Codes Of Conduct And Other Acts Of Monumental Stupidity

I watched Newmarket Council last night.

Oh My Sweet Lord!

I had no idea .

I watched a grown man weep.

I watched Councillors disclaim authority  to hold another Councillor accountable.

The principle was stated  only the electorate  has  power to pass judgement on  conduct of a Councillor.

They who give shall take away.  Maybe.


I watched  the virtuous one  deny the tenet completely and   continue to heap coals of fire on the head of the weeping Councillor.


It was a scene from Dante's Inferno.

They debated the Code of Conduct. They have never had an Integrity Commissioner. They were calling upon  resources of the Chief Administrative Officer to handle complaints against Councillors.

How appropriate is that?

Last night, they decided to scrap that part of the Code that allows Councillors to attack Councillors at no expense to themselves.

They agreed,  if  a Councillors have disagreements with another Councillor,  they should duke it out at their own expense.

 Taxpayers money should not be used.

What a novel notion.

So another Code  bites the dust. 

A reliable source has informed me ,Councils all over Ontario are chucking Codes. Think of the litter aand the broken dreams.

It  means of course  corruption  and unseemly conduct will run rampant in  the ranks of  municipal elected officials all  across the land.  No longer will fat documents, full of fatuous rules, by plump lawyers for  fat fees, be written  to guide  nitwits in their conduct. 


What  a shame?  The sky is falling. The world must indeed be coming to an end.


Just when  genius in charge of  Aurora Farmers' Market have composed  their own Cof C  to deal with whatever evil  lurks beneath  mounds  of tomatoes and potatoes that appear on Wells Street stalls on Saturday mornings..

Well what else are we to think?

When  the jam lady, who makes jam, is compelled  to form  an edict whereby potato and tomato growers must be alerted to where the devil lurks and  how to avoid his evil coils.

Nigel Kean started the Market. But  it was massive knife-wielding moustachioed Granger who chased little girls selling iced lollies from a bicycle cart,  who  gave them their constitution..

Now look how far they have come from  humble beginnings.

         To  market, to market, to buy a fat pig,
         Home again, home again, jiggety-jig.

To market, to market, to buy a fat hog,

Home again, home again, jiggety-jog.

To market, to market, to buy a plum bun,

Home again, home again, market is done.

   

Da Code of Conduct for AuroraMarket Vendors Circa, 2012

Hot off  the press. I got  a Copy ************

AURORA FARMERS’ MARKET VENDORS CODE OF CONDUCT

Effective:       February 11, 2012

Overview

The Aurora Farmers’ Market Vendors are expected to demonstrate proper business practices and appropriate decorum in group and individual behaviour when acting as a Vendor.  All applicants are required to adhere to the conditions of the Code of Conduct upon acceptance of their application by the Aurora Farmers’ Market Executive Committee.

Procedure

1.                  Vendors must demonstrate loyalty to the interests of the diverse community they serve which includes the Aurora Farmers’ Market Executive and the public.

1.1          This accountability supersedes any conflicting loyalty such as that to advocacy

     or interest groups and membership on other boards, organizations or staffs.

2.         Vendors must avoid any conflict of interest with respect to their responsibility by

3.         Vendors’ interaction with the public, press or other entities may not speak on behalf of the Executive Committee or its members.  

4.         Vendors will exercise the necessary self discipline to conduct themselves and their staff with excellence. Such self discipline will apply to:

a)      Attendance on Farmer Market dates that the Vendor has committed to

b)   Being informed on upcoming events and initiatives of the Market

c)   Respecting and adhering to the Aurora Farmers’ Market Constitution, By-laws and Policies

d)   Endorsing the Executive Committee’s decisions

5.         Vendors who have complaints regarding the Executive Committee, its’ decisions, Vendors or other Market matters, may submit their complaint to the Chair, Vice-chair or the Executive Committee as a whole, to be dealt with in a confidential, professional, timely manner. 

6.         Attendance on Farmer Market dates that the Vendor has applied and been accepted for is mandatory.  If however, the Vendor is unable to attend one or more dates, the Vendor must inform the Chair or Vice-chair a minimum of 3 days prior to the affected Market date(s).

adhering to the regulations of the Aurora Farmers’ Market Constitution, its by-laws and policies.

2.1.      There must be no slanderous or libellous actions against the Aurora Farmers’ Market Executive Committee members, individual Vendors, Applicants and Market as a whole.

2.2       Intimidation and/or bullying behaviour will not be tolerated and provides immediate grounds for removal of the offender for the balance of the Market season, as deemed necessary by the Executive Committee. A refund of Market Vendor fees will be calculated and reimbursed to the offender.

Like Children

I think most of us who particpate on this blog would acknowledge we are a mixed bunch.. Some of us are volatile. We glory in hyperbole. We are continually admonished for the habit by our more restrained members. But we do it anyway.because we like it. We relish the freedom not to be correct.


Where else could we say the outrageous things we say here with a straight face ?

We would likely fall to the floor in laughter  at our own ridiculousness. But it's fun.

We were probably five years old  last time we tried out a new word or expression we had heard used by adults and decided to try it to see if it fit. Or just to get a reaction, if we instinctively knew we shouldn't. 

Adults never give children enough credit for  intelligence. And always expect more judgment than is reasonable.

Intelligence and judgement are not the same thing. 


Well...who is paying attention to us in our little blog enclave ? In our keyhole court?  Our road without exit.

If  an unwary somebody strays in among us , they might get a taste of the treatment and never come back Or discover instead, it's like one of  those amusements for children  in McDonald's where you slide down a chute and  bury yourself  in  plastic bubbles of every hue. . 


It's just silly. But you climb the stairs again and again  and slide  down the chute and touch stocking toes with someone you don't know and might never see again. It doesn't matter a bit. Except .... there may be a little lesson  to learn...or  just  a way to burn off excess energy...or frustration...or let off steam. 

Somewhere,I read gossip defined that way .  
 

Charity begins At Home

 The  following  choice piece found its way to my attention this morning. .It appeared in a newsletter named OntarioVisted with a web site. address. We  probably all  need to be aware of what happens when we run afoul of  the Jazz Festival group.

Accede to their demands and we get the Town's Logo over some of their promotion material. Don't give
them what they demand and we get negative press in a newsletter published in Cobourg ,Ontario.

Take a gander .  

**************
 A number of weeks ago I read an article about a non-profit event in Aurora that  lost its free use of the town  park. Instead Town Council  decided to charge for the use of the park. $1300  If this were a profit group.I could see the rational. However this is a charitable group who donates their profits to local charities. In essence the town was taking away a charitable donation tof $1,300 .What were they thinking?

 Besides the charitable donation, the festival attracts thousands of people to the town bringing  dollars to the town's merchants! At a time hen tourism is so vital  to communities, why would a Town, any Town , penalize such an event  .It seems to me a town should be encouraging such  enterprise  not discouraging it.. Planning such an event is hard enough without politicians and their bureaucrats adding an  additional burdens.  Unfortunately Aurora is not the only town......etc. etc

*********

.With  my limited skills I attempted  unsuccessfully to copy he piece. I particularly wanted my colleagues to see what they get for ever being involved with the St Kitts Jazz festival in the first place.

