Ghosts of dump site linger

Barrie Advance Editorial
As Site 41 ‘phantoms’ flutter in Dickensian fashion befitting the season, regional councillors look to a fresh face in a bid to foster a new era of trust and co-operation.
With eyes firmly fixed on October 2010 and the next municipal vote, council has passed the gavel to Wasaga Beach Mayor Cal Patterson.
Patterson inherits a plateful of issues; growth, waste management, strained relations with Barrie, but he wasted little time in addressing what will be the key challenge for him and his cohorts – restoring trust and faith in county council.
“Our voices need to be heard. Each and every one,” he said. “I’m hoping we can work together. I lead by consensus, that’s my style. I want more participation.”
No one would argue against more co-operation, but it’s certainly going to take more than blue-sky, Obama-like speeches to repair the damage of the past three years.
Tiny Township Mayor Peggy Breckenridge recently told council she received 30 e-mails in one day, asking about winter and spring plans for the Site 41 dump site.
“People are seeing phantoms out there. They’re afraid another council could come in and change what we have passed (to cease work at the site) and build a landfill there,” she said.
Frankly, the notion that residents are afraid of what the next council might do is astonishing.
Combine environmental concerns with memories of the protests, arrests and lawsuit, and anyone running on a pro Site 41 platform next fall would have as much chance of winning as the Toronto Maple Leafs have of taking the Stanley Cup this year.
It’s much more likely that residents fear what this group might do in the spring.
As council seeks to rehabilitate its reputation, self-interest lurks barely beneath the surface.
Tiny’s deputy mayor agreed that council must improve its communications. “I believe, through the money ($250,000) we set aside for communications and image control, some money should be used to communicate (with the monitoring committee) …,” said George Lawrence.
To admit to spending taxpayers’ money on “image control” 10 months before an election is to be on thin ice indeed.
In the months ahead, residents can no doubt look forward to bold pronouncements on a number of issues. And Patterson certainly deserves an opportunity to install the more inclusive approach that he’s promising.
But, ultimately, council might want to budget some of that quarter-million image fund to hire a medium. Expert help will be needed to expunge the ghosts of Site 41.