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from February 2 2022
Wednesday, March 21, 2018 Wednesday, March 21, 2018
www.thompsoncitizen.net Wednesday, February 2, 2022 Thompson Citizen 141 Commercial Place, Box 887 Thompson, MB R8N 1T1 Phone 204-677-4534 Fax 204-677-3681 generalmanager@thompsoncitizen.net OPINIONOpinion Thompson Citizen 141 Commercial Place, Box 887 Thompson, Manitoba R8N 1T1 Phone: 677-4534 • Fax 677-3681 e-mail: generalmanager@thompsoncitizen.net www.thompsoncitizen.net Page 4 Opinion Thompson Citizen 141 Commercial Place, Box 887 Thompson, Manitoba R8N 1T1 Phone: 677-4534 • Fax 677-3681 e-mail: generalmanager@thompsoncitizen.net www.thompsoncitizen.net Page 4 Opinion Thompson Citizen 141 Commercial Place, Box 887 Thompson, Manitoba R8N 1T1 Phone: 677-4534 • Fax 677-3681 e-mail: generalmanager@thompsoncitizen.net www.thompsoncitizen.net Page 4
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Karolin Klement Calgary EditorialEditorial
Karolin KlementKarolin Klement CalgaryCalgary
Both of Thompson’s local elected bodies mer councillor Luke Robinson, who served one term on council many of the people opposed to the plan are the regular critics workload around and allows for greater diversity of viewpoints, for reducing members, whether they belong to the school board have considered proposals to reduce the number of representatives comprising them and one of them made a choice March 13 not to shrink its numbers, as school board trustees voted 6-1 against a resolution by trustee Ryan Land (the only vote in support) to reduce the number of trustees from seven to five.
One night earlier, slightly more than a half-dozen Thompsonites showed up to voice their opinion on a proposed bylaw that would see council shrink from eight councillors to six, not including the mayor. Only one of that handful of people with an opinion – forfrom 2010 to 2014 before being defeated by Mayor Dennis Fenske in the race to become head of council last time that Thompsonites went to the polls about three-and-half years ago – was in favour of reducing the numbers, with the other seven opposed. Although council hasn’t yet voted on second reading of that bylaw, the next stage towards it becoming official, there’s at least a better than even chance that it will be approved. As watchers of council will have noticed, the proposals that make it to the council floor have a tendency to be approved by at least two-thirds of its members and, given that of council who attend meetings and ask their elected officials questions week after week, their opinions may not be enough to dissuade the majority from forging ahead, especially since the number of people who care about this one way or another doesn’t even reach double digits. Whether or not the number of councillors or school board trustees should be reduced is not the sort of question for which there is a right or wrong answer. On the pro side of keeping the current numbers, the option that all but one of the school board members opted for, is the argument that it spreads the though Ryan Land was mostly correct in saying that, in terms of class and ethnicity, the trustees aren’t really a microcosm of the School District of Mystery Lake’s population as a whole. If you’ve been to many school board meetings (and apart from members of the media, well, you haven’t), you would know that they don’t often feature nearly as much debate or division as city council meetings, at least not over the past couple of years. But they’ve made their decision and it appears there will be seven school board trustees at least until 2022. One of the arguments or council, is that it will save money. The amount is not large overall – about $20,000 in councillors’ salaries per year plus approximately half that amount, on average, for annual travel and expenses. For the city, which has a budget of around $30 million, that represents probably less than a drop in the proverbial bucket, though it is about a fifth of the overall cost of the mayor and council. Critics of the proposed reduction say that it will prevent “new blood” from being elected and, theoretically, reduce the diversity of opinions, but that would only be true if
Both of Thompson’s local elected bodies the citizens of Thompson elected more truly independent-thinking have considered pro- candidates who aren’t posals to reduce the married to aligning number of representa- themselves with any tives comprising them particular side, because and one of them made right now, the number a choice March 13 not of opinions on council to shrink its numbers, is generally two – for as school board trust- and against. ees voted 6-1 against Maybe the low turna resolution by trustee out of people with Ryan Land (the only opinions on how vote in support) to re- many councillors there duce the number of should be isn’t an extrustees from seven to pression of apathy but five. of pragmatism. Experi-
One night earlier, ence has shown quite slightly more than a often that this council half-dozen Thompson- – and others before it – ites showed up to voice is going to do what the their opinion on a pro- majority of its members posed bylaw that would think is right, regardsee council shrink from less of what the most eight councillors to vocal taxpayers think. six, not including the If that is the case, does mayor. Only one of it really matter how that handful of people many of them there with an opinion – for- are?
