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TICKETS ON SALE NOW Come and enjoy the fun
St.Patrick's
Party
Saturday, March 20
at St.
Aidan's Hall This
is the 4th Annual Spring Dance for couples and singles
Reserved
tickets only. First come first served. Give us a call to reserve your tickets before
it’s too late! Cheryle
& Pete McCullagh
(905) 337-8819
An Open Letter to the
WRRA Board of Directors
from Councillor Cathy Duddeck
 To Whom it
May Concern:
It has
come to my attention that there may have been reference by some of your members that I do not endorse the efforts of the West
River Residents Association Executive – specifically in regards to the Executive’s actions in dealing with the
proposed Methadone Clinic at 143 Kerr St.
Let me state that at no time have I ever questioned the actions of the WRRA Executive or its members. I believe that
the WRRA Executive has always performed their duties on behalf of the WRRA community in a positive and constructive manner
and that they continue to provide countless hours of their time to work towards improving not only the West River area but
the broader Oakville community at large.
As I previously stated at the past Annual General Meeting, I wholeheartedly commend the WRRA Executive and in particular
the President, Mr. Chris Kowalchuk, for dealing with the issue of the proposed Meth Clinic in a constructive and productive
manner. They have generously given their time to meet on several occasions with the various parties (Regional, Town of Oakville,
elected officials, ADAPT, etc.) so as to move forward in a positive framework in dealing with this very contentious issue.
Let me state unequivocally that you continue
to have my full support and I look forward to working alongside you in the future in addressing areas of concern. Together,
we can strive towards fostering a healthy and vibrant community!
Warmest regards,
Cathy Duddeck
Town Councillor
Ward 2
WRRA MEMBERS
OVERWHELMINGLY ENDORSE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS A Special General Meeting
of the WRRA was held on Tuesday, January 26 at St. Aidan’s Church. The meeting was called on the basis of a petition
signed by ten members led by Alan Stuart, who questioned the process by which the Board of Directors had arrived at its position
against the proposed establishment of a Methadone Maintenance Centre at the corner of Kerr and Rebecca Streets. After a spirited and often noisy discussion, votes were held on the motions that had been tabled. The first motion, put forward by the petitioners, was: THAT
THE WRRA SHALL FUNCTION IN A DEMOCRATIC MANNER ACCORDING TO THE CHARTER INCLUDING FULL MEMBERSHIP PARTICIPATION IN ALL MATTERS
AFFECTING THEM AS A COMMUNITY, AND SERVED BY THE BOARD WITH ITS FULL SUPPORT IN A COOPERATIVE AND INFORMATIVE MANNER. Secretary Paul Jemison explained to the crowd that although the Board of Directors appreciated
the spirit of that motion, taken literally it meant that every member had to participate in every matter
affecting the WRRA, and as such it was unworkable. Paul also made clear that Alan Stuart had been given the opportunity to
re-word the motion and had declined to do so. The vote on that motion was: 4 in favour
32 opposed
3 abstentions The motion was voted down. Paul then asked for a vote
on the second motion, which had been tabled by the Board of Directors: THE MEMBERSHIP
AGREES THAT THE WRRA IS CURRENTLY FUNCTIONING IN A DEMOCRATIC MANNER AND THAT THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS IS PROPERLY PERFORMING
ITS FUNCTION TO IMPROVE AND PROTECT THE COMMUNITY. THE MEMBERSHIP ALSO RECOGNIZES THAT THE POSITION TAKEN BY ITS BOARD OF
DIRECTORS AGAINST THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A METHADONE CLINIC AT 143 KERR ST. ACCURATELY REFLECTS THE VIEWS OF THE GREAT MAJORITY
OF ITS MEMBERS, AND FULLY ENDORSES THE BOARD FOR TAKING THAT POSITION. One of the
members suggested that the motion be split into two parts, and those in attendance agreed. Therefore, a vote was taken first
on the first sentence: THE MEMBERSHIP AGREES THAT THE WRRA IS CURRENTLY FUNCTIONING
IN A DEMOCRATIC MANNER AND THAT THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS IS PROPERLY PERFORMING ITS FUNCTION TO IMPROVE AND PROTECT THE COMMUNITY. The vote on that was: 36 in favour
1 opposed
4 abstentions The motion was carried. Then a vote was taken on the second half: THE MEMBERSHIP
ALSO RECOGNIZES THAT THE POSITION TAKEN BY ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS AGAINST THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A METHADONE CLINIC AT 143 KERR
ST. ACCURATELY REFLECTS THE VIEWS OF THE GREAT MAJORITY OF ITS MEMBERS, AND FULLY ENDORSES THE BOARD FOR TAKING THAT POSITION. The vote on that was: 35 in favour
2 opposed
3 abstentions The motion was carried.
