Aug 9 2024- Metro Fumbles Plan20-50 Public Hearing, Forced To Retreat

The Great Canadian Talk Show

An unexpected Episode 14 tells the story of what really happened in Niverville on August 8th, when the public demanded to be heard by a shocked Winnipeg Metropolitan Region board. Interviews and audio help deliver the details about the scene.

6.10 Part 2 - Marty Gold reviews the obvious red flags and how WMR staff completely failed to prepare for the groundswell of public concern. No one should have been surprised the second hearing attracted a bigger crowd than the first one.

9.30 Don Woodstock describes the RCMP on the scene- "the organizers of this event recognized very early when the room was 3/4 full, that there was more people outside than in the room."

Hearing chants of "let them in" from those granted entry and "shut it down!" from those excluded, "I recognized this won't go away quietly" and the RCMP could not get them to leave.

13.00 - "They cannot have the meeting inside and have more people outside who want to have a voice."

Woodstock criticizes how "all the able bodied men" on the WMR board including Mayor Scott Gillingham took no action and "they let this little lady (a staff member) face that crowd and she was petrified."

Helping her address the angered crowd in the lobby he says the WMR "wanted to ram this hearing through until I insisted those people outside are not moving until we move."

17.00 - Hear audio of the announcement by WMR chair Michael Moore of the postponement of the hearing, which dispels fake news it was caused by "incidents".

23.00- While the audience was told the session would be reconvened in a larger venue and 40 days notice would be given, "nobody's making a move" to tell the 300 waiting in the lobby.

"Gillingham and all of the mayors and so-called men, if they were leaders, they would have got up and talked to them... if they didn't make a decision inside soon, that would have boiled over. "

27.30 - It was left up to Don Woodstock and Marty Gold to calm the people down. At ActionLine.ca, we show Steinbach Online video of Marty addressing them.

30.00 - "Why did none of them (think) it best to come out and address the crowd?"

Woodstock portrays the Mayor as being afraid to deal with concerned Winnipeggers, which numbered approx. 75% of those excluded- "He was the first person at the table to run away."

35.40 - Marty's theory is that the process is set up to make sure Winnipeg council is bound by Gillingham's decisions. Read his call in the Winnipeg Sun last week for Gillingham to hold a referendum at this link.

• E-transfers, News tip, comments, email: [e-mail]

42.15 Part 3-- A CJOB newscast falsely claimed there were 'incidents' forcing the postponement and then host Richard Cloutier piled on.

He said texts from his stooges alleged 'there has been some disruption at this hearing by a group that wants to get all sorts of publicity, not going to give them the publicity they're looking for". Hear why that was all Fake News.

48.00 Failing to sneak the hearing past the public, a compliant media was recruited to parrot the narrative of Metro planners. Is this a harmless plan to boost job creation? They will baselessly try to smear opponents of the bylaw as rednecks, hayseeds and an extremist fringe and the planners as their all-knowing superiors.

52.00- A brief review of the fears in outlying communities- including those not yet part of the WMR club- about how the plan would infringe on their rights. Would CJOB tell their story?

54.00 Hear Patrick Allard's take away - "if they can't plan a meeting how can they plan our municipalities?"

With lockdowns making Manitobans more aware of government over-reach, he explains many believe "private entities staffed by government officials should not control municipal bylaws and zoning and planning and development." He calls on the city to advertise the next public hearing so residents aren't kept in the dark.

FOR LINKS TO POPULAR EPISODES & WINNIPEG SUN COLUMNS, AND TO DONATE TO THE SEASON 5 FUNDING DRIVE - ⁠⁠⁠CLICK HERE.⁠⁠⁠⁠