Today I hope most of you are wearing a poppy as we remember those who have served our country and paid the ultimate sacrifice so that we may enjoy the freedoms today. The first Remembrance Day was held in 1919, originally called Armistice Day. The name was changed after the Second World War.
Today is a day to reflect upon the over 110,000 Canadian soldiers who have lost their lives in combat defending our nation. It is also to reflect on those brave men and women who also came home from the wars who were injured or emotionally scarred.
We must remember, if we do not, the sacrifice of the thousands of Canadian lives lost will be meaningless. As Canadians, we must never take for granted our current way of life; our freedoms to express ourselves, to participate in cultural and political events are all because of those who fought.
Today is a day that we reflect on our grandparents, maybe great grandparents, parents, brothers, sisters and sons and daughters. On this unusual day 11-11-11 lets all take 2 minutes of silence for those who have lost their lives and wear your poppy proudly. If you come across a veteran, say thank you.
Showing posts with label Acton. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Acton. Show all posts
Friday, November 11, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Remembrance Day is Not a Holiday
Last weekend I went to three marches in Halton Hills to honour those who paid the supreme sacrifice for our freedom. There was a march in Acton on Saturday and two on Sunday in Glen Williams and Georgetown.
The weather couldn't be finer for this time of year. The attendance at all three marches were excellent. All three ceremonies were excellent and giving such a solemn message to pay a tribute to all of the men and women who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom something so many take for granted.
Every other year some politician dreams up an idea to make this day November 11th a holiday. It use to be many years ago when I was a youngster. The meaning of Remembrance Day would be lost. There would be hockey tournaments and shopping sprees and many would forget what our veterans of done for us. Keep the kids in school, let them have a moment of silence and have a veteran to talk to them. There were many youngsters at the marches over the weekend. There were Beavers, Scouts, Cubs, Air Cadets and many others. It was great to see. For the other kids who weren't there is to my point if November 11th was a holiday future generations the cenotaph would be less attended.
Lest We Forget.
The weather couldn't be finer for this time of year. The attendance at all three marches were excellent. All three ceremonies were excellent and giving such a solemn message to pay a tribute to all of the men and women who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom something so many take for granted.
Every other year some politician dreams up an idea to make this day November 11th a holiday. It use to be many years ago when I was a youngster. The meaning of Remembrance Day would be lost. There would be hockey tournaments and shopping sprees and many would forget what our veterans of done for us. Keep the kids in school, let them have a moment of silence and have a veteran to talk to them. There were many youngsters at the marches over the weekend. There were Beavers, Scouts, Cubs, Air Cadets and many others. It was great to see. For the other kids who weren't there is to my point if November 11th was a holiday future generations the cenotaph would be less attended.
Lest We Forget.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Roz Weston Lane and Acton
I wrote earlier about Lord Johnny Acton visiting Acton who gave our Town a lot of publicity. It was a summer of positive advertising for the Town of Acton thanks to former resident Roz Weston of 92.5 KISS FM fame and also a regular on ET Canada.
Roz and Mocha are two radio personalities on KISS FM and they started to call me in June and July as Roz wanted a street named after him. It was a lot of fun and to hear him speak so positively about the Town he grew up in. He is a small Town kid who did well. I came up with an idea to name the “unnamed” laneway behind Tim Horton's to the Beer store “Roz Weston Lane”. The radio station called me one more time to see if I had found anything. Of course this is all in good fun and very whimsical. Roz would brag to me on the air how famous he is. This is show biz and he is not that conceited. So I announced on the air about this dirt lane way with its own dumpster.
He loved the idea along with “Damn it” Maurie (his producer) and of his other half Mocha. Hence the radio station went into high gear promoting Acton leading up to the Acton Fall Fair. The played a great jingle on air, poking fun at Roz and promoting Acton. KISS FM did a live feed on Saturday September 17th from the Tim Horton’s. Tim Horton’s joined in as part of the promotion and gave out free coffee mugs to the first 100 people. They also promoted the Acton Fall Fair at the same time.
On Saturday, before the Fair we had the official unveiling of the Roz Weston Lane. The sign was covered by a potato sack (how fitting). Roz made a great speech about his time growing up in Acton. He jokingly said, "He got this by bullying the small town Mayor." Unfortunately, some with no sense of humour took this to heart once they read this in a local paper. It was all in jest fun. People who know me, know I don't get bullied. Roz road with me in the parade along with my wife Josey, DJ Climax, Maurie and Mocha. It was great to see his mother Diana who came back to town to see this. Diana had a fabric store in Acton.
The positive publicity for the Acton was unbelievable. For instance, never mind the countless times Acton, Tim Horton's and the Acton Fall Fair were mentioned by KISS FM. It was also on 680 news, CTV, the Metro newspaper and ET Canada gave Roz and Acton 30 seconds of fame. Not bad for what started out as a joke.
People from Acton should be proud of Roz for his accomplishments and I personally would like to thank Maurie Sherman who was relentless. All in all, I cannot think of another week where the Town of Acton, with Halton Hills has so much positive publicity by hosting Lord Johnny Acton and Roz Weston.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Lord Acton Visits Acton
These past couple of weeks have really put Acton on the map! We had the announcement of Lord Johnny Acton and Lady Lucinda was coming to Acton. This news made the Toronto Star and as late as Friday, the front page of the Glove and Mail.
The Acton Town Hall was the place to be on Sunday night as Johnny spoke to a packed house about his family tree. He is a very interesting character.
Lord Acton of Glouscestershire, England has written 13 books. Many of them off beat topics from soup to comedy and even hot air ballooning.
He had quite the Canadian experience. He canoed. Attended the Halton Regional annual farm tour. He was a judge for Miss Acton at the Fall Fair. He and Lady Lucinda better known as Percy were at the Acton Fall Fair eating varieties of Fair Food as well as looking at all of the various animals.
His speech at the Acton Town Hall was very interesting as he spoke about his family tree. Many of his relatives were scoundrels and rogues. He was quite open about it. Mind you, as I said, at the dinner if we all looked into our family tree there would be a lot of monkeys in it as well.
