town of milton

It’s HOT out there

Mike Cluett

Over the last few days we have seen the temperatures rise to new heights and it looks like the next little while will be no different.  I’ve had to take a break from hitting the doors in Ward 6 because of the scorching heat and hopefully it will let up soon.

I had received a call from someone who was wondering what the Town is doing to help beat the heat and where they could take their family to help cool off during this heat wave.

The Town has recently posted some information on www.milton.ca which lists areas where families can go to take the heat off so to speak.

Milton has two designated cooling centres:

Milton Leisure Centre:  1100 Main Street East and Milton Sports Centre: 605 Santa Maria Blvd

There are two locations for pools as well.  One at the Milton Leisure Centre and the other one is outdoors at Rotary Park at 1 Garden Lane (near downtown Milton)

Milton has 6 locations for splash pads which the past few days have become a very popular place for kids to play and stay cool from the heat.  Times of operation are from 9AM to 9PM daily.

Beaty Neighbourhood Park  – Beside Guardian Angels School (Yates / Bennett Ave)

Bristol District Park – Across from Metro Plaza (Thompson Rd / Louis St Laurent Ave)

Clark Neighbourhood Park (South) – Opens late summer 2010

Coates Neighbourhood Park (North)– (Near Philbrook / Yates Drive)

Dempsey Neighbourhood Park– Beside Chris Hadfield School

Lions Sports Park – 77 Thompson Road

There is also a splash pad at Rotary Park  from 10AM to 8PM Daily.

If you would like to get more information on the Milton Leisure Centre swimming hours/costs/ programs, click here for the recreation guide.

As the summer goes along, we will be faced with many more days like we’ve had this week and its best to take all the precautions necessary in order to make sure we all have a safe holiday.  Watch out for kids while your driving, stay cool as much as possible and take in some of the amenities that the Town of Milton has to offer.

Until then, I’ll see you at the doors.

Former Milton Mayor Mike Ledwith Passes Away

Mike Cluett

Just this past week, former Mayor of Milton Mike Ledwith was recognized by the province of Ontario and the Town of Milton as 2010’s Senior of the Year.  He was unable that Monday to attend the meeting and accept this honour, but his family was there.  They expressed their deep gratitude for the acknowledgment and recognition of their fathers hard work in Milton.

I had a chance to meet and speak with Mike at length during Milton’s 150th Anniversary celebrations and he spoke of his time as Mayor of Milton with great happiness.  He was Mayor of Milton during the towns 100th anniversary celebrations and he took part in many of the events for the 150th anniversary.  These days, its hard to think of anyone else being Mayor of Milton other than Gord but…there he was.  He could keep crowds riveted with stories of Milton and was always amazed to see how the town was growing the way it has been since 2000.

Over the years, he has been behind the scenes helping out many Milton organizations such as the Rotary Club, the Hospital board, and as former president of the Milton Evergreen Cemetary, doing what he could to continue to help Milton be a great place to live.  He didnt want all the glory or recognition … he just wanted to do his part.  He will be missed.

Here is an article from the Champion on Mike being named Milton’s Senior of the Year.

Former mayor Ledwith named Senior of Year

He’s known for his humility and his preference for working behind the scenes.

So although disappointing, it somehow seemed in keeping with his nature that newly-named Senior of the Year Mike Ledwith wasn’t on hand Monday night to accept his award — although he no doubt would have been had he been able.

“He’s someone who quietly helps those in need in the community without drawing attention to himself,” said Director of Community Services Jennifer Reynolds at Monday’s town council meeting.

Two of Ledwith’s children, Peter Ledwith and Ellen Riordon, accepted the award for their father, who resides at Allendale.  “I really wish my dad could be here tonight,” said Peter.

Said Riordon: “My dad would say he only deserves this because of the help of everybody.”

This isn’t the first notable recognition for the elder Ledwith. In the early ’60s he was named Citizen of the Year, while in 1997 he was chosen to receive the Chamber of Commerce’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

“This is his hat-trick,” Peter joked.

Senior of the Year is a Provincial initiative designed to recognize a notable senior’s contributions. The Milton recipient is chosen from among nominations by the Town’s Community Services Advisory Committee.

Ledwith, 86, has worn many hats during his more than six decades in town, including mayor of Milton.

For more than 30 years, he owned and operated Ledwith’s grocery store, which eventually became Quality Greens at Main and Martin streets.  His volunteerism included 10 years as a member of the Milton District Hospital Board and he’s one of the founding members of the Rotary Club of Milton, which started in 1947. He remained active until just recently.

