hawthorne village

Champion Editorial Comments on 3 Bag Limit

Mike Cluett

Unloading baggage

We fully support Halton Region’s plan to reduce the bi-weekly number of garbage bags residents will be able to place curbside before a user-pay system kicks in.

Next spring (April 1, 2013), residents will be provided with complimentary bag tags to affix to any garbage bags beyond their three-bag limit (currently residents enjoy a six-bag limit) they place at the curb on their regularly-scheduled waste collection day.

Five months later, on September 9, 2013, after having had ample opportunity to monitor and adjust their waste habits, residents will be asked to pay $2 for each tag they affix to garbage bags beyond the three-bag minimum.

There will be some exemptions granted, to those living in townhouses with common collection pile areas, those with diaper/medical condition-related waste as well as a two-week exemption for everyone immediately following the December holiday period.

While some municipalities have similar limits to free waste collection — Durham’s bi-weekly limit is three bags and Peel’s weekly limit is two bags — other municipalities — like Wellington (Guelph) — charge residents for every bag collected on garbage day.

We believe the Region’s tag concept is an incentive for Halton residents to be less wasteful and more thoughtful when deciding what should and shouldn’t get thrown out. The goal is to reduce the amount of Halton waste ending up in the landfill and, by doing so, extending the number of years before the landfill will be full. Regional staff say a three-bag limit could extend the landfill by as much as four years, creating an overall savings of $15 million.

Halton has been a leader in waste diversion among GTA municipalities with a rate of 57 per cent. That success is due, in part, to 85 per cent of homes already placing three garbage bags or less to the curb.

Only five per cent of Halton homes don’t participate in the Blue Box program each week, while 70 per cent of residents have been regular users of GreenCart since its Halton launch in mid-2008.

In order to help Halton homeowners reduce their waste, the Region is also planning to expand its Blue Box program to include mixed plastics like clear clamshells and yogurt and pudding cups, empty steel paint cans and cardboard spiral cans, which are commonly used for products such as refrigerated dough, frozen juices, chips, nuts and other snacks, powdered drink mixes and baby formula, shortening and powdered cleansers.

With this boost to the Blue Box program will come a larger 22-gallon container to hold the additional recyclable items.

Hopefully these initiatives will convince more of us to divert our waste and maintain Halton’s place among the greenest communities in the GTA.

Attention Residents in Louis St Laurent / Hwy 25 Area

Mike Cluett

Just received an email from Town of Milton staff informing us that MADD Canada will be filming a documentary called “After Party” of a car crash. Details are listed here.

This will be in the area of Diefenbaker Street / Louis St Laurent just west of 25 in Ward 7.  Please pass this information along to people you know in this area.  Traffic shouldn’t be disrupted while filming too much but people will get worried if they don’t know whats going on.

To: Milton Council

Please be advised that I am working with MJM Productions for the filming of a MADD Canada Documentary entitled “After Party”

They are looking at filming on Louis St Laurent Avenue between Diefenbaker Street and Bronte Street South/First Line. They will be doing overnight filming of a car crash and the filming is proposed for October 25,26 and 27th starting at 6:00 p.m. – 6:00 a.m.

Halton Regional Police and Milton Fire are aware of this filming and will be on site during the car crash.

Advanced Road closure signs will be installed at some time next week. Area residents are now being papered and the filming company will be getting signatures from any resident that faces Louis St Laurent Avenue. Detour signage will also be installed when the closure is taking place.

Local access will be maintained to the subdivision on the north side of Louis St Laurent Avenue.

At this time filming permits have not been issued and I will advise you of when this has been completed.

Thanks
Heide Schlegl, C.E.T., MITE, Dipl. M.M.

Letters to Editor re: garbage

Mike Cluett

As I have brought up here on my site a few times, there has been a growing concern with the amount of trash collecting along the side of Louis St Laurent in ward 6.  Since the opening of the new high school (Craig Kielburger Secondary School) earlier last month, there has been a growing problem regarding garbage.

This frustration has led to what I assume is more than one letter to the editor of the Milton Canadian Champion.

Dear Editor:

I’m a Milton resident and I live close to the new Craig Keilburger Secondary School at the corner of Fourth Line and Louis St. Laurent Avenue.

Since school began, there has been a huge increase in the amount of garbage along the bike path and sidewalk area running from the high school to the Metro plaza.

Recently, while I was out for a walk with my family, my husband picked up a full shopping bag worth of trash.

I have noticed two garbage bins put in by the Town along this stretch, however, they quickly overflow. Two isn’t enough.

Brenda Lacey

Milton

Thank you Brenda for sending that letter.  What follows here are not excuses for the garbage, but it can provide a little insight as to what has happened and what we are doing at the Town of Milton to address it.

When the new high school opened in September there were some delays in the completion of the school cafeteria.  From what I understand now, those issues have been fixed and it is now functional for students to eat their lunches during break time.  Seeing how the students didn’t have anywhere to go for lunch hour, many students (and I do mean MANY) made their way up Louis St Laurent Avenue towards the Metro mall for lunch.

