Monthly Archives: March 2012

VHF Course – PS Power & Sail Squadron

29 Thursday Mar 2012

Posted by in Boating/Recreation, Events/Activities

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The Parry Sound Power and Sail Squadron will be sponsoring a VHF instruction course April 23rd and 30th. This two evening course starting at 7:00 PM at the Parry Sound High School will lead to a Restricted Operators Certificate (Marine), ROC(M) upon successful completion of the exam on the second evening. This will permit you to legally use a VHF radio when on the water.

There are lots of good reasons for having a VHF radio, it’s much more likely to get you a quick response with help from fellow boaters. A cell phone can only reach the Coast Guard and your local onshore emergency response teams. They can take quite a bit of time to come to your assistance.

I will be taking the course for all of these reasons. Stuff happens, and it’s good to know that there are people who will come to your aid if they know you need help. The water gets big on the Sound and in the Bay.

The course costs $75 with a reduced rate for active Canadian Power and Sail Squadron members. More information can be found at ParrySoundBoating.ca. Call John Mason at 705/342-1315 to register or for more information.

Seguin Parry Sound Boundary Adjustment Likely Dead

27 Tuesday Mar 2012

Posted by in Seguin Township, Town Council, Urban Development

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After attending this evening’s special meeting of the Parry Sound Council at the Foley Agricultural Centre with residents of the prospective boundary adjustment area my feeling is that the deal is dead. Dead and done.

Comments from the property owners were consistently negative and skeptical about any benefit of the boundary adjustment accruing to them. They suggested that the whole proposal was primarily for the benefit of one or two developers in the area.

There were seven property owners at the meeting at least five of whom indicated that they would vote against the boundary change. Given that only five ‘no’ votes are required to block the adjustment, and the very negative attitude of the Seguin property owners it seems Parry Sound will need to look in other directions if it hopes to grow.

Based on the tone of the discussion I have a much better sense of why other municipal council meetings are as ‘colourful’ as is regularly reported. It’s hard to have a productive discussion if no one wants to listen and understand. It’s possible that there is a deal to be done but the Seguin residents present at the meeting had no interest in getting there. Their minds had been made up long before the meeting and the opportunity for discussion.

Last Minute Announcement of Special Council Meeting (Open)

26 Monday Mar 2012

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I was just informed though a Tweet from Moose-FM that there will be a special open meeting of council tonight, March 26th, to discuss the Seguin boundary change. This is in addition to, or possibly a replacement for, the meeting scheduled tomorrow evening at the Foley Fair Grounds. I’ll be there and let you know what it’s all about.

Budget Review – 2012-03-21, Special Meeting of Council

24 Saturday Mar 2012

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

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Parry Sound Council and Staff met March 21st for round three of the public budget discussions. This followed a meeting on the 13th that had reduced the budget gap to about $450,000. By the end of Wednesday’s meeting the gap stood at $173,000, close but apparently not close enough as there will be a further public discussion on April 3rd, following a Citizen’s Finance committee meeting the day before. Accepting a $173,000 gap between spending and revenue would have required council to approve a 2.5% rate increase, which would be on top of an expected 4% or so assessment increase as determined by MPAC.

A few interesting items popped up that are worth noting as they have an impact that reaches beyond simple dollars and cents. Here is my understanding of what I thought was said and what it means.

All seven council members were in attendance as well as the town staff department heads. There were five people in the audience. James King from the Moose-FM was the only media present. The audience included two people from the Parry Sound Citizen Finance Committee. Much of what was discussed at the council meeting will doubtless need to be ‘downloaded’ to the fiance committee members who were not in attendance. This will take staff and council time better spent on finding solutions.

Here are some of the highlights. If you want more detail you need to start attending the meetings; there is no admission charge. Continue reading →

TOPS Council Agenda Preview – 2012-03-20

19 Monday Mar 2012

Posted by in Parry Sound, Town Council, Urban Development

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A quick look at the agenda for the upcoming Council meeting on the 20th might suggest there is little of any great importance, but that’s why it’s worth digging down a little deeper. On inspection of the council meeting package (available at the library and town office) a number of interesting facts and figures pop up. And there is also a brief mention of the Parry Sound Power in another of it’s many ‘configurations’ and acronyms. Nothing of any great substance is revealed but there are hints of a ‘big surprise’ that seems to be in the offing.

I have summarized below some of the issues and information that struck me as more interesting and revealing. Reviewing the council package and attending the council meeting is the best way to understand what is actually going on. While I believe there is nothing nefarious, there is much going on that never makes the local media.

