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Monthly Archives: January 2015

Council Agenda Preview – February 3, 2015

31 Saturday Jan 2015

Posted by Jo Bossart/ParrySounds.com in Parry Sound, Town Council

≈ Comments Off on Council Agenda Preview – February 3, 2015

Tags

Agenda, By-Law, Carling, Elections, parry sound, PS Power, Rezoning, Smoking, Strategic Plan, Town Council

Business as usual at Council this Tuesday. It’s not a snoozefest, but there really isn’t that much of importance on this week’s a agenda. The letters are interesting, and the agenda items move business forward, but the budget, which is not on the agenda, promises to be the centre of Staff and Council’s attention for the next month or so.

Here are the agenda items that caught my attention.

Correspondence:

4.1 – Letter. Logan’s of Parry Sound. Concerns regarding the proposed street closure from 8:00am-1:00pm every second Sunday for the months of June, July August and September 2015. This business is concerned that the closure of the street, to permit public activities such as cycling, skating, walking, etc., would severly impact their business and unreasonably inconvenience people at the First Baptist Church. They also suggest that “the potential atmosphere outside during street closures is quite conceivably incompatible with the nature of funerals”. There is mention that “This change can be viewed as a lack of consideration to the bereaved [sic]”. It will be interesting to see how this shakes out; this is a community member who I have seen ‘punch above their weight’.

4.2 – Letter. Concerns that fluoridation of the municipal water supply may be removed as Canadian dental and public health authorities continue to support the fluoridation of drinking water for good health and well being. A letter urging Council to continue with fluoridation of the Town water as is currently recommended by dental and public health authorities.

Consent Agenda

8.2 – Resolution. OPP Billing Model – Unorganized Townships. A letter to be sent to Queen’s Park in support of implementing a billing method for properties in unorganized townships. There seems to be a feeling that all communities benefiting from OPP service should pay their share.

Resolutions and Direction to Staff

9.1.1 – Resolution. Transfer to Reserves for 2014 Capital Project Carry Forwards. This seems to be a bookkeeping exercise as the funds had been budgeted in 2014 but the respective projects not yet completed, and funds spent. The total is $391,000 for the following projects:

  • Trails Master Plan $ 25,000
  • Waubuno Beach Washroom Repair $ 25,000
  • BOCC Roof Repair $150,000
  • Culvert Replacement $ 30,000
  • Bridge Repairs $ 60,000
  • Playground Equipment $ 25,000
  • BOCC Kitchen Equipment $ 5,000
  • CP Station Roof Repair $ 25,000
  • MS Office Upgrade $ 16,000

9.2.1 – Resolution. Commitment and Endorsement of Quality Management System. An important formality to have the new Council understand and acknowledge their responsibilities with respect to our water system.

9.3.1 – Direction. Rezoning Application – Z14-06 – Waltmar Inc. – 2 Oastler Park Drive. This is the dock company across from Sobey’s on Old 69. They have been in violation of zoning regulations and are required to do a couple of studies, with remediation as necessary, to ensure their use of the property is in compliance with zoning regulations. In particular there is a need for a traffic and environmental study. I suspect that Council will approve temporary use through the end of 2015. I’m not this is the message we want to send to the public and businesses. Don’t ask permission, beg for forgiveness. Let’s see how Council handles this. Staff wants to see the usual procedures followed, but realizes Council has the right and obligation to make the decision. What was it they did to the unpermitted construction on River Street last year? Let’s not have a two-tier system that depends on who you know and who you hire. There is no need to slap wrists, but let’s make regulations transparent and consistent.

9.5.1 – Resolution. 2014 Election Accessibility Report to Council. A necessary report and follow up to the 2014 Town of Parry Sound election that was in my opinion well managed and conducted.

