Wednesday, November 10, 2010

City of Quesnel has progressive "Public Consultation" policy

As I feared last night - Williams Lake Council proceeded to give 1st, 2nd and 3rd reading to False Alarm Bylaw #2127.  During the September Public Consultation Meeting with the general public, the specifics in False Alarm Bylaw #2127 were never brought up.  It would be fair to suggest that the specfics may have been discussed with specific stakeholders and now the public should have the opportunity to provide input on False Alarm Bylaw #2127 prior to adoption so Williams Lake Council has the benefits of the public's views prior to adopting this bylaw for implementation

Like Traffic Control Bylaw #2093 and the City Bylaw that allowed for the outdoor cafe for New World Cafe - the public was engaged only after a litany of complaints were received and not before

Unlike Williams Lake Council which only practices regressive public consultation policies, Quesnel Council has some of the most progressive public consultation policies including discussing the following bylaws prior to adoption:

1) Wood First Bylaw
2) Business License Bylaw

Quesnel Council should be congratulated for practicing a great form of public consultation and Williams Lake Council could learn much from how Quesnel Council engages the public on regulatory bylaws

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