Tag Archives: Seguin

Council Agenda Preview – July 18, 2017

16 Sunday Jul 2017

Posted by in Parry Sound, Town Council

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This is a very slim agenda with no by-laws to be reviewed an approved. There are a few surprises but nothing of concern, a bit of real estate buy and sell comes to mind. The key items are listed below.

Closed Agenda

  1. b) personal matters about an identifiable individual, including municipal or local board employees (Parry Sound DBA Governance, DBA Correspondence)
  2. c) a proposed or pending acquisition of land for municipal or local board purposes. (Waterfront)

Correspondence

 4.1–  David Penfold, Pointe Au Baril resident. Request to have the words Parry Sound or Welcome to Parry Sound put on the north end water tower located in McDougall.

4.2 – Jane Jones, Chair, Artists Round the Sound (ARTS). Thank you note to Council for the 2017 grant through the Municipal Assistance Program (MAP).

4.4 – Elliot Sherman, Project and Construction Manager, SYN*MH LTD. Thank you letter for Council’s support of his company’s intention to carry out research, design and construction of the micro-home prototypes.

Deputations

5.1 – Andrea Gordon and Andrew Parker, (OPSEU) We Own. The costs of privatization vs. the benefits of public services.

5.2 – Ingrid Mueller, Chair and Neil Pirie, Manager, Parry Sound Area Airport Commission. Rehabilitation of runways at the Parry Sound Area Airport Commission.

Consent Agenda

8.1 – Support for Natural Gas Grant for the Township of Seguin. Resolution. Whereas the Township of Seguin wishes to expand access to natural gas within the Township; and Whereas one of the Strategic Priorities for Council for the Town of Parry Sound is West Parry Sound Area Cooperation; Therefore, Be It Resolved That Council for the Town of Parry Sound supports the Township of Seguin’s resolution, attached as Schedule “A”, for an application to be submitted by a natural gas distributor or supplier to the Government of Ontario, for a grant from the provincial Natural Gas Grant Program to expand the natural gas system to service the Township of Seguin; and Further that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Township of Seguin to be included with the application to Ontario’s Natural Gas Grant Program.

Resolutions and Direction to Staff

9.1.1 – 2016 Reserve and Reserve Fund Transfers at Year End. Resolution.
1. That Council approves the transfers to and from Reserves as summarized in Schedule “A”;
2. That Council approves the transfers to and from Reserve Funds as summarized in Schedule “B”;
3. That 2015 and 2016 capital projects which were funded from reserves may be completed in 2017 as previously budgeted, as these projects were previously approved and do not impact the 2017 levy requirements.

9.1.2 – Proposed Provincial Asset Management Planning Regulation. Direction (For Direct Staff Follow-up). That the Director of Finance and POA Court Services send a letter to the Province of Ontario outlining that Council supports the MFOA letter dated July 4, 2017 regarding the proposed regulation EBR 013-0551, and that the proposed requirement for engineering certification should be amended.

9.3.1 – Tender – BOCC Dehumidifier. Resolution. That Council accept the tender from Cimco Refrigeration for the supply and install of one (1) RefPlus DDE-2500 Ice Rink Desiccant Dehumidifier, for a total of $31, 523.61, including HST.

9.3.3 – Consent Application – B 17/2017 (PS) – Halvorson. Resolution. That Consent Application No. B 17/2017 (PS) – Halvorson – Addie Street, be supported subject to the following conditions:
1. Payment for cash-in-lieu of parkland dedication in the amount of $5,354.00
2. An easement be dedicated over the private water/sewer lines in favour of the retained lands.

9.6.1 – Town Property – Parry Sound Drive. Direction. That the Principal Planner be directed to bring a Report & Recommendation to the September 19th Council Meeting regarding the potential sale and redevelopment, and rezoning if necessary, of the Town-owned property identified as a portion of the Parry Sound Drive road allowance to the west of Parts 2-4 of 42R19097 and to the west of Part 1 of 42R19887, being a portion of PIN: 52105 0429 along Parry Sound Drive.

Hold Them, Fold Them

07 Friday Jul 2017

Posted by in Parry Sound, Reflections, Town Council, Urban Development

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You’ve got to know when to hold ’em
Know when to fold ’em
Know when to walk away
And know when to run
You never count your money
When you’re sittin’ at the table
There’ll be time enough for countin’
When the dealin’s done
(The Gambler, 1978, performed by Kenny Rogers, written by Don Schlitz)

Late last week I made the decision to fold my appeal of Parry Sound Council’s approval of the Oastler Park Rezoning and Official Plan Amendment and advised the Town and the lawyers for the Oastler Park Mall of this decision on June 29th.

I initiated my appeal in January of this year for three reasons that are worth listing:

  1. I believed, and still believe, that the rezoning will significantly change the Parry Sound downtown (Downtown). It may not hurt the Town overall in terms of tax revenue, but things will change, and the changes may be painful for some.
  2. I felt that the parties most likely to be impacted by the rezoning had not yet organized themselves and needed additional time to properly appeal the rezoning and Official Plan amendment decision.
  3. The work submitted by the applicant in support of the rezoning contained significant errors of fact that put into question the impartiality and conclusions of the applicant’s experts.

My original January appeal of the Oastler Park rezoning was appealed two months later (an appeal of an appeal) by the Town and the rezoning applicant wishing to have the Royal Bank relocate to the Oastler Park Plaza in the location previously leased by the Easy Home people. Last Friday I received a communication from the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) that my original appeal could go forward. This followed a communication earlier in the week from the Province of Ontario advising interested parties that the decision had been made to uphold the Town’s Official Plan Amendment (OPA) permitting a change in the Official Plan to allow for the rezoning of the Oastler Park Mall property to permit the Royal Bank to relocate there from the Parry Sound Mall. Existing Parry Sound Official Plan had required Banks, Booze outlets (LCBO, Beer Store) and Bars (licensed establishments), commonly referred to as the 3-B restriction (3-B) to be located in the Parry Sound Downtown.

If you find this issue confusing, be comforted by my suggestion that it is confusing. Unless you have been following the issue for most of the year you probably have read as much as you need to. For those of you more familiar with the situation, you may wish to read on and understand why the original appeal was an important part of process and my sense of what may be ahead for the Town of Parry Sound.

Background:

In January of the 2017 I filed an appeal with the OMB concerning the Town of Parry Sound’s (TOPS or Town) decision to permit a rezoning of the Oastler Park Plaza to allow the Royal Bank to move into an existing vacant building. In January I also filed a document with the Province outlining my concerns with the Official Plan Amendment (OPA) approved by the Town to permit the rezoning. The arguments in both filings are similar and I have linked a copy of my filing to the Province regarding the OPA rezoning for those who are interested in my specific concerns.

My appeal of the rezoning was appealed to the OMB by the Oastler Park Plaza folks. They wanted my appeal thrown out. A hearing, convened by the OMB, was held in Parry Sound in April with the lawyer for the Oastler Park Plaza, and me, presenting our arguments why my appeal of the rezoning should, or shouldn’t be heard, by the OMB. The appeal itself was interesting and a worthwhile exercise. On the Oastler Park side was their lawyer and his assistant, up from Hamilton, along with the Oastler Park Plaza’s planning consultant. On my side, it was me. The lawyers for the Oastler Park Plaza folks presented about 400 pages of documentation including precedents for why my appeal should be rejected. In all, the hearing took about 4 hours. As mentioned earlier, the OMB’s decision rendered this past Friday upheld my right to appeal. It’s a small consolation, but offers some validation for the merits of my concerns about the rezoning and the impact it might have on the Town.

