Last Friday, I spent the day at a Metrolinx public consultation session, a meeting of “Stakeholders” who have more than a passing interest in transportation issues.  This was the fourth of six gatherings around the GTAH.

Metrolinx has got to recognize a basic fact:  Activists and community representatives are not consultants, they don’t represent companies for whom attendance at this type of function is part of their job.  Metronauts had the sense to be a Saturday event, and, frankly, it was a lot more productive.  If Metrolinx had to actually pay even half of the crowd who attended last Friday at reasonable consulting rates, they would have blown a bundle. 

The moderator started off by thanking us all for taking time out of our busy schedules to provide “value added feedback”.  Argghhh!  Yes, we added value, and in many cases this represented a day taken off work (vacation, in my case).  At least the food was good. Continue reading →