Coldstream's Committee-of-the-Whole meeting

I'm an idiot.

I attended tonight's Coldstream meeting, pen and notebook in hand to jot down the long-anticipated resolution to the contentious Subdivision Servicing Bylaw 1535.

Plus I wanted to be present, if only to hear that Judy Paterson would, on this one year anniversary of her application for a standard building permit, be receiving her approved permit in the mail.

I actually had felt that Mayor Garlick and Council--after having received their legal opinion in this year-long fiasco--would see the error of their ways; even rescinding the bylaw in its entirety.

How utterly foolish of me to believe sanity and fair play would prevail with this bunch.

It dawned on me tonight that this Mayor and Council--with the exception of newly-arrived Councillors Cochrane and McClean--are themselves an extremely biased special interest group, made up of the founding members of the Coldstream Ratepayers Association.  Each has met the prerequisite for membership:  narrow-mindedness, honed long ago as they circled the wagons to fight Jack Borden's plans for Coldstream Meadows.

They proved tonight they still possess that trait, if not the wagons.

This little clique, this little band of wannabe elitists has its own vision for Coldstream.

What I heard tonight made me wonder why I had been optimistic.

No resolution to the bylaw. 
Indeed the bylaw's to-and-fro machinations will see it remain in Draft version for a long time yet.

No building permit approval, despite a motion by Councillor Peter McClean to grant the permit and deal with other issues of drainage and safety on the road separately.  The motion was seconded by Councillor Pat Cochrane.  With only two supporters, the motion failed.

This mayor and council have been caught with their hands in the jar of their Golden Goose...the Patersons.
And are mad that the Patersons have challenged them and won the popular vote.
So, in the style that is customary with this council, the Patersons "must pay", in more ways than having their building permit withheld.

Council appears more intent on saving face than doing what their lawyer suggested...they could request--but not demand off-site charges.  

Disgusted, I had heard enough.
I walked out after an hour of their blathering nonsense.

Meeting four other attendees in the vestibule, who said they had also heard enough, phrases such as "morons", "idiotic", "lunacy", "bullshit" spilled from strangers' mouths as, one by one, people nodded in agreement.

We left the building, shaking our heads at this abject travesty masquerading as democracy.

Coldstream is going to hell in a hand-basket.

Nulli secundus ...second to none.

"For treating residents like vassals in a feudal system," offers Kia.