I won’t be at the council meeting this week, traveling on business, so I’ll be asking for some feedback on what went down. Unfortunately I don’t subscribe to Cogeco cable so I can’t watch the delayed feed. And while the Town receives a copy of the proceedings they claim they are unable to allow me to review the recording. This seems to be at odds with my discussions with CogecoTV but I’ll wait to see what council and staff propose regarding social media and greater transparency before making a bigger issue out of denying the public access to open council session recordings. (Let me know if you make a recording of the meeting that I might be able to borrow.)

Interesting and Notable Agenda Items

There is a closed meeting agenda item related to the Parry Sound Power Gen – Power Generation Project. “Something coming on, I don’t know what it is but it’s getting stronger” – with apologies to Blood Sweat and Tears for use of their lyrics. There is more on Parry Sound Power below. Continue reading →

Special Meeting of Council – 2012 Budget Discussions

14 Wednesday Mar 2012

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

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Parry Sound Council and Staff met last night, March 13th, for round two of the budget discussions. There has been an earlier meeting in February that reviewed the ‘wish list’ in terms of town expenditures as requested by the departments and various community groups. This meeting revealed there was a large gap, about $1.8 million, between what was being requested and the projected revenue for 2012. Last night’s meeting attempted to eliminate that gap, and for the most part seems to have succeeded. I’ll provide a short summary of what I thought I heard.

All seven council members were in attendance as well as the town staff department heads. There were three people in the audience. James King from the Moose-FM was the only media present. I’m sure he will be providing a report on air of what he heard last night. The audience included only one person from the Parry Sound Citizen Finance Committee. This is a disappointment. Although this group will meet separately tonight, attendance at last night’s meeting was necessary to understand the issues that council and staff are wrestling with. In general I find that too many people in Parry Sound sign up for committees and then fail to attend meetings. If people want a place at the table they need to show up or they need to offer their seat to someone who will.

The meeting lasted about three hours. Here are some of the highlights. If you want more detail you need to start attending the meetings; there is no admission charge.

  1. By the end of the meeting the budget gap stood at about $450,000. If this gap is not eliminated or reduced it implies there will need to be a 2% tax rate increase. In addition to an expected increase in property valuation assessment from MPAC this amounts to a 5.7% overall increase in average property taxes.
  2. On the income side, the town lost $149,000 in federal grants that were made available in 2011. There was a 2011 budget surplus of about $650,000 that will be brought forward to help reduce the budget gap. There was good news in that FedNor agreed to pick up 75% of the cost of the capital improvement expense at Big Sound Marina.
  3. Capital equipment was a significant part of the 2012 budget. The town has put off investments in heavy equipment for a few years and it coming back to bite. Staff will be look at leasing options. Leasing may be a reasonable way to address the budget gap. The biggest piece of equipment needed is a 7-ton plow truck that costs about $200,000. Paying for it out of this year’s budget will be a big hit, but it will have a 10-year plus lifetime. Leasing will raise the cost, sort of like one of us leasing a car, but it helps even out the expenses. Not a first choice, but a reasonable choice with a large budget gap.
  4. Staff proposed that another capital equipment purchase, the Fire Department’s $1.3 million fire truck, be deferred for at least one year.
  5. Public transportation was a major topic of discussion. This is one of the larger town expenses but is little used. It is likely that service will be cut unless ridership rises. It’s not just the cost of the service that is an issue; it’s the fact that so few people are benefiting. There should be no immediate cuts but expect to hear something from council by the end of the summer.
  6. Staff proposed a freeze on cost of living salary increases and salary reviews for non-union staff. They are putting their money where their mouth is.

There were many, many more issues discussed and wrestled with. It seems this year’s very large budget gap is not a surprise to staff and council. Expenditures in previous years pointed to 2012 as a point where expenses peaked relative to income, with the following years coming into balance much more easily. Tough decisions remain to be made, including the possibility of a small increase in the tax rate to get over this ‘hump’ year.

My sense is that Parry Sound council and staff have made decisions over the past few years that on balance have had a positive return to the community. Yes there are cheaper places to live, but not many that offer as much value. You can move to Seguin or Carling or McDougall if you want cheaper property taxes. But what about the additional cost, in dollars, cents and time, spent on commuting to work or school or shopping or social activities? It adds up pretty quickly. And let’s not forget about other services that these municipalities don’t provide. I have lived with a well, septic tank and water purifier – I’ll take town water and sewer.

Local communities are able to hitchhike on the back of Parry Sound. By virtue of our investments we are able to offer shopping resources, the Stockey Centre, the Bobby Orr Community Centre, free boat launches, summer entertainment and much more to our residents and neighbours. We pay and they benefit. It may not seem fair but it’s part of the price of living in Parry Sound. We must be doing something right, the last census showed that the permanent population of Parry Sound has grown in the last few years versus a drop in Seguin and no change in the other municipalities. People are voting with their feet.

