Did Anyone Ask the Farmers?

This is a typical piece of southern Halton Hills where the province proposes to construct a new 400 series highway. This is exactly where option 4.3 will  go if it is approved.
At yesterday's Planning at Public Works Meeting at Halton Region where we discussed option 4.3, there was also a presentation by the Greater Toronto Area Agricultural Action Committee. I took the opportunity to ask their representative, Janet Horner, if the GTA West team had consulted with the GTA AAC. To my absolute astonishment, she said no. And then she emphasized the word NO!
Think about it. The GTA West corridor from Vaughn to Tremaine Road in Milton runs almost exclusively through farmland, most of it the very best farmland in Canada. The GTA West consulting team was charged with the responsibility of consulting with all affected parties. And they didn't ask the farmers! Of course the 300 residents who came out to the meeting on June 23rd at Glencairn Golf Course all felt that they had not been consulted either and they live in the path of the highway.
But really, not consulting with the farming community is so unacceptable it is beyond belief. It was only a couple of months ago that I attended a GTA AAC Farming Summit that was very well run and very well attended. It was sponsored by the Government and yet they same Government didn't consult with them.
If you read the EA report you will find a glib statement that in the design of the highway, impacts to agriculture will be mitigated. How do traffic engineers have any idea of what to mitigate if they didn't even talk to the farmers who will be affected?

Town Unanimously Approves Funding for Hospital Expansion

Last night Town of Halton Hills Council finally gave an answer to Halton Health Care regarding their request for $ 4.546 million to support the renovation and expansion of Georgetown Hospital. Subsequent to this request, that was made on January 10th 2011, Mayor Bonnette made many attempts to coax the Province to fund this necessary project. However, we have not had a response as yet. Therefore, since we are at the deadline for placing a special hospital levy on the tax bill, we needed a decision from council. Last night we decided to go half way in last attempt to get the Province to the table. Below is text of my comments last night.

Hospital Funding




First I would like to thank Mayor Bonnette for his leadership for his report recommending partial funding of the Hospital’s request. It calls for a grant of $2.682 Million. (representing a 1.1% tax increase as a special levy)



Councillor Hurst, as a member of the Hospital Board has made a compelling case for the need for the Georgetown Hospital Expansion to house the CT scanner and to make improvements to the ER and diagnostic imaging department.



The hospital and medical care in general are extremely important services that are vital to the livability and general prosperity of our town. When these services have been found to be either threatened or insufficient in the past then our town council has rallied support and resources to address the situation. Although heath care is not one of the services that is the purview of the local municipality, we are the hub of local activism and the place where people expect leadership when there is an important local issue needing local action.



When we had a shortage of local doctors, we started a physician recruitment committee. When Acton had a problem with a lack of medical facilities we helped with the construction of the new Acton Medical building. We as a town subsidize the Acton Nurse practitioner. And of course when obstetrics was slated for closure there was a magnificent response from our community and local municipal leadership to win that battle. All of this has been done in the interest of ensuring that our residents get the medical attention that they need within their own communities.



We now face a situation that is common throughout the province of Ontario. We all know that the greatest challenge the provincial government is facing is the escalating cost of providing health services, and it is just going to get worse as we face the ageing baby boomers and the demands we are going to place on the system.



Although we all pay hefty income taxes and in turn expect that the health care system will be provided to meet our needs it is obvious that the province is struggling and when every community is demanding its fair share, we need to have a strong voice making those expectations known at the provincial level. I commend our MPP Ted Arnott for his efforts in putting forth our needs to the Health Minister, and I have read what Ted had to say in Hansard. I also commend our mayor for his efforts via meetings and letters. These initiatives are essential if we want to receive our fair share of the health care dollars.



When the hospital representatives came before us and asked for help, it was also at the time when we were considering our budget and in particular the arena debate was about to begin. The public provided a considerable amount of input via email and letters. Although this was never framed as an ‘either or’ debate, many people did weigh the relative importance of arenas verses hospitals. People generally either did not understand that municipalities look after arenas and provinces look after hospitals or they simply did not care. The vast majority said that the hospital was their number one priority and they wanted us to make it our priority.



Although Hospitals are primarily the province’s responsibility they have always been to some extent a local responsibility. The question is really about the ratio. We would like it to be 90% province and 10% local municipality but we can see that that is not going to fly unless we are willing to wait for some indefinite amount of time - maybe 8 years. Our community does not want to wait 8 years. And so we must act. We need to step up, as so many other municipalities are doing all around us.



