Losing control

If you read any of the letters pages in our two County newspapers, you will see a trend. Not a happy trend. There’s lots to fight about, and lots to fight against. Though the passion is there in the writing, most of us are entering an endless cycle: Repeating the same arguments over and over.

As a column writer, I admit this feels good. I like to vent every once in a while, as you know. County people use the papers, and other means, to make their case.

But in real terms, it’s a pointless endeavour. All of us, including me, are often tilting at windmills. I like a good fight, if the fight is warranted. Over the last 20 years of column writing, sometimes I win and sometimes I lose. That comes with the territory.

But that was then, and this is now. We still fight, but we lose more often than we win. Why is that?

WHO’S IN CHARGE?
It comes down to this. We, as County folk, are not in charge. Most of the anger and vitriol is directed to Council, sometimes in a heavyhanded way. Some of this is deserved. Sometimes Council seems to spend money like an addicted gambler, staying at the table until his Rolex watch is on the felt, as a last resort. In other words, “I want to play, but I have no money.” [This does not fly in casinos either, unless you can bet your Ferrari and a ranch in Alberta, to keep playing.]

So there is that. Some of our bungled plans do come from Council, and money we don’t have stacks up on the table. This would not be acceptable for any of us: “I would like to borrow $13 million and here’s my financial statement.” I would be on the “Most Outrageous Client” list at the regular meeting of bank managers over whisky and club sodas, and they would laugh heartily and tell their friends.

Council does come up with some brilliant “save money” plans, like terminating recycling for businesses, to make the manufacturers pay.

First, the effect for business owners I talked to is: “Guess I’m going back to putting it in the garbage.” Cool plan.

And how exactly does this work? If Pepsi gets a Coke bottle—“Sorry, that’s not ours; Put it back on the truck.” Big cost savings there. In my experience, when Big Business is asked to take responsibility, they laugh—also heartily.

A WHOLE NEW WORLD
County Council serves us in a few, important ways. But their main job now is not to serve us, though they will often put on a masquerade show to appease us. Their main job is running the “Corporation of …”

So who are the other players? Look up. Look way up.

We are agitated, even angry, that new developments are popping up everywhere. I get the anger. Neighbours didn’t buy into a next-door motel/spa/culinary training centre when they bought their houses.

This is different from the Old County Way, in which metro people would buy a house beside a barn or a business, and then fight to drive them out of business. Ah, the old days!

In this case—such as Lake on the Mountain and Waring Creek—it seems all you need to do is plunk down a duffle bag of cash to get your plan in motion. Consultants and engineers abound—which tells you how much money is involved. Public meetings calm all fears. Environment will be protected; special treatment for protected birds [C’mon!]; noise will be at a minimum, etc. We don’t really fall for the “tell us what we want to hear” spiel anymore.

So if neighbours who want the home, view and peace they paid for, wildlife protectors, shoreline protectors, nature protectors—and people who simply have common sense—have no sway in the outcome, what the hell happened?

WHAT YOU CAN AND CAN’T DO
Council has its rules. If your reason for getting a parking ticket was: “I was really drunk at the time and couldn’t find my car,” they will abide by the rules that govern the County.

But what about the rules that aren’t governed by the County?

That’s where the problem lies.

Here’s where Council’s hands are tied. There’s a ton of government agencies [about a half ton more than we need] who get to decide what we can and can’t do.

“We want to do this.” No. “We don’t want to do this.” No.

I can’t say councillors are as frustrated by this as us, but I’m sure they are. The time is gone when we could call the shots. Now, as we “progress”, Council finds they can’t call the shots either. Like us, this burns people who want to do the right thing … but can’t.

To government agencies, we are a useless chunk of land they’ve never heard of, unless someone on the Board says: “Hey! I know where that is! I went to the Sandbanks once when I was a kid.” Needless to say, this does not help us. They are looking at a map. [If they can find one that doesn’t stop at Belleville, leaving us a ‘ghost County’ they don’t care about.] They don’t need to know us, they just look at the Big Book O’ Rules— and that’s all they see.

HE WHO PAYS CALLS THE SHOTS
And boy, do we pay for that. Going back over the last few years, developers are now in love with the County. [Someone gave them a map!] Sometimes we, and Council as well, don’t like the proposal. We, as a people, can shout loudly, and gather our friends to break out their pens in protest. But to no avail. Council as well can add their concerns, and our concerns. But it doesn’t matter.

The government Rulebook says: “This is allowable.” That doesn’t say it’s right, it just says the rules allow it. Developers take advantage of this, because there is no compassionate human ‘up there’ who will argue with The Rules, or can. That would be virtual treason!

So who calls the shots? Not us, or even Council. It matters not if a project could be a detriment to a community, or a danger to the land, water and wildlife. This, apparently, is not in the Rulebook.

Our choice is to fight, and we will lose. The government agencies say “go”, the developers know the game inside out. The key is, how can we get the government agencies to say: “Not acceptable.” I have no answer for that, but there’s a few people who know where the problem lies, and are targetting the ministries that control these decisions.

About 20 years ago, I wrote in a column that I could foresee the day when we would have a Holiday Inn at the Sandbanks. That day is yet to come.

But we’re real close.

countymag@bellnet.ca