The following has been posted with the permission of the original author ...
I found it amusing when I read Deputy Reeve Brian Bartlett's comments accusing council members Jim Chaplin and Fern Armstrong of electioneering.
We (the residents) owe these Councillors our thanks. They did what the people wanted and took the appropriate steps to help protect ours and the Oak Ridge Moraine's water supply. One thing nobody looked at in this ill-conceived plan was how it could affect our water supply 10 to 20 years down the road. Mr. Bartlett criticized people from surrounding areas. Does he not have the foresight to realize this water grab could affect their wells and water supply? These folks, even if they don't live in our township, have the right to be concerned and voice their opinions.
Furthermore, I think Mr. Bartlett's criticism of new people having their say smacks of "The Old Boys Club." If someone lives here, whether for one week or 50 years, they have every right to voice their opinion.
If he wants to refer to these concerned and well-organized people as "The Leaky Faucet Gang" I guess he won't mind if I refer to him and his bunch as the "Unflushed Commode Gang." Hopefully, come Oct. 25 we will be able to flush that commode and bring some sanity back to our council.
I'm a candidate for councillor in Millbrook Ward but I'm not electioneering. I'm just voicing my disdain for the way Mr. Bartlett has treated our residents.
DAN SMITH R.R. 3, Millbrook
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
Millbrook water victory calls for a party
The following has been posted with the permission of the original author ...
Wow what great news. You made my day. These people are something to be proud of.
This was a hard fought battle won with grace and dignity. I am so proud of all these people of Millbrook who fought relentlessly to save the town, instead of sending in a wrecking ball by a big consortium just waiting to change the beautiful landscape for a casino, a subdivision, a hotel and who knows what in the future.
A lot of people deserve our gratitude. One woman in particular carried the ball; boy she is a trooper. She should be the reeve of our township. We need good, caring people who believe in the essence our forefathers believed in as they forged Millbrook many years ago. A victory party should be called at Millbrook Legion. The saving of a town is a great feat.
MARIE SWAN
Manor Dr.
Millbrook
Wow what great news. You made my day. These people are something to be proud of.
This was a hard fought battle won with grace and dignity. I am so proud of all these people of Millbrook who fought relentlessly to save the town, instead of sending in a wrecking ball by a big consortium just waiting to change the beautiful landscape for a casino, a subdivision, a hotel and who knows what in the future.
A lot of people deserve our gratitude. One woman in particular carried the ball; boy she is a trooper. She should be the reeve of our township. We need good, caring people who believe in the essence our forefathers believed in as they forged Millbrook many years ago. A victory party should be called at Millbrook Legion. The saving of a town is a great feat.
MARIE SWAN
Manor Dr.
Millbrook
Victory is Ours
The following has been posted with the permission of the original author ...
we are all grateful to Councilors Fern Armstrong, Jim Chaplin and Tim Belch for their votes against the water diversion project from Millbrook artesian wells to the future and questionable development in Fraserville.
Reeve Cathcart (who together with Deputy Reeve Brian Bartlett voted for the diversion) made a very puzzling statement after the voting:
“The Ministry of Environment is going to think we aren’t interested in sending water anywhere in the village”. It is, as the saying goes “mixing apples and oranges”- water diversion project is the local political decision and only the Cavan-Monaghan Council can approve or reject it. Certainly, if there is to be any water taking from Millbrook wells for any larger development, the environmental studies have to be done and the new assessment has to be conducted. And this is the right way to go instead putting unlimited development under the previously approved plan which applied to totally different, grandfathered projects.
All over the world, water issue has become important - water is LIFE. We build communities around it, use it to grow food, power homes and industry; it supports the complex ecosystems. Of all water on Earth, only about 2.5% is fresh water and less than one hundredth of one percent of it is replenished each year by rain and snow.
Canada is one of the wealthiest nations with 20% of the world’s fresh water resources. It should be guarded and wisely used since water will soon become extremely valuable commodity in an increasingly thirsty and warming world. Our Federal Government has been planning for selling unlimited amounts of it to the foreign countries, most probably to the highest bidders….
We are very lucky in this Township to have an access to pure, clean water. Since there is no threat any more of abusing this resource, we have to make sure that it is properly used in the future.
This is a very good start, this victory; but there is more to fight for if we really want this land to remain green and pleasant. The wind turbines are on the agenda now; if nothing is done, the 400+ feet monsters will be all over the neighbourhood. The Ontario Government decided to become “green” in a hurry and once in, the turbines will stay forever no matter how questionable their energy output is(not great, they need power back-up) and how many migratory birds will be killed (if you do not care much for birds just think how many bugs they eat). The vicinity of the expanding Peterborough Airport and Military Air Base can make those towers quite dangerous. A lot depends on land owners since the turbines are to be erected on leased land and these leases have many strings attached.
