Town Buys MS-B Lands from Halton District School Board

Ten years ago there was a recommendation by the Halton District School Board to sell off 2 acres of land at the amalgamated McKenzie Smith Bennett School in Acton. There was a ground swell of opposition from the the Town of Acton. One of the main reasons was back in the 1950's the old Town of Acton bought two farm properties to build the school and add additional play fields. This was forward thinking. This remained into the Town's hand until the 1970 when the school boards became Halton County School board and later with Regional Government in 1974 in became Halton District School Board. The rallying cry 10 years ago was " we paid for once why would we buy it again." There were over 2500 names on a petition and three school buses pleaded to the board to change the vote. Board Chair Ethel Gardner was terrific and fought to keep this land out of developers hands.

Now 10 years later the board bureaucrats once again decided to deem 2.62 acres of land surplus. This again struck another raw nerve to the citizens of Acton. I was part of the first fight as a Regional Councillor and now I am Mayor. Myself, Regional councillor Clark Somerville and Board staffer Gerry Cullen are the only ones left from the fight of 10 years ago.

The board hid behind the Minister of Education Kathleen Wynne saying she forced them to sell. BS. I spoke to the Minister myself and she assured me there was no directive to sell this land. Melissa Secord and many parents rallied and collected an unbelievable 5000 names on a petition to oppose the public sale of these lands. Why is it so important. You see Acton is green belted so there is no expansion of the Acton urban boundary there fore if we lose the lands we will not be able to replace the three soccer fields and the baseball diamond. We were in a fix.

I can honestly say the trustees from south of Halton Hills were not of any help. I made a delegation with Melissa Secord of the MS-B parent council and Ian Watson of the Acton Villa Soccer association to present various community arguments why these lands should not be sold. It fell on deaf ears. The board was hell bent on selling these lands even though the lands will not see any servicing for years to come. Unfortunately a developer would only be too pleased to purchase the land and sit on it for five years or so and when service come on board they will build houses on it.

This past Monday night, Town of Halton Hills Council, approved purchasing the land plus licensed 5 additional acres of land for 21 years to make sure that the board doesn't come back in 5 years to sell off another portion of the land.

The cost of this land acquisition is $1,308,000. plus an additional $15,000. for maintenance on the additional licensed lands. That is over a million dollars that we didn't budget for and we really can't afford. However, we couldn't afford to see house built on our playgrounds knowing we can never get them back.

Our Town council came through. This is most unfortunate, however, that the School Board put the Town in a position where it had to spend money it really did not have in order to save the School board from themselves.

Council Jon Hurst said "We feel betrayed by the Halton Board. We had no choice but to buy it back as developers would have purchased the land and turned our kids soccer fields into houses." Councillor Mike O'Leary stated, "This should have never been necessary. This is shameful" and Regional Councillor Clark Somerville commented "While I am also disappointed in the actions of the School Board declaring this land surplus I am happy the Town readjusted it's priorities to allow for the Town to purchase these lands.....It is embarrassing that the Board hid behind the skirt of then Education Minister Wynne to help justify what they did."

The Halton District School Board indeed failed the people of Acton, a small, Town of 10,000 people within Halton Hills.

There are now 5 trustees wanting to be elected to Halton Region. There is now a new Superintendent of the School board. Maybe after the election we can see better relations developing. Ethel Gardner unfortunately passed away about 4 years ago. I knew her personally and I know she to would have been very disappointed with this school board. Let's hope the new school board will not be deeming any more land surplus whether in Georgetown or anywhere else within Halton Hills. I can assure you if this land was in Georgetown the Town would have purchased it as well as we cannot afford to lose soccer and play fields. Even though the Town has purchased these lands one has to remember there is only one tax payer.

Town Hosts Bulldogs

Last night, the Town of Halton Hills hosted the Canadian Jr. B Lacrosse champs Halton Hills Bulldogs. The Halton Hills Bulldogs are simply the best in Canada and they proved it.

After easily rolling through the opposition leading up to the final Founders Cup Championship, the Halton Hills Bulldogs were expecting a tough test from their rival team Mimico Mountaineers. Our guys were playing in front of 1800 fans at the MasterCard Center in Etobicoke. The title match went into double overtime before Dylan Gilbert of the Bulldogs notched the winning goal. This is the first time, in 16years that the Halton Hills Bulldogs have won the Founders Cup.

