Are We Not Fit For It? - Minister says No to Electronic Voting and No to a large % of the public for this Fall's Municipal Election

The average person here is such that we ought never to have had self-government; we are not fit for it."(St. John's businessman Eric Bowring in testimony to the Amulree Royal Commission 1933)

It's a good thing that the number of Communications people in government has grown extraordinarily in the past few years. Experience has shown time and time again, that Ministers of the government sometimes say the most inept things.  These Ministers really need someone holding their hand (mouth) to prevent "Open-Mouth Insert (swallow)-Foot" and to make them look good.

Obviously, such was not the case when the current Minister of Municipal Affairs, the Hon Kevin O'Brien suggested to Randy Simms in this month's edition of MNL's Municipal News - on the eve of the next round of municipal elections in September - that allowing too many uninformed voters to vote using a computer would be wrong.

“People who don’t know what’s going on,  voting for people they don’t know, is not appropriate,” he says. "It is better to have 30 percent of the community turn out who have a true interest in their town then to encourage a larger turn-out where the chance of an uninformed decision could win the day."  

That's the same exact logic that had NL give up self-government in the early 1930's in favour of a dictatorial Colonial rule.  We (the average person electorate) were considered by the power elite to be too stunned to know what was good for us - we were simply not fit for democracy.

Time and technology have moved on but unfortunately that kind of thinking is still very much in the present.  And most worrisome, the minister whose job it is to maintain the most fundamental, close to the people, municipal level of democratic government shares that thinking.

What is most grating to me is that Minister O'Brien has hung himself on fumbling two issues here:

First there is the issue of informed voting.  I agree with the minister to the extent that it is important that people make an informed vote, however arguing that uninformed people should not bother to vote is patronizing and is a slight to our democratic process. If he is and we are satisfied to see people stay away from the election booth (be it real or virtual) then we are failing the men an women who died and continue to die for that right.   Minister O'Brien should be encouraging people to get informed and get out to vote, He should not be giving them an excuse not to be "fit for it".

Second there is the issue of electronic voting. It is a concept that may encourage more people to vote by making the voting process more convenient.  In an age where we (informed or otherwise) can buy lottery tickets, renew licences, collect pogey and pay taxes online the minister feels we are not up to voting online.  The technology is readily available however the Minister and government has given it the thumbs down.

There are proven arguments that e-voting encourages more younger people to vote.  They would probably vote for more younger candidates - something that government says it wants & needs to see.  Their actions however send an opposite message.  They know more older people will vote using the conventional pooling booth system and they also know older people will be more comfortable voting for people of their own age.  We also know that older people in office will tend to favour the status quo - which could be a real political plus for a cash strapped  provincial government.  There will most certainly be fewer worries about rocking the boat and breaking the bank with a senior age-friendly policy!

I doubt very highly that the government will change its mind on e-voting, but I do think they need to change their attitude on voters and do it quickly.   Until they do, I for one will continue to take a very skeptical stance on their cry for younger people to step up and run for municipal councils.  Government knows that the old-guard enjoy the job enough to stay "if nobody else runs" and they also know that the old guard can be better managed than a bunch of new people with innovative ideas who will be asking for more, more often, possibly more effectively with their command of new technology such as social media.

I am willing to bet that there will still be a lot of gray hair around Council tables in October - and everyone who voted will be absolutely fine with that.  That's a shame.

Read the full story here:    
http://www.municipalnl.ca/userfiles/files/MNEWS%20May%202013%20low%20res.pdf

Welcome to Clarenville Newcomers!! Let’s Find the Welcome Mat and Roll it out!

From: The Packet (www.thepacket.ca)  June 6, 2013

Perspective is everything.  Seeing I am not originally from Clarenville, I feel that I have a slightly different perspective on Clarenville than people who are born and bred here – a better appreciation for what it is to be an objective outsider looking in.   After 22 years residency and being pretty involved in the community, I do sometimes feel as if I am loosing that perspective.  This was brought home to me this week when I read Jayme Gough’s column in the Packet “A mini United Nations in Clarenville”.  In her piece she talks about the verity of people that she has met since she moved here – not so much locals but more so people who now live here from Greece, Italy, the United States and elsewhere in Canada – literally from all over the world!   

Jamie’s perspective was quite an eye-opener for me.  I suppose I knew that people had been moving in for projects like the GBS build in Bull Arm,  and I have met a couple – but I imagine that the average person in Clarenville, me included,  is not engaged with the newcomers.   That’s our loss.

The most obvious welcoming response I have seen is at Clarenville Inn where we see the Norwegian flag has joined the other flags in front of the hotel.  I have seen no evidence that the official Town is doing much to welcome anyone – we should and the Town of Clarenville should.   

