hawthorne village

McHappy Day in Milton

Mike Cluett

Please join me and other Milton dignitaries, such as fellow council members Mayor Gord Krantz (12pm-1pm) councillors Zeeshan Hamid (3pm-5pm) Rick Di Lorenzo (4pm-6pm) and Colin Best (4pm-6pm) and Milton’s own SCOTT FOX at McDonalds today (4:30pm-5:30pm)and support McHappy Day.

One dollar from every Big Mac, Coffee or Tea and Happy Meal sold in McDonalds Milton will be donated to Milton District Hospital Foundation and to Ronald McDonald’s House in Toronto.  

I will be there from 3pm to 5pm supporting these great organizations.  If you drop by to say HI, and please don’t laugh at me.  Growing up I never held a job at McDonalds, but I promise to do my best NOT to embarrass myself.

Many thanks to McDonalds staff and volunteers who give so freely of their time and to the residents of Milton who come out in droves every year to McDonald’s to support Milton District Hospital Foundation!

If you are interested in making a donation to the Milton District Hospital Foundation, you can click here for a one time donation.  Our hospital needs the support of the community and every dollar counts.  From the MDHF website….

Your single gift donation is an important way to become a part of Milton District Hospital Foundation and to have an impact on patient care for you, your family and our community.

Every gift to Milton District Hospital Foundation, regardless of amount will make a difference. Your contribution will help us pay for essential equipment purchases and help ensure a strong future for Milton District Hospital Foundation – one that our children and grandchildren will benefit from in the decades to come. 

So please, take some time to go to McDonalds today or if you cant, make a donation to the MDHF and / or Ronald McDonald House.  It all goes a very long way.

 

To Race or Not To Race

Mike Cluett

That was the question last night at the Community Services Standing Committee meeting.

This item was the “barn burner” issue of the night as the committee discussed the upcoming Canadian Cycling Road Championship on June 25th, 2011.  The staff report along with the map of the route can be found here.  Area residents, including the owners of Springridge Farms had concerns of safety issues and lost revenue as the 25th of June is THE biggest day for the popular farm in town.

After lengthy discussions with the parties involved and the race organizers they will head back to table to find a solution that will meet everyones needs.  Councillor Huffman suggested that the starting times of each of the two races be spread further apart and begin earlier/later in order to accomodate Springridge Farms hours of operations and hopefully also address concerns raised for safety of the cyclists.

Councillor Lunau took some pictures of Bell School Line which showed some pretty heavy erosion of the road, with some patches here and there which causes a lot of concern seeing how these riders will be going anywhere from 80KM/HR to 90KM/HR (speed limit is 60…should we give them tickets?)  The organizers feel that given the experience level of the cyclists and the semi professional status, they will be able to handle it.  Time will have to see.

Committee deferred the report until we get an update which will hopefully come this week, and we can get this matter resolved to everyones satisfaction.  This is the biggest sales day for the Springridge Farms and it would be a shame to see their sales drop (as well as the frustration of their customers not being able to get in) and of couse, the safety of the cyclists involved.

Community Services Meeting May 9 2011

Mike Cluett

This coming Monday May 9th will be our Community Services Standing Committee meeting at Town Hall.  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.  These matters are related to Community Services, Fire, Library, Transit and other operational programs.

The agenda can be found here at this link.  Some of the highlights will be discussion on whether or not the Canadian Road Cycling Championships should be re-routed due to some issues Springridge Farms have with road closures.  The race is slated for Saturday June 25th and this would mean the road in front of Springridge would have to be closed, meaning customers wouldn’t be able to get there.  There are also other issues about the road in general and there is one delegation slated to speak.

Another presentation to be given is the Transportation Projects update which gives updates on Ministry of Transportation’s projects, GO Transit, Halton Region, and the Britannia Road Environmental Assessment process.

If you would like to speak on any of the items listed you can email the Town Clerk before 10AM on Monday and get listed as a delegation.  You can also drop me an email mike@mikecluett.ca if you have any questions. 

As always the meetings are now streamed live and click here watch council in action.

Federal Election Today – Please VOTE!

Mike Cluett

Today marks the end of several weeks of campaigning for the federal election.  The polls have risen for some parties and fallen for others.  There have been many ups and downs over the last couple of weeks, which makes it interesting to say the least.

It was reported recently in the Milton Canadian Champion that the turnout in Halton for the advance polls was higher than ever…which is a GREAT SIGN!

Now we need to ensure that the voter turnout in Halton is the highest yet.  If you havent already done so, please take the time today to go vote.  The campaign in Halton has been a much different one than in other years.  Gone is the personal attacks and other shenanigans that make people turn away from federal politics.  This time around there has been a good debate on issues and party platforms.  Each of the all candidate meetings in Halton has been well attended, great questions asked and a good discussion of issues that are important to people in our riding. 

The polls are open until 930PM tonight so after you get home from work, please take the time to head to your local polling station and cast your ballot.  Elections are an important part of our democracy.  You do have a voice, and despite some peoples feelings, your vote does indeed count.  Many elections in this area have been decided by a very narrow margin and it would be a waste if your voice wasnt heard today.

Each one of the candidates have been working hard going door to door, speaking with residents of Halton and talking about issues important to you.  Its a testament to the great people we have running in this riding.

Take some time today if you already havent to view the websites of the candidates to see where they stand on issues, look at the party platform and make an informed choice for today.