He will be making sausages at the Acton Farmer's Market on Thursday. That is his specialty. He is very down to earth and very engaging. Congratulations to those who went on Facebook to invite him to Acton.
The Acton Town Hall was the place to be on Sunday night as Johnny spoke to a packed house about his family tree. He is a very interesting character.
Lord Acton of Glouscestershire, England has written 13 books. Many of them off beat topics from soup to comedy and even hot air ballooning.
He had quite the Canadian experience. He canoed. Attended the Halton Regional annual farm tour. He was a judge for Miss Acton at the Fall Fair. He and Lady Lucinda better known as Percy were at the Acton Fall Fair eating varieties of Fair Food as well as looking at all of the various animals.
His speech at the Acton Town Hall was very interesting as he spoke about his family tree. Many of his relatives were scoundrels and rogues. He was quite open about it. Mind you, as I said, at the dinner if we all looked into our family tree there would be a lot of monkeys in it as well.
He will be making sausages at the Acton Farmer's Market on Thursday. That is his specialty. He is very down to earth and very engaging. Congratulations to those who went on Facebook to invite him to Acton.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Santa Claus is Coming to Halton Hills
This Saturday Santa Claus will be making a few appearances in Halton Hills. That is right, the jolly fellow will be first coming to Acton. Bill Spielvogel and Acton Firefighter's Association have made arrangements for Saint Nick to join him in the Acton Santa Claus parade. The parade begins at 1 PM. It is a fairly long parade so get your spot early. Also the Acton B.I.A. will have photos with Santa tomorrow afternoon at Roxxy Coffee at the corner of Mill and Main St. Acton. The B.I.A. will also be giving out hot apple cider vinegar. The parade begins at Acton Blvd. and runs through Mill St.
Now if you miss Santa Claus in the afternoon he will be making a second appearance in Georgetown for another parade. Al Watts and the Georgetown Lion's Club have Santa booked for their evening parade. The parade begins at 5:00 pm. This is also worthwhile to see as their are many colorfully lit floats. This parade will be going through Guelph St. to downtown Georgetown onto Charles St.
The weather man has arranged for great weather but please bundle up the little ones.
Now if you miss Santa Claus in the afternoon he will be making a second appearance in Georgetown for another parade. Al Watts and the Georgetown Lion's Club have Santa booked for their evening parade. The parade begins at 5:00 pm. This is also worthwhile to see as their are many colorfully lit floats. This parade will be going through Guelph St. to downtown Georgetown onto Charles St.
The weather man has arranged for great weather but please bundle up the little ones.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Should Remembrance Day be a Holiday ?- I Say NO!
Over the weekend I attended many Remembrance Day marches and dinners. Both the Acton and Georgetown Legions organized the ceremonies and the dinners honoring many of our vets as well as the marches honoring those brave women and men who have died for our country.
Both Legion's displayed pictures drawn by students depicting their interpretation of past wars. One which caught my eye was a student in Acton who drew a black and white picture of a field and a lone poppy. The poppy was slumped over with a tear coming from it. It was a powerful statement to make from someone so young.
There is a private member's bill in Ottawa wanting to make Remembrance Day a national holiday. I remember years ago when it was a holiday. Then it was called Armistice Day and eventually called Remembrance Day. As well meaning as it may sound to have a day of recognition for those who have paid the ultimate price I don't agree with it. Here's why. It is being called a holiday. If the kids are out of school I could see them taking it as a holiday. How can we engage our youth so that they will remember the 110,000 plus Canadians who have died for Canada while protecting our freedom and our way of life. They are better in school and learn from the teachers and read about the first and second world war, the Korean War, about the many peace keeping missions and of course the present Afghanistan war on terrorism. I could see hockey tournaments being organized if this was holiday. The meaning of Remembrance Day would be lost on a holiday. We need our kids in school so that they can hear the veterans who visit the schools and tell them what war was like so we don't repeat history. We need see our youth at the cenotaphs to see our present living veterans and say " thank you. "
As much as it may be a noble idea to honour our veterans with a holiday, I think the meaning would be lost by having a holiday.
It was so great to see the scouts, cubs, girl guides, Air Cadets and other youth orientated groups marching with the veterans to the cenotaphs. Watching them laying wreaths so we will not forget the fallen's sacrifice.
If you agree with me write your M.P.'s and tell them not to vote for a Remembrance Day Holiday.
Both Legion's displayed pictures drawn by students depicting their interpretation of past wars. One which caught my eye was a student in Acton who drew a black and white picture of a field and a lone poppy. The poppy was slumped over with a tear coming from it. It was a powerful statement to make from someone so young.
There is a private member's bill in Ottawa wanting to make Remembrance Day a national holiday. I remember years ago when it was a holiday. Then it was called Armistice Day and eventually called Remembrance Day. As well meaning as it may sound to have a day of recognition for those who have paid the ultimate price I don't agree with it. Here's why. It is being called a holiday. If the kids are out of school I could see them taking it as a holiday. How can we engage our youth so that they will remember the 110,000 plus Canadians who have died for Canada while protecting our freedom and our way of life. They are better in school and learn from the teachers and read about the first and second world war, the Korean War, about the many peace keeping missions and of course the present Afghanistan war on terrorism. I could see hockey tournaments being organized if this was holiday. The meaning of Remembrance Day would be lost on a holiday. We need our kids in school so that they can hear the veterans who visit the schools and tell them what war was like so we don't repeat history. We need see our youth at the cenotaphs to see our present living veterans and say " thank you. "
As much as it may be a noble idea to honour our veterans with a holiday, I think the meaning would be lost by having a holiday.
It was so great to see the scouts, cubs, girl guides, Air Cadets and other youth orientated groups marching with the veterans to the cenotaphs. Watching them laying wreaths so we will not forget the fallen's sacrifice.
If you agree with me write your M.P.'s and tell them not to vote for a Remembrance Day Holiday.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
How will you Remember our Fallen????
