Blog Archive


October 15, 2008

Well, it's been awhile and there is certainly alot to catch up on.

Let me begin by saying that I am pleased with the results locally from the Federal election.  As I've got to know Patrick over the years, I'm impressed by his worth ethic and by the fact that he is a strong advocate for Barrie at the Federal level and I'm sure that he will continue to push Barrie's issues on behalf of the City and its residents.  I also want to congratulate the other candidates who put their name forward.  Believe me when I say this that it takes a tremendous amount of strength, effort, and patience to campaign for 35 days knocking on all the doors and answering all of the mostly same questions and for that they are to be commended.

Now on to some business.  Council has been very busy since our return from the Summer break.  The Hydro deal consumed alot of time for about a month and in then end I am very pleased with the results of that decision.  In spite of the fact that I had to declare a conflict of interest (see in the news), I do believe that the time was right for this merger to occur and that as shareholders in Barrie Hydro, the City will benefit from it both financially and operationally.  I also applaud my fellow Councillors who supported the merger and making the decision they did given the vocal opposition and attempts to undermine the merger that was prevelant throughout the process. 

It appears from news reports that Northern Ethanol has decided to not proceed with its plan to build an Ethanol facility at the old Molson Property.  They have not to this point given the City any indication as to what their plans are but if the reports are indeed accurate, I'm certain that this will be met with some relief from those who opposed the plant.  I have always stated publicly that I was concerned about this type of facility being placed in an urban setting like Barrie and was particularly concerned with the impact on our local environment and our Aquifer.  Most Ethanol Plants are situated in rural settings in North America and I truly believe that should be the standard location for these type of facilities.  In fact, shortly after I supported the Interim Control By-Law, I also drafted a resolution that was supported by Council to ask the Provincial Government to issue a policy statement on just where these type of facilities should be standardly located.  While I'm concerned about the impact of not having industry in the City as it relates to jobs and tax revenues which off-set the amount of taxes you pay as homeowners, I'm certain that if Northern Ethanol does decide to move on to Sarnia, that we will as a City do everything we can to attract quality employment and businesses to that property. 

I expect in the coming weeks that the Jackson Wind Turbine proposal will be coming to Council.  Over the last 2 weeks, I have been meeting with business owners on the Mapleview strip who have expressed concerns about the proposal.  I'll await the staff report to see whether any or all of the concerns are addressed in it and as much opposition as there is for the turbine, there is certainly an equal amount of support judging by the on-line petitions.

We'll also be dealing with the Allandale Train Station Expressions of Interest.  There are 2 proposals that will be coming to Council, one that is being proposed by the YMCA and the other proposing a mix of commercial and retail.  Either proposal offers a vision for the use of those lands that incorporates the old train station in the architecture and the development of a second go train station that the City has already allocated funding for a feasibility study for the second go station.  To view the proposals, go to www.ybythebay.com and www.allandalemarketvillage.com.

Council also approved a recommendation from Finance Committee to look at the impact of a 3.5 % tax increase and the resulting impact on service levels in the City if such an increase were to take place.  IT DOES NOT mean that a 3.5% increase will occur but it is a measure to be used by City Staff in the preparation of the 2009 budget and business plan.  Council will ultimately make the decision on what the tax rate will look like in 2009 and as an example, in 2008 we started off at a 10 % increase and ended at 3.07 % so there is always room to move if the will of Council is to do so.  One thing we'll have to keep in mind is the economic slowdown and the impact that it will have on you and your family while trying to balance that with the service levels you expect from the City as a taxpayer and the new budget process should allow Council to look at those service levels and the costs associated with delivering them and make it much easier for us to make the right decisions.

Another thing of note from a tax standpoint is that very shortly, you'll be receiving your latest MPAC assessment on the value of your home.  These assessments have not been done for several years so many of you including myself will find that because the value of your house or property has increased during this time so to will you and I experience an increse in our property taxes.  Property taxes are based on the assessed value of your home so naturally if your house value increases so to does the amount of taxes you pay on it.  This does not represent another City of Barrie tax increase.  Over the past 2 years on Council, we have increased taxes by 2.99 % in 2007 and 3.07 % in 2008.  Compare that to the roughly 18 % increase that you had during the 3 years of the last term of Council, I believe that we have done what you asked us to do and that is to hold tax increases at a reasonable level.  Keeping taxes at a reasonable level has occurred even with a bold and necessary investment that we have made in our Infrastructure needs like road and sewer work in an attempt to catch up on what previous Councils delayed during a prolonged period of 0 % tax increases.  We've done very well in my opinion to find a balance between being responsible with taxes and spending on the important things but the new assessments that you are about to receive and the impact that it will have on your taxes is something that we have no control over and I can't wait to hear my wifes reaction when it finally does arrive in the mail.

