MIRANET: ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

2012 ► The 3rd Annual General Meeting of MIRANET took place on February 1, 2012.

AGM Chair: Simi Kapur (RHA) 
Click for AGENDA (2p PDF - includes speaker bios).
The MINUTES will be approved at the next AGM: Wed. February 6, 2013.

Defining Theme Statement: Ratepayer groups around the world and certainly in Ontario are increasingly forming alliances in order to amplify the voice of citizens in a crowded public arena and tackle complex issues which pertain to a broad geography and multi levels of government.  MIRANET seeks to learn from other RA federations about their challenges, failures and successes as we continue our evolution.

PANEL: We are pleased that the following RA federation representatives will participate in this year’s Panel discussion and Q&A, which will be the centerpiece of the AGM.  Mississauga, Oakville, Toronto and Markham are all municipalities within the GTA -- how are the collective citizen engagement dynamics similar or different; and why?  What is being done on an Ontario-wide basis?

John Scheel                             Federation of Oakville Ratepayer Groups (F.O.R.G)
Geoff Kettel / Terry West         Federation of North Toronto Residents Associations (FoNTRA)
Mary Brawley                           Markham Action Group for Improved Community (M.A.G.I.C.)
Harry Eaglesham                      Federation of Urban Neighbourhoods (Ontario) (F.U.N)

Panel Moderator: Grant Fisher (CRA)

Mayor Hazel McCallion will be making closing remarks. 

SPONSORS:


Thank you to Whole Foods Market Square One
for generously supplying the light refreshments
for our 3rd AGM!

 

 

Thank you to The Printed Copy
for generously taking care of all the printing needs
for our 3rd AGM!

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2011 ► The 2nd Annual General Meeting of MIRANET took place on March 2, 2011. 

AGM Chair: Sue Shanly (MWRRA)
Click for AGENDA (2p PDF - includes speaker bios).
Click for APPROVED MINUTES.

Invitations were issued to City Council, Mississauga provincial and federal representatives, Peel Region officials and school board chairs, senior City Staff, and Executive reps from all residents' associations and a variety of liaison community organizations.

University of Toronto Vice-President and UTM Principal Hargurdeep (Deep) Saini was the Guest Speaker and kicked-off the AGM program.  Deep discussed UTM's role in the broader community:

• Remarks by Prof. Deep Sanai, Principal, UTM
• Visual presentation by Prof. Deep Saini (11 slide PDF)

The following MIRANET annual reports were presented:

• MIRANET's Year of Building Content and Future Plans
(80 slide PDF - includes visuals for reports below)
• Website Subcommittee
• Governance Subcommittee
• Best Practices / Membership Subcommittee
• Municipal Finance Subcommittee
• 2010 Municipal Election Subcommittee
• Clean Air Subcommittee
• Mississauga Strategic Plan Subcommittee
• Mississauga Official Plan Subcommittee

Presentations of certificates were made to Past MIRANET Representatives and individuals who provided special assistance to MIRANET during 2010.

Closing remarks were made by David Szwarc, CAO, Region of Peel, and Janice Baker, City Manager and CAO, City of Mississauga, concerning two-tier municipal resource and service management:

• Remarks by David Szwarc, CAO, Region of Peel
• Remarks by Janice Baker, Mississauga City Manager and CAO

Mayor Hazel McCallion made final remarks (summary below):

The total property tax bill includes education, health and social services which should not be part of a tax originally designed to service property. As it stands now, the property tax acts as a means for social income distribution. The federal and provincial governments need to step up infrastructure funding to the municipalities. The Province needs to support the municipalities in keeping their public sector union contract increases in line with economic realities. A City Governance Task Force, to be comprised of independent citizens, will make recommendations about the structure of Council Committees and a proposed Executive Committee, Budget Chief and Deputy Mayor.

► Mississauga News article (March 2, 2011): Transparency is key: MIRANET. Excerpt: "MIRANET spokesperson Dorothy Tomiuk said the organization had a successful year in 2010, with members giving nearly 13,000 volunteer hours. MIRANET also played an active role in municipal politics, speaking out on issues such as the City's Code of Conduct and ways on improving Question Period at City Hall. 'The more transparent the City is, the easier it is for us to develop content,' Tomiuk said."

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2010 ► The 1st Annual General Meeting of MIRANET took place on February 3, 2010.

AGM Chair: John Briers (CMRA)
Click for AGENDA.
Click for APPROVED MINUTES.   

Mayor Hazel McCallion was the guest speaker.  Click to view the Summary of the Mayor's remarks.

The following MIRANET annual reports were presented:

• MIRANET: A Year of Building the Network and Future Plans (27 slide PDF)
• Governance Subcommittee Report
• Clean Air Subcommittee Report
• Municipal Finance Subcommittee Report
• Insurance Liability Subcommittee Report

The following political representatives were in attendance:
Councillors Carmen Corbasson (Ward 1), Eve Adams (Ward 5), Carolyn Parrish (Ward 6), Katie Mahoney (Ward 8), Pat Saito (Ward 9), Sue McFadden (Ward 10) and George Carlson (Ward 11); MPP Charles Sousa (Mississauga South); MP Bonnie Crombie (Mississauga-Streetsville); and Sharon Hobin, Vice-Chair, Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board.

Senior staff from the City were also present: Commissioners Brenda Breault (Corporate Services), Martin Powell (Transportation & Works) and Ed Sajecki (Planning & Building); Gary Kent, Director of Corporate Strategy; and Bruce Carr, Director of Strategic Initiatives.

► Mississauga News article (Feb. 3, 2010): Group targets low voter turnout. Excerpt: "The Mississauga Residents Associations Network (MIRANET) held its annual general meeting tonight, promising residents it will push to increase voter turnout for this year's municipal election ..."