Our Town is very proud of our dogs. Halton Hills is recognized as a sports community rich in volunteerism and community spirit.

We were pleased to host the young men to a barbecue. Many of the family members came along as well. They players are great ambassadors to our Town. Special kudos to coach Blaine McCaulay and his team of coaches as well as Manager Mike " the Hammer " Hancock who put together quite a team.


After the barbecue councillor Johnson and myself gave our medals to all of the players as they were honored at the council chambers.

I reminded all of the players to take in the glory as when you get older you may never be on a championship again.

Georgetown Hospital Walk Raises 30 Grand

Yesterday I went to the Georgetown Hospital Walk to raise money for our Hospital. This is the third year that this walk was held and the weather cooperated quite nicely. It takes a lot of work to put one of these walks on including a lot of planning and volunteering. Many of the councillors walked and volunteered. There had to be close to 250 people who came out for this 5 kilometer walk. Paul Armstrong of Armstrong Insurance was out again with all of his staff dressed in their purple jersey's and they are better known on this day as Paul's Peeps.

McDonald's and Maple Lodge farm were huge sponsors as far as feeding us. McDonald's supplied the morning coffee, juice and muffins while Maple Lodge farms supplied other treats including chicken wraps.

The Georgetown Raiders hockey team showed great community spirit by coming out with many of their fans.

The best news of the day is that $30,000. was raised to buy equipment for the Georgetown Hospital and over the three years close to $100,000 has been raised.
We are so lucky to have a hospital in our town with such dedicated doctors and nurses.

Congratulations to all of the organizers of this annual event!

Cookie Time at Tim Horton's

Today is an important fund raiser at all three Tim Horton's in Georgetown (Halton Hills). Tim's are featuring a special Smile Cookie this week. Thanks to the ALS Ontario and owner of Tim Horton's every cookie purchased today will see the proceeds donated to the ALS to help find a cure.

Store owner Mary Walker is "thrilled to bring smiles to ALS Ontario through the Smile Cookie fundraiser."

ALS is a horrible debilitating disease that affects many in Canada. Last year a good friend of mine, Don Lindsay, passed away from it. Dr. Jeff Sutherland of Georgetown has bravely battled this disease. It is for such highly regarded community people like these two that we must find a cure for this disease.

So if you have an urge for something sweet today, go on to Timmy's and get a Smile Cookie. You will be doing a wonderful thing for such a great cause.

I will be going today at 1:30pm to enjoy my Smile Cookie. See you there.

Dedication Ceremony at Rembrance Park Georgetown

Last Sunday I had the honour and privilege to par take in a dedication ceremony at Remembrance Park in Georgetown. I would guess that there were close to a 200 people at the cenotaph. How many times have you gone to a Remembrance Day Ceremony and listen to the names being read of the Cenotaph of our fallen soldiers but wondered how old they were or where they were killed?

The Dutch Canadian Remembrance Committee spear headed by Martin Boomsma and Tommy Shenk along with John Blaauwendraat, Rein Pater and Nell Ramakers had a vision to put up two story boards that will give a history on each one of our brave soldiers. They have on them their dog tag numbers, the name, their age and where they lost their life.


I was on hand with most of our councillors along with M.P. Mike Chong and M.P.P. Ted Arnott. The Georgetown Royal Canadian Legion color party was also there. It was an emotional ceremony. It was a special day they unveiled the plaques. Someone like me who is a baby boomer never really know about war. Oh yea, I read history books and seen many movies. Now with the struggles in Afghanistan it hits home. The bodies of our young soldiers returned in coffins is real. The imagines on Television are real not fiction.

Mike Chong gave a great perspective as his mother was Dutch and and his father was Chinese and he spoke of the liberation of our Canadian troops in the second World War.

Over a 110,000 brave Canadians paid the ultimate sacrifice. We must remember them, if we do not, the sacrifice of the thousands of Canadians lives lost will be meaningless. They died for our freedom and to preserve our way of life.
Today are forces continue to stand on guard to help aid in world conflicts to peaceful resolutions.

The Sunday ceremony was also a day to reflect on our grandparents, maybe great grandparents, parents, brothers, sisters who have in the past or are presently serving our country.

