Reading the statements from city council about the BC Housing projects it is clear that the back pedalling has already begun on the issue of addressing the social issues facing the city; raising questions of whether city council really has/had any interest or intention of addressing the social issues this city is mired in or if their only interest in these social problems was to be seen to be taking action for purposes of re-election.

Let us contrast their actions, or more correctly lack of actions, on addressing homelessness, addiction, mental illness, poverty and associated crime – versus – their actions on something they WANTED to do, Plan A.

Plan A squeaked through a city wide referendum with narrow approval ranging from the low of 52% for the arena to 56% for the cultural center. When shortly after the referendum the millions of dollars of costs that council was aware of but kept from the public during the referendum came to light and people who had voted yes demanded a new vote because they had been mislead by council what happened?

Council ploughed ahead ignoring the calls for a vote based upon all the information council knew about but had withheld from the public and ignoring the strong 48% to 44% city wide opposition to these projects.

When the total costs associated with Plan A soared from the advertised, sworn to and promised $85 million and are closing in on $120 million mark what did council do? Other than hiding the true costs of Plan A from the public that is?

City council ploughed ahead pouring whatever funds were required to pay for Plan A into Plan A while they deferred waste treatment infrastructure needs to 2010 because they had no money to pay for it after paying for Plan A.

City council wanted to build Plan A and the fact that citizens were almost split on Plan A didn’t matter; council poured whatever funds were required to build Plan A into Plan A deferring other city needs; council paid the cost premiums required to make sure that the cultural centre and ARC expansion opened before the election.

Council wanted to build Plan A and whatever it took to do that they did.

Contrast that with council action, or rather inaction, on the social issues facing this city. Ever since the BC Housing agreement was announced and council could point to it as evidence of their addressing the social issues of those who are homeless, addicted, mentally ill or in poverty council has been backing away.

We have no idea what kind of housing or who the people who would be occupying these buildings are. For all we know seniors may be part of the mix of tenants in the building.

We have no idea and won’t have any idea until the proposals come as to who will be building, who will be supplying the support services or who will be living in the buildings as tenants.

So knowing nothing of the nature of this housing council was able to determine that it was inappropriate for this (these) location(s) and is seeking other alternatives. One can only wonder how long it will be before, having already spoken of how sad it would be to have to send the money back to Victoria, council will, if they have achieved re-election, concludes there is no suitable location and regretfully has to decline to build any social housing?

Is it any wonder that the two recent, very successful and safe for the tenants, housing projects of this nature were in Chilliwack and Mission? Indeed the building in Mission has improved the neighbourhood. Abbotsford city council is well aware that the organization that brought about the Mission project intends to put in a proposal for one of the BC Housing funded projects in Abbotsford.

So, when city council wants to build something it rides roughshod over any and all opposition, ignoring citizens and doing or spending whatever is required to build what they want.

How can one not question council’s commitment to addressing social issues given their spineless, self-defeating behaviour on this housing, especially as we currently have nothing to base decisions on – despite council being willing to make decisions based on knowing nothing , of having no facts? Particularly in contrast to their behaviour and actions on Plan A projects they wanted to build.

When councillor John Smith seeks to avoid the question of their behaviour on this manner by citing the Abbotsford Social Development Committee and all that this committee has accomplished, ask if he and this committee have added even 1 unit of housing or even 1 bed to the housing stock in Abbotsford.

They have not. Despite all the lip service paid to housing not even a single bed has been added in Abbotsford. In Chilliwack and Mission buildings have been added to the supported affordable housing stock. I am sure council and councillors will be able to make many excuses.

City council and councillors are very good at making excuses when they do not want to do something; stark contrast to the lengths they will go to build what they want to build at any cost.

You can understand why one may wonder if current council and councillors have any intention of ever building any housing or ever addressing the issues of homelessness, addiction, mental illness, poverty and associated crime.

I had to laugh, to avoid crying as I walked into ARC through the new addition for the first time Friday.

With an all-candidates meeting on Friday night I had to swim early, before Yale high school was out, and found myself parking beneath the new extension.

After walking up the fire escape stairs because the elevator was out-of-service due to malfunction, I turned to head down the ramp to head into the old building and the pool and found myself walking around the bucket set out to catch the water leaking into our new recreation facility through its brand new roof.

I also had to step carefully so as not to slip in the two rivulets of water that ran down the ramp.

It was very lucky for our current council that their rushed pre-election grand opening was on a dry non-rainy day. The public would probably have been considerably less impressed if it had been raining and they had to walk around or carefully to avoid the leaks in their expensive new roof.

The longest sitting current council member speaks of people saying to him they want:

1) Keep my city safe

2) Spend my money wisely

3) Keep taxes as low as possible

4) Keep things transparent.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm?

Property crime is rampant, people are gunned down, gangs operate in the city … doesn’t sound as if this city has been kept safe.

According to Rob Isaac, manager of wastewater, $21.5 million of needed infrastructure had to be deferred until after 2010 because of lack of funds. Council built an unneeded arena and deferred needed sewer infrastructure. That is not spending money wisely.

Plan A, the friendship garden complete with six foot fence – doesn’t sound to friendly, the Centennial Pool tank fiasco, etc. Council spends money as if taxpayers have bottomless pockets with the result that Abbotsford not only ranks #1 in the lower mainland for the highest taxes, but is the highest by several percentage points. This is not keeping taxes as low as possible.

Novembers Abbotsford Today speaks of the costs of Plan A having risen over $120 million, quite different than councils claims. Abbotsford Today could not be more specific since the city refuses to say how much they have spent to date or the bills still outstanding. A Freedom of Information request was needed to find out the monies spent promoting Plan A. This is not transparency.

– did not keep the city safe
– did not spend wisely
– did not keep taxes as low as possible
– did not provide transparency, but did work to keep information from the public.

At 0 – 4 after decades on council one must admire his gall, but not the disrespect, in running again after failing term after term to deliver on a single point people have stated are important.