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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDecember 1, 1980 - 135 - 26/80 COUNCIL MEETING The Inaugural Meeting of the pickering Town Council was held on Monday, December 1, 1980 at 7:30 p.m. PRESENT: Mayor J. Anderson COUNCILLORS: P. Byers L. Cahill S. Coburn G. Fisher A. Robertson N. Stoner ALSO PRESENT: N.C. Marshall - Town Manager B. Taylor - Town Clerk I MEETING CALLED TO ORDER The Inaugural Meeting of Council was called to order by Mayor Anderson. II OATH OF OFFICE OF MAYOR AND COUNCILLORS The Oath of Office of Mayor and Councillors was administered by the Town Clerk. III INVOCATION The Invocation was given by the Reverend A.M. Butler. IV INTRODUCTION OF MEMBERS OF COUNCIL Mayor Anderson introduced Members of Council. V STATEMENTS OF COUNCIL MEMBERS - NON-DEBATABLE councillor Cahill There are those who claim ours is a "sick" society; that our . country is sick; our government is sick; that we are sick. Well maybe they're right. I submit that I'm sick....and maybe you are,too. I am sick of having policemen ridiculed and called "pigs" while cop killers are hailed as some kind of folk hero. I am sick of being told that religion is the opiate of the people, but marijuana should be legalized. I am sick of commentators and columnists canonizing anarchists, revolutionaries and criminal rapists, but condemning law enforce- ment when such criminals are brought to justice. - 136 - 26/80 I am sick of being told that pornography is the right of a free press, but freedom of the press does not include being able to read the Bible on school grounds. I am sick of paying more and more taxes to build schools while I see others encouraging students either to tear them down or burn them. I am sick of court decisions which turn criminals loose on society while other decisions try to take away my means of protecting my home and family. I am sick of pot-smoking entertainers deluging me with their condemnation of my moral standards on television. I am sick of being told that policemen are mad dogs who should not have guns but that criminals who use guns to rob, maim and murder should be understood and helped back to society. I am sick of being told it is wrong to use napalm to end a war overseas but if it's a molotov cocktail or a bomb at home, I must understand the provocations. I am sick of not being able to take my family to a movie unless I want to have them exposed to nudity, homosexuality and the glorification of narcotics. I am sick of riots, marches, protests, demonstrations, confron- tations and the other mob temper tantrums of people intellectually incapable of working within the system. I am sick of hearing the same phrases, the same slick slogans, the cries of people who must chant the same thing like zombies because they haven't the capacity for a verbalizing thought. I am sick of those who say I owe them this or that because of the sins of my forefathers when I have looked down both ends of a gun barrel to defend their rights, their liberties and their families. I am sick of cynical attitudes toward patriotism and of politicians with no backbone. I am sick of permissiveness. I am sick of the dirty, the unwashed, social service cheaters. I am sick of the decline of personal honesty, personal integrity and human sincerity. Most of all, though, I am sick of being told I'm sick. I'm sick of being told my country is sick....when we have the greatest nation that man has ever brought forth on the face of the earth. Fifty percent of the people on earth would willingly trade places with the most deprived, the most underprivileged among us. Yes, I may be sick, but if I am only sick, I can get well. I can also help my society get well....and help my country, Pickering and the surrounding communities get well. You will not find me under a placard; you will not see me take to the streets; you will not find me ranting to wild-eyed mobs. But you will find me here at work, paying taxes, as you do, serving in the community where I live. You will also find me expressing my anger and indignation to other elected officials. - 137 - 26/80 You will find me speaking out in support of those officials, institutions and personalities who contribute to the elevation of society and not its destruction. You will find me contri- buting my time, money and personal influence to helping churches, hospitals, charities and other establishments which have shown the true spirit of this area's determination to ease pain and suffering, eliminate hunger and generate brotherhood. I promise, you shall find me prepared to listen to you and others at all times. To work for the common goal to be well, and to keep our community well. By so doing, I believe we as Canadians, as residents of Pickering, and Durham Region, shall always generate a future, of health, and prosperity for everyone not just ourselves. Statement of_Councillor Byers I'd like to take this time to say some thank YOUSe Firstly, thank you to all the people who went out and voted on November 10th. Secondly, thank you to those voters in Ward 1 who supported me. And last, but definitely not least, a special thank you to my husband and