I drove down Leslie to Wellington Street yesterday. I looked for a particular house. Didn't see it. I will return. I did see one in ruins.
It was the home of a couple who, on an occasion during the last Council term, spent several months in California with a family member . On return, they discovered to their horror, part of a metal pole could be viewed framed in their dining room window. It wasn't there when they left .
New light poles had just been installed for the new Stewart Burnett Baseball Diamond on Wellington Street abutting the Sronach Recreation Centre.
The couple were aware of construction of the diamond. They could hear the earth movers. They couldn't see anything because of the natural woodland screen.
The season had changed, Foliage was off the trees and they could see a portion of a
metal pole.
They were not concerned about the lights. Just that section of the pole framed in the dining room window.
They came to Council in high dudgeon. The wife had been in contact with Councillor MacEachern who was a source of solace. Now the only question was what would be done to resolve the perceived problem.
The first solution was to move the newly installed pole to another location.
Sports field lights are installed according to a plan. They cost hundreds of thusands of dollars.
It was hard for me to see how one pole could be easily re-located.
The second solution was to plant evergreen trees high enough to obscure the offending section of pole. The top part didn't matter. It was not seen from the dining room.The bottom part was obscured by scrub bush. It was just that itty-bitty part in the middle.
Estimated cost was $8,000 of trees of the right height.
The owners had no intention of staying in the home.
Property use had changed from rural residential to urban commercial. It was opposite the
Walmart shopping centre . It was the property-owners intention to realize vastly improved asset.
One real estate listing has already expired. A new listing was intended.
Except for a tripod rather than a section of a pole and $8,000. versus $150,000 , the situation was peculiarly similar to the current foo-fer-a on Bathurst Street.
And Oh yes.... a different Mayor and Council but pretty much the identical knee jerk hysterical reaction.
Tuesday, 30 April 2013
Monday, 29 April 2013
Just give us the facts
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "A conundrum":
It’s not the SAC can’t pay the Town of Aurora for the development charges, it’s that if they can continue to defer it then it doesn’t come out of their bank accounts. In essence, they don’t have to pay at least for now and their money stays in the bank or gets put into other projects around their campus.
They may be deemed non-profit and a charitable organization but these are just classifications to the government and how they run the school. In the end a private school, any private school is still a business. They have to collect revenue (tuition and gifts) and pay expenses (teachers’ salaries, administration and operational costs, marketing for new students, capital costs for buildings, etc).
Being deemed non-profit by its very definition just means that any surplus revenue (after expenses) goes back into developing the school as opposed to going into some shareholders pockets. Being a charitable organization as defined by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) means that they can issue official donation receipts for gifts to the school. So they can campaign their alumni for funds and give them tax receipts. You can look at CRA website and find that lots of private schools have charitable status including for example local to Aurora, Pickering College in Newmarket and Country Day School in King. They are set up to educate the students whose parents can afford to send them and want them in that school. Like any organization they will use the rules to their advantage.
I am neutral to SAC, its students, their parents and alumni. Yes, it is good that they do work in the community. But if their argument is that they do so much good for the community and then ask for the tax break then essentially Aurora is paying (because it’s money out of the Town’s pocket, read as taxpayers) for the work that they do. The community work that they do would be deemed as part of the educational experience and the opportunity that they provide their students. Thus Aurora is subsidizing the students’ experience and essentially their tuition.
If the tuition has to go up, so be it. Or find a way to reduce your costs. Don’t build such elaborate buildings, cut back on your programs. They are a business, be it a business of educating students for a fee. It is not as if their students don’t have other options – there are other private schools (also competing for students and their fees) and there is the public system. The school needs to pay their own way and this applies to any other school or organization in Aurora trying to do the same thing. What’s fair for one has to be fair for all.
For everything that they do – they do it for their reasons not the Town’s. If they didn’t want to rent the soccer fields they wouldn’t or they would put the cost up so high the Town would say no. And if they did the Town would have to find another solution. Yes, hosting the Special Olympics is a good thing, but they still get something out of it even if they are doing it for free. It’s an opportunity for their students to perhaps volunteer, for their school to be associated with the Special Olympics - certainly that’s good public relations. In the end everything they do is towards getting and retaining their paying students. That is their purpose. Nobody (at least almost nobody) does anything for free, there is always some return for them be it experiential, emotional,
Council take note. The tower will stay
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Spending like Mc Guinty":
The Tower is in up and is either now or soon to be working.
I have to assume that Bell would have followed all of the procedures required by Industry Canada.
It wouldn’t be there first tower.
So you want to shut it down or have it moved.
What would you have to do to accomplish this.
Show that they did not follow procedure and/or specifications and illegally erected the tower or that the health concerns are so real and blatant that the government forces them to shut it down.
What is Aurora putting forth for this argument?
Approval process – No, Bell followed it. King and Aurora can throw mud at each other, but King also followed the process. Aurora for that sake did the same. You may not like the way Aurora handled it but they were informed as per the process.
Health – Not enough evidence.
Esthetics – Not a real argument.
So Bell did everything to spec. but you are unhappy about the approval process.
Fine, you fight to get the process changed for the next one, but the Tower will stand – you are not going to move it. Change the process how municipalities communicate to each other over such projects on their borders – but this tower will stand.
Plan B – You try to pay Bell to move it. (First why would they?)
You are asking them to go through the whole process again- finding another site, applications, approvals, meetings, letters, new residents to deal with. They have to re-do all their engineering, site preparations, civil engineering design for a new concrete pad, electrical hook-up at new site, crane rentals for disassembly of the existing tower, trucks to move the tower in sections to new site, re-erect the tower, hook-up, testing, etc, etc. Plus they have to compensate the Bathurst St. landowner at the present site for breach of contract (they have to pay this property owner on the deal they struck with them for putting the Tower on their land in the first place) and they would have to restore his land to the original condition. Meaning removal of all Bell equipment, concrete pad, restoration of vegetation, etc.
How much do you think all of that is really going to cost? Certainly not $100,000 from the Town of Aurora. And why would Bell do it? Pay them enough and make it lucrative and they will move it. But at a tidy profit. $100K is peanuts. They have other business to attend to and new towers to keep on schedule. And why as some suggest would they drop a tower to cover an area where no one lives? It’s like putting a gas station at the end of dead end road. (What is this, the “Field of Dreams” movie – “if you build it, they will come”). No, Bell’s return on investment is to provide service where the most users are located.
Fight the process for the next set of towers, but this one is staying put. Anyone saying otherwise is leading you astray, be it most of council.
There is no battle here, none to be created. It was over before it started.
Sunday, 28 April 2013
A conundrum
"Let's leave the Siftons out of this" somebody has said.
It sounds like a bit of a scold.
I'd like to point out , we didn't bring the Siftons into this. Mr. Sifton was part of the delegation representing St. Andrew's College on Tuesday night. He was introduced to Council.. I don't think he was on a social visit.
I doubt the Sifton family wealth and influence would come as much of a surprise .
I think the fact St.Andrew's is classified as a non-profit charitable foundation is the contrast that made people sit up and take notice.
But now the fact of wealth has been raised , the details contribute little to the discussion.
What surprises me is that no-one is shocked by the amount of Development Charges not been collected from St.Andrew's
With added fees for this and that, it's two and a half million dollars over and above what it costs to build the facilities.
I still pause when figures run into double digits , let alone seven. Not my colleagues though.
It;s proposed to scatter a hundred thousand dollars at the feet of Bell telephone. They will be pleased to move the tower. We will keep the threat of an injunction at $150,000. in our back pocket to scare them into submission,
Well.it's only money. We've got plenty where that comes from. We will increase the charges on new home buyers of town houses with barely a footprint on the ground to make up.
We'll make the ticky-tacky box home owners pay up for the million dollar mansion dwellers.
But I digress.
The assessed value of the school buildings is not relevant. The non-profit .charitable foundation classification means no property taxes are paid.
Staff residences are assessed and taxable.
Another question just popped into my head.
The agreement with the town allows deferral of development charges until such time as the use of the property changes or the property is sold.
In the event of the latter , the new owner would then be liable for development charges on whatever new use may be made of the property,
The municipality, the Region and the Board of Education would be in the position of collecting development charges from St Andrew's when the sale is made and again on the developer who purchased the property for development.
I'm not sure how the municipality would collect DCS owing if the property were to be sold. Is the agreement registerd against the land title. Nobody said so.
Council was not given a copy of the ten page agreement. We have no idea how that's supposed to work.
I doubt very much thought was given to that aspect of the deal. Not for a minute do I imagine there is any intention of the use or land changing hands.
I am convinced the agreement is nothing more than a dodge to escape paying development charges.
And the preferential treatment for St Andrew's is quite acceptable with the Mayor and Councillors.
By the way, Councillor Ballard joined me in not voting to extend the agreement.
It sounds like a bit of a scold.
I'd like to point out , we didn't bring the Siftons into this. Mr. Sifton was part of the delegation representing St. Andrew's College on Tuesday night. He was introduced to Council.. I don't think he was on a social visit.
I doubt the Sifton family wealth and influence would come as much of a surprise .
