Election Wrap up

The elections are over and there going to be new people representing Halton in every Municipality. The face of our school Board has changed as well. First off a thank you to all those who put there name forward and ran for Council or the School Board. Even in defeat they brought forward ideas and fostered discussion and debate.
In Halton Hills we have lost Ward 4 Councillor John Duncan who always brought a businesslike view to Council. In his place we will have Anne Lawlor who is a long time community volunteer, a member of our Hydro Board and a business woman in her own right. She will be a great addition to our team.

Thank you for the vote of confidence. I look forward to continuing to work for you. I also want to continue to represent both Halton Hills, and Halton on the national level.

The changes at Halton Region will be dramatic; we have 2 people in Burlington who will be new and a new Mayor. In Oakville we will have a new Councillor; Milton has new wards and a new Councillor as well. All willhit the ground running and will be eager to get to work.

During the election we all heard from the public as to what they saw as the issues and the expectations they had. In Halton Hills, the citizens were concerned about the prospect of a 8 lane highway cutting through the centre of our rural area. Taxes and services are always a concern, as well as the need for new recreational facilities and parks. The impacts of growth is always an issue. This is not the complete list but a snapshot.

We listen and will take those concerns to our staff and colleagues. They will be raised at our strategic plan sessions and in our committee meetings. We will look at how to implement them and strategies for inclusion in our capital budget.

Due to the town having to purchase the MSB lands our budgets will feel the impact for a number of years. A small town like Halton Hills will have to juggle the budget for the over 1 million we had to spend to purchase it.

There were changes to both the public and catholic school board. At the public side Gillian Kutarna was elected as the sole rep for Halton Hills. She is a capable women who served as Chair for 2 years as well.
At the Catholic Board historian Mark Rowe is the new trustee. He is a retired teacher who has spent many hours as the Chair of Heritage Halton Hills and is a local author.

The MSB issue was divisive almost as much as the short sighted decision to cancel bussing to the High Schools. I have never seen so much public anger towards both school Boards and the arrogance of the staff in dealing with it.
But let’s move on. The Town will need to work with the new trustees to rebuild the relationship with both boards. The Board will need to treat us with respect and understand our limitations. We must always remember that there is only one taxpayer.

My Council colleague’s and I, have been given the sacred trust to represent you and a mandate to continue to build Halton Hills and Halton Region into the best place to live, work and play.
We have challenges ahead of us but as always we will deal with them head on. You expect nothing less and demand something more.

Vote Damnit!

“The Price of Freedom is eternal vigilance.”
Thomas Jefferson
3rd president of US
Freedom is the right to be wrong, not the right to do wrong
Hon John G. Diefenbaker PC, Prime Minister of Canada

All of us here in Canada guard our freedoms, our freedom of speech, our freedom of movement, our freedom to associate with others and of course our freedom of choose in what or whom we wish. Our soldiers have waged war to protect our freedoms and many sacrificed their lives and themselves for us.
One of the things that happen in a free society is elections. All of us at some point in time are asked to make our mark for one candidate or another. Whether it is locally, regionally, provincially or federally we are asked for our opinion as to who is going to assist you in building the towns, schools, Province and the Canada we all want to see. It could be an issue as close as a school closing or as abstract as trade agreements that makes us all participants.

This October 25th the Municipal elections will be held. While in some areas their may not be races for all seats. It is incumbent on all of us to make sure our voices are heard for the races that remain.
The Municipal level of government is one that is often called the “closest to the people”. It has a direct impact into your daily lives, from the moment you turn on a tap to make coffee, shower, drive to work, drop the kids off at school or, know you are protected by Police, Fire and EMS workers.

Municipalities have that impact and the people you choose to send to represent you have the opportunity to decide where a school will be built, what type, the design of the road, where the parks are, bus routes, everything right down to the speed limit by the school.

We often forgot that and can get caught up in the Provincial and Federal races as they occur. They have the flashy ads, TV debates and spend millions trying to sway a vote one way or another.

But consider this, the Region accounts for about 40% of your property tax dollar. The Town about 36% and the School Boards about 24% The total budget for all of them in Halton is over a billion dollars, each year.

