complete community – Page 2

Milton Council Endorses Halton Growth Plan

January 21, 2022January 21, 2022Mike Cluett

I, along with a number of my council colleagues from Milton and Oakville received an email from a resident who was confused about what might happen should Halton Region council not move forward with a growth plan strategy that staff at many levels has said is NOT compliant with the Provincial Growth Plan.

If you have concerns about potentially allowing Queens Park to direct Milton and Halton’s future growth to 2051, please let me know and email mike.cluett@milton.ca

Mayors and Councillors of Halton Region:

After listening to Milton’s town council meeting and Oakville’s town council meeting on January 18, 2022, I was left confused on some issues and would appreciate a definitive answer.

It is my understanding that even if the majority of the regional councillors on February 9, 2022 reject this proposal, the provincial government has the authority to take the decision into their own hands. If this is true I assume that this could give them the authority to:

– approve this proposal as is regardless of the regions decision OR Could there possibly be a worse scenario where they take control over our planning of our region and they decide where and how our future development will occur to meet their provincial targets?

If this second scenario is possible, are we willing to take that risk?

Again, if my understanding of this process is correct, the province has given the region targets that must be met so whether we like it or not, Milton is going to grow! I would much rather see it grow under the Region’s and Municipalities’ control and planning than that of the Provincial government!

Here is my response:

Thanks for your email. The answer to your question is yes. The province is requiring all municipalities in Ontario during this process to submit plans that will comply with the provincial Growth Plan.

We have been told many times and despite a unanimous motion from Halton Region Council earlier last year asking for a time extension, the province which is ultimately the approving body has said the time limit will not be extended in no uncertain terms.

Do we like that we have to plan out until 2051? Not at all. We’d prefer to keep the timeframe shorter because things change with technology and innovation etc but we simply don’t have that option available to us.

Milton Council presented what we call the balanced approach where we are setting aside enough land to accommodate development as the provincial growth plan has said over 1.1 million people are set to come to Halton. We need to make sure we’re planning properly to deal with that amount of people and more importantly the jobs they will require.

What we don’t want is to have that many people here and not be able to have enough economic development and jobs to avoid the problem we have now, gridlock on roads from people travelling daily over an hour to get to work.

In Milton we are building a world class education facility and village with Laurie University and Conestoga College. Business follows education as do people. If we don’t have a wide variety of inventory of housing available along with the jobs we’re going to be adding to climate change in a negative way.

Halton Hills unanimously approved their plan along with Milton with a very strong majority of support. All the growth in this plan will be in Halton Hills and Milton with minimal expansion in Oakville and relatively none in Burlington.

Halton wants a Halton solution made. Milton and Halton Hills want a made in Halton plan and not one written by Queens Park. This will happen if we don’t comply with the growth plan. Our staff many times has said that the land we have available will NOT accommodate growth last 2031.

There are concerns about sprawl and that will happen if we try to piece in intensification in our current boundary. This means more traffic in neighbourhoods, the loss of park space and the loss of opportunities for community centres and less walkable neighbourhoods with super high towers. Sprawl happens when here is bad planning. For example Milton is planning on building more housing options to provide people with the choices they need for more affordable housing. We’re planning smart and not trying to cram the round peg through the square hole.

We need a variety of housing options like single family homes, townhouses, stacked townhouses, mid rise and high rise -condo and rental – to give people options based on the market and family sizes.

I hope all regional councillors will see the benefit of the balanced growth plan see this is a way to comply with the provincial growth plan and help Halton Hills and Milton grow the way that we want. Milton for example has worked with our citizens for well over 10 years plus on a vision for our community – a complete community.

If this plan doesn’t get approved it will out that vision at risk and just simply add to the sprawl that isn’t wanted and head us on a course of being a bedroom and unsustainable community.

Again, if this plan is sent to the province and it doesn’t comply with the provincial growth plan, it will be rejected and either sent back and costing taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars to Re do or fight legally or simply the province will say, ok here’s OUR plan with no flexibility and a loss of opportunities, jobs and the loss of us making a community that the people want.

There is a lot of rhetoric out there from some councillors and special interest groups that can and will be dispelled by the facts. I hope in our meeting on February 9th the facts will be seen and we can move forward in Halton’s growth in building sustainable communities in all four municipalities.

