Most of Council Will Not Attend Public Meeting on Final Core Review Report
Monday, October 29, 2012 @ 7:23 PM
Prince George, B.C.- Efforts to have members of Prince George City Council attend a public meeting to hear from residents in the City on the final Core Review report have fallen flat.
The final report is to be presented to the Core Review Committee this Friday. A meeting organized by the Stand Up for the North Committee, CUPE locals 1048 and 399 ,
While Janet Bigelow of CUPE Local 1048 says the public meeting is an opportunity for members of Council to hear how residents feel they will be impacted by the final recommendations in the Core Review report, most members of Council said they would not attend. Bigelow says it is not a lobbying session, it is not a debate.
But there is an issue about having 5 members of Council attending one meeting. That would mean there would be a quorum and therefore be constituted as a Council meeting. “I look forward to having that debate in these Council Chambers” says Councillor Murry Krause “because that is where I think the debate needs to happen.” For that reason, he said he would not be attending the planned public conversation.
Councillor Cameron Stolz said he would not attend the public meeting “To think that some people are trying to make political hay out of this, is reprehensible” He went on to say that the effort to hold such a meeting is “misguided at best.”
Councillor Koehler said he didn’t think he needed another meeting, and would not attend.
Ms. Bigelow told Council “This is not a lobbying effort, it is not the union, it has everything to with the residents of Prince George” she said the taxpayers deserve to have a say on the final recommendations once those recommendations have been finalized “There needs to be an opportunity for people to speak once the final report is out.”
The Mayor did not agree “For me, the community conversation around the opportunities has already occurred” said Mayor Green. While she made it clear she will not be attending the public forum, she said she would be interested in receiving any feedback from the meeting, for instance, if the meeting was videotaped, she would be interested in receiving and viewing that material.
Councillors Garth Frizzell and Brian Skakun say they will attend the meeting which has been set for November 13th at CNC.
Comments
So Cameron Stolz feels that Councilors Skakun and Frizzel’s attendance at this meeting would be “reprehensible” and the organizers are “misguided”.
After Stolz’s speach about the China trip last week, I don’t think he is in any position to be calling others misguided.
I meant speech.
Blah, Blah, Blah…
Pretty obvious that most of council will not attend, with the exception of Brian no one on council cares what the citizens of Prince George think.
The unions must be spending a fair bit of their battle money organizing this meeting and then flying the guy in from Toronto to talk.
Mr Stoltz finds it reprehensible that the public may want to respectfully talk about what they got for $350,000 dollars. Mr Stoltz and the rest of council may need to take a moment and really think about who they represent.
Refusing to attend a community conversation about the final recommendations of the Core Review is the best example of being misguided that I ever heard. And to add insult to injury, Mr Krause’s excuse of having 5 Councillors attending a community meeting would constitute a quorum, and have to be viewed as a Council Meeting! Come on Murray; that statement is going to haunt your social conscience for a long long time. That is not the Murray Krause I voted for. I could not be more disappointed in my elected officials. Community Consultation, has now turned clearly into Community Insult-ation. Shame Shame Shame.
raresense…
the final recommendations are being presented to council….in the proper forum, where ‘everyone” is invited to attend…called council meetings…I have seen both Krause and Stoltz at many meetings, even with kids in tow….IMO I think they attend enough meetings……this process is just about to start…..not finish!!!
Again it appears that most of council has no interest in hearing what the taxpayers have to say. IMO Green continues to show her arrogance by saying she wont attend but hey, if you send me a video…. The dyke, BBK, Haldi road, trip to China, the list continues.
To think this meeting will be anything but union biased BS is naive. Most of council can spot the obvious in this case.
Runner46.
I agree with you that the recommendations are being presented to council and yes that is the forum to be at. However, if the same 100+ people who attended to hear about Toronto’s experience with a KPMG Core Review and anyone else who may be the least bit concerned about our future shows up, then Council Chambers may not be the right venue. I have complete confidence that Mayor Green will permit everyone an opportunity to ask their questions and present their concerns. Not!!!!
dow7500
Union biased BS, Please don’t ever ask anyone to represent you when someone is giving you the stick. Stand alone and suffer, or unite as a community and be strong. You have obviously made your choice. Good luck with that!
Cameron Stoltz lost all my respect through his sheer arrogance when he was running for office in refusing to even return calls when I was trying to contact him for views prior to the election.
He has done zip since that time to earn any of it back.
Mayor and Council’s excuse does not make any sense. If the case law stated you couldn’t have a certain number of councilors in a room at the same time which could be considered a “council meeting” then why didn’t they accept to have half there at one time and the other half after that? Perhaps they just don’t care to hear what the residents would like to speak to them about. A moderator would have kept the meeting neutral and respectful. Excuse after excuse and the ongoing lip service is the trend in this council.
I came across this video getting passed around. http://youtu.be/0jGtRrx8TUw
Hiring KPMG for $350,000 was a mistake and conducting the core review in this fashion was wrong.
It just shows how little they care, once elected. The cares and concerns of the citizens that elected these morons don’t mean a thing! How dare we question the wisdom of these self important little rulers of the kingdom. They strut about, ignoring the wishes and desires of the peaseants they rule over and then when there is an opportunity for the people to be heard, they choose to ignore us! Send them to china, I say!
Im not the least surprised that the Mayor and most of Council will not attend.
