ward 6 town of milton
Halton Police Update
File this one under REALLY? So far this year Halton Police have laid almost 300 impaired driving charges.
It seems that with the increased awareness of the problem and more RIDE programs set in place, some people are not getting the message. 13 people in Halton died unnecessarily in my opinion. Drinking and driving is totally preventable. Just dont do it!
After our Milton Community Policing Committee meeting earlier this week, Const. Floyd said that Halton Police will be starting the RIDE program for this holiday season and will be out in full force.
It doesnt take that much of an extra effort to do the right thing. The Champion article outlines a number of things you can do to help make our roads safer.
• If you plan to drive, don’t drink
• Choose a sober designated driver before partying
• Take public transit, a taxi or ask a friend to drive you home
• Spend the night where the activity is being held
• Immediately report impaired drivers to police
• Always wear your seat belt
Do the right thing…and help make this holiday season safer for everyone. There are very few people who have had their lives affected by drinking & driving. Either you know someone personally or know of someone who has lost a friend or loved one due to this totally preventable crime.
If you see someone who shouldnt be driving, try to stop them. If not, call 911. You could be saving a life!
And continuing with my previous post on Lock it or Lose it here is another article from the Milton Canadian Champion on unattended vehicles being stolen from peoples driveways.
Unattended, idling vehicles become stolen vehicles: police
Don’t let that warm car result in a cold walk this winter.As the Christmas season and the cold weather have returned, Halton Regional Police are issuing reminders to residents about precautionary measures they can take to prevent their valuables, including their vehicle, from being stolen.
Police say that between Nov. 3, 2009 and Jan. 14, 2010, 25 vehicles were stolen in Halton that had been left unattended and idling by their owners. Fifteen of those thefts occurred in Milton in the Derry Road community.
In Milton, leaving a vehicle unattended with the engine running is illegal under a town by-law and could result in a $75 fine. An unattended running vehicle that is locked, even if it is in your driveway or in your garage, is still a target for thieves.
Police also warn about leaving car doors open or any items in plain view wherever you park your vehicle.
“Crimes of opportunity occur when we don’t take the necessary precautions such as locking our vehicles and placing items out of sight,” said a Halton police press release.
While there is no guarantee against becoming a victim of vehicle theft, or having your vehicle broken into, Halton police offer the following safety tips:
• Park in well-lit and attended areas
• Never leave your vehicle unattended with the engine running. Turn off the ignition and take the keys with you
• Always lock all doors and windows
• Never leave personal identification or valuables in your vehicle. Lock all valuables in the trunk. Don’t tempt thieves by leaving packages, cameras or purses in plain view
• Remove GPS navigation and cellphone devices when not in your vehicle
• Mount CD and MP3 players inconspicuously
• If you have a garage, use it and lock your car
• Never hide a spare key in your car
For more crime prevention ideas, visit www.haltonpolice.ca and follow the link to Community Policing.
And to illustrate this even further, here is this weeks Milton Police Blotter from the Champion.
BMW stolen while left warming
A 2006 BMW 325 valued at $30,000 was stolen from a driveway after the owner left it idling before his drive to work. The incident on Huffman Crescent took place at 5:15 a.m. Monday.
Computer equipment taken from school
Overnight Monday, a portable classroom at St. Peter Catholic Elementary School on Dixon Drive was broken into. During the incident a laptop computer and two Alpha Smart keyboards were taken. Their estimated value is $2,200.
Car stolen during the day
A 2008 white Ford Edge was taken between noon and 9 p.m. November 17. The car had been parked on Main Street East.
Milton Community Police Committee Update
As regular readers of the blog will know, I am a member of the Milton Community Policing Committee (MCPC)and we have monthly meetings about community outreach with the Halton Police Department and promote programs to help raise awareness of safety / crime issues in Halton.
Its been reported recently that despite the massive growth in the area, Halton remains the safest community in Canada. I think that’s a direct result of the officers in Halton and the great job they do.
