Plan would see two building lots for Bloomingdale
A large residential property and a long-vacant piece of land abutting it could soon provide space for three homes for the Zenger family of Bloomingdale. The plan, the subject of a public meeting at Woolwich council Tuesday night, would see the lands owned by Fred and Carl Zenger reworked to form three building lots fronting on River Street.
The first step, discussed at this week’s planning meeting, calls for the rezoning of the land. If approved, severances would be required to portion up the land appropriately and to provide driveways leading back to the road.
Currently, a home owned by Fred Zenger sits on a 2.7-acre property at 55 River St. Immediately to the east is a one-acre landlocked property owned by Carl Zenger. The goal is to create three separate parcels: the original home on 1.2 acres, a new lot to the south at 1.24 acres and a third lot made up mostly of the vacant land (1.16 acres), including a strip that provides access to and frontage on River Street.
Fred Zenger said the two new building lots would be used for homes for two of his four adult children. The property is where he has spent most of his own life, having been purchased by his parents some 70 years ago.
The family was represented by IBI Group planner Natalie Hardacre, who said development of the sites would maintain as many as possible of the natural elements – mature trees, hedgerows – in order to provide screening from other homes in the area.
Two neighbours attended the meeting to express concerns about drainage, the impact on well water – there’s no municipal services; all of the homes are on wells and septic systems – and the introduction of two new driveways leading to River Street.
Those concerns would be taken into consideration when planning staff review the application, said director of engineering and planning Dan Kennaley, noting he would be back at a future date with a report for council.
Community fund for bandstand project
Elmira’s bandstand, a heritage fixture in Gore Park, is in need of a major overhaul. To that end, Woolwich Township has launched a community fundraising drive to help restore the structure. Residents are encouraged to contribute to the effort.
Council has earmarked some $80,000 to tackle the basic structural deficiencies – much of the wood is rotting and needs to be replaced, as do the existing asbestos shingles. More extensive restoration work could be done if the community gets behind the project, however, prompting Coun. Julie-Anne Herteis to suggest a fund be established.
“This is a very important part of our town.”
Her idea was quickly endorsed by her council colleagues meeting Feb. 21, with Coun. Allan Poffenroth suggesting service clubs be enlisted to help.
Keep tax issues in mind
Greece, once an idyllic dream vacation spot, has become synonymous with financial turmoil. It’s a convenient shorthand in the debate over government spending. And a bogeyman right up there with terrorists and online pornographers. We’ve seen more than a few comparisons as Ottawa tackles its deficits and, not surprisingly, in the aftermath of Don Drummonds report about Ontario’s finances. But let’s be clear: we’re not Greece. In fact, Greece isn’t Greece, at least not in the way it’s commonly portrayed. Yes, Greece is in a bad financial jam. Yes, much of the problem is self-inflicted. No, the Greeks weren’t (overly) profligate spenders. The problem, however, is a basic one: they spent more than they brought in. The spending wasn’t exorbitant, but tax revenues are so low that deficits were a given.
Officially, Greek tax rates are fairly high, even by European standards. But Greeks routinely find ways of avoiding taxes, enforcement is spotty and bribery is reported as rampant. Those Greeks in the top 20 per cent of earners pay virtually nothing in the way of taxes, the result of old deals extending back to the country’s days as a military junta and the widespread tax evasion in place today.
So even though Greece falls into the middle of the Eurozone pack when it comes to government spending, its tax collection rates rank near the bottom. And despite what we would view as generous social programs and retirement provisions, Greeks have one of the lower per capita incomes in Europe, about $21,100 in 2010 versus $27,600 in the original Eurozone countries – Germany, for instance, averages $29,400.
Greece’s below-average spending on social benefits is no recent trend: in the decade leading up to the 2008 fiscal crisis, Greece spent only $3530.47 per capita on social protection benefits, slightly less than Spain’s spending and about $700 more than Portugal’s, which has one of the lowest levels in all of the Eurozone. By contrast, Germany and France spent more than double the Greek level, while the original Eurozone 12 level averaged $6251.78.
