JOBS: Senior has issues dealing with EI rules A5 Friday, November 2, 2012 Maude Barlow of the Council of Canadians talks pipelines in Prince George A3
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www.pgfreepress.com ■ CORE REVIEW
Council passes on union event
UNTAMED SPIRIT
DELYNDA PILON newsroom@pgfreepress.com
Teresa MA LLA M/Free Press
Andrea Fuentes pauses to consider her next cut in her “untamed spirit” themed pumpkin at CNC’s pumpkin carving and Halloween costume event on Wednesday. Her pumpkin’s face shows the good and bad sides, she says, “kind of like marrying a guy you like and finding out he’s not so nice.”
Mayor Shari Green and most of council, with the exception of councillors Brian Skakun and Garth Frizzell, will not attend a public meeting organized by Stand Up for the North, CUPE 1048 and 399, among others, regarding the core service review, though Green said she would like to watch the recording of the meeting the group intends to make. Part of the problem with the meeting, according to Walter Babicz, the city’s manager of legislative services, revolves around rules within the Community Charter and its definition of what constitutes a council meeting. Discussions, particularly those that involve a quorum of council and that may result in policy changes, need to be made in a public meeting in council chambers. Crystal Lloyd, who works at City Hall and is involved with ‘I heart Prince George’, said the meeting is supposed to be town-hall style, giving anyone in the community a chance to talk to council about whatever suggestions KPMG presents as opportunities for the city to become more fiscally viable. It is not, she said, an attack on council but rather a chance for the public to share how some suggested changes might affect them. “We’re really trying to work with council and come up with great solutions. It’s just trying to make our community better,” she said. Coun. Albert Koehler said he doesn’t feel another public meeting is necessary. “I’ve got a pretty good idea what is happening. I personally don’t think another meeting is necessary,” he said, adding he would not be attending. Coun. Cameron Stolz reminded council that they had voted unanimously to include more public consultation than KPMG had first offered, resulting in an increase in the cost of the project.
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Now, he said, extensive public engagement has been undertaken by KPMG. The information they gathered is in the process of being collated and will be presented to the select committee, then likely discussed at a committee of the whole meeting before finding its way to council chambers. Any information gathered at a public meeting would not wind up in that report. It’s too late. A group should not lobby to circumvent the process, he said. “I find it reprehensible people are trying to make public hay with this,” he said. “I see this as misguided at best.” Stolz said he would not attend the meeting. Janet Bigelow, CUPE 1048 president, said the group was not specifically organized by the union and the intent of the meeting is not to lobby. “We should all have the right to speak after the report is out,” she said. “This is your people. They want to have the right to speak to you. How do we discuss the concerns if we don’t know what the opportunities are? The people have the right to speak one more time after the report is out.” She added the city would incur no cost as a result of the meeting. Green said she feels the public consultation component of the process has already occurred. From being questioned on the street and given suggestions to KPMG’s more organized approach, consultation has occurred over the last six months. Now council needs to have a look at the suggestions KPMG is collating and make decisions on them. However, she said, if a major change is suggested, she foresees there being an opportunity for community input on it. The meeting is set to take place Nov. 13 at the CNC atrium, beginning at 6 p.m.
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