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Huron-Kinloss council brings its concerns to area MPP At a meeting on Feb 2 in Ripley, Huron-Bruce MPP Carol Mitchell was questioned on everything from the lack of adequate medical staff in the area to the lack of funding for conservation authorities. With a list of questions begging for answers concerning funding and provincial policy, not many were heard to raise the hopes of taxpayers in the township that help from the province was coming anytime soon. Deputy Mayor Wilf Gamble filled in for Mayor Mitch Twolan, who was unable to attend the meeting. He introduced Mitchell and turned the floor over to council to ask questions. Councillor Anne Eadie asked Mitchell if the fact that Kincardine has been stripped of its “under serviced” designation meant less help from the province in recruiting doctors. “Do we have to get our under-serviced designation back to get a foreign doctor? I think there has been a mistake (with the designation being changed), I think we need it looked into. Our doctors are overwhelmed, it may prompt them to retire earlier.” Mitchell said that Goderich had their designation removed, but they still got a foreign doctor. As for the shortage of nurses, Mitchell said that the Ministry of Health has guaranteed every nursing school graduate a full time job. “If that doesn’t make people step up to the plate, I don’t know what will.” “Are nurses college spaces all full?” asked Eadie. “We’ve expanded spaces, but I don’t know if they are all full,” she replied. The discussion then turned to beach management. For several years, the township has been trying to set up a beach policy and to take responsibility for beach management from an under-staffed provincial Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR). It was hoped that the township could take ownership of the beach and among other things, protect it from wilful damage. An agreement was made in principal between the township and the Owen Sound office of the MNR, but bureaucratic red tape has put the deal at a virtual stand still. “One year ago at the AMO conference, Mitch and Anne (Twolan and Eadie) met with the MNR,” said Gamble. “We were trying to set up a beach policy. We believed it would be done by now.” “What’s the difference between that and the Blue Flag?” asked Mitchell. “The Blue Flag has nothing to do with it,” explained Eadie. “We want to protect our beaches. We have areas that from ignorance and neglect, now need work. We’ve worked with Geoff Peach of the Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation on this, the problem is jurisdiction. We want to pass bylaws to protect the beach. We want to keep more control on vehicles, structures, damage, etc. The MNR said last year that it would be in play by now.” Administrator Mary Rose Walden told Mitchell that the MNR had sent a draft agreement to the township. The township responded back with another draft, with several changes. “We heard last week that the MNR wasn’t happy with our draft,” she said. “You submitted a draft and they never got back to you?” asked Mitchell. “Yes,” said Walden. “They won’t get back to us. What we want is enforcement. We want to be able to pass bylaws to protect our beaches and be able to enforce those bylaws.” “We can’t have people driving hilly-nilly on the beach,” added Eadie. “We’ll contact Owen Sound and see where they are at,” said Mitchell. MPAC assessments on wind turbines Gamble brought up the issue of the artificially low assessment values placed on wind turbines by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC). MPAC placed the value of the multimillion dollar units at $40,000-per-megawatt, or about $80,000-per-turbine. The low assessments mean the units are worth to the township roughly the same in property taxes as an upscale home. “Did you want them to be lower?” asked Mitchell. Gamble asked, “Three million to $40,000, how did you justify that number?” “We had to come up with a number. The Minister of Finance will be looking into it. I’m not going to argue with you,” said Mitchell. “I supported that, but now I think that number has to be re-formatted.” “Are windmills exempt from the planning act?” asked chief building official Matt Farrell. “We are concerned there will be no local control,” adding that there are many other concerns.” “We have just as many municipalities wanting us to take control,” claimed Mitchell. I don’t see as you should be left out of the process, but I don’t want to see projects held up by a year.” Councillor Don Murray said that residents were concerned that their property tax dollars are subsidising the large wind farm owners with the low assessments. He mentioned damage to area roads as one example of expenses they will have to shell out. “I’d be careful with that type of language, because if they (large wind farm companies) aren’t there, you won’t get that money,” warned Mitchell. Provincial infrastructure funding Walden asked if a regular stream of funding would be possible from the province for infrastructure, rather then having to compete with neighbouring municipalities, which is the case with COMRIF (Canada-Ontario Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund). In many cases, municipalities fill out forms and spend funds on paper work and labour and recieve no funding at all. “We got nothing from COMRIF,” she said. “You did get funding, that’s why I’m here today, to announce funding that you got from OSTAR," said Mitchell. " Why do you think I’m making the announcement?” (The announcement stemmed from a 2003 funding application for water systems upgrades brought on by changes to provincial legislation.) Gamble commented, “You told us what we had to do with the money.” “Go cautious with the argument and the wording,” said Mitchell. “Be careful what you ask for sometimes.” Gamble moved on to septic re-inspection. “We are starting a septic re-inspection program here and it will cost the taxpayers money. Will there be any funding available to help, such as the old Healthy Futures program?” asked Gamble. “I know there’s a need, but I can’t tell you that,” she said. Gamble asked about the lack of funding for conservation authorities. The province used to fund about 55 per cent of the conservation authority’s costs, but that number has dwindled down to 5 per cent. “Communities are now fighting because of funding. Is it part of the plan to make it all one big provincial conservation authority?” “No,” said Mitchell. “One thing I want recognized is that the federal government does not contribute. The province can only do so much with their funding.” “The Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority has over 21,000 acres of land to manage. We have a perfectly good vehicle with regard to fighting global warming. What do we have to do, start selling it off to cover expenses?” asked Eadie. “I recognize that you need more funding. How are you going to fund it?” replied Mitchell. “We know when you cut, it’s going to hurt. We have to work with the dollars we have. Our economy isn’t growing, so neither is the money.” “The cuts started back in 1995,” said Eadie. “We have been getting by with reserves.” Mitchell said that when speaking to other groups, she wanted to emphasise, “that every other presenter was claiming poverty.” Gamble thanked Mitchell for her time and turned the floor over to various provincial and federal politicians who gathered after the meeting for a photo-op and a press release. With a provincial election set for the fall, it was generally thought by the media that the press release would announce some form of new funding to help over-burdened rural areas cope with funding cuts and downloading. |
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