I am
pleased that Deputy Mayor McLean submitted his “Letter to Editor” in the July
31st edition of Springwater News. You need to have that handy to make sense of
this article. A few people phoned me and asked if his letter angered me because
of his strong criticism of my opinions. My answer was “no”. I said it is
important that people see how he thinks, which is a good thing. I also believe
everyone is entitled to their opinion and point of view.
For those
trying to figure out who should lead our council for the next 4 years, you now
have a view from the second in command on council, the Deputy Mayor. You have
also seen articles from the Mayor in recent months. For balance, and since his
name is mentioned in the McLean letter, check out Les Stewart who has filed his
papers to run as your next deputy mayor. As McLean states, be informed with
facts and not swayed by the rhetoric.
McLean’s
initial information on the MSP approval is correct. It was done with a special
rule by the province. He ignores the fact that the Township and County did not
object to the mega development in Midhurst even though the plan offended all
good planning principles. Some say and I am sure actually believe that it was
out of the township’s control. If the Council had objected to the plan, there
would have been no special rule nor mega development, as the Midhurst Secondary
Plan is contrary to all the higher level provincial policies including the
County’s OP. The only scaremongering I see is from McLean when he mentions the
$100,000,000 potential lawsuit, if the Midhurst Mega City was stopped. First of
all, that number of $100,000,000 from the township lawyer was based on the
value of the infrastructure investment to serve the potential future 30,000
additional residents. Unlike the Gas Plant debacle that McLean refers to, which
was well underway when terminated, the zoning, which is the subject of an OMB
appeal, has still not been approved for the Midhurst developments and no
construction has been done. No money has been put in the ground as I write this
letter, but there are efforts behind the scenes trying to fast track it before
the Oct 27th election. Is
there a chance of a lawsuit if the MSP was cancelled? I would say yes as
lawsuits seem to be the norm of today. However, the developers speculated on
land they bought after the provincial policies were in place. The developers took
a calculated risk, lobbied elected officials at all levels and are hoping for a
win. This is quite legal and I would expect nothing less from a corporation
attempting to reward its shareholders. I have no complaints about the integrity
of the developers or landowners. They are trying to maximize their investments.
If the MSP were revisited and reduced in size is the cost of speculating and
the return may not be as anticipated. This is not a criticism of the business
model, it is just the way it works. Have you never speculated on something? Did
you win every time? No one is against development that is reasonable,
sustainable and compliments the areas where it is built which has been the
history of developments in Springwater until the high density plans for Centre
Vespra , the Midhurst Mega City and Hillsdale came along.
McLean’s
argument that the approvals before the OMB at this time have 150 conditions
that must be met is correct. I commend the township for creating a good
detailed list and many good conditions are included. I fear the developers will
fight each condition with the end result being that some important conditions
will be compromised. Now if the Township had insisted that all conditions were
met prior to a final OMB zoning approval that would be a different story. That
was done in Anten Mills some years ago and as a result the development has not
proceeded as there are still conditions that must be met and approved.
McLean’s criticism
of my premise that the rest of the township will suffer because of the
concentration of population in the south, is an example of old style thinking.
In 1994 there were no heavy concentrations of developments like we would see
with the Midhurst Mega Development, so his argument is a little dated (we are
now 20 years later) and illustrates his inability to see the big picture with a
long term view, which to me is worrisome.
His
explanation of how our water and sewer charges work is also correct. He ignores
the fact that since they are pooled, the unknown costs of operating a City
sized water and sewage facility that has miles of lines are a real threat to
those rates. He also failed to mention that 2 years into a plan to create the
necessary reserves for the replacement of our existing infrastructure, the
reserve was 30% underfunded according to the CFO of the day. That is why those on full services have an
annual 3 to 3.5% compounded increase in these rates for years to come. Do you
think it will get better when we add a $100,000,000 facility that we have no
idea what it will cost to operate?
His reference
to the BMA Management Consultant Report is a little overstated. There were few municipalities
in the comparison study that were the size and character of Springwater.
Besides, less than a third of the Ontario Municipalities participated. Remember
the township pays for the report.
I do agree
with McLean’s concluding paragraph in his letter. The next council has many
challenges because of the leadership of the last 8 years. I agree that the
upcoming election is not just about the Midhurst Secondary Plan. It is about
transparency and the leadership void that exists. Do your homework. If this
council and especially the Mayor and Deputy Mayor did as much research as I do
they probably could comment and make more effective arguments. They definitely have
more resources for information than I do. My opinions are based on fact not
conjecture.
Let’s elect
a council that has a vision for the entire township. Let’s finally choose a
council that actually listen’s to the electorate! There will be many on the
upcoming slate that will actually do that. I succeeded in business because I listened
to everyone and as result had the good fortune to manage some of the best
companies in their respective sectors. Yes I have strong opinions and have been
accused of being “too opinionated” but those opinions have been formed by
engaging many stakeholders not just a few that support my position.
Help me
lead that vision!
It’s your choice!
705-718-7031
