Staff
While last week’s Speech from the Throne outlined the province’s commitment to the continued uploading of social services, Fort Frances council thinks municipalities need to lobby the McGuinty government to increase how much it’s giving to them to pay for social housing.
Coun. Sharon Tibbs said that since 2002, the amount uploaded for social housing has been frozen but costs continue to rise—and that needs to change.
“How can we not think that’s downloading?” she asked. “Costs continue to accelerate . . . I think we should be lobbying.
“I do think that it isn’t fair, and it is a download.
“If you’ve got a budget and you need $10, and someone gives you $8, and the cost goes up to $12, and they say, ‘We’re not going to give you any more,’ how is that not coming out-of-pocket for the municipalities?” she wondered.
Coun. Ken Perry noted the Rainy River District Social Services Administration Board recently passed two motions, including one regarding Coun. Tibbs’ argument which soon will be forwarded to all municipalities, as well as to the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association (NOMA) and the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO).
The second motion requests that the province continue to provide the funding it does to help pay off loans and mortgages on social housing even after those debentures are paid off, so that same funding could be used to pay for maintenance and repairs on those same buildings.
Also at Monday night’s meeting, council:
•directed administration to obtain estimates for the cost of fixing the roof of the Civic Centre and report back to council for further consideration of possibly getting the repairs done in late 2011/early 2012 (the roof is leaking);
•authorized the forwarding of “Celebrate Ontario” information to the chairs of the Fort Frances Canadian Bass Championship, Canada Day committee, the international tug-of-war committee, and any other relevant committees, and also authorized the forwarding of Northern Communities Investment Readiness Initiative information to the RRFDC (both of these are potential funding sources for future projects);
•approved a per diem claim in the amount of $150 for Coun. Andrew Hallikas for attendance at a NOMA board meeting Nov. 16 in Thunder Bay;
•passed a bylaw to deem Lots 70 and 71 on Plan SM-48 (1020 First St. E.) to no longer be lots on a registered plan of subdivision;
•passed a bylaw to amend the business licensing bylaw to replace the requirement for badges for taxi cab operators within the Town of Fort Frances with the requirement for I.D. cards;
•passed a bylaw to approve a standard pipe agreement respecting the installation of a storm sewer force main on CNR property in Fort Frances;
•agreed on who will be attending two conferences in 2012 (Mayor Roy Avis, Couns. Ken Perry and John Albanese, and CAO Mark McCaig to the Ontario Good Roads Association conference in Toronto on Feb. 26-29 while Mayor Avis, Couns. Andrew Hallikas and Paul Ryan, and McCaig to the AMO annual general meeting in Ottawa on Aug. 19-22);
•received a notice from the Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce re: its annual general meeting on Thursday, Dec. 1; and
•nominated Coun. Tibbs to be elected as vice-president of the Rainy River District Municipal Association executive, and let Coun. Hallikas’ name stand to be appointed vice-president of the Northwestern Ontario Municipal Association executive for the 2012-13 term (the election/appointment will be made at the RRDMA’s annual general meeting on Jan. 28 in Devlin).