mer councillor Luke Robinson, who served one term on council from 2010 to 2014 before being defeated by Mayor Dennis Fenske in the race to become head of council last time that Thompsonites went to the polls about three-and-half years ago – was in favour of reducing the numbers, with the other seven opposed. Although council hasn’t yet voted on second reading of that bylaw, the next stage towards it becoming official, there’s at least a better than even chance that it will be approved. As watchers of council will have noticed, the proposals that make it to the council floor have a tendency to be approved by at least two-thirds of its members and, given that many of the people opposed to the plan are the regular critics of council who attend meetings and ask their elected officials questions week after week, their opinions may not be enough to dissuade the majority from forging ahead, especially since the number of people who care about this one way or another doesn’t even reach double digits.
Whether or not the number of councillors or school board trustees should be reduced is not the sort of question for which there is a right or wrong answer. On the pro side of keeping the current numbers, the option that all but one of the school board members opted for, is the argument that it spreads the workload around and allows for greater diversity of viewpoints, though Ryan Land was mostly correct in saying that, in terms of class and ethnicity, the trustees aren’t really a microcosm of the School District of Mystery Lake’s population as a whole. If you’ve been to many school board meetings (and apart from members of the media, well, you haven’t), you would know that they don’t often feature nearly as much debate or division as city council meetings, at least not over the past couple of years. But they’ve made their decision and it appears there will be seven school board trustees at least until 2022.
One of the arguments for reducing members, whether they belong to the school board or council, is that it will save money. The amount is not large overall – about $20,000 in councillors’ salaries per year plus approximately half that amount, on average, for annual travel and expenses. For the city, which has a budget of around $30 million, that represents probably less than a drop in the proverbial bucket, though it is about a fifth of the overall cost of the mayor and council.
oth of Thomp- the citizens of Thomp-son’s local son elected more truly elected bodies independent-thinking have considered pro- candidates who aren’t posals to reduce the married to aligning number of representa- themselves with any tives comprising them particular side, because and one of them made right now, the number a choice March 13 not of opinions on council to shrink its numbers, is generally two – for as school board trust- and against.ees voted 6-1 against Maybe the low turn-a resolution by trustee out of people with Ryan Land (the only opinions on how vote in support) to re- many councillors there duce the number of should be isn’t an extrustees from seven to pression of apathy but of pragmatism. Experi-
One night earlier, ence has shown quite slightly more than a often that this council half-dozen Thompson- – and others before it – ites showed up to voice is going to do what the their opinion on a pro- majority of its members posed bylaw that would think is right, regard-see council shrink from less of what the most eight councillors to vocal taxpayers think. six, not including the If that is the case, does mayor. Only one of it really matter how that handful of people many of them there with an opinion – for- are?
mer councillor Luke Robinson, who served one term on council from 2010 to 2014 before being defeated by Mayor Dennis Fenske in the race to become head of council last time that Thompsonites went to the polls about three-and-half years ago – was in favour of reducing the numbers, with the other seven opposed. Although council hasn’t yet voted on second reading of that bylaw, the next stage towards it becoming official, there’s at least a better than even chance that it will be approved. As watchers of council will have noticed, the proposals that make it to the council floor have a tendency to be approved by at least two-thirds of its members and, given that many of the people opposed to the plan are the regular critics of council who attend meetings and ask their elected officials questions week after week, their opinions may not be enough to dissuade the majority from forging ahead, especially since the number of people who care about this one way or another doesn’t even reach double digits.
