This coming Monday night April 16th will be the Administration & Planning Standing Committee meeting at Town Hall starting at 7pm.

This Committee consists of five Councillors and the Mayor. Committee members review all reports, formulate policy and make recommendations to Council on matters over which Council has authority under the Municipal Act, the Planning Act and other legislation. Recommendations are made in the areas of corporate administration, personnel, legal issues, planning and finance.

The Administration and Planning Committee reviews the operating and capital budgets as well as various financial matters affecting the Town of Milton.

The agenda for the meeting can be found here.

Some of the highlights include:

• Staff report on Open Data in Milton – Referral to 2013 Budget Call Process
• Public Meeting & initial report for property owned Zureit Holdings (near Dublin Line & Campbellville Rd) 
• Public Meeting & initial report for property owned by Greenlife West Condos (at 3074 Main Street)
• Technical Report for Zoning ByLaw amendment for potential Tim Hortons at Thompson & Louis St Laurent

As always you can watch online on Monday night at 7pm.  If you have any questions or comments for any of these reports, please email me mike@mikecluett.ca

I had the opportunity to attend the public open house held by Altus Group this past Thursday to discuss the proposal for a new cell tower located at the New Life Church at Thompson Road & Clark Blvd.

The room was packed with a number of people overflowing into the hallway and near the entrance of the Milton Leisure Centre.  Many of them were carrying signs of protest and getting signatures on a petition to have it stopped.  Emotions were running high as the residents in the area made their views known to the representatives from Altus Group that they were not happy with the location of the cell tower.

I have made many posts about this on my website and I do thank residents for voiceing their concerns.  From the information I have now, this report will be completed and sent to the Town of Milton for review and their input.  As far as I know, this report will be available to council mid May for information and councillors will be able to comment.  I have mentioned in the past that the Town of Milton does not have a yay or nay say on this tower.  The decision will be made by Industry Canada in the coming weeks.  I do know that Halton MP Lisa Raitt wasnt available to attend the meeting herself, but a representative from her office did make the meeting and spoke at length with concerned residents.

I will keep everyone updated as the process continues.

Here is an article from the Milton Canadian Champion on the meeting Thursday night by Christina Commisso.

Residents express anger at cell tower meeting – Petition circulating to stop 100-foot cross tower in southeast Milton

Lisa-Lynn Vas holds up a sign Thursday evening at the Milton Leisure Centre during an open house hosted by Bell Mobility on the proposed erection of a cell phone tower in the shape of a cross.

Residents could be heard chanting “stop the cell tower” and anger was evident in the voices of meeting goers as they spoke to representatives of Bell Mobility, the company behind the tower.

“You can’t stand in there for more than 15 minutes,” said Manny Gulati, referring to the tight space.

Gulati along with a team of residents have been knocking on doors and circulating a petition in hopes of preventing the erection of the tower. They’ve collected more than 500 signatures in two weeks.

Gulati said many of the households he has visited were unaware the cross-shaped tower was being considered on the Thompson Road and Louis St. Laurent-area church property. Once aware of the proposal, Gulati estimated about 80 per cent of individuals are against it. “It’s slowly exposing your body to radiation 24/7. Yes, Health Canada says it’s safe, but their research is still ongoing.”

His feelings were echoed by Ammar Al-Dojaily, who lives down the street from the proposed tower site.

“The problem is no one can say this is safe technology,” he said. “We are not against the technology, we appreciate it, we all use it. But I’m sure there’s an industrial area that could be used, this is not the only location.”

Andrea Anderson has two children who attend the daycare located at New Life. She said if the cell tower moves forward, she will consider pulling her kids out of the program. “If you look at the proximity of the playground, (the tower) is right there. They can probably reach out and touch it or something.”

Area-resident Aaron Sanderson said he wouldn’t think twice about selling his home if the tower is erected.

“Why would I want to expose my children to that,” he said of the radiofrequency (RF) energy given off by the tower. “I have three little kids and there’s some research that shows up to a 43 per cent increase in the chance of cancer. I don’t know if I believe that, but I also don’t know if it’s insignificant and does nothing. So why would I want to take that chance?”

Bell Mobility representatives at the meeting told the Champion they wouldn’t speak on the record with the media.