Please let me know if you have any questions and I’d be happy to speak with you more.

Have a great day and a wonderful weekend.

Be safe and take care.

Mike

Outdoor Skating in Milton

January 10, 2022January 10, 2022Mike Cluett

I had a chance to read a letter to the editor from a resident talking about how Milton needs a “real outdoor skating rink.” I happen to agree.

Here’s a link to the letter from Inside Halton – Milton Canadian Champion

EMMA:63194067 — *Image of Rotary Park courtesy of Milton Canadian Champion*

Preparations are now underway – in a matter of days from what I’ve been told by our staff – where Rotary Park and Campbellville Old Park outdoor rinks will be ready to go. Of course these are no refrigerated rinks and will rely entirely on the weather being cold enough to operate.

In the past, Milton has had these rinks in operation but pre-COVID, they weren’t utilized a lot due to warmer than normal winters we have experienced. Of course, during last winter, the temperatures were cold enough, but in a previous budget council had voted to close them. During the winters of 16/17 and 17/18, the rinks were in use for a total of seven days which made the decision to discontinue the service in 2019 easier.

Due to residents calls to action last year, our staff had put together some options for council to consider back in July and the decision was made to bring back the operations of Rotary and Campbellville Old Park as staff works on some numbers for council to consider moving forward.

There are other municipalities like Brampton & Mississauga who have over the years made the investments in outdoor skating rinks that are refrigerated and built into their budgets. Milton however hasn’t considered these investments in the past and now if we are to move ahead in providing these services, will be required to make some “significant financial investments” in these rinks.

I’ll give you some examples from that staff report for you wrap your heads around.

There are a number of options for outdoor rinks.

Run by the town & non refrigerated
Community Volunteer Program – run by local neighbourhood groups within town parks
Run by the town – Synthetic
Run by the town – Refrigerated

What we are currently providing with the two rinks costs us (taxpayers) roughly $16,000 for 2021/22 and $33,000 in 2022/23 in staffing, supplies and ongoing maintenance of the rinks. These costs will increase with the introduction of more rinks in town parks.

The next option of a community volunteer program is REALLY interesting and it would allow individual neighbourhoods in approved park settings to assist in the construction and maintenance of local rinks around the community. This is one of the options our staff are developing for council review and will be brought to us later this year for discussion. Costs will be dependent obviously on how many rinks will be approved, the uptake from the community to volunteer assistance as well as risk management (ie insurance) and screening processes.

The synthetic ice option is not something we would recommend at this point and would require a substantial capital and operating investment which in essence prices us out the market, but still can remain a long term goal for operations. There are synthetic rinks in Burlington and Brampton for those interested in seeing what its like.

Finally the town run refrigerated rinks which seems to be many peoples favourites as it guarantees a longer time of operation and less dependent on weather patterns. Notice its not entirely free of weather dependency but still can be used by the public longer than non refrigerated rinks.

The initial capital costs of this rinks are roughly $2-3 million each and approximately $300-400,000 in operational costs as you have to ensure each location has a changing facility and washroom structure and staff room available in where these are located.

As I mentioned, we will be getting an update as a part of our community services master plan process as we continue to grow. One of those areas is part of our Downtown Civic Square Study which should be updated later this year.

I hope this post helps in providing you some information about the outdoor rinks, where we stand now, why we made the decisions as a council in the past and what we’re doing about it moving forward.

The other hope I have is that you understand we are following this process to ensure we’re making the best decisions possible and not spending money on band aid solutions, but working on a plan that will service residents properly as we continue to grow.

The next steps are for council to review these options when they come to us later this year and to make the decisions about the capital and operating investments that will have to be made. As I mentioned, the refrigerated rinks comes with a price tag – a cost that will have to be paid by taxpayers (i.e. property taxes) and our council will have to decide if there is enough political will to make these investments in our community. We are going to grow in size over the next 10-20-30 years and in my opinion if we are to be a “complete community” our council will have to make these investments now. Waiting for a “want to become a need” as some around our table have described it is simply shortsighted knowing full well how large we are going to be growing.

We have to realize on the vision we have for Milton. Its all good to talk about it – we need to start doing it.