The Process:

Since January I have been spoken to a number of people about the appeal, including those likely to be impacted by any lessening of the 3-B requirements in the Official Plan. Concern was expressed, but over time it became obvious that there was no interest in investing in the appeal process, either emotionally, publicly, or financially. My sense after the first appeal hearing was that it would take more than $20,000 to mount a credible appeal of both the Rezoning and the OPA. It’s likely that the Oastler Park Plaza people spent more than $10,000 to appeal my original Rezoning appeal, and that was just the first period of the game that would likely go into overtime

I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised by the response of the business people in the downtown with regard to the issue. There certainly was concern, but it was a shared concern that no single individual or business felt hurt them specifically or immediately. It’s a variation of the commonly discussed term – Tragedy of the Commons. Because no single individual would be immediately hurt, there was no obvious reason to stand up.

What surprised me was a party who contacted me early in the process and expressed support, with the suggestion of financial and logistic resources to put together the necessary documentation to support an appeal that might win the day. They took a bit of my time and in the end didn’t even have the courtesy to promptly respond to an email once push came to shove. They were playing a game that I recognized they might be playing early on in the process. But they claimed to be sincere, and in the absence of contrary information, and being the appeal’s best hope for success, I gave them the benefit of the doubt.

The Decision:

Late last week, and especially after the Province’s OPA decision, It became plainly obvious that the best intentions of others were not going to turn into material support. At that point I realized that no one cared enough about the implications of the Town’s rezoning and Official Plan Amendment to step up and support my appeal logistically or financially. Given that I would personally not be damaged by Council’s decision to allow the bank to move to the south end, and it would cost me thousands to properly carry the appeal forward, I decide to fold the appeal. Just like poker, if the cards don’t warrant raising or you are out of chips, the right thing to do is to fold. There was no room for bluffing when it would cost thousands to stay in the game and there was no personal payoff even if I had won the appeal. There would perhaps have been that nice warm feeling of having supported the Downtown. The same kind of nice warm feeling when you piss your pants?

The Future:

I think we can imagine the future already, not so much because of my decision to fold the appeal, but rather the Province’s decision to allow some grocery stores to sell beer and wine. You may have noticed that our local Sobeys has started selling beer and wine. My casual observation suggests that it has further increased their business. I have seen any number of people walking to the cash register with a six-pack in their carts, that didn’t require them to head to the Downtown. Of course perhaps they just wouldn’t have bought that six-pack or bottle of wine, so the Downtown lost nothing. Yeah, sure! In effect the second “B” restriction, booze, has already moved out of the Downtown. The only nail left to put in the figurative coffin is a restaurant in the south end serving alcohol. I understand there are individuals ready to make this happen. With the Royal Bank heading to the south end, and booze at Sobeys, I can’t imagine that Council will be in any position to oppose restaurant rezoning. The Town’s recent decision to apply for the right to approve their own Official Plan amendments would streamline the process. This is despite Mayor McGarvey public statement that he will not approve the move or establishment of any business that would be in contravention of the 3-B regulations. He has shown in the past that he can be ‘flexible’ if there are moneyed interests involved. These are the folks who can drive the local economy and they can’t be ignored or dismissed.

The real test will come in the next few months. The LCBO’s lease in the downtown will expire by October of 2018, and I understand that they are itching to get out of the Downtown and into a facility in the south end. And there are people with the land and resources to provide them with exactly the type facility they might want. And the Beer Store would like to do nothing more than get out of the real estate business and rent space in the south end. These are the near term ‘canaries in the coal mine’ when it comes to the future of the 3-B and the Downtown.

How will the fast food joints across the street from the LCBO do now that tourists or folks from Seguin and Carling who need (want?) a six-pack, or a bottle of wine, can avoid traffic and limited parking by picking it up at Sobeys? What about the downtown banks? How many people will move to the Royal Bank because it’s more convenient, and right beside Walmart? One stop less.

No, the town is not going to go to hell with this change, morally or financially. In fact the Town will probably benefit with booze and bars heading to the south end. Any development in the south end will result in additional property assessments that will increase the Town’s tax revenue base. It’s possible that the assessment base of the Downtown may drop, but not nearly as much as the south end development revenues will increase.

The Downtown will need to roll with this punch. Don’t bet on everyone’s hope that waterfront development will increase traffic and business to the Downtown. It won’t happen for the simple reason that the weather in Parry Sound sucks between November and April. You can’t create a stable economy based on four months of beautiful weather, especially if that weather is available to neighbouring communities. I love winter in Parry Sound, when there is snow and the Big Sound is frozen over, but that’s not November, December and April. Sometimes it’s not even January and March. Most people don’t like the snow, and certainly aren’t going to come to Parry Sound’s downtown in the winter to sit in a hotel or to shop. Casino anyone? Wait, that won’t be in the Downtown. Or might it?

There is the possibility though of turning Parry Sound’s downtown into a residential centre, with an emphasis on senior and social services. The Downtown has little charm in terms of wide treed streets and classy old buildings that can compete with Muskoka. Two very busy train tracks further detract from any charm that might be possible. But, the Downtown is perfectly functional and will appeal to many who have more limited means. This is a transformation that will be slow to develop and will be painful for many businesses.

Development in Parry Sound, even in the south end, has limitations as it currently exists. This may explain the Town’s interest is extending Parry Sound Road to Oastler Park Drive and their approval a couple of years ago of the rezoning of the properties north of Starbucks. If there is to be development there needs to be land. If Parry Sound doesn’t provide it, the development will move to Seguin, just up Oastler Park Drive. These Seguin properties may not have water and sewer services, but some businesses will not require them. Not all LCBO buildings are located in towns with water and sewer service. With property taxes in Seguin one-third those of Parry Sound, a well and septic, or holding tank, may just be financially attractive.

I do feel sorry for some of the business in the Downtown who will see things change, most notably those businesses that depend on regular traffic to sustain business. Things seem to have reached a point where change is assured. But, change isn’t necessarily a bad thing unless of course sea level is rising and you own beautiful oceanside property.

One Last Comment:

What really pissed me off about the whole process, and motivated me in part to appeal the rezoning, was the documentation provided in support of the rezoning application. An important part of the rezoning process is the requirement for the applicant to provide an independent opinion on the potential impact of the rezoning on the Downtown. In the case of the Oastler Park Plaza rezoning this involved planning and economic statements. These reports are expected to be independent and unbiased. While it’s possible to ‘shop’ for an opinion, I have seen this often done in legal situations, the analysis still needs to, at the very least, provide a sense of independence.

