Blog Archive
March 6, 2010
What a beautiful weekend!
It's been awhile since my last post. There has been alot happening over the last couple of months including the budget, tons of constituent issues, as well as the latest controversy involving the Mayor. I also have been active with my campaign for re-election being first off the mark. It's hard to believe that 3 years has paased already and that this is an election year. I'm trusting that my attention to Ward 7 issues, dealing effectively with those issues, pragmatic decision making, as well as returning phone calls and e-mails in a timely manner as I have consistently done over the last three years, will allow me the privilege of serving again during what will be a crucial period of controlled growth and financial responsibility going forward requiring leadership for the Ward and the City.
Alot has been said about this year's budget which saw a tax increase of 2.3 %. It's important to note that half of that increase will go to the previous council's committment of 52.5 million dollars to the RVH Cancer Care Centre, the hiring of 10 new police officers and 20 more firefighters, and social program cost increases in the services provided by the County of Simcoe. The rest will be going towards normal service cost increases that the City provides to our residents and businesses. This past week, I was pleased that Council approved a motion that I put forward to have City Staff look into our service agreements with the County in attempt to find any if there are any cost savings to be had and to look at alternative funding formulas that could reduces costs to Barrie taxpayers. Any savings found will help us reduce the tax burden in future years on Barrie residents.
I was pleased during the budget that Council supported a plan to bring fire service to Ward 7 in 2011. We are searching for a facility to lease so that we can put a truck and firefighters in it so that Ward 7 and the entire south end can finally have the service it needs before we put a permanent Fire Station that will likely be located in the annexed lands to the south. One disappointment I do have is that the widening of Essa Rd. has been pushed back in our Capital Plan as other priority project leapfrogged ahead of it. It's disappointing because the residents of Roberta Place need sidewalks between Harvie and Mapleton but it's hard to argue and receive support when you have data about pipes that need to be replaced and roads on the verge of collapse in older parts of the City that require immediate attention because there is only so much money available to fund Capital programs. I still contend that when planning for growth, infrastructure needs to be in place before development occurs and not as an afterthought as many roads in this City are like Essa and Mapleview West. You don't build subdivisions around roads that will not be able to handle the volume and move pedestrians safely and I'm sure as you travel around the City, you can see a pattern of that because of decisions not to plan properly for development by previous Councils.
There has been alot of controversy lately surrounding the Mayor's placement of an ad in the Globe for the recruitment of a police chief. I've posted alot of the information in the News section of this site but I will say that Council has done it's job by exposing the wrongdoing and ensuring that it will not happen again. A motion is coming on Monday calling for the Ontario Civilian Complaints Commission to be called in again to investigate the Mayor's action on this matter. I won't support it because I don't think we need to waste taxpayers money on lawyers and hearings to tell me as, I suspect they would that he excercised bad judgement on this. The Police Service Board has put measures in place that will not allow this type of thing from happening again and that's the end of it as far as I'm concerned. Council has done it's job of providing accountability and now it's time to move on and let the people of Barrie decide the fate of the Mayor in the October elections.
In other news, City Staff have hired an architect to do a design study to place Library Services at the Holly Community Centre. This is something that Councillor Prowse and I have been fighting for over the past 3 years. Modeled after other City's, I have never believed in multi-million dollar facilities to house this type of service and I am very interested to see what evolves from this. I know there is alot of interest from residents in both Ward 6 and 7 in having library services in the southwest part of the City.
MORE TO COME.....Stay tuned
December 31, 2009
More sadness from Afghanistan today as 4 soldiers and a journalist are killed in a roadside bomb. My thoughts are with their families as I sit down to write this.
As the year comes to a close, I thought that I would review and put some perspective on some of the issues City Council dealt with in 2009.
