I’d like to share with you some of my thoughts on the recent announcement that the City Clerk has found the petition for a referendum on Regina’s Waste Water Treatment Plant invalid. Due to changes in regulation, Regina needs a new Waste Water Treatment Plant. This spring, Regina City Council voted unanimously to privatize Regina’s waste water treatment services contingent on receiving a subsidy from the Federal Government. Since then a petition containing over 24,000 signatures has been submitted to the city calling for a referendum on the matter. The threshold for triggering a referendum is 10 % of the population. In Regina’s case that is 19,310 people. After much deliberation, the clerk has found that the number of valid names on the petition did not reach this threshold. While I respect the Clerk, I think the city should still proceed with a referendum about the Waste Water Treatment Plant for the following reasons: 1) As a councilor, I reserve comment on the technical validity of the petition, which will likely be decided by the courts. As a councilor who holds his job because 2,203 people decided to vote for me, I think 24,000 signatures, technically valid or not, need to be recognized. 2) Referendums are rare, but they are a part of our democratic system and regardless of the outcome, I think the process can lead to real and important conversation about service delivery in Regina and, if conducted openly and respectfully, can ensure the best result for the city. 3) While there are examples of private public partnership all around us, there are some examples of where these arrangements haven’t work as planned. Should the Waste Water Treatment Plant be operated privately, public dialogue and transparency can only help to guarantee success and the best deal for the city when contracting with a private firm. 4) Having a referendum doesn’t dictate the outcome. 5) Having a referendum does cost money, but as a city we spend a lot of money to engage citizens in decision-making, be that through council, committees, elections, advertising, or consultations like Design Regina. This is obviously an important issue to many people and I think a referendum is an appropriate expense. I want to be clear that I voted for the city to privatize the operation of the Waste Water Treatment Plant contingent on Federal Funding. Given all of the information I’ve been able to digest so far, I am still of the opinion that because of the $58,000,000 Federal subsidy, this is the cheapest option for the City of Regina. Despite the petition being found technically invalid, collecting 24,000 signatures is no small feat and there is obviously significant appetite to have public input on this issue. I think we should have a referendum. If you have any question or comments I can be reached at [email protected] or by phone at 306-551-5030. Thanks for your time. -Shawn Shawn Fraser City Councilor for Regina’s Ward 3
Posted on: Fri, 19 Jul 2013 19:32:35 +0000
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