milton town hall report

Residents Association Formed

Mike Cluett

If you go way back in the archives of this blog…way back to the 2006 campaign, I made a point that residents should be more engaged in the political process locally.  There are many ways to accomplish this.  One of them is making sure that residents are informed as much as possible about decisions that affect them directly and indirectly.  I stressed during this campaign that I would make sure I continue to knock on doors in between election campaigns, and not just during them.

If there was a public meeting coming up about an issue that would affect residents, I will do my best to get out there and inform people of that meeting, whats being discussed, how it will affect them and how they can participate.  Not everyone can make every town hall or public meeting, but I will make sure they have a voice around the table.

Another great way is by a residents association or Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC).  These groups are usually formed when the local officials aren’t listening to the needs and concerns of residents.  Recently, there was a new association formed in the Hawthorne Village area, which encompasses Ward 6, but it was formed for an entirely different reason.

During the last election campaign, I noticed an increase in awareness of local issues by residents in my ward.  Other councillors and candidates would say the same thing.  The Hawthorne Village Residents Association (HVRA) was formed by several concerned residents to be a part of the process, to stay involved and to work with council when decisions are being made.  I applaud all the members and participants in this process and will do my best to work with them and keep the lines of communication open.

Christina Commisso at the Milton Canadian Champion did an article recently about the formation of the HVRA.  Congratulations to Martin Capper and Andrew Salmons for co-chairing this committee as well as the many people who signed up.  We can only hope this will help enhance the flow of communication from town council to the residents in Milton.

Here is the article from the Champion.

Residents group forms

Christina Commisso, CANADIAN CHAMPION STAFF November 16, 2010

What started as an online discussion following the municipal election has ballooned into a newly-formed residents group that hopes to strengthen the lines of communication between Miltonians and town council.

“We started with a post on the Hawthorne Villager (website), which got 1,600 hits and 60 posts from 20 different people in a matter of days,” said Martin Capper, co-chair of the Hawthorne Village Residents Association (HVRA).

The group isn’t exclusive to Hawthorne Village residents — it’s open to all Miltonains, he said.

CLICK ON THE LINK FOR MORE.

For more information, email HawthorneVillageRA@gmail.com.

Santa Claus Parade Needs Volunteers

Mike Cluett

 

In yesterday’s Milton Canadian Champion the word went out that this years installment of the Santa Claus parade needs volunteers to help.  If you are interested, please contact Samanta Attew at (905) 693-0369.

You can find out more about the 2010 Milton Santa Claus Parade by going to www.miltonsantaclausparade.org which contains information on sponsors, the parade route and contact information if you would like to help out.

Last year over 20,000 people attended the parade and this year looks to top that number.  Sunday November 21st is the date.  There will be a bus that collects food for the Salvation Army, so please bring some non-perishable items and it will be collected along the parade route.  Letters to Santa are also welcome from the children and will be “express deleivered” to the big guy himself.

If you would like to download a map of the parade route, click here.  It’s the same route as last year (the date on the map is 2009)

I’ll look forward to seeing everyone there at the parade.

 

Beware suspicious callers

Mike Cluett

In the Milton Canadian Champion yesterday it was reported that there have been calls in the area soliciting funds and donations for the Royal Canadian Legion.  This happened several times leading up to the Remembrance Day parade at Victoria Park and be aware that the Legion does NOT use this method to raise funds.

If you do receive a call like this, please report it to the police immediately.  It’s incredibly sad that people will go to stoop as low as to use the Legion as a tool to steal money.  The same caution should be used with all unsolicited phone calls asking for money, credit card numbers or banking information.

Here’s the story from the Champion.

Caller seeks donations for legion

Police say it’s a scam as legion doesn’t solicit funds over phone

Residents are being warned to beware of fundraising scams after a local man was telephoned by an imposter soliciting donations on behalf of the Royal Canadian Legion.Joe Auger said he received a phone call at 7:15 p.m. Thursday — a week before Remembrance Day — by a professional-sounding ‘fundraiser.’

Auger said the conversation started off as a normal telemarketing call until the young man on the other end told him he had donated $25 to the legion last year and asked that he donate $50 this year.

“I knew it was bull right then and there,” said the 71-year-old. “I’ve never given money to the legion over the phone. If I ever wanted to give them money I would walk down there and do it in person.”

Auger said after the financial request, the caller said the legion was losing 500 members each year and needed help.

“It was at that point I said no and hung up,” he said. “My wife and I don’t give out our credit card (number) over the phone. I know a few guys from the legion so I told them the next day what had happened, one of them reported it to the police.

“I think this sort of scam is a disgrace. The worst part is that it hurts other charities that are actually trying to collect for a good cause.”

Cliff Conor, who reported the incident to police, echoed Auger’s sentiments.  “This is fraud,” said the 68-year-old veteran and legion member.  “It’s a terrible thing to try and use the legion at this time of year. This person should be ashamed of himself. It’s despicable.”

A spokesperson for the local legion confirmed it doesn’t conduct telephone soliciations.  Det. Sgt. Murray Drinkwalter said he wants residents, especially seniors, to beware of fraud artists.

