Council ignored 1,700 voices on the C&D site—but now treats 43 survey responses as meaningful input for a strategic plan. If public consultation mattered, they'd start by listening to the majority.
At the council meeting of October 29, 2025, to review the draft strategic plan, one fact stands out: only 43 residents participated in the public consultation. In a town of approximately 4,500, that represents less than 1% of the population. Statistically, this is not just inadequate, it’s invalid. No credible survey or planning process would treat such a low response rate as representative of the community.
Despite councillors acknowledging the dismal turnout for the public consultation phase, council members are proceeding as if the input gathered provides meaningful direction. This makes no sense to me: what does it take for council to recognize when a process has failed?
Council should recognize this for what it is: a failure. And there’s nothing shameful about that, failure is part of any honest process. What matters is whether we learn from it. Doubling down on a flawed process only compounds the problem. Council should pause, reassess, and re-engage with the community in ways that work.
Another data point is that at October 29 council meeting there were only two members of the public in attendance.
When participation is this low, it’s not a reflection of apathy, it’s a reflection of a broken engagement strategy. Whether due to poor outreach, or lack of trust, the consultation failed to connect with the public. To treat this outcome as a mandate is not just misleading, it’s irresponsible – it is just plain bad governance.
Continuing to build on this flawed foundation makes no sense. It risks committing us to a plan that lacks legitimacy. Worse, it sends a message that council is more committed to checking boxes and going through the process than to genuine dialogue.
Council often makes the claim that it is seeking input from the community, but they just don’t deliver on that claim. When 1,700 residents signed a petition and packed the council chambers to oppose the closure of the C&D site, council dismissed that overwhelming public engagement. But now, with just 43 people offering input on a strategic plan that will shape the town’s future, council is treating it as if it carries weight. If public consultation truly mattered, the voices of 1,700 should have commanded far more attention than the silence of 4,457.
I have been closely following council for over one year now. I have witnessed council ignoring significant written public input and simply going through the motions for adopting the MPS and LUB documents. Now again I am seeing no meaningful engagement.
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