So, in the wake of huge deficits created by the shortfall between revenues and expenditures, what’s the cure? Apparently, Greece’s faltering economy is to be helped by deep cuts to spending, support programs and employment. Seems counterintuitive, but there you have it.
We’re in nothing like that kind of trouble here, but we should be making comparisons – not for the alarmist reasons some keep pointing to, but because of what can happen if we ignore a rationale discussion about taxes here. (And, the perils of allowing politicians and bureaucrats to strip away public assets under the guise of a manmade crisis – see Klein, Naomi.)
Where politics are involved, there are plenty of reasons to be upset about paying taxes: governments of all stripes waste considerable amounts of our money. Incompetence, patronage, graft and outright theft still exist. From RIM Park to eHealth and the G8/G20 fiasco, there are no shortages of examples at all levels of government. In looking at those kinds of expenditures, paying your taxes becomes hard to stomach.
That said, the bulk of the tax money collected by governments goes into providing us with services. From water pipes and roads to health care and education, these are things we opt to pay for collectively. That’s not the kind of thing we hear from politicians.
The reality is we need to pay taxes. Even the most extreme libertarians see some kind of state function, typically for policing, the legal system and national defence – all of which require taxation.
Taxes allow us to pool our resources so that we can afford to have things that would be impossible if we had to pay as individuals. If only those families with kids currently in school paid for the education system, for instance, the costs would be prohibitive. Multiply that by a host of government services, and it’s clear that we’re better off acting collectively.
Too often, however, “tax” is used as a dirty word in political debates. Each of us feels overburdened by taxes, and there’s some merit in that. Each of us can find examples of programs and services we’d rather not fund, making it easy to gripe about wasted tax money. Truth is, we’re generally much better off for what our tax dollars buy us.
That’s not to say things can’t be improved. As this week’s revelations about the Harper government show, plenty of our money is genuinely wasted and funnelled into the wrong pockets. And politicians must be disabused of the notion that taxpayers are a bottomless well. That’s especially true given the huge infrastructure deficit.
Hundreds of billions will be needed to repair and replace crumbling water systems, bridges, electrical grids and a host of other hard services we take for granted. That means more of our tax dollars will have to be directed that way at a time when an aging population will be demanding ever-more health-care and related services. Tough decisions are coming (as the Drummond report makes clear), the kind we’ll have to keep in mind while reviewing both spending and tax policy. We’re going to need more, not less money. Some programs will have to go. New spending plans may have to be scrapped. And, most importantly, tax giveaways and the shifting of the tax burden to individuals, largely in the middle class, will have to stop.
We’ve got some solutions on the table, and a look at what not to do in the form of Greece. What’s missing is the political will to dole out the cure and the public appetite for the medicine.
Back on duty
After almost nine decades of service, the soldier that once adorned the cenotaph in Elmira has found a much more comfortable home for his retirement: indoors at the Woolwich Memorial Centre. While the exact location is still under discussion, the marble statue has been restored to its former glory after suffering a multitude of injuries over the years. It could be seen this week standing by an office window near the entrance to the facility.
Removed from his perch in late 2009 and eventually replaced with a bronze replica, the soldier was put into the hands of craftsmen at The Stone Centre to undergo extensive repairs. Vandalized over the years and subject to a sometimes harsh environment – including acid rain and salt sprayed up from Arthur Street – the Carrara marble figure was in several pieces when he arrived at the shop, located in Woolwich immediately adjacent to the Bridgeport area of Kitchener.
Despite the statue’s treatment over the years – compounded by yet another break when it was removed from the base in the cenotaph – it was in surprisingly good condition, said the owner of the The Stone Centre.
“He was in pretty good shape. This was above-average work for this kind of project,” Garth Nelson said of the original marble carving.
That said, more than a hundred hours of labour was needed to get the soldier back in tiptop shape.
A REAL GROUP EFFORT The Carrara marble soldier arrived at The Stone Centre in several pieces, and then was meticulously restored in a group effort. Owner Garth Nelson says his crew embraced the task as a fun and interesting project that allowed them to have a hand in preserving a piece of Woolwich’s history.
