During a Dec. 10 debate on the future of Victoria's Johnson Street bridge, rookie councilor and former New Democratic Party member of parliament Lynn Hunter panned giving voters a say on the matter.
“I'm firmly opposed to a referendum because I consider it an affront to representative democracy,” said Hunter in a speech available from citizen journalist site B Channel News. “The question we should ask ourselves is where does the use of referenda stop? In this electronic age it is possible the public could vote directly on anything and everything, making elected representatives obsolete.”
Some people might welcome that, but it would lead to worse decisions, she said. “I firmly believe that well considered decisions come about only through the representative system. We had an election just last year and we were the ones that were selected.”
Hunter won 7,926 votes in November's civic election. There were an estimated 63,422 eligible voters in Victoria and about 27 percent of them voted.
After the election the new mayor, Dean Fortin, and council announced a $63-million plan to replace the Johnson Street bridge. The plan, which has a $21-million commitment from the federal government and requires the city to borrow $42 million, has the support of mayor Dean Fortin and all but one of the eight councilors.
Citizens, organizing through johnsonstreetbridge.org, can force a referendum if they collect signatures from 10 percent of eligible voters, or about 6,346 people, by Jan. 4.
Holding a referendum on the bridge project would give people a say on something nobody talked about until the election was over, said Ross Crockford, an organizer with johnsonstreetbridge.org. “We're seeking a vote on our council borrowing $42 million and restructuring the Inner Harbour, without having held so much as a public hearing.”
Crockford said he believes referenda shouldn't be used to vote on minority rights, but there is a long and legitimate tradition of them being used when local governments want to spend "huge" amounts of money on projects. "That's what this is, a gigantic capital expenditure."
Organizers have about half the signatures they need and are concerned cold weather will make collecting them more difficult, Crockford said.
See the video . . .
Andrew MacLeod is The Tyee’s Legislative Bureau Chief in Victoria. Reach him here.
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DPL
2 years ago
BS Lynn Hunter. The bridge
BS Lynn Hunter. The bridge was not on the list of things to do when you were getting involved in the election. If it had been, the results might well have been very different. We voted for a bunch of what we thought were lefties with social causes, causes like no housing for street people and now we get told that we have no right to get a referenda. some of us should have known better to vote for you personally as you had been out MP and not a very effective one at that. Interesting enough was the fact that it took two different votes to get the pile of bricks now called Save on Foods sport shack complete with a massive sign outside that coulnd't fit inside the city sign bylaws. You and other council are trying to ram through a very expensive bridge, and the province has no intention to help pay for it. Nor has other municipalites such as Esquimalt who use it all the time. The argument that borrowing rates are low just now simply doesn't wash as a loan wouold be for a very long time. We are entitled "No Taxation without representation sort of rings a bell here" and by gosh Ms. Hunter we sure arn't getting representation on the biggest cost item in Victoria history because somebody never figured it was any of the voters business prior to the election. You would be bleating your head off at Gordo who suddenly, right after the provincial election decided we needed the HST. The party you used to represent even has a petion against that sneaky tax. With any luck you will be looking for a different job after the next municipal election. We live in Vic West and can just as easily find our way into the downtown area by the Bay Street bridge. Your position shows your disregard for the city voters who I hope run you out of office.And the sooner the better
sunshine coast girl
2 years ago
I think that any big decisions
made by governments of any level, that aren't brought into the open during election campaigns to be openly discussed, should be subject to referendum. There is not enough accountability in our current system.
Skywalker
2 years ago
An affront to democracy
Well I could list a lot of things that are an affront to democracy like Selling BC Rail after promising not to and Harmonizing the PST and GST after promising not to do so before the election. Deciding that maybe the collective wisdom of an electorate might be better than the wisdom of a few doesn't seem like an affront at all. It is an affront that for some reason one person knows better than all the rest of us.
BettyFord
2 years ago
Mirror mirror
This e-age has made replaying this grandstanding affront to democracy damning evidence of how out of touch city counsel is. Complete with imperious gestures, pretentious posturing and preposterous utterances...what tawdry theatrics.
Really, what are they piping in through the vents in council chambers? They appear woefully out of touch, and would do well to remember what a narrow margin of support was actually mustered for those seats.
As for the lead up 3:20- cheap shot LH. Many people have worked tirelessly to obtain housing and services for the homeless and underhoused. How dare she imply it is an either/or situation. Those advocating referenda know all too well that with such a massive undertaking and financial burden, the bridge replacement will set back other priority infrastructure and most certainly the necessary investment in the people of Victoria. Duh.
Just whom is really benefiting from this 'vanity project'?