Vol. 10 No. 5
THURSDAY, JANUARY 31, 2013
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Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Wedding Feature . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Shadow Watch
Groundhog Day February 2nd
Day-long symposium fills house
Uxbridge eyes tax hike of 3.77 per cent DARRYL KNIGHT The Standard
BLAKE WOLFE The Standard
SCUGOG: Calls by Ontario’s Environmental Commissioner for increased regulation and responsibility for commercial fill by industry and the provincial government were among the viewpoints heard at last week’s Large Scale Commercial Fill Symposium in Port Perry. The day-long event, held jointly between Scugog Township and the Kawartha Conservation Authority at the Scugog Community Centre on Jan. 25, drew a full house of 260 attendees from across southern Ontario, bringing every perspective on the issue together in one room. From politicians and civil servants at all levels of government to community activists and industry members, attendees gathered to discuss a topic that has quickly become among the most prominent issues in southern Ontario’s rural communities. As development of condominiums and transit extensions continues in places like downtown Toronto, the excavated soil is often trucked out to countryside dump spots, creating a financial windfall for property owners willing to collect urban dirt and raising numerous environmental and quality of life issues for involved municipalities. The day began fittingly with a recap by Scugog CAO Bev Hendry of the commercial fill issue in Scugog Township, which began in 2010 with the purchase of a Lakeridge Rd. property by Earthworx Industries that eventually became a contested commercial fill site, resulting in a protracted legal battle between the business and the municipality. A 2011 provincial court decision ultimately ruled in favour of the township, when judges turned down Earthworx’s defense of federal aviation legislation (the company
THE CANINE EXPRESS: Sheryl Bunting and 18-month old Garnet try a dog sled ride with Dan Owen of Windrift Kennels, one of the many activities at last weekend’s Cannington Dog Sled Races. BLAKE WOLFE The Standard contended it was constructing an airport) trumping municipal site alteration bylaws. The lessons learned in that scenario, said Ms. Hendry, have been applied by the township in its dealings with the new owners of the Greenbank Airport, who, in 2012, suddenly announced an expansion plan that would require 2.5 million cubic metres of soil, to be trucked into the Hwy. 47 aviation facility over the next two years to raise the grade of the property. A municipal permit for that project was approved last fall, following numerous public meetings and discussions between the township and airport
owners over the preceding months. “We learned a lot (from Earthworx),” said Ms. Hendry. “First, we realized that there is no government agency in charge of managing fill. We also learned to trust our gut –if you ever have a situation where someone plays the airport card and hangs a windsock, separate the airport from the fill…. The court decision for Earthworx gave us confidence to deal with this – that fill was in the jurisdiction of the township. This story is not finished yet, but the lessons we’ve learned have turned our role from reactionary to acting first.” TURN TO PAGE 23
UXBRIDGE: After months of number crunching, Uxbridge Council put the finishing touches on the 2013 municipal budget on Monday, Jan. 28, with a tentative 3.77 per cent increase to the municipal portion of the tax bill. The funding is broken down into a 2.77 per cent increase in the operating/capital projects budget, plus an additional one per cent set aside for the new fire hall, which is expected to be operational by 2014. This coming year marks the final year of the additional one per cent increase to offset the construction costs of the new fire hall, which is expected to be constructed on Brock St., just west of Quaker Village Dr. For the average Uxbridge residence, with an assessed value of $400,000, the increase amounts to an extra $40.15 per household for the year. “It came down to essentially an increase of 2.77 per cent with an extra one per cent added for the final year of fire hall funding,” explained Finance Committee Chair Pat Molloy, who also serves as councillor for Ward 2. The final approval of the municipal budget is expected to take place at Council’s meeting on the morning of Monday, Feb. 11. Although the township has allocated $9,603,482 in spending for the next year, Councillor Molloy added that the budget is in large part, a financial framework for the township. “This is a budget, and it’s not necessarily cast in stone,” explained Councillor Molloy. “It’s a framework we’re going to work with, although the nickels and dimes may change as the year goes on.” TURN TO PAGE 11
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