Posted by Greg Locke on Sep 20, 2010 in Greg's 2010 Election Platform | 0 comments
My VISION for King:
A sustainable, responsibly planned and diversified community that fosters growth of, and respect for, our HERITAGE, NATURE and THE ARTS.
Heritage, Nature and the Arts form the cornerstones of healthy, vibrant communities AND my Vision for Ward 4 and King.
Ward 4 and King require a proactive, adaptive and modern approach to realize the opportunities available to us in the coming years.
To do so, we need a VISION, and a plan to implement it. And that “plan” — is my 6-POINT PLATFORM.
VISION is the introduction to my campaign platform, for without one, you do not have the other.
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Posted by Greg Locke on Apr 9, 2010 in Greg's 2010 Election Platform | 4 comments
BOTTOM LINE – I’ll work with Council and staff to ensure that:
– Future residential development is well integrated and in harmony within our existing communities.
- Developers clearly know what commitments they must meet in order to properly assess and plan for projects within King.
- Our planning “tools”, including the King Official Plan and Schomberg Plan, must be re-written to ensure they have “teeth” as planning AND enforcement tools.
- A Schomberg Main Street Revitalization Plan is finalized and implemented in cooperation with local merchants and building owners.
- Our planning efforts anticipate the evolving needs of YOU, our current and future residents, including public transit availability, senior-assisted living, recreation facilities, visible minority accommodation, and accessibility.
I’m dedicated to responsible growth in King. No doubt we’ll have to grow in the coming decade, especially within King’s three main villages – King City, Nobleton and Schomberg.
The Greenbelt Plan requires that future growth occurs within our existing community plan boundaries, specifically within King’s three main villages. We can have our pristine and undisturbed Moraine, but we must still plan for significant growth in York Region over the next 25 years. I believe this is a reasonable cost to pay for our preservation of this legacy.
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Posted by Greg Locke on Apr 9, 2010 in Greg's 2010 Election Platform | 0 comments
BOTTOM LINE – I’ll work with Council to:
– Protect and grow our valuable non-renewable assets that are so valued by our communities and lifestyle.
- Monitor and protect the interests of Pottageville and area against the effects of the high pressure natural gas pipeline proposed to fuel the Holland Marsh peaker plant (if this comes to pass).
- Lead an effort to protect the “old” Schomberg Arena from planned sale, and promote its most valuable alternate uses.
– Ensure King’s Artistic Assets receive special protection and encouragement where possible.
King and Ward 4 are abundant in these assets and yet, even with supposed legal protections, our communities are under threat from a number of factors including urban growth, insensitive developers, defective planning and ecological stress.
We have a number of tools designed to help us in our goal of preserving these rich assets, including the York Region and King Township Official Plans and Bylaws, the Provincial Policy Statement on natural heritage protection, the Green Belt and Moraine legislation, plus our community plans (if you happen to be from King City, Nobleton or Schomberg).
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Posted by Greg Locke on Apr 9, 2010 in Greg's 2010 Election Platform | 1 comment
BOTTOM LINE – I’ll work with Council, staff and our Regional & Provincial industry and tourism partners to:
- Make tourism a sustainable and growing source of wealth to King residents and businesses.
- Create sustainable and profitable industry on currently zoned industrial lands that respect our natural heritage and, where possible, leverage our small town/rural lifestyle.
- Promote alternative uses for the Old Schomberg Arena and maintain it as a community asset, and in particular, a Farmer’s Market and demonstration Mill. I’ll first work with Council and key stakeholders including the Schomberg Arena Advisory Committee and the Holland Marsh Growers’ Association to investigate and propose the Arena be held from liquidation and repurposed for this use.
- Work toward a feasible Schomberg Main Street Improvement Plan and IMPLEMENT it.
- Investigate Community Improvement Plans for our Ward.
JUMP STARTING KING’S ENGINES OF PROSPERITY
King has traditionally relied upon residential development to fund its increasing expenditure needs. Unchecked, it looks like it will continue to do so. We simply can’t continue on the path we’re on, expecting our standard of services from the Township to continue, unless we somehow increase our level of wealth.
The Township’s debt level has been rising over several years. Council is appealing to the OMB for an increase in our mandated debt-to-operating-budget ratio (denied by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing).
How do you feel about that? We can’t fund road or sewer or other infrastructure repairs and improvements without incurring more long-term debt, and the 8th Concession is a perfect example. And we know we can’t expect the Province or Region to come to our aid.
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Posted by Greg Locke on Apr 9, 2010 in Greg's 2010 Election Platform | 5 comments
BOTTOM LINE – I’ll work with Council and Township staff to:
– Remedy the risks caused by our excessive deficit spending.
– Produce realistic, effective budgets that significantly address our need for proper fiscal management.
King is in a near-perfect storm: We’re becoming increasingly indebted as a community while at the same time, economic growth has stalled.
Our debt level hs been rising over the last several years. We are addressing unavoidable infrastructure upgrades by issuing debentures, something for which King has come under scrutiny by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs: The proportion of YOUR tax dollars going to service this debt is at its maximum and the Province has denied King’s request to exceed it. Council is appealing to the OMB for an increase in our mandated debt-to-operating-budget ratio (denied by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing).
How do you feel about that? We can’t fund road or sewer or other infrastructure repairs and improvements without incurring more long-term debt, and the 8th Concession is a perfect example. And we know we can’t expect the Province or Region to come to our aid.
There are a multitude of reasons for this creaping burden. Yet we cannot deny that we have not been living within our means.
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Posted by Greg Locke on Apr 9, 2010 in Greg's 2010 Election Platform | 1 comment
BOTTOM LINE – I’ll work with Council and Township staff to:
- Address the glaring and ongoing bylaw enforcement issues in the Ward.
– Create better tools, including Community Improvement Plans to better guide how our communities are built and function.
We are proud of our villages and towns and yet we don’t always appear to be “on the same page”. Businesses and residences co-exist in close proximity in the villages. Some practices are a reminder of our past, but also difficult stumbling blocks toward the Schomberg, Pottageville and Lloydtown of the future.
Bylaws are but one tool the Township has to shape our communities. I believe that in specific cases there have been enforcement issues that have long required focused attention.
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Posted by Greg Locke on Apr 9, 2010 in Get Engaged!, Greg's 2010 Election Platform | 4 comments
BOTTOM LINE – I’ll work with Council to advance a progressive Seniors Vision and a Plan to realize it.
Born in 1964, I am statistically amongst the youngest of the Baby Boomers. And as a post-war sensation, we are staring to retire. Our numbers are immense. And we will increasingly demand services from all levels of government to maintain and extend our healthy lifestyles.
I discuss my Strategy for Seniors below. To get you thinking of the possibilities, read this short story below about a first-time project in London. We need to think “outside the box” about our growing needs, and this one got me thinking! How about you?
Please comment below!
Do we need “seniors playgrounds” dotting King? How about one in each of the 3 villages? Possibly. Perhaps a Seniors-inclusive Township recreation complex? Maybe.
However OUR needs will be addressed – maybe we need more, perhaps a LOT more, of this way of thinking (especially with strained budgets to assist Seniors at all government levels).
By the way: King has nearly a dozen new parks and parkettes planned for King within the next few years (as the new subdivisions are completed). Perhaps as Seniors we’d like to have a say in them.
I’ll work with Council to advance
a progressive Seniors Vision and a Plan to realize it.
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