UPDATE March 25th

In a report released today for this coming Monday’s council meeting, the 2012 salaries and expenditures have been released.  Click here for the detailed report.

Here is a brief outline of the salaries / benefits / expenditures of each member of Milton Town Council.

In case you are wondering why my salary is lower than other local councillors, since being elected I have chosen not to accept pay increases as I feel that any raise approved by council, should be effective the date the next council is elected.  I’m opposed to any level of government approving a pay increase for themselves and Ive stood by that from day one.

The column of Professional Development includes conferences that councillors attend on behalf of the town of Milton including AMO (Association of Municipalities of Ontario) and FCM (Federation of Canadian Municipalities)  In 2012 I attended both FCM and AMO which explains the PD amount of $3,604.00 for me.  For your information, I will not be attending any conferences this current year of 2013.

Our regional councillors Colin Best, Tony Lambert and Mayor Gord Krantz also receive remuneration from the Region of Halton.  Their expenses were recently released at an Administration & Finance committee meeting earlier this week.

UPDATE:  Here is a listing of the detailed breakdown of Milton council remuneration when it comes to “Professional Development”  These are the conferences we attend through the year that members of council can gain further insight into issues that we face, network with other members of local council and meet directly with provincial/federal ministers to lobby for issues we find important.  Last year for instance a number of local councillors attended the AMO Conference in Ottawa to meet with provincial government ministers to discuss Milton based issues such as the horse racing industry changes and schools.

Here is the breakdown.

Here you will find the breakdown of each of the conferences for each councillor and how much we claimed while attending.  For example Clr Huffman attended 3 conferences in 2012.  I attended both the AMO and FCM Conferences in 2012  Our regional councillors who attended claimed some expenses through the region (you’ll find those numbers in the regional council section of this post.  Clr’s Malboeuf and Nelson did not attend any of the conferences this year.

If you have any questions of this or any other report, please feel free to leave a comment, share this post or email/call me anytime.

I’ll see you at the doors.

This JUST in.  No, really it just came in my town email.  I just finished up editing a previous post and I thought I’d share this bit of news.  Seeing how Metro is in ward 6 I thought you should know.  If youre outside ward 6….well come on out as well

March 20, 2013

All are welcome to participate in Milton Transit Easter Stuff-a-Bus

Milton Transit will be holding its annual Easter Stuff-a-Bus event on Saturday, March 23, 2013 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The event will be held at the Metro Supermarket at 1050 Kennedy Circle, Milton. Residents of Milton are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items to donate to the Salvation Army food bank.

“On behalf of Milton Council, I would like to thank everyone who has come out at past events to help less fortunate members of our community during festive seasons, and our corporate partner Metro for hosting this event again,” said Milton Mayor Krantz. “We were told by the Salvation Army that last year’s contributions from the Milton community stocked their bare shelves in time for the Easter season and beyond, so we know we are making a difference!”

At the 2012 Easter Stuff-a-Bus event, more than 1,800 lbs of food donations were collected in addition to cash donations.

For more information on this event or on Milton Transit, call 905-864-4141 or visit the Town’s website, www.milton.ca/en/live/transit.asp.

- 30 -

For further information, please contact:

Paul Cripps – Director, Engineering Services

905-878-7252, ext. 2501

Liliana Busnello, Communications Specialist

905-878-7252, ext. 2154

Here is a link to the Milton Canadian Champion Editorial urging Milton residents to “Stuff the Bus”

Stuff that bus, Milton

Easter is around the corner and the holiday weekend will be filled with customs and traditions, including the celebratory feast many families will sit down to enjoy.

But not all local residents have the means to put such a meal on the table, not at Easter or at any time of the year.

While the Salvation Army, which operates the local food bank, doesn’t hold an official Easter food drive, there’s still plenty of opportunity to assist those less fortunate.

No doubt Salvation Army officials and volunteers would be the first to admit how much they wish they could announce the closing of the local food bank due to a lack of need. But that, sadly, isn’t the case — poverty does exist in Milton. Many recipients are the working poor or those who have been caught in a financial squeeze.

