Great Meeting Bodes Well for Future

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SHELBURNE MEETING WITH MINISTERS

PERCY PARIS & STERLING BELLIVEAU

For those of you who couldn't attend, this morning's meeting between the two ministers and municipal officials was well attended and observed by some 25 citizens. CBC television and a reporter from the local Coast Guard newspaper also were present.

Municipal officials each had an opportunity to identify priorities in each of their communities and Minister Paris provided those assembled with assurances that the new government placed a high priority on face to face communications and focused efforts to help rural communities with their development efforts.

All in all..... I think it was a good first meeting and gave local officials, as well as residents, an opportunity to take the measure of our new government and for these two ministers to conclude that they and their colleagues should come to Shelburne County more often.......

Gawd..... Does it Ever End?!?

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Here's a decision everyone should read..... http://townofyarmouth.ca/agenda/files2/00200/217/request_for_decision_prepayment_to_yaic.pdf


Read this carefully dear reader..... and ask yourself why the three CAO's joining the Audit Committee and chairing the audit committee is an integral part of this decision....... YAIC is broke.... the same organization run by Mr. Anderson and his supportive Board of Directors... in fact in some instances the same characters running SWSDA..

Read Shelburne County Today for details and the search by Yarmouth County municipalities for transparency or go to the URL above to read the background document......and pass it on to those who still believe that Mr. Anderson and SWSDA should manage anything in Shelburne County.

Oh...... Did I mention?

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Spoke to Service Nova Scotia representative today and was told that to his knowledge the former Minister Jamie Muir did not write a separate letter to SWSDA about the UNSM's resolution on the provision of municipal guarantee's for RDA's.... SURPRISE!

Rather.... I am told that the Department wrote to the Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities (UNSM), providing a response to all of the resolutions passed by the UNSM.. You can find this resolution and the purported response at http://www.unsm.ca/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=157&Itemid=102


Let's read this "response" from the Minister and see if we should be reading between the lines..... Here's what his "response" says.......

1. "There are a number of issues that have to be taken under consideration..." Where I come from this means.... Whoa... not so fast..... this is more complicated than you suggest....

2. "...for this request to move away from the long established policy that limits guarantees..." I believe in government-speak this means.... We've had this policy for a long time and it is well established.... we really would need incredibly good reasons and justification for changing the way we've done it .

3. "My Department will discuss this matter with the Department of Economic Development..." This means.... it will get complicated and they may not be willing to support this suggestions so we make no promises.

4. "...as well as the Municipal Finance Corporation, the entity responsible for issuing borrowing debentures on behalf of municipal government." As I read it this means.... and if the Department of Economic Development has no objections.... my fallback position will be to refer this to the guys who really decide the borrowing and lending powers of municipalities.... Hey ... pay attention... we're talking BORROWING DEBENTURES HERE! Not just loan guarantees..... this is complicated stuff....


RESPONSE:
There are a number of issues that have to be taken under consideration for this request
to move away from the long established policy that limits borrowing guarantees to
municipal corporations that have established under the Municipal Government Act. My
Department will discuss this matter with the Department of Economic Development,
who is responsible for the Regional Community Development Act, as well as the
Municipal Finance Corporation, the entity responsible for issuing borrowing debentures
on behalf of municipal government.
The Honourable Jamie Muir

NOPE..... THIS IS THE KIND OF RESPONSE GOVERNMENT WRITES WHEN THE ANSWER IS NO.... I WOULDN'T TAKE MUCH COMFORT FROM IT IF I WERE MR. ANDERSON....

Indeed... it looks like Mr. Anderson is trying to make something out of thin air.... sorry... doubt it'll work this time......

What do you think?

So ......Ask Frank!

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And that is just what they did......

Three ladies from Shelburne were in Yarmouth today and were talking about my earlier question about SWSDA's Annual General Meeting (AGM) and SWSDA's Audited Financial Statements to the end of March 2009.

Sooo.... being the concerned citizens that they are...... they stopped in at SWSDA and asked Mr. Anderson himself!!!!

And, now we have it directly from the horse's mouth.... AGM and financial statements are scheduled for mid- September.... sometime.......!!!


Thanks ladies... couldn't have done it without you!

If you have unanswered questions or if you would like documents from SWSDA .... call or write Frank and ask him......I hear he is obliging (;-).....

