Deadline approaching for Wainfleet health survey
The deadline is fast approaching for Wainfleet residents to submit completed health-care access surveys.
The survey, recently mailed to each Wainfleet resident, was created in hopes the township can tap into Ontario Ministry of Health funding.
The province is contributing money toward the establishment of 25 nurse practitioner-led clinics where nurses work in collaboration with doctors and a team of health-care professionals to provide services to people who don't have access to a health-care provider.
Three Ontario communities have received approval for clinics and another 22 are expected to be announced this year.
Wainfleet Mayor Barb Henderson said the survey is an important part of the application for funding because it will help establish Wainfleet's need.
"The nurse practitioners need to show the need to have a clinic in Wainfleet.
"A number of Wainfleet residents and seniors don't have a family doctor," the mayor said.
Residents are asked to respond to a few simple questions -- number of household residents, the number with a family doctor, reason for not having a doctor.
The survey states: "The results of this survey will give us the data to demonstrate that a health centre is needed in this community."
Primary care nurse practitioners in a nurse-led health centre would provide services for "rostered patients" in areas including assessment, referral, diagnosis, management of chronic conditions, screening, education and health promotion.
There may also be funding for allied health professionals such as nutritionists, health educators, counsellors and pharmacists.
At a meeting on Monday, Henderson mentioned Wainfleet's lack of medical facilities and professionals -- save a dentist -- to David Caplan, minister of health and long-term care. She said he was receptive to the idea of having a medical professional in the community.
Tomorrow is the deadline to submit the survey in drop-off boxes at the arena, library and municipal offices.
Other locations are: Wainfleet Meridian Credit Union, Avondale/Donut Diner, 2x4 Restaurant, all Wainfleet schools, Morgan's Point United Church, Port Colborne Brethren in Christ Church and St. Elizabeth Catholic Church.
Residents are asked to pay $50.14
more on their water and sewer bills this year
Residents are asked to pay $50.14 more on their water and sewer bills this year, despite concerns raised about recent job losses and economic difficulties.
Welland councillors approved the city's 2009 water and sewer budget last night, including a 7.01% increase to rates paid by average residents who use 200 cubic metres of water a year. Their total annual bill will be $765.52, up from $715.38 last year.
Rates were set at $39.77 for water fixed costs, $1.3868 per cubic metre for water consumption, a sanitary service charge of $73.97 per year and a sanitary treatment rate of $2.0349 per cubic metre.
The numbers don't sit well with all Wellanders.
"We have extremely high unemployment caused by the recession, plus we had lots of unemployment before that," Joe Harris told councillors during a public meeting held just before council passed the budget. "So every time the city comes to me and other people and says, 'I want more money,' my question is, 'Why? Have you done everything you can to reduce and cut costs, because eventually my pocket's empty.'"
Dan Fortier, a former city councillor, reminded councillors Welland industries have already been "drastically" impacted by the global recession, but water bills for large industries that use 245,669 cubic metres of water a year, are expected to increase by nearly $100,000.
"Every week for the last six months or year, we've been hearing about the issues of social justice, poverty and job losses and so forth," he said.
"It took a letter to the editor from a local company's vice-president to induce some city councillors to admit that the water/sewer rates in Welland are much too high," said Joe Somers, representing the small lobby group Eyes on City Hall.
"I think everyone around the table pretty much feels like I do on this," said Ward 2 Coun. Barry Sharpe. "There's nobody here who wants to raise the water rate in the city of Welland, and impose another $5 or $50 in costs on the public. Why would we want do that?"
He said councillors worked long and hard to keep the increase in the rate as low as it could be, while investing $5.5 million on capital works projects to help stabilize water and sewer rates in years to come. Welland's spending is increasing by 1.16% this year.
Although Welland's rates are considered high on a provincial scale, Sharpe said rates throughout Niagara are high.
Welland's rates are "not even the highest in the Niagara region: Fort Erie's higher, Port Colborne' higher, Niagara Falls is higher," he said.
