Author Archives: Ron Bolin

BC Municipal Spending Watch – 3rd Edition, December 2010 – Released by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business

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Janet Irvine: Dec. 4, 2010 With respect to municipal spending in Nanaimo –  At the Regular Meeting of Council held on November 8th, Council directed Staff to: 1.    “start the process of a core service review” – amended motion carried as follows:   “report back to council on the content and estimated time and cost of […]

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Got a Good Positive Idea?

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Daniel Appell: Dec. 1, 2010 We got this idea from an article in the New York Times. Allison Arieff: The Public Square Goes Mobile She clued us into this group called CEOs For Cities. http://www.ceosforcities.org/ They have this “Give a Minute” promotion. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEWlsiEyuZ4 We think this is a good idea. We would like to try […]

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Squeezing Democracy ‘til We Squeal

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Ron Bolin: Nov. 28, 2010 The Nov. 27 editorial in the bulletin: “Political aims behind recall” was hopefully written with tongue firmly in cheek.  Democracy and politics related?  Duh….   And to cap it off, defining democracy as the system in use in British Columbia which is, at best, a weak representative democracy where the “representative” part […]

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The 2011 Nanaimo Budget: A Fudgit Budget?

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Ron Bolin: Nov. 24, 2010 The city of Nanaimo’s assertion that if it wasn’t for spending on the Quarterway Bridge and Bowen Road and hiring more police and fire officers, we wouldn’t need a tax increase is a lot like me saying that if I weren’t going to get a new car and hire another […]

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The Value of Planning Information – “I seen my opportunities and I took ‘em”

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Ron Bolin: Nov. 20, 2010 The pithy quote above comes from a treatise on “honest graft” and other political insights by an early 2oth century Tammany Hall political operative by the name of George Washington Plunkitt.  The opening paragraphs of the book are as follows: “EVERYBODY is talkin’ these days about Tammany men growin’ rich […]

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‘Core Review’: Code for an Attack on Public Service Workers?

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Ron Bolin: Nov. 19, 2010 At the Special Meeting of Council held Monday, 2010-NOV-01, Councillor Jim Kipp put forward the following Notices of Motion: 1) “That Council direct Staff to start the process of a core service review.”  And 2)  “That Council direct Staff to report on the process of a zero based budget.”  At […]

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Overzoning, Development, Risk and Planning

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Daniel Appell: Nov. 8, 2010 I believe I’m coining the term ‘over-zoning.’  At least I haven’t come across its use in the planning literature I’ve been reading. So I must define it — ‘over-zoning’ is the practice of providing for a projected population well beyond the foreseeable future. It’s a lot like planning a wedding […]

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Think before you “Sign”: A Letter to the Mayor

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Jim Galloway:  Nov. 7, 2010 Mayor John Ruttan, I’m concerned! Why? For both Single Family and Multi Family (2 – 4 units) the proposed Bylaw would allow one Realtor sign up to 4′ X4′; plus

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Selling our Birthright for a Mess of Pottage

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Ron Bolin:  Nov.7, 2010 Why is it that our Planning Department and our Council seem so anxious to sell off the most precious feature that our municipal environment has to offer?  The choice is both short sighted and maladaptive. 

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View Corridors

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Daniel Appell:  Nov. 2, 2010 I recently had a very interesting and pleasant conversation with one of the people who owns a business along Stewart Ave. He is a supporter of the so called “neighbourhood plan” for Newcastle+Brechin Hill.

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