When Does A Citizen Have The Right To Question
An effort by a city resident to have the city look at the snow removal on Ospika Boulevard to ensure the safety of her daughter, has been met with a startling response from Mayor Shari Green.
Joanne Garbutt has a daughter who is in grade two, and who must cross Ospika in the dark during the winter in order to catch her school bus. Garbutt is concerned the condition of the road is such that her daughter is at risk of slipping and falling on the major roadway, and runs the risk of being hit by a vehicle. Garbutt asked that the Mayor revisit the changes that have been made with respect to snow removal.
That would seem to be a reasonable request, but what she received back was anything but.
The mayor in her reply says "It's been a record snowpack, we're at 150% of normal" writes the Mayor. That is not correct. According to the River Forecast Centre, the snowpack in the Nachako Basin was 59% of normal and the snowpack in the Upper Fraser region is at 151% of normal as of January 1st.
As for snowfall, Environment Canada advises the City of Prince George received 75 centimeters of snow in December. That is well above the average for December which is 48 centimeters. For your information Madam Mayor that equates to about 64% more than normal and a hell of a long way off from 150%. So far, January is on track for an average January snowfall.
In a 4th e-mail the Mayor suggests that there has been some unrealistic expectations by some and then further on the Mayor comments "did work crews do their best?, Well you would have to ask the Union President that, now that the contract is settled, their work seems to have improved. I would hate to think they used job action to receive a wage increase and put road safety in jeopardy to do it" What that tries to suggest is left to the imagination of the reader.
Finally Garbutt writes "I am unsure what exactly I did to deserve such a confrontational adversarial toned e- mail from you" and then requests the mayor "please do not respond to me again".
The final say however comes from Mayor Green who writes "when you start an e-mail "with all due respect" and suggest I'm somehow misinformed, it's going to get a reply, I stand by both of my e-mails. I gave you correct information". "I'm sorry you don't want to receive it for what it is ".
If you accept Environment Canada's figures, which I do, the first observation is wrong Ms. Green and an apology to Ms Garbutt is in order.
The City's Outside workers should also get an apology. City workers have children too, and to even hint they would put the public, and their own children at risk for the sake of a wage hike will do nothing to heal the wounds created during a bitter contract dispute that ended just a week ago.
CUPE Local 399 President Gary Campbell says the suggestion is "nonsense, we would never do that. The roads are in the shape they are in because of cutbacks. We don't have as much machinery, and we don't have enough personnel to put in the seats of the machinery we have." Campbell adds that with less contract equipment available, it was virtually impossible to keep up with the snowfall "The condition of the roads is by no means the fault of the unionized workers."
There are many questions to be answered about snow removal this year, for example why the city sold the old snow blower and is using loaders instead, but those are for another date.
Holding the highest political office in the city comes with praise and criticism as well, the question by Ms Garbutt never was never fully answered, and that should have been the first interest, afterall, a child's safety is at the core of the request.
I'm Meisner and that's one man's opinion.
Editors note; The city used to have two snow blowers but they sold the old one, sorry for any confusion.
Comments
We no longer have a snowblower? That is totally idiotic!!!!!
BTW, a citizen not only has a right to question, but the duty to question. There is obviously no one else watching out for the interest of the masses.
Does anyone want to guess who actually wrote the Mayor’s letter for her signature?
“Snowpack”? Does the illustrious mayor know that is typically used to describe the amount of snow sitting in the mountains hundreds of KM’s away from PG, snow that will only have a potential impact during spring runoff? Does she think some snow fairy has taken snow from the McGregor Mountains and strategically placed it onto Ospika or Foothills?
What a huge disappointment Sherri Green has been. After the last couple Mayors our city is further in debt, services are worse and complaints to city are mostly ignored or challenged. Yeah way to go City Hall. Everyone laughed when Eugene Fetterly wanted to be Mayor but I think he would have done a way better job than what we’ve seen in the past. His no BS attitude would have taken us further than Sherri Greens trips to China or Dan Rogers over priced, unaffordable 39 million dollar cop shop. If Eugene Fetterly runs next time I will definitely vote for him and hope he kicks some serious butt at City Hall.
If 48 is normal 100% of normal now fall would be 48. 75 is not 150% of normal it’s actually over 160%.
75 is actually 56% more than 48.
It would appear to me that the mayor has issues with people questioning her, how dare we?
I think the mayor has ” unrealistic expectations” that she will be voted in to any level of government again.
Personally I wish she would get off her throne and go back to China on a permanent basis.
