Mayor Vandewal opened the meeting with the announcement that a closed session would follow the regular meeting, to discuss “legal and land issues.”

Proposed Process for Official Plan Adoption

Every five years, the Township’s Official Plan has to be reviewed and brought up to date. In December 2013 the Township Planning Department forwarded a revised draft of the Official Plan to The Ministry of Municipal Affairs for review and comments. This plan contained a number of internal changes and provincially mandated changes. In October 2014, the Ministry returned a number of comments which have now been addressed in the current draft plan. Next steps in the process are: June 2, Council reviews the draft, and on July 13 the public will be invited to an open house presentation of the Current proposed Official Plan. This will be followed on Aug 18 with a public meeting before the final draft comes to Council in early September for adoption, followed by submission to the Ministry for final approval.

Larcon Zoning Amendment

This concerns a proposed lot addition and rezoning of a one hectare parcel of land on the Wilton Road on the southern edge of Harrowsmith. The lot addition would have to be rezoned as industrial to match the already existing industrial zone of the property it will join. Neighbour Pat Lalonde has twice expressed her fear that this industrial property will damage her property value and be incompatible with a residential area. (The stated plan is to eventually enlarge the storage rental business that is on the existing industrial lot.) Planner Mills noted that the Township’s zoning by-law would require a site plan agreement with stipulation for a substantial buffer combining berm and plantings along the road front before any further development could take place on the property.

Mills also recommended that “open storage” be removed from the list of possible uses within urban industrial zoning. Further decision was deferred until it could be confirmed that all the neighbouring residents had received notification of the proposal.

Planning Department Proposal

Planner Mills asked Council’s approval of his intent to set aside blocks of uninterrupted work time. He proposes using Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday morning and Thursday afternoon to concentrate on review and assessment of large projects. CAO Orr supported this idea, saying that staff wanted Council to be aware of this change. Council agreed with Mills’ plan.

Isn’t it amazing how the Central Frontenac Council can now find $255,000 in savings. Yet just a few weeks past, when setting the budget, they looked high & low but could not find any reductions, or savings or any opportunities for consolidation of projects. Their supposed best effort, on behalf of the people, the same people who elected them, couldn’t find another penny of savings. It was the BEST they could do.

Guy MacLeod

Wind, solar projects lining up at Addington Highlands’ door

The wind resource in the Denbigh region has drawn another company into the mix as the deadline for the Large Renewable Procurement (LRP) process from Ontario Power Generation approaches.

Renewable Energy Systems of Canada, who first approached the township with a preliminary proposal for a wind project in 2008, returned on Monday with a presentation that was geared to attract the support of Council, and the public at large as well.

“We have a tradition of developing the lowest impact site possible by maximizing the setback from residences and points of interest,” said Stephen Cookson, the director of project development for RES Canada during his presentation.

NextEra, a company that approached the township earlier this year asking for support from the township for a project in the same area, is proposing a mix of sites for 80 to 100 turbines, some to be located on Crown and some to be located on private land, to produce up to 200 megawatts of power in Addington Highlands.

RES – Canada, on the other hand, is planning 30 - 50 turbines to produce between 100 and 150 megawatts of power. While Cookson said the sites would be a mix of Crown and privately owned land, used under lease agreements, they also said that the majority of the project would be located on Crown land sites.

The company has yet to complete all of the analysis it needs to do in order to finalise its bid, and one of the issues that needs to be confronted is that of grid capacity in the vicinity of the proposed turbines.

When contacted after the meeting, Cookson said that grid capacity to receive power from the Denbigh area was not made available in 2008, and that was why RES did not pursue a project at that time.

“We are hopeful that the grid capacity will be available this time around,” he said.

Cookson also said that RES would be presenting their plans at a public open house/meeting some time later this year.

“We have been having a lot of discussion, information and input within the community and with council ever since NextEra came forward with their plans,” said Councilor Tony Fritsch “and the issue of setbacks comes up often. Are you open to across the board, council-suggested minimum setbacks for all your installations?”

“We are open to suggestions, and we are committed to minimising impacts and generous setbacks. The constraint comes in when setbacks make a project unviable from a financial perspective, so it’s a trade-off,” said Cookson.

RES will also be making an offer for a community vibrancy fund before Council decides whether to support the project or not. NextEra has offered $1,750 per mw, which would come out to $350,000 per year if the township supports their project and they end up winning the LRP.