My concern is not with the conclusions reached by the reports that the rezoning would not have any negative impact on the Downtown. I think they are wrong, but we are all permitted our own analysis and conclusions. What pissed me off is that they actually didn’t do the necessary work to reach an unbiased opinion. This was evidenced by the reports, which are riddled with errors, most notably the location of businesses and even the Downtown. The Downtown area was expanded a couple of years ago, but this was not reflected in the two reports. They still made reference to the older footprint. Would the revised Downtown size have impacted their analysis and recommendation? Absolutely not. The consultants knew what their client wanted and they were prepared to deliver it. These are the same parties that advised the Town that the Walmart development would not negatively impact the downtown. At the very least they could have updated their earlier analysis to reflect the current situation even if their opinions were already fixed.

Is anybody else paying attention to the changes? Does anybody really care? It’s a sad consolation that regardless of what people do or don’t do it won’t impact my personal situation. You need to care, but not too much.

2016 Sunshine List Mashup

05 Wednesday Apr 2017

Posted by in Budget/Financial, Parry Sound, Reflections

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Or, fun with figures.

I wasn’t going to post about the recently released 2016 Sunshine list, but I was ‘egged’ into it. I really don’t have a problem with what people are paid as long as they are doing their job and they are earning what they are paid. Given my regular interaction with the senior staff in Parry Sound I won’t complain. They seem to be ‘earning their pay’.

More interesting I thought was to look at how the 2016 Sunshine List looks across the West Parry Sound District, and what it reflects. Mashing together the 2016 Sunshine List and the recent 2016 Census figures provided for some interesting insights. Here are the figures, with some explanation. (Apologies to Whitestone for being excluded.)

(Click on any of the tables for a larger view.)

The table above summarizes the combined salaries and benefit figures reported for the area municipalities. Each of the municipalities uses slightly different titles for the various senior management positions so I have associated them to the best of my abilities. In the case of the Archipelago and Parry Sound there are a couple of positions that don’t fit the standard categories, these are Corporate Services and Emergency and Protective Services respectively.

This next table relates the cost for each position as a function of fulltime residences. It reveals a number of significant discrepancies in terms of the cost of all Sunshine List senior staff for municipalities, from a low of $47 per person, to a high of $1,167. But this is really not a fair comparison as some of the municipalities have far more seasonal than fulltime residents. Unfortunately, the census data doesn’t provide information on seasonal resident numbers. So let’s look at the same Salaries & Benefits figures as a function of the total Private Dwellings in each municipality. This includes both fulltime and seasonal properties.

This figure is closer to a reasonable estimate of Sunshine List ‘efficiency’, but it does not include the impact of businesses. If the number of business properties were to be included I suspect that Parry Sound would show a much more favourable ‘efficiency factor’.

So there are the 2016 Sunshine List figures with a little bit of analysis. A set of figures from the 2016 Census report that a I found interesting relates to municipality fulltime population and the number of private  dwellings (below). The numbers range from a high of 5.1 dwellings per person (Archipelago), to a low of 0.5 dwellings per person in Parry Sound. The difference obviously is the large number of seasonal residences in the Archipelago, Carling and McKellar. Those simple figures tell you everything you need to know about why amalgamation will not be something the municipalities spontaneously decide to do. It’s possible to imagine a Parry Sound and McDougall amalgamation, and perhaps an Archipelago and Carling amalgamation if they wanted to get better efficiency. The ‘business models’ are reasonably aligned. But don’t even think about it, much less talk about it. It’s a bit like integration in the U.S. South in the 60s. It took Federal legislation to make that happen. In the case of West Parry Sound it will take Provincial legislation. With Bay Street just a short walk away from the Provincial Legislature it’s – not – going – to – happen. Ever!

Notes:

  1. The 2016 Sunshine list is a bit of a bear to work with. I didn’t come across a simple PDF version as in earlier years. It’s available as a variety of data dumps. The easiest in my opinion was the CSV format file that can be searched with Excel.
  2. The municipalities that have only a single person hitting the Sunshine List may well have personnel just under the $100,000 cutoff, who would not be included in this report.
  3. It’s interesting to see how many police officers are on the Sunshine List. In the end, I think our neighbouring municipalities took the prudent course of action by biting the bullet and continuing on with OPP service.

 

The Mall Strikes Back

01 Thursday Dec 2016

Posted by in Parry Sound, Reflections, Seguin Township, Town Council

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Well, well, it seems that people are starting to pay attention to things being discussed at Parry Sound Council meetings. A little late, but perhaps not too late. The Royal Banks planned relocation is an issue raised on this site a couple of weeks ago. That’s why you subscribe to parrysounds.com isn’t it, to find out what’s before Council before a decision is made and you are aren’t left with scrambling to get decisions reversed? (I’m thinking about you, Fluddites.)

Well the Parry Sound Mall owners finally seem to have realized that one of its tenants, the Royal Bank, is asking for a special exemption from the Town’s Official Plan restricting banks to the downtown core, to allow it to move up the Walmart plaza. The nub of the Mall owners’ concerns is contained in a letter to the North Star that is a pleasure to read. It’s an argument that I would have been proud to have penned (actually keyboarded).

I’m neither in the real estate or banking business so I don’t have a position on this decision, but I do have an interest in consistency and transparency. Allowing the bank, which was permitted to operate outside of the downtown for unusual reasons, to relocate would seem to be at odds with the Town’s Official Plan. Why have a plan if you intend to consistently allow exceptions and exemptions? If rules can be broken, then there effectively are no rules. Businesses depend on knowing what the rules are, and that they will be consistently enforced. They don’t want to invest in a Town where they effectively get punished by following the rules while others don’t.

If Council allows the Royal Bank to move then I think it should in good conscience amend the Official plan to permit banks, bars and booze retailers to locate to any part of Parry Sound, not just the downtown. That would eliminate any need for an Economic Development Officer. It would be a free-for all. And if I were sitting in the Seguin town office I would be seriously thinking about how the municipality could put in just enough services to entice businesses to locate along the Oastler Park Drive corridor just across the Parry Sound Town line. With Seguin property taxes about one-third that of Parry Sound’s, it would be an easy sell for retail expansion.

Life offers many slippery slopes and the Royal Bank relocation seems to be sitting on top of one that may be much steeper than Parry Sound Council and Staff realize.

Who needs reality TV when you can watch small town politics with a front row seat? I’m looking forward to the next installment of Parry Sound Council. It will be live next Tuesday at the Town Hall, with reruns later in the week on Cogeco (if they show up).

 

 

REDAC Regional Market Plan Reflections

10 Saturday Sep 2016

Posted by in Parry Sound, Reflections, Seguin Township

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A few thoughts after reviewing the REDAC Regional Marketing Plan issued June 2016.

Positives:

  1. The report was not too shy in identifying some of the issues and challenges facing the region in terms of increasing economic development.
  2. There was a clear understanding that it is one thing to prepare a plan, and another to fund and effectively implement the plan.
  3. The plan appropriately identified the need for monitoring and assessing the effectiveness of any marketing programs.

