Tonight’s “Hop and Shop” was a wonderful event. Despite the rain, the Village was “hopping” as people were “shopping”. Lots of stores stayed open and the business owners I spoke to said it was a positive event for them. It takes lots of people to make something like this happen, but a huge shout out to Cynthia Pringle and Martha Kudrinko. Great leadership, ladies.
The Judges from the Westport Arts Council were out tonight, spending time in front of 18 businesses that had entered the “Windows of Distinction” competition. Yes, there is a winner – but you will have to wait until tomorrow when the announcement is made during the parade.
The excitement for tomorrow’s Santa Claus Parade, hosted by the Westport Lions Club, continues to build. The weather looks sunny and it should be a perfect day to join in or watch the parade. Many volunteers have spent time getting floats ready, practicing with their music and getting their costumes made. Come and join in the fun. It all begins at 2:00 p.m.
When the parade is over, the choirs from the Westport churches will be moving throughout the downtown singing Christmas Carols. Please sing along. The day’s Christmas fun finishes at 5:00 p.m. at the Museum, with the lighting of the Christmas Tree. Town Hall Councillors will be serving hot apple cider across the street from the museum.
Let there be no doubt, the Christmas spirit is alive and well in our Village.
I have attached the announcement sent to me from AMO (Association of Municipalities of Ontario) for your information
November 25, 2015
Federal Government Announces Plan to Resettle Syrian Refugees
Yesterday, the federal government released its plan to resettle 25,000 refugees from the Syrian conflict. The government will identify all 25,000 refugees who will come to Canada by December 31, 2015. The target is to have 10,000 refugees arrive by the end of 2015 with the remainder arriving by the end of February 2016. The government will invest up to $678 million over six years towards resettlement and integration support. The goal is to have relatively even distribution of refugees across Canada. While the destination communities are not yet confirmed, the Province is asking the public to identify available housing in Hamilton, Toronto, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, and Windsor.
For its part, the provincial government has established a Ministers’ Ad Hoc Committee on Refugees in order to coordinate support for the federal government’s plans for resettlement. The committee is co-chaired by the Honourable Michael Chan, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and International Trade, and the Honourable Eric Hoskins, Minister of Health and Long-Term Care. The Province has indicated that it will provide $10.5 million over two years to promote refugee sponsorship and deliver immediate and future support for refugees.
AMO is supportive of the resettlement efforts and stands ready to assist with communicating the federal and provincial plans to our membership. Many municipal councils across the province are already in various states of planning for the reception of refugees. Municipal governments and District Social Service Administration Boards (DSSABs) can play a role to ensure that their services are accessible to refugees (i.e. childcare, housing, public health). Coordination and planning will be required with the other two orders of government in order to make this a successful resettlement effort. An assessment will also be needed to gauge the potential fiscal impact to municipal governments and DSSABs and the ensuing discussion with the provincial government on the assistance needed to meet these costs. More information is expected from the federal and provincial governments on the municipal role in the days ahead.
AMO will continue to play a leadership role as our members stand ready to assist refugees in any way they can. AMO will be working closely with municipal staff associations, including the Ontario Municipal Social Services Association (OMSSA) and the Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association (ONPHA), on planning for the successful settlement of refugees.
AMO will monitor developments and provide further information to members when it becomes available.
It has been 6 months since the new Council began its term and I was sworn in as your Mayor. The new Committees of Council were established in February and by March meetings were taking place. Many residents of Westport are members of the committees and I expect amazing things to occur with their valued input and efforts. The Committee of the Whole is a new monthly meeting of Council, a little less formal than Council meetings and is generally the 4th Tuesday and yes, it is open to the public.
Westport Snowfluent Waste Water Treatment Plant
In regard to the waste water plant, I am happy to report that we did not need to transport any effluent this year. Although we had a winter of freezing nozzles and pipe breaks, we processed enough effluent that our lagoon levels were lower this spring than in 2014. We monitored the lagoon levels daily and had a contingency plan in place to transport effluent if the lagoon levels rose beyond predetermined levels during the winter. We are in the process of getting the summer application equipment set up and will be operating under a Ministry of the Environment Emergency Order again this year to lower the lagoons to where they need to be for next winter.
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The Village is also moving forward in providing a climate-proof, dependable waste water system and one that will allow growth for the Village. The first step is a process called a Municipal Environment Assessment (MEA). This is a prescriptive process, which is led by an Engineering firm with the assistance of a technical steering committee, which includes several Village residents. The Project Coordinator reports to Council on the progress of the MEA at each Council meeting this year. Please consider joining us at Council meetings to hear what is being proposed.
