City council sticking with Standing Policy Committees
By Al Beeber - Lethbridge Herald on January 22, 2025.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDabeeber@lethbridgeherald.com
City council on Tuesday voted to reject a motion arising from Acting Mayor Jeff Carlson on Dec. 10 that council disband all the Standing Policy Committees with work done by those bodies to come directly to council.
Six members of council voted against the motion with only three including Carlson, mayor Blaine Hyggen and councillor Rajko Dodic voting in favour.
Carlson made the motion early during the Dec. 10 meeting during which council also addressed the Lethbridge and District Exhibition financial situation.
Discussion on that motion was postponed until Tuesday after a vote on Dec. 10 to allow the public to speak on the motion.
In support of his motion, Carlson told his fellow council members last month that while he enjoys “the deep dive” of committee work, he said the committees are a waste of time and feels the hours addressing matters at them should be done at the council level. He said he doesn’t want to waste people’s time in committee then deal with matters again at council.
Carlson opened discussion on the motion Tuesday saying he made it during “a moment of frustration” and called it “off the cuff and snippy.” But during the Christmas break he heard from members of the City’s boards, commissions and committees they feel SPCs create a type of red tape they have to deal with to get to council,
Carlson added he considered reversing his stance but found himself caught between a rock and a hard place.
During discussion on Tuesday, a couple of councillors including Belinda Crowson and Ryan Parker noted that while they feel the process could be tweaked they felt the SPC process worked well.
Councillor John Middleton-Hope expressed concerns about the potential length of council meetings without the work of SPCs being done in advance and put in the form of the consent agenda to be addressed. He also noted that the number of SPCs has also been reduced.
As council heard, all items in the consent agenda recommended for its approval by an SPC can be pulled for debate of the entire council.
Dodic said he has never supported the SPC system and said it speaks volumes about their relevance to the public that nobody appeared at council Tuesday to discuss the issue. Dodic said while the intent of SPCs is good he is uncomfortable that council in its entirety makes decisions based on the recommendation of only four of their colleagues. He noted “I don’t believe they serve the function” for which they were intended.
Councillor Mark Campbell said he supports the SPC process, stating “I really believe in them.” He added that he felt the system of governance deserves a chance to become entrenched with the community.
Crowson also supported the SPC model but said it could be tweaked.
“I don’t think there is one perfect format,” said the councillor but said the model spreads the power of government out among all members of councillors.
16-15
Out red taped themselves. No one knows what they are doing or what to do? For once I agree with Carlson although he almost slipped off the wrong side of the fence
What direction was the wind coming from that day?
Ok…… let’s begin by saying, the Justice Center for Constitutional Freedoms is going before the Federal Court in an expedited court challenge to politicians “powers”, and WHO is supposed to wield them. Based on our British Parliamentary Act, which also challenged in Britain because of the same actions, was deemed illegal. WHY? Because a politician decided for their own unexplained, hidden reasons to prorogue parliament. Ergo they then put in place “parameters” for what POWERS politicians have, which include proroging, spending, and other issues, which extends to ALL politicians at all levels country wide.
Now you may ask why should I care? Because voters did not VOTE for bureaucrats to investigate projects, approve funding and then present them to Council for their “signatures”. That is the job of the politicians we voted for, not for bureaucrats who have their own agendas and are not bound by what VOTERS voted for. Especially if these projects go over budget as with the Agrihub. Those bureaucrats should have concentrated their efforts on how the money was spent.
We voted for the actual politicians to investigate, decide, and present them to the “bureaucrats” to monitor, audit, and keep council up to date on any “issues”, including funding on those projects.
I have heard “whispers” that the $300M bridge to the Westside has been placed on the back burners, suspended. Which IMO? is good, why? Because per the PBO Canadians with personal Debt, Credit Cards, Mortgages, Loans, Lines of Credit, are about to default on $2.5Trillion, up from the $2.45 Trillion approx 6 months ago.
Meanwhile John Middleton hope’s response when I asked why we were spending $300M and gave him this explanation was: “That doesn’t concern me.”
I was staggered, at the callousness, and sheer lack of professional integrity, morality, ethics, towards what ALL Canadians are facing.
Add to that, Banks, ie TD just got nailed by the US for Fraudulent Investment documentation, with a penality of $3Billion, BMO got nailed with $41Million in the US for money laundering. Meanwhile ALL the major banks in Canada have gone to the Federal Government for bailouts, which they provided in printed money.
AND those same banks both in Canada and major banks in the US, are getting OUT of the Net Zero.
WHO does ANYONE think is going to pay these fines, penalties, and defaults?………… WE all are, as we struggle under our OWN money, food, housing crisis’. Think about that.
On top of that the Federal Government claims our “DEBT”, is $1.3Trillion that’s 11 Zeros, however, that originally started at $1.2Trillion, Went up to $2.2 Trillion, then poof, went down to $1.3 Trillion. Why?
Well when we look at the public pensions CPP, QPP, Invest Alberta, BC Investment, CDPQ Investment, HOOPP and many others worth $2.9Trillion who are invested in Caisse Quebec, have potentially been used as guarantees against the debt. Which is illegal, the government doesn’t own those pensions, nor are they to use them. But it would explain how they dropped approx $1Trillion in debt……….
Many cities are facing this same kind of arrogance, ignorance, and apathy towards taxpayers on a whole. My list doesn’t include Provincial or Municipal debt. Let that sink in.
AND the with the Federal Government claiming ONLY $1.3Trillion with my list topping $14Trillion, that’s 1/10th of what the Federal Liberal / Spend politicians claim. (I can prove)
We’re in for a whole lot lot of Holy craps coming this year……… and apparently Lethbridge City Council, believes that letting bureaucrats decide what and how much we spend money on, are not voted for, is a good thing.
Look what it’s done so far……….. $27M unaccounted for, which means those same Bureaucrats didn’t do the job they were supposed to do, meanwhile playing city politicians while city council did what actually?
Not their jobs.
Council has asked the city manager to fire some of the bureaucrats at city hall in the past. Taxpayer supplies a huge buyout,but it still sends a message. Doesn’t last long however, as council continues to vote on policies that gives the bureaucrats more and more power and control of the purse strings.
Taxpayers keep voting in lame ducks for city council, however.