town of milton

2009 Milton Steam Era Celebration this Labour Day Weekend

Mike Cluett

The sounds of steam whistles will pierce the air in Milton this coming long weekend with the return of the Steam Era at the Milton Fairgrounds.  Come take a tour through history and see how things were done 100 years ago.

From the Steam Era website:

For the older generation it’s a chance to stroll down memory lane. For the young it’s a learning experience of a way of life far removed from todays. 

Bring your kids or grandchildren and participate in activities. Let the kids try the pedal tractors at the second stage or try sawing a log. Stay and enjoy the home cooked food, see the evening grandstand Country & Western Shows and enjoy the corn roast. You’ll find amazing sights and sounds at Steam- Era where “where your heritage comes alive”.

Everything starts on September 4th.  Check out the list of events as well.  DO NOT forget the corn roast on Friday night.  It doesn’t have anything about prices this year but last year Friday’s admission was $6.00 per person, kids under 12 were free and the rest of the weekend it was $7.00 per person, again kids under 12 free.  There are weekend passes available at $15 each.  Its well worth the money for the amount of fun you will have at the fairgrounds.  Who says theres nothing to do in Milton. 🙂

FRIDAY, Sept 4th 2009

8:00am – Grounds open
activities and demonstrations throughout the day

6:00pm – CORN ROAST following parade

7PM MINI TRACTOR PULLS at the Grandstands

Food is available from food court

At dusk:  Steam Engine NIGHT OF FIRE SPARK SHOW (weather permitting)

SATURDAY,Sept 5th 2009

8:00am – Grounds open

9:00am-5:30pm – Buildings open

9:00am – Tractor pulls begin (until 11:50am)

10:00am -4:00pm – Operating demonstrations (Sawmill, threshing, shingle mill)

1:00pm-5:00pm – Entertainment on the second stage – Games and contests for kids

12:00noon – Steam whistle blow

12-1.00pm Marions Country Band at Grandstands

12:15pm – Downtown Parade (starts at Main Street & Commercial St) & returns to the grounds.

1-2 pm Log Sawing at Grandstands

1:00pm – Junior Talent Contest at Second Stage

2.00-3.00pm Junior Members activities at Grandstands

3:15- 3.30pm – Threshing competition

3:30-4.30pm – Whipple tree Tractor pulls

4:30pm – Grand Opening Ceremonies followed by Parade of Equipment

Corn Roast following parade.  Dinner available from food court

5.30 – 6:30 – Marions Country Band

7:30pm – 32th Annual Country Western Talent Contest

CORN ROAST ongoing

At dusk:  Steam Engine NIGHT OF FIRE SPARK SHOW (weather permitting)

SUNDAY, Sept 6th 2009

8:00am – Grounds open – Buildings open at 11:00am till 5:30pm

10:00am- Church Service at the Second Stage

10:30am – Tractor games at grande stand

11:30am – Junior member Lawn Tractor games

12:15pm – Log sawing

1-2:00pm – Steam Engine Skills Competitions

3:00-3.15pm – Threshing competition

4:00pm – Grande Parade of all equipment followed by Corn Roast

Dinner available from food court

7.00 pm – Country Western Music by “DIGGER” and The CampfireCountry Band

At dusk:  Steam Engine NIGHT OF FIRE SPARK SHOW (weather permitting)

MONDAY, Sept 7th 2009

8:00am – Grounds open

8:00am – Tractor pull weigh in (Starting at 9am to 11:50am)

9:00am – all buildings open (until 5:30pm)

10:00am – Demonstrations begin throughout the grounds (Sawmill, shingle mill, baker fan)

12:00noon – Steam Whistle Blow

– Entertainment on second stage (kids games, music, dancing)
1:00-2.00pm – Steam Engine Skills Competition

2:00pm – Log Sawing

3:00-3.15pm – Threshing competition

3:45pm – Grand Parade of all Equipment

Aggressive Storms and aggressive driving

Mike Cluett

All I can say is WOW!  Last Thursday is a day I’ll be remembering for sometime.  For a number of reasons, and moving from my home on Yates Drive is the least of them.