Click here to find out where to vote in Halton.

Here is a list of the candidates and links to their websites for more information.

Pat Heroux – NDP

Connie Laurin-Bowie – LIBERAL

Lisa Raitt – CONSERVATIVE

Judi Remigio – GREEN PARTY

Tony Rodrigues – CHRISTIAN HERITAGE PARTY (no website for candidate) www.chp.ca

Hope to see you at the polls!

Great Day for the Milton Mutt Strutt

Mike Cluett

The rain didnt damper anyone’s fun on Saturday at the Milton Fairgrounds for the 2nd Annual Milton Mutt Strutt.

The weather wasnt really cooperating with the events for the day but the dogs put on a great show and they made it a a really fun event.  Yannick Carter from the Hamilton Tigercats was the special guest and he opened up the days festivities with his story of adopting cats from the Oakville Milton Humane Society.  He along with a number of other dog owners braved the rain as he led them on a slightly abreviated walk.

Milton Mayor Gord Krantz, yours truly as well as other town councillors Rick Malboeuf (who brought his dog for the walk) and Rick Di Lorenzo joined other dignitaries Halton MPP Ted Chudleigh in the days events.  A number of federal candidates joined us as well including Liberal candidates Connie Laurin-Bowie, Conservative candidate Lisa Raitt, Green Party candidate Judi Remigio and NDP candidate Pat Heroux came out to cheer on the participants and see the shows these talented pets put on, despite the weather.

I dont know off hand what the final tally was in the fundraising efforts of the Oakville Milton Huname Society but it should be pretty close to last years total, if not more!  The organizing committee should be commended and congratulated for a great event and hopefully we can get better weather next year.  Thanks to everyone who came out with their dogs and supported this organization.  You can find out more about the Human Society by going to their website www.oakvillemiltonhumane.ca

A big TWO PAWS UP to everyone involved.

More Construction Notices – Hydro One

Mike Cluett

The town of Milton received a notice from Hydro One about some upcoming constrcution to the transmission corridor along James Snow Parkway from Steeles to Main Street.  As you will read the construction will take a number of weeks with the goal of being finished by mid-May.

Reisdents will see helicoptors flying around and there will be some loud bangs from the use of implosive devices to fuse wires together…so dont be alarmed.  The notice I’m posting here will be sent to area residents and businesses, sent to the local papers, and local police & fire services.

Here is a link to the notice & a copy of the letter to residents/businesses.

IMPORTANT NOTICE

Bruce to Milton Project Construction Activities

April 28, 2011

Dear Residents,

Hydro One would like to inform you about some upcoming construction activities in the Town of Milton associated with our Bruce to Milton Transmission Reinforcement Project. 

Over the next several weeks our contractor, Valard Construction, will be installing conductor (wire) on the Hydro One right-of-way east of James Snow Parkway, between Main Street and north of Steeles Ave (see map on reverse). In order to string conductor onto the new towers, helicopters will be used and will be required to make short stops at each tower.

In order to fuse the conductor together, our contractor will be using implosive devices. This process makes a loud banging sound similar to that of a firearm discharging, so please do not be alarmed when you hear it.

These activities are scheduled to begin on Saturday, April 30, and will continue periodically, throughout the area until mid May, 2011. Crews will be working seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. We expect several implosive connections will be made each day.

Hydro One will be notifying residents and businesses within one kilometre of the work sites.  In addition, we will be notifying nearby schools, local police, ambulance and fire departments to ensure they are aware of the work.

We apologize in advance for the noise and any inconvenience this work may cause.  We thank you for your patience while Hydro One and its contractor complete this critical 500 kilovolt transmission line that will add 3000 megawatts of transmission capability to Ontario’s grid.

If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Marty Dendekker, Construction

Contact Officer at (519)873-0331, or our Community Relations Line toll-free at

1-877-345-6799, or by email at Community.Relations@HydroOne.com.

****

Dear Mayor Krantz,

This weekend, Hydro One’s contractor Valard Construction will begin stringing the conductor (wire) along the new Bruce to Milton transmission towers in the Town of Milton.  The area affected is along the transmission corridor, east of James Snow Parkway and between Main Street and north of Steeles Avenue (see attached notice and map). We expect this work will be completed by mid May.

Helicopters will be used to install the new wires.  Following this, implosive devices will be used to fuse the wires together. These implosive devises make a loud bang, similar to a firearm discharging.  The attached notice will be distributed to homes and businesses in the area through the Milton Canadian Champion and Georgetown Independent, so people are aware of the process and won’t be alarmed if they hear the occasional bang. We have also notified local Police and Fire Services.

In addition, to string this section of line,  helicopters will need to fly over Highway 401 at James Snow Parkway tentatively this weekend and next (May 7 and 8).  As a precautionary measure, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) will slow down traffic on Highway 401 in the vicinity of James Snow Parkway to ensure that this work can be completed safely.  We expect there will be eight slow-downs of traffic over the two weekends for about 5 minutes each time.  The exact timing will be determined by Valard Construction and the OPP on site.

If weather conditions allow, this work could be completed in less time, and traffic slow downs may not be required on both weekends.  

Please do not hesitate to call me or Marylena Stea, Community Relations Officer at 416-345-5706 if you have any questions.

Regards,

Enza Cancilla
Manager, Public Affairs
Corporate Communications
Hydro One Networks