Around the Ward,

I am working to ensure that a new Fire Station is identified in the Capital Budget for 2009.  It looks right now that Essa and Mapleview is the optimal location for it.

I have been addressing speeding in residential subdivisions by working with engineering.  An example is moving the portable speed sign temporarily off of Mapleton to O'Shaughnessy as a result of complaints received on that road.  The speed board which has been very effective on Mapleton will be moved back in a couple of weeks.

You'll notice new traffic signals going in on Mapleview between Essa and Veterans.  This is to accomodate the impending Industrial growth in the area to allow safe turning.

The ATV and Dirtbike issue seems to have calmed down abit however I still receive some complaints.  This issue was dealt with recently at the Police Services Board meeting and the police will continue with enforcement on a complaints basis.  There was a request to incorporate ATV Police Patrols but the challenge with that is the possibility of chases occurring if young people were to speed off which might result in injury so there will not be ATV patrols.

Several industrial land sales have occurred in the business park and we're anticipating some announcements soon on an Economic Development front.

Over the past several weeks, I've had a Community Services meeting, Finance Comittee meeting, Master Fire Plan Committee meeting, Board of Health meeting, attended the grand opening of the new Bank of Montreal on Mapleview, represented the City at the CIBC Run for the Cure, attended the opening of a new church in Barrie, been to a 70th anniversary party at Roberta Place, dealt with numerous propoerty standard issues, fielded numerous e-mails and phone calls so I can confirm officially that the summer break of Council is over and it's great to be back and dealing with the issues again.  The Go-Train whistle study staff report will be coming soon to Council and I look forward to that one...especially if I find out its going to cost us alot of money to silence the whistles because of liability issues but alas, I'll deal with that one in my next entry.

That's it for now and as always, thanks for your support and take care,

John

August 27, 2008

Two weeks back and then another two weeks off, compliments of the Association of Municipalties of Ontario Conference in Ottawa and the Labour Day long weekend.

When Council returns on September 8th, it promises to be an interesting session with the public consulatation meeting for the proposed Powerstream and Barrie Hydro merger occurring that night as well as September 4th.

On that issue, Barrie Hydro has proven to be very profitable for the City of Barrie over the years and has established itself as one of the better managed and runned Local Distribution Companies in Ontario providing exceptional value to the City.  When Council was first approached with the possibility of merging with Powerstream, a business case was presented to look at the option of a merger based on several key factors; 1) the potential for increased dividends; 2) the potential for rate reductions to our residential and commercial customers; 3) the potential to decrease both operating and capital cost and improve efficiencies as a result of economies of scales, and; 4) the opportunity to take advantage of the tax transfer holiday which ends October 17th for mergers of local LDC's (Local Distribution Companies) that the Provincial Government has promoted in an attempt to incent consoldation in the LDC market.  As a result of the possibilities, I voted in favour of looking into the potential of a merger thinking that if it was proven that we could achieve any or all of what the original business case stated we could, then it was worth pursuing. 

A backgrounder on how this evolved at Council, why Powerstream was seen as a potential suitor for Barrie Hydro, and what has happened subsequent to the decision by Council to pursue this is available on the City Website at www.barrie.ca and I would encourage you as a way to be informed to click on the backgrounder link that is available.

On August 18th, Council received the report from our joint steering committee on the negotiations with Powerstream and was informed that an agreement had been reached between the parties on just what the merger would look like.  I was very pleased to see that on paper, the original business case proposed to us was in my view much better than what we had been told in April in that the City would receive greater accumulative dividends including a one-time lump sum payment of $16 million dollars, decreased rates to Barrie Hydro's consumers, significant Operating and Capital savings, as well as no employee loss of jobs.  As I mentioned earlier, we have until October 17th to make a decision and although we act on behalf of residents and can make the decision on whether to merge or not, Council has decided that it is in the best interest of the City to listen to what Barrie residents (Barrie Hydro's shareholders) have to say about the prospect of this merger keeping in mind that one of our strategic priorities is to engage citizen involvement.

I can't emphasize enough the importance of finding out the facts about what is being proposed and encourage you to write me an e-mail with your thoughts about this or to find out more information.  I'm almost certain that the public meetings will have some element of emotion to them and because of that emotion, some of the facts may be distorted.  In fact, I am already seeing opinions being expressed in local letters to the editor that appear to be an emotional response to the issue rather than an objective look at the merits or value of the business case presented to Council.

That's it for now, take care.
John

July 13, 2008

Well, it's been two weeks since Council started it's summer break and it's been nice not having to prepare for Monday nights but that's not to say that the work doesn't carry on.