I think the fact St.Andrew's is classified as a non-profit charitable foundation is the contrast that made people sit up and take notice.
But now the fact of wealth has been raised , the details contribute little to the discussion.
What surprises me is that no-one is shocked by the amount of Development Charges not been collected from St.Andrew's
With added fees for this and that, it's two and a half million dollars over and above what it costs to build the facilities.
I still pause when figures run into double digits , let alone seven. Not my colleagues though.
It;s proposed to scatter a hundred thousand dollars at the feet of Bell telephone. They will be pleased to move the tower. We will keep the threat of an injunction at $150,000. in our back pocket to scare them into submission,
Well.it's only money. We've got plenty where that comes from. We will increase the charges on new home buyers of town houses with barely a footprint on the ground to make up.
We'll make the ticky-tacky box home owners pay up for the million dollar mansion dwellers.
But I digress.
The assessed value of the school buildings is not relevant. The non-profit .charitable foundation classification means no property taxes are paid.
Staff residences are assessed and taxable.
Another question just popped into my head.
The agreement with the town allows deferral of development charges until such time as the use of the property changes or the property is sold.
In the event of the latter , the new owner would then be liable for development charges on whatever new use may be made of the property,
The municipality, the Region and the Board of Education would be in the position of collecting development charges from St Andrew's when the sale is made and again on the developer who purchased the property for development.
I'm not sure how the municipality would collect DCS owing if the property were to be sold. Is the agreement registerd against the land title. Nobody said so.
Council was not given a copy of the ten page agreement. We have no idea how that's supposed to work.
I doubt very much thought was given to that aspect of the deal. Not for a minute do I imagine there is any intention of the use or land changing hands.
I am convinced the agreement is nothing more than a dodge to escape paying development charges.
And the preferential treatment for St Andrew's is quite acceptable with the Mayor and Councillors.
By the way, Councillor Ballard joined me in not voting to extend the agreement.
Saturday, 27 April 2013
Spending like Mc Guinty
Mike Sifton is a member of the Board of St. Andrew's College. Might even be the Chairman. He is not the Headmaster but something tells me his family have been involved in subdivision development. In the Brampton area. Applewood strikes a chord.
Councillor Gallo is chair of the General Committee meeting on Tuesday.
We had a special meeting scheduled for Monday ,to deal with a Procurement Bylaw. That's been shifted to half an hour before the GC meeting. The special meeting will be spent developing giant-killer strategy when we go after Bell for constructing a tower with all legal authority
The tower is complete. It's a new design intended to be less obtrusive. And it is.
The town solicitor must have-spent every minute of Tuesday, possibly with other staff members, finding out everything there is to lmow about injunctions and such.
In the first place, an injunction is to stop something from beng constructed. I don't know how you try to stop something from being constructed that's already been completed.
The solicitor obtained answers for every question that might be asked.
Councillors Ballard and Gallo simply could not accept the answers. Then when two people express doubts, the rest get spooked as well.
So, we are spending more money for someone else to give us a different answer. We know a lawyer like that.
The last Council went through numbers of lawyers. If they didn't get the answer they wanted another one bit the dust.
Council hasn't been able to complete an agenda since March. But a white tripod tower goes up
when residents weren't paying attention ,when they should have been paying atention .and all hell beaks loose and everything else gets shoved to one side.
It hardly demonstrates the Strategic Plan principles of Dignity and Integrity.
I think obsequious conduct is completely lacking in dignity and integrity. I can not respect it.
It was interesting to read about a feud between King and Aurora.
I didn't know . But then I didn't know Aurora's Mayor tried to put the Blame on King's Mayor.
Who reacted exactly as one might expect.
We did spend money on an effort to silence the train whistle. Stuff was happening for a couple of years .More than one resident complained . There were twelve.
Maybe all their homes were sold. Or they just got so used to the whistle, they didn't hear it any more.
The tower will be like that. The leaves will come out. It will no longer be conspicuous and unless a resident is fixated, the tower will vanish from consciousness.
But it won't stop the scamble and spending money like McGuinty.
Nothing will be done because nothing can be done.
An election will be held. Those who spent taxpayers money for nothing will lose votes from the general populace and those who were unsympathetic will lose votes from the neighborhood.
New people will come along and promise to do things differently.
They won't. They will be too chicken.
Councillor Gallo is chair of the General Committee meeting on Tuesday.
We had a special meeting scheduled for Monday ,to deal with a Procurement Bylaw. That's been shifted to half an hour before the GC meeting. The special meeting will be spent developing giant-killer strategy when we go after Bell for constructing a tower with all legal authority
The tower is complete. It's a new design intended to be less obtrusive. And it is.
The town solicitor must have-spent every minute of Tuesday, possibly with other staff members, finding out everything there is to lmow about injunctions and such.
In the first place, an injunction is to stop something from beng constructed. I don't know how you try to stop something from being constructed that's already been completed.
The solicitor obtained answers for every question that might be asked.
Councillors Ballard and Gallo simply could not accept the answers. Then when two people express doubts, the rest get spooked as well.
So, we are spending more money for someone else to give us a different answer. We know a lawyer like that.
The last Council went through numbers of lawyers. If they didn't get the answer they wanted another one bit the dust.
Council hasn't been able to complete an agenda since March. But a white tripod tower goes up
when residents weren't paying attention ,when they should have been paying atention .and all hell beaks loose and everything else gets shoved to one side.
It hardly demonstrates the Strategic Plan principles of Dignity and Integrity.
I think obsequious conduct is completely lacking in dignity and integrity. I can not respect it.
It was interesting to read about a feud between King and Aurora.
I didn't know . But then I didn't know Aurora's Mayor tried to put the Blame on King's Mayor.
Who reacted exactly as one might expect.
We did spend money on an effort to silence the train whistle. Stuff was happening for a couple of years .More than one resident complained . There were twelve.
Maybe all their homes were sold. Or they just got so used to the whistle, they didn't hear it any more.
The tower will be like that. The leaves will come out. It will no longer be conspicuous and unless a resident is fixated, the tower will vanish from consciousness.
But it won't stop the scamble and spending money like McGuinty.
Nothing will be done because nothing can be done.
An election will be held. Those who spent taxpayers money for nothing will lose votes from the general populace and those who were unsympathetic will lose votes from the neighborhood.
New people will come along and promise to do things differently.
They won't. They will be too chicken.
A Modern Farce...THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING RICH
St Andrew's College got their agreement for deferral of development charges approved on Tuesday.
Except for the Mayor, it was a complete switcheroo of the vote at Committee.
A pattern emerges. Something goes on between meetings and decisions are reversed.
Mr. Sifton , a Board member and the Headmaster of St Andrew's delegated to Council
We heard a litany of good works St.Andrew's does in the commnity. How building plans would be cancelled if development charges had to be paid.
Councillor Thompson noted when developers have to pay DCs ,they can just pass costs on to new homebuyers. But St Andrew's would have to increase their fees.
The Mayor talked about summer programs in support of Children's Aid Society.
Recreation Director talked about St. Andrew's soccer fields being available for community use.
The Mayor talked about the College hosting York Region Special Olympics this summer.
Finally, the decision was approved to extend deferral of Development Charges until use ofthe property changed or the property was sold.
Total relief of development charges for Board of Education,Town and Regional combined for an ice arena, and addition to kitchen is two million,two hundred and fifty-seven thousand nine hundred and sixty- two dollars.
It's a tidy sum.
At what point I wonder does charitable giving cease and become very expensive cost rccovery.
Despite being classified as a non-profit, charitable organisation, St Andrew's College
is a school for children of wealth and privilege to cement their future.
That is it's purpose.It has no other.
At the same meeting, representataives of Aurora Rotary Club delegated. They came to present a second cheque for $15,000. of $50,000 previously committed by the Club for improvements to
Rotary Park .
Rotary is a small club. They raise funds with golf tournament, beer gardens and selling hams.
They work hard.
They contribute to helping programs throughout the world as well .
They contributed $100,000 to building the town's new library.
They don't ask for anything. They simply make regular contributions to the community's well being.
How ironic.
On Tuesday, they were squished between St. Andrew's and million -dollar -mansion dwellers
in the vicinity of a white tripod tower,outlined in a blue sky, with a shroud to conceal the workings at the top . They demanded the Town fight Bell Telephone with an injunction to take down that tower which so offends their sensibilities.
It's in a neighboring municipality . It's legal.
To add to the farce, Councillors ran around in ever decreasing circles like chickens with heads cut off , so very eager to please.
A snippet of new information has came forward .
The person slinging most abuse and misinformation had her house listed before the tower appeared .
The hullabulloo about how awful it all was and who was to blame was more like the shroud at the tripod, hiding its real purpose.
Except for the Mayor, it was a complete switcheroo of the vote at Committee.
A pattern emerges. Something goes on between meetings and decisions are reversed.
Mr. Sifton , a Board member and the Headmaster of St Andrew's delegated to Council
We heard a litany of good works St.Andrew's does in the commnity. How building plans would be cancelled if development charges had to be paid.
Councillor Thompson noted when developers have to pay DCs ,they can just pass costs on to new homebuyers. But St Andrew's would have to increase their fees.
