From the Town of Milton website:

We are seeking some input on the direction of the development of our trails and bike paths in the Town of Milton.  In order to get as much information as possible, we want to hear from you.  Please read the following from the Town website and send your information to them as soon as possible.

You can always comment here or email me Mike@MikeCluett.ca as well.

I’ll see you at the doors.

Trails and Cycling Master Plan Update

Share Your Feedback

Your input is important to the success of this study. The information you provide through this survey will be invaluable in shaping the recommendations that are developed from this study.  The survey will be available to fill out for the duration of the study. Before you begin, please review the documents below that will be referred to in the survey. These documents will also be on display in Town facilities during the month of February.

• Project Background
• Trails and Cycling Facility Types (Terms and Definitions)

Survey

• Online Survey
• Printable PDF

Background Information

The Town undertakes a review of its Trails Master Plan every five years.  In December 2012, the Town of Milton retained MMM Group to develop a Trails and Cycling Master Plan Update. The revised Master Plan will build upon the Town’s existing system of roads and trails, as well as consider those planned in and surrounding Milton. The recreational and commuter/utilitarian needs of the pedestrians, cyclists and trail users who enjoy this network will be studied. The work completed for this Master Plan will provide recommendations and strategic priorities for the Town to consider that aim to increase the connectivity within its trail and cycling network.

The overall goal of the study is to generate a Trails and Cycling Master Plan Update which directs the planning, construction, maintenance and communication of the Town’s trail and cycling network for the next five years.  Its objectives include:

• Reflect the changes in community planning and growth occurring in Milton and its surrounding communities since the last study
• Develop a Town guide to implement a well-planned system of on-road and off-road routes for pedestrians, cyclists and trail users
• Develop a network of trails and cycling routes that address the needs of recreational and commuter/utilitarian users
• Develop a network of connections within the Town, including its rural and urban areas, to key destinations (community interest, employment, retail)
• Provide the Town with recommendations regarding trail design, materials, routes, signage and maintenance
• Provide innovative recommendations to promote the use of trails and cycling routes in Milton, for existing and future enthusiasts

The study limit is the entire boundary of the Town of Milton, which includes the hamlets of Brookville, Campbellville and Moffat.

Current Trails Master Plan

The latest copy of the Trails Master Plan is available for downloading in separate sections; please be patient as these files will take a few extra minutes to download due to file size and you may temporarily see a blank screen during the file transfer.

Trails Master Plan Report

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Appendix A, Part 1
• Appendix A, Part 2
• Appendix B and C

Trails Master Plan Maps

• Map 2
• Map 3
• Map 4
• Map 5

As many regular readers of my blog and Twitter account will know, I have been doing a lot of talking about The Big Move and its plans, or lack thereof, for Halton.  Plans are currently underway for the province of Ontario to receive Metrolinx’s report in June that will recommend many different “revenue generating tools”, most commonly referred to as  taxes, to pay for the over $50 Billion in transit growth in the GTHA.

I’ve clearly stated during this conversation that I feel the province needs to come to the table with some of its own funding ideas that don’t include tax increases, levies, or massive user fees.  They’ve ignored those suggestions continually which has forced Halton Region and other levels of government to make their own decisions regarding the Big Move.

This past Wednesday, Halton Regional council unanimously endorsed a recommendation to the province of Ontario that if Halton’s needs for transit expansion (all day GO train service for Milton and Halton Hills) are not addressed in the current 15 year plan for the Big Move that council will consider putting the brakes on growth in the region.

Bold statement for sure.  It’s a demand from the region that if the province won’t look after our needs and concerns for growth, and considering we are in the Places To Grow area that will see Milton end up with a population of over 300,000 or more in future years, then we have to make changes to OUR growth plan.

Is this a bit of posturing? Yes. Is it possible? Not really.  Will it end up costing lots of money? You bet it will.

That’s a story for another day.  The reason I bring all of this up is that during this meeting some comments were made by current Regional Councillor Tony Lambert that I found to be confusing to say the least.

If you’ve been following along with this debate on the Hawthorne Villager forum, you will know that Tony has been stating for a long time that he is opposing growth in Milton until the province meets “his” demands and those include the all-day GO train service for Milton and a new GO Station at Trafalgar and the 401.

