"Cowardice asks the question...is it safe? Expediency asks the question...is it politic? Vanity asks the question...is it popular? But conscience asks the question...is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because it is right." ~Dr. Martin Luther King

Thursday 27 December 2012

The Good The Bad and The Ugly

I have tried and tried  to reproduce a Christmas Greeting received from  Aurora Arboretum. The photo is spectacularly beautiful.
A creek flows through snow-covered  banks with blonde reeds on either side, stuck together here and there with cotton balls of snow ,
Frozen scrub trees lean over to form a higgledy-piggledy sentinel   as the  creek twists and  meanders and narrows  out of sight.
The water is so precisely edged with snow,  it hardly seems natural..
I know it is because June Yates is the photographer. 
June is the editor of the Arboretum News. Husband  Tom and herself are also  members of the Seniors Club . Photography is a passion and Tom always credits June as the best of the two.
My grand-daughter Stephanie,  tried without success  this morning to reproduce the photo.
It really does  need to be shared. 
Anna ,if you are reading this post , maybe you could make contact with June and  ask if you can share this and other beautiful photographs regularly presented in the Arboretum News. 
There would surely  be sufficient to create an annual  calender  of breathtakingly beautiful spots in Aurora. Enough calenders for the next  twenty years.  
There's another  reason for wanting to share the greeting .. It bears  the names of the  Arboretum members,
There are thirteen. Alfamiliar. All well- meaning volunteers with  passion for creating  something spectacular  in  the Lambert Wilson  ravine that stretches from St. John Sideroad to John West Parkway. It ends at the Senior Centre. Precisely where Petch House has been  re-located and is near completion.
The town has  provided half a million dollars already to the group .
Last year's grant was $50,000. Every year before  $100,000. I believe this year  is the sixth year. 
I supported the grant initially.  I thought it was a good use of  interest from the hydro reserve fund. 
For various reasons, I changed my mind. Not the least of them  careless, thoughtless disregard for increasing taxes.
The funds are derived from taxation. 
Added to those  handed over to the autonomous Historical Society which hasn't provided a  museum service since 2002. 
Added to half a million dollars annually to another autonomous board  that sells culture out of a rent-free building.
The funds are no less than 3 points of the annual the tax rate increase
It's money filched from tax-payers pockets to be  handed out , given away freely, to non-elected, non-accountable bodies to spend at their pleasure and publicly supported in statements made by an  appointed official of the municipality. Like he knows no better.   
With the best intentions in the world, I don't believe any self-respecting elected body, charged  with responsibility for stewardship of public resources can  tolerate  such flagrant excess.and such disrespect for the electorate who gave us  their trust.
Good fiscal management it is not.          

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

The amount they receive is excessive & I believe they are aware of that fact. It is up to the group itself to make a proper decision about what they truly need. There are only a certain # of days per year for tree planting and care in Aurora. With willing volunteers available through the schools, the money from taxpayers could be greatly reduced. If Council continues to fund beyond what is necessary, only the group itself can take the initiative.

Anonymous said...

The money isn't for the benefit of the thirteen Arboretum members - it is for all fifty-five thousand of us to enjoy their efforts.

(So much for the Season of Goodwill)

LivingInAurora.ca said...

Evelyn, :) yes I am reading this. I will get in touch with Tom, see what we can do. Anna :)

Anonymous said...

1:49 PM - Who's the snark now?

Anonymous said...

I have a question, please.
We have learned that the Centre has socked away more than $100,000 in a Contingency Fund. Which is outrageous but not the issue in this instance. Or is it? Does Council know if any of the funds given to the Arboretum overt the years have been saved and are now available for them to use? Sorry - that was 2 questions.

Anonymous said...

The veneer of volunteerism tends to wear thin when it is abused. In this case, what began as ' seed money ' to help begin a program has escalated into an annual demand. Aurora is already having trouble generating income. Time to cut back if not cut out. Keep up the program but within certain constrictions on expenses. Just a suggestion.

Anonymous said...

FORD DEFAMATION CASE THROWN OUT

Anonymous said...

Ford - 1
Toronto Star & Total Staff - 0

Anonymous said...

Wow! That shows what is thought about renewing a contract without tendering it out. And Aurora Council still wants to do the same with the Centre?

Anonymous said...

I have found the Master Plan for the Arboretum Project. It seems just fine & ambitious. What it does not supply are facts & figures about how to achieve the aim. Perhaps taxpayers would be more sympathetic to money requests if they were confident of the financial management being as solid as the planning for plantings.