By the end of several minutes listening to Gondek you had to shake your head and wonder why Calgary city council is even having a ‘review’ of the water pipe fiasco
I was supposed to have Thursday off.
Then Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek spoke.
I thought it would be a simple announcement, some loosening of outdoor water restrictions, the latest chapter in this water pipe story that’s gone on for far too long.
But then came the politics.
Why do I say that?
Because the mayor is already doing more deflecting than you’d see in an NHL playoff game.
In her few minutes she says, “Calgary is on the front lines of an infrastructure crisis and I just can’t sugar coat that.”
This council she leads has been in charge for going on three years. Does anyone at city hall bear any blame? Some blame? A little blame? A teensy weensy bit of blame?
Apparently not.
“This is a legacy issue that spans decades. It is not easily addressed and has clearly been ignored or written off as too expensive by politicians and governments for some time,” says the mayor.
Fair enough but does that indictment include the present city hall politicians?
Sounds like not.
Then Gondek adds it’s just not Calgary with water pipe problems. How about Denver and Atlanta and Quebec City?
Who cares about Denver and Atlanta and Quebec City? These problems happened here. We live here.
As for the independent review into the water fiasco, the one not even close to being set up?
It sure feels like the look-see will be more about telling council to do better in the future and less about holding anyone responsible for what happened June 5.
City hall has already said no one is at fault and no one downtown suggests anything to the contrary.
We are not done.
Gondek tells us she’s even speaking in September to Canadian maintenance contractors and her focus “will be the critical role public and private sector partnerships play in fostering trust as well as innovation.”
Not only is this city council not taking any responsibility, Gondek has now become somewhat of an expert on maintaining infrastructure.
And why not?
After all, Gondek and Calgary city hall is now all about self-congratulation, all about patting themselves on the back.
We should applaud them for fixing a city screwup.
You shouldn’t be surprised. City council is always saying thank you, thank you, thank you every time somebody at the city actually does their job.
Do a report. They can’t believe your sacrifice. Spend extra time on the job while getting extra pay for that time and you are eligible for city hall sainthood.
Yes, at city hall, at least in some well-paid positions, it sure appears you are a hero if you show up for work.
So here we go Thursday. The mayor knows many Calgarians are not exactly in a good mood so she goes on offence.
We shouldn’t be angry or frustrated we should be grateful we can now use a sprinkler an hour a week.
“For the last several weeks we have faced massive challenges. We have dug in and we have found solutions to some very tricky problems,” says Gondek.
“I cannot emphasize how much effort has gone into getting us to this point.”
Cue the hip-hip-hooray here.
Gondek takes this tribute up a few notches.
“The number of sleepless nights and the family dinners they gave up to ensure our water flow could be restored is incredible,” says Gondek, mentioning the city teams.
“We are incredibly grateful to have such talent and commitment in our city.”
So let’s get the city hall story straight.
This water pipe story started with a catastrophic failure. No one at city hall was at fault. No one could have done anything to prevent it.
To the degree the last month and a half is anyone’s fault all of the fault is in the past, past politicians, past governments and no one can do anything about that now.
Current city hall? Not Guilty.
When you put out your sprinkler for an hour a week, think of how selfless city hall has been in serving you, how the people calling the shots have led us through the storm and others across the country can now learn from Blue Sky City.
Of course, the buck has to stop somewhere and you know where that lands.
Gondek hopes the city has enough back-up funds to pay for it. The city does have lots of dough.
As for future spending on water pipes …
“We will carry that conversation on into budget deliberations in November.”
Hang on to your wallets.