The editorial in the St. Albert Gazette, Dec. 8, is very timely. St. Albert city council must lead in reining in our ever-growing bureaucracy and helping citizens understand the need to reverse their insatiable public-service appetite. If some resign in protest, so be it. Our children cannot afford it!

Leadership is essential to turn the ship around. Nolan, Roger, Cathy, Malcolm, Len, Wes – we expect no less. The public service has done an extraordinary job of advocating for health and education, social services and recreation. But when is enough enough? Promising the public "the best of everything for everybody" is unsustainable.

My fear is that the voice of the public service will continue to overwhelm our capacity to feed it. And where is the advocate for the taxpayer? I give full points to our city council that has finally, finally come to challenge its own public service, appreciating that the taxpayer cannot carry the entire burden of ever-rising "public" expectations. And that going into debt – borrowing from our children in expectation of "better times ahead” – is not an option!

Results and reallocation, innovation and enterprise are fundamental to generate much needed revenue to sustain what we have.

Let's hope our leaders, Provincial Treasurer Doug Horner and Minister of Enterprise and Advanced Education Stephen Khan, are also listening. St. Albert – producing enterprising leaders.

Perry Kinkaide, St. Albert

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