The Champion has a couple of articles on what happened and the confirmation that it indeed was a tornado that hit Milton last Thursday evening.  Jennifer Smith has a few pictures on her website from that day as she was even closer to the line of the storm that day.

Needless to say many Miltonians will have their “where were you when the storm hit” stories.  Here’s mine.

As I mentioned before Pat, Anthony, Miranda and I have moved from our home of the last 6 years on Yates Drive to our new home on Arthur’s way…exactly 2.7 kms away.  Thursday was our closing date and the movers were doing their thing over the course of the day getting our furniture and memories packed up on the truck.  I have to admit, it was hard leaving.

There were some hiccups with the closing, as most closings go, and we were delayed a bit in getting the second half of the delivery completed.  Thats when things got very eerily quiet.  The air went very still for about 3 minutes and I had this funny feeling something was about to happen.  Standing in my garage, I looked out towards the road and I heard a very loud rumbling sound, almost like a train.  Before I knew it the sky went very dark…almost black and then sheets of rain suddenly appeared.  There were no drops of rain to announce its arrival but it was like someone turned on a very large faucet and it came down.

Winds were blowing madly as the very young trees on our street bent over from the force of the wind and the rain.  The movers were making mad dashes to get off the moving truck and leaving all the metal objects where they were for shelter.

The movers then had to call off the move because of the weather and the potential for more lightening.  Thankfully the new owners of our house were moving in the next day and let us keep our belongings there until the morning.

I am very grateful that no one was injured in Milton but the pain of the damage will live on in many peoples minds.  As my parents always told me, you can replace belongings but you cant replace a person.

***

RoadRage

Another thing caught my attention in the Champion was a letter to the editor from Christina Drapeau who detailed her experiences while driving in and out of Milton along Derry Road.  The reason why it caught my attention was I was witness to some very questionable driving skills from an individual going south on James Snow Parkway to Waldie.

As I was coming home in the right lane, a blue Pontiac Sunfire blew past me at a higher rate of speed.  I was doing 70km/hr and they must have been going almost 90km/hr.  This car was driving in the left lane and as we got around the bend towards the light at Waldie the car cut in front on another car in front of me, slammed on the brakes and made a very dangerous right hand turn into the subdivision at Waldie.  Thankfully there was no collision, but it does illustrate that there are some people out there who are driving to aggressively. 

A little shaken up, I continued down to Derry Road to continue towards Louis St Laurant.  I am now in the left lane for those of you who are keeping track…as the right lane ends shortly after Derry.  There was a large pickup truck in that lane waiting for the light to turn green.  The lane we are in is adjacent to the left turn lane to go east on Derry and after the light turns green the truck in front of me, instead of going straight makes a bee line left turn and almost cuts off 2 cars in the process.

So I understand what Christina is talking about when she voices her concerns on continued aggressive driving in Milton.

Do we really have to be in that much of a hurry?  Think twice.

A familiar story about Milton Taxes

Mike Cluett

Who says going on vacation reduces stress?  My family just came back from a wonderful trip to Newfoundland.  The weather was amazing with the sun shining down on us more often than the clouds with a cool breeze coming in off the Atlantic Ocean.  It was Anthony’s fourth trip out to the island and Miranda’s first.  Like a trooper, she handled the flight to and from perfectly and both Pat and I were amazed.  The vacation was well overdue and included an encounter with a Minke whale…up close while fishing.  It’s something that Anthony and I won’t be forgetting any time soon.

I’ve posted a few pictures of our trip on Facebook so click on, and request an add if you’re not already a friend.

While on vacation, I did take some time to go online to the Milton Canadian Champion and read up what was going on in our beloved town.  Unfortunately some stories didn’t surprise me.  And it has to do with taxes.

As I’ve discussed many times on this blog, council had decided to go the route of spending and taxing like no other municipality in the last few years.  Sure we are under the pressures of growth and we need funds to pay for things like infrastructure to keep us moving.  Ever since this new council has been elected, we as taxpayers have been subjected to year after year of tax increases.

2010 and 2011 are looking to be the same.

