INAUGURAL ADDRESS – DECEMBER 4, 2006

CITY COUNCILLOR DOUG DICKERSON

WARD 2 – PICKERING 

          GOOD EVENING MAYOR RYAN, MEMBERS OF COUNCIL, CITY STAFF, SPECIAL GUESTS AND FRIENDS.

           I CONGRATULATE MY COLLEAGUES ON THEIR ELECTION AND CONGRATULATE EACH OF THEIR VOLUNTEERS FOR WORKING SO HARD TO GET YOUR MESSAGE OUT TO THE VOTERS OF PICKERING. THEY ARE TRUE COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS WHO BELIEVE THAT PICKERING CAN, AND WILL, BE A BETTER PLACE TO WORK, TO PLAY AND TO CALL “HOME”.

           AND ON BEHALF OF ALL RESIDENTS, I WANT TO SAY “THANK-YOU” TO THE CANDIDATES WHO PUT THEIR NAMES FORWARD AND BROUGHT THEIR VISION TO THE VOTERS’ DOORSTEPS.  YOUR SUCCESS WAS IN STIRRING AN INTEREST AMONGST THOSE CONCERNED ABOUT LOCAL GOVERNMENT; ENGAGING THEM AS TO OUR FUTURE DIRECTION; AND ENCOURAGING THEM, THROUGH THE ACT OF VOTING, TO BE A PART OF THE SOLUTION – NOT PART OF THE PROBLEM.  WHILE YOU MAY NOT HAVE ACHIEVED THE ELECTORAL SUCCESS WISHED FOR ON ELECTION NIGHT, YOU ENSURED DEMOCRACY WAS ALIVE AND WELL HERE IN PICKERING.  FOR THAT, YOU ARE OWED A DEBT OF “THANKS” BY ALL RESIDENTS.

           THE NEXT FOUR YEARS WILL HAVE NO SHORTAGE OF IMPORTANT PROJECTS TO COMPLETE, OR YET TO BE COMMENCED.

           BY MOVING AHEAD IN 2007 WITH THE PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE OVER THE 401, WE WILL BE DEMONSTRATING OUR COMMITMENT TO SEEING ONE, POSSIBLY TWO, OFFICE  TOWERS BEING CONSTRUCTED WHICH WILL NOT ONLY BE EMPLOYMENT BOOSTERS BUT WILL ENHANCE AND FURTHER THE CREATION OF A ‘DOWNTOWN CORE’ IDENTITY.

           I HOPE TO CONTINUE MOVING FORWARD WITH OUR “SEATON COMMUNITY NET-BENEFIT COMMITTEE”.  ITS’ FIRST PRIORITY IS TO NEGOTIATE, AND SECURE, LASTING BENEFITS FOR THE CURRENT RESIDENTS OF PICKERING.

            THE SECOND PRIORITY IS TO ENSURE THE SUSTAINABILITY OF SEATON FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.

           THROUGH THE ‘THREE LENSES’ OF SUSTAINABILITY WHICH WE HAVE EMBRACED, WE NEED TO ENSURE THE ECONOMIC VIABILITY OF THE NEW COMMUNITY THROUGH THE ATTRACTION OF HIGH QUALITY EMPLOYERS PROVIDING HIGH QUALITY EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES.  THE EMPLOYMENT LANDS AVAILABLE WILL ALSO ENSURE THAT A FIRM, FINANCIAL TAX BASE IS IN PLACE FOR GROWTH IN FUTURE YEARS.

           VIEWING SEATON THROUGH THE SOCIAL LENSE WILL SEE FIFTEEN SEPARATE NEIGHBOURHOODS JOINED TOGETHER BY WALKING AND CYCLING PATHWAYS, EFFICIENT PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION AND AN EMPHASIS ON MINIMIZING THE NEED FOR, AND USE OF, THE AUTOMOBILE ON LOCAL STREETS.

           THROUGH THE ENVIRONMENTAL LENSE, WE WILL SEE A TOTALLY NEW GREENFIELD COMMUNITY WHICH HAS RESERVED SOME 54% OF THE LANDS THROUGH THE CREATION OF A ‘NATURAL HERITAGE SYSTEM’. 

           MORE CAN BE DONE BY INTRODUCING REQUIREMENTS FOR SOLAR AND GEOTHERMAL TECHNOLOGY THEREBY REDUCING THE AMOUNT OF ENERGY DRAWN FROM THE HYDRO GRID AND NATURAL GAS PIPE-LINE; AND, AT THE SAME TIME, REDUCING THE AMOUNT OF POLLUTANTS AND SMOG IN THE AIR.  WE BELIEVE IN THE KYOTO ACCORD.

           NEW DEVELOPMENTS CONTINUE TO BE ATTRACTED TO PICKERING WITH THE RESULTING RE-DEVELOPMENT SUCH AS HOME DEPOT ON THE FORMER SHINDLER ELEVATOR LANDS; THE RE-DEVELOPMENT OF THE BAY RIDGES PLAZA FEATURING A LIVE, WORK, PLAY ENVIRONMENT; SPAR-MARATHON ROOFING SUPPLIES CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION IN THE INDUSTRIAL AREA; AND INFRASTRUCTURE RENEWAL REQUIRED TO ACCOMMODATE OUR NEWEST CORPORATE PARTNERS.

           THE COMPLETION OF THE FRENCHMAN'S BAY WATERSHED MASTER PLAN IN ’07 WILL PRODUCE A BLUE PRINT FOR ACTION PROTECTING THE ECOLOGICAL INTEGRITY OF THE BAY AND ENHANCING THE FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF OUR WATERFRONT FOR ALL RESIDENTS TO ENJOY.

           THIS TERM OF OFFICE OUGHT TO ALSO SEE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS TOWARDS THE CREATION OF AN ARTS CENTRE IN PICKERING WHICH WILL NOT ONLY ALLOW FOR THE IMPORTATION OF ACCLAIMED CONCERTS AND STAGE PERFORMANCES BUT, MORE IMPORTANTLY, WILL ALLOW FOR LOCAL TALENTS TO BE SHOWCASED AND CAREERS LAUNCHED.

           LAST, BUT NOT LEAST, PLEASE ALLOW ME TO EXPRESS MY SINCEREST THANKS TO MY LIFE PARTNER, JOANN, WHO ORGANIZED AND RAN A TREMENDOUS CAMPAIGN SECOND TO NONE WHILE STILL PROVIDING  THE NECESSITIES OF HOME LIFE.

           AND TO SAY “THANK-YOU” TO THE MANY VOLUNTEERS AND RESIDENTS WHO SUPPORTED MY CANDIDACY AND ENTRUSTED ME WITH THEIR VOICE AND THEIR VOTE.