Based on information the city provided prior to the public meeting, Fortier said he wasn't certain of the increase the city was proposing. Although a document that was made publicly available at the civic square on Friday included the proposed 2009 water and sewer rates, it did not include the percentage increase over last year.
He also wanted to know how much of that increase was being spent on capital improvements.
Ward 2 Coun. Frank Campion questioned how the city could have a public meeting on water and sewer rates without giving residents information they needed to develop an opinion about the proposed rates.
"To ask people to come here and present to us on our budget, and we're not going to tell them what the rates are ... what's the point of having a public hearing?"
Because of the fixed and consumption portions of the water bill, some consumers could actually see rate decreases this year.
While consumption rates increased by 11.9% for water, and 12.6% for sewage treatment, fixed costs dropped14.14% for water and 16.59% for sewer.
It means that a resident using 59 cubic metres of water a year would see a rate reduction of 0.06%.
Getting the word out
Niagara Land Trust, which promotes conservation of Niagara's natural heritage, is now promoting itself to local politicians.
Niagara Land Trust incorporated in late 2008 as a nonprofit, non-governmental body dedicated to holding natural lands in trust for the public benefit, Wayne Redekop told Pelham town council Tuesday night during the first stop of the land trust's cross-Niagara tour.
It seemed appropriate Pelham be the first stop. The land trust secured its first two properties in the town.
Redekop, former mayor of Fort Erie, will speak to Port Colborne city council on Monday and to Welland city council Tuesday.
Over the next month, trust volunteers will drop in on councils across the region.
The trust hopes to preserve the special natural features of the Niagara Peninsula for future generations, Redekop told Pelham council.
It would do it in one of four ways:
by direct ownership and management of land;
by holding conservation agreements through easements;
by development of stewardship initiatives with private land owners;
by fostering co-operative relationships with landowners and the general public.
Redekop said Niagara Land Trust will work with municipalities, federal and provincial governments and conservation authorities. But it will also provide land owners with an option outside of government.
"In order to achieve our goals, we look forward to working with private and public land owners, municipalities, community groups, agencies and interested volunteers," Redekop said.
He called preservation a quality of life issue.
"Progressive land use will attract residents, businesses and tourists to our area," he said. "We can protect the area and provide growth."
Paul Robertson, chair of Niagara Land Trust, echoed Redekop's comments in an interview yesterday.
"It comes down to quality of life," he said. "We can revive Niagara by making it an environmentally conscientious area."
The two Pelham properties the trust has acquired are 20 hectares of agricultural and forested land along Twelve Mile Creek in the St. Johns Valley and 3.2 hectares of farmland outside Ridgeville near E. L. Crossley Secondary School. Both Pelham parcels sit in the provincial greenbelt.
In both cases, their owners want the land preserved as it is. Robertson said the Ridgeville farm has potential for educational uses.
"The young people of today are the politicians and voters of the future," he said about the long-term efforts of the trust to develop sustainable land use policies and practices.
Working with the trust is a way to preserve agricultural land while keeping it active, Robertson said. It can also provide tax benefits.
Natural features can include farmland, forests, creeks and marshes and property on escarpment lands.
Robertson pointed to the east Fonthill area slated for residential development. Near the intersection of Rice and Merritt Rds. is about eight hectares of rare Carolinian forest that should be preserved, he said.
"It would make a wonderful link to the Steve Bauer Trails" and enhance the lifestyle of future residents.
As a volunteer organization, Niagara Land Trust is primarily interested in the Niagara region and connected watersheds. For more info see www.niagaralandtrust.com.
Charting Wainfleet's future
The Township of Wainfleet is charting its future with the creation of a new official plan -- and residents are asked to provide input.
Two official plan visioning workshops will be held at Wainfleet Brethren in Christ Church at the corner of Perry Rd. and Hwy. 3 where residents are invited to join round-table discussions.