“We have two competing companies coming before us,” said Reeve Henry Hogg. “Are we obliged to support only one project?”

“You could support one, both, or none,” said Cookson.

“Is it possible that both would get built?” Hogg asked.

“It is possible, but not likely in this case, partly because we will be choosing overlapping sites on Crown land,” said Cookson.

Solar projects get support

Utlilia Amaral of SunEdison and Rob Hitchcock of Abundant Solar Farms both made presentations for small-scale solar farms, which are being contemplated under a small-scale renewable power projects procurement process that is also being sponsored by Ontario Power Generation.

SunEdison is proposing a 7-acre solar farm project on a private property on Wilson Hills Road, east of Northbrook, which will have a 500-kilowatt capacity.

Abundant Energy has four projects under development, all of the 500-kilowatt size. Their projects would be located at 2570 and 1548 Upper Flinton Road, and on Concessions 3 and 4, Kaladar.

Neither solar project developer offered any inducements to the township for a motion of support, but they both indicated that the impact on neighboring properties would be minimal, and that vegetation would be planted at the perimeter of the project sites, blocking public view of the panel arrays.

Council provided blanket support for the two projects and any other solar project that comes forward.

Budget approved, levy up by almost 5%

The 2015 budget was approved. The township will be levying a shade under $2.4 ($2,399,973) million from Addington Highlands ratepayers for local services, up about $113,000 from 2014 (the 2014 levy was $2.287 million) In percentage terms the increase is 4.9%.

When the township rate is combined with Lennox and Addington County taxes, which are up by 2.7%, and education rates, which are flat, the average Addington Highlands ratepayer will see a total increase in the 3% range on their tax bills this year.

Council chose not to report back on the nature of the closed session held prior to the regular meeting.

Waste Disposal Issues

New Tipping Fees at Portland Council approved the schedule of tipping fees associated with the new weigh scale at the Portland waste site. Segsworth said the goal was to set fees that are in line with neighbouring waste sites, to avoid past problems with Township sites having been used for non-SF waste, because of our lower rates.

Beginning July 1st, rates for garbage will now be prorated from a charge of $110 per metric tonne. All waste entering the site will still have to be sorted to divert as much as possible from the landfill. Tires, grass, ashes, brush (residential), metal and flattened cardboard are all free. The base rate for any
amount of garbage up to 200 kg is $20. Councillor Robinson said he doesn’t think it is fair to charge $20, even for just one tagged bag. Councillor Roberts asked why tires are free.

Public Works Manager Mark Segsworth replied “Because tires generate revenue now.”

Commercial businesses who haul brush to Portland will be charged based on truck size, beginning with $50 for a one-ton. Public works does not anticipate revenues to decrease due to charging by weight instead of load.

Garbage and Recycling Collection Contracts Extended

Segsworth recommended that the township’s present contracts with Larmon and Snider be extended for two years, to Aug 2017, in order to allow time to collect hard statistics about the weight of waste being collected in Portland and Loughborough.

He said that he thinks the Township is being well served by the two contractors and the one township employee who do the current collection. Only Deputy Mayor McDougall spoke in favour of a one-year extension, instead of two. Several agreed that even with more accurate figures, the Township’s rate of recycling still will need to improve.

Perth Road fire hall

Councillor Revill said he wants to see the firehall project move forward, but he feels there needs to be more discussion before any particular design is chosen. There was brief discussion of the interrelation of site (not yet chosen) and design, as well as the question of ‘design build” vs beginning with an architect/consultant. CAO Wayne Orr said the matter would soon be coming back to Council.

Strategic Plan

Council approved their new strategic plan with one main addition: they replaced the phrase “being mindful of the need to achieve greater energy efficiencies” with the more specific “helping address climate change by improving energy efficiency and supporting renewable power generation.”

Shoreline Restoration and Enhancement (?) at the Point

Council approved the shoreline restoration project as presented, with the addition of a contained upland sand area and less  pebble beach area, using pebbles that are as small and smooth as possible.

Deputy Mayor McDougall said, “I’m ok with the shoreline restoration, but I can’t call it enhancement: it doesn’t do much to make the Point park more attractive.”

In informal discussion after the meeting, McDougall said, “We need an overall, longrange plan for making the point a place that the community can be proud of.” He, Councillor Schjerning and Public Works Manager Segsworth agreed that, while shoreline stabilization is urgent, the present piecemeal
approach to upgrading separate bits of the park is not the best way to move forward.