The Mayor talked about summer programs in support of Children's Aid Society.
Recreation Director talked about St. Andrew's soccer fields being available for community use.
The Mayor talked about the College hosting York Region Special Olympics this summer.
Finally, the decision was approved to extend deferral of Development Charges until use ofthe property changed or the property was sold.
Total relief of development charges for Board of Education,Town and Regional combined for an ice arena, and addition to kitchen is two million,two hundred and fifty-seven thousand nine hundred and sixty- two dollars.
It's a tidy sum.
At what point I wonder does charitable giving cease and become very expensive cost rccovery.
Despite being classified as a non-profit, charitable organisation, St Andrew's College
is a school for children of wealth and privilege to cement their future.
That is it's purpose.It has no other.
At the same meeting, representataives of Aurora Rotary Club delegated. They came to present a second cheque for $15,000. of $50,000 previously committed by the Club for improvements to
Rotary Park .
Rotary is a small club. They raise funds with golf tournament, beer gardens and selling hams.
They work hard.
They contribute to helping programs throughout the world as well .
They contributed $100,000 to building the town's new library.
They don't ask for anything. They simply make regular contributions to the community's well being.
How ironic.
On Tuesday, they were squished between St. Andrew's and million -dollar -mansion dwellers
in the vicinity of a white tripod tower,outlined in a blue sky, with a shroud to conceal the workings at the top . They demanded the Town fight Bell Telephone with an injunction to take down that tower which so offends their sensibilities.
It's in a neighboring municipality . It's legal.
To add to the farce, Councillors ran around in ever decreasing circles like chickens with heads cut off , so very eager to please.
A snippet of new information has came forward .
The person slinging most abuse and misinformation had her house listed before the tower appeared .
The hullabulloo about how awful it all was and who was to blame was more like the shroud at the tripod, hiding its real purpose.
Friday, 26 April 2013
We make no false claims
A comment expresses the hope I am not suggesting readers of this blog represent the community at large. Of course it does not. No more than do the residents of the Marsh Harbour neighborhood .
When a Council holds meetings with twenty-four hours notice and makes decisions involving hundreds of thousands of dollars, it's hard to argue the community at large has had any opportunity
to have input and the decision is representative of the community at large either
A meeting scheduled and advertised to deal the issue of a new Procurement Bylaw has been hi-jacked to deal with the issue of the cell tower.
An issue which had a full meeting scheduled, will now be squeezed into a hlf hour early start to the next regular meeting of Council.
The entire Council an the Mayor are taking a beating over their handling of this matter.
What isn't seen is how much of this came about as the result of weeks of calculation. This is a Council without much in the way of political skills. They have not had time to learn what people expect of them. They don't even know how much there is to learn.
These are the tactics that put politics on a par with the oldest profession. Like the zebra mussel and the life- sucking green beetle , they are not native to these parts.
This Council, with the exception of three, possibly four members has no idea of the calculation that
went into the cell tower issue and how easily they were sucked into the vortex.
As I write I recall a young inexperienced Doctor Martin Dobkin , elected Mayor of the newly created city of Mississauga. Regional Councillor Hazel McCallion , former Reeve of the village of Streetsville, oversaw his crash and burn . Then she slipped into the seat next election and has been there ever since.
I doubt the young Doctor ever knew what hit him.
I came out of a meeting during a recess a couple of weeks ago and came across Councillors Ballard, Gallo and Humphryes in a huddle. AHA, I thought. what are they up to. I think I know now.
Another image comes to mind.
An all candidates meeting organized by Susan Walmer. for the 2003 election. It was a Sunday. The turn-out was tremendous. The format included random questions being drawn from a hat by the late well-regarded Dick Illingworth.
Former Councillor Mac Eachern was a candidate. She had not run for the previous term . But had served the term before t. No other candidate had served that term.
She was asked, apparenyly at random, ; had she observed any conflict of interest among the Mayoralty candidates.
MacEachern said, "I can't believe I'm being asked that question.
Then stated Tim Jones had failed to declare a pecuniary interest on a matter of employee
compensation She stated he did in camera but did not in open Council.
It was cheating on several levels/ Not least in using the late Dick Illingworth to give the affair
a semblance of integrity and impartiality.
The question was asked of the only person in the slate who could have spoken to that issue. No other candidate could have made that allegation. They were not members of Council during he last contract negotiation.
Councillor Ballard has not organized the Cell tower brouhaha. He's not smart enough. John Cunningham ,who went from door to door last week-end encouraging residents to flood Council members with tales of outrage and betrayal was not likely the mastermind either.
If Susan Walmer's name was even hinted , it would have blown their cover.
The cell tower is one of a succession of contrived events.
Like Mayor Doctor Martin Dobkin of Mississauga., forty-two years ago , the current neophytes on Council may never know or acknowledge what hit them.
But some of the residents, marshaled for the crowd scene at Tuesday's and Wednesday 's meeting might, after listening to the solicitor on Wednesday evening. have begun to smell a nest of rats.
When a Council holds meetings with twenty-four hours notice and makes decisions involving hundreds of thousands of dollars, it's hard to argue the community at large has had any opportunity
to have input and the decision is representative of the community at large either
A meeting scheduled and advertised to deal the issue of a new Procurement Bylaw has been hi-jacked to deal with the issue of the cell tower.
An issue which had a full meeting scheduled, will now be squeezed into a hlf hour early start to the next regular meeting of Council.
The entire Council an the Mayor are taking a beating over their handling of this matter.
What isn't seen is how much of this came about as the result of weeks of calculation. This is a Council without much in the way of political skills. They have not had time to learn what people expect of them. They don't even know how much there is to learn.
These are the tactics that put politics on a par with the oldest profession. Like the zebra mussel and the life- sucking green beetle , they are not native to these parts.
This Council, with the exception of three, possibly four members has no idea of the calculation that
went into the cell tower issue and how easily they were sucked into the vortex.
As I write I recall a young inexperienced Doctor Martin Dobkin , elected Mayor of the newly created city of Mississauga. Regional Councillor Hazel McCallion , former Reeve of the village of Streetsville, oversaw his crash and burn . Then she slipped into the seat next election and has been there ever since.
I doubt the young Doctor ever knew what hit him.
I came out of a meeting during a recess a couple of weeks ago and came across Councillors Ballard, Gallo and Humphryes in a huddle. AHA, I thought. what are they up to. I think I know now.
Another image comes to mind.
An all candidates meeting organized by Susan Walmer. for the 2003 election. It was a Sunday. The turn-out was tremendous. The format included random questions being drawn from a hat by the late well-regarded Dick Illingworth.
Former Councillor Mac Eachern was a candidate. She had not run for the previous term . But had served the term before t. No other candidate had served that term.
She was asked, apparenyly at random, ; had she observed any conflict of interest among the Mayoralty candidates.
MacEachern said, "I can't believe I'm being asked that question.
Then stated Tim Jones had failed to declare a pecuniary interest on a matter of employee
compensation She stated he did in camera but did not in open Council.
It was cheating on several levels/ Not least in using the late Dick Illingworth to give the affair
a semblance of integrity and impartiality.
The question was asked of the only person in the slate who could have spoken to that issue. No other candidate could have made that allegation. They were not members of Council during he last contract negotiation.
Councillor Ballard has not organized the Cell tower brouhaha. He's not smart enough. John Cunningham ,who went from door to door last week-end encouraging residents to flood Council members with tales of outrage and betrayal was not likely the mastermind either.
If Susan Walmer's name was even hinted , it would have blown their cover.
The cell tower is one of a succession of contrived events.
Like Mayor Doctor Martin Dobkin of Mississauga., forty-two years ago , the current neophytes on Council may never know or acknowledge what hit them.
But some of the residents, marshaled for the crowd scene at Tuesday's and Wednesday 's meeting might, after listening to the solicitor on Wednesday evening. have begun to smell a nest of rats.
Thursday, 25 April 2013
Fallacy leading to an Extravagant Farce.
A week or so ago I wrote a post about an interview with Democratic Senator Carl Levine of Michigan. The Senator has been in office thirty-four years and will serve two more.He has been elected 9 times.
He is working with Republican Senator John McCain to eliminate some of the entitlements for tax relief for business in the U.S. Total share of tax revenue from business is nine per cent. It was fifty per cent not long ago. Senator Levin hopes to complete the task before he retires. He explained to his interviewer Charlie Rose, it is a very difficult and complicated task.
Charlie asked him what he needs to be successful.
He said wistfully I thought, he would like more elected representatives to have the courage to risk losing votes or even risk losing an election by doing what's right for the country.
It seems obvious lobbyists in the States have the country in a death grip.
What excuse do we have in this little town that prevents a Council, elected with such high hopes from acting in the best interest of the community -at - large as opposed to the special interests of a few, time and time and time again.
I have asked the town solicitor if he would post last night's advice to Council on the town's web site.
If I get approval from Council he will. Of course that calls for a notice of motion to be on the agenda of the next Council meeting, to be a motion two weeks later. It may or may not win approval from Council.
They may not want you to know all the information provided that made the idea of filing an injunction an act of complete irresponsibility and total wasteful extravagance.