Okay, we’re down to a $450,000 budget gap that may mean a 2% rate increase. I expect council and staff will reduce that deficit a little and we will need to pay a little more. But the worst may be behind us. If council and staff can continue to keep a rein on expenses going forward we should not be faced with similar increases in 2013 and beyond.

Next meeting will be March 21st, details will be forthcoming. Be there if you want to understand how things are done. I suggest you contact members of the Citizen Finance Committee if you have any suggestions to offer. Oh, unlike one of our neighbouring municipalities, don’t expect insults and high drama at this or any other council meeting. This is a council and staff that is determined to work as a team.

Parry Sound Power – A Town Secret

11 Sunday Mar 2012

Posted by in Parry Sound, Town Council

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I am concerned about the secrecy surrounding reported a potential $16 million power generation upgrade by Parry Sound Power.

Try to find out anything about Parry Sound Power. Google, or Bing, or Yahoo, ‘Parry Sound Power’ and you will find next to nothing. Head over to their website and all you find is consumer type information on rates, service and the like. Actually it’s worth taking a quick peek at their ‘Gallery’ of photos (link here). It seems they like posting their vacation photos, or more likely someone forgot to replace the stock photos with ones of Parry Sound. All you can find separately online is information about their rate applications and their occasional charitable activities. But there is little to be found about their business, or rather businesses. As I understand it, there are three separate companies that make up what I refer to as ‘Parry Sound Power’ which are involved in power generation, delivery, billing and watershed management.

So far I have probably told you nothing more than you already knew. And that is at the root of my concern. There has been repeated indirect mention of a pending $16 million investment by ‘Parry Sound Power’ in new hydro generating capacity. But this information is raised at times where there is no opportunity for public questions, and it is without information concerning the current financial performance of Parry Sound Power. At a recent council meeting there was mention that a slight profit was being realized as a result of the high water levels and the 24/7 power generating opportunity this provided. Does that mean at other times Parry Sound Power is operating at a loss, or simply breaking even?

My suspicion is that the rumoured $16 million investment in additional generating capacity is Parry Sound Power’s, and the Town of Parry Sound’s, attempt to generate additional revenue and profit for the town. Additional revenue can help the town better manage its limited tax base and the increasing costs of providing expected services to the town. This year’s budget is already a headache for council and staff.

There is nothing wrong with making a bold investment in hopes of a good return. It’s what this country was built on. That is, of course, if you can afford to absorb the loss if you are wrong. Seeing as we are being given no information, one has to assume there is some risk involved. If there weren’t it is likely more information would be forthcoming. There are not many husbands who would say to their spouses, ‘I’m heading down to Vegas for a few days, I have a hunch that 33 will be paying big on the roulette table, so I’m betting our retirement funds’. Not many at all. But that doesn’t mean they don’t go down to Vegas and bet on number 33, or try out their newly developed online poker skills. They just keep their plans a secret.

The problem for me is the secrecy. I am told that Parry Sound Power is a separate private company. Somehow this explains why there are never any published reports on their financial operation, or why there is never a discussion at council of their current operations. As a community we receive regular, and often detailed, reports on the financial performance and required investments for our water and waste-water services. And these are multimillion dollar operations.

The Town of Parry Sound is the majority shareholder in Parry Sound Power and has the right to make public the business activities and financial statements of Parry Sound Power. In the same way that I, as a private citizen, have no obligation to share my tax return with the public, I am not prohibited from doing so. Why all the secrecy concerning Parry Sound Power? Has council and staff been convinced by the management and board of Parry Sound Power that disclosure is illegal? “If we told the community about our operations we would be obliged to kill them all”. By mass electrocution perhaps?

I’m not sure what the secrecy is all about but I am concerned and worried about the process and the potential liability all of us will be assuming. It will be the taxpayers of Parry Sound who will need to ‘guarantee’ any loans taken by Parry Sound Power. The whole pretense of a ‘separate and private company’ disappears when Parry Sound Power goes looking for a $16 million loan. It will be the Town of Parry Sound that will be required to assume responsibility for repaying the loan, much like a bank requiring you to guarantee your child’s first car loan, or their first mortgage. You are the established individual with the resources to ‘make good’ on the loan.

Let’s see what we are told. I certainly hope this is not a ‘fait accompli’. Even a little time for the community to weigh in on this investment is necessary. And how about opening up the books of Parry Sound Power the same way that the books of the town are made available?

There is a big difference between a secret and a surprise. I think council feels they are planning a big surprise. To me it feels more like a secret.

