Not in my back yard. Put in my backyard. Special interest groups. Accurate, derogatory or misleading? These are terms that are commonly associated with grassroots organizations that lobby politicians to advance their particular agendas.
Recently, Ward 2 City Councillors have received correspondence from:
-A neighbourhood group opposed to the building of an medical/residential complex located in a former school in Ward 5.
-A neighbourhood group supporting the building of a new recreational facility for their community in Ward 6.
-A coalition of neighbours and former municipal politicians opposed to the rebuilding of the City’s compost facility in Ward 1.
All of these projects are considered to be “in their back yard”. Supportive or oppositional. These groups have a special interest.
At a recent City Council meeting regarding the medical/residential complex, a delegate speaking to Council, dismissed the neighbourhood group’s opposition to the development as “nimbyism”. The “neighbours don’t like it because it is in their back yards”. It was suggested that if this development were to occur 2km away, none of these residents would be opposed to it.
Well this may or may not be true, it is almost a certainty that the residents 2km away would have an opinion.
This is due in part to the fact that when an development application is presented to the City of Guelph for consideration, notice is given to residents within a radius of about 150m. Basically, anyone with a back yard that may be exposed to the proposed development. This circulation is intended to allow neighbours directly affected by the development, the opportunity to provide input.
Residents are rarely notified about an upcoming development application for a project that is occurring 2km away from where they live.
The whole City of Guelph is considered to be a series of back yards. Every square metre of Guelph is considered by someone to be their back yard. Do they have the right to comment should someone wish to change that? Absolutely.
Whether it is advocating for a new grocery store, a neighbourhood community centre, the safe processing and disposal of organic waste or a new residential project, the citizens of Guelph have the absolute right to comment on Guelph’s changing face. This is democracy.
Living in a City involves a substantial personal investment. These include the purchase of a home and it’s amenities, creation of a family and peer network or involvement with local charitable, scholastic, faith based or occupationl interests. While these can be time and resource consuming, ultimately the reward justifies the expenditures.
If you have lived most of your life in a home, raised a family and recreated in your neighbourhood’s surroundings, you are entitled to these enjoyments.
If an outside party wishes to infringe on your quality of life, you have a right to voice you opinion, free of aspersions.
It is through this process that strong healthy neighbourhoods and communities are made.
This is the Guelph that I want to live in. Ian