Paper Stack and The Official Plan

The stack has been on the footstool beside my chair for a week. I've been meaning to count the pages at least but Councillor Wilson saved me the trouble.

With utter predictability, he forwarded one of his typical e-mails from the lofty pinnacle of his expertise. Unmindful of the Code of Righteous Conduct, he criticized my effort to clarify a substantive matter, impugned my motives and saved me the trouble of counting pages.

There are five hundred of the suckers.

The telephone book is only a quarter of an inch thicker.

The print is smaller than the smallest number in the book.All attempts to decipher are an occupational hazard.

One might even suspect, people are not expected to know what secrets it contains.

It 's a compilation of three drafts; Five Year Revision of The Official Plan; 2C Secondary Plan and the Infamous Promenade Study.

It should have been handily completed within this term of office. Neighbors' Plans have been completed months ago.

A week ago, Councillors received a call inquiring as to availability for a "Special" meeting in August. Timing to be from 3 p.m. until 9 p.m. with a break for dinner, to be provided on the spot.

On occasion, Councillors sit around a conference table, eating while lawyers or others make presentations. I find the practice discomfiting. If I want to eat carry-out, I elect the privacy of eating at home.

But I am not employed elsewhere and expected to rush from work, to squeeze in a meeting between a meeting, to suit someone else's schedule.

This Council has no idea in how many ways they are disrespected.

An hour's break for dinner is planned with adjournment at nine pm.

Yea! Right!....with Mormac in charge...not likely.

The schedule is obviously recognized as tight. The Director of Planning has offered Councillors the opportunity to ask questions prior to the meeting.

A couple of things are wrong with that arrangement. Councillors' questions asked and answered in public are part of the elucidating process.

An Official Plan in theory at least, is presumed to have had involvement of the community. To that end, meetings are announced ... the public is invited.... yea urged.... to participate.

Traditionally, public meetings are not held during months when schools are closed. It is generally accepted as difficult to engage the public during summer hols.

Since Councillors and staff have families too, these weeks are not optimum for scheduling important initiatives.

Then there are business people and land owners. They can be expected to have more than a passing interest in revisions of an Official Plan. Their convenience is generally considered when meetings are scheduled.

I will not be at the meeting. I said so when asked about availability. One other Councillor has indicated unavailability and one other not heard from at the time of posting. It may be a third of council will not be participating.

At this point in the term, the revised plan is unlikely to be approved prior to close of candidate registrations on September 10th.

After that date, council becomes a lame duck. No substantive decisions are made by an outgoing council.

A newly elected Council charged with completing a Revised Official Plan, as we were in 2007, will be unable to undertake that responsibility without undergoing a repeat of the entire exercise.

If scheduling a Special Meeting to consider drafts of the Official Plan had been on the agenda of the July 13th Council meeting, these points could have been publicly debated and decided.

It had to be known a decision was pending .

At this date, any effort, however monumental, to complete the Five Year Revision of the Official Plan by this Council is too little and too late.

We had four years to get it done.

P.S. Just received notice from the Town of a Special Meeting on Spetmebr 8th to receive comments ideas and input from the public on the Five Year Revision of the Official Plan as required by the Planning Act.

Like I said. Too little. Too late.