Here's his contact information:

P.O. Box 131, 233 Water Street, Yarmouth NS B5A 1M1 Tel: 902-742-3210 Fax: 902-742-3107 Email: yarmouthinfo@swsda.com or frank@swsda.com

Let us know if you get a response........

Ed

Lessons in Public Service...

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When I heard it.... it bothered me......!!

Monday evening at the ..... the Municipality of Barrington Council Meeting I watched with interest as private citizens who had been kept in the dark about a mink ranch development initiative, questioned the Warden and Council members and sought to stop the project.

Then I heard Councillor El-Jakl and Warden Halliday .... each state that they personally had done the best they could for the municipality, ensuring that everything that was done, " ...was done legally...". Something about those statements bothered me and over the last few days the thought has been buzzing around in my head .... what's wrong with doing things legally?

Of course.... that's not the problem.... the problem is that elected officials and public servants aren't just called upon to do things legally..... they are required by the positions they have been entrusted with to... "...do the right thing...".

That dear reader is more.... indeed much more... than doing things legally.

Rather, my fellow citizens .... in addition to meeting legal requirements, we expect elected officials and hired staff in our governments to use common sense, their training, skills, connections and experience to guide their interventions on behalf of the public.... and we expect them to seek expert advice and public input without hesitation when appropriate if the public's interests might be at risk or if the public has private and/or collective interests that might be impacted by decisions made by government.

On the other hand.... it is hard to see how the public can be expected to participate and provide meaningful, constructive input into government deliberations if those charged with the responsibility of providing government services, insist on keeping public information and deliberations secreted to the back-rooms by using trumped-up pretexts to justify in camera sessions and confidentiality.

Oh... and to make sure I am not misunderstood.... my view is that this tendency to secrecy is not a new phenomenon and did not start with the present pool of elected officials and civil servants... the problem has existed for some time and unfortunately it is now being visited on people who have simply continued to do things they way they were always done.

Solution.....!! Stop doing things the way they were always done .... and devise ways to conduct public affairs in a manner that ensures that the public is informed and engaged so that they can contribute to the healthy conduct of public affairs.

My two cents!

Ed

No Better Way to Celebrate Democracy 250!!

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Well dear reader.... it appears we are beginning a new political era.... with the opening to the public of Friday's meeting between municipal officials in Shelburne County and new Provincial Ministers who are responsible for six portfolios. Providing the public with the opportunity to hear the questions asked and the answers given is what democracy is all about......

As you can tell from the comments of your fellow readers ..... hopes and expectations are high (for the most part).... even though some comments remain cynical and critical. More importantly folks appear ready to demand more openness from our politicians and public servants in the conduct of public affairs....

Witness the recent public outcries and demands for answers ..... in Barrington, Tusket, the Municipality of Yarmouth ..... and even the Town of Yarmouth.... a call to stop public bodies from conducting public business behind closed doors with little recorded evidence of what transpired has gone out from the public and smart politicians will heed the call.... now!

This fledgling movement .... for access to information and transparency must be at the heart of informed dialogue between government and the governed respecting public issues .... and that is terrific!

Friday's opportunity for the public to listen in on a conversation between two levels of government ......is an important first step on the path to better governance and bodes well for the future..... I'm certainly looking forward to it and I hope you are too.

By the way...... If you get a chance to attend you might consider bringing along your older children and explaining to them the importance of informed public participation in a democracy..... they'll thank you in the years to come.

PUBLIC INVITED TO OBSERVE!

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THE GOOD NEWS IS......

YOUR ARE INVITED TO OBSERVE
THE MEETING OF MINISTERS PARIS AND BELLIVEAU
WITH SHELBURNE COUNTY
MUNICIPAL POLITICIANS & OFFICIALS

AUGUST 28, 10:30 A.M.
KING STREET COMMUNITY CENTRE
(FIRE HALL)

CONCERNED CITIZENS MEETING WITH MINISTER!

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Dear Reader,

It appears I have made a mistake and my mother used to say if you do..... the best thing is to apologize quickly.

I made a mistake and want to apologize to Sterling Belliveau and Percy Paris for any inconvenience caused by my premature announcement of a public meeting with the Minister this coming Friday. This confusion is my fault and I am sorry.

Unfortunately, I was in error announcing a public meeting at this time....for that, I also want to apologize to my readers.

Sincerely,

Ed Cayer