What was happening on the way back is the students ended up throwing their garbage along side of the road as they returned to school.  This as you can expect, caused quite a bit of mess and that is unacceptable.

The town has now installed two garbage containers alongside the street with the hopes the students at CKSS will use them to dispose of their garbage as they head back to school.  So far, its seems to have improved, but not to the point where I or any resident in the area would find to be acceptable.

The students are being urged by their principal through announcements and assemblies not to toss their waste along the street at any time and hopefully the message will get through to them.  Another problem that has come up with the installation of the garbage containers is some people in the area are using them for their own garbage.  This causes them to overflow, and in turn doesn’t help at all solving the problem.

If you miss your Monday morning garbage pickup, please do not use these containers for your excess bags.  Staff is aware of the problem and is doing what it can to pick up the waste when it does overflow so that we don’t continue to have this problem.

I would just like to let residents in the area know that we are looking into it and doing what we can to help solve the problem.  Personally, I would like to ask students at CKSS, many of them I met yesterday at the grand opening of their school to work with us, and not dump garbage on the road.  CKSS is now a big part of our area and some might say a second home to our kids and hopefully they will treat this “home” with the same respect they treat their own home and surrounding area.

Thank you for sending the letter with your concerns and if anyone has any questions, please feel free to call or email me mike.cluett@milton.ca anytime.

I’ll see you at the doors.

Official Opening of Craig Kielburger High School

Mike Cluett

It was more like a rock concert than an opening!  All the students of CKSS were in the gymnasium of their new school to celebrate in the opening of Milton’s newest high school.

The CKSS Spartan’s squad lead us with some great music and dancing.  There was singing by the glee club followed by student after student talking about what makes them different, yet the same, as each one of them declared afterwards that they “are the face of CKSS”

The excitement continued to build until what many were waiting for happened…Craig Kielburger was introduced to a standing ovation.  He talked about is journey as a 12 year old speaking to politicians and government officials to do something that many want to do…change the world.

He spoke passionately about his teachers, his parents and his family.  Everyone who supported him in his journey.  Many would have said a 12 year old couldn’t make a difference in the world…but he has.  Craig told us stories of people who inspired him in other countries to continue his quest and how deeply honoured he was to be there today.  Looking around at the students in attendance, you could see they were hanging on every word.  The opening ended with a mini concert from the band Neverest.  Once it was over students surrounded him to shake his hand and meet with him personally.  Like I said, it was like a rock concert.

Thank you to everyone involved in the organization of today’s event and I am very honoured to have been invited to attend along with Principal Donna Taylor, Mayor Krantz, Halton school board trustees Donna Danielli and Nancy MacNeil and the teachers of CKSS among others in attendance.

Congratulations on a fantastic opening and good luck with the rest of the school year and the years to come.  Im very proud that in 2 years my son Anthony will be able to attend CKSS as they are laying the ground work of a successful curriculum and a great learning environment.

Region of Halton Approves 3 Bag Limit

Mike Cluett

Recently the Region of Halton made a presentation to the Planning & Public Works committee outlining possible changes to the bag limit for Halton residents.  Currently the limit is 6 bags per pick up (biweekly) along with weekly Blue Box and Green Cart pick ups.  According to the staff report roughly 85% of Halton residents put out 3 or less bags of garbage per pickup which has helped extend the life of the Halton landfill.

There has been a very in depth discussion regarding this proposal on the Hawthorne Villager.  See that thread here.

At the Halton Region Council meeting earlier this month, they approved these new measures.

Here is a link to the video of the meeting which will include the staff presentation as well as potential costs of another landfill site, exemptions for the 3 bag limit as well as costs of the program.  This will end up costing roughly $650K per year to implement this program, bag tags, education but, according to staff reports, save millions of dollars in future costs of transportation of waste and costs for a new landfill.

http://www.halton.ca/cms/One.aspx?portalId=8310&pageId=85279

If you skip forward to the 20 minute mark, you will see the beginning of the staff presentation.  Comments made by a Milton regional councillor during the recorded vote stage begin at the 55 minute mark of the video.

Following the decision, here is an article from Juila Le from the Milton Canadian Champion

Region imposes garbage bag limit to boost waste diversion

Halton regional council unanimously passed a motion to have the bi-weekly garbage bag limit decrease from six bags to three for curbside garbage collection Wednesday.

Residents will see the new restrictions and the introduction of a bag tags program come into effect April 1, 2013.

Waste management staff presented two related reports to council outlining their recommendations, which were previously supported by Halton Region’s planning and public works committee.

Any bag above the three-bag limit will require a bag tag, which will be complimentary to residents for five months while the Region rolls out its promotion and education component of the program. Bag tags will likely be distributed at the Halton Region Administration Centre, the Halton Waste Management Site, waste management truckload events, municipal community centres, public libraries and online through the Region’s website. After the phase-in period, households will be required to purchase the bag tags for each garbage bag that exceeds the three-bag limit on their scheduled collection day. Starting September 9, 2013, tags will cost $2. For those living in a townhouse with common pile collection areas, a limit of three bags per unit will also apply, however townhouse residents won’t be able to use the bag tags.

