I think it is. Photo radar is more about money and revenue for the City of Spruce Grove rather than public safety. Why do I think that?

When I look at the minutes of the City Council meetings Photo Radar is always discussed in a closed session. This is allowed under the Freedom of Information and Privacy Act, RSA 2000, c.F-25 and all fine and dandy. Until you actually read the clause. I have included the clause at the end of this article.

The clause is titled: Disclosure harmful to economic and other interests of a public body. The operative words are economic and public body. So to this local-Yokel it translates into Tax Revenue and the City of Spruce Grove. The main focus of the clause is about money, not the public’s safety.

So photo radar is about money. How much money? What are the costs to the City for the service paid to private contractors? What is the money used for? How has this slowed down speeders, and by how much? These are things local-yokels should have the right to know. After all it is for our own safety, right?

It seems to me that with all our cleverness we should surely be able to come up with a more affective method to actually slow down traffic rather than to color a revenue tax grab as a public safety triumph.

Let us know how you feel at our blog and forum.

‘till next time

Excerpt from Freedom of Information Act:

Disclosure harmful to economic and other interests of a public body

25(1) The head of a public body may refuse to disclose information to an applicant if the disclosure could reasonably be expected to harm the economic interest of a public body or the Government of Alberta or the ability of the Government to manage the economy, including the following information:

(a) trade secrets of a public body or the Government of Alberta;

(b) financial, commercial, scientific, technical or other information in which a public body or the Government of Alberta has a proprietary interest or a right of use and that has, or is reasonably likely to have, monetary value;

(c) information the disclosure of which could reasonably be expected to

• (i) result in financial loss to,
•  (ii) prejudice the competitive position of, or
• (iii) interfere with contractual or other negotiations of, the Government of Alberta or a public body;

(d) information obtained through research by an employee of a public body, the disclosure of which could reasonably be expected to deprive the employee or the public body of priority of publication.