Protecting Newmarket Green Space

There are lessons for everyone to learn regarding the gas plants scandal in Ontario.  Chief among them is that government works best when politicians keep their noses out of the work of civil servants. 

When the Premier's office took over negotiations to stop the gas plants, the tab that the taxpayers received increased 4-fold.  What the civil servants could have successfully negotiated for a $250,000,000 price tag all of a sudden went up to $1 billion when the politicians stepped up to the plate.  McGuinty's drive to get things done "quickly and quietly" to avoid political fall out was simply too costly for us. 

We elect our politicians to oversee our civil servants in order to make sure the job of government gets done effectively and efficiently.  We don't expect our elected officials to drive a snowplow, or fix a broken water main, or to be a life guard at the local pool.  We hire trained professionals to do these jobs. 

It is with that in mind that I get concerned about John Taylor's recent tweet:

John Taylor‏@_JohnTaylor Dec 23

Good meeting yesterday on potentially protecting new green space in #Newmarket

 

 

Is it John Taylor's job to meet about new green space? 

No!

His job is to approve policy regarding green space but leave the actual planning to the experts.  I am certain that the Town of Newmarket employs trained professionals who have the expertise needed to get the job done.

The reason that Newmarket residents should be concerned with John Taylor sitting in on these meetings is that he is the same man, (along with Chris Emanuel and Tony Van Bynen) who "sat in" on the Glenway/ Marrianeville meetings.  And if you need any proof that John Taylor is a buffoon when it comes to preserving green space, then you only need to refer to the recent OMB finding. 

In that case, John Taylor and other members of Council refused to listen to their professional planner, (arrogantly thinking that they knew better), and it cost the residents of Newmarket acres of green space and almost $1.000.000 in related fees. 

We pay substantial taxes to the Town of Newmarket and expect professionalism in return.  If experience has taught us anything, we need to keep the politicians away from the negotiating table because they really have no clue what they are doing. 

What's in Santa's Sack for Newmarket Council Christmas 2014

Merry Christmas to ALL my loyal readers.  I hope that Santa is generous and kind to you. 

As with previous years, this intrepid reporter has called up to Santa's workshop and asked the elves to peak inside Santa's sack to see what's in store for the good boys and girls of Newmarket Council.  Here's what they'll find under the Christmas tree on December 25th.

WARD 1 Councillor Tom Vegh - a bouquet of forget-me-nots.  During his re-election campaign, Tom was promising one and all a splash pad for Ward 1.  Imagine his surprise when the CAO was reading out the Town's priorities and the only mention of a splash pad was for Ward 6.  It seems that Tom forgot to tell the senior management at Town Hall about his splash pad promise. 

WARD 2 Councillor Dave Kervin - a commemorative plaque.  Councillor Dave actually cast a vote in dissent voting against an in camera item on December 15th.  As this will likely be the only time we see a vote tally that is other than 9-0 on any matter before council this term, the plaque is necessary to remind councillors of this unique occasion.  BONUS - if he's extra good - Santa will also bring Councillor Dave an all expenses paid trip down memory lane. 

WARD 3 Councillor Jane Twinney - a copy of "How to Win Friends and Influence People".

WARD 4 Councillor Tom Hempen - a map of Newmarket with a big arrow pointing to where Ward 4 is located. 

WARD 5 Councillor Joe Sponga - a seasons pass to the Newmarket Farmer's Market.  BONUS - re-appointment to the Town of Newmarket Main St committee so that Councillor Joe can play Santa Claus all year long doling out public money to his closest friends and supporters. 

WARD 6 Councillor Kelly Broome-Plumley - a new set of marionette strings.  She is supposed to be a puppet of the Mayor butshe has not done much up until this point.  Maybe the current set of puppet strings need to be replaced? 

WARD 7 Councillor Christina Bisanz - a bus pass for the YRT 55 Route.  Councillor Christina tweeted how great the GO bus ride was when she commuted from Aurora to Toronto during last week's snow storm.  Why should Christina drive to a bus stop in Aurora when we have such a top notched bus route right here in Newmarket, (under construction for the past 3 years)?

REGIONAL Councillor John Taylor - A map of York Region with big arrows pointing to where all the Northern 6 municipalities are.  In his recent bid for Regional Chair, Taylor failed to get a single vote of support from any of our "closest" allies.  BONUS -  because Councillor John is so supportive of the "Green Slush Fund" Santa is going to fish around the blue bin in Councillor John's office for a recycled gift. 

MAYOR Tony Van Bynen - a referees whistle.  It's a gag gift.  We all know there won't be any reason for him to blow the referee whistle during the next four years. 

Sponsor Local Community Groups - Not The Town of Newmarket

One of the things that transforms a municipality into the community is the strength of its community groups.  These groups run not-for-profit on the efforts of unpaid volunteers.  You might recognized them as the local hockey league, church group, service clubs, or arts organization.  What can't be disputed is the fact that these organizations make our towns more liveable and without them, Newmarket wouldn't be the same. 

