Geoff Young’s colleagues seem not to understand the point he made at the Victoria City Council Meeting on Thursday Dec. 10th.
Young’s point is this: since the 4/23 committee presentation by the City’s Engineering staff, after which council voted to proceed in principle to move forward with replacing the Johnson Street Bridge, the city has sought no expert opinion on any other options, including refurbishment, and that all the information given by any of the experts since 4/23 has been expert information in favor of replacement.
That is, no expert information has been brought forward to illuminate refurbishment.
And that is a grievous error.
As Young put it, when he is called into, say, a court of law to give expert opinion on economic loss, he is asked by the judge what his background is, what his education and his expertise comprise, and so forth. And then he is asked to give his expert opinion. After that, the judge asks the other side to present its case. Granted, city hall is not a court of law, but the fact remains that the city never undertook to hear both sides – and is therefore proceeding from a one-sided and decidedly partial perspective.
That’s the crux of Young’s objection. And the other councilors and the mayor are completely unable to grasp that critique. They instead harp on about how “we” (they) already have all the expert opinion that’s available – and that the public can have access to the same expert opinion.
They don’t want to cede Young’s point that the expert opinion is of one side only, and that we should – nay, we must – have the expert opinion of both (or many) sides before making a decision.
In other words, the city made a decision without having all the information or full-spectrum expert opinion, yet now all the other councilors and the mayor petulantly insist that we do have all the expert opinion we need, and that the critics should just stfu.
For the full clip of Councilor Geoff Young’s motion, 12/10, see this video.
Councillor Geoff Young
All you have to do is look at the physical gestures of Fortin and the other councillors while Mr Young speaks to see we are going to get a NEW bridge. Their stubborn minds are made up and they don’t want confusing salient facts cluttering up their steamroller event. Take a look at that seriously overpriced semi-functioning kids watering can shower at Beacon Hill Park… a Coleman legacy to foolish wasting of taxpayer’s money. This does NOT mean I am against kids.
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