Out of town consulting firms won't be casting votes in election
What doesn't make sense to us is why wouldn't the Town of Osoyoos include eastside residents in the formation of a traffic plan for that area?rnNo one is arguing that a traffic plan is needed for the eastside of Osoyoos. It is, desperately.
But what isn't needed is more of the same old mentality that outside consultants should be dictating what should be done in Osoyoos. It just doesn't make sense.
Last week the Osoyoos Times ran a story about committments made to a number of eastside residents and how they would be included in helping shape that plan. To date that hasn't happened, and we can't blame them for being upset.
This isn't the first time we have seen the Town of Osoyoos turn to high-paid, outside consultants long before getting any kind of a mandate from local residents.
The best example, of course, is Desert Park. If the Friends of Desert Park had not been so diligent in coming forward with their vision and so persistent in being heard by municipal politicians then it is pretty clear that Urban Systems would have been setting the future direction of that park. The bottom line is that not including local residents in decisions that effect them the most is wrong. Town council has no right to form a traffic plan without any local input, and while we understand that the Minister of Transportation can do whatever he deems necessary in this case, we highly doubt that provincial politicians would want the wishes of the local residents ignored. To even bring that forward would amount to nothing more than bullying.
An election is coming up this fall and if members of this council plan to get re-elected then they should start taking a hard look at who will be casting votes. One thing they can count on is that it won't be any of their out of town consulting firms.