“Mike to me is the embodiment of a volunteer,” the Rotary Club of Milton’s Ries Boers told council. “He’s really set a good example for our club.”

Ledwith’s dedication helped keep the club alive during times when membership was at an all-time low, Boers said.  Among other feats, Ledwith has served at St. Paul’s United Church for more than 50 years and was a member of the Milton Seniors’ Activity Centre’s Song Spinners Chorus.

“He’s a very positive influence on everyone, putting others before himself,” Reynolds said.

 James Michael “Mike” Ledwith

LEDWITH, James Michael ‘Mike’ – Died peacefully at Allendale in Milton, Ontario on Saturday, July 3, 2010 in his 87th year. Survived by his three children Ellen Riordon (Dan), Linda Bitton (Dennis) and Peter Ledwith (Cindy). Predeceased by his wives Kathleen (Kay) Garbutt, Vere Henderson and Mary Emmerson. Greatly loved by his seven grandchildren Christopher (Andria), Tara (Stephen), Ryan (Caroline), Michele, Sean (Ana), Owen and Evan and by his great-granddaughter Sophie. He will be deeply missed by his younger brother Austan ‘Oz’ (Janette). Mike was extremely active in the town of Milton for over six decades, beginning in 1946, when he opened a small grocery store in town. ‘Ledwith’s Food Market’ grew to become a downtown landmark. He served the town as Mayor in Milton’s Centennial year of 1957; he was a Charter Member of the Milton Rotary Club in 1947 and remained active with the club until recently. He served on the Milton Hospital Board and the Milton School Board; he was President of Milton’s Evergreen Cemetery for more than 25 years. Mike was very involved with St. Paul’s United Church for more than 60 years. In the early 1960s, he was named Milton’s Citizen of the Year. In 1997, he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Milton Chamber of Commerce and very recently, he was declared Milton’s Senior Citizen of the Year for 2010. Family and friends are invited to visit at the McKERSIE-KOCHER FUNERAL HOME, 114 Main St., Milton, 905-878-4452, from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. on Tuesday. The funeral service will be held at Grace Anglican Church, 317 Main St., Milton on Wednesday, July 7, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. Interment to follow at Evergreen Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to St. Paul’s United Church would be appreciated. Letters of condolence may be left for the family at www.mckersie-kocher.ca

Published in the Toronto Star on July 5, 2010

Major Changes Coming to Campbellville

Mike Cluett

The last full council meeting a couple of weeks ago went long…very long by some standards.  It was close to midnight by the time councillors, staff and some candidates made their way back home.

There was a public meeting on the Derry Green Corporate Business Park (James Snow Parkway, north to the 401, east to roughly Trafalgar and then down to the creek) but the last part of the discussion came from a motion by Councillor Cindy Lunau to expand the hamlet known as Campbellville.

As Tim Foran of the Milton Canadian Champion outines in his article, there are a few more changes coming to the quiet area of Campbellville.

Changes could be coming to Campbellville

The quiet hamlet of Campbellville could become a little noisier in future due to some changes made by Milton’s town council last week.

An existing no heavy truck prohibition along Campbellville Road, between Milburough and Guelph lines, will be removed, council decided without discussion.

The change is part of the Town’s handover of responsibility for maintaining the roadway to Halton Region, an uploading that will save Milton taxpayers some money.

The Region has indicated it plans to invest millions of dollars to improve the roadway to major arterial conditions in future years.

Council also decided that, subject to necessary studies, it will try to expand Campbellville’s urban boundaries westward.

If the expansion receives approval from Halton Region and the Province, which Town staff indicated is actually unlikely, it would allow for new development in some of the area bounded by Campbellville Road to the south, Twiss Road to the west, Hwy. 401 to the north and the hamlet’s existing boundary to the east.

The last major addition to the hamlet was Bridlewood Estates, a subdivision of million-dollar homes currently under construction.

The motion made by Nassagaweya Councillor Cindy Lunau to expand the hamlet came on the day council was approving its updated official plan following four years of planning for future growth by Halton Region and the Town. The motion passed 5-4. Lunau’s ward colleague, Jan Mowbray, supported the motion while the regional councillor for the area, Barry Lee, didn’t.

“I’m of the opinion there’s a certain critical mass (of people needed) to make a hamlet sustainable,” Lunau explained for her motion.

Mississauga-based investment company TSI International, which uses land banking as part of its real estate investment strategy, owns most of the property included in Lunau’s motion and has been the only developer that has asked for the hamlet to be expanded, Town staff confirmed.