The year started with no resolution in sight on the Barrie-Innisfil boundary negotiations. This long-simmering dispute ended after the Provincial Government imposed a solution on both sides in June. A resolution to this was important so that the City and the region could plan for the growth that is expected to occur and in fact resolving this was one of our strategic priorities that was set as the new Council was formed in December 2006. While I was pleased that the Province had shown leadership and that a resolution was finally achieved, I can't begin to tell you how upsetting it was to witness and be a target of the fair growth campaign that was launched by Innisfil. The information used in that campaign to make our City out to look like land grabbing bullies was disturbing to not only me but several of my colleagues on Council. I called it at the time a campaign of mis-information because that's precisely what it was. It was so over-the-top that it was difficult to counter without looking like we were in full defensive mode. In the end, we decided to engage in a campaign of truth about why boundary expansion was important to the economic prosperity of the region including our ability to plan for employment and how to accomodate the 230,000 people that will call this part of our region home in 20 years. Our vision for Barrie is to be a complete community where people can live, work, and play. That vision includes an opportunity for various forms of housing, a diverse and strong workforce, a year-round recreation destination, and a community that protects the environment including our greatest asset, Lake Simcoe. On January 1, 2010, 2500 hectares of Innisfil will be part of Barrie and we are doing everything we can as a council to make the transition seemless. The other thing we are doing is rising above the bitterness of the fair-growth campaign to ensure that we all work together to ensure that the region prospers as it should for the betterment of everyone who lives here.
The property tax increase was limited to 2.8 percent early in 2009, however there was an increase in user fees. In the first three years of this Council, tax increases have been cut in half compared to the three years of the previous Council. This has been done in spite of a 1 billion dollars over 10 year committment to infrastructure projects, 250 million in 2009 alone. Prior to our budget deliberations, Council had just received reccomendations on a long-term financial plan and that weighed heavily in my decisions at budget time. In the report, Council was told that we need to stop allowing "non-legislated" discounts for example development charge discounts, we needed to increase our reliance on user fees to recover the full costs of providing user-pay programs, and finally we needed to build our reserves in order to diminish our reliance on debt financing of capital projects. Accomplishing this would ensure financial sustainibility going forward and potentially ease the burden of property taxpayers. The report also identified that a prolonged history of 0 percent tax increases by previous councils during the 90's and early part of 2000 had put the City's reserve balance in a difficult position to pay for projects without the reliance on debt. The 2009 budget attempted to start resolving some of the challeges identified in the long-term financial plan and user fees, based on the premis that whoever uses certain services should pay for those services was endorsed by Council and we'll likely see that trend continue in 2010 when the budget comes before Council shortly.
Council expanded the smoking ban to include all facilities and parks within the City. The Breathe Easy program ensures a healthier environment for anyone using our facilities whether they are entering them by not having people around the doors smoking or watching a soccer game in a park. It was the right move although there was the natural concern about enforcement but it seems that the prediction that this would be self-enforcing has become a reality with very few complaints coming in. There are a few exceptions like the waterfront but as the program evolves, I'm certain we'll see less and less smoking on our waterfront.
In February, I, along with a couple of Councillors went to Ottawa, cap in hand to lobby for Infrastructure money from the Federal Government. In partnership with our M.P. Patrick Brown we were successful in getting 53.5 million in stimulus and other funding for the City. I can't say enough how much I appreciate the work of M.P. Brown and how he advocates for our City. Regardless of your political stripe, no one can say that this amount of money doesn't help. Yes, it's true that it's our money and some should be coming back but without it at this point, the burden would by borne by property taxpayers for capital projects that are in the works and this money certainly eases that burden.
Progress is being made on the revitilization of Allandale Station and the project is moving forward. I believe a sincere attempt has been made to engage people in the process and as a result of community consultations and a report that was received by Council, some additional changes have been requested that will take into consideration some concerns from the community. I stated this in previous blogs that my feeling is that the proposal endorsed by Council best represents the concept and ideal of a complete community that includes, health and wellness, recreation that will meet some of the needs of this area, heritage preservation combined with modern architecture, culture, entertainment, transportation, tourism and a mixed use of residential and commercial, all of which will serve as a gathering point and contribute to the transformation of Allandale Village into a dynamic and vibrant part of our great City. The key for me in supporting this concept is first and foremost that the train station is restored to it's former glory and that this project becomes a gathering place for people which has proven in other cities to enhance revitilization efforts. While some remain opposed to this plan and would have preferred an alternative, it's important that we move forward. This property has sat in this state far too long and it was this Council who decided to do something about changing that and I'm truly excited and anticipating the transformation of these lands a place where people can get together and be proud of what this corner has been transformed into.
