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Serving the Mapleton Community
Community News Volume 47 Issue 23
Drayton, Ontario
wage increases and associated treatment costs for increased production of water at the Drayton Water Plant, as well as consideration for renewing for a shorter period of time. Sinnamon explained that on a three-year renewal, the cost would have been $201,367. “It should also be noted that, as in the previous contract, this renewal also includes the first 12 call-ins as well as $5,000 towards capital costs. With the replacement of the pump at the sewage station, this amount has already been used in 2014,” the report notes. While the township had initially requested a oneyear renewal, which was not accepted by OCWA, Sinnamon explained the renewal agreement does provide for a oneyear renewal option. “This will give the new director of public works an opportunity to review water and wastewater operations and explore best practices and efficiencies, which may include operating the system in-house and/or exploring shared services agreements with other municipalities. Due diligence would also suggest that at the very least a market review (ie. tender process) be undertaken prior to the next contract expiry,” the report states.
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Agreement with OCWA renewed by Mapleton until end of 2015 by Patrick Raftis MAPLETON - The township has approved a new two-year agreement with the Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA) for operation of its municipal water and wastewater systems. Council passed a bylaw approving the agreement at the May 27 meeting. In a staff report presented at the May 13 meeting, CAO Patty Sinnamon explained the township’s operation and servicing agreement with OCWA actually expired on Dec. 31. However OCWA has continued to operate the water and wastewater systems while the terms of the renewal agreement were being worked out. The renewal agreement, which will expire on Dec. 31, 2015, covers both water and wastewater operations, servicing and management fees for the Drayton and Moorefield systems. The proposed agreement is essentially the same as the last agreement with respect to OCWA’s responsibility for all day-to-day operations, Sinnamon noted in her report. The contract amount is $214,574, up 7 per cent from $199,884 in 2013. The report states the increase accounts for inflationary costs, regulated
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Driscoll questions need for staff mileage claims by Patrick Raftis MAPLETON – Staff mileage claims continue to be a concern for councillor Neil Driscoll. Last August, council approved the purchase of a used vehicle in an effort to reduce claims for mileage. However, at the May 27 meeting, Driscoll questioned an invoice for $848 in mileage paid to a building department employee. “Eight hundred and fifty dollars – that’s a payment on a vehicle,” said Driscoll, who added he feels there should be a surplus vehicle in the town’s
fleet until a new public works director is hired, as the previous director had a vehicle designated primarily for his use. “I don’t like seeing this kind of mileage on our payables and I think we have to do whatever we need to do to make it stop,” said Driscoll. CAO Patty Sinnamon said the building inspector uses a township vehicle when one is available. However, she noted, “You’ll never eliminate mileage entirely.” “We have a lot of pickup trucks in our fleet,” Driscoll pointed out.
