Council Caused Plante Controversy: BENN

The genesis of the problems related to Rideau-Vanier Councillor Stephanie Plante’s online communications is the sprung structures project.

The need to provide temporary shelter for asylum seekers and refugees was already in decline by the time Ottawa City Council got to it. In other words, staff sought and was directed by council to provide a solution to a diminishing problem.

Council then abdicated its authority over the decision to staff, at the behest of Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, to take the politics out of the decision. In other words, councillors wanted to hide behind the staff decision.

Staff set the decision criteria: the what, where, when that directed it to a single-source solution.

The entire process lacked any public consultation until after the decision was announced.

It was inevitable that a controversy would ensue. It was assured, no matter where the reception centre was to be located.

The focus of the controversy has been on her online and social-media communications. The public and council should take a closer look at the source of the issue. Had council done its job, notably providing oversight on staff decisions, then perhaps, just maybe there would have been less controversy.

In short, the genesis of this tempest in a teapot rests on council’s shoulders.

Ron Benn, a finance executive, has been a member of the Centrepointe Community Association for the better part of three decades.

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