HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1986-12-23, Page 20PAG>. UL THE CITIZEN, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1986.
Blyth council to give
3 day notice of meetings
Closed Christmas, Boxing Day & New Year’s Day
Open New Year’s Eve until 9 p.m.
Merry Christmas
and a
Prosperous
New Year
Sending warmest
thoughts for the bright
est of happy holidays
to one and all!
interested in the subject, decided
to take no action to either support
or oppose the St. Catharines
resolution.
Councillor Lloyd Sippel noted
that conflict of interest guidelines
was set up to protect councillors not
hurt them.
In the long run councillors, while
"... not ci creut ure was stirrring/Not even a mouse. '' [Brussels
Public School]
Reeve Albert Wasson called the
resolution “a bit of a can of
worms”. Councillor Bill Manning
said the conflict of interest rules
areabitofashamnow. “People
deciare they have a conflict of
interest then they sit around”
while the subject is discussed.
Those who have a conflict of
interest shouldn’t even be in the
same room when discussion takes
place, hesaid, because they can
influence the debate just with body
language or facial expressions.
Councillor Tom Cronin, former
reeve, saidwhen he had been at
county council meetings, if there
had been a discussion involving
George Radford Construction, his
employer, he had to leave the
room.
1 Scrimgeour's Food Market i
| Blyth ;
Councillors also worried wheth-
ertheywouldbe allowed to add
items to the agenda at the last
moment since these had not been
included in the posted agenda.
In the final decision, however,
council agreed to post an agenda in
the clerk’s office three days before
the regular meetings of council.
In another matter of public
accountability, council decided to
file a resolution from the city of St.
Catharines calling for a complete
review of the Municipal Conflict of
Interest Act.
Although there was consider
able discussion on the matter,
Blyth village council has decided to
comply with the provisions of a new
private members bill before the
Ontario Legislature which hopes to
open up municipal meetings to the
public.
Mike Brea ugh, Municipal Af
fairs Critic for the New Democratic
Party and M.P.P., for Oshawa has
proposed Bill 16 which has receiv
ed second reading which means it
has received approval in principal
from the legislature. It is still
subject to clause by clause study.
The bill calls for, among other
things, notice to be “published”
not less than three days before the
date of a council meeting contain
ing the time and place of the
meeting, a statement that the
meeting is open to the public, a list
of items to be discussed and, if
appropriate, a statement that
copies of any report to be discussed
at the meeting are available for
inspection by the public.
There was considerable discus
sion about whatthe word “publish
ed” entailed with acting clerk
treasurer Ann Nesbit worrying
that if it meant the information
must be published in a newspaper
it would mean the agenda must be
prepared more than a week in
advance in order to meet newspap
er deadlines.
Howeverin an accompanying
letter, Mr. Breaugh noted that
publication means “post in a
public place such as the Clerk’s
office.”
Have a warm and wonderful Christmas. We are
From
Don, Lenore& Staff
at
delighted lo have the opportunity to thank you
for your continued patronage throughout the
year.
Golden Lantern
Restaurant
Brussels
To our many friends, neighbours and 1
customers, we’d like to take this opportunity^^ —x
to thank everyone for their kindness and IJ
generosity. Wishing everyone a Merry
Christmas and God Bless.
CARL, LENA, RON, RUSS & BRENDA
Nesbitt Construction
to our good friends
and customers
from the
Boneschansker
family,
Ethel
See you next
Springduringthe
strawberry season.
nwli¥. * *