9.5.2 – Resolution. Annual Integrity Commissioner’s Report – 2014. Nothing to see here – just move along. The Commissioner reported a total of 1 formal, 3 informal and 27 inquiries concerning complaints under the Code of Conduct. The one formal complaint, I believe it concerns Council’s actions with respect to the removal of the Chair of the Downtown Business Association, was not addressed as it fell outside the jurisdiction of the Commissioner. But it’s worth noting there were four inquiries from Staff and four from Council and nineteen from the Public.

9.5.3 – Direction. 2015 Strategic Planning Process. Basically the same as the 2011 process with an external facilitator.

9.5.4 – Resolution. Council, Board and Committee Training – Closed Meetings; Code of Conduct, Committee Policies. This is a four-hour workshop to be conducted by an external group for $4,000. It is targeted to Council and Town Committee Members, but appears to be open to all who might be interested. The intent is to hold the workshop in early April. I hope attention will be paid to reminding Staff and Council what can, and cannot, be discussed in closed sessions of Council. I suspect that considerable business is done in closed sessions that not only should be done in open session, but also would benefit from the transparency that open sessions offer.

By-laws

10.2.1 – Vianet Agreement. This permits Vianet to increase their footprint at the north water tower. An interesting aside, apparently there will be free internet access at the tower. Top? Bottom? Wired? Wireless? Public use? Staff use?

10.3.1 – Disposal of Surplus Lands: 125 William Street. Oops – this is required to tidy up the sale and merger agreement between the Town and Lakeland Power.

10.3.2 – Agreement for the delivery of Services to Former OSPCA Property. It seems that the property is being developed as a storage and preparation facility for Kate’s Kart. While it resides in Seguin it is requesting services, water and sewer, from Parry Sound.

10.4.1 – Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with West Parry Sound Health Centre and North Bay Parry Sound Health Unit. This concerns the enforcement of Parry Sound smoking regulations on the West Parry Sound Health Centre property.

10.2.2 – Shared By-law Enforcement Services with the Township of the Carling. (I believe this should be item 10.4.2, not 10.2.2.). This renews the By-Law services provided by Parry Sound to Carling Township for the Year 2015 at defined rates.

There is more; check the Town’s website for a full copy of the agenda and supporting materials. I’m not sure I will be there, there isn’t much of importance being discussed and there are no scheduled deputations.

Thunder Creek Meets the Big Sound (It’s Nicer in Colour)

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Debate Club

22 Thursday Jan 2015

Posted by Jo Bossart/ParrySounds.com in Reflections, Suggestions

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Environment, Opinion

Recent issues of the North Star and Beacon Star have carried letters to the editor that strike me as more interested in advancing a favoured position than contributing to the discussion. I won’t offer an opinion on the subject of the letters except to provide a bit of perspective on science and how it works.

The letters seem to be a debate between English majors or perhaps Political Science majors. Political Science has much less to do with science than it does politics. Politics are perfect fodder for debate, there really isn’t any right or wrong, just an argument, or election, to be won or lost.

The process of science when practiced properly is reasonably well-defined. Credit for the process goes back to the 17th Century and Sir Francis Bacon. The following excerpt from Wikipedia captures Bacon’s contribution to the process of science and the empirical approach to knowledge.

Bacon has been called the father of empiricism. His works established and popularised inductive methodologies for scientific inquiry, often called the Baconian method, or simply the scientific method. His demand for a planned procedure of investigating all things natural marked a new turn in the rhetorical and theoretical framework for science, much of which still surrounds conceptions of proper methodology today.

The scientific method briefly summarized, once again from Wikipedia, is presented as:

The overall process of the scientific method involves making conjectures (hypotheses), deriving predictions from them as logical consequences, and then carrying out experiments based on those predictions. An hypothesis is a conjecture, based on knowledge obtained while formulating the question. The hypothesis might be very specific or it might be broad. Scientists then test hypotheses by conducting experiments. Under modern interpretations, a scientific hypothesis must be falsifiable, implying that it is possible to identify a possible outcome of an experiment that conflicts with predictions deduced from the hypothesis; otherwise, the hypothesis cannot be meaningfully tested.