Work is underway between the township and Sorensen Gravely Lowes, with Paul Lowes taking the lead on the $150,000 project of creating a new official plan.
The first workshop is Saturday, March 7, and will focus on the lakeshore area. Registration is at 8:30 a. m. The session runs from 9 a. m. to 12:30 p. m.
Township planner Chuck Miller said the lakeshore workshop will brainstorm ideas for a suture with or without water services.
"With or without servicing -it's something we have to talk about," he said.
The second workshop will focus on the overall township and will be held Saturday, March 28, during the same hours.
Wainfleet residents and cottage owners can soon expect to see an information page in their mailboxes.
"We feel very strongly about their participation," said Mayor Barb Henderson. "Once the background is there, the first step is creating a vision."
The new plan will chart the course for future development, agricultural land and the look of the township. It must also follow the region and province's official plan guidelines.
Each session will have residents discuss ideas in groups of 8 or 10 and through those issues or ideas, the top 4 or 5 will be presented to all.
"Our aim is to create a new official plan and learn how to manage land and resources for the next 20 years," Henderson said.
A facilitator will be present, in addition to township staff, council and regional staff who will observe and listen.
The township's current official plan was created in 1980 and has undergone some major changes. Staff believed it was time to create a new, modern plan to not only safeguard Wainfleet's agricultural lands but also plan development.
The two workshops will be the first of numerous workshops to be held in the coming year, including one during the summer so cottage owners can participate. Details will be posted on the township's website at www.township. wainfleet. on. c a and advertised in local newspapers.
After basic information is gathered from residents, planners will begin drafting the official plan. Residents will have the opportunity to see and provide input on those drafts.
Said Henderson: "I want this to be a positive experience." Article ID# 1444233
Eliminating red tape for green projects
Tom Rankin welcomes any green energy legislation that cuts through red tape.
The St. Catharines president of Rankin Renewable Power applauded the province yesterday for introducing the Green Energy Act, which the government said will create 50,000 jobs, speed up new renewable power projects and promote conservation.
"It looks like a welcome change, and about time. I think it will be great for the industry," said Rankin, who is partnering with Niagara Region to build a five-turbine wind farm in Wainfleet by the end of 2010.
"It's been a real chore to cut through the bureaucratic holdups for these type of projects in the past.
"You have to be a stubborn guy like me to crack it."
Eliminating red tape is a specific goal of the act, Energy Minister George Smitherman told the legislature Monday.
"If passed, the act would ensure that new green power doesn't get tripped up in all kinds of red tape, but instead that new renewable generation would be built and flowing into the system faster," he said.
Rankin said he likes the general outline, but wants to see details.
For example, the province has promised to create a new pricing system for renewable energy.
That would mean scrapping the existing Standard Offer Program, which is supposed to pay Rankin 11 cents per kilowatt-hour of power generated by his wind farm.
Ontario will also set provincewide standards for wind projects.
That would include minimum "setbacks," the distance a turbine must be from homes and roadways.
The region is interested in seeing those numbers, too. Council just spent months creating its own set of windmill rules approved late last year.
Patrick Robson, the region's planning director, is hopeful provincial rules will mirror those created locally.
"I'm cautiously optimistic we've hit the nail on the head," he said.
"But I think the challenging part will be setting those minimum standards. That will be tricky."
The new act will amend 15 statutes and usher in a host of changes.
For example, the act will require inspectors to perform energy audits on all homes at the time of sale, set domestic content requirements for renewable energy projects and promises to issue permits within six months.
Premier Dalton McGuinty said while he understands a switch from making cars to making wind turbines may not be easy for workers in Ontario, green technology is key to boosting the province's economy.
The province isn't turning away from its traditional auto jobs, but has a responsibility to create new work as well as a sustainable energy base, McGuinty said.
"It's not an easy shift, I understand that, but we need to begin to plan for the future with a sustainable energy base," he said.
"We have to see ourselves as vital players. We can't just tinker with a few things."
