Bill 186 Sask Ammendments to Municipalities Act etc.

[oneoff]

Oh yes and it has already been given assent and

yes there is finally what is to be hoped a workable , effective and meaningful addition to the "checks and balances" that hasn't surrounded municipal politics for a long long time.

Try on the Ombudsman's office for a starter; and 52 some odd pages of ammendments just for those who would still say nothing was broken and nothing needed to be changed.

It has been a good week and I'm told the Ombudsman's office has fielded some "forty ish" phone calls since assent (which as mentioned has indeed taken place; and I was earlier told elsewhere that today was meant to be the day.

Good stuff....of course district plans , official community plans and zoning bylaws have attracted from zero to maximum of six interested business men, corporate sugar daddies and ratepayers at large (outside of elected officials, employees and those charged with opening the doors).

Now that major problem with today's "democratic system" will take more than additional pages of legislation reform.

[oldjim]

How about consolidation? Hundreds of small municipalities make no sense anymore - Alberta went to larger municipal and county units 50 years ago. People say the big districts are too removed from the people but from what I've seen the small RM's facilitate nepotism and keep the old boys' club alive. Some of your previous posts seem to validate my opinion.

[farmaholic]

Amalgamation... we are lucky in our RM that we don't have to rely solely on agricultural land to carry the tax burden. We have "poorer" neighbors and why should our luck prop up some other RM that isn't as "lucky"? Sounds like federal transfer payments. So the existing residents of this RM will have to either be taxed higher or do with less services so our poorer neighbors can share our tax base? A "social" municipal program?

I can't argue that it may be inefficient to have so many municipal districts but...

[fjlip]

Oh come on, BIGGER always better, get big or go home! Going home I guess....

[oneoff]

Almost makes a guy wish some bad luck on those who feel entitled to their good luck. Sounds pretty damn selfish to me; but...

My interpretation is that this is the Sask Party's answer to those who refused to change with the times.

And what we've got is effective loss of control over local destiny. You should see first hand the consistent seeking of grants and assistance for each and every move at the local level. There is no pride left to "sailing one's own ship"....."surviving and prospering on your own wits and ingenuity"; and "make the best of every situation" etc. etc.

Much better to hire professional panhandlers, covet and/or attempt to protect others/your position and align oneself so self interest will be best protected.

Oh...did I mention also stay at home and ignore reality; and that which doesn't currently seem to impact a personal situation directly.

Its a new world of " my family..me and .. me, and me once again... in the eyes of most people. Wait till things get a lot tougher and those people will likely to realize too late that it didn't have to be so.....and that relying on charity is the disappointing path in the longer run..

[farmaholic]

"Almost"? You mean you're not as mean spirited as me? How honorable and noble of you.

Life isn't always fair....get over it.

Who do you share your luck with?

A smart man told me the harder he works the luckier he gets. And geeze I sure wish my forefathers would have settled on the highest class, best drained, highest producing soil in western Canada but I wasn't that "lucky"!

May your ditches be mowed and your roads always be graveled, graded and snow removed.

[oneoff]

Too bad a person couldn't do some of those things for themselves. But NO; ifonly you can qualify for some grant or assistance from out of some one else's pocket....or a public deficit to the tune of some billions or trillions.

But the feeling is that its totally acceptable to rely on the resources of others and its the accepted way to take advantage of others paying the bills.....but never getting to "call the tune".

[oneoff]

Pardon my French....but it has bee said that "people don't give a shit"


And further; it also been said (and is quite true); that evn council members can "twist people's arms" and still still not one person would show up at a public meeting.

But some might well only concentrate on some perceived threat involved in "twisting arms".

Thats the level that democratic reform is currently at.

And maybe rock bottom is where there is not one person still involved or interested; not one idea left in minds of the elected representatives; and "all that can be done has been tried"


OR NOT

[farmaholic]

If RM council meetings were regularily publicly attended the atmosphere and tone of the meetings would be dramatically different that what they would be unattended.

If you want to see a level of discomfort by Councilmen like never before, attend a meeting. What stopping them from discussing the real nuts and bolts of an issue after the meeting or like you've said before at a premeeting "supper"?

Overall, I don't have too any complaints over how our RM is managed. It should be the sum of a group conscience but there always seems to be the Alpha leader of the pack.