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Serving the Mapleton Community
Community News Volume 44 Issue 28
Drayton, Ontario
1 Year GIC - 2.05% 3 Year GIC - 2.80% 5 Year GIC - 3.05% Daily Interest 1.75%
Friday, July 15, 2011
Engineers explain changes to sewage lagoon plan by David Meyer MAPLETON TWP. - The addition to the township’s sewage lagoon was explained on June 28 to council’s satisfaction. Council had been upset at a previous meeting because its engineering firm, R.J. Burnside and Associates, had not attended a council meeting to explain the design of the sewage lagoon that will improve effluent for the septic system. Council had approved a debenture of $950,000 for a land purchase and was expected to spend about $1.6-million on the new cell, but found it might be facing higher costs when it received an engineer’s report in June. There was no one from the firm at that meeting to answer questions about the changes. Bob Mayberry and John Burns were on hand on June 28, as was Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA) member
Scott Craggs. Burns explained there would be a site meeting off Sideroad 15, southwest of Drayton, for the contractors who hoped to bid on the job. He said he did not expect any delays, and Chief Administrative Officer Patty Sinnamon has a package and the Ministry of Environment will have “a month to look at it.” Mayor Bruce Whale asked for an outline of the changes from the original plan. Burns said there was “not a lot of detail,” but contractors will be able to calculate the number of cubic metres of earth to be moved, so they will be able to issue proper bids. Council had been concerned because the lagoon was suddenly changed from a proposed one cell construction to two cells. Burns said that could mean changes to the amount of earth Continued on page 3
Council approves change of zoning for business by David Meyer MAPLETON TWP. Council passed a bylaw here on June 28 that will permit the expansion of highway commercial zoning for a property in Dorking so its current use as a contractor’s yard meets the zoning rules. The property already had highway commercial zoning with a site specific zone to allow trucks to be stored there. A new user sought permission for a contractor’s yard for cement forming, and there were no objections at a public
meeting last month. The land is Part of Lot 19 Concession 1 (Maryborough) and is about half an acre in size. It has a 2,400 square foot building on it. The owner, Elmer Bowman, would also like some outside storage that might include lumber, which could require a tree buffer. Bowman had told council the land would be used only for storage and there would be no fabrication on the property. Council gave three readings to the bylaw and it passed unanimously.
School funds - Acadia Northfield, of Alma, centre, was awarded a $1,000 scholarship last week through the Tim Hortons Scholarship Program. Northfield, who has worked at the Elora Tim Hortons for almost two years, received the cheque from store owner/operator Jane Clark, right, and manager Ronni Hannah. The 19-year-old will put the money towards her post-secondary education at the University of Windsor, in the forensic science program. Clark explained winning the scholarship was no easy task, as Northfield beat out many other competitors who submitted a commercial about hospitality to Tim Hortons. photo by Chris Daponte
Group touting economic benefits of wind farms by Chris Daponte FERGUS - Citing the financial befits of industrial wind farms, officials with the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) say a Liberal defeat in this fall’s election will jeopardize the “great economic potential” of the industry in Ontario. “There’s been no commitment to wind [from the other parties],” said Stephen Rach, supply chain manager with CanWEA. “That uncertainty is causing a chill in the industry.” Rach and Justin Rangooni,
CanWEA’s Ontario policy manager and legal counsel, are visiting various politicians, media outlets and community groups across Ontario to explain a new study by ClearSky Advisors Inc. entitled The Economic Impacts of the Wind Energy Sector in Ontario 2011-2018. According to the 46-page study, wind energy proponents will install over 5.6 gigawatts (GW) of wind energy capacity over the next seven years, at an average of 709 megawatts (MW) per year, bringing the
province’s total capacity to 7.1GW by 2018. That will help create 80,328 “person-years of employment” and attract $16.4-billion of private investments, the study states. Locally, the wind energy sector will contribute more than $1.1-billion in revenue to municipalities and landowners through taxes and lease payments over the lifespan of various projects, the study also notes. Rangooni said the study shows that if the current commitment to wind energy by
the Ontario government is not continued over the next seven years, there could be a loss of over 48,000 potential jobs. Rach acknowledged many of the jobs created through wind energy are for construction, and thus temporary, but he noted there are over 1,000 long-term jobs directly and indirectly tied to wind farms. Most of those are local, “high tech” jobs requiring specialized skills, he added. Rach and Rangooni repeatedly stressed that the benefits Continued on page 8
Council planned to beat deadline for comments – just to be sure by David Meyer MAPLETON TWP. - Chief Administrative Officer Patty Sinnamon assured council on June 28 that the township’s comments about a wind turbine proposal would be at the Ministry of Environment on time. NextEra Energy Canada has proposed the Conestogo Wind Energy Centre Project near Arthur, with ten turbines. Since the ministry had set a rare Sunday deadline for comments (July 10), Sinnamon told council she planned to have council’s comments on the wind turbine proposal at the MOE not only on time, but by July 8 - two days early. Council also supported the comments made by a residents’ group that is opposing the wind
turbine proposal, and that package was to be included with the township’s submission. The province’s rules are that anyone can comment up to the deadline, but once that time has passed, only those who had offered comments on time would be permitted to make further comments as new information becomes available. Council fine tuned a number of the issues on June 28 that it had considered at a special meeting the week before. Mayor Bruce Whale said human and animal health are of prime importance to the community. Sinnamon explained to council that some municipalities are being challenged by turbine companies for what they are requesting for fees and
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agreements. Councillor Andy Knetsch asked if that is the same developer with which Mapleton is dealing. Sinnamon said it is not. Councillor Mike Downey said if there is a court challenge, the approval process could be slowed down. But Whale noted, “What we’re asking for is in place with other wind farms . Hopefully, it would be defendable.” When it came to decommissioning the towers after their 25-year lifespan, Whale said the township should insist reserves to ensure the towers come down and their bases are removed. Councillor Jim Curry suggested a minimum reserve of $1-million, but wondered what
the township can do if the cost to remove the towers exceeds that. Downey asked for a minimum reserve and said the township will have to hold the developers responsible. Whale said the developers would have to accept covering any costs involved. Sinnamon said no building permits will be issued until all agreements are signed by the company. She suggested that could include covering a loss of property values up to five kilometres from the turbines. She said it is important to ask for that, even if the ministry decides the township is being unreasonable. She added that instead of asking for eight feet of the con-
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crete base for the towers to be removed, the township should insist, upon decommissioning, that all the components be taken out, “so all 12 feet” of the concrete base would have to be removed. Sinnamon also pointed out that when it comes to the NextEra application to the MOE, “There are numerous mistakes in their submission.” Downey agreed and said the wind farm is not located “west of Alma.” Sinnamon added there are “some roads wrong, too.” Curry suggested asking NextEra to pave the township’s gravel roads after using them. Lynch said he does not believe that is possible. Whale said the township can only ask they be restored
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to original condition. He said he knows that one company offered paving, but, “I don’t know if we can demand.” As for heritage roads, Sinnamon said those in Mapleton are not designated by a local architectural conservation advisory committee, and she doubts the township can ask for paving. She added council will have to decide that. Downey said, “Forget heritage, and build a good road.” Curry agreed. Whale pointed out the township has not accepted that particular road for winter maintenance. Council then approved the changes it wanted made to the final submission to the ministry.
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