COUNCIL SHOULD GO BACK TO SCHOOL

All too often dysfunctional attitudes, decisionmaking and behaviors keep rearing their ugly heads.

One month Thorold revitalizes the downtown to enhance the image of the city and to encourage tourism; the next council calls for a state of emergency on mental health, homelessness and addiction. These two decisions do not look to be complementary to each other. In fact, they are at odds.

In addition to revitalizing the downtown shops, while neglecting the city's growing areas, the city started a face-lift to the existing downtown park that is likely coming in over budget and behind schedule.

I think Thorold has to realize that the city is bigger than the two blocks of downtown.

Thorold has listed on its web page the roles of a councillor, council and the mayor. This is not good enough. In any well-run company, each position has its identified roles and each is accompanied by the needed education, experience, qualifications, etc. needed for those roles.

We have a top-class university down the street. I hope that Brock would work with local municipalities to create a program that identifies municipal needs and then develops the curriculum that municipalities, employees and councillors alike, can attend to ensure the proper functioning of the city's operations. thought this is nicer than Walkers Creek Trail! Then I saw council wanted to spend $1.7 million to turn it into a sidewalk.

It seems council thinks civic improvement must include concrete and lots of money. No wonder folks who live there are unhappy. When I was able to ride a bike five years ago, I thought Walkers Creek Trail was ideal. I saw mothers pushing strollers, seniors strolling, kids on bikes, etc.

I can understand grooming the existing trail, perhaps placing gravel on low spots, but spending close to $2 million? That's a waste of taxpayers money and destroying one more of our city's little jewels.