Town of Peace River Parks & Trails Public Consultation

The Peace River Community Services Department invites community input into the proposed Parks and Trails Development Plan. Read over the plan, then share your thoughts on trails, parks and playgrounds with the public input form and at two drop-in opportunities:

Thursday, February 10 between 4:30 and 7:00 p.m. at the Kinsmen Arena

Saturday, February 12 between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. at Riverdrive Mall

Peace River Public Transportation: Mixed Messages

The Support the Bus meeting on Monday night was an exciting show of community mobilization. Erin Steele has an informative overview ("Community rallies around bus issue") in this week's Record-Gazette, so I'll keep my comments to what I observed and what I've been thinking about since Monday night.

Beyond the courage it took for many of the people to get up and speak to a crowd of this size (bravo for them!), a number of things stood out for me: 

Cohesion: This is not yet a cohesive Council and might never be. There was no coherent message that told me these policy-makers had truly considered the pros and cons of this decision. Each person who spoke seemed to have a bit of the picture, but no one presented a full one. And the concerns I had back in October (Builder or Divider?) still hold true based on what I saw on Monday and in previous Council meetings.  

Mixed Messages: Mayor Mann started out his comments by saying that Council hadn't cancelled the bus service, but rather it was that the current contract wasn't working. I doubt this nuanced distinction was very comforting for the people in the audience who had just bared their vulnerabilities by describing how not having a bus would affect them. The comment raised the question in my mind as to whether Council or Town staff are negotiating with another provider? If so, let's hear about it, in the spirit of the "transparency" that we hear Mayor Mann wants to see (such as with the airport negotiations) and so people can stop worrying about April 1.

However, despite the Mayor's comment, others appear to support the decision to give notice on the contract solely from a financial perspective, saying that the service is too expensive for the number of people who ride it. Councillor Lafontaine said it "stood out like a sore thumb" when Council first reviewed the budget. If that's the case, why summarily cancel without going back to administration for other ideas, suggestions for creating efficiencies, etc.? The arena also stands out like a sore thumb when you look at what it costs, but it's unlikely that Council would decide to shut it down without checking first with staff and user groups. This seemingly hasty decision was done around the same time Council was busy getting rid of its highly competent CAO. She might have provided valuable guidance about how best to address the issue in a way that would not result in widespread public backlash.

But back to the question--which is it? Is it just a case of a contract that isn't working and that could perhaps be fixed so people will still have transportation on April 1, or it is a big ticket service that Council (or some of Council) isn't prepared to continue to support?

Where's the plan?  The decision to cancel the bus service (sorry, cancel the contract) appears to have been done with no plan in place and none developed since. If there IS a plan, it is not being communicated to those most interested—the riders, employers whose employees rely on the service and various service providers. And there was scant indication on Monday that Council cared much about what impact their decision will have on regular riders. Empathy and solutions were in short supply.

This decision was made quietly in December without any communication until mid-January. We heard the suggestion on Monday that a committee could be set up to secure funding and run the service. If Council thought that was a good idea, perhaps it could have directed Community Services to set up a consultation with stakeholders early in January. I find it discouraging to have this tossed back to volunteers in such a cavalier manner and with so little time left to plan.

Where is the professional guidance? Why is Council making this kind of decision apparently all on its own? Where was the involvement of the Town's professional staff? Has the Director of Community Services been completely sidelined in all of this? If she wasn't she invited by Council to speak to the issue on Monday, then why not?

Mayor Mann's comment that this council has experience in business and budgets and that it will “go through the budget line-by-line” showed an astonishing lack of understanding about the role of Council. In my world, this is called micro-management. Do the Mayor and councillors want to both govern and manage? That’s never a good mix.

The Town has qualified, professional staff whose job it is to plan and bring forward ideas and budgets for Council to consider and to take Council's ideas and figure out how to implement them. A municipality is a complex set of businesses from museums to recreation to water and sewer. Councillors are amateurs and they are part-time and ought not to be meddling in the day-to-day management of the corporate body. Their knowledge and expertise is far more suitably applied, with the help of staff, to high level thinking about future direction and priorities, reflected in the policies they set, not wasting their time and that of staff going though a budget line-by-line.

