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Victoria council secrecy control affecting public debate: councillor


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#1 AnonAnnie2

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Posted 03 June 2010 - 07:46 PM

wow wow wow!
Victoria council's "secrecy and control" affecting public debate: councillor
Veteran councillor Geoff Young says the council is creating needless roadblocks.
Read more: http://www.timescolo...l#ixzz0pqv6GlJc


#2 Ms. B. Havin

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Posted 03 June 2010 - 08:10 PM

I wonder if Chandler actually believes herself when she "chastises" Young for being "offensive."

For the record, I'm offended by Chandler (and Fortin) continually trying to shut Young up. If you ever have the misfortune of witnessing Chandler give Young a lecture on democracy and government, you'll want a barf bag close by. It's that nauseating.
When you buy a game, you buy the rules. Play happens in the space between the rules.

#3 aastra

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Posted 03 June 2010 - 08:41 PM

Here's what Young is quoted as saying:

“We can all think of at least two significant public policy issues over the past two weeks that have been dealt with in-camera. They each involve significant expenditures of staff time. In each case the public may never hear about them or they hear about them much later,” Young said, adding the same thing has been happening with the bridge project.

“We’ve had reports in-camera and then there’s been long lapses before the information is made public. We’ve had reports presented at council meetings when clearly, clearly the information has been available days before or weeks before and could have been released when the public agenda is released so ... the public would have a chance to examine the information.”

What Young said is either true or it isn't, right?

- long lapses before information is made public
- the public may never hear about significant public policy issues or hears about them much later
- reports presented at council meetings contain information that was available days or weeks before and which could have been released with the public agenda

Meanwhile, Fortin and Chandler are quoted as being concerned about "inferences to secret meetings" and "allegations of secret in-camera meetings".

It would have been really neat if Fortin or Chandler or Lucas had actually responded to Young's specific concerns.

#4 mat

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Posted 03 June 2010 - 10:41 PM

johnsonstreetbridge.org has a couple of new posts up

One is a letter on the role, and transparency, of the Blue Bridge Citizen Advisory Panel, which I wrote, and which has implications not only on the bridge process, but OCP engagement.

The second is by Ross Crockford on today's proceedings - there was nothing indicated in the Governance & Priorities Committee agenda up to 24 hrs before the actual meeting about the JSB: it was a last minute item. How can the public arrange to attend, report etc. without adequate notice?

The post is here with a podcast.

#5 Rob Randall

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Posted 03 June 2010 - 11:01 PM

I witnessed Chandler lecturing Young on the finer points of democracy last year. You could see the steam coming out of Geoff's ears. Chandler (who was eight years old when Young was first elected to Council) overlooks the amount of bridge info that only saw the light of day after repeated FOI requests.

#6 Rob Randall

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Posted 26 August 2010 - 11:13 PM

The City of Victoria tonight voted to make the week of September 27 to October 1, 2010 "Right to Know" week:

"Whereas the City of Victoria has adopted the principles of open, accountable and transparent government and

whereas the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act grants British Columbians a right of access to information in the custody or under the control of municipalities, and

whereas the access to municipal government information ensures that the City of Victoria citizens have an opportunity to participate meaningfully in the democratic process; etc...."


Interesting in light of jsb.org's FOI battle to get the City's embarrassing Delcan correspondence.

 



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