Milton
Please note that there will be a temporary road closure of Derry Road at the CN Rail lines beginning Friday August 21 at 5am to Saturday August 22nd at 5am
The following is a detour route for this short period of time. This looks to be the last road closure before the completion of this project which was scheduled for completion in Summer 2015.
Thank in advance for your patience. If you have any questions please call or email me mike.cluett@milton.ca
Earlier this morning the Milton Chamber of Commerce hosted a breakfast sponsored by CN for the announcement of their plans to construct a 400 acre $250 million intermodal facility in Milton.
The news broke earlier this week and over the last 48 hours, I along with other Milton and Regional Councillors have heard from Milton residents on both sides of the issue. There is a long history with these lands, CN and previous attempts at locating an intermodal and many respond with “here we go again”
The announcement was brief and all the details of their proposal as well as ways of contacting CN directly are located at a website www.cnmilton.ca This website is run by CN.
They will also be opening an office in Milton that will be open Saturdays where Milton residents can take their questions and concerns directly to their staff. The office will be at 61 James Snow Parkway and opening March 28th from 9am to 2pm.
The presentation made by CN mainly focused on the benefits of intermodal transport as opposed to trucks and other forms of goods transit and what they perceive will be the benefits brought to Milton. There were a few questions afterwards, even one by a CN employee in attendance.
There will be more to come as information becomes available so stay tuned to @Mike_Cluett and as always, please send me your comments, questions and concerns to mike.cluett@milton.ca
12pm Tuesday March 17th – Update
There will be more information coming out regarding the CN proposal in the coming days but I wanted to give people an idea about the possible truck traffic that can be expected at a CN Intermodal.
I grew up in Brampton roughly about 10kms from the Brampton CN Intermodal (Airport Road and 407 area). Earlier this morning I took a trip by the facility to observe the area, the amount of traffic that is around the area and the types of businesses an intermodal attracts.
At one entrance to the facility – in a 15 minute time period – I observed 14 long bed trucks coming out of the facility and 23 going in. This was one entrance to the CN Intermodal and there are a few more for trucks to enter to and from.
Doing the math it looked like at least 1 truck going in and out per minute. Another item to keep in mind is that this will be a 24 hr 7 day a week operation. Lights and noise will be seen and heard from for km’s around the facility and residential development is now underway just north of the proposed facility.
CN will be making a presentation Thursday morning and I will be in attendance. I will have more information for you then so please stay tuned.
Feel free to pass along any comments you might have in the comment section as well.
Canadian National Railway Company to Announce Plans for Proposed Intermodal Facility in Milton
CN has not provided the Town or Halton Region with a formal site plan for the project or other important details, but both governments have serious concerns that this location is not appropriate.
“As it stands, CN’s proposal is contrary to our vision for the Town of Milton,” said Mayor Gordon Krantz. “Their plan lacks detail and does not recognize the needs of our residents or that the integrity of our community is protected.”
Town and Regional staff noted that the expanded railway operations and services proposed by CN are not consistent with existing zoning or the Official Plans of the Town and the Region, and could have significant environmental, transportation, social and land use planning implications.
The Town and the Region have made CN aware of these issues, but the company still plans to proceed with the project, claiming that neither Milton, the Region, nor the provincial or federal government, has a say in determining whether the project moves forward.
Town and Regional staff will work to ensure that the proposed facility follows a full regulatory approval process.
This proposal marks CN’s second attempt to establish an intermodal facility in Milton. In 2001, CN proposed a similar project. Both the Town and the Region identified several major issues with that plan, including an increase in traffic, noise and air pollution, a loss of agricultural land, and negative impacts on wildlife, habitats and other environmental resources. The proposal also prompted outcry from members of the community and opposition groups before it was withdrawn The present project is also at odds with CN’s commitment to Regional Council that it would not build the intermodal facility, and would pursue a rail-served industrial development on the lands instead.
