It’s all about the optics.
We speak, of course, of the annual report showing just how much free golf (and other recreation) Burnaby city councillors, parks commissioners and other dignitaries took part in in 2015. The city’s complimentary pass program allows various politicos to enjoy the city’s recreational amenities – including its golf courses – for free.
And, not surprisingly, some folks choose to use the perk fairly extensively. Coun. Colleen Jordan put in some $5,156 worth of time on the links, with Mayor Derek Corrigan’s total coming in at $3,822.
In total, the rec pass program saw $47,118 worth of use last year.
We can hear the horrified gasps already.
Yes, those are pretty small numbers in the grander scheme of a municipal budget. And yes, a great deal of city business likely gets conducted on the golf course.
But you have to know that taxpayers are going to cry foul at anything that looks like privileged politicians once again feeding from the public trough.
And you have to know the whole thing is going to rub people the wrong way when this city is already plagued with issues that seem to pit the haves against the have-nots – most notably, the lack of affordable housing and facilities for the homeless in a city booming with highrise condo development.
Let’s be clear: No one, technically, paid anything for the councillors and commissioners to get out there on the links. The courses already exist; they’re already being funded by taxpayers. All this program does is give certain folks free access to them.
Whether Derek Corrigan is teeing off at Riverway has absolutely no bearing on any tax increases Burnaby homeowners may pay, or whether the city should take in more refugees, or whether there should be a homeless shelter here, or whether highrise development is getting out of control, or …
You get the picture.
But that won’t stop people from getting angry about it. Because the whole image of politicians golfing for free on city courses while people are sleeping on the streets just carries a few too many echoes of fiddling while Rome burns.
So go ahead and golf, city councillors. But don’t be surprised when your citizens don’t like it.