In order for the group  to obtain a Trillium grant, Council was persuaded they had to show community support and  gave them a "platinum" sponsorship. worth $5,000. Staff had recommended half that. Susan Morton Leonard came back and said it wasn't enough . So we doubled the money..

Ye Gods In Heaven ,can we ever be protected from our own stupidity.

In 2010., they received a sponsorship, probably base metal,  without  Council  authority on some other pretext.

We  received an unaudited statement  last year that claimed to represent proceeds from the event. $150,000 We were informed  all of  $6,000 of that was presented to two charities  after all other participants were compensated.

 Mr. .McWilliams claimed he had read that  they were required to pay $1,300 for use of the town park in 2012 and this money could have  also been   charitable donation.

The writer is as inaccurate in some of his claims  as he is sparse on others.

One can only wonder  about the source of his information. Actually I do not wonder.. I just want my
colleagues to understand this  is their reward  for  their generosity with other people's money.

Naturally I want taxpayers also to understand what they got for previous generosity. besides the town's logo being displayed on some of the promotional materials.

I have  attempted to respond to Mr. MWilliams to discover if he had information we did not.  My e-mail was not delivered to the  address provided.

Thank You

There was a very merry reception at the Lone Star  Road House in Newmarket yesterday afternnonn.

The Special Olympic Gold Star  Floor Hockey  team and their families were being feted

Mayor Tony Van Bynen of Newmarket and Mayor Geoffrey Dawe of Aurora were with us for the celebration.

Not just a quick  obligatory dart in to say a few words and leave.  They were there to share the joy throughout the  occasion.

It was  Sunday afternoon.

Thank you  both Mayors. We enjoyed having you.

Monday Morning

Good Morning Mr ,

I have received  your letter to the Mayor and Council. I note your appreciation for all of Council's original support for the resolution to review the tree by-law.

I have to tell you after the depositions made at the public planning meeting, I am having second thoughts about supporting the proposed draft bylaw.

Your  letter does little to shift me from my revised position.

I have lived in Aurora  fifty years and seen a vast increase in the town's tree inventory  and urban forest cover.  A number of wood lots have been acquired by the town and dedications have been made to other agencies. Vast expanses of ravine lands have come into public ownership.

I regard the number of golf courses established in such a small urban area  as Aurora, a benefit to the community.

Though not in terms of financial returns , certainly in land left uncovered by roads and houses. 

I do not accept your argument property values have decreased over the years with the growth of the town. No evidence  supports that contention. I simply cannot believe you would use an argument of decreased  property values to support the more restrictive tree bylaw on a golf course that existed before your home was built.

Having lived here as long as I have, I must tell you I am aware of the reduction of "the last vestige of Carolinian forest "  to permit  your home to be built. 

The town allowed only  sufficient  trees to be removed to provide for driveway access to  a  house site .

Mr. ,,,,,,,,  few if any developers or real estate agents fail to recognise the  material value of mature trees on a  building site. They use it to promote sales.

The same can be said for public officials,only theirs is not  about material advantage.

The municipality has  a different perspective . It is awareness of the negative  environmental  aspect of removing trees without cause.

I am not aware of the desired ratio of trees to population you reference.

I am only aware that as our town has grown, the urban forest has more than kept pace. Golf courses have contributed substantially to  improvement of our living  environment.Simply by the fact of maintaining open space,tree  and vegetation cover and a wild life sanctuary. I have seen bird species multiply in my  garden over the years. I have yet to see an owl.  

Many people deplore the loss of farmland. I do myself. But if the value of  land makes it ridiculous for farmers  to continue farming, I  certainly welcome a  golf course here and there  to  compensate for and break up the pattern of urban  development.

From the perspective of  protecting the environment from human critters, they  surely are an acceptable option.

Your argument about deteriorating value of your real estate has helped me make up my mind Mr. ..........

I will wait to see how much more stringent the bylaw is, to protect your real estate value and  as a result of  the depositions we heard at the public planning meeting.

I must tell you however I am leaning in favour of democratic rights in the process.

Bruce Cuthbert Says

Bruce Cuthbert has left a new comment on your post "He Is No Machiavellian Prince":

This comment/question is not directed at any specific post on this blog but instead at the blog in general. I don't read this blog often or any others. Mostly because this and many other blogs allow insulting, uninformed and biased comments cloaked by the cowardly cover of anonanymity. It is obvious that many comments come from representatives of the same faction in town and are self serving. Which leads me to the point of my posting. Why do you help in perpetuating this subterfuge by posting anonymous comments. If people want to spout off and spread their propaganda why not force them to acknowledge themselves instead of hiding behind anonanymity thereby reducing this blog to a gossip column. Because everyone else does it doesn't make it right. I have always considered you a woman of honourable morals, values and principles. Allowing this to continue appears inconsistent with those positive characteristics. I could care less whether you posted this or not but would appreciate your rational in giving unidentified malcontents a forum. You identify yourself in support of your positions why not make everyone? If they don't believe in their opinions enough to put their name to it their postings are of little to no value.
Bruce Cuthbert
***********

I agree that  anonymousl comments may not have the same weight  as those  with a name attached.

I do not  agree  it  is subterfuge.

There is an argument to be made  for. gossip. It  is an essential aspect  of  human discourse.  It certainly cannot be argued that people don't do it. 

I  do encourage    anonymous comments. If I insist on names, there is no means of forcing  means of forcing the issue. .

I can think of many practical reason why a person would  not want to reveal themselves.

But  the   most reasonabale is that most people do not  choose to become bad friends because of a difference of opinion.

I think the advantages of anonymity .far  outweighs  the disadvantage.

 Don't forget, most of the back and forth is about town politics. What is so sacred or righteous about that. We should engage freely..If the only way we can do it is under cover, well that's better than not doing it at all.

You are entitled to your opinion. Thank you for expressing it. Feel free not to log n. But you never know what you might be missing.

If you are attacked for being honest  about where you stand. Someone else will no doubt defend you.

Several hundred people visit and view every day. Many have probably never commented. But for those who do, until social media came into our lives, they have never been so free.

  I welcome them.And I welcome you not o read  the blog if that is your preference

. But because it is ,don't  mmake the assumption  that's all there is..

Have a great evening. There are places in the world where the day is already over. and  nowhere will it come again..

To Market...To Market...To Buy a Fat Pig

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "It Is What It Is":

It would have been helpful at that mob-meeting if the town had seen fit to hand out those figures in your post to those attending. Maybe it would have filtered through to some of them that they were involved in a giant rip-off. Or not

****************
 Or not.

The  Market opened yesterday.  Already  signs are, it will be our newest  hot bed of political  intrigue.

The new president, the jam lady,  came to Council a couple of weeks ago. Introduced the new market manager. Did not reveal source of   funds  for manager.. Rumour  has it  new owners of Wells Street School property  have provided the necessary.

The new president and manager have ambitious  plans for the Farmers Market  to become  a cultural event  and all  that jazz.

Yesterday, .a new wrinkle was added. A Code of Conduct  was distributed to vendors by the president and  manager, with  expressed requirement it be signed before the end of business  yesterday.

It appears  market vendors may  have had no input into the code. .

A  clause in the Code   requires  vendors  not speak to the press.

Market "officials" have apparently become closely affiliated with the force occupying Church Street School.

It looks like an alliance..

They have not rented the band shell  in the park.  But they have erected a tent on the dance space  in front of
the band shell.  It is not known at this time if a permit fee was  paid.