Comments are coming in to the blog fast and furious. It's clear there is no synpathy for the Marsh Harbour residents' position. Nor support for the direction Council is taking.
The story will come out in The Auroran on Tuesday. Too late for people to have an opportunity for input.
The web site will likely have an item on Wednesday's action. The story is not complete without the Solicitor's report.
I believe it should be on the web site without the need for direction from Council.
People who want to know the facts should call the administration and say so.
Wednesday's meeting was held with twenty four hours notice.
A decison representing spending more than a hundred and fifty thousand dollars was made with less than the forty-eight hours required for an emergency meeting. A motion to waive procedure was passed to allow it.
It's about the deliberate distortion that formal action was taken without people in a particular neighborhood being notified in time for input.
How's that for a contradiction in terms.
He is working with Republican Senator John McCain to eliminate some of the entitlements for tax relief for business in the U.S. Total share of tax revenue from business is nine per cent. It was fifty per cent not long ago. Senator Levin hopes to complete the task before he retires. He explained to his interviewer Charlie Rose, it is a very difficult and complicated task.
Charlie asked him what he needs to be successful.
He said wistfully I thought, he would like more elected representatives to have the courage to risk losing votes or even risk losing an election by doing what's right for the country.
It seems obvious lobbyists in the States have the country in a death grip.
What excuse do we have in this little town that prevents a Council, elected with such high hopes from acting in the best interest of the community -at - large as opposed to the special interests of a few, time and time and time again.
I have asked the town solicitor if he would post last night's advice to Council on the town's web site.
If I get approval from Council he will. Of course that calls for a notice of motion to be on the agenda of the next Council meeting, to be a motion two weeks later. It may or may not win approval from Council.
They may not want you to know all the information provided that made the idea of filing an injunction an act of complete irresponsibility and total wasteful extravagance.
Comments are coming in to the blog fast and furious. It's clear there is no synpathy for the Marsh Harbour residents' position. Nor support for the direction Council is taking.
The story will come out in The Auroran on Tuesday. Too late for people to have an opportunity for input.
The web site will likely have an item on Wednesday's action. The story is not complete without the Solicitor's report.
I believe it should be on the web site without the need for direction from Council.
People who want to know the facts should call the administration and say so.
Wednesday's meeting was held with twenty four hours notice.
A decison representing spending more than a hundred and fifty thousand dollars was made with less than the forty-eight hours required for an emergency meeting. A motion to waive procedure was passed to allow it.
It's about the deliberate distortion that formal action was taken without people in a particular neighborhood being notified in time for input.
How's that for a contradiction in terms.
Guest Post
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "LAST NIGHT'S CELL TOWER CHAPTER":
You’ve got to be kidding. (I see I'm not the first to comment in a similar vein).
Councillor Ballard is leading the council astray.
There’s got to be better causes to fight for.
I can understand that the neighbourhood has to deal with change, but there’s probably more risk to people using their own cell phones than this tower.
It’s titled as a “mega-tower” woo… what do then call the CN Tower.
In a couple a months people won’t think anything of it. It will just be part of the landscape. I drove past it last evening to see what the big deal was about and almost missed it. Really what's the big deal about. It's not like you can use it as a new Aurora landmark. "Oh, I live over by the cell tower". "Oh, really, where? Which cell tower?"
Councillor Ballard labels the tower with a caption of “a once idllyic vista is now ruined for dozens of home owners”. Really… time to get over that. What if it was a new subdivision going in there, well there goes the neighbourhood, there goes the idllyic vista. What about all the development straight across Aurora of what used to be farmland, meadows, forest and nature. Now that was a vista, no one seems to care about the thousands of home and people that are being “intensified” across Aurora and the loss of that vista.
This is NIMBYism at its finest. Everyone wants cell coverage though don’t they.
What’s Bell going to say… we followed all of the regulations, did everything that Industry Canada said that we needed to do, we covered all of the bases with King Township, the tower is up. End of story.
Does anyone really think it’s going to move. Unless it can be proven that it is a grave danger to life and limb, forget it. Lawyers are the only ones who are going to benefit. But… but… C. Ballard is there to lead the fight don’t forget it at re-election time. He went to bat for that neighbourhood. Do some at the Town think they can “buy” a move with $100k. Has common sense been thrown out the window?
Unbelieveable…
I’m surprised though that C. Ballard has published some negative comments (to him) on his blog about this affair. (we’ll probably soon see those disappear). Mark my words this is going to be another checkmark on Ballard’s list at election time as to his perceived mismanagement of Aurora and why a crusader such as himself is needed to right all of our wrongs.
I guess I step back I have to see the bigger political picture. At times our representatives have to look like they are listening and helping and finding solutions so that in the end they can then say “sorry, we tried our best, but it just couldn’t happen”, full well knowing it was a lost cause from the star
Posted by Anonymous to Our Town and Its Business at April 25, 2013 at 11:33 AM
You’ve got to be kidding. (I see I'm not the first to comment in a similar vein).
Councillor Ballard is leading the council astray.
There’s got to be better causes to fight for.
I can understand that the neighbourhood has to deal with change, but there’s probably more risk to people using their own cell phones than this tower.
It’s titled as a “mega-tower” woo… what do then call the CN Tower.
In a couple a months people won’t think anything of it. It will just be part of the landscape. I drove past it last evening to see what the big deal was about and almost missed it. Really what's the big deal about. It's not like you can use it as a new Aurora landmark. "Oh, I live over by the cell tower". "Oh, really, where? Which cell tower?"
Councillor Ballard labels the tower with a caption of “a once idllyic vista is now ruined for dozens of home owners”. Really… time to get over that. What if it was a new subdivision going in there, well there goes the neighbourhood, there goes the idllyic vista. What about all the development straight across Aurora of what used to be farmland, meadows, forest and nature. Now that was a vista, no one seems to care about the thousands of home and people that are being “intensified” across Aurora and the loss of that vista.
This is NIMBYism at its finest. Everyone wants cell coverage though don’t they.
What’s Bell going to say… we followed all of the regulations, did everything that Industry Canada said that we needed to do, we covered all of the bases with King Township, the tower is up. End of story.
Does anyone really think it’s going to move. Unless it can be proven that it is a grave danger to life and limb, forget it. Lawyers are the only ones who are going to benefit. But… but… C. Ballard is there to lead the fight don’t forget it at re-election time. He went to bat for that neighbourhood. Do some at the Town think they can “buy” a move with $100k. Has common sense been thrown out the window?
Unbelieveable…
I’m surprised though that C. Ballard has published some negative comments (to him) on his blog about this affair. (we’ll probably soon see those disappear). Mark my words this is going to be another checkmark on Ballard’s list at election time as to his perceived mismanagement of Aurora and why a crusader such as himself is needed to right all of our wrongs.
I guess I step back I have to see the bigger political picture. At times our representatives have to look like they are listening and helping and finding solutions so that in the end they can then say “sorry, we tried our best, but it just couldn’t happen”, full well knowing it was a lost cause from the star
Posted by Anonymous to Our Town and Its Business at April 25, 2013 at 11:33 AM
LAST NIGHT'S CELL TOWER CHAPTER
We went round the table four times last night to be sure everything that could be said was.
Councillor Gaertner and Pirri were not there and Councillor Sandra had to leave for a prior commitment.
Residents from the neighborhood were there but not as many as Tuesday. Nor did they seem quite as volatile.
The Town solicitor had a full report on costs and implications of filing an injunction against Bell as well as other information,I did not know. He left nothing out that we needed to know.
I wish you could have heard it. Or read it.
First an injunction is heard in a Federal Court. I may not have details entirely accurate. There wasn't time for a written report .
Injunctions are a specialty area of the law. They are seldom successful. Lawyers who handle the specialty are not eager to take a case that has little chance of success. The arguments ,such as damage to health, need to be proven in court. A team is required to undertake the task. The cost would be $150,000.
There are twenty cell towers in Aurora already. I did not know that. I do not know when they were erected. I never heard a word about them and I've been on Council for the last nine years plus.
Which means no-one else has made a great noise or at least not enough to be heard.
Yesterday's blog post said twenty residents had been notified by Bell. Actually, it was ten.
I am often stunned by what I hear in Council. I comfort myself with assurance the place is full of residents. Some are there to listen and make sense of what they hear .
Comments to yesterday's post certainly indicate awareness in the community.
Councillor Ballard wants to spend funds to get a second opinion from another lawyer. My God, the man is at least as obsessed with lawyers and imaginary crimes as his mentor.
Who would have thunk it?
He said he could not support spending $150,000 on an injunction then argued in favour of proceeding along those lines.
Councillor Gallo simply could not imagine how the process could possibly cost that amount. I had to bite my tongue at that point. The night before Councillor Gaertner thought it would be a simple matter of filling out a form.
Councillor Sandra was steadfast in her support of ab injunction no matter the cost. . The applause was light and only came from her corner of the room.
The tower is complete. All that's left to do is flip the switch.
Councillor Thompson thinks we should use $100,000 instead to pay for the tower to be moved .someplace else. He didn't say where. Maybe some less prestigious neighborhood..
