Oct 24 Round Table

[canadagrey]

This fall's on again, off again Fisheries Round Table is Cancelled Again Originally was cancelled due to Budget cutbacks by the Provincial Government. A couple of organizations volunteered to host and pay for a replacement. It was on again. Today received notice from Ken Crutchfield that it was off again. Citing time required for planning and organization as a reason.

As this date was set last spring, other than a venue change I don't know what could require more planning or organization. All of the participants I'm sure were ready. I don't know about the government.

This diversified group has been a major public input to our Fisheries. Even though some of the groups originally had very opposing views over the past 7 years has in a lot of cases found consensus on many items in the past 3 or 4 years.

What do you think of the Government's not wanting FREE PUBLIC INPUT?

[Dragon Troller]

just plain wrong thats what that is,

 

Who can I write a letter of disgust to?

[dave robinson]

My guess is that the round table was a casualty of tthe "across the board" cut to "operational" expenditures.

In the government's desperation to keep the deficit under control with no change in revenues (meaning no increase in taxes)

they have frozen every department's operational budget and cut overall budgets by up to 5%.

 

Operational budgets cover such things as travel, hosting, salaries, lease payments and also

all activities related to facility maintenance projects and tenant improvement work.

So cancelling the Round Table was inevitable, regardless of SRD's desire for input.

 

Even with others picking up the hosting costs, it is likely nobody from SRD would have been able to attend

because of travel restrictions to only "essential" travel.

I also suppose that they did not want to be seen as taking a handout from "special interests"

as that may set a precedent for other regulatory related activity.

 

It might be a bit too paranoid think that public input to fisheries regulations is being curtailed

in the same way that public input to the proposed multi-billion dollar transmission lines is.

That, in my view is a very serous problem, as every electricity user in the province will be hit hard the pocket book.