It would be great to see community organizations reach out to newcomers and partner their member families with newcomer families.

I’d also like to suggest the Town add a FAQ (frequently asked questions) section to its website, develop a welcome package and host an international event during Clarenville Days – these are neither costly nor difficult asks and they could provide so much opportunity for community development. 

Of course too, I’d live to see newcomers LIKE out Our Town Clarenville Page on Facebook.    The idea for that page came out of the need for better communications – we’re trying to build on that.

With the Bull Arm site ramping up this summer to its maximum workforce of 3000, there is no time like the present to put our efforts into welcoming everyone from everywhere.  Combined, our efforts will roll out the Welcome Mat and with effort and luck, these newcomers will soon be feeling more like me – part of the community.

The Hazards of Waste- Standing Behind our Fire Department

A community's Fire Department is called “The Fire Department” for a reason.   They fight fires and save our lives.

Our fire department is made up of 30 or so volunteers who came forward from our community to give up their time and energy to willingly put themselves in harm’s way to save us and our families in the event of a fire or emergency.

The did sign up for the fire rescue business; they did not sign up to be in the hazardous waste business.

In this past week’s Council meeting, a small but important tidbit was raised by Councillor Pickett regarding the Clarenville Fire Department’s / Town of Clarenville’s refusal to take part in this year’s reformatted 

Hazardous Waste Disposal Program.   (see this week’s PACKET "No Hazardous waste collection in Clarenville this year: Fire department chooses not to volunteer" May 29, p1 )

This year over 30 volunteer fire departments across the province will be hosting their own communities Hazardous Waste Day(s), in return for $1,000 by the government’s waste management board. Clarenville will not be one of them.  This service has traditionally be provided by a certified hazardous waste disposal company and the Town and government contributed to the expense of them coming and setting up in the community for the day.  (see PACKET Household hazardous waste collection focusing on smaller communities

story from Gov. Press Release)

Evidently that system was too costly so this year hazardous waste disposal has been downloaded on community volunteer fire departments.  That’s not what they signed up for, and evidently in Clarenville’s volunteer fire department, they did not feel that they have the proper capacity to deal with it.  Rightfully so, they rejected the offer.

It was argued that this was simply a communications problem – they did not understand.   But the misunderstanding went deeper than the fire department.  Council appeared unaware of the situation and unaware of the Fire department’s concerns.  Council should have known and they should have actively supported them in getting the right information and then supported whatever decision they made.

While it is true that we need an opportunity to dispose of hazardous waste, I want to see it done properly and I certainly don’t want to see it shirked off our volunteer fire department.   Government at the Provincial and Town level must ensure that if we are putting people in harm’s way that they know the risks, and the procedures to mediate that risk.  In this case it appears that this was not done.

Bravo to the Clarenville Fire Department for doing the right thing,

Educational Learning Moments...

In a time when the media is full of stories about the challenges being faced by our education system, it is heartening to find a shining example where the true heart of our education system – the people in it – is proven to be beating and very much alive and capable of creating priceless opportunities for “learning moments".

Such was the case at a Riverside School concert this past Wednesday evening.  Grade 3-6 students demonstrated their talent in an evening of Newfoundland and Labrador song and dance.  

There were many outstanding acts, but two acts in particular became "learning moments".

One act had a talented young man doing his rendition of Terra Nova National Park’s folk hero Clayton, (AKA Dave Saunders) doing the “moves” to “I’m Clayton and I know it” (You can see Clayton’s original and hilarious video below).  Unbeknownst to the young performer, “Clayton” was in the audience and he joined the young man on stage!  A unexpected and awesome surprise!   

Later, a group of young performers came to the stage to sing one of NL’s  “Other” provincial anthems – Salt Water Joys.  As if the first cameo performance wasn’t enough to stir the crowd, Buddy Wasisname & the Other Fellers' Wayne Chalk, who penned Salt Water Joys, unexpected climbed on the stage and accompanied the children in singing this powerful song.  Faces lit up!    

In a time of cutbacks, an absolute focus on budgets, teacher layoffs, and classroom overcrowding it is nice to see that the people who make our system what it is – the students, teachers, parents and the volunteers in our community, are still there doing their jobs to the very best of their abilities.   Surprise and delight are powerful learning tools  – Thanks Dave and Wayne for helping provide an “ educational extra” and a  priceless learning moment that will not soon be forgotten.

Community of Distraction

This article appeared in this week's edition of the Packet (www.thepacket.ca) and again in the Weekend Telegram (www.thetelegram.com)

Maybe it's the appeal of the opportunity to be featured on TV or maybe it's the name of the series, but Council seems to have been seriously struck by the "opportunity" to have Clarenville, and maybe themselves,  featured in an american based TV segment called "Communities of Distinction" for the low-low price of $25,000. ($24,800 to be exact).

