Tag Archives: Mayor Robin Jones

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Update on meeting with Minister Chiarelli – April 13, 2017

First, thank you to everyone who sent emails or left phone messages of encouragement for our meeting with the Minister.  They were appreciated.
Mr Paul Snider, CAO and I met with Robert Chiarelli, Minister of Infrastructure for 45 minutes yesterday afternoon at Queen’s Park.  Mr Steve Clarke, our MPP, joined us as well as senior staff from the Minister’s office and one from Minister Leal’s (OMAFRA) office.
The meeting with Minister Chiarelli was very positive.  He was well briefed and his own memory went back to the time when Snowfluent was installed.  He even recalled the design engineer’s name.  He listened and quickly discerned the significance of our situation with regard to the criticality of the project and the impact funding it without provincial government help will have on our Village.
The Minister has made the commitment to find a solution “sooner than later”.  We left the meeting feeling that progress had been made and are moderately optimistic.  Paul and the Minister’s staff will be communicating further over the next few weeks.
We also had the opportunity to encourage the OMAFRA staff to fulfill its commitment to a spring launch date of OCIF4.
We owe our gratitude to MPP Steve Clarke, who continued to work on our behalf with the Ministers, and was the key to arranging this meeting.  Thank you, Steve.
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OCIF4 GRANT WILL BE LAUNCHED THIS SPRING – ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY FOR AN OCIF GRANT TO FUND THE NEW WASTE WATER TREATMENT SYSTEM

Last Friday, CAO Snider, Treasurer Koiner and I had a teleconference with a staff member from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), to discuss the short comings of our OCIF3 application.  It was during this discussion, that we learned that the launch for the next round of grants – OCIF4 – will be before the end of spring 2017.  This is significant as previous OCIF launches have been in the fall.  One of the conditions of the OCIF grant programme is that eligible expenses date back to the day of the launch.  What does this mean for Westport?  If we are successful getting OCIF4, all eligible expenses after the launch date (June 21) will the covered.

Accordingly, the work schedule has been adjusted by one month, so that work begins mid-June rather than mid-May.  We are, once again,  applying to the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change for approval to spray irrigate in order to avoid hauling.

The advocacy with the government, on behalf of the Village, continues.  I have a meeting with Minister Chiarelli, Minister of Infrastructure in Toronto on Thursday and continue to be in contact with the Premier’s office, pushing for a meeting with her.

Thank you to everyone who sent letters and emails to members of the Ontario government.  I can assure you that they have not fallen on deaf ears.

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Change to Committee of the Whole meeting time, effective April 18, 2017

At this week’s Council meeting, a resolution was passed to move the meeting time for Committee of the Whole to 2:p.m, from 7:00 p.m.  The regular meeting day remains unchanged – the Monday of the third full week of the month.  Next Committee of the Whole meeting occurs on Tuesday (due to Easter Monday stat holiday), April 18, 2017 at 2:00 p.m.

Please consider attending the meeting so you will be informed of what your Council is working on. There is lots going on in the Village and much of the discussion and debate occurs at Committee of the Whole meetings.

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Update on OCIF3 application

On Thursday, CAO Snyder and I had a teleconference with staff from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) and Ministry of Infrastructure (MOI).  OMAFRA has the responsibility of assessing the OCIF3 applications and deciding which are successful.   The meeting was frustrating to say the least.  We were told that our situation is not “critical enough” when weighed against the merits of all of the projects and our financial ability to pay.  A new financial consideration this year is just that … the project cost per household … and ours wasn’t enough to bump the project up into the successful category. Seriously!!!!  They said it was a very well written and concise application that thoroughly explained the project and our situation in the Village.  However, at the end of the conversation with these Ministry staff, there was still no OCIF money or any other support for Westport from the provincial government.  They suggested we try again in 2018, however were quick to say that there was no guarantee that we would be successful.

I was clear that we don’t have “next year” for getting a grant for this project.  Council has decided that it is necessary, for a variety of reasons, to build the new waste water treatment system in 2017.

The Minister of Infrastructure’s office called on Thursday and CAO Snyder and I are meeting with him in Toronto in mid-April.  MPP Steve Clark, who has continued to work on our behalf, will be attending the meeting with us.  It is my hope that, being a former municipal politician, the Minister will see things less through a bureaucratic lens and more from your perspective – the real people who live and work in Westport.

As always, if you have any questions, please call me or any of the members of Council.

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Rideau St damaged overnight

Around 11:00 p.m. last night, a snow plough blade damaged the recent road repair on Rideau St near Church St.  With the assistance of Paul Herlehy, who helped the snow plough driver on his return route down Rideau to push most of the gravel back.  Also thanks to John Struthers who responded with traffic cones.

I wanted to notify the public that the presence of the traffic cones does not mean that there is another water pipe leak.

Please call if you have any questions.  9195