Supporters of the expansion, including Lunau, Regional Councillor Colin Best and Mowbray, expressed concern the motion’s wording was obviously in support of TSI’s request as they didn’t want to be seen to be favouring one developer’s land over another.

Lunau had originally put forth a motion suggesting the Town support minor expansions to hamlets, in general. However, the Town’s lawyer advised council a motion indicating the Town has some idea where it wants to grow would have a greater chance of getting approval from the Region and Province.

TSI’s request was shot down by Halton Regional staff in December, when it completed an update to its own official plan. In a response document released at that time, Halton staff said they didn’t believe including TSI’s 100-acre property in the urban area was a “minor rounding out of the hamlet,” something allowable under Provincial legislation during the official plan update process.

Last week, the Town of Milton’s lawyer told council it was still unclear how many acres would actually constitute “minor” to the Province.

Town planning staff had also recommended against expanding the hamlet. In a June 10 document, staff explained the Province’s Greenbelt Plan only allows rounding out of hamlets if the proposal has been supported by appropriate studies assessing the need for the expansion as well as the availability of water to service the development. Those studies haven’t been done, according to staff.

Prior to council’s vote, Town Senior Manager of Planning Policy Barb Koopmans told council that Halton Region has “clearly advised” it won’t approve the expansion to the hamlet in the absence of such evidence.

That news upset Colin Chung, the planning consultant for TSI. He said after the council session the company has offered for years to do whatever studies are necessary, but never got confirmation from municipal planners.

TSI’s property is approximately 100 acres. The majority are forested and designated natural heritage system, but about 15 acres are rural, including some along the Twiss Road frontage.

Lunau suggested much of the land could be donated to the town for use as trails by local residents.

Town Council Approves MAJOR Growth Plans

Mike Cluett

Here is an article written by Tim Foran of the Milton Canadian Champion outlining details on the changes to Milton’s Official Plan.

In his article he mentions a local resident Michael Fox that I referred to in my Communication post recently.  Also he refers to comments that resident Steve Camilerri made regarding the benefit of Milton Transit, the new route for his area in September and how council should focus on its growth.

Town council approves significant growth plans

The future is written but the book may need some revisions.

Milton council Monday night signed off on two secondary plans that will guide the last phases of residential and employment growth originally designated in the Town’s 1997 Official Plan.

It also endorsed an update to that same official plan. The document now includes new ‘smart growth’ policies that will govern areas of future growth from 2015 to 2031.

By that time, Milton is projected to be a community of almost 240,000 and its urban fabric will stretch to Hwy. 407 in the east and Lower Base Line in the south.

Council unanimously approved all three plans. However, planning staff indicated Monday there’s a long list of future studies that still have to be completed including assessing the price tag for the infrastructure necessary to accommodate future growth. Those studies will likely result in tweaks to all three plans before Halton Region, the municipal planning authority, gives its stamp of approval.

While much planning is left undone, it was still imperative council approve the three plans Monday, according to staff.

The Province had set a deadline of June 16 for lower tier municipalities such as Milton to update their official plans to conform to legislation enacted earlier in the decade, such as the Greenbelt Plan and the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe.

Milton’s new official plan also had to be brought into conformity with Halton Region’s December update to its own official plan, ROPA 38, the result of the Sustainable Halton planning process.

But there was no such such deadline for Milton to approve the two secondary plans, one for the Boyne Survey residential area to be built south of Louis St. Laurent Boulevard and another for the Derry Green Corporate Business Park destined for the area east of James Snow Parkway.

However, staff reports said the two plans must be completed by June 16 so that developments in the Boyne and Derry Green areas would be “grandfathered” and governed by the policies in the 1997 Official Plan rather than new less development-friendly ones contained in the updated official plan.

Those new policies, first outlined in Halton’s ROPA 38, could “potentially impact (the) feasability” of development in the Boyne and Derry Green areas due to their requirement for higher densities and the application of an enhanced natural heritage system that includes links between key natural features, stated staff reports reviewed by council.

The new policies also require all players at the table — the local municipalities, school boards, developers and the provincial and federal governments — to agree on what infrastructure is necessary to support “complete communities” and provide evidence the money is in place to build it, so that taxpayers don’t take the hit.

Municipal planners have said they expect these ‘growth must pay for itself’ policies to be challenged at the Ontario Municipal Board as soon as the Province signs off on ROPA 38.

Council didn’t discuss the decision to grandfather the two secondary plans. However, the Town’s consultant said after council it’s common practice for developments to be governed by the policies in place when they first began.

“Is it fair to change those (rules) in midstream?” asked consultant Elizabeth Howson rhetorically.

