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It’s HOT out there

Mike Cluett

Over the last few days we have seen the temperatures rise to new heights and it looks like the next little while will be no different.  I’ve had to take a break from hitting the doors in Ward 6 because of the scorching heat and hopefully it will let up soon.

I had received a call from someone who was wondering what the Town is doing to help beat the heat and where they could take their family to help cool off during this heat wave.

The Town has recently posted some information on www.milton.ca which lists areas where families can go to take the heat off so to speak.

Milton has two designated cooling centres:

Milton Leisure Centre:  1100 Main Street East and Milton Sports Centre: 605 Santa Maria Blvd

There are two locations for pools as well.  One at the Milton Leisure Centre and the other one is outdoors at Rotary Park at 1 Garden Lane (near downtown Milton)

Milton has 6 locations for splash pads which the past few days have become a very popular place for kids to play and stay cool from the heat.  Times of operation are from 9AM to 9PM daily.

Beaty Neighbourhood Park  – Beside Guardian Angels School (Yates / Bennett Ave)

Bristol District Park – Across from Metro Plaza (Thompson Rd / Louis St Laurent Ave)

Clark Neighbourhood Park (South) – Opens late summer 2010

Coates Neighbourhood Park (North)– (Near Philbrook / Yates Drive)

Dempsey Neighbourhood Park– Beside Chris Hadfield School

Lions Sports Park – 77 Thompson Road

There is also a splash pad at Rotary Park  from 10AM to 8PM Daily.

If you would like to get more information on the Milton Leisure Centre swimming hours/costs/ programs, click here for the recreation guide.

As the summer goes along, we will be faced with many more days like we’ve had this week and its best to take all the precautions necessary in order to make sure we all have a safe holiday.  Watch out for kids while your driving, stay cool as much as possible and take in some of the amenities that the Town of Milton has to offer.

Until then, I’ll see you at the doors.

Former Milton Mayor Mike Ledwith Passes Away

Mike Cluett

Just this past week, former Mayor of Milton Mike Ledwith was recognized by the province of Ontario and the Town of Milton as 2010’s Senior of the Year.  He was unable that Monday to attend the meeting and accept this honour, but his family was there.  They expressed their deep gratitude for the acknowledgment and recognition of their fathers hard work in Milton.

I had a chance to meet and speak with Mike at length during Milton’s 150th Anniversary celebrations and he spoke of his time as Mayor of Milton with great happiness.  He was Mayor of Milton during the towns 100th anniversary celebrations and he took part in many of the events for the 150th anniversary.  These days, its hard to think of anyone else being Mayor of Milton other than Gord but…there he was.  He could keep crowds riveted with stories of Milton and was always amazed to see how the town was growing the way it has been since 2000.

Over the years, he has been behind the scenes helping out many Milton organizations such as the Rotary Club, the Hospital board, and as former president of the Milton Evergreen Cemetary, doing what he could to continue to help Milton be a great place to live.  He didnt want all the glory or recognition … he just wanted to do his part.  He will be missed.

Here is an article from the Champion on Mike being named Milton’s Senior of the Year.

Former mayor Ledwith named Senior of Year

He’s known for his humility and his preference for working behind the scenes.

So although disappointing, it somehow seemed in keeping with his nature that newly-named Senior of the Year Mike Ledwith wasn’t on hand Monday night to accept his award — although he no doubt would have been had he been able.

“He’s someone who quietly helps those in need in the community without drawing attention to himself,” said Director of Community Services Jennifer Reynolds at Monday’s town council meeting.

Two of Ledwith’s children, Peter Ledwith and Ellen Riordon, accepted the award for their father, who resides at Allendale.  “I really wish my dad could be here tonight,” said Peter.

Said Riordon: “My dad would say he only deserves this because of the help of everybody.”

This isn’t the first notable recognition for the elder Ledwith. In the early ’60s he was named Citizen of the Year, while in 1997 he was chosen to receive the Chamber of Commerce’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

“This is his hat-trick,” Peter joked.

Senior of the Year is a Provincial initiative designed to recognize a notable senior’s contributions. The Milton recipient is chosen from among nominations by the Town’s Community Services Advisory Committee.

Ledwith, 86, has worn many hats during his more than six decades in town, including mayor of Milton.

For more than 30 years, he owned and operated Ledwith’s grocery store, which eventually became Quality Greens at Main and Martin streets.  His volunteerism included 10 years as a member of the Milton District Hospital Board and he’s one of the founding members of the Rotary Club of Milton, which started in 1947. He remained active until just recently.

