Rhino's Ramblings: Effff Ohhhhh Eye
Robert Thomas
“I never knew you could do that?” is one of the many responses I received about last week's column where I used an FOI request (Freedom of Information) to obtain documents relating to the Moose Jaw Cultural Centre's AGM.
Please Read: Anatomy of a Media Request
Most people don’t realize it but if you want the details on many things done by government, at any level, it’s all available for a cost. You need to fill out forms then put down an initial application fee and wait for an estimate of what records you are looking for. And let me tell you, depending on what you are looking for, the fees can be substantial.
You may not realize it but this is actually the fourth time, whether writing an article or an opinion piece (because that's what Rhino's Ramblings is; just opinions), I have used an FOI to get details not released to the public nor the media. It’s something not done often, locally, including by members of the media. Others may choose to ignore it but the details are right there; this is just the first time I have sent along screen shots of some of the documents released. It’s just one tool available for media or anyone for that matter to gain access to the documents necessary to get the whole story and a better look at the truth of any situation.
Not all details from government are open to the public or the media and there are plenty of instances where governments of all stripes have hidden the details from prying eyes. Whether it is intentional or just part of so much going on is often all in the eyes of the beholder.
That begs the question: is there a lot of secrecy going on at City Hall? Are things still being withheld from the general public which should not be closed off but instead visible to all? Or alternately, are things actually open but the public and media aren’t bothering to attend?
One of the biggest issues in the last Civic Election was transparency and the perception that too much of City business was being done behind closed doors, away from the public eye.
Most people who ran for City Council said that if elected they would work towards more transparency but is this what really happened? Are things actually better, the same or worse than they were before?
Personally, I can see a worsening in the area of transparency; not because things are being hidden but just in the way they are being handled.
If you are an avid Council watcher from the comfort of your own home you will notice how short some of the meetings now are. I timed one a few months back and from start to finish it was 17 minutes long. I’m only guessing, but aren't the paid advertisements and trailers at most movies longer than that?
Despite this, lots of business is happening in the public eye but it’s taking place in Executive Committee or in the back room where it isn’t televised; much to the chagrin of Councillor Brian Swanson, Ron and Joyce Walter over at the Moose Jaw Express as well as many people I know who watch Council.
The actual discussion surrounding many issues is done less formally around a table in a back room and it’s not televised. It’s up to the media to be there to report about it. It might be easier for Council to discuss things without the camera being present but then again they do have something called Strategic Planning Sessions. These are meetings where there is no published agenda, no minutes are kept and only Council and Administration are allowed to attend. And nobody who attends is suppose to discuss it later if they follow the letter of the Procedural Bylaw religiously.
Strategic Planning Sessions and going in camera (private) are some things which dogged Deb Higgins in her re-election bid but ironically they still continue to be held regularly at a rate, in this scribe's humble opinion, equal to or greater than they were in the past. The best I can tell from snipetts of what’s been said in Council is that they are scheduled monthly.
But other things have been hidden from the public eye which for myself personally should be raising eyebrows and that is the secrecy around tenders and requests for proposals.
Take a look at tenders (what firms bid to provide a good or service to the City) which are publicly opened but following that bids are not released to the public. If you don’t attend the tender opening you’ll never know what losing bidders bid on a City job. So we will never know who bid what and any potential reasons why a bid may have even been declined. I ask you is this right?
In defence of those who support this practice, it’s said that it saves the City money if bidders do not know what the successful and likewise other bids are. If they were to learn this information the theory is that they could tender their bids to take advantage of the City and the taxpayers.
Last week’s column about the Moose Jaw Cultural Centre seemed to touch a nerve and I am not speaking about the people involved in that drama but rather others who might prefer the shadows.
Yes there are lots of things that can be obtained through FOIs, which I am certain some in the community do not want to be in the public realm. But it’s really how many reporters get information as the age old local practice of flashing the guns or undoing a couple of top buttons just doesn’t cut it. Then if they do get the information do they possess the talent to properly understand it and use logic to make it intelligible to the reader?
The great thing about FOI requests is the people involved in City' decision making aren’t allowed to be warned what anyone is actually looking for. It is what makes the FOI legislation so great when it comes to accountability it keeps elected officials and others on their toes. For they have no idea what anyone is requesting.
So who pays for my requests? Actually I do. I take it out of the money I usually use for such things as medication for MS. It’s basically just skimming that cocktail they feed you in their neurologically based sorcery. Its just running a risk of temporary blindness or relapse. But for me it’s well worth the risk to help keep people better informed.
Do I have other FOIs in the system? Do I have FOI responses I’m now working on? The answer to both questions is yes. Hopefully in the next few months their stories will be out there and from there it’s up to the readers to decide how to make use of them.