Two groups of citizens got two quite different responses in two different forums last week.

On Thursday, a group of parents filled the gymnasium at Rideau Public School, one of two schools being looked at by the Limestone District School Board for a change in programming.

Rideau and Polson Park school both offer instruction in both English and French-immersion streams. It had been suggested by the board there may be benefits to making one school unilingual English and the other unilingual French, which would have required the English-language pupils from one neighbourhood to be bused to the other.

At the public meeting, the parents at Rideau succinctly expressed their disagreement with the proposal. It would have been impossible for director of education Ron Sharp to misunderstand the message, and it appears he didn't. "If folks don't want it to happen, it won't happen," he said.

That's not to say one day it might not happen - if, say; more folks want it than not, for instance. Schools have had to close and merge before in the face of public displeasure, but it appears the school board isn't interested in ramming something down the community's throat this time.

The same can't be said for the steering committee of city council responsible for the proposed multiplex recreational complex. Like a dog that's been left indoors too long, at a meeting Wednesday the committee essentially lifted its leg on the work of an advisory group of citizens.

The citizens had been empanelled from various amateur sport groups to recommend what should be included in a new recreational complex. They brought a wealth of experience to the table and they visited several sites across the province to learn more before they wrote their report. It was a pragmatic report that asked not for the moon, but facilities that are sorely needed in a community this size.

That report recommended four ice surfaces as its top priority; and a 50-metre swimming pool as a close second. The pool, among other things, was promptly dispatched from the proposal by the steering committee.

"A 50-metre pool is outside the scope and mandate of the group," said Dennis Leger, the city's interim chief administrative officer, a point that was disputed by commissioner Lance Thurston, who said the group was appointed to consider the rinks and "other complementary uses."

The evidence seems to support Thurston's interpretation. Otherwise, why appoint Alex.. Palilionis, a swim club representative, to the group? If Thurston is correct, why did the steering committee dismiss the pool without at least determining how much it would cost, either to do it as part of the initial project or to add it at a later date, as some suggested Wednesday night.

If the steering committee knew what it wanted all along, why go through the charade of appointing a citizens advisory group? Why put them through the exercise of discussing and researching and creating recommendations?

Were these people ever anything more than window dressing for the bureaucrats?

Or, did the rules subtly change in the months that passed since the advisory group was commissioned? In the meantime, city officials have talked with representatives of the Ottawa Senators hockey club, who are interested in building and running the multiplex.

Perhaps the Senators are not interested in running a pool. The city; which needs a private partner to make this thing happen, may not want to risk losing its leading partnership candidate.

Are the Ottawa Senators going to have more to say about our new recreational facility than the citizens who comprised the advisory group?
The members of the steering committee who were so quick to dismiss the advisory committee's work may want to consider not only how irresponsible that was, but how bad it looks.

They may want to take a lesson from the school board. If you're going to invite public consultation, you should at least have the courtesy to consider it.