“Mike to me is the embodiment of a volunteer,” the Rotary Club of Milton’s Ries Boers told council. “He’s really set a good example for our club.”

Ledwith’s dedication helped keep the club alive during times when membership was at an all-time low, Boers said.  Among other feats, Ledwith has served at St. Paul’s United Church for more than 50 years and was a member of the Milton Seniors’ Activity Centre’s Song Spinners Chorus.

“He’s a very positive influence on everyone, putting others before himself,” Reynolds said.

 James Michael “Mike” Ledwith

LEDWITH, James Michael ‘Mike’ – Died peacefully at Allendale in Milton, Ontario on Saturday, July 3, 2010 in his 87th year. Survived by his three children Ellen Riordon (Dan), Linda Bitton (Dennis) and Peter Ledwith (Cindy). Predeceased by his wives Kathleen (Kay) Garbutt, Vere Henderson and Mary Emmerson. Greatly loved by his seven grandchildren Christopher (Andria), Tara (Stephen), Ryan (Caroline), Michele, Sean (Ana), Owen and Evan and by his great-granddaughter Sophie. He will be deeply missed by his younger brother Austan ‘Oz’ (Janette). Mike was extremely active in the town of Milton for over six decades, beginning in 1946, when he opened a small grocery store in town. ‘Ledwith’s Food Market’ grew to become a downtown landmark. He served the town as Mayor in Milton’s Centennial year of 1957; he was a Charter Member of the Milton Rotary Club in 1947 and remained active with the club until recently. He served on the Milton Hospital Board and the Milton School Board; he was President of Milton’s Evergreen Cemetery for more than 25 years. Mike was very involved with St. Paul’s United Church for more than 60 years. In the early 1960s, he was named Milton’s Citizen of the Year. In 1997, he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Milton Chamber of Commerce and very recently, he was declared Milton’s Senior Citizen of the Year for 2010. Family and friends are invited to visit at the McKERSIE-KOCHER FUNERAL HOME, 114 Main St., Milton, 905-878-4452, from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. on Tuesday. The funeral service will be held at Grace Anglican Church, 317 Main St., Milton on Wednesday, July 7, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. Interment to follow at Evergreen Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to St. Paul’s United Church would be appreciated. Letters of condolence may be left for the family at www.mckersie-kocher.ca

Published in the Toronto Star on July 5, 2010

Town Council Meeting June 28, 2010

Mike Cluett

Last night I attended the town council meeting in which there was to be a discussion on possible ways for the Town of Milton to set up and fund a hospital expansion reserve fund for consideration in next years budget.

The original motion can be found here for you to review.

Some of the highlited options for funding include:

  • Capital Related Items:  Redirection of Slot Revenues, GTA Pooling Funds, Debenture Financing
  • Developer Related Items:   Development Charges
  • External Revenue Generating Items:  Hydro / Hospital Generation Partnership (similar to Oakville Hydro), Parking Facility, Tax Levy.

There was a lot of discussion from a number of delegates last night talking about the pros and cons of each item.  The general consensus around the table and in the gallery was that we need to do something …now.  But aside from some passionate discussions from some councillors there really wasn’t a lot of direction from the table other than what was in the report.

According to the report, here are the next steps:

Next Steps

Continuation of Working Group and Community Consultation.  It is anticipated that the established working group would continue throughout the project to ensure:

– help develop a co-ordinated communications plan to enable the parties to consult widely with the community about the level of municipal contribution and the Local Share plan including but not limited to the various options as outlined in this report.

Reserve Fund

Staff is recommending that the establishment of a reserve fund dedicated to funding the redevelopment and expansion of Milton District Hospital be included as a recommendation in the 2011 budget for consideration.

Now when you look at the next steps, you might think not much has changed and it really hasn’t.  The goal of everyone in this town is to ensure that Milton gets what it needs from the provincial government to expand the health care services for the residents of Milton.  The very last option to be considered would be the special tax levy that would be brought on Milton taxpayers to fund the local portion of what is needed for hospital expansion.  The VERY last option.

 There were a few interesting and controversial ideas that came up including naming rights (which the town has no control over), and selling Milton Hydro.  As you will see from my presentation, I suggested we move this idea up to the regional level of government and quite possibly pool the tax base and solve everyone’s problems.  There are some risks in that as Mayor Krantz brought up “be careful what you wish for, you just might get it!” but Milton’s tax base isn’t big enough.