So how can you help?

Milton Transit will hold its annual Easter Stuff-a-Bus event this Saturday at Metro. A 40-foot bus will be parked at the Kennedy Circle supermarket from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with volunteers accepting donated bags of food for the Milton Salvation Army Food Bank. Residents, who can either bring their own filled bags or purchase a pre-made bag at Metro for $5.99, are encouraged to board the bus and find a spot for their donation.

If you can’t make the event, food can be donated throughout the year at The Salvation Army Khi Community, 3-100 Nipissing Rd., or at the fire stations on Steeles Avenue and Derry Road, as well as at donation pantries located at Metro, Real Canadian Superstore,  Longos and Walmart.

As well as non-perishable food, donations of household cleaning products, toiletries and baby items (especially size 5 and 6 diapers) are appreciated.

Come on Miltonians, stuff that bus.

Found this report online today and it had some very interesting statistics they’ve collected on who uses the GO Station in Milton, how many drive, bike, walk etc.  As you might have heard Metrolinx has started up what they call the BIG MOVE.  Its a plan for the next 25 years to look at options and create a transit system that can be integrated together to help promote increased use.  There are $56 BILLION projects planned and of course it takes money.  Part of this BIG MOVE is to find out the HOW we pay for it.

One of the issues I have with this whole process is that the provincial government (who runs Metrolinx) is essentially only discussing options for “dedicated revenue sources” which in government speak means TAXES.  Everything is on the table from dedicated gas tax increases, sales tax increases, congestion taxes, parking levies for businesses and the list goes on.

This blog post wont get into my disdain for the “tax first” mentality but to go over some statistics they’ve collected from Milton GO transit riders and review them to see what we can do first locally before jumping into the “dedicated revenue sources” discussion.

Here are some of the statistics that I found interesting:

***

1,910 people end their trip at Milton GO Station (ie from out of town – mostly Cambridge/Guelph western riders)

2,720 people start their trip at Milton GO Station.

Of the 2,720 people starting their trip here, 86% use car, 7% walk, 4% bike/other and 3% use transit.

***

GO Station access

76% of people drive and park
12% of people who drive get dropped off
7% of trips are made by local transit (not including GO Bus)
5% of trips to GO Station are made by walking

***

Majority of GO customers 74% live within 5KM of the GO station.

With all the discussion going on about the Big Move www.bigmove.ca and coming up with ideas to fund this massive investment in transit, what kind of funding sources can be used here?  Parking fees?

My beef with the Big Move is that the provincial government agency Metrolinx have set up these meetings to discuss what needs to be done.  Forget for a second that they’ve moved plans for Milton expansion from their 15 year plan to 16-25 year plan, one could say that a case is being made for charging for GO parking.  Now given our current service level, I don’t think charging for parking is appropriate seeing how we have limited number of trains for this location but if there was increased service/flexibility would it be an idea you’d consider?

This goes out to those who take the GO in the morning and drive/park to the station.  What is stopping you from using Milton Transit?

All we can say is WOW and THANK YOU Milton for helping CHANGE the lives of 1 in 4 people!

Attention residents in Ward 8.

From the Region of Halton Website

Starting in February 2013, Halton Region will be installing a 400 mm watermain on Tremaine Road from Britannia Road to Dymott Avenue. The new watermain will ensure the safe delivery of water to existing and new communities in the Town of Milton.

To complete this infrastructure improvement safely and efficiently, Tremaine Road will be closed from Britannia Road to Dymott Avenue starting February 25, 2013. During the closure, northbound and southbound traffic will be redirected to Bronte Street. Local access will be maintained at all times for residents of Tremaine Road who live within the limits of the road closure. The planned reopening date is April 20, 2013.

Road closures are only undertaken when absolutely necessary to ensure the safety of motorists and construction workers. The watermain construction will be completed as quickly as possible to lessen the inconvenience to local residents and commuters.
The watermain construction work will be completed by Tedescon Infrastructure Ltd. and is expected to be finished by May 2013. Project updates can be found at www.halton.ca/construction.