There is an Open House scheduled for Thursday, September 30th, 5 pm to 8 pm at the Millbrook Legion. It is one of the two mandatory public meetings the company Wind Works must conduct before construction can begin.
There was such meeting planned in Pontypool but it DID NOT HAPPEN; so many concerned residents showed up that the capacity of the Community Centre was exceeded and Fire Marshall closed the meeting down. This mandatory meeting will have to be rescheduled.
So I hope that Millbrook meeting is going to be well attended and that a lot of questions will be asked.
Eva Hans
Cavan Ward
we are all grateful to Councilors Fern Armstrong, Jim Chaplin and Tim Belch for their votes against the water diversion project from Millbrook artesian wells to the future and questionable development in Fraserville.
Reeve Cathcart (who together with Deputy Reeve Brian Bartlett voted for the diversion) made a very puzzling statement after the voting:
“The Ministry of Environment is going to think we aren’t interested in sending water anywhere in the village”. It is, as the saying goes “mixing apples and oranges”- water diversion project is the local political decision and only the Cavan-Monaghan Council can approve or reject it. Certainly, if there is to be any water taking from Millbrook wells for any larger development, the environmental studies have to be done and the new assessment has to be conducted. And this is the right way to go instead putting unlimited development under the previously approved plan which applied to totally different, grandfathered projects.
All over the world, water issue has become important - water is LIFE. We build communities around it, use it to grow food, power homes and industry; it supports the complex ecosystems. Of all water on Earth, only about 2.5% is fresh water and less than one hundredth of one percent of it is replenished each year by rain and snow.
Canada is one of the wealthiest nations with 20% of the world’s fresh water resources. It should be guarded and wisely used since water will soon become extremely valuable commodity in an increasingly thirsty and warming world. Our Federal Government has been planning for selling unlimited amounts of it to the foreign countries, most probably to the highest bidders….
We are very lucky in this Township to have an access to pure, clean water. Since there is no threat any more of abusing this resource, we have to make sure that it is properly used in the future.
This is a very good start, this victory; but there is more to fight for if we really want this land to remain green and pleasant. The wind turbines are on the agenda now; if nothing is done, the 400+ feet monsters will be all over the neighbourhood. The Ontario Government decided to become “green” in a hurry and once in, the turbines will stay forever no matter how questionable their energy output is(not great, they need power back-up) and how many migratory birds will be killed (if you do not care much for birds just think how many bugs they eat). The vicinity of the expanding Peterborough Airport and Military Air Base can make those towers quite dangerous. A lot depends on land owners since the turbines are to be erected on leased land and these leases have many strings attached.
There is an Open House scheduled for Thursday, September 30th, 5 pm to 8 pm at the Millbrook Legion. It is one of the two mandatory public meetings the company Wind Works must conduct before construction can begin.
There was such meeting planned in Pontypool but it DID NOT HAPPEN; so many concerned residents showed up that the capacity of the Community Centre was exceeded and Fire Marshall closed the meeting down. This mandatory meeting will have to be rescheduled.
So I hope that Millbrook meeting is going to be well attended and that a lot of questions will be asked.
Eva Hans
Cavan Ward
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Water has become a major issue of the present time
The following has been posted with the permission of the original author ...
Water has become a major issue of the present times – according to the United Nations,
40 % of Earth’s water is too contaminated for human use because of pollution and agricultural run-off. And because of the uncontrolled population growth, the demand will eventually exceed supply. In many countries, the wells are being re-dug, deeper and deeper and soon there will be nothing left down there.
On the other hand, in many other countries, there is a terrible waste of water since it is taken for granted. In Canada, our “footprint” is 2,049 cubic meters per capita per year; in the USA it is even worse – 2,483 cubic meters. Human needs between 20 and 50 liters a day; the present use in Canada would be between 220 and 280 liters/day.
There is a tremendous impact of diet and lifestyle:
200 lbs of beef requires 1,300 kg of grain and 7,200 kg of hay; more than 3,000,000 liters of water are used to grow this feed. This does not include the water cattle drink.
1 kg of rice requires 3,000 liters of water
1 slice of bread – 40 liters,
1 orange – 50 liters,
1 glass of beer – 75 liters,
1 cup of coffee – 140 liters,
1 kg of corn – 900 liters,
1 liter of milk – 1,000 liters,
1 kg of wheat – 1,350 liters,
1 cotton T-shirt – 2,700 liters,
1 pair of leather shoes – 8,000 liters
1 car – 150,000 liters
(the above is based on the article in “Harrowsmith Country Life”, June 2010)
Of course, we have to eat, drive and enjoy our living standards. But there are many ways to reduce our water use and waste.