Over the past week, I've started delivering my newsletter and meeting with residents which I planned to do over the break.  I've also had several ward related issues to deal with including developer problems, neighbour issues, parking complaints, property drainage calls, the sign by-law, a pool permit question, a fence resolution, a speed study being completed on O'Shaugnessy,  and finding out when Intersection Pestrian Signas will be installed on Veterans to allow for access to Trillium Woods School (the tender goes out in August and they should be completed by the end of the year in case you're wondering)....

I typically spend about 30-40 hours a week doing Council work on top of my full-time job as a Firefighter although some weeks it seems like more time is spent on Council related business than at my job.  Much of it is time is spent meeting with residents or developers, Committee meetings, attending public events, answering e-mails and phone calls as well as preparing for Council on Monday.   To prepare for Council, each member receives a package on Thursday night and depending on the extent of the business to be conducted on Monday, that could mean having to read information from staff reports as thick as a phone book or as thin as a pizza.  Lately it seems like I've been reading phone books every week but the real challenge is trying to disseminate the information so that you can make informed decisions around the table.  Usually I'll read the package over the weekend before Council and highlight anything that I don't understand or have a question about.  On Mondays, City staff are always available for the purposes of answering questions from Councillors or meeting with us if required.  To prepare for a Monday night Council session just reading the information and following up on any questions I might have will take up 4 to 5 hours on a weekend alone.  So truly it is nice to have a break from that part of being on Council however the work does continue to be attentive to the needs of Ward 7 residents even while Council's Summer "break" is on as evidenced by the issues I've dealt with over the past week.

Around the Ward,

-  my newsletter is coompleted and available on the Home Page of the web-site.  I hope you enjoy reading it.  I'll be around to as many house as I can over the summer to meet and speak to residents personally about the issues affecting them and the City.  Some are available at the Holly Community Centre so you can pick one up if you're there

-  bollards have been installed on the walkways on Girdwood to preven children on bikes from driving directly on the roadway.  This was an issue brought to my attention by a resident on Girdwood and I am pleased to see it resolved.  It was a dangerous situation and is much safer now.

-  I want to bring to your attention something you may not be familiar with and that is that by by-law, a car must maintain a minimum distance between driveways when parking of 1.5 metres on either side.  This is to ensure proper sightlines for exiting and entering a private driveway and is meant to provide safety to both the driver backing out of and the driver approaching a driveway.

That's it for now but I will try to get another one posted before Council resumes.  Have a safe summer and take care.

John



June 10, 2008

What a week to be on Council!  I don't know where to begin but I guess I'll start with Development Charges.

Last night, in a 6-5 vote, Council decided to grant a discount of over $3 to retail developers trimming the rate that was approved last week at general Committee of $18.78 per square foot down to $15.55 a square foot.  In simple terms, what that means is that the $3 discount will cause Council to have to find an additional 1.6 million dollars from the tax rate and user rate in 2009 budget to pay for approved Capital projects.

At General Committee last week, I supported discounting the Industrial Rate to encourage Industrial growth which translates into jobs for Barrie residents but I didn't support an amendment to reduce the retail rate.  The same amendment that was defeated last week was re-introduced this week, this time narrowly passing.  Once again, because of the tax impact on families who own homes and seniors living on a fixed incomes I did not support the amendment.  The problem is that it transfers a significant burden for growth related projects that are otherwise picked up by retail developers who choose to come to Barrie and set up shop to the backs of the average taxpayer who live here already.  It amounts to what my colleague Councillor Prowse refers to "Corporate Welfare" and by transferring the burden from those who can afford it the most (retail developers) onto those who can least afford it (families and seniors on fixed incomes) was not a good move in my opinion.  Retail developers will argue that they will set up shop elsewhere and that the tax assessment is worth the discount but if one truly believes in the principle that growth should pay for growth, which I do, I have a tough time buying into that argument because roads wouldn't have to be built and sewers and watermains wouldn't have to be laid if they weren't building here and the reason they're building here is to capitalize on the explosive growth that is happening in Barrie and this region.  Had the rates remained the same that were approved at General Committee, I would have supported it but I couldn't support it and neither did Councillors Lehman, Jackson, Ward, and Prowse for the same reasons.

The other challenge I have is that because this was done at Council, there is no opportunity for deputations from ratepayers who are opposed and will most certainly be affected by this subsidy to the retail developers.

Councillor Prowse's comments to the media I think say it best:

I fear that Council has in fact reached a tipping point where we are no longer providing a strategic incentive for a specific type or class of development. We are now instead in the business of providing "Corporate Welfare". In my opinion this marks a radical departure from the existing strategy of growth paying for itself. 

