Monthly Archives: January 2012

Train Wars – Canadian Business Magazine Article

30 Monday Jan 2012

Posted by in Parry Sound, Safety, Train

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There is an interesting article in Canadian Business Magazine dated January 19th, available here, that offers some interesting insight into the Canadian/North American railroad business. Nominally the article is about the battle between CP investors, CP and CN about the possibility that Hunter Harrison, the former CEO of CN, will come out of retirement to head up CP. Apparently CP is in need of a ‘turn around’ according to an activist investor, and they feel former CN CEO Harrison is the guy to get it done based on his earlier ‘success’ at CN.

What caught my eye though were the comments related to rail safety. Apparently CP is a laggard in the area of profit, but a leader in the area of rail safety. The article noted that ” While CP may be the least efficient railroad on the continent, the U.S. Federal Railroad Administration has named it the safest Class 1 railroad in North America 11 of the last 13 years.”

While there may be a correlation between relatively low profit levels and higher safety performance there is no hard evidence to support a causal relationship. But a further comment in the article may cause some of us who have CN and CP trains running through town to worry about the adoption by CP of some CN business practices.

“And safety is one of the few areas that actually suffered at CN under Harrison’s control. The Cheakamus River near Squamish, B.C., for one, is nearing the end of a decade-long, $5.3-million restoration plan after a CN train derailed on the site in 2005, spilling over 40,000 litres of caustic soda. Among other incidents, a derailment caused a forest fire in Wisconsin, and 800,000 litres of heavy oil gushed into Lake Wabamun, west of Edmonton. This last offence earned CN a $1.4-million fine and the Alberta government’s insistence that CN update its emergency response system to industry standards.”

Most business observers are watching the battle to see who wins and whether Hunter Harrison can turn around the company if the CP investors win their battle with the board and CN. Some of us though will be watching and wondering if the ascension of Hunter Harrison to the leadership of CP means we will be facing an increased risk of human, property and environmental disaster.

It has been said that when two nations go to war it is the civilians that suffer the most. Let’s hope it’s not the same for the people and communities that bear the burden of rail traffic in this country.

For those of you interested in rail related issues, for or against, are urged to check out a well written and balanced blog, railandreason.com. It’s one of my regular reads and, in my opinion, an important resource for anybody interested in understanding the issues.

Salvation Army – Letter to the Editor

28 Saturday Jan 2012

Posted by in Parry Sound, Suggestions

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My letter to the editor concerning the Salvation Army’s challenges dealing with the junk dropped on their premises was published yesterday in the Beacon Star. Here’s a link to the letter as well as a front page article reporting on the same issue.

I won’t repeat my arguments here but I’ll offer a little more information regarding my perspective. I tried to keep the letter short, well sort of, and didn’t go into some related issues that others have raised. I suggest you read the letter to get some perspective on the comments that follow.

1. Yes some of the junk is surely being dumped by people outside of Parry Sound. But that’s a problem not ‘fixable’ by Parry Sound council and staff, at least not until we take care of our part of the problem. At that point we can ask surrounding communities to address their part of the problem.

2. We need to remember that the garbage disposal rules and regulations are intended to benefit the community, not be a punishment or torture. If as a community we need more service we need to ask for it. It may imply a higher cost, but on balance that may be worth the price. I’m in no position to judge whether this is something Parry Sound should consider, but it is obvious from the challenges faced by the Salvation Army that disposing of garbage is an issue for at least some people in our community.

3. Yes some people may ‘abuse’ the system. The strict limits on how much garbage can be set at the curb weekly is intended to limit the amount of waste and the cost. I’m not suggesting we raise the two bag (items?) limit, rather I’d like to see some flexibility on what is picked up. If the town doesn’t arrange to have the garbage picked up it will be dumped – at the Salvation Army, a ditch or in a municipal garbage pail. Garbage doesn’t disappear, it get’s hidden. And unless Parry Sound becomes a ‘transfer station’ for garbage, that is people ‘smuggle’ garbage into town to dispose of it, we are only likely to be taking care of our own mess. Abuse of the system shouldn’t be too hard to detect.

