Publication: Press Release
Title: Five Kitchener Area Residents selected for the Ontario Citizens' Assembly
Date: June 12, 2006
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Attention News Editors:
Five Kitchener Area Residents selected for the Ontario Citizens' Assembly
TORONTO, June 12 /CNW/ - Five members of Ontario's first-ever Citizens' Assembly were selected at a meeting in Kitchener on Saturday.
"I feel passionate about my country, my province and my community. I feel like I can contribute to this process," said Ron Vankoughnett, representing the riding of Kitchener-Waterloo, who was randomly selected by Elections Ontario to join the historic Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform. The Assembly will consider various electoral systems from around the world, listen to, and consult with fellow citizens before recommending whether Ontario should retain its current electoral system or adopt a new one.
"These individuals will participate in Ontario's most ambitious exercise in direct democracy," said George Thomson, Chair of the Assembly, "They will explore questions that are fundamental to Ontario's electoral system. This is the first time Ontario has engaged citizens from across the province in this way and on a topic of such significance to our democratic process."
In total five Assembly members were selected at a meeting held in Kitchener by Elections Ontario this weekend including: Elsayed Abdelaal (Guelph-Wellington), Jerrold Labrecque (Cambridge), Bill Ritz (Waterloo-Wellington), Marcia Soeda (Kitchener Centre) and Ron Vankoughnett (Kitchener-Waterloo).
The Citizens' Assembly will begin meeting in September 2006 and will deliver its recommendations to the government by May 15, 2007. In the event that the Assembly recommends a change to Ontario's electoral system, the recommendation will be put to all citizens in a referendum within the current government's mandate.
"Other provinces and countries have been reviewing their electoral systems, but only a few, like British Columbia and the Netherlands, have given citizens such a direct role in the process. The Ontario Citizens' Assembly is independent of government. It gives citizens - not politicians or experts - the power to decide what our votes should mean when we elect Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs)", said Thomson. "All Ontarians have a stake in this process and I urge them to start thinking about what electoral system would best suit their needs."
Elections Ontario used a process of random representative sampling to select Citizens' Assembly members. Approximately 124,000 letters were mailed out to Ontarians in mid-April, asking them to respond if they were interested in serving on the Assembly. Of the approximately 12,000 people who responded, 1,200 were invited to attend selection meetings where one Assembly member per riding is selected by ballot.
There are nine selection meetings remaining which will be held in eight cities through the month of June. Elections Ontario will present its list of 103 Assembly members to Dr. Marie Bountrogianni, Minister of Democratic Renewal on or before July 14, 2006. For more information on the Citizens' Assembly, visit: www.citizensassembly.gov.on.ca.
For further information: Media Contacts: For information about the Citizens' Assembly please contact: Barry Koen-Butt, Executive Lead, Communications, Ontario Citizens' Assembly Secretariat, (416) 325-0752, (416)993-2405; For information about the selection process and meetings please contact: Paula Chung, Communications Officer, Elections Ontario, (416)212-6186, 1-866-252-2152
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