Thanks for that vote. I am one of the Heritage Review Board members who voted against the resolution and I appreciate your desire to reflect my concerns and the concerns of many others at the public meeting.

I was thinking about what we already have at Victoria Park: a pool, a wading pool, change rooms, a playground, three ball fields, a skate park, an ice cream stand, tennis courts, a pottery shed and two roads It amazes me that there’s even any “nature” left.
Maybe there’s no point in even trying to preserve it anymore.

I was going to post all the resolutions for our November meeting here, but we only receive the meeting agenda as a hardcopy, so I would have to type them all out.

There was some suggestion at the beginning of my term that the format of our monthly meetings might be changed to allow members of the public to address council at the beginning of the meeting. Four or five speakers, names submitted beforehand, five minutes each. Sounds like a good idea to me.

Regarding the “closed door” policy. We were reminded at the beginning of my term that provincial legislation, CAMA I believe (Charlottetown Area Municipalities Act), requires all council meetings to be open to the public, unless of course the agenda items are confidential in nature, as you pointed out. It may not be as simple as just showing up, but my understanding is that all our meetings are open to the public. In my eleven months on council, no one has shown any interest. We have a CoW 5pm on the 28th. I don’t know the agenda items yet.

I agree there is “an appetite” for a better planning process for this “jewel” before it becomes tarnished beyond repair. I wish the Guardian had taken up the issue and written more about it. The use of Victoria Park is of importance to all residents and I appreciate your comments and the fact that your blog brings these issues to the public, as our newspaper apparently is not.

On another note, any luck in having the agenda and resolutions published prior to public council meetings?

Also, did you read Paul McNeill’s comment on the “closed door” policy of council meetings on the Island in the Eastern Graphic? If true, and if the same happens in Charlottetown, there is far too much discussed during committee of the whole meetings which are not open to the public. Why aren’t they? If there are issues to do with contracts and personnel, I agree discussions should be held behind closed doors, but otherwise, they should be open and transparent. I don’t believe there is anything shady going on per se, but why can’t electors see their council in action? The public meetings of Charlottetown Council seem a rubber-stamping show only; there are no reports available to the public and seemingly very little real discussion.