The work was done in conjunction with a U.S.-based restoration specialist, Jonathan Appell, who was at the workshop to conduct a training course. He got things rolling by using a special epoxy to put the large pieces back together, tricky work, said Nelson, noting special bracing was needed to keep the 1,000-pound statue upright and its weight properly distributed to ensure the gluing was effective. With that done, the next step was a complete sanding by hand in order to remove an outer layer of yellowish-brown, the result of someone having used bleach at some point to clean the statue. “Bleach is not suitable for marble. It probably looked good for six months, but after that, well, you get yellowing,” Nelson explained.
The sanding was followed by some painstaking work, including recarving some of the facial features and clothing details, fixing a badly chipped nose and addressing the wear and tear that occurred in the years after the original installation in 1923.
A bayonet that once adorned the rifle, long since disappeared thanks to vandals, was recreated with the aid of a Hamilton-based history buff who provided pictures that allowed a new bayonet to be carved from marble to match. Mortar for the new joints and some judicious use of patching marble were the finishing touches.
The soldier you can see today at the WMC looks much more like the one unveiled at the cenotaph almost 90 years ago.
“He looks pretty good now. The work turned out really well.”
Created by the firm of Walton, Gooddy & Cripps Ltd., which produced war memorials in Australia, New Zealand and Canada, the carved soldier is similar to many that adorn cenotaphs in Ontario and elsewhere, though both the marble and the detail in the work set it apart from some of the others. In fact, the statue was featured in a 2009 book about Italian Carrara marble by British art historian Sandra Berresford.
The original cenotaph was unveiled on Aug. 5, 1923, having been built for $1,200. The Second World War memorial, added at a cost of $800, was dedicated in 1957. The Korean War portion was dedicated in 1988 at a cost of $744.
With the restoration complete, what remains now is to find a new home for the statue. Director of recreation and facilities Karen Makela said this week the township is looking to select the ideal spot at the WMC. To that end, it will be consulting with groups such as the Elmira branch of the Royal Canadian Legion, which requested the marble statue be housed at the WMC, in keeping with the ‘memorial’ portion of its name.
Calling the restoration a “marvelous job,” she said the township is determined to find the right location, a visible spot where the solider can be seen “standing guard for the building.”
The township is also in discussion with the Legion about funding for the cenotaph project and the restoration, she added.
On that front, Nelson said he had submitted a bid of $2,000 to do the work – much less than a restoration project of that scope would normally cost – but still hasn’t heard back from the township. He went ahead and did the work anyway because the specialist was available at the time, seeing it as a worthwhile and interesting project. Whether he gets paid remains to be seen.
“It was a fun project for the winter, when things are slower here,” he said. “The important thing is that it got done.”
Government attacking your privacy
If at first you don’t succeed in taking away the privacy rights of Canadians, try, try again. And, in typical style, the government is doing it in the most disingenuous of ways. With Bill C-30, what it calls The Protecting Children From Internet Predators Act, the Conservatives hope to strip away our basic civil liberties, hitting us with a huge – but as yet undisclosed – bill in the process. The government that railed against the long gun registry and the long form census on the grounds of privacy sees no hypocrisy in an act that will make those two items pale in comparison both in terms of cost and moving us farther down the road to a police state. Hyperbole? I’m afraid not.
The so-called lawful access legislation tabled by Public Safety Minister Vic Toews would give police the right to demand personal information – your name, phone number, IP addresses, surfing habits and the like – from Internet service providers without a warrant. It would also force ISPs to install expensive hardware and software to provide real-time surveillance of all their customers, turning that information over to police on a whim.
In essence, we’re all guilty until proven innocent. Well, make that we’re all guilty, as once the surveillance measures are in place, there’s no going back – the monitoring will continue. But we’re supposed to be just fine with that because, according to Toews, we either support the bill or we support child pornographers. Those are the only options.
“As technology evolves, many criminal activities, such as the distribution of child pornography, become much easier,” he said in the House of Commons. “We are proposing to bring measures to bring our laws into the 21st century and to provide police with the lawful tools that they need.
“He can either stand with us or with the child pornographers.”
Hyperbole? I’m afraid so. But not surprising given how Karl Rove’s tactics were imported by this government.
