Thousands dial in to first Tele-Town Hall meeting

By Christina Commisso from The Milton Canadian Champion.

More than 5,000 residents dialed in to Halton MP Lisa Raitt’s first-ever Tele-Town Hall meeting.

Raitt has hosted several town hall meetings throughout Milton and north Oakville and Burlington since taking the Halton riding in 2008, but she’s never had a turnout close to last Tuesday’s numbers.

The Minister of Labour said a wide range of topics were discussed during the hour-long conference call — most questions dealt specifically with the Halton riding.  

“I’m glad there’s a forum where people can easily say they’re having a problem and we’re able to point them in the right direction,” said Raitt from Parliament Hill.

Raitt said she received questions about the cost of childcare and concerns about seniors’ services, but most of the questions revolved around the economy.

“I heard a strong voice at the beginning of the call saying we should be making more moves to reduce the deficit,” she said.

She added that several questions during the meeting involved job training and job retention.

She said most of the discussion veered clear of the budget and (then) potential federal election but some participants asked about the Conservative’s investment in education and training in the 2011 budget.  

Raitt said she hopes using new technology to communicate with residents will remove the barriers between herself and her constituents.

“It’s important people know that even when I am in Ottawa, Halton remains my number one priority,” she said.

“And I am so excited that technology like this is able to bridge that geographical gap.”