He’s made statements that he when first elected to Milton council, was to “try to shut development down!” He was a bit confused as he did vote against 2 reports at our first meeting which was to receive information reports on Derry Green business park and the Boyne Survey and no decisions or plans were included.

And other comments like this:

“Like me or not, I am whom I am. I will take your money, but if you come against the people my face will be against you (no apologies). I will STILL win, on $0 of donations. Just watch.

If I cared less, I would be asleep. Brian, corporations do not determine who represents the voters of wards 1 6 7 and 8 in Milton, the PEOPLE do!”

He then made other comments about Derry Green Business park, which when completed with bring hundreds of jobs and businesses to Milton so that as a community, we wouldn’t have to rely on 401 and other major roads to get to work.  In fact it might help increase transit ridership locally if we do.  But he said he would try to stop it.

“Yes, Derry Green means local jobs but also more motorists and trucks. I will see if we look at shutting that down also.”

“So the delay I will be fighting for on future development unless the province changes their stance on Milton (and I hope their reading this), kicks in. Less new people/development = less local transit expansion/costs. So therefore, Mr./Mrs. Taxpayer is protected if I win and show the Government of Ontario to think twice. To not try to force 150,000 people in my 4 wards on top of the 100,000 people here, and not keep up transportation infrastructure (trains as an option). NO – NOT HAPPENING! “

So by these comments you can ascertain that Tony is against business growth in Milton that will mean jobs and more importantly revenue for the Town of Milton and the Region of Halton in the form of development charges and property taxes.   He also supported the Milton transit expansion at the 2013 budget discussions and recently at Milton council meetings, but says he’s “protecting” tax payers.

All of this brings me to his comments at the Halton regional council meeting yesterday.

Here’s the partial transcript of his statement before the vote.

…if we don’t, perhaps build up our local areas more such as Milton Burlington and Halton and Georgetown and Oakville, we may have to look at more investments in improving infrastructure 20 years from now but we will be looking at future dollars and future billions of dollars so perhaps the province as they see the message we are giving them this morning, can perhaps look at instead of spending 10s of billions of dollars in widening the 401 which they probably will have to do but also look at building up businesses in local communities.”

So now he’s made mention of building up local areas for business in order to help alleviate the congestion on our roads and highways. More local jobs can lead to less cars on the road, more usage of transit and overall a better quality of life in Milton.  And he is apparently against that.  Or is he?

My question is this?  Where does he stand on this?  One day he mentions doing everything possible to stop all business growth in Milton and then another day states that growth of businesses locally is a good idea.

Confused?  You’re not alone.

The town of Milton has received an application from Rogers for the installation of a 35 metre cell tower for the corner of Louis St Laurent and Thompson Road.  This location is going to be a Tim Hortons restaurant and the tower application is pending a public meeting and review by town staff.

The proponents of the application are Proliferate Group representing Rogers to keep up with the ever increasing demand for services in the community.  Regular readers of my blog are aware that there is still an application pending for a cell tower at New Life Church by Bell Canada.  These applications are not related.

Proliferate Group are holding a public meeting on Thursday April 25th from 6-8pm at Milton Leisure Centre.

If you would like to send comments you can always email me mike@mikecluett.ca or you can contact the following individuals:

Sean Galbraith, Rogers Communications
Profilerate Consulting Group
21A Prince Street Toronto, Ont. M5B 2P7
sgalbraith@proliferategroup.com
Phone: 416 732 5069

or

Angela Janzen, Planning & Development Department
Town of Milton
150 Mary Street Milton, Ont. L9T 6Z5
angela.janzen@milton.ca
Phone: 905 878 7211

I will update the blog when this application comes before council for review.  As with the other tower application, town comments will be based on if it complies with our telecommunications policy.  That can be found here.

Here are some pictures from the proposal received to give you a better idea where its to be located on the property.

Metrolinx releases its short list for “Reveune Tools”…and its not a pretty sight.

As you have read here on my blog and in the newspapers for the last few months, Metrolinx has been traveling around the Greater Toronto & Hamilton Area (GTHA) or as I like to call it the Greater MILTON Area (GMA) asking people for their opinions on transit, what needs to be done and more importantly how to pay for it.

