MINUTES - Council - 19690106I
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MINUTES OF THE INAUGURAL MEETING OF 'im COUNCIL OF THE TOwN OF AURORA HELD AT
DR. G. W. WILLIAMS SECONDARY SdHOOL ON MONDAY, _JANUARY 6, i969 AT 8:00P.M .
PRESENT: Mayor R. A. Illingworth, Reeve E. Buck, Dephty Reeve W. Trent,
Councillors Davis, Harr:ts, Miller, Simmons & Stewart.
Clerk, K. B. Rodger called the meeting to order and administered the Declaration
of Office, and called the Roll of the New Council.
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!li.!ay~~ Illingworth presenteahis.Inaugural Address:
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"Mr. Chairman, Reverend Sir, Honoured Guests, Le.dies & Gentlemen. As we enter
this New Year of 1969, we cannot help' but look to the past, ~swell as to the
future. Aurora has had many exciting and productive years, highlighted; no
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doubt, by the invention of the Fltiefy plow and the arrival of the first steam traiL
Our forefathers with vision and foresight built a good town, a warm friendly
town -a town that many are proud to call holl!e •
"In ancient times , the Athenians , when speaking Of the deeds of their forefathers
said, 'We have extolled our ancestors, now' let us behave as valiant men.' In
more modern times , the Royal Canadiari Legion Bral)ch in Roxboro, Que bee, just
outSide Montreal, expressed the same feeling when they said in a recent bulletin
'Hats off to the past ._ Coats off for the Future,' We, the present citizens of
Aurora have much to be thankful for , but much yet to be done , so let us enter the
future as self-confident people, not dazzled by our past, not dismayed by our prese:•t
and not afraid of our future.
"Ours is a changing world. It has been said that ninety percent of the total of
human knowledge has been develOped during this Century and that we are now doubHn€:
the total of knowledge every decade. I can not vouch for that computation, but
I am sure that many of the children now attending Public School, will start work
ih an occupation that does not exist today, producing goods as yet unknown and
providing services as yet unneeded.
;'The tendency of human natUre to hold. o!l to the familiar and to 'resist change
must not be permitted to restrict and hold back the opportunities for progress.
We should not fight change nor attempt to maintain the status quo, We must have
imagination and vision, because as knowledge grows, so does vision. There are
primitive people to whom a hundred miles is an inconceivable great distance,
businessmen in recent years think nothing of travelling thousands of miles in a
day and now astronauts fly to the moon with composure. We must ensure that the
development of human character and the spirit of a community keeps pace with the
growth of knowledge-we must reach out and stretch our minds to broader horizons.
"Just as Aurora means the dawn, the year 1969 will mark the dawn of a new era o::·
Municipal Government. This is a historic time for local government as the
Province of Ontario is embarking on a program which will recast and reform our
entire municipal system. Future historians will say that Local Government in
Ontario was established in 1849 and re-established in 1969. The Government of
• Ontario has accepted the objective of .regionalization of Municipal Gover!lment
and tbis· policy will, no doubt, be implemented in the near future. In fact,
the Minister of Municipal Affairs, the Honourable D'Arcy McKeogh, in a recent
address to the Legislature regarding the area north of Metro stated: 'I have
had several meetings with various groups in this area and hope to enter into
discussion with municipalities within the next two months. It appears that we
may be in a position to make a proposal for Regional Government north of Metro
in 1969.' Therefore, the next year will be a crucial year in the future of Aurora
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INAUGURAL MEETING -2-JANUARY 6, 1969.
"and its citizens will expect their Council to demonstrate initiative,
imagination and wisdom to chart the course that will advance the social, cultural
and physical character o~ Aurora.
"Local Government developed originally :l:iithe history o~ society to meet a need-
a need to accomplish some purpose which would be better achieved by action o~ the
group than by action o~ the individual. As society became more complex, the numbc
o~ such needs increased and tl)e ~ctiilln~J, o~ local authorities expanded as the
population became greater. Tlie.purpose which originally called local government
into being -to meet a need. still exists, although such governments can now
assume di~~erent ~orms. But ~egardless o~ change in ~orm, there is still a need
to maintain the close relatiori~!lip which exists between the local municipality and
the citizens li~e and happiness~ ·
"There are many and varied ae~initions of democracy, but basically it means the
conduct o~ government in accordance with the Wishes o~ the governed. At no other
level 0~ government is this more. tleatly pbss:lble Ot' more nearly attained than at tJ..:rc
local level. No small part of the corttribut!ort whioh local government makes
toward maintaining a democril.tic ~ot'm of gove:i'linieht lies in the resistance it can
o~~er toward the tt'elJd' o~ over"-centralbatioi1 :l.rt the higher levels o~ government.
"There is a need ~or the deveiopme!lt o~, 1;1. team. Spirit 1 in Council and between
Council and the citizetls. We must bE;> willing· to•WE!ldome in~ormed opinions ~rom
every quali~ied SOUrCe,. ,to SCCE!j;it Qt'it:l.sism; to look 1'\t all aspects of the situatiO!.i
and be willin,g' to COI)lpromise our ;l.)ldi vidual ~ee~!i!'t;s . :f'or the bene~i t o:f the
majority. There,:!.~ boilnd to be disagreement between people with strong points o~
view, this is natural ll.nd is to be expected, i:>ut,·aisagreement need not be
disorder. When the ~inal deci#on has to be made, ll.tte:r weighing all the ~acts,
your Council mu$t have the courage to act, and•,thU. action must be the best one
possible under the circumstances and in the best interest o~ the municipality.
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"There are two ways to get to the • top. o~ an Oak Tree. You can climb it, or you
can sit on all acorn and wait :for it to grq>w. L!i~9-ies I!Jltl Gentlemen o~ Aurora, I
am sure that you have elected a •climbing' Council who Will represent your best
interests in the two years that lie ahead\~·
Mr; Fred C. Cook, Deputy Reeve o:f :8!:-ad:ford, w~s the Guest Speaker.
The Meeting adjourned and refreshments were served at 9!30 P.M.
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MAYOR
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