Staff outlines plans to mitigate $255,000 budget pressure

In an effort to mitigate the township's $255,000 budget shortfall that resulted from an oversight in the public works total formula, CAO Jim Zimmerman and treasurer J. Michael McGovern presented council with their six step plan to reclaim the $255,000 error. First they reduced the original $255,000 in the estimated costs for the repair/replacement of the township's fleet of vehicles to $227,000. Changes to the staff salaries resulted in an additional $34,000 in savings and a deferment in securing a loan required for the Fifth Lake Road Road construction project will reap an additional $55,000 savings in interest. A reduction to the estimated Phase 1 costs for the 2015 Environmental Assessments in the municipalities by restricting the proposed assessments to just four sites at a cost of $2,500 each will save an additional $70,000 from the original $80,000 in the budget.

Councilors had trouble agreeing with a $50,000 reduction in the proposed $295,000 gravel budget for 2015. Councilor Brent Cameron wondered if a $50,000 reduction in gravel would meet the townships needs.

CAO Zimmerman responded by saying that day-to-day stock piling of material would help, as would lumping a series of municipal roads into a single contract. He added that though there may be a slight reduction in the level of service to the township as a result, that a reasonable level of service could still be achieved with the reduction. Council passed a motion for staff to proceed with their proposed plans and ordered that staff provide them with a regular monthly status report concerning the matter for the remainder of 2015.

CF Council extends CIP beyond Sharbot Lake

Council unanimously passed a motion to expand the township's Community Improvement Plan to include other hamlets and villages in the township. Originally the plan, which was initiated three years ago, was to include only Sharbot Lake and to date it has attracted just 12 applications. The news should be welcomed by residents and business owners in other villages across the township. A public meeting will be scheduled at a later date to convey the details of the program and the application process.

Kennebec Shores sales building and privy approved

Council approved a motion allowing the owners of the Kennebec Shores development to sign a memorandum of understanding with staff allowing the former to construct a sales building and privy on township land in order to better promote the sale of the lands

Delegations

Anne Prichard, executive director of the Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation (FCFDC), made an in depth presentation to council outlining the numerous services, programs, loans and grants that are available to local individuals and businesses in the township with the hopes that that council and staff will steer aspiring entrepreneurs their way. The FCFDC aims to encourage economic growth by promoting local businesses and tourism in the area and by promoting and supporting community vibrancy in the township. Mayor Frances Smith congratulated Prichard on her hard work.

Wallbridge Lane Resident appeals to council re back tax concerns

Robert Scrymgeour appealed to council to show him leniency for back taxes and interest he owes on two deeded properties, comprising a total of six parcels of land located on Wallbridge Lane. He cited family illnesses, deaths and his own medical issues, which he said have kept him from clearing up the matter sooner. He also said the MPAC valuations for the properties were ridiculously high. He described one as “swampy” and one as having a dilapidated shack, which he said MPAC described as a cottage.

He offered to pay the township $400 a month in back taxes and interest until he can get the matter settled and before the township reclaims the lands. Rather than accepting payments from Scrymgeour, council passed a motion ordering staff to consider the matter and suggested that he return to council for their next meeting to resolve the matter.

Water levels one metre below average

Councilor Bill MacDonald informed council about information he gleaned at a recent meeting of the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority, where it was announced that lake levels are well below average for this time of year. “Unless we get rain we could be facing imminent water shortages,” MacDonald said.

Councillor Alan Revill has put on paper a set of proposals that he expressed verbally at a meeting of the South Frontenac Committee of the Whole last month.

The proposal, which when contacted over the phone earlier this week he said was intended to “get some ideas on the table for council to discuss”, envisions building one larger hall for the highest level of training and meeting space. It also calls for two smaller, full service halls, which would also be used for training of crews from across the township. Finally, the third type of hall would be “the most compact.” but would include “the fundamental requirements like m/f washrooms and showers” and would need to be built to post-disaster standards.

Revill wrote that the location of the main hall could be the Village of Sydenham, and would include administrative space where the chief might work from and any other administrative staff that the department takes on over the years.

“The Sydenham location would have the advantage of being located near the township offfice,” Revill said.

The two hub locations could be the Sunbury and Hartington halls, leaving compact halls in the other 6 locations: Bradshaw Road (Bedford), Burridge Road (Bedford), Road 38 – Verona (Portland), Perth Road (Loughborough), Latimer Road (Storrington) and Carrying Place Road (Storrington).