The key point is not taking observations and measurements and generating a hypothesis (global temperatures are rising and man is the cause, or global temperatures are not rising and there is no further issue), rather it’s the critical step of testing the hypothesis to see if it holds true with repeated measurements and tests. If it doesn’t hold up, the hypothesis needs to be scrapped or revised. And if it holds up it generally continues to be tested for consistency or refinement. Many hypotheses have been proven untrue years after their first proposal and wide acceptance, and others have been proven true years after they have been rejected as unreasonable because of insufficient evidence, or when they didn’t easily fit in with generally held public beliefs.

It is much harder to prove than disprove a hypothesis. That’s sort of the creationist’s strategy with respect to the theory of evolution. Note that it’s referred as the theory of evolution, not the law of evolution as is the case with the law of the conservation of energy. If the creationists can show there is a single missing fossil in the evolutionary chain they can claim the theory is wrong, in its entirety. But of course the creationists are yet to provide any proof whatsoever for their hypothesis that mankind was placed on this planet in his/her present form a few thousand years ago. But because there is still no unassailable proof for evolution it remains a theory and certain individuals and groups reject the idea and refuse to allows its discussion and teaching. Perhaps they are right, there is basically no evidence to support their position of divine creation but the alternative position of mankind being the product of evolution from lower lifeforms is not without unanswered questions so it can be argued there is no ‘correct’ answer. If nothing is right, then of course the argument can be made that nothing is wrong.

Good science is typically based on observation, experiment and statistics. All three are critical for not being misled by events that arise by mere chance. There are some theories that are hard to test directly, or are unethical. We can’t from a practical or ethical basis increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to see if there is a change in the environment that might prove whether human industry is contributing to climate. And we can’t practically reduce carbon dioxide levels in the air and see if this lowers temperatures and reverses whatever climate change is being experienced.

But is the earth even experiencing climate change? Well that can only be determined through precise longterm experiments that are subjected to rigorous statistical analysis. That’s pretty much where we are right now. Many scientists believe there is statistical data to support a warming planet hypothesis. Others argue the information is insufficient to support the argument.

And even if there is agreement that global warming is occurring and causing climate change there is the question of whether industrialization is contributing to the warming. Perhaps it’s a natural earth, or solar effect that we can’t influence in any way. Possible, but it seems that there is considerable, though not conclusive, evidence to suggest that if global warming is real it may well be a result of industrialization. But perhaps the earth really isn’t warming, and perhaps industrialization is actually cooling off the earth.

Science can be wrong, witness the excitement of cold fusion that was pretty quickly debunked, or the presumed link between vaccinations and autism. That last hypothesis had a pretty good run before it was proven false. Scientists get as much pleasure from proving a hypothesis is false as proving their own pet idea is true. This provides a needed oversight on scientists and their conjectures. But one typical cold winter in Parry Sound doesn’t prove climate change is wrong, nor does a scorching hot summer prove it is right.

Science can identify trends and form hypotheses with a reasonable degree of confidence long before they are proven to the satisfaction of all. This has it’s pros and cons. For example the hypothesis was put forward in the 19th century that surgical and obstetrical deaths were a result of some sort of infective organism that was being spread through medical procedures. The suggestion was made that simple cleaning procedures could reduce the rate of infection and death. The idea had strong evidence, but it wasn’t conclusive, and it required a change in common medical practice. It took a couple of decades, with presumably millions of avoidable deaths in the interim, before the concept of transmissible infectious disease was accepted and appropriate procedures were adopted to minimize their spread.

The same is true for the link between smoking and cancer. Despite early evidence it took decades before there was acceptance of the link and public health measures were implemented to discourage smoking and reduce the incidence of cancer. There were many strong arguments made that the connection was not really definitive and that smoking was safe. Many of these arguments were made of course by an industry that profited from smokers, the more the better. So how many people suffered and died because they were assured by smoking advocates that it was safe and that the scientific evidence was not conclusive?

