Markham Hislop

Yesterday, I interviewed Ald. Brian Pincott about the email he sent to constituents explaining why he voted nay at Monday’s City Council meeting on the motion to extend Race City’s lease.  At one point, after five minutes of my vigorous questioning, Ald. Pincott asked me if I was a reporter or an advocate (he had never been interviewed by SECN before and didn’t know me from Adam).

The question surprised me a little.  Reporters pride themselves on being objective.  But occasionally, when they feel strongly about an issue, they will become advocates, in which case there is no point pretending otherwise.  I told Ald, Pincott that SECN had declared its support for Race City early on and had been a vocal advocate of Council passing the motion and extending the race track’s life. 

Still, I was a little miffed at myself for so obviously wearing my heart on my sleeve.  And that got me to thinking about why I feel so passionately about this issue. 

First, I am a motorsport fan.  My turbo-charged 1977 Datsun 280Z is my pride and joy.  After three years of restoration and building, it’s finally ready (or soon will be) for Race City’s road course.  Just in time to enjoy one summer’s driving before City Hall razes the track.  Of all the rotten luck.

To make the pain of losing Race City even more poignant, the track is five minutes from my house in McKenzie Towne.  Not only will I be losing a lot of fun, but convenient fun.

Second, for most of my quarter century career I have owned my own business.  I like entrepreneurs and I am generally supportive of business issues.  Race City supports a dozen related businesses, such as Allen Berg’s Racing Schools, and it will be a shame to lose them.  Then there are the local SE Calgary businesses, some of whom advertise in this newspaper.  They will lose business from racers, fans and out of town tourists.  Not to mention the odd rock concert held at Race City.  Lastly, there are any number of speed shops, machine shops, parts suppliers and so on, that will feel the sting when race teams stop running their cars, motorcycles and karts.

Does anyone else find it ironic that the City is lobbying Ottawa for infrastructure and other money to create jobs, yet Mayor Bronconnier, the author of an ambitious list of multi-million dollar projects, voted to oust Race City along with six other aldermen?

Finally, and this is the most important reason behind my ire during the interview with Ald. Pincott, I believe in open and transparent government.  When governments make decisions that affect their taxpayers, they should make information available to the public.  We taxpayers may not agree with the decisions our elected officials ultimately arrive at, but at least we should understand the reasons for those decisions. 

From the very beginning, City Hall has deliberately withheld information about the Race City issue from the public. The reason given?  The City is in negotiations with Art Mackenzie, Race City owner, about his lease and since that is a legal matter it must only be discussed in camera.  Council went along with the administration and conducted its debates about Race City behind closed doors.

Let me be clear.  Discussing Race City matters pertaining to Mr. Mackenzie’s lease in camera is the correct thing to do.  Mr. Mackenzie has hinted at a law suit and Council and the administration have a responsibility to the corporation to handle this matter very carefully.  Public discussion of the lease could lead to comments which might come back to haunt the City in court.

However, throwing the in camera blanket over the entire issue, including Shepard Landfill matters which in any way might impinge on Race City, is wrong. 

Very wrong. 

City administrators are using the confidentiality provisions of the Freedom of Information Act to stifle public debate. 

Race City supporters, including this newspaper, have a right to pressure City Council about the race track.  But they face an insurmountable obstacle if they have no information – no technical studies, no background about the Alberta government’s demands for storm water retention ponds, etc. 

Everyone must take Waste Services’ arguments at face value.  They can’t be refuted.  Were other technologies investigated?  Were other locations for the retention ponds considered?  Can Race City’s road course be integrated with the pond?

We don’t know because Waste Services won’t talk to us. 

This is how bureaucrats get their way in government.  They control the flow of information.  By controlling information they control the opinions of the elected officials.

They don’t win public debates because there are none.  They smother debate.  They frustrate their opponents, motorsport supporters and the media, by refusing to engage in debate.

We now have the example of two aldermen, Brian Pincott and Linda Fox-Mellway, who have publicly justified their nay vote on Monday.  Each of their arguments parrots Waste Services.  They bought the corporate line. 

Ald. Ric McIver told me once he can tell when the administration wants something to go ahead.  Suddenly, they are extra cooperative, they can’t give him enough help, provide enough data, write enough motions, and so on.  But on Race City, he says, they clammed up.  Tighter than a drum.  No help, no information, nada.

No surprise.  They want Race City out of that property because it interferes with their plans for the Shepard Landfill.  This isn’t a nefarious plot.  I don’t believe for a moment there are kickbacks or some other skullduggery going on.  No, the motivation for the behavior at City Hall is as old as government itself. 

The bureaucrats want something and they have manipulated City Council and the public to get it.  Frankly, they played a better game than motorsport fans and the media.  Bravo, Waste Services.  You win.

But in the process democracy has been subverted.  The bureaucrats hid behind the Freedom of Information Act as part of a deliberate strategy to stifle public discussion and public debate is a critical component of the democratic process.

It now appears they will get away with it.  Mayor Bronconnier isn’t going to stand up to them.  Six aldermen who voted against the motion aren’t going to stand up to them.

Not enough Calgarians cared about Race City.  Garbage trumped auto racing.  As a consequence, no one cares how the bureaucrats conducted themselves. 

Who will hold them to account?  Most likely?  No one. 

And that is something to be angry about.

Related posts:

1. RACE CITY SUPPORTERS SHOULD BE CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC, CAREFUL IN LOBBYING CITY COUNCIL By Markham Hislop, Editor Race City supporters aren’t dancing in...
2. VIDEO: RACE CITY SURVIVES CITY COUNCIL VOTE, ALD. McIVER'S MOTION PASSES 8-7 Race City's popular Secret Street program will continue for another...
3. A PUBLIC CHALLENGE TO ALDERMEN FOX-MELLWAY AND CECI FOR THE UPCOMING RACE CITY MOTION By Markham Hislop, Editor The tale of Art Mackenzie’s fight...

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