Yesterday, apparently, the St Kitts woman was much in evidence. Took over the microphone  in the tent and used the opportunity to promote the  family  Jazz Festival.

.They have no booth in the Market therefore  no permit fee paid.

A valid  connection is not apparent.

Did you  catch what I said yesterday.

The town does not lease  the park. No  user fee is charged for  its use. The park is public. Open to all.

Why then is a  fence  erected  during the jazz festival to exclude people  who have a right to use the park,, by people who have no right to exercise authority   over the park.

It will be the  next question  I ask of the town's administration

 How did this come about?

Well, it appears to. mean, anybody from anywhere, can bring a fence to an Aurora park, fence all or part off and demand other people pay to be  allowed  to enter.

 A resident  might just want to walk a dog. Toss a frisbee. Play ball with a child. Check out thetalent.

Yet a stranger with no authorty  whatsoever, including a permit,   could conceivably  fence off the children's playground and  charge an admission fee. Or a soccer field or a baseball diamond, Or a basket ball net.
Or a gazebo.

Whatever is there in our parks is free  to be exploited by whatever bandit may decide to erect a fence and charge a  fee  or rent out space in our parks  to vendors and  food-stands.and beer gardens and collect revenue from a space they nave no right to..


Why not ?    The St Kitts Family Music Enterprise does it

 What  gives  them the right?

Certainly not payment of a user fee. 

Thoughts While Driving

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "It Is What It Is":

It would have been helpful at that mob-meeting if the town had seen fit to hand out those figures in your post to those attending. Maybe it would have filtered through to some of them that they were involved in a giant rip-off. Or not

*************
I  doubt it would have made a difference. At least two thirds of  the  deluge of  format e-mails that came through  admonishing Councillors for their philistine attitude towards the arts were not from Aurora. Do not pay taxes in our town and  in effect are virtual free-loaders..

I was driving yesterday. I do my best thinking when I'm driving. Sometimes ,after I've organised my thoughts sufficiently to answer a questio in full ,  something strikes me I never thought of before.

Writing is a powerful exercise for the mind.

On Bathurst Street, the thought passed through my head how unlikely such a situation as the piracy of Church School would be in a country like Sweden where people have a powerful social and moral conscience.

Hard on its heels came another thought

I.t could not  have happened in Aurora  a few years  ago either.

The seniors  never  asked the town  to build them a  new facility.. Every time  a building  vacated  they put  dibs in for more space for more programs.. They ran their own programs. too.

They  were  survivors of a depression and a war and bringing  families away from everything they knew  to find something better for their children.

They knew  too well the connection between demands and tax rates.

 Homes for many were the only asset they had  after a lifetime of hard work, modest wages and committing to their children. No registered retirement savings for them to escape paying taxes.

 They remain committed. They ask for little. They continue to give when need arises.

Tthe Historical Society of a few yeasr ago. Committed to raising funds to pay for the Church Street School renovations  and  managing the program. t.

The Lion's Club raised  funds for a new building at the McMahon Park for the tennis club and the  lawn bowling club Theypaid the whole shot..

The  Optimist Club  presented a cheque derived from their work  to build a gazebo in the Optimists Park, which currently has no shade.or shelter.

The Rotary Club  last year with an installment of funds for needed improvements to the Rotary Park.

The business that sponsors junior sports team and concerts in the parl and many other events enjoyed by the community. 

All these  Aurorans commit  hours of  labour to contribute to their community. where they see the need.

Then we have the governance board of the Church Street school who shouldered out the museum and the Historical  Society and tightened  their greedy grasp around everything they can reach  and  put up a fight to continue to do so in the face of all the evidence of untenable circumstances. .

I think the emerald ash borer is not the only  destructive  species  to iinvade  our community to no good purpose.

It Is What It Is

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "He Is No Machiavellian Prince":

Please try and get your numbers accurate:

sucks up about half a million and growing

************************

In 2010  it was $343,000.plus $147,000 for maintenance and utilities, It was not a full year The payment was for that part of the year the facility was occupied.  A matching grant  was paid for a $50,000 donation

No rent was paid. .

Also the residue of the budget  for the renovation , furnishings and equipment were turned over to the board in  an amount  in excess of  $300.000.

T he agreement calls  for  3% increase. annually.  The payment  for 2011 was $347,000.  Plus cost  for maintenance and  utilities  which would also have increased to  more than  $147,000.

 Still no rent paid.

In  2012,  the  3% increase  brought the payment  to  $356,000..  Plus the cost of  maintenance and utilities  again  incrementally more.

Still no rent being paid.

I understand  in 2011,  $15,000 was raised in "charitable" drives and that was matched by the  town..

In  last  year's report,  reference was made to  a financial calculation  for volunteer hours contributed.

No doubt another match of funds expected. 

It should be understood   town payments   are  not in the form of a grant..

The title of the agreement is " Contract for  Purchase Of Culture" ..

We are purchasing with taxpayers' dollars, culture for the masses.

We set \ up the board. We paid for the lawyer to file the articles of incorpoation.  We paid for the lawyer working on their part of the agreement. We handed over a building that cost  $2.3 million plus  $700,000  from a   federal heritage to renovate for a state of the art modern museum. 

Then we made a deal to purchase an unknown quantity  or quality of culture  for an ever-growing  amount which is probably closer to full  million that half a million.a year.

Where is the public interest served with a deal like that.

Who was minding the store?

Who is minding the store ?

De'il  the yin as far as I can see.? ..

Never The Way It Seems

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "It Seems Limbo Is The Answer":

I never thought to be arguing in favour of the Jazz Gang. But if we charge them for the use of that park, we can't we simply charge the Center for their use of the Church Street building? What is fit for one should apply to the other. More so in the case of the Center as they have to bring in the Museum. Can't have a 2-tier system of rules. Last time I checked, Council set the rules. Make them equable

*******************

We do not charge for  use of the park We charge for use of the bandstand.

 Despite that they do  not pay to use the park andtherefore have no jurisdiction over the park, , we allow them to erect a chain link fence and  keep people out who own  the park ,  unless they pay  a fee to enter  their own  park .

We allow the bandstand  fee  payers  to rent space to vendors in the park. Spac they themselve have not paid for.

We have given them money as well on the pretext  local business benefits from the activity. 

When the phrase "arms length  authority" is employed,  the above  is  an example of  "political interference" envisioned. that makes a business like operation unachievable.

 For the politician ,it is a down-payment on future support in  the inevitable  election.

Council  adopts a policy that users will pay a fee for costs of  facility operation.

In so doing,, the community is assured everyone is being treated fairly. Most people don't have time to pay attention. The assurance is nothing more than should be expected . So they accept it. Most would never think of asking  to be exempted from fees, simply on the understanding of fairness. . 


But  there are some  who have no compunction. For example, a fund-raising organisation for a hospital or a charity. They might raise upwards of a hundred thousand dollarsand  yet they  believe, in the personal triumph  of a big   figure, it justifies a request for waiver of  a couple of hundred dollar user fee. .

And because they don't. recognise the anomally,  politicians  choose to  see it either.  Or if they do they don't have  the intestinal fortitude to say no.

They fear being accused of being unsympathetic to the cause. In fact, they will go as far as to say the good works of charity is "what it's all about".