And there is the story of DDT and dioxin contamination in the environment. Strong indications of a problem were ignored for years because the evidence was not definitive and the implied remedies were expensive.

So is the earth warming up and are we facing climate change? A good question.

There seems to be strong evidence that the earth is warming at an unnatural rate. But the evidence is not definitive, more time and effort is required to collect sufficient data to prove or disprove the hypothesis. But where is there conclusive evidence to prove the earth isn’t warming, that it is staying ‘cool’? It’s a bit like the creationist argument. Unless you can definitively, conclusively, prove that man evolved from a less developed creature, it’s not true. In the meantime we will choose to believe that man was created in the form we see him now. In the absence of definitive proof we prefer to rely on faith rather than incomplete evidence.

It’s worth looking at the commercial interests arguing the merits of global warming and climate change. The tobacco companies spent considerable money, time and lobbying effort to refute the link between smoking and lung cancer. It was their business to do so. And it was the business of scientists, physicians and health professionals to ensure public health. In this case the lobbying against global warming is largely led by the energy industry and countries that have economic interests in producing energy sources that might lead to global warming. Are they defending a belief that is based on science and good conscience or are they acting as the tobacco industry did for decades to protect their economic interests?

When looking at ‘science’ based arguments it’s helpful to follow the money. Who makes the most money in proving a theory to be right, or wrong?

As I was revising this post for the last time I read a news item that reported the US Senate yesterday voted 98 to 1 to agree that climate change is real. They did not agree that the cause could be laid at the feet of humankind, failing to provide the necessary 60 votes for approval. This is politics rather than science but suggests that perhaps politicians are starting to listen to the scientific evidence presented by scientists and not just the arguments presented by lobbyists.

So This is Global Warming? (Parry Sound in Black & White)

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Council Meeting Notes – January 20, 2015

21 Wednesday Jan 2015

Posted by Jo Bossart/ParrySounds.com in Parry Sound, Town Council

≈ 1 Comment

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By-Law, Council Minutes, parry sound, Rezoning, safety, School, Taxes, Town Council

As expected the meeting was reasonably short with no major issues debated or deferred. One interesting last-minute addition to the agenda, Item 9.6.1, put forward by Councillors Horne and Saulnier, was a request for a concerted effort on the part of the Town to relocate government operations from the waterfront and use the land for commercial and tourism related activities. An interesting initiative that may well define what Council accomplishes this term beyond the usual management of streets, water and buildings.

An important issue raised in the questions of Staff concerned the assessments of the ‘big box’ stores in Parry Sound, Wal-Mart, Canadian Tire, Home Depot and the Comfort Inn. These companies have appealed to MPAC regarding their assessments on a province-wide basis. They are looking to have their assessments reduced going back to 2010. Apparently the situation is close to settlement with Wal-Mart and it may cost the Town on the order of $200,000 for the years 2010-2014, with the loss of perhaps $50,000 in tax revenue annually going forward. Add in the other three corporations appealing their assessments and we have the potential for a significant loss in annual tax revenues for the Town, not to mention tax refunds for the years 2010 to 2014. This will impact the 2015 budget and all others going forward. This is why you don’t dip into the Tax Stabilization fund to pay for an election year tax break.

It also appears that there will be no great tax break for Parry Sound related to the OPP cost restructuring, at least not in 2015. Because of the 5-year phase in of increases and reductions to individual communities the reduction to Parry Sound in 2015 will be offset by increased Courthouse policing costs.

Concerning the agenda items:

 

Public Meeting 

2.1.1 – Application B/5/2014(PS). It is proposed to be rezoned from a Marine Residential (RM) zone to a Marine Residential holding (RM-h) zone. This does concern the landlocked property across Emily Street from the recently constructed Habitat for Humanity home. There was one speaker in support of the addition of a holding designation and none in opposition. Council will decide on this and announce a final decision in the weeks to come.

