The tab for Wellington County councillors and staff to attend last week’s Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) convention in Ottawa will top $30,000, according to some figures received from the county. The complete cost won’t be known until all bills are submitted by councillors and staff for meal costs and mileage.
Warden Chris White said eight councillors and 15 staff attended the four-day convention, taking in seminars related to their individual positions at the county.
At one of the seminars, county child care services head Luisa Della Croce, was chosen to sit on a provincial panel looking at the impact full-day kindergarten will have on privately run daycares, White said.
“We had issues about rural daycare,” White added.
The concern is that full-day kindergarten will impact rural daycares more than urban daycares where parents have more choices for the daycare they require.
“Staff is there doing work,” White said. “There’s stuff that applies to staff.”
The convention also gives elected officials an opportunity to discuss issues with provincial ministers. White said he brought concerns about the government’s decision to halt the Slots at Racetrack Program (SARP) to the attention of several ministers. The Liberal government announced a halt to the program in its spring budget. The program was expected to provide an estimated $345 million to the horse racing industry from profits derived from slot revenues.
With the release of a transition panel report that supports the government’s decision, White said there was little supporters could do to persuade government members to reverse the decision.
Elected officials who attended the convention included councillors Ray Tout, George Bridge, John Green, Don McKay, Joanne Ross-Zuj, Gord Tosh, Gary Williamson and the warden.
An estimated 1,600 participants from municipalities across Ontario attended the convention.
Information received from the county showed 20 registered for the convention at $615 per registrant. Another 17 people were registered at the Fairmont Hotel for four-night stays at $225 per night and five stayed at the Westin Hotel at $232 per night. Twelve people flew to the convention, although it is not yet known which airport they flew out of. The cost to fly from Toronto is set at $300 per person, while flights from Waterloo are pegged at $430 per person.
Mileage for those who drove either to their flight departures or to the convention are set at 53 cents per kilometer. Twelve drove, the county information states.