COVID 19 Vaccination Clinic Info

January 10, 2022January 10, 2022Mike Cluett

In collaboration with the Town of Milton and with the support of our surrounding Family Health Teams, Prime Care FHT will be hosting a COVID-19 vaccine clinic at the Milton Sports Centre beginning January 11, 2022.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: MUST BE AGE 18 OR OLDER; pediatric doses not available at this time 1st, 2nd and 3rd doses available For booster dose, must be 84 days after second dose Ages 18 to 29 will receive Pfizer Ages 30+, will receive Moderna Available to members of ALL COMMUNITIES

BOOK NOW

This Week on Local Matters on YourTV Halton

January 6, 2022January 10, 2022Mike Cluett

Cant take the stripes off the referee no matter what role he’s in.

I had the pleasure of having Ward 2 Halton Hills Councillor Bryan Lewis on the show with me where he quickly corrects me as to the exact location of the Yourtv Halton studios … in ward 2 Halton Hills.

“Clark is that you….?” I thought I could get rid of him but not even a dental procedure could keep him off the show Tune in to Local Matters with Mike Cluett tonight at 730pm and 10pm CH 14/700HD Truly Local Television (to the exact coordinates in fact)

Happy New Year Milton 2022 Is Here

January 1, 2022January 10, 2022Mike Cluett

Statement from Halton Region RE Milton Intermodal

November 25, 2021November 25, 2021Mike Cluett

For Immediate Release

November 25, 2021
Halton Municipalities reviewing legal options following Canadian Transportation Agency decision regarding CN’s Milton Project

On November 22, 2021, the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) released its decision to approve CN’s application for railway line approval as part of CN’s proposed Milton intermodal facility.
“We are extremely disappointed the CTA’s decision,” said Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr. “The Federal Government has once again ignored its obligation to protect the health and safety of our residents, and at a time when health is our collective focus.”

While this Federal decision is essential for CN to move forward with the Project in Milton, it fails to address the serious concerns of the Halton Municipalities, Conservation Halton and 34,000 residents living near the CN lands in Milton regarding the Project’s significant adverse environmental effects – impacts confirmed by the Federal Government’s own environmental assessment review panel. There is no urgency to this Project. CN has an existing facility in Brampton that is not at capacity and is not adjacent to tens of thousands of residential homes, 1 hospital, 2 long-term care homes and 12 schools.

The Halton Municipalities and Conservation Halton are reviewing their legal options to challenge the CTA’s decision under federal and provincial laws. “I want to assure the residents of Milton that we are pursuing every avenue available us to continue the fight,” said Mayor Gordon Krantz. “We have said since day one that Milton is not the right location for CN’s truck-rail hub, and we will continue to advocate to protect our community and environment.”
The Canadian Transportation Agency decision follows the January 21, 2021 decision of the Federal Government to approve CN’s proposal, despite findings from the environmental assessment review panel that the Project will cause significant adverse environmental effects that cannot be mitigated, including on air quality and human health. The panel also found that the Project required extensive mitigation to avoid causing an additional twenty-five significant effects, including effects on noise, ground and surface water, wetlands, endangered species, cultural heritage, and archaeology.

CN has continually claimed that it is exempt from all municipal and provincial laws, including those dealing with the significant adverse environmental effects requiring extensive mitigation. On April 15, 2021, the Halton Municipalities and Conservation Halton resumed its 2018 Ontario court case to challenge this claim, demanding that CN comply with all laws that protect the health of residents and the environment.

The Ontario court case is the second court action taken this year by the Halton Municipalities. On February 21, the Halton Municipalities and Conservation Halton filed an application with the Federal Court of Canada to review the decisions made by Federal Cabinet and the Minister of Environment and Climate change to approve CN’s project without addressing the serious issues raised by the federal panel.

To learn more about the Halton Municipalities’ position on the project, please visit halton.ca/CN.

The Regional Municipality of Halton serves more than 595,000 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; paramedic services; waste management; public health; social assistance; children’s and seniors’ services; housing services; heritage programs; emergency management and economic development. For more information, call 311 or visit Halton Region’s website at halton.ca.

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Media Contact:
Stacey Hunter
Communications Advisor
Communications & Customer Service
Halton Region
905-825-6000, ext. 7529
Stacey.Hunter@halton.ca