To the Editor,
Re: Online poll question from July 16.
I am writing to suggest that greater consideration be given to the wording of the questions in your weekly online reader poll, Question of the Week. Case in point: the July 16 question was, “Are you satisfied that Port Alberni City Council tabled a motion to terminate the port authority’s contract over the plywood sites?”
The meaning of “tabled” here is ambiguous.
In this context, tabled can mean either “to present a proposal, resolution etc. for discussion” (British) or the opposite, “to lay aside a proposal, resolution, etc. for future discussion, usually with a view to postponing or shelving the matter indefinitely” (chiefly U.S) (source: dictionary.com).
In fact, city council put off making a decision; they kicked the can down the road. While it’s true the actual meaning of “tabled” could be determined from reading the news story, your online poll is a stand-alone poll with no direct linkage to the story.
Therefore, the results for this question are meaningless.
Daryl Henderson,
Port Alberni