Monthly Meeting
April 7, 1997
ATTENDEES
- Fred McLennan, President
- Alan Asselstine, Vice-President, Treasurer
- Peter Vasdi, Memberships
- Ken Donnelley, Community Development
- Bill Royds, Director
- Art Miskew, Director
- Anne Brandel, SOGRAT
- Wendy Stewart, RMOC councillor
- Karin Howard, City Ward 0T8 councillor
- Gisèle Loiselle-Branch
- Jan Duncan, The News
- Mike Woodley, Peace and Environment Resource
KEY ISSUES
The following summarizes the issues discussed at the 7 Apr 97 meeting of the Hunt Club Community Organization (HCCO) at the Hunt Club Riverside Community Centre (HCRCC).
Regional Councillor, Wendy Stewart, reported on the following:
- Traffic lights at Hunt Club and Paul Anka. Local businesses and residents have requested lights. RMOC plans to test traffic and accumulate statistics.
- Enforcement of traffic regulations on the Airport Parkway. For a period of time after the Region took over the Parkway, the traffic regulations established by the federal government were not being enf orced. Now, however, the Region has resumed the policing of this route and will enforce regulations (such as no U turns). Also, trucks will not be allowed on the Parkway until bridges and other elements of the route are upgraded to meet safety standards for such vehicles.
- Crime prevention conference to be held evening of 23 Apr, and all day 24 Apr. Objective is to enable communities to develop action plans to deal with crime. For information, call Erik Bunkis.
- On 17 Mar, Wendy was elected to chair Conservation Ontario, which is an association of Ontario’s 38 conservation authorities. Focus is watershed management.
- Regional Official Plan draft (see below).
- Airport Parkway/Hunt Club Rd. interchange (see below).
- Provincial/municipal transition team. Impact of the changing government structure (see below).
- Bill 106, Fair Municipal Finance Act, 1997 (see below).
- Call Wendy’s office for more information.
City Ward 0T8 Councillor, Karin Howard, reported on the following:
- Town hall meeting on local government reform held 24 Feb summarized in a Record of Proceedings (available to public upon request).
- New zoning bylaw. Deliberations to take place 14-15 Apr.
- Spring cleaning the capital, to take place 5-11 May. City will provide bags, gloves, and hints to groups of 5 or more who officially register cleanup projects. Call Ken Donnelley for information.
- Hunt Club Riverside Community Centre (HCRCC). Any improvements to the centre should not have to wait for results from the HC Neighborhood Plan.
- Mooney’s Bay Ward council (see below).
- Hunt Club Neighborhood Plan (see below).
- Health Services restructuring commission (see below).
- Private property significant tree designation (see below).
- For city-related issues, call Karin’s office.
Regional Official Plan review:
- Deadline for comments is 25 Apr.
- Schedule: 20, 21, 22 May – Formal public meeting; 2, 3, 4 Jun – RMOC committees consider the draft OP; July – Council adopts OP and approves Master Plans. Documents available on request.
- Call Wendy’s office for more information.Airport Parkway/Hunt Club Rd. interchange:
- Process to build crossing over Cahill tributary to Sawmill creek (prior to constructing the northbound ramp) has begun. Public comment on preliminary recommended solution is being received until 20 Apr. A 30-day public and agency review period will be announced in Apr.
- Call the project manager, Neil Stout, at 560-1223, ext. 1289, for more information.
Impact of the changing government structure:
- Ontario is downloading (to the municipalities) a number of responsibilities (and costs) that they previously administered.
- Aging population must be protected into the future.
- If municipalities have more responsibilities, then could the Province also give them greater authority in taxing.
- If Province believes that workfare and their changes to welfare will create a better future, then perhaps the Province should either continue administering these or share the policy-making with the municipalities.
- More efficient use of existing school buildings.
- Some new Canadians have limited education and need help to get off welfare.
- Call Wendy’s office for more information.
Bill 106, Fair Municipal Finance Act, 1997
- Will change the current system of property taxation in Ontario and increase the responsibility of RMOC re municipal property taxation beginning 1st quarter 1998.
- Properties to be assessed based on current value as of 30 Jun 1996.
- No more business occupancy tax.
- Municipalities will need to recover business tax revenues.
- Municipalities to be empowered to levy different tax rates against different classes of property, based on Provincial guidelines.
- Call Wendy’s office for more information.
Mooney’s Bay Ward council:
- 2nd meeting of held 1 Apr, and established its mandate. Paul Greer elected as chairperson, Mary Sardelis as (temporary) secretary.
- Next meeting scheduled for 27 May at 7:30pm at Carleton Heights Community Centre on 1665 Appledoorn Ave. Public is welcome and encouraged to come.
- Question about value of this council. Value is to coordinate between community associations on things that effect neighboring community associations: HCCO and Gloucester, Windsor Park, Elizabeth Park, Blossom Park , etc. Existing ward boundaries do not effect communities. Enables City to receive input from several communities on city-wide policy that impacts several communities at once.
- Call Bill Royds for more information.
Health Services restructuring commission:
- Riverside Hospital to be closed.
- Deadline for public comment was 8 Apr.
- Costing of options and technical report not yet complete.
- Call Karin Howard for more information.
Private property significant tree designation:
- City Dept. of Planning, Economic Development and Housing is working on a policy to preserve significant trees on private property.
- Final report due in fall.
- Call Pierre Lacroix for more information.
Hunt Club Neighborhood Plan:
- Initial open house to public scheduled for late May 97.
- Next Public Advisory Committee (PAC) meeting to at 6pm on 14 May at City Hall.
- Representatives from Hydro and NCC attended last meeting on 26 Mar.
- Call Christine Creighton for more information.
Passed a motion to support Fairhaven Cooperative Community Association in their efforts to prevent the rezoning of Montfort Woods from public to residential. Asked K. Howard to take this motion to city council meeting dealing with this issue. Call Bill Royds at 733-7727 for more information.
Security check policy for city partners. All people running city facilities should insist that people employed to help them undergo a security check. This may, however, double the cost of running city facilities. Call Bill Royds at 733-7727 for more information.
Protecting disappearing woodlands and our green spaces:
- Bill Royds attended the Greenspace conference:
- Were able to convince people to put City greenway corridors into regional plan, which weren’t there before. Prior, the regional plan just indicated city areas as urban, and didn’t separately also include the green corridors as green.
- Wendy Stewart was there and agreed with the motion.
- New meeting on 26 Apr at 111 Lisgar. from 9-12, registration 8:45 am. Land use transportation and greenspace.
- Call Bill Royds for more information.
Cleaning up Hunt Club Creek:
- A stewardship committee has been set up to preserve and enhance the Creek.
- Call Jim Dempsey for more information.
Other issues discussed:
- Liability insurance payment has gone up by $28 to $378 and moved to accept this.
- Bill from Hunt Club News for a notice $72 was approved.
- FCA meeting on 21 April to be attended by Bill Royds.
- Try to motivate people in the community, who are not working, to maintain their neighborhood. Perhaps City could initiate a program to promote or pay for this.
- Rekindle pride in community.
- OC Transpo has vans replacing low-volume routes holding 6-7 people.
Next HCCO meeting to be held Mon 5 May 97 at 7:30 p.m. at the Hunt Club Riverside Community Centre at the corner of Paul Anka and McCarthy. Anyone is welcome. Call Fred McLennan at 521-0682 for more information.