The column (Gazette, Dec. 24) written by the former alderman and MLA, Ken Allred, regarding free Wi-Fi through out the city, was well thought out, practical and informative. However, it missed the mark about the current thought process by both administration and council.
Unfortunately, the days of fiscal responsibility are long gone. For the past decade, administration, the mayor and his three council supporters have become spendthrifts.
Why? Because we are St. Albert, and must set the mark, the elitists that we are.
Examples? How about the $35 million for the Riel Park reclamation project that didn't? The tens of millions of dollars spent to run empty buses throughout the city? The millions spent on the grain elevator heritage park that no one visits? The $5-million road to nowhere? The millions spent on the traffic circle that isn't? The millions for the trees and shrubs on the trail? The $10-million facility, including artificial turf, for high school football? (Where else in Canada?) These are just some examples.
In 2017-2018 we will be spending up to $100 million for a library, rink, and swimming pool because less than 600 residents involved in a controlled and biased survey said these three capital projects were our top priorities.
And in 2019, the city will embark on new horizons. The granddaddy of them all: A $100 million city hall.
Free Wi-Fi? Seems like a bargain.
Norm Harley, St. Albert