A Health Canada report distributed by Bell Mobility at the meeting states the International Agency for Research on Cancer said RF energy might be a risk factor for cancer, however more research is needed to clarify the possible link. Health Canada recommends limiting the length of cell phone calls, using hand-free devices and replacing calls with text messages to minimize RF exposure.

The report states, “Precautions to limit exposure to RF energy from cell phone towers are unnecessary because exposure levels are typically well below those specified in health-based exposure standards.”

Residents at the meeting distributed their own material — a study from Brazil that suggests mortality rates from neoplasia (the growth of abnormal cells) increased the closer residents lived to a cell phone base station.

Halton Medical Officer of Health Dr. Bob Nosal has disputed the study, stating there’s no convincing evidence weak radiofrequency signals from base stations cause adverse health effects.

Wendy Perkins, who has petitioned against more than one cell tower in Oakville, said smart decisions need to be made when it comes to cell towers.

“The public in Canada is waking up to this issue and saying we can do this smart, we can do this safe and we can do this economically, so why aren’t we? We have never recognized the dangers here.”

Through her experience, Perkins said once in a while with enough public outcry these towers are stopped. “But most of the time after years of protesting and banging your head against the wall, you give up.”

Gulati said he’s confident the tower at New Life can be stopped. “The reaction is here. Everyone is against it and the politicians should take note of that. People around Milton who live far away from the tower are standing against it. They know if we let it happen here, it will happen everywhere.”

A protest against the cell phone tower is planning for this Sunday outside New Life Church.

Ontario budget won’t affect MDH

Christina Commisso, Milton Canadian Champion

Group say they’ll keep advocating for the MDH expansion until it’s complete. GRAHAM PAINE/Metroland Media Group

The Milton hospital expansion is still a go.

Following media reports last week that new hospital projects announced prior to the provincial election would be put on the chopping block in today’s budget, members of the Friends of Milton Hospital team were relieved to learn that the Milton District Hospital (MDH) expansion is safe and sound.

Speaking to the Champion from Queen’s Park, Councillor Mike Cluett said MDH isn’t one of the four hospital projects that have been cancelled in Ontario’s 2012 budget.

“Halton Healthcare Services is working on a plan for the expansion and has never stopped with the planning from what we’ve heard,” said Cluett.

He said after Finance Minister Dwight Duncan delivered his budget speech, a thumbs up from Halton MPP Ted Chudleigh signaled the much needed local expansion was on track.

Cluett attended the budget presentation with fellow Friends of Milton Hospital member Samantha Attew.

“We were ready with pitch forks,” said Attew, who said she was elated to learn the plan to triple MDH is moving ahead.

“I look forward to putting this thing in the ground,” she said from Queen’s Park. “You cannot play with health care. It’s something every Canadian is entitled to. It’s not a political thing.”

She continued, “I’m proud to be part of Milton and proud of Ted (Chudleigh).”

Cluett said the Friends of Milton Hospital will continue to advocate for the expansion until construction is complete — which was previously estimated for 2015 or 2016. “I give credit to the people of Milton for speaking their mind and letting the government know that we’re not backing down.”

Last night, Milton council unanimously passed a motion that reaffirmed the Town’s support for MDH and their willingness to help with the 10 per cent local contribution needed for the construction.

Deb Matthews: “…the green light… the go ahead… I want to be very clear. This money has been allocated. It is in our fiscal plan. It has gone through the treasury board. All of the i’s are dotted and the t’s are crossed. This money is part of our infrastructre plan….this money is part of that plan.”

Do you remember this day? I do…and over 100,000 Miltonians do as well. Here is a press release from MPP Ted Chudleigh.

www.tedchudleigh.com

MILTON DISTRICT HOSPITAL EXPANSION: A PROMISE THAT MUST BE KEPT
Chudleigh urges the people of Milton to remain vigilant as the 2012 budget nears

(Milton) – With the tabling of the 2012 Ontario Budget less than a week away, and the Minister of Finance promising massive infrastructure cuts, Halton MPP Ted Chudleigh today urged the people of Milton to keep their voices strong to ensure the expansion of the Milton District Hospital is completed on time.

