Mike O'Neill's proposal to City Council

The following is the continuation of a proposal made by local lawyer Michael O'Neill to Sault Ste. Marie City Council:

**************************************************************** It is a good idea to keep track of our young people and their progress.

It is a better idea to create a mechanism whereby they may be assisted financially in returning to the City of Sault Ste. Marie if opportunity can be made for them.

If young people obtaining education and experience are prepared to commit to come back to Sault Ste. Marie then the City should be prepared to commit financially in some fashion from the endowment fund to assist them in that commitment.

Since the City of Sault Ste. Marie is a municipality, any donations made are 100 percent deductible.

This means that individuals, organizations, businesses or industries within the community will have the benefit of being able to donate money to this scholarship endowment fund on a 100 percent tax deductible basis.

The same businesses and organizations will have access to the database to fill their employment requirements with kids from Sault Ste. Marie who really want to return or remain here.

There are many committed people within our community who also consider that the greatest investment this City can make is in its young people.

To this end, I have contacted and the following have volunteered to sit on the inaugural board to be created for the Sault Ste. Marie Scholarship Endowment Fund.

This fund will be created collateral to and for the benefit of the database.

These committed individuals have also said that it is time to decide what is really important to Sault Ste. Marie and to do something about it.

They include:

1. Dr. Lou Lukenda, President of Tendercare Nursing Facility;

2. Mr. Peter Cresswell, retired President of the Algoma Central Railway;

3. Mr. Matt Lawless, owner and operator of Canadian Tire;

4. Mr. Dennis Turcotte, President of Algoma Steel Inc.;

5. Mr. David Worth. President of Highland Ford Sales Limited;

6. Mr. Al Suraci, Chief Executive Officer with the Northern Credit Union Limited;

7. Mr. Mike Rosso, President of G.P. Flakeboard;

8. Mr. Dennis Tatasciore, President of S. & T. Electrical;

9. Mr. Colin Clarke, President of Great Lakes Power Corporation;

10. Dr. Cecile Somme, Director of Education for Huron Superior Catholic District School Board;

11. Mr. Richard Walker, Managing Partner KPMG; and

12. Justice F. R. Caputo, Justice with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.

These are but a few individuals who have volunteered and committed their time to ensure that the Sault Ste. Marie Scholarship Endowment Fund will be a success.

The Boards of the groups involved in the Sault Youth Sports Association are equally committed.

This time and energy is their way of investing in the future economic development of both the young people in this community and in the City of Sault Ste. Marie itself.

I will require from City Council a Resolution and Direction for staff to commence the necessary applications for the obtaining of federal government money to create the database phase of this proposal.

I will require a further Resolution by City Council for the purpose of the creation of the not-for-profit endowment fund that will fuel financially the monetary method of assisting the young people of this community in a real way so that they might be able to stay or return.

This concept is an idea which could become a standard for many other communities struggling to better the future of their young people.

I hope that you will give it your enthusiastic support.

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