KITCHENER -- Despite calls from councillors and numerous delegations to step down, the mayor of Wilmot will not do so.
Mayor Les Armstrong read a short prepared statement during a special virtual council meeting on Friday morning.
"I've given this considerable thought and I'm choosing not to resign," he said on video conference.
"Instead, I am determined to show you, through my actions, that sincerity of my apology is genuine, that I can learn to do better, and that I can make amends to the people I have hurt."
He has faced heated criticism after earlier this week he shared a Facebook post with the headline "white lives matter. BLM exposed."
Armstrong added the comment, “Another view. Interesting.” The post has since been removed.
He started Friday's meeting reading the same apology he read to regional council on Wednesday night.
The meeting was emotional at times, with delegates and some Wilmot councillors saying that the mayor's apology is not enough.
They've called for concrete action instead.
The controversy surrounding the Sir John A. MacDonald statue on the Prime Ministers Walk, which has had red paint poured on it multiple times this week, was also brought up during the meeting on Friday morning.
MacDonald and his likeness have come under fire over his role in creating residential schools in Canada.
At the special meeting on Friday, a few people said that Armstrong's political legacy could include having the statue removed.