Revill took this exercise on because when the township went to a consultant for a design plan for the Perth Road fire hall late last year, the cost was set at $2.2 million, an amount that was placed in the 2015 township budget but was later pegged back to $1 million.

“If we consider that all of our fire halls are going to need to be replaced over the next ten to fifteen years, and the Perth Road hall is well down the list of halls in terms of call volumes, we could be looking at setting aside $2 million each year for firehalls,” he said.

He said that he is “not opposed to spending money on fire services in order to meet our needs. The costs have gone up and will continue ot go up, as we all realise around the council table, but there are cost implications that we need to consider.”

Members of Council took a tour of fire halls in surrounding townships and found a wide variety. In his report to Council, Revill said he favoured some of the features of the less epxensive fie hall in Mountain Grove to what was found at the more expensive fire hall in Amherstview, for example.

“I found the Amherstivew Hall to be far more than we need,” he said. “The spaces in the bays were excesssive for every purpose ...”

Fire hall construciton costs range from $200 to $300 per square foot, so the square footage of halls is a major issue.

Revill said he looks forward to hearing the views of his fellow councillors on these matters.

Strategic Plan

Consultant Rob Woods presented a draft strategic plan distilled from his meetings with council and staff, and information received from recent public meetings. Woods said the most complex issue was that of growth and development, which requires a clear plan of the types of development that are desirable and where they should be located.

Development needs to acknowledge the importance of agriculture, be sensitive to environmental concerns, and be consistent with “quality rural/small-urban lifestyles,” he said.

Some comments from Council: SF’s “unique identity’ is not fully explained and references to the environment are weak, but acknowledgement of the importance of agriculture is good, and overall the process of creating the plan was positive and well-organized. A full text of the draft is available on the Township website.

Annual Waste Site Reports

Guy LaPorte of Aecon submitted a brief illustrated annual report on the township’s waste disposal sites: his charts showed no increase in recycling over the past three years.

Public Works Manager Mark Segsworth said, “I beg to differ about Mr Laport’s comments in relation to diversion: the recycling numbers are hard numbers, (for they are weighed when they arrive in Kingston), and cannot be directly compared to the landfill numbers which are based on estimates.” Segsworth will bring his report on the present state of waste diversion to the next Council meeting. LaPorte had no comment. Later in the evening, Councillor Sleeth drew on his agricultural experience to comment that he felt parts of the waste site report had been “full of heifer dust.”

Waste Collection Contracts

Contractor Percy Snider was present to answer questions from Council, but none were asked. Segsworth said he had met with both Snider and Larmon, and felt he had a good working relationship with them, and they are providing a good level of service. He said he would be recommending extending their contract for one more year: “We are working toward developing a more consistent program. At present it appears that tendering by weight may not be as fair as tendering by numbers of households after all, as the nature of waste materials is beginning to change: newspaper and glass are being replaced by lighter materials.”

Additional Solar Proposal

Utilia Amaral of SunEdison briefly informed Council of a 205 acre site her company was proposing for a second solar project. It’s located on the Rodney Wallace property at the corner of Alton Road and Road 38, just north of Harrowsmith.

Dog Tags

CAO Orr asked whether Council wished to enforce the sale of dog tags by door to door followup with known dog owners. Given the amount of discussion this question had engendered in previous years, the present Council showed a remarkable lack of interest in further pursuing the sale of dog tags.

Onward with Oregon Orange

In spite of additional cost and difficulties getting tender submissions for specially coloured trucks for the Township fleet, Council agreed to keep the distinctive orange colour.

Sandhill Cemetery

Councillor Sleeth reported a number of concerns about the caretaking of Sandhill Cemetery near Battersea. He said stones had fallen, brush was not removed, and mowing was carelessly done. CAO Orr agreed to follow up with the contractor.

Support for seniors in North Frontenac

At Monday's council meeting in Plevna, Catherine Tysick, a Community Support Manager from North Frontenac Community Services (NFCS) explained to Council the many different services they provide to seniors and physically disabled people who live in the area. Caregiver counselling, foot care, volunteer transportation, and Lifeline - a 24-hour monitoring system - are only some of the services they provide in the Frontenacs.

They also subsidize some housekeeping services for eligible seniors or disabled people. One of the goals of NFCS is to provide support so these people can continue to live in their own homes for as long as possible.