family, because without their support and help, I'm not sure I'd be here this evening. I would like the residents and organized groups of Ward 1 to know that I will always be available to listen to and help them with their concerns and problems. I want input from the residents of Pickering because that is the only way, we as a Council, can be made aware of your needs and concerns. This Council has some very important and exciting projects to get on stream in the near future and I am hoping that we hear from you, the people, as to what you envision in these projects. I am looking forward to the next two years here on Council. I'm sure it will be challenging and exciting. I think we have a Council that will work well as a unit to accomplish what has to be done in this coming term. Statement of Councillor Coburn I am certainly happy to have the privilege of serving on this Council and the first thing I want to do is thank the people of Ward 2 for making it all possible. Although I have represented the Separate School supporters of Pickering for many years on the Regional Board and I have attended a lot of meetings, Council will be new. I have a lot to learn and I will be asking staff for a lot of background information, and I ask the Mayor and Councillors to have some patience until I learn the procedure, but I will learn fast. Pickering is a great place to live and it will be up to Council to see that it is always that way. We must work together with respect for each other and each other's point of view, in order to make the best decisions for the Town of Pickering. Once again, thank you for this honour. I will do my best. - 138 - 26/80 Statement of Councillor Robertson Councillor Robertson thanked those who worked on his campaign and voted for him. He indicated that two matters he would like to see considered in the next two years is a study of all recre- ation needs in the Town and a study of traffic on the major roads and ways of improving traffic safety. Statement of Councillor Fisher Councillor Fisher thanked those who worked on his campaign and voted for him. He indicated that Ward 3 is difficult to campaign in because of its size and diversity of people. Statement of Councillor Stoner Councillor Stoner thanked those who worked on her campaign and stated that she looked forward to working with community groups on such projects as the Recreation Complex, community facilities, various planning matters, St. Martin's Centre and improving the Dial-a-Bus. She looked forward to implementing those matters which brought such a good response on her questionnaire. VI INAUGURAL ADDRESS OF MAYOR JOHN E. ANDERSON Dear Friends: The occasion of an inaugural ceremony should, I think, also be the occasion for fresh beginnings and new possibilities. In that spirit, we all welcome two of our newest Councillors, Shane Coburn and Peggy Byers. I personally look forward to fresh ideas and enthusiasms to add to the experience of our veteran Members. Of course, in that connection, we welcome back all of whom have successfully withstood the electoral wars. And of course, we are pleased to see the return of our old frienà, Alex Robertson. All in all, it looks as if we have a pretty good mix of pepper and salt on our new Council, and perhaps even with a little bit of sugar thrown in. I'll let you figure out which is which. I would also like to take a moment to thank the many people who gave so much of their time and efforts to make my re-election possible. Every candidate has his group of supporters. None of us does it on his own. I often think that those volunteers are the ones who carry democracy on their backs. Of course, one cannot name them all, but I don't think that anyone will be offended if I single out, at least in my case, the many young people who came out from the St. John's School from Claremont in such willing and enthusiastic numbers. I'm sure that they got out of it at least as much as they put in. Of conrse, I must thank my campaign manager, the tireless GordT,irebuck., 'And I hope you will forgive me if I mention my wife Muriel, and my three boys, Ken, David and Donald. I am sure you know that behind every successful politician stands a surprised wife, and a few children who are always explaining why their father doesn't go to work like everyone else- - 139 - 26/80 My first and foremost hope for the new council is that it will be a harmonious one. Each of us is entitled to express his or her own opinion. In fact, we are under an obligation to our electors to do that. But when all is said and done, each and everyone of us has the same obligation - to co-operate together in order to provide for the people of Pickering the best municipal administra- tion of which we are capable. In the end, that is our only obligation, and I happen to believe that co-operation rather than political infighting is the best way to achieve that goal. As Mayor, I would like to suggest to my fellow Councillors, and to the guests present here this evening that Pickering's basic re- quirement in the 1980s will be "balanced growth1l. I put equal emphasis on "balance" as on "growth". We must have the residen- tial development in order that we can have the