The Harper government’s attempts at relieving Canadians of their rights have been roundly condemned by a range of experts, including the federal privacy commissioner and all her provincial counterparts. In Ontario, Information and Privacy Commissioner Dr. Ann Cavoukian has launched a concerted push against the legislation, countering the claims the changes are minor.
“Let’s get this straight: It’s not phone-book information! We must dispel the myths relating to the new powers that would enable warrantless access to much more information than an individual’s address and phone number,” she writes in an online attack of such legislation
“In total, 11 fields of identifying information could be collected about an individual in the proposed ‘lawful access’ scheme. In my view, there’s little that should be considered ‘lawful” about this.
Legislation proposed by the Conservatives threatens our freedoms and our democracy, she asserts.
“The proposed legislation lacks proper judicial oversight, and is deficient in transparency and openness; these elements are vital in a free and democratic society. Properly supervised, surveillance powers can be invaluable to law enforcement. However, it is equally true that where individuals are subject to unwarranted suspicions, or evidence is poorly handled, or erroneous conclusions are hastily drawn, the consequences for innocent individuals can be devastating.”
There will, of course, be the expected “if you’ve got nothing to hide” counterargument from supporters of such invasive measures. That argument doesn’t hold up: everybody has the right to privacy unless there are compelling grounds to cross that line. And that line of thought leads to an awfully slippery slope, one George Orwell would recognize: why not video monitoring inside your home, if you’ve got nothing to hide?
If the moral and legal grounds aren’t enough to make you contact your MP to express your outrage, there are some practical reasons to do so.
First, as we’ve seen from other databases of information, if someone is collecting it – government or business – sooner or later it will be accidently released or hacked. The same portals that allow police, unsupervised, to snoop and spy on your online data will most certainly be accessed by others. Just think about all of your online activities – every email and messages, surfing history and web searches – posted on the equivalent of WikiLeaks for all to see.
Not a pleasant thought, is it. But maybe you’re one of those people with nothing to hide.
Or maybe you’d simply like to think of the impact on your wallet. The technology needed to allow for widespread surveillance of you, your friends, family and neighbours, as well as the rest of us across the country, is going to cost money. Lots of it. The government will likely have to give ISPs cash to offset the costs. The ISPs themselves will have to spend more. In both cases, the cost will be passed along to you, either as taxpayer or as customer.
Dr. Michael Geist, a law professor at the University of Ottawa who specializes in online issues who strongly opposes the government plans, says the price tag is a major consideration in the debate.
“Cost is a big question mark on lawful access, though costs will ultimately be borne by the public. According to documents obtained under the Access to Information Act, many telecom and Internet providers have been primarily focused on the costs associated with installing surveillance equipment and with processing law enforcement requests. The government may provide financial assistance to smaller Internet providers to help address their costs or provide an implementation delay. Some smaller providers have indicated they may be forced to close if they bear the costs alone. Providers will likely also be able to charge fees for complying with law enforcement requests,” he writes on his popular blog (michaelgeist.ca), one of many spots to get up to speed on the legislation’s impact.
In that vein, and to help prod MPs, there’s also www.StopSpying.ca and www.realprivacy.ca. Being informed is the first step to countering the activities of those intent on removing your freedoms.
New hires add to staffing costs up 26% over last five years
Plans to hike taxes by 5.25 per cent and hire two more staff members won’t be challenged when Woolwich moves to make official the 2012 budget, suggests Mayor Todd Cowan. A vote is expected Feb. 21, but no further review seems likely, council having completed its budget deliberations. While the document was given more scrutiny than in past years, with particular focus on cost overruns at the Woolwich Memorial Centre, the bulk of staff recommendations remain in place. That includes two of three proposed new hires, but no scrutiny of current full-time staffing numbers.
The budget does, however, include cuts to some causal and part-time staff members, including lifeguards and front desk personnel, to help tame expenses at the WMC.
Chief administrative officer David Brenneman said full-time managerial staff was not spared at the expense of part-timers such as students working at the pool.
“It just so happens that – when we were doing a review – that’s where we were staffed to a point where we could make reductions,” he said this week in discussing efficiencies review that was part of this year’s budget process.
