The most stunning revelation out of yesterday's city council debate on the ill-fated bus rapid transit system was not that Coun. Harvey Smith thinks Transcona is located in a different country. It's that city councillors — until yesterday — had never debated BRT or even voted on it as a separate item before.
The city was about to go ahead with the first phase of a $400 million project — one of the largest single capital projects in city hall's history — and the project had never reached the floor of council for review, consideration and approval.
That stunned even me.
I always knew BRT was voted on earlier this year as part of a larger infrastructure funding agreement, along with two other projects — namely the Kenaston underpass and sewer and water upgrades.
Councillors were put in the ridiculous position of either voting for all three projects or rejecting them collectively, a ludicrous way of setting spending priorities for taxpayers.
As a result, most councillors voted in favour of the package.
I always assumed, though, that at some point, city councillors actually had a debate on BRT prior to that. Apparently not.
Councillor after councillor stood up in the chamber yesterday to say they've never debated BRT on the floor before and that this was the first opportunity they had. Amazing.
"It's the first time we've had a debate on this issue since I've been here," said Coun. Russ Wyatt.
Coun. Mike O'Shaughnessy said BRT was borne out of the "exclusionary" and "secretive" government of former mayor Glen Murray.
"It was never voted on, on it's own," said O'Shaughnessy.
Coun. Peter DeSmedt said he had tried to get details on the BRT plan earlier this year but that the former administration refused to give him any. Maybe there weren't any details.
I was disappointed, though, with the councillors that argued in favour of BRT.
I spent the entire day at city hall hoping to hear some hard evidence and analysis on why we should proceed with this project.
I have an open mind and I wanted to learn.
And while I enjoyed the Kathy Bates impersonations of Coun. Lillian Thomas and her Annie Wilkes-like tantrums, there wasn't much substance there.
Most of those in favour of BRT offered a lot of emotional rhetoric, including Coun. Donald Benham, who told us a wonderful story about how his great-grandfather was a Winnipeg city councillor who planted elm trees around the city, and that we ought to apply the same vision for BRT today.
And how Coun. Harvey Smith never goes to Transcona because he says it's too far away — arguing he'd be more apt to make the trip if we had rapid transit.
"It's like going to another country," said Smith.
But apart from those entertaining antics, there was no analysis, no facts and no rational arguments to support keeping the BRT project alive. And that's why it's dead — for now.
The truth is, our city government actually did something smart for a change.
And what a satisfying and refreshing change it was.