Township Council

Wil McKenny | Mar 31, 2011

Delegations

Mayor Cladoyskison welcomed a delegation from the local Bird and Bunny Lovers Association (BABL) who proposed that the coyote be honoured as the official Township animal. Describing the huge numbers of songbirds that were killed annually by feral cats and household cats allowed to run wild, they noted that coyotes were one of the most effective methods of controlling free-ranging cats. Councillor Joli wondered whether sheep farmers might be in disagreement. Councillor Sean countered with: “We’ve got a lot more coyotes than sheep, and the gap is getting wider every day. Might as well go with the flow.”

Budget Issues

Having been directed by Council to slash the road budget, Public Works Manager Joe Buddy proposed that as township bridges required repair, they should be removed and replaced with small user-pay car and foot-ferries. “This would provide some local full-time jobs,” he noted, “and be much less expensive than bridge repairs. It fits with the province’s plans to shift funding from infrastructure to job creation.”

He recommended the roads budget be given a further boost by the installation of toll booths on all the major arteries that don’t have ferries. “This will have the added benefit of traffic calming, in terms of speed, if not driver attitude.”

Bag Tags

Noting that in the past bag tags had been a source of controversy, Buddy proposed that local artists be commissioned to design limited-edition sets of bag tags. “These should rapidly become collectors’ items, and we will be able to charge more for them. Seasonal residents will want to take sets of them home to Toronto to show their friends. Our artists will finally be recognized.”

Recycling

In order to reduce the quantity and volume of waste heading for our landfill sites, Buddy suggested that residents be encouraged to leave their garbage bins open to dogs and raccoons. This would immediately recycle food scraps, and most of the remaining materials would be well shredded, therefore more compactable.

Frontenac Marathon Proposed

The township recreation committee announced they are organizing an old-time ‘find your way with map and compass’ County marathon from Ompah to Wolfe Island. Volunteer stations along the route will provide refreshments, encouragement, and directional hints as needed. When Council questioned their holding the event in May at the height of the blackfly season, the recreation rep countered with: “Sure ups the motivation to run, doesn’t it?”