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Banquet in Westport marks the end of 2-year term as Warden of Leeds&Grenville

 

Head table - warden

Last night was an opportunity to recognize and give thanks to the many people who I have worked with the past two years as the Warden of Leeds&Grenville and this year as Chair of the Eastern Ontario Wardens Caucus.  I was so pleased to host the banquet in our home town.   I have bragged about Westport all across Ontario to politicians of all orders of government and this was the first visit by many of the guests.

The evening included catching up with old and new friends, business owners and lots and lots of politicians from Eastern Ontario.  The Coves’ hospitality was outstanding.  The entertainment was provided by Jeff Friesen, Westport resident and story teller extraordinaire and by Soul Purpose, a singing quarter from Elgin.  Both were thoroughly enjoyed by our guests.

The banquet gave me the opportunity to recognize politicians from across Eastern Ontario and staff from the Village and Leeds&Grenville.  I finished my comments with encouragement to all politicians to keep the civility bar high, to avoid the slippery slope that many politicians have slid down.

I was asked by several guests for this last portion of my speech.  As a matter of fact, when my back was turned during the Soul Purpose performance, one guest took my notes right off my table!  I thought by including it in this blog, other politicians could give consideration to what I believe to be our duty.

Incivility – NOT the new normal in Leeds & Grenville

We continue to be surprised by prominent politicians who lower the bar for acceptable behaviour.  Who encourage animosity.  Who believe that might makes right.

We must remember that what holds us together in Leeds & Grenville is the respect for the collective.  It is our right to have and to boldly state our differences, while remembering that we are one community.  That the power of language goes both ways – it can be thuggish and part of the problem or positive and part of the solution.

Divisive, degrading, offensive and disruptive behaviour is not by chance, but by intent.  Hyperbole is the first cousin of untruthful.  We need to remember who we are, what our values and principles are and resist those who espouse rhetoric that is a race to the bottom, where nobody wins.

Michelle Obama said it best – “when they go low, we go high!”

Great advice to heed, as it is us – the politicians – who have the ability to ensure that incivility does NOT become the new normal in Leeds & Grenville.  Please give this some consideration.

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BREAKFAST WITH THE MAYOR, Thursday, October 18 @ 08:00 a.m., Cove Country Inn

The Village partnered with the Township of Wollaston-Coe Hill (Hastings County) earlier this year to participate in the First Impressions Community Exchange (FICE).  FICE is a program that has participants visit the other community and record their impressions to offer the host community a new perspective on the strengths and weaknesses from an outsider’s perspective.

Business Owners – Please join Mayor Robin Jones to discuss the results of the FICE experience AND to provide feedback on the first year of having LeBoat in operation. The slides prepared by Coe Hill will be presented. If you have other topics you would like to discuss, please drop me a line at rjones@villageofwestport.ca.

Christmas will soon be here  – so let’s meet and debrief the summer before we get caught up with the excitement that comes with December 25th and winter!

The Cove offers buffet breakfast for $10 pp @ 08:00.  Our meeting will begin around 8:15.  Hope to see you on October 18th.

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Only two day left to vote!

The Village has submitted an idea to AVIVA in an effort to obtain funding for two pieces of playground equipment for Lockwood Memorial Park. The top 50 vote getters in the Small Ideas category will each receive $10,000.
Would you support our cause by going to AVIVA Community Fund, registering and voting for our idea 18-327? You can cast your 10 votes all at once before Oct 4th.

 

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NAME THAT RED DOG! contest

A recent addition to Lockwood Memorial Park in the Village of Westport is a 5 1/2 foot tall “red dog”, donated by a community member.  He is a handsome, fibreglass Great Dane. (I think!).

We are asking for your suggestions on what to call him.  Over the next three weeks, residents, business owners and visitors are encouraged to offer their wisdom on what this fellow should be called.  I have sent a letter and colouring sheets to the schools, encouraging their participation.