This is a week that many in Halton Hills will be remembering our fallen soldiers who have paid the ultimate sacrifice so that we may enjoy our freedom. It is a time to reflect on those who died for our country and also to thank those who continue to serve Canada with much courage.
I will write more on this later in the week. You can mark your calendars as there will be three Remembrance Day marches this weekend. They are as follows:
Acton November 6th - 11:00 am
Glen Williams November 7th - 12:00 Noon
Georgetown November 7th - 2:00 Pm
Myself and many of the councillors will be there. I hope to see many of you there to say thank you to a veteran. I will write more as we get closer to the end of the week.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Halloween in Halton Hills
Every year Halloween is celebrated on October 31st and Halton Hills is no different. Starting tonight ( Thursday ) Friday night and Saturday night the Acton Scouts will be having a fun house at the Acton Scout Hall. They really put a lot of effort so if you are around Acton please drop by for a really ghoulish time.
Both the Acton and Georgetown Business Improvement Areas will also have their ghost walk. Georgetown is on in the morning. Most of the stores if not all of them will be shelling out candy to the kids. It is a sight to see all of kids in the their costumes walking up and down Main St.
In Acton the ghost walk is in the afternoon with a prizes for the best costumes at 2:00 pm. My wife Josey and I will be in costume as we do every year. Lets see if you can recognize us.
Parents bring your kids out and have a safe Halloween.
Both the Acton and Georgetown Business Improvement Areas will also have their ghost walk. Georgetown is on in the morning. Most of the stores if not all of them will be shelling out candy to the kids. It is a sight to see all of kids in the their costumes walking up and down Main St.
In Acton the ghost walk is in the afternoon with a prizes for the best costumes at 2:00 pm. My wife Josey and I will be in costume as we do every year. Lets see if you can recognize us.
Parents bring your kids out and have a safe Halloween.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Acton Scouts Celebrate 100 Years
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Acton 1st Scout Organization. On Saturday there was a celebration with the Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Venturers and Rovers.
The 1st Acton Scout Group started in the fall of 1910 when Mr. Stock attended a Town Council meeting to ask for permission to start a Boy Scout Troop. Council granted permission and Bayden Powell's movement came to Acton.
We are very proud of the contributions that the 1st Acton Scout Group has made to our community over the past 100 years and also recognize the tremendous dedication and efforts for the many volunteers to make scouting happen. Volunteering is rewarding and valuable experience that helps build self confidence: discover strengths and talents; develop independence; and learn new skills. I personally thanked all of the troop leaders for their years of service. Scout masters across Canada help mold boys into young responsible men. Scouts learn the skills of survival, first aid, tying various knots and many other real life experiences. The leadership skills will something that will stay with these young boys their whole life.
On Saturday there was an old fashion barbecue, skill games etc. Long time Scout master George Henderson presided over the ceremonies. Many formers scouts were also present including David Dills who was a scout in 1939. Bill Dawkins and Bill Spielvogel were from the fifties, I was a cub in 1962. Many other former scouts and cubs were on hand.
David Dills unveiled the special 100th anniversary crest. The weather cooperated and over all it was fine kick off to celebrate 100 years of scouting in Acton.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
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.
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.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Acton Town Hall Gets Trillium Grant as New Plans Unveiled
Heritage Acton members had huge smiles on their faces when they heard they have now been awarded a remarkable $150,000. Trillium Grant. This will go along way for the Town Hall Center to become accessible. The Town Hall in Acton is rich in history. If you ever have a chance to visit please do. It was built in the 1883. In 1977, it dodged a wrecking ball when the newly amalgamated Town of Halton Hills council deemed a parking lot would be a better fit. A small group of citizens headed by Ted Tyler, Kathy Sanford and others spear headed a move to avoid the wrecking ball.
Later council decided not to tear in down but for the Town Hall to be repaired at their own expense. Heritage Acton did get some Provincial Grant money and did a lot of fundraising.
Thirty years later the renovations are complete and the Town Hall is restored. Now there is a phase two in the works. Our Town council has given Heritage Acton $40,000 to Heritage Acton to assist them. The figure was the amount it would have cost to demolish the building in the early 80's. I felt it was time to right a wrong so I brought a motion to council. Everyone on council supported the money going to Heritage Acton. Ron Birrell and Kathleen Dills deserve a lot of credit carrying the torch and putting in applications and for seeing the last renovations being completed.
The Trillium Grant and additional money will go towards an ambitious expansion plan to build a separate building with an elevator to make the Town Hall accessible. Congratulations to all involved. As I said, if you want to go back in history, take a trip to Acton and visit this preserved Town Hall.
Later council decided not to tear in down but for the Town Hall to be repaired at their own expense. Heritage Acton did get some Provincial Grant money and did a lot of fundraising.
Thirty years later the renovations are complete and the Town Hall is restored. Now there is a phase two in the works. Our Town council has given Heritage Acton $40,000 to Heritage Acton to assist them. The figure was the amount it would have cost to demolish the building in the early 80's. I felt it was time to right a wrong so I brought a motion to council. Everyone on council supported the money going to Heritage Acton. Ron Birrell and Kathleen Dills deserve a lot of credit carrying the torch and putting in applications and for seeing the last renovations being completed.
The Trillium Grant and additional money will go towards an ambitious expansion plan to build a separate building with an elevator to make the Town Hall accessible. Congratulations to all involved. As I said, if you want to go back in history, take a trip to Acton and visit this preserved Town Hall.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Acton's Leathertown Festival Draws a Crowd
The Leathertown Festival has now come and gone. This was the 19th year for this Festival in Acton. At one time, it use to be called "Back to Acton Days" as in many ways it is like a homecoming. After a few years it was changed to the "Leathertown Festival" in keeping with the theme of Acton and it's leather industries and businesses.
