the
Serving the Mapleton Community
Community News Volume 46 Issue 51
Drayton, Ontario
Daily Interest 1.55%
638-3328
Friday, December 20, 2013
www.jackfinancial.ca
Public meeting set on MDS exemption
Mapleton public works director terminated by Patrick Raftis MAPLETON – Public works director Larry Lynch has been terminated from his position with the township. CAO Patty Sinnamon told the Community News on Dec. 16 that Lynch was officially terminated effective Dec. 11. Sinnamon said Mapleton council directed that Lynch be terminated following an incamera session held at the end of the Dec. 10 Mapleton council meeting. Noting the dismissal was “obviously a personnel matter,� Sinnamon declined to provide a reason for the termination. Last April Lynch was recognized for five years of service to the municipality. The move leaves the Mapleton Township public works department without a director at a time when the municipality is making due with alternative arrangements due to a Nov. 29 fire that destroyed the primary public works shed at the municipal administration centre. Mayor Bruce Whale did not return calls or emails from the Community News as of press deadline.
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Sweet treats - Mabel Henderson of Arthur purchased some cookies from Michelle Kuntz of the Alma Sparks, Brownies, Guides and Pathfinders group as part of a fundraiser for the organization at the Alma Optimist Club’s Christmas Bazaar on Dec. 7 at the community centre. photo by Kris Svela
Water tower funding denied by province by Patrick Raftis MAPLETON – The township’s latest bid for provincial funding for a water tower in Drayton has been rejected – apparently because the municipality is too well managed. In October, council directed staff to apply for funding for a water tower in the village through the $100-million Small, Rural and Northern Municipality Infrastructure Fund – Capital Program, which was announced by the provincial government on Oct. 5. At the Dec. 10 council meeting, finance director Yufang Du advised council the township’s application had been
turned down because “other applicants have more challenging economic conditions. “I’m highly disappointed,� Du stated. “Is that because we don’t have debt?� asked councillor Neil Driscoll. CAO Patty Sinnamon said provincial officials advised municipalities at this year’s Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) conference that those with the capability to do so should fund projects by borrowing, rather than expecting grant funding. “We heard that loud and clear at ROMA - those municipalities that have the capabil-
ity to borrow, should do it,� Sinnamon said. “We have a very high assessment – so we’re not going to receive those grants. Both staff and council have worked extremely hard not to have debt and now we’re getting turned down for it.� Mayor Bruce Whale pointed out the approach penalizes municipalities who have managed their finances well. However, he commented, “If it continues this way we’ll soon be like the rest of them.� The township previously submitted an unsuccessful application for funding for the Continued on page 3
by Patrick Raftis MAPLETON - A controversial exemption from minimum distance separation (MDS) regulations in the township’s comprehensive zoning bylaw is now scheduled to be addressed in January. Council is currently reviewing the bylaw and approved a number of housekeeping amendments at the Nov. 26 meeting. However, although council has stated it will review the contentious MDS exemption, it has not discussed the issue during recent council meetings. The section in question provides an exemption from MDS requirements for new non-farm uses of property on existing lots in agricultural zones that are less than 4 hectares (9.9 acres). The exemption has been the subject of considerable controversy over the past 18 months, as it allowed for residential construction on several previously-dormant lots near Moorefield within the MDS radius of an existing, but unoccupied hog barn. In correspondence to council received at the Dec. 10 meeting, Moorefield area resident Earl Campbell asked council to provide a specific date for a public meeting at which the MDS question will be addressed and the date of the council minutes in which council direction was given to
continue supporting the existing provision. “I have been unable to locate the Township of Mapleton minutes which reference council’s decision to not address MDS as part of the public meeting (regarding the housekeeping amendments on Nov. 12),� Campbell stated. In another letter to council, Alwyn and Lori Woodham suggested if council plans to maintain the exemption for existing lots, it should also exempt existing livestock operations from MDS provisions. “It remains my opinion that our farm was never taken into consideration by staff or township planners when zoning bylaw No. 2010-080 was created. I would like to request the same consideration be given to us as was granted to all the checkerboard lots that were opened,� the Woodhams state in the letter. At the Nov. 12 meeting, Wellington County planner Linda Redmond replied the planning department was hoping to have a proposal ready for review at either the Nov. 26 or Dec. 10 council meeting. On Dec. 10, CAO Patty Sinnamon said she is now anticipating the matter will come forward in January. Council has scheduled a public meeting on an amendment to deal with the MDS exemption at the Jan. 14 council meeting.