Your Municipal candidates are out working to try to make sure you have the material you need to make your choice. When they stop at your door, ask them about the issues important to you. Their contact information can be found on your local municipal websites. Phone, email or try to get to an all candidates meeting to learn who has earned the right to receive your vote.
It has been said that when you don‘t vote you let someone else speak for you. On Election Day make your voice heard!

MSB NOT FOR SALE!

It is too bad that over the last 10 years the citizens of Acton and all of Halton Hills have had to stand up and fight to retain THEIR school field. While the overwhelming majority understood the fundamental wrongness of the Town having to buy land we had already paid for, there are always some who say don’t buy. Well frankly, I do not buy their argument.
The citizens of Acton paid for the land in the late 1950’s for both the Acton High School and the MZ Bennett school site. It was common at that time that the Town ran the schools and bought the land and assisted in the building. Only through the creation of the Halton County School board and later the Halton District School Board (HDSB) did the Town lose control of the lands. In fact we legally had to give the new School Boards all assets with the schools at no charge.
In early 2000 the HDSB decided to declare part of the MSB site as surplus to their needs. With the goal to sell it. As you can imagine the people of Acton were furious and quickly rallied around the site. Petitions were signed, signs posted and people proudly wore the MSB not for sale Buttons.

Our trustee at the time, Board Chair Ethel Gardiner understood the issue and immediately went to work to save the land. She spent many hours on the phone to the residents who had called and even reached out to make sure the Councillors knew what was being worked on. When a former Mayor suggested the Town buy it, she quickly agreed as to “Why, we all ready own it.” She spoke passionately to the Board as to how the High School site is undersized, how High School students use the MSB fields and how the earlier Board decision of joining the 2 schools was not to have an impact on the site. The Board listened to her and the impassioned arguments presented by former trustee Arlene Bruce and then regional Councillor Rick Bonnette. Three busloads of residents filled the chamber and all were ecstatic when the vote came and we had won. Or so we thought.

In January 2009 we found out that they were planning on selling it again. Unlike in 2000 we found out after the board had passed it. We also found out that both Halton Hills trustees supported it. Even more surprising was the Acton trustee professed to have no knowledge or memory of what had happened 9 years earlier.

All of the trustees tried to hide behind the skirt of the then Education Minister Wynne and the directive of the government. Mayor Bonnette asked her about MSB and she indicated that it was not government policy for them to sell off land like MSB. The School Board insisted it was.

On a cold family day in 2009, over 300 people gathered at a rally at the school site, young old, long time residents, new residents and representation from all wards in Halton Hills stood up and told the school board it was wrong. Over 5,000 people signed a petition and the MSB not for sale signs once again appeared in windows around town.
The people felt betrayed and were angry that this had happened again. One Senior told me “I hope it is settled this time as I am too old to fight again.” They were angry that an Acton trustee could say it was “not a big deal is we lost a trustee.”
Despite the assurances of a previous Chair and Board that had MSB being removed from the list, despite the widespread anger of the citizens and over 50% signing a petition opposing the sale. Despite the fact both Acton High School and MSB actively using the site, despite the fact that Acton is green belted and can’t easily add parkland due to provincial legislation. The school Board ploughed ahead and declared it surplus.

We saw a half-hearted effort to save it from the trustee who was supposed to represent Acton. The trustee who was elected to represent Georgetown said she was voting “For Georgetown” when she cast her vote. Where the hell did they think the money was going to come from?

After many months of negotiating last night the Town passed a bylaw to purchase the site, not the 2.64 acres originally offered but over 5 acres, with a licence agreement for 21 years for another portion of the site.

Mayor Bonnette and the whole Council have shown great leadership in purchasing the land but it was not easy. The over $1,000,000 we have to spend was not budgeted for and means we will have to shuffle priorities in future budgets.

But it does mean we have saved the school board from themselves.

This whole exercise of MSB and the fact the school board has shown to me that maybe the Board should not be trusted with public assets. Maybe the land and schools should be owned by the Region or the Town as we treat public land much better.