During our meeting last night, they reported on some recent statistics of different crimes that are on the rise. A majority of them included car theft / property theft from peoples driveways.
In the last couple of weeks, Halton Police have had several incidences of vehicle theft as people start their cars in the morning and leave them unattended. Its important for people to realize that even though our community is “safe” there are still people from both inside and outside the region who are on the prowl looking for opportunities.
The MO of many of them are driving around neighbourhoods looking for unattended cars that are running, quickly checking to see if they are unlocked and driving off with them. The best line of defense is to either not let your car warm up unattended and unlocked or invest in an automatic car starter that locks the doors while its running.
Another disturbing trend is property theft from vehicles. People leave valuables like cell phones, wallets, laptops etc in plain view and that’s just too much of a temptation for criminals to do the quick smash and grab. The Halton Regional Police force are now embarking on a campaign to help raise awareness of this called “Lock it or lose it”
From the Halton Police website:
Lock It or Lose It
With the holiday season on the horizon, the Halton Regional Police Service would like to remind citizens to be cognizant and diligent by locking their vehicles and hiding valuable items.
Adhering to the following proactive recommendations may deter thieves from stealing your valuables:
1. Locking your vehicle and removing all valuable items from plain view. Items such as: GPS units, laptops, wallets, cellular phones and any other item of monetary value.
2. Simply locking your vehicle while valuable items are still visible inside provides a false sense of security. Thieves will smash the windows in order to gain quick access to these valuables.
3. Be particularly cognizant when purchasing expensive electronic equipment and then storing it in your vehicle. The best alternative is to transport these items directly to your home. If this is not a feasible option, lock the valuable item in the trunk of your vehicle.
4. Do not leave your vehicle running, unlocked and unattended while warming up in the driveway. Thieves have stolen vehicles from various driveways while they have been left operating unattended.
Don’t enable these thieves to steal your valuable items. Remove the opportunity and reduce your likelihood of being victimized.
Anyone with suspect information or information pertaining to any thefts is asked to call the Burlington Criminal Investigations office at 905-825-4747 extension 2316 or anonymously via Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
One of the things that the MCPC will be doing in the coming weeks is handing out brochures with this information at high traffic areas like shopping malls, GO Station, grocery stores etc to help remind people to be aware of the surroundings and to do what they can to make it difficult for these types of crimes to happen. We will be working with the principals of Milton schools to see if they can help distribute this information as well so it gets in the hands of people.
The Committee is always looking for more volunteers to help out and to join us and help take part in initiatives like this to help raise awareness in our own neighbourhoods. There have been quite a few new people joining us and we’re always looking for more. There are a lot of ideas that we would like to implement and the more people we have helping us out the better. Send me an email mike@mikecluett.ca if you are interested in joining the MCPC. We meet monthly and combined with our activities its not a lot of time to spend, but it is worthwhile.
You can find out more about the programs of the Halton Police on their website www.haltonpolice.ca
Public Consultation for High School Boundaries
Thanks to “daycaremom” from the Hawthorne Villager for posting this information.
On Thursday November 25th, there will be a public consultation meeting at Milton District High School regarding the school boundaries for public high schools in Milton. As many in our ward are aware of, a new high school is being constructed at Louis St Laurent and 4th Line. When that school and other new ones that will be constructed come online, the school board will be looking into boundary changes.
Public Consultation For New High School in Milton (SRA 105)
The Halton District School Board invites the public to attend a Public Consultation Meeting to review and provide feedback on various boundary change scenarios for the public secondary schools in Milton. This consultation will take place on:
Thursday, November 25th, 2010 @ 7PM – Milton District High School 396 Williams Avenue, Milton ON
Halton District School Board staff will present information concerning each of the scenarios and parents/guardians will participate in discussions about each option. Staff will be on hand to answer questions.
