DRAINAGE DISPUTE IN DIVISIONAL COURT TODAY
CITY LEGAL REPRESENTATIVES WILL BE IN A HAMILTON COURTROOM TODAY, APPEALING A DRAINAGE TRIBUNAL RULING MADE AGAINST WELLAND A YEAR AGO.
THE CITY'S CASE IS ON THE DOCKET FOR 10 A.M.
THE CITY IS APPEALING A RULING FROM THE AGRICULTURE, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS APPEAL TRIBUNAL FROM FEB. 16, 2007, WHICH ORDERED WELLAND TO APPOINT AN ENGINEER TO LOOK INTO DRAINAGE PROBLEMS IN A BALSAM COURT SUBDIVISION, AND RESOLVE THE SITUATION.
THE CITY IS APPEALING THE VERDICT SAYING THE PROVISIONS WITHIN THE PLAN OF SUBDIVISION AND THE PLANNING ACT REGARDING STORMWATER DRAINAGE SHOULD TAKE PRECEDENCE, AND THE DRAINAGE TRIBUNAL HAS NO JURISDICTION IN THE MATTER.
THERE'S TOO MANY POLITICIANS IN THE NIAGARA REGION
THE DEMISE OF THE NIAGARA REGION IS INEVITABLE.
THE DEMISE OF THE NIAGARA REGION IS INEVITABLE.
WE HAD A FEW CHANCES FOR NEW INDUSTRY IN THE REGION, BUT THE POWERS THAT BE FAILED.
OVER THE YEARS, THIS WAS A VIBRANT INDUSTRIAL, MANUFACTURING AND AGRICULTURAL COMMUNITY, BUT WE CAN'T LIVE IN THE PAST.
THE NIAGARA REGION IS DESTINED TO BE A RETIREMENT COMMUNITY. PEOPLE ARE RETIRING AT AN ALARMING RATE AND MORE WILL REMAIN HERE.
THE YOUNGER GENERATIONS ARE GETTING HIGHLY QUALIFIED IN COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY. THE PROBLEM IS THAT THERE ARE FEW JOB VACANCIES HERE, SO THEY HAVE TO MOVE ELSEWHERE.
PEOPLE ARE RETIRING IN THE TORONTO AREA AND RELOCATING TO THE NIAGARA PENINSULA. WE HAVE MANY EXCELLENT GOLF COURSES, WATERWAYS FOR RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES AND EXCELLENT TRAILS FOR WALKING, RUNNING, CYCLING, INLINE SKATING, ETC. THERE ARE ALWAYS WAYS TO ENJOY YOURSELF AND TO KEEP PHYSICALLY ACTIVE. IT'S UP TO THE INDIVIDUAL.
THERE IS ONE THING THAT IRKS ME IN THE NIAGARA PENINSULA - ITS REGIONAL GOVERNMENT.
THERE'S TOO MANY POLITICIANS THAT CAN'T AGREE ON MANY ISSUES. WE DON'T NEED REGIONAL GOVERNMENT.
LET THE POLICE COMMISSION MAKE ITS OWN MIND UP WHERE TO ERECT ITS VARIOUS STATIONS. TOO MANY COOKS IN THE KITCHEN SPOIL THE BROTH.
L.A. MCKAY
WELLAND
ACCUSATIONS A TRAVESTY
IT IS SAFE TO CONJECTURE THE SAME PRACTICE OF BYPASSING SEWER SYSTEMS AND DUMPING DIRECTLY INTO THE LAKE IS CARRIED OUT IN ALL THE MUNICIPALITIES ON LAKE ERIE, FROM TOLEDO, OHIO, THROUGH DETROIT THROUGH WINDSOR ON DOWN TO FORT ERIE.]
NOW THAT'S HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS IF NOT MILLIONS OF CUBIC METRES OF RAW AND PARTIALLY TREATED SEWAGE BEING DUMPED INTO OUR LAKE ON A YEARLY BASIS. AND YET, FROM THE ARTICLE " BACTERIA BEACH" BY MICHAEL SPECK (FEB. 8), "ACCORDING TO THE REGION'S PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT, FAILING SEPTIC SYSTEMS HAVE RESULTED IN SERIOUS E. COLI AND COLIFORM CONTAMINATION, RESULTING IN NOT ONLY BEACH CLOSURES BUT ALSO A BOIL WATER ADVISORY."
HERE IN WAINFLEET WE HAVE ABOUT 1,400 LAKE-FRONT RESIDENCES WITH SEPTIC SYSTEMS. SOME OF THESE ARE "SUMMER COTTAGES" AND NOT USED YEAR-ROUND. REGARDLESS, IF EACH OF THESE RESIDENCES HAS A 1,000 GALLON SEPTIC TANK (VOLUME OF ROUGHLY 11.3 CUBIC METERS), AND MANY HAVE MUCH SMALLER TANKS THAN THAT, THE TOTAL VOLUME OF CONTAINED SEWAGE WITHIN ALL OF THESE TANKS WORKS OUT TO ABOUT 15,280 CUBIC METERS.
IF WE WERE TO PUMP ALL OF THE SEWAGE FROM ALL OF OUR TANKS DIRECTLY INTO THE LAKE ONCE A YEAR, IT WOULD STILL BE A LOT LESS THAN WHAT THE REGION DUMPS INTO OUR WATERWAYS ON A YEARLY BASIS.
THE THING IS THAT NONE OF US DO THAT!
NO MATTER HOW "BAD" OR "FAILING" OUR SEPTIC SYSTEMS MIGHT BE (AND MOST OF US GO TO GREAT PAIN AND EXPENSE TO KEEP OUR SEPTIC SYSTEMS IN GOOD REPAIR AT OUR OWN COST FOR OUR OWN WELL-BEING), THE SEEPAGE IS NEGLIGIBLE COMPARED TO WHAT THE REGION AND OTHER MUNICIPALITIES DUMP INTO THE LAKE.