This past week, the Town of Newmarket recognized 30 of its sponsors.  These are local businesses who the town convinced to donate their sponsorship money to the local government rather than to the struggling dance team, theatre group, coffee club, or hospice volunteers, etc. 

And I think that's wrong. 

All around Newmarket, I see minor sports teams with a blank on the back of their jerseys where a company sponsor would normally be found.  I see the cost of participating in a community group activities rising (unfortunately the key driver of these rates is the cost of renting town owned facilities or some other government red-tape requirement).  And I see children and seniors who simply cannot afford to participate in activities with their peers. 

What I don't see is the Town of Newmarket struggling to make ends meet.  In fact, I doubt that there is another local employer who has grown as substantially as the Corporation of the Town of Newmarket has over the past ten years. 

Our local government is wrong to divert sponsorship monies that so many community groups rely upon for their operations to the public coffers.  There is simply no way that the local skating club, for example, can compete for sponsorship dollars on a level playing field against the government. 

I am asking our Council, for the sake of the financial well being of our community groups, to curb the town's appetite for sponsorship money and give the local community groups a break. 

I am also imploring the local businesses that are forking money over to the municipality to commit to giving an even greater amount of money to local not for profit community groups who could really use your financial support.  If you have limited sponsorship funds to give, please consider the local community groups first. 

No Debate Please, We're Newmarket Council.

If there was one overarching theme from yesterday's council meeting it is that your Town Council has given up caring about you and your community.  

Never mind passionate feelings towards Newmarket, there were times during yesterday's council meeting that I thought to call 911 to check for signs of life.  If there was a pulse in the meeting, it was  a very faint one indeed. 

Raise your water rates 5.7%? 

Hike your business license fees?

Raise most user fees?

Suspend public input by placing a moratorium on all (non-statutory) committees?

Making decisions behind closed doors?

All of these were agreed to by council with little or no actual debate.  We saw instead council members quickly and quietly going through the motions.  They did exactly what they were told to do. 

The meeting wrapped up in approximately 45 minutes which left Rogers TV in a lurch because it had booked 3 hours of air time for this meeting. 

As the TV camera rolled, I saw blank stares and boredom on the faces of council members.  John Taylor, coming off a stinging defeat at the Regional Council on Tuesday night, may well have worn a t-shirt with the words, "I don't care", across his chest.  His body language last night said as much as he reclined his council chair way back. 

After this lackadaisical 45-minute get together, Council has decided to take a month off to celebrate Christmas.  Metaphorically, it seems the perfect way to start this sleepy, complacent, do-nothing Council. 

Away from public scrutiny things are happening.  Vast sums of money are being spent on friends of Tony Van Bynen and his vanity projects.  Instead of having a Council overseeing the Mayor's activities, he has lulled them to sleep, giving himself free reign to do whatever he wants. 

Don't expect the Era to help in any way.  After attending last night's meeting, Era reporter Chris Simon has written a story about hockey rinks.  That issue is minor in comparison to what Council really agreed to proceed with.  The Era reporter just doesn't recognize what is news versus what is trivial.   

Why It's a Good Thing that Anyone Can Blog About Newmarket Politics

Its a long established truth that the Newmarket Era refuses to report legitimate news and thus enables our local government to continue on with bald faced lies and corrupt internal practices. 

It's the key reason why blogs like mine thrive in Newmarket.  Ordinary residents are starved for information about what's really going on at Town Hall. 

But before she was refusing to report Newmarket's news, The Era Editor, Tracy Kibble, was posted up in Keswick. 

It seems that she refused to report the news up there too. 

Here is a gem I found on line posted by someone calling him/herself "KeswickPinhead" which is entitled, "JOURNALISM IS HARD, JUST ASK TRACY KIBBLE". 

Here is what Tracy Kibble wrote to KeswickPinhead:

"If I have FACTS - not innuendos, not opinions, not suspicions, not could-bes but FACTS - ie Charges, investigations, etc. against such and such then I will be the first person to take an official to task.  If this ball ban was happening here, I would be on it but it is happening in Toronto.  The thing with journalism that most people who aren't journalists (and let's be clear ... Anyone can put a blog on the Internet) don't understand is that you can't print things without FACTS.
Nuff said"
(Attributed to Tracy Kibble circa November 19, 2011)

Well how does that statement stand up against, (oh and there are so many to choose from), "Innuendos, Suspicions, Could-Bes - but definitely not FACTS" that Maddie Di Muccio threatened Stephen Somerville?   The only thing the Era had to support it's reporting was gossip from local loser, Darryl Wolk. 

It didn't stop the Era from publishing that nonsense.  Even after the FACTS came out - that Frank Klees was the culprit who pressured Somerville to drop out of the race - did Tracy Kibble Editor of the Newmarket Era hold herself accountable to failing to measure up to Tracy Kibble's journalistic standards of 2011?

Clearly no. 

And that hypocrisy is why I blog.  And probably accounts for the reason why you read this blog too.

