A lot of times you get what you pay for, and then sometimes you just don’t.
Some scouting report this is going to be, what with no high human drama to report on, no scandalous utterances, no gotcha moments, no fisticuffs like we see in some legislative gatherings.
Just business. Present/discuss/vote/table/next. Like I said, just business.
Coulda just stayed at home and watched some hoops on the tube.
Still, though, I’m glad I didn’t.
It’s not like I know everything about everything, and showing up to a Renfrew Town Council is an education of sorts, something I mean earnestly. Democracy is a complex beast, and one of those things that seems to be viewed from a lot of different perspectives. Braving freezing rain, like everyone else present did, is something one has to consider doing if one wants to truly understand, not just the issues and policies, but the mechanics and procedures of local democracy at work.
Any collection or gathering of people is inherently interesting simply because it’s made up of people, all coming from their own viewpoints and life experiences, all of them products of every thing and every person they’ve ever been a part of. So for me, it’s not just the political and administrative aspects, but the human aspects as well that make spending this time something I feel is worthwhile.
I know I dig and probe, poke and prod, and perhaps generally achieve nothing more than the enmity of those I report on, but they’d have to be aware of my blog and maybe even read it to even be aware of all of that poking and probing going on. That said, there’s no reason for me to view any of them as anything other than upstanding public officials and terrific human beings. The jobs they perform, and the functions they serve, are often not the most glamorous when it comes to the attention of the adoring public, of which there is a public, just not an adoring one. If you’re in their line of work, any public commentary will often come in the form of a complaint, and I‘m sure I don’t help by taking sniper shots from the sidelines. As thick as a person’s skin can become in public life, it’s never as thick as you’d like people to think, and constant, consistent negativity can be a real downer.
In case you might be wondering, this isn’t me settling into some sort of Christmas good cheer and fellowship towards my brothers and sisters. Yes I love egg nog, the bright and flashing lights, and the whole peace on earth, joy to the world and everyone in it kind of thing, but this is not that. These people are good people every day regardless of season, and it just struck me as something that would be fair to say.
But I’m still miffed at them for ignoring my emails and request for information, so it’s still game-on, at least until I get what I want.
One thing I’ve learned is that parking is a big deal in this town, which I find surprising given my decades of watching people park seemingly however and wherever they want. I’m absolutely flabbergasted that serious accidents don’t occur as a result of people willing to walk away from their vehicles while leaving them in positions of vulnerability, not just to the to the vehicles themselves but to the people in other vehicles who happen by.
A presentation from a local resident kicked off the meeting, and it was about parking issues, primarily concerning areas on Barr and Bonnechere Streets, two roadways featuring schools. I was not privy to the photos handed around by this resident, so I can’t comment accurately on whether she felt there was too much or not enough parking allowed in these locations, although I did detect some mention of a sign that was obscured by foliage. Imagine something like that in a place like Renfrew, blind-spot capital of Canada. How anybody can pass a driving test in this town is a wonder, but I’m veering off course. Best to keep my hands at ten and two.
My point is that the opening topic, one coming from the public gallery and unannounced in advance, had to do with parking. Later in the evening, Council was presented with a by-law or by-law revision that also had to do with parking, and that wasn’t voted on because it was felt that a working group should be created to devote an entire session just to this issue alone. The background document originally presented didn’t appear to reflect changes requested by Councillor Dick at a previous meeting, so that was the original stopper. But, after some discussion, it was agreed that the parking issue required a dedicated meeting, which is probably best when you see the tables of roadways listed along with their designations of parking, no parking, and/or conditional parking. It’s a lot of information to take in, and so Council taking their time with it amounts to prudence in my view, even if anyone looking for a rubber stamp was disappointed. It’s worth taking the time to get it right, or as right as it can be made.
Another resident made a presentation, this one announced beforehand, having to do with a prolonged email exchange between herself and the CAO-Acting. I was expecting some pyrotechnics here, but none were to be had. The presentation was respectful and informed, and appeared to be well-received by council. This resident had been stonewalled by administrative staff in her pursuit of answers to a series of questions that she had posed to them, something I’ve experienced as well, so her issue was kind of my issue too, but I chose to sit back and watch her fight it. She made her points, all valid, and took questions of clarification from council. She completed her presentation in the appointed time, so it was about as perfect as one could imagine it to be.
But here’s where I feel I need to re-enter the discussion.
As that presentation was met with polite interest and attentiveness, and even though there was a good feeling all around the room, two things remain clear to me. One, even with all that was said, staff was not directed to take any kind of action towards the heart of this resident’s argument, the fact that she was led around like a hamster on a wheel while she legitimately sought out information. Second, that same staff, and I mean that same two staff, would have absolutely no problem continuing to ignore this resident’s requests if left to their own devices. They would stick to the policy that they themselves created, unchallenged by the proper governance of council, who are the legitimate policy-makers. So, from my viewpoint, if this resident decides to pursue this more, she will be ignored some more. And should she choose not to, the issue would die right here and now, giving these two staffers the victory they knew would come if they just sat there and said nothing while shrugging their shoulders, playing the long game that usually wins the day. Another win for staff over elected council. Another win for staff vis a vis the public.