We have waited as long as we can to get an answer from the province before we need to make a decision on funding. I am therefore seconding the motion to support the expansion of the Georgetown Hospital. At least our tax payers will know that their tax dollars are going to be spent in their own community for their direct benefit.

Hopefully the province see fit to share the responsibility and make a modest investment of $1.864 million to bring the Georgetown Hospital up to modern standards.

Food and Farming Part 2

I have been observing some very interesting things starting to happen at the grass roots level with respect to food production. These things are very welcome in my mind because I have also been watching the approaching "train wreck" of the on-going world-wide population explosion, climate change, degradation of the oceans, food price spikes, desertification etc. This list includes two trend lines that can't help but cross each other with serious consequences. One is the loss of food production and the other is the exponential growth in human population.

Over the past 50 years or so we have seen food production turned into big business with a focus on profit by shareholders and commodities speculators. There has been a steady loss of small farms in favour of  larger  farms that have shifted towards specialization and exportation over diversification and local markets. This is in the name of efficiency but at the same time apparently "sales-only" income for farmers is hitting rock bottom which raises the question of sustainability.

It was of interest to me this morning to read a Canadian report focused on Canadian food policy that calls for a restructuring of Canadian food production from start to finish. You can access this report at http://peoplesfoodpolicy.ca/files/pfpp-resetting-2011-lowres_1.pdf . It amazed me to learn that it was developed over 3 years and was the result of input by over 3500 Canadians. These people sat around kitchen tables and talked about what was important to them. This fact alone ties into my previous blog concerning apathy. It is obvious that people are not apathetic about issues that are important in their lives.

I was struck by the similarity of the Food Issue to that of Health Care in Canada. It seems obvious that change in food production and the way we treat those who produce it will only happen through changes in public policy. It will not be undertaken by corporations that control s huge proportion of the food  production system. It was the same  when medicare was adopted as a public policy. Medicare was never advocated by the medical profession but rather by a visionary politician, Tommy Douglas, who saw the need to re-organize the system to make it better for all of us.

To quote the People's Food Policy Report, Canada needs  "a policy which places the well being of the majority and the health of the planet at the centre of all decisions". 

Coincidentally, I will attending a Think Tank on Wednesday organized by Laurent Thibault who is chairing the Town's Economic Pillar of the Halton Hills Sustainability Advisory Committee.  Central to the discussion will be a position paper prepared by Laurent that emphasizes the importance of our local agricultural industry and the opportunities we have to capitalize on this resource.

I am looking forward to this week's discussion as we tackle locally issues that are clearly being discussed in many other communities across the country.

I also look forward your reaction to the issue of food production particularly in the local context.

Food and Farming - The Summit

On Wednesday March 30th I spent all day at the Food and Farming Summit meeting at the Delta Meadowvale Conference Centre. Pictured above is a view of the proceedings. The goal of the Summit was to develop an action plan to support profitable farming and food businesses in the Golden Horseshoe.

As I represent the people living in urban Georgetown it might seem peculiar that I would choose to spend my time talking about farming and food production in the Golden Horseshoe.

I chose to go because I represent people who need the food that these farmers produce and people who also want to keep their town small.

Georgetown is located  in the Greater Toronto Area and is separated from highway 401 by productive farmland that would appear to be earmarked for development by the provincial government. The question is not "will it be developed?" but " when will it be developed?"

I believe that my constituents want to see the conversion of this rich farmland  delayed as long as possible. I also believe that the only responsible strategy to achieve this goal is to find ways to make farming and food production profitable in the GTA.

Margaret Walton of Planscape Inc. has written a comprehensive report on the relative merits of farming and agri-business in the Greater Golden Horseshoe. It is clear from the statistics provided in this report that the agri-food business is a significant economic driver. The estimated agricultural and food processing impact in the region is $12 billion! Employment in this sector is more than double automotive.

Although we have some of the finest farmland in the world with the bonus of having a benign climate and adequate rainfall we do not have policies to protect this valuable asset or to protect the businesses and help them thrive. It is a $12 billion business but it is constantly facing threats from increasingly restrictive policies and urbanization.

In time I believe that the value of this great gift will become increasing apparent as water shortages in the south western USA makes fresh fruits and vegetables in shorter supply. Population growth in India and China coupled with the rise of the middle class in these two countries is going to put further stress on the food supply chain. China has shown a great ability to plan ahead for its own food and energy security. It is securing these resources in other parts of the world to supply its own people. What are we doing to provide the same security for Canadians? 

