Editor, The Record:
As communities are quickly approaching the crossroads of needed changes, the progress, or lack thereof, will be derived from a lack of shared vision, awareness and leadership. Indeed, the lack of political will and commitment to effect and manage reforms and change will flow from a leader's vision.
A major failing of progress is the divide and conquer methods many current leaders engage in to stifle new people with vision and ideas, to dissuade them from fostering new or more effective approaches, instead clinging to the status-quo. Often in an effort to preserve power bases at any cost, a denial or failure to admit change is needed. Progress is possible, but it may mean to some they failed, and this is untenable thinking, particularly to autocratic, narcissistic persons, from entitlement eras.
Successive councils have failed to achieve results, and now 30-year amenity plans are still being bandied about with no apparent political will or concrete timelines.
High among the failures is the segment of seniors who are neglected. The elders of society who through taxes and contribution to our community have largely created today's infrastructures. But leaders just turn their backs upon these fine people, so much so, Mission seniors lack a fully functional, seven-day a week, seniors activity centre, an amenity enjoyed by most every other municipality in B.C.
Mission needs a facility like this.
Seniors have largely themselves to blame at the lack of progress, due to no vision and leadership, as the very people who should be pro-active, remain, like council leadership, profoundly moribund.
A small but symptomatic example of ineffective leadership, a new board director raised the spectrum of the cramped small space being used as an office, and queried why couldn't the adjoining small office be used. The response from another board member was to dispel any thought of daring to bother council, instead claiming, council have been helpful providing this space and besides, "it is small but functional."
The challenge is for the community to become aware, to speak out and demand a more inclusive community emerge, one that recognizes the massive contributions seniors have made to our society. It can start with a simple step, designate the small north/east office, with e-mail connection, as a seniors general office.
George Evens
Mission