I wonder how many people actually understand the Alternative Approval Process or how many people care.
You should. The District of Summerland is looking for approval to borrow money to improve parts of South Victoria Road and Wharton Street for approximately $6 million.
I get it, infrastructure needs upgrading, but the focus and funds should be strictly on the fundamental aspect of the projects and not on cosmetics.
Of note, municipal loan authorization bylaws (long-term borrowing) are one of several that require the approval of the electors using either assent voting (referendum) or the AAP (formerly known as a counter petition). It appears in this case, the municipality prefers to use the AAP instead of a referendum (where people actually get out and vote).
We are often told the AAP is less costly, less time consuming, provides more flexibility and is more efficient because it only requires 10% or more of the eligible electors to sign and submit a response in opposition, unlike holding a referendum, which requires (support by) a majority of the registered electors.
For me, using the AAP is duplicitous. The district assumes there are reasonable indications its residents are in favour of the proposal, lending itself more to the AAP. However, public engagement is difficult at the best of times, One only has to look at how many people show up to any municipally sponsored project event.
The public has to be actively engaged, not just through steering committees of like-minded people. Public expectations, scale and timing of the project need to be taken into consideration.
Another issue is the AAP forms are generally accessed through the municipal website, with the mistaken assumption everyone is aware the municipality has posted them, that people are not only computer literate but willing to take the time to look it up and totally understand what they are reading.
The municipality also has paper forms available but how many people will be interested enough to actually pick one up?
Mary-Anne MacDonald