One wonders, particularly after Canmore council’s public hearing in relation to the old daycare lands on Tuesday (Jan. 17), whether our municipal leaders are approaching burnout of some sort.
The way council members in Banff and Canmore have faced personal attacks, threats to their future election, insinuations of wrongdoing, of coverups, of illegalities, of personal bias, etc., one can only imagine that, when facing yet another public hearing, or open house, they have King Henry V’s “Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more” ringing in their heads.
On this day, we offer kudos to our municipal politicians who, nearing the end of their four-year term, continue to stoically appear in public to face constituents.
It must be daunting to continue to see the same naysayers, the same finger pointers, the same accusers, time after time, often in regard to the same development, the same bylaw, the same attempts to serve their community – sometimes through years of debate and municipal workings.
Don’t get us wrong; we do appreciate the fact that often people don’t want change. They don’t want their neighbourhood to change, to see increased housing density, to feel a change is being forced into the fabric of their lives.
But to continue to rail against, in particular of late, affordable housing developments in our communities, is to rail against what is becoming not only a major issue in our towns, but the single issue of importance.
Unfortunately, Tuesday’s public hearing (see front page) in Canmore provided little information that was new; it was merely yet another opportunity for the disgruntled to air their complaints and accusations.
Arguing that the Town calling the property ‘the old daycare lands’ is misleading by those who prefer to call it Larch Park doesn’t move anything forward. Arguing the neighbourhood will be ruined by increased traffic after more homes are built, misleadingly ignores the fact a daycare was on site for more than three decades – with parents picking up and dropping off kids daily.
Arguments that wildlife will be negatively affected are also misleading; again, because the site housed a daycare for decades.
Over the past year in particular, so many people have so regularly called out our municipal politicians, on so many issues (particularly affordable housing), that we at the Outlook can’t wait to see the vast slate of candidates who will surely toss their hats into the ring in the leadup to this fall’s municipal election.
One can only imagine the number of citizens who – unlike our council members, truly know what is best for the community – are already working diligently on their 2017 campaign platforms.
Of course, we would remind all these potential candidates, who no doubt are simply waiting to sign the forms to run for municipal office, that, unlike naysayers and contrarians in our midst, our mayors and councillors aren’t able to weigh in only on issues of personal importance to them.
Because municipal politicians must weigh, and weigh in on, issues as broad-ranging as big box stores, off leash dogs areas, housing developments, budgets, special events, staffing issues, flood mitigations, waterworks and utilities, playgrounds, recreation facilities and grants, as well sit on committees, do their homework, represent our towns in the public eye – the list goes on, and on, and on, and on … we feel, and hope, that single issue candidates are unlikely to be elected.
