The situation regarding the Performing Arts Centre is certainly a vexing and potentially divisive one for our community. We do not want to stifle learning nor at the same time be financially buried by it. The dilemma is, where does democracy come into play in all of this? When a 3rd party non- elected, unaccountable, individual gifts a community with conditions, that may well impose hardship, through increased school taxes and operating costs. It begs the school board to act responsibly and with accountability on behalf of taxpayers. If too a person the board members have total faith and belief in their financial capital and expense costs for the project, with only a slight impact on school taxes. Then they should personally be able to underwrite any cost overruns, and if not, then let the Western School division taxpayers decide their own financial fate via a referendum. The cost and magnitude of this project is such, that it should not fall to five trustees to determine. Nor did they have any pre-election mandate for it.
