Two public meetings on controversial topics and a third planned for Tuesday night (tonight) show the value of openness even if it means grievances are aired and gaffes revealed.
Public meetings are all too often scripted so officials don’t get an earful and politicians are protected from scrutiny.
But that is not the case with a recent Renewing Riverview open house and two public school board meetings, one on the budget surplus last week and another tonight on Burke Mountain schools.
The Riverview open house brought out a lively crowd, with participants lining up at the microphone to speak passionately about saving the 102-year-old site as a mental health campus. Some people vented angry feelings, others were skeptical about the site planning process but, overall, the discussion was worth it and it appeared that all participants learned something from one another.
Also last week, the board of education chose to discuss what to do with a $2.5-million budget surplus in a public forum. Although the meeting got bogged down in confusion and Roberts’ Rules of Order on the order of motions, and some trustees didn’t always understand the finance department numbers, overall, the effort was well-intentioned, with more information shared than otherwise might be the case.
Finally, the board has also agreed to hold a public meeting on the future of Burke Mountain schools tonight at 7 p.m. at Leigh elementary school in Coquitlam. We can only speculate but it’s likely this will be another spirited meeting with many parents clamouring for more information about school construction in this fast-growing area. Indeed, plenty of effort has gone into making parents aware of this meeting, so it will be well-attended.
When it comes to land issues, governments are hesitant to reveal much because doing so can lead to land speculation and price increases but parents deserve to know why a school isn’t being built now to handle an influx of elementary school students.
The beauty of all this public discussion is that people get heard, points of view are shared and information is disseminated — from every angle — and with greater openness comes a potential for trust, greater co-operation and collaboration.
