Optics

A very smart couple once told me politics is all about optics. They went on to explain that it didn’t really matter what our politicians actually do, to them it what is more important is what they appear to do.

Our Council is preparing the optics for a big announcement this week. No less than 10 people have shared with me that we are going to be experiencing a big announcement that the Town has been successful in promoting their K-12 school beside the Twin Pad Arena/ Library. Provincial Politicians will make the big funding announcements, then the praise will start.

Nobody has leaked the specific details of the announcement, but plenty are talking about the basics. Will it be the K-12 or will it be a modified proposal with an elementary school being the reward?

This news is NOT related to the SCDSB announcement the other day sharing progress with our high school in Sunnidale Trails. That school is still awaiting funding but is now shovel ready.

With this big news comes a complicated collection of questions. If we are NOT getting our Full STEM programming high school out in Sunnidale, then the biggest question is why not?

We finally had the numbers, but our Council decided to surprise the SCDSB and forge a partnership with the SMCDSB. This partnership saw our Council proudly meet with the Minister of Education at the AMO Conference this year. Representatives from the SCDSB who submitted their proposal (Sunnidale) on their own were not invited. As recently as last week council continued to post the Thank You letter they drafted after that AMO visit on behalf of the TPAL facility neighbour.

Some members of Council, possibly staff and possibly the developer supplying the land for the Towns partnership also attended another opportunity to plead their case with the minister in the beginning of March. That meeting however was not publicly shared, it was not boasted about, there was no publicly displayed thank you letter. Why? …. OPTICS. That meeting was at a $1000 per person fund raiser. Optics!

Wasaga Beach students NEEDS a full size/ fully programmed high school. The SCDSB has JUST announced purchasing property for such a school. The Town of Wasaga Beach did not even share that news publicly. I guess they felt the optics might be wrong to promote the well planned progress of our much needed high school. …. Bad optics?

Who knows… all of the “tips” may be smoke and mirrors. Perhaps we are getting both schools. Not likely but until it’s announced… anything is possible.

I am certain there will be plenty of discussions surrounding our high schools over the next 6 months. Just listen and watch carefully to ensure you are getting the full story and not just the OPTICS.

There are two completely separate and fundamentally different proposals in the ministers hands. Pay close attention to which one or both get the nod!

Don’t use the lens provided. Be sure to use your own magnifying glass to examine the details.

…. OPTICS!

One Comment

alanclegg May 1, 2024 at 12:10 pm

Wow, we just qualified with the numbers for a High school, and as soon as we get commitment to go forward, Smith will announce another place for kids to go to school?
my only real question is…where are the extra kids going to come from?

if we have just enough kids to get a full STEM school, what happens if half are drawn off for this “new” school?

Certainly one possibility is we lose the STEM part, or quite simply lose the whole high school, after all, its not needed if there is a K12 over by the arena?
if I was there ministry of education, it sort of gives me a way to kick this down the road at the very least.

All those years, no decades trying for a High School and it seems Smith’s bizarre end run puts it in jeopardy.
It certainly is a very Wasaga Beach thing to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, and it looks like there is no good reason for this other than Smith’s need to crayon outside of the lines of municipal government. We saw this with the failed clinic and Wasaga taxpayers paying for healthcare. We see it with Smith’s venture into entertainment and now we see Smith building a school.
is he bored?

he doesn’t seem to be getting much done on municipal levels.