SERVING THE MAPLETON COMMUNITY
THE
COMMUNITY NEWS VOLUME 50 ISSUE 04
DRAYTON, ONTARIO
1 Year GIC - 2.06% 3 Year GIC - 2.11% 5 Year GIC - 2.25% Daily Interest 0.90%
638-3328
FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2017
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Farmers write to council on development charge By Patrick Raftis
Paws 4 Stories - Five-year-old Payton Douglas of Drayton was among those reading with a four-legged friend at a Paws 4 Stories family literacy event at the Drayton Library on Jan. 21. Payton picked out a few of her favorite books to share with Molly, who was accompanied by Julie Wheeler-Bryant, a volunteer with program sponsor St. John Ambulance. Photo by Patrick Raftis
Family Literacy Day event planned at local library branch WELLINGTON COUNTY - Events at local library branches will be part of a nationwide celebration of Family Literacy Day. Canada’s largest family literacy event, the day includes literacy-themed events and activities designed to raise awareness about the importance of reading. Nationally, Family Literacy Day will be celebrated on Jan. 27. Between Jan. 26 and 28 Wellington County library
branches are hosting a Family Literacy Day: Stuffie Sleepover. Participants will share stories, sing songs and play games - all designed to promote early literacy skills. Then children will tuck their stuffed animals in and leave them for a night at the library. “Who knows what adventures they’ll have,� library officials state. At the Drayton branch, the Stuffie Sleepover event is
on Jan. 27 beginning at 2pm. For information or to register, residents can contact their local branch. Newspapers Canada and ABC Life Literacy Canada are key supporters of Family Literacy Day and jointly make a variety of resources available to families. ABC Life Literacy Canada points out spending just 15 minutes a day on literacy activities will improve children’s skills dramatically. SEE FAMILY  3
MAPLETON – Local farmers have mounted a letter writing campaign in an effort to convince Mapleton council not to proceed with a proposal to implement development charges on rural construction. Correspondence received at the Jan. 10 meeting included 14 nearly-identical letters (a few contained hand-written additions) from Mapleton farmers and farm families. The type-written text of the letters state the correspondent is a “concerned farmer in Mapleton� and requests agriculture be exempted from development charges. Mapleton’s current development charges bylaw includes a 100 per cent exemption for buildings constructed for “a bona fide farm use.� A proposal presented at a public meeting on Oct. 11 would see the exemption reduced to 75%. That would mean someone building a new barn, for example, would pay 25% of the non-residential rate of $2.65 per square foot of gross floor area, which works out to 66 cents/ft2. The letters listed five reasons for the requested exemption.
“1. Agriculture in Mapleton is a driving force of the economy. Many people are employed with this sector, from farms to product processing, transportation of goods, and suppliers. If the growth of the agricultural industry is hindered, there will be a ripple effect. This impacts not only farmers but the larger population that is employed within the agricultural sector. According to the 2011 Census in Agriculture, Wellington County farms generate more than $685 million in farm gate receipts annually, provide 58,000 weeks of work to the local labour market. Wellington farmers are stewards of over 495,000 acres of land. “2. Farm structures house livestock, store feed and other farm products or provide space for the repair and storage of equipment. New farm buildings often replace old structures. In general, a new building will be single story and create a large footprint that will generate significant development charges. A new building likely improves efficiency but does not necessarily increase production. Farmers who build new structures are required to pay costs for engineering, nutrient management plans,
builder fees, materials, building permit fees (and) borrowing costs. The added expense of a development charge ... could easily range from $10,000 to $30,000. New farm structures will not generate a need for a bigger arena or additional library space like a new house would. “3. Agriculture is a uniquely different sector of the economy. Many aspects of the agricultural industry have experienced challenges over the last few years including downturns in the economy, disease outbreaks, etc. Many of us have borrowed heavily on the equity we have in our farms. There is little if any room in farm budgets for additional taxation. “4. Farm families are also residents of Mapleton and pay their fair share of development charges when building a new home, just like every other resident. As well, we pay the residential rate of property tax on our homes and the acre of land surrounding that home, just like every other resident. “5. Recent MPAC assessments have increased considerably for most of us. The township will receive additional revenue through this SEE FARMERS Âť 3
Kayla Scott receives Ron Wooddisse Memorial Award By Caroline Sealey ALMA - The Wellington County Cattleman’s Association held its annual general meeting at the Alma Bible Church on Jan. 20. After a roast beef dinner, local politicians extended greetings to the association and its members. Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Ted Arnott brought greetings from WellingtonHalton Hills MP Michael Chong, who was unable to attend. Arnott also said, “I am proud of the cattle industry and their accomplishments. It’s farm labour that feeds the nation.� Perth-Wellington MP John Nater said, “It’s an interesting time in agriculture at the national and international levels. “Perth-Wellington MPP Randy Pettapiece and I have been working together on the
CFIA transport regulations.� Representatives from Roberts Farm Equipment, Stewart’s Farm Equipment, the Grand River Conservation Authority, Phibro and BioAgriMix all spoke on current agricultural issues. The Ron Wooddisse Memorial Award was presented to the most improved 4-H beef member from Wellington County. This year’s recipient was Kayla Scott, reigning Wellington County Queen of the Furrow, who is currently attending the University of Guelph. Unable to attend the meeting due to commitments in Ottawa, John Masswohl, government and international relations liaison with the Canadian Cattleman’s Association, was live streamed to the Alma location. Masswohl, the voice of the Canadian beef industry
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Memorial award presented - The Ron Wooddisse Memorial 4-H award was presented to Kayla Scott, the most improved 4-H Beef Club member from Wellington County, at the Wellington County Cattleman’s Association annual general meeting at the Alma Bible Church on Jan. 20. From left: Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Ted Arnott, Charlie Twiss, Cole Bessey, Callie Cabral, Mike Cook, association president Rob Unsworth, Kayla Scott, Perth-Wellington MP John Nater, association past president Rick Mitchell and Perth-Wellington MPP Randy Pettapiece. Photo by Caroline Sealey to the Canadian and United States governments, also maintains international relations around the world.
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He joined the Canadian Cattleman’s Association after working with the Canadian beef industry as agriculture
WEEKLY WAG
“Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters� - Albert Einstein
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and trade counsellor with the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C. Masswohl updated the
association about current issues facing the beef cattle industry and hosted a question and answer session.
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