Ben Alexander wanted to let government know how it can serve the public.
Alexander attended a public engagement session on the province’s Open Government Initiative at Days Inn in Stephenville on Wednesday Night.
While he thought the forum was a good one, he said it fell short of the topics he was interested in.
“Civil servants and elected officials should realize that they are there for us, we’re not there for them,” he said.
Alexander, a St. George’s businessman, said anyone who seeks information should be given cooperation, and that any decent Newfoundlander shouldnt encounter roadblocks from civil servants.
He was one of 24 people who attended the forum, which included representatives from different communities in Bay St. George, some special interest group representatives and a number of people representing academic institutions that included students of the College of the North Atlantic.
The session was facilitated by Kim Olsen, regional partnership planner for the Stephenville-Port aux Basques area with the Office of Public Engagement, and she was assisted by two other people from the department who served as guides for the table discussions.
Cyrilla Taylor, a student of the office administration program at College of the North Atlantic, said she thought the session got people together and that participants were able to covey the idea that government needs to be more open.
Taylor said there’s a general feeling that government is inaccessible, and that the information is available, but difficult to access.
Discussions centred on themes of accessibility and user friendliness, participation and technology, collaboration challenges and government responsiveness.
Sessions continue across the province until Oct. 2 and individuals can also join in the process by completing questionnaires online and getting involved in conversations through social media.
Weblink:
www.open.gov.nl.ca
