Get to Know Us During Local Government Week 2012!
Waterloo Region- Local Government Week, taking place October 14-20, 2012, is a one week school-focused campaign intended to celebrate the key role that Ontario municipal governments play in helping to define the character, priorities, amenities and physical make-up of Ontario’s diverse communities.
The objective of Local Government Week is to help students and other citizens gain an understanding of the municipal level of government and its impact on their everyday lives. It is also intended to foster responsible citizenship and stewardship of our local communities.
The Region of Waterloo offers a unique educational tool – the Municipal Education Outreach Program (MEOP) - to local grade five students with in-class presentations and welcomes class tours of the Regional Council Chamber. During the last quarter of the 2011-2012 academic year, more than 180 students from both local school boards participated in the MEOP. Several had the opportunity to meet their Regional Councillors, who were eager to share their experiences as elected officials.
Students who participated in the MEOP learned that local governments are the closest level of government to our communities, providing functions that are of immediate concern to citizens, including:
- community and social services
- parks and recreation
- water, sewer and waste management
- essential services such as police and fire protection
- road maintenance and traffic management
- land use planning and environmental protection
This year’s Local Government Week coincides with the Region of Waterloo’s Standing Committees meetings. Staff reports will be reviewed and discussed by Regional Councillors on Committee Day – Tuesday, October 16th. In celebration of Local Government Week, students from two grade five classes at Pope John Paul II Catholic School in Kitchener will be attending the Community Services Committee meeting and are excited about this unique opportunity to see Regional Councillors in action.
These meetings will be webcast and you can view the proceedings of these or other Committee and Council meetings by going to the following webpage:
http://www.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/regionalGovernment/WebCouncilStreaming.asp
Now in its fifth year, Local Government Week is a partnership between the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, the Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario (AMCTO), and the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO).
Local residents are encouraged to become more engaged with the activities of the Regional government through the annual Advisory Committee Recruitment program. Advertisements about committee vacancies are placed in local newspapers each fall. To learn more about the Region’s Advisory Committees and how to become involved, visit:
http://www.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/regionalgovernment/advisorycommittees.asp
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To learn more about Local Government Week, visit: www.amcto.com
For more information please contact: Stevie Natolochny, Council/Committee Support Specialist, 519-575-4450 or email at snatolochny@regionofwaterloo.ca
The Region of Waterloo provides more than 60 per cent of municipal services to a growing population of 550,000 people. We are committed to creating an inclusive, thriving and sustainable community through innovative leadership and a range of services such as: public health, social services, planning, heritage, water supply, regional roads, waste management, ambulance service, rural libraries, public transit, community housing, emergency planning, Provincial Offences Courts and airport services.