On Feb. 12 I witnessed another South Shuswap incorporation meeting in Blind Bay.
After listening for 2.15 hours without any breaks, to lengthy dissertations by and between ‘experts,’ and to questions from committee members and our director, while sitting on hard chairs in a hot room, staring at slides and columns of facts and figures, mercifully the chairman finally asked for public input.
By then, one third of those present had left. Those remaining had difficulty recalling issues arising five screen slides back, let alone an hour prior.
There has to be a better way.
If the Columbia Shuswap Regional District really wants public input (of which I am not convinced), then start by ensuring sufficient handouts are available one week before the meeting, at designated stores in Blind Bay and Sorrento. There were insufficient handouts, nor time to digest the same (not everyone uses or has access to the internet).
Read more: Public input vital to Sorrento-Blind Bay incorporation study
Read more: Column: South Shuswap incorporation study to get underway
Secondly, after presenting findings on a specific issue, ask immediately for public input regarding that issue – not six issues and one hour later. (Or was that intended?) It is my distinct recollection that this study was to explore and present both pros and cons of incorporation, leaving it up to the residents to make their decision at the appropriate time. Since when did it become the committee’s goal to create a model for what incorporation would look like?
Is the committee already assuming incorporation?
We aren’t even one third through this alleged impartial study, and it is readily apparent which way some committee members are leaning. This does not surprise me but it is disappointing.
Ken Smith