SERVING THE MAPLETON COMMUNITY
THE
COMMUNITY NEWS VOLUME 50 ISSUE 38
DRAYTON, ONTARIO
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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2017
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Infrastructure tax would net township additional $660,000 By Patrick Raftis
Supportive family - ABOVE: The Mensinga family, including Jackie, Steve, Jess and Steph, has participated in the Drayton Terry Fox run together for 13 years straight. BELOW RIGHT: Weather was hot for the Sept. 16 run, so the water stations were greatly appreciated by participants. Garret and his little brother Clark handed out water with their parents Dave and Lauren Devries. Submitted photos
2017 Terry Fox Run another success Event raises $20,000 By Patrick Raftis DRAYTON – The 37th annual Drayton Terry Fox run raised around $20,000 for cancer research, organizers report. About 220 people participated in the event, with organizers reporting a fundraising total of $19,420 on Sept. 18, with donations still coming in. The event also included a barbecue, music by the Moore family, treats for youngsters and face painting. This year was the first run organized by a new local committee consisting of Marieke Scholten, Melissa Gleeson, Kayla McGuire, Leona Ottens, Paula Trinier and Jenny Bults. “A huge thank you to all those who attended the run today, our sponsors and our volunteers,� stated Gleeson in a post on the Drayton Terry Fox Run Facebook page. The local run regularly places in the top 10 in per capita in fundraising and has raised more than $425,000 since its inception. Last year’s run raised about $24,000, with just over 160 participants taking part.
MAPLETON – The township would receive an additional $660,000 per year if a proposal was implemented to raise funds for municipal infrastructure through a provincial sales tax increase. At the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) convention in Ottawa on Aug. 14, AMO president Lynn Dollin called for a one per cent Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) increase devoted solely to local infrastructure such as roads, bridges and transit. AMO estimates municipal governments face an annual shortfall of about $4.9 billion dollars for the next 10 years to maintain current services and address the infrastructure gap. On Aug. 22 councillor Marlene Ottens said none of Ontario’s three major political party leaders, all of whom were present at the conference, supported the idea. However, she suggested Mapleton council should determine how the tax increase would affect the township in case it was asked to support the idea by AMO or other municipalities. At the Sept. 12 meeting, Ottens reported she had checked with AMO officials who indicated municipalities’ share of the new tax would be determined on a per household basis, with Mapleton benefiting by about $660,000 annually. “As I said, none of the party leaders were in favour of this, but maybe we’ll be getting correspondence from
other municipalities lobbying for it. So now we know what we’d be lobbying for,â€? said Ottens. “It’s a moot point until they agree to it. But it’s a relevant point because somebody might start a ball rolling to push for this.â€? “Where does our council stand on this?â€? asked Mayor Neil Driscoll. “We’ve seen the all the negative press on it,â€? he noted, but, “that’s a pretty significant help to our budget.â€? Driscoll asked councillors if they felt it would be worthwhile to send out letters of support for the idea. “Honestly, it makes everybody pay for what we need to provide here,â€? Driscoll said. “I think it’s ludicrous,â€? said councillor Michael Martin. “I never thought I’d hear myself say it, but the provincial parties might actually have it right. “I am surprised this hasn’t come before the government sooner than now because, honestly ... the easiest thing in the world to do is just keep raising taxes, right, and say you’re going to direct it somewhere. “But it’s much like the other revenue streams we see from the province; they always dry up eventually and the same thing would happen to this and we’re going to be stuck with a 14 per cent (HST).â€? Martin added, “Honestly, I think this would be – what’s a nice word? – detrimental to everybody in the long run.â€? Ottens pointed out, SEE DEDICATED Âť 3
Township will proceed with $20,000 repairs to Glen Allan tennis court By Patrick Raftis GLEN ALLAN – Mapleton council will spend almost $20,000 to repair tennis court damaged during massive flooding here on June 23. Council approved awarding the repair project to MEI Paving Contractors, which submitted the only quotation for the project at $19,860. Funds for the project will be drawn from the parks reserve account, “until funding or a portion thereof, if
any, may be secured from the provincial flood relief program,� states a Sept. 12 report from public works director Sam Mattina. The report notes the entire area of Glen Allan Park was submerged in over one metre of water during the flooding, which caused significant damage to the tennis court facility. The tennis court was originally built in 2013 for $60,000, with the cost for the project split between
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the volunteer Glen Allan Parks Association and the Township of Mapleton. Councillor Lori Woodham questioned the wisdom of rebuilding a facility in a floodplain. “It’s clear that if we ever receive rain it’s going to happen again,� said Woodham. “Are we wise to continue putting something in a place where it is prone to being flooded?� Mattina replied, “The flooding that we sustained
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on June 23 was a significant event that doesn’t happen very often. Yes, the park is susceptible, but the frequency of this type of storm is few and far between.� While noting, “it’s up to council to make the decision,� Mattina stated, “I don’t recommend not repairing the park, or the tennis court, for the value that’s proposed because it is an asset that’s used and is expected to be repaired ... to relocate the park at this point in time, I
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don’t think I would recommend it.� However, Mattina suggested council could make a recommendation to the planning department about future park locations and “perhaps build them up a little higher.� Councillor Marlene Ottens pointed out, “Parks are generally placed on floodplains because they are one of the few things that can be ... I guess I agree with the public works director that this was an unusually heavy
rain event.â€? CAO Brad McRoberts noted the situation on June 23 was unique in a number of ways, in addition to the abnormally heavy rainfall in a short period of time. “I think the key factor about this event is that the reservoir at the Conestogo Dam was basically at its recreational level, and had no capacity,â€? McRoberts explained. “They had to release the SEE TENNIS Âť 2
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