This was apparent when the Unions, and others asked the Mayor and Council to set up a public meeting where the public could have more input, and they refused. It was after this refusal that the decision was made to go ahead with a meeting whether the Mayor or Council attended or not.
I attended the different meetings hosted by KPMG, and they were not very will run, and they did not seem to give a **hoot** what people had to say. I got the impression that this was just a process, and that most decisions had already been made.
In addition. There were a number of Councillors at the KPMG meetings plus the Mayor. I didnt see all the people in attendence however I did see the Mayor and a number of Councillors. Were there five in total? If so then would this be construed as a Council meeting?? If so where are the minutes, etc; Five Councillors having their own meeting might and probably does constitute a Council meeting, however five councillors attending a meeting put on by the public, in my opinion would not.
People can attend this meeting and express thier views on Nov 13th in an open forum. Im sure that the media will be in attendence, and that the message on how people feel will get expressed with or without the attendence of Council.
All these gripes and others will be forgotten a month before the next civic election and these ninnies will be re-elected. It’s the way it works, folks. Don’t believe me? Just wait. Oh yeah, don’t forget. There’s the rub.
“Send them to china, I say!” and if possible with work visas. When they have accomplished enough to make their trip worthwhile to this region and city, then allow them to come home.
Let our fine citizenry decide what that is.
Wonder how long that would take?
I wonder if 5 Councillors attending a commemorative service on Nov 11 or other similar events constitutes a Council meeting.
How about civic events, such as volunteer dinner. They would have to be careful attending ANY meeting or event.
When the Smart Growth on the Ground meeting occurred … or MyPG … etc. etc. did anyone notice whether there were more than 4 members of Council present”.
BTW, I have seen more than 4 council members sitting around a table at a pub …..
Also, I am not at all surprised that Council doe not have a clue of what the next steps are in the process after they are handed the report by KPMG. They are linear thinkers. It would be inconceivable for them to determine the process scenario of how to “move forward”, as newspeak calls it, after the report, after all, the two or three likely scenarios are so difficult to predict, it would take many rocket scientists many centuries to figure out.
But there is this one guy on top of a mountain in China who is a real whiz at such things … ;-)
And if they could get 5 Council members to travel to China, they could have a perpetual meeting.
BTW, how many Council members went to UBCM? …. LOL
Quorum comment is one of the dumbest things I have ever heard come out of a member of council. According to Robert’s rules of order the basic structure of a meeting is as follows:
“Organizations using parliamentary procedure usually follow a fixed order of business. Below is a typical example:
Call to order.
–> Roll call of members present.
Organizations using parliamentary procedure usually follow a fixed order of business. Below is a typical example:
Call to order.
Roll call of members present.
Reading of minutes of last meeting.
Officers reports.
Committee reports.
Special orders — Important business previously designated for consideration at this meeting.
Call to order.
Roll call of members present.
Reading of minutes of last meeting.
Officers reports.
Committee reports.
Special orders — Important business previously designated for consideration at this meeting.
Unfinished business.
New business.
Announcements.
Adjournment.
And call to order does not mean a round of wobbly pops in the pub although if them being pie-eyed might explain some of the decisions that they have made.
That being said the last meeting by Bigelow and crew was nothing more than a union bitch session and I see no reason why this one will be any different.
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last half of post was cut off?
Lonesome Sparrow.
This meeting will be different if you and others were to attend, and get your chance on the microphone to express your opinion.
Thats what is needed here, more of the public than just the Unions, Firemen, etc; We need people from various walks of life who are going to be effected by less service, and an increase in taxes, etc;
Go to the meeting a make your point.
If I read stolz’s response to the invite correctly then at least he wasn’t hiding his political views. He appears to have no time for the people who work for a living or those who don’t agree with his view of the world. Oh well at least he doesn’t hide his ideology.
As Gus noted above, the argument that they can’t attend if five show us is silly. Do they ever go out for dinner together? Attend a fund raising event together? Of course they do and to use that as an excuse not to show up is lame.
I also checked out the link “Allears” provided above http://youtu.be/0jGtRrx8TUw It is a little bias but interesting. It makes it look like this core review is nothing more than a tool to serve a specific political agenda. Too bad they didn’t let us know of their plan a year ago.
Thank goodness I am heading south for the winter.
I am not sure if my concern has anything to do with the core review but in the area of town I live in seems to be getting all the social housing and I have to wonder about that. The Government has just bought Village Towers on 20th for low Income Singles and Families and I do not have a problem with that as long as they don’t let it turn into a slum. Who is going to be managing it??Who have they got in mind to rent the units to ??Will the Needle Van still be delivering to the Apt. If that’s the case how is that a good place for children to live ?? We will be going to the meeting.
Allears,
Great Video. Thanks for sharing….
I also have to wonder why our local and provincial Governments and getting into the Real Estate Business??Is this a good investment for our TAX DOLLARS ??
I say lets trade..we send our mayor and council to,china to work in their mines to get experience and we get a bunch of miners to run our city.. Worst part is I think we are getting the better deal :)
“I do not have a problem with that as long as they don’t let it turn into a slum”
I am not sure what you are trying to say. I thought that it had turned into a slum over the years. The purchase by BC Housing, in my mind, gives it a new chance for non-slum low income housing with proper upgrades and a reasonable quality building manager put in place.
I think if you check out most BC Housing projects across the province you will find a credible organization.
“I also have to wonder why our local and provincial Governments and getting into the Real Estate Business”
Obviously you have never heard of BC Housing. They are all over the province including PG, and have been for a long time.
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