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宣德郎(正七品下)
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发表于 2006-4-16 12:40
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Establishing A \"New Deal\" with the Federal Government) k" t. T, _7 c- a& }
In this regard, the New Deal with the Federal government is now a ?real deal?. In all of our efforts, through the Big City Mayors? Caucus and Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), we have made an undisputable case that municipalities are the engine behind the economy. As each city in this country faces growing pressures to cover skyrocketing costs related to infrastructure, including roads and sewers, the Federal government has come to the table phasing in a commitment of 5-cents a litre of the gas tax. 7 i) L" h) u, o. I( Y
C+ g6 C9 i- Y% H9 B5 ABy 2009, this Deal will bring us an annual allotment of stable funding of just over $22-million to be reinvested in infrastructure needs like our wastewater systems, the development of bicycle lanes and social housing, to name a few. But, our work is far from over.
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8 S8 @7 L; T' Q5 T2 f: DWe, as Big City Mayors, along with FCM, continue to advocate for a share of other revenues that grow with the economy. We have also identified key areas, including affordable housing; immigration; environmental sustainability; physical and social infrastructure; public safety; and emergency preparedness, to work in partnership to ensure all federal programs, legislation and other policy decisions are flexible enough to meet our needs. , d+ D: l7 \8 i6 t+ K+ J
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I want to thank our local MPs for their diligence in working with City Council. I also want to serve notice, that it?s important for all MPs, who get elected in the Federal election, to clearly support investments in our cities as a priority. And, I ask all of you to take the time to advocate for our communities.
- J1 P2 E- G& p: W9 [, gReaping Benefits from Provincial Government Partnership Initiatives
0 e: [0 m) y7 N0 E/ Z+ f fOn the Provincial front, the City also continues to reap benefits from the Province?s commitment of 2-cents a litre of the gas tax towards new transit service. When fully implemented, it will provide for $9-million a year in new funding, a vital component as the LTC has had nine consecutive years of growing ridership, and last year, expanded service by 10-thousand hours. Also, City Council?s work to secure resources to account for the imbalance of downloading is at last being recognized in part with $13-million in additional funding.
& B$ I' G5 S# p2 ]' _1 T0 YOur positive working relationship with our local MPPs has paid dividends and I thank them for meeting and listening to Council on a regular basis. Looking ahead, we are going to need our MPPs commitment and direction in revamping the provincial arbitration process. There has been much discussion in the past three years regarding the impact of this process on the cost of providing emergency services.
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/ [+ U) E% B- u, fUnequivocally, Council and the community truly value the fine work of our police, fire and paramedics. These services are essential to Londoners? health and quality of life and continue to be a Council priority, as evidenced by the opening of the #2 Fire Station, including new vehicles and equipment. We have also approved a new station, #13 for the north end, including the addition of 20 firefighters and prevention officers. And, our police service, which also celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2005, continues to receive Council support in matters such as an expanded police station and the addition of more front-line officers.
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! @/ [8 @' I. aStill, the settlements awarded through arbitration for contracts in protective services, have not been reflective of local needs, circumstances or ability to pay. Rather, the trend has shown that arbitrators give more consideration to settlements reached in other communities, as the starting point. So, unless the Province provides leadership in reviewing this area to make necessary changes, the financial impact will be felt for years to come. You have told us this is important and we have listened. Together, we are working with your Chamber leadership, locally and provincially, to make a difference.
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Benchmarking & Tracking our Financial success6 b' i9 O+ X p7 r
There is no doubt, London?s long-term financial stability is crucial to its ability to be among the top ranked cities in Canada. To this end, we have set benchmarks tracking our success, by compiling comparative data, to use in reaching this goal. It is factual, accurate and clear to understand. The data compares areas such as debt levels, credit rating, tax levels, financial reserves and economic growth.
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To better illustrate this data, we?ve developed a financial brochure for your review, which can be used whenever selling London to potential new business clients. In compiling this information, we observed that significant investment by higher levels of government is being made within the greater Golden Horseshoe area surrounding Toronto. As such, I believe that by working together as a region, we have great potential to strengthen our broader Southwestern Ontario economy as well. * [0 p3 V3 {0 N) i, Z3 @
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For instance, the new Toyota plant being built in Woodstock is a recent regional success. This investment is a win for Woodstock, and a win for all communities in the southwest region of the province, including London, as we continue to attract related industries and spin-off companies, creating new jobs. With this kind of collaboration in mind and to improve and fortify our regional efforts, some very exciting developments are underway.% U! \# N+ H, n3 H. _
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I am pleased to announce that a regional economic summit will be held in May, 2006. Strategic partners from key sectors of our economy, including the University of Western Ontario, St. Joseph\'s Health Care, London Health Sciences Centre, and the London Chamber of Commerce, among others, will join forces in an unprecedented attempt to bring the leadership of our area together for two days of discussion and debate.
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We know our region - bounded by the Great Lakes, as well as the GTA to the east and the United States to the south and west - is rich in resources, has many natural assets and serves as the transportation corridor for Canada?s heartland and NAFTA markets. We also have a competitive edge in manufacturing, food production and processing, health, education, research and many other fields. Together, we can find ways to take advantage of these assets, and develop greater prosperity and opportunities for our citizens.
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# w$ Y6 G# e8 x: ?We have one goal - to build a framework for the future that allows us to work together and make the entire southwestern Ontario region stronger. We will need your help, support, suggestions and enthusiasm to make it work. Details for the event are currently in the works to bring the stakeholders together. More details on the summit will be announced in the months ahead.
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: n, m g/ n2 t ?, ?& gContinuing Achievements in Our Business Development
8 E3 V" j- ^" _" p4 H WMeantime, the London Economic Development Corporation (LEDC) continues to show success in its work for London. Last year, we added another five new companies, creating 121 jobs, with an investment of over $24-million. On top of that, 27 existing companies chose to expand their operations creating almost 500 new jobs. Of note, Labatt?s, our hometown brewery, announced a $40-million expansion, following a corporate decision to close its Toronto plant. The move will boost our London plant?s production capacity and create more jobs.
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% D2 B3 P) \$ \5 fMeantime, Diamond Aircraft landed a $16-million U.S. deal to send 60 planes to the first private flight school in China. Trojan Technologies won its biggest contract ever as New York City engaged the company to build the world?s largest ultra-violet drinking water disinfection system. This is on the heels of landing a major deal with Calgary and Winnipeg. And, General Dynamics continued to show its presence landing multi-million dollar contracts with both the Canadian government and the US military. |
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