That’s it for now so take care,
John


May 21, 2008

I hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend in spite of the inclement weather.  I have received some assurance that summer will in fact start soon so there is hope.

With Council taking a break on the Victoria Day Long Weekend, we're expecting a very busy agenda for May 26th and in fact I expect a busy month of June as we head in to the July break.  We'll be dealing with the Development Charge by-law on June 2nd which has already created alot of concern from the development community because of the extent of the proposed increases.

Development charges are used by municipalities to fund the Capital cost of major works related to new growth, based on legislative requirement.  DC's are levied on residential, industrial, commercial, and institutional development and are meant to pay for things like roadworks, fire services, and policing for example.  The DC's are proposed to increase anywhere between 74% and 131% so you can understand why there is so much concern amongs developers in the City.  Their argument is that it will be more and more difficult to find businesses who want to move to Barrie because it will be both unaffordable to develop and unaffordable to rent once these increases are passed on to tenants of the already developed properties.  The report comes to General Committee on June 2nd where the debate will be interesting I'm sure with final approval expected by Council on June 9th.

The City, through its ad-hoc growth management committee, has come out in fairly strong terms outlining the shortfall of the County of Simcoe's growth plan as it relates to Places to Grow.  Without rehashing what I have previously posted, the issue of the Boundary expansion for servicing matter between Barrie and innisfil should at a minimum be resolved before a County Growth Plan can be established in the context of Places to Grow.  I remain hopeful as part of our Citys negotiating team that we can find a resolution to this inspite of the fact that the talks have broken down because it's too important of an issue for the overall well being of this region.

There's been alot of talk recently about a performing arts centre, in particular the development of an 1800 seat theatre as opposed to a smaller venue.  I'll start by saying that this Council, in developing our strategic priorities recognized in a very progressive manner that Culture can be used as an Economic driver.  To that end, the City invested a significant amount of money in the establishment of our Cultural Development Office and with that came the hiring of Rudi Quammie Williams as our Cultural Director.  Rudi is assisted by a staff of 3 people whose mandate it is to drive Council's priority.  Council continues to fund Cultural Grants as well as the MacLaren Art Centre, both of which are paying large dividends to the City in encouraging culture as an economic driver.  The City invested 1.1 million dollars purchasing the Scotiabank building with the intent of turning it into a playhouse for local performing groups including Talk is Free Theatre and others as well as providing City residents with an opportunity to catch a dinner and a play downtown all in the context of not one but several of our strategic priorities.  As a Council, we have more than shown that we are serious about the implementation of our Cultural Plan that was developed in 2006 and under the direction of Rudi Williams, I am confident that we will continue to be guided in a prudent manner on how best to implement the plan.  I, as one member of Council, believe in taking small steps.  The adage of being able to crawl before you walk, and walking before you run is prevelant throughtout the Cultural Plan.  It does not suggest that we "swing for the fences" or "hit a grand slam" but rather it speaks very clearly to building a base of support that will be able to sustain a larger venue for many years to come and I am not convinced that now is that time to be swinging for the fences.

A multi-million dollar 1800 seat facility would most certainly require subsidies from the City not just from a Capital standpoint but from an operation standpoint as well.  To put that in perspective, an 1800 seat theatre will cost around $70 million (at todays) dollars based on what other municipalities including Sudbury and London have been looking at.  Assuming that there is some contribution from the Federal and Provincial Governments as well as Private sector funds that are raised and these amounts add up to 50% of the total price, that would leave a $ 35 million dollar shortfall that would surely requested to be picked up by the City.  The question then is can we afford that amount of contribution at this time and the simple answer is no, not without incurring more debt on top of what we have already incurred for projects like the Water Treatment Surface Plant, the Pollution Control Plant, bringing back the GO train and other funding not the least of which includes our 52.5 million dollar committment to the RVH Cancer Centre.

While I agree that an 1800 seat theatre would be nice to have, unless a large, and I mean large component of it is funded by the private sector and operationally it is able to sustain itself without the need for large operational subsidies from the City and it's taxpayers, I will find it very difficult to support this over and above what I have already supported as part of our strategic priority to use culture as an economic driver because combined with that priority and within the other nine that we have is ensuring best value for tax dollars and I'm not certain that this fits as part of that priority.  There is alot of pressure to make a committment on this issue so it will be interesting to listen to and take part in the debate.

Lately, I've been noticing a disturbing trend of letters to the editor within our local papers criticizing Council for some decisions that we have made specifically in regards to the Hydro Merger talks and some staff changes at City Hall.  While everyone has the right to be critical, it sure would be nice to see that criticism being based on some facts that clearly the authors of the letters do not have.  It's very easy for those who think they know about what's going on to sit on the sidelines and launch grenades into a crowd and I can tell you that I  and others on Council are often tempted to respond to the letters to set the facts straight because in most of the letters I read, the facts are anything but straight. 

