The stretch of Derry, from Bronte to Tremaine, was supposed to finish in 2008.  You would think that being so late, they’d be working overtime, trying to finish it as fast as they humanly could. Yet I haven’t seen any progress on the stretch from Scott Blvd to Bronte Road since June.  JUNE!

What I cannot figure out is, why in the world did they have to rip out the sidewalk and dig the entrance to the First Capital plaza (where Shoppers is) if they were not ready to pave it for another 6 months?  This morning I passed by Derry four times between 9:30am and 10:30am and did not spot a single worker between Scott and Bronte.  Not. Even. One.  Why?

That’s why it is important to have someone from the community in the council.  My opponent lives near the Metro grocery store on Thompson.  We have these issues because our current council representative does not live anywhere near us.  They should be up in arms, questioning staff and asking for reports on progress.  But they don’t care (in case you’re curious, the person who should be calling for heads to roll is Barry Lee, the Regional Councillor from this area who is a member of the Public Works committee.  Have you even heard of his name?  I thought so). 

As for my opponent, he wants the job, but he has yet to attend a single council meeting or a committee meeting or an open house on issues that impact the community.  Heck he did not even bother to show up to the first all-candidates meeting. 

On October 25th, ward 8, please choose carefully.  Do you want this mess to continue for another four years or do you want to elect someone who has already been working tirelessly for you, from (successfully) petitioning for the underpass to representing you to the best of his ability even without being elected. 

I am your neighbour (third house from Scott Blvd, just north of PL Robertson) and I work for us.

I am Milton’s sole citizen representative in the Halton’s Inter-Municipal Sustainability Committee.  As a result, I get a lot of questions about sustainability initiatives that fail.  Here’s why: many well-meaning sustainability initiatives are doomed from the start because they focus on problems and sacrifices, instead of improving the quality of life.

Who thinks narrowing Scott Blvd lane from 7.7m to 3.5m will help with controlling speeding?

Scott, Savoline, Yates and part of Phillbrook are about to look like this (developer-funded capital cost, not coming from property taxpayers) :-

The cost of painting these lanes and signage on other roads (Bennett, Clark, Croft, Ferguson, Kennedy, Trudeau, Waldie, Woodward, Laurier and older part of Phillbrook) is $200,000.  Cost of painting bike lanes on new roads in Milton (both Regional and Local) is part of those capital projects (recouped from development charges if they’re growth related, which they almost always are).

So I ask again, who thinks narrowing Scott Blvd lane from 7.7m to 3.5m will help with controlling speeding?  This will be discussed at the Community Services committee meeting tomorrow. As always, barring unforeseen circumstances, I will be there watching out for our interests. 

Transit is free tomorrow!

Passenger Appreciation Day!
Friday, September 10, 2010
Time: 6:15 AM – 8:00 AM
Location: Milton GO Station (at Route 2 bus bay)

PLEASE NOTE: For those interested in the Mayor and Council ride-along, bus trips depart the GO Station promptly at the following times:

All Routes
6:15 AM, 6:45 AM, 7:15 AM

Scott Route Only
6:38 AM, 7:03 AM, 7:30 AM

The family of Erin and Dave Hainey of Milton barely escaped a devastating house fire last week.  Their cat was not so lucky and did not survive.  Many Miltonians have come together to help the family out. There may be a donation box at the Farmer’s Market (more details will follow). 

Ward 1 candidate Andrew Salmons has done a great blog post, containing details about ways to donate.  You can see his post here. Please do what you can to help. 

While canvassing, I often get asked about what a councillor actually does.  Anyone can make general statements (they run the municipal government, they represent their constituents).  Let me give specifics that separate good councillors from bad ones.  It’s important to look at your council candidates and their past behaviour to determine what type of councillor they’ll make.

Councillors solve problems for constituents.  Good councillors take a planned and systematic approach to decision-making, often anticipating problems and solving them before they arise.  Average councillors wait for their constituents to raise issues and they tackle them one-by-one.

Councillors also serve as a source of information for their constituents and help residents navigate the mess we call bureaucracy.  To enable that, good councillors write blogs and send newsletters to keep people informed.  They also act as a liaison between municipal staff, bylaws and policies, and people they serve.  Average councillors only research questions when they come up.  Poor councillors do not stay connected with staff and do not participate in subcommittees, and are always poorly informed themselves. 

Effective councillors put right policies in place that allow staff to solve problems themselves.  Though it’s fun to hear council argue about stop signs and debate sidewalk (both happens, sadly), it’s not an effective use of their time.  Their time should be spent debating issues that non-elected staff cannot, or should not, handle. 

Councillors do not just represent, they also lead.  That’s what distinguishes an average councillor (a representative) from a good one (a leader).

Voters should look at candidates and analyze their past involvement.  Are they already leaders?  Do they regularly volunteer in the community?  Do they already represent their neighbours in subcommittees?  Do they attend council and committee meetings?  Do they attend public meetings?