Whether or not the number of councillors or school board trustees should be reduced is not the sort of question for which there is a right or wrong answer. On the pro side of keeping the current numbers, the option that all but one of the school board members opted for, is the argument that it spreads the workload around and allows for greater diversity of viewpoints, though Ryan Land was mostly correct in saying that, in terms of class and ethnicity, the trustees aren’t really a microcosm of the School District of Mystery Lake’s population as a whole. If you’ve been to many school board meetings (and apart from members of the media, well, you haven’t), you would know that they don’t often feature nearly as much debate or division as city council meetings, at least not over the past couple of years. But they’ve made their decision and it appears there will be seven school board trustees at least until 2022.
One of the arguments for reducing members, whether they belong to the school board or council, is that it will save money. The amount is not large overall – about $20,000 in councillors’ salaries per year plus approximately half that amount, on average, for annual travel and expenses. For the city, which has a budget of around $30 million, that represents probably less than a drop in the proverbial bucket, though it is about a fifth of the overall cost of the mayor and council.
EDITORIAL
Council’s proposed change to the organizational bylaw, which would see the body’s committee structure go from one the citizens of Thompwith several standing commit- son elected more truly tees with two official represent- independent-thinking atives from council each along candidates who aren’t with the mayor, who belonged married to aligning to all of them, to a committee of themselves with any the whole model, in which all of council participates in committee work, does offer certain advantages with respect to simparticular side, because right now, the number of opinions on council plicity and transparency. is generally two – for
You don’t have to go that far and against. back to recall the same com- Maybe the low turnmittee model being used in out of people with Thompson before, or look out- opinions on how side the province to find other municipalities who operate in the same way, and it continues a trend that was started the many councillors there should be isn’t an expression of apathy but last time this council looked of pragmatism. Experiat how it does business, when ence has shown quite what were previously separate often that this council committees were combined to – and others before it – create a smaller overall num- is going to do what the ber. (For instance, what was majority of its members previously the recreation and community services committee was amalgamated with the public safety committee.) think is right, regardless of what the most vocal taxpayers think. Holding the committee of the If that is the case, does whole meetings outside of it really matter how normal business hours, at the many of them there same time as council meetings are?
on alternating Mondays, also makes them more accessible to residents, many of whom have jobs working the day shift. With the standing committees, meetings were often held on weekdays, at 10 a.m. or 12 p.m. or 4 p.m. and were rarely attended by members of the public. It was even difficult for the media to attend many, as news outlets in Thompson do not have more than a single journalist each and several committees a week eats into the number of paid hours this newspaper or CHTM radio dedicate to producing news stories.
At the time this paper went to press, council had just considered second and third reading of the bylaw the previous evening, so we cannot say definitively at the time this is being written whether it was passed, but given that five members of the nine-member council (which includes the mayor) were in favour of first reading, it seems pretty likely that it will have come into effect by the time this appears in print.
There is, however, another aspect of the bylaw, which appears to do away with the community comments and feedback section of regular council meetings. At any rate, explicit mention of that agenda item is no longer mentioned in the bylaw, as it was in the procedural bylaw in effect since 2020. If this is the case, passing the new bylaw does not move accountability forward but actually retrenches it.
Obviously, in a democracy, the ultimate form of accountability is having to appeal for the votes of residents every four years, in the case of Manitoba municipalities. If what you are doing is really unpopular, you won’t get re-elected. But in a broader sense, democracy should not be limited to merely trudging to the polls every few years, marking an X (or several Xs) on a ballot and then just complaining to friends and family or on Facebook or even in letters to the editor until the next vote. People who pay taxes, and even those who don’t, have a right to have a say in how their governments operate or, at the very least, make their opinions known to those who make the decisions. And elected officials should want voters to be engaged.
The fact that the community comments and feedback section of council meetings is eliminated, assuming that it is, does not in itself prevent people from seeking and even receiving answers from those who are answerable to them, but it does push it from the foreground of a public forum into the background. What exactly the reason for the change is, which could be efficiency or something less defensible, hasn’t been spelled out specifically. But this is also the continuation of a precedent, one established not by this council but by a previous one.
At one time, there was no such portion of council meetings. There was however, a question period at the conclusion of the meeting, during which residents or members of the media were able to ask questions of elected officials in a public forum. The other elected body in Thompson, the School District of Mystery Lake, still has a question period at their meetings, though the subject of the question is limited, at least in theory, to matters dealt with in the meeting that immediately preceded it.