Councillor Abel fully supports that idea.
Councillor Ballard urged allocating $4,000. to investigate staff to determine who was responsible for what. It's not clear what what is.
Apparently the latest circulating scuttlebutt is that bribes were accepted to accommodate Belll's
evil plans.
Picture fair maiden tied to the railroad by black cloaked and hatted and curled mustachioed
Landlord and train fast advancing.
Councillor Ballard likely did not make that accusation but he has certainly plowed the field and continues to cultivate to sow the seed for such a completely implausible and totally offensive suggestion.
The tenor of e-mails received from people signing with professional credentials has to be read to be believed.
The end decision was not clear. I think the Mayor is directed to meet with Bell to discuss options with the threat of an injunction in one pocket and a hundred thousand in the other to move the tower to any other location as long as it's not there.
You know, one of the things a politician must avoid is arrogance.. It is definitely a potential pitfall when one has been engaged as long as I have
But I have to risk it and tell you there are times when I feel like an adult sitting in the middle of a sandbox surrounded by pre-schoolers, each feverishly occupied building the best castle in the sand.
Councillor Gaertner and Pirri were not there and Councillor Sandra had to leave for a prior commitment.
Residents from the neighborhood were there but not as many as Tuesday. Nor did they seem quite as volatile.
The Town solicitor had a full report on costs and implications of filing an injunction against Bell as well as other information,I did not know. He left nothing out that we needed to know.
I wish you could have heard it. Or read it.
First an injunction is heard in a Federal Court. I may not have details entirely accurate. There wasn't time for a written report .
Injunctions are a specialty area of the law. They are seldom successful. Lawyers who handle the specialty are not eager to take a case that has little chance of success. The arguments ,such as damage to health, need to be proven in court. A team is required to undertake the task. The cost would be $150,000.
There are twenty cell towers in Aurora already. I did not know that. I do not know when they were erected. I never heard a word about them and I've been on Council for the last nine years plus.
Which means no-one else has made a great noise or at least not enough to be heard.
Yesterday's blog post said twenty residents had been notified by Bell. Actually, it was ten.
I am often stunned by what I hear in Council. I comfort myself with assurance the place is full of residents. Some are there to listen and make sense of what they hear .
Comments to yesterday's post certainly indicate awareness in the community.
Councillor Ballard wants to spend funds to get a second opinion from another lawyer. My God, the man is at least as obsessed with lawyers and imaginary crimes as his mentor.
Who would have thunk it?
He said he could not support spending $150,000 on an injunction then argued in favour of proceeding along those lines.
Councillor Gallo simply could not imagine how the process could possibly cost that amount. I had to bite my tongue at that point. The night before Councillor Gaertner thought it would be a simple matter of filling out a form.
Councillor Sandra was steadfast in her support of ab injunction no matter the cost. . The applause was light and only came from her corner of the room.
The tower is complete. All that's left to do is flip the switch.
Councillor Thompson thinks we should use $100,000 instead to pay for the tower to be moved .someplace else. He didn't say where. Maybe some less prestigious neighborhood..
Councillor Abel fully supports that idea.
Councillor Ballard urged allocating $4,000. to investigate staff to determine who was responsible for what. It's not clear what what is.
Apparently the latest circulating scuttlebutt is that bribes were accepted to accommodate Belll's
evil plans.
Picture fair maiden tied to the railroad by black cloaked and hatted and curled mustachioed
Landlord and train fast advancing.
Councillor Ballard likely did not make that accusation but he has certainly plowed the field and continues to cultivate to sow the seed for such a completely implausible and totally offensive suggestion.
The tenor of e-mails received from people signing with professional credentials has to be read to be believed.
The end decision was not clear. I think the Mayor is directed to meet with Bell to discuss options with the threat of an injunction in one pocket and a hundred thousand in the other to move the tower to any other location as long as it's not there.
You know, one of the things a politician must avoid is arrogance.. It is definitely a potential pitfall when one has been engaged as long as I have
But I have to risk it and tell you there are times when I feel like an adult sitting in the middle of a sandbox surrounded by pre-schoolers, each feverishly occupied building the best castle in the sand.
Wednesday, 24 April 2013
Different Faces Same Old Spaces Between the ears.
Last night's debate on the Bell Communication tower on Bathurst Street was interrupted frequently with hard ,prolonged belligerent applause.
The scene has been repeated many times in the Council Chamber. At times it seems the only thing missing is the sound of jack boots pounding on the floor.
An emergency meeting has been called to decide if the town should spend money on legal fees to file an injunction to stop Bell from continuing construction.
In brief, the story is as follows;
The tower is in King. Industry Canada has authority . King was notified and asked to comment.
A sign was posted on the property informing of the application.
Twenty residents within a certain radius, were notified.
An Open House was held in June in a venue in King. Two residents from Aurora attended. The meeting was re-scheduled for August. No residents attended.
The sign was not convenient to read from a passing car.
Now construction is under way and weeping and wailing and gnshing of teeth is heard throughout the immediate neighborhood,
Aurora Councillors received a stream of e-mails full of accusations of negligence and failure to look out for the interest of the residents and other sundry insults.
One woman sent a photo taken from inside her home showing a simple structure barely showing above a tree line and demanded to know "How would you like to see this from your stairs.?"
Prominent in the picture are three beautiful windows and a fine deck outside awaiting warm weather.
A couple of Councillors have jumped on the bandwagon and declared the town culpable.
The loudest cheers of all greeted a proposal to spend town resources to force Bell to take down that tower.
We've been here before. Many times.
A former mayoralty candidate limped into office with votes from people who sucked in her promise to get the power lines in the transmission corridor buried .
It never happened. Homes are still occupied despite claims of studies proving children' s health was at risk .
Public resources were spent.
Power lines were not buried. But the candidate who won on the promise was well and truly in the next election .
Now we have almost the exact scenario repeating itself.
To-night ,we will discover how far it will play itself put.
The scene has been repeated many times in the Council Chamber. At times it seems the only thing missing is the sound of jack boots pounding on the floor.
An emergency meeting has been called to decide if the town should spend money on legal fees to file an injunction to stop Bell from continuing construction.
In brief, the story is as follows;
The tower is in King. Industry Canada has authority . King was notified and asked to comment.
A sign was posted on the property informing of the application.
Twenty residents within a certain radius, were notified.
An Open House was held in June in a venue in King. Two residents from Aurora attended. The meeting was re-scheduled for August. No residents attended.
The sign was not convenient to read from a passing car.
Now construction is under way and weeping and wailing and gnshing of teeth is heard throughout the immediate neighborhood,
Aurora Councillors received a stream of e-mails full of accusations of negligence and failure to look out for the interest of the residents and other sundry insults.
One woman sent a photo taken from inside her home showing a simple structure barely showing above a tree line and demanded to know "How would you like to see this from your stairs.?"
Prominent in the picture are three beautiful windows and a fine deck outside awaiting warm weather.
A couple of Councillors have jumped on the bandwagon and declared the town culpable.
The loudest cheers of all greeted a proposal to spend town resources to force Bell to take down that tower.
We've been here before. Many times.
A former mayoralty candidate limped into office with votes from people who sucked in her promise to get the power lines in the transmission corridor buried .
It never happened. Homes are still occupied despite claims of studies proving children' s health was at risk .
Public resources were spent.
Power lines were not buried. But the candidate who won on the promise was well and truly in the next election .
Now we have almost the exact scenario repeating itself.
To-night ,we will discover how far it will play itself put.
An early lesson learned
I wasn't a day older than six . But the memory is as clear as if it happened this morning.
My walk to school was down a dirt road to the Meadow Farm. If it was raining we had to skip across puddles. After the rain stopped and the sun came out ,sparrows would flutter their wings on the edge of the puddle taking a bath.
At the end of that road was a smoke blackened ,spooky old school for Protestant kids.
Then a stretch of road with high walls on either side. Around the corner, alongside the river to the footbridge was the Waterside. I
I had to cross the river. Once across, the swings were on one side and the slaughter house on the other. If they were killing, the blood ran out from a pipe straight into the river.
School was on the moor at the top of a brae. Protestant kids were coming the opposite way to their school. I became aware of a bigger girl regularly making threatening moves. I watched and went out of my way to avoid her.
Then the inevitable happened. I looked up one morning and found her looming over me. Feet planted wide,arms akimbo, I knew there was no escape.
At six years old, you don't really know who you are. Most experience is new. I could have yelled. I could have cowered. I could have covered my head for protection. Or I could have begged for mercy
None of those things occurred to me.
I clenched my fist, pulled my arm back and landed one right in the face. Then I ran . In a wide circle and never looked back until I was safe inside the school gate.
I was a skinny little kid with a limp. Typical target for a bully.I doubt my small fist did much harm. I never saw my tormentor again.
But I never forgot the satisfaction of landing that punch and taking care of the situation.
I don't go out of my way looking for a fight. But I never back away without giving a good account of myself.
My walk to school was down a dirt road to the Meadow Farm. If it was raining we had to skip across puddles. After the rain stopped and the sun came out ,sparrows would flutter their wings on the edge of the puddle taking a bath.