“A lot of the seniors we serve are in their 80's and above...” Tysick told Council. “Oftentimes there is only one pension...we really want to be able to help people stay at home as long as they can and as safely as they can because they want to be here,” she explained. “I've never met anybody who wants to move out of North Frontenac.”

NFCS was operating a Meals On Wheels program in North Frontenac for a long time but haven't been able to provide the service recently due to logistical complications with finding a local supplier, although they are starting up a nutritious frozen meals program that has seen financial support from Meals On Wheels.

“The residents of North Frontenac are very independent...we haven't had enough people that want Meals On Wheels enough to bring it from Sharbot Lake...” Tysick said.

NFCS depends on volunteers for many of their services. They offer transportation for people in need, at a subsidized rate. This can mean driving a senior to a medical appointment or to do grocery shopping.

One of the challenges that the NFCS faces is the small population, and therefore a small demand. Tysick explained that although they are in “very good-standing” with their funders, she worries that in the future the rural population won't be safeguarded against funding cuts because the funding is based on usage.

“We just want to spread the word that the services are available,” Tysick said. “If there are some holes...if there are some needs...there may be some things we can do...to get those needs met for your residents.”

Solar And All That Jazz

Bob Mady, from Jazz Solar, an Ottawa-based solar energy consulting firm, made a presentation to Council on Monday regarding the potential income North Frontenac could be making if they installed solar panels on some of their buildings in the township. The Feed in Tariff (FIT) Program, is designed for projects designated as generating between 10 kilowatts (kW) and 500kW of electricity. There is a program for under-10kW projects called the microFIT. These two programs, once controlled by Ontario Power Authority (OPA), are now controlled by the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO), the same organization that is in charge of administering the proposed wind turbine farm in North Frontenac and Addington Highlands.

Mady explained how a rooftop 10kW system, which costs approximately $30,000-$34,000 to get up and running, would provide the township with $4600 in annual income for the next 20 years, with the opportunity to profit over $55,000 in the long term. This system, under the microFIT program, provides the client with a protected rate, currently set at 38.4¢/kWh, that is locked in for 20 years. After the 20 year contract runs out, the owner of the system could, theoretically, stop feeding the grid and use the panels to power their building directly, with some additions to their system.

When the microFIT program was first introduced in 2009 the OPA was paying participants 80.2¢/kWh. The rate has dropped steadily, and Mady told Council that this will most likely be the last time the FIT program is offered.

(Note – the township has a micro-fit project in place on the roof of the township office)

Community Grants Policy to Set Deadline and $1000 Limit

Council voted on implementing a community grants policy on Monday. Non-profit community organizations sometimes request funding from the township. This policy would set a cap at $1000 per organization, and would set a deadline of November 30th, in order to be considered for the following year's annual budget.

“I'm gonna be a grinch here and say I don't like this,” Councillor Inglis said. “I think it's too extensive and bureaucratic...it's going to add layers of paperwork,” Inglis voted against the idea but was outnumbered in the vote. “I want to see a very simple set of guidelines...no dollar limits, no follow up reports.”

Corey Klatt, the Manager of Community Development, explained the reasoning behind the change. “It's putting some timelines on it so that we can do this at budget time.” The intention is that it will allow Council to better plan how they budget and allocate grant funds each year as well as better document what allocated grant money is spent on.

Mayor Higgins Gets a Passing Grade on Report Card

Mayor Ron Higgins presented the results of a survey he initiated requesting feedback from Council on his performance in his first quarter as Mayor. Overall the comments were positive, he said, and he himself echoed the main suggestion put forth that he “slow down” and not “expect too much too quickly”.

Frontenac County’s Sustainability Advisory Committee invites you to the county’s 2015 annual Sustainability Breakfast, free of charge, on Friday, May 8 at the Grace Centre (4295 Stage Coach Road in Sydenham), 7 – 10am. Celebrate our communities' efforts toward becoming more sustainable and connect with other passionate, community-minded people. The Sustainability Breakfast is the place to meet new people, find support for your initiatives, and discuss great ideas.

This year’s Keynote Speaker, Lura Consulting’s Susan Hall, will talk about the future of sustainability planning. Many municipalities have had Integrated Community Sustainability Plans (ICSP) in place for a number of years—the Frontenac County plan, Directions for Our Future, was adopted in 2009—and Ms. Hall will speak to lessons learned, and the implementation of ICSPs moving forward.