UNLIKE CITY FOLK, WE ARE VERY DISCRIMINANT IN FLUSHING OUR TOILETS, DOING SO ONLY WHEN "NECESSARY," IN ORDER NOT TO NEEDLESSLY OVERLOAD OUR SEPTIC SYSTEMS.
IF WE WERE TO DISCONNECT OUR SEPTIC SYSTEMS AND FLUSH OUR TOILETS DIRECTLY INTO THE LAKE AND FLUSH THE WAY TOWN FOLK DO, SAY 20 TIMES A DAY FOR A FAMILY OF FOUR, THAT WOULD WORK OUT TO 2,044,400 FLUSHES A YEAR, LESS THAN ONE-THIRD OF WHAT THE REGION DUMPED INTO OUR WATERWAYS IN 2005.
AGAIN, WE DON'T DO THAT. WE MAINTAIN OUR SEPTIC SYSTEMS, AT OUR OWN COST FOR OUR OWN GOOD.
AND YET WE ARE ACCUSED OF POLLUTING THE WATER TABLE AND LAKE ERIE AND ARE BEING FORCED TO HOOK UP (AT UNAFFORDABLE COSTS) TO FAILING EXISTING OLD TECHNOLOGY WATER AND SEWAGE TREATMENT SYSTEMS.
IF THIS ISN'T A TRAVESTY, PLEASE EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT IS.
ANDRÉ GERMAIN
PORT COLBORNE
WATER WOES COMPLAINTS RAMPANT OVER 'DOUBLE DIPPING' WATER BILLS;
ONE RESIDENT REFUSES TO PAY FULL AMOUNT
ST. CATHARINES
IT'S CERTAINLY ONE WAY TO GUARANTEE A RESPONSE FROM THE CITY.
Upset with what he calls "double-dipping" on the city's water bill, north end resident Bob Cole decided to send city hall a message.
Along with payment of his November water bill, Cole sent a letter to the city's billing manager saying he would not be paying the full amount. Specifically, he underpaid by $80, which represents the $40 customer charge for watermain replacement he says the city bills twice when it adds the 100 per cent sewer surcharge.
In his letter to billing manager Tracy Miller, Cole states the amount is supposed to be included in his $110 water bill, referring to portion of the bill labeled "current bill water charges," which represents the amount of water he used.
And since the water charges or consumption charge is added to the $40 customer charge to calculate the wastewater bill, Cole referred to it as double dipping.
The total bill was about $300; Cole paid around $220.
"It's already in the bill," he said. "Then they add it to it again."
Cole is far from the first resident to express frustration over the water bill. Though there has not been a rate increase since June 2006, city council, in an attempt to be more transparent, directed staff to reword the water bill, so that the $40 customer charge was shown. To many, it looks like an extra charge.
Cole certainly thought so when he compared his most recent bill to the July 2005 bill, before the city changed the format. The entire water bill was about $110, exactly $40 less than his current.
In that bill, the customer charge, then $30, was not spelled out on the bill sent to homes.
However, Cole didn't look at the consumption reading, which showed he used about 50 per cent more in his most recent bill.
The brochures sent out by the city to explain how bills are calculated were anything but self explanatory to many residents.
The section "Where does my water bill go?" breaks down into percentages the average annual residential water bill consuming 348 cubic meters. Just over 28 per cent goes to watermain replacement. That works out to about $120 -- $40 customer charges in the three bills each homeowner receives each year. It can be confusing to some, though, because it seems as if the section is only referring to the consumption charge, meaning customers are paying twice for watermain replacement.
As well, like several residents who have complained, Cole does not believe the wastewater charge should be calculated as 100 per cent of the water bill charge, mainly because not all the water he uses ends up in the sewer. If he waters his lawn for eight hours, he said, that's all water that does not have to be treated as sewage.
"What it does is stop people from doing anything on their property," he said.
The city calculates wastewater charges this way because sewage costs more to treat than water and, with rain water flowing into combined sewers, a greater volume of wastewater is treated than the amount of water sold to residents.
Until a few years ago, sewage costs were paid for by property taxes. It was determined that although not perfectly aligned, basing sewer charges on water charges was closer and more fair than basing it on property assessment, which is how property taxes are calculated.
Miller said she's not surprised to hear Cole say the city is double dipping.
"Everybody accuses us of that," she said, conceding that the more detail the city puts on the water bill, the more room for misinterpretation there is. Miller said her department is again reformatting the bill to make it more easier to understand.
However, she recommended against Cole's form of protest, saying he'll be sent a late payment notice and if the amount isn't paid, it will be recovered on the tax bill. The city can also cut off water service.
City treasurer Colin Briggs is currently working on a report about other ways of calculating sewage costs. Miller said that however it is calculated, the city still has to recover a certain amount to pay for sewage treatment, along with water sold from the region and the infrastructure for both.
"We still have to capture the amount of money to pay for the two systems," she said.
ONE VOICE NEEDED ON WATERFRONT: COUNCIL
GRIMSBY
GRIMSBY COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE CALLING ON THE FRIENDS OF THE WATERFRONT COMMITTEE TO WORK ALONGSIDE THE TOWN WHEN IT COMES TO PURSUING A CONCEPT FOR THE FUTURE OF THE WATERFRONT.
AFTER AN UPDATE FROM FRIENDS OF THE WATERFRONT COMMITTEE CO-CHAIR DENNIS D'ALESSANDRO ON WHAT THE COMMITTEE HAS BEEN WORKING ON, ALDERMAN STEVE BERRY SAID HE WAS CONCERNED THAT "TOO MANY PEOPLE ARE APPROACHING THE SAME PEOPLE" WHEN IT COMES TO SEEKING FUTURE WATERFRONT LAND OPPORTUNITIES.
"WE REALLY NEED TO BE SPEAKING WITH ONE VOICE," HE SAID.
HE COMMENDED THE COMMITTEE FOR ITS EFFORTS, BUT SAID THE TOWN HAS BEEN PURSUING FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES WITH THE LANDOWNERS THAT TOWN MANAGER GARY SHAY WAS ASKED TO WORK ON.
