Prior notice creates more impactful process

To the Editor:

Does the sustainability task force prefer full public participation or not?

Issues:

People do not know what is going on with town developments “until it is too late.”

Opportunities:

Give public longer lead-time for notice of development meetings.

From the Report on the Community Circles: An Interim Report of the Wolfville Sustainability Initiative, page 20:

Section 190: The purpose of this Part [VIII of the Municipal Government Act] is to . . . (c) establish a consultative process to ensure the right of the public to have access to information and to participate in the formulation of planning strategies and by-laws, including the right to be notified and heard before decisions are made pursuant to this Part . . .

On Feb. 4, I e-mailed six members of the Sustainability Task Force suggestions I hoped, if implemented, would increase public awareness and participation in the process for rewriting the Town’s Municipal Planning Strategy (MPS) and Land Use Bylaws.

Here are the suggestions I made: • Drafts of documents which are being reviewed at public meetings should be made readily accessible to the public at least a week before the meetings take place. Could copies be placed on the table in the post office, the library and other public venues? • Copies of the draft documents should be placed on the Town’s website. • There could be something like “suggestion” boxes placed around town where residents could submit written comments on proposed drafts of the MPS and LUB. • Notices should be placed around town informing residents of forthcoming meetings, along with the topics to be discussed at those meetings. • Explore the possibility of having forthcoming meetings announced on radio and television.

At the Task Force meeting held Feb. 6, during the question period, I asked whether the Task Force had any response to my suggestions. To the best of my recollection, I received the following responses:

Councillor Zimmerman pointed out that the form of my question assumed that the Task Force had meetings or discussions outside of the official Task Force meetings. I apologized, and said I did not mean to infer that.

Councillor Zimmerman pointed out he had only received the draft documents last Friday, the second of February, and that portions of the draft documents contained sections of the old MPS, which are available to the public.

Deputy Mayor Wrye, who chairs the Task Force, stated he was satisfied with the existing procedure, which was to make copies of documents available to the public at the meetings at which they would be discussed.

There was no discussion that I recall of whether any of my ideas had merit; whether they were impracticable or unnecessary or improper.

The dates of the Task Force meetings are listed on the Town's website and the last Task Force meeting was well attended.

But there’s a difference between announcing the meetings so the public can know when and where to attend and being able to fully participate.

Why are Task Force members provided with documents prior to the meetings? The answer, I suspect, is so when the members come to the meetings, they are ready to discuss the content and not spend precious meeting time reading the documents. Shouldn’t that same reasoning apply to providing town residents with the draft documents prior to the meetings?

But the public will have plenty of opportunity to read and comment on the draft MPS when it is later reviewed by the Planning Advisory Committee (PAC) and eventually comes before the Town Council.

Very true. But I have learned from experience that the earlier in the drafting process feedback is provided, the more impact it will have. In addition, it should be noted that three members of the Task Force are also members of the PAC, and those same three members are on the Town Council.

I would ask the Task Force to reconsider my proposals.

David A. Daniels

Wolfville