Citizens’ Assembly: Behind The Curtain

I did not attend the Grandview Community Plan Citizens’ Assembly Workshop this past Saturday, but reports from several sources indicate that, with the election out of the way, the powers that have predetermined the developer-friendly result bared their teeth; and upset many in the process.

It was, as one correspondent described it, just another case of “manufacturing consent,” with large numbers of City staff “facilitating” conversation into the channels they wanted.  A number of people noted that the “facilitators” either refused to put comments on the sheets, or re-interpreted them in ways that were clearly not meant by the commenter. Apparently complaints about these actions were made at the time to City planner Andrew Pask,  but matters were not corrected.

Correspondents found the experience “frustrating” and “extremely unsatisfying”, and another was “horrified”.  Some thought they were being “buffaloed,” and several used the term “set up.”  At least one member of the Assembly has seriously questioned their continuing with the project because they are so angry about Saturday’s obvious atempts to steer the “consensus”.

Clearly, as some of us have claimed from the begining, there is an already-agreed end point for the Plan (“Emerging Directions” Plus), and these sessions are just a front to claim that some form of community engagement was undertaken. Why would comments be denied or rewritten if this is not the case?  Why not report everything?

The election results showed Vision, their developer cronies, and their pals in the Vancouver Planning Department, that they have four more years to pillage the City regardless of neighbourhood complaints.  Who will remember a few grumbles from the Eastside today when the next election rolls a round in 2018?

The farce continues.

 

Previous Grandview-Woodland Community Plan posts.