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It’s Ottawa’s most important redevelopment project in decades. But for much of the next 12 months – and maybe longer if schedules slip – the two teams competing to transform bleak, barren LeBreton Flats into a glistening, national-capital-worthy destination won’t be able to breathe a word in public about what they propose.
That’s because of an absurd government gag order, which came into effect overnight and prevents the redevelopment proponents – the Devcore, Canderel DLS Group; and the RendezVous LeBreton Group – from continuing to pitch their plans in the clear light of day. The National Capital Commission gave them two weeks to make their respective cases to the public; now they must shut down their websites, muzzle their media people and slink into the shadows while an expert group pores over the proposals and makes some form of recommendation to the NCC board.
Why the stifling silence? Somewhere, a bureaucrat fears that the two competing groups, whose visions for the Flats are both alluring and diverse, will use their wiles, money and connections to bend public opinion to their will – through glitzy ad campaigns, eye-catching gimmicks and other shiny baubles – somehow placing unbearable pressure on the skittish officials making the recommendation to government.
Indeed, we don’t even know who all those cloaked magi are. The names of three members of the evaluation committee are public but the NCC won’t identify the last two (both are senior NCC staffers).
Nonetheless, they’ll measure the proposals against 11 criteria, then take their conclusion to the NCC board, probably in April. While the board will then unmuzzle itself long enough to advise taxpayers which bid is proceeding to negotiations, the proponents still won’t be able to speak publicly.
(By the way, the process doesn’t permit you to know anything about the financial state of the proposals, either).
Secret talks with the recommended group will proceed into the fall, with the NCC hoping it can finally name the winner in early 2017. Only then will the triumphant development group be permitted to converse with you, the public.
There are reasons for conducting this process in secret – none of them good. Prior to the public consultation period that just ended, LeBreton proceeded like every other large-scale project involving government and money: rumours flew, information was leaked, a flawed and partial picture trickled out.
During the two weeks when they could speak publicly, both DCDLS and Rendezvous LeBreton scrambled to get their arguments out before that crack of daylight faded. With the process under wraps again, we may expect more half-truths, behind-the-scenes lobbying, leaks to journalists and rumour-mongering on a fevered scale. It all belies the public’s right to know. And there’s no reason to think we’ll have a better LeBreton because of it.
(Incidentally, we at the Citizen aren’t muzzled. You can find our LeBreton coverage here.)
查看原文...
That’s because of an absurd government gag order, which came into effect overnight and prevents the redevelopment proponents – the Devcore, Canderel DLS Group; and the RendezVous LeBreton Group – from continuing to pitch their plans in the clear light of day. The National Capital Commission gave them two weeks to make their respective cases to the public; now they must shut down their websites, muzzle their media people and slink into the shadows while an expert group pores over the proposals and makes some form of recommendation to the NCC board.
Why the stifling silence? Somewhere, a bureaucrat fears that the two competing groups, whose visions for the Flats are both alluring and diverse, will use their wiles, money and connections to bend public opinion to their will – through glitzy ad campaigns, eye-catching gimmicks and other shiny baubles – somehow placing unbearable pressure on the skittish officials making the recommendation to government.
Indeed, we don’t even know who all those cloaked magi are. The names of three members of the evaluation committee are public but the NCC won’t identify the last two (both are senior NCC staffers).
Nonetheless, they’ll measure the proposals against 11 criteria, then take their conclusion to the NCC board, probably in April. While the board will then unmuzzle itself long enough to advise taxpayers which bid is proceeding to negotiations, the proponents still won’t be able to speak publicly.
(By the way, the process doesn’t permit you to know anything about the financial state of the proposals, either).
Secret talks with the recommended group will proceed into the fall, with the NCC hoping it can finally name the winner in early 2017. Only then will the triumphant development group be permitted to converse with you, the public.
There are reasons for conducting this process in secret – none of them good. Prior to the public consultation period that just ended, LeBreton proceeded like every other large-scale project involving government and money: rumours flew, information was leaked, a flawed and partial picture trickled out.
During the two weeks when they could speak publicly, both DCDLS and Rendezvous LeBreton scrambled to get their arguments out before that crack of daylight faded. With the process under wraps again, we may expect more half-truths, behind-the-scenes lobbying, leaks to journalists and rumour-mongering on a fevered scale. It all belies the public’s right to know. And there’s no reason to think we’ll have a better LeBreton because of it.
(Incidentally, we at the Citizen aren’t muzzled. You can find our LeBreton coverage here.)
查看原文...
