
Kitchissippi has just started talking to itself.
Making good a campaign promise, Coun. Jeff Leiper brought the first town hall to the ward on Jan.17. Over 120 residents packed the room to voice their concerns, leaving only standing room for late arrivals. MP Paul Dewar was among those joining the councillor to hear from the ward.
The afternoon began with updates from community associations about new projects and issues, followed by an open forum. It was a sonorous event. Bell rings meant your time was up, and soft āhear, hearāsā from the audience meant speakers were preaching to the choir. The proceedings often broke into applause or laughter (at Lorne Cutler of the Hampton Iona Community Groupās expense ā a self-depreciating āI am standing!ā when asked to rise). Cutler went on to discuss the importance of these forums.
āWeāre very glad to see these meetings. We know we donāt represent everybody,ā he said.
The disconnect between community associations and residents can be harmful to the progress of the ward, says Leiper. āWhen all theyāre focused on is their neighbourhood, their effectiveness is limited.ā
āOur effectiveness is going to depend on our talking to each other and coming to certain unified agreements. Maybe not consensus, but a general sense of how the ward should evolve.ā
Karen Large of the ā2,500 Buses A Dayā committee echoed this sentiment when discussing the challenges that Light Rail Transit presents to the ward.
āWe are behind you. We are stronger together,ā she told the room. [story continues below photo]

Disagreements, however, did emerge on how best to tackle these challenges. Leiper sees the last hour of the town hall ā a chance to mingle and discuss without chairs or formal quorum ā as the time these issues can be hashed out.
āOn the disagreements, nothing substitutes face-to-face discussions⦠When you can read peoples body language, you can see how theyāre reacting to what youāre saying,ā he says.
The town hall confirmed how issues in the ward seem to be interconnected. Traffic on the streets of Kitchissippi is overwhelming ā public transit isnāt doing its part. The development of the LRT is disruptive to neighbourhoods ā the ward needs to be brought to the table with the NCC on these matters. Trees and green-space need to be made a priority ā and the LRT is threatening to remove them. Thereās no guarantee that Leiper or Dewar can solve all of these problems, but at least now there is an open, public forum to discuss them.
āThe election campaign is a great chance to hear from politicians. These forums are an excellent opportunity for politicians to hear from residents,ā says Leiper.
Leiper sees room for improvement, however. Finding a way for more residents to speak and extending invitations to any who werenāt represented are priorities for him.
Once the formal event had finished and residents said their goodbyes, many came to the councillor to thank him for arranging these town halls.
āThe feedback has been really gratifying. People want this opportunity,ā he says.
The next town hall forum will be in three months, this time with a few more chairs.
You must log in to post a comment.