Oversights:

Several meaningful issues were overlooked in the report. Was it a case of simply not recognizing the issues, or was it a case of ‘sweeping it under the carpet’. My sense of some important points that were overlooked:

  1. Services
  2. Tax differentials
  3. Housing value
  4. Railways

Services:

The services available to homeowners and businesses varies considerably throughout the area studied in the REDAC report (Parry Sound, McDougall, Seguin, and Carling). These include:

  • Municipal water
  • Municipal sewer
  • Natural gas

There was mention of the need for better internet connectivity. For the most part it’s not that big an issue except at the residential level. Wireless service is actually quite good, and for businesses it is not an unreasonable expense if it impacts business and profitability. They aren’t streaming video at work. Businesses out in the backwoods of the region really can’t expect ‘fibre’ type service, and if they really needed it they would not be located where they are. Homeowners who want to stream video at home have an issue as wireless can be expensive. Better, actually mostly cheaper, internet services are a nice to have that would help attract people and businesses to the area.

Real businesses that employ people and serve customers on site, not the retired consultant type shop, need water and sewer service. Yes, a well and septic bed can do the job, but it raises an unreasonable burden of effort for businesses that have other things to think about. Think about the new high school to be built in the area. Will they locate somewhere that depends on wells and sewers? Perhaps, but given their preferences they would rather not be doing weekly water tests to make sure the kids aren’t drinking contaminated water following that big rain. And how big a septic bed is needed for a high school of 1,000 students? Right, just about the size of a football or soccer field.

A bigger issue is the availability of natural gas. Electricity is expensive, especially for uses like heating. Natural gas is remarkably inexpensive, but it requires an infrastructure that is only available in Parry Sound and a relatively select number of addresses in the other municipalities. Propane is an option, but it’s not nearly as cheap or convenient as natural gas. I suspect a large number of people who installed electric baseboards when electricity was cheap regret not putting in more insulation, or installing a furnace and ducting that could be used with propane, a heat pump, or natural gas when it arrived along their road.

Tax Differentials:

The tax rates on property in the five municipalities vary about three-fold, with Seguin at the low end and Parry Sound at the top. Taxes reflect a balance of what services municipal residents and business want to receive and how much they are willing to pay for them. The lower taxes in the surrounding regions do not arise from happenstance, they reflect the interests of the taxpayers.

Municipalities like the Town of Parry Sound are stretched in terms of the taxes they can collect and the services they are expected to deliver. Adding new taxable residents and businesses is a priority as much of the infrastructure is already established and any increased revenues from new residents and businesses would be ‘profitable’, and help support necessary infrastructure upgrades for all. Economic development that leads to increased property values is very much in the interests of Parry Sound. The only real revenue the Town has is from the taxation of property and government grants.

The other municipalities do not have the same needs for more development and greater tax revenues. This is reflected in their lower tax rates. Economic development is something that is nice to talk about, because it reflects positively on councils. But do they really want it? Is it possible that more development will lead to a requirement for new services that might mean higher tax rates? Nobody likes to raise property taxes, especially if your municipality depends on being the low tax provider.

I think the residents of these municipalities would rather not promote development. Many of them like it the way it is. Seasonal residents are complaining about the development of certain lakes and are calling for a moratorium on new cottages. And I’m not sure that people really like the idea of losing the small town, or cottage area, feeling that comes with more development. If permanent and seasonal residents can enjoy low taxes and the services of a town like Parry Sound next door or Bracebridge a little further away, why do they need more ‘economic development’? There is no benefit, only the potential for change and higher taxes.

The tax differential between municipalities drives much more than was ever suggested in the REDAC report.

Substandard Housing Value:

This mostly applies to the Town of Parry Sound. Housing in Parry Sound is by Toronto standards cheap;  but it is a poor value. There are any number of reasons for this, none of which are easily fixed by politicians. In more affluent regions many of these houses would be leveled and replaced with the types of housing that young families need and can afford. The development of well-designed condo facilities offers some hope for better value housing in Parry Sound, but this type of housing will not appeal to those with families who want a backyard. They can get that type of housing in the Barrie, Orillia and Owen Sound areas, where there are also the jobs to support the associated cost of this housing. Chicken and egg, or egg and chicken?

The Railways:

Again mostly a Parry Sound issue. Canadian National and Canadian Pacific together run about twenty or more heavy freight trains through Parry Sound every day and represent a serious deterrent to business investment and residential development. Not surprisingly, the most substantial recent residential development, Silver Birch, is located far from the railway tracks. Bt it comes at a price, Highway 400 with it’s noisy weekend summer traffic. One development in Parry Sound close to the tracks, and subject to crossings that see trains going both ways, has struggled despite offering attractive ‘Southern Ontario’ single family homes. The issue is not just the risk of a Lac Megantic type event, or even the occasional road blockages, it’s the day-in, day-out, sound of air horns blasting at six crossings and the squeal of the wheels as they round the many curves, day and night. Why build a business in Parry Sound if you can build in Seguin or McDougall?  Oh, there’s the issue of services and infrastructure. Why not just go to communities like Orillia, Barrie and the ‘suburban’ areas of Muskoka, where you are not subject to trains in the same manner and you have access to more customers (retail and service), cheaper transport costs (manufacturing), and a larger employment pool?

 

Parry Sound Bay and Beyond can become an attractive destination for both people and businesses. The trouble is that there are too many other Southern Ontario municipalities that are already much more attractive. Once these destinations reach their limit to host businesses and new homes people will begin to look at Parry Sound Bay and Beyond. That is unless we can get our act together, work together, and create the infrastructure to compete. But area municipalities, with the exception of Parry Sound have more than enough money to continue operating as they have for the last twenty years, for another twenty years, without attracting any new residents or businesses. These municipalities have little motivation to do anything new. They just need to pretend to be interested lest permanent residents and businesses think they don’t play nicely with others.

Provincial and Federal civil servants are quite happy to facilitate and fund discussions of economic development in the West Parry Sound area. It their job to do it. And they are well paid jobs. By gosh they will do their best to get it done, regardless of the odds. It reminds me of the continuous negotiations in the Middle East between the Israelis and the Palestinians facilitated by the United States. The US State Department is tasked with getting a real agreement between these two parties and they try their best. It’s their job, even though there is no prospect of any type of agreement. At this point Israel has everything it needs in the region. It has the wealth, military strength and political influence to ensure nothing is taken from them. It is not in their interest to negotiate. Any appearance of willingness to negotiate is strictly a function of making nice with the President of the United States who gets it in their mind every now and then that they want to gain statesman status by brokering a grand peace agreement.

Final Thoughts

I started out this review of the REDAC Regional Marketing Plan expecting to be critical of Whitestone, McKellar and The Archipelago for not participating in the REDAC economic development process. Looking at things a little more closely I have come to realize that they are perhaps the only honest brokers in the region, willing to admit that not only do they not need regional cooperation, they are actually better off without it. I will give a pass also to the Town of Parry Sound. I believe they do support regional economic development because they desperately need the increased tax base to manage tax rates and support additional infrastructure necessary for the larger community.

Even Parry Sound tax rates are on the low end for Northern Ontario as was presented in a survey of Northern Ontario municipalities. I visited Elliot Lake in August and was impressed by the upkeep of the town and the facilities it offers. But it benefits from a population base about twice that of Parry Sound, a much larger geographic area (715 sq. km, versus 13 sq. km), and a tax rate 40% higher.

