Month: June 2012

 

The Township of South Dundas, along with the Eastern Ontario Health Unit, is proud to announce the launch of the South Dundas Charter for Active Living. 

To kick off the launch, we are planning an “On the Go Dundas County” challenge where South Dundas will compete against North Dundas in a healthy living challenge. 

Linking Hands and the Eastern Ontario Health Unit are teaming up with North Dundas and South Dundas Townships to challenge all residents to exercise and eat well for four weeks. This is a competition between the townships to see who can get the most participants. 

The challenge will encourage residents of all ages to incorporate physical activity and healthy eating into their daily routine. 

The “On the Go” challenge will be taking place between June 3rd and July 14th with the best four weeks used to accumulate the minimum necessary minutes and servings for both physical activity and healthy eating. 

You can pick any four week period between June 3rd and July 14th to take the challenge.

If residents meet the minimum requirements they will be entered into a draw for prizes. Prizes include gift certificates for recreation programs, green food bags and other great prizes.

We encourage you to participate in order to accumulate points for your township to see which township gets the most participants.

You can pick up your On the Go tracking and prize entry form at the township office, 4296 County Road 31, as well as at any of the Dundas libraries.

The goal of the South Dundas Charter for Active Living is to improve the physical and mental well-being of South Dundas residents by encouraging families and individuals to integrate active living in their everyday life as they learn, work and play through continued education, promotion of healthy living and accessible programming. 

We want to ensure that every resident has the chance to live an active lifestyle through accessible and affordable recreation programming, accessible parks and playing fields and community activities. 

For more information on the Charter for Active Living, please visit the recreation page of the Township of South Dundas website at www.southdundas.com or contact Ben Macpherson, Recreation Program Coordinator, at 613-543-2937.

[…]

 

“It’s been a nightmare,” said Bert Geertsma, a resident of South Dundas, who recently received a bill of $18,313.85 from the Township of South Dundas.

The bill is for Geerstma’s portion of an engineering report for the Barkley Branch to the Weegar McMillan Municipal Drain.

The issue, according to Bert’s brother Jake, began with a simple desire to have the “crick” cleaned out. He had gotten an estimate for the job, approximately $42,000 altogether, and ventured forth to the township to find out how to proceed.

According to Jake, he was told by Don Lewis, manager of planning and enforcement in South Dundas, that he would need to get his neighbours involved by signing a petition.

Armed with 15 names, Jake said that he went back to the township with the paper and then waited for further instruction.

According to Bert, in early November of 2011, affected residents received notification that the Barkley Branch project would cost approximately $350,000 to complete based on an engineering report by SAI Engineering.

Several neighbours withdrew their support for the “cleaning” only to discover that they were now on the hook for the engineering report fee, something the Geertsma brothers maintain they were not informed about prior to the report taking place.

In fact, both brothers maintain that they wanted the Barkley Branch creek cleaned out, but that the report is actually an estimate on creating a whole new municipal drain. “We got a report we never asked for,” said Bert.

“He just went on his own and did it,” said Jake, referring to Lewis.

According to Bert, the engineering report itself cost approximately $41,000 and was divided amongst a handful of residents.

Armed with examples from other Ontario municipalities and backed by his Ottawa lawyer, Donald R. Good, Bert maintains that the initial petition is invalid and, therefore, those listed should not be held accountable for the bill. 

The petition in question is a two-sided form: side A is meant to be a geographical description of the property requiring drainage work while side B is meant for names, contact information, and each land owner’s lot description.

Land owners who signed or printed their names on the form used side A, never actually seeing side B, which has a disclaimer explaining liability.

This alone, said Bert, should have caught the attention of township administration and the form should have been returned with instructions for filling it out properly. This, he said, wasn’t done.

In addition, several properties are co-owned between wife and husband, but only one person has signed. To be legal, he explained, the form requires both signatures.

Not only does the form lack the requisite co-owner signatures, said Bert, but it also lacked the signature of the township clerk.

For these reasons, Bert maintains that the township and the engineer should have recognized the petition as invalid and, therefore, chosen not to proceed.

Speaking for the Township of South Dundas, mayor Steven Byvelds, said that “council had a meeting to consider it. Council did what it had to do with the Act,” maintaining that proper procedures, as outlined by the Drainage Act, were followed.

“The township is trying to wash their hands of us,” said Bert. “I’ve talked to councillors in other townships and they can’t believe what’s going on.”

“All we wanted was a clear out,” emphasized Jake, referring back to the $42,000 estimate he’d already gotten from a “reputable contractor” prior to the whole issue taking place. “We got ripped off big time.”

Bert is committed to proceeding with legal action, if necessary.

[…]

 

“I have received information from other groups in South Western Ontario that proponents have been revisiting councils who have wind turbine projects proposed for their areas in an effort to gain their approval,” said Bruce Albers, president of the South Branch Wind Opposition Group.

Concerned by the information, Albers and the opposition group sent a letter to several governmental representatives including council members for both South Dundas and Edwardsburgh/Cardinal townships as well as local members of parliament and members of provincial parliament.

“The letter was to remind both South Dundas and Edwardsburgh/Cardinal councils that there is a significant number of residents who oppose these projects,” said Albers, “meaning councils should not assume the community is in favour of such projects.”

In the letter, the group stated: “We sincerely hope that if the Ontario government initiates any call to municipalities, townships or counties soliciting support that the broader public, including groups such as ours, will be consulted and included in the determination of any assignment of ‘points’.”

Premier Dalton McGuinty’s recent changes to the Green Energy Act outline a points system whereby a community’s interest in wind projects is determined. The initiative is meant to help those communities who want the projects to get them more quickly.

There is not, as of yet, a system or device by which a community can outright refuse projects.

The South Branch Wind Opposition Group’s letter ended with a plea: “Your assistance in ensuring that all voices of affected residents are considered and heard in this divisive debate is appreciated.”

On June 4th, South Dundas mayor Steven Byvelds reported that council has not been approached by any wind company proponents other than Prowind Canada. 

He also confirmed that council has not been approached by any provincial governmental body in relation to the points system.

“We will follow whatever the protocol is,” said Byvelds, in reference to dealing with any future  contact from possible wind company proponents.

[…]

 

“That’s the amazing part,” said South Dundas mayor Steven Byvelds, “that there are some more young people coming along.”

Byvelds was referring to what he said was a 10 per cent increase in population for the 0 to 4 age group in South Dundas, as outlined in Statistics Canada’s Census Profile for South Dundas.

While base numbers were released earlier this year, a breakdown of gender and age groups was released only recently.

Where we’ve grown the most, Byvelds pointed out, is in the 60 to 75 age group. “They see something they like and they move,” he said, suggesting that the change does present some challenges.

“We’re getting older. The median population has increased,” he said. In 2006, the median population was 43.6 whereas in 2011 it was 47.3. “We’ll have to see how we work with the numbers and how we go from there.”

He pointed out that there is an encouraging increase in the population of those in their 20’s, but lamented the loss of “some of those in their 30’s, in their prime employment years.”

The population of South Dundas, according to the Census Profile, has grown 2.5 per cent in the last five years. The breakdown in gender put females ahead of males in South Dundas by 185 in 2011.

While the majority of the population, 84.9 per cent, was aged 15 and over in 2011, there were 1,640 children aged 14 and under in South Dundas. Of those between the ages of 15 and 19, there were 695.

In 2011, the breakdown in population in South Dundas according to age was as follows: 945 people in their 20s; 1,025 people in their 30s; 1,600 people in their 40s; 1,715 people in their 50s; 1,695 people in their 60s; 930 people in their 70s; and 540 people in their 80s.

[…]