Progressive Conservative critic John Yakabuski called the legislation vague, noting it "leaves us with a whole lot more questions than answers" and doesn't explain what the changes will mean to the price of electricity.
New Democrat Peter Tabuns said the change was "way past due."
"The fact that this government is finally saying it will link jobs with climate change is welcome; it opens the debate," Tabuns said in the legislature.
"My goal is to see that we actually deliver, that we don't get trapped in the timidity that I see in the bill before us."
-- with files from The Canadian Press
"It's been a real chore to cut through the bureaucratic holdups ...,"Tom Rankin, president of Rankin Renewable Power.
"I'm cautiously optimistic we've hit the nail on the head," Patrick Robson, the region's planning director.
TOWN SEEKS PUBLIC INPUT OFFICIAL PLAN WORKSHOPS
TO SHAPE FUTURE OF WAINFLEET
The folks at the township's municipal office were busy licking stamps last week preparing to mail thousands of letters to let residents know about a series of upcoming public workshops that will shape the future of Wainfleet.
Mayor Barbara Henderson said the letters are going to everyone on the assessment rolls, as she wants as much public input as possible to go into the township's new official plan, a document that will guide the management of land and resources in Wainfleet for the next 20 years.
"I feel very strongly about having their participation," Henderson said. "I'd like this to be a very positive experience; that can only happen if everyone gets involved."
While the first two workshops are scheduled for the Saturdays of March 7 and March 28, there will also be additional workshops, including several over the summer months for cottage owners and others who are away the rest of the year.
These will be facilitated workshops, held in a round-table format with eight to 10 persons in each discussion group. The top four or five issues at each table will then be presented to the overall group.
Wainfleet councillors and staff, as well as regional staff, will attend the workshops without actually participating, in order to get a better feel for the types of things residents are concerned about.
In early January, the consulting firm of Sorenson, Gravely and Lowes began conducting a one-year review of Wainfleet's official plan, with special emphasis being placed on community participation. Township planner Chuck Miller said there have already been meetings with local farmers to address agricultural issues.
Regarding the lakeshore servicing project, Miller said when preparing their report the consultants will take into account both possibilities: with service and without.
"The consultants will periodically come back to us with issues and options statements prior to the official documents," Miller said.
In addition to providing what residents want, Miller said the township's official plan must conform with the Niagara Region's official plan, as it pertains to growth and environmental protection.
The plan must also respond to changes in provincial policy, primarily concerning the protection of agricultural lands.
The first workshop, slated for March 7 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., will focus primarily on the future of the lakeshore area. The second workshop will take place March 28 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and will concern the future of the overall township.
The workshops will be held at the fully accessible Wainfleet Brethren in Christ Church, 29W82 Perry Rd. at Hwy 3.
Dates and times of upcoming meetings and workshops will be advertised in local newspapers and published on the township's website.
RESIDENT IRKED BY ALLEGED CLOSED-DOOR MEETING
A complaint has been filed, investigated and dismissed regarding an alleged in-camera meeting of the council of Wainfleet.
The complaint said an in-camera meeting was held in the mayor's office in the early morning of Nov. 25. It was alleged that the Mayor Barb Henderson and two members of council discussed and agreed not to let Ratepayer's Association president Betty Konc videotape the council meeting later that night, specifically a portion dealing with the Lakewood Beach development.
Although Konc said she didn't file the complaint, she did say she believes there are things going on at council that are "inappropriate."
"Three councillors together in the mayor's office," said Konc. "That's against the rules."
She said that because there were three of them, they had a quorum, making it a meeting, which is against the municipal act.
Konc also said the report regarding the complaint said she approached alderman Ted Hessel to move a required motion to allow Konc to videotape.
"I did not go to Ted Hessel," said Konc. "That's a bogus report."
Although Hessel did put forward the motion, it didn't receive a seconder and his motion failed, which meant Konc could not videotape the meeting. Hessel said he made the motion because the mayor said there needed to be a motion to allow for the videotaping and that he was surprised when he got "no seconder or anything."