"I THINK WE NEED TO BE SPEAKING WITH ONE VOICE, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO LAND ACQUISITION," HE SAID. "WE ALL HAVE THE SAME GOAL, BUT WE'RE NOT SPEAKING WITH THE SAME VOICE."
THAT WAS A CONCERN ECHOED BY GRIMSBY MAYOR BOB BENTLEY. HE SAID THE WORK THE COMMITTEE HAS COMPLETED IS IMPORTANT, BUT IT IS THE TOWN THAT NEEDS TO BE APPROACHING THE PROPERTY OWNERS WHEN IT COMES TO OWNERSHIP AND SALES.
"IT'S ACTUALLY CAUSED US TO GO BACKWARDS AND HAVE TO REBUILD SOME BRIDGES THAT WERE BURNED," HE SAID OF THE COMMITTEE'S WORK.
HE NOTED, HOWEVER, THE COMMITTEE'S INPUT IS USEFUL, WHETHER IT'S AS PLANNING FOR THE WINSTON ROAD NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN OR AS A POTENTIAL SUBCOMMITTEE LOOKING AT WATERFRONT OPPORTUNITIES.
"WE WILL CONTINUE IN THE DIRECTION WE'RE HEADED," BENTLEY SAID. "HOPEFULLY WE CAN DO THAT TOGETHER."
D'ALESSANDRO, IN HIS DELEGATION TO COUNCIL, SAID SUPPORT FOR A PROPOSED THREE-KILOMETRE WATERFRONT TRAIL IN THE WEST END OF GRIMSBY IS "OVERWHELMING AND CONTINUES TO GROW." EVERYONE FROM MAJOR BUSINESSES TO SERVICE CLUBS SHOWED THEIR SUPPORT.
HE NOTED HE HAS EVEN APPROACHED NIAGARA WEST-GLANBROOK MP DEAN ALLISON, WHO WILL BE ASKING THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE PETER MACKAY ABOUT GETTING A "RIGHT OF PASSAGE" AT MINISTRY OF DEFENCE LANDS ON WINSTON ROAD FOR THE TRAIL.
HE SAID THE TRAIL WOULD COST ABOUT $1 MILLION TO $2 MILLION TO CONSTRUCT AND IF COMPLETED, GRIMSBY TAXPAYERS COULD BE OFF THE HOOK WHEN IT COMES TO PAYING.
"THE MONEY FOR WATERFRONT PROJECTS COME FROM THE FEDERAL AND PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENTS, LARGE CORPORATIONS AND THROUGH PRIVATE DONATIONS," D'ALESSANDRO SAID. "NUMEROUS TRAILS AND WATERFRONTS FROM NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE TO THE QUEBEC BORDER, IN ADDITION TO COMMUNITIES MUCH FURTHER NORTH, HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED THIS TYPE OF FUNDING."
THE TOWN, HOWEVER, WOULD BE ON THE HOOK FOR MAINTENANCE AND ANY POTENTIAL COSTS TO DO WITH SHORELINE EROSION PROTECTION. THE LATTER, SAID ALD. JOHN CRUICKSHANK, COULD BE A CONCERN.
"THAT CAN BECOME A BIG TICKET ITEM VERY QUICKLY," SAID CRUICKSHANK.
MAYOR BOB BENTLEY SAID THE TOWN IS DOING WHAT IT CAN TO ACQUIRE WATERFRONT LAND, BUT NOTED THE CONCEPT OF A WATERFRONT TRAIL IS NOT SOMETHING THAT CAN BE COMPLETED OVERNIGHT.
BACTERIA BEACH E. COLI BACTERIA LEVELS IN LAKE ERIE FORCED THE CLOSURE OF BEACHES IN NIAGARA FOR NEARLY ONE-FIFTH OF THE SUMMER IN 2007
REGIONAL
When standing on the sandy beaches and gazing out at the beauty of Lake Erie, it's hard to believe that the body of water was once considered lifeless.
A "dead" lake, diseased with harmful algae blooms caused by human mistreatment of the water. The blooms rose from the bottom of Lake Erie to the surface, causing large-scale fish death and leaving the water a stinky mess, a problem which occurred with all the Great Lakes.
"Lake Erie was the worst off because it was the shallowest and had the greatest population relative to its size," said Dr. Joseph Atkinson, professor of the Great Lakes program at the University of Buffalo.
BUT THE PROBLEM WAS DIAGNOSED, AND THE CAUSE OF ALGAE BLOOMS, PHOSPHORUS AND DETERGENT RUNOFF, WAS STOPPED.
"(LAKE ERIE IS) IN A LOT BETTER SHAPE THAN IT WAS 30 YEARS AGO," SAID ATKINSON.
But staying healthy is just as much work as getting healthy and some question if the lake really is much healthier than it was in the 1960s and '70s.
Visitors to Lake Erie and Lake Ontario beaches throughout Niagara commonly happen upon signs stating warnings such as "Beach closed for public safety concerns" and "Swim at your own risk," quickly putting a damper on a day of fun in the sun. A recent report says about one-fifth of swimming days were lost throughout the summer of 2007 in Niagara's beaches. Wainfleet topped the list with 256 days lost at its 10 beaches, with Long Beach Conservation West Beach topping the list with 50 lost days
Truly wondrous, Lake Erie's warm, shallow water and rocky but gentle tides make it the greatest of the Great Lakes, but enjoying that wonder firsthand is often forbidden.
Pollution of Lake Erie, as well as the other Great Lakes, is no secret. It's more like a local fact of life.
But with the lake in better shape than it was 30 years ago, and a worldwide realization of the environment's importance, what why are Lake Erie and Lake Ontario still in pain?
On Niagara's southeastern lakeshore, Fort Erie town council recently made headlines when it decided to notify the public when sewage and wastewater is dumped into Lake Erie or any other water course.