The Festival usually attracts anywhere from 7,000 to 10,000. This year had to be one of the best ever. The theme this year was "Mardi Gras" and downtown Acton looked like the Big Easy. Street names were changed from Mill St. to Bourbon St. The historic YMCA building had a new sign "Preservation Hall". The Farmers market on Willow St. was renamed "the French Market". The Georgetown Little Theatre youth were dressed in appropriate costumes handing out masks and beads. We even had Louisiana weather, hot, humid and the odd rain shower to make it feel like we were in New Orleans.
The Kids Zone had little cars for kids to drive and obey the stop signs and were awarded with a certificate by our village constable. Councillor Clark Somerville was at the kids corner volunteering for the MasonChip program. A wonderful program in assisting missing children. Lots of service clubs were on hand and of course Jenny the Hot Dog Lady was also on hand as she is really part of Acton's fabric coming to all of the events. There were pizza eating contests thanks to Dominos pizza. The entertainment was terrific. The numbers may have been down but that was because the weather forecast was for thunder showers all day which never materialized but may have had some change their plans. I met an Asian couple of Toronto who experienced corn of the cob for the first time. They went on the Leathertown web-site and decided it was "worth the drive to Acton". Many say the Leathertown Festival is the prelude to the Acton Fall Fair.
I know I am being biased but I can tell you this Festival would never happen if it wasn't for a small group of volunteers headed by my wife Josey. Also Terry Foster, Councillor Jon Hurst and Nicholl Spence. On the day of the festival many other volunteers showed up to clean up and have the streets look as if a festival never happened. I must give kudos to the Town of Halton Hills staff for being prompt on putting up the picnic tables and closing the streets and again being prompt on taking down the tables and opening the streets shortly after the Festival closed.
Mark your calendars for next year's festival. It is always on the second Sunday in August. It is going to be celebrating the 20th year. Plans are already under way.
See you then!
The Festival usually attracts anywhere from 7,000 to 10,000. This year had to be one of the best ever. The theme this year was "Mardi Gras" and downtown Acton looked like the Big Easy. Street names were changed from Mill St. to Bourbon St. The historic YMCA building had a new sign "Preservation Hall". The Farmers market on Willow St. was renamed "the French Market". The Georgetown Little Theatre youth were dressed in appropriate costumes handing out masks and beads. We even had Louisiana weather, hot, humid and the odd rain shower to make it feel like we were in New Orleans.
The Kids Zone had little cars for kids to drive and obey the stop signs and were awarded with a certificate by our village constable. Councillor Clark Somerville was at the kids corner volunteering for the MasonChip program. A wonderful program in assisting missing children. Lots of service clubs were on hand and of course Jenny the Hot Dog Lady was also on hand as she is really part of Acton's fabric coming to all of the events. There were pizza eating contests thanks to Dominos pizza. The entertainment was terrific. The numbers may have been down but that was because the weather forecast was for thunder showers all day which never materialized but may have had some change their plans. I met an Asian couple of Toronto who experienced corn of the cob for the first time. They went on the Leathertown web-site and decided it was "worth the drive to Acton". Many say the Leathertown Festival is the prelude to the Acton Fall Fair.
I know I am being biased but I can tell you this Festival would never happen if it wasn't for a small group of volunteers headed by my wife Josey. Also Terry Foster, Councillor Jon Hurst and Nicholl Spence. On the day of the festival many other volunteers showed up to clean up and have the streets look as if a festival never happened. I must give kudos to the Town of Halton Hills staff for being prompt on putting up the picnic tables and closing the streets and again being prompt on taking down the tables and opening the streets shortly after the Festival closed.
Mark your calendars for next year's festival. It is always on the second Sunday in August. It is going to be celebrating the 20th year. Plans are already under way.
See you then!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Superior Glove Splash Pad a Hit in Acton
On Monday, July 19th, 2010 I had the pleasure to be at the official opening of the Superior Glove Splash Pad located at Prospect Park in Acton. There were many members of council on hand for the opening. The best part was that there had to be close to 400 parents and mainly young kids there to experience the opening. The Superior Glove Splash Pad was made possible through the generosity of local donors. Long time Acton residents and business people, the Geng, family kindly donated $75,000 towards the project. Also Holcim Canada (formerly Dufferin Aggregates) also donated $20,000 worth of coloured concrete.
Town staff worked closely with water play designer Resicom, Gargoyle Graphics and general contractor Marshall Finamore. The splash pad features a truly unique fish themed water play area with a range of jets and spray area. The feature is a huge fish that will spray your youngster real good.The splash pad has 33 jets and spray features. The cost of a splash pad is less than an outdoor pool and will be open from 10 am to 8pm everyday and will accommodate hundreds of kids per day and best of all it is free.
This splash pad will be a tremendous feature to Prospect Park as a community hub and destination for all.
This splash pad will be a tremendous feature to Prospect Park as a community hub and destination for all.
Here in Halton Hills, we now have three splash pads, Dominion Gardens, Gellert located in Georgetown and now Superior Glove in Prospect park, Acton. So families, come out and bring your kids to enjoy all three pads in Halton Hills. There is nothing like hearing children laughing, screaming and just having fun while getting soaked on a hot day.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Green is Good - Local is Better - Biofuels
I was on a tour of Zuraw Technologies -Biodiesel Production Facility in Acton. They are connected to Everpure cooperative Biodiesel Cycle. There were many from the surrounding media as well as M.P. Michael Chong. It was a most fascinating tour as this company is into biodiesel fuel. I can tell you Michael Chong is well versed on the subject. The Federal Government is a strong supporter of biofuel. What is biodiesel fuel? Biodiesel can be used in any existing diesel engine, including tractors, generators, and home heating furnaces. It is readily biodegradable, less toxic than salt and does not give off volatile vapors. It has greater lubricating properties than regular diesel fuel and can increase the life of your engine. In fact, I learned yesterday, that diesel engines were originally designed to run on natural oils!
Making biodiesel from vegetable oils is a simple procedure involving a chemical/catalytic process. The final product can be used in your vehicle's fuel system with NO modifications to the engine.