New Community Partnership Agreements will be presented at the event as well. These agreements recognize organizations in the Frontenacs that commit to live according to sustainability principles, to collaborate and use resources in a mutually beneficial way, and to contribute to building resilient communities across the Frontenacs.

If you or anyone you know is interested in becoming a Community Partner, please contact Alison Vandervelde, Communications Officer, at 613-548-9400 ext 305 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. If you would like to attend the Sustainability Breakfast, RSVP to Angelique Tamblyn at 613-548-9400 ext 301 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Presentation to members of Denbigh Abinger, and Ashby Fire department.

The formation of the Denbigh, Abinger and Ashby (DAA) fire department came about as the result of two things. First, in the mid 1960s the township council requested that the Ontario Fire Marshall's Office conduct a fire protection survey for the township. When the survey was completed and provided to the municipality it came with a number of recommendations, mainly that a fire department be set up and what it would need.

At the same time the DAA Centennial Committee was doing fundraising for anniversary projects and the volunteer fire department was one of those projects.

Money was raised to purchase a portable building from a Belleville trucking company and was moved to the township for use as a fire hall and roads department building. More money was raised to buy a truck, and a used milk tanker truck was purchased and refurbished. The township purchased some equipment and other equipment was donated.

It was sometime after 1967 that all of the equipment was finally in place, the volunteers were trained and the department was formally established, with William Scott Senior, who had been a firefighter in Toronto, serving as the first fire chief. The service was entirely made up of volunteers, and a fire phone system was set up so that when the emergency number was dialed it rang in designated homes. The volunteers in those homes each had a list of firefighters to call.

With municipal amalgamation at the beginning of 1998, the service was amalgamated with the Addington Highlands Fire Service. A plaque commemorating all those who served between 1967 and 1997 was commissioned by Addington Highlands Township, and on Monday night, April 20, the plaque and certificates of appreciation were presented to volunteers from those years who were able to attend. A number of the volunteers were on hand in person to receive their certificates, but a larger number were not, as there are many who have died or left the area since being fire department members back in the 1970s and 80s.

“This is just a small token of appreciation for all of the service provided over those 30 years by the Denbigh, Abinger and Ashby Fire department and all its members,” said Reeve Henry Hogg.

After receiving their certificates, the firefighters who were on hand posed for a picture with the commemorative plaque, which will go on permanent display at the Addington Highlands Community Centre in Denbigh.

Notes from Council meeting

Fees waived for community wind power meeting - Paul Isaacs has organized a meeting concerning the NextEra proposed wind farm in Addington Highlands this Saturday (April 25) and he was asking for the use of the Denbigh Hall for free. The meeting will concern itself with creating three lists: a list of benefits from wind turbines, a list of detriments from wind turbines, and a list of questions to ask concerning wind turbines. Council approved the request for waiving the fee.

The idea of holding a public meeting sponsored by the township in ward 1, was also raised at the meeting and council will be considering setting one up. NextEra, as part of their public process, is going to be setting up an information Open House in Denbigh in late May. The Open House will be part of NextEra's push for council support for the project. A motion of support from the local township is one of the elements in the bid that NextEra will be submitting to Ontario Power Generation (OPG). A competitive bidding process is being used by OPG to determine which company they will sign a 20 year contract with for the purchase of 300 megawatts of wind power. As an incentive to Addington Highlands Council, NextEra is offering a $350,000 annual payment for the life of the contract. Those payments are contingent on two things happening: NextEra needs to the be successful bidder, and Addington Highlands Council needs to have supported the bid.

Support for a private members bill -

Sylvia Jones, Progressive Conservative MPP for Dufferin-Caledon, is sponsoring Bill 36, the Respecting Private Property Act, which if enacted will increase the fines for trespass on private property. The bill would establish a minimum fine of $500 for trespassing and would increase the limit for compensation to the landowner to $25,000 from the current limit of $1,000.

Council passed a motion supporting Bill 36.

Water levels low in Mississippi Valley

Councilor Kirby Thompson, who represents AH on the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority Board, reported that Gord Mountenay, who has been monitoring water levels in the watershed for 35 years, said that the lake levels are at historic lows this spring. The MVCA controls the flow of water within the system by using flow control dams, but the options are limited when water levels are low.

(see "Rain brings some relief from low lake water levels - burn ban conditions")