"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

Friday 13 September 2013

Now You See it...Now you Don't

You know  what I think about advisory committees. They create  an unnecessary work load  and slowdown the process of town business and i some incidence, create an illusion of progress.

More tax resources expended with no identifiable returns.

In April a delegate appeared at Council to offer an amazing gift of an environmental park with an interpretation centre.

The gift was one of a kind. Once in a millenium.

Aurora had never  before experienced such generosity.

The  gift  offer was referred  to two advisory committees; the Trails  Committee and the Environmental  Advisory Committee.

Like we needed to  weigh its acceptability.

The committees apparently met with a representatives of the donor.  Apparently  some members had ideas of their own about the facility design.

Six months have passed since. Nothing further has been heard  of the magnificant offer.

Not a word.

Not a dickey bird.

 Nuthin'. Nil.

Not a whisper on the wind. Not a flutter of a wing.

All is silent..

Nothing is known.

Except of course about how we managed to make a generous multi-million dollar offer disappear.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I sure hope you aren't referring to the Stronach gift.

Anonymous said...

"You know what I think about advisory committees."

Yes, you don't like them because you know everything already and you ignore their "advice" anyways.

The gift needs to be evaluated, I am not sue it is a good thing in the long run.

Anonymous said...


From the minutes of the most recent meetings of the two committees you mention, I note that Environmental has Clrs. Pirri (Chair) and Gallo (Vice Chair. The others mentioned may be members of the public and/or staff.

Trails is chaired by Clr. Gallo with Clr. Ballard as Vice Chair. Among (Other Attendees) is "Public Health Nurse."

From your description of the gift it could be nothing except the magnificent donation of something in excess of 80 acres of land by Mr. Frank Stronach.

I do not know the terms and conditions under which this donation was made although it would be very surprising if it did not contain certain desires on the part of Mr. Stronach.

You state that the two "committees met with a representative of the donor. Apparently some members had ideas of their own about the facility design.

I find it more than a little strange, and totally unacceptable that a gift to the town worth millions of dollars is being discussed in such a manner that the public has not heard a single word about the "ideas."

There are a total of three councillors on these two committees and I consider two of them to be losers. What input have other members of Council contributed?

Has Mr. Stronach, in fact, rescinded his donation?



Anonymous said...

We do need to look at the gift.An enviornmental analysis before transfer is paramount.

Anonymous said...

Has it indeed disappeared?

Anonymous said...

16:18
I am absolutely certain that the Stronach team would be delighted to provide an environmental analysis.
This sort of garbage happened with the Lucid proposal; it should not be allowed to recur.

Anonymous said...


Evelyn:

I love your use of our language:

"Not a dickey bird.

Nuthin'. Nil.

Not a whisper on the wind. Not a flutter of a wing.

All is silent..

Nothing is known."

Anonymous said...

An MOE report or maybe a couple of private firms 18:31.BTW this has nada to do with Lucid.