Feature Article March 6, 2003
LAND O' LAKES NewsWeb Home Minister recognizes wardens group, then gets shuffled outby Jeff GreenJust one day after responding favourably to the presentation of a report by a group of county wardens from Eastern Ontario, Associate Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, with responsibility for rural municipalities, Brian Cockburn, found himself replaced by Ernie Hardeman in a cabinet shuffle.
This comes as a disappointment to the wardens group, who were encouraged by what Cockburn had written: I wish to reconfirm my interest in, and this Ministrys support for, working co-operatively with you to identify and implement actions to overcome the regions difficulties, Cockburn had written.
The proposals that came out of the wardens report stemmed from a broadening perspective that the region has been moving deeper into financial crisis over the past few years, and it needs special attention from the province, according to a press statement from the county wardens caucus.
The study, (as outlined in Eastern Ontario County Wardens Frontenac News, February 27), points out how slow population growth and the lack of an industrial base within the region, coupled with the specific financial shortfalls that resulted from the downloading of provincial responsibilities to the municipalities, will make it impossible to raise the revenue necessary for the future without overburdening taxpayers in Eastern Ontario.
The new Associate Minister, Ernie Hardeman, brings a long history in rural Ontario politics with him to his new posting, and was a county Warden himself in Oxford County at one point. He should also be familiar with downloading, as he was the parliamentary assistant to the Minister of Municipal Affairs (rural) during the first Harris government of 1995-99, the time when the downloading of provincial responsibilities to rural municipalities took place.
The wardens group seeks some immediate measures from the government, and wants to set up joint meetings between wardens and MPPs from the region on a biannual basis. The groups press statement says they are now intent on ensuring the new Ministers will share the same sentiments [as the outgoing ministers] , and that these good intentions will translate into concrete support and funding initiatives in the coming weeks.
With a provincial election now seeming inevitable this year, the wardens will also say they will be taking their message to meetings with provincial candidates in each riding and the campaign organizations for each of the provincial parties.