“All of us were thrilled when the Minister finally promised the hospital would be expanded by 2016. But we can’t kid ourselves. With the Liberals’ spending problem hitting us hard, the long list of broken Liberal promises and with talk of hospital projects being axed in the upcoming budget we need to keep our voices strong,” said Chudleigh.

“Was this just another Liberal lie to get elected?” asked Chudleigh

The PC Government began the project to expand the Milton hospital in 2001. In 2003, soon after they were elected, the McGuinty Liberals cancelled the expansion.

Subsequently, for close to a decade, the people of Milton worked diligently to explain to the Liberals the necessity of expanding the hospital. A booming population and undersized hospital were not acceptable and had begun to put the heath of their families at risk.

On August 25, 2011 the Liberal Minister of Health and Long Term Care finally heard the Town’s plea and promised the province would fund the hospital’s expansion, “I want to be very clear this money has been allocated. It is in our fiscal plan. It has gone through our treasury board. All of the Is are dotted and Ts are crossed,” she said.

“Was Milton lied to?” asked Chudleigh “I guess only time will tell.”

Indeed, noting that the announcement to expand Milton District Hospital occurred just before the provincial election, Chudleigh questioned if the McGuinty Liberals ever intended to keep their promise to expand the hospital by 2016.

“The Minister stood in the Milton hospital, with tears in her eyes, and promised the hospital would be expanded by 2016,” said Chudleigh. “If this was an election ploy it is unforgivable.”

The Community Services Standing Committee proposed some changes to the parking bylaws that will affect Miltonians.

Back in November, Ward 5 Councillor Arnold Huffman asked staff to prepare a report on the current parking bylaw to see if it would be valid to change it from the current 3hr maximum parking and change it to 5hr along with adding no overnight parking.

I don’t have a vote on the committee but I mentioned last night that if we are to change this bylaw there should be a compelling business case to do so.  And in my opinion, there wasn’t such a case made.

The staff report concluded that it would be beneficial to keep the current law and if it was changed to 5 hours there would have to be significant changes made to the shift of our bylaw officers.  The parking bylaw services are contracted out, meaning they are not Town of Milton employees.  Here is the text of the report.

Report to: Chair and Members of Community Services Standing Committee

From: M. Paul Cripps, P.Eng., Director, Engineering Services Date: March 5, 2012

Report No. ENG-003-12

Subject: Parking Enforcement – Three Hour Limitation, Parking Considerations, First Attendance

RECOMMENDATION: THAT Staff Report ENG-003-12 regarding Councillor Huffman’s request to review raising the three hour parking limit to five hours, while not permitting parking from 2:00 a.m. – 7:00 a.m., along with reviewing the parking consideration program be received;

AND THAT the existing three hour parking by-law remains in effect and that the parking consideration and first attendance programs continue to operate as noted in Report ENG-003-12.

REPORT

Background

Currently, the parking by-law within the Town of Milton is three hours unless otherwise posted. The three hour parking by-law is fairly standard throughout many municipalities in the surrounding area, with the exception of the Town of Halton Hills, which recently changed their on street parking by-law from three hours to five hours.

The three hour parking limit has been developed to provide short term parking for guests and to encourage clear, uncluttered residential streets. The three hour parking limit also:

• encourages residents to provide off street parking for the number of vehicles they own;

• allows for road maintenance activities including road repairs, snow removal, sanding/salting, street cleaning;

• helps to facilitate the weekly collection of residential garbage;

• helps to minimize the difficulty of backing out of, or accessing a private driveway;

• controls the problem of derelict vehicles;

• improves the traffic flow on residential streets

Response

Three Hour Parking By-law

Staff surveyed a number of area municipalities with respect to their parking by-law and their exemption program. The following Cities/Towns have been surveyed: Towns of Halton Hills, Oakville and the Cities of Burlington, Vaughan, Cambridge, Brampton and Mississauga. All of the surveyed municipalities have a three hour parking by-law with many of them prohibiting parking from 2:00 a.m. – 6:00 a.m. (yearly or seasonally) with the exception of Halton Hills, which has a five hour by-law and No Parking 2:00 a.m. – 6:00 a.m. November 15 – April 15. It should be noted that with the new five hour parking by-law in Halton Hills, when a complaint is received for on street parking, the officers will issue a warning tag first, prior to issuing a tag. All surveyed municipalities have parking consideration programs similar to the program within the Town of Milton.

