By Pepper Parr
March 15th, 2016
BURLINGTON, ON
Mayor Goldring and Ward 2 Councillor Marianne Meed Ward.
The statement released by the city on the decision they made not to oppose the request ADI Development Group made to the Chair of the Ontario Municipal Board hearing for an adjournment that will push any decision forward to 2017 was so typical of this council. Every member of Council is on record as being opposed to the project.
What their thinking was during a two hour plus session of council is secret – but one would like to think that these high school graduates could say something.
Councillor Marianne Meed Ward did say : “This is the right decision and if no more comes from the city I will work with legal to draft a statement that can be shared, probably after the hearing tomorrow.”
Now you know why she is the odds on favourite to become the next Mayor of Burlington.
“This is the right decision and if no more comes from the city I will work with legal to draft a statement that can be shared, probably after the hearing tomorrow.”
Did I miss something?
Helen et al, I agree that the secret backroom politics is deplorable but our democracy is rampant with this, always has been. And I don’t support Trump – I think he’s a joke but he will be the next President. But rather than have to personally defend myself I still would honestly like to understand why people don’t want this development. Please enlighten me.
If you go a look at the Staff refusal recommendation report that went to Council last March/April 2015, you will see in great detail the reasons why people don’t want this development.
This detail has to be seen within the planning policy framework that governs how this information is organized and viewed.
This is the rational way to look at this. It’s explanatory.
You can also look at the extensive comments on this development that can be found in the Burlington Gazette archives.
At the gut level, which you are talking, many people just don’t like the development for a lot of reasons and whys, listed – they are not hard to find.
That’s why they don’t want the development, and they outnumber those, like you, that support it.
If you want to give the reasoning underlying your gut support for the project, you can do so within the same policy framework used to support the project refusal.
You will have to go through this exercise to enlighten yourself.
Seek and you shall find.
Dear WarningU2,
Just as Tom mentions…it’s the process that we are primarily against. This council is supposed to be transparent and they are still having secret meetings and secret everything. This is not the type of process that we voted for, that we were promised or that our tax dollars should support. I still believe in referendums…that would be very easy to set-up online for large issues. These should be set-up per ward and then each councilor PRESENTS what the majority of their constituents have voted for. With your “go home” attitude…tells me you would be a Trump supporter. We don’t live under dictatorship here.
I don’t understand why everyone is against this development… Well everyone but council despite their public opinion. Secretly they are making sure this happens. I’m in favour of it personally. Why? It takes a useless piece of land with one tax generating business and will put in 100’s of tax paying properties. At least it will pay for the pier. Plus we are filling in and building up to reduce us spreading out taking valuable farm land. Go big or go home.
My beef here is the way the public process, and expression of public opinions and wants, has been so apparently corrupted and manipulated by the city that I cannot have any trust in it any longer.
This is a breeding ground for cynicism, evidence of which is apparent in the comments on the pages of the Gazette. When things are done without explanation and apparent reason, what’s to trust?
When anything that could pass public scrutiny as a reasoned and rational basis for decisions made is hidden from view by city claims of “secrecy”, and in camera political discussion, what is there to trust?
And when questions asked about decisions made, and things done, are met with evasion, manipulation, and more claims of secrecy, what is there to trust?
And when the Mayor is invisible and not himself transparent and accountable for decisions made, what is there to trust?
I’m not against development there, but the city planners say it’s way too much, and I and the vast majority of citizens (not everyone of course as you say) agree.
So what is Councilor Meed Ward going to tell us the legals will allow her to say is the basis for “the right decision’?
And why should we believe any of it if it’s just “trust us” rhetoric?
I look forward to this statement.
it’s no secret to anyone who understands who lines whose pockets..the developers!!
She’s NOT the Mayor now? Who is..?
I sent this comment to Councilor Meed Wards newsletter announcement of the City Press release, to the “what’s your take” link.
My take is that this decision was made in secret, for secret reasons concocted by secret people, and the Councilor thoughts and rationales are secret, so how is anyone not in on all the secrets supposed to have any take at all?
If the Councilor is going to try and explain this decision as “the right decision”, she has her work cut out for her.