Minutes of Meeting 8 September 2003

Attendees:

Marita Moll: Is running for Public School Trustee. She is recently retired, has lived in the area for 25 years and her children went to the public schools. The provincial funding formulas are driving the School Board to close schools: all schools in our area are threatened with the exception of R Burns Curry. 40% of new teachers leave in their first five years because of stress due in part to Ontario's highly centralized school system. Brian Gifford is the Public School Trustee for our ward but he won't be running again.

Fred McLennan: During the blackout August 14th, someone smashed the glass in the bus shelter at the corner of Cahill Drive and McCarthy Road, cost of repair is $2000-$3000. Someone broke in to the wine store in the A & P Plaza and stole four bottles of wine before the police arrived. There will be a provincial election October 2nd and a municipal election November 10th. For the municipal election, there will be an all-candidates meeting October 22nd - time and place to be confirmed.

Gisèle Loiselle-Branch: In her area, someone stole a wheelchair, someone stole a car, and someone vandalized another car.

Maria McRae: the Community Services Centre held a car seat clinic on June 7th in cooperation with the A & P Grocery Store (there will be another car seat clinic October 18th) ; June 23rd, the Centre had a Seniors picnic which the New RO covered; Aug 15th a Barbeque for Beef to support the Canadian Beef Industry; over the summer, Camp Spirit to provide training and activities for youth; September 8th, Family Fun Day to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Hunt Club/Riverside Community Centre. At the Family Fun Day, the seniors led by Flo Ladds had a bake sale and raised $450. On the night of the blackout, someone broke a window in the Community Centre and stole a computer. There should be a Community Forum to find solutions to vandalism and crime in our neighbourhood: in particular grow houses are a problem.

Next meeting: Mon 6 Oct 2003 at 7:30pm