In  the last term, people were encouraged to come to Council  with  outrageous demands.

Like  a couple  who wanted  newly installed baseball lights removed because they could see the poles from their dining room window when the leaves were off the trees.

We were  prepared  to do it too. A.s an alternative,  we were willing to plant  mature evergreens to obscure the view of the poles in the winter.

The property was for sale. It had  been re-designated to a  higher value land use  than the single family residential it occupied.

I don't believe the trees were  planted after all but we wereready to do it.

It was a  climate of  irrational entitlement with the underlying benefit always to the politicians.

No matter how shallow or feeble, they could always find a righteous reason for a  ridiculous decision and take their chances the  general population were not paying attention.

That was a miscalculaton.

But they did their best to change that as well. 

Biting The Thread

"5:43 PM and 5:45 PM Gottcha double-posting again. Thought you were lying last time to pretend there was another idiot. Duhhhhhh!" Is there some quota that YOU have imposed, 7:18?! I'm not aware of any limit; it all depends on Cllr Buck's decision to publish ... or not. You were wrong with your previous 'gotcha' (seriously, how old are you?). I wasn't lying, and the other commenter identified their comment. But, that's okay, you carry on amusing yourself playing 'spot-the-_____'. (p.s. You missed the comment I left @ 5:40 - "Duhhhhhh!"
*******
I am  cutting this  thread of f now. Enough a'reddy.

It Seems Limbo Is The Answer

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Wait And See":

Please, could someone please tell me what happened to the termination clause? Was it dropped entirely, postponed or is it hovering somewhere in limbo? We have to stop getting side-tracked into arguments about programming. This is about dollars, sense and the Museum. Aurora still holds all the legal, moral and fiscal high ground if it has the guts to use its position this time.

*************
The Abel and Pirri motion included a clause to provide twelve months notice of termination  .

Initially, Abel moved to defer the resolution entirely. That failed.

The motion was debated to a conclusion with  a majority appearing to be in support. At  the last minute.  Humphryes moved and Thompson seconded the termination notice  caluse be deleted. The majority approved it   with a commitment that  something or other would be accomplished  accomplished within  a specific  time
or the termination clause  would be activated. .

The time limit appeared to be  March 27th. We are now into May.

Gremlin are afoot creating mischief.

The board chair is apparently quoted  he was coerced into agreeing to have Councllors on the board.

I think Councillors on the board would  be as useful as mammaries on a bull . 

We are still  pumping money into the facility. as well as  additional funds on a "facilitator".

Sometimes it seems  the only administration needed   is a single individual capable of writing  specifications and awarding contracts.or making requests for proposals.

Wait And See

Anonymous  said

Clr Ballard says the reason he doesn't support having Council representation on the cc board is "that it promotes political interference in the arts". Fine. The the cc board shouldn't be accepting any tax dollars or using any town buildings either, Councillor.

The quote from ClrBallard  no doubt derives comes from  something he heard.

In the context of "political interference"., reference is  as follows.

The advantage  of   "arm's length  governance" for the facility, is to avoid political interference in  management.

"Political interference"  means the  principle of operating in a business mode cannot be achieved.

Business mode means  the facility operates on at least a break-even basis.

It means no dependence on public resources.

It means paying for all  overheads.

The recommendation was made by one of a  succession of financial advisers..The  purpose  being to prevent the facility from becoming a sink hole for public funds.

But lo... with   full political interference and apparently no  input from a financial adviser,  legal counsel,
or any other professional in the administration, in what must have been the only time ever, the woman did not retain legal counsel,  the agreement was drawn up by the  former Mayor to become precisely  that which was  not intended .A sink hole for public resources.

The previous post responded to a comment stating the town solicitor launched  the current expedition with his complete, accurate, concise and straight forward report.

The comment was neither  concise  nor  accurate.

"The expedition was launched" when the solicitor was directed  by Council to review the contract and report  on its shortcomings and omissions..

Council approved a motion put forward by myself , over initial objection  from the Mayor on the basis of the solicitor's workload.

It's not always easy to tell who is  doing the talking from the chair. But  I distinctly recall asking the question; "Why would you not want the contract reviewed and reported  by the solicitor?"

Though he had nothing to do with the contract, not being in office at the time, it was almost as if  the Mayor had something to hide.

The only thing I can think of would be that  no  person,  except the former Mayor,  had anything to do with the contract on behalf of the town. I have heard a shreddng machine was running non-stop in the Mayor's office between election day and the end of term.

The town has  a Chief Executive Team  that costs  upwards of a million dollars a year
.
One can see  how Councillor Ballard , in a Grangerism,  might  eagerly grab  the words "political interference" and use them  inappropriately .relevant  to "the arts"..

The  Centre's  articles of incorporation are relevant in any discussion of an ongoing agreement with the
town. about how the board will be constituted.Charitable status, in my opinion is not likely relevant.

Do the articles permit  political representation on the board.?

Will  two  Councillors on the board take direction or be accountable  to Council.

 If not, what is the purpose of having Councillors on the board.

Particularly Councillors who have publicly stated they are in full support of how the board is operating the facility and  that  funds  to do so  should continue to be  provided by the municipality..

How will that make a difference?

 Is that really the intention?

 Or is the real intention to create a sham of change while spending staff time  and treasury funds.?

 Or alternately ,is it the intention to drag things out , with progress reports  regularly  until the end of the agreement  just to calm the multitude.?

We shall have to wait and see.

Because that's  what the majority  has decided..

We Shall See

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "He Is No Machiavellian Prince":

It is difficult to imagine the circumstance that caused the town solicitor's  to request a meeting with councillors to advise them on a matter relating to the agreement, and that he advised such meeting should be held in camera.

This from the Town Solicitor whose December 2011 report launched the present expedition. His report was clear, concise, eminently sensible, totally accurate.

It would be most interesting to have his explanation for the request

*******************

I have been remiss in using the town solicitor's name in the blog.  I will refrain from doing so in future.

Having said that,   the solicitor's responsibility  is to provide Council the benefit of  professional advice.

 I have disagreed , though not with this solicitor, about what qualifies under the Municipal Act for  in camera discussion.  I have not attended such a meeting.

For example,  I disagreed  that  a critical comment about the former Mayor that appeared on the Aurora Citizen Blog, was the   town's  business. In my view,  it did not qualify for Council discussion, in public or  in camera

It  should never  have taken place. .

On that basis, neither I nor Councillor Collins Mrakas  attended that  meeting .

The current  solicitor had  solicitor/ client advice to provide.It was  provided in camera. If Council makes a decision to waive  solicitor/ client privilege, the information could be made public.

The solicitor would be asked to advise.

The municipality's interest is foremost in a Councillor's  responsibility.  The Oath of Office compels compliance

A Councillor who puts the municipal interest  at risk in legal  terms is in Breach of Trust..

He Is No Machiavellian Prince

My home is  my grand-daughter Stephanie's home for now..  The blog type is larger with her assistance.
.
I haven't been able to watch Alison's program for some time because somehow  the plugin became disabled.

This morning  that was fixed as well.

Part of the show was about the culture centre agreement negotiations and in camera meetings relating to same, which are a puzzlement.

Everybody knows where I stand on the agreement and the" arm's- length "board of governance that sucks up three quarters of a million dollars of public resources a year and growing,  plus all they can earn in their operation. without accounting for any of it.