Regional economic development is something to keep Municipal, Provincial and Federal employees busy, and employed. If Ontario and Canada really want to see additional economic development in the area they need to provide incentives to McDougall and Seguin to hand over enough land to Parry Sound to allow for real economic development, by a municipality that is interested in economic development, and with established infrastructure. Incentives to McDougall and Seguin might include support for policing expenses, and/or broadband infrastructure, and/or an area athletic complex. But that would be a bribe I suppose. Given America’s experience with the billions they have pumped into the Middle East, I expect it wouldn’t work too well here. Take the money and run.

Aside: reading yesterday’s Beacon Star I saw that Seguin has started thinking about their 2017 budget. Their high priority items are summer weekend support for a nursing station in Rosseau, taking responsibility for unassumed roads, and a tennis court. All this with a potential 0% increase in taxes. Seguin is doing just fine with their current business model. Why take on development that might mean responsibility for building the services accompanying business and non-seasonal resident growth? It might mean tax increases and unfamiliar faces. That’s okay, the area municipalities have their cake and are able to eat it as well. They  seem to be riding as high on property values as were the Middle East oil kingdoms were when oil was $100 a barrel. As long as property valuation stay high, and seasonal residents don’t become permanent residents and expect Toronto level services, it’s all okay.

Mismatched Objectives, Taking Off and Heading to Port.
(Best to just get out of each other’s way.)

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Update: tracking down a link for the Beacon Star article I came across a squabble between Carling and the The Archipelago about phone bills. Yup, sure, let’s invest more in regional cooperation. (Not!) The Town of Parry Sound needs to take on a Singapore or Hong Kong frame of mind. Small is beautiful. It may not be cheap but it offers great value. Can we erect borders?

 

 

Council Agenda Preview – September 6, 2016

03 Saturday Sep 2016

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Summer break is over, back on your head. There are a variety of issues up for discussion, nothing particularly critical in my opinion, but many that are interesting. I offer some thoughts in the sections below. There is more on the agenda than I have listed below. Check out the full agenda at the Town’s website or the link at ParrySounds.com (top menu under TOPS AGENDA PACKAGES)..

Correspondence

4.1 – A. Edwards, 79 Gibson Street – August 2, 2016. Re: concerns about former William Beatty School property.
Oh dear. Much effort has gone into drafting this letter to Council concerning at least one resident’s objection to the redevelopment of William Beatty School. I was starting to feel some empathy for their position as I read the letter until I came across the repeated use of the word “blight” to refer to the new development. We need to realize that different people have different needs. I am not so pessimistic about the potential of this project, especially because it is multiuse, and there are several parties interested in ensuring that it meets standards of maintenance and security. It’s no fun being Municipal Staff or Council, everyone is your boss in one way or another. Time for this gentleman to share his concerns with OMB. I think that they will applaud the decision to create centrally located affordable housing using established infrastructure. I think Mr. Edwards realizes that and doesn’t like it, at all.

4.5 – B. Brisbane, Moose on the Loose Food Company – August 24, 2016. Re: Concerns with by-law dealing with their signs.
Sign, sign, everywhere a sign, junking up the scenery, ruining my mind. Of course you want to be able to put up your signs to direct people to your business, but so would every other business in Parry Sound. How much is enough, and how much is too much? The Town currently has a bylaw covering signage. Moose on the Loose needs to be preparing for 2017, right now, if they want to get the type of free advertising they are looking for. Personally, I hate these sandwich type signs. Junks up the scenery, distracts my driving.

Deputations

5.2 – Shawna Woods & Ian Little, William Street residents. Concerning cleanup of the Salt Docks.
This is not regarding cleaning up the mess that sometimes appears on the Smelter Wharf, but rather the garbage that has been tossed into the water. It’s September 16th, and looks like the type of community service that we should all applaud.

Resolutions and Direction to Staff

9.1.1 – August 2016 Key Performance Objectives Update. Resolution. That the August, 2016 Strategic Plan Implementation Update Report attached be approved.
This is a must read item for anyone interested in the status of the Town’s 2016 objectives. Yeah, I’ll take a look at it and report later this week on the more notable items.

9.1.2 – Ontario 150 Celebration Capital Grant Application. Resolution. That Council approves the submission of an Ontario 150 Community Capital Program grant application for the repair and replacement of roofing and siding at the Charles W. Stockey Centre for the Performing Arts & Bobby Orr Hall of Fame.
This is a project that seems to fit the grant criteria. The request is for $350,000. An original suggestion of a grant application to upgrade the Rotary Algonquin Regiment Fitness Trail for $150,000, was shelved in favour of the Stockey Centre proposal. While we are throwing around the these tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars for grant or budget consideration, how about investing a few thousand on upgrading the landscaping at the Stockey Centre? It’s a disgrace. Between the plantings and the sick looking grass, the place looks as though it was built on a contaminated oil farm.

9.1.3 – Town Office Landscaping. Resolution. That the Town Office Parkette Landscaping Plan as attached be approved and that $3,800 cost be financed from the Town Office Building Reserve.
So we have money for this but not the Stockey Centre? A world class performance facility with grounds that are reminiscent of a run-down urban tenement area.

9.1.4 – Town / Seguin Boundary Adjustment. Resolution. That lands identified in Schedule ‘A’ attached be proposed to be included within the boundaries of the Town and that negotiations be entered into with Seguin Township using as a template for guidance, the 2012 draft Boundary Adjustment Agreement. Direction: (For Direct Staff follow up)

That the Town’s representatives on the negotiating team be:

Mayor Jamie McGarvey, Councillor _______________, Councillor _______________ Taylor Elgie, Principal Planner, Rob Mens, CAO

This makes sense. If the Town is seriously thinking about investing in developing Parry Sound Road through to Oastler Road, it needs to get some payback from property on both sides of the road. Seguin might just be willing to give up the property if Parry Sound assumes the responsibility for the majority of the cost and the rail crossing. You win some and you lose some. Let’s see how this goes. There is a new Council in Seguin who might not be as inclined to throw a spanner into the works. I am surprised that Council and Staff seem prepared to get back on after having been thrown off. That type of determination can pay off.

9.2.1 – POA Write-Offs. Resolution. That Council for the Town of Parry Sound, hereby approves the write-offs for the Provincial Offences Act Court outlined in Schedule “A” attached.
The amount is almost $50,000 and as suggested in the report the cost to collect exceeds the expected return. Some of these collectables date to before 1980. This write-off is shared with other area municipalities in West Parry Sound.

9.3.1 – Tenders – 4-Wheelers. Resolution. That Council accepts the tender from Seguin Marina for one (1) 2016 Polaris Sportsman 450 EPS 4-wheeler in the total amount of $8,661.40, including taxes and the trade-in of one (1) 2002 Yamaha Kodiak 4-wheeler, this tender being the lowest tender of two (2) tenders received; and further, That Council accepts the tender from Seguin Marina for one (1) 2016 Polaris Sportsman 450 EPS 4-wheeler in the total amount of $7,192.40, including taxes and the trade-in of one (1) 2007 Yamaha Kodiak 4-wheeler, this tender being the lowest tender of two (2) tenders received.
Be sure to have Staff wear helmets and above all else, do not lend the machines to Seguin councillors. At least one of them doesn’t understand the concept of personal responsibility.

