Dear Editor,
Re: March 12 public consultation on foreign language sign issue.
Firstly, I was quite intrigued as to the venue being chosen, namely the UBC Boathouse, which is floating north of River Road, and decided to check it out.
The only parking available is on the north and south shoulders of River Road, with those parking on the south having to watch out for traffic before crossing.
Then, one has to travel a few hundred feet east or west to access the ramps and stairways. From there, one migrates toward the rather narrow ramp which is barely wide enough for an average adult, let alone a person with physical handicaps.
Through an inquiry, I found that the total cost to stage this event is $8,000.
While I have registered to attend, I may quickly exit if I see the meeting room arranged in such a way as to facilitate the Delphi Technique, developed by the Rand Corporation.
The warning sign is if attending participants are divided up into small groups of, say, six to 10 people. The facilitators give direction of what to discuss, often subjective.
One group member is nominated as chair and takes notes of the group members’ views, and, at the end, there is often some sort of summary and discussion.
This Delphi Technique was not developed to productively encourage and implement input, but as a means to lure in the more motivated citizens and give the illusion their voice means anything in what is a pre-decided agenda.
Usually, some token attendee input is implemented in the final report to add to the illusion.
Regardless, it is quite clear the signage issue has spiralled out of control to the point the city is being very disingenuous, spending more tax dollars to kick the foreign language sign issue further and further down the road.
R.A.Hoegler
Richmond