We tried it. It's a bust.  Money is pouring out of the treasury into the hands of people who have no sense of how inappropriate that is and don't need to give a tinker's damn. .

We have Councillors who think it's fine as well. In their judgement ,all we need to do is tweak the agreement and put a couple of councillors on board.   Councillors who have  publicly and repeatedly stated  everything the board is doing with public money is  wonderful  and they should  just keep right on doing it.

Councillor Pirri thinks it's perfectly fine for property owners  to pay  the bar bill  for  whatever brand of art and culture  is  ordered ,  when those of a fine arts  mind,  belly up to the bar to  state their preference.. 

After  I've put everything I have into a debate and Council  has made a  majority decision., there's nothing more to be said in a formal meeting. .

There are people who fancy  it means I should  forever after  hold my peace

 If  something is rotten in Denmark I'm supposed to pretend it doesn't stink.

It applies in a formal Council meeting. Majority rule is how we govern ourselves. Once the majority  has made a decision, the issue cannot be re--hashed  over and over again. . When you lose a vote you live with it.

 There is nothing in any rule book that determines a majority decision is necessarily  correct , If it turns out to be a bummer, I  recognise no requirement to deny myself the gleeful satisfaction of saying "I told you so" It's small comfort but it's all there is.
 .
So, Alison was troubled by the in camera meeting . What could we be discussing?

Mr. Mar, town solicitor, asked for the meeting to advise Councillors on a matter. related to the agreement.  It was his advice the meeting be in camera.

Mr. Mar is free to advise Council .  Since I voted against the current  arrangements I don't have a stake ..   They  will not ,under any circumstance, satisfy my concern the taxpayers of the town are being  badly shafted.  How Mr. Mar advises Councillors, whose decision it was,  is of no critical importance to me.

I will however put forward a motion  next week to waive  solicitor/client privilege on the matter to allow it to be disclosed..

We understand from a comment ,Councillor Ballard , who has an interest in maintaining the status quo because he shares responsibility for the mess, is busy coercing  the  Board Chair to state  the board was coerced  by Mayor  Dawe into agreeing to have Councillors serve on the board..

That should make an interesting dilemma for the Mayor.

His response to my  position  that we should  scupper the contract,  was " it would not be  honourable'  We must think of  the town's reputation.".

He said that to me;

 The great Gaels of Ireland,
 Whom the Gods made mad
 For all their wars are merry
 And all  their songs are sad. 

What will it take, I wonder, to make the Geoffrey mad  enough to recognise an enemy when he sees one.?

Will he have to fall on his sword, , fatally injured, before he realises  how many knives are sticking out of his political hide ?
         

Silent and Deadly Spring

The following e-mail was received yesterday . It relates to the proposed  tree-cutting bylaw discussion during the public planning meeting last week.

Dear Councillor Buck 

You did have a few questions so I just wanted to clarify, I want to assure you that we are committed to a healthy relationship with everyone living within our community and everyone at Beacon Hall wants to continue to make Beacon Hall a giving member of the Aurora community.  I also wanted to say that  the sight and sound of a tree falling is not something that we enjoy in any shape or form. We are trying to provide a wonderful golf experience that involves co-existing with nature. The club is a member of the Audubon Sanctuary Program and has been for the past seven years.

We are 270 acres of green space in the heart of Aurora, as for land use there are not many better environmental options. Where people can play in the outdoors amongst nature. The golf course is one giant oxygen producer and adsorbs carbon dioxide in the centre of the city. It cools temperatures, softens noise and prevents erosion.

Over time, some trees within the golf course have grown to overshadow greens, making it difficult to maintain high quality, resilient turf to support golf play.

The Club completed a science-based assessment to determine precisely which trees were impacting the ability to grow turf on the various tees and greens within the golf course. The study employed computer modeling and real time shade studies to identify trees that were specifically impacting turf growth. We did this internally to protect which trees did not need removal and precisely identify which ones did.

Turf requires specific ratios of sunlight, moisture, nutrition, etc. to remain in a good resilient state that can withstand the impacts of play. Consequently golf course must have the latitude to manage trees specifically and the landscape in general to ensure that they remain viable and successful businesses in the realm of the competitive golf marketplace. If the exemption was not in place and a course was for whatever reason not permitted to remove trees that grow very large over time and impact the quality or playability of the course, this in turn would directly impact the viability of the course as a business.

In today’s ever changing pesticide regulation laws, the Ministry of the Environment requires golf courses to use all turf management knowledge to reduce pesticide inputs. Adding sunlight and increasing airflow will have the single most significant reduction in pesticide use to grow and sustain turf.

I  want to thank you again and if there is anything I can provide the Town, I am more than happy to assist.

*******************

I received permission to share this e-mail .. Discussion on  the  blog about golf in general and clubs in particular  indicates  the subject is of  particular interest..

Other than the fact it was the first development proposal  combining  homes, a  golf course and at the time a fitness club, creating a wealthy exclusive neighbourhood, I know little about Beacon Hall. 

But it makes sense to me , people living there  would  have as much interest and likely  more, in maintaining the trees, as those living outside but on the edge.

I have not played golf in years but I  know a golf course is a beautiful place to be on a fine summer day.

 I know  space taken up by a course is not taken up with development. It may  not  be as  beneficial to our assessment  or employment base as other industries. but  the benefit of   huge acreages of  land  in  near to natural state more than offsets that disadvantage.

I  think few  residents of  Aurora would oppose a golf course in preference for  residential or industrial

development. People pay  a premium  for homes abutting golf courses. In the case of Beacon Hall, much of a forest was removed to create home sites for  people ow complaining about trees being culled on the golf course.

On a side issue, the province, under pressure,  passed legislation prohibiting the use of  herbicides  and insecticides  to maintain grass. and gardens.

 In time there will be no grass.Only weeds. It's already  a fact on town boulevards.

residents  will  turn to  hardscapes.  That's happening too. This  will increase heat in summer. 

 More people will use  air-conditioning and stay in their homes.Carbon dioxide  created will increase  the pollution index . The elderly and very young  will be advised to stay in their homes to escape the hazards of life outdoors.

Eventually trees will  no longer be planted. . Not because of the expense to plant but because  the rules make it too expensive and difficult to remove,  if it  happens  to die  from being attacked by a bug  that came from someplace else and has no  natural enemies. 

I am on a roll here.

How long  before  a bylaw infraction with a ten thousand dollar fine will discourage planting.  All  seedlings will be ruthlessly removed before they  can reach three  inches in diameter, birds will have  no sheltered  place  to nest, humans will have to live underground to escape suffocation from  heat and pollution and  health damage from radiation.   Lakes and rivers will dry up and  Schomberg clay  will turn to cement

If somebody hasn't made it already, no doubt it's a great theme for a horror movie. 

 I  already have  a great  selection of characters. 

 

  

.

NOT SO.. NOT SO

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Financial Statements Should be Public":


"...the general public who funds us, sees the same value as our patrons who use us?"


Mr Sesto, the "patrons" are members of "the general public" - there are not two distinct groups, but a contingent of the whole.


**********


Church Street School Board members and hangers-on continue to  have a problem discerning the difference between their clients  or patrons and  the general public of Aurora.

They are not the same.  Their clients and supporters come from miles around.


Critical  discernment  lies in  the source of funding.