Utilities such as Union Gas, Hydro and Bell Canada have already started to locate and mark out their existing infrastructure to prepare for this construction. Please do not remove these marker stakes or paint markings until the project is finished.

Project-related Information and Recommendations:

• Truck Traffic – At times you will notice increased truck traffic in the construction area.  Please be aware and use extra caution while driving.
• Noise and Vibration – You may experience some noise and slight vibration due to the work being done. As a precaution, we recommend that you remove small, light objects from shelving and walls. Any noise from the construction will be scheduled in accordance with local noise by-laws.
  

This project is part of Building a Better Halton, the Region’s infrastructure construction plan for roads, water, wastewater, and waste management projects across Halton Region. For more information on these projects or the Building a Better Halton plan, visit our website at www.halton.ca/construction.

If you have any questions, need more information or have any special accommodation or accessibility needs, please contact me by dialing 311 or 905-825-6000, extension 7141 or by sending an email to chris.ewen@halton.ca

Thank you for your patience and cooperation as this work gets underway.

SAVE THE DATE!

Every year Milton Community Resource Centre (MCRC) holds its annual trivia night and every year it gets bigger and bigger.  Last year we sold out tickets very fast so if you want to go send me an email mike@mikecluett.ca to book your spot.

One of the committee’s I sit on through my town council duties is the Board of Directors for MCRC.  When I first moved to Milton, I had personally experienced the MCRC program with my son Anthony and was very impressed.  They do wonderful work for the children of our community so its a great program to support.  MCRC is also a Milton United Way supported organization.

From the MCRC Website:

Milton Community Resource Centre (MCRC) is a Not–for-profit, multi-service organization that provides services to children and families of Milton and the surrounding communities. Through our Ontario Early Years Centre and our Family Resource programs we provide early learning programs for children, their parents and caregivers at minimal or no cost to participants. MCRC’s parent resource library offers a variety resources and workshops including access to our parent educators. Through our Licensed Child Care programs, MCRC provides quality early learning and care at an affordable cost and subsidy is available for eligible families. Collaboratively with Halton Region Children Services, MCRC operates The Halton Resource Connection, which provides training, support and resources to individuals and organizations working with children and youth.

Tickets are on sale now at the reception desk at 410 Bronte Street South – $20 per person or $150 per table of 8.

Dont you dare miss this!  Its always a blast.  Stay tuned to my Twitter account for sample questions from last years event.

This year we continued our tradition of members of town council “serving” the public…literally.

Every year on January 1st Mayor Gord Krantz and members of town council host a levee, a meet and greet of sorts, for members of the public.  This has been a tradition for many years but since 2010 its had a bit of a change.  In the past, members of the Milton Historical Society have handled the event, from the coffee and snacks, to music and everything in between.  In 2010 members of council lead by Clr Cindy Lunau decided it would be fun if WE would take on those duties.

All the snacks and drinks were donated and arranged by members of council for the public.  So thanks to Tim Hortons (Steeles/Thompson Road) and LaRose Bakery for the coffee, tea and snacks.  I along with others took the time to serve drinks and greet residents as they came in to have a chat.  Thanks to Clr Colin Best and management of town staff, we had a display in the Milton Room of town hall to show residents the many projects underway in Milton which was a big hit.

Many thanks to everyone who came out this year to share in the holiday cheer, have some coffee and chat about important issues in town.  This is one of my favourite parts of the job and I know the other members of council feel the same way.

So on behalf of the Mayor and Town Council, thank you to all who came out New Years Day and the night before for the annual bell ringing as well.  We wish you nothing but the best for the upcoming year!  HAPPY NEW YEAR MILTON!

Thank you to everyone who came out to the annual New Year Bell Ringing at Milton Town Hall last night.  Over 100 people braved the chill in the air to join Mayor Krantz, myself along with some other councillors to help ring in the new year.