At the end of that road was a smoke blackened ,spooky old school for Protestant kids.
Then a stretch of road with high walls on either side. Around the corner, alongside the river to the footbridge was the Waterside. I
I had to cross the river. Once across, the swings were on one side and the slaughter house on the other. If they were killing, the blood ran out from a pipe straight into the river.
School was on the moor at the top of a brae. Protestant kids were coming the opposite way to their school. I became aware of a bigger girl regularly making threatening moves. I watched and went out of my way to avoid her.
Then the inevitable happened. I looked up one morning and found her looming over me. Feet planted wide,arms akimbo, I knew there was no escape.
At six years old, you don't really know who you are. Most experience is new. I could have yelled. I could have cowered. I could have covered my head for protection. Or I could have begged for mercy
None of those things occurred to me.
I clenched my fist, pulled my arm back and landed one right in the face. Then I ran . In a wide circle and never looked back until I was safe inside the school gate.
I was a skinny little kid with a limp. Typical target for a bully.I doubt my small fist did much harm. I never saw my tormentor again.
But I never forgot the satisfaction of landing that punch and taking care of the situation.
I don't go out of my way looking for a fight. But I never back away without giving a good account of myself.
Tuesday, 23 April 2013
I'm thinking about tomorrow
No post again today, Places to go and people to see .
And Council to-night.
Tomorrow .... Tomorrow.... I'll write you tomorrow.
It's only a day away.
Sunday, 21 April 2013
I don't know
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "More of the story about Hidden Taxes":
Why wasn't the "usual complete background info" provided by staff to Council last week? Was it just a slip?
__________________
I don't know why. We had four-hundred and fifty pages and twenty-six items of business to get through. Plus we met at 6 p.m. for an in camera meeting .W dealt with 2 items on that agenda and deferred the third.
Only one committee and one Council meeting was scheduled for March. We haven;t caught up with the town's business still.
I left at 10.45 p.m. on Tuesday. The rest of Council went on until 11.28 p.m. and still didn't get everything done .
A seven o'clock start means by ten minutes to ten, people are slowing down and not really doig justice to the decisions they have to make.
In the old days we started at eight and adjournment was 11.00 p.m.
Then some bright spark probably thought if the start was earlier,the meeting would finish earlier.
Nope ...that's not what happens.
So... we had four-hundred and fifty pages to read and twenty six items to debate. There was an agreement of seventy five pages and one of sixty-nine to read.
Several items were deferred after I left the meeting.
There was lots of background material. The skate board park was an item. The Recreation Director always has his material complete, That one was deferred.
The recommendation to top up maternity benefits so that growing a family doesn't create financial hardship to the family was also deferred. I'm not even sure how that item got on to an agenda. The Human Resources Manager recommended it.
If I want to put forward an idea to Council, I have to put forward a notice of motion; in writing. Two weeks later I have to follow up with a motion in writing. The motion has to be seconded by another Councillor before it gets an the table to be debated. And I'm an elected representative of the people paying the bills.
That reminds me, the job of Customer Services Manager has been posted internally. The pay is $88,000- $100,000 a year plus benefits.
The customer service thingy was supposed not to cost us any extra . Now we are adding space to the town hall at a cost of a million to accommodate extra staff. One of whom is a manager of customer service at a very generous salary. What does a Manager of Customer Service manage?
We dealt with a recommendation on Tuesday to retain a consultant to do a study of service levels.
That was a motion from the Mayor. I askked what it was about, How did it differ from Custmer Service. Didn't understand the answer.
The $440,000 software program we bought a year and a half still isn't up and running and I've
lost track of how much more money we've spent on that since we bought it and it would be hard to tell how many more people.
Anyway, to answer the question,I don't know why the background was missing. I didn't notice it was with all the other stuff I had to read. I only thought about it afterwards when I thought about everything I'd heard . I had to go back to the agenda to see if it was there before I could say it wasn't .
Weird space and bits of flotsam appeared at the end of the last post. It doesn't mean anything. It wasn't meant to be.
Now
Why wasn't the "usual complete background info" provided by staff to Council last week? Was it just a slip?
__________________
I don't know why. We had four-hundred and fifty pages and twenty-six items of business to get through. Plus we met at 6 p.m. for an in camera meeting .W dealt with 2 items on that agenda and deferred the third.
Only one committee and one Council meeting was scheduled for March. We haven;t caught up with the town's business still.
I left at 10.45 p.m. on Tuesday. The rest of Council went on until 11.28 p.m. and still didn't get everything done .
A seven o'clock start means by ten minutes to ten, people are slowing down and not really doig justice to the decisions they have to make.
In the old days we started at eight and adjournment was 11.00 p.m.
Then some bright spark probably thought if the start was earlier,the meeting would finish earlier.
Nope ...that's not what happens.
So... we had four-hundred and fifty pages to read and twenty six items to debate. There was an agreement of seventy five pages and one of sixty-nine to read.
Several items were deferred after I left the meeting.
There was lots of background material. The skate board park was an item. The Recreation Director always has his material complete, That one was deferred.
The recommendation to top up maternity benefits so that growing a family doesn't create financial hardship to the family was also deferred. I'm not even sure how that item got on to an agenda. The Human Resources Manager recommended it.
If I want to put forward an idea to Council, I have to put forward a notice of motion; in writing. Two weeks later I have to follow up with a motion in writing. The motion has to be seconded by another Councillor before it gets an the table to be debated. And I'm an elected representative of the people paying the bills.
That reminds me, the job of Customer Services Manager has been posted internally. The pay is $88,000- $100,000 a year plus benefits.
The customer service thingy was supposed not to cost us any extra . Now we are adding space to the town hall at a cost of a million to accommodate extra staff. One of whom is a manager of customer service at a very generous salary. What does a Manager of Customer Service manage?
We dealt with a recommendation on Tuesday to retain a consultant to do a study of service levels.
That was a motion from the Mayor. I askked what it was about, How did it differ from Custmer Service. Didn't understand the answer.
The $440,000 software program we bought a year and a half still isn't up and running and I've
lost track of how much more money we've spent on that since we bought it and it would be hard to tell how many more people.
Anyway, to answer the question,I don't know why the background was missing. I didn't notice it was with all the other stuff I had to read. I only thought about it afterwards when I thought about everything I'd heard . I had to go back to the agenda to see if it was there before I could say it wasn't .
Weird space and bits of flotsam appeared at the end of the last post. It doesn't mean anything. It wasn't meant to be.
Now
More of the story about Hidden Taxes
The story about St Andrew's deferral of DCs is revealed piece by piece. It has generated considerable interest and comments have been fast and various. That's a good thing. Right.
Yesterday Councillors received by e-mail, documentation of the request from St. Andrew's for deferral of D.C.s payment
The usual complete background had not been provided by staff.
The report was written by the Treasurer and reviewed only by the Solicitor and C.A.O. as noted before. None of the three were part of the administration. in 2002.
Documentation provided by St Andrew's is substantial and relevant. The intent is to delegate again on Tuesday and provide Council with the history.
A decision in Council in Committee is a decision to recommend to Council. It is not the final decision. It's the procedure we adopt as the first item of business of a newly elected Council.
In 2002, when a building program was contemplated, the College learned Holy Trinity School in Richmond Hill, a private school, made an agreement with that municipality to defer payment of D.C. s.
An application was made to Aurora for the same consideration under appropriate legislation.
A ten page agreement was signed.
The site plan for current construction plans was not anticipated at the time. It was not included in the agreement. It has been in the works for a year. Not until the permit granting stage was information provided about D.C.s of 2 million dollars being required to be paid.
I have concerns about collecting D.C.s in the amount we do .
I make the point at every opportunity. So far as I can gather, I am the odd man out in municipal circles. It's easy money for municipalities and there is little accountability for the money.
For developers, time is money, they pay the fees and pass the cost along to the home-buyer .
Retailers and industries it's a cost of doing business ,so they pass it along as well.
But that's another story.
Part of the argument to grant St Andrew's a deferral was that public schools do not pay D.C.s ,
For tax purposes , private schools are classified as not-for-profit, charitable organizations.
One of the arguments the College had in 2002 and still offers, is no longer valid.
Last term, Aurora Council did impose D.C.s on at least one school. St. Maximillian Kolbe High School on Wellington Street. Cash in Lieu of parks was required to be paid.
No matter that new student population making the school a requirement, were from families who had already paid D.C.s in the purchase of their family homes.
Aurora Council was adamant.
Councillor Thompson referred to Montessori Schools , which are required to pay D.C.s, despite being private schools.
It's a key factor in the decision to be made on Tuesday.
But there's another part to this story .
St Maximilian Kolbe High School was close to not being built at all .
Provincial approval for the school were long since obtained. Land had been assembled at a costof eleven million dollars, if memory serves me right. Designs were complete. Site plans finalized waiting to be approved.
They were not.
They were refused by Council.
It took a delegation of parent spokespersons from every separate school and Father Don MacLean, Our Lady of Grace parish priest, to speak to the need for the school for the decision to be changed.
The delegation heard about the Mayor being taught by nuns and Councillor MacEachern's daughter being a student at Cardinal Carter High School when the decision was changed.
