Re: Saanich governance review fails to capture public’s interest in the June 30 Saanich News.
“Local government affects you when you walk out of the door,” said John Schmuck, chair of the Governance Review Citizen Advisory Committee, citing a list of items such as infrastructure and policing among others. “It’s the closest level of government to your day-to-day life.”
This is so true, but obviously many Saanich residents still don’t get it. If they were aware of what is really going on and how much it is costing them perhaps they would get a bit more interested. For instance:
Much of Saanich council’s meetings are held in-camera where decisions are made in secret and then rarely reported to the public.
Nearly $1 million has been spent by Saanich bureaucracy resisting the public’s legitimate concerns over the EDPA bylaw.
Saanich senior management hires very expensive outside consultants to write reports to support what they want to do. If the consultant disagrees then management asks for the report to be altered to reflect what they want the report to say. If the consultant asks for information that is vital to drawing a proper conclusion he is refused. If anyone doubts this is happening, I have in my possession the relevant emails and documentation to prove it.
The above three points are just the tip of the iceberg. If Saanich residents are wondering why their taxes continue to climb at three to five times the rate of inflation they need to start paying attention.
Bob Etheridge
Saanich
