2001-05-28_Minutes
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COMMON COUNCIL
MAY 28, 2001
At a meeting of the Common Council, held at the City Hall in the City of
Saint John, on Monday, the twenty-eighth day of May, AD. 2001, at 7:00 o'clock p.m.,
being the day fixed for swearing in the new members of Common Council.
John McCarthy, Piper, entered the Council Chamber, followed in
procession by Kenneth Galbraith, Sergeant-at-Mace; Mary Munford, Common Clerk;
Councillors-elect Eric L. Teed, Victor Fitzgerald, Stephen Chase, Walter Ball, Carl A
White, Christopher Titus, Peter Trites, Stephen Fitzpatrick, Ivan Court and Bernard
Desmond.
Shirley McAlary, Mayor-elect, escorted by Mr. C. E. (Butch) Cogswell,
Chief of Police, entered the Council Chamber.
Oath Of Office To Mayor
Shirley McAlary, Mayor-elect, took the Oath of Office of Mayor before the
Common Clerk of the City of Saint John.
Oath Of Office To Councillors
Eric L. Teed, Victor Fitzgerald, Stephen Chase, Walter Ball, Carl A
White, Christopher Titus, Peter Trites, Stephen Fitzpatrick, Ivan Court and Bernard
Desmond, individually, took the Oath of Office of Councillor before the Common Clerk
and, preceded by the Mayor, took their seats at the Council table.
Also present were Messrs. T. Totten, City Manager; J. Nugent, City
Solicitor; A Beckett, Commissioner of Finance and Commissioner of Corporate
Services; P. Woods, Deputy City Manager; P. Groody, Commissioner of Municipal
Operations; W. Butler, Commissioner of Community Services; S. Galbraith, Director of
Works; J. Baird, Manager of Community Planning; W. Edwards, Building Inspector; E.
Farren, Intergovernmental Affairs Officer; G. Tait, Fire Chief; Ms. S. Greer,
Communications Officer; Mrs. M. E. Gray, Administrative Assistant to the Mayor; Ms. J.
Thorne, Administrative Assistant to the City Manager, and Ms. C. Mosher, Assistant
Common Clerk; and a large assembly composed of relatives of Council members and
other interested citizens.
MeetinQ Called To Order - Prayer
Mayor McAlary called the meeting to order.
Invocation
A special invocation was offered by Monsignor Brian Sheehan of the
Roman Catholic Diocese of the City of Saint John.
The Mayor advised that, on May 11, 2001, Monsignor Sheehan
celebrated thirty-five years in the priesthood, and expressed appreciation to him for his
community support.
Election of Deputy Mayor
The Mayor noted the tradition in the City of Saint John for the member of
Council who polled the highest number of votes in the municipal election to be
nominated Deputy Mayor.
On motion of Councillor Desmond
Seconded by Councillor Court
RESOLVED that Carl White be elected
Deputy Mayor of the City of Saint John.
Question being taken, the motion was carried by the unanimous vote of
all Council members present.
Congratulations were extended to Councillor White on his election to the
position of Deputy Mayor.
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MAY 28, 2001
Address By The Mayor
Mayor McAlary gave the following address:
"Members of Common Council, Monsignor Brian Sheehan, Members of
Staff, Family and Friends, Ladies and Gentlemen:
First, let me begin by expressing my sincere thanks to the citizens of the
City of Saint John for supporting and placing their confidence and allowing me the
honour and privilege of being able to serve a third term as Mayor of Saint John.
To each member of Common Council, may I take this opportunity to
extend congratulations and best wishes to you and I know you will find the next three
years both challenging and rewarding. Each of you brings to this table individual
strengths and areas of expertise. It is rewarding that all eight incumbent Councillors
were re-elected and our two new members both have a knowledgeable background of
the City of Saint John. This Common Council will be strongerJor that. I fully intend to
utilize each of your unique abilities as we all work toward the ultimate goal - a stronger
Saint John and a better_Saint John.
Tonight, Saint John can look forward to a new beginning. We are in a
unique position. We are Canada's first incorporated City, New Brunswick's largest City -
in large measure, the economic engine that runs our Province.
During the past three years, the City of Saint John has enjoyed many
successes.
Our work force has been diversified - many new job opportunities have
been created for our citizens. We even see 'help wanted' signs in some of our windows
of our businesses now.
One of the newest companies located in Saint John, Unilever, stated that
it is very easy to do business with Saint John, as we are very accommodating and
accessible.
Tourism is one of the fastest growing industries in this Province. Last
year we led the Province with the highest number of visitors, with over 100,000 visitors
from our Cruise Ship visits alone. We will do it again this year. Our heritage and history
stand as a beacon, attracting thousands of visitors to our City and our Red Carpet
Treatment, our hospitality makes us number one.
Construction and new development, both business and residential has
been on the rise - for the first time in a decade, we had an increase in our tax base of
3.9% last year.
The City of Saint John has continually made great progress at
maintaining a safe, healthy, vibrant and prosperous community where our citizens can
enjoy a first rate quality of life.