When you use biodiesel in your engine you dramatically reduce greenhouse gases, carcinogens, toxins, soot, sulfur and others produced by your diesel engine. What I learned is Biofuel is made from recycled oils, minimizing the impact from food production.
The Everpure Biodiesel Cooperative is committed to using only waste oils to produce biodiesel. This will be supporting local farmers while promoting economic and environmental sustainability.
How does this work locally. Everpure provides quality cooking oil to local restaurants. They will collect the used restaurant oils and process this into bio fuel, suitable for any diesel engine including cars, trucks, and farm vehicles.
There are a lot of benefits to the local restaurants. They will supply free regular deliveries, free waste oil collection, free oil management advice, high quality fryer oil and knowing that all of your waste vegetable oil is recycled into carbon neutral biodiesel fuel. Seems like a win win for everyone. For more information go to http://www.everpurebiod.ca/.
As of yesterday, there are 6 Halton Hills restaurants who have signed into this program. So the next time you order fries in Halton Hills, ask " Where did you get your cooking oil from?"
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Halton Hills Seeks Intervener Funding From Province
Halton Hills council is asking the Province of Ontario for financial assistance to cover potentially huge court costs over the Provincially legislated " Places to Grow Act." Here is a little background for you.
Over the years I have been critical of the Provinces " Places to Grow " Legislation. This was the legislation where the Province has legislated G.T.A. municipalities to increase their population. In Halton Region's case the population is to increase from 400,000 to 780,000 from 2021 to 2031. That is almost double the population. Halton Hills has accepted a modest increase of 20,000 with Milton taking the bulk of new growth. As you may guess there are developers with deep pockets who think their lands outside of Georgetown that were not included in the conformity exercise should also be developed. They are looking to add an additional 40,000 population. Halton Hills council has stood firm in keeping our Town small. We have conformed to the Places to Grow Act. As far as I am concerned, we have amended our Official Plans and we have laid out where the new growth will go and that should be end of the story.
Now many developers have put the Town of Halton Hills on notice that they may be appealing our decisions to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB). The Province permits appeals of its approval decisions on Regional and Local Official Plans regarding conformity to be appealed to the OMB despite the fact that any appeals of the Growth Plan itself are handled by way of a Hearing officer. The defense of any Regional or Municipal Local Official Plan can be a very long and costly process. The financial impact to municipalities from this legislation has already been significant and I can tell you the OMB costs will be staggering as developers will challenging Municipalities and the Regions to get more growth on their properties. The lawyers and the consultants will get rich on this one.
On June. 28th, I put forth a motion which was unanimously supported by Halton Hills council requesting the Province of Ontario to cover all appeals costs to the OMB. After all this is a Provincial initiative. These projected astronomical costs will be born by our present taxpayers based on this Provincial legislation. Another word for this is downloading. The idea isn't all that far fetched. Twenty years ago there was an application to turn the Acton Quarry into a landfill site by a private company. The Town of Halton Hills and its citizenry fought long and hard over a few years to " Stop the Dump. " At the time, we asked for intervenor funding and we were going to get some but then the shell company R.S.I. retreated on the application.
Today, the Halton Hills resolution had big leap as it was approved at the Regional Planning and Public works committee unanimously and now it will go to Halton Region Council next week for support. This will be a big step as Town Council will want to see this resolution endorsed by all of the Municipalities in the G.T.A. to ask for funding to help off set legal bills. I think we all know that taxpayers money should go to supplying arenas, better roads, sports facilities, parking lots and much more.
Growth should pay for itself. The way it is now, the present taxpayers will have to be paying for the future growth and that is not fair.
Over the years I have been critical of the Provinces " Places to Grow " Legislation. This was the legislation where the Province has legislated G.T.A. municipalities to increase their population. In Halton Region's case the population is to increase from 400,000 to 780,000 from 2021 to 2031. That is almost double the population. Halton Hills has accepted a modest increase of 20,000 with Milton taking the bulk of new growth. As you may guess there are developers with deep pockets who think their lands outside of Georgetown that were not included in the conformity exercise should also be developed. They are looking to add an additional 40,000 population. Halton Hills council has stood firm in keeping our Town small. We have conformed to the Places to Grow Act. As far as I am concerned, we have amended our Official Plans and we have laid out where the new growth will go and that should be end of the story.
Now many developers have put the Town of Halton Hills on notice that they may be appealing our decisions to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB). The Province permits appeals of its approval decisions on Regional and Local Official Plans regarding conformity to be appealed to the OMB despite the fact that any appeals of the Growth Plan itself are handled by way of a Hearing officer. The defense of any Regional or Municipal Local Official Plan can be a very long and costly process. The financial impact to municipalities from this legislation has already been significant and I can tell you the OMB costs will be staggering as developers will challenging Municipalities and the Regions to get more growth on their properties. The lawyers and the consultants will get rich on this one.
On June. 28th, I put forth a motion which was unanimously supported by Halton Hills council requesting the Province of Ontario to cover all appeals costs to the OMB. After all this is a Provincial initiative. These projected astronomical costs will be born by our present taxpayers based on this Provincial legislation. Another word for this is downloading. The idea isn't all that far fetched. Twenty years ago there was an application to turn the Acton Quarry into a landfill site by a private company. The Town of Halton Hills and its citizenry fought long and hard over a few years to " Stop the Dump. " At the time, we asked for intervenor funding and we were going to get some but then the shell company R.S.I. retreated on the application.
Today, the Halton Hills resolution had big leap as it was approved at the Regional Planning and Public works committee unanimously and now it will go to Halton Region Council next week for support. This will be a big step as Town Council will want to see this resolution endorsed by all of the Municipalities in the G.T.A. to ask for funding to help off set legal bills. I think we all know that taxpayers money should go to supplying arenas, better roads, sports facilities, parking lots and much more.
