompting the consultants "in an effort to promote a proposed solution." The letter goes on to say that if Taylor wanted "greater certainty," he could've provided further input in a delegation to council when the safety study was completed. "If you fail to comply with these demands, our office will be seeking instructions to pursue all legal remedies," warned the letter. "We sincerely hope that litigation will not be necessary, but if we are forced to proceed with a claim and motion for an injunction, we will rely on this letter as evidence of your unreasonableness in seeking substantial indemnity costs." Taylor remains unfazed. He says he has plenty of proof to support his claim. "My mother taught me one thing: always finish what you've started," said Taylor during a lengthy interview. "Now what happens to most neighbourhood associations? They wear out. Not a chance here. There's nothing more important than children's health and safety." A self-proclaimed academic, Taylor said he wasn't trying to interfere with the study so much as share some of the information he has collected over the years to help consultants understand why a culvert is needed at Boreham Park to protect children from falling into its ditches and being exposed to stormwater pathogens. Taylor believes the cease and desist letter violates his freedom of expression under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and verges on censorship. The Township of Puslinch said they have no comment. "The problem here, I don't even know if I've figured it out," said Taylor. "This is more of a personal issue between the mayor and the people and his stubbornness is costing the township a lot of money. His singular focus on drainage rather than children's health and safety is crazy." The main voice of the neighbourhood group Boreham Park Committee of the Concerned Citizens of Puslinch, which has over 100 members, Taylor said the committee has continued to support him throughout the battle with the township; some even believe he's "too polite" and declared the group "won't be silenced." "We're in constant contact. We all agree that research and contacting health and safety, and parks experts, including sending them photos of the drainage ditches on the side of the playground area, is the best approach," said Taylor. "We're professionals of so many professions. We know what is good management of our taxes and what is not." The most recent battle is just the latest in a long list of battles Taylor has had with the township and its mayor James Seeley. Some of them played out in council chambers. He has irritated staff. Angered the mayor. Bombarded the media. An Arkell resident for almost six years, Taylor has delegated about a range of issues, from speeding and train noise in the Arkell area to several Boreham Park-related concerns about a drainage ditch, potentially poisonous plants and lack of consultation on the previous projects. At one point last year, Taylor's concerns included the dangers pregnant women might encounter if they were to fall into the drainage ditch and accidentally drink the water. Last March, Seeley publicly accused Taylor of having "a personal vendetta" against Puslinch council and Boreham Park after Taylor and another member of the committee asked council to reconsider installing a culvert and accused the mayor of not caring about children's safety. His activism didn't start with a small Arkell park. Taylor's lived in over 10 countries as a senior representative of the International Red Cross, Mennonite Central Committee, and other organizations as a consultant, in famines and civil war crises in Africa, Asia, and Latin America - many of which he says involved ensuring the health and safety of children. In 2000, when Taylor worked as a high school teacher in Orangeville, he fought back against the local council's decision to install Old Testament scripture on banners lining Main Street because "it just wasn't right." While council eventually sided with the ministerial association against “little Bruce," the township solicitor overruled their decision based on Taylor's argument and the banners were never installed. Given three days to sign the recent cease and desist letter from Puslinch, Taylor said he signed the document under protest, stating it was not an admission of wrongdoing but an effort to avoid litigation. "It's not about the money; it's the time, the hundreds of hours that you spend on this type of thing," said Taylor. "All they had to do was send me an email saying 'Mr. Taylor, if you don't stop ... we're going to take you to court,' I would've pulled back because ... I've got other things in my life." When asked why he's kept after the township in what some have called a drain on township money and staff time, Taylor said "there's nothing more important than children's health and safety." "You have to look at where the waste originates and it originates with the mayor, not me," said Taylor. "If they didn't plant poisonous yew plants, it wouldn't have cost them $1,500 to remove them. If they had done a proper engineering study of the park, it wouldn't have cost them another $5,000 to do the safety study." Looking to the future, Taylor said he and the committee see Boreham Park as an election issue and he'll be doing "everything possible" to get Seeley "unelected," saying the mayor "doesn't know how to work with people" and "heavy-handed isn't a strong enough word" to describe him. He plans on delegating again when the safety study comes back to council for review later this year. If necessary, Taylor said he will challenge the cease and desist in court. The committee is also considering making a complaint to the township's Integrity Commissioner and the Ombudsman of Ontario. In an email to GuelphToday, Seeley said Taylor has the right to his own opinions. "I look forward to the election in 2026 and will accept the choice of the voters in Puslinch," said Seeley. Isabel Buckmaster is the Local Journalism Initiative reporter for GuelphToday. LJI is a federally-funded program.