It was rumoured to be happening, but now it’s official… the Rob Ford Regime wants to shut down the Cycling Advisory Committee . The Cycling Committee is not the only one facing the axe… it is one of 21 committees (PDF) to be shut down… committees that are formed by experts in their chosen field to advise Council on matters, because Councillors do not have time to be experts in everything.
In case you think that this is to save money – the report states that “There are no financial implications resulting from this report. Support for advisory bodies and working committees is provided through existing resources in the City Clerk’s Office and relevant divisions.” (thanks to Ryan for pointing this out in the comments below) … so it’s NOT about saving money, it IS about preventing Torontonians from being involved.
For a Council that was supposed to be striving for accountability, transparency, and “respect for taxpayers”, it has gone out of their way over the past 4 months to close off city government from the people it’s meant to serve.
Councillor Adam Vaughan has sent out an “Action Alert” to alert people to this latest threat to democracy and let them know what they can do (this has since been picked up by the Bike Union as well):
Dear Cycling and Pedestrian advocates,
Over the years many of you have played an important role, advising City Council and City staff on advisory bodies.
Mayor Ford is moving to eliminate these groups and opportunities for resident input.
Two of the groups slated for elimination are the Toronto Pedestrian Committee and the Toronto Cycling Advisory Committee.
Sustaining and building a vibrant city is complex. In every decision there are hundreds of needs, ideas and perspectives that need to be considered in order to get to creative, innovative, solutions that make our City great for everyone.
We need you and your neighbours at the table with us – governing the City’s many agencies, boards, committees and corporations, serving on advisory committees and bringing your voices to Standing Committees.
The latest proposal to keep people out of City Hall, by eliminating formal advisory roles for taxpayers is on the agenda for the next Executive Committee.
Please come to the meeting and share your views:
Date: Wednesday April 20, 2011
Time: starting at 9:30am
Location: Toronto City Hall, Second Floor, Committee Room 1To make a deputation at Executive Committee, contact Frances Pritchard of the City Clerk’s office to register. She can be reached at 416-392-6627 or exc@toronto.ca.
The full report is available online here:If you can’t make it to the meeting, you can still let the councillors on the Executive Committee know how important these advisory committees are to you.
Mayor Ford 416-397-3673 mayor_ford@toronto.ca
Councillor Holyday 416-392-4002 councillor_holyday@toronto.ca
Councillor Ainslie 416-392-4008 councillor_ainslie@toronto.ca
Councillor Berardinetti 416-392-0213 councillor_berardinetti@toronto.ca
Councillor Del Grande 416-392-1374 councillor_delgrande@toronto.ca
Councillor Kelly 416-392-4047 councillor_kelly@toronto.ca
Councillor Mammoliti 416-395-6401 councillor_mammoliti@toronto.ca
Councillor Milczyn 416-392-4040 councillor_milczyn@toronto.ca
Councillor Minnan-Wong 416-397-9256 councillor_minnan-wong@toronto.ca
Councillor Palacio 416-392-7011 councillor_palacio@toronto.ca
Councillor Robinson 416-395-6408 councillor_robinson@toronto.ca
Councillor Shiner 416-395-6413 councillor_shiner@toronto.ca
Councillor Thompson 416-397-9274 councillor_thompson@toronto.caPlease share this information with your networks and community.
Best regards,
Adam Vaughan
PLEASE EMAIL your city councillor and ANY or ALL of the ones on the Executive Council listed above, and let them know that you want Torontonians to have a voice in how they city we love is run.