Councillor John McDonald made a motion that staff be directed to follow privacy guidelines as outlined in the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, a mouthful on a good day. He did this in response to the resident being named in the publicly released agenda, both on the agenda proper and through the email chain between herself and town representatives.
A couple of points here. First, yes, the point of being publicly identified was raised by the resident, but it was raised as ancillary to her main point of being denied the information she sought. She was irked that she had been named in a prior agenda for a prior meeting, then showed up expecting that she would have an opportunity to speak, which didn’t happen. While important, I don’t believe the privacy issue was her main one, but I’ve not spoken to her directly so I could be wrong about that.
Secondly, it was frustrating watching the discussion about privacy bounce around council like a pinball while staff did their bob and weave and said nothing. It was like people were having trouble understanding the notion of privacy in correspondence and its potential implications. So they batted that around for a few minutes while several took turns being confused by how it might apply to the situation at hand and its implications for the motion being made by Councillor McDonald. It finally took a visibly frustrated Councillor Andrew Dick to ask “Do they not do this already?” referring to staff and the emails, to which the answer from staff was “no.” Which was kind of obvious given the fact that the resident’s name was already made public. Like, it was right in front of us the whole time. So, the motion put forward by Councillor McDonald seeks to address this, but understanding it took up the lion’s share of the discussion, meaning there was nothing offered as a resolution to the main issue, the denial of information. And either everyone missed it, or they let it slide, or it just wasn’t that important of a deal.
So if left alone as is, the situation results in residents getting a win on privacy, and a loss on accountability and transparency.
Reeve Peter Emon asked the resident if she had any suggestions for council, and remembered receiving something from her in the past, but couldn’t account for where it might have ended up, resolving to look for it again. If I were the resident, I’d help that process along by sending another copy, and in all honesty, I’d like to have a look at it myself. Which means that I hope it doesn’t make it into the hands of the two with the keys to the administrative citadel, because I believe I’m done asking them any questions of any sort.
As much as being ignored by them is an expectation, in honesty it doesn’t remove the sting. So I’ve stopped making the effort, which is precisely what they want from people with questions like me. Which makes it thus far an effective strategy.
About Reeve Emon. I’ve been sort of picking on him for not being in attendance for the first three meetings I happened to attend, thinking I had detected some sort of pattern there. But I’ve now seen him three times since then, and have to be honest enough to say that I’ve come away impressed each time. He is experienced, yes, but also calm and measured. He’s by no means an empty suit, and regularly offers up relevant commentary, and even procedural advice to the Clerk. So his attendance is indeed valuable, and I’m genuinely hoping that the medical issues that had him missing the first several meetings I attended are successfully resolved. It’s good to have him in the room.
I was all juiced for a presentation and discussion involving the town’s Master Transportation Plan proposal, but I got none of that. What I got was the McDonald’s drive-thru version where you discover they forgot to put the fries in the bag after you get home. That was seriously going to be the high point of the whole thing for me, and it was more like “hey, how ya doin’, thanks for coming out, it’s in the agenda, go read the thing for yourself.” I did read the thing for myself and that’s why I was so excited. But instead, there were no fries in the bag. Maybe they were told to keep it brief, given how we wanted to spend more time defining privacy instead.
The police board part of the agenda was blessedly brief. The report was sent back to the board for a complete wash, cut, and blow dry. Maybe when the they come back with it, the errors will be gone. And for crying out loud, don’t include the original one with the errors just to show that you’ve corrected the errors. It’s the absolute redundant circular language that has me wanting to throw myself into a snowbank, and that’s tough because I have no snowbanks, at least yet.
The map showing the expanded boundaries of the BIA — Business Improvement Area —showed a single colour in the legend. It didn’t indicate if that colour denoted the existing boundaries as they stand today or if the proposed expanded boundaries were added to the existing ones. Nobody else asked, and I couldn’t. Guess I’ll just have to wait and see.
I learned that the MESA project in Pembroke has had a positive impact on the real problem that community is having with drug abuse fatalities. It’s good to see that progressive type of forward thinking yielding positive results. Too bad council scuttled the closest thing they had to that type of thinking themselves by presiding over the knee-capping of the Community Network Centre here in Renfrew. But they did that behind closed doors so nobody knows. And don’t ask because they won’t tell. Top secret and all that. Which means they either just stood around while the OPP took an axe to the place, or they were complicit in the take-down. Maybe they even have a plan of their own cooking up, maybe a similar type of place, just elsewhere. Kind of makes me wonder.
I’m done. This is what passes as a scouting report this cycle. No drama, no hijinks, just good old fashioned Council on a Tuesday Night kind of thing.
But I guess that’s what you pay them for.
NEWSMAGRENFREW 