The Municipality delivers a vast array of services that impact directly on
our ability to attract people to Saint John as a place to live, to visit, to work and to invest.
police services, fire protection, public works, water and sewerage systems, are essential
services that directly affect the safety and well-being of our citizens and their property.
Other services, such as community planning, by-law enforcement,
tourism marketing, economic development, beautification of parks, recreation and
cultural programs are no less important, as they contribute to the overall quality,
character and attractiveness of our City.
We have come a long way as Canada's first incorporated City. During
the past two decades we have invested in major infrastructure initiatives, designed to
protect our environment and our overall well-being, allowed for better service delivery,
adopted long-term plans for transportation improvements and developed a wastewater
strategy, all of which will improve our quality of life and lead us forward to a brighter and
more prosperous future.
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We have accomplished a great deal, we must be very positive, but we
must do more. We want our young people, our children and grand children to be proud
of the City of Saint John. We want them to live and work in this community, knowing that
a solid foundation has been laid from which they can continue to build on.
Tonight we are beginning a new mandate, an exciting and challenging
one. During the next three years major decisions will have to be made by us. Decisions
that will affect all of our citizens.
The new Municipalities Act will be presented to us for our input and
review. The changes made to this Municipalities Act will establish the way the Council
does business for the next thirty years or more.
The results of the Minister's Round Table on Provincial/Municipal issues,
including funding details, will be in front of us in the next few months.
Decisions on major issues, such as Simonds Arena, the new Police
facility and our present City Hall, will be fully discussed during this Council's term.
When I campaigned, during the past months, I realized fully how
important service is to our citizens.
Everyday concerns, such as the condition of our streets and sidewalks,
must be addressed; the necessity of putting a plan in place for the next three to five
years for maintenance and street improvements is most important.
Expansion of water and sewerage services, not only for future
development, but also for the convenience of our present citizens.
Continuance of wastewater clean-up; the Mayors of the Port Cities in
Canada will be forming a task force to lobby for Federal Government funding, solely for
the clean-up of sewerage from harbours.
Development of our waterfront, we will work with the Waterfront
Development Partnership, not only just for public government funding, but to encourage
the involvement of private investors. Waterfront development is seen as a catalyst for
the future of our City. We have the potential to promote major opportunities for the
growth of Saint John.
As has been stated very clearly in the past few weeks, we must have
stronger by-laws for better housing conditions, beautification and image of our City. Just
this past week I met with the Minister of Local Government, who has committed to
setting up a committee of staff from the Provincial Government and our City, along with
elected officials, to review the present by-laws and make the necessary changes to
strengthen and give us more authority to carry out enforcement.
Our youth will be the future of our City. They want to be involved - this
can happen - we can establish a youth council in much the same way as our Senior
Advisory Council. This will allow our youth to make recommendations to us on issues
and projects that they want to see happen. The Vision of Youth has already identified
over three hundred initiatives that are of interest to our youth.
Our job market is the most important concern for our youth. Once they
have completed their education they want to obtain a job and achieve that freedom that
we all strive towards.
Jobs are the backbone of our economy. Every citizen, who has the
desire, deserves to have a job. Pursuing new business opportunities and new
development is a constant must. Our economic development growth is most vital to our
community.
For the next three years, we have, as a Council, the opportunity to work
together and partner with other community stakeholders and other levels of government,
to ensure that the City of Saint John moves ahead in a positive and progressive manner.
It is most important that the City of Saint John and our neighboring
municipalities continue to work together in the years to come.
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We should compliment each other and realize that there will be growing
trends for all of us, but we should not be in competition. We should want to be
surrounded by growing and prosperous suburban areas and, as well, the suburban
areas will want to be connected to a City that is vibrant and a growing cosmopolitan
area. It is in our best interest to work together and support one another.
We need to continue to promote our assets and make every effort to
attract new investors to our City. We need private investors and developers to ensure a
healthy future for our City.
We were all elected by the citizens of the City of Saint John as
individuals. We are not a political caucus - we are not a political party.
We as individuals must respect one another's views and opinions - work
on the basis that the majority rules and we, as a body, will make a difference to the
overall well-being of this City.
One thought I would like to leave with each one of you, as we move
forward, we have many reasons to be positive about our City and our quality of life.
Sometimes we forget about what we have accomplished and how proud we are of the
businesses and investments that have been made in this City and the wonderful quality
of life that we enjoy. Any difficulties or barriers that fall in our way are only challenges
that we will overcome by working together.
Just remember, tonight may be the night that our Saint John Flames win
the Calder Cup.
We are all very proud to have been chosen by you to have the privilege of
having a place at this table and I know that the next three years will be very prosperous
and successful for our City and its citizens."
The Mayor invited those present to attend a reception, following the
meeting, in the Red Room on the 8th floor of City Hall; and, in expressing appreciation to
the Saint John Ability Advisory Committee for the flowers in the Council Chamber, noted
that this was Disability Week in the City of Saint John.
Adiournment
The meeting adjourned.
Common Clerk