 COMMUNITY SIGN DESTROYED BY VANDALS It was a sad Sunday in December when we discovered that our beautiful "Welcome to West River
Community" sign was completely demolished and thrown under the Shepher Street bridge by some thoughtless vandals. This is sign would have been very expensive to replace. Fortunately, our local
councilors Cathy Duddeck and Fred Oliver instantly came on board and worked with Mayor Burton and Town staff. The results
were heart-lifting: The Town will cover the cost of installing a new sign in the Spring of 2010. We will definitely
have a community gathering and unveiling that day with Town staff in attendance. Please watch for the unveiling date
and join in thanking the Town and especially our Councilors.
Construction of Kerr Street Ministries DREAM CENTRE The site is on the corner of Prince Charles Drive and Kerr Street. The centre will serve as a community hub for the
Kerr Street area that will cater to both adults and youths in need.
| October and November construction 2009 |
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| Construction December 27th 2009 |
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| The future Kerr Street Ministries DREAM CENTRE |
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| Photo courtesy of North Oakville TODAY |
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| Ground breaking ceremony 2009 |
ARTHOUSE
A wonderful program held at St. Aidan's hall Read the e-mail
update below from Don Pangman (Don Pangman started this program idea - see how it grew into
something wonderful for youths in our community.)
This is an after-school program starting with Oakwood Public School for Choir and Drama. It's starting
small and growing from there. Many people are involved to help make this a success.
| COMMUNITY PROJECT IN SEPTEMBER 2009 |
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| ARTS FOR YOUTH - at St. Aidan's |
Dear all - many
of you have heard about some of our achievements to date, but I didn't want to leave anyone out and thought this "memo"
might be helpful - thanks to so many who have embraced this project - we couldn't have made it this far without you - it is
clearly evident that we are already changing lives!! - We
are ArtHouse - this is our new brand name and it is trademarked under the banner of Arts for Children and Youth - our not-for
profit corporation:
- Our ArtHouse T-shirts are being worn
by children and Board members - and they look great;
- Stay tuned
- we will be going on-line in the New Year.
- Our
two After-School Programs for over 40 children from Oakwood Public School have been most successful:
- Wednesday's Theatre Arts Program under the leadership of Kip Longstaff (Appleby
College Drama Teacher) and 11 Appleby Student mentors;
- We
recently received a note from two parents who told us how this program has already benefited their child.
- Thursday's A Chorus of Voices Program with Music Director Diana
Isherwood:
- On Saturday a number of the children performed
for the first time on stage as guests of the Oakville Children's Choir at Appleby - it was quite moving!!
- Thank you also to the many mentors who have joined for the Chill with an Artist session.
- Thank you Food For Life for the generous goodies that you are providing as the children
arrive and thank you St. Aidan's for offering your wonderful facilities.
- Community Grants - all we can say is WOW!! what wonderful endorsements - we thank you
so much!!
- The Oakville Community Foundation and two of its
fundholders have provided grants to our ArtHouse Programs (specifically Chorus of Voices);
- RBC has generously supported both our ArtHouse programs and our Festival Quattro Cultural Series;
- AND - on Friday, The Ontario Trillium Foundation officially announced a $50,000 grant
to ArtHouse;
- Our Festival Quattro series has raised over
$18,000 of which just under 50% will financially support our ArtHouse programs:
- Thank you to our 13 Corporate Sponsors and over 110 Patrons.
- More programs in the New Year - while we absolutely must get it right with our pilot programs,
we are also looking at opportunities for new involvement:
- We
are in discussions with other community groups to collaborate on additional after-school programs and possibly
a summer workshop.
- Festival Quattro - as many of
you know we had our first public concert on August 26th at St. Aidan's - with close to 140 in attendance, and some incredible
young performers who brought our audience to its feet on many occasions:
- Our two home concerts were both sold out and we thank our hosts for those events;
- Our final concert in our first season will be announced in the New Year - I am most excited to tell
you more about it soon.
So, this is the ArtHouse
story to date - I thank you all again, and I am also most grateful to our new Board of Directors who have jumped behind this
project with such vigour.... Best regards, Don Pangman
| Don Pangman, Dee McAulay, Constable Mark Vegso |
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| April 15 Youth Centre Meeting at St. Aidan's |
Many hands make small
jobs Simple things like flowers can bring a smile to person. Please support your Residents Association
by paying your $10.00 annual dues. Simply drop your dues off at any Street Captain's home.
A new look to the bridge. Completed September 5, 2009.
| OLD BRIDGE |
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