It should be noted that the Town of Milton also has a program that allows residents to apply for extended 15 hour parking on their street involving a petition and questionnaire process. This program has been available since 2003 and to date there are only eight locations within the Town of Milton where extended parking has been approved, while over 150 streets have been reviewed. The lack of positive response to the questionnaires issued by the Town related to extended parking would indicate that the majority of residents support the current three hour parking by-law.

Over 90% of the enforcement requests (approximately 1150 from 2011) that the Town has received are for enforcement of the three hour parking by-law, particularly overnight parking. Residents tend to use their garages for storage instead of parking of a vehicle.

The Engineering Services Department doesn’t support changing the on street parking by-law from three hours to five hours, as this would create enforcement issues for the Town and be operationally disruptive. It should be noted that the three hour parking bylaw is enforced on a complaint basis similar to surrounding municipalities. Currently, our parking enforcement officers work an eight hour shift. The first three hours of their shift is used for chalking vehicles and after the chalking has been completed, the officers can then return to the streets to issue parking infraction notices. Enforcement of the three hour limit takes up the majority of the night shift for the officer and it should be noted that the Town receives several new requests for enforcement each day. It is also important to note that the same officer that chalks the vehicle has to issue the parking infraction notice. If the parking by-law was changed to five hours, this would only allow our officers approximately one hour to chalk; therefore all of the complaints would not be attended to, resulting in a decrease in level of service.

In 2003, the parking by-law in the Town of Milton was three hours unless otherwise posted and parking was prohibited from 2:00 a.m. – 7:00 a.m., November 15 – April 15 for winter control. This was subsequently changed to allow three hour parking at anytime, because if a storm occurred at night, the plows would be concentrating on clearing the arterial and collector roads first. With the introduction of the “Allow the Plow” campaign the number of vehicles tagged for impeding snow removal has been reduced.

Parking Considerations

With respect to the parking consideration program, residents who are having driveway or home renovations completed are currently required to use their 18 parking considerations per plate per year. Parking Enforcement does approve extensions under extenuating circumstances, such as relatives living with family until a new home is built (with proof), university/college students home for the summer, etc. This process has been in place for a number of years with very few complaints from the residents.

Residents/guests are able to obtain a parking consideration by calling Parking Enforcement directly or on the Town’s web site. Some municipalities actually sell permits to residents/visitors once they have exhausted their permitted parking considerations. Implementing a process such as this would not be feasible due to limited human resources. It is therefore recommended that the parking consideration program remain as is and residents requiring extended parking considerations continue to contact Parking Enforcement and their request will be reviewed on an individual basis.

Effective immediately, should a resident be having home renovations or driveway work completed by a contractor, they will be required to use five (5) of their 18 parking considerations per plate per vehicle and then can apply for an extended permit if required. They would be required to send Parking Enforcement a request with all of the required information (name, phone #, address, license plate numbers of vehicles that require on street parking, and proof from the contractor that work is being done and when it will be completed).

First Attendance

Currently, the Town of Milton operates a First Attendance Facility, which allows the recipient of a parking infraction notice to come to Town Hall and fill out paperwork should they wish to dispute their parking infraction notice. This process must be done in person, which is consistent with all other municipalities and the same as someone disputing a Highway Traffic Act charge. First Attendance is not the type of program that can operate online. Presently, Parking Enforcement doesn’t fax or e-mail the First Attendance forms to recipients. Effective immediately, should a recipient of a parking infraction notice wish to have the First Attendance forms e-mailed or faxed to them this can be done, saving them some time when they appear at First Attendance.

Financial Impact

There is no financial impact associated with Report ENG-003-12.

Respectfully submitted,

M. Paul Cripps, P. Eng.

Director, Engineering Services

Staff advised the committee  last night that these changes will bring about potential increases in the cost of providing the service to Milton residents.  He said the cost increases could be in the range of $32,000 to $64,000 per year given the changes to the contract we have.  Mayor Gord Krantz asked staff last night if this is a money making venture, does it lose money or does it break even.  He felt that this is something we shouldnt be making money on and Mr Cripps advised, not knowing the numbers he felt this service broke even.