The new year marks the first anniversary of the merger of Barrie Hydro with Powerstream. It was very nice to see that the expectations presented to us in the original business case were exceeded with respect to the dividends paid out including the 25 million dollar recapitalization payment that the City received. This was another contentious issue that required some foresight on the part of the majority of Council to agree to. There were some that wanted us to keep the utility as is and some who were concerned about jobs going south to Vaughan. As much as it was nice to have our own utility, being part of a larger entity clearly has it's advantages from a financial, social, and growth potential standpoint and not one position has been eliminated and there have been some people who are now working in Barrie and not driving to Vaughan as they once were as employees of Powerstream. It's important to understand that the Barrie Hydro and by extension Powerstream is in the business of maximizing value and providing the best return on investment for you the shareholders in it. We're seeing that increase return on investment in many ways including increased contributions to agencies like the United Way of Greater Simcoe, and expansion of the Winter Warrmth program which assist low income families and seniors and a contribution to Georgain College. I learned long ago to never fall in love with or become emotionally attached to something that makes money like stocks or businesses because being emotional clouds your judgement. In the case of the merger, it was the right thing to do and will continue to be the right thing for a long time to come. As a taxpayer in the City, you own the utility, not Council. It should be your direction to Council that it do what it needs to maximize shareholder value and that's precisely what has occurred.
Establishing the City as a cultural hub for the region is something we continue to struggle with as a community. There is clearly a disconnect between culture being a priority for residents in relation to other priorities like providing police, fire, and road maintenance as evidenced in the citizen survey that was released mid-year. In developing our strategic priorities, the development of culture on the heels of our cultural plan was seen with the potential of being an economic driver. Investing in cultural related items and events like a downtown theatre for example was viewed as an opportunity to establish Barrie as part of the complete community we so often talk about. We know from the experiences of other cities, that a City that can establish itself with a rich cultural presence becomes extremely competitive in attracting for example, doctors, professionals, and other creative economy employment by looking for more in a city than simply a place to put a roof over their head. We so often cite our vision of Barrie as a live, work, play community and the establishment of a culture as part of that vision is important in creating the complete community. The challenge however is trying to convince many who are cynical of using tax dollars to invest in culture, which right now is intangible, when roads are in need of repair, fire stations need to be built, and police services need to expand. Council has preferred to crawl on the issue of culture before we walk and then run. We've invested money wisely to help us gain some traction in this area but further investment will be required at some point but without a greater understanding about why this investment is needed, those residents who are cynical of an investment in culture, and there are many, will be the biggest challenge to convince that there is a purpose and reason to making the investment. I'm confortable where we are right now with respect to the investment we have made. I'm also aware that more needs to be done to educate people and convince them that culture is worth investing in but if we move too quickly, that opportunity will be lost.
Some things to look back on around Ward 7 worth noting in 2009:
I was pleased to work with the owner of the property behind Selkirk and Lougheed to finally have a fence installed that is keeping out the ATV's and Dirtbikes from the property. During the 2006 election, this was an important issue for esidents in that area and since the fence installation, I have not received one complaint so t seems to be working.
The City will now have one additional senior soccer field to access as a result of an agreement with Timothy Christian School. Dating back to 2003, negotiations had been on-going between Timothy and the City for utilization of that field in echange for a development charge rebate and I was pleased to see a resolution that results in a win-win for both sides.
There will be a new TD Data Centre in Ward 7 that will evetually employ upwards of 300 people. This is an important addition to the area and really comes as a result of BMO's success in the City with their Data Centre. We are working to attract other similar employment opportunities.
The opening of Mapleview Community Church and the beautiful new facility will play a big part of the Ward 7 Community as a gathering place for all types of events.
The Master Fire Plan endorsed by Council recognized an immediate need for a Fire Station to be located in Ward 7. I had meetings just before Christmas and we are looking at making that happen as soon as possible. We do not have enough land within our current boundary to accomodate a fire station but are looking at alternatives that would see additional fire services in that area sooner rather than later.