And while we are considering FACTS, here are a few for you to mull over:

1) The most important advertiser that the Era has (contributing hundreds of thousands annually to the paper's profits) is the Town of Newmarket courtesy of our taxes. 

2) The publisher and editor of the Era are close personal friends of the Gruesome Twosome even sitting on committees and boards together.

3) The Era has never ever published a critical word about Tony Van Bynen or any of his policies.  The Era only publishes praise for the Mayor.

4)  During the campaign writ period, the Era published multiple columns written by Mayor Van Bynen that could be deemed as free election materials. 

5) When the Town of Aurora opted to cancel it's advertising with the Era, the former Editor took to social media promising to pay them back for their decision.   

 The concept of "FACT" and the Era aren't really acquainted.  Remember the key word should be "BIASED." 

Ontario Liberals Should Seal Up Loophole on Muncipal Water Reserve Funds

 The management of Fresh, Waste, and Storm Water is a service funded quite differently from other municipal services.  Unlike garbage collection, road maintenance, or other critical services, water management funding must be not come from the property tax base.  Provincial legislation mandates that water be funded on its own and that funding must be self sustaining. 

As Councillor Kerwin explained in Monday's Committee of the Whole meeting, the town screwed up when it installed the water delivery system years ago.  They planned for water usage to increase on a per capita basis.  In fact, through conservation efforts and with the advent of bottled drinking water, municipal water usage has decreased drastically. 

And that is putting strain on the funding formula.  With approximately 45% of your water bill going towards fixed costs (money needed to maintain the system even before anyone turns on a faucet), the drop in the usage must be balanced back by charging homes and businesses an appropriate fixed rate alongside the variable rate. 

In 2012, the Council agreed to a six year plan.  At that time, the Town took a massive 10% increase and Mayor Van Bynen told the Era that this was a one time "catch-up" to ensure that no further large increases would be necessary.  That is small comfort to us today as we've seen Council pass a 5.71% rate hike for 2015.

Either she forgot what she voted for or else Councillor Twinney was being disingenuous and pandering when she pondered aloud that the Town Treasurer should come up with a better way of billing for low volume water consumers.  She wants to give a break to snow birds and summer cottage dwellers who aren't in their homes and therefore aren't turning on their taps.    

But I suspect that the real crux of the story lies within the Town's plans for more internal loans.  Last year, the Town gave millions in water reserves money to fund the LED lighting project.  In other words, it loaned money that the Province mandated must be used for water management, for a purpose that should have been funded by our tax base (namely street lighting). 

I expect that in 2015. the Mayor has designs on more water reserve funds.  He plans on spending millions on his Main St. friends and campaign donors with the gift of broadband internet and he can't afford politically to fund this pet project with a property tax hike.  Because he doesn't have the stones to cut spending, it is expected that he will do another "presto/ change-o" maneuver with money ear marked for keeping our water safe. 

It's appalling that the province allows municipalities to drain water reserves for projects that should be funded from the property tax base.  It is equally appalling that we have a mayor that would risk our safety by taking these funds.  In the time of unsettled weather as a result of global warming, who can predict when a calamity will strike, (think Calgary 2014)?  Would we have to take on a crippling debt in the event of an emergency event because the Mayor spent all the water reserve money on pet projects?

It's time for the province to step in and protect water consumers from the recklessness of our municipal government.  Mandate that money collected for water cannot be doled out in the form of internal loans and ensure that there are adequate reserves at all times to protect us. 

John Taylor Wants A Huge (taxpayer funded) Payoff

The Toronto media is rightly on the case of Joe Cimino.  He is the NDP MPP who has quit his seat after just five months.  Not only are taxpayers on the hook for the cost of a $500,000 by-election, but we were outraged to learn that Mr. Cimino was eligible for a $58,000 severance package too.  After intense media scrutiny, Mr. Cimino has announced that he won't accept the severance package. 

This story has a Newmarket parallel. 

On the front page of the Era, the local media is absolutely gushing with anticipation that Regional Councillor John Taylor will be successful in seeking the vacant York Region Chair. 

If he's successful, here is what the tab looks like Newmarket tax payers.

1) Severance pay.  Mr. Taylor will collect a severance package equal to approximately 1 year's worth of salary from Newmarket tax payers for quitting his current job.  He was sworn in to office on Monday and potentially could resign his seat after 11 days.  One year's salary for less than two-week's worth of work.   

2) By-election costs.  It is estimated that a town-wide by-election for the vacated Regional Councillor seat will cost us approximately $250,000. 

3) Regional Chair's Salary.  Bill Fisch made an annual salary with plenty of perks that approached a quarter million dollars. 

So the final bill for taxpayers if John Taylor is elected to the position of Regional Chair is somewhere in the range of $700,000.

It is an unacceptably large sum of money for you and your neighbours to fork over to help feed John Taylor's insatiable personal ambition. 

It is too bad that John Taylor wasn't up front with us during his recent re-election campaign about his ambitions and the associated costs that he expects us to pay.  He wasn't honest with us because it may have resulted in a very different outcome at the polls.