City drops ball on communicating with residents: councillors speak out
Lily Ryan
A serious lack of communication with the public was pointed out by city councillors at the March 19 council meeting. At issue are the city’s plan for Lucerne Boulevard repairs, the city’s reluctance to publish forthcoming requests for variances to bylaw changes, the city’s plan for the yellow water problem in Lakeview, the city’s plan to help the old parts of the city (Aylmer, Gatineau, Buckingham, etc.), Urban Planning changes and so many more activities.
Deschênes councillor Caroline Murray pushed the city to communicate better with residents on Lucerne Boulevard. “Residents are contacting me all the time to find out what my plan is to repair that high-traffic road,” she told the council. “I have to tell them this is a city administration type of responsibility. If I could get that road to the top of our list, I would. But if the city doesn’t communicate the repair plans to residents, people will continue to think councillors are sitting on their hands. We need a public meeting on this and much better communications.”
Buckingham district councillor Edmond Leclerc asked the city to update the public about the Special Urban Planning zones (PPU) process. “This has been going on so long, of course residents want news. And so do the struggling small businesses,” noted Leclerc at the March 19 preparatory council meeting. “I would answer the questions I’m getting if the city was communicating, we need to move on our PPU processes.” Aylmer councillor Steven Boivin followed up saying that Old Aylmer’s PPU process is so behind schedule that his constituents have lost confidence.
Big city projects such as turning the tide on small business closures, doing their part in the housing crisis, the mayoral race by-election, the new pesticide usage regulations and the planned “Police Cité” are all topics about which city councillors say their riding populations are alarmed.
Photo caption: Screenshot of Deschênes councillor Caroline Murray.
Photo credit: www.Gatineau.ca
