On Oct. 2, as suggested by the (Didsbury) mayor in the previous council meeting when she refused to hear concerns because they were not on that day’s agenda, I submitted a delegation to the town office.
The purpose was to discuss some very concerning points regarding the fire department and their situation at that time and council meeting requested was Oct. 9.
The delegation was declined for that date and I asked for explanation. The CAO responded and said that the council was not ready to hear public comments or suggestions regarding the fire department. They wanted to give interim chief Deron Reimer the opportunity to implement some of the Move Forward plan and work on re-establishing the team dynamic within the department. Understandable. CAO Northcott said that I could present on Nov. 13.
Oct. 29 CAO Northcott called and suggested that, with the changes that have been implemented in the fire department, it was no longer necessary for me to present to council. I expressed that I would still like to. We confirmed the presentation date for Nov. 13 and that I was not required to provide a copy of the presentation ahead of time.
On Nov. 4 suddenly I began receiving emails from the CAO assistant and later the mayor stating that they do in fact require me to submit the full presentation in advance and gave me unrealistic deadlines. I confirmed, again, that I was on the schedule to present for Nov. 13 and the response was “Yes.”
I tried to accommodate their requests but was scolded by the mayor for not meeting their deadlines and then she informed me that my delegation had never been approved for Nov. 13, there had been a miscommunication and they apologize.
They will discuss at the Nov. 27 meeting whether or not my topics would be heard at a later time. This would mean in the new year as delegations likely won’t be accepted for the one December meeting. By then, too much time will have passed and I will likely receive another phone call suggesting that the presentation is no longer required.
I do have emails to support all communications between myself, the CAO assistant and the mayor, but unfortunately due to a disclosure clause in their emails, I cannot make them public or feel comfortable quoting them at this time without possibly suffering legal repercussions.
Why have the mayor and CAO taken so much time and effort in preventing me from a simple 15-minute presentation? I have my own theories but I’ll try to give them the benefit of the doubt before making my theories public.
Why have no other council members responded to the emails that I sent to them all? Why does the Town of Didsbury policy state that community members are encouraged to be involved and should have a voice in how their town is managed, but when attempting to have that voice it is squashed? Why does the mayor feel it's OK to scold and roll her eyes at the people that handed her the seat she currently sits in? Why do the other six council members seem to have no voice and explain how they deserve to continue sitting in those seats themselves when they don’t seem to be taking an active role?
Lastly, why are more citizens not getting involved? Why are more people not asking questions about not only the fire department concerns, but so many other concerns involving things such as mismanagement of tax dollars and unfair treatment to local developers which prevents our community from prospering, just to name a couple.
These issues have been brought to council and printed in the newspaper, but it’s likely that very few citizens are actually paying attention and know any details. We are all responsible for the happenings in this community and how it is run, not just the select elected few. That is called Democracy and Free Will and it is what many men and women fought and died for. And here we are, selfishly squandering that right.
These three points come from the council’s revised Strategic Plan:
- From page 2 - We invite you all to join in, participate and be involved. Together, as a council and community, we can make this work.
- From Page 5 – Collaboration. We believe teamwork provides better outcomes for decision-making and we embrace this style within the community, with our neighbors, with stakeholders and with other levels of government.
- From Page 5 – Integrity. We do our utmost to achieve excellence while being honest, transparent, clear and accountable.
I’ll believe it when I see it.
Laure Rivers,
Didsbury
