$10,000 Study Calls For More Study – How Screwed Can You Get?

Susan Sherring’s article in the Ottawa Sun today tells us about a consultant’s report on the delivery of French language recreational and leisure services. The report’s content?

Services are not meeting the needs of the francophone community. So what is the result?

Let’s start with setting up a task force, establishing a “work unit” responsible for planning recreational and leisure services in French, developing a five-year operational plan for the delivery of recreational and leisure programs responding to the needs of the francophone population, and for the city to “analyze all services offered by the parks and recreation branch.” Bureaucratic blabber — and it cost taxpayers $10,000. A task force made up of representatives from the city and interested parties in the community? Isn’t that what the French Language Services Advisory Committee is for? This seems like nothing more than throwing good money after bad

What’s that? The French Language Services Advisory Committee? What’s this? Well the City Of Ottawa website says the following:

Mandate The mandate of the French Language Services Advisory Committee is to provide advice to Ottawa City Council and its Departments, on issues that impact official languages in the City. Responsibilities The French Language Services Advisory Committee shall be responsible for: * Providing a forum for citizens to raise issues and concerns; * Providing advice and guidance to Ottawa City Council, through the Corporate Services and Economic Development Committee, on matters pertaining to policies, programs and practices involving the use of official languages and services in the City; * Reviewing the policies and procedures governing the use of the French language in City of Ottawa material and dissemination of such information to residents; * Advising on appropriate policies and procedures on services provided in French; * Reviewing and commenting on policies such as language training, or translation. * Evaluating the provision of services in English and in French in the City and report as necessary through the Corporate Services and Economic Development Committee to Council.

(emphasis added by me)

So we already have an advisory committee tasked to do exactly what we just paid $10,000 for. We also have an advisory committee that should be doing what this task force is going to do, which would cost us nothing.

At least one councillor is on board with me here.

Rideau-Vanier Coun. Georges Bedard dismissed the report, suggesting it doesn’t advance the issue at all and does nothing to deal with the heart of the issue. “It’s very disappointing, it doesn’t give us any practical solutions to the problem. In actuality, they should be making some firm recommendations. It has basic motherhood statements, like we should be respecting bilingualism,” Bedard said. The report suggests the rate of registration by Francophones in programs offered in French “is disappointing, leading even the city to wonder if Francophones are interested in these activities.

I have a big suggestion. Quit cutting services, and start cutting consulting fees. Take the savings, and as a council, investigate one service or item at a time, and fix it. Then move on to the next item. How’s that for some common sense.

Our city council starts up the hot water and soap for the dishes, then runs off to clean the bathroom (no reference intended) and by the time they come back to the dishes, the water is tepid and suds are gone.

When you leave people like these consultants unattended, you get what you pay for. In this case nothing. This is not the fault of the consultant. It is the fault of a city council not vigilant enough with our tax dollars.