“This is a disturbing incident. If people get these phone calls make sure you get a name and ask for a call back number. This way people can return phone calls to ensure the charity is a bona fide one.

“If people choose to donate over the phone, they must be sure they know who you are dealing with.”  He added that this was the first incident of this sort involving the legion he has heard about.

Anyone who has received a similar phone call is asked to contact police at (905) 878-5511.

Getting Oriented

Mike Cluett

Last night was the first of many orientation meetings for the members of Milton Town Council.  With the sheer number of “new” councillors around the table the orientations have been split up so that our heads don’t spin off of our bodies.  Good luck with that.

I have to thank Milton Town staff for putting on these meetings and as someone who is somewhat familiar with the breakdown of the departments and what they do, it was still a good refresher filled with many “ah-ha’s” throughout the night.  I’m really looking forward to more of these sessions so that when the council is inaugurated on December 6th, we can hit the ground running.

There are some members of council who were re-elected and what we referred to as “recycled” at the meeting and they will be a great source of information to help us “newbies” get on track.  There is a lot to do in the coming weeks and many more pieces of paper to digest but its a challenge we are all looking forward to.

There are a lot of decisions to make before we get started and council members have to decide which sub committees they would like to sit on, from transit to trails to accessibility to economic development there are many to choose from.  These committees will be populated not only by councillors but members of the public as well.  Citizens are encouraged to apply for the open positions that are available on these committees and you can find a list of them on the Town of Milton’s website Please take a look at the list of boards and committes, see what you would like to apply for, and send your infomration in.  Again…we want your input!

Here are just a few of those boards/committees to consider:

There are also a few training courses put on by AMO (Association of Municipalities of Ontario) that new councillors and “older” ones are encouraged to attend.  Then…the forms.  Lots of forms.  But that’s just par for the course.

I was also reminded last night that the first meeting of a new residents group took place (of which I will get an update on what happened) and that encourages me that we can have more involvement of the community in town affairs.  I, along with many of my counterparts during the election campaign, made commitments that we would do what we could to keep you engaged in the process and look for feedback and ideas as well.  This residents group will be a good start.  Thanks to Steve and Annie and many others who got the ball rolling on this and I know that it will be successful.  I will also do my part in helping out, so that way we can all do our best to make Milton a better place.

So my head goes back into the books, so to speak, but I hope that we can continue our dialogue started many years ago now and people will get involved in that conversation.  Only with your help can we do this.

As always, you can email me mike@mikecluett.ca or call me by going to my Contact page (yes that is my home phone number 🙂 ) and I will do my best to answer any questions or concerns you might have.

I’m looking forward to hitting the ground running and I hope you join me on this journey.

Wilfrid Laurier Lecture Series Continues

Mike Cluett

Wilfrid Laurier University is pleased to partner with the Town of Milton and the Milton Public Library to present the second “Laurier Milton Lecture Series.”

Wilfrid Laurier has long supported the public role of academics to bring their knowledge and thinking outside of the classroom. The Laurier Milton Lecture Series provides a wonderful opportunity to engage in a public dialogue with citizens of Milton on a broad array of important topics. We are pleased that the presentations represent the current research and analysis of members of five different Faculties and seven different University Departments/Programs.

On November 10, 2010 in the Milton Room at Town Hall will be another installment in this series with Steve Farlow discussing Entreprenurship in Milton. Steve is the founding Executive Director of The Schlegel Centre for Entrepreneurship that operates within The School of Business and Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo Ontario. He brings his own entrepreneurial background to support student’s education in entrepreneurship including an incubation process that launches new student businesses.

Admission is free and it starts at 6:30pm.

Register online or contact:

Milton Public Library 45 Bruce Street Milton, Ontario L9T 2L5

Tel: 905-875-2665

http://mpl.on.ca

Halton Police set up online crime reporting

Mike Cluett

From todays Milton Canadian Champion

Cops set up online crime reporting

Halton Regional Police Service has made it more convenient for the public to now report certain types of crime online through their website at www.haltonpolice.ca.

HRPS is one of first police services in Canada to introduce online police reporting as a way to enhance its service to the public.

Now, rather than having to go to a Halton police station or call the non-emergency line at 905-878-5511, people can use the new HRPS online police reporting system to report lost property, theft of property valued at less than $5,000, theft from vehicle, and damage or vandalism to their home or vehicle.

The offence must have occurred within Halton, there must be no known suspects, and it must not be a crime in progress.

To report a crime in progress, the public is advised to call 9-1-1.

“People today lead incredibly busy lives, and this is one way we can help them get back to their day as quickly as possible after their vehicle has been broken into, or their property has been lost, stolen, or vandalized,” said Chief Gary Crowell, adding, “It also is a tremendous convenience for people who may live outside of Halton, but unfortunately were a victim of one of these types of crimes while within our jurisdiction.”

Since starting testing of the new system, the Service has received 112 police reports, with the vast majority being filed by Oakville and Burlington residents.

The three most commonly reported crimes using the new system are theft from auto, theft of property and property damage.

The system is secure, confidential and easy to use. People are required to have a valid email address, and should disable any pop-up blockers before filing their report online.

Complete instructions and an FAQ are available on the Service’s website at www.haltonpolice.ca.