It is my opinion that the Parks and Recreation Master Plan must reflect the wishes and the input of the community. To quote from the Master Plan as originally submitted by the consulting group “The foundation of the Master Plan has been build upon local demographics, leisure trends and consultations with municipal staff, key stake holders and the general public.”
Background
The Parks & Recreation Master Plan budget ($53,000.00) was originally approved by Council in 2007, and the consultant (Monteith & Brown Planning Consultants in association with Tucker-Reid & Associates) provided Council an overview of the then current Master Plan as well as a project review for the current Master Plan on May 15, 2008.
The preliminary report was to be presented to Council June / July of 2008 and the Final Draft Master Plan was to be presented to Council at the end of September 2008. However, the Final Draft was not presented to Council until January 2010, and then, it was presented by LSAC, not the consultant.
What happened?
This is where things get a little murky.
The report, dated January 2009, was actually presented to LSAC. LSAC formed a working group to take the consultant's report and “vet” it.
Whereas a committee of Town, such as LSAC, is appointed directly by Council, has Town staff members, takes minutes and posts both those and agendas, a “working group” is not directly appointed by Council, has no staff members, it may take minutes but neither they nor the agendas are posted. They work in private. Members of the public are not apprised of when they meet, where they meet, why they meet and what they produce.
So, what did they do for a year?
A comparison of the Consultant's Report and the Final Town Report dated February 23, 2010 is an interesting exercise. You do need to do a careful comparison because there are a number of working changes that subtlety but significantly change the meaning. For example, in section 4.5, Outdoor Recreation Facilities, the consultant's report states: “There is merit in expanding the number of 'club courts'...” The final report: “Should there be merit...” This is but one example of many. However a simple comparison of first page of the Executive Summary really tells all:
| Item | Consultant's Report | Final Report |
| Hardball Diamond | Recommended for consideration | Reference Deleted |
| Leslie Street Farm Property | Recommended for future Community Parkland | Reference Deleted |
| Municipal Gymnasium | Recommended that a municipal gymnasium with dedicated youth space be developed. | Reference Deleted. |
The residents of Aurora paid $53,000.00 for a consulting group to develop a Master Plan (based on public input), which was then hijacked by a special interest group, who proceeded to take out things they didn't want or like, do some word-smithing (badly, I might add) and then they had the audacity to present this as their own! (The consultant's name was removed).
In the world that I come from, this would be plagiarism at best, and copyright infringement at worst. It is definitely dishonest.
To be fair, this working group did recommend that “the Town should perform a Youth Needs Study to determine if a dedicated youth space/lounge at a new or existing municipal facility is required”. Of course, the consultant recommended that the “Town should provide a dedicated Youth Space/Lounge”. (My emphasis)
This whole process has been a failure in Leadership, Accountability and once again our Community Services are falling behind.
With apologies to one of the great leaders of the last century, never have so few taken so long to do so little.
My Perspective
The Parks & Recreation Master Plan will dictate the future of this part of Town life for another 5 years. It builds on previous Master Plans, creating what should be a living plan that adapts to what is really happening in Aurora.
As such, we need the broadest possible input to ensure that we are getting a made in and by Aurora solution, not a made in committee solution by a select few who think they know what is best for Aurora.
When Council spends tax payer dollars, then Council has the right and the obligation to address the results in a timely and transparent manner. When special interest groups insinuate themselves in the process, they prevent a duly elected Council from performing their function. In this case, they delayed the process, removed recommendations that would add to the Aurora Community experience and added nothing in return.
While working groups are an effective method of getting things done, it is essential that their work is fully documented and all proceedings publicly available.
My Commitment: If I am elected Mayor, I commit to re-introducing the inclusion of the municipal gymnasium and other youth facilities as proposed by the initial consultant, after public consultation, back on the discussion table.