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For further information, please contact:
Brett Kelly
Communications Specialist
905-878-7252, ext. 2154
Its now been over a year since Milton and other surrounding municipalities dealt with the most incredible ice storm of a life time. Lives were put on hold and hundreds of thousands of dollars damage done. There are some areas of the province which still show the effects of Ice Storm 2013.
At that time, town resources were stretched to the limit. Milton Hydro staff as well as many others were working around the clock to restore power to affected areas. Most of the residential parts of Milton were back up and running rather quickly. However, our rural area was left in darkness and cold for several days.
It was at that time there was a stampede of provincial representatives, including our Premier, who pledged support and assured municipalities they would receive the financial support they needed. That was 2013 … mere weeks before 2014.
As we get closer to New Years Eve for 2015…nothing has happened. With the exception of one municipality, no other town or city has received the assistance it was promised. The clock is ticking on the deadline for filing paperwork. December 31st is the deadline and according to the Milton Canadian Champion article and our Milton staff, we will be getting those applications in. But what happens after that?
At our first council meeting of this term, we received a report from staff on a number of budget items and the projection of a deficit for the Town of Milton in 2014. In that report it mentions the lack of financial support from the province for the ice storm costs. Total costs from the ice storm for the Town of Milton are estimated at $2 million and any support promised by the province would be helpful in improving our financial position in this fiscal year as well as the next one.
In a few weeks, Milton Town Council will be reviewing the 2015 budget and we will be making decisions based on our current position as well as the outlook for 2015. It would be good if we had this information before making those decisions. Here is an article from The Milton Canadian Champion and Rachel Williams with more details.
Town of Milton seeking ice storm compensation as application deadline approaches
December 21 marked the one-year anniversary of last winter’s vicious ice storm and Milton is still waiting for compensation from the Province.
Trees were toppled, thick ice damaged hydro wires and streets were inaccessible as more than 20 cm of freezing rain and snow dumped on Southern Ontario around this time last year. The Town of Milton incurred more than $2 million in damages and to date, hasn’t received any funding from the Ice Storm Assistance Program to assist with the clean-up.
“So often governments are first in line to the podium to say they are going to help but when it comes to the details it’s another story,” Councillor Mike Cluett told the Champion.
The $2 million includes damage to municipally-owned equipment, equipment rental costs, clearing and removal of debris and wreckage, overtime for employees, emergency communication measures, the repair and restoration of parks, roads and infrastructure and operating costs for the Milton Sports Centre to operate as an evacuation and warming centre.
The reason for the delay, according to Linda Leeds, the Town’s director of corporate services and treasurer, is that the application process is “extremely onerous.”
Leeds said the Town needed to supply complete documentation to the Province, including all source documents substantiating any costs incurred. This includes log sheets, time sheets and individual pay cheques to show that employees were paid for their work. The information then needs to be cross-referenced, put into a certain type of file format (PDF), encrypted because the data is confidential and sent away to the Province.
Staff have already dedicated 325 hours compiling and completing the application, Leeds said.
The provincial government hired a consulting team, Landlink Consulting Ltd., to train municipalities on how to fill out the applications — a process that just took place in November. This alone cost $2.8 million.
“There is nothing wrong with being accountable, but when you hire a consultant just to have all the municipalities in Southern Ontario jump through hoops, I question the mentality of that,” said Mayor Gord Krantz.
The deadline for submissions is December 31.
“Staff are actively making sure we meet the deadline. The Province is getting some of the money from the federal government so a lot of these requirements are necessary in order to meet federal auditing standards,” said Leeds.
The Ice Storm Assistance Program requires the Province to cover municipal costs and then apply to Ottawa to receive compensation, according to the office of Ted McMeekin, minister of municipal affairs and housing.
The Province has allocated $190 million to the Ice Storm Assistance Program.
“It has not been clearly communicated how the applications will be evaluated, nor do we know how the funds that are available will be distributed so the timing and quantum that the Town may receive in aid is unknown,” said Leeds.
