Posted by Greg Locke on Apr 24, 2011 in Get Engaged!, Issues That Matter | 3 comments
You could substitute “King Township” in this article and it would be just as relevant.
I’ve updated and republished this post (in case you are have deja vu) as I am delighted to see there is growing interest and concern of late for our heritage “future” in King, yet the challenges we face are ever more apparent. Councillors are talking publicly about these issues AND seeking input.
Most noteworthy: Our newly-minted Council has approved a contract Heritage Planner in the approved 2011 budget as a means of providing due diligence to the cataloging of our heritage properties AND to stop the “reactive” mode discussed in the article. I’m delighted.
An excellent step forward, as championed by Councillor Cleve Mortelliti (King City).
Debbie Schaefer has generated some good community discussion on this topic on her blog in her post, “Re-vitalizing King City: ideas from others“.
Is it time, now, FINALLY, for our historic village cores to receive heritage designation?
We’re not new to this: We tried with Kettleby, and it failed (though for identifiyble reasons I won’t go into here);
King is desperately short of money to invest in heritage (the contract Heritage Planner role, for example, is a re-shuffling of funds);
Passionate volunteers are in short supply to do the work for designation: it’s substantial.
This timely article (below) makes it a requisite for preservation – but it’s not the only one. We have cultures in conflict that have given heritage preservation little voice.
THIS MUST CHANGE.
Please read on …. and COMMENT! You’ll see other King concerned citizens already have.
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Posted by Greg Locke on Apr 22, 2011 in Get Engaged!, Issues That Matter | 0 comments
On April 21st I took multiple shots of the progress of the project from the high grounds east of the site from several angles.
I posted 43 images on Google Picasa including 2 of the site prior to construction starting (it was a beautiful sight).
Click here to see the photo album.
Feel free to download and share these images – I’ve uploaded them in full resolution. You can also leave comments on the images if you wish to point out anything.
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Posted by Greg Locke on Apr 19, 2011 in Get Engaged!, Issues That Matter | 2 comments
Mayor Pellegrini requested Enbridge to present an update of the pipeline construction process (currently underway in Pottageville) at the 9th Council session yesterday evening. I was there, and here is an accounting of my key observations.
And if you are new to this issue, you may find my previous post: Game Over for the Pipeline Debacle worth reading.
PLEASE COMMENT below this post folks!
I must say Enbridge’s presentation to Council read like their letters to Council and other interested parties emphasizing their safety record, adherence to standards etc. I don’t think anyone doubts these “facts”. The trouble is, there have been some alarming accidents where proximity to populated areas is a huge concern. Especially when in our case, human safety could have been addressed by merely selecting an identified alternate route, missing Pottageville altogether.
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Posted by Greg Locke on Sep 28, 2010 in Get Engaged!, Issues That Matter | 4 comments
Ward 4 Councillor Bill Cober voted in 2010 to support unrestricted retail development at King and Dufferin that could potentially kill the retail core of King City.
If Mayor Black hadn’t voted in favour of this particular bylaw, he would have had his way: Cleve Mortelitti said after the vote that Council, “… almost threw out the baby with the bath water”.
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Posted by Greg Locke on Sep 25, 2010 in Get Engaged!, Issues That Matter | 3 comments
Enbridge Gas has formally commenced construction in Pottageville and Kettleby on a 17 km gas pipeline, beginning at the York Energy Centre at 18731 Dufferin Street in the Holland Marsh. Construction will end at the westerly end of Pottageville near the 8th Concession.
Passing in front of homes and the Kettleby Public School, it will follow the Lloydtown Aurora Rd. through Pottageville, passing in front of the Kettleby School and under Hwy. 400 before it turns north at Jane.
The pipeline is 16 inches wide; the pressure is 650 psi (pounds per square inch.) In contrast, a pipeline taking gas to your house for heating & cooking is less than 5 psi.
The pipeline will be constructed within existing road allowances. However, the OEB recognizes that temporary easements over some properties along the route will be necessary due to the intrusive nature of the construction. Over and above undetermined risks of such a facility, Lloydtown Road will be a mess during this construction period.
Do you know why?
This gas line is to fuel Pristine Power’s “Peaker” gas-fired electric generating station in the Holland Marsh, and the closest connection point to Enbridge’s gas distribution system is in Pottageville.
WHAT ARE THE SAFETY RISKS?
They are concerning. Please read the following report prepared for and submitted to King Council in January 2010. It was prepared by East Gwillimbury Councillor Candidate Katharine Parsons, B.A. (Chem.), Executive Director, Global Environmental Action Group and Charles Rhodes, P. Eng., Ph.D. You will find it compelling reading.
Natural Gas Pipeline Setbacks and Risks paper
How did this happen?
Without King Township intervening, The Ontario Energy Board approved construction of this project in April 2010, on the express condition that work commence before year-end. The OEB denied a request by participants to included the pipeline in the environmental assessment of the plant itself.
You can see the full copy of the OEB Decision EB-2009-0187 here, including its graphic in Appendix B of the pipeline’s planned route I have reproduced in this article.
WHAT SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED
Unlike Bill, I would have voted on April 28, 2008 to declare King Township an unwilling host to the generator.
At this Council meeting Councillor Cober, Mayor Black, and 2 others voted against making this declaration: Read the Council discussion and witness the recorded vote here (starting bottom Page 7 with the recorded vote on Page 14). In May and June all other municipalities passed resolutions denying being willing hosts. At an emergency meeting on July 2, 2008 King Council finally declared itself an unwilling host. Too little – too late.
I would have voted in September 2008 to pass an interim control bylaw in King Township which would have prohibited construction of the generator starting for two years as zoning was reassessed in the Township. This in turn would have likely delayed the gas pipeline. At this Council meeting Mayor Black and Councillor Cober and two others voted against this bylaw. Council finally passed this bylaw in January 2010. Too little – too late.
King Township didn’t participate in the Ontario Energy Board hearings for Enbridge’s application for approval to build the pipeline. Nothing on the public record suggests Bill Cober asked the Township to participate.
In stark contrast, several groups registered as participants and challenged the OEB as to the safety of the proposed route.
I would have asked for the support of the Mayor and other Councillors for the Township to participate in the hearing and to challenge the risk of a high pressure gas pipeline 34 meters in front of the Kettleby Public School bus loading area and even closer to homes in Pottageville.
Please comment below. After all – it’s YOUR community.
Planned pipeline route through Pottageville and Kettleby. From Ontario Energy Board Decision EB-2009-0187 Appendix B.
Posted by Greg Locke on Sep 20, 2010 in Get Engaged!, Issues That Matter | 14 comments
This article was published as paid editorial in the King Sentinel on May 12, 2010.
For the print version please click here.
Several people have asked me why I’m not smiling in my election materials. Quite simply, it’s because I have nothing to hide: No smile, no arms crossed. Just my face – approachable, certainly honest, and some would say (my Mom at least), intelligent and critical.
I’m currently the only non-incumbent running for election in King, so I feel an even greater moral duty to strip the sugar coating off a few issues that many Ward 4 and King residents take for granted, as explained (or not) by their Council representatives.
I have a list of issues I intend to bring to your attention to think about and discuss with your incumbent Councillors and candidates between now and October 25th. No doubt over the coming months, other candidates like me who will offer positive change and leadership to their communities will join and add to this discussion.
Agree or disagree, we need to talk about King’s next 10 years because I believe we’ll lose much of what we so value here, unless we raise the bar and deliver better leadership to our Council this Fall.
Here’s my first issue: The “old” Schomberg Arena is to be sold off.
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