Only a few more months of Shari Green and her merry band and it will be the voters turn.
Green has been nothing but an experiment gone wrong.
This mayor is a total joke and should be sent to China permanently. I’ve been voting for Fetterly for years. As long as he is running he has my vote.
Green in over her head and continues to demonstrate this with her comments and inaction. Buck stops with her and she can’t handle it so strike out at the employees and those asking for information what an embarrassment
Rob Ford would be a better choice than Sherri Green. Thankfully she will not be representing the city when the national cameras are turned on and many eyes are seeing PG for the first time!!
Gus….yes the city has a blower. Seen it last night with my own 3 eyes.
The mayor did not get her facts wrong. Ben can’t read a map.
I don’t care about the percentages. We live in PG. PG gets snow. PG has always received snow. Deal with it. Mayor Green is a joke.
Gee, something is off the rails and it is not the latest bunch of rail cars.
If we have a snow blower how come it hasn’t been out yet. Mayor Green Goblin is useless.
Perhaps 250news should reach out to Mayor Green for some explanation as to why she felt this was an appropriate reaction to a citizen? Oh, wait 250 has a habit of questioning and criticizing her, so she won’t take their phone calls, will she?
I’m sure the cutbacks on snow removal were necessary for the paid trips to China and expensive new downtown parking enforcement equipment. Why should her lowly serfs have safe roads?
Didn’t the city have a Facebook page not too long ago?
I certainly can not find it anywhere now. Or am I mistaken?
I just hope its not me or my family that its injured or worse due the crappy roads and sidewalks. Try walking around downtown and tell me that’s remotely safe. I was down there a couple days ago and it was a skating rink.
In light of our mayor’s disastrous attempt at running a city, I hope for 2 things: That people will remember what she’s done when election time comes, and that there is a suitable opponent to eliminate her altogether.
Who is this grinch that responds to citizen emails in this fashion?
How is your driveway ? I shovel after every snowfall and its a sheet of ice.
My driveway is ice free. I shovel it before I drive on it. Clear as a summer day. There is no excuse for the unploughed roads. My cul-de-sac hasn’t been plowed now in over two weeks and its near waist deep other than what I’ve cleaned out with the snow blower. Worse yet they plow the side street that connects to the cul-de-sac and leave the windrow of snow blocking the access to the cul-de-sac… side streets have been plowed now four times with the windrow not removed once making it impossible for my wife to use her car now for the last ten days. I even got stuck last week with my 4×4 truck trying to get over the windrow, then took the snow blower to it trying to chop it down some, but with the last snow fall its all for naught again as they built it up plowing the side street blocking the cul-de-sac again.
Posted by: the moose on January 15 2014 8:25 AM
I just hope its not me or my family that its injured or worse due the crappy roads and sidewalks. Try walking around downtown and tell me that’s remotely safe. I was down there a couple days ago and it was a skating rink.
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My 6 year old wiped out on an icy sidewalk downtown last night; right into a puddle. He was not impressed.
We have way more snow where I live than in the past 10 years that I can remember. It is deep. Roads should be cleaned. No budget crap, no finger pointing. Just get them clean. Lives and livelihoods depend on it.
A citizen has a right to question when they pay taxes and vote.
Guess Sheri hasn’t let the contract negotiations go. It’s very tasteless for the head of an organization – any organization – to blame her front line services workers for inadequacy.
Posted by: Ehnonymous on January 15 2014 8:55 AM
A citizen has a right to question when they pay taxes and vote.
That explains why city councillor Camron Stoltz is so quit. He never pays his taxes. Mayor Green has done the same to me on email.
Shari is evil and vindictive. Hopefully the citizens through her out. I bet she doesn’t treat costumers in JJ Springer like that. If she did the doors would be closed. No one in my family will ever shop there again.
As for a snow blower it works every night shift. It fills 300 to 400 end dump trucks every shift. I’m sure if you come out after 11pm you can find it. If you see loaders loading trucks it is usually to try and get more snow loaded out. On occasion the blower does break down but it is a priority piece of equipment and is repaired ASAP.
I mean throw her out.
“My 6 year old wiped out on an icy sidewalk downtown last night; right into a puddle. He was not impressed”
When it’s icy my children wear these—->
http://www.shoeicecleats.com/
That way they don’t slip on the ice and fall into puddles. They are impressed!
Maybe those behind the buying of the electric go kart are responsible for the lack of snow removal preparedness. They thought snowfall would be a thing of the past.
@dragonmaster: you miss the point of safety for all citizens, children as well as the elderly. Also, some people in this city might not be able to afford the extra costs of ice cleats.