The policies in the updated official plan were applauded by local resident Steve Camilleri, who said he appreciated the focus on intensification and smarter development.

Camilleri, who lives near Derry and Holly roads, said he has lived in his community for four years but will only be getting a bus route this September.

Though he said he’s thankful to get it, he supported the municipality’s efforts to get transit on track quicker in the future.

“The answer is public transit and it needs to be looked at as an asset,” said Camilleri.

ROPA 38 policies require municipalities to have a plan in place to provide public transit to new subdivisions as they come on stream.

Another delegate to council took a dimmer view of intensification. Michael Fox, a resident of Frobisher Boulevard, petitioned council to reduce the heights allowed in the official plan for the section of Main Street in front of the GO Train station.

The plan allows the north side of Main Street across the street from the GO station, between Ontario Street and Thompson Road, currently occupied by low-rise commercial and industrial units, to be redeveloped into four-storey buildings, with potential for a maximum of three more storeys through typical bonusing provisions. Immediately adjacent to the GO Station, the plan allows for 10- to 14- storey buildings.

Fox said 72 of his neighbours, more than half of whom have pools, could be affected by shadows of buildings of that height.

However, Town staff responded the four-storey limit and the bonusing provisions haven’t changed since the 1997 Official Plan.

“To take away what is currently permitted without justification would be problematic,” Barb Koopmans, Milton’s senior manager of policy planning, told council.

She added developers are required to do a shadow impact study when filing their development application.

Through the site plan approval process, staff can mitigate any potential impact by buildings higher along the edge of Main Street but “step down” at the rear of the lot, she added.

Ward 4 Councillor Paul Scherer pointed out to Fox the original heights proposed the Town’s intesification background study called for buildings of six to eight storeys opposite the GO Station, which was ultimately dismissed in favour of keeping the status quo.

“I think we’ve done a reasonable job of protecting the neighbourhood,” said Scherer.

Ward 1 Councillor Rick Day was absent for the four-hour session as he was away on business, Mayor Gord Krantz said.

Communication

Mike Cluett

Last night during the council meeting … that almost broke the midnight barrier … there was an interesting discussion that came up.

 One of the delegations Michael Fox who lives in an area just north of Main Street and east of Thompson brought up some concerns about intensification and the heights of buildings to be constructed along Main.

 The main concern he brought up was the fact the residents in the area that will be affected by these changes haven’t been informed of public meetings and left in the dark.

 Town staff brought up the fact they advertise in the Champion extensively about these meetings and signs are erected as well informing residents of the potential changes.  They also advertise on the Town website as well.

 What can be done to help this?

I don’t think there is one solution to this problem but one thing that comes to mind is the 11 people surrounding the council table.  If there is something that is going on, changes to zoning, new development etc that will affect a certain area, councillors have a responsibility to get out and do what they can to inform residents and gather public opinion.

Over the past couple of months, on weekends and some week nights I have been able to knock on many doors and drop flyers for my campaign.  I don’t say it to impress people but I want to impress upon councillors that it doesn’t take a lot of effort to reach people.  Flyers can be relatively cheap to produce and possibly can be expensed and in an afternoon or over a weekend you can quickly drop these flyers to households.

You don’t even need to have flyers made, just an effort to contact people. 

“Hi my name is _______ and I’m the councillor for this area.  I don’t know if you know this but there will be a public meeting on _______ about possible changes to zoning”  or whatever it might be…

If they can’t make the meeting, ask for an email address (as most people have at least one) and say I’m setting up an email list to let everyone know what’s going on.

Using other tools like social media is just as effective.  When I ran back in 2006 there were very few candidates with websites and even fewer with blogs.  Thankfully now, the number of candidates in this election with websites and blogs has increased dramatically.  Some don’t use them as effectively as they should.  Twitter is another way of getting short messages out to the public.  I’ve found recently that “tweeting” during council meetings helps people understand the process and keeps them informed.  It’s such a good idea that even other candidates are doing it now.

The beauty of this “new” technology (it’s not really new anymore but new to some people) is that most of its free.  It’s free to get a Facebook account…its free to get a Twitter account and so on.

The town has its limitations to what they can do to inform people of upcoming meetings.  Not everyone reads the Champion from cover to cover and the local media doesn’t really do an effective job being proactive when it comes to these things.  They normally report on them after the fact and when people read it, they say “why didn’t I know about it”

I don’t want to over simplify this and I’m sure I’ll have some incumbent councillors email me and say “that’s nice to say but wait until you’re elected and you have to do it.”