The Transit Master Plan was approved by Council that will see a phase in of more direct routing for south end residents and of note will evetually see the elimination of the Mapleton bus between Essa and Veterans. I requested that after numerous complaints from residents on the street about the width of the roadway and safety issues that this creates. It's not expected to occur until year 3 of the 5 year plan but at least it will be happening.
I thought having the Barrie Police Service at Holly Community Centre for 3 days at Holly was a success. They were visited by many residents who expressed some concerns within Ward 7. The police found it very useful.
The battle to extend library services to the southwest part of the City was something I received Council support on in principle. As part of the strategic planning process, the Library Board will be looking at alternatives to providing library services for Council to consider. A planning session was held at Holly Meadows School and I attended the session. A second library branch is planned for southeast Barrie but Councillor Prowse and I are looking for some level of service in the southwest part of the City.
Holly CC celebrated it's one year anniversary in 2009 and the Community certainly appreciates it's presence. Holly CC is an extremely important connection to City services for residents of the Ward.
I used the summer break at Council to once again go door-to-door with my newsletter. I've been doing that over the last 3 years and I think people appreciate not seeing their Councillor only at election time. I've found doing this valuable in finding out some of the issues that people have whether they are small or large and helping them correct them.
I guess that's it for now as if it isn't enough. I appreciate the support I have received over the past year. Ward 7 is a great area to represent with people who care about their community and I'll continue to be a strong voice at the Council table on your behalf in 2010. Growth and planning will be one of the more significant issues we'll be dealing with in 2010. Undoubtedly, there will be other local and city-wide matters to be dealt with and I'll continue to make decisions that are pragmatic and have a positive impact on our City.
2010 is also an election year and I've already made my intentions known that I will be running to represent Ward 7 as Councillor.
On behalf of my wife Liane, sons Jeff, Matt, Mitchell, and daughter Courtney, I'd like to wish you and your family a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.
John
December 25, 2009
Merry Christmas from the Brassard family. I'll be posting my thoughts on the past year of Barrie City Council before New Years.
All the best and be safe.
John
December 1, 2009
Council has been dealing with a lot of issues lately but none more focused than the transition of for the lands in Innisfil that will be annexed January 1, 2010 if Bill 196 passes third reading in the legislature.
A transition agreement has been approved by our Council that addresess issues like Police and Fire protection, hydro distribution, snow clearing, as well as many more operational aspects of Barrie assuming the lands. There has been a very good spirit of co-operation at the staff level in order to come to a tri-partite agreement between Barrie, Innisfil, and the County with free flowing information that will make this as seamless a transition as possible. The City of Barrie plans to hold a public information session for those residents affected by the annexation as well as other interested residents. That date will be announced shortly combined with an information campaign that will address many questions with respect to the transition that is scheduled to occur January 1, 2010. As the Councillor for Ward 7 that will see the largest area growth with the annexation, I plan to be part of the process and I know my colleagues in Ward 8, 9, and 10 plan to do so as well. It’s important as we move forward that the safety and security of residents in the new area is ensured and I am confident that both our Police and Full-time Fire Service has provided for this.
Last week, Council passed our Economic Development Strategy that will be our template for the next 5 years. It highlights among other things the need for Council and our Economic Development Department to work with and assist much more closely small and medium size enterprises in Barrie. The report spoke in no uncertain terms that there is a perceived lack of leadership from Council when it comes to Economic Development matters. While I’ll make no attempt to make excuses for this perceived lack of leadership, I will say that traditionally in the past, any economic development agenda in this City has been driven from the Mayor’s office and clearly this term Council has been at odds with the Mayor on that priority. Retention and expansion of business has been a key focus for my colleagues on Council and we have for example, eliminated the need for small business licences in many categories. We have provided grants for storefront improvements and I know I have personally been involved in attending many business openings in my Ward as a show of support for those businesses when I am able to. Expansion, Retention, and attraction of business was the first priority in a list of 10 that was created when this new Council took office. The Economic Development Strategy will assist us going forward by establishing goals and action plans and I for one plan to do more than I already have to work with business to help in their success which in turn creates success for our City.
