Scanned, recopied or Internet copy, if there are errors, please e-mail me with corrections: Opening comments: More at the end. Mississauga News - July 14, 2009 - Letter by Carolyn Parrish, Councillor, Ward 6, Mississauga. More than a soapbox Dear Editor:Re: “Council quashes queries” (The News, July 9). Good heavens! Such melodrama. Question Period, to have any effect on Council’s decision-making process, has to take place when and where decisions are being made. To showcase issues at Council, with no real hope of influencing a debate, is a waste of taxpayers’ time, effort and money. Debates take place at General Committee, Budget Committee and Planning and Development. Once issues are fully aired and debated, conclusions are moved to Council for final ratification. Should a question be raised by a member of the public during a committee meeting, there’s a real possibility new information can be added to deliberations and an outcome can be changed. Should the answer be inadequate, there is then a second opportunity for the questioner to put themselves on as a delegation for the following Council meeting. If Question Period is merely a soapbox, it serves no real purpose other than a “showbiz moment” on Cable 10. If it is to be productive, it needs to be modernized. Freedom of speech is a right enshrined in Canada’s Constitution. Rules, bylaws and regulations ensure the orderly conduct of business in a duly scheduled Council meeting. I support Mayor Hazel McCallion 100 per cent and look forward to watching our new system produce orderly, effective participation by the public — a process that will be fully reviewed in September 2010. Comments by others, 5, to this web-page; MISSISSAUGAWATCH Jul 25, 2009 2:13 AM Hey there, Watcher, you wrote, "There are already enough “Rules, bylaws and regulations”. Um. You failed to mention that Mississauga Staff don't FOLLOW their own “Rules, bylaws and regulations". Not to mention provincial guidelines and regulations. Signed, The (Better government through Intimidation) Mississauga Muse WatcherOIO Jul 24, 2009 11:02 PM She claims for questions to have “any effect on Council’s decision-making process, has to take place when and where decisions are being made”, that would be in Council. “Debates take place” and “new information can be added”, at any point where issues are raised as the minutes clearly show and by way of Public Question Period I have had Council agree some things should be returned to staff or for a report or response. Often people don’t hear about issues till they are going before Council. Oddly she suggest that a “delegation for the following Council meeting”, to raise questions, how likely is Council te reconsider the whole issue after it is approved, not. Who is she trying to play as fools. WatcherOIO Jul 24, 2009 11:01 PM 2 After reading Councillors Parrish’s letter, I am left wondering she even knows what is going on around her. She goes on to suggest people just want “showbiz moment” on Cable 10. Understandable given her one-liners delivered in Council. Truth is politicians want the showbiz “soapbox” all for themselves to show how positive they can be when no taxpayer is allowed to question. There are already enough “Rules, bylaws and regulations” for Council to control, limit or restrict a person, they just want to seen as avoiding questions they didn’t want public asked that could spark interest in others or to claim ignorance of an issue. “I support Mayor Hazel McCallion 100 per cent ”, Parrish brought fore this abortion that first said it was about costs but staff would not support her so now it is just about purely for political reasons. 2010, for a rubber stamp. Uatu Jul 16, 2009 3:38 PM Councillor Parrish: Why televise Council meetings at all? If Council meetings are just rubber-stamping sessions (I agree that they are, but let's not leave out all the self-congratulating) then why televise them? Surely it would inform the public more if Rogers televised the General Committee meetings instead. As for a "showbiz moment", that certainly seems to be that consensus of Council given the way they behave. MISSISSAUGAWATCH Jul 15, 2009 5:24 PM It doesn't matter WHAT a citizen does, the City of Mississauga DOES NOT LISTEN. Because Unions run Mississauga, not Mayor/Councillors we are blighted by City of Mississauga Corporate Security guards banning minors/youth without parents/guardians being advised. Shameful as that is, minors/youth themselves aren’t informed by these guards that should be return to City Property they "WILL BE" arrested for Trespass! I've alerted Council about the lack of oversight and accountability of not just their youth-toxic security operations but also youth-toxic Mississauga City Staff in general. The bans issued to kids as young as 9/10 without parents/guardians being advised must surely be the City's Dirtiest of Dirtiest Secrets. FACT. The Mayor and Councillors know these abuses to minors/Youth are going on (I’ve informed them). They look the other way. Hypocrisy! All the brow-wrinkling and hand-wringing by McCallion and Councillors about the increase in Youth Violence, Vandalism and Drug Use. Freedom of Information confirms that there are parents/guardians in this city whose kids (as young as 13/14) are banned 30 days for “Drugs” from City facilities/parks. It could be YOUR kid! * Agree 1 Home Page - Main Table of Contents - Back up a page - Back to Top [COMMENTS BY DON B. - ] |
Your Financial Donations are Greatly Appreciated The • |