During the board's challenge  to the town's authority,  Councillors received a deluge of e-mail admonitions  about our philistine attitude towards the arts .  More than half were from people who live miles away. All were from the Board's e-mail list.


If they were paying what it cost to provide the programs they were enjoying ,it would matter not a whit  where they came from.

If the costs ,covering rent, maintenance and  programs artists were being provided  by the Government of Ontario, it would not matter a whit where they came from in Ontario. 

If  all costs were being completely funded by the Government of Canada, it would not matter a whit whence from in Canada they  came to enjoy the extraordinary facility in Aurora. 

The difference is the funds are  being picked  out of the pockets of    Aurora property owners  by the Town of Aurora without as much as a by your leave . 

The contract was slyly advanced through the approval process with nary a word from  whatever source  to indicate how badly taxpayers were to be gouged and  exploited for the political advantage of less than a handful. 

Who are now gone and replaced with  a new group  intent in covering their  own posteriors  and stubbornly resolved not to deal with the reality of how Church Street School  was  shanghaied by shameless despots, thereby assigning  the new crop  the role of accessories after the fact.

Paul Sesto's calculation is only incorrect insofar as it assumes  users of  the facility are the same as those  paying taxes to fund the facility. 

They are not.

Psshaw...Pestilential Pirates , lily-livered scoundrels, betrayers of women and children,  the lot of them  

There Was A Glitch

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Here's Something":

It's post like this commenter's that fuel inaccurate information on the internet....

Golf courses can be commercial "if" they are public. If the course is a private club that charges dues, it is considered differently in the eyes of the government (not for profit non-share captial corporation). These organizations will have bylaws, boards of directors and annual meetings.

Public or semi-private courses are commercial activities.

The way the club has been incorporated dictates the structure. Each type of operation will have different taxation burdens.

I am curious as to why you want or care what the clubs pay in taxes. You have to remember the value is based on it's commercial value and in some cases these courses are not on prime land that can be used for anything else. They are also zoned for the use they have and re-zoning is not a painless exercise. I am sure they pay their good share.

Now....
Augusta National does not ban women. I was there last month at the Masters with 3 female members of my family and I saw a lot of females there. There has also been women playing the course. Duke University's golf team (men and women) have used the course in the past.

Augusta National however, does not allow a woman to be a member. Traditionally the CEO of IBM has been given a membership to the club. Given the rules of the club, they did not extend that to IBM's CEO. The real impact to golf is that IBM is a sponsor to PGA golf events. Augusta does not really care about their sponsorship however because they buy blocks of TV time and the event is shown without any commercials. Until you have been there, you can call it ignorant wisdom, but this is a place that is trying to retain values that this club was founded on. As a private club, they can do whatever they want in my opinion.

Women are not allowed to be members of the Royal and Ancient in Britain. They can however be a member and play the courses at St. Andrews (including the Old Course).

One thing that North Americans run into when attempting to play in Britain is that some courses (St Andrews included) require a validated handicap. Is that discriminating? It certainly keeps the hacks off the course.
***********

I didn't ignore the foregoing. I tried to publish it and for reasons unknown to me it wasn't happening.

So now you have it as a post with my apologies.

And thank you for a very informative comment
I just have one query. What were the values the Augusta  National  was founded on that compelled them to exclude women from membership?

Not that I want to join I'm just curious as to what "values" they might be.

I can think of many  woman situations where men might not be
welcome  or even want to be there. But I don't think I could  argue  them  as  a value principle.

Financial Statements Should be Public

At Tuesday;s Council-in-Committee meeting, I aske dfor the Culture Centre's   2011 Financial Statement to be published on the town's web site.

Provincial  regulations require municipal  annual audited financial statements to be published in a local newspaper.

Council were informed by e-mail a couple of weeks ago,  the  audited 2011 statement and reports had been received. Copies were attached. They would be scrutinized  and reported by the treasurer at an early opportunity.

I tried to reproduce them here but it was a task beyond my skills.

The web site is not the best means of communication. Not all citizens  have it available .

Anyway ,when I asked on Tuesday  for them to be posted ,it wasn't clear that would happen.

I pointed out  the operating funds come from  the town

The facility keeps being compared to the library.

The library budget which includes previous years spending and revenues is a public document. Library funds for operation are provided when needed.

The Culture Centre Board is incorporated  and separate from  the town.

Therein lies the problem.  The reason I do not  favour of a new contract with the Culture Centre Board. 

The purpose  of creating a arm's length body is to free that body from political interference.There's a tendency for politicians to give preferential treatment in the hopes of winning friends and influencing people.

That cannot be part of operating a facility  with a view to breaking even or  ending a year in the black.

The problem arises from  shoveling truck loads of money  at  the so-called arm's length body. charged with operating on a self-sufficient or even, dare we say it, on a profitable basis.

Itis a contradiction in terms.

It cannot be independent and self-sufficient while depending upon public funding which increases year by year, in  a rent-free building with  maintenance provided  at town expense.

The municipality cannot transfer  accountability for spending public dollars.

The library is different.  It is governed by a Library Board Act. It was originally established as part of the education system. It is long accepted  as a municipal service .

I do not agree the problem will be resolved with Council representation on the board.

 As board members, Councillors will act separately and independently from Council.

They will not report to Council. They will not be directed by Council.

The problem of absence of accountability will not be resolved.

Whatever it costs to operate the facility, Council must be accountable, Council must be responsible.

Ergo,,, as long as public financial support  is necessary to support the program at the school, public governance is required.   

The contract cannot be improved upon. It must be scrapped  and written off as a failed experiment.

Them's ma thoughts. As far as I know, I am solitary in this matter.

I believe my colleagues are hoping to come up with a solution that will please everybody.

I don't believe that's possible. I think it's time  to bite the bullet.

But  that's not going to happen  either so far as I can determine.

Not unless  people who are paying the bills have influence on  people who are making the decisions.

What Have We Here?

Teresa Latchford

May 02, 2012 - 2:22 PM

Newmarket's conduct code 'toothless': Kerwin

An issue between councillors shouldn’t be resolved with taxpayer dollars, according to Dave Kerwin.
The Ward 2 councillor plans to bring forward a motion at the next Newmarket council meeting to throw out a code of conduct bylaw that governs councillor-to-councillor complaints, rather than watch the 123 items council has to deal with in the next three months pushed aside because of complaints.
“If you have a problem with another member of council, figure it out yourself and don’t waste the taxpayers’ dollars,” he said. “Our code is toothless and a waste of time.”
The code of conduct was approved by council in 2007, but the first recorded complaint was early last year, according to an internal memo from CAO Bob Shelton to council members.
The memo goes onto say, to date, Mr. Shelton has been involved in one staff complaint against a council member and two complaints between council members, which have been resolved. One required a meeting during which Mr. Shelton and Mayor Tony Van Bynen were present, along with the two council members.
Residents have also filed complaints against council members, which have since been withdrawn. At one point, one of the resident complaints involved eight council members.
Upon legal advice, Mr. Shelton was unable to identify those accused or those filing the complaints.
“Although the number of complaints is relatively small, these matters require careful consideration and legal advice and other information gathering can be quite sensitive,” Mr. Shelton said.
As CAO, he admits it is difficult being asked to resolve conflicts between members of a council, to whom he directly reports. It also takes the CAO and another staff member away from completing their regular duties.
About 25 hours have been spent attending to these complaints and the municipality has paid external costs for legal advice, he confirmed.
While council continues to debate whether or not to approve the CAO’s request to bring in a third party, at a cost of $50,000, to deal with code of conduct complaints, it agreed any complaints between its members will be dealt with by council behind closed doors rather than by the CAO

**************************

So...let's see what we have here. 

