Here we go round the mulberry bush
The mulberry bush
The mulberry bush.
Here we go round the mulberry bush
On a cold and frosty morning.
It's a meaningless jingle children sing to accompany a repeat running exercise that amuses them. It stems from an earliest memory.
I still visualize a hedge with gaps just big enough to run in and out and round about and faster and faster until the game stops from complete exhaustion.
Tuesday's Council meeting was a scrum. I missed the committee meeting the previous Tuesday. There were items I particularly needed to discuss.
Decisions are made at Council. A Councillor who doesn't get two cents worth in there, doesn't get it in anywhere.
So, for me, a degree of watchfulness was called for.
But Oh My Lord, the meeting stretched out.. .
Awards were presented.four.
A seemingly endless presentation from an immigration agency. seemed to lull the Mayor into a trance. It certainly went several times beyond the five minute limit. The operation is not within the scope of the municipality.So to this day, mystery remains. .
Councillor Ballard started the run-a-round with a written presentation as to why a notice of motion from Councillor Thompson should not be on the agenda.
The Councillor could not talk about why it should not be on the agenda, without talking about the motion itself.
Even if that was in order, which it wasn't, no motion was on the agenda. Only a Notice of Motion.
In the end ,the motion to delete was defeated but not before a mood for the evening had been established.
A truck load of memorandum from the Mayor were on the agenda. Derived from a flurry of commendation letters from various associations .
I'm not at all sure what that was about but each was a separate item on the agenda. Time will no doubt reveal the strategy if there is one.
From our great breadth of expertise, we discussed how a company like Target should design signs, to accomplish their objective while not causing discomfort to Councillor Gallo's neighbours.
Target is taking over Zellars operation.
They paid a fee and applied for a sign permit. It's big money.
Then they paid a second fee and applied for a variance to the bylaw to allow the addition of a free-standing pole, ten feet high with a lettered light on top.
We invest money on payroll , probably quarter- of- a- million in the annual operating budget, for a department to" retain business" and encourage growth in Aurora.
A Sign Bylaw is on the books. We invest in staff to process applications for signs to promote business within the municipality. Further to that. there is opportunity to apply for variances to the sign bylaw.
Staff receive applications.Make necessary calculations.
Perhaps visit the site and eventually recommend approval or not to Council after all leg work and pencil calculations have been completed. .
In this instance, approval was recommended.
I have seen no documentation but it appears residents living within yards of Bayview Avenue, a major traffic artery and commercial corridor, are concerned about light pollution.and have objected to the additional sign.
Council decided not to accept the recommendation of approval ..
Councillor Ballard recommended a painted sign instead
Target's representatives came to appeal the refusal.
They brought pictures. Many pictures. They provided measurements to show how the light would not be seen from the homes.
But "Ah!" commented one astute Councillor, "even if the light could not be seen, there would be glow"
Finally, after going around and around, the item was referred back to staff and Target to return with a sign design that would take into consideration all points made by Councillors and concerns of the neighbours.
What can Target be thinking about the slogan to promote business in the town.
Aurora.......You're In Good Company
Maybe there's half a million dollars to be removed from the operating budget for the department that works at retaining and expanding local business.
To say nothing of the Customer Service plan recently purchased. .
Seems to me that some councillors are just so daft and without common sense.
ReplyDeleteOf course it's the residents that encourage this sort of thing. How much more light polution will a Target sign generate over and above all of the light coming from the street lights and the retail operations that are already there?
I saw Gallo at the cenotaph on Sunday. Got to love the hair style. He looked like he got lost on his way home to Woodbridge. Made me think of the olive oil brand "Gallo" - I guess you use it on your hair too.
ReplyDeleteCouncillor Ballard came across as something of a legal dilettante when he expressed his concern at Councillor Thompson's Notice of Motion. It's ultimate approval could place the town in jeopardy according to him.
Ballard's in depth study of examination transcripts, affidavits and his physical attendance in court on the last day of the Conflict of Interest hearing appear to serve as the basis for his expertise.
Not sure who is better qualified in the law, Ballard or the former mayor.
I have never heard such a tempest in a teapot as the to do about the Target sign. I live on the east side of Bayview almost opposite the big neon sign on Shoppers Drugmart. At first it was quite noticeable to us but after a year or so we got used to it and don't notice it any longer. We accommodated. Also as trees grew, the sign's effect diminished. That sign is not turned off, it is illuminated 24/7, unlike the proposed Target sign.
ReplyDeleteI suggest that Gallo and his neighbours will have the same experience we have had. They too will accommodate.
The argument about light pollution made me laugh. It is part and parcel of the modern world we live in. We enjoy all the benefits of electricity to provide light and warmth when it suits us and show outrage when it does not. We are such a selfish, selective creature. Our NIMBYism is appalling. Those that have a problem with signs and the like should buy a little parcel of land and live off the grid so that they never have to worry about light pollution again. What whiners!
Retaining business in town does not appear to be working. And I was astonished to learn that there was actually an individual tasked with such an assignment, with business cards no less. The Post Office lost its Service section - moved the staff to Newmarket, the little Quizno's looks dark and idle, and the small hardware store is for sale. Goodness knows what our retention person is getting paid.
ReplyDeleteCouncillor Gallo is still pissed off that Zellers' has gone. All the councillors should understand that signs are to attract business which can contribute to the tax base. Staff have a long list of prior important items -this stuff just slows everything down. The same Councilors will complain when the requirements for using the town park do not appear. Staff now has an excuse -' we were too busy.'
ReplyDeleteCouncillor Ballard was gob-smacked by the Hawkins' ruling that Morris' lawsuit was simply SLAPP. He has adopted the line tried by Mr O'Melia in Newmarket. Because Master Hawkins was hearing arguments about costs, he should not have ruled that the case was SLAPP. That's complete nonsense. The Hawkins ruling is quite specific. He read ALL the court documents from the very beginning in order to reach his decision.
ReplyDeleteBallard appears to have read only the documents presented by one side. The Judge in Newmarket accepted the ruling as belonging in the COI case. We will have to wait and see how much emphasis she places upon it.
We all know who placed Aurora in legal jeopardy. Wasn't the Tooth Fairy either unless they work in groups.
ReplyDeleteThe electorate is unpredictable. If there were not enough lights in that same parking lot to allow people to walk themselves and/or their animals, they would demand that the town install them.
ReplyDelete