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Good
Morning Mr. Chairman, Councillors, everyone
After
having spent the day here yesterday listening to arguments in
favour of developing Waverly West, I went home and made some additions
to this presentation. You can find the amended version on our
website at crowinc.org, click on Presentations and it's the first
one.
I
should introduce myself. My name is Glenda Whiteman. I am currently
the Executive Director of the non-profit environmental organization
known as Concerned Residents of Winnipeg or CROW, Inc. Thank you
for the privilege of speaking before you today. I would like you
to know that after hearing some of your questions and comments
yesterday, I went home with a good deal more respect for some
of you than I came with.
I regret that I did not take notes. If I had, I might have been
better able today to dispute some of the statements, predictions
and suppositions that were thrown around this room yesterday.
As it is, I have more questions than answers.
Ladco Homes and other members of the Homebuilders Association,
who were out in full force yesterday, would have us believe that
there is a crucial shortage of lots in Winnipeg. They would also
have us think that there is great urgency to solve this problem
immediately and that the solution is to amend Plan Winnipeg now
so that we can move on to step 2 planning, a.s.a.p. In spite of
the fact that this message was repeated several times, I find
I am still not quite clear on what exactly is the urgency? I am
also not convinced. I am not convinced that we cannot house our
people within our existing structure, without resorting to turning
green-space into asphalt, depleting other neighbourhoods, and
creating yet another community to be serviced. Creating another
community the size of Brandon. The size of Brandon. To
be serviced.
We have empty schools. Our existing community clubs are supposedly
beyond repair. We have a transit system that cannot adequately
service the existing suburbs and a council that declined bus rapid
transit. Yet, we had speakers yesterday trying to have us believe
that Waverly West comes complete with rapid transit. Like magic.
I also find myself unable to understand why it is so important
to cater to the wishes of those who want to live in the southern
regions, while communities in the east, north, west and downtown
deteriorate before our very eyes. Your constituencies, if I am
not mistaken, for most of you.
There were some things said yesterday, however, that I do agree
with. For example, yes, can we please start building homes that
use sustainable heating? (And I hope you understand that I am
not referring to hydro-electricity.) Do we need more walkable
communities? Yes. Could existing communities be denser? Yes. Is
there too much ex-urban development? Yes. Is there too much suburban
development? Yes. The solution is not another suburb.
Those
of you who have heard me speak about pesticides in the past will
know that I usually come equipped with cases of books and references,
the message being, please don't believe me, please believe these
other experts. I am just a Concerned Resident of Winnipeg; just
a messenger.
Once
again today, I feel I am not an expert speaking to you. I have
not studied urban development. I am not a city planner. I speak
before you as a Concerned Resident of Winnipeg. Concerned about
where you are taking our city. Concerned about who is running
our city. Concerned about what kind of city we want to inhabit.
Before
I began writing the first version of this presentation on Monday,
I was also concerned about what to say given the previous admissions.
So, I was grateful to speak to people here who have studied Urban
Development, who tell me that there are solutions which do not
have to include building a new city within our city. I was also
grateful for the good coverage of this issue provided by the Free
Press. In case you missed it, I would like to borrow some very
salient points made by others who took the time to write. Thanks
to the Free Press for publishing these letters on Monday, January
3rd.
"Waverly
West is more urban sprawl, the No. 1 reason why our city core
has been permitted to deteriorate to the point where large areas
can properly be labelled as slums. What is needed is courage,
imagination and guts to do what other aggressive cities have done."
(Manuel Silverman)
And
J. Aaron Griffiths writes, "the city should rework the property
tax system...Unfortunately, for such powerful measures to be taken
would be uncharacteristically bold of both the Winnipeg and Manitoba
governments."
Well,
let us be serious. We know precisely where the Manitoba government
sits on this issue. Who stands to benefit from the creation of
a Waverly West? We all know that the answer is Ladco Homes and
the Manitoba government. Or so they think. They think that the
City of Winnipeg will have to provide the services and they will
reap the profits. Because they are not thinking about the future.
They are thinking about a cash cow now.
However,
it is not the City's responsibility to step in and save the provincial
government from its poor planning. The City of Winnipeg already
has a plan. That plan does not include more urban sprawl. There
are experts who know about such things. There are people who know
how to develop existing neighbourhoods to provide the kind of
affordable housing newcomers to Winnipeg will be needing. Newcomers
who probably will not have a vehicle for years, if ever. You admit
that our transit system, sewer system and recreation facilities
cannot effectively service the sprawling areas we already have,
yet you must now consider allowing even more to be developed.
So that Ladco Homes and the Province of Manitoba can profit while
the City goes deeper in debt and continues to crumble.
Let
me tell you from experience that indeed it does take courage,
imagination and guts to stand up to government. To stand up (or
sit down) and say, hey what you are doing is wrong. It is not
in our best interest. It will not preserve this land that we are
borrowing from our grandchildren.
So
what remains to be seen is how bold can the City of Winnipeg be?
Do you have the courage, imagination and guts to stand up to government?
To say NO to Big Brother on Broadway?
By
the way, having courage does not mean the absence of fear; it
means you do the right thing, in spite of your fear. Do the right
thing. Say no to Waverly West. Vote no to changing Plan Winnipeg.
Thank you.
Glenda
Whiteman :)
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