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8- The Oakville Beaver, Friday August 17, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com Conservative candidate discusses voting system referendum By Melanie Cummings SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Residents are beginning to weigh in on the pros and cons of changing the way we currently vote in Ontario. Conservative Party candidate for Oakville, Rick Byers organized two information meetings recently (Aug. 13 and 14), to explain the details of the Oct. 10 referendum question that will be tacked on to voters' ballots. The referendum will specifically ask, `Which electoral system should Ontario use to elect members to the provincial legislature?' About 25 people attended with questions and plenty of divided opinions. The referendum is the result of a recommendation by the Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform. Made up of 103 randomly chosen voters from across Ontario, the group examined alternatives to the current electoral system between March and May of 2006. The proposed change is expected to create a legislature that better reflects voter results. Called the Mixed Member Proportional system, it would see the province divided into 90 ridings (down from the current 107). There would be an elected representative for each. But there would also be 39 members at large, who are appointed by their respective parties. The 39 members elected at large would be used to balance out the number of seats a party won and the percentage of party votes it received. For instance if a party received 30 per cent of the party vote, but only won 23per cent of the seats locally, it would be compensated with seats from its at large list to reflect its share of the party vote. A political party's overall share of seats will roughly equal its share of the total votes for parties in the province. However, parties keep all the local seats they win, even if they win more local seats than their share of the party vote gives them. Party's require at least 3 per cent of the party vote to get one list member elected. The political party with the largest number of seats in the legislature, including MPPs and list members, forms the government. Ontario now uses a `First-Pastthe-Post' system, in which the candidate with the most votes wins. This will remain intact for the October election. But it will change if 50 per cent of the referendum voters in 64 Oakville Conservative candidate Rick Byers Byers' first session, held at the Oakville Public Library, armed See Majority page 10 The Regional Municipality of Halton NOTICE OF A PUBLIC MEETING Proposed Amendment to The Applicant: Halton Region File Number: RQ46A The Council of the Regional Municipality of Halton, through its Planning and Public Works Committee, is holding a Public Meeting to provide the public an opportunity to comment Meeting Date: Meeting Time: Meeting Place: Wednesday September 12, 2007 9:30 a.m. Halton Room Halton Regional Centre 1151 Bronte Road Oakville, Ontario, L6M 3L1 Phone: 905-825-6000 Toll free number: 1-866-442-5866 Website: www.halton.ca www.halton.ca NEW LOCATION FOR SOME SERVICES IN PLANNING AND PUBLIC WORKS Effective Monday, August 27, Halton Region will be relocating some services of the Planning and Public Works Department to 1075 North Service Road West, Unit 27, in the Ennisclare Corporate Centre located between Third Line email addresses will remain the same. The services moving to 1075 North Service Road West include the following: Commissioner Environmental Services Division Planning and Transportation Services Division For a detailed list of services to be accessed at the new location, or to make an appointment, contact Access Halton at 905-825-6000 or toll free at 1-866-4HALTON (1-866-442-5866). Purpose and Effect: The purpose of this report is to outline the proposed changes require Pre-consultation meetings between Regional staff and prospective proponents Visit www.halton.ca for more information about where to access Regional programs and services. Amendment are Region-wide. To Get More Information: The proposed Ame the Regional Clerk between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. weekdays, or a copy may be obtained by contacting Anita Fabac at 905-825-6000, ext. 7187, or toll free at 1-866-442-5866, or at Anita.Fabac@halton.ca. Those wishing to address prior to September 7, 2007, at 4:30 p.m. in order to be listed as a delegation in the agenda, or may register with the Clerk prior to the public meeting. Note: If you wish to be not Amendment, you must make a written request to the Regional Clerk at the address Get a clear picture of Halton's accomplishments in 2006 Halton Region's 2006 Annual Report is now available. This report submissions at a public meeting or make written submission to the Regional Municipality Board may dismiss all or part of the appeal. Dated at the Town of Oakville, August 16, 2007 Monica Wallenfels, Regional Clerk The Regional Municipality of Halton management, and clear information about Halton's progress towards its Strategic Plan goals in 2006. There are also performance measures highlighted in the report to illustrate our successes and where we need to work harder. Your feedback is important to us. Please don't hesitate to contact us with any of your comments and questions about Gary Carr - Regional Chair the Annual Report. You can view the Annual Report at www.halton.ca/annualreport, and print copies can be requested by contacting Access Halton at 905-825-6000, toll free at 1-866-4HALTON (1-866-442-5866), or by email to accesshalton@halton.ca. 170807 1151 Bronte Road, Oakville, Ontario L6M 3L1 · Tel: 905-825-6000 · Toll Free: 1-866-4HALTON · TTY: 905-827-9833