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It would appear that some city councillors
want the decision-making process for the selection of the Regional
Event Centre site to be decided behind closed doors. It is high
time that the public heard all the facts and had a voice in a
decision that will shape the city for years to come. Reliance on
limited knowledge, opinion, misinformation and/or special interest
based recommendations result in poor decision making.
Any fair democratic process requires:
communication with the public, sharing of accurate information and
participation of the public through public information sessions and
by providing direction to their elected representatives. Council
must take its direction from the people; then administration must
take its direction from council, not the opposite.
We have been taxpayers and employers in
Medicine Hat for almost 30 years. The current council was elected
on the promise of open and transparent government. Members of
council are also held to the highest standards of ethics and
service. The decisions they make on behalf of the citizens often
shape the future and impact the lives of everyone.
It is the responsibility of the public to
participate in the process by attending public information sessions
to express their views about everything from smart growth, the
types of communities they want to live in and impact of public
spending on them as taxpayers.
To learn more about this decision, I urge
every citizen in Medicine Hat to get involved in this process.
Ensure council knows where you stand on the site selection for the
Event Centre. Ask questions, get the facts and attend public
information sessions to learn more about this important decision.
Lansdowne will be holding two such sessions during the week of Aug.
25.
To railroad this through council without
proper disclosure and public participation is just plain wrong and
would make a mockery of our democracy.
Don Sandford
Calgary
(The writer is chief executive officer of
Lansdowne Equity Ventures Ltd.) |