Cluett pointed out that with a deficit forecasted for Milton in 2014, these funds would go a long way in helping the Town’s financial position.
“We can only wait and see if we get anything from the Province,” he said.
Leeds predicts the Town won’t have any answers until well into 2015.
Rachael Williams can be reached at rwilliams@miltoncanadianchampion.com and on Twitter @MiltonReports.
As Christmas time approaches we are all asked…what would you like for Christmas? I know the answer of many residents on the west side of Milton…more options to get across town.
The Louis St Laurent extension from Bronte St to Savoline has been slated to be completed by the end of the year. As those days got closer, so did the build of anticipation from residents and councillors alike. So much that Ward 8 Councillor and I took a walk along the road mere moments before it was officially opened.
http://youtu.be/oLqYW9nRKNk
As we get more information on when it will be further opened to Tremaine Road, we will keep you informed.
Until then…Merry Christmas!
Mark your calendars for the 6th Annual Miracle on Main Street.
Once again we will be holding the Miracle on Main in front of Troy’s Diner in Milton. To date, Miracle on Main has raised over a million dollars to support Halton Women’s Place, Salvation Army, McMaster Childrens Hospital and SickKids Hospital in Toronto. Events like this could not be possible without the help and support of our sponsors.
This year I am honoured to be your host and MC for this magical time of the year. The list of celebrities and dignitaries continues to grow and I personally can not wait.
The fun starts at 6AM and goes until 9AM. Everything is FREE that morning so bring your family and friends along with an unwrapped toy to donate to Miracle on Main!
For more information, please visit the Tiger Jeet Singh Foundation website or the Facebook Event page for updates.
Here are some of the details:
The Tiger Jeet Singh Foundation is now making plans for its 6th annual “Miracle on Main Street” toy drive charity event presented this year by Techno Metal Post.
The donations raised each year go towards the purchase of toys, food and life essentials for families experiencing poverty via The Salvation Army, Halton Women’s Shelter and children suffering from sickness at SickKids and McMaster Children’s Hospital. To date the foundation has raised close to one million dollars in combined sponsorships and donations over the past five events.
“The objective of Miracle on Main Street is to promote the spirit of giving among all faiths,” says Tiger Jeet Singh Jr., president of Tiger Jeet Singh Foundation. “Sickness and poverty do not discriminate; neither should the spirit of giving.”
Miracle on Main will take place on Monday, December 15th from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. on a closed off portion of Main Street in front of Troy’s Diner, 295 Main Street in Milton. There will be amusement rides, petting zoo, live entertainment and extravagant displays set up by the Halton Regional Police Services & C.A. Towing.
The event is FREE for everyone and all that is asked is for a donation of a new unwrapped toy.
Carols will be sung, autographs and pictures will be taken with wrestling’s living legend Tiger Jeet Singh, Canada’s most famous hockey dad Walter Gretzky, former WWE superstar Tiger Ali Singh, members of the Argos, Ti-Cats, Toronto Rock, Maple Leaf and NHL Alumni. Talks are also underway to have a return visit made by the Stanley Cup.
A second event will take place in the main lobby at McMaster Children’s Hospital in Hamilton on Wednesday, December 17th from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. The lobby of McMaster Children’s Hospital will be transformed into a holiday wonderland.
“We are absolutely thrilled to be hosting the Miracle on Main Street at McMaster Children’s Hospital,” says Jennifer Laughton, VP Development at McMaster Children’s Hospital. “The Tiger Jeet Singh Foundation are wonderful partners and are bringing the true spirit of the holiday season to the children that must remain in the hospital over the holidays due to illness. Our communities’ support of Miracle on Main Street for McMaster Children’s Hospital will ensure that every child wakes up to a gift at their bedside. We can’t thank the Tiger Jeet Singh Foundation enough for choosing to support children and our hospital in this very special way.”
Please visit www.MiracleOnMain.ca for more event details or log onto http://