Newmarket adopted a Code of Conduct in 2007. No Integrity Commissioner Considerable savings of public resources. .
 . 

Aurora had two Integrity Commissioners.  The second with a contract beyond  the term of  council.that cost $40,000. The first   on  retainer six months before the contract was signed . 

Then "stripped of authority" in  the time it took to file a complaint and have it dismissed as less than kosher.

 But the retainer fee would  continue according to the contract. Small things like that didn't disturb Aurora Council .2006/10

The second Commissioner dealt with two complaints filed at the same time by one of the same Councillors who signed the first complaint  against the same Councillor first  complained about . The two complaints  were  not dealt with  in accordance with any process  known to man but produced precisely  the  result paid for. Therefore he was  not  "stripped of his authority"

First Integrity Commissioner ''stripped of his authority" but not fast enough to invalidate hs first decision.. Which was , to find the complaint filed against the same Councillor by six  Councillors,  one of whom filed the  second two complaints, ..... "to be wholly political"
in nature.

In Newmarket,  minimal activity under the Code of Conduct.. Names of complainants and 
"accused"   mot revealed " upon legal advice."   Therefore  collateral damage against all parties avoided  

In Aurora , $70,000  spent on legal services   to  "investigate" a law abiding citizen and Councillor,  by a lawyer and for him to report what he perceived to be the meaning of comments and statements  made by said Councillor  and  write  the  complaint  against said Councillor, to be published  in every venue available.,. also at public expense.

Members of Newmarket Council should be directed to  read  this blog and steer  considerable more than the short distance between our  two towns,  away from an infernal code of conduct  and  costs thereof, including  clear and direct potential  for humiliating  results in the next  municipal election....no matter how far distant. 

Since when does any red-blooded  politician worth his or her salt need to avail themselves of  panty-waist  Codes of Conduct , Integrity Commissioners , lawyers and  publishers.

Duke it out  in the political  arena as Nature  and the Gods intended.

The populace will deplore it and exalt  it at the same time. 

Awareness  in the Town's affairs will be maintained at the highest level possible. 

Can that be bad?   .   

Stout Hearts and Willing Hands

I have a story to tell  today, so ridiculous ,itis not to be believed.

We have been discussing for several months  what to do, what to do, about the anticipated loss of ash trees from an infestation
 emerald ash beetles travelling north since 2002

They came from Korea in shipping ballets. First appeared in Chicago.No sure fire method of fighting off the invasion has been developed. Oakville , an area of consideable wealth, is trying something very expensive.

Worst case scenario,in a decade and a half in a gradual  pace  all ash trees may be destroyed.

Not all elm trees were destroyed by Dutch Elm Disease but most were.

Nobody knows for sure.But it's a blight alright.

The town's plan is to cut down  trees as they become infected and replace them with another species.


Acquire land and plant a nursery to have a supply of trees. They  would take seven years to mature.

The dreaded lurgy has already appeared in two trees in Aurora. 

The town has twenty three hundred ash trees in parks and boulevards. There is  no estimate of how many are on private property.

Council  already approved a staff  recommendation for a plan. problem .

The Financial officer'  advised no need to budget for the plan this year.  .

Last night we received a  new  option from staff at the request
of council on a motion from Councillor Abel. .

This is the part I am finding hard to believe. .

It's  presented as  pro-active .

Some  residents  might be  upset when they see the ash tree on the boulevard in front of their home is infested and must be removed.

The town is going to provide an  option.

If  the resident wants to  save  the tree in  the boulevard that belongs to the town, , the town will accept their funds  and try to save the tree.No guarantee mind you. We will  encourage them to spend their money to save our tree and if it dies....tough.

The pesky beetle is going to be around as long as there are ash trees. potential success of the effort is nil to zero.


But the town will offer it as a realistic option.

We  will add $136,000 to the 2012 budget to finance the plan.

Council , including the Mayor, voted for the plan at  committee last night.

Councillor Ballard was absent.

The recommendation will go forward to Council next Tuesday..

If passed we  will re-open the 2012 budget  and at a cost of  $136,000  we will  create an  illusion of stout hearts and willing hands.

Nobody even asked us to do it.

Half the Council will become  the darlings of the populace forever.

Kind of like the emerald ash borer

Here's Something

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Who Said Stupid ?":

So far as I know a golf course is a commercial enterprise, whether public or private.

A golf course is a multi-million dollar capital project. Apart from the course itself, most have significant club houses. These are often used to host public or private functions, dinners, weddings, etc.

Can you find out and tell your readers what the several golf courses located in Aurora pay to the town in property taxes. It would be appreciated if you could provide this information by individual golf course and at the same time indicate which are public and which private.

The major cost component in the operation of a golf course is the maintenance of the grass, especially the grass at the individual holes, the greens. This must have the texture of a fine carpet. It is generally here, putting, that a golf course offers potentially its greatest challenges to golfers.

Grass grows in sun. It does not do well in shade. Most golf courses have an abundance of trees. These add to the course challenge and are a complement to the scenic nature and attraction.

A new golf course will involve the planting of thousands of trees to supplement those already on site. As these trees grow in height and breadth they start to cast shadows over the grassy areas. There comes a time when some trees must be removed so as not to impede the growth and health of the grasses. Usually when this is done replacement trees are planted, primarily in areas where despite their ultimate mature size they are unlikely to impact the grassy areas, especially the putting greens.

When a new golf course is planned I do not know if detailed plans must be submitted to municipal or regional authorities, indicating existing and proposed tree locations. Can these authorities reject or request amendment of such tree planting?

Apart from paying substantial property tax to municipalities, golf course provide recreation for thousands of people, local residents and their guests. What would a municipality have to invest in capital and operating cost to replicate this recreation?

Men, women and children are avid golfers.

What is noteworthy is that at the Augusta National golf club for this year's Masters tournament recently concluded, women continue to be banned. It happens that one of the three major major sponsors of the tournament, IBM, a company known and recognized around the world, has recently named a woman as its CEO, Virginia Rometty. In their ignorant wisdom, the management of Augusta National decided to continue the ban on women. Ms. Rometty slunk through for a couple of hours on the last day of play.

To their credit, both President Obama and Republican presidential challenger Romney have called for an end to this archaic practice.

What is the ability of women to play golf throughout Scotland's many, and famous courses? Has enlightenment made its way to the home of the game?

As for Ms. Walmer, she continues to keep becoming an even greater pain in the ass than she was when she managed the former mayor's election campaign to inglorious defeat. Possibly the town could set aside ten acres of rolling land and have her plant trees there for the next ten years. Walmer's Wood.

Evelyn, This sentence stands out to me: "We learned golf courses are not covered by the town's bylaw. The Region has jurisdiction." At that point, the issue should be closed. If I read this correctly, no matter what you do to the bylaw is does not matter. Why are we going through this process if the bylaw is not enforceable in this case

**********

It is the essence of politics.

