Parry Sounds ~ Ideas and Opinions, In and Around Parry Sound

A day late, and a dollar short seems to be one of the more obvious themes of this week’s council package. Two letters to Council offer support for fluoridation of the water, authored by former mayor of Parry Sound and a former professor of medicine. And continuing with the too late theme the Parry Sound and Area Chamber of Commerce is requesting financial support for the Chamber in the Town of Parry Sound 2016 Budget. Better luck in the future; the Fluoridation issue and the 2016 Budget were both decided last month. Also interesting is a letter from two town residents wondering why the fluoride isn’t already out of the water. Folks – please pay attention to the proceedings of Council. The Town doesn’t try to make it difficult, but you still need to be paying attention.

The Library is also at the short end of the budget, by about $5,000, because their budget was not received prior to the Town’s 2016 Budget discussion and decision. Parry Sound moved very quickly with their budget this year which seems to have caught many by surprise. The Library has been advised to provide their budget to the Town no later than November 1^st going forward.

Correspondence

4.1 – Dr. James Little, M.A., M.D., F.R.C.P.(C), F.A.H.A., Professor Emeritus. Re: Letter supporting fluoride in the Town’s drinking water. Is in agreement with the Dr. Chirico’s advice to continue fluoridation of the Town’s drinking water.

4.2 – Wendall Fisher, Chair, Parry Sound Area Active Transportation. Re: Letter regarding William Street reconstruction. Requesting that there be additional strategies regarding the proposed bike lanes as they will not be physically separate from 50 kph traffic going by. Would also like their group to be part of the consultation process for street infrastructure renewal projects.

4.3 – Hans A. Rothmueller and Dorothea G. Simonyi. Re: Letter supporting the removal of fluoride from the Town’s drinking water. Want to know why Council has not taken any action.

4.5 – Richard Adams. Re: Letter supporting fluoride in the Town’s drinking water. Concerns with the removal of it.

Deputations

5.1 – Gail Burrows, President, Parry Sound Area Chamber of Commerce. Re: Update on Chamber activities and annual contribution request.

Resolutions and Direction to Staff

9.1.1 – 2015 Water System Summary Report. Resolution. Whereas the Town of Parry Sound owns and operates the Parry Sound Drinking Water System (M.O.E. Designation Number 2200000585) which has been categorized as a “Large Residential” Drinking Water System, and Whereas Ontario Regulation 170-03 (as amended) under the Safe Drinking Water Act requires, according to “Schedule 22 Summary Reports for Municipalities” that all large Municipal Residential Drinking water systems have a report prepared no later than March 31st of each year addressing the items detailed in the Regulation and is given to the members of Council in the case of a drinking water system owned by a municipality; Therefore, be it resolved that Council of the Town of Parry Sound hereby acknowledges receipt of the report titled: “Town of Parry Sound Tony Agnello Water Treatment Plan, Large Municipal Residential Drinking Water System Summary Report 2015”, as prepared by Kyle Hall, Manager of Water Systems.

9.2.3 – 114 Bowes Street – Sign Variance Application. Resolution. That the Chief Building Official is authorized to issue a permit for a second standard sign at 114 Bowes St., according to Schedule “A” attached; and That the permit shall expire Dec. 31, 2020. Nothing to see here, just keep moving 😉

9.2.4 – 71 Bowes Street – Sign Variance Application – to two Bay Street. Resolution. That the Chief Building Official is authorized to issue a permit for a large facia sign at 71 Bowes St., according to Schedule “A” attached; and That the permit shall expire upon the earlier of the sign being removed or Dec. 31, 2025.

9.2.5 – Trails Master Plan Steering Committee – Terms of Reference. Resolution. That Council approve the Trails Master Plan Steering Committee Terms of Reference, per Schedule “A” attached. Unfortunately, Schedule “A” wasn’t attached. I’ll ask for a copy.

