After a few days in Ottawa, the Mayor and members of Bancroft Council have returned with a positive attitude.
Mayoral candidate and current Councillor Mary Kavanagh was one of the four that attended the AMO Conference in Ottawa last week. The Association of Municipalities of Ontario was created to help give municipalities like Bancroft a voice when it comes to speaking with Ministers.
She mentioned that this year’s conference was important for many reasons. One of them being that with there being a new Government in Ontario for the first time in 15 years, they needed to be very specific and clear with what they’re talking about.
The key issues they touched on were the purchase of the Public Works building, their concerns around water and wastewater and the rising costs of it and the uneven distribution of profits around the Province.
One of the many Ministers that sat down with the Bancroft delegation was Todd Smith. The former M.P.P. for Bancroft’s old Provincial riding of Prince Edward-Hastings is the current Minister of Government and Consumer Services. Kavanagh says that talking to him about Bancroft’s key issues was easy because he understands them. However, talking to other Ministers is where it got difficult. “We’re very clear in telling Ministers in order to survive and in order to move ahead successfully,” Kavanagh said. It was important to get across how Bancroft is the community hub for Hastings County.
Mayor Paul Jenkins has said before that he hopes to be more respected by new Ontario Government. Kavanagh says in her four years attending the AMO Conference she has always felt listened to and respected. “They have always listened with open ears and they want to help as much as they possibly can,” Kavanagh says.
My Bancroft Now will be speaking with Mayor Paul Jenkins about the AMO Conference tomorrow.