This tradition goes back to 1967 when Jim Dills started it.  Every year there is an honourary bell ringer to start us off.  This year was a young girl named Cara Slade who throughout the year had been job shadowing Mayor Krantz to learn about how local government worked and politics in general.  Look out Gord…shes gunning for your job!

Joining us this year as usual was the world’s most famous hockey dad Walter Gretzky who helped the kids and other adults cheer and ring in 2013.

It was a great night…to be followed by the Mayor and Councillors New Year’s Levee on January 1st.  I’ll post more about that later this week.

Happy New Year Milton!!! Have a wonderful, peaceful and prosperous 2013!

Town’s population hits six digits

From Julia Le, Milton Canadian Champion

Milton is ending the year with a bang.  With the population hitting the 100,000 mark by year’s end, according to Town planning estimates, the town is staying true to its ranking as Canada’s fastest growing community.

Milton Acting CAO Bill Mann said the Town is excited about seeing its vision for the community come to fruition.

He said Milton truly embodies a place where you can live, work and play.

Over the last 15 years, the Town has made a considerable effort to attract people through affordable housing and businesses that will in turn create employment opportunities, according to Mann.

He added the Town has also been creating more neighbourhood parks and building a complete community that has recreational facilities, an arts centre and other amenities, while ensuring residents have the required essential services.

Mann cited that Milton is home to large distribution centres for Target and Lowe’s. The Target distribution centre set to open in May 2013 will be a 1.3 million-sq.-ft. facility and will employ hundreds of people, while the Lowe’s distribution centre, which broke ground last August, will be a 626,000-sq.-ft. facility also expected to employ hundreds of people.

Mann said the Town is guided by the principles of growth engrained in its strategic plan.

He said in 1997, the Town’s official plan anticipated Halton Region’s delivery in 2000 of ‘The Big Pipe’ carrying Lake Ontario water up from Oakville to Milton, and a population that would grow to about 165,000 people by 2021.

Mann said the Town is keeping pace and may exceed that estimate, considering the population grew from 31,471 residents in 2001 to 53,889 in 2006 and 84,362 in 2011, according to census data.

“If we’re able to generate intensification, our population may be 185,000 in 2021 and then by 2031 we’re looking at a minimum of 236,000 people,” he said, adding that Milton has the potential to grow out to 300,000 to 350,000 people. “(If so) Milton will ultimately be larger than Burlington and Oakville.”

But developing and shaping Milton hasn’t come without a price.

“As you can appreciate in any community that is growing as fast as we are, we are experiencing growing pains,” said Mann.

The Town is doing everything in its power to ensure schools, transportation and transit and the hospital keeps up with the population boom.

He said Craig Kielburger Secondary School opened this year and a new catholic high school will open the following year.

Mann added the Town is working with the Region to widen Regional Road 25 and Tremaine Road. Tremaine Road has already been widened between Main Street and Derry Road and next spring there are plans to widen it from Derry to Britannia roads and then from Main Street to Steeles Avenue.

There’s also a long-term plan to expand transit service, have two more GO stops within Milton and encourage the community to get out of cars and walk, cycle or use public transit.

The hospital will also be expanded, with the first patient likely to be seen in December 2017 or January 2018.

“If you look at the last census, the average age dropped down to 34. That’s the youngest age in any community,” he said. “And when you look at the birth rate, we have the highest birthrate at 1,500 births a year, which is phenomenal, hence our need to expand the hospital.”

He said the Town is taking on the challenges head-on and planning for the future.

Other major projects down the line include seeing the Milton Education Village come to fruition and encouraging the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) to work with Mohawk Racetracks to have a full casino and entertainment complex built. He said it would include a hotel and golf course.

Mann said Milton may be expanding, but it hasn’t lost its roots.

“We’re still maintaining that small town atmosphere,” he said, adding that the town has a tremendous historical fabric. “One of the most beautiful things about Milton is people are on a first-name basis.”

He said with the Niagara Escarpment as its backdrop, Milton is really the place to be.

“There is tremendous opportunity within Milton,” he said. “Growing pains will always be there, but they’re manageable and will diminish as we move forward to ultimate state of Milton.”