Dumping raw sewage, however, isn't specific to Fort Erie. In December 2006, Niagara Falls pumped more than 11 million litres of waste into the Welland River during a rain storm.
When large rainfalls cause sewer systems to back up, the only alternative for municipalities is often to dump the sewage into a water course, despite the fact many experts agreed that is the main reason for E. coli contamination at public beaches.
"Usually beaches are closed if E. coli is above a certain cutoff value," said Atkinson, adding "if you look for it, you can find contamination anywhere."
HUMAN SEWAGE RUNOFF INTO LAKE ERIE IS A MORE UNIQUE, AND SERIOUS, PROBLEM ON THE WESTERN SIDE IN WAINFLEET.
According to the region's public health department, failing septic systems have resulted in serious E. coli and coliform contamination, resulting in not only beach closures but also a boil water advisory.
While a solution in Wainfleet is years away because of ongoing political and financial disputes between the residents and the local governments, Bill Hunter of the Niagara Regional Public Health Department, said once action is agreed taken, there could be "significant improvement" in that area in just a few years.
The crisis caused an extended boil water advisory, similar to the one in effect in Wainfleet.
According to Niagara Region, it will be generations before the bacteria in the area is flushed out, either naturally or by human intervention.
"It could take anywhere from 50 to several thousand years," said Hunter, on the amount of time it will take the ecosystem to flush out the E. coli once sewage contamination begins to decline.
The unique context of Wainfleet's lakeshore is itself one of the reasons the germs will remain for so long, Hunter explained. Biological contents can move through the loose sand on the Lake Erie beaches very quickly, but in the clay and bedrock, the process becomes much slower.
"It will be an extremely long time before the water is restored to being potable," said Hunter.
It could also mean beach closures aren't going to slow down anytime soon. For Dave Drobich, supervisor of the Long Beach Conservation Area campground, it's not something out of the norm.
"We do get beach closures very frequently throughout the summer," he said.
Although Drobich wouldn't speculate how badly beach closures affect the volume of people who decide to come and stay at the recreational campground, he said the region is doing a good job of keeping people informed of the status of the beach via its website.
"Surely the condition of the beach, one way or the other, is going to affect us somehow," said Drobich, adding that the beach is the "primary attraction" at the Long Beach Conservation Area.
"When a beach is posted (as unsafe), whether people choose to adhere to it or to ignore it is a personal decision."
The Port Colborne Conservation Club, which hosts the annual 444 Walleye Tournament, isn't directly affected by Lake Erie contamination, said president Chris MacEachern.
"Usually E. coli problems are based close to shore," he said. "The seaweed blows on shore and it rots," adding the fish "like to swim deep."
BUT WHETHER IT'S MUNICIPALITIES DUMPING SEWAGE OUT OF AGING TREATMENT PLANTS OR FAULTY SEPTIC SYSTEMS FOUND ON PRIVATE PROPERTIES, ONE WONDERS HOW MUCH LAKE ERIE CAN TAKE BEFORE IT CAN BE CALLED DEAD AGAIN.
Said Public Health's Hunter: "It's fair to say the longer the problem is left, the more danger there is."
REGION OPTS FOR PIPE PLAN WETLAND IDEA WILL BE EXPLORED
REGIONAL
A plan to pump leachate from the Line 5 landfill in Niagara-on-the-Lake to a sewage pumping station in St. Davids has been given the go-ahead by Niagara regional politicians.
Regional council approved the $1.3-million plan Jan. 17, despite fact St. Davids residents are opposed to the idea of sending the leachate to the pumping station via a pipe, and then having it pumped to the Stanley Avenue sewage treatment plant in Niagara Falls.
But the region hasn't closed the door on the possibility that a wetland could be constructed at the landfill site to treat the leachate, as some residents wanted.
Ken Brothers, commissioner of public works for the region, told regional council that his staff will report back on the feasibility of a wetland.
A week earlier, regional politicians heard the pipe plan was necessary because there simply wasn't time to explore the wetland option alone.
Barry Friesen, director of waste management services for the region, said although the region is currently collecting and trucking leachate to the sewage treatment plant -- an expensive process -- leachate continues to build up at the landfill and is in danger of migrating off-site, contaminating surrounding land.
Friesen said a wetland plan would require the approval of various government agencies, and that approval isn't guaranteed. When residents balked at how the environmental assessment process for the Line 5 leachate issue was handled, the region hired a consultant to review how it was done. The consultant conceded the wetland alternative should have been given more consideration in the assessment process, but said the wetland idea would require a pilot project that could be costly.
Niagara-on-the-Lake Mayor Gary Burroughs and Coun. Dave Lepp convinced fellow regional councillors to continue to look at the wetland option, despite the region going with the pipe plan.
ALDERMAN BLASTS EDITORIAL
THE PRESIDENT OF THE WAINFLEET VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER ASSOCIATION SAID THE TRIBUNE SHOULD NO LONGER BE ALLOWED TO ATTEND WAINFLEET BUDGET MEETINGS.
GORD DAVIES WAS A DELEGATE AT LAST NIGHT'S COUNCIL MEETING WHEN HE EXPRESSED CONCERNS WITH AN EDITORIAL THAT APPEARED IN THE THURSDAY FEB. 6 EDITION OF THE TRIBUNE.
THE EDITORIAL STATED THAT ALD. TED HESSELS, WHO IS A VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER AND MEMBER OF COUNCIL, DOES NOT HAVE A LEGAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST WHEN VOTING ON THE VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER POINTS BUDGET, BUT MAY HAVE A MORAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST.
THE BUDGET WENT BEFORE COUNCIL LAST MONDAY WHEN MEMBERS VOICED THEIR CONCERNS TOWARDS INCREASING THE VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER POINTS FUND TO $90,000 FROM $80,000, A 12 PER CENT INCREASE.
INSTEAD, COUNCIL VOTED TO CONTINUE WITH PREVIOUS INCREASES OF $5,000 AND TO RAISE THE TOTAL FUNDS TO $85,000 WITH THE ADDITIONAL $5,000 PUT INTO RESERVES.