I think this is an appropriate time to declare my intentions heading into the 2010 election. On January 3rd., I plan on filing my nomination papers to run for Councillor of Ward 7 once again. I have really enjoyed representing the Ward, in part because there have been many people who have become engaged in that part of the City and care very much not only for the community in which they live but also for the City. I have built some very good relationships and have been attentive to the needs, I believe, to residents and businesses in the Ward. All elections are important but this one in particular, will be an extremely critical for the City. There will be many financial, growth, and planning matters that Council will have to deal with and those decisions will impact this City for generations to come. I think I’ve proven myself over the last 3 years to be a pragmatic decision maker, I take action rather than sit on the sidelines, and am involved in every aspect of representing the people of Ward 7 and will continue to do the same if I’m elected to represent the Ward once again. In making decisions, I often think of the impact that those decisions will have on my family knowing that they impact the thousands of families that love this community as much as the Brassard family does in the same way.
In saying that however, I can’t emphasize enough how important it will be to not only elect Councillors that have the community’s best interest at heart but it’s critically important that we have a leader at Council who is a consensus builder and has the ability to get everyone working for the same cause and purpose. Whoever that leader is, will need vision to shape the way the City plans and grows. They will need to be principled in the face of what are expected to be very tough financial decisions in the years to come. The next Mayor will need to be a champion and salesperson for the City to see us thru our Economic Development Strategy and work with existing Barrie businesses who are both succeeding and those that need help as well as attracting employment to the area. There will also need to be a need for the next Mayor to ignite a social agenda for the City that is mindful of our aging population and encourages a generation of young people to become engaged in creatively shaping the way our City will evolve. The only way that all of this can happen is to have a Council and a Community who works with and is inspired by it’s leader as much as it’s leader works with and is inspired by Council and the Community that they serve.
Very quickly around the Ward,
City staff have recommended parking restrictions on Silver Maple which were approved by General Committee. The staff report is in the Ward 7 section of this site
I’ve had complaints about speeding on Mapleton and have asked the police to step up enforcement in that area
the recently approved transit study will see the elimination of the bus route on Mapleton within 3 years
City Staff reported back to me about speed concerns on Touchette and found that most cars stay within the speed limit and this past week, I delivered information to residents on Touchette and Lake about it.
I’ve asked City staff to be aware of the snow clearing issues once again this year on Golds Crescent so I’m hopeful that snow clearing will be just as good this year as in last year.
a new townhouse development has been approved for Coughlin and Essa. This land was zoned for townhouses and I’ve worked with the developer who has been very helpful to ensure that setbacks from area houses are within standard or in some cases better than standard.
That's it for now, until next time, take care.
John
October 2, 2009
It's been an interesting time at City Hall and I've seen some of the best debates in our 3 years happen over the last couple of weeks with a potentially explosive debate on Monday over the hiring of a training program for our staff that attempts to find savings, improve on efficiency, and provide better customer service.
Over the past 3 years, Council has been very good at protecting our Industrial employment lands by resisting attempts from developers to do so. I have been consistent over the years in doing so as well but there is a recent exception to this that I support because it is the right thing to do in this circumstance. The developer of a piece of land on Bryne Dr. has asked that 3.3 acres be re-designated from Industrial employment to Commercial in order to accomodate the re-location of Princess Auto from their current location to this new location. Princess Autos plan is to expand in size and in employment by 19 emplyees from it's current complement of 35. It's business model calls for a stand alone structure independent of any other development. When you look at this area of Bryne Dr., it's primarily commercial so to re-designate this small portion of land to accomodate an employer looking to grow their business in Barrie makes perfect sense to me especially during the current economic climate but others don't agree in part because of a employment land study that we are engaging in and the current political climate given the Barrie-Innisfil boundary issue. I was on the negotiating team during the Barrie-Innisfil boundary negotiations so I'm intimately aware of our need for land for employment purposes however in my view, that issue when put in context is completely different than this site specific issue and the rationale for converting this land is completely justified. This application was submitted before a resolution was in sight on the boundary issue and as a Council, we have to support the retention and growth of a business wanting to stay in Barrie because it does after all form one of our strategic priorities. In context, this is a very minor re-designation of land in my view compared to the purpose of the Barrie-Innisfil situation and should be supported on its merit and intent.