To them I say “bring it on” I’ve had a lot of comments from people in Ward 6 saying “why are you out so early?”  I tell them this is something they can come to expect of me as their councillor.  I plan on direct contact throughout the term of council, not just during the election campaigns.  I can’t count the number of people who don’t know who the councillors are or who they voted for last time.

If councillors really want to represent people they have to think outside the box when it comes to how they can stay in touch.  Corporations over the last couple of years have really taken to social media as a way of advertising.  How many people who are on Facebook are “fans” of something whether it is the Milton DBIA or Chamber of Commerce or COKE or Pepsi? 

For instance, I got regular messages from the Milton DBIA about the Street Festival, how I could volunteer, when things are happening, schedule updates and everything else going on that day.  They used the tools effectively and got the message out.  In fact many candidates (including myself) have a “FAN” page on Facebook (go to www.mikecluett.ca and click on the Facebook logo on the right to join 😉 ) and this means those who are on that list get campaign updates, and comments from other fans about that particular campaign.

These things can be used as effective communication tools and combined with old fashioned “feet on the street” door knocking, websites, blogs, Twitter, Facebook you can help enhance interactivity between local government and the taxpayers.

It takes a little effort to get things going and it won’t be an overnight solution.  But at least it’s a bit more than an ad in the Champion, and something posted on the Towns website.

Speaking of direct communication, I’ll see you at the doors.

Are your kids “street proofed?”

Mike Cluett

The Champion has an interesting editorial on child safety this week.

There have been a number of attempted abductions of young children in the news the past few weeks, with some of these incidents happening in the Halton region.

Do your kids know what to do if they are approached?  I know I go over this with Anthony many times to make sure he knows what to do if ever confronted with a similar situation.  He knows that if anyone he doesnt know tries to grab or lure him into the car to say “NO”.  If that person continues to press, he knows to start yelling and run to the nearest neighbours house.  We’ve set up a password system so that if someones says they know his Mom or Dad, they have to give them the password or else he wont go.

Its a scary thought for parents.  The idea of someone coming into an area and trying to abduct any child sends shivers up the spines for many of us.   We have to ensure our kids know what to do if or when that situation arises.

This also leads me into the Milton Community Policing Committee and what we are planning to do with several schools in the area.  We are looking to set up a program with Principals to get as much information out to the kids as possible from the Halton Region Police Force.  This might include information sessions inside the school with members of the Halton Police Force, or regular letters to parents including some brochures on road safety, staying safe and street proofing.

There are a couple of schools we will be presenting this information to when they do their open houses in September including Tiger Jeet Singh Elementary School, PL Robertson among others.  If you would like more information on the MCPC visit the website and contact us if you’d like to get involved.

We will be having an information booth at the Downtown Milton Street Festival tomorrow all day long.  Regional Councillor Colin Best, myself and many other volunteers from the committee will be there to answer any questions you might have about local community activism, street proofing your children and road safety.  We will be more than happy to meet with you and discuss how you can get involved and help continue to make Milton a great place to live and grow our families.

Here’s the editorial from the Champion.

Jun 03, 2010 – 12:22 PM

Parents, children — be on guard

Several Halton incidents of children being approached by strangers

If your son or daughter was approached by a complete stranger trying to entice them into a vehicle, do you know how they would react?

Have you ever discussed with your children the possibility of such a scenario happening to them and what they should do if it does? If not, what are you waiting for?

Last week, Halton Regional Police issued separate parental warnings in Burlington and Halton Hills in connection with young people being approached by strangers with what can only be described as bad intentions.

In Acton, three incidents of an older white man, driving a silver four-door car trying to entice youngsters into the vehicle were reported over a five-day period at the end of April and start of May. Police determined that a fourth, more recent complaint by an Acton youth was unfounded.

Meanwhile, in Burlington last week, two teenage girls were approached by a male stranger in separate incidents occurring less than 40 hours apart.

In the first case, a 16-year-old was approached as she walked her dog May 25. A man described as black, with very short hair or bald, 35 to 40 years old and wearing a dark shirt struck up a conversation with the teen and attempted to entice her into his black, older model pick-up truck. When she refused he continued driving.

Then, last Thursday, a 15-year-old female was approached by an unknown man — described as black, in his late 20s or early 30s and driving an older blue pickup truck. He, too, tried to entice her to get inside his vehicle. When she refused, he briefly followed her to a parking lot before he fled the scene in an unknown direction.

Similar incidents have been reported in Milton in the past.

Halton police urge parents to remind their children not to approach anyone that’s not known to them and to always walk with a friend or a known adult.