It is my belief, the New Community Charter will enable lower levels of government to off-load aging public infrastructures like pools, water treatment and delivery, public land, hockey rinks, etc., without public consent.
Taxpayers options are few to none when it comes to controlling government.
Penticton Council has blundered through many “good deals,” that have cost taxpayers dearly, and yet we get no clear picture of just how much we paid.
At the June 20 annual report meeting a gentleman, named Frank Regehr, asked why this report was the most lacking report on municipal finances he had ever seen.
Lacking information on pretty well all areas. No definitive breakdown of costs make it impossible to accurately calculate how to make savings.
At that same meeting, a member of the media asked point blank, “is this council planning to have every public facility make money?” Answer, “No.” I wonder, will these facilities just be privatized?
Does the new community charter tie into Liberal Minister Peter Fassbender’s refusal to put recall on the UBCM agenda? Recall would give us some recourse to extremely unpopular actions of government.
Is this an election year? Why would any government body want voters to have the right of accountability?
In my view, the changes to the community charter are about more government control of public assets and less democracy.
The tool missing from the tool box, to protect democracy against politicians who don’t listen to the electorate, is recall. Recall needs to be on the agenda at the 2016 Union of B.C. Municipalities.
Email Dan Ashton; Dan.Ashton.MLA@leg.bc.ca, carbon copy to all Penticton city councillors and the mayor, or phone city hall 250-490-2400, ask them if they will put recall forward at UBCM then ask them if they will vote in favour of recall.
Recall needs to be on this year’s UBCM agenda.
Lynn Crassweller
Penticton