Trying to rein in the out-of-control public sector unions driving the agenda at City Hall isn’t ‘playing cute’ Comrade Ewart. It’s responsible civic management on behalf of taxpayers.

There’s a reason why the unions are concerned about the outcome of the Core Review, and have created the illusion that the Review is ‘controversial’.
It’s not controversial at all – cut the deadwood and get this City back on to a sustainable financial footing.

Must have been another sale on quotation marks “””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””

“Trying to rein in the out-of-control public sector unions driving the agenda at City Hall isn’t ‘playing cute'”

No, it is being plain stupid.

Prince George is not an island. We reside in BC and BC resides in Canada. If one wants to do something about compensation at City Hall then one had better start working with other cities, provinces and the country, otherwise no one will come to work in PG.

When I came here is 1973, people were still getting a premium for taking a job here rather than the south, much the same as people in Yellowknife receive higher pay for work there for similar work in the south.

We alredy have probems in attracting quality people to this community. Great idea to put in a system to make it worse.

The core review process is flawed for many reasons, the first of which is that those who are conducting it are not even willing to include their qualifications to do the job and the City backs that position up.

Talk about freedom of information and the lack thereof in this community!

!!!!!!

Those are a dime a dozen.

I only had 5 cents.

This is not the first article posted by Peter where he questions the validity of something by peppering the whole thing with quotation marks.

If he is truly a “columnist and writer”(see what I did there;) he should be able to get his point across in the text, backing his arguments by facts not punctuation.

“Trying to rein in the out-of-control public sector unions driving the agenda at City Hall isn’t ‘playing cute’ Comrade Ewart..”

Oh STOP, by sides hurt from laughing. Also, love the passive aggressive Communist dig.

“the passive aggressive Communist dig”

Exactly!

I think most of us know that the term is “brother” not “comrade”. :-)

It’s of course just my opinion, but I think you’re giving the schedulers far too much savvy credit.

Does Peter Ewart even live here, get a life!

This is an silly attempt to bring attention to his issue.

The core review meeting is when it is because of UBCM and the fact that the municipal folks are away. How arrogant to think that everyones meetings should revolve around the schedule “you” think it should.

Silly Peter, peddle your smut in some other town!

Rocky, why don’t you enlighten us as to what you mean by out of control public unions. Include how your particular knowledge of how they are out of control.

It will be interesting to see if this great Core Reveiw has any ideas on how to save some **real** money.

Cutting some jobs (hopefully management and union) will of course come up with some savings, however not enough to make a significant difference.

We need to **stop** the culture of Capital Projects,and Borrowing money. This would allow us to reduce our debt., which in turn would make more money available for real projects, that we need, like, water, sewer, roads, garbage, etc;

We should not get sidetracked by a bunch of hoopla about reducing staff, and privatizing some buildings.

All the problems that the City of Prince George has, is a result of the City Administration, and the politicians over the years, not giving a fiddlers damn about spending or borrowing.

A huge portion of our problems can be laid at the feet of ex Mayor Colin Kinsley. He was confused over the years, and thought that he was **Diamond Jim Brady** the multi millionare.

I wrote many articles, and raised as much hell over the years about what was taking place as I could, and for the most part, was considered to bd nothing more than an irate taxpayer, who was negative.

Well the chickens are coming home to roost, and the piper wants to be paid. Anyone who thinks we are going to come out of this without some serious changes in how we do business, is living in a dream world.

I am not prepared to let the City continue to raise my taxes to pay for their failure to run a fiscally responsible City. Raising taxes (especially for lower income, and fixed income people and seniors) is a non-starter.

The easiest solution to these problems for the City is to raise taxes, because this allows them a few more years on mis-management, and only requires a vote at a Council meeting.

Facing up to the *real* problems in this City, the *real* cost of addressing the problems, and coming up with some **real** solutions is what we require. We pay our City staff millions of dollars to do the job correctly and its about time we started to get a **bang** for our buck.

If the City trys to go the Private, Public, Partnership route on infrastructure there will be hell to pay in this town. 3p’s are a con job, that allows the Governments to have projects built by the private sector, and then billed back to taxpayers, while at the same time reduce some of the debt for the City, so they can borrow more money.

The City of Prince George (and other cities) need to grow up, and become responsible.

Quit robbing the taxpayer to make other people rich. Get the hell off our backs.

Our infrastructure deficit is somewhere between $171 Million and $350 Million, and we havent heard a bloody word from the Mayor and Council on how they are going to deal with this issue. Why????

‘Rocky, why don’t you enlighten us as to what you mean by out of control public unions. Include how your particular knowledge of how they are out of control.’