9.2.7 – Consent Application – B/3/2016 (PS) (Friendship Centre – 13 Bowes Street). Resolution. That Consent Application No. B3/2016(PS) – Parry Sound Friendship Centre, be supported, subject to a condition of consent which requires a 51(26) agreement for the benefiting and severed lot which requires site plan control.

9.3.1 – EMS Paramedic Response Unit Purchase and Modification. Resolution. That Council of the Town of Parry Sound accept the lowest quoted price for the purchase of a 4-wheel drive pickup for EMS from Armstrong Chrysler Dodge Ram Inc. in the amount of $31,944 +HST; and Further, the Council of the Town of Parry Sound authorize the expenditure of $23,445 +HST to Rowlands Emergency Equipment for the conversion of the vehicle to a Ministry of Health compliant response vehicle; and Further that the Town of Parry Sound procurement by-law be waived for these two purchases.

9.4.1 – Removal of Fluoride from Drinking Water. Direction. That staff be directed to make the draft by-law entitled, “Removal of Fluoride from the Town of Parry Sound’s drinking water”, available for public comment for the 21-day notice period then be brought back to Council for deliberation on March 15, 2016. No need for the anti-fluoride crowd to get their knickers in a twist. This starts the ordained process for eliminating the addition of fluoride to the Town’s water supply.

9.5.3 – 2016 Parry Sound Public Library Budget. Resolution. Whereas S.24(1) of the Libraries Act requires that the Parry Sound Public Library provide its annual budget to the Council of the Town of Parry Sound; And Whereas S.24 (2) of the Act provides Council the ability to approve, reject or amend the budget; Now Therefore be it resolved that the 2016 budget for the Parry Sound Public Library, attached as Schedule “A”, is hereby amended to reduce the income from the Town of Parry Sound to $161,800, as per the Town’s 2016 budget; And Further that Staff request that the 2017 Parry Sound Public Library budget be provided to the Town no later than November 1, 2016 and that all future library budgets be provided to the Town by no later than November 1st, each year prior to that budget year.

By-laws

10.5.1 – Tax Exemption for the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #117. Being a By-Law to provide to exempt certain property from general purposes taxation, pursuant to Section 6.1 of the Assessment Act, R.S.O 1990. (Royal Canadian Legion).

10.5.2 – Debenture Issue for 2015 Capital Works. A By-law of the Corporation of the Town of Parry Sound to authorize the borrowing upon serial debentures in the principal amount of $1,600,000.00 towards the cost of the Hillcrest Storm Sewer, College Drive Realignment and Forest St. Reconstruction. No surprise, but this is a major capital project that will be paid off over an expected 15-year period at an interest rate of 2.86%.

10.5.3 – 2016 Budget. Being a By-law to Adopt the Operating and Capital Budget Estimates for the Year 2016. This is the formal adoption of the 2016 Budget. The 2016 tax rates will be set in a separate by-law that is expected in April. The by-law covering the Downtown Business Association levy will be brought forward in May or June. FYI the full council agenda presents the full budget in more detail than was presented in the budget deliberation materials.

There is more going on, but these are the issues that caught my attention. I’ll be at the meeting on Tuesday. Imagine putting on a performance and there is no one in the audience. It’s a particular shame because all Parry Sound residents and businesses pay for this show. People do catch it on TV, but that’s like watching the Maple Leafs on TV instead of driving to the Big Smoke, paying $100 for a ticket, $20 for parking, a traffic jam after the game, and watching them lose in person. No wait, that may not have been the best of analogies, although there is more winning than losing at council meetings. But you have a season’s ticket to the Parry Sound Council show even if you never thought of it that way. The good news? Parking is free. The bad news? You can’t have a beer while you watch the show. Maybe it is better on TV. But they really could use the encouragement of an audience, unless it the anti-fluoride audience. They really didn’t much like that audience from what I could tell reading body language.

On the Waterfront – 1 (Parry Sound in B&W)