From the July 9, 2009 Meeting of Regional Council
Regional Council approved the 2010 Budget Guideline for levy programs that assumes a 1.7% increase to Departments and 3.0% increase to Police Operations.
Regional Council approved the 2010 Budget Guideline for rate programs that assumes a 1.7% increase to operations with the remainder to capital.
Regional Council received and referred the Niagara Regional Police Service 2010 Budget guideline to staff to engage in further discussions with Police staff concerning Police issues, risks and potential solutions.
Ms. Liz Palmieri, Executive Director, Niagara Community Foundation and Ms. Maria Menechella, Director, Niagara Community Foundation Board provided Regional Council with an update on the activities of the Niagara Community Foundation (NCF) and thanked the NCF donors for stepping up to the plate, realizing that community needs increase during tough times and resources are required to meet those needs, donors are making additional non-endowed gifts to the NCF to flow-through to local charities so that the annual grant from their fund will at least match what was given in previous years, they still donated more than $1.1 million to the foundation.
Harmony Residents Group provided Regional Council with a presentation on Ognhiara Natural Heritage Park, which will be a model ecopark anchoring the growing ecotourism industry, a place to enjoy nature, appreciate heritage, learn and discover and to visit all year on the Parks Canada site on Lakeshore Road, which they feel is ideal for a heritage park and is in need of protection. As a Heritage Park the site will offer: a range of heritage and nature-based experiences; undertake a variety of rehabilitation and research projects; site plans will minimize the human footprint and the capital costs will be modest.
The Ontario Trails Council presented their second Lifetime Achievement Award ever presented by the Ontario Trails Council to the late George Nicholson. George Nicholson's wife, Wynne and son Scott were proud to accept the award on George's behalf.
Regional Council received a report summarizing the social marketing activities planned and forecasted for July through to December 2009 and highlights Public Health's multi-faceted approach to achieving a healthier Niagara.(PHD 28-2009)
These announcements are a great example of what can be achieved when federal, provincial and regional governments come together to improve the lives of the citizens of Niagara:
On June 23, the federal and provincial governments announced just over $58 million in infrastructure stimulus funding for the Niagara Region. $16.6 million for the Baker Road Wastewater Treatment Plant, located in Grimsby; $1.8 million for Fly Road Reconstruction and Upgrading, located in Lincoln; $14.6 million for the Seaway Wastewater Treatment Plant, located in Port Colborne; $13.2 million for Frenchman's Creek Sewage Service, located in Fort Erie; $10 million for the Combine Sewage Overflow, located in Niagara Falls; and $3.5 million for Mountain Road Reconstruction and Storm Drainage, located in Niagara Falls. Each of these projects has a scheduled completion date of March 31, 2011.
On July 8, 2009, Jim Bradley, Minister of Transportation announced a $6.5 million cash infusion into 8.2 km along General Brock Parkway (highway 405) and 0.5 km along the QEW. The work to be completed includes resurfacing, minor repairs to three bridges and the installation of quiet pavement test sections on Highway 405 westbound lanes between Stanley Avenue and the QEW.
Also on July 8, 2009, the federal and provincial governments announced a $150, 000 joint initiative to assist Habitat for Humanity Niagara in the construction of three new units of affordable housing for lower income households. The funding comes from the new Canada-Ontario Affordable Housing Program Agreement. The three units will be located in St. Catharines (Merritt Street), Welland (Michigan Avenue) and Port Colborne (Paul Street). By providing greater access to units of affordable housing across Niagara Region, we are helping some of Niagara's most vulnerable citizens, and continuing to live up to our legacy of "Building Communities... Building Lives."
On June 23, 2009, Regional Chair Partington along with Mike Trojan, CAO and Patrick Gedge, CEO, Niagara Economic Development Corporation, met with representatives from the Premier's office to follow up on an offer from Niagara Week to meet and discuss Niagara's borders/ gateways issues. The meeting was productive and both parties agreed to continue our dialogue later this summer with the larger group, in order to achieve our goal of recognizing Niagara as a strategic gateway provincially, federally and internationally. Included in that discussion were references to the Gateway Economic Zone and Gateway Economic Centre and how we could work more closely with the province to implement these concepts into actions to make us more competitive in the marketplace for future investment. The Premier's office was very complimentary about how well Niagara was working together in presenting its strategies and priorities to the Province.