"In conclusion, I support Councillor Whitehead's motion. It sets in place...I believe, a commitment on the part of this Council. Obviously any decision can be changed by a future Council."
Ward 13 Councillor Russ Powers
GIC Meeting, June 25, 2012
Unlike the OMB-based petition process for ward boundary review, there's nothing binding in the motion that was passed yesterday.
Yes, there were some great sentiments expressed leading up to the vote. Yes, there were some noble offerings recorded for posterity. But in reality, unlike what would have unfolded had the petition effort been successful (with a pretty proscribed pathway, including the OMB acting as a guarantor of the outcome), there's absolutely nothing in place to lock in this 'commitment'.
This grieves me probably more than it should, mostly because as I stated in this Spec op-ed, the importance of this process didn't begin and end with the actual ward boundary issue. From my vantage point it was a simple-yet-profound mechanism for us to hone our skills with towards taking a greater role in our own governance.
As it stands, residents will presumably be able to play a part in the review process as it's been proposed. I just wish we hadn't thrown away what to me was a golden opportunity for empowerment.
Why? Well, 'God is in the details', and all that. Just as there is something undeniably symbolic about say, a residents' group hosting their own symposium on local education issues in their own venue with their own moderator as opposed to an 'ARC' session as controlled by the HWDSB, the petition process had affixed to it some pretty sizeable elements of 'ownership', even if you just wanted to look at the fact that the process would have been successfully initiated by residents, and not been a concession on the part of a stolid Council....one that is, as I've said, non-binding.
I hope that we, the people get a thorough, fair review of ward boundaries, that residents are actively consulted on the ins-and-outs, that we end up with something that shouldn't have taken so much non-effort to arrive at, a ward boundary setup that's more equitable, one befits our Canadian democratic society.
I'm just not sure I'm that much of a practical optimist.
And that grieves me, too.
M Adrian Brassington
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I'm always interested in feedback, differing opinions, even contrarian blasts...as long as they're delivered with decorum...with panache and flair always helping.