T-shirt a political statement

A politician in Roblin says he wore a ‘procrastination’ T-shirt to a meeting with a member of parliament because he wanted to express frustration about higher levels of government.

The head of council for the Municipality of Roblin, Robert Misko, issued a statement on Aug. 13 centred around a shirt he wore to a meeting with MP Dan Mazier. The shirt read, “procrastination, working tomorrow for a better today.”

Following criticism from some locals, Misko clarified that the shirt was targeted towards Winnipeg and Ottawa.

“I sincerely apologize to any ratepayer who believed that my shirt was intended as a statement against the Municipality of Roblin, the employees, or its residents. That was not my intention,” Misko wrote in his statement on the municipality’s website. “My frustration was directed toward the provincial and federal governments and the delays we have experienced in getting answers and action on behalf of our community.”

The community was flooded by downpours this summer, overwhelming the area lift station and sewer systems as well as roads in the region.

Roblin is dealing with slow communication that prevents the community from building back infrastructure damaged by flooding, Misko said, and with the upcoming harvest, farmers in some areas will be working with limited road access as a result.

Council needs to wait for the go-ahead from higher levels of government to conduct repair work supported by disaster assistance, and has been unable to secure clear information about when those approvals will come, Misko said. Despite “pushing for answers,” there has not been firm timelines or coverage estimates provided, he said.

“This puts council in a difficult position. We know work needs to be done, but proceeding without the necessary approvals could potentially create a significant financial burden for our municipality,” Misko wrote. “That is what I mean when I refer to procrastination from higher levels of government. It is not that council or municipal employees do not want to act. We want to move forward. However, we need the information and approvals necessary to do so responsibly.”

Road repairs may not be eligible for disaster assistance unless an engineer makes an inspection beforehand, he said; and it is difficult for the council to make decisions about spending because councillors do not have all the information needed.

“We need to know what will and will not be reimbursed before committing additional municipal funds wherever possible,” he said. “We need to continue to demand the provincial and federal governments step up and give the community timely responses and aide.”

Misko did not respond to a request for comment from the Sun.

When asked about Misko’s statement, Manitoba Minister of Municipal and Northern Relations Glen Simard said that the province is working to ensure that responses come in a timely manner.

“We know many Manitobans are facing enormous challenges after the extreme weather we’ve experienced … and we want to ensure that the government is here to support them during this difficult time,” Simard said in an email to the Sun. “Manitoba will continue to work with the federal government to ensure that support for municipalities affected by flooding will continue to happen as quickly as possible.”

Simard noted that the Manitoba government expanded disaster financial assistance programs to cover more Manitobans, and has sent out more than $6 million in aid to municipalities.

Bill Gade, Reeve of Swan Valley West, said he has had a different experience compared to Roblin when dealing with the Manitoba government.

“We have found the province to be very responsive to our needs for disaster funding,” Gade said in a phone call on Wednesday. “We have not seen any of the same problems he has seen.”

Gade’s municipality is also in the Parkland region. It surrounds Swan River, which was heavily hit by flooding during the summer, prompting a visit from Premier Wab Kinew, who toured the area.

Gade said that Swan Valley West has initiated repair work without waiting for assessments. He said the municipality hired contractors immediately and instructed them to take photographs before, during and after their repair work. The pictures, combined with written reports, provide an account of damage and have made it easier for repairs to be covered with disaster assistance, Gade said.

“We’ve had no concerns from anybody about us doing those emergency repairs,” he said. “Certainly, to every site, we have to take a Stantec engineer, and we’ve spent several weeks doing that, going to 300-and-some sites, and when we go to the site, if it’s already fixed, that’s not a concern.”

This approach allowed the municipality to get started on repair work quickly, while still allowing for assessments to be made retroactively using reports and photographs, he said.

The municipality has spent almost $2 million on repairs, and conversations take place every week about ensuring that the repairs are conducted within proper procedure, he said.

“Certainly, when you’re dealing with millions of dollars of claims, you want to make sure you’re pretty clear on what those rules are, so there’s not a surprise later.”