On Monday night, Council will be debating an additional investment of $300,000 to once again hire a training firm to train our staff to find cost savings at City Hall by improving efficiency and to provide better customer service. In recent media stories, alot has been made about the cost and the need for this type of program. Truly, I have mixed feelings about whether this is worth the investment. On one hand, what member of Council or taxpayer wouldn't want to ensure that there are opportunities to find cost savings from what we do or place us in a position to provide better customer service thereby improving the manner in which we do things for our residents. On the other hand, do we really need to invest this large amount of money for something that should already be happening on a day in and day out basis at City Hall. Using the training system we are being asked to further support, City Staff have identified potentially 1.7 million dollars in reveneue and cost saving opportunities as well as improved customer service from the Molson Centre and our water meter reading capabilities. While this 1.7 million dollars has yet to be realized, it does represent a significant increase in the way we generate revenue and savings which can ease the burden of taxpayers going forward. I am very pleased that this has been identified but at this point, they are theoretical revenues and savings projections which are subject to some negotiation and implementation. Not to take away from what staff have done, I would like to see results before I committ to another $300,000 at this time. When I first agreed to approving the initial $150,000, it was identified that we could find $700,000 in savings so the fact that we have identified 1.7 million is tremendous but now the work has to go in to making it happen and until I see it happen, I remain skeptical not because I don't have faith that it can be done, but because I need to see it in real terms. My other thought is that once those savings are realized in real terms, we can then do what every other business does and that is re-invest what we've gained and parlay that into even greater cost savings, even greater efficiency, and eeven greater customer service throughout the organization. To quote that famous line from Jerry McGuire, "Show me the money".......and I don't think that is too much to ask for and it's a challenge that should be welcomed by all who are as accountable to our residents as we are as Members of Council.
Around the Ward,
-by all acounts, the ATV and dirtbike situation has been diminished significantly in the Selkirk and Lougheed area and I'm hearing that residents are pleased. Thanks to developer who put up a fence along the property to stop the ATV's and Dirtbikes.
I'm very pleased that Finance Committee has approved a recommendation from the Master Fire Plan location to bump up finding a site for Fire Station 5 in the southwest part of the City which means that we could have a fire station by the end of 2009 or early 2010 servicing Ward 7. This is an agressive timeframe but it is better than what is currently in the Capital Plan which I've been pushing hard for.
City Staff are looking at implementing parking restrictions on the corners of Silver Maple for safety reasons
I have asked that some crosswalks and lines be re-painted before the snow falls in and around schools and other areas that need to be done. There is a long queue for the line paintings but staff are trying to get them done.
I was canvassing with my newsletter last Saturday on Hersey, Golds, Wessenger, and some parts of Girdwood and will do the same on October 3 is the conditions allow for it. I have been doing this every summer since the election in 2006 and find that residents really enjoy the ability to ask questions and speak obout Ward and City issues and not have someone who just comes around at election time.
That's it for now, take care and if you need anything, please do not hesitate to call.
Regards,
John
August 6, 2009
Well, as we head back to Council on Monday I can honestly say that I’ve enjoyed the break very much in spite of the weather. Spending time with my family, enjoying their summer sports activities, golfing with my boys has been fun but now it’s time to get back to work.
I’ve been able to hand out my newsletter on three Saturdays over the summer break while meeting with residents in the Mapleton/Essa area as well as Marsellus/Sundew area and I do plan on going out some more while the weather is good. Residents are very appreciative of the fact that I come around and seem to enjoy talking about the issues as much as I do. It’s also good for me because I’m able to find out things happening around the Ward that I otherwise wouldn’t know about unless I was talking to people who are affected by those issues. As a result, I’m able to deal with them with City Staff or at a minimum, get answers to the questions that do come up.
