A Couple Of Loose Threads

There are a couple of dangling threads. The question of whether King is using OUR water is one.

The Region of York is responsible for  water supply. The municipality is responsible for treatment and distribution.  Councillors are legally responsible for quality of water.

There's a Provincial Act that could  send  elected members to jail if water quality ever caused a problem.

The Act was passed after Premier Mike Harris got rid of the Ontario Water Resources  the body
That guarenteed water quality throughout Ontario.

Walkerton  Council hired  a person not qualified or competent to do the job.

Their well was surrounded by farmers fields regularly doused with  manure. People died from E-coli from contaminated water.

The employee wept on the witness stand and went  to jail.  Mayor and Councillors of Walkerton were not held responsible.

 Nor did  Mike Harris  take responsibility . He saved money. by getting rid of the government agency that would have prevented deaths in Walkerton.

Ontario Water Resources were never re-instituted by Provincial Liberal governments Instead they made local Councils  personally and criminally responsible for quality of water.

The  Region supplies King with water. It's entirely possible taxpayers in Aurora helped to pay for
new infrastructure to bring  it to King City where there had been coliform from private septic tanks in drainage ditches  for the last forty years.

Millions of dollars were spent in legal fees to stop the Region from linking the Village to York-Durham trunk sewer . We would have helped to pay for that as well. Legal battles  went on for years.

I haven't read Alison's column about  selection of  the Regional Chair. Nor the Auroran story.

I fully anticipated  Wayne Emmerson to collect the  prize.

I knew he had it in the bag when he stepped down as Mayor of Whitchurch-Stouffville.

It meant there would be no controversy bout the need for an election on top of an election to fill the
vacancy if he had hung on to the local office.

The Region has been in place since 1971. First chair was appointed by the Province. Three by Council  since.

The enormity of the challenge of campaigning for the job region-wide makes it a virtual certainty
no-one on  Regional  Council  who understands the  territory is  likely to vote for the job to be filled by election. Where would the money come from to pay for it?

The Region of York Act allows for a non- member to be appointed  by the Council.

I understand pay is around $240,000. plus  benefits .  The chair could still practise law if hw was a lawyer and so chose.

What chance the inner circle would allow the  Goose That  Keeps On Laying to slip out of the ranks.

Whoever gets the job is indeed the servant of the Council. What outsider could be counted upon to fill that Bill.

There was a  comment about in -camera meetings.

I understand some decisions are made  without meetings.

Councillors are polled by telephone.