The Rainy River District Municipal Association had a number of suggestions for the provincial government at its annual convention Jan. 31 in Devlin, and they came in the form of formal resolutions to be forwarded to the Northern Ontario Municipal Association.
Reeves, mayors, and councillors from across the district met to appoint new directors, share ideas, and serve notice on the province the status quo is unacceptable to many.
RRDMA delegates:
•passed a resolution, submitted by the Town of Fort Frances, supporting opposition to the Administrative Monetary Penalties Policy and recommending further consultation take place between the province and municipalities administering Provincial Offences Act courts;
•passed a resolution, submitted by the Town of Rainy River, requesting the province declare the operation of water treatment plants to be an essential service;
•carried a resolution, from the Township of Emo, resolving that the Ontario government take immediate steps to increase funding for the Trillium Foundation and also that the funding formula be amended and the application process streamlined;
•carried a resolution, submitted by the Township of Chapple, requesting the provincial government recognize and acknowledge the unsustainable burden being placed on water and sewer users in sparsely-populated areas and further that a new funding formula be developed;
•passed a resolution, submitted by the Township of Atikokan, requesting the Finance minister to intervene and repair the damage the Municipal Property Assessment Corp. has done to Ontario property assessments and bring forward a plan to restore local assessment expertise and good working relationships; and
•passed a resolution, submitted by the Township of Chapple, requesting the minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services to approve the Alternate Victim Services Program funding submission.
A resolution, submitted by the Township of Atikokan, petitioning the provincial government to re-examine its position regarding the proposed closure of all the coal-fired generating plants in Ontario, and that the province instead become a partner with the federal government and municipalities to develop, test, and use clean-burning coal technologies, was withdrawn.
Atikokan Mayor Dennis Brown informed the RRDMA that he had reached an understanding with the province and was assured the Atikokan plant would not be closed.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
