EDHS - More than a High School

Over the last year I became more familiar with the threat of the potential loss of Elmvale District High School. The closure appeared to be driven by the Simcoe County District School Board's search for efficiency and cost reduction. I had not been aware that the Accommodation Review Committee (ARC), a group mandated by the Ministry of Education, had spent over a year of work and 26 meetings to file its report. To then have the board's bureaucrats simply ignore the report and propose a totally different solution, was quite shocking. The education of students, length of travel and effectiveness of the schools themselves appeared to be secondary in their deliberation. It seemed that the ARC exercise was lip service and the board already had decided the direction it wanted to take. To become better informed I attended three of the meetings at the Board in the late Spring and early summer. Since then I attended an information night at EDHS in October and more recently a SERVE meeting in Elmvale in early December.
Currently I see two perspectives amongst the former ARC members and the SERVE group that is attempting to retain the high school. Some have been encouraged by the Board's decision to delay the decision, whereas others are quite suspicious and are keeping guard on developments.
It is surprising that the thought of closing a local school in a community such as Elmvale would be even considered, as it goes against everything the province is attempting to do in its approach to having complete communities which is clearly outlined in both their Places to Grow and Provincial Policy Statement documents. In Springwater Township, Elmvale is the closest you will find to being a complete community as defined by the Province. The only thing that it lacks is public transit. Part of the Provinces vision is already fulfilled by Elmvale with the fact, that because of the good design and layout of the village (built around a centre core), you can walk or bicycle everywhere. Elmvale, in its present state, could be used as a model for the building of new communities. Removing the only high school in the Township, would actually dismantle this model of excellence. It is unfortunate that this council saw fit to build the new administration in the middle of nowhere, rather than in Elmvale, as it would have further enhanced the complete community concept. To me the local school board either is out of sync with the province or think they know better. Like we saw with the County of Simcoe and Site 41, the elected School Board officials are being misguided by out of control bureaucrats.
I have been pleased that the Township of Springwater has stepped up to the plate and are actively involved with providing solutions and assistance to the SERVE group and are taking a lead role. The concept introduced by the Mayor at the Board meeting back in the early summer, speaks well to the matter. The vision of a Campus approach with Elmvale is a creative and thoughtful way of swaying the minds of those short sighted Board Trustees. It will hopefully bring the support of the higher levels of government including the province. By partnering with various stakeholders such as business, agriculture and manufacturing, new opportunities of learning may be brought to the Elmvale Campus and facilitated by EDHS attracting more students to enhanced learning offerings.
The school board's distorted view and misdirection certainly applies to more than just our beloved Elmvale District High School. The City of Barrie, our neighbor to the south seems to have a dysfunctional growth plan and continues its urban sprawl which is contrary to the provincial policies. Having spent time in Europe, it was interesting to see the rebuilding of city centres with the desire to attract new residents with the vision of reducing sprawl and traffic. The City of Barrie certainly needs to promote its city centre growth with a mix of residential and commercial development before it enters a new level of decay. The School board's review and recommendation of the closing of Prince of Wales School and now rumours of closing Barrie District Central Collegiate, can only be considered counterproductive to a positive future for Barrie's downtown.
I encourage you to contact your local School Board trustee and implore them to support these well established schools that serve our community well. These schools have contributed greatly to the health and well being of the communities they serve. The Board should be encouraged to spend the money and refurbish these great institutions rather than building large schools that better resemble “education factories”, rather than "places of learning" which they are meant be. As I have said before, in the case of Elmvale, if EDHS is allowed to close through the short sightedness of the Board, our entire community will be affected. None of us in Springwater wants that to happen.
You have a voice. Speak out now!

CBC News - Money - Tax Harmonization: Frequently Asked Questions

If you are trying to better understand the new harmonized sales tax in Ontario, this article is an easy read. The bottom line is that it will cost us all more money on most things we purchase.
It is an easy tax grab by the provincial government.

CBC News - Money - Tax Harmonization: Frequently Asked Questions

Olympic Torch Relay Coming to Elmvale

The Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay is coming to Springwater Township! The relay will visit Elmvale on Tuesday December 29th, and everyone is invited to come out and be a part of Olympic history!
The community-wide celebration includes multi-generational family-oriented sporting events, and an 'Olympic Race' around the Elmvale Community."We encourage all residents to come out to Elmvale on the morning of December 29th to help welcome the relay," said Mayor Guergis. This is a chance for everyone to be a part of Olympic history, and to get an up-close view of the torch as it passes through our community.
Springwater's Jason Harris will be a part of Olympic history as he carries the Olympic Torch in Elmvale on its way to the winter games in Vancouver. Jason is co-owner of Orr Lake Golf Club in Springwater Township, and was named a Torchbearer by iCoke, after making a commitment to be more physically and environmentally active.
"I’m excited to be a part of the 2010 Olympic Torch Relay," said Jason. "Carrying the torch in my own community will make it even more memorable."
Let's show our support for this important event and join in the celebration.
Check out the Township website www.springwater.ca for more information.

Help Springwater Council Develop a new Township Motto

Our Councillors are struggling with choosing a new motto to accompany the new logo they approved a couple of months ago. To me, none of the proposals speak to the unique rural blend of tight communities and agriculture that makes Springwater special. It is unfortunate that the council did not make this an exciting competition open to the residents of the township. I am sure quite a few people may have provided suggestions.

Here is what the experts at Y Factor suggested.