As is usually the case, this proposal came to Clarenville Council with only limited detail, and rightfully it was sent back for more consideration.  Communities of Distinction is relatively new but is seen largely in US markets. There is a website for Communities of Distinction  as well as a Facebook Page (58 followers) and a Twitter account (39 followers).

In a press release issued in April, they describe the show as:

Communities of Distinction TV (www.watchcod.com) is pleased to present a series about the best in America which will explore the bonding taking place in neighborhoods across the nation. When tragedy strikes, people band together to rebuild and strengthen the ribbons of camaraderie. The engaging show will air throughout the year and air on regional and national cable television networks. (click to see full release)

Click this link to bring you to sample shows of Communities of Distinction

While I have no doubt that this might be an opportunity for some,  I would argue that it is not an opportunity for Clarenville.    If their sample shows are of any indication, they are effectively offering to produce and show (for a fee) a promotional video for our town.  If their social media numbers are any indication of their reach, few are likely to see it and of those who do see it, most will be in the United States.  Is that our target market?   

There are lots of opportunities to communicate the benefits of living in our town and we (Council in particular) must evaluate the merits of this opportunity relative to the merits of other communication options of equivalent value.  We also need a clear message developed that we can ensure gets communicated.  This has not been done and needs to be done first.  (if we don't know what we want we will almost assuredly not like what we get)

We know we can do a lot for $25,000 and we know that using a proactive approach we can better target the key message that we want to get out. Communities of Distinction will squander this opportunity - it is a simple distraction from what needs to be done and what needs to be done right.

Marketing is like hunting - to be successful you need a decent quality gun (that can be expensive), you need to identify your target, you need to aim, and then you need to shoot at that target.  You're unlikely to hit anything if you don't get each of these steps right, and in the right order.  We're being asked to buy a untested gun here and shot it into the sky - don't expect a feed of moose. 

Garbage In - Garbage Out: Head in the sand politics at Council

In this week’s Council Meeting the issue of waste management came up yet again when it was revealed that the conversion of Clarenville’s dump to a “Transfer Station” is coming quickly – possibly within two months. 

By way of background, about 6 years ago the Province decided that it would reduce the number of dumps in NL.  All garbage from Clarenville east would be shipped to Robin Hood Bay in St. John’s.  A “Transfer Station” was to be established in Clarenville to act as a central collection point. Essentially, our Town’s dump would be converted from a “final resting place” to a temporary holding place.

Shipping heavy garbage is expensive and you, the taxpayer, are the one who will pay for it. The transfer station means that your taxes will go up to cover this costs of shipping – by about 10% or $180 a year – depending on the amount of garbage shipped.

To minimize costs to taxpayers, Government has encouraged municipalities to separate garbage into recyclables, compostables, building waste, and whatever garbage was left.  Ideally only the garbage that was left would be sent to the so-called Super-dump in Robin Hood bay.

No plans exits in Clarenville

The ensuing Council discussion that came from Tuesday’s revelation clearly demonstrates that Council has adopted a "head in the sand" approach to this topic.  For the past number of years municipalities were encouraged to develop and implement a waste diversion strategy to separate garbage and thereby reduce their shipping costs. Clearly Clarenville has not done that nor has it developed any plan to do that.   

The more we ship to St. John's the more it will cost us. Based on our current practices, that cost will likely be high.  

This situation is yet another example of the need for better planning capacity within our growing town.  The costs of NOT planning may not show up on the Town's financial statements but the ramifications and costs are all too visible. 

In politics, timing is everything

Note that if this planned schedule holds true, it will be just in time for September's municipal elections.  It’s unlikely that you will have anyone to blame for your new tax bill and it's equally unlikely that there will be a plan to minimize it.  


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You can listen to Council's discussion at  The Packet's website - May 7, 2013  (at about five minutes into the meeting) 

See on this topic:

http://ourtownclarenville.blogspot.ca/2013/01/a-plea-for-less.html

http://www.thepacket.ca/News/2012-12-13/article-3139648/Rethinking-waste/1

Mr. Roboto - Our Schools are on the Cutting Edge

This past weekend Clarenville was well represented at the annual MATE underwater robotics challenege held at Memorial University's Marine Institute.  Clarenville's Riverside Elementary displayed a Micro-ROV, Clarenville Middle School competed in an ROV challenge, and Clarenville High School vied for a third year as provincial champions.

A lot of kids were involved in these projects and their collective success and the application of engineering and design principles was a testament to the skill and dedication of their teachers.

We have a solid base of future talent in this field!

Riverside School

CMS Poster Board

CHS Robotics caputured third place this year - The winning team: Heritage Collegiate who will represent our province at the international competition in Seattle.