The City of Cranbrook is holding its only open house on the referendum question of Water Meters tonight in the Council Chambers at City Hall between 5-7pm. Surely this issue deserved more consultation by the City and its citizens especially as the event is on the same evening of an advance municipal election poll. It does not provide enough time for the City to take the feedback they receive at this event and incorporate that input into a referendum question that truly represents the views of its citizens.
The City of Kamloops held a water meter referendum several years ago which was soundly defeated. However, due to their serious water issues and the continuing costs of providing potable water to its citizens they are now requiring water meters be installed in all homes. Other cities have taken a more gradual but still effective approach.
It does not have to be an all or nothing proposition and by handling it in this way it assures that the water meter question will be dead for many years to come. We need real leadership on this issue not the cynical attempts of the city pretending to want water meters but knowing that it will go down to defeat in the referendum.
If the city is serious about encouraging residents to conserve water then they should have found a way to make water meters more palatable to the voters. Instead, I believe they actually don't want to encourage conservation and are at best giving lip service to this important issue.
ReplyDeleteI have also questioned a number of the candidates platforms. How can one say they are for controlled growth when they supported more than doubling the size of the city in one massive boundary expansion? It appears that they are using popular words and "green washing". Lets follow this with the tar sands are good for the environment and how about some clean coal.
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