Feature Article February 5, 2003
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A motley crew of delegations address Central Frontenac Councilby Jeff GreenThere were a total of five delegations to the Central Frontenac Council meeting of January 28, ranging from a waste management expert to a hopeful hot dog vendor and a public relations expert, with Dave Gemmill of the Parham Ambulance Service and Del Hallett of the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority (RVCA) thrown in for good measure. Not all of them got what they were looking for from council.
MANCO RECYCLING SYSTEMS Barry Weaver told Council of Bill 90, which was passed into legislation by the Ontario Government last June. According to information provided by MANCO, the bill created a new entity, identified as Waste Diversion Ontario (WDO), which will manage the implementation of the first formal recycling program for the Province. The WDO has identified certain commodities to be included in municipal programs, including: used tires, compost, used oil, batteries, and electronic equipment. The MANCO information says that the province will directly compensate municipalities at a proposed of $32.15 per tonne of recycled material, both for existing and new commodities. Each municipality is entitled to a maximum of 50% of the costs of their individual program. As well, for municipalities that increase the percentage of household material they recycle, the rate of return can increased to as much as $50 per tonne. MANCO has developed a range of services through which your municipality can take full advantage of this new opportunity presented through the province. Barry Weaver said, the first thing the township would have to do to qualify for any of this funding is do a waste audit at a cost of around $4,000. Subsequently, he proposed that MANCO could put in place a program to increase the amount of recycled material from township landfills, thus increasing the life expectancy of the landfills and creating commodities for sale, at a cost of around $20,000, which the township could recoup through the WDO granting program. Asked what the chances are of recouping all that money, Weaver said in his experience the money has been available in all cases. Mayor MacDonald thanked Barry Weaver for his time and said council would consider the proposal.RIDEAU VALLEY CONSERVATION AUTHORITY Del Hallett of the RVCA addressed council on the matter of the interim budget for the RVCA. He outlined the activities of the authority, and characterized the changing scope of the RVCAs work over the past decade. In the 70s we were concerned with acquiring territory, in the 80s and 90s flood control became a priority, and lately we have been having a holistic look at the natural environment we are responsible for.
Hallett pointed out that the RVCA currently levies around $2.45 per person living on the watershed of the Rideau, whereas the provincial average is $5.00. Our work plan is to go up to $5.00 over the next three years. For Central Frontenac, which is a small partner in the RVCA, the levy of $3,130 in 2002 is projected to go up to $4,094 in 2003, Hallett told Council. The RVCA also has a plan to construct a new building to replace its offices in Manotick, but that plan has met with opposition and we will be going back to look at our business case and bringing it back next year, Hallett said. The mood of the council was not favourable to the planned $1,000 increase in their levy. Mayor MacDonald said Im really concerned with the 28% increase in the budget, notwithstanding that it is not that great a dollar amountIt is beyond our ability to pay. Council passed a motion to not accept the budget as presented and ask the authority to review the operating budget.
PARHAM AMBULANCE Dave Gemmill appeared before council at the request of the mayor. Gemmill manages the Land Ambulance service for the Frontenac Management Board under the direction of the rural mayors. He told council of the improvements to the ambulance service over the past year, including the establishment of an Emergency Response Vehicle for North Frontenac, which has shortened response times in that township to a 15.5 minute average, compared to an ambulance average response time of 37 minutes.
As well, Gemmill reported that the Parham ambulance headquarters is now staffed 24 hours a day. For the past four years, a system has been in place to manage the ambulance services of four counties with one overall manager. Gemmill reported that this arrangement was coming to an end, and the Frontenac Management Board is looking to hire a manager for Frontenac County. The Frontenac Management Board administers land ambulance for the former Frontenac County and the City of Kingston under an agreement with the province of Ontario. This arrangement mirrors that of the bulk of the former counties of Ontario, where the rural governments administer the ambulance services. This has not always sat well with the city of Kingston. The arrangement is up for renewal in 2004 and will undoubtedly be the subject of debate at meetings of the Rural Urban Liaison Committee, a committee made up of Frontenac Mayors and Kingston politicians, slated for early March.
DICK ABRAMS Dick Abrams made a presentation from a company that gives out commemorative plates to people who are celebrating births, anniversaries, and weddings. The keepsakes include the township logo, and the program is sponsored by local businesses. For the township to renew the program, it would cost $642.
Abrams was told the matter would be discussed during budget deliberations in March.
TIM CURRIE Tim Currie appeared, inquiring about being allowed to open a Chip Truck at the site of the old Sleepy Hollow Motel lot on Hwy. 7. The lot is owned by the township, and the property is zoned rural, not commercial, MacDonald told Currie. Currie asked how a hotel can be zoned rural; councillors pointed out it was no longer a hotel when amalgamation took place in 1997, so under Central Frontenac it is zoned rural and would not be re-zoned. He was encouraged to find another location for his chip truck. PARHAM FOODTOWN Council received a letter, the second in the past few months, about the state of disrepair of the former Food Town property. The letter stated that the building has become not only an eyesore but also a very real danger, and hopes council can make their utmost efforts in attempting to find a solution so that it can be cleaned up. The letter was signed by six business owners in the Parham area. Clerk Heather Fox reported that it is hoped the legal matters surrounding the property will be settled shortly and the township will then be able to deal with the site.