It was also a day to thank our veterans. There were some on hand for the touching ceremony. Once again, our Dutch Canadian Remembrance Committee are to congratulated for taking such a great initiative.

Terry Fox Runs a Success in Halton Hills

Yesterday all across Canada there were Terry Fox runs. This marked the 30th year of the runs. Terry Fox as many know is real Canadian hero. Terry lost a leg to cancer. While in hospital he wanted to something for all the cancer patients he saw suffering. Terry was an ordinary Canadian who did an extraordinary feat. He started a 143 day Marathon of Hope in 1980. He started in Newfoundland and ran a marathon a day through the Maritimes, Quebec and Ontario. Can you imagine running 26 Kilometers a day, let alone one one leg? Terry passed away in 1981.

Today is legacy is around the world. Even Cuba has one of the largest runs with close to 2 million running.

In Halton Hills we have two runs. One in Georgetown and one in Acton. Councillor Jon Hurst along with a small committee have spear headed the run in Acton since the first run. The last two years Alcoa of Georgetown has supported the run. It was great to see so many out yesterday running, walking, cycling and even roller blading. I had the pleasure of speaking to Eric "Mitch" Mitchell of Georgetown yesterday while roller blading. Mitch is 79 years young and very active. I also roller blade.

Both communities raised several thousand dollars. Unofficial numbers are that Acton raised $24,500 and Georgetown raised over $21,000. That is fantastic for our community to give so generously so that one day a cure for this dreaded disease will be found. Congratulations to all of the organizers of the event.

Its Fall So It Must Be Fall Fair Time

Halton Hills loves it's Fall Fairs. This has been a tradition for many years. Georgetown just celebrated it's 164th Fall Fair and this weekend the Acton Fall Fair will be hosting their 97th Fall Fair.

What a great tradition for both Towns. Fall Fairs are a terrific place for kids to learn about the agricultural industry. They can see real farm animals up close. Acton features a tractor pull as well. Also Elvis will be at the Fair along with many other celebrity impersonators.

I love going to the fairs since I was a kid. The smell of french fries, kids screaming and having fun on the rides as well as I can never get tired of looking at the animals. Speaking of which, this year in Acton will feature the boarder collies herding sheep.

I give kudos to both Georgetown Fair Board and to the Acton Agriculture Society for their many years of dedication and volunteering to put these Fairs on.
Please come out to the Fair. I guarantee you and your family will enjoy it.

Parkinsons Super Walk in Georgetown

I just returned from the Parkinson's Superwalk. This is the annual walk to find a cure for Parkinson's Disease that is held at the Gellert center in Georgetown. There were over 70 walkers and 5 teams. Last year there was $17,000 raised. This year they raised even more. This years total raised is $20,287.00. Good job by the organizers of this walk.

It was beautiful day. Special thanks to the organizers, the many volunteers and all of the sponsors. Most of the money raised goes directly to research as well as support for those affected by Parkinson's. To date there is no cure but we can be hopeful that one day there will be because of fundraisers like this.

See you next year!

Halton Hills Fire Halls Are Now Officially Open

Today it was a pleasure to be part of the official openings of the two Fire Halls and Emergency Operations Facility in Georgetown. Besides members of council on hand there were other dignitaries in Ted Arnott M.P.P. for Wellington Halton Hills, Regional Chair Gary Carr as well as Olaf Lamerz representing the Ontario Fire Marshall's Office.

These two fire halls are an example of how important partnerships between the Town of Halton Hills, the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Region of Halton really are. The financial support from all levels of government enabled these two facilities to become a reality for our community.

It was a great day for Councillor Moya Johnson, chair of Fire Services and Fire Chief Brent Marshall and all members of council for the responsibility of overseeing the efficiency and effectiveness of these two facilities.



The first official opening took place the Fire Station headquarters,a dedicated fire facility in our planned growth area that will provide fire protection and prevention services for the greater Halton Hills community. It also holds the keys to our rich heritage of fire service dating back to the 1800's. There is a community Heritage room depicting much of Georgetown's rich history in fire protection. Georgetown's longest serving Firefighter Jimmy Valentine was honoured by naming the lane behind the Maple Ave. station " Valentine Lane. " Good for Jimmy. He is 97 years young.