 

Correspondence

4.1 – Letter. Fluoridation of the Town’s Water Supply. Noted. 

4.2 – Belvedere Heights’ 2015 Operating Levy. Noted. 

4.4 –  Letter. High Water Levels on Lake Manitouwabing. Noted.

 

Deputations

5.1 – Perry Harris, CEO, Parry Sound Area Chamber of Commerce. Proposed Designated Information Centre, Year in Review. The presentation was well received and the request will be considered as part of the 2015 budget deliberations.

5.2 – Tony Romanelli, RCC Media Re: Digital Billboard on the CN Train Bridge crossing Bowes Street. Did not appear, so no action. I have sent a letter with my concerns about the proposal to Council, linked here. The letter was noted as part of the correspondence portion of the meeting.

5.3 – Petition to construct sidewalks to the new elementary school. The deputation was well received and will be included in the 2015 budget discussion. A question was asked whether the Separate School Board had been contacted as well.

 

Consent Agenda

8.1 – Support of Funding Request from Near North District School Board to Ministry of Education regarding joint school campus in Parry Sound. CARRIED.

 

Resolutions and Direction to Staff

9.3.1 – Resolution. Stockey Centre Catering Service Agreement. WITHDRAWN.

9.5.1 – Direction. Strategic Planning Ad-hoc Committee be established to develop an outline to develop the 2015-19. The Plan is based on a similar format to that undertaken in 2011 and submit the outline to Council February 3rd for approval. CARRIED.

9.6.1 – Relocation of government offices from Parry Sound waterfront area. This was a last minute addition with no documentation. In brief, Councillors Saulnier and Horne are suggesting that the OPP and Service Ontario move to the Mall, the MNR move to the Coast Guard Base and Imperial Oil and Shell make their properties available for development. Their enthusiasm was palpable and is built on the experience of other municipalities that have revitalized their waterfronts.

By-laws

10.1.1 – By-law. To appoint a Treasurer for the Corporation of the Town of Parry Sound. CARRIED.

10.1.2 – By-Law. To authorize temporary borrowing to meet the current expenditures of the Town of Parry Sound until taxes are collected and other revenues are received. CARRIED.

10.1.3 – By-law. To approve an Investment Policy for the Corporation of the Town of Parry Sound. CARRIED.

10.1.4 –  By-law to define the purchasing policies and procedures for the Corporation of the Town of Parry Sound. CARRIED.

The Council agenda preview for this meeting offers a bit more background for the individual items listed above. The best resource is the council meeting package available at the Town’s website.

 Being Watched? (Parry Sound in Black & White)

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Council Agenda Preview – January 20, 2015

20 Tuesday Jan 2015

Posted by Jo Bossart/ParrySounds.com in Parry Sound, Town Council

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Agenda, Archipelago, By-Law, Carling, parry sound, Rezoning, safety, Seguin, Strategic Plan, tourism, Town Council

Tonight’s agenda weighs heavier on the deputation end of things than usual. Most of the items before Council seem related to updating policies and procedures. I’m glad to see the Town is working on issues that may not be urgent but are still important.

Public Meeting 

2.1.1 – Application B/5/2014(PS). It is proposed to be rezoned from a Marine Residential (RM) zone to a Marine Residential holding (RM-h) zone. It’s hard to figure out from the attached documentation but it appears to be the property across Emily from the recently constructed Habitat for Humanity home, back a hundred feet that doesn’t seem to have access to a public road. It seems the Town is putting additional restrictions on the property rather than loosening them perhaps to permit the owners to sell the property. There is no information in the council package regarding the nature of the holding provision. Additional information may be provided at the meeting.

