An Open Letter to the Municipality of the County of Inverness:
Lately, I have been asking myself who our government is actually working for.
A few weeks ago, an ad in our local paper (Inverness Oran) caught my eye: Free Caddie Information Sessions were offered at four schools, but instead of the expected Cabot logo, the Recreation Department of the Municipality had been named as contact.
Curious about this, I contacted the municipality and inquired since when it was in the business of recruiting caddies for Cabot and in what way this was connected to recreation. The response was that the Municipality handles all the permit requests for the community use of schools, stating that:
This particular Recreation Department activity provides the opportunity for any community groups/organizations/business to utilize the schools.
However, on the Inverness Municipality website, the stated mandate of the Recreation Department is as follows:
The Department assists community groups, depending on specific needs, with coordination, planning, co-sponsorship, cost-sharing, and promotion; and where resources are available provides recreational and educational opportunities for County residents that otherwise would not exist.
Cabot is NOT a community group!!
The Recreation Department could do great things with their resources such as:
- promoting trail awareness, teaching about the importance of our trail system and potentially connecting with our trail volunteer base;
- monitoring the environmental impact of pesticides on the County’s stream systems, food supply and health;
- asking our Mi’kmaq elders and community to teach us about our natural herbs and plants for sustaining wellness;
- hosting gardening workshops to ensure access to an affordable, healthy food supply;
- promoting healthy eating on a budget, particularly for those who are food challenged.
To name just a few examples.
Caddying is neither recreational nor educational and these sessions should not fall under the responsibilities of a recreation department.
There are countless businesses in our municipality looking for workers for the coming summer season. Will our “Recreation” Department go out and do information sessions for them as well?
Elly Heim
Mount Young, Inverness