Whats going to happen after this?  If the costs go up, revenue must increase to make it a break even venture.  More revenue means more tickets for Milton residents.

In my opinion, there wasnt a compelling case made to change the bylaw from 3 to 5 hour parking.  In my time as councillor for the ward I have received a few emails and calls regarding parking issues in ward 6.  Mainly these have been issues with commercial vehicles and neighbour “feuds”.  The facts outlined in the report last night stated every surrounding municipality with the exception of Halton Hills has a 3 hour parking bylaw including Oakville, Burlington, Brampton & Mississauga.  As Milton grows in size comparable to these areas, we should be looking at what works for them.

I along with Councillor Rick Malboeuf asked staff that a lot of the issues regarding parking tickets can be fixed by using common sense.  Things like not ticketing at Thanksgiving, Christmas, Grey Cup and other special events where friends and families are visiting.  The worst ticket being someone whos had a few drinks and they do the responsible thing by taking a cab home or staying over and for that getting a ticket. 

There are measures in place for parking considerations as outlined in the report. 

http://www.milton.ca/en/live/parkingconsideration.asp

You can go online and get a parking consideration in a matter of seconds and in cases where you are having renovations made and cant use your driveway extra time will be considered.

I questioned staff on the number of considerations per plate (currently 18) and if they might think about increasing the number of considerations to encourage their use.  He felt that the Town of Milton is quite generous compared to other municipalities in this matter but I honestly think that if we want people to use them regularly and not be inconvenienced by running out of them during the year, we can give more considerations.

I personally think the wrong decision was made by the Community Services Standing Committee as there will be more confusion with residents and will result in an increase in parking infractions, not to mention an increase in the cost of providing the service.

But as always, I DO want to hear from you.

This decision will now come before council on March 26th to be ratified.  I encourage you if you dont want these changes made, to make your feelings known by emailing me mike@mikecluett.ca and other members of council and also by becoming a delegate at the meeting to speak your mind.

Region of Halton CAO Pat Moyle presented a verbal report to Regional Council last week with an update on the Drummond Report and how it will affect the region and surrounding municipalities.

Christina Commisso from the Milton Canadian Champion wrote about the presentation as well.  Here is the link to the article. 

What I found to be quite telling were his comments (and I have been saying this for quite some time before being elected AND after) that municipalities need to live within their means and stick to their core business.  All the nickels and dimes we spend will eventually add up.  And with the proposals for cuts at the provincial level will eventually make their way down to the municipal level and the property tax base.

You can watch CAO Pat Moyle’s presentation at the Halton website here and it begins just before the 36 minute part.

Too soon to predict Drummond Report impact: CAO

With almost 30 per cent of the Region’s revenue coming from Queen’s Park, Halton’s CAO said the effects of Ontario’s austerity plan will be felt by all.

However, it’s still too soon to predict the degree of the impact in Halton, said Pat Moyle during Wednesday’s regional council meeting, where he quipped, “We are living in a post-Drummond world.”

Moyle provided councillors with an overview of findings from the Commission on the Reform of Ontario’s Public Services — known as the Drummond Report — but said some of the 362 recommendations are too vague to determine what kind of financial impact they would have locally.

“Some of the recommendations have already been discounted,” said Moyle, pointing to the end of all-day kindergarten and delaying the uploading of social program costs from municipalities to the Province.

Moyle said about 80 of Drummond’s recommendations have a direct bearing on Halton.

“When the Province sneezes, we catch a cold,” he joked.

In the report, Moyle pointed to removing public health as a Regional responsibility. With the Region funding 35.5 per cent of public health initiatives, Moyle wrote, “It is critical that prior to implementing any actions with respect to public health service delivery or funding, that the Province reveal its implementation plan.”

A recommendation to integrate the Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Supports programs could, according to the report, increase caseloads in Halton from 2,000 to 9,000 annually.

Centralized bargaining for emergency services would also have a local impact as police services are bargained at the regional level and fire at the local level.

