Following official plan critical to city governance - Gordon Drysdale

In case anyone has not grasped the concept of good municipal governance, this is how it works.

The provincial government has mandated that every city have an official plan, and they have provided the template to follow.

Our official plan has been created through thousands of hours of meetings, throughout our enlarged city, with the public — that’s us — and panels of experts in various fields pertaining to the applications being solidified. These meetings have been announced in the media, with plenty of notice beforehand.

Many concerned citizens, including citizen experts, attended (these meetings). Those citizens and experts made suggestions as to how the future of our city is to be shaped, zoned, altered, grow, etc.

The official plan sets the framework for bylaws, zoning, parks, environment, social issues, planning, building, infrastructure, budgeting, legal matters, etc; the list goes on.

We now have an official plan. This official plan is the blueprint for future growth and development in our city. It is the rule book, the law, the bible, the guide, the “cut in stone” path to the future.

We elect a council to make decisions on our behalf, using this official plan to base those decisions on. They have an obligation to know what is in that official plan and pay attention to its instructions.

If you are building a house, you must have a set of blueprints. Those blueprints must be followed. The same concept applies to our city.

To make any decision without consulting the official plan is just plain wrong and unacceptable, and could prove to be disastrous and costly in the long run. Our mayor and councillors should know that.

How many times have our city council and administration disregarded the rule, spirit and intent of the official plan? What insane decisions have been made contrary to what the official plan spells out?

What recourse do we, as citizens, have to correct bad judgment, and hold accountable the people in whom we place our trust?

The City of Greater Sudbury’s website holds all the information I have mentioned above.

If you want to be vocal in the community and make your wishes known, it is a good idea to understand the basics to be taken seriously.

It is refreshing to see people taking a keen interest in the affairs of our city and stepping up to the plate to make a difference. I am one of them. It is great to see all those fresh ideas as to their vision of the city’s future.

However, they should all be reminded, as should the current council, that we are obligated to follow the official plan, by law, and build our city to greatness within those guidelines.

If not, we invite disaster, just as a house being built without following the blueprints.

Every candidate elected for office in the City of Greater Sudbury should make prudent decisions on behalf of everyone in the city, based on the spirit, rule and intent of our official plan, and be committed to improve our city by fair play and honest good judgment.

Gordon Drysdale
Ward 7 municipal election candidate
Greater Sudbury