Although there are fewer part-time employees, the township has no plans to reduce middle-management positions, he added, noting managers tend to be hands-on workers as well, able to cover for those positions to be eliminated.
Having talked of a review of staff levels, particularly newer positions such as economic development, business development and building maintenance, prior to the 2010 election, Cowan said he’s satisfied with continuing the positions, even though there are no measurements in place to evaluate their effectiveness.
“They do a heck of a lot more than I expected coming in,” he said, adding he has been demanding more accountability, including a cost-benefit analysis of each position.
He also has no problem with two new hires. One, an engineering technician, will essentially be funded by revenues from development. The other, another administrative assistant/communications person, is justified due to the current workload assisting the CAO and council, as well as the perceived need for more communication with the public.
The additions would bring to 63 the number of full-time staff members, up from 56 five years ago. In that time, total staff costs, including part-timers such as firefighters (304 people, up from 272 in 2008) has increased 26.4 per cent, to $6.05 million from $4.8 million.
Cowan denied there’s been no political pushback against spending increases on staff. Just because there have been no cuts to date doesn’t mean that will remain the case, he said.
It’s not easy to make changes, though he pledges to do that, starting with attitudes within the staff.
“This is round 1 – it takes a while to turn the ship,” he said of this year’s budget review. “Are there going to be other changes? Definitely.”
For this year, however, he expects the budget to remain as is, with no last-minute challenges – “where it’s at, it’s at.”
For his part, Brenneman says the search for efficiencies started in 2012 is not a one-off review.
“We’re going to continue down that path. There’s still work to be done.”
One part of the work to be done involves negotiating a new contract with the township’s unionized workers. The provincial government has called for a public sector wage freeze, but without legislation Brenneman isn’t optimistic municipalities will be able to keep wages, which account for half the township’s operating costs, under wraps. As with most contracts, the township will be subject to what’s going on in other municipalities, as well as the results of the provincial arbitration process, which typically has not been friendly to taxpayers.
As with other municipalities, Woolwich is also constrained by excessive provincial legislation when it tries to curb staff spending. Unnecessary measures have boosted costs for everything from water testing to fire services, where there are now three full-time staff members when a few years ago there was only a part-time chief.
Between those requirements and the service expectations of both the public and council, there’s a much larger demand on staff time, said Brenneman, acknowledging that some of the functions appear to have little direct benefit to the public.
“We do make a concerted effort to provide value for the tax dollar,” he stressed.
Larger changes are going to take political will, with direction from council. For now at least, Cowan said he’s in favour of increased spending based on what he heard from people while going door-to-door during the election campaign and in subsequent consultations.
“That’s what I have to take my lead from,” he said, arguing the extra spending and tax hikes are “the cost of doing business” if the township wants to be a player in the region’s development picture.
“I’m going to do what I feel is the right thing.”
Gibson Park, ideal home for accessible playground
A playground for kids of all abilities is likely to make its home at Gibson Park in Elmira. If all goes well, construction should begin this spring on the facility, the goal of the charitable organization known as Kate’s Kause.
Originally shooting to raise $250,000 over five years, the group found considerable public support, collecting $265,000 in just 15 months. Given the response, the goal is now $500,000, which would allow for a larger facility, including a splash pad.
Woolwich Township, which will provide the space for the play park, launched a community consultation process to get the ball rolling immediately after discussing the plan at a council meeting Tuesday night.
While the township had it in mind to build the playground and splash pad adjacent to Lions Hall, near the Woolwich Memorial Centre, that site was deemed unsuitable due to space constraints and the lack of tree cover for shade, director of recreation and facilities Karen Makela told councillors. Gibson Park, however, provides the needed room, tree cover and some natural elements that make it ideal.
The WMC location remains on option for a skateboard park to be discussed in next year’s budget.
The mother of Kate, a three-year-old girl with Angelman Syndrome, a rare neurogenetic disorder, Kelly Meissner said she hopes to see work on the playground begin in the spring now that funding is in place. Two of the grants Kate’s Kause received had time limits attached to them: the recently receive $60,000 grant from Aviva Insurance has to be put to use by year’s end, while $25,000 from The Keg has a June deadline.
With the current budget, work can proceed on the playground, she said, adding fundraising will continue for the splash pad.
