Saving the Sarnia-Lambton Sea Cadets - Getting Things Done

January 17, 2007

Dear Constituents,

I have some very good news for Sarnia-Lambton. The Royal Canadian Sea Cadets are here to stay! Permanently!

The Sea Cadets and the Navy League of Canada do some wonderful work in our community. For nearly 20 years, children aged twelve to eighteen have sailed our beautiful waters and learned all about seamanship and water safety right here. They work hard, have fun, and grasp concepts far more important than tying knots - ideas such as discipline, teamwork, self-reliance, and leadership. The Sarnia Sea Cadets shape our kids into responsible young men and women.

In spite of these good works, however, Sarnia nearly lost its Sea Cadets last year. The Sea Cadets received a notice of eviction because of municipal back taxes. When I heard this news, I knew that something had to be done to save our Sea Cadets. So I met with the Navy League of Canada, and three separate government departments to develop a solution.

National Defence Minister Gordon O’Connor, Transportation, Communities and Infrastructure Minister Lawrence Cannon, and Public Works Minister Michael Fortier were all very supportive when I told them the facts. All of them wanted to help.

Since March 2006, the Navy League of Canada was granted two lease extensions to give them time to raise the money. But that’s just the beginning. Under a Memorandum of Understanding, the Department of National Defence assumed responsibility for the payment of all municipal taxes owed to the City of Sarnia from October 2006 onward for the Sea Cadet sailing centre. This will ensure that the Sea Cadets from Sarnia, and across Southwestern Ontario, get to keep a place where they can learn to sail, which means this problem will not happen again.

Well, I’m pleased to tell you that the Navy League’s Ontario Division has just paid one-hundred-and-twenty-three thousand, six hundred and twenty-five dollars, and forty-three cents back to the City of Sarnia.

This clears the way for the Navy League to continue to provide Sea Cadet sailing programs. None of this would have happened without the support of Caroline Magnante, the President of the Navy League in Sarnia-Lambton, our Mayor, Mike Bradley, and the understanding and support of Ministers O’Connor, Cannon, and Fortier.

Canada’s New Government is happy to help because we support programs that strengthen communities and keep our kids out of troubled waters and we support programs which encourage Canadians to respect the sacrifices made by our veterans.

The Navy League of Canada and the Sarnia Sea Cadets are valued members of our community and I am proud to assist them in any way that I can.

Thank you,

Pat Davidson, Member of Parliament for Sarnia-Lambton