It's that time of year again

...when bureaucrats convene at the Union of B.C. Municipalities meeting on the Coast.

A sub-title of Pat Yourselves On Your Backs would be more appropriate, as this year's intro in their 44-page Program indicates: 

"This year’s annual meeting aims to accelerate the

sharing of stories of excellence among UBCM’s

members. Delegates will be provided with first-hand

accounts of local success stories from large, mid-sized

and small communities."

Stories of excellence?
The halls ought'a be ringing with laughter as bureaucrats share examples of their gouging of residents all over British Columbia.
It's sending taxpayers to the breaking point.
But nary a concern there.
Even with the B.C. Assessment Agency as a sponsor of the UBCM!

The program does make a cursory reference to

 "The increasing demand, though, for new or expanded

services coupled with the need to replace aging

infrastructure is stretching local government finances

like never before."

"Thirty-five years of that insidious lie has killed the middle class," reads the Editorial by John Paul Byrne in the September issue of Okanagan Life magazine, albeit referring to Stephen Harper's federal reign.

OK, the middle class is dead?  or dying?
Then who is--or will be--left to pay for infrastructure in our crumbling communities?
Do bureaucrats not see all the For Lease, For Rent, For Sale signs that dot storefronts on every street?
Elected officials do.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures," adds editor Byrne.

But bureaucrats at the annual UBCM won't be discussing that, will they?

Nope.
They'll content themselves with self-aggrandizements until all that self-back-patting leaves a bruise.

There's a bright light...on the third day, for 45 minutes, there's actually a session entitled "Are our water systems at risk?"
A 45-minute session about THE most critical issue in our area?
Wow.

There's also a session entitled "Liability and Risk Management for Elected Officials"...however, the bureaucrat-twin to that (Liability and Risk Management for Bureaucrats) is nowhere to be found.

Oh yeah...that's right.
Bureaucrats are like the weatherman.
They can be wrong 90 per cent of the time and still keep their jobs.

Meeting topics--decidedly all warm and fuzzy--begin on page 6 of the link provided above.

"Bureaucrats are jostling for merit increases in their performance reviews," offers Kia, "versus actually solving years-old problems."

And elected officials are there to give credence to the sham.
Pity.

Oh yes...GVAC chair Juliette Cunningham plans to speak to Minister Fassbender about mussels.