My interest is in keeping the farming businesses profitable and to leverage the productive farmland into value added food processing businesses. Bucolic fields of corn and strawberries may not look like they are of great economic value but the reality is much different. The potential for increased production, increased food security and increased economic activity through food processing should be recognized. Policies to leverage our natural assets should be developed for the benefit of all Ontarians.

Memorial Arena Site for Sale? Opportunity knocks

  http://www.insidehalton.com/community/haltonhills/article/964875

Above is the link to the story in the Independent/Free Press regarding the potential sale of the Memorial Arena Site in order to pay for the new arena approved for Acton.

I raised this issue in Council because I felt that Council had not actually decided to sell the site as had been stated by the Mayor at our Special Council Meeting on February 28th. My goal had been to get this clarified for the public. I was astonished to learn that in the opinion of many members of Council a decision had been made to sell the property. Staff however, were of a different opinion. Staff read the recommendation and it clearly stated that there was no decision. At the meeting where this was discussed, staff were directed to explore options for selling 3 properties in Georgetown and to report back.

I was not at the meeting where this was discussed by Council but I had made my point of view known to Council on previous occasions when the subject came up.

My point of view is based on the understanding that the neighbourhood around the arena is underserviced for parkland right now. This area has been rezoned to encourage intensification. That means that the parkland needs will increase not decrease. Furthermore when one looks at the options available to meet these needs it is obvious that this area was built out long ago and so there are few opportunities. Yet we own this land now.

It would seem prudent to me to have a plan to meet the parkland needs of this neighbourhood prior to selling the parkland that we already own.

Although the options were never discussed I would present one option that could allow the town to achieve both goals.

The one opportunity that does exist is for the Town to acquire the Silver Creek Valleylands starting at Fred's Towing and going up stream to Ontario Street. It would be possible to create a linear park that would connect to Cedarvale Park and on through the existing trail system to Norval. If the new parkland that I am proposing had a paved multi use path then people would have access to a roller blade park, a cycling park, a dog walking park and an off road route to a community park at Cedarvale.

Linear parks of this nature are popular with all ages and offer great opportunities for people to relax and get some exercise at the same time. They allow people to escape the traffic and noise of the urbanized areas and to appreciate nature close to their homes. In addition it provides an alternate transportation route free from the hassles and safety issues associated with traveling along side cars and trucks. The benefit to the adjacent neighbourhood would also be felt elsewhere as people would be able to extend their walks from further downstream. The more robust the trail system, the more attractive it is to people.

I would be interested in your views on the potential sale of the Memorial Arena site.

Council Rejects Prudent Approach to Arena Program

At the Special Council Meeting held last night at Christ the King School, Council debated the merits of building new arenas, a youth centre in Acton and a Seniors Centre in Acton. This debate was being held because at the Budget Committe meeting in January, I put forward a motion to defer all of the capital items that were tied to the arena construction proposal.

I am well aware that there is a need for new ice to meet the needs of the residents but when I saw how this was playing out in the Capital Forecast I thought that Georgetown overall recreation needs were not being adequately addressed in favour of Acton projects. I did not express it exactly like that as I did not wish to make this an Acton Georgetown issue. However, by asking for more balance, that is really what I was driving at.

My request to staff was to give us more options that would better balance the needs of the whole community.

Subsequent to the deferral we received the request from the Hospital to kick in $5 million to cover 100% of the provincial costs of expanding Georgetown Hospital. We also learned that we will be losing some assessment due to a deal that was struck with MPAC. We learned that our financial plan for funding road maintenance is falling behind. And we learned that our reserves are unacceptably low.

At the same time we have been growing very slowly due to a lack of water. This means that we are not getting development charges, nor are we getting the building permit revenue or the new assessment. Fortunately we just had water approved that is the equivalent of water for 1000 new homes. The Region believes that we will get another 1000 units in a couple of years but I have been around long enough to know that you cannot count on this until the day they approve it. In short, our financial situation is somewhat weak.

I am very happy that I instigated the deferral because it got a lot of people interested and involved in the discussion. Of the emails that were received from the public by the Town, they ran 40 to 10 against going into debt to fund the arena projects.

