Great analogy about perception of conflict of interest. Excellent investigation/article!
Now City of Victoria, what does the perception look like when the City of Victoria is a paying member of a construction/real estate lobby that lobbies the government and includes among its paying members companies, where one or more employees have helped finance the election campaigns of one or more councillors? What does it look like, when the City of Victoria has often consulted the same lobby as a stakeholder?
What does it look like when councillors and/or staff have attended lobby events including luncheons, using taxpayer funds?
The funny part about all of this is that it didn't take much digging/investigated at all. All of this happened during a public and opening council meeting. I am not sure if that makes things better or worse. Either way, I was nearly falling off of my chair when I heard the answer to Hammonds concerns from staff.
That's typically the case. The supposedly free-press are not doing their jobs.
It's left to us citizens to do their jobs for them by attending council meetings and reporting on the often ludicrous events that take place there.
With an absent press and a silenced public, they think they can get away with stuff like this, that when exposed makes us appear no better than a banana republic.
Great analogy about perception of conflict of interest. Excellent investigation/article!
Now City of Victoria, what does the perception look like when the City of Victoria is a paying member of a construction/real estate lobby that lobbies the government and includes among its paying members companies, where one or more employees have helped finance the election campaigns of one or more councillors? What does it look like, when the City of Victoria has often consulted the same lobby as a stakeholder?
What does it look like when councillors and/or staff have attended lobby events including luncheons, using taxpayer funds?
The funny part about all of this is that it didn't take much digging/investigated at all. All of this happened during a public and opening council meeting. I am not sure if that makes things better or worse. Either way, I was nearly falling off of my chair when I heard the answer to Hammonds concerns from staff.
That's typically the case. The supposedly free-press are not doing their jobs.
It's left to us citizens to do their jobs for them by attending council meetings and reporting on the often ludicrous events that take place there.
With an absent press and a silenced public, they think they can get away with stuff like this, that when exposed makes us appear no better than a banana republic.