An excellent example can be seen on the west sidewalk adjacent to University Way. About 6 weeks ago, in the height of the summer heat, a number of concrete sidewalk slabs buckled.

The first week after it happened, some traffic cones appeared. The second week, some coloured flagging tape. The third week, somebody had broken up the damaged slabs. The fourth week, someone removed the concrete rubble. The fifth week, there were some Mickey Mouse concrete forms up. The sixth week, a little bit of concrete had been placed adjacent to the holes in the ground. That’s where is sits now, waiting for those hard-working City employees to come finish the job.

Work that would have taken any self-respecting private contractor about 3 days to fix has dragged into 6 weeks (and counting). How many trips up and down the hill have those City employees made, back and forth to the Tim Hortons on 15th?

The inefficiency of our ‘public service’ is breathtaking, and we’re the ones paying the bills. The more enlightened of us taxpayers have said ‘enough is enough – get those lazy workers off the public payroll and see how well they fare in the real world.’

Brian Skakun supports fluoride…..

Never thought I’d see the day when I’d defend city employees, but then, I’d never met anyone who worked for the city before last week so I’ve never heard their side of things.

Here’s a different look at how the same timeline might have happened.

First week – slabs buckled – do we quit filling potholes boss?

No, we’ll get crap for that, put up some cones.

Second week – got a call from someone who didn’t see the cones and tripped. Should we quit filling potholes and fix it, boss?

No, we’ll get crap for that. Mark it better.

Third week – hey, Bob and Fred are back from holidays, you guys break up the slabs.

Fourth week – Julies off maternity leave, get her to remove the rubble while we continue filling potholes.

Fifth week – hey,we’re catching up on the potholes, but we don’t have a budget for concrete – what do we do, boss?

Sneak some in from a different project.

Week six – Boss, it’s really Mickey Mouse what we’ve done there. Sure we can’t get some concrete.

No. Councillors need to go to UBCM convention – no money for concrete.

A private contractor would have done it in three days – if the money was there. I don’t think it’s fair to blame the city employees. Unfortunately they are tasked with much, they have 75,000 or so bosses, and play a game of helter skelter as they react to all that happens.

Do they get paid well – yes, I think they do. But calling them lazy – that’s a bit much. You’d be surprised how much pride they take in their job, their city, and demoralizing them isn’t going to make them pick up their game, if anything, it’ll do the opposite.

And I’ve worked plenty in the real world – both union, non union – blue collar, white collar – and I find laziness everywhere. The one constant I’ve noticed, is good management, produces good workers, and poor management, poor workers. Even with a union, it’s possible to have a motivated workforce. And I don’t work for the city.

The core review is simply about privatization of public assets. That is all it is and all it ever was. Peter is right to bring attention to the fact that they would like to do this with the least amount of scrutiny as they could and changing the schedule is all part and parcel of the game that is being played.

The Enbridge issue is of concern to a lot of people here. It isn’t just Peter Ewart’s personal interest. Whether it is through inadvertence or malice, scheduling the core review to conflict with Enbridge meeting is a very bad idea.

I predict that the price of tinfoil is about to rise sharply.

‘The core review is simply about privatization of public assets’

No it’s not. It’s about (partly) the privatization of public operations. In other words, getting the right kind of workforce to do the work efficiently and cost-effectively.

If a private contractor had bid that measily sidewalk job on University Way, they would have planned it properly, done it efficiently then moved on to the next project because their motivation is driven by the bottom line of the company they work for.

There’s nothing wrong with being efficient and cost effective, especially when taxpayers are footing the bill.

I’m afraid I have to agree with ski50. If you look at the way work is scheduled for the city employees, it is the inefficient management that produces the least amount of production for the most hours paid out. I don’t blame the city employees. They are only doing what they are told to do. Someone up above has to take the responsibilty for that.

The fact that the city decided to have a core review at all, speaks volumes. To run an organisation like this and not be able to see, where excesses can and should be cut to improve services without increasing taxes, by the people doing the administration of it all, is without a doubt the biggest inefficiency of it all.

Born and raised in Prince George and now in my mid fifties, I must say that every time I needed the City of Prince George to help me with something, they were always there and always did an excellent job. Every City worker that I have known took pride in their work. Are all excellent workers, probably not, no different then in any line of work be it private or public, you always have your good workers along with you bad workers! No I do not work and did not work for the City of Prince George!

Some on this site would say that privation is the answer. Lay off the City workers and replace them with contractors. Which contractors? Friends of the current Mayor? Maybe that’s the real motive behind this “Core Review” – Take a good look at the Operation and see whose buddy can pick up some lucrative contracts!

