Dear Editor,
Once upon a time there was a town in Central Alberta located on the shores of a beautiful lake. The governing councils over the years had lost the ability to associate their responsibilities to the people that had elected them. They allowed structures to be built blocking the view of the lake and restricting access to certain shores so the people couldn’t enjoy any longer.
Taj Mah toilets were built on the lakeshore along with beautiful grounds at a great expense to what was claimed not to be taxpayer money. They had forgotten that the people that elected them pay taxes other than municipal taxes. The expense to maintain and operate them had been overlooked. The reality that the shores of the beautiful lake are barren and cold for eight months of the year was not considered.
Roads were constructed, and then speed limits reduced and obstructions put in place to calm traffic which resulted in congestion. The purpose for a road to actually move vehicles was not contemplated. On a wintery November day the parking lot and walkways adjacent the aforementioned grounds were being cleared prior to the roads and sidewalks that the people used daily. Snowmobiles and ATVs were banned from using these unplowed roadways to access the beautiful lake. Priorities had not been established to provide amenities to the people that had elected them.
Councils past built a Taj Mah town hall along with beautiful grounds to house their growth and further isolate themselves from the people that had elected them.
Taxes were raised to accommodate growth they say, yet no judgment was effected to use funds to provide essential services such as dust control, paving, street cleaning, snow removal or a sustainable water supply.
This tale is not a complete illustration of councils past remiss, only a paradigm.
Optimistically councils present and future will be restrained not to resort to similar philosophies as councils past.
Gary Blick,
Sylvan Lake