“We’re really excited about all of the possibilities coming out of here,” she said of the process, noting the project would be staged.
The local group is working with California-based non-profit Shane’s Inspiration, which has helped build a series of universally accessible playgrounds. The goal is to provide a common area for kids of all abilities to do what kids do best: play.
Her presentation Feb. 7 included a short video about Shane’s Inspiration and the work it does. The organization will be providing some $50,000 of in-kind support, including the services of a landscape architect and outreach support to bring the message to the public such as talking with students at area schools.
Plans for the park received a hearty welcome from councillors.
“I love the idea that we can get all the kids – of all abilities – integrated into one place,” said Coun. Julie-Anne Herteis.
As well, Coun. Allan Poffenroth suggested the township look at integrating accessibility elements into all future plans for playgrounds in the township.
Kate was diagnosed with Angelman Syndrome, a neurological disease affecting some one in 15,000 people, characterized by a severe global developmental delay. People with AS can have little or no verbal skills, poor gross and fine motor skills, and possible seizure and sleep disorders. However, Angels do have a unique characteristic: they have a happy, pleasant demeanor with a wonderful smile and contagious laughter.
No sustainable future in a McMurray economy
Blame it on corporate greed. Or maybe on out-of-touch unions. Either way, 450 workers at the Electro-Motive Diesel plant in London have joined the growing ranks of the unemployed. In isolation, what happened there is a shame. Looked at in perspective, it’s a microcosm of what’s plaguing our economy. The company, owned by U.S. giant Caterpillar through its subsidiary Progress Rail Services, says it needed wage concessions of 50 per cent to keep the plant going. Shortly after locking out the workers, it announced plans to shutter the building, moving production to its new facility in Indiana, which just happens to have adopted right-to-work (i.e. anti-union) legislation.
Reaction to the news essentially falls into two camps: one says the company’s only goal was to drive down costs despite making huge profits last year, the other says unions got greedy, opting for no jobs instead of those paying half of the $35 an hour previously paid to workers.
Leaving aside arguments that the owners never had any intention of continuing to run the operation long-term after acquiring EMD in August 2010, the real issues at play are free trade and globalization. Caterpillar argues it can produce the locomotives at the U.S. plant for less than half the $35 an hour it pays to workers in London. Though the parent company made record profits last year ($4.9 billion), there’s more money to be made by slashing costs. Nothing new there: shareholder returns – and large management bonuses – are the priority.
Having gained concessions from Indiana, the company can simply ramp up production at the new facility and ship product north as needed. With facilities in Mexico, China and India, low wages are clearly an issue for EMD.
The closure is the latest in a long line of hits taken by Ontario’s manufacturing sector, which was already suffering from the high value of the dollar and, especially, free trade agreements that had hollowed out industry here even before the Wall Street-created financial collapse. While some facets of the economy improved last year, for instance, manufacturing wound up 2011 with a string of job losses, including in the plastics and rubber, computer and electronics sectors.
In fact, across the country employment in factories fell to its lowest level since Statistics Canada began collecting data in 1976.
Summing up the manufacturing sector, Avery Shenfeld, chief economist at CIBC World Markets, paints a bleak picture. “Productivity gains are a positive story, but the sadder story is that Canada has been pricing itself out of manufacturing as resource industries’ success drives up our currency. The world is beating down our door for our resources at a greater rate than for our manufactured goods.
“Unfortunately, the combination of sluggish growth beyond our borders and a still-elevated Canadian dollar doesn’t give much promise to manufacturing as a source of employment growth.”
As new Census data released this week by StatsCan show, there’s a correlation between the declining in manufacturing in Ontario and growth out west, where the resource-extraction industry is booming. Similar gains, though less notable, have been seen on the East Coast where oil and gas are in play.
With the decline of value-added manufacturing, we are in danger of regressing to our age-old role of hewers of wood and drawers of water.
Well, that and the purveyors of service jobs, as that is where much of what passes for employment growth has been. Low-paying, part-time jobs with few if any benefits are increasingly the norm.