Growth should pay for itself. The way it is now, the present taxpayers will have to be paying for the future growth and that is not fair.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Canada Day in Halton Hills
Halton Hills will once again be celebrating Canada Day with two major community events. Glen Williams is a historic village featuring a former woolen mill and flour mill that are now used as artisan and antique markets. Glen Williams should be on every ones list to start the day with a pancake breakfast. Noon hour is the parade followed by opening ceremonies, Duck Races and many more family events. Special thanks to the volunteers who work so hard in putting on the Canada Day Festivities in the Glen. Glen Williams has been a Canada Day tradition for decades attracting 1000's of families. St. Albin's church will also have a barbecue followed by fireworks.
Acton's Prospect Park will also be a hub of activity as the annual Canada Day Concerts in the Park. Local entertainment will be provided by last year's Acton Idol winner Kelsey Kirkpatrick. A fireworks display will be held at Prospect Park. Bring your lawn chairs. What better place to see these brilliant fireworks reflect on the waters of Fairy Lake. The fireworks are put on by the Acton Fire Association. Although the fireworks are free a donation will be very much appreciated.
Again, special thanks to the Acton B.I.A. and the Acton Firefighters Association for their efforts in making Prospect Park a special place to celebrate Canada's 143rd birthday.
Also, I would like to add that Norval will also have a BBQ and fireworks at the Norval United Church.
Happy Canada Day.
Acton's Prospect Park will also be a hub of activity as the annual Canada Day Concerts in the Park. Local entertainment will be provided by last year's Acton Idol winner Kelsey Kirkpatrick. A fireworks display will be held at Prospect Park. Bring your lawn chairs. What better place to see these brilliant fireworks reflect on the waters of Fairy Lake. The fireworks are put on by the Acton Fire Association. Although the fireworks are free a donation will be very much appreciated.
Again, special thanks to the Acton B.I.A. and the Acton Firefighters Association for their efforts in making Prospect Park a special place to celebrate Canada's 143rd birthday.
Also, I would like to add that Norval will also have a BBQ and fireworks at the Norval United Church.
Happy Canada Day.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Save Our Hospital - Its already been Six Years
Six years ago, June 24th 2004, seven bus loads from Georgetown and one bus load from Acton and many others drove to a rally at Queens Park to Save Our Hospital. What a six weeks it was. It all started with a press release,in May of that year, from the William Osler Hospital Board to close obstetrics and paediatrics at the Georgetown Campus (hospital) on July 5th. There was no public consultation, just a closed door board decision which had enormous impacts on our community. For all intense and purposes, I was a rookie Mayor, having been on the job for 6 months and now we have a crisis.
The first thing was to put the new Health Minister George Smitherman on notice that our community was angry over the decision. I wrote a very strong letter outlining our communities deep concern with the impacts of closing our obstetrics. Many were worried that this was going to be the beginning of the end for the hospital. Georgetown hospital was opened in 1961 on Father's Day. In the mid 90's the Ontario government of the day had amalgamated Georgetown Hospital with two larger centers of Brampton and Etobicoke General to form William Osler. I always find that when there is an amalgamation the little guy always gets hurt. This was not going to happen in Halton Hills.
We organized two buses to go to Etobicoke Hospital to make plead our case to the board. I did a 10 minute deputation only to fall on deaf ears. Halton Hills had a strong council and many local doctors, community leaders plotted strategies to get to the Minister. I had daily meetings with a group of councillors I affectionately called the " War Department. " Myles Lawlor made 1000's of post cards that citizens could sign with messaging to the Minister. We collected 1000's of them and sent them directly to the Minister so every day he would receive about 100. The Independent Free Press jumped on board with clip out coupons of their own to save our hospital. There were 7039 that were collected and signed by angry Halton Hills citizens in a 10day period. I issued weekly press releases to keep this issue top of mind. Believe me it soon became the number one issue in our community.
We decided to have put a notice on a Friday edition of the paper to hold a rally for our hospital on the following Wednesday. Myself and the councillors weren't sure what the turn out was going to be but we encouraged everyone to make their own signs. The rally was to be held at Georgetown District High School. When we arrived, were we surprised as over 700 citizens crammed the gym. Man was it hot. Chants of shame, shame and Save our Hospital were loud and clear. Citizens of all ages were there and many colorful homemade placards were waving in the crowd. We had Dr. Sutherland and Dr. Debbie Zeni speak, as well as myself and Jane Fogal. Councillor Fogal received the loudest cheer when she suggested that CAO of William Osler Bob Bell dust off his resume and look for a new job. He was a pompous little ass.
That hot humid night many citizens signed up to go to a protest at Queen's Park the following Tuesday June 15th. Many were our senior citizens. On Monday afternoon I received a faxed letter from the board saying that William Osler were not going to close obstetrics on July 5th. I cancelled the protest at Queen's Park. The following day I met many people in the Moldmasters auditorium as they were prepared to go to Queen's Park. We won! We won! So we thought.
Myself, Jane Fogal and Councillor Jon Hurst drove to Toronto to let those know who we couldn't get a hold of in time, that the protest had been called off. Upon returning to the my office the phone had been ringing from nurses saying they have now been told they cannot book summer holidays as they didn't know when obstetrics was going to close. Well I got on the phone immediately and phoned Osler CAO Bob Bell to ask what the heck is going on. He said, "all I said I wasn't going to close obstetrics on July 5th but it will close sometime before the end of summer." Needless to say choice words were exchanged. The best volley came from Councillor Jon Hurst as he laid into Bell over his handling of the nurses. We hung up. They winked and we blinked.
The next day I made one of my first major decisions and decided we are going to Queen's Park on June 24th the last day of the legislature. I called Buzz Hargrove to get the CAW out. I called Sid Ryan who brought out two busloads of retired nurses from Oshawa.
Our first rally which was cancelled had 5 busloads of protesters. Now the citizens were really riled. People don't like to be fooled. Once word got out that the Osler board tricked us we had even more sign up to travel to Queen's Park. We now had enough citizens to fill 8 buses in total plus many drove down themselves. Halton Hills you now have a protest happening. There is no course called "Queen's park protest 101." I had no idea what was going to happen.