In this article published in the Champion July 31st, they discuss the proposed tax increase for Milton taxpayers in the range of 7.5% to 9.5%.  This means another increase of roughly $40 per household over $300,000.  It’s the same old story played out again and again and again with the same result.  Silence.

The argument you end up getting from council is that “its only $30 or $40”   My response is that if it’s only $30 or $40, then work at finding the savings somewhere.

The last council was elected in 2006 and from that point on taxes have gone up at an alarming rate.  2007 budget increased by 3.0%…2008 budget increase was 2.5%…2009 budget increase was 4.5%.  And now the town staff is recommending a 7.5% increase?

Many of you know that council has received 3 pay increases since taking office in 2007.  Salary for the local council position was approximately $21.000 in 2006 and they are now $28,000.  Benefits have increased and the costs of paying our local officials have increased as well.

As outlined in the article, the main reason for the increase is…salaries and benefits.

“Part of the forecasted increase for the next two years is due to the estimated $1.5 million in extra salary and benefits for existing employees, along with an estimated half million dollars for new employees, according to the 2009 budget documents.

The Town recently bargained three three-year agreements with unionized staff. The 29 unionized staff of the Town’s fire department will receive annual 3 per cent pay hikes this year and the next two years.”

The main reason for the increase is salaries and benefits.  There’s another city out there that is having severe financial issues due to problems with salaries and benefits…the City of Toronto.

I’m not sounding the alarm bells yet with Milton, don’t get me wrong.  We are not at that stage yet…far from it.  But if we don’t get a handle on the town purse soon, there will be issues.

Town Council has spent a lot of money in the last few years which includes a wasted investment of over $3 million dollars in Milton Transit.  Just imagine if they had been smarter and not spent that money.  If $ 1.5 million in increased salaries and benefits represents a majority of this tax increase, what could have $3 million dollars done?  We wouldn’t be having this conversation.

Council’s priorities are off.  They are not looking at the future impact of their decisions and if this lack of focus continues, we are going to be having more conversations like this in the future. 

Tax increases can be justified and most people grin and bear it.  Most people don’t have a problem with it if that increase makes sense.  The last 4 years of increases can’t be justified.  They simply haven’t been smart with their spending and don’t show any signs of improvement.

It’s just another $30 or $40.  Justify it then.

Way to go Milton

Mike Cluett

35,000 people in Milton had their say.  They want the governments at all levels to make the expansion of Milton’s Hospital a priority…and NOW!  The only question that remains is will David Caplan, Minister of Health and George Smitherman, Minister of Infrastructure listen???  Only time will tell.

Overwhelming support

Nearly 35,000 residents sign petition postcards in group’s ongoing push for hospital expansion

Tim Foran, Canadian Champion Staff
Published on Jul 29, 2009

A volunteer group dedicated to securing provincial approval and funding for an expanded Milton District Hospital says it has collected signatures from close to 35,000 people on postcards addressed to Ontario’s Minister of Health.

“The incredible enthusiasm in this community is amazing,” said Pete Pomeroy, co-chair of the Friends of Milton Hospital, which started its postcard signing blitz about two months ago assisted by $25,000 in funding from the Town of Milton.

The group is now hoping to deliver the postcards personally to the Minister of Health, David Caplan, and it also wants to meet with the Minister of Infrastructure, George Smitherman. The two ministries are expected to make final decisions on which of 58 proposed hospital capital projects will get put onto an updated 10-year infrastructure plan, expected to be released this fall.

“We need a hospital (expansion), we need a place to go that ourselves and our family feel we’re going to get the care that we need, they (the hospital) have the specialties that we need, that we can have faith in our hospital,” said Cari Kovachik-MacNeil, co-chair along with Pomeroy.

The duo met last Wednesday to present their case to Dr. Sacha Bhatia, healthy policy advisor to Ontario Premier Dalton McGunity.

Bhatia listened to the group’s concerns but advised them they should be working with officials from the ministries of health and infrastructure and the Mississauga-Halton Local Health Integration Network (LHIN), said Karman Wong, a spokesperson from the Premier’s Office. LHINs are responsible for planning, funding and integrating health care services locally.