The report produced by staff offered 4 options:

• Option A -Stay the course, build a twin pad at MoldMasters, Twin Acton, Build the Acton Seniors Centre and Acton Youth Centre
• Option B -Build the twin at MoldMasters and delay the Acton program for 1 or 2 years
• Option C - Build the twin at MoldMasters and substitute the Gellert for the Acton program
• option D - Build the twn at MoldMasters and delay any further program plans until after the actual construction bids are received and other financial considerations have been considered

I stated quite clearly at the meeting that I would support option D as I believed that it was the most financially prudent course of action. It gave the arena people 2 new arenas to start with. It took nothing off the table but it allowed us to see what was happening with respect to the hospital. It allowed us to know exactly what the construction was going to cost and we would have the results of the Youth Study that we have just commissioned.

It was clear that the majority of my fellow councillors were predisposed to support Option A but that there would be a split vote. To gain more support the Mayor offerred an amendment that recognized Georgetown recreational needs. The offer was to include the design of the Gellert Phase 2 in the Forecast.

My reaction was that this was not the right course of action at all. I was in favour of Option D specifically because it was the more fiscally responsible route. Certainly adding $880,000 for the design of the Gellert without taking anything out of the forecast was not responsible in my opinion. Furthermore it looked like a waste of money because Council refused to actually put the construction costs into the forecast. I cannot understand what use a design is if there is to be no building. The earliest the Gellert can proceed is 2023, after the Acton complex has been paid off. I never thought that when we built the Gellert Phase 1 that it would take over 20 years before we would see Phase 2.

I am also very perplexed at why the sa,e councillors, who regularly state at budget committee they are concerned about the taxpayers, would then turn around and spend over $30 million without thinking this might be a bit of a problem for the taxpayers.

However, the program is set. We will get 3 new arenas as well as a Seniors' Centre in Acton. The Acton Youth Centre is deferred to the next budget cycle. We will also get a piece of paper with a design on it for the Gellert Phase 2. I do not believe this is a fair or prudent course of action.

As it turns out, this opinion is my own and is not shared by my fellow councillors. The vote was for Option A with a vote of 10 to 1. This is a democracy and the majority has spoken. I am happy to have represented the minority.

Minister of Transportation in Halton Hills

On Friday afternoon we had the privilege of having Kathleen Wynne, Minister of Transportation for the Province of Ontario visit Halton Hills. She was primarily here for a "Meet and Greet" organized by the Wellington-Halton Hills Liberal Party. However, in advance of that event we were able to book a meeting with the Minister at our town hall in order to present the Minister with our point of view on several local transportation issues.

Pictured here is Minister Wynne in the centre of the table. Also in attendance were members of the senior management team and Mitch Zamojc, Commissioner of Public Works at Halton Region. Councillors Somerville, Johnson, Kentner, Robson, Lewis and myself were part of the discussion that was led by Mayor Bonnette.

Approximately 10 issues were covered including the GO Transit Expansion to Acton, increased funding for ActiVan, Active transportation issues, and perhaps most important - our position and concerns with respect to the preferred route for the Greater Tororto Area West Corridor - a proposed new 400 series highway.

I was very impressed with the Minister and her almost instantaneous grasp of the issues. It must be extremely difficult to put herself into the local context when she visits municipalities all across Ontario. Her responses are always reasonable given that she can't simply make up new policies on the fly. However she will tell you if she can help or she can't help. It is very much appreciated that we get a straight answer so that we don't have false hope or start down a pathway that won't lead anywhere in the end.

As part of our meeting I was able to raise the issue of how the Ontario Highway Traffic Act needs to be brought in line with the new emphasis on Active Transportation, particularly as it relates to encouraging pedestrian activity. I have been thinking about this for a couple of years. It was frustrating when Main Street Georgetown was reconstructed with obvious crosswalks that pedestrians could not be given the priority many thought they had. Many people assumed that they had the right of way at the crosswalk whereas in fact the cars have the right of way. We, as a municipality do not have the authority to give the pedestrians the right of way unless we put up those huge, over the road, flashing lights such as they have in Acton.

I have observed in other countries and provinces that municipalities can create situations where pedestrians have the right of way and I would like to have the option here. The Minister was quick to say that this is definately something that they are hoping to address and would welcome further input. Commissioner Zamojc also indicated that this is subject of that the GTA Commissioners are also exploring. I was very encouraged and I will be pursuing this further with the Ministry.

The Minister graciously allowed me to get a picture of the two of us. The Minister is on the right side.

If you have comments about pedestrian priority or any other transportation issues I would like to hear your point of view or suggestion.