 

Correspondence

4.1 – Letter. Fluoridation of the Town’s Water Supply. This letter expresses concern about the addition of fluoride to the Town’s  water supply. A couple of thoughts; the difference between a medicine and a poison is the dose, what can heal can also kill if taken in excess. People may be surprised where raw materials for products that are consumed by humans are sourced. A regularly prescribed hormonal supplement for the treatment of post menopausal symptoms is still sourced from the urine of pregnant mares. I expect the Town will look into the available evidence concerning the benefits and risks of public water fluoridation and return with a reasoned response. 

4.2 – Belvedere Heights’ 2015 Operating Levy. No surprises here, but it’s interesting to see the relative municipality assessments. Parry Sound is in the fourth spot with $777 million of assessment behind Seguin with $2.9 billion, Archipelago with $1.8 billion and Carling with $870 million. Got to love those high end seasonal residences, don’t call them cottages. Too bad they don’t like to pay for infrastructure, not even the high speed internet they are ‘pining’ for. Perhaps they can get taxpayers from the Province and the rest of Canada to subsidize their ‘need for speed’. 

4.4 –  Letter. High Water Levels on Lake Manitouwabing.

 

Deputations

5.1 – Perry Harris, CEO, Parry Sound Area Chamber of Commerce. Proposed Designated Information Centre, Year in Review. This includes a pitch requesting financial support for the Chamber’s tourism initiative in the Town’s 2015 budget to fill the gap left when the Travel Centre at the 400 was closed a year ago.

5.2 – Tony Romanelli, RCC Media Re: Digital Billboard on the CN Train Bridge crossing Bowes Street. I am concerned that this puts commerce ahead of safety and common sense. My letter to Council is linked here. We have had three traffic related deaths in the Town in the past decade, let’s not create a situation that adds to the number.

5.3 – Petition to construct sidewalks to the new elementary school. Makes sense, let’s keep the kids safe if we are requiring them to walk to school. Shouldn’t this expense be shared with the School Board?

 

Consent Agenda

8.1 – Support of Funding Request from Near North District School Board to Ministry of Education regarding joint school campus in Parry Sound. Parry Sound is joining the McDougall initiative in this matter.

 

Resolutions and Direction to Staff

9.3.1 – Resolution. Stockey Centre Catering Service Agreement. Staff is suggesting the Town contract with a new caterer as the current contract holder has decided not to apply for renewal.

9.5.1 – Direction. Strategic Planning Ad-hoc Committee be established to develop an outline to develop the 2015 – 19. The Plan is based on a similar format to that undertaken in 2011 and submit the outline to Council February 3rd for approval.

 

By-laws

10.1.1 – By-law. To appoint a Treasurer for the Corporation of the Town of Parry Sound.

10.1.2 – By-Law. To authorize temporary borrowing to meet the current expenditures of the Town of Parry Sound until taxes are collected and other revenues are received.

10.1.3 – By-law. To approve an Investment Policy for the Corporation of the Town of Parry Sound. This is a bigger issue that is well described in the council package. The proposal is that the Town invest in conservative financial instruments that are not simple interest bearing accounts.

10.1.4 –  By-law to define the purchasing policies and procedures for the Corporation of the Town of Parry Sound. This is a large document that defines and refines the Town’s purchasing and contracting policies. A necessary read if you are a current or future supplier.

I will be at the meeting tonight to attend the open meeting and listen to the deputations and Councillor reports. The rest of the agenda seems to offer the prospect of providing little more than what is in the council package.

 

The Way It Was – Before the Freeze (Parry Sound in Black & White)

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Budget Reflections 2015 – Part 1

15 Thursday Jan 2015

Posted by Jo Bossart/ParrySounds.com in Budget/Financial, Parry Sound, Reflections, Suggestions

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BOCC, budget, economic development, Opinion, parry sound, School, Town Council, Vision, Youth

This is the first in a series of posts looking at the 2015 Parry Sound budget and budget review process. There is no defined order to the posts. I will offer thoughts and suggestions as I reflect on the budget and the public discussion that follows. This first post briefly covers Tuesday night’s meeting and raises an issue that seemed a common theme of the meeting’s deputations.