It is the civic DUTY, let alone right! of all citizens to question their government in order the receive the best service possible. Shari Green is at best a mediocre appointee and needs to be replaced. I don’t know if another major will be better, but I do know that Shari’s had her chance and she blew it.
We all need to get more involved in how we govern ourselves in all levels of government, from the local mayor to the top of federal government.
@Gus, I might not always agree with all your comments or beliefs, but I admire your dedication to our city. In this case, I agree with your one hundred percent to say Prince George deserves a better mayor.
When it’s icy my children wear these—->
http://www.shoeicecleats.com/
That way they don’t slip on the ice and fall into puddles. They are impressed!
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Walking in the city is not something we normally do so it was an unexpected surprise to find the sidewalks so slippery.
I have worn my caulks on more then one occasion; maybe I’ll look for a kid’s sized boot. :)
1fastm3. The city announced a few months ago that it was cancelling its Facebook and Twitter account, don’t know the reasons. Sometimes, people who comment via social media use their anonymous presence to be quite vicious. In contrast, the mayor of Calgary is very active about civic matters on his twitter account and quickly answers citizens’ comments, even the negative ones. Saw an interesting article in Walrus magazine with questions and comments directed to that mayor. Why is our civic government not using social media?
Also posted in the article showing the snow pack.
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I agree the roads should be better and I don’t think the mayor has done a very good job in office.
However,
I’m with Nimrod on this one. Why is Ben bashing the mayor?
The picture above clearly shows 151% for snow pack which is exactly what the mayor is quoted as saying.
As for Ben’s article. This is what he wrote.
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The mayor in her reply says “It’s been a record snowpack, we’re at 150% of normal” writes the Mayor. That is not correct. According to the River Forecast Centre, the snowpack in the Nachako Basin was 59% of normal and the snowpack in the Upper Fraser region is at 151% of normal as of January 1st.
As for snowfall, Environment Canada advises the City of Prince George received 75 centimeters of snow in December. That is well above the average for December which is 48 centimeters. For your information Madam Mayor that equates to about 64% more than normal and a hell of a long way off from 150%. So far, January is on track for an average January snowfall.
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If you do some math, you find some interesting numbers.
75cm/48cm *100%= 156%. So the 150% is correct for December.
On the other hand, 48cm/75cm *100%= 64% which is the number Ben is quoting.
Both statements are actually correct. It’s 64% more than normal.
And it is 150% of the normal.
Notice the difference in the words “more than” and “of”…..
All the math in the world won’t fix the condition of the roads. We all have eyes and can see the job that needs done.
If the Mayor took her head out of the sand bucket and asked the city staff to apply it to the roads and sidewalks we would be a lot safer.
I guess when she supported another Ice Arena this is what she delivered on her commitment.
We have one that costs nothing to maintain and is being looked after by nature and not Tax dollars.
I think our mayor is working overtime on her successor’s campaign.
Mayor Sheri, your legacy will not be the Kin reno or the “trade missions’ to China, if you want a legacy go post a sign at the auto wreckers.
The city had two snowblowers. If they sold one that means they have just the one left and no backup and no double production.
I just wonder what the snowpack in the mountains has to do with a very slippery street here in town? Why not equate the street to the ice chunks breaking off in Antarctica? Same logic.
Is Shari off off her meds or something?
I think if I was Shari Green I would look for greener pastures before November. Now that I think of that interview, she stated she has the silent majority in her corner. Hahaha, what a maroon.
Obviously the mayor was using the only data available to her to quietly give an explanation to an upset citizen as to why the union members have done such a good job of trying to make the managers look bad.
I was in your town 2 days before the one day job action, and 3 days after a huge dump of snow. Massey drive was a 2 lane street and I hadn’t seen any sign of any plowing on any streets. THREE DAYS AFTER THE SNOW FALL!!!
Quite frankly I think you need to change the name of this site to “WeHateSheriGreen250” That would sum up the sight pretty well.
Hummer, take a look at the snowpack around Prince George. You will find it a foot at most or 30cm.
Snowpack is completely different from snowfall. Snowpack will only affect those who are starting to plow in fresh snow areas not yet plowed this year or in terms of spring thaw and has nothing to do with plowing the roads in PG.
The mayor stating that snow removal budget has been increased is also smoke and mirrors as that has zero bearing on snow clearing, anything over the budget comes out of the budget regardless. She does say she will defend PG, but please use rational arguments and treat everyone with the respect of office.
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