DAVIES QUOTED THE EDITORIAL WHICH STATED: "ESSENTIALLY, (HESSELS) WAS ARGUING A MUNICIPAL MATTER THAT COULD MAKE HIS WALLET FATTER."
"I WOULD HOPE THESE ARE ALL MISQUOTES BY THE TRIBUNE, AND NOT THE COUNCIL'S TRUE FEELINGS," HE SAID.
ALD EVAN MAIN RESPONDED SAYING THAT QUOTES MADE IN A TRIBUNE STORY (WHICH LED TO THE EDITORIAL) BY HIMSELF, ALDS RUDY WARKENTIN, RON KRAMER AND MAYOR BARB HENDERSON WERE "ACCURATE."
"I HEARD PRAISE AROUND THE TABLE. IT WAS JUST THAT IT WAS A BUDGET MEETING AND THAT'S HOW COUNCIL FELT."
DAVIES THEN REPLIED, "WELL MAYBE PERHAPS WHEN THESE THINGS ARE BEING DEALT WITH MAYBE THE TRIBUNE SHOULDN'T BE THERE."
"THEY HAVE A LEGAL RIGHT TO BE THERE," MAIN RESPONDED.
"ALL THEY'VE DONE HERE IS GIVE US A BLACK EYE AND WE'RE NOT APPRECIATIVE OF THAT," DAVIES SAID. HE CONTINUED BY SAYING THE COMMENTS MADE IN THE OPINION PIECE WERE NOT NECESSARY AND USING HESSEL'S NAME IN THE EDITORIAL PUT HIM IN THE WRONG LIGHT.
HESSELS READ FROM A STATEMENT ATTACKING THE EDITORIAL.
"WHEN YOU SAY THE LAW IS ONE THING AND PUBLIC PERCEPTION IS ANOTHER, IT'S LIKE AN INSULT TO ME BECAUSE I BELIEVE I WAS DOING WHAT I WAS REPRESENTED TO DO. I THINK (THE TRIBUNE IS) TRYING TO MAKE IT LOOK LIKE SOMETHING THAT IT IS NOT."
"I HOPE THIS CLEARS UP ANY MISGIVING YOU MAY HAVE OF ANY FINANCIAL GAIN THIS IS TO THE FIREFIGHTERS OR AS IN YOUR WORDS 'MAKE HIS WALLET FATTER' OR ANY CONFLICT OF INTEREST ON MY PART."
DAVIES SAID VOLUNTEERS HAVE SPENT ENOUGH TIME RAISING $60,000 TO PURCHASE NEW EQUIPMENT AND SHOULDN'T HAVE TO SPEND ADDITIONAL TIME REQUESTING MONEY FROM COUNCIL IF NEEDED.
"WE AGREE WITH ALD. HESSELS WE'RE NOT IN IT FOR THE MONEY," DAVIES SAID.
HENDERSON REITERATED QUOTES IN THE TRIBUNE WERE "QUITE ACCURATE." SHE SAID ALTHOUGH TOWNSHIP RESIDENTS APPRECIATE SERVICES THE FIREFIGHTERS PROVIDE, THE BUDGET ALSO HAD TO REFLECTS TAXPAYER'S ABILITY TO FUND THE PROPOSED 12 PER CENT INCREASE.
MAIN SAID HE BELIEVED THE POINT OF THE OPINION PIECE WAS SIMPLY TO HIGHLIGHT THE FLAW IN THE MUNICIPAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST ACT, NOT TO POINT THE FAULT AT HESSELS.
DEBATE MISSING THE POINT ON CONFLICT LAW EDITORIAL
WAINFLEET ALD. EVAN MAIN GOT IT RIGHT. ALMOST EVERYONE ELSE WAS WRONG.
The debate at recent Wainfleet council meetings which has also involved numerous letter writers over a recent editorial on volunteer firefighter compensation in the township has generally missed the point.
The debate's been interesting in that it illustrates how perceptions can skew how people read a news story.
The editorial in question appeared under the headline, Conflict law needs change, on Feb. 6, and came following a Wainfleet council decision to increase the "points pool" from which the township's volunteer firefighters are paid.
Chairing the council committee meeting and leading the argument for the increase was Ald. Ted Hessels, who also serves as a volunteer firefighter.
What was at stake in the original discussion was the fate of $10,000 - whether the township should use all of it to boost the points pool to $90,000 or to increase that pool to $85,000 and use the other $5,000 for the fire department's reserve fund.
Ald. Hessels fought strongly for the money to go into firefighter compensation. He lost the argument when a majority of his fellow councillors decided on the second option.
The editorial, which appeared a day after the story from the meeting, did not question whether firefighters deserved the money, nor did it question the value these volunteers provide to their community. Nor did it it accuse Ald. Hessels of violating any law.
What it did was question a provincial law, the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act, which allows an elected municipal official who also happens to be a volunteer firefighter to vote on issues relating to how those volunteer firefighters are compensated.
Reaction to the editorial was interesting.
A letter which appeared in these pages Saturday questioned us, asking whether we thought council should have hired an expensive consultant to examine firefighters' pay.
At a subsequent meeting of council, one delegate suggested The Tribune should be excluded from future township budget meetings - an action Ald. Main rightly noted would be illegal. The same delegate went on to say the editorial had given the township a black eye.
There have been other letters including one from Ald. Hessels, who said he did not become a volunteer firefighter to make money nor did he run for council to "debate my firefighter pay."
According to his letter, one of the main reasons he did run was to address firefighter service and issues, an area he seems to feel previous councils had failed to adequately address.
All of this misses the point.
The conflict law generally prohibits councillors from taking part in debates or votes in which they or a family member have a pecuniary - meaning financial - interest. It doesn't matter how large or small that financial interest may be.
The conflict law is there for a reason - it protects the public purse and gives confidence to the public their municipal officials are not abusing positions for personal gain.
There are, however, exceptions outlined in the legislation.