I was skeptical of this process from the beginning and my initial impressions have proven to be correct.  When this all started I said that the “revenue generating tools” list had already been predetermined and that the exercise of the BIG MOVE was a justification tour, paid for by taxpayers as Metrolinx is a provincially funded organization, and was set up to pave the way for tax increases and levies of all kinds.

Transit funding is what’s known as a slippery slope when it comes to government funding.  It never seems to be enough and the demands are always going to be higher than whats provided.  Once you start funding transit, there is no political will to take it away or make cuts.  Its exactly the opposite.  The political pressure is intense to keep funding and that’s something I have dealt with here locally over the last few years.  Do I think that transit is important?  Yes I do.

Provincial governments, both current and in the past, have kicked the can down the road when it comes to funding transit or looking at expanding it in the past.  That’s what put us in this position we are now faced with.  Its very easy to say these problems should have been addressed and these projects should have been started years ago.  The province needs to take some responsibility for the problems we are facing because there are so many examples, too many to list here, of waste.  Billions wasted in EHealth, power plant re-locations, OLG scandals and ORNGE over the last several years could have been used to fund these projects and we would be much further ahead than we are now.

That’s the past as I’m aware and now we have to deal with the future.

Getting back to the “process”, my suggestion to the BIG MOVE meetings was simple.  Lets look at these tools as options, but as a last resort.  The provincial government needs to come to the table to assist in funding these multiple transit projects.  The problem is that option isn’t on the table.

The estimations from the BIG MOVE has been that it will cost $2 billion per year for 25 years in order to fund these “much needed” transit projects but nowhere has there been an offer from the provincial government or a suggestion by the provincially run Metrolinx to suggest that the provincial government find savings within their current budget.

Here is the list of options Metrolinx released:

• Integrate Transportation, Growth & Land Use Planning
• Maximize Value of Public Infrastructure Investment
• Optimize System & Network Efficiency
• Development Charges
• Employer Payroll Tax
• Fuel Tax
• High Occupancy Tolls (HOT)
• Highway Tolls
• Land Value Capture
• Parking Space Levy
• Property Tax
• Sales Tax
• Transit Fare Increase
• Vehicle Kilometres Travelled (VKT) Fee

So outside the very vague headlines of “integrate transportation planning” and “maximize value of public infrastructure investment” there isn’t much else on the table except taxes.

Notice the list includes a number of taxation and levy options for the residents of Ontario.  Tax, tax, levy, tax, tax, fee…etc.

Of course they would include the obvious funding tool which is fare increases but the other options leave much to be desired.  For instance the fuel tax would essentially add on to the cost of travel for businesses and inevitably will be passed on to who? The consumer ie ME AND YOU!  What happens when the price of goods and services goes up? Inflation.

Another example is the sales tax.  The slippery slope for this is when it comes to budget time, its the easiest thing to raise.  But that doesn’t scare me as much as the property tax “suggestion” does.

In essence the provincial government can mandate municipalities to give a portion of their property taxes to go towards these projects.  This could mean a portion of Milton or the Region of Halton taxes will go to pay for transit in downtown Toronto.  Seeing how we are on the 25 year plus Metrolinx plan, is that really a good investment for us locally?  I have a huge problem with the fact that the province might mandate us as a municipality to raise property taxes.  THAT decision is made around the local council table, NOT at Queens Park.

As I mentioned earlier, Metrolinx had originally put Milton’s needs in the first stage of the multi year plan (up to 25 years)  but for some unknown reason and without much notice or fanfare, Milton was moved to the 25 year + plan.  The fastest growing municipality in Canada has been pretty much ignored in this first stage of this long term plan.  So in return for these wonderful ideas like property taxes, sales tax, fuel tax and payroll tax, Milton would see NO infrastructure changes in the BIG MOVE.

At one of the first sessions Metrolinx offered in Oakville, Regional Councillor Colin Best and I were in attendance and we happened to speak with one of Metrolinx’s executive to ask about land that’s available for a GO station to be located at Trafalgar Road which would help Milton in working towards all day GO service and providing more options for commuters.  Both of us were shocked when they had no clue about this location.  They were totally focused on “show” aspect of this meeting…getting justification from “user groups” to increase taxes and levies.

