Helpful, but not open

Mary Agnes Welch had a fun story in Saturday’s Freep about popular baby names in Manitoba. Working with data provided by the province, MAW and online editor Wendy Sawatzky produced a customized google map showing the most popular names for each postal code in the province.

MAW followed up on the story with a blog post in which she noted how it only took one phone call to get the data from the province, and said “that’s how open government is supposed to work.”

I appreciate that tracking down this data took considerably less effort than many requests for government information — see the recent “Open Secrets” series for some context — but to me this still isn’t open government.

In a truly open government, information like baby names — and perhaps especially baby names since it’s about the most innocuous issue around — should be available in a public data set for anyone to download and analyze, parse and repurpose as they see fit. The same goes for playground safety reports, traffic ticket volumes, penitentiary pudding budgets or transit ridership numbers.

Forget about helpful bureaucrats who are responsive to phone calls, there shouldn’t be any need for the phone call in the first place.

This data belongs to the public, not just the politicians and the bureaucrats. The default should be to make it publicly available unless there’s a compelling legal reason to do otherwise.

Urban Compass – The Lousy Services Capital of Canada

In today’s Urban Compass column in Metro Winnipeg, I look at the results of a recent poll done by Forum Research Inc. on satisfaction levels with municipal services in Canada’s 30 largest cities.

To be blunt, Winnipeg gets smoked in nearly every major category of service. While I concentrated on the “very satisfied” numbers in the column, even if you looked at the combination of “very satisfied” and “somewhat satisfied,” Winnipeg still trails the national average by a considerable margin for most services.

Ironically, the only category where we rank better than most other cities is in satisfaction with property taxes and municipal fees, though that’s still only at 12% for “very satisfied” and 31% for “somewhat satisfied.” I’m guessing our 13-year property tax freeze is to thank for the slightly higher than average rating, but it doesn’t take a huge jump in logic to figure that if you hold taxes low, and don’t re-invest in services, that those services are going to suffer. Not that I’m begging for a massive tax increase, but there’s a breaking point here somewhere.

It’s also not much of a stretch to link the results of this poll with those of another recent survey done by Forum Research. Back in September it asked residents of Canada’s 15 biggest cities what they thought of their mayors. Mayor Katz tied for the third-worst ranking in Canada. As Forum Research President Lorne Bozinoff mentioned to Postmedia, it appears mayoralty rankings did correlate with resident satisfaction with civic services.

This has to be seen as particularly embarrassing for Katz, because he was initially elected on the premise that he could run the city better than previous mayors because of his business expertise. After all, he wasn’t the vision guy, the transit guy, the green guy or the crimefighting guy. He was the guy who could figure out how to do things better and smarter. “I like Sam, I like results,” right?

After seven-and-a-half years, it seems we’re still waiting for the results when it comes to basic city services.

Urban Compass – WIP it good

I joined the Winnipeg Internet Pundits on the air a few weeks ago for a lively hour (well, 50 minutes…damn train) of conversation that included whether transit services should be free (maybe), whether the Occupy Winnipeg camp was in the wrong location (yes), and whether the city’s transportation master plan was too focused on cars (you betcha).

I liked their online/radio approach to civic issues so much, that I decided to throw a little print in the mix too. From today’s Metro Winnipeg…

Radio show WIPs up civic debate

A developer announces plans for a vibrant mixed-use structure, and then puts up a bland office building. A transit strategy is announced, and then nothing happens. A roadway gets rebuilt, and then torn apart a year later.

How do these decisions get made anyway?

Since last January, a quartet of young Winnipeggers have been pursuing those answers by combining new and old media for a weekly roundup of urban affairs called Winnipeg Internet Pundits (WIP).

Read the rest of the story here…

Urban Compass – Location, location, location

The Occupiers picked the wrong spot to camp and didn’t get enough attention. Mayor Katz picked the wrong spot to eat, and got too much attention. Read all about it in the Metro.

Choosing the best spot to make a statement

“Location, location, location” is the old axiom in real estate marketing, but a few local examples this past week showed the same thinking applies to attracting, or avoiding, attention from the media or public.