"There's rumours that it was discussed beforehand not to pass the motion," said Hessel.
He also said Konc never approached him or asked him to make the motion and he simply thought videotaping would be a good idea.
"The clerk can't put everything in the minutes," said Hessel. "If we videotape it, we can go back to the tape for clarification."
The identity of the complainant is not known at this time.
The Township of Wainfleet appointed Local Authority Services, Amberley Gavel Ltd., as its closed-meeting investigator to ascertain the validity of the meeting under the provisions of Section 239 of the Municipal Act.
Amberley Gavel Ltd. concluded that the complaint has no merit and must be dismissed since the investigator was satisfied that the issue of the videotaping was not discussed in the mayor's office.
BOIL WATER ADVISORY HENDERSON'S FOCUS AT LUNCH
The Wainfleet lakeshore's boil water advisory, along with the water/wastewater servicing project that's proposed to solve it, was Mayor Barbara Henderson's main focus at the south Niagara mayors' lunch.
Listed as number 4 on the panel's Top 10 list, Henderson reaffirmed her support for municipal services along the lakeshore, saying it was the only solution to contaminated water that would work for the entire area.
"Let me be clear that the source of drinking water in Wainfleet is contaminated and it's contaminated mainly due to septic systems," said Henderson, reading from what appeared to be a prepared statement.
The boil water advisory has been in effect since April 2006. A water and wastewater trunk extended from Port Colborne down the lakeshore was approved in principle by township and regional council in late 2007.
The project recently entered Phase 2, which includes work by three separate committees examining design and financing. Costs for the pipes are projected to be in the $70-million range.
Some residents along the lakeshore, notably members of the Wainfleet Ratepayers Association, have said the project is too costly and prefer individual on-site solutions such as septic systems and holding tanks. They also fear services would make development explode in the area.
Henderson said only 13 per cent of affected lots in the boil water advisory area would be suitable for on-site solutions. She said it could be years before Phase 2 is complete.
"We expect this will take us well into 2010, maybe into 2011," Henderson said.
MEETING A WASTE OF TIME
Wainfleet's January 17 Meet and Greet meeting was a total waste of time.
Same old flawed surveys the Niagara Region presented before and were not accepted by most of the Lakeshore property owners but this time presented by the newly appointed committee.
What makes the Region think these six appointed volunteers speak for the taxpayers when we already have an elected ratepayer's committee?
The print out says the role of the appointed committee is to ensure our voice is heard throughout Phase 2 of the project. But at what cost? We have a better informed ratepayer's committee who can do the job at no cost to the region.
I am old enough to remember when the Regional government was forced on us to save us money.
May the good Lord protect us from people who do things for our own good or to save us money.
Cynthia Ross, Wainfleet
LIAISON COMMITTEE MEETS WITH RESIDENTS
Saturday's meet and greet with the Big Pipe project's public liaison committee turned out to be just that. While lots of people dropped by the Brethren in Christ Church during the two-hour session hoping to get more information, there was nothing new to be learned about the contentious lakeshore sewer servicing project.
Some residents took the time to fill out questionnaires and give their opinions regarding the project, while others sat around chatting and drinking coffee. A few people wondered why the meeting was held in the first place.
Wainfleet resident and liaison committee member April Jeffs said the meeting was simply an opportunity for residents to get to meet the committee members and to learn how to become more involved during the next phase of the project.
"I wrote down several questions -- and I assume other committee members did as well -- to ask at the next meeting," said Jeffs.
She said 65 questionnaires were filled out and forwarded to the Region, where they will be discussed the next time the liaison committee meets with the project team, during an in-camera meet-ing Feb. 3.
The public liaison committee is comprised of 10 members, six from the community, three from the Region and one from the township. Officially, according to the Region's literature, it neither supports nor opposes the project, and does not provide technical input on the project. Moreover, it functions as a conduit for channelling information between the community and the project team.