Manufacturers in this country have shed some 300,000 jobs in the past decade or so. Everything from higher labour costs to red tape and a strong loonie have been blamed for the crisis. It’s cheaper to make goods in China or Mexico, so that’s where those intent on short-term gains go to do business.
The workers displaced by plant closures – offshore transplants or recession-invoked bankruptcy, it doesn’t matter – find themselves looking for work in a tough environment. Those lucky enough to find another job typically take a pay cut, reducing buying power and ultimately contributing to the overall economic malaise. Another Statistics Canada study shows that those Canadians thrown out of work by closures and mass layoffs who find other jobs suffer an average decline of 25 per cent in earnings, implying a loss of about $10,000 a year for a typical manufacturing worker.
As a result of the recession, even the growth in poorly-paid service jobs has been unable to keep up with manufacturing losses, at time driving up the overall unemployment rate. The remedy? More of the same failed policies that are in part responsible for the mess we’re in: trade agreements, corporate tax cuts and a focus on resource exports, as evidenced by the likes of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters.
That focus may help sell unprocessed bitumen from the tar sands in Alberta – shipped off to be processed elsewhere, and sold back to us a finished products – but it’s not a sustainable arrangement, especially as Alberta holds on to little in the way of royalties, a common problem with resource extraction across the country.
In the rush to blame the workers for EMD’s decision to shut the plant – there’s been a fair bit of CAW-bashing in the blogosphere – it’s important to remember the lack of sustainability before simply recommending the unemployed move to Fort McMurray.
St. Jacobs power centre to have more rental options
The St. Jacobs big-box retail centre not powering up as expected, the township is broadening the range of uses at the site to help the developer draw in tenants. Official Plan and zoning changes approved this week provide more options at the Smart Centres site, where a decade-long delay appears to have caused typical power centre tenants to settle elsewhere. That’s limited the number of potential businesses willing to locate there, with the problem compounded by land-use restrictions that grew out of the sometimes-nasty debate over the Walmart-anchored project.
In recognition of the market conditions, director of engineering and planning Dan Kennaley suggested it’s appropriate to relax the restrictions on the property. Allowing a wider range of service commercial uses, including restaurants, opens up the possibility of more tenants, he said.
The changes approved Tuesday night by councillors meeting as a committee of the whole follow an application last spring by owner King/86 Developments. The company argued that current restrictions on the site are making it difficult to lease space there, noting only about half of the permitted 305,000 square feet has been built.
A planning and marketing report prepared for the company prior to a public meeting last May shows the requested changes would generate more business without having any negative impact on existing operations in Woolwich and Waterloo.
After reviewing the studies, Woolwich’s planners – as well as their counterparts in Waterloo – determined some extra uses would be suitable. Among the long list of new options for development are a medical clinic, photo studio, printing/copying/publishing establishment, rental/repair service (rent-all), travel agency, veterinary operation, auction centre and hotel/motel.
Controls over the number and size of restaurants have also been loosened. But the township didn’t want to provide too much leeway for fear the development would fill up with fast-food restaurant chains if smaller operations are allowed.
Originally, the goal was to have large-format restaurants, as is often the case at power centres. So far, however, the only taker has been the Arby’s, and the developer had to use up one of two exceptions to get the 1,800-square-foot restaurant built. Under the new Official Plan and zoning, the developer can have two restaurants at minimum size of 800 sq. ft., two at 1,200 sq. ft. and one at a minimum size of 1,800 sq. ft. (the existing Arby’s operation). As an incentive, the township will allow two more restaurants of at least 1,500 sq. ft. if two larger restaurants of at least 5,000 sq. ft. locate in the power centre.
“The need to consider smaller-type restaurants, recognizing that many of the larger restaurants over 5,000 sq. ft. (such as Boston Pizza, East Side Mario’s, Kelsey’s, the Keg and Swiss Chalet) are already located in the City of Waterloo within a four-kilometre radius of King/86’s development. As such, the list of larger restaurants that would normally be attracted to the King/86 development has diminished over time,” reads the staff report submitted to councillors.
Kennaley said the new arrangement strikes a balance between existing retail in Woolwich and Waterloo and the needs of the developer
“We want the King/86 development to make good use of the land that’s available to them … to allow them to develop in a reasonable fashion.”