United Today for Tomorrow
The Star of SimcoeCounty
Routes for Life
Connect with Neighbours and Nature
The Heart of Simcoe County
In Harmony Today and Tomorrow
Past, Present, Future in Harmony
Scenic Vistas and Friendly People
Nature’s Junction
Live Here –Naturally
Traditional Values in Modern Communities
A Perfectly Balanced Lifestyle

If you have an opinion, contact your ward councillor or the Mayor with your suggestions. The Mayor was quite annoyed that council did not confirm "The Heart of Simcoe County" at Monday's Council Meeting. He lobbied hard at the last meeting to get it passed. Maybe you can help the impass by providing some ideas.
On the other hand, at the meeting in Elmvale back in the Spring, I mentioned that I saw nothing wrong with the motto former Mayor John Brown had chosen. Even though "A Refreshing Experience", sounds like a bottled water company it spoke better to what Springwater is, compared to the list above.

A Vision for Sustainable Communities

Dr. Michael Powell on behalf of the Elmvale Foundation, in a very articulate and impromptu address to the Corporate Services Committee today, outlined a visionary approach to grow towards a sustainable future by involving all the stakeholders. He emphasized the need to focus on the key elements of air, water and soil in our plans for the future. We must seek the cure rather than just focus on the bandaid solutions of land fills and incineration when it comes to waste and recycle management.
It was somewhat disappointing to see members of the committee talk about reasons of why it won't work rather than embracing the concept. Some even suggested that maybe someone else should try it first.
I was disappointed that the committee only received the report rather than passing a motion to have the Elmvale Foundation directly involved with developing the waste strategy of the future for our County.
I would hope Dr. Powell would consider a similar delegation to Springwater Council as it may be an ideal municipality to undertake his visionary approach.

G-Force Misfires this time

The Springwater Council was quite civilized on Monday Nov 2. The Mayor and Deputy Mayor were quite cordial, so I don't know what will come of the fireworks from Oct 15th where Deputy Mayor Hope challenged Mayor Guergis on a number of items.However it appears that Mayor Guergis was about to pull one of his usual tricks when it came to Item 2 on the correspondence/action items under the heading "Resolution from the Township of Essa regarding the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority", requesting an independent review of services and fees. On the surface it sounds harmless and could even be considered being good stewards of the taxpayers money. When it appeared that council would not be supporting the resolution, Mayor Tony pulled out his delay weapon, THE DEFFERAL. He suggested the matter should be deferred until a later time when more information was forthcoming. In real terms what he meant, "Let's not record that we are not supportive of the Essa Resolution where my brother Dave is Mayor".For those that have been following the saga with the NVCA, Mayor Dave Guergis in Essa first attempted to have it disbanded. When that approach failed, he seems to be doing everything he can to put stumbling blocks in their way to prevent them from doing their job. I am not saying the NVCA is perfect but its the best we have to prevent uncontrolled growth on questionable flood plains such as the undeveloped property beside the No Frills store in Angus. I wonder who owns that property?
Anyway, the Spingwater Township Councillors after months of being dragged down by his one man Site 41 show, ignored the mayor's deferral request and passed a resolution to "not endorse" the resolution provided by Essa. It was good to see the Springwater councillors stand up to the Mayor's rather persuasive ways. I think we will see more of that independent thinking for the rest of the term.

More Wasted Money at the County of Simcoe

County of Simcoe New Solid Waste Management Strategy-
Stantec Hired to Develop 20-year Strategy for Waste Diversion and Disposal

I read with interest the above titled Oct 27 release from Rob McCullough and Allan Greenwood.
The County Environmental Services staff continue to amaze me. They appear to be a department out of control and not answerable to anyone. I also know that there are many other departments and staff that are quite dedicated and work hard.
In business from time to time you need specialized services from outside agencies and consultants as they are short term requirements and would not merit hiring a full time person. Examples would be architects, lawyers, auditors, mechanical engineers and so on.
It appears that when actual work needs to be done by the Environmental Services Department at the County, a consultant is engaged. The same appears to be the case with Communication Department at the county. That to me is a sign of one of two problems. Either the existing staff lacks competence or they are simply lazy. I am not sure which applies at the county.
If the Manager of Environmental Services is not capable of investigating new waste management technologies and their potential use for the county then I think we have a problem. It should be in his job description that this is his responsibility not that of Stantec. Site 41 and its fiasco exemplified the lack of competence in my estimation. Possibly he needs further education to increase his knowledge and ability or possibly the job has outgrown the individual and a higher level of skill is now required. That needs to be assessed by the CAO and council.
The amount of wasted money at the county level seems to go unchecked and no attempt appears to be made to reduce budgets as most companies have been forced to undertake in the past two years.
The Warden and Councillors are to be the stewards of our county and the resources that it manages.
I ask that you take that responsibility more seriously and hold your senior staff more accountable. Instead of rubber stamping reports without much thought or study, challenge them much more when they appear to be cavalier about engaging outside services that should be part of their job function.
Having experience with consultants, it is quite common that as much as half of the fee is spent on learning about the organization and its requirement, not actually assisting with the solutions or recommendations. That is why the decision to use outside services must be well thought out and analysed in a good old fashion “return on investment” basis. The other key question should always be, “Can we do it ourselves?”
In the case of alternate waste diversion solutions, the manager should be doing all the legwork including the research and investigative work. He should then make a recommendation for a course of action. Council should then approve a plan. If specialized services or consultants are then required to implement the agreed solutions, then so be it.
That’s how it works in the real world.

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