How was it that I missed this major change?

Just a quick question about how it is that Mr. Guthrie can say we need to employ a Project Manager because “(City) staff is unable to dedicate neither the required time not specialist skills…”; then state that they excepted the lowest bid, even when it was grossly out of line with the three other bids on the grounds that work would be carried out by the city?

If the accepted bid requires the city to dedicate time to project management, but as Mr.. Guthrie asserts “staff is unable to dedicate… the required time…” who is going to do the work – City Halls Fairy Godmother or will it just not get done leading to further disaster on the DISASTER that is Plan A.

Citizens had certainly better hope that Abbotsford City Hall suddenly develops the ability to define project requirements correctly, accurately and in great detail. If they are so bad at defining their needs that three out of four contractors could not understand what it was that Abbotsford City Hall wanted done on a small Plan A contract such as this, just how BIG a mess are they going to bring down on the heads and pocketbooks of the citizen taxpayers of Abbotsford with the remainder of Plan A?

Does no one at Abbotsford City Hall understand the concept of careful consideration, thinking things through, acting with due deliberation and diligence? It would appear, based on reading the coverage in the local papers, that the question: is it rational, intelligent behaviour to go running around madly trying to get a bid for an ECHL team, a bid that should be a year or more in the making, done in a month?

Desperation is a very, very bad position to be bargaining from. And Abbotsford City Hall is well past desperate on this matter given the multimillion dollar mistake they made on Plan A already, in not having the common sense to secure provincial funds BEFORE taking it to the taxpayers. Now they face the looming possibility of the mirage of an ECHL team they sold the taxpayers as part of their snake-oil sales pitch, disappearing the way all mirages do when approached.

How many more dollars is Abbotsford City Hall’s desperation going to cost taxpayers? What is Abbotsford City Hall willing to pay to avoid being so clearly stuck with a white elephant of an arena? Given their demonstrated inability to admit misjudgement and accept responsibility for local taxpayers being stuck footing the entire bill for Plan A, one can only expect them to adopt an attitude of “cover our A**es”. I fear, based on their attitude and performance so far on Plan A, they will be willing to spend any amount of taxpayer’s money in order to hide from reality or acceptance of responsibility.

I have little doubt that with a willingness to throw any amount of money at this situation, you may well be able to find a black knight to ride to the rescue of Abbotsford City Hall and their white elephant. I say black knight because the bills for this team are likely to end up being paid by taxpayers.

Should Abbotsford City Hall find their black knight I think we can be sure of two things. The first is that Abbotsford City Hall will crank up the smoke machines and roll out the mirrors to once again sell a mirage to taxpayers. And two, that all the important financial arrangements and agreements that lead to a team in the city will be deemed sensitive and hidden from taxpayers as none of their business.

OK three things. The third being that should you decide you really want to know what was agreed to and pursue the truth trough “freedom of information legislation” the city will fight you, as they have and continue to do with those seeking full disclosure on the original finances for Plan A.

This behaviour has left taxpayers only one option in dealing with Abbotsford City Hall: caveat emptor – let the taxpayer beware.