Official Plan Amendment and Rezoning:
3735-55, 3860 Riverside Drive, 3750 Bowesville Road
The City=s intention
was to remove the Official Plan designation for this area which
currently exists as a Secondary Employment Centre; the subject
properties would also be designated as Residential. The zoning
in this case was not altered from CE-Employment Centre to CG2-General
Commercial. In addition, the parking caps were increased to permit
extra parking on site, in light of the following factors:
The increase outlined above will ensure that a secondary employment
node is possible for the area. The issue went to Planning and
Economic Development Committee September 29, 1998, where it passed.
It is expected to clear Council.
McCarthy Road Sidewalk Construction
Further to the information supplied in last month=s
newsletter, I am pleased to report that construction is presently
in full swing, and the project is expected to be entirely complete
by mid-October. Mr. John Bradley is the contact at the City who
is responsible for overseeing this endeavour, and any questions
pertaining to the logistics of the matter may be directed to him
at (613) 244-5300, ext. 3385. At last, residents may rest assured
that children travelling to and from school will have a safe route
to take along this road.
Proposed Microcell Connexions PCS Antenna
Installation
A constituent alerted me to a proposal that could affect residents
in the McCarthy Road/Southmore Drive area. Upon further investigation,
I learned that Microcell is in the process of entering into an
agreement with Ontario Hydro that would provide for the installation
of PCS antennae on, and a 10" by 10" equipment shelter
at the base of, an existing hydro tower immediately west of McCarthy
Road. I have been in touch with Novatech, the company representing
Microcell, and have been furnished with the following information
relating to the proposed installation:
After reviewing the materials presented, I have no reason to believe
that this addition will negatively affect the community; indeed,
the constituent who advised me of this potential problem has himself
been in contact with Novatech and is satisfied that this will
not be cause for concern. Nevertheless, I am keen to hear your
views on the issue and will attempt to address or resolve any
difficulties brought to my attention.
Council approved Iogen=s
application to expand its ethanol research facilities. Circulation
of the proposed site plan was done during the summer, therefore
the documents were drawn to President Fred McLennan=s
attention and I suggested that a public meeting be held, but there
seemed to be no public concern. Some Quinterra Riverwood residents
were also solicited at random for comment. An article on this
matter in AThe News@
elicited no negative responses from residents.
I have recently reactivated the group which met to discuss the
City Budget last year. Since our CUPE 503 labour arbitration award
has been resolved (with a significant impact on our 1999 Budget),
staff have been able to make recommendations to Council via Policy,
Priorities and Budgeting Committee on Thursday, October 1st,
1998. The following reports were provided by staff and forwarded
to members of the Budget group, in advance, for comment:
Those of you who wish to be involved in the City budget process
should contact me. You will be pleased to know that staff recognize
that this budget should be much easier than last year=s
budget. We have taken the difficult cuts and can maintain the
status quo in the 1998 budget with no tax increases and no staff
lay-offs or new debts incurred, provided Council does not launch
into any new construction projects or other new expenditures.
City Treasurer Mona Monkman has informed us that we are the only
municipality in the province to meet our provincial budget pressures
in the first year. The recommended Capital Budget spending for
1999 has been kept to $30.8 million, despite departmental requests
to spend $56.9 million. Thanks to last year=s
tough decision-making, the City has achieved a new level of stability
for both City employees and taxpayers.
The 1998 tax bills were all sent out within the last month. Because
many bills will be higher than in 1997, two partial remedies have
been put into effect. First, the Province has provided a grant
of possibly one-time funds to offset the increase in the education
portion of our taxes. This is identified as the AProvincial
Downloading Adjustment@
on your bill. Second, the City decided to defer the due date of
two thirds of your tax increase, if any. This deferral is called
the APhase-In Adjustment@
on your bill. You will be able find answers to many common questions
asked about taxes in the brochure sent out with your tax bill.
Alyson Instance can be contacted directly (at 244-5300, ext. 3946)
to send you any one of the following types of information to help
you with your taxes:
Ward 8 NCC Greenspace Designations for Dogs-in-Parks
The following open spaces owned by the NCC have been designated
as suitable for ADogs
on Leash@:
Listed below are lands owned by the NCC that have been established
as appropriate for walking dogs off-leash (designation known as
ADogs under Control@)
* In part; designation will change by area
Please note that dogs are not allowed at all at the Hog=s Back Park Concession area or at the Vincent Massey Park Picnic grounds.