Press Release by the Crowsnest Pass Ratepayers Association – Feb 14, 2013
2012 was a very busy year for the Ratepayers Association of the Crowsnest Pass. Concerns of how our community was being governed were presented to council but fell on deaf ears. On October 4th and again on the 11th, 2012 we informed the Minister of Municipal Affairs, Doug Griffiths of these concerns and that the electorate wanted to petition the Minister to intervene.
We informed the Minister of the bullying that went on with our volunteer fire departments, the miss-information council was giving out regarding Thunder in the Valley, that our community wasn’t enjoying the Alberta Advantage and that we couldn’t continue to absorb increases in fees, spending and hiring. We informed the Minister a petition from the people was forthcoming.
On November 1st, 2012 we delivered a petition signed by 2510 voters here in the Pass. Since the petition was delivered it’s been three and half months and now we understand why those of us that delivered the petition were treated so poorly at the Legislative Building in Edmonton. The Department of Municipal Affairs continues to drag their feet in picking an inspection team and the Minister’s Chief of Staff indicated it would probably be summer time before the inspection takes place. At that point I informed the Minister’s Chief of Staff that wasn’t satisfactory. The damage being done to this community has to stop and the disrespect council is showing toward the electorate that signed the petition has to be addressed.
To add to our many concerns the Department of Municipal Affairs is giving a Regional Collaboration Project grant to our municipality. This $257,000.00 grant will cover communication upgrades, training of fireman and paying of personnel. We had four volunteer fire departments that in total cost us $285,000.00, now we have one fire/rescue department that needs training and from the Community and Protective Services Director down to the Fire Chief, Deputy and three paid firemen that will cost the taxpayer $500,000.00. The best part of this grant is retroactive to last year and it doesn’t even include the present volunteer fireman or the cost of fighting a fire.
The citizens if the Crowsnest Pass don’t deserve this type of bullying from our council and especially not from the Department of Municipal Affairs.
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11 comments:
Do you get the feeling our "Mare" was In bed with the department of municipal affairs and Doug Griffiths long before he implemented his master plan. I was starting to wonder just that months ago and now it looks like we have some proof.
Please do not over-exaggerate our Mayor’s influence in Edmonton. The Ministry of the Municipal Affairs is not happy about the situation here, but at the same time, they don’t want to encourage petitions right across the province. The smaller the town, the easier it would be to generate a petition. For this very reason, the process is not very friendly to the petitioners. As far as Edmonton is concerned, they would rather not deal with this and let the coming election provide proper resolution to the problem. In a community of our size, a petition of over 2500 registered voters is very significant, and the professionals in Edmonton are very well aware of this. There will be an investigation, but the report will likely take forever to be written, and by that time we would have gotten rid of our problem. There is no need to be upset with Edmonton as we all know what has to be done in October
October can not come fast enough
Anon 6:48, I agree with you in your reasoning. However I am very upset with Edmonton. They may as well just get rid of the option of any kind of intervening.If they are not going to handle these things in a timely manner, why bother.The investagation should have already been completed. If they are not going to do anything until this summer means that we will not get the report until after the next election.If this is the case I would prefer if we just dropped it all together and quit wasting taxpayers dollars.
Yes, I also agree with Anony. 48:00. The whole situation is just costing all taxpayers more money.
Delay, delay is the name of the game. Works with most things as the item usually grows old and diffuses. Not here I hope. The money spent on this is peanuts compared to what the yoyoes have cost us since they decided to purge the old way of "life in the muni". The LAST thing they care about is money.
The petition was not a waste of time or money. It has shown everyone that the community is displeased with its leadership. Anyone who can think and add will know that 2510 registered voters is a huge number in our community. While this does not appear to have registered in our town office, you can bet the people in Edmonton have noticed. You can also bet many arguments, protestations, and justifications have been offered to Edmonton for all that has happened here. If there was some credibility at our municipal office to start with, now it is mostly gone. At a time when the province is facing a record deficit, the last thing they need is a begging bowl extended from the Crowsnest Pass because of our bureaucratic empire building. Everyone should be ready for fewer grants and less municipal transfers in the near future. The people we elected are not capable to face and manage what is coming our way. October will be very important
A Government in Edmonton that has wasted billions and is on its way to bury the Province in debt coulden't care less about a few millions wasted here. Pesnuts for them.
Yes I agree. Edmonton has their own Huge, Huge, problems. I also believe that the ratepayers thing was a waste of energy. Provincials are not a very good example to be monitoring anyone. I cannot think of one thing the ratepayers have accomplished other than to divide everyone.
The ratepayers have divided the community. I think you need to place the blame for that at Council and Admin's feet. The ratepayers and any other opposition are reactions to what these guys have done.
There is a misunderstanding here. Our council has divided the community. There is too much behind the closed doors discussions and not enough listening to the community. If anything, the ratepayers are an example of a community coming together. Our top leadership is simply not capable to manage the situation and no amount of external help can change this. Too much wrong kind of experience.....
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