How Many New Houses Can We Expect?

In a previous blog I wrote about water allocation and the fact that the Town now has water that can be allocated to new housing. On Monday September 27th Council allocated water to 4 housing developments that have been planned and waiting for years for this water.

Water was allocated to the following developers:

Halton Hills Village Homes will build 384 single detached homes east of Saint Catherines of Alexandria school on Barber Drive in Georgetown South

Fernbrook Homes will build 107 single detached homes and 40 townhomes west of Mountainview and north of 10th sideroad

Eden Oak will build 142 townhomes on Main Street north at Carruthers Road

Menkes will build 50 single detached homes and 80 townhomes on the former Upper Canada College

The Eden Oak development is from the Residential In Fill pool and the other 3 developments are from the Residential pool.

There is still water left in reserve to permit further development of residental, in-fill residential and non-residential.

Just Cupcakes Opens in Downtown Georgetown

Yesterday was the official opening of a unique new business in downtown Georgetown. Just Cupcakes is a new business that morphed out of an old business.
Up until a month ago 98 Main Street South was the home of Canterbury Gourmet Foods, a business that served lunch and specialized in frozen entrees. Canterbury was originated by gourmet chef Jenny Allen. However when Jenny decided to retire from business, the current owners of Just Cupcakes took over the business.
I asked what made them switch business models. Apparently they had added cupcakes to the menu and couldn't keep up with the demand in addition to preparing all of the other foods. The idea of a cupcake business had been on their minds for years so they decided to drop everything else and just do cupcakes.
Apparently cupcakes are just fun and they like having fun.
The interior has been remodelled by the 3 owners, Debbey, Rosey and Arlene with assistance from their husbands. This is a family affair with 2 sisters and 2 sisters-in-law in the trio.
So far business has been very good and today they booked their first wedding.
The complete menu can be found on their website www.justcupcakes.ca

Hospital Walk Raises $30,000

Last Sunday was a lovely day for a walk around the hospital district in support of the Georgetown Hospital Foundation. The Mayor's team was filled out with councillors. The picture shows from left to right, Mayor Bonnette, Councillors Jane Fogal, Dave Kentner, Moya Johnson and Bob Inglis. Missing from the photo is Councillor Jon Hurst. It was understandable that he missed the photo as he was out of town and actually did the walk in North Bay. He told us that it was much hillier than the course in Georgetown. Jon is a Board member of Halton Health Care and a staunch supporter of the hospital, so simply being out of town was insuffient reason to not participate.

The photo below shows the extraordinary group of people who did the 5 km walk. Doing the walk is one thing. Doing it while pushing an adult in a wheelchair is quite another. I am very impressed with those who managed to complete the 5 kms in this manner.

The purple people in the front of the photo are Paul's Peeps, the team from Armstrong Insurance. They raised the most money of any team with a total of nearly $8000. Paul Armstrong is a former Georgetown Citizen of the Year in recognition of his generosity both financially and timewise. I have personally worked with Paul on the Board of Cote Terrace Seniors Apartments and have seen his leadership and dedication first hand.

Congratulations to the Hospital Foundation for raising $30,000 for help pay for equipment that is not funded by the Ministry of Health.

Water and development in Georgetown

This is a quick overview of the water situation in Georgetown.
All of the water used in Georgetown comes from 3 wells: Lindsay Court, Princess Anne, and Cedarvale. These wells are all rated by the province for the maximum amount that can be pumped out of each one without harming the surrounding environment such as wetlands and streams.
The maximum amount allowable is determined through pumping tests that have to be done throughout the 4 seasons of the year.
Once the maximum allowable has been reached then no new development can be approved. All new development requires a water allocation.
For the past several years the town has not been able to allocate any new water and therefore could not approve any new development, whether that was houses, commercial development or institutions such as schools or seniors housing.
During this period the Region of Halton has been conducting a search for a new well field. You may have seen this testing in the area south of the 15th sideroad and east of Trafalgar Road.
Also, further pumping tests have been conducted on the Cedarvale well.
The province recently approved a new rating for Cedarvale that would provide enough water for 1200 new single detached homes also referred to as 1200 SDEs.
It is up to the Town to allocate that water.
The Town of Halton Hills divides up that water into 3 categories in order to balance development. The following categories and allocation were approved at Monday's Council meeting: Residential 750 SDE's, In-fill Residential 250 SDE's, Non-Residential 200SDE's.
When this water is used up then we will be back in the situation where development will stop unless there is another re-rating of a well. However, we have been told to expect that another 1200 SDE's will be approved by the province in the next couple of years.
My experience is that it always takes longer than suggested.

Councillors Support Rotary But Who Pays?

The photo shows several members of Halton Hills Council at the Georgetown Rotary Club annual fundraising dinner last night. Pictured seated are Councillors Joan Robson, Bob Inglis and Jon Hurst, and standing Moya Johnson, Dave Kentner and myself, Jane Fogal.

Councillors attend many fundraising functions throughout the year but I am sure that many people wonder who is really paying. The answer is that councillors pay their own way. We do not have expense accounts to draw upon at the Town.

There is the odd time when we are invited by the organization and are given free tickets by the organization. But that usually happens when they want us to play a role in the event, ie they want us to be a speaker.

