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Heart Lake community group celebrates two years of involvement
Friday October 19, 2007
- Brampton Guardian
It's been two years since a group of Heart Lake residents decided they wanted to get the community more involved in city issues, and the group will celebrate its success at its monthly meeting Tuesday, Nov. 6.
It turned out to be good timing when the North-West Brampton Community Development Association (NWBCDA) formed in 2005. The grassroots organization has a core board of five members, but it soon found itself in the middle of one of the most controversial issues to hit the area in years.
A developer's plan to build six highrise condominiums on the corner of Conestoga Drive and Sandalwood Parkway has stirred up anger and opposition in the community, and the NWBCDA was ready and willing to help channel those emotions and guide residents through the sometimes complicated world of municipal planning.
It has held all-candidates meetings for municipal, federal and provincial elections, and keeps residents informed about what is going on in their community at monthly meetings, which start at 7 p.m. at Loafer's Lake Recreation Centre. The group meets at the same spot on the first Tuesday of every month.
Along the way, the group has held true to its mission statement, according to co-chair Richard Nurse.
"We always strive to maintain our mission statement of fostering and promoting regular communications between Brampton residents and local government," he said. The NWBCDA, they will tell you, is not a ratepayers association. They didn't feel the name fit. The group is based on the old city-run Citizens Advisory Committees (CACs).
"Years ago, the City of Brampton founded and funded CACs in order to effectively communicate with local residents within the various wards," said co-chair Kenneth Bokor. "Every ward had a CAC and worked closely with its city and regional councillors. Unfortunately, all of these committees disbanded except for a small group in Huttonville (Ward 6), which is focused on rural issues."
"As I got involved more in my local community, I met up with other like-mined people and someone had told us about the old CACs. So we thought that would be a great group to try to re-start and establish for a wider audience, namely residents in both Wards 2 and 6."
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Heart Lake & Brampton