Council worked with a consultant this winter and spring to develop a Village Strategic Plan, a first for Westport. Many members of the business community and public were interviewed by the consultant for their input. A strategic plan helps Council prioritize its goals in line with the budget. The final plan will be shared with Council at the Committee of the Whole meeting on June 23 at 7:00 p.m.
Winter turned into spring slowly this year so our “Pulling Together in Westport” spring clean up was held on Saturday, May 9th. Over 40 community members volunteered their time, effort and rakes to get the Village ready for the May long week-end and summer. Thank you to everyone who helped out. Watch for this to repeat in 2016.
Recently, village residents Bob Scott and Mark Herlehy approached me with a proposal to help the arena. They had done a review of repairs and improvements that need to be done. The “wish list” was well thought out, however as the Village has many other pressures, there is only a small amount of money set aside in the budget for repairs to the community centre. And this is when Bob and Mark offered their suggestion, which I accepted!
Those now using the facility or who have fond memories of time spent on the ice or in the stands might consider becoming a “Friend of the Arena” by making a donation. Donations made to the Village of Westport for arena improvements qualify as gifts for income tax purposes and the Village would issue receipts. All donations will only be used for this purpose. For further information contact Mark Herlehy at mherlehy@rideau.net. or Frank Huth at fhuth@villageofwestport.ca.
I hope you enjoy a long, hot summer and that you spend time with loved ones. As always, if you have any questions, please contact a Councillor or myself.
I joined Bob Perreault on Lake 88.1’sIn Focus to discuss the 2 million dollar grant Westport received for the snowfluent system, how we are prepared to move waste if needed, and what work is happening now at Town Hall for the spring.
“It sounds to me like for the first time in a little bit, the people of Westport get to look forward during the spring instead of just constantly checking over their shoulder.” — Bob Perreault
Thanks for listening if you caught the interview live! Otherwise,LISTEN HERE for the full 14 minute interview.
Thanks to Lake 88.1, especially Bob and his In Focus team.
On March 10, 2015, I will have been your Mayor (Westport) for one hundred days during which the councillors and I have spent many hours at council meetings and committee Meetings. We are committed to learning about the issues and being strategic while developing workable solutions. When MPP Steve Clark came to our January Council meeting, he noted that our Village “won the prize” on two counts – the most Council meetings since taking office and for having the most constituents in attendance. Mr Clark also noted that you also were the happiest group of people attending a council meeting!
When MPP Steve Clark came to our January Council meeting, he noted that our Village “won the prize” on two counts – the most Council meetings since taking office and for having the most constituents in attendance. Mr Clark also noted that you also were the happiest group of people attending a council meeting!
Some milestones have been reached and we continue to work towards others. The installation of new pumps at the Glen St station and repairs to the berm at the lagoon were completed by December 31. Both were important to assist with our production of effluent. We have supported our operator all winter to process as much snow as possible and he has made good progress, despite pipes breaking and the towers freezing up. Both of these situations require the plant to be shut down until repairs can be made. Council is in the process of finalizing mitigation plans for the lagoons this spring. If the analysis and forecast after the snowmaking season indicate that the lagoons are not low enough to handle the spring thaw and rain, arrangements have already been made with another municipality to move the required effluent to its processing plant.
The winter has been long and we have received as much snow as last year. I want to recognize the work done to keep the roads and sidewalks ploughed. I have been stopped by many people, who are pleased that they have been able to get out this winter and in particular, walk around the Village.
Dedicated to Progress
The best news we received occurred in late February when the Village was notified by the government of Ontario that it had been successful in an infrastructure grant application for $2million dollars, of which the government will cover 90%. This will get us started on the repair and remediation work at the waste water distribution plant.
New Committees of Council were formed in January, community members were invited to apply and in February several Westport residents and business owners met with their Councillors to begin the work of the committees. Parks and Recreation, Economic Development and Tourism and the Harbour Committee are new and add to the strong community involvement of Westport in Bloom, Museum, Library and Heritage Committees.
This month, Council will begin the budgeting process. There will be a meeting later in March dedicated to discussing and eventually approving the budget. I will keep you informed of that date.
Thank you very much for your support the past 100 days. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Councillor of your choice or me at my email rjones@villageofwestport.ca or at home at 613-273-9195.
Robin, The Mayor 
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