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.

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.

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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.

I met with Halton Regional staff earlier this morning to get an update on the watermain development in ward 8 (Derry Road/Louis St Laurent – Tremaine Road to train tracks).  The watermain construction is complete and servicing to this area will be switched to the new watermain.

The Region will be dropping off information to homeowners explaining everything and letting people know they MIGHT experience some changes in water pressure, which wont be permanent and the quality of water will NOT change.  This should happen within the next month.  The remainder of homes west from the tracks to 25 will be undergoing these changes later in the year and everything should be completed by fall 2013.

If there are any questions, dont hesitate to ask or you can always call 311 anytime.

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