A resolution to an ongoing call for dissolution in West-Interlake won't be coming any time soon. A Municipal Board public hearing was held last night at the Eriksdale Community Hall, with hundreds in attendance. While the meeting lasted for three hours, 12 citizens and other representatives who hoped to present were unable to step forward, as the hearing saw several breaks to allow the Board, Council representatives, and the West-Interlake Citizens Group to review documents and discuss their presentations.
The meeting came to a close at about 10 o'clock, when Municipal Board Vice-Chair Lori Lavoie adjourned the meeting, without any recommendations in place. Instead, she advised the West-Interlake Council, and the citizens' group to meet with provincial representatives to discuss their options, before moving forward. She also provided a deadline for those conversations, set for September 30th.
As she made her announcement, it was clear it wasn't the conclusion many in the audience were hoping for, as groans and complaints could be heard from several individuals. People on both sides of the issue felt it was a disappointing end to the night.
West-Interlake Reeve Randy Helgason feels while dissolution isn't a viable solution, there should be a way to split the two wards to their pre-amalgamation state, or to annex the former RM of Eriksdale. He says it was a relatively frustrating night, especially as CAO Larissa Love was repeatedly cut off while discussing the history of the scenario.
"There was no indication of that when they set up the public hearing. They didn't give us any guidelines as to what was expected of us, so most of us had made presentations including history from day one, in 2013, when amalgamation started. For it to drag on now until September, I'm not happy about that."
Helgason also voiced concerns regarding documents available to the public during the hearing. The West-Interlake Citizens Group had provided documents to those entering the hall, including a draft auditors report, which Helgason says wasn't a public document.
"They were draft documents, they weren't the final auditors report. (The auditor) sent it out for us to see it. They were discussed in-camera and not in a regular Council meeting, so they should not have gone out to the public."
A large portion of the night focused on just what dissolution would mean for the municipality. A provincial representative validated Helgason's previous claims, that the government would be dissolved as well, leading to a cease in municipal work. West-Interlake Citizens Group spokesperson Andrea Sweetland says much of the night's confusion stemmed from a lack of communication between the group and provincial representatives, despite numerous requests.
"They ignored us totally. We were a non-entity. As far as they were concerned, we didn't exist."
When it comes to further delays to allow both groups to discuss the situation with the government, Sweetland says she has mixed feelings.
"In some ways I can see that it's necessary for them to get that clarification on what happens. To me, it doesn't really make any sense because if you stuck two together, you can certainly take two apart."
One aspect of the situation that became clear during the night's hearing is that both sides are looking for the same outcome, simply using different methods. The West-Interlake Citizens Group believes dissolving the municipality, and then re-establishing two municipal governments would be the ideal method. Meanwhile Council would rather explore other avenues, to avoid any service interruptions that could come from dissolution.
Both sides will now work to meet with provincial representatives before September 30th, before deciding their next steps. While last night's meeting was adjourned without a recommendation coming forward, the Board made it clear the file wouldn't be closed until a solution was in place.
Fri, Apr 19, 5:00 PM
Administrative, Hourly
Featured