This process was more of a marketing exercise than a real discussion about transit and how we fund.  It seems to be following the growing trend of governments taxing first and asking questions later.  Taxes of any kind should be a last resort to fund these projects and not a first course of action.

The next thing for Metrolinx is to prepare this report to present to the provincial government in June but as Premier Wynne has already stated, she is in favour of these types of solutions which means there wont be any resistance to these proposals.

I agree that there are some hard decisions to be made when it comes to funding these transit needs and initiatives, but the BIG MOVE has lost me and many others when it comes to their suggestions.  That list was discussed at the first meeting and didn’t change very much over the course of their cross GTHA tour.  Which tells me “the fix was in.”

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?

Yes, its St Patricks Day Weekend.  Blarney stones, green beer and jigs will be the order of the day this coming Sunday.  Lots of fun to be had by all but we should also remember to enjoy the celebration and party responsibly.

Here is an article from the Milton Canadian Champion about Halton Police’s plans this weekend.

http://www.insidehalton.com/community/milton/article/1593505

Halton police watching on St. Pat’s weekend

Halton police announced Friday they will be out in force on the lookout for impaired drivers during the St. Patrick’s Day weekend to ensure it is remembered for its festivities and nothing else.

Police are reminding residents to plan ahead if their evening is going to involve any amount of drinking.

Such planning can include assigning a designated driver, calling a cab or using public transportation.

Police said being prepared ahead of time is key to avoiding the temptation to get behind the wheel while intoxicated.

The consequences of impaired driving are severe and can result in licence suspensions, vehicle impoundments, fines and even jail.

Police said those who drink and drive not only put themselves in danger, but their passengers and other motorists as well.

Residents who suspect a person is driving while impaired are asked to call 9-1-1 immediately.

The Halton Regional Police Service has stated it is committed to combating drinking and driving and keeping Halton’s roads safe.

Recently, the Region of Halton had approved a 3 bag limit for Halton residents for bi-weekly pickup.  Combined with changes to the Blue Box program, a 3 bag limit will encourage Halton residents to put less waste in our landfill and increase the amount of waste we recycle.  At the last Planning & Public works, Halton Region staff presented its plan to roll out the 3 bag limit for garbage collection.

Commencing March 18th, complimentary garbage tags will be available for pick up.  You can request the Region of Halton for these tags to be mailed or you can go to a number of locations to pick them up in person.  These tags clearly state that they are not acceptable for use after September 7, 2013.

After this date they will cost $2 per tag.  The $2 tags will be made available no later than August 19, 2013 and households can purchase a minimum of 5 tags for $10.

When this program goes into full effect, those in Milton can go to the following locations to purchase garbage tags.

• Turtle Gas Bar, Brookville
• Cristello’s Village Market, Campbellville
• Milton Leisure Centre
• Milton Sports Centre
• Halton Waste Management Site
• Milton Home Hardware
• Milton Town Hall

This coming Saturday March 9th from 9AM-3PM at Mohawk Racetrack you will be able to pick up one complimentary blue box and an information kit which will include the following:

• One Sheet of 5 complimentary tags
• A new larger Blue Box & Green Cart Label
• A package of 5 certified compostable bags for the kitchen catcher.

There are a number of other dates and times throughout Halton to pick these kits and you can check www.halton.ca for more details.  The other date for Milton will be at the Milton GO Station on Saturday March 30th from 9AM-3PM.

You can also pick up these kits and containers at the Halton Waste Management Site and the Halton Regional Centre Administration Building between the hours of 8:30AM to 4:30PM starting from March 11 to April 5th.

Commencing April 28th, households with more than 3 bags at the curb will not have it picked up and a sticker will be applied to the bag reminding them of the 3 bag limit.

You can view the report here for more information.  You can also call 311 anytime for specific questions.  Stay tuned to my website for more Halton Region updates as well.

I’ll see you at the doors.

From the Town of Milton website

The Community Services Guide is a comprehensive information source for recreation, leisure, sports and community programs in the Town of Milton. Each year includes a fall/winter issue as well as a spring/summer issue to help you have fun during every season.

Spring & Summer 2013 Community Services Guide

The Spring & Summer Community Services Guide is now available in a convenient page-turning format. Explore this user-friendly tool with clickable program registration codes, bookmarks for recreation program selections, the option to share through social media and much more!