 I also had concerns, that I didnt address in my presentation (due to 10 minute time limits) about slot revenues being used as we get them, instead of the towns current procedure of placing them in a reserve account for a year and then applying it to the capital budget.

I’ve been at the doors over the past few months and many of you have brought up slot revenues and how they should be used for the hospital fund.  Slot revenues are a gift, for the lack of a better word.  The Town of Milton gets a portion of the slot revenues every year but those funds aren’t 100% guaranteed.  They can end at any time and we cant take these revenues for granted.  So I’m cautious about relying solely on those funds.

Needless to say this isnt an issue that will go away or be solved in one meeting.

I talked about the need of not just putting strongly worded resolutions and forwarding copies of reports to provincial ministers and everyone else under the sun, but to make a concerted effort to work with other municipalities as well to put pressure on the the provincial government to change the Development Charges Act 1997.

Back then, the government changed the rules for municipalities and they were no longer allowed to use development charges (DC’s) to fund capital projects including funding local portions of the hospital.

The current government is on the record saying they wont be making changes and from reports recently other leaders are in agreement that the act shouldn’t be changed.  If this can be changed, the ability of a municipality to fund the local portion of hospital expansions becomes much easier and there is less of an impact on the taxpayer.

We need to be leaders and contact every municipal leader, every Mayor, every Councillor and get them on board to put pressure on the province to make these changes and soon.  There is an election coming up in 2011.

For those of you who were not at the meeting and cant watch on TV COGECO, here is a copy of my submission to council regarding this issue.  Feel free to comment.

Until then, I’ll see you at the doors.

Dear Gord Krantz, Mayor; Members of Town Council, Staff & Members of the public.

The purpose of my writing today is to submit my opinions on the report CORS 058-10 regarding Halton Healthcare Notice of Motion.

As a resident who has lived in Milton for over 7 years now, I along with many others have seen the need to ensure that the healthcare services for our residents are placed at the top of our priority list by the provincial government.  Outlined in the detailed staff report are many of the potential pitfalls that Halton Healthcare Services faces in getting the project started.  Many of the options that we have at our disposal are hinged on the province of Ontario coming to the realization that Milton, Canada’s fastest growing municipality for the last few years, is recognized in their long range goals for expansion.

Expansion of Milton District Hospital is not a new phenomenon whatsoever.  Just recently over half the population of Milton at the time, 35000 plus residents signed a petition to be delivered to the provincial government letting them know Milton should be a priority.  The efforts of those involved with the Friends of Milton Hospital organization should be applauded as many hours, days and weeks went into this movement to let our elected officials at the provincial level know that we need more for the residents of Milton.

I have no qualm with the goal.  I don’t think we can find anyone in our town that would disagree with the notion we need to have a bigger and better healthcare facility for Milton.  Our town is now approaching the 100,000 level and what we have right now is not enough.  This isn’t to say that the individuals, doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers at the Milton Hospital are doing a poor job.  They are doing the best they can with the resources they have.

The problem is the provincial government.  They need to make our town’s healthcare facility a priority and fast.  As Mr. Oliver from Halton Healthcare Services stated in the meeting on May 17th, even if they got approval that day for expansion, they are many years away from shovels in the ground.  Our hope is that the provincial government, after their budget deliberations, comes to the same conclusion that Halton Healthcare Services, the Town of Milton and the residents of Milton already know.  Approve the hospital expansion now.

I’m glad that staff also realized we need to put added pressure on the provincial government to change the Development Charges Act of 1997 and allow municipalities to raise funds for the local share of the hospital funding through development charges.  I would add that the town of Milton should urge all municipalities in Ontario to put added pressure on the province to get these changes put through.  All towns and cities in Ontario are either facing the same problems we are or will in the near future and there has to be concerted effort on behalf of ALL municipalities in the province to get these changes made.

This leads me to some concerns about where the funding will come from for the local portion that will be required to get the projects moving.  The face of health care services has changed over the last 20 years.  No longer do local hospitals serve local residents.  Hospitals serve the population in general throughout the region.  Milton residents can take advantage of services at the Burlington, Oakville and even Mississauga area hospitals for different health care related items.  My concern is with burdening the Town of Milton with raising all the funds required for the local portion.  Our tax base isn’t big enough to raise that kind of money in a fixed amount of time.

If we include the “hospital fund” as a budgeted line item for 2010, we run the risk of other high priority projects falling by the wayside and much needed infrastructure such as roads, bridges, etc being delayed.