Following the Wainfleet debate we re-read the act to determine exactly what those exceptions are and were slightly surprised to find the one affecting volunteer firefighters who are also councillors.
Another exception is the one which allows municipal councillors to debate and vote on their own compensation.
That's an exception which comes under frequent attack by all sorts of citizens' groups, who point out the very obvious existence of a conflict. We agree with them - it's odd to watch municipal councillors discuss how much they're paid then vote on it.
Volunteer firefighters deserve every cent they get.
They perform a dangerous job, serve their communities and generally help make those communities better, safer places to live.
Nobody disputed that.
As Ald. Main pointed out, the purpose of the editorial was to point out a flaw in the conflict law.
An editorial's purpose is to stake out a position and initiate debate over an issue. In this case, the debate went off on a tangent almost immediately.
We concluded the editorial, "The law needs to change."
That still holds true.
FIREFIGHTER COMPENSATION BOILS DOWN TO PENNIES
Maybe we should get some expense statistics from volunteer fire departments other than Wainfleet's.
Let's start with their expenses for the year. What was their present increase to a points pool? How much is their remuneration account?
It would be interesting to know how many volunteers made $2,667 in 2007.What is the cost of recruiting new volunteer firefighters? That is another expense.
We have to remember that Wainfleet got a new fire chief halfway through last year. Was there any money left? Who knows.
As to a Tribune editorial comment about making Mr. Ted Hessels' wallet fatter, as to the extra 15 cents maybe firefighters would get per call - do the math on gas costs, vehicle wear and tear, loss of sleep time, time away from families, risking their lives, etc.
Most of you people wouldn't go to work on a call unless you were getting paid time and a half for a minimum of four hours.
I am really disappointed that anyone would think that Ted and firefighters would really benefit financially from the increase of an extra $5,000 to a firefighter points pool.
Maybe other people such as council members should follow firefighters for a month, carry a pager or even get a phone call every time firefighters get called out. That $5,000 wouldn't seem like so much money.
Or maybe we could let the taxpayers do a call-in or e-mail vote on some of the firefighter issues, since they are paying.
Do any of you have any idea the cost of bunker gear, breathing apparatus, etc.? How much time is spent by firefighters fundraising for new equipment.
Maybe the cities that have paid fulltime firefighters could donate or sell off secondhand equipment to the volunteer communities to help keep costs down, since we know that their bunker gear is replaced by a standard code of 10 years, unlike for volunteers. Where do their used goods go?
More people need to look at their fulltime jobs and how much they get paid. Would they give their heart and soul to get paid what the firefighters get paid as volunteers. I am very surprised that people debate over such pennies.
What does Mr. Warkentin mean by funding firefighters "not to that level?"
How do you compare $285,452 for library books and wages to $344,980 for the fire department? That's a difference of $59,528. Buying books to saving lives.
You really have to have a big heart and love to show your support for your community to be a volunteer firefighter 24-7.
Jill Ferrara
Port Colborne
HESSELS WAS STANDING UP FOR FIREFIGHTERS: READER
Re: Conflict law needs change, Wednesday, editorial, Feb. 6 edition of The Tribune
What was Ted Hessels supposed to do? Do you think council should hire a consultant or lawyer and make the taxpayers pay to represent the volunteer firefighters?
Ted was being efficient and showing genuine concern for his fellow firemen. Ted runs a dairy farm and crop operation and the time Ted gives up for volunteering is far more costly than the small increase he was asking for the firemen.
I wonder what the total costs are for the other firemen in time given up. The real isssue is will municpalities in Ontario have the money to support their infrastructures due to the Ontario government's anticipated losses in high risk money market investments. The expected loss is going to be $250 million.
What about all the the other mismanagement of money at the provincial level? Why don't you phone Tim Hudak and ask him about the high risk money market investments made by the Ontario government. It was debated for over a week in the provincial parliament.
Ted is just being efficient in a small township with limited resources. Volunteer fireman are amazing people whom communities should give 100 per cent support.
Hugh Urquhart
Wainfleet
VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS UNDERVALUED
Re: Conflict law needs change,
Wednesday, editorial, Feb. 6 edition of The Tribune
RE: CONFLICT LAW NEEDS A CHANGE
I WOULD LIKE TO CLEAR UP ANY MISGIVING THAT THE EDITORIAL IN THE TRIBUNE ON FEB. 6 IS TRYING TO PORTRAY OF ME.
I AM NOT LOOKING FOR ANY FINANCIAL BENEFIT FROM THIS AND I WAS NOT THERE TO DEBATE MY FIREFIGHTER PAY. WHEN I RAN FOR COUNCIL I BELIEVE THE COMMUNITY KNEW I WOULD ALSO BE REPRESENTING THE VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS WHICH HAD BEEN FAILING FOR THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS.
IF ANYONE THINKS THEY CAN GAIN FINANCIALLY FROM BEING A VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER THEY WILL BE SADLY MISTAKEN. WHAT THEY DO GAIN IS SOME VERY VALUABLE KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE, TRAINING AND FRIENDSHIPS AND THAT IS REWARDING WHEN THE COMMUNITY OR THE PEOPLE WE HELP SAY THANK YOU, WHICH MAKES US FEEL GOOD.
WHEN DUTY CALLS I DO NOT LIKE TO THINK BEING A VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTER SHOULD HAVE TO BE A FINANCIAL BURDEN TO THEMSELVES OR THEIR FAMILY. THE PRICE OF FUEL IS HIGH, AS IS THE WEAR AND TEAR ON THEIR OWN PERSONAL VEHICLE. SOME LEAVE THEIR JOBS AND EVEN GET A BABYSITTER AT THEIR OWN EXPENSE SO THEY CAN COME TO TRAINING PRACTICES OR FIRE CALLS. SOME OF US RUN OUR OWN BUSINESESS AND LEAVE WHATEVER WE ARE DOING WHEN OUR ALARM GOES OFF. CAN YOU IMAGINE WHAT THIS COSTS US IN DOWN TIME?