4. Having once or twice yearly pickup of larger items could be a real help to people in clearing out their junk. At best it makes for tidier homes, at worse it stimulates people to dump something old and get something new. And I will bet that people will be happy to dispose of old electronics they are unable to ‘carry’ or ‘cart’ to the transfer station’s e-recycling bin. That old 75 pound TV perhaps?

5. We need to acknowledge that the Salvation Army does reduce the town’s garbage by recycling items that are no longer needed and others can use. There are many people downsizing their homes, or dealing with an estate, who are more than happy to see items are passed on to those who can use them. If not for the Salvation Army what would people do? I suspect much of it would end up in the garbage and that’s not good for the town or the environment, especially when there are others who could use the items.

About the Salvation Army; they and a number of other organizations provide valuable support to the Town of Parry Sound. Let’s not make their job any more difficult by requiring them to become experts in garbage disposal.

Parry Sound – a Little Bigger?

25 Wednesday Jan 2012

Posted by in Parry Sound, Seguin Township, Town Council

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There was welcome news from the Parry Sound town office this morning a press release announcing that Seguin Township and the Town of Parry Sound (TOPS) agreed to a “boundary adjustment” that will result in some 132 hectares (326 acres or 5.7 million square feet) being added to TOPS. The agreement is subject to the agreement of the affected landowners.

This seems to be a win-win-win. Parry Sound has a little more room to grow and expand its tax base. Seguin no longer has a responsibility to service a very remote part of the township that really was dependent on Parry Sound for any future development. And it means that Seguin will not be responsible for costs related to any rail crossing upgrades required at the Parry Sound Drive / CN intersection. A little less cost, fewer taxpayers requesting service in a remote part of the township, and the goodwill of Parry Sound makes it a win on the Seguin side.

The property owners should also be happy. TOPS has committed to extending Parry Sound Drive through to Oastler Drive (Old Hwy 69), which means there will be the prospect of development and higher land prices. As it now stands the property to be annexed is basically an island in the middle of nowhere, with little possibility of future services and road access as part of Seguin.

And with the extension of Parry Sound Road there will be additional road access to the West Parry Sound Health Centre. With time there may even be a little less traffic on Bowes Street.

Let’s wait to see if the agreement goes through before we start congratulating TOPS and Seguin. But if and when the agreement is finalized we need to acknowledge the foresight shown by all of the parties, in the case of Parry Sound we need to thank our mayor, councilors and staff.

A great start to 2012.

The TOPS press release at their website is available here. I’ve posted a separate copy here if you have any trouble getting it through the town’s website. I’ve also taken a snapshot of Google Maps for the impacted area that provides a little more detail than the map in the press release.

Music a la Carte – Rdio.com

23 Monday Jan 2012

Posted by in Sounds, Suggestions

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It’s not often you come across a service good enough that you want recommend it to others. I have found one – Rdio.com.

This is an online music service, available in Canada, that provides access to almost all music over the past 50 years. There are some exceptions, you won’t find the Beatles or Led Zeppelin, but they have the full catalogue of the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd and almost all of the artists from the last 50 years. They have lots and lots of jazz, rap, punk and rock. Name the genre and they have it. You are able to play the full album, it’s not a song here and a song there. Unlike Pandora, USA only, you select everything you want to listen to.

The cost is about $6 per month for unlimited streaming. For $11 per month you can also get it on your mobile phone. The quality is good, about 192 kbps. Most of what you listen to on any type of mobile device is probably around 128 kbps, and the better quality downloads from iTunes are 256 kbps. In real terms it sounds great.

At 192 kbps or so an average album takes 60 MB of data. For the average Cogeco cable customer with 80 GB per month you could listen to about 1,000 albums per month and still not be over your limit.