But the most important is to preserve the local clean water sources and manage them wisely because nobody really knows how much of it is down there and how deep can we drill until the dry rock is hit …
There seems to be a “fashion” of the day called amendments like former Fraserville Secondary Plan, Millbrook Water Diversion, Hayes Line Gravel Pit extension and many other projects around the province which very often apply to outdated/”grandfathered”/below-the-standards operations - they can be then extended for many years to come. Very often, if not most of the times, the local municipalities give their blessing to the above without any consideration for the local residents while opening the door for unscrupulous developers. That’s what has been happening in our Township. In the past 4 years (forget for the moment the previous ones) what has the present Council done for the electorate?
Eva Hans
Cavan Ward
Water has become a major issue of the present times – according to the United Nations,
40 % of Earth’s water is too contaminated for human use because of pollution and agricultural run-off. And because of the uncontrolled population growth, the demand will eventually exceed supply. In many countries, the wells are being re-dug, deeper and deeper and soon there will be nothing left down there.
On the other hand, in many other countries, there is a terrible waste of water since it is taken for granted. In Canada, our “footprint” is 2,049 cubic meters per capita per year; in the USA it is even worse – 2,483 cubic meters. Human needs between 20 and 50 liters a day; the present use in Canada would be between 220 and 280 liters/day.
There is a tremendous impact of diet and lifestyle:
200 lbs of beef requires 1,300 kg of grain and 7,200 kg of hay; more than 3,000,000 liters of water are used to grow this feed. This does not include the water cattle drink.
1 kg of rice requires 3,000 liters of water
1 slice of bread – 40 liters,
1 orange – 50 liters,
1 glass of beer – 75 liters,
1 cup of coffee – 140 liters,
1 kg of corn – 900 liters,
1 liter of milk – 1,000 liters,
1 kg of wheat – 1,350 liters,
1 cotton T-shirt – 2,700 liters,
1 pair of leather shoes – 8,000 liters
1 car – 150,000 liters
(the above is based on the article in “Harrowsmith Country Life”, June 2010)
Of course, we have to eat, drive and enjoy our living standards. But there are many ways to reduce our water use and waste.
But the most important is to preserve the local clean water sources and manage them wisely because nobody really knows how much of it is down there and how deep can we drill until the dry rock is hit …
There seems to be a “fashion” of the day called amendments like former Fraserville Secondary Plan, Millbrook Water Diversion, Hayes Line Gravel Pit extension and many other projects around the province which very often apply to outdated/”grandfathered”/below-the-standards operations - they can be then extended for many years to come. Very often, if not most of the times, the local municipalities give their blessing to the above without any consideration for the local residents while opening the door for unscrupulous developers. That’s what has been happening in our Township. In the past 4 years (forget for the moment the previous ones) what has the present Council done for the electorate?
Eva Hans
Cavan Ward
Monday, May 31, 2010
Water Conservation
The following has been posted with the permission of the original author ...
THERE WAS AN ANNOUNCEMENT ON THE COBOURG 107.9 RADIO STATION ON THURSDAY MAY THE 20TH THAT DUE TO A MINIMAL SNOW FALL DURING PAST WINTER AND TOTAL LACK OF RAIN THIS SPRING, THE RESIDENTS OF THE GANARASKA AREA (this refers as well to the aquifer Millbrook takes water from) ARE BEING ASKED TO CONSERVE WATER. SOMETHING THAT OUR COUNCIL SHOULD BE AWARE OF AND LISTEN TO?
Eva Hans
Cavan Ward
THERE WAS AN ANNOUNCEMENT ON THE COBOURG 107.9 RADIO STATION ON THURSDAY MAY THE 20TH THAT DUE TO A MINIMAL SNOW FALL DURING PAST WINTER AND TOTAL LACK OF RAIN THIS SPRING, THE RESIDENTS OF THE GANARASKA AREA (this refers as well to the aquifer Millbrook takes water from) ARE BEING ASKED TO CONSERVE WATER. SOMETHING THAT OUR COUNCIL SHOULD BE AWARE OF AND LISTEN TO?
Eva Hans
Cavan Ward
Monday, May 17, 2010
Incompetence, total lack of economical planning, foresight and consideration
The following has been posted with the permission of the original author ...
Isn’t it a very interesting statement from the Township’s CAO Yvette Hurley that the Millbrook water supply will be required only for the initial stage of the Fraserville development. According to her, it is not to be the only water source in the future and the taking from artesian wells will be reduced. Which means that there are some other water sources. Which also means that millions of taxpayers’ money anywhere in Ontario and Canada (that’s where government takes the money from for grants and projects) will be unnecessarily spent on construction of pipelines, possible permanent disruption/destruction of environment ( draining wetlands included ) and hardship for the residents. It seems that our Council wants to put a cart before a horse. Incompetence, total lack of proper economical planning, foresight and consideration for this Township and its inhabitants is the name of the game. Perhaps more studies would be very much a propos to determine what Fraserville area can offer. It is a very expensive project anyway, so far without any visible results. The over 4 million dollars spent on studies/consultants/engineers could certainly repair the Needler’s Mill and Dam and maybe built a community center. What a terrible waste of OUR money.