9.3.2 – Service Line Warranties of Canada Program. Resolution. Whereas residential property owners are responsible for the maintenance of the buried water and sewer lines that run from the municipality’s infrastructure to the exterior of their home; And whereas these lines can require maintenance or fail over time due to normal wear and tear; And whereas Local Authority Services (LAS) endorsed Service Line Warranties of Canada as a preferred service provider of sewer and water line warranty services; And whereas the Town wishes to make such a service available to residents of the Town of Parry Sound; Therefore, be it resolved that Council of the Town of Parry Sound endorses the Sewer and Water Line Warranty service offered by Service Line Warranties of Canada (SLWC); And further that Council direct staff to bring forward a by-law to execute an agreement with SLWC related to the marketing of the Sewer and Water Line Warranty Services to municipal serviced residents.
I didn’t realize that the lateral water and sewer lines are the homeowners responsibility in case of failure. The proposed annual insurance fee for a residence would be $137 per year for both water and sewer. Feeling lucky?

9.4.1 – Regional Marketing Plan Approval. Resolution. That on the recommendation of the Regional Economic Development Advisory Committee (REDAC), Council adopts the Regional Marketing Plan attached; and Whereas the Town has already made a 2016 contribution to CiiNO, the agency responsible for the implementation of the Regional Marketing Plan recommendations, further funding from the Town for Year 1 implementation will not be required.
A must read, both the R&R and the accompanying REDAC Regional Marketing Plan. It makes some honest statements, “death by a thousand cuts”, and “seven dwarves but no Snow White”. (Actually there are only five dwarves, Dopey and Grumpy decided not to participate.) I’ll take a look at this over the next couple of weeks and pass along my thoughts.

9.4.2 – 116 Bowes – Sign Variance (2016). Resolution. That the Chief Building Official is authorized and directed to issue a permit for a gravity ground sign, according to conditions and variances listed in Schedule A attached.
Sign, signs, everywhere there’s a sign. You would think with all the e-media technology available that there wouldn’t be a need for signs. But no, we need more signs, bigger signs.

9.4.4 – Request for Proposal: Yvonne Williams Park Dog Park Enclosure. Resolution. That Council accept the proposal from W.S. Morgan Construction Ltd. for the Yvonne William Dog Park Enclosure project in the amount of $16, 060.00 plus H.S.T., this proposal being the only received, and; That Council finance the $6,060.00 budget shortfall from Parks Reserve.
It promises to be a bit bigger and better. Release the hounds.

By-laws

10.4.3 – Community Improvement Plan – Brownfield Remediation – Reduce Environmentally Unfit Sites Effectively (REUSE) Program. Being a By-law to authorize the execution of a preliminary agreement between Ryan Mercier and the Town of Parry Sound under the REUSE program.
This concerns property on Louisa Street that was the former site of a municipal dump. The Town would agree to subsidize a portion of the costs. There is some concern that the proposal is for redevelopment as residential lots, rather than commercial as specified as under the REUSE Program.

10.4.4 – Community Improvement Plan – Brownfield Remediation – Reduce Environmentally Unfit Sites Effectively (REUSE) Program. Being a By-law to authorize the execution of a preliminary agreement between 1929330 Ontario Ltd. (Trestle Brewing Company Ltd.) and the Town of Parry Sound under the REUSE program.
This concerns the property beside Crofters on Great North Road. Staff feels this better fits the intent of the REUSE Program.

10.4.5  – Site Plan Approval Application – 1793951 Ontario Inc. / Greystone Project Management Inc. – 11 Salt Dock Road. Being a By-law to grant Site Plan Approval and authorize the execution and registration of a development agreement with 1793951 Ontario Inc./Greystone Project Management Inc. – 11 Salt Dock Road.
It looks as though Granite Harbour is getting a major expansion. I find it a bit confusing to understand who or what is going on with the development. A trailer has been moved on site, and the development is now referred to as the Breakers. The development is welcome, but the backstory would be interesting to understand after the project was stalled for a number of years to the chagrin of Parry Sound Council.

10.5.2 – Complimentary Parking – Traffic By-law amendments. Being a bylaw to amend Bylaw 2013-6205, as amended, known as the Traffic Bylaw, a bylaw to regulate and control traffic and parking in the Town of Parry Sound. Further being a bylaw to repeal bylaw 2016-6654, a bylaw amendment from August 9, 2016.
Bylaws to amend bylaws, or bylaws to replace bylaws, or is that to repeal bylaws? I’m confused but free parking remains.

See you at the meeting Tuesday night.

Preparations for Race Day (Sail Parry Sound, Summer 2016)

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Council Agenda Preview – July 19, 2016

16 Saturday Jul 2016

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Another light agenda in terms of game changing decisions, but it’s important to keep on top of the issues as they arise. The more interesting items, in my opinion, are listed below with brief commentary as warranted. I will attend for the deputations portion of the meeting at the very least. It seems that the balance of the agenda offers little entertainment or insight into future Town plans. Summer is already slipping away, so it’s important to get out and enjoy the Parry Sound evenings, especially on the North Shore Rugged Trail.

2.1.1 – Council will hold a public meeting to consider a proposed Zoning By-law amendment under Section 34 of the Planning Act. The purpose of the proposed Zoning By-law amendment is to amend the Special Provision 35 (SP26.35) zone to permit a retail store in addition to the currently permitted Automobile Sales Establishment. All other uses of the C3 zone shall be permitted subject to an “h” symbol. The existing reduced setback of 0.9 metres will also be maintained and all other provisions of the C3 zone shall apply.

Correspondence

4.2 – James Chapman, Resident. Complaint regarding Adams Brothers commercial operation in the residential neighbourhoods of William Street and Isabella Street.

4.3 – James Chapman, Resident. Complaint regarding Adams Brothers commercial operation in the residential neighbourhoods of William Street and Isabella Street and in particular the flooding that took place as a result of the newly excavated hillside from Adams Brothers.

4.4 – Emily Corbett, Georgian Bay Biosphere Reserve Intern. Request to install an accessible waterline to the Booth Street Community Garden.

4.5 – Wendall Fisher, Chair, 8-80’s Advisory Committee of Council. Request for Staff to revisit the speed limit reduction proposal previously suggested in the 8-80’s workshop report (November 2014).

4.8 – Wesley Beatty, Resident. Concerns about potentially extending Beatty Street to Parry Sound Drive. I have no idea how this will play out in the long or short term, but it seems a good idea to get on top of issues if you have an concern on how they might impact you.

Deputations

5.1 – Anne Haines, Account Manager, Muskoka and Parry Sound Districts, MPAC. Assessment update of the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation for the period of 2017-2020.

5.2 – George Stivrins and Michael Reeves. Requesting Council’s consideration to have the Town annex their property (Lot 147 Concession A, formerly Township of Foley) to ensure that development potential Is realized. Déjà vu all over again, this time, with a twist; a suggestion that Parry Sound annex only a teeny-tiny portion of Seguin Township. Heck, why not annex all of Seguin Township? If it’s that simple to do a small annexation without Seguin’s encouragement, it probably shouldn’t be much more work to think much, much bigger. Wait, we had this discussion a few years ago. Is there any reason to think it will be different? Should Parry Sound be wasting time on requests from Seguin property owners that aren’t already blessed by Seguin’s Council?