Around the Ward,

I met with Bob Jackson recently to discuss the wind turbine proposal.  There does seem to be mounting support for it and the staff report will be coming forward soon.

I also met with residents of Emms Dr. last Thursday night about problems with a group home on their street and have contacted the Ministry of Social Services to assist us.  One of the problems identified is a dangerous parking situation so I have a motion coming to Council monday that will hopefully address that situation.

I lectured the Politics and Civics class recently at Bear Creek Secondary School and spoke about the role that the Municipal Government plays.  I also will be sponsoring their grade 12 University Politics Awards that will be given out at their commencement ceremony on June 26 and will be on hand to do that.

Developers in Ward 7 have been calling to meet with me about the proposed Development Charge increases coming before Council on May June 2nd.  The proposed increases are causing concern to the development community and they're expressing their opinions to all members of Council.  DC's are charged to developments to pay for Growth related items like Police and Fire as well as roads as I mentioned above.

General Committee approved a motion that I put forward last week to work with Mapleview Community Church to off-set some of the Parkland Levy that they are required to pay for their new location on Mapleview Drive by utilizing part of their facilitiy for City purposes including the potential for an emergency evacuatiion center in the south end.

Street sweeping has been extended another week to ensure that all the salt and salt is cleared from the sides of the road.  The late spring has necessitated the extension by our contractor at no cost to the City.  It should be completed by this week.

The end of Caribou Crt was being used as a dumping ground for garbage so I asked City staff to clean it up after it was brought to my attention by residents and they will monitor this area to see if it continues.

Finally, my spring newsletter will be coming shortly and with that, I will use the summer break in July to once again go door-to-door to meet with as many residents as I can to speak directly to you about your issues.  I look forward to visiting as many homes as I can.

That's it for now, take care.

John 

April 23, 2008

It's been a busy month with the budget and lots of City and Ward issues to deal with.

To begin, I'll comment on the budget.  Having a new process created and the fact that Council this time dealt with both Operating and Capital Budgets at the same time really helped us better understand the plan for the coming year and the Capital Plan for the next 10 years.  A budget is after all a plan and the execution of the plan was unanimously supported by Council.  I won't bore you with the details of the plan because most of them have been published in the paper already but I will say that I was very pleased with the documents that were presented to Council and the results of the year long effort by City staff to develop this new process.  After the last budget, Councillor Lehman and I presented a motion that was approved by Council that in part established a Finance Committee of Council whose mandate it is to provide guidance to staff on finance related matters.  The Committee consists of Councillor Lehman, an Economist as Chair, myself, Councillor Jerry Moore, an Accountant, and Councillor Andrew Prince, a financial planner.  Although I sometimes think of myself as a square peg in a round whole with these guys, the Committee has functioned very well in the first year of being formed and I think has played a key role in working with City Staff to provide the guidance that saw this budget process come to life.  More work is expected over the next year that will no doubt improve on the process.

The GO Train is making noise, literally, and it's causing headaches for some residents in Ward 10.  The City will be spending $10,000 on a study on what can be done to stop the whistles however with that comes some obvious questions.  At Council, I questioned whether we needed to spend the money and precisely what are we hoping to accomplish as a result of this study.  If we are trying to stop the whistle...what then?  What will happen to our liability insurance because the City would be assuming all liability for the crossing once if and when we decide to stop the whistles.  You can bet that it will increase and I will not support any expediture that increases our premiums when it's not warranted.
 
The County of Simcoe has concluded it's growth planning process and will soon be presenting the draft document to the public.  Barrie City Council has approved a Committee of Council to respond to the County's draft plan.  I'm not sure that our Committee will respond any different than what we have been saying since the County's process started and that is any plan they come up with has to be consistent with the Provinces award winning Places to Grow Legislation.  In it, Barrie is identified as an Urban Growth Centre and will be a key role in the area of growth from a population and employment standpoint.  Barrie also is a poster child for the Provinces vision for our region because of our intention to built a complete community where people can live here, work here, and play here.  Barrie is making a significant investment in infrastructure that demonstrates that we take the protection and preservation of Lake Simcoe very seriously and that we are in fact the stewards of the the Lake and the Bay.  Our transit system and investment in transit like bringing back  the Go Train, the revitilization of the City Centre, our intensification strategy, and the Investment in Culture that we have made and continue to make are exactly what Places to Grow is all about.  The only element that's missing is for us to increase our potential to bring employment to our area and that's precisely why the negotiations with the Town of Innisfil for an exchange of land for servicing was so important.  In order for Barrie to be that complete community and fulfil the vision of the Provincial Government of a Community where people can live, work, and play, we need those employment lands to attract employers to the designated Urban Growth Centre.........which is Barrie!  In spite of the breakdown in talks, the City and this Council will continue to make sound decisions within the framework of Places to Grow even though we may have to do it within our own existing boundaries for now because we have bought into the Provinces vision of what a Community should look like and we have certainly made decisions that support that vision.