After that came the decision to impose the Cash in Lieu of parks fee. Almost like an afterthought
penalty.
And the OMB hearing and having to pay a legal retainer to argue the indefensible.
And lose.
It appears St Max might be the only public school where fees were charged,
But it's enough to make the deferral of fes for St Andrew's to be a Cause Celebre,
And refused. At committee stage.
Elizabeth Crowe Chairman of the Separate Board had to rally parent reepresentatives fromevery school
and Our Father Don
Yesterday Councillors received by e-mail, documentation of the request from St. Andrew's for deferral of D.C.s payment
The usual complete background had not been provided by staff.
The report was written by the Treasurer and reviewed only by the Solicitor and C.A.O. as noted before. None of the three were part of the administration. in 2002.
Documentation provided by St Andrew's is substantial and relevant. The intent is to delegate again on Tuesday and provide Council with the history.
A decision in Council in Committee is a decision to recommend to Council. It is not the final decision. It's the procedure we adopt as the first item of business of a newly elected Council.
In 2002, when a building program was contemplated, the College learned Holy Trinity School in Richmond Hill, a private school, made an agreement with that municipality to defer payment of D.C. s.
An application was made to Aurora for the same consideration under appropriate legislation.
A ten page agreement was signed.
The site plan for current construction plans was not anticipated at the time. It was not included in the agreement. It has been in the works for a year. Not until the permit granting stage was information provided about D.C.s of 2 million dollars being required to be paid.
I have concerns about collecting D.C.s in the amount we do .
I make the point at every opportunity. So far as I can gather, I am the odd man out in municipal circles. It's easy money for municipalities and there is little accountability for the money.
For developers, time is money, they pay the fees and pass the cost along to the home-buyer .
Retailers and industries it's a cost of doing business ,so they pass it along as well.
But that's another story.
Part of the argument to grant St Andrew's a deferral was that public schools do not pay D.C.s ,
For tax purposes , private schools are classified as not-for-profit, charitable organizations.
One of the arguments the College had in 2002 and still offers, is no longer valid.
Last term, Aurora Council did impose D.C.s on at least one school. St. Maximillian Kolbe High School on Wellington Street. Cash in Lieu of parks was required to be paid.
No matter that new student population making the school a requirement, were from families who had already paid D.C.s in the purchase of their family homes.
Aurora Council was adamant.
Councillor Thompson referred to Montessori Schools , which are required to pay D.C.s, despite being private schools.
It's a key factor in the decision to be made on Tuesday.
But there's another part to this story .
St Maximilian Kolbe High School was close to not being built at all .
Provincial approval for the school were long since obtained. Land had been assembled at a costof eleven million dollars, if memory serves me right. Designs were complete. Site plans finalized waiting to be approved.
They were not.
They were refused by Council.
It took a delegation of parent spokespersons from every separate school and Father Don MacLean, Our Lady of Grace parish priest, to speak to the need for the school for the decision to be changed.
The delegation heard about the Mayor being taught by nuns and Councillor MacEachern's daughter being a student at Cardinal Carter High School when the decision was changed.
After that came the decision to impose the Cash in Lieu of parks fee. Almost like an afterthought
penalty.
And the OMB hearing and having to pay a legal retainer to argue the indefensible.
And lose.
It appears St Max might be the only public school where fees were charged,
But it's enough to make the deferral of fes for St Andrew's to be a Cause Celebre,
And refused. At committee stage.
Elizabeth Crowe Chairman of the Separate Board had to rally parent reepresentatives fromevery school
and Our Father Don
Saturday, 20 April 2013
Fill-in requested
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Consider This":
Why were staff making such a recommendation at all? Is there any way to check the source of their impetus? It all appeared to be a shock but I suspect that at least one individual instigated the idea. We don't require another witch-hunt on the order of the alcohol expenses but clarification might be a
Decent idea.
_________
I had that information in the version of the post that got lost. St. Andrew's is planning a kitchen addition and construction of an ice arena. They already had an agreement to defer payment of development charges signed in 2002. The agreement is ten pages long and "defers payment of Development charges until a substantive change of use occurs or change of ownership occurs of the property?"
The request would properly be made of staff. Sr. Andrew's business manager delegated in support of staff's recommendation.
The report states "unfortunately late in the process, staff have confirmed that these buildings were not included in the original deferment agreement."
The staff report goes on to say;
Staff are supportive of extending the deferral agreement to these projects. It is difficult to suggest that circumstances at the property, the college. its mission.purposes and primary purposes of the property have changed since the town entered into the original agreement. Accordingly, it is difficult
for staff to put forward arguments against changing our current practice of deferring D.C.'s in rspect of the College.
Staff are also in contact with counterparts at York Region to assist in any way facilitating the processing of te College's request the deferral of the Region's D.C.s for these same projects.
The link to the Strategic Plan is cited as follows.
Extending the existing deferral agreement with St. Andrew's College demonstrates continued support
of the Town's past commitments, demonstrates the Strategic Plan principles of Dignity and Integrity,
leverage partnerships. and recognition of community partnerships.
The report was reviewed prior to submission by the CAO, Solicitor and Treasurer "only".
It was signed by the Treasurer and the CAO
I note that because if the report had been reviewed by the Executive Leadership Team , the Director of Recreation would have been obliged to input the town's opposite decision on the collection of fees DC's from the Separate School Board. Who also stand for Principle and Integrity, Leverage Partnerships and Community contributions but were required to pay from tax revenues for education purposes, the town's pound of flesh before receiving a building permit.
That occurred during the last term when at least one Council member was aware of that agreement
and was most insistent on gathering up the largesse.
Why were staff making such a recommendation at all? Is there any way to check the source of their impetus? It all appeared to be a shock but I suspect that at least one individual instigated the idea. We don't require another witch-hunt on the order of the alcohol expenses but clarification might be a
Decent idea.
_________
I had that information in the version of the post that got lost. St. Andrew's is planning a kitchen addition and construction of an ice arena. They already had an agreement to defer payment of development charges signed in 2002. The agreement is ten pages long and "defers payment of Development charges until a substantive change of use occurs or change of ownership occurs of the property?"
The request would properly be made of staff. Sr. Andrew's business manager delegated in support of staff's recommendation.
The report states "unfortunately late in the process, staff have confirmed that these buildings were not included in the original deferment agreement."
The staff report goes on to say;
Staff are supportive of extending the deferral agreement to these projects. It is difficult to suggest that circumstances at the property, the college. its mission.purposes and primary purposes of the property have changed since the town entered into the original agreement. Accordingly, it is difficult
for staff to put forward arguments against changing our current practice of deferring D.C.'s in rspect of the College.
Staff are also in contact with counterparts at York Region to assist in any way facilitating the processing of te College's request the deferral of the Region's D.C.s for these same projects.
The link to the Strategic Plan is cited as follows.
Extending the existing deferral agreement with St. Andrew's College demonstrates continued support
of the Town's past commitments, demonstrates the Strategic Plan principles of Dignity and Integrity,
leverage partnerships. and recognition of community partnerships.
The report was reviewed prior to submission by the CAO, Solicitor and Treasurer "only".
It was signed by the Treasurer and the CAO
I note that because if the report had been reviewed by the Executive Leadership Team , the Director of Recreation would have been obliged to input the town's opposite decision on the collection of fees DC's from the Separate School Board. Who also stand for Principle and Integrity, Leverage Partnerships and Community contributions but were required to pay from tax revenues for education purposes, the town's pound of flesh before receiving a building permit.
That occurred during the last term when at least one Council member was aware of that agreement
and was most insistent on gathering up the largesse.
What are we getting for our money?
A telephone conference between two of my grandchildren hass resolved the wall of words problem....I think.
I took Stephanie to collect her car . Drove my regular route to the town hall. Noted once again , litter in the gutters.. It has been there since the end of last summer. The light stuff blew into the shrubs and bushes in the fall and stayed there all winter.
The Mayor and school children will be out soon with gloves and garbage bags picking the stuff out of the shrubs and bushes and the gutters.
Its good to teach children not to litter. The poster competition is great fun.
But I gotta tell you . I never saw picking up garbage fom the street as an appropriate role for the Mayor or the school children.
Call it snobbery, reverse-snobbery, lack of involvement. lack of environmental awareness'; call it whatever you like. I have never had an inclination to go out with agarbage bag and pick up garbage. from the streets .
We pay a contractor to keep our streets clean. We have a piece of equipment that cost $180.000 to
augment the contract program. I have repeatedly drawn the mess on the roadside to attention at public meetings. . To no avail. It still doesn't get cleaned up.
it's still there for the Mayor and the school children to pick up in the spring.
A former deputy-Mayor told of her experience A discussion was about a veterinarian with an animal hosital . He had cut into a town fence and installed a gate into the grounds of the Cenotaph for an amenity for his paatents..
There was a Council debate about whether that was acceptable. The former Deputy Mayor said it would be nothing to what she and Councillor Gaertner had seen at the rear of the Cenotaph.
during litter pick-up day.
I reember thinking "How disgusting "
I fervently hoped they didnt have anybody's children with them. I also worried about virus-laden mosquitos and-what the Medical Officer of Heaalth might have to advise about that..