Click here to read more…

Urban Compass – It’s all about the f’n process people!

In today’s column in Metro Winnipeg, I look at the snap decision by City Council to raise bus fares by 25 cents a ride, and the message it sends to transit users (hint, it’s not “Thank you for making a responsible transportation choice.”) To paraphrase Cee-Lo:

I see you riding ’round town
In your rapid bus and I’m like
F–k you!
Oo, oo, ooo 

Who dropped the bigger F-bomb?

A minor controversy erupted last week when Winnipeg Centre MP Pat Martin dropped a few “F-bombs” on Twitter to vent his frustration with the federal government’s attempt to limit debate on a budget bill.

“This is a f–king disgrace,” Martin said. And in response to someone who criticized his choice of words, he issued a blunt “f–k you.” That’s not exactly parliamentary language, but it’s not out of character for the animated, straight-talking Martin.

Unfortunately, it also wasn’t out of character for city council to drop its own F-bomb last week — in this case, a fare bomb — on unsuspecting transit users.

Read the rest…

Urban Compass – Saying goodbye to Canad Inns Stadium

Canad Inns Stadium will host its last game ever (maybe) this Sunday. In today’s Urban Compass column in Metro Winnipeg, I recall my favourite memory from the stadium’s past, remind people that Roy Dewalt existed, and I almost get to swear in a newspaper.

Thanks for the memories, Canad Inns

I still remember the first time I ever visited Canad Inns Stadium. It was August 8, 1982, as Dieter Brock and the Bombers took on Roy Dewalt and the B.C. Lions in front of the biggest crowd of the season.

Being a bit of a contrarian kid at the time, I was rooting for the Lions on the grounds that my grandparents lived in B.C. So I was a bit shocked and annoyed the first time I heard the crowd shouting “B.C. sucks!” at the top of their lungs.

Of course that paled in comparison to the reaction I had after the first questionable call by the referees. As a nine-year old kid, hearing thousands of people chant “Bulls–t!” in unison is about the most exciting and scandalous thing in the world. With eyes as wide as saucers, I turned to my dad and asked if I was allowed to join in.

Click here to read more

They’re already in your backyard…and your basement

Listened to the NIMBYs in Island Lakes complaining on CJOB today about how a 24-hour 7-Eleven opening in a local strip mall would destroy the bland suburban tranquility of their neighbourhood.

“Kids are going to hang out there.”

“There’s going to be vandalism.”

“People are going to come into our neighbourhood and cause trouble.”

Seriously folks, where do you think these people are going to come from? Because it’s not like carloads of troublemakers are going to be coming from all over the city just to hang out at an isolated 7-Eleven in Island Lakes. They’ve got better options.

No, those kids you’re worried about? They’re YOUR kids. And if you’re so convinced they’re going to be up to no good, then maybe you should be directing your concerns at the mirror rather than at the convenience store chain.

Bipolar decision making

My guess is if you surveyed Manitobans you’d find most of them couldn’t care less if we ever get a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the east side of Lake Winnipeg.

The NDP will respond by saying that such a hypothetical survey is irrelevant, because protecting Manitoba’s boreal forest is “the right thing to do” regardless of popular opinion. And you know what? That’s a perfectly defensible position.

If you actually believe the environmental and ecotourism benefits of running Bipole III along the west side outweigh the economic benefits of running it along the east side, then fine. I might disagree strongly with your analysis, but I won’t criticize you for taking a principled stand on the matter.

However, I will criticize you for not taking that same approach to other decisions.

You know it’s unfair and disrespectful to dictate funding priorities to municipalities.

You know it’s absurd to fund education through a byzantine system of property taxes and credits.

You know it’s wasteful to sell “Manitoba’s oil” at rates that are far below what the market will bear.

You know it’s shortsighted to reject the idea of even talking about a harmonized sales tax just because voters don’t understand it.

All of these decisions (and many more) were made because of political expedience, not because they’re “the right thing to do.”