Who does the Town exist to serve? One councillor apparently said that "the taxpayers wouldn't like it" if the bus service was retained. Hmmm, does the municipality exist only to serve taxpayers? (And don't renters pay taxes indirectly?)

Mayor Mann referred several times throughout the evening to the "core business" of the Town. I agree that roads, sewer and water are important, but I'll remind him that people don't tend to move to a community or decide to set up a business because the place has great roads. The quality of life available to residents--those with money and those without--is a major factor in relocation. And good quality of life for all requires some spending as well as leadership from the municipality to build a diverse community that "fosters rich cultural, social, educational, and economic opportunities for ALL" and where "we take pride in our safe, healthy and environmentally friendly community where we live, play and work cooperatively with our neighbours" (Peace River Vision Statement, 2009).

Surely this Council doesn't intend to convey the message that Peace River really doesn't care about people who are not taxpayers! Unfortunately, this decision and the lack of follow-up to help those who rely on the service does tend to send out this message.

I hope I'm wrong, but I got the sense that Council has no intention to revisit this decision. Yet nothing much was offered to the concerned residents in attendance or those who signed the petition except platitudes about how hard it is to make choices and old ideas that toss the matter back to the community to solve (and with not enough time to do anything).

Is this what being fiscally conservative means--just cut and damn the consequences? It was a highly unsatisfying response from a group of smart men who ought to be able to do better than that. And I didn't once hear the Mayor ask his favourite question: "How can we help YOU?"

Public Meeting to Support the Peace River Bus: January 31, 2011

Following is more information about the public meeting on the cancellation of the Peace River bus service.

 

7:00 PM  Monday, January 31, 2011

Belle Petroleum Centre

Call 780 624-4800 if you need a ride. Bus service will be available after the meeting.

 

Format of the Meeting

• The meeting is being facilitated by Larry Stewart from the Department of Culture & Community Spirit
• Those present will be given the chance to explain by speaking or writing how the bus cancellation will affect their lives (written comments will be read out at the meeting).
• If you cannot attend the meeting but want your story included of how the bus service cancellation will affect you, your family, your business, or your community, send an e-mail  to Joan Wahl at jfwahl@telusplanet.net and it will be read at the meeting.
• There will also be a chance to write out questions, which will be read out, for the Town Councillors who attend the meeting.
• Questions about the meeting or format: Call Joan at 780 624-2369 or e-mail at the above address.

Plan to attend if you have an interest in retaining this important service. Bring a friend. And if you can't attend, but want to be heard, be sure to send an email to Ms. Wahl.

 

Further Thoughts on Bus Service Cancellation

I've been working on the issue of a lack of transportation options in Peace River for nearly 10 years. When the health centre moved from the South Side to the West Hill, some clients of the prenatal nutrition program that I worked with had difficulty getting to appointments because they now needed to take a cab, which was expensive for anyone on a low or fixed income. The program assisted by paying cab fares, but  we could see that this would not be sustainable for long given the program's small budget.

I then chaired the Peace Regional Transportation Committee when I worked for the Peace Health Region and conducted a small study about the issue. The study, and advocacy by Fairview College, the Women's Shelter, and the PDD (Persons with Developmental Disabilities) board among others, helped convince Town Council to start a bus service.

Unfortunately, the service suffered from uncertain year-to-year funding and it was difficult for Community Services to promote or develop the service when it could be easily cancelled. The former Council gave the service a five-year funding window to prove itself, but the present Council decided, apparently based solely on financial considerations, to cancel the service halfway through that window, effective March 31.

If it's true that Council considered only the cost of the service, does that show a good decision-making process? The bus service is an easy target because it is a contract, the riders don't tend to be people with a big voice, and if you don't personally use something, it's very easy to think that something is underused, too expensive, or not necessary.