Spring & Summer 2013 Community Services Guide

Page-turning Software Helpful Hints

Registration Dates

Registration for non-residents starts two days after the dates noted below.

Registration Start Times:

Change in Guide Distribution

Due to growing interest in online information access and to be more environmentally-friendly, Community Services Guides are no longer being distributed to households. Instead, guides are available as follows:

Accessible PDF

The guide is also available in an accessible PDF format to assist persons who are blind or who live with low vision. The PDF features tagged images, QR codes and content that can be read using a screen reader (JAWS or Zoom Text with Speech).

• Community Services Guide Accessible PDF

Program Registration

Registration Forms

Registration for Spring & Summer 2013 programs is available on the dates and times lsited above in the following ways:

Account PIN and Barcode

First time registering? Set up your account – in advance! Get your account PIN and barcode numbers for family members for online/telephone registration as follows:

Online Program Information

Recreation program information is also available online for browsing and registration.

• Milton Online Registrations
• Online Registrations FAQ

From the Region of Halton website:

Halton Region Offers Larger Blue Boxes Starting in March

Release Date: Mar 4, 2013

Boxes will help residents recycle new Blue Box materials accepted as of April 1, 2013

Monday, April 1, 2013 will mark the start of new changes to Halton Region’s waste collection program, including larger Blue Boxes that will help residents recycle a number of new acceptable Blue Box materials. Unanimously approved by Halton Regional Council in October 2012, the changes support the Region’s Solid Waste Management Strategy and the goal to reach a 65 per cent residential waste diversion rate by 2016.

“Halton Region residents are already among the best in the province when it comes to participating in waste diversion programs like Blue Box recycling,” said Gary Carr, Halton Regional Chair. “Currently, 95 per cent of single-family homes place a Blue Box out for collection every week.”

Effective Monday, April 1, 2013, Halton residents can add more items to their Blue Box, including clear plastic clamshells (e.g. berry and lettuce containers), single-serve yogurt cups, plastic plant pots and trays, empty metal paint cans (lids removed), and cardboard cans (e.g. frozen juice cans/chip cans). A complete list of new acceptable Blue Box items can be found at www.halton.ca/NewInBlue.

To help manage these new materials, larger Blue Boxes (22-gallon capacity vs. 16-gallon) will be available to residents for pick up at:

Starting March 11, 2013

Residents can also continue to use their existing Blue Boxes.

“I am proud to say Halton residents continue to divert 60 per cent or 124,654 tonnes of residential waste away from the landfill by participating in weekly recycling, organics and other diversion programs–this is an incredible achievement, but there is always more each of us can do,” said Chair Carr. “Maximizing the amount of recycling and minimizing the amount of garbage residents produce will help increase Halton’s residential diversion rate to 65 per cent and extend the life of Halton’s landfill site by an additional four years. That is a long-term savings of $15 million to taxpayers.”

For a complete list of waste collection changes taking place in April, access Halton by dialing 311 or visiting www.halton.ca/waste.

The Regional Municipality of Halton serves more than 500,000 residents in the City of Burlington, the Town of Halton Hills, the Town of Milton, and the Town of Oakville. Halton Region is committed to meeting the needs of its residents through the delivery of cost-effective, quality programs and services, including water and wastewater; Regional roads and planning; emergency medical services; waste management; public health; social assistance; children’s and seniors’ services; social/non-profit housing; heritage programs; emergency management and business development. For more information, dial 311 or visit Halton Region’s website at www.halton.ca.

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Media Contact:

Sharon Will
Communications Specialist
Halton Region
905-825-6000 x 7490
Sharon.Will@halton.ca

From the Town of Milton MOVE MORE MILTON page.

March is More More, Milton Month! – Goal: 85,000 minutes of physical activity

Join the active revolution and get involved in Milton’s third annual Move More, Milton month. Try something new on your own or with your family, school, group, business or organization by committing to at least 15 minutes of activity each day and tracking your progress on our website. Spread the word about active living and stand out in the community by showing off the Move More, Milton orange while you participate.

Last year, we more than doubled our Move More, Milton month goal. Register to track your minutes today and help us achieve – and surpass - this year’s goal of 85,000 minutes. Groups, organizations, families and individuals will be listed here, with their planned activities and progress.