City hall not doing enough on Syria
Dear Editor,
It is too easy to pass the buck and say refugees and immigration fall under federal jurisdiction. It should go without saying that the magnitude of the humanitarian crisis we are witnessing with respect to Syrian refugees requires strong leadership at all levels of government.
Last month, unfortunately, strong leadership on this issue was absent at Oshawa City Hall.
When so many Canadians are asking what can be done to help Syrian refugees, our local politicians really need to show they care.
In my opinion, it is pathetic that Oshawa council members voted at finance committee on September 17th to do nothing more than donate just $100 from the City of Oshawa to a fund the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) has set up to contribute to Lifeline Syria.
Recently, the AMO issued a challenge to each of its 400 member cities, towns and townships and regions across the province. AMO asked each municipality to donate at least $100, with its goal to raise $40,000 or more by October 2nd “to aid the international effort to settle the Syrian refugees in safe countries”.
It is, of course, a welcome idea and a good start. Ajax voted to donate $5,000. Tay Township is donating $500. But the Syrian refugee crisis is going to take a lot more, and at this time when Oshawa could be responsive and proactive, it chose to take a pass. There is not only a tremendous immediate financial need, but also the fact is that in the next 12 months, Canada will be receiving at least 10,000 refugees, and governments at the community level, especially in affordable communities in the GTA such as Oshawa, should be making plans starting now.
Recently, Sudbury Mayor Bigger had Sudbury Council establish a community advisory task force that will determine how to help “co-ordinate opportunities and resources and communicate the community’s response to the refugee crisis.”
In 2005, Durham Region Council helped establish an “umbrella initiative” community working group “to maximize resources and co-ordinate plans” to respond to the tsunami relief fund. As well in 2005, the Region voted to match donations of its eight members up to $40,000 to aid the Indian Ocean tsunami victims.
Who on council will ask for a cohesive and significant response from Oshawa and the other seven municipalities in Durham Region?
On another note, given that all 10 Oshawa councillors each continue to receive $100 per week (yes $5,200 per year) from the city budget for their gas compensation, one might wonder why they could not choose to do better than vote for a paltry $100 donation from Oshawa. I add this comment because I am not about to tip toe around this. Too often, in my opinion, there is a tendency by the mayor and some members of Oshawa council to avoid the controversial. Since Oshawa officials tried to block my politely worded letter to council from being added to the agenda, and not one member has bothered to respond when I emailed it to all of them, I would publicly like to say to them now, step up and show leadership. If they can’t find it, perhaps they can follow Sudbury Mayor Brian Bigger or the leaders who were on Region Council a decade ago.
Rosemary McConkey