June 24th buses showed up with so many people, seniors, expectant moms, children. You name it they were there. John Vierra of JV Clothing supplied everyone with a t-shirt with " Save Our Hospital " printed on them so we all looked unified.
We had about 10 speakers on the front lawn of Queen's Park. Global TV, CHCH news as well as the French CBC.
After the hour or so demonstration we went inside and held a press conference with Dr. Zeni. This was my first taste of the Toronto media. They had been generous.
Later Dr. Zeni and myself ran into Smitherman in the cafeteria. We exchanged words and wasn't sure if this was going to be good.
We grabbed our seats in the gallery for question period as the house just sat. Out of the blue, then deputy Preimier Greg Sorbara walked out of his seat in front of everyone came up the stairs and sat down beside me. Asked how I was doing and shared some small talk. Of course the hospital came up. I wasn't sure what that gesture meant but was hoping it was a good sign.
As the debate started, Minister Smitherman announced that he was not going to sign off any documents to close Obstetrics or paediatrics at the Georgetown Hospital. The six weeks of uncertainty of our hospital was over. My wife Josey, Councillor Fogal and myself all cheered loudly. When we cheered so did all political parties cheer. We cheered so loudly that the speaker of the house, Alvin Curling, asked us not to cheer anymore as he had lost control of the house with the excitement. It was a David vs. Goliath struggle and David won. Bob Bell soon resigned his position of CAO of William Osler after the Minister over ruled the hospital board.
Later George Smitherman transferred Georgetown Hospital to Halton Health Care. We are now with Milton and Oakville. Two communities that we have in common through our ties with Halton Region. There is another long story how that had transpired. The first move was to change the name of Georgetown Campus to it's original name Georgetown Hospital. Gawd, I hated that name Campus. Today, six years later, Georgetown Hospital is flourishing. There are now two obstetricians.
This is part of Halton Hills history that I am proud to have played a role in. This was largely due to the many people of Halton Hills who rallied in those six weeks to save our hospital.
The first thing was to put the new Health Minister George Smitherman on notice that our community was angry over the decision. I wrote a very strong letter outlining our communities deep concern with the impacts of closing our obstetrics. Many were worried that this was going to be the beginning of the end for the hospital. Georgetown hospital was opened in 1961 on Father's Day. In the mid 90's the Ontario government of the day had amalgamated Georgetown Hospital with two larger centers of Brampton and Etobicoke General to form William Osler. I always find that when there is an amalgamation the little guy always gets hurt. This was not going to happen in Halton Hills.
We organized two buses to go to Etobicoke Hospital to make plead our case to the board. I did a 10 minute deputation only to fall on deaf ears. Halton Hills had a strong council and many local doctors, community leaders plotted strategies to get to the Minister. I had daily meetings with a group of councillors I affectionately called the " War Department. " Myles Lawlor made 1000's of post cards that citizens could sign with messaging to the Minister. We collected 1000's of them and sent them directly to the Minister so every day he would receive about 100. The Independent Free Press jumped on board with clip out coupons of their own to save our hospital. There were 7039 that were collected and signed by angry Halton Hills citizens in a 10day period. I issued weekly press releases to keep this issue top of mind. Believe me it soon became the number one issue in our community.
We decided to have put a notice on a Friday edition of the paper to hold a rally for our hospital on the following Wednesday. Myself and the councillors weren't sure what the turn out was going to be but we encouraged everyone to make their own signs. The rally was to be held at Georgetown District High School. When we arrived, were we surprised as over 700 citizens crammed the gym. Man was it hot. Chants of shame, shame and Save our Hospital were loud and clear. Citizens of all ages were there and many colorful homemade placards were waving in the crowd. We had Dr. Sutherland and Dr. Debbie Zeni speak, as well as myself and Jane Fogal. Councillor Fogal received the loudest cheer when she suggested that CAO of William Osler Bob Bell dust off his resume and look for a new job. He was a pompous little ass.
That hot humid night many citizens signed up to go to a protest at Queen's Park the following Tuesday June 15th. Many were our senior citizens. On Monday afternoon I received a faxed letter from the board saying that William Osler were not going to close obstetrics on July 5th. I cancelled the protest at Queen's Park. The following day I met many people in the Moldmasters auditorium as they were prepared to go to Queen's Park. We won! We won! So we thought.
Myself, Jane Fogal and Councillor Jon Hurst drove to Toronto to let those know who we couldn't get a hold of in time, that the protest had been called off. Upon returning to the my office the phone had been ringing from nurses saying they have now been told they cannot book summer holidays as they didn't know when obstetrics was going to close. Well I got on the phone immediately and phoned Osler CAO Bob Bell to ask what the heck is going on. He said, "all I said I wasn't going to close obstetrics on July 5th but it will close sometime before the end of summer." Needless to say choice words were exchanged. The best volley came from Councillor Jon Hurst as he laid into Bell over his handling of the nurses. We hung up. They winked and we blinked.
The next day I made one of my first major decisions and decided we are going to Queen's Park on June 24th the last day of the legislature. I called Buzz Hargrove to get the CAW out. I called Sid Ryan who brought out two busloads of retired nurses from Oshawa.
Our first rally which was cancelled had 5 busloads of protesters. Now the citizens were really riled. People don't like to be fooled. Once word got out that the Osler board tricked us we had even more sign up to travel to Queen's Park. We now had enough citizens to fill 8 buses in total plus many drove down themselves. Halton Hills you now have a protest happening. There is no course called "Queen's park protest 101." I had no idea what was going to happen.
June 24th buses showed up with so many people, seniors, expectant moms, children. You name it they were there. John Vierra of JV Clothing supplied everyone with a t-shirt with " Save Our Hospital " printed on them so we all looked unified.
We had about 10 speakers on the front lawn of Queen's Park. Global TV, CHCH news as well as the French CBC.
After the hour or so demonstration we went inside and held a press conference with Dr. Zeni. This was my first taste of the Toronto media. They had been generous.
Later Dr. Zeni and myself ran into Smitherman in the cafeteria. We exchanged words and wasn't sure if this was going to be good.
