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CENTRAL MANITOULIN—Once bitten, twice shy, as the old adage goes, and it is a lesson that the municipal council of Central Manitoulin has taken to heart when it comes to planning the community’s future.

During a debate on a recommendation from the Roads Committee to issue a request for quotes (RFQ) for the development of a Providence Bay Beach Master Plan during the August 13 council meeting, Councillor Derek Stephens gave an impassioned plea for greater public involvement than had been the perception during an earlier plan regarding the Providence Bay Arena.

“There was only really one public consultation session, and then they presented it to the public,” he said. “I do think that the RFQ should reflect that their findings need to be presented to the public and have another question and answer period in there for the public to be able to question. They come to ask a pile of questions, and we give them answers and everything else, but it never goes back to the public until the final and I think that’s wrong, I think we need to be able to have those public meetings on the issue of the consultants’ input and then have that put back to the public for more commenting.”