Saturday November 8, 2008

What a glorious week. I hope you had a chance to savour the summer weather. Now getting back to work…….

This Monday at 7:00 pm the General Committee will meet at the Town (Written Comment). The relatively short agenda includes:
- A proposal by the Severn Sound Environmental Association to restructure themselves as a Joint Municipal Services Board. The proposal contains significant changes to staffing levels and costs.
- A recommendation to increase parking permit rates
- A recommendation that Midland use a voucher system for heavy garbage items. Each household would receive two $25 vouchers a year.
Not on the agenda is the staff report requested at the last Council meeting respecting hospital governance.

Tuesday is Remembrance Day. Please take the opportunity to come out and honor our veterans.

Councillors will meet on Wednesday the 12th at 5:45 pm to further discuss the budget (You May Not Speak). In addition to hearing budget proposals from a number of agencies we may get into a discussion about where our tax rate should be headed.

And lastly, on Tuesday November the 18th at 7:00 pm the Zero Waste Simcoe group will hold a public meeting at the NSSRC. The meeting will tell you about local initiatives for waste reduction and the provincial government’s call for ideas to change our waste systems. The outcome of this debate will have a real impact on the taxes you pay and what you put at the curb.


Gord McKay

Saturday November 1, 2008

It has been a while since my last communication. No excuses but it has been a busy Fall.

Your Council has had two meetings regarding your 2009 taxes. At first draft the rate increase is sitting at about 6%. Your Council is aware of the economic circumstances facing the taxpayer – the Mayor spoke to this matter at our last budget meeting. Our next budget meeting will be held on Wednesday November 12th at 5:45 pm (You May Not Speak). At that time Council is likely to start closing in on what the final tax rate should be. If you want to participate this is a good time to be in touch with your Councillor.

And on other taxing matters:

- MPAC has calculated that Midland residential properties have increased in value by 20.15% since the last valuation in 2005. This increase is being phased in over 4 years. So this year the average residential assessment increase is 4.95%. What about your own taxes? That depends upon the tax rate set by Town Council. Simply, if your own MPAC increase is above 4.95% your taxes will increase by more than the Town tax rate increase; if less than 4.95% your taxes will increase by less than the Town rate. Sorry about the math.

- Your water and sewer rates will be discussed in a report to Council on Monday Nov. 24th from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. This will be followed by a Public Meeting (You May Speak)
on Wednesday, December 3rd from 6:00 to 7:00.

This Wednesday Nov. 5th the Planning Advisory Committee will have an unusual closed session starting at 6:30 pm. The regular PAC meeting (You May Speak) begins at 7:00 pm. A relatively quiet agenda including two items devoted to the upcoming Town Planning exercise.

On Thursday November 6th the County of Simcoe will hold a Public Information Session on the draft County of Simcoe Official Plan. The meetings are from 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and again from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the County of Simcoe Council Chambers in Midhurst. The draft plan will go to County for a final vote on November 25th. Midland has raised a number of objections to the County Plan.

And finally, on Thursday November the 13th Council will hold a meeting at the Town to discuss the new Library addition.


Gord McKay

Monday October 13, 2008

What a glorious Thanksgiving weekend. So if you are inside reading this e-mail, I am really starting to get concerned…..

Lots going on this week.

On Wednesday at 7:00 pm your Committee of Council will be meeting at the Town (Written Comment). This should be one of our more interesting meetings:
- Public Works will update us on all the construction work under way. (I have attached their summary so you can see some of the good work they do for all of us.
- The Georgian Bay Snowriders will present a list of all the proposed snowmobile routes in Town this winter.
- The Trails Committee will present a proposal to include the properties beside MSS and along the south side of the properties on Ingram Crescent in our trails system.
- The Committee will discuss how to handle new charges associated with providing your neighbourhood street-lighting.

On Thursday the Severn Sound Watershed Sustainability Plan will be discussed at NSSRC starting at 6:30pm. That same evening Wye Marsh will host its annual fundraising dinner.

On Friday the YMCA will hold its Stand Up to Poverty Challenge at the YMCA premises in Little Lake Park at 12 noon.

And lastly, Simcoe County Council will vote on the new County Official Plan on Nov. 25th. This plan will affect the future of Midland. If you want to review the draft plan, please browse
http://www.county.simcoe.on.ca/municipalservices/planning/policyplanning/wscos_002389


Gord McKay

Sunday September 28, 2008

Its election season and between watching coverage in the US and Canada there seems little time for anything else. That said…..

The Town will host its first budget meeting this Tuesday September 30th at 5:45 (Watching Only). We will hear the spending plans for next year for our Planning Department, Fire Department, Administration, Community Services and Public Works.