Around the Ward,

- there was a public meeting on Monday regarding the wind tower proposal at Jackson's Toyota.  The tower is proposed to be 123.5 metres high.  So far, I am receiving a 50/50 split of those who are opposed and those who are in favour of what is being proposed.  City Staff will now present a report to General Committee that will be debated and ultimately decided on.  I am very interested in hearing what you think of the proposal and you can e-mail me at jbrassard@barrie.ca

- the pool slide at Holly is now open after a 4 month delay getting approvals.

- I met with the Principal at St. Bernadettes school yesterday to try and come up with a solution to the parking issue at the school.  The challenge with scholls is that they only have a certain footprint to build on so parking is not given a priority.  That, coupled with the fact that there is no parking on streets immediately adjacent to schools in most cases for safety reasons really present a chanllenge when it comes to dropping kids off or picking them up.  Councillor Strachan and I attended an active transportation workshop last week at Holly and the premis behind that is to encourage modes of transportation other than driving a vehicle including........WALKING!

-The Community Spring Cleaning is scheduled soon and I would encourage you to participate in making things cleaner.  The City web-site has more information on how you can participate.

- I attended 2 new business openings in the past week, one was Euphoria Smoothies on Bryne Dr. and the other was Living Edge photography.  The website is www.livingedge.ca and it's always nice when you can support a business in Ward 7.

- I've asked City staff that more bus shelters be placed in the Ward.  They are looking into it now that it's spring.  It's not as simple as just placing one at a bus stop because there has to be enough room for a concrete pad and the shelter on the boulevard.

- I'm not hearing as many complaints from ATV and Snowmobile traffic in the bluffs area and near Lougheed since the City installed bollards to keep the motorized vehicles out of these areas so they seem to be working.  I wish there was more we could do about the dirtbikes however they do slip by the bollards because of their size.

Finally, I'll touch briefly on the OPP investigation of the Mayors trip to China last year.  The unanimous decision that Council made last year was the right decision and I stand by my decision.  There were just too many questions that needed to be answered and without Council having any investigative authority, calling in the OPP was the right thing to do.  Now that the Mayors actions were more a matter of poor judgement than that of criminal intent, I for one am glad that it is over and look forward to continue driving the agenda of this Council and the City. 

One of the observations that I've made over the last year and a half on Council is that in order to be an effective Mayor or leader for that matter, a person must have an ability to be inclusive and a consensus builder with both staff and the members of Council.   This City is much bigger than any one person and having the ability to involve, engage and lead the people who surround you, especially those who truly want to make a difference in developing good public policy is the key to leading our City.  Sadly, over the past year and a half, I just haven't seen that from the Mayor however I truly hope it changes now that this is behind us because there are too many important issues facing the City to have its leader perpetually sitting on the sidelines or sidetracked by an agenda or priority that is contrary to that of Council.

That's it for now, talk to you soon.

Take Care
John


April 6, 2008

Let me begin by saying that I apologize again for the delay in writing however between the 10 days I spent in Florida and having to play catch up on a variety of issues, not the least of which is the City's 2008 Budget,  I have found it a challenge to put time in to do this. 

For the past two weeks, Councillors have been going over the budget and business plan
for 2008 and I'm glad that it will finally be debated at General Committee on April 7, 2008.  The format of the budget has changed dramatically this year and really allows Council and those who view it a good perspective on what is needed to run the City.  It's the most transparent document in the City's history and provides a good basis for planning.  Whether Council agrees with the plan remains to be seen but at least a plan is in place unlike the budget process that I witnessed last year for the first time as a new member of Council.

This year, staff are proposing a 5.57% increase over last year.  I am almost certain that Council will shave that to a more reasonable level and that we will continue to provide the service that residents expect combined with the need to ensure that we are on good financial footings going forward.  In conjunction with the operating budget, Council will also be considering the Capital Budget and Business plan.  In it, over over 1 billion in Capital Projects is being requested for the next 10 years with the most high profile of projects being the Water Surface Treatment Plant and the expansion of the Pollution Control Plant.  A concern that I have is our ability to manage those projects and the reliance on debt to finance them which I have expressed to senior staff over the past 2 weeks.  The challenge going forward is the requirement to pay for these things from the Operating Budget in future years and the amount of money that will be required to service this debt.  I'm really not comfortable in allowing so many projects to occur without a plan in place to fund them or by not exploring additonal funding opportunities like for example private-public partnerships.  There will very likely be quite abit of debate about the Capital Budget as well tomorrow night.  The fun starts at 5 p.m. with the County and the Police coming in to speak to their budget requests, then Council at 7 and then the debate at 8 over the budget.