Here is the link to the HDSB website for all the information you’ll need. On the right hand side you will see the link to the proposed boundaries in different scenarios. In each of these scenarios, you will see that our ward and most of Hawthorne Village itself will be attending the new school when its constructed. It is still important to be informed and if you have children that will be attending high school in the coming years, you should still attend. I might not be able to make it due to other commitments but I’m sure there will be a report from those in attendance coming shortly.
Milton Santa Claus Parade 2010
It was a little chilly but still an entertaining day on Main Street in Milton. Thousands of people despite the cold wind and the snow earlier on in the day made their way to downtown Milton for its annual Santa Claus Parade. Over 50 floats made their way down Main Street to sing songs, dance, and promote a wonderful family oriented holiday season.
MiltonToday TV was there live online … I didn’t get a chance to go over and say HI but they apparently did a very good job broadcasting the parade online. I’ll have to go check them out. From where we were (in front of Knox Presp. Church) you could see the MiltonToday HQ. Milton’s parade gets better and better as the years go on and this one didnt disappoint. Mrs. Claus apparently needed some extra time to get her make up ready according to one of the parade marshals Colin Best but it took only about 2 hours for the parade be completed.
Troy’s Diner had an amazing float and a collection of dancers that knocked the socks off of a lot of people along the parade route. Speaking with Tiger Ali Singh at Troy’s later this evening, he said next year was going to be bigger … and better. “TIGER STYLE” as he put it. You know its going to be big!
The Shriners as always did an amazing job. Anthony now wants to see if he can ride those motorized scooters around soon. Im almost afraid of what he would do in one of those. The dancers from all the different groups looked cold but were still going strong at the half way point in the parade. The parade was full of energy and shouts of “MERRY CHRISTMAS” can be heard all over the route.
Here are just some of the pictures we took along the parade route. We had a fabulous time and congratulations to the organizational committee for another well done event.
Volunteer Opportunities Available
Volunteer Opportunities: Committee/Board Vacancies
The Town of Milton invites you to help guide decisions and provide input to issues affecting your community, by volunteering for one of the following committees.
- Committee of Adjustment and Consent
- Community Services Advisory Committee
- Downtown Business Improvement Area
- Heritage Milton
- Milton Accessibility Advisory Committee
- Milton Public Library Board
- Milton Transit Advisory Committee
- Trails Advisory Committee
Volunteers for these Committees will be required to serve a four-year term, which runs concurrent with the term of Milton Council.
Eligibility
Qualified applicant(s) must be a resident of Milton, or an owner or tenant of land in the municipality, or the spouse of such an owner or tenant, or employee(s) of a business located in the municipality or student(s) attending a school located in the Town of Milton and must be a minimum of 18 years of age on the date of appointment. However, general qualifications may apply on certain committees. Age qualification may be waived by Council on certain committees.
How to apply
A separate application form must be submitted for each committee for which you wish to apply.
Application forms are available online or from the Office of the Town Clerk, Town of Milton, 150 Mary Street, Milton, ON, L9T 6Z5 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
Completed application forms must be received at the Office of the Town Clerk no later than Thursday, December 9, 2010 at 4:30 p.m.
You may be required to attend an interview. Applicants for Committees with daytime meetings may have daytime interviews. To be eligible for appointment, you must be a qualified elector in the Town of Milton; however the age qualification may be waived on certain committees.
Vacancies
Committee Of Adjustment And Consent
The mandate of this 5-member committee, established under the Planning Act, is to make decisions regarding minor variances to the Town of Milton’s Comprehensive Zoning By-law, as well as changes to legal non-conforming uses. The Committee also makes decisions on land division/severance (consent) applications to create new lots and easements or adjust lot line boundaries and it also acts as the Property Standards Committee, on as ‘as required’ basis.
Applicants should have the ability to read architectural drawings and survey plans, a thorough knowledge of the community, and an interest in its growth and development. Members will also be required to review planning reports and comments and make site inspections, prior to each meeting.