Resolutions and Direction to Staff

9.1.1 – Support for Active Transportation Letter. Resolution. That Council endorse the Active Transportation letter of March 7, 2016, attached as Schedule “A”, regarding the new K – 12 Parry Sound School and that this endorsement be forwarded to the Near North District Board of Education.

9.2.1 – Approval of Consolidated Financial Statements for the year-ended December 31, 2015. Resolution. That Council for the Town of Parry Sound does hereby accept and approve the Audited Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2015, attached as Schedule “A”.

9.4.1 – Tender – Bobby Orr Community Centre (BOCC) Roof. Resolution. That Council accept the tender from J.G. Fitzgerald & Sons LTD in the amount of $265,480. (plus HST $34,512.40), for roofing of the Bobby Orr Community Centre per attached Schedules “A” and “B”, this being the lowest of three tenders received; and That the total cost of the repairs be debentured. If the roof needs to be fixed, let’s fix it. But let’s find ways to make better use of the facility. The roof will last the same length of time regardless of how much the facility is used. So let’s use it and get the maximal benefit from its considerable fixed costs.

9.6.1 – Speed Limit Reduction. Direction. That upon the recommendation of the 8-80 Advisory Committee, the Public Works Director prepare a report and recommendation on the feasibility of reducing speed limits throughout the Town.

See you Tuesday for at least the first portion of the meeting. Check out the full agenda package for details and all of the background materials.

Delivering the Goods While the Sun Shines

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Council Meeting Reflections – February 16, 2016

17 Wednesday Feb 2016

Posted by in Parry Sound, Reflections, Town Council

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Like a good movie, last night’s meeting of Council saved the surprise until the very end. The surprise was a $180,000 levy shortfall for 2016 as a result of provincial legislation eliminating certain semi-public properties from property assessment. The change impacted the assessment for the Lakeland Long Term Care facility in Parry Sound. As a result, Council has decided to return to the budget process, with a meeting scheduled for March 2nd at 6:00 PM. Everything is back on the table for discussion. Those of you who have been following the budget process will remember that Council agonized about a $100,000 addition to the budget that led to a 3.16% levy increase. The $180,000 will have a proportionately larger impact. I applaud Council for deciding to take a step back and look at the big budget picture rather than fudge things by making adjustments to the reserves.

This is the second time in recent history that Council has been hit with a loss in tax revenue as a result of assessment adjustments. The Town has now lost more than $500,000 in annual revenue with the latest assessment change and the earlier reduction of the assessment for  the Big Box stores (Home Depot, Wal-Mart and Canadian Tire).

There are two themes here. The first is the Provincial and Federal decision to download more and more expenses to the municipalities. The decision regarding facilities like Lakeland Long Term Care will reduce the Province’s cost to support these facilities by shifting the burden to local communities. This then allows the Province to limit provincial tax increases, and look financially responsible, at the expense of the municipalities. The second theme concerns the load Parry Sound carries for the area municipalities. With very limited space, many of Parry Sound’s prime business and residential locations are dedicated to federal, provincial, and community services that pay reduced or no municipal taxes. Yet these facilities still need their streets cleaned and repaired, street lights operated, OPP services, and so on. The argument is that these facilities bring jobs that benefit the community by increasing local property revenue. But how many of the people who have these jobs actually live in the surrounding communities? It is in fact many more than our neighbouring municipalities would like to admit.

Perhaps our very ‘rich’ neighbours can pitch in and build an area recreation facility, aka ‘a pool’. It looks as though Parry Sound won’t be in any position to consider participating for some time to come. With little space to grow, Parry Sound will need to live with it’s current reality. Raising taxes really doesn’t make sense, the Parry Sound levy is already three times that of Seguin. That means a $200,000 home in Parry Sound might pay about $2,000 in annual property taxes while the same $200,000 property in Seguin would pay about $700. But with Parry Sound ‘just around the corner’ residents of Seguin, Carling and McDougall pretty much enjoy all the benefits of living in Parry Sound, but for much less. At least the OPP costing discrepancy is bit-by-bit being adjusted.

There was a larger crowd at last night’s meeting. The audience was there to confirm that Council was moving forward with the next step to eliminate fluoride from the Town’s water supply. “Ding Dong the Witch is Dead”? Well perhaps dead but not yet buried to the satisfaction of some. That burial is scheduled for next month. Will we see a raising of the dead in a couple of years? Hmm, Zombies are pretty popular nowadays. Revenge of the Fluoride Zombies? Stay tuned.

The Views are Free, Day and Night (Parry Sound in B&W)

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District Policing – Reaching Consensus

18 Friday Dec 2015

Posted by in Reflections, Safety, Seguin Township

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It seems that consensus is being reached among the regional municipalities to forego local policing. Instead, the communities will depend on the services of the Ontario Provincial Police, even if might be more expensive.

I agree with the decision, and I believe that investigating the alternatives was an important exercise. Without a clear idea of the costs and the implications it would have been an option that would have hung over the local municipalities. ‘Would we be better off with a local force? would it be cheaper? Well, maybe yes, and maybe no.’ It would have been a serious distraction to have left it hanging out there. At least the numbers and analysis have been completed and it seems there might be savings, there might not, but there was a guarantee of upfront investments, oversight requirements, and quite possibly headaches in the years to come.

I liken the situation to a person with a longer laneway who has benefited from their brother-in-law, a professional, plowing his snow for a well below market price, because well, he lives next-door and he wants to make sure his sister is able to get in and out safely. The brother-in-law moves away and the the husband finds out what it really costs to plow his laneway. His first thought is to get his own truck and blade. Yes, it would cost a bit upfront but it would save money in the long run. And it would be far more economical if he could defray his costs by plowing his neighbours’ laneways. He might need to take a loan, and there would be a need to store the equipment, repairs, the time to do the plowing, but by gosh he would be saving money.

Well, it might be cheaper if he can buy the equipment at a reasonable cost and his neighbours agree to participate. But he will now need to get up early and plow not only his snow, but that of his neighbours. And there probably won’t be a winter vacation, and …. And what if he finally decides he no longer wants to plow snow? How easy would it be to sell the equipment, and how much would he lose?

In the end I suspect that Township of Seguin Council and others realized there was more in the way of pain and liability than was offered by the potential savings. That was probably also the case with the other municipalities.

It needs to be remembered that the local municipalities were receiving below market pricing for their policing costs up until this year. It can be argued that the previous pricing was fair because these municipalities made limited use of policing services. That may be true, but it’s a little like health care coverage. Although I may not require the types of services that are used by many others I am still required to pay a similar amount in terms of federal and provincial taxes as those who do. It’s effectively an insurance plan and I consider myself fortunate that I only have to pay for coverage and not use the services. Going forward the OPP costs are now scaled to include basic ‘insurance’ and a ‘usage’ component. The less you require, the lower your policing bill. But there will always be a basic cost that is a function of your population. It’s like an automobile insurance policy with an annual premium and a deductible. Have too many accidents or tickets and your policy cost will go up. But even if you are a perfect and lucky driver you still will be paying more for your basic premium than you think is fair.

