By Anne Finlay-Stewart

Four out of five of the newly-elected councillors were listening at the back of the room as Pastor David Kennedy of the Salvation Army Community Church opened the last meeting of the 2010-2014 Owen Sound City Council meeting. Kennedy's remarks and prayers of clear gratitude for council members' four years of passionate work and sacrifice on behalf of city residents felt like foreshadowing of what is also expected from the newcomers.

• With his usual humility, Tim Nicholls Harrison, CEO of the Owen Sound and North Grey Union Public Library accepted the city's congratulations on his award from the Ontario Council of Federation of Literacy by crediting the library community of staff and volunteers.
• "Does anyone from the public have a question for this council?" It's part of the agenda of every council meeting. This time resident Paul Foster stood at the mic and asked a series of questions, each beginning with "Did you know..?" to deliver the message to the outgoing council - "You did make a difference and moved this city forward".
• Pretty sure mayor Deb Haswell spoke for everyone on council when she said "That's the best question I've heard in a long time."
• "A Contentious Lot". The title of Ontario Ombudsman Andre Marin's report on his investigation into alleged violations of the Municipal Act by Owen Sound Council. His conclusion – no provisions of the Act were violated. The mayor reaffirmed the important role of the Ombudsman but the title of report had said it all.
• BCK – Our police chief had to leave an office full of storm-related accident reports to remind council that the 2005 council had passed a motion stating that the owners need not fill in any low spots on the former BCK property as long as they maintained the fence and controlled dust and weeds. Any attempt to rescind that, he said, would cause enforcement and possibly legal challenges. Chief Sornberger assured the concerned public that the site was being regularly monitored. Councillor Colleen Purdon put on record that she did not see the problem with birds nesting and plants providing shelter for fledglings on our waterfront.
• City Manager Ruth Coursey played it straighter than the Ombudsman in her report on allegations of breach of council code of conduct. Complaints surrounding the visit of Chinese consul members were dismissed as "no breach" in the four-page report. Maybe the election has ended this particular use of official resources.
• The city has agreed to another three year commitment of $15,000 per for its share in a partnership with the province for the Business Enterprise Centre. The year thus far has seen 400 one-on-one consultations, 1000 other inquiries, 41 businesses ushered through the self-employment program, 68 workshops, etc etc. etc. What a bargain! Councillor Jan Chamber pointed out that at least two of the Chamber of Commerce business award winners credited the Centre in their acceptance speeches.

Nice segue into the report of the Economic Development and Tourism Advisory Committee on its strategy for youth attraction and retention. Lots of emphasis on entrepreneurial skills – the Manager caught himself saying youth will need to fend for themselves rather than looking for ready-made jobs. Councillor Purdon spoke of the Welcoming Communities initiative, and a new provincial database tool that will allow us to compare our ability to attract newcomers and youth to other communities in Ontario.

• A short lesson in development charges was provided by Councillor Bill Twaddle, who explained that these fees paid by developers are intended to pay for future (five years out) growth-related capital projects made necessary by the need for increased capacity of city services – water, sewage, etc. If the developers don't pay (something suggested by a few in the municipal campaign), then all the taxpayers will share those costs. The current agreement on development charges expires March 31, 2015, so the consultant will be brought in to explain the process and implications to the new council during orientation.
• Speaking of consultants, council approved a recommendation to hire Lura Consulting, a firm with "the best reputation in the province for the public participation process" according to our city manager, to work with the new council on the public consultation part of the city's Strategic Plan review. The contract is for $41,060, and having seen Lura in action in Owen Sound and elsewhere, it seems like great value for the money.
• Other agenda items included approval of a cost over-run for a watermain upgrade, approval of a site plan on property recently sold by the city, and the denial of a request to return a damage deposit made by the organizers of an event in a public park. All seemed like shades of the future – where the rhetoric of a campaign meets the harsh realities of running a city.
• Councillors Jan Chamberlain and Colleen Purdon brought new business forward that was true to their four years on council. Councillor Chamberlain thanked the council, staff and citizens Owen Sound for their support of her work in the past term, and especially the personal support of the past few weeks when she lost her daughter to cancer right after the election. Councillor Purdon spoke of the critical need for affordable housing in the city and the region, and directed the new councillors attention to the Grey County 10-year plan for housing and homelessness prevention. She also spoke of the enormous amount of money we save on health care when people are safely and appropriately housed and Public Health's "Above Standards" initiative for using municipal by-laws to assure the quality of rental housing is adequate.

The rest of the meeting was the presentation of plaques from the city acknowledging the contribution of Deb Haswell, David Adair, Jan Chamberlain, Colleen Purdon and Bill Twaddle who will not be returning to the new council, each of whom, in the words of the city manager, "radiate the love you have for the city".

The last words should be theirs. Watch the video on owensoundhub.org for their parting remarks.

Anne Finlay-Stewart is Community Editor of Owensoundhub.org. She can be reached at [email protected].