Three City Meetings this Monday April 17 with many reports covering numerous topics.
Highlighting first the Report CF-23-34 which proposes CHANGES TO THE ELECTION SIGN BY-LAW on the 9:30 a.m. Corporate & Finance meeting Agenda.
Among the changes proposed by the City Clerk and CAO are
1) Prohibiting election signs on public property (but signs on private property still permitted)
2) Prohibiting election signs outside of the ward or riding where the candidate is running.
The Corporate & Finance meeting also has:
three project items requiring additional funds totaling $320,000;
two scheduling reports for the 2024 Budget timeline and public engagement (mostly to take place during November 2023);
the Corporate payments role for Q1 2023;
a report on 2022 actions taken to address poverty which leaves some questions;
arrangement with St Anne's school for parking in Gulfstream Park on Bridle Rd. (miss labelled as Ward 1 when it is in Ward 2); and
The motion I brought forward to Committee last month: for the City of Oshawa to support Bill 5 -Stopping Harassment and Abuse by Local Leaders Act is back on the Agenda. (The Mayor had asked that it be tabled.) It is a provincial Bill going into 2nd reading in May, one that had support of all parties at its 1st reading.
It is about including in the Council Code of Conduct a requirement to comply with workplace violence and harassment policies. It would allow the Integrity Commissioner to apply to the court to vacate a member's seat if the member's conduct and contravention of the code is of an egregious nature.
Bill 5 was introduced by Orleans MPP, Stephen Blais, and municipalities from around the province including Peterborough, Barrie, Sault Ste. Marie, and Orillia have give it their support.
Link to Corporate & Finance Meeting Agenda: https://pub-oshawa.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx...
Link to info re Bill 5 https://www.ola.org/.../bills/parliament-43/session-1/bill-5
More about Bill 5, called the STOPPING WORK PLACE HARASSMENT AND ABUSE BY LOCAL LEADERS ACT:
Highlighting first the Report CF-23-34 which proposes CHANGES TO THE ELECTION SIGN BY-LAW on the 9:30 a.m. Corporate & Finance meeting Agenda.
Among the changes proposed by the City Clerk and CAO are
1) Prohibiting election signs on public property (but signs on private property still permitted)
2) Prohibiting election signs outside of the ward or riding where the candidate is running.
The Corporate & Finance meeting also has:
three project items requiring additional funds totaling $320,000;
two scheduling reports for the 2024 Budget timeline and public engagement (mostly to take place during November 2023);
the Corporate payments role for Q1 2023;
a report on 2022 actions taken to address poverty which leaves some questions;
arrangement with St Anne's school for parking in Gulfstream Park on Bridle Rd. (miss labelled as Ward 1 when it is in Ward 2); and
The motion I brought forward to Committee last month: for the City of Oshawa to support Bill 5 -Stopping Harassment and Abuse by Local Leaders Act is back on the Agenda. (The Mayor had asked that it be tabled.) It is a provincial Bill going into 2nd reading in May, one that had support of all parties at its 1st reading.
It is about including in the Council Code of Conduct a requirement to comply with workplace violence and harassment policies. It would allow the Integrity Commissioner to apply to the court to vacate a member's seat if the member's conduct and contravention of the code is of an egregious nature.
Bill 5 was introduced by Orleans MPP, Stephen Blais, and municipalities from around the province including Peterborough, Barrie, Sault Ste. Marie, and Orillia have give it their support.
Link to Corporate & Finance Meeting Agenda: https://pub-oshawa.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx...
Link to info re Bill 5 https://www.ola.org/.../bills/parliament-43/session-1/bill-5
More about Bill 5, called the STOPPING WORK PLACE HARASSMENT AND ABUSE BY LOCAL LEADERS ACT:
- It is about holding elected members of municipal councils accountable for their actions, including creating a process to remove them from office.
- Former Premier Kathleen Wynne made a delegation Feb 8, 2023 to Richmond Hill Council asking for support of Bill 5. Read her submission: https://pub-richmondhill.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=55860 Like numerous other Ontario municipalities, Richmond Hill Council unanimously voted their approval.
- Last month, when I brought a motion on this for Oshawa's support, some Oshawa Council members expressed their opinion they were not comfortable when the Bill just applies to those elected to municipal government and asked why does it not include those in office in the Ontario Legislature. The Mayor requested my motion be tabled.
- I will be asking to lift it from the table at Monday's April 17th meeting...here's hoping the Oshawa Corporate and Finance Committee approves it so it can be passed by Oshawa Council at the May 1st City Council meeting in time for the Bill's second reading in the Legislature May 16th.
- Why wouldn't those elected to municipal council show strong leadership in giving support to the movement (dubbed the Women of Ontario Say No) pushing for passage of this Bill? #thewomenofontariosayno
