SERVING MAPLETON AND MINTO
THE
COMMUNITY NEWS VOLUME 51 ISSUE 49
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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2018
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Insurance switch expected to save township over $70,000 By Patrick Raftis
Shining through the rain The Palmerston Santa Claus Parade, hosted by Minto Fire’s Palmerston station, sparkled in the light rain on the evening of Dec. 1 as it made its way through the downtown area. ABOVE: Palmerston and District Hospital Foundation float members braved the rain to participate in the parade. RIGHT: Firefighters appeared throughout the parade. Additional photo on page 8. Photos by Jaime Myslik
Dave Anderson, Kelly Linton to compete for warden’s seat GUELPH – The next warden of Wellington County will come from either Centre Wellington or Minto. Centre Wellington Mayor Kelly Linton and Ward 1 councillor David Anderson have both announced their intention to seek the warden’s seat for the next twoyear term. “I am putting my name forward as a candidate for warden because I do want to work with this new council and make a positive difference to our communities,� said Linton at the Nov. 29 Wellington County council meeting. Linton, who is entering his second term on county council, added, “We have some challenges that we are faced with and I want us to work together to see some real results. “Council makes decisions that impact the lives of almost 90,000 people in the county and we work hard every day to make sure that we set our priorities, commu-
nicate those priorities and then make decisions to make the County of Wellington an even better place to live and have a business,â€? Linton continued. “Here at the county we’re privileged to have an exceptional CAO, exceptional management team and amazing staff. It’s our job as members of county council to establish the right kind of direction, establish our priorities and make sure we’re getting maximum results for the taxpayer.â€? Anderson, who is set to enter his second term as Ward 1 representative, also served on county council as mayor of the Town of Minto from 2007 to 2010. “I’m really pleased with the direction the county is going now and I’d like to be a part of moving the county towards this path of excellence,â€? said Anderson. “I feel that I would be an excellent representative for the county, ensuring fair and equal representation for all the municipalities ‌ while advancing the concerns of
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the county ward.� Anderson added, “When you get into politics it gets in your blood and antibiotics can’t fix this.� He cited strategic planning as a potential concern for the coming term. “There was a lot of talk about a strategic plan moving forward, rather than our current five- and 10-year plans,� he said. “I feel we need to have a thorough discussion on the pros and cons (of the status quo) versus the cost of having a full strategic plan.� Anderson said affordable housing is another area in which the county has a major role to play. “There is universal concern about affordable housing, available housing ... and that’s going to be a concern moving forward,� he said. County councillors will elect the warden in a vote at the inaugural meeting of the new council on Dec. 7. While county and lowertier councillors serve a fouryear term, a new warden is elected every two years.
MAPLETON - A funeral service was held Monday for a young Moorefield man who tragically lost his life in a traffic accident near Drayton last week. At around 4:30pm on Nov. 28 emergency crews responded to a collision involving two vehicles on Wellington Road 8, southeast of Drayton. It was reported that a sedan and pickup truck had collided head-on.
Members of the OPP, Fire/Rescue Mapleton and Guelph Wellington Paramedics Service attended the scene. The driver of the sedan, Lukas Popovic, 20, of Moorefield, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the pickup truck, a 35-year-old local man, was taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
The road was closed for several hours while technical collision investigators collected evidence. The cause of the crash is under investigation. The OPP are asking anyone who may have witnessed the collision to call 1-888-3101122. A funeral service was held for Popovic on Dec. 3 at Erb and Good Family Funeral Home in Waterloo.
Outgoing councillor Lori Woodham expresses appreciation for support By Patrick Raftis MAPLETON – Outgoing Mapleton councillor Lori Woodham thanked municipal staff, councillors and local residents for their support over the past four years at the Nov. 27 meeting. Woodham, who did not
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$7,000. Bushey advised council that while the RFP called for annual coverage “likely to be renewed for a period of three years,� the township may choose to extend the agreement beyond three years by two further one-year terms, or terminate at any point. He said the insurer can also terminate the agreement, “typically for reasons of non-payment of premium – that’s not going to happen. “We can terminate for any reason and we can terminate on the day we choose to do it,� Bushey stated. Councillor Marlene Ottens asked if the township’s insurance would continue to be locally brokered through Brown Insurance. “It was believed by administration that Brown Insurance had given very good service at the broker level and that if we were potentially making a change that the continuity of broker would was an important piece,� Bushey explained, adding the four insurers were advised prior to submitting their proposals that “Brown’s would be Mapleton’s broker.� Council authorized staff to obtain insurance through AON Reed Stenhouse.
Crash claims life of Moorefield man
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By Patrick Raftis
MAPLETON – The township will be saving thousands of dollars on insurance in 2019 after testing the market through the request for proposals (RFP) process. At the Sept. 25 meeting, council authorized staff to engage consultant Randy Bushey to assist with an RFP preparation and design, including a review, comparison and ranking system, and a final recommendation to council. Bushey’s report, presented to council on Nov. 25, indicated all four primary players in the municipal insurance market in Ontario submitted proposals: Mapleton’s current insurance provider Frank Cowan Company, BFL Canada, JLT Canada, and AON Reed Stenhouse. “That was a reflection of the fact that Mapleton is considered to be a very good insurance account,� Bushey told council. “That’s a compliment to you because that’s a reflection that the administration and council runs this township very well, that the loss history has been very good. “Each of the proposals was very strong.�
After ranking the four proposals for factors such as cost of premiums and scope of coverage, Bushey recommended council instruct staff to begin the process of transitioning to AON Reed Stenhouse as the general insurance provider for Mapleton beginning Jan. 1. A report from Mapleton financial analyst Larry Wheeler indicates the AON proposal calls for a premium of $160,011 in 2019, which represents considerable savings for the township. “The total cost of acquiring municipal insurance at the Township of Mapleton has been rather steeply increasing over the past few years,� Wheeler stated in his report. “Our total spend in 2018 of roughly $233,000 is approximately 25 per cent higher than was our 2013 total premium expense, an average increase of five per cent per annum. Assuming the unlikely scenario in which our 2019 insurance premium did not increase, our savings will be approximately $73,000 in the first year.� CAO Manny Baron told the Community News the consulting costs are anticipated to come in between $5,000 and
seek re-election after serving her first term on council, complimented township staff for their efforts. “I can’t say thank you enough for the answers to all my questions,� said Woodham, who also thanked staff “for working with me, walking me through things.
“I truly believe that we have the best staff working at Mapleton Township by far,â€? she added. Woodham also expressed appreciation for her fellow council members. “I really enjoyed working with each one of you. I’m SEE WOODHAM Âť 3
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