I WOULD LIKE WAINFLEET RESIDENTS TO LOOK AT THE FIREFIGHTERS AS A ASSET TO THE COMMUNITY, BECAUSE WHERE ELSE DO YOU FIND A GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT ARE ON CALL 24 HOURS A DAY, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, 52 WEEKS OF THE YEAR THAT YOU CAN COUNT ON? WHETHER IT IS A MEDICAL CALL, ACCIDENT OR FIRE, THEY WILL COME OUT TO HELP YOU.
THERE ARE SOME SITUATIONS THAT MAY PUT US IN DANGER AND SOME ACCIDENTS STAY IN OUR MINDS THAT CAN BE VERY DISTURBING AND STRESSFUL TO US. I DON'T THINK YOU HEAR ANY OF THEM COMPLAIN ABOUT THIS THOUGH.
THEY HAVE DONE A ROAD TOLL FOR THREE DAYS ON A HOLIDAY WEEKEND, HOLDING A BOOT TO COLLECT MONEY WHEN THEY COULD BE HAVING A HOLIDAY WITH THEIR FAMILY.
THEY HAVE HAM AND TURKEY RAFFLES, RUN A CANTEEN AT THE FAIR AND ARE ON ACTIVE DUTY WHEN THE TRACTOR PULLS AND DEMOLITION DERBY IS ON JUST TO RAISE MONEY FOR FIRE EQUIPMENT THAT ACTUALLY THE MUNICIPALITY SHOULD BE BUYING.
THIS PAST YEAR ALONE THERE WAS MORE THAN $60,000 RAISED THAT CAME IN WHICH WAS USED TO PURCHASE SELF-CONTAINED BREATHING APPARATUS AND AN AIR FILLING STATION, BOTH WHICH WERE RECOMMENDED TO HAVE FROM THE FIRE MARSHAL'S OFFICE.
WHEN YOU SAY THE LAW IS ONE THING AND PUBLIC PERCEPTION IS ANOTHER, IT'S LIKE AN INSULT TO ME, BECAUSE I BELIEVE I WAS DOING WHAT I WAS REPRESENTED TO DO.
I THINK YOU ARE TRYING TO MAKE IT LOOK LIKE SOMETHING IT IS NOT.
I HOPE THIS CLEARS UP ANY MISGIVING YOU MAY HAVE OF ANY FINANCIAL GAIN THIS IS TO THE FIREFIGHTERS, OR AS IN YOUR WORDS "MAKE HIS WALLET FATTER" OR ANY CONFLICT OF INTEREST ON MY PART.
TED HESSELS
WAINFLEET
FEWER POLITICIANS? FEWER CITIES?; COMMITTEE WILL LOOK AT REGIONAL REPRESENTATION
Re: Conflict law needs change, Wednesday, editorial, Feb. 6 edition of The Tribune
There could be fewer politicians and fewer cities in Niagara by 2011 as a result of a committee opening the door to consider restructuring Niagara's regional council, says regional Coun. Norm Puttick.
"It's a start," said Puttick, one of three regional councillors elected from Niagara Falls.
"In my view a majority (of councillors) are going to say we've got to do something and it will go from there," Puttick said after Tuesday's meeting of the organization review committee.
That new committee's job is to make recommendations about how each of Niagara's 12 lower-tier municipalities is represented by regional council.
It could lead to a change in the number of politicians on regional council, or a shift in how much sway each one has.
There are endless ways to restructure regional council. Awarding seats based on population favours the bigger cities. Tying seats to the total property value assessment would help small cities, like Niagara-on-the-Lake and Pelham. Giving more weight to the votes of councillors from the bigger cities would guarantee small towns a seat at the table, but give the bigger cities more clout.
Those are some possibilities the organization review committee will consider. The composition of regional council has been tinkered with twice, but remains largely unchanged from the way it was formed in 1970.
Previous attempts in 2002, 2000 and 1989 to reform the way regional government works did not bear fruit.
Regional council created this latest committee in part to respond to a request St. Catharines council made in November to increase the number of regional councillors from that city.
Seven of the 30 regional councillors are from St. Catharines now, excluding its mayor. But St. Catharines city council says it should have nine regional councillors if the number of seats were to be proportional to its population.
Under the current structure, St. Catharines has one councillor for every 17,727 people compared to Wainfleet that has one councillor for its population of 6,300.
St. Catharines council gave the region until March 1 to agree to the restructuring or St. Catharines would take its concerns to Premier Dalton McGuinty and ask the province to act.
While the organization review committee didn't take any position on the St. Catharines request Tuesday, it essentially put the ball back in the court of local councillors.
St. Catharines Mayor Brian McMullan predicted St. Catharines councillors will interpret the move as a rejection of their request. That could prompt them to act on their vow to call McGuinty.
"Unless the council amends it, the motion still stands," said McMullan, a member of the organization review committee.
St. Catharines politicians are concerned about the structure of regional council because it allows Niagara's smaller municipalities to outvote the three big cities - St. Catharines, Niagara Falls and Welland - even though the bulk of the region's budget is levied from those cities.
"From a governance standpoint, we don't have the winning formula," McMullan said.
But councillors from the smaller municipalities are opposed to increasing the number of councillors and to adding more weight to the votes from the bigger cities.
"I think we're fine the way we are right now," said Port Colborne's Bob Saracino.
MAYOR, ALDERMEN FOREGO RAISE FOR SECOND STRAIGHT YEAR
Wainfleet
For the second consecutive year, Wainfleet council members decided not to hike their pay.
In council's committee-of-the-whole meeting Tuesday night, council defeated a staff recommendation that the mayor and aldermen take a three per cent pay hike in 2008, the same increase received by the township's employees' association.
The one exception was Ald. Evan Main, who before the vote declared a "personal conflict" to the concept of debating his own salary.
The report came on the heels of a presentation by volunteer firefighters association president Gord Davies, who voiced disappointment in council and the Welland Tribune newspaper for comments and a subsequent editorial regarding discussions on increases to the volunteer firefighters salary points system.
