By Gary Gardiner, North Bay.
Mr. Gardiner's opinion piece is in response to Council dumps citizen's short public presentations.
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Personally, I witnessed many 5-minute presentations to council in the past. Passionate, concerned citizens, some at the point of tears. Many were way out of their comfort zone but committed to telling what matters most for them with respect to City North Bay.
The Dionne Quint’s Home was saved by 5-minute presentations; the sale of waterfront access points was saved by 5-minute presentations; the inclusion of fluoride in our drinking water was saved by 5-minute presentations; a fair water billing system between residential and industrial users was saved by 5-minute presentations.
In all the above-mentioned cases the politicians eventually changed their minds, bending to the will of their citizens. In fact, they were held accountable by public pressure.
Transparency and accountability were buzzwords during the municipal election. Apparently that no longer applies.
What will we lose in the future because council no longer cares to hear what their citizens think?
Gary Gardiner