Not to say that there isn't room for improvement to the service, but to summarily cut without exploring options? Good public policy work requires more than a knee-jerk reaction to a budget that is larger than you'd like. The budget deliberation process is a time for Council and staff to discuss, explore options, run scenarios, consider what is necessary and what is not, and consider what could be improved or done differently. This is a Community Services program, so why would Council make a decision about one of its programs apparently without input from the department or its board? Why cancel without a proper evaluation?

Public transit is never inexpensive and is always supported by tax dollars, just like arenas, swimming pools, and other municipal services. If Peace River's transit service broke even, or even came close, it would probably be the first in the world to do so.

Other than financial, Council might have considered that most public housing units and apartment buildings are located on the East side of the river, while Northern Lakes College and most of the grocery stores and fast food restaurants (important sources of employment) are on the West side.

If you've ever walked or cycled from the East to the West side, even in the summer, you'll know that it's a long and arduous journey. But a taxi ride could cost upwards of $20 one-way. If you're a student or working in a lower-wage job, could you afford to spend $40 a day on transportation? (Last week's Peace River Record-Gazette had an informative article on the issue that highlighted comments from some users of the service.)

Council is suggesting that the Town's taxi pass program is available and could perhaps be increased. The people riding the bus now wouldn't qualify for taxi passes. And if passes were offered more broadly, I suspect it wouldn't take long to run up considerable costs. If Council is prepared to subsidize more taxi rides, why not just continue with the bus service, which is also a local business and employer?

Mayor Mann ran on a platform of listening to "elders, youth and everyone in between" and with a commitment to ask the question "How can we help YOU?" It's an excellent question, but only if it is asked of everyone.  I hope there is a strong Council presence at the public meeting on January 31 to hear from people about how Council can help them.

Peace River's Bus Service Cancellation: Petition locations & public meeting

If you're concerned about Council's decision in December to cancel the Peace River bus service, you have a few options:
  
Petition: This petition asks Town Council to revisit the decision, but is not one that will be legally-binding, since those take enormous effort because of the requirement for each signature to be witnessed and the witness swearing an affidavit. But the organizers hope it will give Council an indication of interest in the issue.

There are 32 petition locations. Here are a few--if you care about the loss of the service and are a resident of Peace River, be sure to make an effort to sign:

In the Downtown area:

• A&W
• Value Drug
• The Bargain Store
• Liquidation World
• Sagitawa Friendship Centre
• The Dollar Store

On the West Hill:

• No Frills
• IGA
• Shopper's Drug

In the North End:

• Sugar Plum Tree Daycare

Public Meeting: A public meeting is scheduled for Monday, January 31, 7:00 at the Belle Petroleum Centre. This is an accessible location (unlike Council Chambers). Transportation will be available. The organizers hope that Mayor and councillors will attend. People who are affected by the service cancellation will have the opportunity to speak to the issue, and all points of view will be welcome during this facilitated discussion. More details coming.

Peace River Town Council Signals New Direction: CAO, Transit, Airport, Fire Service

The minutes of December 13 and 20 are contained in the January 10 agenda package available on the Town's website. They signal how the new Council plans to distinguish itself from the former Council.

December 13, 2010
Chief Administrative Officer (CAO)
After a 2-hour in camera session, Council moved to accept Norma MacQuarrie's resignation on a "without cause" basis. In my limited experience, the term "without cause" has applied in the case of a dismissal (the recent firing of Stephen Duckett by Alberta Health Services is an example), not a resignation. To whom or what does "without cause" apply? Perhaps someone with HR experience can enlighten me.

The rest of the motion indicates that compensation will be "based on the CAO's employment contract." Will the public know the cost of Ms. MacQuarrie's leaving?

The CAO position is being advertised in the Record-Gazette and on the Municipal World Job Board. The ad indicates that Council is looking for a "dedicated, motivated, and dynamic professional" to join the team. As well "The successful candidate will be a leader with excellent communication and interpersonal skills that will promote strategic development and improvement of municipal services to create a vibrant and sustainable community. The individual will be responsible to provide leadership and direction to a staff of 62 full-time and 5 part-time employees." These are exactly the qualities of the highly competent and ethical CAO that the Town had, and who will be a very difficult act to follow.