“At the end of the day, decisions on which hospitals should get funding shouldn’t be political,” said Wong. “They should be based on where the need is.”

The criteria for assessing that need is what concerns Pomeroy and Kovachik-MacNeil. They said at least one criterion the Province will be using is wait time statistics for hospital emergency rooms (ER).

In this respect, statistics show Milton District Hospital fares better than most hospitals. For the first quarter of this year, the average wait time for a serious condition at the hospital ER was just under five hours, a couple hours better than the provincial average and about half the time spent by patients at hospitals in Burlington and Mississauga.

“Having said that, health care is more than emergency (service),” argued Kovachik-MacNeil. She said patients from Milton should not be forced to go to other hospitals for specialized services.

Pomeroy added many people believe HHS’s new Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital, expected to begin construction over the next couple years, will be a regional hospital built to accommodate the needs of Miltonians.

“But it isn’t true, that isn’t the case,” said Pomeroy.

While the Friends of Milton Hospital’s postcard campaign has wrapped up, a similar petition for a Milton hospital expansion is still being circulated.

Led by former director of development with the Milton District Hospital Foundation, Donna McLaughlin, the Milton Hospital Action Committee said in April it wanted to collect 50,000 signatures on a petition to be presented to the provincial legislature by Halton MPP Ted Chudleigh on June 6.

“It (the petition) was about 8,000 (signatures) at the end of June and we decided to hold it for the summer,” said Chudleigh. “They’re still collecting signatures and I’m going to present it in the House in September.”

Tim Foran can be reached at tforan@miltoncanadianchampion.com

Belated Birthday Greetings

Mike Cluett

Dont you just hate it when you forget someones birthday?  On Facebook its easy to remember friends birthdays with the reminders on the front page and then all you have to do is go to their page and put “HAPPY B DAY (insert name here).  I always find it horrible to remember someones big day a week or so after the fact.

I have some good excuses mind you, what with the baptism of our daughter, my parents in from Newfoundland for a vist, work (obvious choice) and planning our move which is rapidly approaching the one month mark.  I dont think the Town of Milton will mind though.

July 4, 2009 was the Town of Milton’s 152nd birthday.  What seems ages ago, back in 2007, we celebrated Milton’s 150th Birthday.  I was honoured to be part of the master committee in charge of planning all the events for 2007, which included such things as the Winter Festival and the Amazing Race (sadly, no one has picked up that ball and run with it).  One of the events we as a committee were part of that we are so glad has continued was the annual Milton Street Festival last month.  That was the 3rd annual event with plans already started for next years celebration.

So yes, very quietly Milton grew one year older.  There is no facebook page for Milton that has this information so sadly it went unnoticed.  So from me and others who live in this great town we have one thing to say…

New Sign Posts Around Milton

Mike Cluett
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Pat, Miranda and yours truly at Milton's Canada Day...Anthony not here because he was at the rides!!!

Has anyone else noticed the new street sign posts popping up around Milton?

I’ve begun to see them around the Hawthorne Village area, mainly near major intersections that already have signs on the light and street posts.  These signs are unique as they are half the normal height of standard ones.  The nameplates on the sign are abnormally huge while the posts are short.

Aren’t our streets labelled well enough now, without adding more signs on corners?  For instance, drive around the Derry and Thompson Road area where you will find large signs on the posts that hold the traffic lights, each on Derry Road and Thompson Road.  Now if you stand at the south west corner you will find the short sign (I like that term better) along with another short sign at the north east corner.  Each one of these signs have the LARGE nameplate on them.  SO…in case you didnt see the large ones on the traffic lights, you’re bound to see them on the corners.  That would work if the posts were taller.  But isnt that sign overkill?  And why so short?  Is it because of cutbacks at the town level?  I know, I laughed too.

Other intersections have them as well, mainly along Derry Road at Trudeau among others.  I will endevour to get a picture of these signs for you to see, if you haven’t already seen them. 

One resident remarked to me earlier that its just another thing for people to hang signs on and block peoples views while trying to turn corners.  Well, that remains to be seen.