- Members needed: 5 citizens
- Meeting Schedule: Monthly, Thursday evenings
- Contact: Betty Cunningham, Committee Secretary, 905-878-7252 ext. 2315 or Betty.Cunningham@milton.ca
Board Of Management For The Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA)
The mandate of the Board of Management for the Downtown Business Improvement Area as established by Milton Council, in accordance with By-law No. 112-77, is for the improvement, beautification and maintenance of municipally-owned lands, buildings and structures in the area designated as the Downtown Business Improvement Area and to promote the designated area as a business or shopping area.
To qualify to sit as a Member on the Board of the D.B.I.A., the member shall be assessed for business assessment in respect of land in the Improvement Area, or nominees of Corporations so assessed.
- Members needed: 7 citizens
- Contact: Jacquelyn Garrard, Executive Director, Milton D.B.I.A., 905-876-2773 or jgarrard@downtownmilton.com
Community Services Advisory Committee
The mandate of this committee is to provide a forum for public input and consultation on a broad range of programs and services delivered by the Town of Milton. The role is an advisory and consultative one, providing input to Milton Council vis-à-vis the respective Standing Committee of Council on issues that are of a “community service nature” with respect to the program areas of Community Services. The Community Services Advisory Committee also reviews and makes recommendations to Milton Council with respect to the Milton Community Fund program.
- Members needed: 8 citizens
- Contact: Bev McCarthy, Committee Secretary, 905-878-7252 ext. 2580 or at Bev.McCarthy@milton.ca
Heritage Milton
The mandate of this committee is to provide advice and assistance to Milton Council, the Department of Planning and Development and private property owners on matters relating to the conservation of the community’s historic building and architectural heritage.
- Members needed: 7 citizens
- Meeting Schedule: evenings on the first Thursday of every month
- Contact: Anne Fisher, Planner, 905-878-7252 ext. 2565 or at Anne.Fisher@milton.ca
Milton Accessibility Advisory Committee
The Milton Accessibility Advisory Committee was created under the authority of the Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2001. This committee’s mandate is to advise and assist the Town, in promoting and facilitating an inclusive and barrier-free Town for Citizens of all abilities, including persons with disabilities
- Members needed: 8 citizens with a minimum of 5 citizens with disabilities
- Note: Committee meetings are generally held during the business day
- Contact: Darren Cooper, Coordinator Accessibility, 905-878-7252 ext. 2534 or Darren.Cooper@milton.ca
Milton Public Library Board
The Milton Public Library Board manages and controls the Milton Public Library system, in accordance with the Public Libraries Act and as authorized by Milton Council in accordance with By-law No. 15-74. In summary, the Library Board’s mandate is to provide a comprehensive and efficient public library system, with services that reflect the community’s needs via the establishment of policies leading to the successful operation of the system.
- Members needed: 7 citizens
- Contact: Leslie Fitch, CEO/Chief Librarian, 905-875-2665 ext. 3252 or leslie.fitch@mpl.on.ca
Milton Transit Advisory Committee
This committee’s mandate is to report to Town Council on matters concerning public transit within the Town of Milton including the review and operation of transit routes, budgets and long range planning for the transit system. The Committee will provide a review and monitoring function for Council and work with staff representatives to ensure the future success of Milton Transit.
- Members needed: 4 citizens
- Note: Committee meetings are generally held during the business day
- Contact: Tony D’Alessandro, Coordinator of Transit, 905-878-7252 ext. 2548 or Tony.Dalessandro@milton.ca
Milton Trails Advisory Committee
This committee’s mandate is to provide an advisory and consultative role to Town Council concerning the design, development and promotion of trails in the Town of Milton, using the Trails Master Plan as its guiding document.
- Members needed: 6 citizens
- Contact: Karen McKinnon, Committee Secretary, 905-878-7252 ext. 2185 or Karen.McKinnon@milton.ca