Gordon Prentice at Large - Politics in Newmarket
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- Written by: Gordon Prentice
It promised to be a moment of high drama.
Instead all we got was an empty chair.
Yesterday (2 March 2016) Geoff Dawe, the Mayor of Aurora, was scheduled to appear before the Committee examining Chris Ballard’s Private Member’s Bill 42 which would force direct elections for the Chair of York Regional Council.
When the issue was debated at Aurora Council everyone except Dawe was in favour of direct elections. Despite this, Dawe held to his own point of view and voted for the status quo at York Region.
What conflicting diary commitment did Mayor Dawe have that was of such importance it persuaded him to pass up the chance of speaking before a key committee of the Ontario Legislature?
Instead of Mayor Dawe we got his email. He will not support Bill 42 because:
(a) It only applies to York Region.
(b) There are other wider issues of governance not addressed by the Bill including under-representation of some municipalities and the absence of any provision for alternates.
(c) People couldn’t care less about direct election. He tells us he has heard from three people: (1) Chris Ballard’s constituency assistant; (2) a fellow Aurora councillor and (3) a local resident he paints as some kind of political junkie.
In this second and final oral evidence session, there was, once again, not one single voice in favour of the status quo.
Al Duffy, a former Mayor of Richmond Hill, told the Committee he could never have made it to Regional Chair because he wouldn’t have been able to cut the deals to stitch it all up.
Former Newmarket mayoral candidate, Chris Campbell, and Newmarket councillor Christina Bisanz also addressed the Committee. As did I.
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- Written by: Gordon Prentice
Chris Ballard’s Private Member's Bill 42 which will force the direct election of the Chair of York Region from 2018 is now half way through its Committee Stage at Queen’s Park.
But what was striking about the first evidence session (on Wednesday, 24 February) was that no-one turned up to defend the status quo. All seven witnesses argued for direct election.
The second evidence session this coming Wednesday (2 March) promises to be delicious. Probably lip smacking. Aurora Mayor, Geoff Dawe, who voted against directly electing the Regional Chair when the matter came before York Regional Council earlier this month, will be mounting a defence of the status quo.
Fellow Aurora councillor, Wendy Gaertner, put it this way:
“The Mayor voted against (Aurora) Council’s wishes and for his own.”
Liberal MPP Bas Balkissoon told her:
“That’s not democracy.”
In fact, Bill 42 seems to have a lot of friends.
Progressive Conservative Ernie Hardeman told the Committee:
“I support the Bill 100% and I do hope that we can get it through as quickly as possible.”
Once the Committee has finished with the Bill it then reports to the House – with or without any amendments. It then goes to Third Reading and, if passed, Royal Assent.
However, the timetabling of the remaining stages of the Bill’s progress through the legislature is in the hands of the House business managers. But with such widespread support it looks increasingly likely the Bill will make it on to the Statute Book.
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- Written by: Gordon Prentice
My spies tell me that Maddie Di Muccio’s ludicrous libel action against regional councillor John Taylor will be back in Newmarket’s Small Claims Court at 3pm on Thursday 3 March 2016.
Instead of setting a date for a full trial, the Court has ordered a “Mandatory Settlement Conference”. This suggests to me that Di Muccio’s absurd and totally contrived action against Taylor will be thrown out as having no merit whatsoever. And not before time.
The fragile and excitable Di Muccio, a former Newmarket councillor and now President of the York Region Taxpayers Coalition, is claiming damages of $5,000 from Taylor on the grounds he allegedly said things about her that made her an object of ridicule.
Poor thing!