In any political discussion it is good to have healthy debate. This is the very premise of the parliamentary system of democracy - with a government and an official opposition. Its good to have a group whose job is to oppose every single thing the government does. Thing is, nobody takes that opposition as being 100% genuine, the opposition party will by the very nature of our system oppose almost everything the government does. As such both sides get exposed as hypocrites should a change in government occur.
In municipal politics it seems to me we have this group as well. I have heard them called the grump old man lobby.
Statler: Wake up you old fool. You slept through the show.
Waldorf: Who’s a fool? You watched it
For these guys there has never been an idea or concept that was ever good enough to justify anything. I swear that if the city contemplated spending money to keep our drinking water safe they would oppose it and offer this kind of logic:
“Its a well known fact that people get used to drinking contaminated water! You will raise a generation of weak pansies if you always give them safe drinking water” etc
I know its a straw man argument, but It seems that almost nothing can be presented that would persuade this group that any decision could every possibly have any merit. They are like our own self appointed opposition party. They sound every bit as credible as the parliamentary ones to me some days.
I guess I long for a more mature debate. Where two sides can bring together valid concerns and continue working until the best possible arrangement can be made for the good of the most people….There need not be a scourched earth, winner take all discussion where ideas and hard work to benifit many can never come to fruition, but rather people work to address real concerns, make fair concessions and eventually move to make decisions that benefit the most people.
I think the events center in Medicine Hat over the past 5 years has actually done that.
I have had several e-mails asking me my position about the new proposed events center. For full disclosure I will give you my position then and now:
My position back in 2005:
I was always “pro” events center, but not at any price …and in 2005 I had some serious concerns:
1) Why were outside consultants used to determine available locations for the new events center instead of RFP’s - how is that any more valid than asking Todd from accounting? They couldn’t even list all the potential spots, let alone pick one with any credibility.
2) How were they going to pay for it - why wouldnt they say …and sorry 20% tax hikes are unacceptable (as a certain ex alderman told the press)
3) Why were they going to put it over top of houses where productive citizens were living full and imaginative lives (thinking of you spider!)
4) Downtown? ….no thank you and almost everyone I had spoken to that didn’t own business downtown thought it was a terrible location. Many have said they support it there …many more said no way!
So …and here DangerMouse gives some credit…the city did the right thing! Unlike the Esplanade They had some public feedback and listened to it! The consulted with the people, created an open process, took proposals on locations. Feedback was deafening about 4 years ago. Don’t put it downtown, and figure out the details before you raise everybody’s taxes. A reasonable request.
My position on the events center in 2010
Much has changed since then. The city did their job. They were open, transparent (with some pestering, but they managed) They found a location where not only was there no harm to building a new events center, but significant benefit to doing so. Now instead of kicking people out of houses, businesses are committing to build convention centers to bring people to the Hat. What a difference a few years and some hard work and negotiations can make! This is not the voodoo “economic spin off” argument of the past claiming that we would bring in the world juniors one year and pay for everything…This is about having large, long term commercial development that will have real and measurable economic activity for decades to come!
in spite of the misinformation to the contrary, Nobody is contemplating raising taxes to pay for it; they have a business plan, a location that works and financial plan in place. The business development around the new events center will eventually generate more taxes for the city than the payment on the events center even costs. That is smart investing! Not at all like the original position proposed to hatters.
Finally there is a viable business case for building the events center instead of wasting 47 million dollars on fixing the old arena. (which is what happens if we don’t build an events center) Like most issues though people have to check into the details themselves. The people who can make a sound business case for the events center need to speak. I agree with the News editor who also pointed out that there are some real strong arguments to be made in support of the events center today …and people will have to do a job of selling it in the next weeks. Hopefully a better case can be made to the average hatter so they can make a sound and informed decision. It seems that most hatters get their information from Statler and Waldorf - instead of leaders in the community…My hope is in the coming weeks there are other more credible sources who step forward.
To me the events center discussion shows that democracy works. Democracy is not built for speed, but through proper public consultation the best outcomes for the most people can be realized.
However there does come a point when people have to be willing to reconsider their ardent positions. We all have to be willing to re-examine an issue when the conditions around it change. Some people will complain about anything – should we always govern by their say?
I guess I hope that people investigate the absurd claims they hear …make sure those assumptions are true before you accept them - on either side of the issue. When someone makes an outrageous claim – investigate it before you accept it. Challenge it.
I have heard the new events center will lose $10 million / year - From the mouth of an alderman no less …
actual fact check …it is projected to lose $150,000 per year *Source GEC Report page 5 top of column 2
You might initially have a knee jerk reaction to shout how unacceptable that loss is… You might not think so after you read this fun fact:
fun fact – the current arena losses $300,000+(growing) per year
I might accept that “Ma and Pa” would never build a new events center and think that future hatters living in the best city in Alberta should just go without the economic and competitive advantage of the Lethbridges and Red Deers…
That kind of folksie rhetoric might even wax nostalgic for certain people who remember better days when people didn’t rely on the government to do things ….I might have accepted that except for one teensie detail ….that Ma and Pa did build an arena here. 40 years ago - when it befitted their city to do so.
There has to be some combination of benefit and timing that makes such a purchase finally feasible. The city waited 5 years, they did their due diligence, they are doing it right this time.
In my view the time is now.
