By Staff
November 7th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
The opportunity to listen in on what the Mayor will be saying to people who call in to her Virtual Town Hall is open to anyone.
This was it for a lot of the rural households up until about the 1980’s. Each household on what was then called a party line had a distinct ring telling them the call was for the. It also meant the neighbours knew and they could listen in.
Just dial 1-800-320-7723 and you will be on what we used to call the party line – those who were raised in the rural part of the city will know what a party line is – it isn’t just about politics.
Ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward works the phone the way few Councillors do; manages to overspend on her postage budget, filled her voice mail box the first week she was at city hall and has now been found to have over spent on the amount of time she speaks. There is just no end to this woman.
The Virtual phone-in runs from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm
City communications people told us:
Information about the Telephone Town Hall can be found here: https://www.getinvolvedburlington.ca/2025budget/news_feed/2025-budget-telephone-town-hall
We couldn’t find the information on the Get involved web site.
I did not attend the VTH but received a follow up robo call after the session ended encouraging me to check in on the budget. Have to ask why?
An absolute waste of time and money. An hour and a half with questions filtered through a screener. Close to a joke.
I Just redialed in . I just heard a question re Transit use…..or lack thereof….The lady responsible for Transit told him that BT has “recorded” 14,000 users on average a day……oh, I find that hard to believe when I see in my neighborhood maybe one or two on the bus? Who is fooling who here?
Well, I did listen in…here’s the hitch. When they said dial 3 to ask a question…nothing happened! Some system…I just gave up. TYPICAL
Hard pass. Did it last year and sat through the recent budget road show she performed in. I was one of many whose questions last year never got asked, let alone answered and it’s unbearable listening to the spin and the request for answers to leading questions while receiving zero necessary data and information on which to inform said answers.
I did get the call with the invite – wonder how the company who made the calls got my cell number – but I’ve had enough of these skewed surveys and phony exercises in engagement.
Kudos to Councillor Kearns and Nisan who do their own budget meetings and simply have an open conversation with residents, take questions and give answers or get the answers. That format is an actual town-hall format.
One more thought, in keeping with the given rationale and fact council meetings are now being held during the day, why does the same logic not apply to having this townhall meeting during my down time.
I already know I dont agree with the increase and therefore have all the information I need to vote in the next election. Same goes for any would be questions of the Mayor or councillors.