My water bill is double what it was last year at this time, a result, if you connect the dots, of irresponsible plans at city hall that necessitate increased spending and therefore greater revenue. I wish decision makers down there could learn to live within their means, although, if all it takes is increased utility fees or tax hikes, what does it matter, right? Well, it matters because our fat city is already panting on the treadmill of unsustainable sprawl and soon the plug to the machine will be pulled.
We have a byelection coming up and I would invite voters to install a candidate in council who will support the two councillors already there who currently attempt to hold the power elite responsible for their actions and accountable to the people.
If you want a visible local indication of what long-term irresponsible governance produces, in this case the decades long failure of governments around the world to address climate change, walk down to the river and have a look. The river has never been this low in June. It doesn't even flow any more. If things don't change, I predict the Sturgeon River through St. Albert will be dry by August.
Sometimes change is necessary. When it comes to irresponsible governance, change is best done in advance of predicted consequences.
Dave Burkhart, St. Albert
