September 26, 2005

Welcome – Ted McMeekin, MPP introduced himself and welcomed the participants who have agreed to join the revised Community Council

Greetings were also offered by Mayor DiIanni, Councillor Art Samson and Councillor Murray Ferguson

Ted offered remarks to the group

• Desire for accountability

• Ted’s background in community consultation started as a City Counsellor in the 1970’s, Mayor of Flamborough and provincial representative since 2000

• Being a backbencher in a majority government

• Challenges lie not so much with issues that are ‘good vs evil’ but in ‘competing goods’

• Advisory or listening Groups have included Environment, Education, Seniors, Business, Youth and outreach to the Hamilton Wentworth Federation of Agriculture

• Consultations with leaders in Health, consultations with consumers and social service leaders for Deb Matthews report of workfare, roundtable for the Family Responsibilities Office, community leaders meeting with the Minister of Community and Social Services, Forum on Energy Conservation

• Encourages the importance of sharing concerns, honesty, being frank

• As Mother said, the most important trip is that from the head to the heart

• Recent polling shows that the government is liked by the citizens but that we should define what it is doing

• We work and live in the reality that we are one component part of the world economic picture. We are entwined with the USA, WTO, world economics

• There is the reality of a $23B gap and the fallout of that such as health care professionals shortage

• May see the province step up their  involvement on the Federal front eg agriculture

• Local issues include Stelco, School Boards,  Doctor shortages (working on inititative with Art Samson)

Group Reporting

The top priorities the group discussed that they reported to Ted for consideration are as follows:

• Amalgamation – services are down, taxes are up. The group recommends a ‘provincial cost-benefit analysis’ of all provincial amalgamations

• Ongoing development/sprawl is out of control. The group recommends reversing the previously approved growth

• Energy – a crisis is imminent. The group recommends the government expediting energy conservation plans, such as smart meters

• Education (and health care) – the group recommends push to greater grass roots and community involvement  eg. education: involve parent councils, health: moving from hospital to community health

• Child poverty and social services – The group recommends a “provincial social services review” that includes elimination of downloading, increase in social service funding and pressing the federal government to fulfill their financial responsibilities

• Greenbelt – there are mixed feelings on this, the general consensus was positive, there is need for clarification/understanding of situations such as farm issues and quarry applications

• Gridlock – needs to be addressed The group recommended promotion of hybrid cars, anti-idling by-laws and improved public transit

• ‘bigger is not better’ – the group recommends that the government should keep services small enough to be effective/in service of its citizens

• Land use planning – the group recommends trashing the OMB and restructuring of this process

• Property taxes – MPAC is not as effective as we wish, there is a big problem with rising taxes and home owners on fixed incomes

• Waste disposal – the group recommends the province may have to play a role in this municipal issue as it is a huge problem

• Need for health wellness ie smoking cessation. The group supports all government attention to promotion of good health  and wellness