There’s still plenty that goes on even when we are on a break from the formal Monday night meetings. I’ve been dealing with development issues as well as traffic concerns. There’s also been the on-going ATV and Dirt Bike problems and of course the never-ending problem of vandalism either by graffiti or defacing property. People who I’ve spoken to are fed up with the graffiti and vandalism problem including cars being broken into at night. Several have suggested that the City impose curfews thinking that this would solve the problem. I’m not sure what the answer is to be frank but it seems that a breaking point is being reached by many residents who are fed up with not only the acts themselves but the financial costs that go with the vandalism whether it be to their property or City property. This morning I was looking for information about curfews and found that 2 cities in Northern Ontario have recently imposed curfews to try and curb the increase in vandalism that has occurred. The challenge will always be with enforcement of any potential curfew by-law as it is with any City by-law and to make one without backing it up with proper enforcement is a waste of time and there are several examples in the past where this has occurred so I wouldn’t want to repeat it, but I have to ask, when kids are out at all hours of the night with backpacks or roller blades going up and down the street either defacing property with graffiti or stealing items from unlocked cars or garages, where are their parents to keep track of them and take responsibility for their actions. Why do we as homeowners and the City have to put up with this social menace not to mention having to bear the cost of it? From August 19-21, the Barrie City Police will be at Holly Community Centre for 3 days with their command vehicle to meet with Ward 7 residents about issues. The Police will also have stepped up traffic enforcement in the area for those days and on Friday night (August 21) at 6 p.m. at Holly C.C., M.P. Patrick Brown, Ward 6 Councillor Michael Prowse, and myself will be hosting a Town Hall in the upstairs meeting room. The meeting will last about an hour and it will be an opportunity to engage your Federal and Local representatives on the issues that matter to you.
I want to address one more very important matter before I close. Because of the break at Council, there’s been little in the way of news coming from City Hall so we’ve been hearing a lot about the use of consultants at City Hall lately. For the record, I have only supported the use of consultants when it’s been proven that we can either save taxpayer money in the long run by using a consultant or do not have the staff resources to deal with a specific project that is specialized. I watch for these things very closely when they do come up and have in the past voted against hiring consultants because in some instances, they have been a waste of taxpayer money and I said so at the time.
Around the Ward,
The fence is up around the property south of Lougheed to keep ATV’s and Dirt bikes out from behind the property line of those on Selkirk and Lougheed. So far so good from what I’ve been told although some ATV’ers have been using the Smart Centre property behind the Mason Homes subdivision in the Veterans/Mapleton area and I’m trying to deal with that now.
There’s been some discussion lately about building a satellite library in the Ward to service the southwest part of the City. The Federal Government has announced a stimulus package for non-profits and a library falls into that category so we may be able to do some piggy-backing off the proposed Painswick library. The application deadline is August 18th and City staff are working to put an application in by the deadline. Stay tuned for any developments.
I’m also working with staff on a plan to tap into a $2 Billion dollar federal fund to retrofit City Facilities with Solar Panel power. This plan is in it’s infancy but we have been investigating the possibility of it and how we can make it feasible. While there is an investment required to do this, there is a significant rate of return on that investment in terms of lowering energy costs to the City not to mention reducing of output of greenhouse gases.
I’m expecting lane changes and parking restrictions to be imposed on Mapleton between Essa and Veterans to come to Council shortly, all in an attempt to make that stretch of roadway safer for residents.
City Staff are also looking into speed issues on Touchette now that it has opened right through to O’Shaughnessy as well as parking and crossing issues on Sundew between Ginger and Violet in an effort to improve safety for students at W.C. Little School.
Finally, thank you to the residents who I’ve met with so far this summer for your input on issues and positive feedback as I’ve gone around delivering my newsletter. I’ll continue to come around but clearly won’t make every house in the Ward. The newsletter is available on this site and at the Holly C.C. if you would like to look at it. This has been the third year that I have used the summer break to go door knocking and I’ve enjoyed the feedback from you and I look forward to seeing some of you soon as I continue over the next couple of months.
Thanks again for all the support and enjoy the rest of your summer.
John