Skip to content

What took so long? - Fran Nault

In January, Councillor Claude Berthiaume introduced a notice of motion asking for a referendum on de-amalgamation and every councillor except two voted to waive the normal two-week waiting time for the motion, and the idea was defeated at this meetin

In January, Councillor Claude Berthiaume introduced a notice of motion asking for a referendum on de-amalgamation and every councillor except two voted to waive the normal two-week waiting time for the motion, and the idea was defeated at this meeting.  In other words, they pulled the rug from under his feet. 

Mayor Dave Courtemanche tabled a motion "to take a proactive approach" to the concerns of disgruntled citizens.  Why has it taken almost three months to do something?

Courtemanche says it is time for council to recognize residents in outlying areas who have expressed a desire for the city to be more responsive to their needs.  Shouldn't council have been doing this all along? Why did it take several ward meetings and a petition campaign for Courtemanche to propose forming a volunteer "community solutions team" to identify issues and recommend solutions to city council by January 2007?

I wonder if the outcome would be different if this had been debated in January instead of waiting for a citizens' crusade to gain momentum.

Nothing will be gained by going back to eight of everything.  What we need to do is elect a council that can work together as a team, something this council has failed to do.  This council seems to forget that they were elected to represent all residents.

Fran Nault , Greater Sudbury