The Week that was....

1) Town Hall Radio Program

For the last number of years, "The Rush" has hosted the "Town Hall" program which is a 10 min program with the Mayor of Williams Lake. It is usually hosted by Dale Taylor, who does an excellent job asking the pertinent questions that people would want to ask the Mayor and what he or she is up to. I publicly thank Mr. Taylor for the good work he does on this program and I urge to keep it up!!!

However, it is his more recent questions to Mayor Cook that I wish to discuss. On May 13th, Dale Taylor asked Mayor Cook a question pertaining to the FCM (Federation of Canadian Municipalities) Annual Meeting and she stated that she changed her schedule completely so she could go to Toronto, where FCM is being held this year but refused to tell Mr. Taylor and by extension, all taxpayers' of Williams Lake, why she needed to go to Toronto, given that the Cariboo Regional District is not going to the same conference. A week later on May 20th, she admitted that she was going to the FCM Annual Meeting to accept a National ICSP (Intergrated Community Sustainability Planning) Award. This obviously opens up two questions:

a) Why did she dance around the FCM issue - why not just truthfully answer Mr. Taylor's question on May 13th instead of waiting a week. Voters expect that their politicians answer all questions truthfully - even if the answers they provide will anger the voters' of this community. At the very least, this demonstrates a willingness to voters that their elected officials will answer questions truthfully and honestly, no matter what the consequences. This is something that Mayor Cook fails to grasp at this point of her term

b) The CRD can do its' own thing on FCM..... - Mayor Cook must understand if the CRD is not going to FCM due to economic circumstances, then Williams Lake must do the same, if nothing else, to let the taxpayers' know that its' local government truly understands the pain they are going through and they are reviewing each expenditure for appropriateness. The FCM, in my opinion, is an organization that Williams Lake taxpayers' don't need to pay for as the CRD is a member of and the City's taxpayers' pay for a portion of the CRD's FCM Annual dues and if we need information from that body, then we can ask the CRD's delegation going to the annual FCM Convention to get appropriate information on our behalf. It is hypocritical for the City to say - we have to go to FCM and raise property taxes and utility fees while failing to sympathetic to taxpayers' who are having a difficult time paying their utility and property tax bills

2) Central Cariboo Arts and Culture - Future Direction

On Tuesday, I discussed some concerns I had with the newly-released Central Cariboo Arts and Culture Stakeholder Working Group Final Report. After Wednesday night's Central Cariboo & City of Williams Lake Joint Committee meeting, Susan O'Sullivan who serves as the Community Arts Council Treasurer left me this comment:

"Big assumptions made in this blog. The CACWL had its financial information reviewed by PMT Accountants for the past 4 years with year-ends produced. At our request we have the RCMP investigating our file and we continue to be in close contact with the RCMP. Even though we experienced significant financial issues over the past year, ie, collection debts, unpaid local businesses debts, to name a few, we have addressed all satisfactory with the exception of the outstanding Heritage House lease. However, we do have a plan to repay this debt. Kudos to the CACWL members that we do have a re-payment plan, considering that the CACWL in past years and more particularily in this past year have run on a “shoe string budget.” Despite your reference in linking CACWL and the new organization being above “reproach”, we have been transparent with our CACWL financial status and other issues with the City/CRD and CACWL members. We have received no personal financial gains, quite the opposite, in fact the CACWL directors and members have experienced extreme personal stress and concern over the past year; however I am pleased to report that the CACWL’s status now is financially and administratively stable. A significant achievement considering the obstacles that were overcome. You are welcome to attend our next AGM in September, 2010 for more information."

I would say that the public and myself have yet to see a public statement from the RCMP that says that the CAC-WL's (Community Arts Council of Williams Lake) Financial Statements are solid and can not be lawfully challenged and I look forward to seeing that statement in due course

Insofar as a plan to repay City of Williams Lake taxpayers' for the outstanding Heritage House backrent, the CAC may very well have a plan but the taxpayers' are entitled to see that plan and criticize said plan if it is not in the taxpayers' best interest. Speaking of which, Councillor Geoff Bourdon and Mayor Cook, at Wednesday's Joint Committee meeting, did ask specifically for that plan in writing (note - in January of 2010, City Staff, Councillor Walters and CAC members were tasked to meet and come up with a plan to pay back the Heritage House backrent and report back to Council and as of today, that plan has not been laid before Council) which in turn incited Harry Jennings to harshly criticize Mayor and Council for what specific information they were looking for.

I would remind Mr. Jennings (and both he and Ms. O'Sullivan will know that I was at this past Wednesday's Joint Committee meeting) that he can do without the "standoffish attitude" towards Council and just simply say that he is more than prepared to provide whatever information that Council requires to satisfy its' concerns about the debt-repayment plan for backrent at Heritage House.

Finally, whatever takes place with regard to the Central Cariboo Arts and Culture Stakeholder Working Group Final Report - the new Society should be formed (after all concerns of CRD Area 'D' Director Deb Bischoff are satisfied) and the CAC should be required to dissolve and not to have this new Arts and Culture Society and CAC both co-existing. This will ensure that we all can move forward on Arts and Culture in the Central Cariboo. Also, the Central Cariboo Joint Committee should send a stern statement to the new Arts and Culture Society that the $200,000 contemplated in the Arts and Culture Function is the maximum that they'll receive from Central Cariboo taxpayers' and if the Society needs more money, it'll have to look elsewhere. They are too many other things that need looking after

As for the AGM of the CAC, I look forward to see what they'll be telling their members in regards to the future of CAC vis-a-vis the newly established Central Cariboo Arts and Culture Society