The meeting Tuesday night lasted about two and half hours, this included a bit more than an hour for some preliminary agenda items related to taxation ratios (more on this in a future post) and five deputations, three scheduled and two impromptu. The scheduled deputations concerned issues included in the budget review while the impromptu deputations were short and spoke to the earlier deputations.

Tuesday night’s meeting was the first time in at least the last four years that there were citizen deputations related to the draft budget. In the past it seems the budget discussions, while in open session, attracted no one beyond those paid to be there, Council, Staff and Media. It was almost like a backroom discussion because of the lack of public attendance. Last year saw members of the Citizen’s Finance Committee attend, and the media. The budget deliberations are not covered by Cogeco for broadcast. This year’s meeting was better advertised and the draft budget was available to the public at the Town’s website. As was mentioned by the Councillors at the meeting this year’s draft budget was easy to understand. So the budget process started off with more participation than I have seen in the past, although pretty much everyone left after the deputation portion of the meeting; a shame in my opinion because there was much to be learned in the back and forth between Staff and Council about the various budget items and their individual priorities.

The three deputations, by three separate groups (Museum, Library, Ranger Cabin), provided updates to what they accomplished in 2014 and what they intended to do in 2015 with the requested funding. All three deputations spoke indirectly to a theme that Council and Staff regularly ignore – education and creating a culture of learning in the community. It is an issue that I have previously commented on (Education – Did Not Attend) while grading Council and Staff’s performance prior to the 2014 election.

The Town spends hundreds of thousands of dollars annually to support a culture of physical health and sports. The investments include operating the Bobby Orr Community Centre, trails maintenance and planning, Waubano Beach, the many parks in Town for youth and adults, and financial contributions to the West Parry Sound Health Centre. There is also considerable direct and indirect support provided to arts in Parry Sound through the Stockey Centre, the Festival of the Sound, as well as subsidized social and cultural events. But where is there similar support for education and learning? Perhaps the public school system is supposed to take care of this. But are they really able to offer the resources necessary to foster a vibrant learning and success oriented community? School is work, not fun, for most children and families. Why do any more than you need to ‘get by’? And how much input does the community have with respect to the schools? It seems the school’s agenda is almost entirely directed by people in Queen’s Park and North Bay.

Is a focus on the physical enough to build a vibrant community? Is support for concerts and playgrounds all that is necessary to build a healthy community?

In my opinion, no!

But it can be argued that we do offer some learning and educational opportunities through support of a library and museum. The Library has a budget on the order of $300,000 of which the Town provides about $150,000 annually. The Museum is supported to the tune of $25,000 by the Town of Parry Sound and is asking for an additional $5,000 to bring the total to $30,000. This pales in comparison with the money spent by the Town on the Bobby Orr Community Centre, the Stockey Centre and our parks.

The overall academic scores for children in our local schools rank in the bottom half of the province. In one case it’s in the bottom tenth of the province. This is not the kind of scholastic performance that will attract the people who build businesses and create jobs. It will attract people whose children have already finished public school or who can afford tuition at a private college. The entrepreneurs and business people with young families will want their children to get the best schooling possible, in an environment where there is attention paid to education and a culture of learning. Yes, any student who is bright enough, and motivated to learn can succeed. But many children need to experience a culture of learning before they ‘get it’ and realize their own potential. Parry Sound really doesn’t offer that type of environment outside of the school setting, and this may contribute to the dismal academic performance of the schools.

We do have a culture of success in Town when it comes to athletics, particularly hockey and curling. The area has produced a number of individuals who have succeeded on both the Canadian and International sports stage. How about intellectual and business success? We have a Bobby Orr Hall of Fame to honour individuals who have made important contributions, or achieved excellence, in athletics. We have multiple sports leagues that are effectively Town subsidized. What do we have with regard to achievement in learning and academics and business?

