Government Downloading.

(Note that water taking is licensed by the PROVINCE and municipalities have little or no control once that license is issued.) Provincial Court Security The issue of court security has become a policitical issue as Owen Sound council is discussing ways of dealing with it. Council has decided to not put forward the motion presented by Councillor Deb Haswell that would result in the withdrawal of all security from court rooms. Councillor Gary Levine says council can not ask the police chief and police services board to willfully break the law. He says it could cause them their jobs. Levine says its a politicial dilemma and puts it squarely on the shoulders of council. Councillor Peter Lemon says council should not approve the police services budget and force an OCCOPS hearing, to get the message out. He says its time to force the issue, adding this way its a legal challenge and its in the courts. Lemon says the city is responsible for close to 250 thousand dollars in court security costs. There will be an upcoming court security coalition meeting to address the issue of providing court security for the province. The coalition is made up of 21 municipalities across Ontario. (The entire cost of PROCVINCIAL court security is carried by that municipality in which the court is built and who provide the policing , in the case of a small town like Owen Sound this is a major cost.) No need to change OMERS. The Mayor of Georgian Bluffs wants Ontario to scrap controversial Bill 206. The possible legislation would drastically change the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System. Carl Spencer says there are too many organizations who oppose the bill. Spencer adds that municipalities and the employees union CUPE both have their reasons for opposing the changes. He doesn't think there were any problems with OMERS the way it was. But Spener knows Premier Dalton McGuinty feels he has to keep a promise to the fire fighters and police of Ontario. The legislation would provide for the creation of supplemental plans for fire fighters, police and emergency workers.CUPE believes it creates two tiers of municipal employees - while Spencer doesn't like how the new system would make it easy to force binding arbitration. Georgian Bluffs doesn't have any CUPE employees on staff, but Spencer says a strike would take Grey County's snow plow drivers off the road. That would mean the township's all ready overtaxed drivers would have to pick up the slack. Spencers says the province would be better off kiling Bill 206 and starting all over again. (If the union who represent the emergency service workers (and others) is against this and the employers (the municipalities) are against this why is the Province forcing this through? It would seem to be an issue between the workers and their union. Will the Province PAY for the extra cost incurred?) The above extracts from:- http://www.radioowensound.com/new/newscentre/index.htm

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