Other recommendations that if implemented will impact Halton include the consolidation of Ontario’s 80 hydro utilities along regional lines and re-evaluating the portion of slots revenue the OLG distributes to host municipalities.

Moyle said the Drummond report reveals some important lessons for all municipalities: governments must live within their means and stick to their core business, debt hurts credit ratings and it’s important to listen to the governments’ finance people.

“The lessons learned by Drummond are lessons that have applied in Halton for the long term,” said Moyle, adding, We could better withstand the shocks of Drummond.”

There are two upcoming public meetings on Monday March 19th as a part of our Administration & Planning meeting that residents in ward 6 would be interested in.

The first one is a potential development at the north west corner of Thompson Road and Louis St Laurent that would possibly bring in a Tim Horton’s restaurant along with drive thru across the street from the Metro Mall.

Here is a link to the public meeting notice.

I had an opportunity to meet with the person designing the development and I was very encouraged that the designs included lots of room for cars to enter without having any backup on the main roads (Thompson / LSL)  Its a situation that many drive thru’s run into…too many cars at busy points in the day lead to spillage on the roads and potential safety issues and traffic backups.

In addtion to a well designed parking lot with lots of spaces and room to move for vehicles, the outward design is also very nice.  Utilizing stone in the design keeps with the “escarpment feel” Many residents have commented that new development in Milton seems to be all over the place design wise and no continuity.  As soon as I can get the designs scanned in (likely when the agenda is available online – Thursday before the meeting) I can post it to show you.  It does look really nice, but I wont know until the final presentation is made.  This meeting is to ask for a zoning by law change to allow this future development.  There is still time before the site plans etc are to be presented.

Residents are invited to send submissions to council for that meeting either in writing or in person if they have any questions or concerns.  As always if you do have any questions you can email me mike@mikecluett.ca & I can bring them up.

The other public meeting to be held that night concerns zoning application at the corner of Hwy 25 and Louis St Laurent from Mattamy Corporation.  The link to that public notice is here.

That is a request to change the zoning to Future Development, which can lead to something similar at this location as the previous one, or something different.  The full details will be listed before the meeting so if you have any concerns, please let me know.

So what do you think?  A Tim Hortons is good for this location or not?  Do you think it will benefit the area or add to congestion?  Let me know mike@mikecluett.ca or feel free to leave a comment here.

UPDATE:  Many thanks to Angela for getting a hold of me with updated information as she wanted to ensure that the public is getting the information correctly….so thanks Angela

An application has been made by Altus Group Limited (on behalf of Bell Canada) to install a cell tower in Milton in front of New Life Church on Thompson Road near Clark Blvd.

The date of the application is February 28th and this starts the process for input from places like the Town of Milton.  I had originally posted the due date for submissions was March 20th, but that is wrong.  The notices havent been sent out to area residents as of yet but will be sent shortly.  There will be an opportunity to send in your input and in addition to that there WILL be a public meeting scheduled for a later date before the decision is made by Industry Canada. 

Its important to know that the Town of Milton is a commenting agent only.  The town will not be making the decision on this matter as it is under the jurisdiction of Industry Canada, which is the federal government.

Notices WILL Be sent out to homes in the area of 120 m radius of the proposed location which encompasses homes in both ward 7 and ward 6.

The tower will reach a height of 29.9 metres tall.

The proposal is for the installation of a cross style steel telecommunications mono-pole tower.

It will include:

• Fenced mechanical compount 8 x 9 m (equipment shed dimensions 2.03 x 2.44 m)
• Installation of buried hydro line and / or overhead hydro line
• Installation of concrete filled bollards
• Planting of spruce trees to surround compound.

If you do have any questions, please contact the following:

Angela Janzen, Planner – Policy

Town of Milton 150 Mary Street Milton ON L9T 6Z5

angela.janzen@milton.ca

The Town of Milton every month sends out a newsletter called “THE TALK OF THE TOWN”

They are seeking input from Miltonians on how you would like this information sent on a regular basis.  Are you ok with the current format or would you like it in electronic format? Other ways?  Please take a few seconds to complete the survey here.

https://milton.survey.esolutionsgroup.ca/TakeSurvey.aspx?SurveyID=mlKJ3n9

In case youve missed an edition of the Talk of the Town click here for past issues.