Anyway here we are. It's Spring again. The Mayor and school childre are going out to do what should have been done by the town's work force more than six months ago.
Maybe that was the plan.
I took Stephanie to collect her car . Drove my regular route to the town hall. Noted once again , litter in the gutters.. It has been there since the end of last summer. The light stuff blew into the shrubs and bushes in the fall and stayed there all winter.
The Mayor and school children will be out soon with gloves and garbage bags picking the stuff out of the shrubs and bushes and the gutters.
Its good to teach children not to litter. The poster competition is great fun.
But I gotta tell you . I never saw picking up garbage fom the street as an appropriate role for the Mayor or the school children.
Call it snobbery, reverse-snobbery, lack of involvement. lack of environmental awareness'; call it whatever you like. I have never had an inclination to go out with agarbage bag and pick up garbage. from the streets .
We pay a contractor to keep our streets clean. We have a piece of equipment that cost $180.000 to
augment the contract program. I have repeatedly drawn the mess on the roadside to attention at public meetings. . To no avail. It still doesn't get cleaned up.
it's still there for the Mayor and the school children to pick up in the spring.
A former deputy-Mayor told of her experience A discussion was about a veterinarian with an animal hosital . He had cut into a town fence and installed a gate into the grounds of the Cenotaph for an amenity for his paatents..
There was a Council debate about whether that was acceptable. The former Deputy Mayor said it would be nothing to what she and Councillor Gaertner had seen at the rear of the Cenotaph.
during litter pick-up day.
I reember thinking "How disgusting "
I fervently hoped they didnt have anybody's children with them. I also worried about virus-laden mosquitos and-what the Medical Officer of Heaalth might have to advise about that..
Anyway here we are. It's Spring again. The Mayor and school childre are going out to do what should have been done by the town's work force more than six months ago.
Maybe that was the plan.
Friday, 19 April 2013
Consider This
The post about a town agreement with St. Andrew's College for deferment of Development Charges (DC's) was a lot of work to write. I had weasel wording of the Strategic plan that allows the town to vary principles. I also had tables of figures. It kept coming out in a wall of words. After trying a number of times to change that I decided to leave it until this morning and touch a few buttons. I'm always leary about doing that in case I lose the whole thing. Well guess what. I arose this morning with the intent of discovering the abracadabra. I lost the whole thing. Now I have to start again.
There was considerable interest in the post and a number of comments. It just occurred to me I might have lost them as well. Oh well...stuff happens.
The gist of it is, staff are recommending an agreement be extended that provides for deferral of Development Charges for construction at St. Andrew's College. The original agreement was signed in 2002. New construction is proposed.
No-one on the current Council can speak to the rationale for the agreement. It came as a surprise. I am not aware of another. The deferment is until such time as use of the property is changed or the property is sold. There is a law that allows the municipality to make such an agreement. I did not know that either. The subject has never come up.
On the other hand, during the last term, collecting development charges from the Separate School Board for the construction of St. Max High School on Wellington Street was an issue. The Board pointed out no other municipality charges school boards for DC's. Richmond Hill's DC Bylaw excludes school boards and other public entities. The Town refused to relent. There was at least one Councillor who must have known about the agreement with St. Andrew's.
The Board appealed the town's decision. Not on collection of DC's but on the amount. They argued the town had over-valued the property therefore the amount required to be paid was too high. The town was taking cash in lieu of parks.
The Board had legal counsel. The town retained legal counsel and off we went to the OMB, jointly spending more of the taxpayers' hard earned dollars. The Town lost the argument. We had to return money AND pay the legal fee.
That was another one of those times when I was not in accord with the majority of a Council decision.
Taking DC's from another tax supported body made no sense to me. The town's decision with the Separate School board was relevant to the discussion on deferment of DC's for St Andrew's College. Montessori Schools pay DC's. They too are private schools.
The decision was not to recommend the agreement with St.Andrew's College be extended. It will come forward next Tuesday for ratification.
There was considerable interest in the post and a number of comments. It just occurred to me I might have lost them as well. Oh well...stuff happens.
The gist of it is, staff are recommending an agreement be extended that provides for deferral of Development Charges for construction at St. Andrew's College. The original agreement was signed in 2002. New construction is proposed.
No-one on the current Council can speak to the rationale for the agreement. It came as a surprise. I am not aware of another. The deferment is until such time as use of the property is changed or the property is sold. There is a law that allows the municipality to make such an agreement. I did not know that either. The subject has never come up.
On the other hand, during the last term, collecting development charges from the Separate School Board for the construction of St. Max High School on Wellington Street was an issue. The Board pointed out no other municipality charges school boards for DC's. Richmond Hill's DC Bylaw excludes school boards and other public entities. The Town refused to relent. There was at least one Councillor who must have known about the agreement with St. Andrew's.
The Board appealed the town's decision. Not on collection of DC's but on the amount. They argued the town had over-valued the property therefore the amount required to be paid was too high. The town was taking cash in lieu of parks.
The Board had legal counsel. The town retained legal counsel and off we went to the OMB, jointly spending more of the taxpayers' hard earned dollars. The Town lost the argument. We had to return money AND pay the legal fee.
That was another one of those times when I was not in accord with the majority of a Council decision.
Taking DC's from another tax supported body made no sense to me. The town's decision with the Separate School board was relevant to the discussion on deferment of DC's for St Andrew's College. Montessori Schools pay DC's. They too are private schools.
The decision was not to recommend the agreement with St.Andrew's College be extended. It will come forward next Tuesday for ratification.
Thank You Councillor
Councillor Abel has a different understanding of process than I do.
Mr. Albino received a decision from Council several months ago. He was told to come back with a business plan to demonstrate feasibility of a Heritage Park. I told him I wasn't buying what he was selling but Council's decision was satisfactory.
Nothing in town procedure permits a delegation to an advisory committee to circumvent a Council decision. The delegation produced a motion without notice, to direct a director to asses the issue and estimate cost of a feasibility study.
Why would a Director's assessment trump a Council decision. ?
Nothing more is involved here but a promotion to facilitate a fast , easy lucrative sale of three private properties.
In no way is it the town's responsibility to determine feasibility of the promotion. It's not the first time Council has made a decision only to find the issue back on the table for a second time obviously intending a different decision to be made. Councillor Abel knows the experience well.
Sly.devious,underhanded manipulation has been de rigeur since the beginning of the term. If this Council has any sense of its authority , it will put a stop to it now.
Council is having a hard enough time completing business agendas without re-hashing the same items two or three times until the Mayor gets what he wants.
Mr. Albino received a decision from Council several months ago. He was told to come back with a business plan to demonstrate feasibility of a Heritage Park. I told him I wasn't buying what he was selling but Council's decision was satisfactory.
Nothing in town procedure permits a delegation to an advisory committee to circumvent a Council decision. The delegation produced a motion without notice, to direct a director to asses the issue and estimate cost of a feasibility study.
Why would a Director's assessment trump a Council decision. ?
Nothing more is involved here but a promotion to facilitate a fast , easy lucrative sale of three private properties.
In no way is it the town's responsibility to determine feasibility of the promotion. It's not the first time Council has made a decision only to find the issue back on the table for a second time obviously intending a different decision to be made. Councillor Abel knows the experience well.
Sly.devious,underhanded manipulation has been de rigeur since the beginning of the term. If this Council has any sense of its authority , it will put a stop to it now.
Council is having a hard enough time completing business agendas without re-hashing the same items two or three times until the Mayor gets what he wants.
Guest Post by Councillor Abel
John Abel has left a new comment on your post "Now You See It Now You Don't":
I would like to draw attention to what I said on the Heritage Park at Council April 9th. If you refer to Rogers telecast at or around the 1 hour 45 min mark.
I clearly state that I am not interested in spending any Town money on this initiative. Certainly not $6 million.
It must be sustainable and not cost the Town any money once established. No funding to maintain this project.
Yonge Street is prime real estate that should be used for intensification and maximize tax assessment opportunities, or for the development of condos with shops.
My thinking is along the lines of the anonymous posts of April 18, 3:18 PM & 8:09 PM
True I brought forth a Motion to ask Staff to prepare a report. I did so in my role as Chair of the Heritage Advisory Committee - HAC.
the HAC voted and recommended that Council direct staff to prepare a report on the Heritage Park initiative and costs for a Feasibility Study. It was not unanimous, but it did carry.
Councillor Humfryes volunteered to prepare a Notice of Motion. For clarity and to move along the recommendation in a timely manner.
Councillor Humfryes had to attend to an urgent matter as the time line for Notices to the Council Agenda drew to a close.
I stepped forward to meet the deadline.
I believe it is a good practice to allow residents who prepare initiatives to proceed through committees to allow full and complete discussion.
There is a small cost, that being staff resources to be utilized. Council directs Staff, and that is part of their job description.
It is not a large cost, but it is fair.
Very similar to the Fluery Playhouse initiative.
I am a regular reader of this blog, and I appreciate the opportunity to contribute now and then.
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Posted by John Abel to Our Town and Its Business at April 19, 2013 at 9:44 AM
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