Cornwall letter to the editor, 14 May 2024

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Re-prioritize

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Re: “University debate returns after major point”, 4 May 2024.

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The recent resurgence of the university project caught my attention just last week, leaving me to voice my concerns ahead of the upcoming city council vote scheduled for Tuesday, May 14th.

Council is poised to fund yet another business case, this time in collaboration with the University of Ottawa, to bring university programs to our city.

There are a lot of issues at play here, making it difficult to know where to begin.

Let’s go back to when the city invested $100,000 in the Cornwall Innovation Center and the Cornwall and Region Entrepreneurial Artists and Technologists Exchange (CREATE). A request for $50,000 annually over 10 years was made in 2018. Of the initial $50,000, $30,000 went to fund my salary during my tenure as executive director. Half of our current board was part of the board that voted yes.

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There was a lack of consultation with me by any councilor prior to greenlighting the funding, despite my instrumental role in bringing the application to the council.

Today, CREATE is dead – officially disbanded in March 2022.

There needs to be a post-mortem to understand what went right and what went wrong with this initiative. If we are truly committed to pursuing this project without wasting more taxpayer money, it is imperative that stakeholders engage in thoughtful dialogue to evaluate past efforts.

We have a fantastic post-secondary institution here—St. Lawrence College, of which I am a proud graduate, located in a beautiful neighborhood of innovation, where they could build something for the youth of the Port Lands in partnership with the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne. Ask our young people what they would like to see.

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My main conflict with this latest university project lies in the glaring disparity between the aspirations of younger generations, especially Gen Z and millennials, and the priorities of the older demographic. The former crave community engagement, a platform for their voices to be heard, and opportunities to effect positive change in the world.

Our city is failing to uphold these values. At a time when college campuses across the country are hotbeds of activism and peaceful dissent, our city administration and council seem to be failing to foster genuine community dialogue. Moreover, many residents are disillusioned, feeling neglected and unsupported in their efforts to revitalize downtowns and neighborhoods.

Before committing another $60,000 of taxpayer funds to a business that lacks thorough local research, I implore the council to consider reallocating these resources to local nonprofits and charities that actively serve our youth.

It is time to prioritize initiatives that directly address the needs and aspirations of our community’s future leaders.

Kelly Bergeron

Cornwall

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