people to serve the industries and offices that Pickering needs in order to provide a balanced assessment. Without people, industry will not come because a reliable and convenient work force is the life blood of industry. Without industry, our assessment becomes unbalanced and our taxes will rise dramatically. So far, in Pickering, we have been very fortunate. In the past five years, our local share of the taxes have not risen. That state of affairs cannot continue without some very serious and imaginative efforts on the part of Council to attract the right kind of development over this decade. During the course of the campaign, I took every opportunity to stress the need for getting on with the indoor Recreation Complex as part of the Town Centre development. I think that such a fa- cility is very much needed by our citizens and I see it as being developed in stages comprising of a swimming pool, squash courts, ice arena, meeting and banquet halls, as well as many other indoor sport facilities. I should think that the Complex would be devel- oped in concert with the growth of the local community centres throughout the Town. I sincerely hope that my fellow Councillors will see this complex as an absolute first priority so as to help give our Town a central focus as well as a needed sense of commun- ity. I would now like to address myself for a moment to my fellow Regional Councillors. Again, I think it is of the greatest im- portance and benefit to the Town of Pickering that, wherever possible, we maintain a solid and united position at the Regional Council. Only in that way will we obtain for our citizens a fair and equitable share of the benefits of Regional Government. If there are differences amongst us on Regional matters, then let's discuss them amongst ourselves. Let's try to find some common area of agreement. And then let the proper, united voice of Pickering be heard at the Region. That way we will earn respect and we will gain support for our proper needs. Let me mention just one issue that is paramount from the Regional point of view. Liverpool Road, which is a Regional Road, badly needs widening and improvement. I doubt that anyone from Pickering would doubt that. It is need~d to meet the already congested traffic, and it is going to be needed if we are to continue to attract growth that will look to us for progressive management of our transportation resources. ~ The list of issues that we will have to face together over this term will of course be many and varied. I thought that I would just touch on a couple of them by way of example as to what lies ahead of us. The problems, you may be sure, are never-ending. But they are our problems. And if you are anything at all like myself, you will actually come to love them. To me, they are opportunities. - 140 - 26/80 I am sure that none of you would have run for Council if you didn't see them in exactly the same way. Let us work together then for the sake of our Town and all of its inhabitants. I don't think that we are elected to serve only the people who voted for us. We are elected to serve in equal measure, and with equal fairness, those who voted for our opponents, those who voted for us and even those who did not vote at all. I try to see myself as the Mayor of all the people of Pickering. And the Council is the Council for the whole of Pickering as well. Let us then, with good will in our hearts, proceed to go about our business in this new term. May I wish all of you the best of the festive season and every good wish for the New Year. VII RESOLUTIONS Resolution #135/80 Mov~d by Councillor Fisher Seconded by Councillor Stoner That the provisions of Section E.2 of By-law 3714 (Procedural By-law) be waived; and that By-law Number 1202/80 be lifted from the table for consideration. CARRIED VIII BY-LAWS By-law Number 1202/80 Being a Restricted Area By-law to amend Restricted Area By-law 3036, as amended, to implement the Official Plan of the Town of Pickering District Planning Area, Region of Durham, in Part Lot 23, Concession 1, in the Town of Pickering. THIRD READING OF BY~LAW NUMBER 1202/80 Councillor Stoner, seconded by Councillor Fisher moved that the report of the Committee of the Whole on By-law Number 1202/80 be adopted and that the said By-law be now read a Third time and PASSED and that the Mayor and Clerk sign the same, and the Seal of the Corporation be affixed thereto. CARRIED By-law read a first, second and third time and finally passed. - 141 - 26/80 IX CONFIRMATION BY-LAW By-law Number 1205/80 Councillor Fisher, seconded by Councillor Stoner moved for leave to introduce a By-law of the Town of Pickering to confirm the proceed- ings of the Council of the Corporation of the Town of Pickering at its meeting held on December 1, 1980, and that same be now read a first, second and third time and that the same be now finally passed and that the Mayor and Clerk sign the same and that the Seal of the Corporation be thereto affixed. CARRIED By-law read a first, second and third time and finally passed. x ADJOURNMENT The Meeting adjourned at the hour of 8:05 p.m. Dated December 15th 1980 ~~( g ¡:L~~. ~yor .~ --- ¡ - I ~--,.-, - - - ~ ~~ , Clerk " ~