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

Hmm, no rest this week for Council and Staff. The local populace is active and is demanding research and answers. Physicians and engineers are seemingly being encouraged to run for council so we don’t need to rely on outside professionals.

A number of people are unhappy with the decision of Council to continue to fluoridate the Town’s water. I wonder where they were when the issue was being discussed? In one letter they asked what research Council had personally done into the issue of fluoridation. That seems a silly point. Council was provided expert help with the input of Dr. James Chirico, the District Health Officer. That’s his full-time job. Do people expect a Councillor, with no medical or dental training to make a better considered decision? Do they expect Council, when faced with an engineering report, to go out and do their own research on tensile strengths and rely on their determinations rather than that of the experts?

How do we feel as a community on the requirement to have proof of vaccination to attend public schools? If you ‘troll’ the internet you can find lots of reports and so called “evidence” that vaccination is dangerous to the health of children and may be responsible for the apparent increase in autism. And did you know that only three provinces in Canada require proof of vaccination to attend public schools? So by some logic the mandatory vaccination in Ontario for public school attendance must obviously be ‘wrong’. Or is it?

People have choices with respect to vaccination and drinking fluoridated water. If you don’t want to vaccinate your child you are permitted to home school your child, or enroll them in a non-publicly funded school. Both options are demanding and/or expensive. Don’t want to drink fluoridated water? Simple, just go buy some at a local store, or bum some off of a friend in one of the local municipalities. I imagine you could also drill your own well, or pull water from Georgian Bay.

The time for a discussion on fluoridation was before, and during, the recent Council meeting. We were made aware the issue was to be discussed long before the item was put before Council. I understand the people with concerns are well intentioned, but perhaps not well qualified to actually offer an informed opinion or pass judgment for the larger population. In the case of fluoridation it is really simple and inexpensive for town residents to avoid fluoride. I wish we could invest this type of energy in a discussion of the challenging issues related to potential climate change. Note my use of the term “potential”. There are many who believe that there is no ongoing climate change, much less one that humans are responsible for.

Other letters to Council include business concerns regarding residential development at the Parry Sound Mall (Item 4.5), truck traffic on Wakefield Street (Item 4.4), unannounced power outages (Item 4.11) and potential removal of the gazebo on the Town Dock (Item 4.13).

Beyond the letters to Council, there are EMS deployment proposals, Public Works construction requests, a sign request reconsideration, and site plan approvals before Council. More information is provided below, but I suggest you check out the summarized council meeting agenda at the Town’s website, or the full agenda package which is available upon request from the Town, or through the link at the top of this page.

Correspondence

4.4 – Concerns regarding noisy road construction trucks going up and down Wakefield to access Brunatti’s property.

4.4 – Mark Campbell, President of Parry Sound Glass Limited. Concerns with the proposed Consent Application No. B11/2015(PS) – PS Mall as a residential development will detrimentally affect his business.

4.7, 4.8, 4.12 – Concerns about fluoridation of the Town’s Drinking Water.

4.11 – Dave Garagon, Parry Sound Insurance Brokers Ltd. Concern regarding lack of notification for power outages and surges on Friday June 26, 2015. He raises a good point, I was impacted by the mid-morning power outage and I’m not running a business.

4.11 – Concerns regarding the potential removal of the gazebo from the Town Dock.

Deputations

5.1 – Concerns regarding noisy road construction trucks going up and down Wakefield to access Brunatti’s property.

Resolutions and Direction To Staff

9.1.1 – Argyle EMS Service Delivery. Resolution. That upon the recommendation of the EMS Advisory Committee Parry Sound District EMS move to a service delivery model in Argyle that would utilize WPSHC Emergency Medical Care Assistant (EMCA) medics for eight hours a day, 7 days a week with call back for the other 16 hours of the day (2 medics on shift at all times) starting September 8, 2015.

9.1.3 – Seasonal Up staff in Seguin. Resolution. That upon the recommendation of the EMS Advisory Committee the Town of Parry Sound approve the up staff of an evening/night car in Seguin to consist of 8 hrs an evening/night 7 days a week until October 13.

9.1.4 – C12 – Smart Co Board. Resolution. This is interesting, and in my opinion appropriate. Parry Sound is adjusting its role to observer in the Smart Community initiative seeking high speed internet for the other communities of the West Parry Sound District. The Town of Parry Sound already has high speed internet, Vianet has recently starting offering even faster uncapped residential fibre optic service in Town at very reasonable rates. Better to let our neighbours take the lead while we focus on more pressing issues directly impacting Parry Sound.

9.3.1 – Council Remuneration Review. Direction. That Staff be directed to bring back a revision to the Council Compensation By-law to increase the salary of the Mayor to $31,036 effective January 1, 2016 and to modify the per diem for members of council to include a half-day per diem of $65 and a full day rate of $130. Work them hard and pay them fairly. If you want some of that money you should run for office. I’ve watched what goes on and they earn it.

9.4.1 – Tender – Waste Transfer Site Expansion. Resolution. That Council accept the tender from W.S. Morgan Construction Ltd. in the amount of $103,500.00, taxes extra, for the Waste Transfer Site Expansion including the relocation of the overhead door and supply and installation of new steel siding and trims, this tender being the lowest tender of four (4) tenders received.

9.4.2 – Tender – McFarlane Street Garage Re-roofing. Resolution. That Council accepts the tender from Incon Construction Ltd. for the McFarlane Street Garage Re-roofing in the amount of $69,932.00, HST extra, this tender being the lowest tender of three (3) tenders received.

9.6.1 – Motion to Amend Previous Decision – Resolution 2015-113 – June 16, 2015. That Resolution 2015-113, defeated at the Parry Sound Council Meeting held June 16, 2015, be brought forward for amendment. It’s back again. I wonder who has been leaning on who to bring this back before Council once again. The Town needs to decide whether it will go down the path of being a typical ‘tacky’ tourist town with signs here, there, and everywhere, or a town with planning and a sense of ‘class’. Approve it and you are stuck with it for the next five years. I do notice that a realtor a few properties down Bowes Street has posted their own sign on town property announcing that a realtor is in the office. Don’t ask permission; beg forgiveness.

By-laws

10.5.1 – Site Plan Approval Application – Sound Holdings Inc. – 60 Bowes Street. Being a By-law to grant Site Plan Approval and authorize the execution and registration of a development agreement with Sound Holdings Inc. – 60 Bowes Street. This is a new medical offices building. It will surely have an impact on the downtown by reducing traffic. But with the condition of the current offices along James and Bay Street there seems no other real option.

10.5.2 – Site Plan Approval Application – Trestle Brewing Company – 9 Great North Road. Being a By-law to grant Site Plan Approval and authorize the execution and registration of a development agreement with 1929330 Ontario Inc. – 9 Great North Road. An interesting plan that’s worth taking a look at. In terms of footprint it’s mostly a restaurant with a view of the lower Seguin, that has a surprisingly small brewery facility attached. It should be a nice addition to the community.

10.5.3 – Treetops Community Forest. Being a By-law to provide for the establishment of a Reserve Fund to be known as the Treetops Community Forest Reserve Fund. This is the park area next to the new school that was presented to Council a few weeks ago. The agenda package includes the full proposal with considerable information about the park area and its proposed management.

See you on Tuesday. It will be interesting to see how the revisionist requests are handled.

I Wonder Where This Goes. (Parry Sound in Four Colour)