Then on Wednesday October 1st at 6:30 pm the Town will introduce you to its new Official Planning Process. (You May Speak) This is a long term effort to develop a future vision of the Town. I urge you to get involved in this important discussion over the coming months. More details at http://www.town.midland.on.ca/town-hall/Departments-Services/Planning-Department/OPRUP/index.htm.

Later that same evening at 7:00 pm the Planning Advisory Committee meets (You May Speak). Two items of particular interest:
- The possible acquisition of lands for a trail between Hugel and Yonge next to MSS
- Review of changes in response to the public hearing respecting the “VLA lands” development at 950 Yonge St.
Our Askennonia Senior's are very busy in October with such things as Garfield Dunlop's free Senior Day, the free Seniors Health & Wellness Fair & Luncheon, the Fall Fashion Show and 55 Alive Driver Refresher Course. For more details see http://www.askennonia.com/files/08%20Oct%20nl%20final%20swiml.pdf
A reminder of the All Candidates meeting taking place on Tuesday October 7th at 7:00 pm at the Penentanguishene Brian Orser Hall. The debate is sponsored by the Southern Georgian Bay Chamber of Commerce.

And finally a last minute reminder that the Huronia Foundation for the Arts fundraising celebration starts at 5:30 pm on Saturday October 4th. Tickets are available at the NSSRC.


Gord McKay

Sunday September 21, 2008

Ladies and Gentlemen

How many of you went grocery shopping on Saturday and saw the Zero Waste Simcoe people promoting the use of cloth bags at the stores? The campaign is a first for Simcoe County and it started right here in Midland.

Your Council meets this Monday the 22nd at 7:00 pm (Deputation Only) at the Town. Lots of interesting items:
- A presentation will be made by the “All Charities Event” Committee about a major family event planned for next summer in Midland. As the name suggests the event will be backed by many of our local charities. More news to come.
- The County has advised us that they will be picking up Leaf and Yard Waste on April 27, 2009 and Metal Items on May 25, 2009. Bulky Item collection has been discontinued but we will likely get a $50 voucher if we take them to the Transfer Station.
- The newly formed Trails Committee will be bringing forward their first two recommendations:
o A bicycle lane on Highway 93 between Penetanguishene and Midland
o A snowmobile trail for the 2008/9 season along the Penetanguishene Road right-of-way between Yonge and Hugel
- And lastly, the motion to ban the sale of bottled water on Town premises should be discussed. Your Councilors have already received a lot of corporate lobbying on this matter. Should be interesting.

The Midland Area Reading Council holds its AGM at Honda on King Street this Wednesday the 24th at 7:00 pm. They need your support.

The Simcoe County District School Board and Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board are holding a public meeting on education development charges. That’s Tuesday September 30th at 7:00 at the Education Centre at 1170 Hwy. 26 in Midhurst.


Gord McKay


Good post

Monday September 15, 2008

A blustery start to the week.

The Town will have a number of committee meetings this week: Huronia Museum on Monday; Emergency Management on Tuesday; Police Services and BIA on Wednesday; Seniors Council on Thursday – keeps your Councillors busy. If you want to attend any of these meetings please contact the Town at 526-4275.

Paving is a bit delayed on King St. and on Galloway Boulevard. The base asphalt is now scheduled to go on Monday September 22nd.

This Saturday the 20th will see the “Zero Waste Simcoe” group at four of our local grocery stores. They have partnered with the grocers to encourage you to try useable cloth bags. You may want to stop and hear what they have to say.

And an update on two dedication ceremonies. On Saturday September 27. at 1:30 pm, the Vas Kuchar Memorial Park ceremony will be held. This park is located at the end of Yonge Street on Aberdeen Blvd. On that same day, at 2:30 pm, the Edythe Clark Memorial Heritage Garden ceremony will be held.


Gord McKay

Background - Midland's Water Bottle By-Law

Background Information Prepared for Council Regarding

Disposable Plastic Water Bottles By-law

Disclaimer

This information has been prepared by Councillor McKay as background to the motion regarding the banning of plastic water bottles. This is not a staff report. The information presented here is generally available on the internet and other public sources. Sources are quoted where available. The reader should investigate other sources of information.