Private contractors will only cost the City more in the end. Case in point – many of the roads built in College Heights were done by private contractors, when the roads failed because the contractors didn’t know what they were doing, or were being too cheap, (you know a guy has to make a profit…right) guess who had to repair them roads…you guessed it, the City of Prince George!

Rocky, you crack me up!! Getting the right workforce to do the job..HAHAHA. Yea the right workforce, a fly by night company or let’s call it the lowest bidder, that
I’m sure pays their people close to minimum wage is going to do a great job. Wake up.

Yes, governments are well known as models of effectiveness and efficiency the world over. (sarcasm).

People criticise the municipal government and how we’re not getting our tax dollars worth and then on the other hand defend the city workers, and how they are the only ones who could possibly do the job. Hmmm…

“An excellent example can be seen on the west sidewalk adjacent to University Way. About 6 weeks ago, in the height of the summer heat, a number of concrete sidewalk slabs buckled.”

How sure are you that they buckled due to the so called heat.

There are manholes in that sidewalk since there is a gravity feed storm water system with a 300mm line running along the sidewalk. There would be an electrical feed to the street lights here as well.

The stormwater system picks up water on the west side and dumps it below he street level on the east side of the hill from the looks of it.

I am certainly not sure, but I suspect there might be a problem with some of the underground services. There are expansive soils on that hill and any kind of water leak can create results with unknown origins.

That is the main problem with CH roads.

In either case, it would be nice to know what is going on. It is our City, after all.

As far as wait times to get work done. That is pretty normal in this day of specialization. There are labourers an there are umpteen trades people. Getting them all to work in sequence is a scheduling nightmare.

If you have to cross a busy road (the recent Victoria situation) and shut down time is 36 hours for a road closure, then everything runs like clockwork much of the time. At other times it is not as important, so it is a low priority situation and things will wait. It will look terrible to the casual layman observer, but who cares.

If someone at the City does care, then inform the public of the work taking place and how it will take place.

Well said Number4 and Cheetos yes, you are bang on in many respects. There are MANY instances where contract work had to be re-done by City crews because a PROFIT MARGIN replaces remuneration for employees/quality control and in fact, IMO, surpasses it. Not to mention things such as snow removal and lovely parks are SERVICES and not expected to turn a profit.

Palopu, I don’t want to pay taxes unduly any more than the next guy; however, I think there will be no option but to raise taxes till we can get caught up. For many of the reasons you have illustrated over time, such that we have built what we neither need immediately nor can afford, we are too far gone IMO. Getting us back on track will require a multi pronged approach of raised taxes and restructuring of priorities; an exercise that does not have to include the ole’ usual method of cutting more decent paying, middle class supporting jobs in this city.

Be prepared for a drag out fight if this is the case. I do not work for the City or for a union. However, that does not stop me from educating myself to see the bigger picture.

One needs only to look at the Provincial Government to see how insane, and stupid we are.

1. Pat Bell announces funding for a $32 Million dollar Wood Innovation Centre, with another $8 Million more or less to fund the University to utilize the building. So lets say an expenditure of $40 Million. I would suggest that 90 to 95% of the taxpayers in Prince George never asked for, nor do they actually want this building.

2. The next day after Bell’s announcement De Jong the new Finance Ministe states the BC has a deficit of $1.5 Billion, and a budget shortfall at this point in time of approx $175 Million, and will therefore have to downsize the Government, restrict salary increases, and find other areas to reduce costs.

Sooooo. Lets deep six the Wood Innovation Building and save $40 Million. Thats a no brainer. There are many other areas where money is being wasted that need to be cancelled. Not the least of which is the huge waste on twinning 97 South to Cache Creek. Traffic on this stretch of road has decreased (my guess) by about 25%in the past 10/15 years.

I am prepared to pay some increases in taxes if the City can show without any **smoke and mirrors** where and how this money will be spent. Just giving it to the City without any strings no longer works. We could end up with another Dike, or perhaps funding some buildings at the ill fated Boundry Road Industrial Park.

We need accountability to go along with tax increases. The days of the open wallet are over.

In regard to substandard contract work, if projects do not meet the specifications of the contract then someone else at city hall dropped the ball for not holding the contractor accountable, or the proper safeguards were not written into the contract.

Any major contract will require the winning bidder to post a performance bond to cover any deficiencies and or substandard work.

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I too wondered about the damage around the manholes and what popped into my mind was the problems with slippage when the road was built(get it done the queen is coming). If movement is again occurring one would think it would show up first in a big steel pipe that runs the length of the hill.