SERVING MAPLETON AND MINTO
THE
COMMUNITY NEWS VOLUME 52 ISSUE 12
1 Year GIC - 2.75% 3 Year GIC - 3.05% 5 Year GIC - 3.50% Daily Interest 1.50%
638-3328
THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2019
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Murder victim was reported missing from Harriston location By Patrick Raftis
Toy fun - The annual Alma Optimist Toy Show and Sale took place on March 17 at the Alma Community Centre. Hundreds of toys were on display. Three-year-old Lily and five-year-old Finn Oxby, right, of Harriston check out the John Deere tractors that Brian Halls, second from left, has collected since he was seven years old. Shelley Billings, left, was showing the tractors with Halls. Photo by Jaime Myslik More photos on page 8
HARRISTON – Police have launched a homicide investigation into the death of a Kitchener man who was last seen in Harriston last Tuesday. Wellington OPP responded to report of a missing person at a location on Jessie Street in Harriston on March 12 at around 6:30pm. Police identified the missing individual as Jason John Brown, 43, of Kitchener. On March 13 the OPP was notified by Durham Regional Police that Brown’s body was located on Stevenson Road North in Oshawa. A post-mortem was completed on March 15 and an OPP press release states the death is being treated as a homicide. Harriston residents reported police helicopters
circling the town and heavy police activity on March 13, including a door-to-door canvass in and around the community. OPP media relations officer Constable Josh Cunningham confirmed that activity is related to the homicide investigation, but declined to release further details. “The circumstances around how Mr. Brown went missing are just currently being looked into by investigators,� said Cunningham. “It’s too early in the investigation to comment on the events leading up to Mr. Brown’s death.� The Wellington County OPP Crime Unit, OPP West Region Criminal Operations and OPP Forensic Identification Services (FIS) are investigating the circumstances of the death, under
the direction of Detective Inspector Scott Moore of the OPP Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB). The Office of the Chief Coroner, the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service, Durham Regional Police and Waterloo Regional Police are assisting with the investigation. Cunningham noted the investigation is “in its infancy� and police are canvassing the public and asking anyone who knows of anything “unusual or suspicious� to contact police or Crime Stoppers. Anyone with information is urged to call the OPP at 1-888-310-1122. To remain anonymous, call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or submit a tip on-line at www.csgw.tips. Tip providers may be eligible for a reward of up to $2,000.
Citizen committee recommends remuneration increase for Mapleton council members By Aryn Strickland MAPLETON - A township committee has recommended that Mapleton’s mayor and councillors receive large pay increases this year to compensate for the loss of a federal tax exemption. The council remuneration committee’s recommendations were revealed during a council meeting on March 12. Township staff has yet to release the 2018 report, but the recommendations, if approved, will result in significant increases over council’s remuneration last year. The committee has recommended that: - councillors receive $16,521 annually, a 19 per cent increase over the 2018 amount of $13,863; and
- the mayor be paid $23,711, an increase of 33% over the 2018 amount of $17,824. As proposed, total remuneration paid to council, including CPP and other items, will rise 23% this year to $98,954 (from $80,750). “In order to be fair we believe we’ve got a very hardworking council and it’s only appropriate that they be remunerated appropriately for their hard work and efforts,� stated council remuneration committee member Steve Ilott in a presentation to council. He explained the committee began working on its suggestion on Jan. 31. “There are many ways in order to come up with setting compensation. The most common practice is of course
to develop what is known as comparator groups,� Ilott said. The Mapleton committee used the following comparator municipalities: GuelphEramosa, Wellington North, Erin, Minto and Puslinch
is fair and reasonable in the circumstances,� he said. “We hope that you endorse our recommendation and given the recent changes earlier this year with respect to tax treatment of pay for council ... we believe that it
“We’ve got a very hardworking council and it’s only appropriate that they be remunerated appropriately ...� - Committee member Steve Ilott (the committee excluded Centre Wellington because of the size difference between it and Mapleton). “What we then are recommending to council is to pay the mayor and councillors the average of the comparator groups, which we think
should be retroactive to Jan. 1 in order to make everybody whole,� Ilott added. Councillors Michael Martin and Paul Douglas, as well as Mayor Gregg Davidson, supported a decision to defer passing the committee’s recommendation
until the next council meeting on March 26 to give council more time to consider the committee’s full report. Following Ilott’s presentation, Councillor Marlene Ottens asked what impact the increases would have on the 2019 budget. CAO Manny Baron said, “We certainly do have room in the budget there. We’ve been below on some projects that we’ve done. “We do have over a million in the tax stabilization account currently and we expect to see a surplus this year again.� Baron added, “So the $18,000 is easily absorbed and really won’t make a dent at all into our tax rates.� In 2017 the federal government introduced measures
to eliminate a tax exemption for non-accountable expense allowances paid to elected officials, effective Jan. 1, 2019. The allowance effectively made one-third of council salaries tax-free. On Dec. 11, Martin suggested a committee be formed to help determine council remuneration. “A discussion needs to be had regarding what happens in 2019. Do we do nothing, or do we raise the salary to offset the loss of pay with the elimination of the one-third tax exemption?� Baron had asked in a report. At the time, he indicated that in order to keep council members’ net pay the same, bi-weekly salaries would increase by $9 for councillors and $48 for the mayor.
Smoking to be completely banned on recreation facility grounds MINTO – Signs warning that smoking is not permitted anywhere on the grounds of Minto recreational facilities will soon be in place. At the March 5 town council meeting, recreation program director Matt Lubbers pointed out new regulations took effect the same day cannabis was legalized last fall. The main changes to the act involve a prohibition on
smoking or vaping on the property of community recreational facilities, Lubbers explained. Staff attended a workshop in late February in Elora and have met with health unit officials to clarify expectations. Councillor Mark MacKenzie asked if the town has a bylaw covering the prohibition or the measure relies on provincial regulations.
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“It’s the provincial legislation that we adhere to,� explained Lubbers. “If a complaint is brought to our attention we have to address it and there’s also a requirement for mandatory signage. “So, just recently the health unit has come out with a lot of replacement signage to encompass the e-cigarettes or vaping.� “This says they can’t smoke anywhere on a community centre property,�
councillor Jean Anderson pointed out. “The way we’re reading the regulations, it’s not just 20 metres from the entrance to the facility, it’s the facility and its grounds, so essentially a parking lot may be included in that,� said Lubbers. He conceded there may still be some exceptions. “With regard to outdoor recreation, it’s still 20 metres from the spectating area and/
WEEKLY WAG
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By Patrick Raftis
“Education is not preparation for life. Education is life itself.� - John Dewey
or playing area,â€? he stated. “There could be small pockets, technically, where people could hold tobacco and not be in (violation) ‌ it would be better if it were an all or nothing thing.â€? Councillor Ron Elliott said, “If you say 20 metres, then it turns into five, if I’m correct in watching people smoke.â€? The regulations could mean at areas such as the Palmerston soccer field
and the Clifford ball park, smoking could be allowed 20 metres from the playing/spectator area, while at community halls and arena grounds it would not be allowed. “It does actually make it a lot more restrictive,â€? said Mayor George Bridge. “The public’s going to be quite shocked, in a way, because where they go now (to smoke) they can’t go at SEE SMOKING Âť 3
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