FINALLY, some good motions were passed at the April 29th Oshawa Council meeting, which gave unequivocal support to the City's outstanding Oshawa Animal Services and ended the stressful uncertainty concerning the future of OAS.
Uncertainty began April 1st when a confidential Report was presented to the Community Services Committee. Many citizens and some Council members were unsettled by how a Report to the previous Council about a low cost spay neuter clinic could have morphed into Report CS-19-31. It raised alarm when two facts about it were added together. One, that it was confidential due to labour relations and employment matters and two, that according to the Meeting Agenda Report, CS-19-31 contained a recommendation that the Mayor sign an Agreement between OAS and the Humane Society of Durham Region (HSDR).
When a subsequent April 23rd committee meeting complicated how this issue would move forward, passionate citizens moved quickly to rally and voice their objections. The Report made public for the April 23rd meeting, minus the labour relations and employment section, clearly showed that a 10 year 'Master Agreement' had been considered on in detail between the City and HSDR. It described a proposed transfer of the City's entire Animal Services department to HSDR, with a climbing $750,000+ annual schedule of payments by the City, as well as the City giving over all of its licencing fees and donations, which would fund a building expansion of the HSDR facility.
At the April 29th Council meeting, after 7 citizens made strong, eloquent and rational delegations, the original 3 part motion (copied below*) that Council had rejected April 8th by a 6 to 5 vote, and which only 2/3rd had been accepted at Committee April 23rd, was ultimately passed.
The Mayor and some members of Council had just days earlier made public statements appearing to favour a merger of Oshawa Animal Services with other animal care providers for so-called 'financial efficiencies'. The fact they ended up passing the three part motion was a dramatic reversal, not only considering their two previous rejections, but also their previous baffling claim that it would 'handcuff' Council and be a 'drop in the void'.
As well, the lengthy motion made by Councillor Kerr at the April 23rd Committee meeting about investigating other new proposals from HSDR to take over OAS was withdrawn.
To ensure such a non-transparent process would not be repeated, Council also passed motions to establish an Animal Advisory Committee, and have a Report come forward from the Commissioner of Finance for the implementation of a website 'Donations tab' and QR code to help improve the finances of OAS.
As Dave Flaherty in the Oshawa Express aptly reported - it was a Win for the the People
*The 3 part motion, which I helped formulate with Councillor Nicholson (and supported by Councillors Neal and Gray) but was voted down, not once but twice by the Mayor and other Council members, before it was unanimously passed April 29, 2019, is here:
Uncertainty began April 1st when a confidential Report was presented to the Community Services Committee. Many citizens and some Council members were unsettled by how a Report to the previous Council about a low cost spay neuter clinic could have morphed into Report CS-19-31. It raised alarm when two facts about it were added together. One, that it was confidential due to labour relations and employment matters and two, that according to the Meeting Agenda Report, CS-19-31 contained a recommendation that the Mayor sign an Agreement between OAS and the Humane Society of Durham Region (HSDR).
When a subsequent April 23rd committee meeting complicated how this issue would move forward, passionate citizens moved quickly to rally and voice their objections. The Report made public for the April 23rd meeting, minus the labour relations and employment section, clearly showed that a 10 year 'Master Agreement' had been considered on in detail between the City and HSDR. It described a proposed transfer of the City's entire Animal Services department to HSDR, with a climbing $750,000+ annual schedule of payments by the City, as well as the City giving over all of its licencing fees and donations, which would fund a building expansion of the HSDR facility.
At the April 29th Council meeting, after 7 citizens made strong, eloquent and rational delegations, the original 3 part motion (copied below*) that Council had rejected April 8th by a 6 to 5 vote, and which only 2/3rd had been accepted at Committee April 23rd, was ultimately passed.
The Mayor and some members of Council had just days earlier made public statements appearing to favour a merger of Oshawa Animal Services with other animal care providers for so-called 'financial efficiencies'. The fact they ended up passing the three part motion was a dramatic reversal, not only considering their two previous rejections, but also their previous baffling claim that it would 'handcuff' Council and be a 'drop in the void'.
As well, the lengthy motion made by Councillor Kerr at the April 23rd Committee meeting about investigating other new proposals from HSDR to take over OAS was withdrawn.
To ensure such a non-transparent process would not be repeated, Council also passed motions to establish an Animal Advisory Committee, and have a Report come forward from the Commissioner of Finance for the implementation of a website 'Donations tab' and QR code to help improve the finances of OAS.
As Dave Flaherty in the Oshawa Express aptly reported - it was a Win for the the People
*The 3 part motion, which I helped formulate with Councillor Nicholson (and supported by Councillors Neal and Gray) but was voted down, not once but twice by the Mayor and other Council members, before it was unanimously passed April 29, 2019, is here:
- That all current investigations into reducing or eliminating the current service levels at the Oshawa Animal Service be terminated; and,
- That the Council of the City of Oshawa commits to fully funding the operations of the Oshawa Animal Services at no less than their current level of service until the end of the current 2018-2022 term of Council; and,
- That any future review of service levels at the Oshawa Animal Services must include a specially called public meeting to provide for public input in to the review process
