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“Weighty” vote report filed for counties council
The new council for the United Counties of Prescott-Russell (UCPR) reviewed a re- port from administration during the Dec. 17 inaugural session. The report concerned the weighted vote setup for council whenever a resolution or some other concern demands a registered vote for approval. UCPR Chief Administrator Stéphane Pa- risien noted that the five-page report and
its contents has been the subject of specu- lation in regional media during the past week leading up to the inaugural session of council. News briefs focused on the slight increase in the share of weighted voting power that the mayor for the City of Clar- ence-Rockland will have in future on any recorded votes. “I know there’s been a lot of media atten- tion,” said Parisien. “It was by no way meant to stir the pot.” The resolution dealing with the weight- ed vote setup was handled by mayors sit- ting on the counties council in April 2010. That was a municipal election year and the resolution approved then stated that the change in the weighted vote structure would remain “on hold” until after the 2010 fall election was over and remain on hold until another civic election had taken place. The resolution also required that the regis- tered vote system be reviewed every four years. Most counties council business is done through regular voting approval with each sitting mayor having one single vote, yes or no, on a subject. The weighted vote system takes effect only when a member of coun- ties council calls for a registered vote on a subject. The reason may be that the issue has proven controversial, or it is deemed of high importance and significance and requires a registered vote to show how criti- cal approval or rejection is. Registered votes are rare during counties council sessions.
The weighted vote system for the coun- ties gives each mayor a vote based on his or her municipality’s total population. The “weight” is one “vote” for every 3000 people in the area based on the latest census re- port. The original system had a cap set for a maximumweighted vote of five, based on a municipal population of 15,000 or more. The report and resolution approved dur- ing the Dec. 17 session takes away the cap. It also adjusts the previous weighted vote schedule based on the most census figures for Prescott-Russell. Clarence-Rockland, which before had a maximum weight vote of five, will now have a vote worth seven, given its larger population. Both The Nation Municipality and the Township of Russell have weighted votes worth four each. Hawkesbury, Alfred- Plantagenet Township, and Champlain Township all have weighted votes of three. East Hawkesbury Township and the Village of Casselman both have weighted votes worth one. The weighted vote total for the counties council during a registered vote is now 26. Any issue put to a registered vote needs a total of 14 or more for approval. This means that the mayor of a municipality seeking support for or against an issue or resolution still has to lobby for weighted vote strength from other mayors on counties council. Counties council voted with little discus- sion to accept the report and approve the changes to the registered vote system.
GREGGCHAMBERLAIN gregg.chamberlain@eap.on.ca
L’ORIGNAL | What seemed like a contro- versial report for the counties council en- ded up getting approved without much comment.
McMillan acclaimed as chair for Upper Canada district
BROCKVILLE | Jeff McMillan will lead the Upper Canada school district in 2015. Trustee McMillan, a retired teacher and author on educational issues, was acclai- med as the new chairman for the Upper Ca- nada District School Board (UCDSB) during its December inaugural session before the Christmas break. Trustees Caroll Carkner and David McDo- nald were acclaimed as the first- and se- cond-vice chairs for the board. «I am really pleased,» stated McMillan, 62. «I think it shows a lot of confidence and support for myself and the first and second chairs. This is the kind of support we need in order to move forward to the challenges that face us.» McMillan is former elementary school teacher with the UCDSB, retiring in 2007 after three decades of service. He had writ-
ten two books on education: Thirty Days of Mondays , and What If: Learning for the 21 st Century . He earned a reputation for inno- vative instruction methods, creating The Current Experience program during his time at Commonwealth Public School. The pro- gram was a project-based cross-curriculum system for Grades 7 and 8 students that showed «impressive results» for student learning. McMillan noted the challenges for the UCDSB during 2015 include working to im- prove the EQAO results within the district, and creating effective student program- ming at a time when student enrolment is in decline in many schools in various school districts. «We have a heavy road ahead,» stated McMillan, «but I feel confident we can ac- complish what we need to.
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Carkner named to UCDSB executive Prescott-Russell school trustee Caroll Carkner is first vice-chair for the Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) as it begins its new term. Carkner also has three UCDSB committee assignments effective Dec. 10. She will be the UCDSB representative for the Native Agreements committee and will sit with other board members on the UCDSB’s Suspension Appeal and Expulsion Committee and the Accountability Framework Committee.
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