For those of you still with me, the news out of city hall this week is good. At least there doesn’t seem to be anything fundamentally awful about Mayor Trent’s announcement that the joint government grant to finance a good portion of the new arena/pool complex has been extended by four years. This means that the $20 million grant offer, secured by former mayor Karin Marks and her council last month, no longer expires in early 2011 — a rather tight timeline that put extreme pressure on the City to get the shovels into the ground as quickly as possible. Now they have until early 2015, which gives all parties concerned — especially the incoming council — considerably more breathing space in this daunting initiative to come up with definite plans that the majority of residents can live with.
Of course no one expects everyone to be pleased by whatever plans are eventually adopted, as we know there are several people out there who hate everything on principle, but this grant extension is one piece of news that will be difficult to spin in a negative way.
You hear the same thing every time an election comes along, which in Canada works out to an average of at least twice per year: “Go out and vote!”
This hackneyed phrase is as much a part of any election as those unsightly posters plastered on poles. But in municipal elections, voter turnout is usually quite low. This is ironic, because city councillors are the most relevant to residents. More so than federal or provincial representatives, they vote on bylaws and public policy that most directly affect you, your property, and your community. And you can always phone them up and give them a direct earful if the occasion requires.
So if you don’t plan on voting this Sunday, think twice — and be thankful you don’t have to decide between Harel and Tremblay.
