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Louis St Laurent & Thompson Road

Mike Cluett

The intersection of Louis St Laurent and Thompson Road now has the hardware installed for the all way lights as of today.  Its a few days behind schedule but I have been assured by our engineering department that the lights will be energized shortly after its complete and the 4 way stop signs will be removed.

Since this project has been announced, there have been a number of ward 6 and 7 residents who have emailed me asking for updates and “whats going on” over the past several weeks and many of you have credited this blog and other postings on forums around town with providing information to them.  Thanks for those comments as they are very much appreciated.  It goes to show that if council members use this technology like our website, Twitter and Facebook posts, residents in the area can be informed and it takes away from the “What the Heck” factor from people as changes continue to happen in and around Milton.

Thanks again for the continued input into this site and I appreciate all the feedback I get.

Milton Hospital Expansion Approved!

Mike Cluett

Its been a busy day for a number of reasons. I was at the announcement today along with several of our town councillors, MPP Ted Chudleigh, Liberal candidates Indiria Naidoo Harris, Friends of Milton Hospital, doctors and nurses, and staff and volunteers. Quite emotional. I had to leave because we had a medical emergency with our cat Chester. He was in a fight on the weekend and developed a massive infection which burst today and my son called in a panic. (Chesters had his surgery and is doing ok, we’ll be picking him up soon)

I put together a few thoughts, and once things settle down at home, I’ll post more…and probably add more people to thank so I dont leave anyone out.

EDIT:  As Colin Best reminded me on the Hawthorne Villager I forgot someone important.  Regional Chair Gary Carr has also played a very strong role in getting meetings scheduled with cabinet ministers during the recent AMO Conference in London and also bringing up Milton’s needs at every possible opportunity.  Thank you Gary!!!

Here is the video from today courtesy of Brian Best (thanks for the vid…it was a historic day in Milton and I’m glad it was captured)

Today was a great day for Milton with the announcement of the hospital expansion earlier today. Many thanks to a LOT of people.

To the doctors and nurses and volunteers and staff of Milton Hospital…thank you. You were the ones under the gun over the last several years and despite everything seemingly against you, you have ALL done an amazing job.

The tears of joy I witnessed from the staff at MDH said it all.

To John Oliver and Alan Halls THANK YOU for your leadership and persistence in this matter. Everyone at Halton Healthcare Services has been a strong advocate for Milton and our needs and you have lead the charge.

To Friends of Milton Hospital, THANK YOU. Over 36,000 signatures were collected and presented to the government to let them know, THIS was the issue in town.

To my fellow council members, THANK YOU. Everytime we had the ear of a provincial minister of govt, we brought the Milton Hospital expansion to their attention. Theres a reason why Minister Deb Matthews mentioned our persistence.

To my colleagues on the Grow Milton Hospital campaign, THANK YOU! We helped in keeping the pressure up and we saw the end result in mind. Todays announcement was a result of a lot of people and the residents of Milton…THANK YOU.

There is also MPP Ted Chudleigh to thank for his years of work on this with the provincial government. John Oliver made mention in his speech of Ted’s efforts on raising awareness over the last several years, and while colourful at times, his passion for Halton residents in Milton was unwaivering. THANK YOU Ted!

Now the hard work begins. We WILL do this together and with everyones support from all sides … the job will get done.

What would you ask them?

Mike Cluett

Next week will be my first AMO (Associations of Municipalities of Ontario)Conference.  Its going to be held in London this year and goes from Sunday August 21st to Wednesday the 24th.

The conference is designed for municipal leaders from all over the province to meet and discuss issues and share knowledge and resources to help come up with solutions to problems.  There’s going to be roughly 1600 politicians running around London (sounds scary doesn’t it 🙂 ) for those days and I’m personally looking forward to a number of events that will be happening over the course of the conference.

Most importantly to me is some of the meetings that have been scheduled with provincial representatives by Regional Chair Gary Carr and ministers in the Province of Ontario.  I along with other Milton & Halton councillors will be attending these meetings.  This will provide us with an opportunity to speak directly with those ministers, mainly the Minister of Health Deb Matthews and Minister of Infrastructure Bob Chiarelli.  If those names sound familiar, you must have been reading my blog on a regular basis. 

These ministers are two of the key decision makers when it comes to getting a green light for the Milton Hospital expansion.  There have been meetings in the past, of course with no firm date or timeframe given to us, but hopefully we can “twist their arms” slightly in getting something done.  It is no secret in Milton that the expansion of the Milton District Hospital is “THE” issue in town.  

Week after week, organization after organization holds events in support of MDHF and the importance of supporting our local hospital.  Thousands of dollars has been raised for the foundation and even more will come with future events.

