Ottawa South EMC

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Barrage of event invites necessitates new city staffer

NEWS

Laura Mueller laura.mueller@metroland.com

Residents weigh plans to change what developers can build in Vanier. – Page 3

NEWS

Gov-Gen. David Johnston presented four Stars of Courage and 46 Medals of Bravery at Rideau Hall on Feb. 8. – Page 39

EMC news - A deluge of almost 5,000 event invitations landed on the mayor’s desk last year. Now, the city is preparing to hire a new staffer with an annual salary of $52,000 to handle an influx of requests. Whether a second scheduler for Mayor Jim Watson and his two deputy mayors, Gloucester-South Nepean Coun. Steve Desroches and West CarletonMarch Coun. Eli El-Chantiry, is a good use of tax dollars was the main question that arose from a mid-term governance review report that was considered by the city’s finance committee last week, said deputy clerk Leslie Donnelly. The mayor, who is known to joke that he will attend the opening of an envelope, received a staggering 4,800 requests to appear at events such as openings of new businesses in 2012. Although he couldn’t provide a number for past requests, city clerk Rick O’Connor said there has been a marked increase in invitations for Watson compared to previous mayors. And there is work to be done even when the mayor and deputy mayors cannot attend, Donnelly said. The scheduler must

sort, prioritize and respond to all requests and in some cases, certificates of congratulations or other documents must be prepared instead. The question of whether having a city official at local events is an essential service plagued the clerk’s office, Donnelly said. Clerk staff looked into the matter and determined that the Municipal Act states that elected officials “shall” represent the municipality at official functions. “In our view, this is a core function of the municipality,” Donnelly said. “We can tell you that these events are extremely important to the individuals organizing them … You make city hall more accessible and get more people interested in city hall.” The new staffer handling requests would be in addition to the mayor’s existing scheduler, who works in the clerk’s office. The new employee approved by the finance committee on Feb. 5 would mainly handle the schedules of the two deputy mayors. The city is budgeting $75,000 for the position. The salary would be $52,000. Council must still give final approval to create the new position.

EMMA JACKSON/METROLAND

Painting with character Jessica McNeely, a Grade 6 student at Osgoode Public School, helps paint a mural in a hallway at her school on Feb. 7. The mural was designed with the help of Chrysler-based artist Nicole Belanger, who was supported by MASC (Multicultural Arts for Schools and Communities) and the City of Ottawa to spend a week at the school. The mural features silhouettes of students acting out 10 positive character traits, including respect, optimism, appreciation and co-operation.

Riverside South businesses honoured emma.jackson@metroland.com

playing at arch 3 from Feb 27-M st details te n o c r fo 3 2 See pg R0011912813

EMC news - Two business leaders in Riverside South received Diamond Jubilee medals on Feb. 6 to recognize their commitment to community service. Marcel Moncion, owner of Moncion’s Your Independent Grocer, and Charles Goodfellow of Goodfellow Cleaners received their medals in front of a crowd gathered in Moncion’s store. Gloucester South-Nepean

Coun. Steve Desroches presented the awards with the help of Osgoode Coun. Doug Thompson, Nepean-Carleton MP Pierre Poilievre and business leader and fellow Diamond Jubilee recipient Jason Kelly. Kelly said the medal is meant to recognize exceptional community service like that of the Queen, who has served the Commonwealth for 60 years. “It not only serves to honour her service, but to honour citizens who have done out-

standing work for their community, which I believe these two gentlemen truly represent,” Kelly said. Charles Goodfellow started his dry cleaning business in 1990 and opened a branch in Riverside South eight years ago. Since then, he has sponsored sports teams and community events and embraced the Coats for Kids program to collect winter clothing for underprivileged children. He hopes to expand the program and have every dry cleaner in the city participate

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in the future. Goodfellow said he was surprised when he heard he would receive a medal. “This completely took me off guard,” he said. “It’s great to give back and be able to do it.” Marcel Moncion was also honoured with a medal for his unending commitment to Riverside South and the community at large. Desroches said Moncion supports many community events including Canada Day. See MONCION’S, page 2 287785-1030

Emma Jackson


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