The other thing that I should mention is that Councillors are fully aware of how tax increases affect people negatively, particularly those people like seniors who are on fixed incomes and others who struggle financially for whatever circumstance.  It is with this understanding that I am sure this Council will try to act as a responsibly as it can to find a balance between responsible government who's role it is to provide the services expected by it's residents and the ability of it's residents to pay for those services.  After all, we (Councillors) are taxpayers to.

That's it for now because I have to get back to the budget documents.  Talk to you soon.

Take Care,
John  

March 2, 2008

Monday night is the last Council meeting before the March break and it'll be busy.

A public meeting is scheduled for the proposed Hotel and Convention Center for the downtown core.  The proposal calls for a 144 room hotel, Meeting and Convention facility to accomodate 600 guests, a 150 unit condominium and underground parking for about 400 cars, and a combination of restaurant and retail surround the entire property.  The purpose of the special meeting is to consider establishing specific provisions for the above on that site.  This proposal has the potential to really enhance our goal of being a destination point that will bring in spending dollars and boost our City's economy but also be a fantastic addition to our waterfront and be a key to our desire to be Central Ontario's Premiere Waterfront Community.

If you followed Council last week, we dealt with two big issues.  One being the Mayor's legal fees and the other being the fate of the Barrie Arena.  First on the issue of the Mayor.  I've said all I'm going to say about it at Council, in the media, and in this blog over the last year so in the words and wisdom of Forrest Gump I'll say, "and that's all I have to say about that", however I will say that I am very proud of the way Council has dealt with the issues involving the Mayor given the difficulty and complex nature of the Mayor's actions since the election.

Barrie Arena is not so complex an issue.  It's old, it requires upwards of 3 million dollars of taxpayers (your) money to upgrade and retrofit it while we have a Fire Station that has already been approved by Council, ready to be built on the Barrie Arena site saving taxpayers (you) roughly the million dollars that it would cost to temporarily re-locate Fire Department staff while we wait for the a new station to be built on the current Vespra site.  I happen to be of the opinion that taxpayers would be better served by building and moving rather than moving, building, and then moving again especially when a requirement to relocate within this area is to ensure that our response times are kept within the acceptable standards set out by City Council.  When the issue was raised last week, concerns about safety were brought up by Central Collegiate about having a Fire Station so close to the high school.  It was pointed out at the time that the Fire Station on Big Bay Point is directly across the street and right beside 2 elementary schools and in 12 years, there has never been an incident with respect to safety.  In fact, I'll go one step further to suggest that in my 22 years of Firefighting, I have never heard of a Fire Engine anywhere running into anyone when they are in close proximity to a school while responding to a call.  I supported this going back to staff on the issue of addressing the safety concerns of Central however we really do need to get on with this and my hope is that this is not a stall tactic for something that is an inevitability.  Any further delays could cost money and would be a waste of taxpayer (your) dollars in my view.  Part of Councils Strategic Priority is to ensure best value for tax dollars and building a Fire Station on this site and de-commissing the Arena falls squarely into that category.  I also happen to believe that the Fire Station will be an architecturally stunning building that will enhance our gateway to the City's Core and will send a message to residents and visitors alike that our City places a high priority on the safety and security of it's citizens.  That same message could not be sent if this property was to be sold off and developed for private development purposes.

Around the Ward;

l was very pleased to receive a cheque last week from the Barrie Royals Basketball Organization for $7000.00.  The money was used to pay for the bleachers in the gym at the new Holly Rec Centre and is a perfect example of the type of private public partnership that can work to help municipalities gets things done.  Other Cities have embraced the idea of these type of partnerships and it's time that we do as well.

I am expecting a staff report on the 40 km/h zone on Essa Rd south of Mapleview next month.  I have been working on getting flashing 40's in that area as a minimum to try and resolve the 40 km/h speed limit issue that has affected so many people.

The portable radar device has been installed on Mapleton Ave between essa and Veterans to help remind drivers of how fast they are going and to slow down.  Mapleton will be dealt with further in the spring.

Did you know that City buses leave from the Holly Rec Centre early every morning to take GO riders to the GO Station

That's it for now, I'll have more to say after the March break.  Enjoy the time you spend with your family if you do have plans and as always,

Take Care.