I highly recommend you give it a try if you like music. I’m using Rdio.com to go back and catch up on the music I missed while building a career and raising a family. There was not much extra time or money to buy the albums that were popular at the time. And of course just a decade ago a CD cost $15 or so, and there was almost nowhere you could listen to a full album before you bought it.

In case you are wondering I am not receiving any type of commission or reward for promoting Rdio.com. It’s good and it a great value. Enjoy it while you can, I suspect that there will be limits placed on what you can hear and how much it costs in the years to come. But at this price it’s never too early to discover some great music.

From time-to-time I’ll point out some of my recent discoveries, or rediscoveries. Right now I’m enjoying the Moby and Kraftwerk catalogue. There are many hours of listening pleasure ahead of me. and not so long ago I listened to the CTI collection of jazz from the 60′s and 70′s featuring artists like Freddie Hubbard, Stanley Turrentine and Ron Carter.

Council Meeting Summary – 2012-01-17

21 Saturday Jan 2012

Posted by in Parry Sound, Suggestions, Town Council

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This post summarizes the discussion and decisions arising from the January 17th Regular Council Meeting. As usual there were only a handful of people in attendance, mostly those who had items of personal or business interest on the evening’s agenda.

For those of you who did not attend the regular meeting of council on the 17th there was no chance to catch it the next day on cable. Cogeco wasn’t there, nor was the North Star, perhaps because of the weather. The Moose-FM was the only media present and at one point the Mayor looked to James King of the Moose for help in getting out the message regarding council’s change in the viewing options for the BOCC when he realized there was no other way for town residents to be so informed. So the question is: if Council makes a decision and it isn’t picked up by the local media does anyone know about it? This reinforces how important it is for more Parry Sound residents to attend the meetings and see what is happening, as it happens.

There really needs to be some attention paid to recording the proceedings of council and retaining them for public review. Cogeco may be ‘free’ but it is not dependable, and there does not appear to be any attempt by the Town to archive these video recordings. Ask to review the proceedings of a meeting last year, or read a transcript, and you will be told it’s not available. The decisions made by council can be significant and the meeting minutes capture little of the discussion and the subtleties of the decisions.

Get involved and understand the issues. We have a mayor, councilors and town staff that are smart and concerned, but they can benefit from our informed input. Get to know the issues and provide your thoughts with a call, a letter, an email or a deputation. There are more important issues than potholes that council deals with on a weekly basis. Get to know what they are.

Interesting and Notable Agenda Items

Item 9.3.1 requesting budget approval for EMS was approved. The total is $7.8 million for 2012. The EMS Advisory Committee recommended a 9.9% increase in the EMS levy for the year. Parry Sound covers only a small amount of this district wide expense.

Item 9.5.1 requesting an extension of the free dumping of charitable waste for the Salvation army was approved. This is a very reasonable accommodation for an organization that contributes much to the community. Their problem seems less an issue of an inability to manage their operation to reduce ‘garbage’ than it is the actions of in-town and out-of-town individuals using the Salvation Army store as a dumping ground for their garbage. I suspect that some of the garbage, furniture and similar items unsuitable for resale or refurbishing, is coming from communities that do not have transfer station facilities. For those in town, it costs only a few dollars to use the Parry Sound transfer facility, and if you wait for free dump day it costs nothing. There may be some merit in the town considering curbside pick up of large items for free disposal once or twice a year. Yes it would cost the town a little but it would make things easier for the Salvation Army and tidy up our community. Not everyone has the resources to bring items to the transfer station on free dump day. This really is a town and regional problem more than a Salvation Army problem. The extension is a bandage, let’s see how council proposes to help in the longer term.

Items 10.4.1, 10.4.2 and 10.4.3 relating to rezoning applications that were the subject of open meetings in December were approved. No surprises here, and from my point of view the decisions seem reasonable in the context of the requests and the town’s strategic plan.

