COST OF ADDICTION

Saskatoon is projected to have half a million residents by 2050. The direction the city chooses today will have a profound impact on how it will function with double the population.

It’s also clear that if we continue a course of low density, outward growth, our options will become limited and prohibitively expensive.

To its credit, the city has sought advice from outside groups and held public input sessions as it prepares proposals on how to proceed. It has also set goals that support a change in direction.

But if its current commitments are any indication, our future looks a lot like a continuation of the past. With so much on the line and in the face of overwhelming evidence, why are we so resistant to change?

For one, Saskatoon is addicted to hydrocarbons. But as with any addition, simply understanding that it’s bad isn’t enough to quit. Entire sectors of our society are beneficiaries to feeding this addition. Many are well organized, well financed and wield considerable influence. Like the hydrocarbon industry, the suburbs also are heavily subsidized so there’s no mystery to why we continue to grow outward.

Second, unlike politics at the federal and provincial levels where candidates run on party platforms, municipal politicians mostly are individuals with a civic commitment. While some civic candidates may lean a little left or right, we really don’t know where city council will sit as a group.

Most of our current council seems to be running for another term. Asked recently what they considered to be the most pressing priorities, a majority listed vehicle-oriented issues. Given that most incumbents are re-elected, the recommendations for the growth plan to half a million seem to have little prospect of going forward.

What we need is the leadership to take us past our addiction and promote informed public policy. Dave Viminitz Saskatoon