Regional Councillor Colin Best wrote a letter to the ministers via the Milton Canadian Champion recently outlining our concerns once again with the lack of detail in their latest “capital project projections”

If there is one issue that everyone in Milton can unite behind its the hospital.  We as elected officials in Milton have to keep up the pressure.  Its been well documented on my site about the efforts of the  Friends of Milton Hospital a few years ago and most recently the Grow Milton Hospital campaign and the numbers of signatures that have been collected and delivered to the Province of Ontario letting our voices be heard that we need that expansion to start now.

Unofficially the Town of Milton is over 90,000 in population with 100,000 in our sights.  The hospital continues to be under intense pressure to be able to deliver the health care services that Milton needs.  Beds are in short number, the nurses and doctors are doing their best but without the facilities needed to serve a growing population, it runs the risk of a disaster happening.

I’m hoping at this meeting, myself along with other Milton and Halton councillors can convince these provincial ministers (it IS a provincial election year mind you) to get off the fence and approve the expansion of Milton’s hospital.   There will also be opportunities to speak with the provincial party leaders as well during this conference (Dalton Mcguinty, Tim Hudak, Andrea Horvath) and rest assure I will be “badgering” them as well over the course of the four days.

If you have any comments or questions you would like me to pass on to the Health Minister and Minister of Infrastructure, please email me mike@mikecluett.ca and I will ask them directly when we meet with them.

Council Meeting August 15 2011

Mike Cluett

The next meeting of Milton Town Council is on Monday August 15th starting at 7pm at Milton Town Hall.

The governing body of the Town of Milton is Town Council, consisting of the Mayor and 10 Councillors who represent Milton’s eight wards.  Milton residents elect members of Council for a four-year term of office.  You can find a link to watch the Town Council meetings here.  The meetings are also broadcast on TV Cogeco (Channel 14).

Town Council deals with:

  • Matters requiring policy direction
  • By-laws or by-law amendments
  • Responses or actions to pertinent issues

Council also makes decisions on the recommendations of Milton’s two Standing Committees of Council:

  • Administration & Planning Committee
  • Community Services Committee

The link to the agenda can be found here.  Some of the highlites of tonights meeting include:

Hope to see you there at the meeting and if you cant make it click here for the live link to watch. 

Milton Ribfest 2011

Mike Cluett

It’s ON!

The second annual Milton Ribfest starts today (Thursday) and goes all weekend long.  Music, beer, entertainment, vendors and of course the most important ingredient to any successful ribfest celebration…RIBS!

From the Milton Ribfest Website

Thursday 4PM–10PM:  Come out and enjoy some tasty ribs, beat the crowds and enjoy the opening night with some great local bands taking to the stage. – Midway, Thursday will be Loonie day where all rides are $1.00

Friday Noon – 4PM is set aside for Senior’s Day, but all are welcome, enjoy the soft sounds of Urban Legend with a cold beer and some tasty ribs! But don’t leave just yet, the action gets going in the early evening as we transform the beer garden into a big Country party. The show will be in full swing with all the vendors open, new and improved midway action and lots of food vendors….

The event runs until 11PM.

We are also planning a Car Show on Friday night from 5-9  Classic cars and cars of special interest can join us while space is available.

This years Midway is Bigger and Better. Ride all day bracelet $20.00.

If you are looking for only riding a few rides, individual tickets can be purchased for $2.50 a ride, or $25.00 for 12 rides.

Saturday gates open at 11AM so come out and enjoy the day at the Milton Fairgrounds. The music gets underway at noon and will continue all day long with Rock and Blues music – be sure to enjoy some of the great food and ribs.

Make time to see Forever Diamond, a Neil Diamond tribute Saturday from 4:15 to 5:00 pm on the Main Stage.

Sunday August 14th:  Gates open at 11AM for Family Day. Come and enjoy tons of action and fun for the kids. Music will be on all day, come spend the day and enjoy the FUN!! Midway, all kids under 12 can ride all day for $15.00.

We are adding a second stage this year – more fun, more entertainment.

Come See Teen Club with Miss Hanna and Just Bieber at Noon – 1:00 pm

We also have Blue Radio, a Blue Rodeo tribute Sunday from 3:00 to 4:00 pm on the Main Stage

Full Entertainment Schedule

Event closes at 8 pm on Sunday.

Remember admission is free – donations accepted for the Milton District Hospital Foundation & The Learning Foundation or non-perishable food for the Salvation Army Food Drive.

Parking on Site only $5.00 per entry (no in and out privileges)

Town Of Milton Press Release RE Thompson & Louis St Laurent

Mike Cluett

Jul 26, 2011

Temporary All-Way Stop Thompson Rd. & Louis St. Laurent

As a result of Halton Region opening up the intersection of Regional Road 25 and Louis St. Laurent Avenue, a temporary all-way stop is being installed at the intersection of Thompson Road South and Louis St. Laurent Avenue to help regulate traffic at this intersection.

The temporary all way stop will be removed once the traffic control signals are completed, which is anticipated to take place on or about August 25th.  If you have any questions, please call 905-878-7252 ext. 2506 or e-mail Heide Schlegl.

Thank you for your patience during this time.