The Second Bridge Campaign
No question, Prince Albert needs a second bridge. I've lived here more than thirty years, and people have been talking about the need for at least that long, and no doubt longer than that. Last year's bridge repairs certainly underlined the importance of the bridge for both businesses and the general public, and kicked it to the forefront of discussion once again.
Having said that, I'm not sure of the usefulness of the current Build a Second Bridge campaign. The purpose of this campaign is to encourage surrounding municipalities, businesses, and residents to send a letter to the mayor's office, indicating support for a second bridge. These letters will be collected and presented to the Premier and Cabinet. A budget of almost $12,000 has been identified for what is really just a high-priced petitioning exercise – an exercise that the provincial government has already indicated won't loosen up any more money.
Now, I'm sure there are those that will say that perhaps the powers-that-be in Regina might be swayed by a massive volume of letters dumped onto someone's desk. Even if I believed that, I don't think that we need to spend thousands of tax-payers dollars to do this.
The budget proposes spending $500 on paper and printing, $3,500 on developing the web-site, $1,700 for postage, $1,000 for stickers, and $5,000 on media advertising. I'm a little surprised that city staff couldn't develop the web-site (and it should have been proof-read a little more closely). In this age of email, postage and paper costs shouldn't be necessary – certainly not close to $2,200 worth. If we really want to overwhelm Regina with numbers, why not have petitions available for signing at city hall, and at supporting businesses – people are far more likely to sign a petition than go to the trouble of writing a letter on their own.