M I N U T E S  IRAC-2012-3

The Intergovernmental Relations Advisory Committee (IRAC) met on June 7, 2012, at 11:22 a.m. in the Council Chamber, 5th Floor, Regional Administrative Headquarters, 10 Peel Centre Drive, Suite A, Brampton.

Members Present:		B. Crombie; P. Foley; C. Fonseca; S. Hames; E. Kolb; E. Moore; R. Paterak; J. Sanderson; R. Starr; A. Thompson; J. Tovey
Members Absent:		G. Miles, due to other municipal business; P. Saito, due to other municipal business
Also Present:		D. Szwarc, Chief Administrative Officer; N. Trim, Chief Financial Officer and Commissioner of Corporate Services; D. Labrecque, Commissioner of Public Works; J. Smith, Commissioner of Health Services; D. Arbuckle, Manager, Public Policy and Government Relations; C. Reid, Regional Clerk and Director of Clerk’s; L. Rubin-Vaughan, Senior Advisor, Government Relations, Office of the Strategic Innovation and Policy; C. Thomson, Committee Clerk

Chaired by Councillor A. Thompson.

1. DECLARATIONS OF CONFLICTS OF INTEREST - Nil

2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA

RECOMMENDATION IRAC-4-2012:

That the agenda for the June 7, 2012 Intergovernmental Relations Advisory Committee meeting, be approved.

3. DELEGATIONS - Nil

4. REPORTS

a) Region of Peel Advocacy Meetings in Ottawa

RECOMMENDATION IRAC-5-2012:

That a Regional Chair-led delegation to participate in meeting with local Members of Parliament and Ministers, as identified in the report of the Chair of the Intergovernmental Relations Advisory Committee, dated May 9, 2012, titled “Region of Peel Advocacy Meetings in Ottawa,” be endorsed;

And further, that Regional staff begin to coordinate the relevant meetings in Ottawa and briefing materials necessary for the initiative.

Councillor Thompson suggested that the meetings in Ottawa be scheduled after Member of Parliament’s break week in mid-October, 2012.

Councillor Sanderson requested that staff contact the office of Bal Gosal, Member of Parliament, Bramalea-Malton-Gore and Minister of State (Sport), noting that he has indicated his willingness to host the Region of Peel delegation at his Ottawa office.

b) 2012 Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Annual Conference

RECOMMENDATION IRAC-6-2012:

That the advocacy issues identified in the report of the Chair of the Intergovernmental Relations Advisory Committee, dated May 11, 2012, titled “2012 Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Annual Conference,” be endorsed;

And further, that staff develop briefing notes on the identified advocacy issues to support discussions with various Ministry representatives at the AMO Conference.

RECOMMENDATION IRAC-7-2012:

That the Regional Chair be requested to write a letter to the Federal Minister of Transportation, Infrastructure and Communities, on behalf of Regional Council, to offer the opportunity for the Region of Peel to host the stakeholder consultation meeting the federal government is coordinating for Ontario, regarding the third phase of the Federal Infrastructure Program.

Regional Chair Kolb stated that the barbecue planned for Peel-area Members of Parliament (MPs) and Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) scheduled for May 24, 2012 had been cancelled due to the labour disruption at the Region of Peel, and that 12 out of 18 members had confirmed their attendance. He requested the opinion of Committee members as to whether it would be appropriate to re-schedule the barbecue for the Fall, 2012.

In response to the question raised by Regional Chair Kolb, Councillor Thompson highlighted that another good networking opportunity at this year’s Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Annual Conference will be the breakfast meeting the Region of Peel delegation will host for Peel-area MPPs. David Arbuckle, Manager, Public Policy and Government Relations, stated that the Advocacy Meetings in Ottawa would also provide the opportunity to meet with Peel-area MPs.

Councillor Sanderson requested that staff provide information to a future meeting of the Intergovernmental Relations Advisory Committee, regarding potential future opportunities for hosting an MP/MPP barbecue.

Regional Chair Kolb advised that the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities has confirmed that they are entering into the third phase of their Long Term Infrastructure Plan and will be hosting roundtables across Canada in the coming months. He suggested that the Region of Peel offer to host one of the meetings which are to be completed by the end of December, 2012.

Councillor Crombie requested that parliamentary secretaries be included when inviting MPs and Ministers to events hosted by the Region of Peel in Ottawa.

Additional Item – Item 4c:

c) Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) 2012 Conference Update (Oral)

Received

Councillor Fonseca provided an overview of the sessions she attended at the 2012 Federation of Canadian Municipalities Annual Conference which included a number of workshops on various topics such as telecommunications towers; immigration services; the Long Term Infrastructure Plan and the national food supply.

She noted that the industry forum on telecommunications towers revealed that design standards differ across the country and that the industry needs to work with municipalities to develop consistent standards.

Councillor Fonseca advised that the two most common requests from municipalities were related to ensuring sustainable funding and funding flexibility within the Long Term Infrastructure Plan. Conference delegates were encouraged to demonstrate how current federal funding has contributed to their respective municipalities and resulted in cost benefits to the federal government over the short and long term.

Councillor Crombie reported that the leader of the Federal Liberal Party indicated that a liberal-led government would extend all gas tax funding to municipalities.

Regional Chair Kolb advised that he attended sessions related to the impacts and costs to police services with respect to calls involving persons with mental illness. He stated that there was consensus regarding the need for increased public communication that focuses on prevention rather than policing.
Councillor Thompson requested that the Commissioner of Health Services provide information at a future meeting of the Intergovernmental Relations Advisory Committee (IRAC) related to the gaps in services available to those with mental health issues.

5. GOVERNMENT RELATIONS STATUS REPORT AND CURRENT ACTIVITIES (Oral)

Discussion led by Lowell Rubin-Vaughan, Senior Advisor, Government Relations, Office of the Strategic Innovation and Policy

a) Federal News

b) Provincial News

c) Local News

Received

A copy of the Government Relations Status Report and Current Activities presentation will be distributed to all Members of Regional Council.

Councillor Crombie requested that staff prepare a summary of potential impacts related to the federal budget, for consideration at a future meeting of the Intergovernmental Relations Advisory Committee.

Councillor Crombie further requested that staff monitor information related to the location of any potential new casinos being considered by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation.

6. COMMUNICATIONS

a) Draft Spring 2012 MP/MPP Advocacy Update

Received

7. IN CAMERA MATTERS - Nil

8. OTHER BUSINESS

Additional Item – Item 8a:

a) Membership Update (Oral)

Received

Councillor Thompson stated that Councillors Foley and Miles have tendered their resignation from the Intergovernmental Relations Advisory Committee and he thanked them for their contributions to the Committee.

9. NEXT MEETING

The next meeting of the Intergovernmental Relations Advisory Committee is scheduled for Thursday, July 12, 2012 at 11:00 a.m., Council Chamber, 5th floor, Regional Administrative Headquarters, Suite A, 10 Peel Centre Drive, Brampton, Ontario and will be confirmed prior to the meeting date.

Please forward regrets to Christine Thomson, Committee Clerk, (905) 791-7800, ext. 4582 or at christine.thomson@peelregion.ca.

10. ADJOURNMENT

The meeting adjourned at 12:16 p.m.