Building a culture of academic and intellectual achievement will not come overnight. But a little bit of investment can go a long way. What about having the Town provide additional support to the Museum and Library so they can offer programs that will stimulate and encourage children, and adults, to learn and establish a culture of education and success. Might there be a Saturday morning class at the Museum where interested kids can learn to code? Or perhaps learn about the science and ecology of the environment? What about some sort of a class at the Library where children can learn a new language that will open their eyes to the bigger world and give them a leg up when they move on to the next stage of their education and life? What about harnessing the potential of Canadore to not only offer adult education but also advanced subjects for children on Saturdays and after school.

If we fail to invest in our youth we will continue to fail to attract the kind of people and businesses that will contribute to the growth of Greater Parry Sound, not just Parry Sound but also Sequin, McDougall, Carling and McKellar. The default is to become a seniors centre – Elliott Lake South, where the focus is on entertainment and health services rather than education and learning. There’s nothing wrong with that. But understand that it doesn’t have to be an either-or situtation. We have a choice, and how we spend our tax money will make all the difference. How can parents who have never been exposed to the opportunity of education and learning be expected to share that experience with their children? If a father or mother played hockey it’s likely their children will be given the opportunity. If they danced, or curled or played soccer – ditto. And if they haven’t succeeded at school what can they pass on? It truly does take a village to properly raise a child.

So let’s give the Library and the Museum some more money and see what they can do to create an environment of learning and achievement. In the big scheme of things it’s a nickels and dimes investment that can pay back loonies and toonies.

Note: I realize that the neighboring communities have responsibilities for both the Museum and Library, but let’s not depend on them. They are too busy worrying about the loss of the subsidy for OPP policing services they have received for years. To quote Joni Mitchell’s Big Yellow Taxi, “You don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone”. But let’s hope that they stop looking at high speed internet as their only priortity and consider more support for the museum, the library and a regional culture of achievement in athletics, academics and business. That sounds like good economic development policy.

It’s not just Parry Sound students who are putting up those academic scores.

A Chilly Environment for Learning? (Parry Sound in Black & White)

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Town of Parry Sound – 2015 Draft Budget

04 Sunday Jan 2015

Posted by Jo Bossart/ParrySounds.com in Budget/Financial, Parry Sound, Town Council

≈ Comments Off on Town of Parry Sound – 2015 Draft Budget

Tags

budget, Capital Investment, Infrastructure, parry sound, Planning, Town Council

The Town has posted the first draft of the 2015 Parry Sound budget. It’s a very complete and detailed document amounting to 178 pages. It’s available at the Town’s website through this link. I’m also hosting the budget document here in case that’s easier for folks to access. It’s a big document and I’ve just taken a quick look at it. Comments will follow in the days leading up to the council meeting focused on the 2015 Draft Budget.

That meeting, which isn’t posted up on the Town’s website, is open to the public. I understand that there will be an opportunity for tax payers to pitch and/or support budget items at that session by means of deputations. While impromptu deputations have traditionally been accepted I would suggest contacting the Town office and letting them know if you plan to speak.

The budget meeting will be held on January 13th, starting at 6:00. Because the deputations are only accepted at the start of council meetings I suggest you be there at 6:00 and not expect to be able to make a statement later. The meeting is at the Parry Sound Town Hall, access is at the Gibson Street entrance. You can of course contact one or more of the Town Councillors and give them your input at any time.

Take the time to review the budget, it’s more complete and transparent than ever before. In the absence of a Citizen’s Finance Committee everyone needs to pick up the slack and make sure the Town is making the best investments with our tax money and preparing properly for the future.

Budget Tip – Don’t Miss the Trees for the Forest (Parry Sound in Black & White)

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