I take care of my own snow rather than use a service. The area is small, I can do a more careful job and at the same time protect the landscaping. I also have the time, and in the process get some exercise and save a few bucks. And I prefer to enjoy the snow rather than ‘get away’, so it all lines up. If I had a larger piece of property I would surely toy with the idea of getting bigger equipment, but I hope in the end I would make the right decision and hire a professional with the equipment to get the job done.

MetrolandMedia has good coverage of the policing issue at www.parrysound.com if you want to dig into the details.

Eyes Wide Open (Parry Sound in Colour)

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Council Agenda Preview – September 1, 2015

30 Sunday Aug 2015

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Break’s over. Back on your heads. Well after a relaxed summer it’s back to business in a big way. There is more of importance on this agenda than I am going to summarize in this post. Take a look at the agenda package to see what it is that I haven’t included. The summary is available at the Parry Sound website, and the full package is available from the menu at the top of this page.

What’s not on the agenda and has been gaining momentum is the creation of a West Parry Sound Recreation Centre Advisory Committee, or more explicitly a swimming pool committee. Parry Sound has already approved the formation of the committee and Seguin Township and the Township of the Archipelago confirmed their participation. It’s exploratory at this stage but I’m hoping they will keep the public informed as to the ongoing developments. I believe a pool can be defined as a hole in the ground that you throw money into.

Let’s look at the agenda.

Public Meeting

2.1.1 – Proposed Zoning By-law Amendment – Z/15/2 (6963510 Canada Incorporated) – Louisa Street. This rezoning will approve a long list of uses for the property, from auto repair garage to service station to machine or welding shop to warehouse to building supply outlet, with no more than a 25% retail component. It a property off Louisa Street past Starbucks on the left side. There has been some earth moving going on in this location for the last couple of months. The property is owned by 6963510 Canada Incorporated, which has Alan Furbacher of Brampton Ontario listed as the only Director.

2.1.3 – Proposed Zoning By-law Amendment – Z15/4 (Van Gelder – 48 Bowes Street). The final proposed Zoning By-law Amendment is an application to amend an existing Special Provision 26.67 zone to permit a Business or Professional Office and an accessory dwelling unit. This is the property directly across from Forest Street and beside the lot that had the house burn down a couple of years ago.

Deputations

5.1 – Mr. Frank Hinde. Re: Three near misses encountered on Great North Road and Bowes Street while trying to cross the street. This is rescheduled from last meeting.

Resolutions and Directions to Staff

9.2.1 – Olympic Sailing Bid. Resolution. Now therefore be it resolved that Council of the Town of Parry Sound supports Sail Parry Sound’s recommendation for 2024 Olympic sailing to be held in Parry Sound. Hmm, this is thinking big. Well we have the most necessary part, the Big Sound and great sailing. Unfortunately we don’t have the sewage and garbage that is being offered at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil. Will this result in the Toronto Olympic bid being downgraded? I’m not sure about the Toronto Olympic bid, but if the bid is filed I think Parry Sound would be a great site for at least a portion of the sailing competition. I imagine that Kingston would also be part of any plan for Olympic sailing, they are close to Toronto and have hosted it before.

 9.3.1 – Information Technology – Infrastructure Replacement. Resolution. Hmm, this is an emergency, single supplier, expense of about $123,000 to basically replace the existing in-house network. It means hardware and software. I am surprised to see that an option for hosted servers is not included. This generally offers substantial savings, provides expert support and regular hardware and software upgrades. In my opinion there is a bit of a conflict here. The consultants that did the assessment, discovered the problems, and prepared the hardware and software recommendations, are also the folks who are being considered as the sole source supplier for the upgrade. We multiple tender $5,000 expenses, but not this? We pay people good money to make sure the Town is getting the best value for their money, so I’m sure they are on top of it. I am a little surprised by the mention in the R&R report of the “recent “retirement” of the Town’s IT Co-ordinator Dan DiNicolo”. Retirement – really? Was there a retirement celebration?

9.3.2 – POA Write-offs for Under Payments. Resolution. It seems a large number of ‘nickel and dime’ deadbeats haven’t paid a variety of Provincial Offence Act fines, about 1,200 of them at an average of about $11.60 each, for a total of almost $14,000. The Town and the Province suggest writing them off as there is no profit in pursuing them.

9.4.1 – Fluoride system upgrades for the Tony Agnello Water Treatment Plant. Resolution. More bucks, and the reason many municipalities have decided to forego fluoridation – the cost. The proposed upgrade to the system is estimated to cost about $250,000 between engineering and construction.

9.4.5 – Waubeek St. Reconstruction – Expression of Interest. Resolution. This is the next major road priority for the Town. In this case it concerns an application to the Province under the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund (OCIF) – Capital Program. I’m glad to see we have a plan and are prepared for these funding opportunities.

9.5.1 – Regional Marketing Plan. Resolution. That upon the recommendation of the Regional Economic Development Advisory Committee (REDAC), Council accept the proposal received from HCA Mindbox in the amount of $60,300 (HST extra), for the development of a Regional Marketing Plan.

By-laws

10.4.1 – CN Agreement – Isabella Street Grade Crossing. Being a by-law to execute an agreement with Canadian National Railway Company for modifications at the grade crossing of Isabella Street including the installation of flashing lights, gates, bell and constant warning device. This has been a long time coming, but it takes time to get the necessary railway and Federal agreements and approvals. I am a bit surprised that there is no mention of Canadian Pacific. It is a double track arrangement but perhaps CN is the contractor on behalf of the two railways. The Town’s portion of the project is $42,000 plus any other civil work that is the Town’s responsibility. This amount is not budgeted but won’t be an expense for 2015, more likely 2016 and/or 2017.

10.4.2 – Funding Agreement – Emily Street. Being a by-law to authorize the execution of a New Building Canada Fund – Small Communities Fund Agreement between Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Ontario, as represented by the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and The Corporation of the Town of Parry Sound. The Town is responsible for one-third of the project cost, about $765,000. It is expected that most of the Town’s portion will come from the water and wastewater reserves. That explains in part why water costs are what they are. It’s not the water, it’s getting the water to you and the waste to the sewage plant. You can pay it now, or you can pay more later. We may be exercising the paying more later option in this case, but not as much as a few years from now.

10.5.2 – NOHFC Funding Agreement: Regional Marketing Plan. Being a By-law to authorize the execution of a funding agreement between the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund (NOHFC) and the Town of Parry Sound for the development of a Regional Marketing Plan. This covers 90% of the expense noted in Item 9.5.1.

One thing I have noted is that the summary agenda, what’s available on the Town’s website, never seems to include the cost of the various items before Council. You need to read the full package to get those costs. I think it would be best if the public had access to these figures without having to ‘dig for them’.

I won’t be at the meeting this Tuesday. It’s more important to read the full agenda package than listen to the debate. Council will make their decisions regardless of who is in the audience. Better to get on top of the issues before the meeting and let people know what’s going on so that they can reach out to Staff and Council prior to the meeting or attend the meeting and make a deputation.

Enough Said! By Request. (Parry Sound in Colour)

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