Council Meeting Summary – 2012-03-06

08 Thursday Mar 2012

Posted by in Parry Sound, Town Council

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Tuesday night’s council meeting was a rather low-key affair with little on the agenda and two of the councilors absent. The open portion of the council meeting followed a closed session on the subject of Parry Sound Power, and presumably the possible multimillion dollar investment in additional power generation capacity. But we need to keep quiet about it; I think it’s supposed to be a secret. Or maybe it’s a surprise, sort of like when your kids get you a Christmas present and charge it to your credit card. A $16 million surprise. I’ll be providing my thoughts on this whole issue of ‘private company’ secrecy in a day or so.

No raspberries this week. Attendance for the March 6th meeting: council and mayor – 5 (down two), staff – 5, media – 3, audience – 4. The limited audience stuck it out to the end, while staff left after their particular agenda item(s) were dealt with. Maybe we could get a better turnout if staff and council started getting into fights like some of the other municipal councils.

Councilors Reports

Interesting points raised in the councilors’ and mayor’s reports included:
– Parry Sound Power will apparently be offering gas water heaters
– with the high water levels for the last three months Parry Sound Power has been generating hydro continuously which has led to a small operating profit
– no Molson funding will be made available for the Belvedere parking lot because of insufficient community response

Interesting and Notable Agenda Discussions and Decisions

I made a deputation to council on the subject of keeping community in the loop through with traditional and social media. A copy of my presentation is available through this link. Mayor McGarvey responded to one point, a request to make available archival copies of council meetings. He said that he had made a request to Cogeco for archival copies, and that they were ‘considering it’. If you are a Cogeco subscriber, cable, internet or phone, why not give them a call and tell them that you think making a copy available to the community would be a good idea. I will be contacting them. I don’t have cable so I can’t catch up with the broadcast of the council meetings on television, although I do subscribe to their internet and phone service (which is really quite good).

Item 9.1.2, a resolution to address charitable waste was punted by council. The item was pushed back indefinitely until the 2012 budget was discussed and agreed.

Item 9.1.3, a related resolution regarding municipal assistance was similarly drop kicked until after budget discussions.

Item 9.3.1 to prohibit open air fires for the burning of brush in residential parts of Parry Sound was passed. This means people will need to take their branches and leaves to the transfer site for disposal.

Item 9.6.1 is a resolution requesting town staff to pursue opportunities for senior level (provincial and federal) funding to support infrastructure improvements in the proposed Parry Sound / Seguin boundary adjustment area was passed.

There really wasn’t much more discussed than I noted here. Read the official council meeting minutes for more information, they are available now at the Town of Parry Sound website. Information, often with additional background, is generally available at the North Star website a few days after the meeting. But these notes and articles really don’t capture much of the thinking that went into the decisions. The best way to understand what went on is to attend.

TOPS Council Agenda Preview – 2012-03-06

05 Monday Mar 2012

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The upcoming Council meeting on the 6th is largely comprised of non-controversial subjects. It’s worth mentioning that prior to the open portion of the council meeting there will be a closed session related to Parry Sound Power Gen – Power Generation Project. This is an item that has been mentioned in passing on several occasions at council meetings for the last six months and is an issue I will raise in my deputation.

The Salvation Army and their waste donation disposal issue will be addressed at this meeting. It looks as though there will be a modified grant procedure proposed that should help cover their disposal costs through commercial sources rather than continuing disposal at the Parry Sound transfer site.

There are other items that will be of interest to different individuals and groups. Review the agenda at the Parry Sound website for more information (here’s a link). And for even more details read the council package available at the Parry Sound Library and the Town Office.

Interesting and Notable Agenda Items

Item 9.1.2 is a resolution that addresses charitable waste. The program would provide for a total of $5,000 in grants for organizations that qualify for the program and submit an application. This resolution will probably meet most of the needs of the Salvation Army and the unusable charitable waste that is dumped on their premises.

Item 9.3.1 proposes to prohibit open air fires for the burning of brush. With a brand new chipper at the transfer station there is no need to pollute the air, and inconvenience neighbours with odour and smoke by burning brush. It will be a little more work to take the brush to the transfer station rather than pile and burn it, but it’s necessary in my opinion. It’s not too hard to understand if you have ever been downwind from a fire that is burning fresh brush.

Item 9.6.1 is a resolution requesting town staff to pursue opportunities for senior level (provincial and federal) funding to support infrastructure improvements in the proposed Parry Sound / Seguin boundary adjustment area.

Those are the notable items on the agenda. I will be making a deposition to council proposing some thoughts on how to better keep the public updated with respect to council meetings, special public presentations and town business. Check out the council meeting package at the Town Office and the Library for more information.

See you Tuesday.