It also demonstrated to me that our trustees let us down. By not remembering such a lightening rod issue or not thinking people would be upset is wrong. By looking at only voting for your ward is not right. By saying you are acting in the interest of your constituents when you forced the town to spend tax dollars for public land is wrong.

The Board has allowed a public asset like Speyside school to rot. I know of people who asked about buying it. The school board sat silent. They will end up selling it for a lot less as a vacant lot then if they had sold it as a viable building. They stopped using it 20 years ago.

We have elections for the school Board in 4 weeks. Look very carefully at all the candidates. Ask them the questions. Make up your mind. I know I will not be supporting the incumbent who ran in my area the last time.

New EMS Station in Halton

On Friday I was asked to speak in my role as Chair of health and Social Services at the opening of the new EMS station in Southeast Oakville. This new 3,000 sq ft station which came in on budget at 1.3 million is a testament of the commitment Halton region has made to our EMS service.

Believe it or not but Halton EMS has only been around since Aug 2000. Halton set up a service basically from scratch that had about 56 employees at its inception. It now had over 150 employees. All dedicated to our health, safety and well being.

Our EMS service also uses Advance Care Paramedics which provides our citizens with a added level of protection.

Since Halton took over our service has grown not only in employees but we have seen a renewal of our stations. As of the opening of the Georgetown Station, all the old stations have been replaced with the exception of our Burlington one, which was extensively overhauled.

Our EMS workers have been recognised for their work in Haiti, when they responded to the call of a fellow employee after the earthquake, and flew down within days with needed supplies. They took with them the hope of all of Halton for the safety and well being of every Haitian citizen. The most powerful presentation I have ever heard from any group was from our 12 EMS workers when they came to Council to tell us about their experience in earthquake ravaged Haiti. Some of them were off to other countries to assist within weeks of returning from Haiti.

Our EMS staff was instrumental in working with Council to make sure the pubic access defibrillator (PAD) program was a success. It only seems like a few years ago we saw the program as having difficulties in getting traction and Councillors pushed to get them into public buildings.
This year alone from Mid May to the end of Aug PAD machines were used on 7 people in Halton, 6 are still with us to tell the story of their survival.

At Health and Social Services 2 weeks ago we discussed the need to strengthen that program by looking at making sure we set up initiatives that look at CPR, but also Healthy active lifestyles.

Our EMS workers have a strong symbiotic relationship with Halton Region and the Staff. We recognise their hard work and dedication, and they recognise our desire to build a community we can all be safe in and have the highest quality of life.

To our EMS, Fire and Police workers who sometimes deal with people on the worst day of their lives, who run into danger as we run away, who are always working to keep us safe. I can only offer the following,

THANK YOU!

Terry Fox Run

Today, as thousands have done for the last 30 years, we will run, walk, jog and cycle for Terry. We will continue his marathon of Hope for him. We will walk and remember those loved ones of ours, our friends and family members who has fought and beaten cancer. We will with quiet reflection think of those who fought bravely but lost the battle with this disease. A disease that has affected everyone and touched all our lives.

I also look at it as a day to celebrate the life of a Canadian hero. Terry Fox, a man who united us with a run 30 years ago. His dream was to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research. He started in Newfoundland in April, made his way across the Atlantic Provinces, into Quebec and Ontario. He was in Halton Hills for 3 days in July 1980.

Most of us will never run a marathon; most of us will never have to have the courage to face the loss of a limb like Terry did. Losing his leg to cancer at 18. Most of us will know of friends and family members who will take treatment and battle cancer. Some of us will have to face that battle ourselves.

Imagine if you will getting up everyday, getting dressed and hitting the road bright and early. Imagine strapping on an artificial leg and setting out to run over 20 miles. In the cold, the rain, the sun and the early morning fog. Terry averaged 26 miles a day for 143 days, a total of 3,339 miles. Terry loved the early morning peace and tranquility.

I recall the bright sunny morning he came into Acton on July 22nd 1980. My brother Dave and I went down to see him. We stood across from the Cenotaph, a place that now we stand for other events in our Town. Dave has pointed out to his children the photo of us they have there of us in the background as Terry passed by.

