Vol.13 No.37

Page 1

Yourway

September 19, 2013

Vol. 13, No. 37

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Scott Reid joins GREC students to talk Democracy ... and marijuana laws M

by Jeff Green

P Scott Reid has a bit more time available these days than he normally would at this time of year because Parliament has been prorogued. In what might seem an odd coincidence to those who question the democratic value of prorogation, Reid is using some of that time to talk about what he describes as his major political passion, promoting democracy. As Scott Reid told a room full of grade 10 students at Granite Ridge Education Centre (GREC) on Tuesday, Sept. 17, Canada does not use the form of democracy that he most favours. He prefers the way the Swiss govern themselves, pointing out that while in Canada citizens vote in a government once every few years, in Switzerland major public issues are settled through referenda. In 2010 Switzerland held six of them; in 2011 only one; in 2012, twelve; and by the time 2013 is finished there will have been nine. Scott Reid’s comments came about as part of an exercise in democracy organized by GREC teacher Randy McVety. The students were presented with a proposal, and then asked to move their chairs to one of four corners of the room, the far left if they were strongly opposed, left if they were just opposed, right if they were in favour, and far right if they were strongly in favour. For the purposes of the exercises, two votes were cast for the more emphatic responses, and one for the more moderate. But before counting the votes up, the students were invited to say why they had

chosen as they had, and a moderated discussion took place. Then Scott Reid went to the corner that represented his vote on the matter and made his case. The question that precipitated his comments about Switzerland had to do with the minimum voting age in Canada. By a significant, though not overwhelming, majority, the 15 and 16-year-old GREC students supported lowering the voting age to 16. Students in favour of the change argued that the driving age is 16, and if someone is deemed capable of driving, why not let them vote. As well, they thought that lowering the voting age would help entrench the habit of voting. Another student argued that since voting takes place once every four years, a 17-year-old who is not eligible for the vote has to live with the consequences of the result while they are 18, 19, and 20. Scott Reid was moderately in favour of the status quo, noting that it is consistent with the age that people are eligible to join military. The other proposal that was bought forward was about marijuana laws. For this question, Randy McVety had those students who favour full legalization of marijuana, so that it will be produced and sold in much he same way liquor is now, to sit in the strongly in favour section; those who support decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana were to sit in the in favour section; and those who support

continued on page 2

$500 shopping spree winner

Sandra Hook of Hook's Rona, (L) presenting a certificate to Paul McLean (R), the lucky winner of a $500 shopping spree in the 2013 Shop the Highway 41 Corridor contest sponsored by the Frontenac News and local businesses. McLean's winning entry came from the entry box at Hook's Rona. He said he plans to spend his winnings on plumbing fixtures for his Mazinaw Lake cottage.

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Denbigh Country Fest - more photos on page 15 Planner Mills provides a measured response

South Frontenac Council slams draft Frontenac County Official Plan by Jeff Green and Wilma Kenny

L

indsay Mills, the Township Planner for South Frontenac Township, has weighed in on the Frontenac County draft Official Plan. In a five-page report that was received by South Frontenac Council on Tuesday night, Sept. 17, Mills praised the general layout of the County OP, which was authored by Joe Gallivan, the Manager of Sustainability Planning with Frontenac County. “The draft plan is well laid out … each section and subsection includes an introduction that explains the intent of each policy that flows from it … Also the document explains at the start that its policies are structured on the basis of six sustainability themes, namely: economic sustainability, growth management, community building, housing and social services, heritage and culture, and environmental sustainability. These six themes appear to be logical as a general basis on which to accommodate future growth and needs of residents … Joe Gallivan should be commended for his work on the Plan." Once he had finished praising Joe Gallivan, Mills set out a series of concerns he had with the plan. Mills said that while the County OP explains that it is intended to be a “high-level” regional plan, “in reality, under the present wording, the document is exactly the opposite.” He said that the policies in the OP are much too “intrusive into the decision-making authority of the municipalities.” He uses the example of the definition of agricultural land in the document. Regarding agricultural land, it lists every possible use that may be permitted on the lands. Secondary uses such as carpentry, welding, machine and small engine repair shops are listed.

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Mills says this level of detail has no place in the document. “The Plan should provide the introduction that explains the intent of the section and then simply state that ‘municipalities shall ensure that agriculture and the farming community are supported and protected’ or wording with a similar intent,” Mills wrote. Mills also expressed concerns over language used in the Daft OP, words such as "shall", "will", "permitted", etc., words that cause Mills to be concerned “that the County will be involved in every aspect of any planning approval”. While he says that he is not sure that is the intent of the document, Mill says that to make sure the County does not get involved in local matters, the “wording needs to be tightened up”. He also expressed concerns about the sections in the plan about forestry, regional roads, and regional community improvement plans. Lindsay Mills concluded his report by saying the draft County Official Plan “attempts to involve the County in all development. This too much intrusion into the affairs of local municipalities.” Although he says that the problem may be more one of wording than intent in many cases, he is concerned that the OP “has huge negative implications for the local townships and the Plan should be substantially revised accordingly” Mills recommended that South Frontenac Council endorse his report and forward it to the County as a township position regarding the OP. Before members of South Frontenac

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