Eva Hans
Cavan
Isn’t it a very interesting statement from the Township’s CAO Yvette Hurley that the Millbrook water supply will be required only for the initial stage of the Fraserville development. According to her, it is not to be the only water source in the future and the taking from artesian wells will be reduced. Which means that there are some other water sources. Which also means that millions of taxpayers’ money anywhere in Ontario and Canada (that’s where government takes the money from for grants and projects) will be unnecessarily spent on construction of pipelines, possible permanent disruption/destruction of environment ( draining wetlands included ) and hardship for the residents. It seems that our Council wants to put a cart before a horse. Incompetence, total lack of proper economical planning, foresight and consideration for this Township and its inhabitants is the name of the game. Perhaps more studies would be very much a propos to determine what Fraserville area can offer. It is a very expensive project anyway, so far without any visible results. The over 4 million dollars spent on studies/consultants/engineers could certainly repair the Needler’s Mill and Dam and maybe built a community center. What a terrible waste of OUR money.
Eva Hans
Cavan
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Reeve heard no questions
The following has been posted with the permission of the original author ...
Several dozen ratepayers filled the seats in the Council Chambers on Monday evening for the Public Meeting held to comment on and ask questions about the 2010 proposed budget. Following close to two hours of questions, Reeve Cathcart’s closing comment was that he had heard no questions but instead, just “requests for clarification”. I suggest that what he heard were concerns from ratepayers on the direction in which the township is moving.
One of the questions that came up several times centred on the future of the Millbrook Mill and Dam. A study commissioned and paid for jointly by the township and ORCA recommended that the community was strongly in favour of retaining the Millbrook Dam and Needler’s Mill. The study was conducted because both structures are in critically poor condition. The dam is considered a hazard. The front porch of the Mill was recently declared unsafe for use. Deputy Reeve Bartlett is the Council representative sitting on the ORCA Board. According to Deputy Reeve Bartlett, no progress has been made, although across the Council table there was discussion of an Environmental Assessment that must be undertaken first, a process that can take a year or more. It appears from what I could understand from Mr. Bartlett, that there is no clear will to follow the recommendations of the study that the township and ORCA initiated. Is it too much to ask that Deputy-Reeve Bartlett would be a clear voice at the ORCA table, representing the township’s interests and bringing the issue to the top of the agenda?
Pick and choose your studies. Over a million dollars will go towards the engineering and design of the Fraserville Water and Wastewater project, even though the jury is still out on whether or not the township will be required by the Ministry of the Environment to undertake further environmental studies. And where will the water for Fraserville come from? If there were funds earmarked for further investigation of alternatives to taking water from the Oak Ridges Moraine, I didn’t see it.
Celia Hunter
RR 2, Millbrook
Several dozen ratepayers filled the seats in the Council Chambers on Monday evening for the Public Meeting held to comment on and ask questions about the 2010 proposed budget. Following close to two hours of questions, Reeve Cathcart’s closing comment was that he had heard no questions but instead, just “requests for clarification”. I suggest that what he heard were concerns from ratepayers on the direction in which the township is moving.
One of the questions that came up several times centred on the future of the Millbrook Mill and Dam. A study commissioned and paid for jointly by the township and ORCA recommended that the community was strongly in favour of retaining the Millbrook Dam and Needler’s Mill. The study was conducted because both structures are in critically poor condition. The dam is considered a hazard. The front porch of the Mill was recently declared unsafe for use. Deputy Reeve Bartlett is the Council representative sitting on the ORCA Board. According to Deputy Reeve Bartlett, no progress has been made, although across the Council table there was discussion of an Environmental Assessment that must be undertaken first, a process that can take a year or more. It appears from what I could understand from Mr. Bartlett, that there is no clear will to follow the recommendations of the study that the township and ORCA initiated. Is it too much to ask that Deputy-Reeve Bartlett would be a clear voice at the ORCA table, representing the township’s interests and bringing the issue to the top of the agenda?
Pick and choose your studies. Over a million dollars will go towards the engineering and design of the Fraserville Water and Wastewater project, even though the jury is still out on whether or not the township will be required by the Ministry of the Environment to undertake further environmental studies. And where will the water for Fraserville come from? If there were funds earmarked for further investigation of alternatives to taking water from the Oak Ridges Moraine, I didn’t see it.
Celia Hunter
RR 2, Millbrook
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)