Panel data provided by Madison's Canadian Lumber Reporter.

No Harm In Asking Questions

By Ben Meisner

Monday’s Council meeting saw the passage of by law no. 7746, giving the city authority to borrow $9,300,000.00 dollars to construct a community energy system. 

At that meeting, Councilor Don Basserman chastised Councilor Brain Skakun for asking to have a report on the expenditure. 
Skakun asked  two things: 1. a full report on what is planned in this project 
and 2. what the effect would be on the city's total loan structure. 

Basserman said "We have been discussing this for six years, there has been ample opportunity to get those answers; I get frustrated when people want to play politics." Mayor Colin Kinsley told Skakun that by now, he should know everything about the proposal. 
The fact that only two people had signed a counter petition ,said the Mayor ,should tell Skakun that people are not opposed to the idea. 

Well let’s start there. 

People don’t sign counter petitions anymore. Plain and simple... Why?  Let me take you back for my best recollection of events in the Terasen gas deal. 
A counter petition was filed , first the city argued that the people who took the signatures couldn’t legally do it , that was tossed out, they then said they needed to verify those signatures, finally they admitted that they would have to take the by law to a vote. 

Now we were told that the city would take a neutral stance on the issue, they wouldn’t become involved. Now at that point they had already spent about $400,000.00 trying to sell us the idea. When they did polls during the run up to the vote, they discovered they were about to lose again, and so they began an advertising campaign. So much for the city will take a neutral position. 

Total cost of the pitch, now over $600,000.00. 

But wait, while the city was saying to you and I "we want you to support this by law" , did they offer any money to those people who did not want it passed? There were more than 4000 people who singed the original petition.  Did they get taxpayers dollars (like the City did) to allow them to have their say?Short answer, no.

So those people who opposed the deal were subsidizing a vote being held to sell them on an idea that they didn’t want. Did the city offer money to those who opposed so they could tell their side of the story, not one single dime. 

So if you have been wondering why people are a bit jaded when it comes to counter petitions, look no further. 

Why bother going to the trouble to organize a petition knowing full well, you as a taxpayer will be spending more money down the road to sell yourself on an idea that you don’t want... Correct city hall? 

Councilor Skakun also asked  the balance on the city's "credit card".  City administration didn’t know, they'll get back to him. 

Pardon me, shouldn’t you know what you've  got left on the card and what effect what you’re about to spend will have on that credit line? 

Now as to the federal government coming to the party by putting money up for the Energy distribution system as is suggested, Read by law #7746.  There is absolutley no mention  that the project will only go ahead if the feds kick in some money. 

Is this another example of tick tack toe? 

I try and keep myself abreast of what goes on at city hall and quite frankly I don’t know about the deal, what can we expect of other people? 

Now as to the argument "well the deal is done get on with life", rubbish!

Council must stand on its recordfor not just the good, but for the whole pictures, for example: why Mayor Kinsley supported the sale of BCRail.

What you have accomplished in the past always forms part of your resume long before what you say you’ll do in the future. 

I’m Meisner and that’s one man’s opinion. 



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