Ald. Ted Hessels, chair of the administration committee and subject of the editorial that suggested it should be a conflict for a volunteer firefighter to debate his own salary, said he didn't want to allow Main to refrain from voting after chief administration officer Scott Luey told council there was no conflict in debating its own salary.
"I won't say you can pull yourself out of this one because then you're putting the rest of us in a conflict of interest," said Hessels.
Main however, stood his ground, refusing to debate his own salary.
"I don't think I'm prepared to do any of that and I don't think I'm prepared to be told what to do," he said.
Luey, also acting clerk, told council only three votes were needed to pass.
Ald. Ron Kramer suggested dropping the increase down a sliver to 2.93 per cent, to keep it steady with the cost of living. The motion received no support and died on the floor.
Mayor Barbara Henderson then spoke up and said she was not in favour of the increase.
"We set a budget target and managed to meet that goal and I'd rather not accept it," said Henderson.
The recommendation received no votes, including Main's no-vote.
"I guess there's no raise," concluded Hessels.
According to the report from Luey, Henderson's salary in 2007 was $13,099.22 and a $785.95 R.R.S.P., and all the aldermen's salary was $9,020.44 and a $541.23 R.R.S.P. At the mayor, Henderson is required to be at municipal offices at least eight hours a week, said the report
2.93 PER CENT TAX HIKE FOR 2008
It took all of two hours for Wainfleet's budget committee to pass this year's spending list.
Meeting in council chambers on Monday afternoon in an open session attended by no members of the public, the committee passed a budget with an increase in residential property taxes of 2.93 per cent.
The total amount of the 2008 levy is about $3.45 million, with the increase working out to about $33 on a home assessed at $200,000.
New construction in Wainfleet provided $47,480 of assessment growth to the township's levy. Staff's original report recommended a budget of about $3.47 million, funded by a tax increase of 3.42 per cent, but Mayor Barbara Henderson said she wanted the rate to be closer to this year's cost of living increase of 2.9 per cent.
"I certainly understand the need to be responsible in the budgeting process," she said.
Chief administrative officer Scott Luey told council cutting the budget by $15,000 would knock the increase down to the approved 2.93 per cent. Henderson recommended dropping the mineral aggregate licence revenue from $20,000 to $15,000.
The other $10,000 was taken from the amount allotted for the general reserve fund, dropping to $40,000 from $50,000, as recommended by Ald. Ron Kramer. The original forecast for the general reserve fund called for a $50,000 investment, with a balance of about $485,000 left in the fund by the end of the year.
Before the committee passed the budget, township council had a long discussion on a recommended increase of $10,000 to the firefighter points account, which pays the volunteer firefighters based on the number of fires they attend a year.
The amount in 2007 was $80,000, and the requested amount for 2008 was $90,000, working progressively to an amount of $100,000 requested by the firefighters association, said Luey. Henderson first said the increase should be split between the fire reserve and the levy, but Luey said the reserves are being built up for impending truck replacements.
Ald. Evan Main said as a percentage the increase was high and would be hard on the taxpayer. Budget committee chair Ald. Ted Hessels, himself a volunteer firefighter, disagreed however, and pushed for the money.
"I don't think it's asking too much because the increases haven't been there," said Hessels. "Morale is good and the (firefighters association) have saved the taxpayers a huge amount of money. I don't think it's asking too much."
He added that new firefighters have been added to the department, lowering the amount per point, meaning the volunteers are "going to be actually getting less per point, even with a $10,000 increase."
Henderson motioned that the increase be cut to $5,000, with the option of increasing it another $5,000 during the budget year depending on the number of calls the department responds to, which affects the total point value.
The fire reserve increase totalled $30,000. The library budget passed at an amount of $285,452, and will be operating this year "the same with less," said Luey, because council took back the library's surplus from last year for its operations reserve fund.
The planning department is in a "huge deficit," said Luey, because of legal fees associated with the Reeb Quarry Ontario Municipal Board hearing. Forecasted at $12,000 in 2007, planning legal fees actually totalled $108,318 in 2007.
Luey said $20,000 was being transferred from reserves to help cover the costs, he said, and Port Colborne will be asked to chip in $30,000 as they did last year.
ANOTHER HEARING IS UPCOMING LATER THIS MONTH, SAID LUEY, REGARDING THE LAKEWOOD BEACH PROPERTIES BYLAW CHANGE TO ALLOW THE BUILDING OF DOZENS OF CONDOMINIUM UNITS AT THE FORMER EASTER SEALS CAMP. ASIDE FROM STANDARD COSTS, THE TOWNSHIP WILL HAVE TO PAY INTERIM PLANNER STEPHEN RIVERS TO APPEAR IN COURT.
"WE'RE HOPING THE APPLICANT WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COST OF THE OMB HEARING," SAID LUEY, BEFORE TELLING COUNCIL THE HEARING WAS ASKED FOR BY JEFF AND LEE BOTT, NEIGHBOURS TO THE LAKEWOOD BEACH PROPERTY.
The total planning budget is $97,350 in 2008, with $30,000 set aside for legal fees.
Capital projects for 2008 include:
# arena insulation for the ceiling and back wall, priced at $60,000.
# a new ice-resurfacing machine paid entirely by a $50,000 Trillium grant and $23,000 in community donations.
# a $65,000 addition to the public works shop's west bay.
# a $60,000 combination loader-back hoe paid through reserves.
# $10,000 in cemetery improvements.
# $30,000 in drainage improvements on Lakeshore Road.
# $742,229 for the Quarry Road Bridge replacement, paid for through the municipal infrastructure investment initiative, township reserves and federal gas tax funding.
# $15,000 for Case Road realignment
# $18,000 for Smith Road South rebuild of one kilometre, costing $120,000 but largely paid for with $101,671 of gas tax revenue.
They are listening and know we aren't going away!
Here's hoping for some changes to the problems .