My Aunt and Uncle had the great good fortune of having Terry stay at there house when he ran threw Whitby. About 5 years ago my Mother bought at their auction sale one of the original Marathon of Hope t shirts. Which had been stored away at the house and discovered after they had both passed. She donated it to the Terry Fox Foundation office in Toronto.

Halton Hills has a long history of support for the run. Over $650,000 has been raised in Acton over the last 30 years. A true testament to the compassion of the citizens here. The run organisers spend many house and all have a passion for the promotion of the run, but also Terry’s goals. A special tip of the hat to Jon Hurst and the whole Hurst family. They have been tireless in their efforts.
I have been at the Terry Fox Monuments in St. Johns, Thunder Bay, Ottawa and Victoria


Donations can be made online at Terryfox.org or by visiting the local run site. We must remember the words Terry used when he approached the Cancer Society for support as he planned his run
“Somewhere the hurting must stop”

A man who served his community...

The upcoming new term of Council will mark the end of an era in Halton. For the first time in many years. Our Council chambers will not have the sage advice and the learned wisdom of Fred Oliver.
Fred has withdrawn from the election race and announced his retirement. Fred has dedicated his life to public service. He was appointed Police Chief of the former Trafalgar Township in 1948. He also served as Chief of Oakville Police. After the amalgamation of the Police services under Halton Region, he served as its Deputy Chief until 1980.
He switched in 1980 and ran successfully for Oakville and Halton Council. He served until 1994 and returned in the 2000 election. Do the math; he has given over 60 years to public service to this community.
Fred remains the longest serving Police Chief in Ontario’s history and has been honoured for that by the Ontario Police College. Halton Regional Police have recently honoured him with the Community Room at the new Oakville station being named in his honour.

Fred had originally filed to run as a local Councillor in Oakville for this election. He wanted to see the Councillor who had served with him as a local rep run for the seat. He was one who believed in succession planning. In May of this year a illness caused Fred to lose his voice. It has not returned. Knowing the importance of communication to a Councillor he withdrew on Thursday.

I have sat beside Fred at Regional Council for 7 years. He has always been one to offer his thoughts and opinions. He always has had a straight forward practical common sense way of looking at things. He was one to remind us that sometimes our decisions can affect things that other services like Police have to work with.

He also had a social heart and knew we needed to invest in our community. Fred always had a passion for children and making sure they had the services they needed. A she would say “It is an investment in our future not a cost.” He had a booming voice that made you sit up and listen.

Fred was never one to speak on each item, but when he rose to speak you knew it was because he felt strong about what was being discussed.

I wish Fred and Irma well in his second retirement. I know he will be watching and if he does not agree with what I had done or said, I will get a call!

Fred, thanks for caring about Halton and for helping to build the great Region we have today. You have left a legacy to be proud of.

Georgetown Fall Fair

This weekend, an event is taking place that has many times over the last 164 years. It is the latest edition of the Georgetown Fall Fair.
Fall Fairs serve to remind us of the rich agricultural history we have had here in Halton. For those who decide to check out the animals or the agriculture education tent they can see how our farmers would look forward to these events to not only showcase what they had grown. But also to learn about new innovations and machinery that were coming out to make their lives easier, and the crops more productive.


While some of that may be gone the small group of organisers who put the fair together always make sure that there is a educational and agricultural component to the weekend. On the Friday is the agricultural Education day and hundreds of school children come to the grounds to see and learn more about farming. As our country has become more urbanised, some children do not realise where milk comes from, or how much milk a cow can give. Some of the agricultural events were a rabbit show for 4-H achievement day, milking demonstrations, homecrafts, crop judging, Kids crafts, Heavy Horse Show, truck pull and a kiddie tractor pull.
A popular event is always the demolition derby on Saturday night. It draws thousands of people there for the sheer thrill of smashing metal and driving skill. During the day the main stage has a variety of acts for people of all ages.

We lost a generation in Canada where we forgot about our roots. When we looked to imports for lower price instead of looking for food grown by our neighbours. The difference in flavour and quality is worth it. While people are now recognising the benefits of local food, we need to stay in touch with our rural roots. To try and understand why farming is a tough business, but so beneficial to our economic and social well being. Fall Fairs like Georgetown, Acton, Milton and Erin all help us stay connected.