On October 19, the NAME THAT RED DOG! contest will close and he will have his forever name.  He hibernates for the winter and will be leaving the park around that time.  It is important to know what to call him before he leaves!

You can email me at rjones@villageofwesport.ca, leave a voice message at 9195 or catch me on the street.  If you are in Town Hall, the staff will also take your suggestions.  Have some fun!

Oh, and by the way – the winner, well – will get a bucket of pride for giving him a name!

Thank you

red dog

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The Province introduced Bill 36 on Thursday, which outlines the sale and use of cannabis, effective October 17!!!!

The legislation is just off the press and quite different from what was proposed by the Liberal government.  One of the key changes from the previous framework is the “places of use”.  In essence, the smoking of cannabis will be prohibited where smoking of tobacco is prohibited. The Liberal government had aligned cannabis consumption with the Liquor Licence Act.  The other significant change is that retail sales will not be delivered through government stores, similar to the LCBO.  Private retail stores will be licensed through the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario and in operation as early as April 2019.

Here are some highlights for your information:

Places of Use: Under the new federal and provincial (Ontario) legislation, people 19 years of age or older will be allowed to possess up to 30 grams of dried cannabis, or its equivalent in non-dried form and to grow no more than 4 cannabis plants in their residence.

•Smoking of cannabis will be prohibited in the same places where the smoking of tobacco is prohibited (e.g. enclosed public places, enclosed workplaces, and other specified places).

• Smoking of cannabis will be prohibited in vehicles and boats that are being driven or under a person’s care or control, subject to certain exceptions that will be prescribed by regulation.

Generally speaking, municipalities could pass by-laws further restricting where cannabis is used (e.g. in parks, marinas).

Ontario Cannabis Retail Corporation:  On October17th, the OCRC will be the exclusive on line retailer for legal cannabis in Ontario.

‒ Consumers 19 and older will be able to purchase cannabis via OCRC’s online retail platform. The OCRC will also be the exclusive wholesaler to future private retail stores.

‒ Online sales will be implemented in a socially responsible manner, including secure home delivery with age verification at the customer’s door, and no packages left unattended at the door.

Enabling Private Retail Stores: The government has introduced legislation to create a regulated licensing model and regulatory framework for private retail of cannabis in Ontario.

The model requires:

• Private retailers to be licensed by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO).

• The Ontario Cannabis Retail Corporation (OCRC) will be the exclusive wholesaler and on line retailer of cannabis in the province.

Municipalities are required to pass a council resolution by January 22, 2019 to opt-out of retail stores, although municipalities that opt-out of cannabis retail stores would be given one opportunity to allow them to opt-in in the future, but municipalities that do not opt-out of stores by January 22nd, cannot opt-out of them at a later date.

The proposed licensing framework would not cap the total number of licenses or authorizations.

Store Operating Parameters & Distance Buffers: Additional store operating parameters (e.g. store format, security requirements, staff training requirements) will be established by regulation or by AGCO Registrar’s standards and requirements subject to additional consultation and before the AGCO begins accepting applications in December 2018.

A distance buffer between private cannabis retail stores and schools will be set through regulation in advance of December 2018 following further consultation with municipalities and key stakeholders.  The distance of the buffer has not yet been established.

Municipal Order of Government’s responsibilities: The changes to the legislation on cannabis consumption are the responsibility of the Federal and Provincial Orders of Government.  The only decisions that municipalities can make in relation to the legalization of cannabis are whether to opt-out of allowing private licensed retail stores and to consider if there are certain areas in the municipality where the use of cannabis should be restricted.

The discussion at Council regarding these two issues will occur in December/January.  If you have comments regarding whether Westport should opt out of cannabis retail stores and/or if you have suggestions regarding any other areas in the Village where the use of cannabis should be restricted, please share them with me at 9195 or rjones@villageofwestport.ca.

Please refer to these two links for more detailed information:

• Moving Forward with Cannabis Retailing, Province of Ontario

• Bill 36