Several years ago, council added a section known as general inquiries to its meetings, prior to correspondence and resolutions and bylaws, so that residents with questions unrelated to the matters dealt with at the meeting wouldn’t have to sit through the whole thing in order to make their query. That addition increased accountability. After it had been in place for a while, the question period at the end was done away with, apparently because it was considered redundant. Doing that had the effect of making some people wait longer for answer. Assume you had a question about something that happened during a meeting. At one time, you might get an answer at the conclusion of the evening. If the answer was not available, you might not get it until the next meeting, two weeks later. After question period was axed, the time you might wait doubled. You wouldn’t have an opportunity to publicly ask about a meeting until the next meeting, and if the answer was not at hand, it could be four weeks after the event before a question was answered in the same forum where it was asked. So, in effect, adding general inquiries and then removing question period was not a wash, but really a half-step backwards, in accountability terms. Getting rid of the reason that the question period was
Public should have a chance to ask questions at council meetings eliminated makes council less publicly accountable than it has been over at least the past 15 years, and most likely longer. Granted, community comments and feedback was often used as a soapbox for council’s opponents to try to embarrass them or score cheap points in some sort of political pissing contest. Perhaps that was uncomfortable for some members of council but if they don’t like public scrutiny, they could always just not run for office. Not all questions were necessarily frivolous and removing the ability to ask ones that were genuinely seeking information or explanations in order to avoid the ones driven by other motives seems like throwing out the baby with the bathwater. Now, you can only appear before council as a delegation or to make a presentation, which basically requires permission. It’s a little bit like being told civil disobedience is only allowed if you follow all the rules. Who knows? Maybe it will turn out that public questioning of council has not been eliminated. But if it is, at some point, those who made the decision to do so will still have to answer for their choice.
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Citizen is owned and operated by The Prairie Newspaper Group LP, a division of GVIC Communications Corp. Advertising rates are available upon request and are subject to change without notice. Conditions of editorial and advertisement content: The Thompson Citizen attempts to be accurate in editorial and advertising content; however no guarantee is given or implied. The Thompson Citizen reserves the right to revise or reject any or all editorial and advertising content as the newspaper’s principals see t. The Thompson Citizen will not be responsible for more than one incorrect insertion of an advertisement, and is not responsible for errors or omissions in advertisements except for the space occupied by such errors. The Thompson Citizen will not be responsible for manuscripts, photographs, negatives and other related material that may be submitted for possible publication. All of the Thompson Citizen’s content is protected by Canadian Copyright laws. Reviews and similar mention of material in this newspaper is granted on the provision that the Thompson Citizen receives credit. Otherwise, any reproduction without the permission of the publisher is prohibited. Advertisers purchase space and circulation only. Rights to any advertisements produced by the Thompson Citizen, including artwork, typography, photos, etc., remain the property of
Published weekly by The Prairie Newspaper Group LP, a this newspaper. Advertisements or parts thereof may not be division of GVIC Communications Corp. of 141 Commercial reproduced or assigned without the consent of the publisher. Place, Thompson, Manitoba, R8N 1T1. The Thompson Citizen is owned and operated by The Prairie Newspaper Group LP, a division of GVIC Communications Corp. Advertising rates are available upon request and are subject to change without notice. Conditions of editorial and advertisement content: The Thompson Citizen attempts to be accurate in editorial and advertising content; however no guarantee is given or implied. The Thompson Citizen reserves the right to revise or reject any or all editorial and advertising content as the newspaper’s principals see fit. The Thompson Citizen will not be responsible for more than one incorrect insertion of an advertisement, and is not responsible for errors or omissions in advertisements except for the space occupied by such errors. The Thompson Citizen will not be responsible for manuscripts, photographs, negatives and other related material that may be submitted for possible publication. All of the Thompson Citizen’s content is protected by Canadian Copyright laws. Reviews and similar mention of material in this newspaper is granted on the provision that the Thompson Citizen receives credit. Otherwise, any reproduction without the permission of the publisher is prohibited. Advertisers purchase space and circulation only. Rights to any advertisements produced by the Thompson Citizen, including artwork, typography, photos, etc., remain the property of this newspaper. Advertisements or parts thereof may not be reproduced or assigned without the consent of the publisher.
