Today, I came across a post written by none other than Mr. City Hall himself, Paul Dechene of the wonderful Prairie Dog Magazine. In it, Paul talks about some issues that should have been paid more attention to, one of which is something I've been monitoring quite closely for many months now. If you haven't had a chance to read his article, go check it out.
Below is my feedback on his article. On a related note, Mayor Nenshi is continuing the battle against a developer in Calgary. This is something that we must watch extra closely in Regina, as it is sure to rear it's ugly head right here at home - in due time.
Great
work Paul, and I fully agree, there needs to be far more discussion
surrounding the Annexation Plans, and just who is in whose pocket. It is
far too suspect
to have years of animosity allegedly "resolved" in only a matter of weeks - all the
while one councillor RESIGNS, and another councillor refused to show up at
probably THE most important RM Council meeting in years.
Speaking to some of the things you point out:
"Sherwood
deputy reeve, Tim Probe, is pretty brazen about how Sherwood’s OCP will
be what governs development within the Collaborative Planning Area and
not
the Regina’s"
-
Exactly. I spoke with Mr. Probe and other RM reps that evening, and
that was the feeling I got from them too. They are either deliberately
ignoring reality
for another purpose, or they are truly naive to think that the City is
the one that will be doing the bending for the RM.
"The developer spent significant money trying to get his agenda through"
-
Yep. This happens a lot in the Regina area - and many other municipalities going through the developer-infused "boom" times. And it helps when the
developers put that money into the back pockets of those officials that
are put into positions
of trust and sole authority over millions of our tax dollars. Oh - and it doesn't hurt to prop a few up to run in elections and take advantage of voter apathy, to get put into ultimate authority with little to no accountability deemed necessary by legislation.
Keep
in mind that you have the Reeve of the RM who holds most-if not all-of
the land that is being proposed for Wascana Village, and a former Mayor
that owns
a whack of land in the soon-to-be-announced Harbour Landing West (along
with friends, family and associates). Add to that, realtors and
construction lobbyists on Regina City Council, and you have a perfect
recipe for disaster. Okay, maybe not that doom and
gloom, but it certainly is a recipe for cooking up an
all-too-appetizing situation of market collusion that has been proposed
to the municipal and provincial governments for over a decade now. Note
that the "boom" (which has been primarily a result of - ironically
- housing and immigration), began around the same time as the major
land developments were happening, condo conversions were being allowed
in droves, and demolition of affordable housing complexes were allowed
"because there's nothing we can do", and I'm certain
you can see why there NEEDS to be an audit and/or inquiry into the
goings on of Regina City Council, RM of Sherwood Council and both
Administrations.
I
find that there are far too many "assume" "should be" "we think"
comments in these interviews for a process that is supposed to be so set
in stone, and everything
was to be worked out in these private meetings that the public wasn't
allowed to know a single thing on.
It
is also very interesting to note, that the evening that the RM of
Sherwood presented their OCP to the general public, Jason Carlston and
Diana Hawryluk were
there as well. What was funny, speaking candidly to Jason after the
meeting, he claimed this was the first ever meeting he had attended, and
the first time he'd seen their OCP. Funny - you'd think a planner would
be more aware of what their neighbouring municipality
is doing, especially if, in other interviews, he claimed the exact
opposite. Just a piece of interesting info for your files.
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