THE
SERVING THE MAPLETON COMMUNITY
COMMUNITY NEWS Volume 48 Issue 38
Drayton, Ontario
1 Year GIC - 1.99% 3 Year GIC - 2.21% 5 Year GIC - 2.30% Daily Interest 1.00%
638-3328
Friday, September 18, 2015
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River dredging project a go this fall
Racing for MS - The 7th annual Alma Optimist Roadkill Race for MS was held on Sept. 13. Organizers report 20 people participated in a one kilometre fun run, with 23 running in the 3K, 5K and 10K events. ABOVE: Participants prepare to take off from Wallace Cummings Park. LEFT: Finishing first in the fun run was Amberley Snyder of Alma. BELOW: Fun run participants head out at comfortable pace. photos by Mike Robinson
by Patrick Raftis DRAYTON Longanticipated dredging work on the Conestogo River through Drayton appears set to finally begin this fall. The latest issue of the Grand River Conservation Authority’s (GRCA) newsletter, Grand River Current states rehabilitation of a small section of the Conestogo River near Drayton will be carried out by R&M Construction of Acton at a cost of $258,000. The project will be funded by the GRCA levy and matched by the provincial Water and Erosion Control Infrastructure program. The GRCA states work on the project will get underway in September with completion expected by the end of the year. A letter from the GRCA to Mapleton Township indicates the authority granted itself permission to construct a 575metre low flow channel in the Conestogo River at Wellington Street North to Main Street West in Drayton.
The accompanying permit indicates it is valid until July 8, 2016. The permit application lists “Drayton channel cleanout” under a description of the proposed work. “I hope this is just one step in the right direction, in which there are many more steps for them,” said Mapleton Mayor Neil Driscoll at the Sept. 8 council meeting. Driscoll noted further erosion control work along the river in the area around the village will be needed to reduce flood concerns in the area. Township officials have lobbied since the 1990s for improvements to the river to help reduce flooding in the village, which occurs almost every year. In the past, GRCA officials stated dredging would have a negligible and short-lived effect on flooding because an eroding CN Railway abutment upstream would just fill in the excavated channel (CN officials refute there is any direct connection between the CN
bridge support and flooding). However, the GRCA included funds for the dredging project in its 2014 budget. It was forced to postpone the work due to concerns from the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), which restricts when work can be done in watercourses. The GRCA says a combination of sunny weekends and rainy weekdays has led to good revenue streams for the authority this summer. The authority reports yearto-date park revenue is approximately $800,000 higher than it was at the same time last year. “Park revenue is generally closely tied to favourable weather for those who enjoy outdoor recreation,” the authority notes, adding the increase may also be due to additional marketing efforts. Also, the GRCA’s three hydro turbines have been operating at full capacity due to rain that has mostly fallen on weekdays, resulting in higher revenue from power sales.
Optimists to host federal candidates meeting by Patrick Raftis ALMA - The local Optimist Club is planning a debate for Perth-Wellington federal election candidates here on Oct. 6. The event is set to be held at the Alma Community Centre, beginning at 7pm. The Alma Optimist Club, which regularly hosts candidates meetings for federal,
provincial and municipal elections, advised Mapleton Mayor Neil Driscoll of its plans to host a meeting after an article appeared in the Sept. 4 Community News indicating Mapleton council was considering having the township host one. “It’s great to see a group like that step up and continue
that service,” said Driscoll. “That just shows two things: that there are people interested, and people are reading the paper.” In Perth-Wellington, incumbent Conservative MP Gary Schellenberger has retired from politics, leaving the field to Conservative candidate Continued on page 2
GRCA pushing province for more equitable, sustainable funding model by Patrick Raftis MAPLETON - The Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) is calling on the province to maintain the role of conservation authorities in resource management, while sharing the financial burden more equitably with municipalities. The GRCA is circulating to member municipalities a response to a discussion paper, part of a review of the provincial Conservation Authorities Act. The response, received by Mapleton council from local GRCA representative Pat Salter at the Sept. 8 meeting, notes “stresses such as climate change, rapid growth and changing land uses significantly challenge the ability of natural ecosystems to support economic growth, a sustainable environment and the lifestyles and health of residents” - and GRCA programs contribute to addressing provincial priorities in these areas. The GRCA report calls for
“sustainable provincial funding,” which it states would “ensure greater consistency and continuation of programs.” The review of the act is focused on governance, funding mechanisms and the roles and responsibilities of conservation authorities. The GRCA response suggests the current governance model is “an efficient service delivery model” but notes “closer collaboration” between authorities, municipalities and provincial ministries would “assist in efficient delivery on provincial objectives.” The report states the current mandate for authorities as outlined in the Conservation Authorities Act “remains relevant today,” and notes “from a science perspective, the watershed is at the right scale for the managing of water.” On the subject of funding, the local authority feels a greater provincial contribution is warranted. “Since the mid-1990s, MNRF (Ministry of Natural Main St. W. Palmerston
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Resources and Forestry) has only approved provincial funding for the water-related natural hazard management role of (conservation authorities),” the report states. “This includes flood and erosion control. Funding for this program was cut in the mid-l990s, and again in 2012 for GRCA. At the GRCA, aging infrastructure and climate change are placing increased demand on the water management infrastructure. Increasing population and the accompanying development causes increased service demand in the areas of plan review and natural hazard regulation. “In addition, the growing population places increased demand on natural areas acquired by the GRCA for protection, but without a revenue source for managing the lands. Provincial funding support is required for these program areas which provide a broader public benefit.” The GRCA report explains the funding partnership
between the province and municipalities has moved from “a 50/50 partnership” to a point where, today, authorities derive “a large portion of their budgets” from local municipalities through a levy. Funding for authorities across the province is derived from a variety of sources, but a major share is provided through municipal levies, while 40% comes from self-generated revenues, 10% from the province for flood management and source water protection programs, and 2% is provided by federal grants or contracts. Locally, the GRCA’s revenue sources include 36% from municipal levy, 47% self-generated, 10% from provincial grants and 7% from reserves and from other municipal grants like the Rural Water Quality Program. “As many of the benefits are local, it is fitting that funding of watershed-based programs is derived from the local tax base (the municipal levy),” the report states. “However, many of the benefits are in
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the broader public interest and require financial support from the province. It is appropriate that a portion of the funding be derived from the provincial tax base.” The GRCA recommends establishment of “an inter-ministry approach” in the form of transfer payments to support water-related natural hazard prevention and management efforts. “Ministries with responsibility for infrastructure management, land use planning policies to prevent development in hazard lands, flood emergency management and low-impact development approaches to stormwater management work together with CAs to achieve provincial objectives. This reinforces the need for the transfer payment for this program area to be more than just an MNRF responsibility.” The report suggests carbon pricing revenues could be used as a potential new source of provincial income that could be used to support growth, plan-
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ning and climate change mitigation and adaptation activities of conservation authorities. Other sources of revenue that could be facilitated through legislative amendments or policies making conservation authorities eligible include development charges, stormwater fees and Ontario Trillium Foundation infrastructure funding for recreational or outdoor education facilities. On the question of how the responsibility of oversight for authorities should be shared between the province and municipalities, the GRCA recommends the establishment of a committee that includes authorities, municipalities and provincial ministries. To facilitate that, “the province should return to a more equitable cost sharing partnership between the province and municipalities,” it states. Mapleton council received the report as information. The MNRF is accepting comments on the discussion paper until Oct. 19.
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