Feature Article February 19, 2004
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Is the honeymoon over?
When Harvey Rosen defeated Isobel Turner and became Mayor of Kingston last fall, members of Frontenac County Council made no secret of how pleased they were that Isobel Turner would no longer be representing Kingston. Turner held a long standing grudge against the County, going back to the time that the province named the County as the supervisor of Ambulance Services for itself and Kingston. First indications were good. Both outgoing County Warden Phil Leonard and incoming Warden Jim Vanden Hoek described Rosena as a straight shooter, and anticipated an improvement in city-county relations.
Three months later relations have already become strained, and once again it is over ambulance services. In an article in the Whig Standard, written by Annette Philip, Rosen is quoted as complaining that we have no teeth at the table when dealing with ambulance issues, even though the City is levied $3.3 million per year for ambulance service. Rosen questioned a new $26,000 automated vehicle locating system which plots the exact location of ambulances on a digital map for use by ambulance dispatchers, saying I dont see how its going to improve the system so much more than radio communications.
Never mind the fact that Rosen is wrong about the system. To put all the effort into a modern digital mapping system in conjunction with an up to date 911 system, and then stop short of putting in the final technology to allow immediate and accurate decisions as to which vehicle is closest to an emergency, would be foolishness. If an ambulance gets lost, the ability to plot its mistakes and return it to the right course could be a lifesaver for someone in the city or the countryside.
What is more important is the indication that Rosen has now decided not to trust the Countys judgement. This mistrust will be played out this spring in an arbitration hearing over financial arrangements between the City and the County, and Rosens positioning may have something to do with that hearing. Still, for Rosen to so quickly begin County bashing is unfortunate.
While Rosen is displeased that City officials have no say in ambulance decisions, it should be pointed out that in matters of Social housing, Ontario Works, Childrens services, and others, the situation is reversed. Service levels and costs are determined by the City and the County pays a levy for the service with no say in the management of the systems.
In all these cases, including ambulance service, the provincial ministries that used to administer the services still control the actions of the lower tier officials that now administer them. Downloading of services was all about getting property taxes to pay for services that were formerly funded exclusively through the provincial income and sales tax system. It was not about relinquishing power to the municipalities.
The former provincial government decided to force amalgamation and downloading through, and this has created the situation being faced by Kingston and Frontenac County. Power sharing arrangements are in place and will remain in place.
It is incumbent on both sides to make this work. Hopefully, despite these comments by Mayor Rosen, an improvement will take hold in relations in the interest of both groups.
