Public Consultation - City of Williams Lake

On April 14th, the City of Williams Lake presented its' 2009 Budget and 5 Year Financial Plan as well as presenting some community projects that could be submitted to either the Recreation Component of the Building Canada Fund or the Building Canada Fund itself. Those projects included:

i) Highway 20/Mackenzie Avenue Intersection
ii) Mackenzie Avenue
iii) Phase 2 of CMRC (Cariboo Memorial Recreation Complex)

It should be noted that the Highway 20/Mackenzie Avenue Intersection Project is closest to be ready for submittal by April 24th (next deadline for funding intake for the Building Canada Fund).

The Mackenzie Avenue project requires more detailed research for exact costing. The City has applied for funding to complete this task

The plans for Phase 2 at CMRC are being updated as we speak and I hope that the public will get to see those plans prior to the Central Cariboo Joint Committee submitting those plans to the Building Canada Fund in 2010.

The original intent to present these 3 projects was to ask the public whether or not any other worthy community projects were missing from the list and whether or not they should be added. I give the City full marks for doing this however they missed the mark when they did not ask the public to indicate 1 Project which would be their #1 Priority for submission to the Building Canada Fund.

On April 7th, Council, at a In-Camera Meeting, resolved the following:

"That the Highway 20 upgrade for access into the RC Cotton Site be confirmed as Council’s No. 1 priority for a grant application to the Building Canada Fund"

This makes a mockery of the original intent of the April 14th meeting which was to consult with the public on worthy community projects to be submitted to the Building Canada Fund. To consult with the public on this and to have made up your mind beforehand makes a mockery of the idea of Public Consultation, which is to take a proposal and seek the community's opinion prior to making a decision, not to consult with the public on a proposal while making a decision beforehand. I'll be discussing this particular case along with improving the Budget Process in the City with Mayor Cook on May 1st. I hope, following that meeting, that instances like this will be the exception rather than the rule