Here’s a link to the official minutes of the council meeting. There was more agreed at the meeting than I have covered that’s worth taking a look at. I’ll start compiling the minutes as we get through a couple more meetings.

One non-agenda item as noted earlier was the agreement of council to allow people attending the BOCC to view games from the rooms above the rink whenever the rooms were not being rented out. This is a simple way to provide more comfort for spectators until the heating issue in the arena area is sorted out.

Pre-Budget Meeting Summary – 2012-01-16

19 Thursday Jan 2012

Posted by in Budget/Financial, Parry Sound, Town Council

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This post summarizes the discussion and decisions arising from the Special Council Meeting of January 16th related to a preliminary review of the 2012 budget. As usual there were very few people in attendance at both meetings but it was good to see the Citizen’s Finance Committee in attendance on Monday night with their preliminary budgets in hand.

Unfortunately there will be little information made available to the residents of Parry Sound concerning the meeting. The meeting wasn’t recorded and none of the local media were in attendance. And the meeting minutes posted on the web site list only the agenda items and a roll call of those in attendance.

There really needs to be some attention paid to recording the proceedings of council and retaining them for public viewing. Cogeco may be ‘free’ but it does not dependably record all public council meetings, and there does not appear to be any attempt by the Town to archive these video recordings. The decisions made by council can be significant and the meeting minutes capture little of the discussion and the subtleties of the decisions.

Discussion Notes and Decisions – Pre-Budget Meeting, January 16th

This was a three hour plus review of the pre-budget items for 2012. There was lots of interesting discussion that included staff and council, too much to summarize in this short posting. But it’s worth noting there is a $1.8 million gap between what has been requested and the projected town income, so there will need to be some tough decisions made on what is, and what is not, a priority.

As an aside it was interesting to see how council members reacted to the various line items in the budget. In some cases there was heated discussion over a line item costing only a couple of thousand dollars, while in other cases line items costing tens of thousands were passed over without a word. My sense is that some decisions were telegraphed by the nature of the discussion. The apparently trivial items that received what seemed to be too much attention probably were items that were going to be approved eventually and people were starting to establish their position on exactly how much should be spent for these line items. In the case of the much larger line items that received no comment (one councilor snoozed through a budget request he promotes) it was apparent that these items had no chance of eventual approval and were just ignored. And the really large budget items, like a new ladder truck at $1.3 million, seemed to receive little attention as there was perhaps a general sense that approval was inevitable and there was too little information to even try and shave the costs.

This is a meeting well worth attending. The next budget review will be February 16th at 6:00 PM in the TOPS council Chambers and some decisions will need to be made at that time. If you have things you would like to see council approve in the 2012 budget you need to reach out to council, or perhaps members of the Citizen’s Finance Committee.  There is no opportunity to participate in the discussions at the meetings although it is possible to make a deputation prior to the meeting on any item that will discussed. Copies of  the pre-budget are available to the public, contact town hall if you would like to see a copy.

 

TOPS Council Agenda Preview – 2012-01-17

15 Sunday Jan 2012

Posted by in Parry Sound

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The upcoming Council meeting on the 17th seems to cover no particularly controversial subjects. The bigger issues as noted below include a very large budget approval request for Emergency Medical Services and some rezoning applications.

Reading the agenda package and comments of staff I am reminded that the Town has no control over blasting, it’s a federal mater. So much like the railways anyone licensed to blast apparently can do whatever they want so long as they don’t run afoul of federal regulations. But of course, do the Feds really keep an eye on this? I guess they respond to complaints, but that of course is after the fact.

There is a Special Council Meeting on Monday, the 16th starting at 6:00 PM, to review budget issues. It’s open to the public.

Interesting and Notable Agenda Items

Items 9.3.1 requests budget approval for EMS. The total is $7.8 million for 2012. The EMS Advisory Committee recommends a 9.9% increase in the EMS levy for the year. Parry Sound covers a small amount of this total.

