Orientation

The new council’s first steps

The orientation for the County’s new council was held last week, and it was the first chance for the incumbents and newcomers to get to know those they will be spending a significant amount of time with over the next four years. It was also the first time the councillors had all been in the same room together, and the first chance to get a feel for the group.

The three-day orientation is the first of two sessions, the second session will be held December 10 – 13. This first orientation session focused on topics such as municipal governance training, and a broad overview of committees and departments and how they work, including presentations from the fire and safety, water, and planning departments. The first session is considered the lighter portion, where everyone gets introduced to how the County functions. The upcoming session is where they get down to the nitty-gritty and dive into finance and budget overviews as well as planning sessions.

Wellington’s new councillor, Mike Harper, was excited to get started.

“I haven’t been in school for quite a few years. It’s a new experience, but I’m learning so much about how the County operates. After hearing some of the presentations today, I have a new understanding of the jobs they do and the complexities involved. For example, we had a 90-minute presentation on our water infrastructure, and I had no idea what was involved in just getting us safe drinking water. It’s an incredible amount of new information,” says Harper.

The goal for the first orientation session is for councillors to come away from it with a greater understanding of how the County functions, and what it takes to keep it running. For Mayor Steve Ferguson, it’s about guiding his new councillors through waters that are somewhat familiar to him.

“It’s been great to get everyone in the same room and make introductions for people that may not know each other. For the orientation, getting to know the multiple systems that operate in tandem with each other here in the County can be eye-opening for some. Seeing how the pieces fit together makes it easier to understand the total picture,” says Ferguson.

Ferguson also adds that the second orientation session is a little more structured than this one, which is mostly introductory-based.

“In the second session we will be dealing with water, waste, government legislations and it’s also when we start to look at the budget. It’s a more intense session than the first session.” says Ferguson.