Responding to a question from Coun. Julie-Anne Herteis, Kennaley said the decision would have few immediate implications on St. Jacobs-based Mercedes Corp., which also holds land in the stockyards area. It, too, is having trouble renting space at the outlet mall and would like to see restrictions eased there.
Kennaley, however, noted the company is looking for changes that would be better dealt with in the broader context of a secondary plan review that will look at the whole area. The process is set to begin this year, running into early 2013.
At this campground, it’s not just souls that are bared
The kids gone and no longer caught up in the hurly-burly of child rearing, empty-nesters Norman and Ruth come to an eye-opening realization: they have no idea what they’re relationship is all about. Acting on the advice of discount marriage counsellor that they revisit a spot where they remember being in love, the middle-aged couple heads for a campground they used to visit when the kids were young. So, late one night with a borrowed tent trailer in tow, they end up at the Bear Bones Campground, the scene of better days past. Trouble is, just as they’ve changed so too has the vacation spot: they wake up the next morning to find the place is now the Bare Bones Alternative Campground. To make matters worse, the trailer hitch is broken, so they can’t just up and leave.
It’s not really the right tonic for such a conservative couple. Or is it?
HOWDY, NEIGHBOUR Norman (Brian Otto) and Ruth (Kathy Fahey) are out of their element in a nudist resort whose denizens include Tracy Biggar, Michael Hunter and Brandon Maxwell.
Well, it certainly doesn’t start out that way, which provides plenty of laughs in the Elmira Theatre Company’s presentation of Bare Bear Bones.
Written by Elmira playwright Mike Grant, the story uses the comedic setting as backdrop for a lighthearted exploration of marriage and the relationships between men and women.
“It started as a fish-out-of-water story, but it had to have more. It tells the importance of communication in a relationship,” said Grant. “The campground became a metaphor for the stripping down – the bare bones – of the relationship.”
He had plenty of fodder when penning the story, drawn from years of observing how couples interact. The relationship he created for Norman and Ruth has much in common with what he saw in his parents, and in his own marriage.
“This is exactly what my wife and I sound like when we’re arguing,” he laughed.
Being stuck in an uncomfortable environment, Norman (Brian Otto) and Ruth (Kathy Fahey) are forced to communicate for the first time in years, getting past the banter and joking to have a real heart-to-heart discussion.
But first they have to contend with being surrounded by a whole pile of people walking around wearing nothing but smiles. It’s a setting that’s a challenge not only for our uptight pair, but for those staging the play, as they had to create the illusion of a nudist resort. Campground denizens are always seen behind a hedge, a clothesline or a well-placed prop.
“It they’re expecting the Full Monty, they’re not going to get it,” laughed director Deb Deckert of audience expectations – this is the Elmira Theatre Company, after all. “We’ve had to do some creative blocking.”
She has high praise for the set designers and builders, led by Phil Dietrich, who’ve managed to recreate a campground setting to an appropriate scale for the ETC stage.
“He really does a wonderful job – all part of the magic we call theatre.”
Involving both camping and relationships, the play probably touches on two subjects familiar to most of us.
The second act of the play involves a considerable amount of time around the campfire, which provides a recognizable scenario for anyone who’s ever enjoyed the great outdoors. “Which is pretty much all of us who’ve enjoyed the Canadian institution of camping,” said Deckert.
And, as Grant noted, you don’t have to go far to see how married couples behave. The story contains plenty of slice-of-life moments sure to draw laughs and looks of recollection.
“Anyone who’s been married for any length of time will recognize this situation,” said Deckert.
The Elmira Theatre Company production of Bare Bear Bones runs Feb. 10-12, Feb. 16-19 at 76 Howard Ave. Show times are 8 p.m., except Sunday (2:30 p.m.). Tickets are $18, available from ETC (www.elmiratheatre.com or 519-669-3230) or through the Centre in the Square box office in Kitchener by calling 578-1570 or 1-800-265-8977, online at www.centre-square.com. There will also be special sweetheart supper and show on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14, with dinner provided by Flow Café and Catering. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., buffet dinner at 7 p.m., with the show to follow. Those tickets are $58 per person.