Basic Premise

The rationale behind the proposed by-law is this:
1. Midland Council has expressed its interest in both reducing waste and becoming a sustainable community
2. The plastic water bottle is a convenience item that usually ends up in landfill, harms the environment and charges a high price for a commodity for which the taxpayer has already paid
3. Midland Council can demonstrate its commitment to making Midland a sustainable community and help reduce waste by passing the By-law

What Does the By-Law Say

The proposed wording for the By-law is:

1. Ban the sale of disposable plastic water bottles in Town facilities, including office buildings and arenas, where access to Town water is available

2. Where feasible implement public water fountains in Town facilities.

The proposed By-law is not intended to cover:
- Water bottles brought to Town facilities by staff, residents or visitors
- Other liquids sold in disposable plastic containers
- Disposable water bottles sold at outdoor events held on Town property
- Water bottles sold or used outside of Town facilities.
So family picnics with disposable water bottles can still go ahead.

Why Do We Need to Do Anything?

Midland has recently committed resources to find out how it can be become a sustainable community. Midland is also aware of prospective legislation requiring municipalities to adopt sustainable practices affecting both water and energy.

For Midland to become a sustainable community it must address how much waste it generates, and how it uses energy and water. The disposable plastic water bottle presents a “case-in-point” of how we can turn our good sustainability intentions to resolving one small problem.

Waste
The plastic disposable water bottle has been identified as one of the most common items of litter in the world. The Canadian Plastics Industry Association says in their 2004 report that in Ontario about 65% of disposable water bottles (some 33,000 tons) ended up in landfill. More recent studies put that number anywhere from 80% to 40%. Bottom line – a lot of these bottles end up in the dump.

Energy
Each water bottle we manufacture, ship and, yes, recycle uses a quarter of a bottle worth of oil. Source: Pacific Institute

Water
The process of making one water bottle uses another two bottles of water. Source: Pacific Institute

Stopping the sale of water bottles will not in itself make Midland a sustainable community. But by failing to pass this By-Law we send the message that while we will talk about sustainability we will not take the smallest step to stop unnecessary waste and reduce our use of water and energy.

If We Can’t Buy Water in Bottles, Where Will We Get Water?

The By-law will cause us to change a few habits. After all we have been buying drinks in disposable plastic bottles for nearly thirty years.

No Place to Get Water

First of all the By-Law is drafted so that the sale will be banned only where other sources of water exist. No one will be without water.

Further, we need to start making water, that that taxpayer has already paid for, available in public. That means water fountains. Concerns about public water fountains are usually twofold:
1. Cost: According to our Parks Department a water fountain can be installed at a cost of $5,000 to $10,000. (Less than the annual cost people are already paying the Town’s vendors for water in plastic containers)
2. Public Health: While anecdotes are legion I offer two facts:
a. The North Simcoe District Health Unit has no policy against the installation and/or use of public drinking fountains
b. The School Boards in our area who are very concerned about the health of our children are building new schools with public drinking fountains.

So we can give the public back the access to their water.

You Can’t Control the Public Using Water Bottles

That is true. The By-Law does not intend to restrict the use of these bottles by the public.

The By-Law Will Not Resolve the Issue

The By-Law in and of itself will only ban the sale of bottles at Town facilities. The problem is much bigger.

The By-law is also important as a “message”. It will tell the citizens of Midland how Council views the topics of waste, water and energy conservation. It will help citizens answer the question, “Is this Council committed to sustainability?”. The City Council of London Ontario understood this by including the phrase in their By-law “The City Council wishes to set a positive example to the London community on environmental matters”. We should too.

The Town will Lose Revenue

The Town’s vendors gross about $14,000 from the sale of water bottles. The Town’s profit on this is $9,000. Therefore the Town will experience a real financial drop of some $9,000 annually.

(Council should also be aware that the Town has put itself in the position of choosing not to install public fountains in its facilities, thereby denying taxpayers access to their water and then profiting when they buy the high priced alternative.)

Town Water Unsafe or Unacceptable

As our Council well knows, the quality and acceptability of Town water is of the highest order. (Refer Public Works).

I Already Recycle - Isn’t It Enough?

Recycling is good. But it is still far from the ideal solution for disposable plastic bottles. As mentioned above:
- Many of those recyclable bottles never make it to recycling. For many reasons they end up in landfill. Recycling will never be 100%
- But even if we hit 100% recycling, making, shipping and retailing of plastic water bottle exacts a cost:
a. An additional two bottles of water is consumed in manufacturing
b. The equivalent of a quarter of a bottle of oil is used


Conclusion

Yes, plastic water bottles are convenient. That is why Canadians consume more than 2 billion litres of bottled water a year. And we do this despite the fact that we here in Midland can have better quality water from our tap for just a few pennies.

The By-Law is about sending a message. The message is simple. Midland chooses to become a sustainable community. And that we as a Council want show leadership on this very important topic.