Citizens’ association donates to local groups
Found her ride - Addison Klaussen found just what she was looking for at the Drayton Kinette Club’s first Mom2Mom sale held at the Agricultural Hall in Drayton on May 31. photo by Patrick Raftis
DRAYTON - In 1971 the village of Drayton was in need of a medical facility. A group of dedicated residents decided to form the Drayton and Community Citizens’ Association in an effort to raise funds for the project. Their goal was accomplished in 1972 with the building of the Drayton Medical Clinic. In 1988, the association sold the clinic to its two doctors at the time for $120,000. In the spirit of using these funds to the benefit of the local residents, the Drayton
and Community Citizen’s Association made it its mission to support local groups and organizations. Each year there is an ad placed in the Community News inviting written requests for monetary support. Over the years, the association has handed out donations totalling over $187,700. This year funds totalling nearly $12,000 were awarded to the Palmerston and District Hospital Foundation, New Life Counselling, Drayton Minor Hockey and Drayton and Continued on page 3
Local voters quiz Perth-Wellington candidates at meeting in Alma by Patrick Raftis ALMA – Local residents had a chance to quiz the sizable field of candidates seeking the Perth-Wellington seat in the June 12 provincial election at a meeting in Alma on May 27. Seven of the eight candidates were on hand for the meeting, hosted by the Alma Optimist Club and attended by about 60 people. Freedom Party candidate Robbie Smink was the only no-show and a ninth candidate, Marie Roth of the Equal Parenting Party, dropped her name from the ballot prior to the meeting. The format allowed candidates opening and closing statements, between which they answered questions submitted by audience members. Corporate farms Candidates were asked how they would deal with a growing trend toward large corporate-owned farms in the province, the difficulty of getting started for young farmers and where they stand on marketing
boards. Citing the Libertarian party’s minimal government credo, candidate Scott Marshall said, “as far as corporations buying up farmland, our position would be we don’t believe that the government should be getting involved.” He said any legislation on the issue could only be complied with by large industries “simply because of the financial burden that is involved in it.” He also added he is “not supportive of marketing boards.” Family Coalition Party candidate Irma DeVries said her party “can’t really tell a corporation not to buy land. That’s a real dilemma in our province. I haven’t got an answer. She added, “Marketing boards and quotas were a good system when they were implemented because they offered a product year round.” However, DeVries disagrees with “the commodifying of the quota system” and thinks
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quota should be “rented” rather than bought and sold. NDP candidate Romayne Smith Fullerton said current planning practices “are not working for us here in the country at all and I really think we need to advocate different types of strategies for different places.” She also advocated removing caps on risk management programs for farmers, establishing programs to help younger farmers reinvest in agriculture, and reminded the gathering that her party pressured the governing Liberals not to close Kemptville agricultural college. “What is a corporate farm?” asked Liberal candidate Stewart Skinner. “At our farm, it’s mom, it’s dad, it’s me, it’s one employee. We’re a corporation. Lots of (farmers) are incorporated, but our decisions are made around a kitchen table, not a boardroom table.” Skinner said the agricul-
ture industry has “amazing potential for growth,” and the Liberals have asked the industry to step up and take the lead in job creation and other areas of the economy. Chris Desjardins said the Green Party wants to protect prime farmland. “The Green Party would protect prime farmland and source water,” he stated. Incumbent PC candidate Randy Pettapiece noted that in his home area (North Perth), $20,000 is not an uncommon price for an acre of land. “I guess it depends if you’re a buyer or a seller. Farmers are getting older these days and they’ve got to look at the other side of the scale,” he noted. Regarding quotas, he said they are a part of a free market system. “There’s value put on it (quota) … I think we have to protect our markets and our free enterprise system.” Independent candidate Matthew Murphy stated,
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“Accumulation of land by fewer and fewer people has happened many times in history … we can’t let that happen because if you do there’s a disconnect. People become landless. They move to the city and they’ll be on the dole forever. Small freehold, which is the backbone of democracy, has to be protected. How to do that? Let me work on it.” Power costs Rising electricity rates were a common theme among questioners. “We don’t want to see wind power,” said DeVries. “Wind power is the part that is actually creating this crisis.” DeVries, who has a FIT contract to generate water power on her own property, feels hydro generation is the best route to go and pointed out there are 200 water power sites in the province, largely in the north. “We need transmission lines that go up north to get that energy back to this part of
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Ontario.” Smith Fullerton said the NDP advocates capping power company CEO salaries and amalgamating power agencies “to end parallel bureaucracies.” She also supports asking the auditor general to immediately review FIT power contracts across the province. Skinner said, “There’s no easy answer on hydro and if someone tells you tomorrow they’re going to lower your bill it’s not possible.” Since 2003, he noted, the Liberal government has invested over $30 billion in infrastructure to get energy from the producer to the end customer. Desjardins said the Green Party would like to see green energy projects located closer to the point of use to reduce infrastructure needed to transmit power. “We want to see it closer and community owned,” he stated. Pettapiece said the PCs Continued on page 5
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