We grabbed our seats in the gallery for question period as the house just sat. Out of the blue, then deputy Preimier Greg Sorbara walked out of his seat in front of everyone came up the stairs and sat down beside me. Asked how I was doing and shared some small talk. Of course the hospital came up. I wasn't sure what that gesture meant but was hoping it was a good sign.
As the debate started, Minister Smitherman announced that he was not going to sign off any documents to close Obstetrics or paediatrics at the Georgetown Hospital. The six weeks of uncertainty of our hospital was over. My wife Josey, Councillor Fogal and myself all cheered loudly. When we cheered so did all political parties cheer. We cheered so loudly that the speaker of the house, Alvin Curling, asked us not to cheer anymore as he had lost control of the house with the excitement. It was a David vs. Goliath struggle and David won. Bob Bell soon resigned his position of CAO of William Osler after the Minister over ruled the hospital board.
Later George Smitherman transferred Georgetown Hospital to Halton Health Care. We are now with Milton and Oakville. Two communities that we have in common through our ties with Halton Region. There is another long story how that had transpired. The first move was to change the name of Georgetown Campus to it's original name Georgetown Hospital. Gawd, I hated that name Campus. Today, six years later, Georgetown Hospital is flourishing. There are now two obstetricians.
This is part of Halton Hills history that I am proud to have played a role in. This was largely due to the many people of Halton Hills who rallied in those six weeks to save our hospital.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Three Musketears Skateboard Park Celebrates 3 Years!
Acton's Three Musketears Skateboard Park celebrates three years since it was opened. The celebration took place on International Skateboard Day. It is hard to believe that this skateboard park has already been open for three years as it just seems like yesterday that it opened. This skateboard park is in honour of three young teenagers who were tragically killed on Sept. 28th 2000 at a rail crossing outside of Acton. Travis Toth, Mark Everson and Rory Dick were avid skateboarders among other sports they enjoyed. Their parents and friends wanted to do something in honour of the boy's legacy. There was already a group of enthusiastic parents who wanted a skateboard park built in Acton. This was the perfect fit.
The total cost of the skateboard park was $265,000 in which $115,000 was raised by the community on numerous fundraising events including the popular Three Musketears Golf Tournament which still continues today. Councillor Clark Somerville, myself, Deb Fendley,Helen Colvin, Francis Niblock, Julie Roehrig did a lot of spade work on a committee called Acton Sports Action Park. There were public meetings we hosted for sites,design of the park as well as brainstormed many fundraising events.
Today the Three Musketears Skateboard park is enjoyed by many skateboarders as well as BMX'rs. Yesterday there were many kids enjoying competition as well as many family members of the boys were on hand. The weather was perfect to celebrate.You'd be surprised how many kids skateboard. How many of you only thought it was Bart Simpson who skateboarded?
Monday, June 21, 2010
Wasn't that a Party! - Big Daddy Festival a Success
The Big Daddy Festival has now come and gone. After months of planning events the weekend event in Halton Hills was a success. This is the only Festival in all of Canada that is dedicated to Father's Day.
Kudos to all of the volunteers who planned all the events. I saw countless volunteers, you couldn't miss them with their Big Daddy t-shirts, handing out brochures. Beatrice Sharkey and Laurent Thibault did an amazing job quarter backing this event. They were like City Pulse TV, they were everywhere.
The weekend was a blur for my wife Josey and I as there were so many events to go to. We were well fed from the Taste of Acton and the movie in the park was like being at the drive-in without a car. The chill zone in down town Georgetown was also a busy place all weekend.
Of course, Classics Against Cancer was a huge draw as well as the Show and Shine for Autism which featured close to 200 motorcycles.
Councillor Bob Inglis did a great job at the annual Father's Day service in the Glen. Williams Mill was also a bee hive of activity. I missed the father's and son's street hockey game but I heard it went very well. It was a real opportunity to show case Halton Hills.
I know the creative juices are flowing and there will be many more ideas that will come out for next year's event. The brochure listing all of the events and locations was excellent. I can really see this event growing and Halton Hills being the place to be on Father's Day. This well run weekend was full of activities for everyone and can only get better next year.
See you next year!
Friday, June 18, 2010
Halton Hills Sports Hall of Fame Inducts Six
One common thread in Halton Hills is its love for sports. Last night, Halton Hills Sports Museum inducted 6 individuals who played a key role in sports in Halton Hills. It was a night of reminiscing glory of yesteryear. Former Toronto Argo, Grey Cup Champion and Halton Hills resident Jim Kardash was the key note speaker.
Inducted in the Sports Hall of Fame were athletes and builders who devoted years in building sports and in Acton and Georgetown and now Halton Hills. Congratulations to Walter Dixon, David Armstrong and Frank Van de Valk for auto racing. They terrorized the racing tracks in the 60's. Paul Robinson, who scored 100 goals in a single season for the Georgetown Jr. C hockey team in 1967-68. Also was Haddy Smedema for best builder in Soccer. Haddy has dedicated 59 years to promoting and building the sport of soccer in Georgetown. Also hockey player Harold Townsley who played for many years and later coached many years in Acton was also inducted for hockey and baseball as best builder both sports. It was a wonderful night and a job well done by the Halton Hills Sports Museum Selection Committee.
Inducted in the Sports Hall of Fame were athletes and builders who devoted years in building sports and in Acton and Georgetown and now Halton Hills. Congratulations to Walter Dixon, David Armstrong and Frank Van de Valk for auto racing. They terrorized the racing tracks in the 60's. Paul Robinson, who scored 100 goals in a single season for the Georgetown Jr. C hockey team in 1967-68. Also was Haddy Smedema for best builder in Soccer. Haddy has dedicated 59 years to promoting and building the sport of soccer in Georgetown. Also hockey player Harold Townsley who played for many years and later coached many years in Acton was also inducted for hockey and baseball as best builder both sports. It was a wonderful night and a job well done by the Halton Hills Sports Museum Selection Committee.
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