An open letter to White Rock city council and senior staff.
Regrettably, it is necessary on behalf of many of us citizens to write to you and advise of the hollow disappointment and bitter taste that lingers following the ‘special meeting’ held by council on April 10 (White Rock elected officials ‘threatened, harassed’, April 15).
Your meeting was called “to deal with ‘issues raised by the community on the solid-waste decision.’”
Instead, the meeting was manipulated to be just another unchallenged sideshow by staff scrambling to throw out unsupported ‘facts’ and ‘opinions’ to justify a decision improperly made in secret on Dec. 15.
The meeting was an orchestrated sham. There was no true debate or discussion by council. Instead, to cover their tracks, council voted to throw away $100,000 in taxpayer money to “provide technical assistance,” to “provide education and awareness” and to buy 12,000 “kitchen catchers,” enough to supply the entire city.
None of this was sought by those who rallied at city hall to try to “End Garbagegate”; it was a staff recommendation, just like the awful Dec. 15 decision. A colonial master approach – giving coloured beads and shiny trinkets to the natives to try to keep them pacified.
If you think that we think your efforts are condescending and patronizing, then you are correct.
What about the issues raised by the community?
Did you deal with:
• the impropriety of the city making its final decision, to terminate waste-collection services, at a closed meeting?
• the fact the Dillon Report was not received by council until after its decision, and the report never recommended the action the city decided to take?
• the neglect and lack of public engagement, consultation and dialogue both before and after the Dec. 15 decision?
• the blatant disrespect and discourtesy shown to citizens by the way the city chose to communicate its decision?
• what appears to be ‘union busting’ by the city?
• the premature and unnecessary establishment of a solid-waste utility fee and its inequity?
• the issues of unpaid volunteer strata personnel who think city staff should just do their jobs?
• the issues raised by smaller stratas that tax reductions will be insufficient to cover costs of waste collection?
• the unsightliness of garbage bins on display continually with over 250 stratas making individual arrangements?
• the impacts of having all these different contractors and waste vehicles travelling through our community?
• the city’s coy circumvention of Metro Vancouver diversion targets by making multifamily homes find their own service providers who will undoubtedly haul to landfill sites outside Metro Vancouver to avoid higher tipping fees and the organics ban?
• the city’s negligence to take any action whatsoever to implement an organics plan with multifamily homes, despite lengthy advance notice?
Sorry, but posters, consultants and free kitchen catchers just don’t cut it.
All that the public has been asking of you is that you engage us, consult with us and actually consider what we have to say; we expect you to provide good government, to provide services for the community benefit and to foster the economic, social and environmental well-being of our community.
This, you have clearly failed with “Garbagegate.” Although we may be wiser and better experienced on dealing with city hall in future, we continue to be angry, disappointed and left with a bitter taste in our mouths.
Dennis Lypka, White Rock
