By Doug Draper
This coming fall – October 25, to be specific – may seem like a long time away when we’re just entering the first days of spring.
Debbie Zimmerman, Grimsby regional councillor and former Niagara regional council chair, and one of Draper's two picks for regional chair for Niagara's future.
But it is not that long time when it comes to the fact that municipal elections will be held this coming 25th of October, and those elections are now only seven months away.
The decision Niagara’s top municipal politician – regional chairman Peter Partington – announced this January to not seek another term of office was another clear reminder that 2010 sets the stage for a sea change in municipal governance in this region.
We in Niagara, Ontario are arguably facing one of the most important municipal election years in our region’s 40-year history. And we have to make sure we have the most dynamic, progressive voices we can get on our regional and local council to pull us up from our status as a region that unfortunately hosts one of the highest unemployment rates and lost median incomes for people who still have jobs in the country.
I don’t mind telling you right now that my only two choices at the moment for a new Niagara regional councillor are Debbie Zimmerman, a Grimsby regional councillor who has held the chair’s job before, and who still has the snap, crackle and pop to do it again, and Vance Badawey, the mayor of Port Colborne, and who, along with Zimmerman and very few others, is one of the smartest and most progressive politicians I’ve seen on the regional seen in my more than 30 years of covering municipal politics in Niagara.
Draper's other unsolicited choice for Niagara's regional government's next chair, although he may be more interested in serving another term as Port Colborne's mayor.
By the way, I have no reason to believe that either one of these people are interested in running for the regional chair’s job. Zimmerman seems to be happy being a good regional councillor and Badawey show every interest in being the mayor of Port Colborne. But they are my picks at the moment. And I can dream can’t I?
If you can think of others who may be in the vanguard of moving our region forward to a healthier, more prosperous future, then let’s hear from you. Offer your picks in the comments boxes below. Let’s get engaged in a thoughtful and heartfelt discussion on this because there is a great deal at stake.
Not to over boil the point, but Niagara is at a crossroads and, in many ways, it is in crisis in terms of the health and welfare of our communities, and all of us who live in them.
This region of ours is in the unenviable position of suffering the second highest unemployment rate of any region in Canada, save for Windsor. The average income of our fellow residents is among the lowest and we suffer from an exodus of our young people – among them some of the best and brightest minds that could contribute to our region’s future – because there is a lack of opportunities here.
To address these and other matters of importance to our future health and welfare as a region, we need municipal leaders in Niagara who can soar above the narrow, parochial politics of the past and work for what is best for the people of our region as a whole.
We need leaders that say it is about time we entered the 21st century with a region-wide transit system that is friendlier to the environment and gets at least some of the clogging car traffic off the road. We need leaders who finally say lets stand up for all of the regions of our residents (and not just north Niagara and the St. Catharines area) when it comes to hospital services, smarter growth, protecting and preserving or our rural lands, and other matters vital to our needs.
We also need leaders willing to stand up for ordinary residents and against bosses for the police and other public service unions who continue demanding two- to three-per-cent wage increases while the rest of us are losing our jobs or falling further behind on lower or fixed incomes.
Are those kind of municipal leaders out there? We only have months left to find them. Let’s go looking for them now! Our future depends on it.
(Click on www.niagaraatlarge.com for Niagara At Large and more news and commentary of interest and concern to our binational Niagara region.)
I thank Doug Draper for drawing attention to the municipal election. I am a candidate for City Council in St. Catharines in St. Patrick’s ward. I have a great concern for the environment, which is shown in my role as a founding member and current researcher for the Preservation of Agricultural Lands Society. It is generally not recognized that many environmental approaches can actually save money. Having costly curbs and gutters of concrete instead of grass swales, not only adds to pollution by increasing the speed of the flush of contaminates, it also is more expensive that grass swales, which can be attractively managed as constrcuted wetlands, complete with beautiful wetland plants such as Cardinal Flower. Such an approach would truly make St. Catharines a Garden City and save expenses for taxpayers!
PERHAPS MR BACHER ,AS POSTED ABOVE, BEING A GREAT ENVIRONMENTALIST, WOULD AGREE THAT THE POLLUTION FROM ADDITIONAL CARS TRAVELLING THROUGH ST CATHARINES TO HIS NEW HOSPITAL FROM THE SOUTHERN TIER IS NOT DESIREABLE.
MR DRAPER QUOTED OUR JOB STATISTICS.
OUR HEALTH STATISTICS ARE WORSE. THE NIAGARA PENINSULA DEATH RATE IS OVER 30% HIGHER THEN THE REST OF THE PROVINCE AND DEATH FROM HEART PROBLEMS IS OVER 50% HIGHER THEN THE REST OF THE PROVINCE.
THE NIAGARA HEALTH SYSTEM SPIN IS THAT WE ARE OLDER AND SICKER.
CHALLENGE EVERY SINGLE PERSON RUNNING FOR MUNICIPAL OFFICE TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION.
“WHAT WILL YOU DO TO ENSURE THAT EVERY COMMUNITY IN NIAGARA HAS ACCESS TO EQUAL AND ACCESSIBLE MEDICAL CARE?”
MAKE SURE YOU VOTE THIS YEAR,,,SOUTHERN TIER LIVES ARE AT RISK.
I would rather have anybody as Regional Chair except Debbie Z. She is too much of a Diva.
I sympathize with Sue’s frustration, but don’t think that she needs to direct it at John and ‘his’ hospital. Is he behind the NHS’s plans somehow? I don’t think so. In fact, I’d be willing to bet that he would be against building a new hospital on agricultural land, furthering sprawl, and creating all kinds of access problems for people in the region. My point here is that Sue and others shouldn’t assume that all people (including John and myself) in St. Catharines support what the NHS (and / or the province) are doing with health care in this region. We’re allies, so don’t lump us in with some undifferentiated “north Niagara” mass.
In response to Dennis Soron — You are quite right, of course. I know many residents of St. Catharines and area who oppose the NHS’ HIP as well as the location of the new hospital. Might I suggest that you make your opinions known to candidates for the upcoming municipal elections, particularly those seeking to serve as regional councillors. Of all the many meetings I have attended on the Niagara hospital restructuring issue, I personally found the Region’s recommittment to support for the new hospital the most disheartening. Both the discussion and the actual vote revealed only too clearly that most members of Regional Council care little or nothing for the concerns of residents of south Niagara about the future of their hospital services. Please consider adding your voice to our protest against the HIP, if you have not already done so.
Regarding the hopsptial site controversy, I would like to point out to sue that the Preservation of Agricultural Lands Society, opposed the west St. Catharines site. This was moreover, a difficult issue for us to take, because we actually lost a member as a result, who was subsequently appointed by the Provijncial government to the LINS board, which co-ordinates hopsital services for the Hamilton-Niagara area. Unfortunately, due to a hostile media, our positions our not widely understood, which is why forums such as Niagara at Large are so valuable.
really enjoying your site
keep up the great work
I think we need to seek and identify candidates that support a fully accessible, affordable and reliable regional transit service that can eventually be made into light rail. We need to dispose of regional councilors that are slowing down or blocking the progress of this initiative. Maybe before they put their name forward, they should leave their car behind for a month and just get around on what’s available, no carpooling, just use what inadequate buses there are or be forced to give up their first borns to take taxis to get from place to place … see if they can keep their job, let alone do it … see if they can access medical care, see if they can access recreational visits, etc. then let them make comment on whether or not a regional transit service will help. Tired of drivers making all the decisions about how non-drivers get around (or not).