UNEQUAL ACCESS FOR CITIZENS, DEVELOPERS

The Dec. 21 Guardian's Jeers column did us great service by pointing out the massive shortcomings residents face in the planning and development process. They are left entirely to their own devices when it comes to understanding the nuts and bolts of municipal bureaucracy. An engaged citizen must invest time, energy, dogged persistence and patience to wade through reams of documents, attend/ watch council and committee meetings, decipher bylaws, review agendas and minutes. Meanwhile, developers have access to a variety of resources — an Official Plan, land use maps, zoning bylaws — not to mention an entire planning department to evaluate their proposals well in advance of any public notice. This paradox has resulted in citizen disilllusionment and apathy. Improving civic engagement must include reforms that make democracy more equitable. How? Through active public participation. Public participation is a partnership between the public and its municipal administration. True public participation means ensuring citizens – individuals and groups alike – are heard, respected, and their input has a genuine influence on decision-making and outcomes that might affect them. It’s time we demand that city councils give us the same advantages they grant developers and businesses. Municipalities must acknowledge the fundamental rights of the public to influence the decisions that affect them and to participate in the development of their community. It’s time for Charlottetown to lead the way and establish an official independent public consultation process.

Barbara Dylla, Charlottetown