The expense accounts of Toronto City Councillors is a topic in the Toronto election but there is no comparison between their situation and ours, even though we do the same job. For example, when constituents call me they often apologize for calling me at home. I tell them that is okay because they have reached my home office. We do not have town offices or administrative assistants. We are given laptops and blackberries by the Town and then we are on our own. We schedule our own appointments, pay for our own paper and internet costs, and do our own filing. This is not the case in larger municipalities such as Oakville and Burlington. We run a very lean operation in Halton Hills.

There are some expenses that the Town covers such as mileage and expenses associated with conferences if the Town has approved our attendance.

I was amused a few years ago when the Harris government advocated that municipal governments should be cutting back the number of councillors as a great cost cutting measure. The cost to the municipality for a local councillor is very minimal in the overall budget and any cut would hardly be noticable on your tax bill.

Local Councillors in Halton Hills are considered part-time and are paid $22,330 per year. Regional Councillors are full time employees who act as both Regional and Local Councillors and are paid $65,134.

I hope this helps to clarify the councillor's expenses in the Town of Halton Hills.

Cycling Summit Draws Star Speakers

On Monday and Tuesday of this past week I attended the Ontario Cycling Summit in Burlington. I was very impressed with the quality of the speakers and the opportunities for interaction with people who make policy decisions in Ontartio.

The first picture is of Sam Adams, Mayor of Portland Oregon. He was an incredible speaker and talked about the success that Portland has had since it began to plan for the future by changing how people move around the city. They have integrated thinking about carbon reduction, economic success and healthy lifestyles and invested in changing the infrastructure and land use planning to support it.

Portland has been transformed from a city that was failing to a vibrant, economic powerhouse that people love to work and live in.

A huge part of the vision was accomplished through focusing on cycling as a mode of transportation. As Mayor Adams put it, "cycling is now part of our DNA." There isn't a message that goes out about the city that does not reference cycling.
Portland's 'Green Dividend' is estimated at $2.6 billion per year. Yes that is billion. Portland has reduced carbon emissions on a real bases, not per capita, from 1990 levels!
Residents of Portland are also the 7th fittest in the U.S.
The economy has taken off and it is largely focused on outdoor gear, sports equipment and all things related to sports and recreation.
Portland built its entire 300 mile cycling network for the same cost as a single mile of urban freeway. It is clear that taking cars off the road reduces the need for more miles of freeway expansion or repair. It is obviously a great investment for everyone, regardless of whether you are the one on the bike or the one in the car on a less busy road.

One cannot help but see the contrast between what Sam Adams has done in Portland and what the mayoralty candidates in Toronto are advocating.

The second photo is of the Minister of Transportation, the honorable Kathleen Wynne. It shows the change in attitude at the provincial level when the Minister agrees to speak at a bicycle conference. The Minister was very knowledgeable and well spoken. She brought with her many of her senior policy staff and they also made a presentation and asked for input from the delegates at the conference. It was pleasantly surprising to see this kind of two-way communication at the ministerial level built into the summit format.

The third picture is of Marcus Gee, Globe and Mail columnist and Eleanor McMahon, Executive Director of Share the Road and conference organizer. Marcus was scathing in his comments about Rob Ford, Toronto mayoralty candidate. Gee remarked that Ford fails to get his facts right and yet people seem to love him. Marcus Gee is someone who does get his facts right so it makes the Ford popularity all the more perplexing.
The conference was packed with insightful speakers and people who get thing done. There were many examples of success stories in municipalities across North America where cycling has been promoted and where the quality of life has improved in concert with that effort.
In Halton Hills we have just completed our first cycling Master Plan. It will soon be coming to council for approval. I hope to be involved in the implementation as we start to make Halton Hills a cycling friendly community.

My Racquet Club Celebrates 35 Years of Fun

Last Saturday the Georgetown Racquet Club celebrated 35 years of fun, fitness and friendship. I have personally been an active member of the club for 32 of those years.

The Club is off the beaten track so you have to be looking for it to find it. It is located on Armstrong Avenue, in our Georgetown industrial area, and is just east of the Sinclair intersection. This doesn't sound like an appealing area but the surprising thing is that as soon as you turn into the driveway you are transported to an entirely different landscape. You instantly find yourself in a wooded paradise nestled in the Credit River Valley.

The first picture illustrates the point. It shows the 2 lighted tennis courts carved out of the wooded valley. I have personally watched deer wander by as I was playing tennis. It is an idyllic place to relax and enjoy a spirited game of tennis with friends.

The second picture shows a visitor to the open house as he tries one of the skills tests that were set up for anyone to try. There are 2 American courts and 2 International courts at the club. They have different dimensions but it is still the same game and players use both courts depending on what is available. The club also has an exercise room and saunas in the locker rooms.

I can honestly say that the club has played a very important role in my life. I have developed some of my best friendships at the club. We have celebrated together and supported each other throughout the years. I certainly had no such expectations when I joined all those years ago.

Of course playing squash is also important to me as part of my fitness program. I find that I can totally lose myself in the game and forget how hard I have to work to get to the ball. It is a fun way to work up a sweat while having a lot of fun. I feel really fortunate to still be playing this game at my age.
There are opportunities at the club for all skill levels and all ages. It is indicative of a great club when there are young players who develop into great players and that has happened here. Melanie Jans and Andrew Jones both started in the junior program went on to great national and international prominence. Melanie is our first Olympic star. Andrew came back to the club for the 35th anniversary and played an exhibition match to show all of us just how the game is supposed to be played.

If you are interested in more information about the club, just call 905 877 0333 or email me if you prefer.