Items 10.4.1, 10.4.2 and 10.4.3 relate to rezoning applications that were subject to open meetings in December. It seems TOPS staff is recommending approval of the requests with some relatively minor conditions attached. It seems to me that most rezoning applications are likely to be recommended by town staff if they provide for community infill without being too objectionable. This is part of the town’s approved strategy to increase density and expand the tax base. This may upset some but it appears to be necessary to move the community forward.

Suggestions for attending Council meetings and letting your voice be heard.

1. The meeting starts at 7:00 sharp. You don’t need to attend the full meeting. There are no breaks, but people regularly slip out of the meeting after their subject of interest is discussed.
2. If you want to present your point of view on any subject there is an opportunity to present a deputation at the start of the meeting. Mayor McGarvey asks the public if they wish to make a deputation at that time. This is the only opportunity at the meeting to express your opinion, even for a topic that is to be discussed later. There is no opportunity to express an opinion once the deputation portion of the meeting passes. There is also no intermission, or recess, where you can speak to a Council member. If you want to discuss something, or express your opinion, you need to do it at the beginning of the meeting.
3. You may also present your position on any town related issue even if it is not on the Council’s agenda. To do this you need to schedule your presentation at least a week before the next Council meeting so that it can be included in the agenda and Council members have an opportunity to review any materials you will be presenting. The person to contact about your presentation is Ms. Jackie Boggs, Deputy Clerk, EA to the CAO and Deputy Treasurer. She can be reach at the town office, 705/746-2101. Shorter, more informal presentations can usually be made as part of the Deputations portion of the meeting.
4. Town Council meetings are pleasant and informal, with the understanding that the audience can only provide their input prior to the meeting, or during the Deputations portion of the meeting.
5. Council meetings are a good opportunity to meet and speak with the Parry Sound local media. The North Star and Moose-FM are always present and happy to speak with those attending the meeting.

I hope this helps. See you at the meeting.

Mayor’s Levee – Some Thoughts

09 Monday Jan 2012

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The annual New Year Mayor’s Levee held at the Legion Hall was well attended and there surely will be coverage of the event in the local media. It was good to be reminded of the steps forward taken by the Town of Parry Sound in the past year. Much of the credit for these steps, particularly the big steps, should be shared with past councils. What was completed in 2011 in many cases started much earlier. That is not to take anything away from the current council as many served on earlier councils and the current group managed to get things over the finish line.

What I did miss in the Mayor’s presentation was a glimpse of what we can expect in 2012 and beyond. The mayor and council need to show they are capable of doing more than manage, they need to show they can lead. The same goes for town staff. Although not elected, a good town staff in partnership with council, committees and tax payers, can lead the town to new opportunities and improve the quality of life for all.

And let’s not lean too heavily on committees to suggest and lead the town as it enters 2012. I am reminded of an old saying “a camel is a horse designed by a committee”. This is the time for leadership. Who will lead, and where are we headed? If the mayor, council and staff focus only on managing we will enter 2013 much where we left 2011.

2011 – Parry Sound Council Minutes Compilation

08 Sunday Jan 2012

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With the start of the new year it’s possible to compile all of the Town of Parry Sound Council minutes for 2011. This Adobe Acrobat (PDF) document includes all of the published Council minutes for 2011 in a single file that is simple to search using the standard Acrobat search tools available in the free version of Acrobat.

Want to know what Council decided regarding roads or streets in 2011? Just enter the keyword ‘street’ in the search box and all mentions can be tabbed through. After that search using the keyword ‘road’ and you should have access to all of the reported information. In addition to topic, you can search for by the name of anyone who presented to Council or was a member of town council or staff and participated in a town meeting.

Here is the link to the 2011 minutes as well as the council minutes for 2008 through 2010.

TOPS Council minutes 2011

TOPS Council minutes 2010

TOPS Council minutes 2009

TOPS Council minutes 2008

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