Betty Konc, chair of the Wainfleet water and sewer committee, attended Saturday's meeting and criticized the composition of the public liaison committee. Konc said the committee lacks credibility because there is not enough representation from the Region and the township to make it a "true" committee.
"Under the Municipal Affairs Act, this committee fails to meet the definition of the term 'committee,'" she said. "I don't think that was an oversight."
The Wainfleet water and sewer committee will hold an open meeting on Saturday, March 28, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Port Colborne Brethren in Christ Church.
WATER AND SEWER COMMITTEE MEET AND GREET TOMORROW WAINFLEET
The water and sewer servicing project public liaison committee will host an informal get-together at the Port Colborne Brethren in Christ Church Jan. 17 from 10 a.m. to noon. Mayor Barbara Henderson said the liaison committee is one of several conditions put in place by the Ministry of the Environment when endorsing the proposed lakeshore municipal water and wastewater system as the most appropriate solution to the long-standing health and environmental issues facing Wainfleet lakeshore residents.
"This is a very complex project and this council fully understands the concerns of our lakeshore residents," said the mayor, adding a long-term solution is required. "A cheap fix will not provide the long-term benefits of sustainable, safe drinking water or the environmental benefits of a properly maintained and functioning sewer system."
Wayne Redshaw, a member of the public liaison committee, said there is no new technical information other than what was discussed at the Nov. 25 regional council meeting.
"This is more of a meet and greet ... to let people come out. These people have got concerns, they tell them to us and we bring them to the township," Redshaw said, adding he expects a large turnout.
PLANNING ISSUES ON RESIDENTS' MINDS
Township hall was the place to be in Wainfleet last Saturday.
Council chambers was buzzing with residents during Mayor Barbara Henderson's annual New Year's Levee. The well-attended event kept Henderson and her councillors busy answering questions about the year ahead in Wainfleet.
Henderson said it's going to be a critical year for the township, especially in regards to planning.
"I'm looking forward to the official plan," Henderson said.
The consultants have been hired and the updated plan should be seen by council sometime this year, she said. Possible changes in the new plan could include hamlet expansion and agricultural preservation, Henderson said.
A secondary plan for Wainfleet's Lambert Road area, known as the Northeast Secondary plan, should also be finalized sometime this year, she said. The plan was created to curb development and preserve farmlands, she said.
"The planning department is very active," Henderson said.
The day also saw Henderson and council on the defensive with regards to potential lakeshore servicing. Despite continued concerns from area residents that water and wastewater pipes will be too costly and encourage development, the mayor pledges that the process is "moving forward."
Three regional committees are currently examining the specifics of water and wastewater pipes along the lakeshore, ending in draft request-for-proposals and hard costs. A target deadline was originally forecasted for early 2009, but Henderson said spring or summer is more realistic.
"It's just been because of the complexities of the lakeshore," she said. "When we looked into it, there's a lot more planning issues that need to be addressed, like private roads for example."
Other concerns include multi-dwelling lots, the conservation area, churches and cemeteries.
"What we want to do is do it correctly," she said.
Henderson added that she wanted to tackle the budget early in the year, with again a goal of keeping taxes down. She said she was happy with the number of people who came out.
"I was ecstatic with the turnout," she said. "It's wonderful."
Betty Konc, head of the Wainfleet Ratepayers' Association, said there are still a lot of unanswered questions when it comes to lakeshore servicing. She wasn't impressed with the update at regional council on Nov. 25.
Konc doesn't know why regional director of water and wastewater services Betty Matthews-Malone can't provide a more specific timeline on the process.
"Her response was stay tuned," Konc said. "That's nasty."
But the delay doesn't bother Konc too much.
"Every day that's delayed is a good day," she said.
The association is holding a public meeting on March 28 at the Port Colborne Brethren in Christ Church.
They are listening and know we aren't going away!
Here's hoping for some changes to the problems .
