Report Due at November 3 Council Meeting: Scary procedures in place

OK, so we finally have a date for the council meeting at which the Report on surplussing Victoria Glen Park for development will be considered: November 3.

Concerned neighbours have been pushing township staff to let us know both details about the meeting and about when the report itself will be available. Here is some of that information, from one of the very involved Victoria Glen Park neighbours:

"At this point we have now been told that the report will NOT be mailed out. We have to pick it up. It is 30 pages long. It looks like they have contacted various groups (i.e., GRCA, etc.) to get their input. It should be ready the Tuesday before. [that would be October 27th - two weeks from today]

I certainly hope that the township office will follow through by advertising this in the local papers or phoning all who requested it. Perhaps if you were one who wanted the report, it would not hurt to start bugging Laurel Davies-Snyder about how you are going to get it!

Here is the cruncher...Apparently if we do have the meeting on Nov. 3 it is OUR LAST CHANCE TO TALK. Unless deferred, they will vote that night. (At least this is what Laurel says.) Sometimes I get several versions of how the council process is supposed depending on who I talk to up there. I might email councillors to see how they think it is supposed to go.

This means we have one week from when we get the report to deciding what we are going to say. I just wanted to update you all so you can start thinking about our next strategies.

I would like to still think that despite the fact that it might look good (worst case) as a development on paper, the PEOPLE OF ELMIRA HAVE SAID NO! It worked for Kitchener!!!
Trees forever folks!!!"

I'll keep people updated: in the meantime, do get in contact with your township councillors (contact information is available in the links in the right-hand column) and with Laurel Davies-Snyder, the township's Economic Development & Tourism Officer, at 519-669-1647, extension 6020 or 519-669-2030.

The difficulty in getting the report and the possible finality of a decision only a week after it's made public are just plain frightening. (Interesting detail, looking at the Council meeting calendar on the website: this is NOT one of their televised council meetings...)

What else can we do to ensure that Victoria Glen Park is re-zoned park/greenspace forever?