The passing of the $200+ million Seaton Recreation Complex & Library by Pickering Council on Monday, September 29, has raised a flurry of objections and allegations on social media and email, alleging guerilla tactics by the council.
Residents said notifications for the crucial meeting were sent late or just minutes before, and allege it kept residents away from having their say on an expensive project, which is to be part-funded by raising property taxes.
The City of Pickering has responded to these allegations (see below) explaining that it was a technical glitch that caused issues with city notifications.
“There were three notices of separate council meetings/revisions of agenda that were sent out after the meeting was held already or just minutes before the meeting was to begin,” said concerned resident Mike Borie.
“l complained to the Pickering City Clerk Susan Cassel that this was totally wrong and it meant that I was unable to attend or ask to speak on the topic at hand,” said Borie.
Seaton Project Too Costly
“I’m absolutely astonished they chose to spend so much. Like they couldn’t have done it for $100 million? I don’t think anyone would argue that Seaton needs a facility and more facilities than just a recreation facility. I’m talking about infrastructure like a grocery store or a gas station but in today’s climate to think that we should spend $260 million just doesn’t seem right to me,” said John Meloche, another concerned resident.
There are a lot of similar comments on social media from residents.
City of Pickering Response
The City of Pickering responded by apologizing for the inconvenience residents may have experienced due to the intermittent disruptions to its meeting and events calendar.
“The issue was first identified at the beginning of this month, and over the past few weeks, we have been working closely with our website service provider to investigate and resolve the issue. Staff also met with the provider last week to review the situation and ensure corrective measures were implemented. The website service provider has advised that configuration changes have since been completed, and the system has remained stable over the last few days. To keep residents informed during this period, we had an alert notification posted on pickering.ca,” said a city spokesperson.
“On September 26, we went on social media to advise residents and community members of these disruptions. The update included the dates and times of upcoming meetings (including the September 29th Council Meetings, October 6th Executive Committee Meeting, and October 6th Planning & Development Committee Meeting), along with information on how to access agendas, livestreams, minutes, and archived videos.
Notification Delivery System Congested
“While we had also scheduled email notifications in advance, the website provider advised that the delivery system had become congested, causing our notifications to be delayed or not delivered as scheduled,” the city said.
The spokesperson added that the city remains committed to ensuring residents have timely and reliable access to all council and committee meeting information, and that it appreciates residents’ patience.
“Should we experience any further disruptions to the meeting and events calendar, we encourage you to visit pickering.ca/meetings for the most up-to-date information on upcoming meetings.
Lone Nay Vote
Pickering Councillor Lisa Robinson, who says he was the only nay vote, said the meeting was held while most residents were at work. Pickering Council…approved the Seaton Recreation Complex & Library — at a cost of $266 million, the most expensive project in our city’s history, she said.
“In just three and a half hours, council locked residents into a generational debt crisis…The city treasurer himself called this one of the most difficult financial decisions in Pickering’s history, recommending caution and even deferral. His warning was ignored. My own motion to defer the project until at least 40 per cent of Pickering residents could be properly consulted was denied without even a seconder,” Robinson said.
She said the so-called ‘public consultation’ reached only about 3 per cent of adults, and “even then, no one was told that their taxes would rise nearly 12 per cent because of this single project. Meanwhile, other critical needs — like the Seaton Fire Station and Northern Operations Centre — were pushed onto the ‘parked projects list’, indefinitely shelved.
“I was the only councillor to vote against this project — not because I oppose recreation or libraries, but because residents deserve the truth, honest consultation, and real fiscal responsibility,” Robinson added.