December 20, 2010
After another 2-hour in camera session, three motions of significance resulted:
1. That a letter be drafted to the Airport Committee stating that, while the Town of Peace River is committed to a high level of regional cooperation, the newly elected council requires time to fully assess the proposed airport governance structure and would like to meet with the regional partners to help address the following concerns:
1) Governance model - “Society” vs. “Authority”
2) Operational Components - issues surrounding existing staff
3) Proposed memorandum of understanding with Northern Air Charter
4) Membership Agreement - one year commitments
5) Cost sharing formula
6) Alberta Health Services Building Location

Council wants to understand the implications of this regional cooperation initiative, which is important. But it also needs to have some trust in the previous work done to investigate governance models thoroughly and to negotiate on cost sharing. Most importantly, Peace River Council should not unnecessarily hold up this important process. It would be easy to lose momentum and leave the Town once again completely responsible for the airport, which is a significant cost to our taxpayers. Asking partners to share costs also means that power and control need to be shared.

2. That administration provide 90-days notice of termination to Napp ‘n Sons Ventures Ltd. with respect to cancelling the Peace River Transit Service effective March 31, 2011.
This is an extremely disappointing decision given the previous Council's decision to allow this innovative service a few years of stable funding to get established, build ridership, and establish an advertising base.

Questions that arise in my mind: 

• What evidence base did Council use to come to the decision?
• Was Community Services and the Community Services board consulted on this decision? If not, why not?
• Was Northern Lakes College consulted since it could affect the ability of its students to get to class? If not, why not?
• Were employers consulted who have employees that count on this service?
• How influential was the taxi company lobby in this decision?
• Has Council directed administration to identify other ways to help low income people get around this very inaccessible town? If not, why not? 
• Why was there no news release announcing this decision that affects so many people and explaining the rationale?

If you are concerned about this decision, let Community Services (780-624-1000) and Town Council know.


3. That administration contact the Town of Slave Lake and the Town of Hinton to determine the level of service provided by their fire departments and their annual fire department budget.
It's important that Council understand how other communities manage their fire services. Peace River's fire department has aspirations that may go beyond the Town's abilities to fund without cutting other important programs. I hope Council has already considered the comprehensive review the former Council undertook, which if I remember correctly, included comparatives with other small Alberta fire departments.

Support for Your New Year's Resolutions

Smoking Cessation 

Did you resolve to quit smoking in 2011? If so, the Peace River Alberta Health Services Addictions Services is offering a program called QuitCore to help. It's a free 6 session group smoking cessation program for adults, running on Wednesdays in February (2, 9, 16, 23) and March (9, 30) from 6:30-8:00 at the AHS Addictions Office – Peace River Provincial Building (9621-96 Avenue) (formerly AADAC). Register by January 31 at 1-866-710-QUIT (7848).

The STEPPING UP Program  

Is family violence an issue for you? The North Peace Society for the Prevention of Domestic Violence is a nonprofit organization that runs free educational groups for men and women involved in domestic violence, with separate groups. These run for 15 weeks for 2 hours once a week. The program helps participants learn a healthier way to share the worries, anger and the joy of being a family. All information is confidential and will not be shared without the participant's knowledge.Registration is through a Probation Officer, Child Welfare Worker, or Community Helper or individuals can sign up directly by calling 780-624-8235 or emailing: npspdv@telus.net.

Village on a Diet

Made a resolution to get fitter or slimmer (or both)? Taylor, BC is on a path towards increased fitness and well-being and you can watch the progress on CBC's new program on Tuesday nights called Village on a Diet. This is part of CBC's Live Right Now initiative. On the website you can watch the Village program plus others full of excellent information. You can also sign up to track weight loss and activity, participate in challenges, and join or start a group to help support you in your efforts.

Resolved to Read More or Learn More?

The Peace River Municipal Library has some new programs starting this month, including Easy eBooks and Audio Downloads on Saturday, January 8 from 10:00 to noon and The Great Courses Lunchtime Lecture Series on weekdays from 12:15 to 12:45, starting on January 11.