The second facility on Maple Ave. is joint facility that replaces two facilities that had exceeded their life expectancy. This is a joint facility with ambulance and fire. All facilities are state of the art. They are heated and cooled by geothermal thus reducing fossil fuels.

All in all it was a great day to part of the opening ceremonies of these two impressive facilities. We are very proud of our firefighters. It is important we give them the tools they need to protect our community.

Support Parkinson Walk in Georgetown

This Saturday September 11th I will be kicking off the Parkinson's Disease: SuperWalk 2010. It is being held at the Gellert Center in Georgetown. For those of you who don't know much about Parkinson's disease here are some facts. it affects 1 - 300 people from young and old, in every culture and race.

The one risk factor we all possess is aging, which is a condition that is currently incurable! However, more and more is being done to understand how and why various risk factors influence the likelihood of Parkinson's.

Many people of been stricken by this disease. Here is a list of them,
Actors, Katherine Hepburn and famous Canadian Michael J. Fox

U.S. Attorney Janet Reno
Evangelist Billy Graham
Country Singer Johnny Cash
Boxer Muhammad Ali
General Douglas MacArthur
President harry Truman
Pope John Paul 11

Chances are you know someone who has suffered from this disease. So if you are free this Saturday come down to the Gellert Center and walk or sponsor someone who is. Give them your support as well as the volunteers and organizers of this Parkinson's Disease Super Walk. Registration is at 9:30 am and the walk starts at 10 am.
See you there.

Keeping Hydro Was a Huge Decision for Halton Hills Council

Two years ago there was a push for many communities to sell their Hydro Utility. Many of did such as Caledon, Brampton just to name a few. The Town of Halton Hills could have sold ours and maybe got paid millions. Sounds good. But what happens at the end of the a 10 year period or so and you spend the money what then. Well you would be paying your local Hydro bills to a faceless corporation making major decisions and we would have little input or say. Perhaps all local employees of the Hydro would be let go. I believe that you don't heat your home by burning your furniture.

Two years ago Halton Hills council approved a strategic review of Halton Hills Hydro. The review said that it is a valuable asset and it is in the best interest of Halton Hills citizens to retain their local utility.

In 2009 Halton Hills Community Energy Corporation was created as a holding company of Halton Hills Hydro to go along with Southwestern Energy Inc. Hummingbird Wireless. the thrust is to have a community focus with viable subsidiaries.

Today we have a dedicated board of directors who provide leadership and corporate governance to our group of companies. Our board is made up of all local residents and that enables the community aspect to be delivered at our board meetings. Our board is comprised of myself, Anne Lawlor, Graeme Goebelle, Mark Burrows, Chris Cameron, Randy Hammell, Michael O'Sullivan and Town CAO Dennis Perlin.

Now about Hydro rates. We all know that electricity prices are increasing in a large part due to the increase in commodity prices as of May 1 and the inclusion of HST on your bills as of July 1st. I still don't know what possessed the Provincial Government to put HST on heating or cooling your home as this is essential service.

To add to this, we had one of the hottest summers in decades and I know many of you, including yours truly, used your air conditioner. Expect a high hydro bill. Your hydro bill will have all the consumption information with comparison to last year.

If any of you have any questions please call 519-853-3701. At Halton Hills Hydro we encourage all customers to learn more about conservation initiatives at Halton Hills Hydro at www.haltonhillshydro.com

Town Honours Our Youth Volunteers

On August 30th Halton Hills council, recreation staff honoured our Youth Volunteers. Many of our youth have volunteered to support Town programs, initiatives and committees over the past year. On this night we honoured 150 volunteers from all over Halton Hills. Some of them volunteered for administrative tasks, summer camps, aquatic programs, special events and the Mayor's Youth Action Committee to give you an idea of what many have volunteered.

A volunteers gift of time not only adds value to community programs and events,it also impacts the lives of children and our community as a whole. Through mentor ship and leadership volunteers become a role model and friend while helping the community grow through positive experiences. Many of the volunteers have learned that volunteering is a rewarding and valuable experience that helps build self confidence, discover strengths and is an experience which will be with them their for life.

Our youth volunteers committed an amazing 7150 hours of their time to Town Services. The volunteers were recognized by signed certificates.

These kids made a difference this year with their hours of volunteering. It was a pleasure to recognize them for their contributions.