Other exemptions include complimentary diaper/medical condition tags provided to approved applicants and a grace period of two weeks following the December holiday. Reiterating his point made at a similar presentation to planning and public works committee members late last month,  Rob Rivers, Halton’s director of waste management, said the new garbage bag limit and bag tag program is one of the key components in meeting the Region’s goal of diverting 65 per cent of waste from its landfills by 2016.

He said implementing the recommendations would also add an additional four years to the Region’s landfill, expanding its life to 2044.

Council also heard from Rivers that the overall cost savings by extending the life of the landfill from 2040 to 2044 would be about $15 million. He mentioned replacing the landfill in 2040 is estimated to be more than $750 million.

In backing staff recommendations, Rivers said 85 per cent of homes already place three bags or less of garbage out for collection every other week.  He added that while 95 per cent of residents place a Blue Box out for collection every week and 70 per cent of residents place a GreenCart out for collection every week, the average garbage bag still contains 13 per cent of Blue Box material and 29 per cent of GreenCart material.

Rivers said he believes more education and the expansion of the Blue Box program — to include mixed plastics like clear clamshells, yogurt and pudding cups, empty steel paint cans and cardboard spiral cans — will help decrease the amount of Blue Box and GreenCart materials being put in garbage bags. The new 22-gallon Blue Box will accommodate additional volume as well.

Before the motion was put to a vote, Burlington Councillor Marianne Meed Ward asked if illegal dumping would increase. Rivers replied that other municipalities that have gone through similar changes have seen a small spike in illegal dumping, but over time, “that delinquent behaviour” starts to peter out.

Waste management staff will report back to council about details of the three garbage bag limit and the bag tags program implementation and communications plan later this fall.

Milton Hospital Expansion News

Mike Cluett

This is great news!  Slowly but surely the process of the expansion of our hospital continues.  Many thanks to all Miltonians who over the last several years fought with us to ensure this happens as quickly as possible.

Released today via Halton Healthcare Services website.

For immediate release
October 4, 2012

Milton Hospital Expansion Launches Into Next Stage of Planning

Staff and physicians at Halton Healthcare Services (HHS) are working diligently ‘behind the scenes’ as plans for a significant expansion at Milton District Hospital continue to develop.
In April 2012, Halton Healthcare Services received a $22.5 million Planning & Design grant from the provincial government to fund the prepatory work that must take place before the first shovels hit the ground.  Work on the project has now proceeded to the next stage of planning – the development of the Functional Program.

The Functional Program is an essential planning document that outlines all the functions, operations, staffing, major equipment, room and space requirements for each department or service in order to describe the components of the expansion. The Functional Program must be submitted to the Ministry of Health and Long‐Term Care for review before the Hospital can continue its work with the architects on the more detailed design work.

“I am very pleased that we are launching into the functional programming stage of the project. Through this process we will identify the equipment and staffing requirements and also lay out the detail necessary for the architectural design and construction phase of this exciting project,” said Al Coady, Executive Director of Milton Redevelopment at HHS. “It really is a cornerstone document for us because it forms the basis for all the future planning and design decisions that will need to be made as we move forward in the process.”

The development of the Functional Program involves numerous HHS employees organized into teams based on the area or department in which they work.  These teams consist of managers, key staff members, representatives of the medical staff and, in some instances, the senior team member responsible for that area. The Hospital’s Functional Program teams have already started meeting in order to ensure the plan is submitted to the Ministry in November 2012.

“There is a tremendous amount of work to be completed prior to the start of construction. We are very excited to begin this planning because we know that each stage we complete brings us one step closer to getting this project into the ground,” said John Oliver, HHS President & CEO.

Milton District Hospital was built in 1959 and, following the Hospital’s last major expansion in 1987, was prepared to meet the healthcare needs of a population of 32,000 people. With the Town’s population nearing 100,000 and growing, this much needed expansion will approximately triple the size of the current facility.

The approval for the expansion at Milton District Hospital was announced by the Honourable Deb Matthews, Minister of Health and Long‐Term Care at an event held on August 25, 2011. Plans for the Hospital’s expansion include new space for the Emergency Department, Diagnostic Imaging Department, Maternal Child Unit, Surgical Suites, Intensive Care Unit and the Medical Surgical Inpatient Units.

“Ensuring Milton families have access to the primary care services they need is among the highest priorities for Halton Healthcare Services,” concluded Mr. Oliver. “In order to do that, we absolutely need a larger more modern facility, right here in Milton.”

Contact:
Andrea Korol
Communications Specialist, Redevelopment
Halton Healthcare Services
905‐878‐2383, ext 6531
akorol@haltonhealthcare.on.ca