One of the issues continually raised on the Great Canadian Talk Show is the lack of proper consultation and discussion on important civic issues at city hall.
Time and again - bike lands, land swaps, water utility - things taxpayers have serious questions about or nothing of to begin with, are rushed before council for a vote to get things rolling. And stuck in the middle - cause they certainly aren't insiders - are councillors, who, we have learned, are not as clued in on the QT as we often presume.
From veterans like Charleswood's Bill Clement to greenhorns like Jeff Browaty of North Kildonan, we have heard that councillors are caught unawares and are expected to make complex decisions without having time to read, absorb and interpret the background material. For instance, the rookie from Fort Garry/River Heights, John Orlikow, spent 12 hours cramming for the water utility vote in July. How could the city mandarins expect citizens on the first week of summer break to devote that kind of time and research to prepare to voice their opinions?
Faced with a procedural trick to allow the $13 million Northwest BFI cart contract onto the City Council agenda just hours after Executive Policy Committee had, Orlikow did what is rarely reported: a politican did something out of principle.
CBC: "Support from 11 councillors — two-thirds of council — was required to add the matter to the official agenda for debate and vote. Only 10 councillors agreed to include it ... At least one councillor who voted to block the motion to add the item to the agenda on Wednesday said he did so out of principal for the democratic process, not opposition to the issue.
Today at 4.40PM, Coun. John Orlikow will make his first appearance on TGCTS, and explain why he stood up for democracy against bureaucrats who need to be taught a lesson about who is supposed to be running this town - our elected officials.
Also today,
- an exclusive story about possible cutbacks at the University of Manitoba in response to severe budget restraints;
- The Free Press once again manufactures news out of a poll, about a subject even more meaningless than usual;
- AM radio wakes up to the bike lanes story; and
- a startling endorsement for a key plank from our accountability manifsto by a most unlikely source- Freep newsie Mary Agnes Welch.
On Thursday, an exclusive story about the abusive behavior of the Public Trustees office towards an elderly couple and their children - the amount of money they are deducting from the estate, for the amount of work they do, is shocking;
On Friday, local comedy promoter Dave Shorr, Winnipeg's Roller Girls, and This Week in History with Professor Levinski.