Mapleton youth nominated for Ontario Junior Citizen of the Year award by Patrick Raftis MAPLETON - A local youth who regularly goes the extra mile to help others and has a penchant for community involvement has been nominated for an Ontario Junior Citizen of the Year Award. Nominees are young people, between the ages of six and 17, who are recognized for: - performing worthwhile community service; - contributing to their communities while living with limitations; - acts of heroism; or - being good kids who are making life better for others and doing more than expected of someone their age. Tate Driscoll, 12, of Mapleton, fits well into the first and last of those criterion. “Tate was the little girl with the biggest smile ever. Tate could be found at recess either helping out in the primary classes or helping out teachers to do extras,� said Maryborough
TATE DRISCOLL Public School (MPS) principal Debbie McIntosh in a letter of support for the nomination. McIntosh, who has known Driscoll, now a Grade 7 student at Drayton Heights Public School, since she started kindergarten at Maryborough PS, said the youth has been involved in a wide range of
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activities at the school. “Tate had done various jobs around the school, from volunteering at lunch time in the kindergarten room, being on sports teams, doing a big part of the school year book and running around with the camera to ensure all the activities at school were caught on camera,� said McIntosh, adding the youngster consistently puts others ahead of herself. “There was not a day that Tate would not go by my office, smile in and say ‘Good morning Mrs. McIntosh, how are you today?’ She is always worried about others, whether they were hurt or if their feelings were hurt, as she always put others before herself.� Tate’s parents, Neil and Barb Driscoll, note their daughter is always keen to help others and regularly takes on roles and responsibilities that would normally be expected of someone much older. The list of community activ-
ities Tate has been involved in includes: - taking a leadership role in the mini We Day event at MPS for the past two years; - membership in the local 4-H club since 2010; - participation in the GEMs girls club at her church; and - sporting activities including hockey and slo-pitch. Neil Driscoll says Tate’s enthusiasm for helping out often rubs off on those around her. “Tate is great at getting her friends involved in community events or fundraisers by encouraging them to join her for a night or day out for fun. Then whatever task they have at hand gets completed easily,� he said. In March of 2012, Tate helped organize a fundraising campaign for a 10-year-old friend, Sheyanne O’Donnell of Arthur, who was diagnosed with cancer. Tate and several other Grade 5 students from
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area schools made fabric handbags to sell at their respective schools and donated the proceeds, about $700, to help the O’Donnell family with extra expenses. The project was so successful that making the bags “took up all of her March break and weekends in April,� her father pointed out. On another occasion, Neil notes, Tate gave up competing at her school track and field meet to help another student prepare for an opportunity to attend the Special Olympics. The busy youth is also a big help around home, the Driscolls note. She helps out with the family’s grain elevator business, running the scale and filling out weigh tickets for customers. She is also in charge of helping her two younger brothers make their way from the bus and preparing an after-school snack, as well as starting supper for the family.
Tate said she was surprised to learn of her nomination and credits her parents for helping her develop her positive and helpful approach to life. “I guess because my mom and dad are on so many committees and always volunteering, I just kind of followed their lead and got myself interested in what I could do for the community,� Tate said. The Ontario Junior Citizen of the Year Award process is coordinated through the Ontario Community Newspapers Association (OCNA), as part of the industry’s public service program. A committee of community newspaper publishers, editors, and sponsors will select the award recipients from all nominations received. Up to 12 individuals will receive awards. Recipients and their families will be invited to an awards ceremony in Toronto in March 2014. Final recipients will be announced on Jan. 24.
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