One of the options listed in the report is to divert Milton Community Funds that were allocated to the Arts Centre to the hospital fund for the next few years.  This would add approximately $500,000 to the fund if it’s done over the next 5 years, which is a fraction of what would be needed.  Milton can do some of the fundraising for the local portion, but it would impede any future long term budgeting that the town needs to do to accommodate other projects, Boyne Survey growth, and Intensification along Main Street.

As we all know, there is immense pressure from the provincial government to grow our population.  Some examples I’ve sighted are the Boyne Survey and the intensification plans faced along Main Street.  The Town doesn’t have any indication from any other level of government on who is going to help, if any, pay for these projects.  Our budgets for the foreseeable future are going to be stretched to the limit.  Adding the addition pressure of the hospital fund, solely on the backs of the taxpayers of Milton will add further problems in long term budgeting.

This proposal should be sent to the Region of Halton for review and have the local portion of the possible expansion handled at that level.  The Town of Milton doesn’t have the resources to raise the much needed funds and if applied at the Regional level and a much greater tax base, the costs can be spread out through the region of Halton as it will be the region of Halton that will benefit from any hospital expansion.

The resources available at the regional level are greater such as debt financing, development charges and at the very last resort tax increases.  The job can get done faster and more efficiently at that level of government without putting the strain on Milton’s long term budgeting issues that we will be facing as growth continues.

I would like to urge Mayor Krantz and members of council to rethink where this motion should be coming from and with the help of our regional councillors urge Halton to look at these plans as they have greater resources to work with at this level and Milton can continue to work out its long range budget issues with regards to growth.

Thank you for your time.

Best regards,

 

Mike Cluett

 

905-878-1327 Phone | 647-888-9032 Cell | mike@mikecluett.ca | www.mikecluett.ca

Major Changes Coming to Campbellville

Mike Cluett

The last full council meeting a couple of weeks ago went long…very long by some standards.  It was close to midnight by the time councillors, staff and some candidates made their way back home.

There was a public meeting on the Derry Green Corporate Business Park (James Snow Parkway, north to the 401, east to roughly Trafalgar and then down to the creek) but the last part of the discussion came from a motion by Councillor Cindy Lunau to expand the hamlet known as Campbellville.

As Tim Foran of the Milton Canadian Champion outines in his article, there are a few more changes coming to the quiet area of Campbellville.

Changes could be coming to Campbellville

The quiet hamlet of Campbellville could become a little noisier in future due to some changes made by Milton’s town council last week.

An existing no heavy truck prohibition along Campbellville Road, between Milburough and Guelph lines, will be removed, council decided without discussion.

The change is part of the Town’s handover of responsibility for maintaining the roadway to Halton Region, an uploading that will save Milton taxpayers some money.

The Region has indicated it plans to invest millions of dollars to improve the roadway to major arterial conditions in future years.

Council also decided that, subject to necessary studies, it will try to expand Campbellville’s urban boundaries westward.

If the expansion receives approval from Halton Region and the Province, which Town staff indicated is actually unlikely, it would allow for new development in some of the area bounded by Campbellville Road to the south, Twiss Road to the west, Hwy. 401 to the north and the hamlet’s existing boundary to the east.

The last major addition to the hamlet was Bridlewood Estates, a subdivision of million-dollar homes currently under construction.

The motion made by Nassagaweya Councillor Cindy Lunau to expand the hamlet came on the day council was approving its updated official plan following four years of planning for future growth by Halton Region and the Town. The motion passed 5-4. Lunau’s ward colleague, Jan Mowbray, supported the motion while the regional councillor for the area, Barry Lee, didn’t.

“I’m of the opinion there’s a certain critical mass (of people needed) to make a hamlet sustainable,” Lunau explained for her motion.

Mississauga-based investment company TSI International, which uses land banking as part of its real estate investment strategy, owns most of the property included in Lunau’s motion and has been the only developer that has asked for the hamlet to be expanded, Town staff confirmed.

Supporters of the expansion, including Lunau, Regional Councillor Colin Best and Mowbray, expressed concern the motion’s wording was obviously in support of TSI’s request as they didn’t want to be seen to be favouring one developer’s land over another.

Lunau had originally put forth a motion suggesting the Town support minor expansions to hamlets, in general. However, the Town’s lawyer advised council a motion indicating the Town has some idea where it wants to grow would have a greater chance of getting approval from the Region and Province.