John

February 15, 2008

Sorry for the delay for this blog but it’s been a very busy month and only today have I had the time to put keystroke to computer.

Council’s agenda is being driven as one would expect during the second year of the four year term.  Year one was a planning year and now that we are over that, the City is beginning to see the results of those plans.

The City Centre plans are moving forward with the announcement of the Hotel and Convention Centre on the waterfront.  This will be a project that really defines our waterfront and will attract not only tourists but also conventions to the City.  The plan is for a 144 room hotel with Convention space for 650 as well as a Condo complex that will rise 12 storeys.  The total project cost will be around 75 million dollars and a public meeting is being held on March 3. 

The second project that Council has asked for is the second GO Station site near the old train station.   With the success that we’ve seen with GO ridership, a second site is a natural fit to expanding the service and will also prompt other investment in the Allendale area.

Even though all of this is going on, I and other members of Council are always mindful of the fact that all areas of the City that require attention which for Ward 7 means road improvements like the widening of Essa between the City limits and Veterans as well as the Bryne Drive extension.  Essa will be widened in phases starting in 2009 while Bryne is planned for extension starting near the end of 2008.  Both projects should ease traffic congestion and solve some concerns about traffic specifically on Mapleton between Essa and Veterans.  There is on-going development planned for the Industrial area in and around Mapleview and Veterans with one project in particular starting to gain momentum that will provide jobs and has caught the eye of a major GTA developer who is looking to Barrie with great potential.

Late February and March sees the start of the budget process.  This year we are doing both the Capital and Operating Budgets around the same time in an attempt to co-ordinate new processes in the budget procedure.  City Staff led by our CAO Jon Babulic have re-done the entire budget process that's been endorsed by our Finance Committee of Council.  What you and Members of Council will see this time around is a far more transparent process and what a budget should be about and that is a plan.  On the Operating side, it will incorporate baseline budgeting with any variances of 3% (+/-) requiring a full explanation of the impact on the services that we provide.  Any proposed enhancements to service and staff levels will be shown clearly within the budget document with reasons why they are being requested.  As a member of the Finance Committee and one of the movers along with Councillor Jeff Lehman who pushed for these changes, I am very pleased with what I see.  I also am aware of the fact that Councillor Jerry Moore, an Accountant, has been pushing during his term on Council for a better budget process and by virtue of the fact that he has endorsed what is being proposed tells me that we are on the right track.  There is still more work to be done in terms of creating an asset management program for all City assets that will help Councillors now and in the future to better define infrastructure priorities and allocate funds to those priorities but it is being worked on and we should see the results of this by the next budget process.

As you've heard by now, talks between Barrie and Innisfil have broken down with Innisfil not accepting a proposal to exchange some land for servicing from Barrie as proposed by the Provincial Development Facilitator Alan Wells.  As a member of the City's Negotiating Committee, all I will say is that a year and a half of work went into this with countless meetings, an incredible amount of staff time being spent on technical issues, and in the end what I believe was a fair deal turned out not to be for one side in their view.  When this started, it was clear what this was about and that was a land exchange for servicing issue.  Simply put, Barrie needed land for employment purposes which Innisfil has and Innisfil wanted servicing for it's Innisfil Heights area which Barrie is able to supply.  It wasn't a planning excercise to determine settlement areas or zoning issues.  All of that could be done later after an agreement in principle to exchange land for servicing was completed.  Where we go now is anyone's guess but in my view, the Province has to step up and resolve this before the City of Barrie runs out of land for development because the demand will not subside.  The Province has designated Barrie as an Urban Growth Centre and has through it's Places to Grow Act, discouraged urban sprawl with a focus for growth being located in Urban Centres to build a complete communities where people can live, work, and play.  The Province must support and provide leadership for their growth plan and their Provincial Development Facilitator who put the proposal forward that Barrie accepted and Innisfil rejected.  Our City will now focus on providing solutions to this challenge.
 

Around the Ward, here are some of the things worth noting:

The 4 way stop sign at Brucker and Emms has been re-installed and will remain that way permanently.

Council received a preliminary report from the Fire Chief on behalf of the Master Fire Plan Committee, which I am the Chair of, outlining the need for a Fire Station in the Mapleview and Essa area.  This is something that I have been pushing for and I’m confident that it will form part of the Capital Budget which means we could see one built by 2010.       

Holly Community Centre will be open this Monday (family day) and will feature free public skates sponsored by RBC.  Members of the Barrie Colts will also be there and more information is available in the Ward 7 issues part of the site.
 
A traffic count is being conducted at Twiss and Mapleview with the purpose of possibly placing lights at that intersection.  In my view a