Penticton $9.7 million provincial grant secured BEFORE project presented to public; Langley $15 million provincial grant secured BEFORE project presented to public, project modified to maximize grant; Abbotsford $0.00 provincial grant secured BEFORE project presented to public.

In the Friday Abbotsford Times much gnashing of teeth and cries of “we was robbed” by Abbotsford City Hall. Common sense dictates, for those possessing common sense (which evidence suggests is nonexistent at Abbotsford City Hall) that your maximum leverage on a senior level of government for grants is before you fund the project when they (province; federal) can be blamed for the project not proceeding. This was the case in the recent extortion of $2 million each from both the federal and provincial governments for Stanley Park restoration making Vancouver’s contribution $ZERO$.

When asked during the referendum campaign why they had not and if they should not have gotten grants BEFORE coming to the taxpayers for approval, as any rational, fiscally responsible City (i.e. Langley, Penticton) would do, Abbotsford City Hall blew off those posing the questions as “naysayers” and “negative people”.

It turns out that it is Abbotsford City Hall which was/is negative, or is that negligent, to the tune of $millions$ of taxpayer dollars. This may have taxpayers justifiably wanting to say Nay to Abbotsford City Hall and its cavalier and careless attitude to taxpayer’s money.

{shake head} – I am left contemplating how much good could have been accomplished in addressing affordable housing, poverty reduction and homelessness with the $$$ millions Abbotsford City Hall’s carelessness is costing the City. Abbotsford City Hall could have satisfied their hasty drive to saddle taxpayers with $85 million in debt and had a major impact on these growing social problems by diverting borrowings in an amount matching any government grants into investments in meeting the social needs of our community.

But then the one thing the behaviour of Abbotsford City Hall has made very clear during this entire process is that it is not about dealing with the needs for facilities or social issues of the citizens of Abbotsford, but about satisfying the wants of Abbotsford City Hall.

It is also very, very clear Abbotsford taxpayers simply cannot afford to continue to fund Abbotsford City Hall’s record of failure and co$tly mistakes.