The last council was the ultimate in extremes. They felt they understood. They believed  satisfying the demands of the most vociferous groups and slaying  the naysayer was the formula for success. .

It is part of  politics  It's not all. The secret of success lies in the balance.

Given time they slay themselves. 

Yet sleaze is  the popular misconception. The reason politics have a bad reputation among part of the community..

 I have spent almost fifty years of my life proving .you can say no with a valid explanation and at times with gusto.

People may still disagree but  honesty always trumps.

It's my rock.

I will be true.

Who Said Stupid ?

An Anonymous Comment

Councillor Buck, When a developer wanted to build directly behind our rural property in King, we went to the town for help. The developer make adjustments to his plans to include buffering and plantings to help offset the change to our view and landscape. Although it wasn't the best scenario for us,we were satisfied that this was as much that could be done both legally and with goodwill. Sometimes a little goodwill and good sense goes a long way in remedying situations, rather than waving placards and having people take sides. Calling people stupid doesn't help either.

*********************************

A  homeowner abutting the golf course came home one day and found some trees on her property were marked  Numbers of  trees were being  cut down on the golf course.

As a matter of interest, a substantial forest had to be  cut down to provide sites for the homes.

An  e-mail came through and the homeowner was advised to come to  Council.  After a sympathetic hearing  staff  were directed to  report on the tree cutting by-law
.
We learned golf courses are not covered by the town's  bylaw. The Region has jurisdiction.

The difference is in the size of property.

Staff were directed to revise the tree-cutting bylaw.  A review had been directed previously.

Staff  did  and  the  bylaw was made more restrictive than before.

The homeowner was pleased with the attention Council gave to the problemand the improvement from her perspective.

Then Susan Walmer appeared  and scooped up the issue. At a public forum , council was informed  a town hall meeting had been scheduled and  a request was received  to direct the Parks Manager to attend the meeting to answer questions.

 Councillor Ballard  had booked the Council Chamber for the meeting.

The Parks manager was not directed to attend the meeting.

Council scheduled  the proposed tree by-law to be heard at a public planning meeting.

Susan Walmer rallied all known  tree experts  and tree lovers  to the meeting. Those who couldn't attend  sent e-mails.

The  bylaw was not adequate, they said.  The town must be  steward  of the environment. they said.  Ms.Walmer declared   the  by-law should be submitted  to the environmental advisory committee for them to advise. Because they are volunteers, they must be given their due and  their opinions  respected.

Members of a  Green-keepers  Association were present. They informed us of the nature of golf courses and what it takes to operate  the industry. The golf course is recognised by the Audubon
Society as a wild life sanctuary.

Members of the Cemetery Board were also present and asked to be exempted from the bylaw because of   time-consuming  and restrictive aspects which would make it impossible to practise  due diligence in their function.  

The original homeowner had been pleased with the town's response to  concerns.

Then it seemed  Walmer's Warriors had gained another recruit and the bylaw was deemed not to go far enough.

I doubt very much the political machinations  were understood. But there it was. The revised bylaw was not stringent enough to satisfy
those assembled to take that position.  

A resolution,. moved by Councillor Gallo,  passed by Council  was to refer the Bylaw to the Environmental  Advisory Committee.

the revised bylaw was prepared by a staff committee . Normal process is for comments to be noted, considered at a meeting of  the committee and  a new report submitted to Council.

Councillor Gallo is chairman of the  Environmental Advisory Committee and  had already declared  his support for the comments made at the meeting..

I acknowledge I  generally have a negative reaction after listening to and hour and a half  of  suggestions that  everyone connected with the town is less than qualified to make decisions. While those in the audience are supremely qualified.

Really,  it  doesn't much matter what this Council might do to satisfy a concern, when Susan Walmer is about,it will never be enough..

That is not the objective.

There was  question I did not ask at the meeting; is the tree-cutting bylaw subject to appeal to the  Ontario Municipal Board.

It is..

It's a time-consuming and extravagant process.  

The Late Garfield Wright

The problem when people buy a property overlooking a golf course is that they do not acquire the land with their view. It is owned by the golf course and subject to economic conditions as well as requiring regular servicing all summer and sometimes tree culling in the winter. It is quite clear in the residential plans. They can not suddenly claim possession. This reminds me of people who move into a rural area and then demand that the roads be paved and provided with sidewalks. Ain't going to happen

.''****

This comment reminds me of a story the late Garfield Wright told .

He was a farmer and  Reeve of East Gwillimbury, a rural township immediately north of Newmarket.

He received an irate call from a resident newly removed from the city.  The complaint was about  loss of water service.

"No water in the taps" What the hell is going on?"

Garfield  politely asked him a couple of questions and directed him to a  silent black object in a corner of the  basement and identified it as the pump ,connected to  the well  that supplied  the house with water. It had blown a fuse.

The city slicker had  bought  a house in the country without  any idea that urban services were unlikely miles into the country on a dirt road.

I heard Garfield tell  that story a number of times. It never failed to get a hearty chuckle.

A  favourite saying   "like my old Dad used to say; if you're so smart ....why ain't you rich? "

Another way of saying it could be ...You're so rich, why aren't you smart ?

Garfield Wright was  appointed the  first Chairman of  York Region  by the Province  of Ontario.

Life's frustrations...Large And Small

Every day I spend a little time trying to move this window down...
ever so slightly. It is sufficiently high to almost obscure the tool bar.

I don't use the tool bar very often. Less since I repeatedly failed  to enlarge the type that appears in my blog. Everyone tells me it's normal.

It's half the size I'm looking at now and  that doesn't seem normal to me.

I need my glasses to read it.

It's just another one of life's little frustrations.

Council passed  two  resolutions in September 2011.  One to review the sign bylaw and another to review application fees for adaptive re-use of property from residential. Fees are $20,thousand for as little sometimes as 3 or 4 hundred square feet. 

The only thing that happened with the sign bylaw was the Chamber of Commerce was asked for input.

At first I heard Chamber  members were  eager to comment. But then they didn't..

This week, we received a memo saying fifteen members had been polled and  no concerns about the sign bylaw were expressed.  Also they needed a copy of the bylaw  to understand it.

It is  seven months since Council passed the resolutions.

A resolution was passed to review  traffic calming  in the north west quadrant. It was  first recommended  we pay a consultant $5.thousand to carry out the review. The same consultant as planned the project. His familiarity was deemed to be helpful.

Council changed that. 

A number of powerful concerns have been expressed to Council and no doubt  individual Councillors have received e-mails also as I have.

As yet no progress report.

A  resolution was passed at budget  in 2011 to direct terms of reference be prepared for a curator responsible for "organizing  the museum collection and providing leadership and guidance to volunteers "  $100.000 was included in  the budget for the position. .
It never happened. In 2012, the funds was taken out of the budget

The Mayor and CAO had meetings with the Historical Society and recommended something that will take twelve months to realize.
 
 A report on mattes pending  is presented to Council on a regular  basis. 

The report used to be long' replete  with verbal  notices of motion by Councillors that never came to anything. .

A new rule was put in place with review of the procedure bylaw. . 

Councillors are now required to file a notice of motion in writing at a Council meeting  and present the motion at  the next council meeting, a month distant.

It's like what I think it would be like swimming in molasses.

Months go by  and nothing. happens.....nil...nada...zilch and zero.

Just another one of life's frustrations....not so little.