York Region council at secret meeting this week

Residents not welcome, but will be picking up tab.

Thestar.com
Jan. 29, 2015
By Noor Javed


Residents of York region won’t be privy to the discussions at a three-day educational retreat that regional councillors and top staff are attending this week.

But they will be footing the $10,000 to $12,000 bill, depending on how many people decide to stay the night at the Kingbridge Conference Centre and Institute in King City between Wednesday and Friday.

Around 40 people are expected to attend the meeting that will be closed to the public, but will allow the new council to set priorities and discuss in details the pressing issues affecting the booming region.

“Our education session is so important because there is so much happening in York Region,” said the new CEO of York Region Wayne Emmerson. “We want to set our priorities for the next four years.

Emmerson believes the session is also a good way for new and old members of council to “understand the bigger picture” of the changes that are coming to the region.

“I am a very frugal person, but I am a new chair and I want to get to know my colleagues a little better and figure out where we are going with this strategic plan,” said Emmerson.

He said on the agenda will be: transportation, housing, the Greenbelt and the region’s $2.5-billion debt and the overall financial situation. York Regional Police Chief Eric Joliffe will also be attending the session for the first time, Emmerson said.

Emmerson said he understands the concerns some taxpayers may have about the cost.

“This is a huge corporation, and I need to get all of them (councillors) corralled into one room to have a proper discussion,” he said.

Eventually all those issues will come into the public through reports, before any discussions are finalized and approved.

“The public is probably interested in the high-level stuff, we will be drilling down in quite a lot of detail,” said Emmerson.

Gino Rosati, a regional councillor from Vaughan, says the educational session takes place every term, and he plans to attend this week. He stresses that it is purely an educational process and “not a decision making process at all.”

He said the closed meeting allows staff and politicians to have frank and open discussions without fear of repercussions.

“There are no agreements made at all,” he said. “It’s basically to get everyone - new and old councillors - on the same page.”