TSI’s request was shot down by Halton Regional staff in December, when it completed an update to its own official plan. In a response document released at that time, Halton staff said they didn’t believe including TSI’s 100-acre property in the urban area was a “minor rounding out of the hamlet,” something allowable under Provincial legislation during the official plan update process.

Last week, the Town of Milton’s lawyer told council it was still unclear how many acres would actually constitute “minor” to the Province.

Town planning staff had also recommended against expanding the hamlet. In a June 10 document, staff explained the Province’s Greenbelt Plan only allows rounding out of hamlets if the proposal has been supported by appropriate studies assessing the need for the expansion as well as the availability of water to service the development. Those studies haven’t been done, according to staff.

Prior to council’s vote, Town Senior Manager of Planning Policy Barb Koopmans told council that Halton Region has “clearly advised” it won’t approve the expansion to the hamlet in the absence of such evidence.

That news upset Colin Chung, the planning consultant for TSI. He said after the council session the company has offered for years to do whatever studies are necessary, but never got confirmation from municipal planners.

TSI’s property is approximately 100 acres. The majority are forested and designated natural heritage system, but about 15 acres are rural, including some along the Twiss Road frontage.

Lunau suggested much of the land could be donated to the town for use as trails by local residents.

Local Food Bank Needs Help

Mike Cluett

UPDATE:  3:30 PM

As I hit the doors canvassing this weekend I will be asking everyone I speak to please make a donation to the Salvation Army Food Bank.  You can go to many grocery outlets and drop off a donation in the red boxes located near the exits or you can go to their HQ on Nippissing Road and donate.

I am also willing to pick up any donations for the Food Bank this weekend and it will be dropped off at their location with the names of those who donate.  If you can, please spend a few more dollars this week and help out some local families in need.

Email me mike@mikecluett.ca or call (647) 888-9032 if you’d like me to come by and pick it up for you.

Thanks everyone!

Here is an article in yesterdays Champion regarding the drastic shortage of food at the Salvation Army Food Bank.  They are running very low on food supply to help local families in need.  Summers are usually very slow months for donations and they are looking to the community to help out.

On the Hawthorne Village Forum, local resident Kim (freemantrailfamily) has issued a challenge to area residents to go to their local grocery store and buy some food and make a donation.  I would hope that everyone in Milton can do something to help out.

This coming weekend is Father’s day and lets show Milton’s generosity once again and help out the Salvation Army and the local food bank.  All it takes is a little to help a lot.

Local food bank in desperate situation

Local food bank in desperate situation.

With just three packages of rice left on shelves — and some other essential groceries nowhere to be found — the Salvation Army’s food bank is heading into the summer months in rough shape.

Combine those bare shelves with the fact summertime is when the fewest donations come in, and the situation is looking desperate, said Angela Hunt, administrative assistant with Milton’s Salvation Army Food Bank, which is looking to the public for help.

“I’m nervous we won’t have enough of some absolute staples to get us through to the next major drive at Thanksgiving,” Hunt said.

The difficult financial times and Milton’s ever-increasing population are adding up to place a big strain on the food bank, she said.

In the first five months of this year compared with the first five months of last year, there has been an almost 25 per cent increase in the usage of the food bank, with 541 residents using it this year (January to May) and 435 last year.

Of those 106 additional users, 57 are kids.

Over the past three weeks, the amount of food given out has been reduced, and further reductions seem likely, Hunt said.

She’s hoping residents will take the matter to heart, pick up an item or two each week when they go shopping and leave them at the pantry drop-off boxes located inside most grocery stores in town. Food can also be dropped off at the Salvation Army’s office, 100 Nipissing Rd., unit 3.

“People seem to think they have to do big things — but one can once a week would make a difference,” Hunt said.

If just a quarter of Milton’s population picked up one item each, that would mean more than 20,000 food items, which would go a long way toward filling shelves and meeting the needs of those who’ve fallen on hard times, she said.

Items particularly needed include peanut butter, tuna, rice, cereal, juice and kids’ snacks (juice boxes, granola-type bars and pudding). One item not needed is soup.

Donations tend to die down in the summer months, Hunt said, because schools — which often do fundraisers — are closed, churches go into summer mode and people who regularly contribute leave for vacation.

Although we hear in the news the economy is recovering from the recession, the people who use the food bank — ranging from single-parent families to two-parent families to singles — are still struggling, Hunt said. For more information on the food bank, call (905) 875-1022.