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2- The Oakville Beaver, Friday June 20, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com Dissidents get more representation on United Way board Continued from page 1 General Meeting, but outgoing board chair Gordon Ross refused to entertain the motion, ruling that the organization's governing bylaws didn't allow such a removal. When Lambert attempted to challenge that ruling, Ross said such a challenge could only be made through the courts, which left the well-known labour organizer fuming. "We're working-class people," he said. "If you've got to buy your democracy in a court, there's something wrong with your system." Although the group, working alongside a coalition of service agencies funded by the United Way, failed to replace the UWO board, it did successfully disrupt the meeting, and managed to elect three directors to the board. With more than 100 proxy votes from absent members in hand, and repeated shouts of "point of order," a group of several dozen protesters defeated a motion to receive the board's audited financial statements and forced Ross to allow the election of three new members to the board, rather than the planned two. Lambert, along with two other labour representatives, already sits on the UWO board of directors. With the addition of three addition- Willie Lambert al directors, who are also in opposition to recent decisions made by the board, Lambert says there is now a group determined to fight the "corporatist agenda" he believes is currently dominating the organization. "We've got six people now, who are going to fight that agenda for the good of the community," he said. "We're reclaiming the United Way for the community." Dissension between the United Way and the labour council has been brewing since last December, when the organization fired its labour staff representative. That decision is now the subject of a legal battle. The organization has also come under fire in recent months from some local social service agencies that received cuts to their funding as a result of policy changes by the UWO board. In a lengthy letter to the editor of The Oakville Beaver shortly after the cuts were made public, Ross explained the board's position. He noted that the board has implemented a new funding policy aimed at supporting four areas identified as priorities for the community: strengthening families, supporting independence and well-being in seniors, supporting those in crisis, and promoting self-sufficiency in individuals. He added that the board also implemented a multi-year funding model to offer up to three years in guaranteed funding for some programs, along with a process for measuring outcomes that will evaluate the success of services and ensure effective use of donor dollars. Ross noted that agencies were given training on how to provide such information and were informed about the priorities UWO was intending to support. "Change is always hard to deal with," Ross wrote. "This year, after many years of funding the same agencies in the same proportion, the board and staff of UWO agreed we needed to begin to change to reflect the changing makeup and needs of Oakville." While cuts were made to some previously supported programs, the organization has begun funding six new local programs offered through five different agencies. Agencies that saw their funding cut included the Oakville ParentChild Centre, Community Living Oakville, Grace House Group Home, the Multiple Sclerosis Society, Halton Chapter, Halton Big Brothers Big Sisters, Community Development Halton and Halton Family Services. Members of some of those groups, under the newly-formed umbrella name Halton Nonprofit Network, supported the resolution put forward to remove the board of directors. Lambert said the labour council opposes the policy direction of the board, and would like to see funding restored to agencies that lost it this year. "We believe it's irresponsible to put this cookie-cutter approach forward and lop off a lot of agencies like they did," he said. During his closing remarks at the AGM, Ross expressed concern with the division within the organization. "It's been a difficult evening -- it's been a difficult evening for everyone and I'm sure that we're all going to leave here with mixed feelings and that's unfortunate because there's a lot of good being done for lots of people in our community," he said. "I guess the biggest personal regret I've got is that we seem to be ending my term on not-so-good feelings in some quarters," he added. "The kinds of things we're wasting our time on aren't helping the people in the community." Dissension may have dominated Tuesday night's meeting, but optimism is still being expressed about the coming year's fundraising campaign, which will be chaired by former Oakville mayor Ann Mulvale. "As we go forward, we're going to be stronger for this," said Lambert, who added that he believes the new board will work to make the 2008 campaign successful. "I've always had a great admiration for Ann Mulvale." His sentiments were echoed by Nancy Brown, a newly-elected UWO board member and executive director of Halton Family Services, and Mulvale added that she believes the groups shares a common goal of "growing the pie" of money to support the needs of Oakville residents. "My battle cry last night was to move forward, to get on with it and never lose focus of the united in United Way," she said. Town challenges residents to join Clean Air Commute Week The Town of Oakville is challenging its staff and local residents to think about alternative ways of getting to and from work during Clean Air Commute Week from June 23 to 27. "With the high cost of fuel, this is the perfect week to try a new way of getting to work," Oakville Mayor Rob Burton said. "If you already commute using the GO train, try taking Oakville Transit to the GO station for the bargain price of 50 cents." Clean Air Commute Week, developed by Pollution Probe, encourages residents and businesses to join in the challenge of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. There are several ways to get involved such as cycling, walking, in-line skating, carpooling, driving a welltuned car, using ethanolenhanced gas or driving a hybrid car. Oakville's participation in the 2008 Clean Air Commute, assisted by Metrolinx, supports the Town's commitment to the Smart Commute Halton initiative that encourages alternative transportation options. Oakville is one of many companies across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) participating. The Town has a number of programs in place to help clean Oakville's air including: Smart Commute, AntiIdling By-law and Education Program, 20/20: The Way to Clean Air, the development of the Active Transportation Master Plan, plus internal Corporate Smog Response and Clean Air Strategies. Residents or businesses interested in participating can get more information by visiting www.pollutionprobe.org. Pollution Probe is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the air quality in the GTA by building awareness of how small changes in our daily routines can help improve the current environmental problems in Canada. oyster perpetual datejust in steel and 18kt yellow gold