Some thoughts on a rainy Sunday

I was sitting at a table the other night with two people that have been interviewed by the Orillia anti rackets branch of the OPP, investigating local corruption. For obvious reasons I cannot divulge who they are or what questions were asked because the conversation was ‘off the record’. But it did give me a fairly good insight on which way this investigation is going. One thing I can say is the investigation is going back at least 20 years and involves names that you all know, if and when this breaks it will be province wide and big.
One down side of this blog is before I have conversations with people, I now have to agree to being ‘off the record’ before I get the good stuff divulged to me, understandable I guess, but hard for a blabber mouth like me nevertheless.

Steve’s on a roll here: http://allbeingmaster.blogspot.ca/2013/06/screw-high-road.html
Someone must have pissed in his cornflakes this morning!!! I like this Steve, confrontational, pissed off. Haven’t seen much of that side of Steve lately, a welcome return and a great post.

I have some comments on Mondays night’s council meeting:
How long is Kevin Lloyd going to keep up with the charade that the proper way of doing the Collingwood rec facilities would have cost $35 million? Kevin we all know that number was inflated by around $12 million so that the tents could be fast tracked and public discussion stopped. Dale West seemed to be trying to convince himself when he said “We had been talking about this (rec facilities) for far too long it was time to get it done.” Did I miss the meeting where the public got to have their say in the Collus funds debate? I guess as Chadwick keeps telling anyone that will listen “We were elected to make the tough decisions”. My view on that is – You were elected to make decisions like whether someone gets an easement on there property. Or maybe a variance to building regulations. Not decisions that effect the whole town in a very big way for many years beyond your mandate. Those decisions (like selling Collus in the first place) should be part of election campaigns. Or be part of very public debate during your term in office.

I see the petition http://www.change.org/petitions/stop-the-closure-of-shale-beach for the shale beach is now up to 491 signatures in 4 days, closing in on 500, that’s quite impressive. Maybe this thing has legs after all. Please sign this petition. If you want to know what its about take a look at my previous 3 posts.
Why does the town use Leo Longo from Aird and Belis as the towns retained lawyer? This is a downtown 181 Bay St law firm. I guarantee they charge a minimum of $500 per hour. Now admittedly Leo specializes in municipal land use cases and this town council is in front of the OMB more times than Rick Lloyd has declared a Smart Flowers conflict of interest. Is there not a local (or Barrie anyway) law firm that can handle the towns legal issues? I wonder how much we pay this legal firm each month? I am sure Leo is on the clock as soon as he leaves his Toronto office. I bet it costs $4 or $5,000 every time he attends a council meeting.
As some of you know I have had a few very public spats with Scoop. I have accused him of being a ‘shill for the town’ and being the ‘towns mouth piece’ amongst other things. Well if he was he certainly isn’t now see here: http://morganianadams.com/?p=2022 Chadwick and Scoop have been pals (online anyway) for years. I wonder how long it will be before Mr. Chadwick starts the customary blocking of Scoop on Twitter, Facebook and commenting on his blog, like he has with the rest of us?

That’s about it for now happy fathers day to all you dads. Those of you that still have a dad in your life make the most of him while you still can, I lost mine in 2007.

Shale Beach part 3

I sent the email below to:
Liane Fisher
Communications Coordinator
Ministry of Transportation – West Region
519-873-4186 liane.fisher@ontario.ca
I don’t expect much from it but I will post her answers and comments when I receive them, so watch this space.

Hi Leane,

Brendan Thomson posted your reply to him on Facebook regarding the Fish Barrel Beach closing in the Town of Blue Mountains by your MOT department.

I have read your response a number of times and I have some questions and comments on your letter.

Questions:
1. In your email you state “inappropriate use of the area, including overnight camping, alcohol consumption, and excessive noise during the summer months”. Are you aware of any efforts by the local detachment of the OPP to address these concerns?
2. If so what measures were taken by the OPP to alleviate these concerns and on what dates? It would seem appropriate to try and fix the problems rather than arbitrarily close the beach down to the public?
3. How many local residents complained and on what dates?

4. What are the environmental concerns mentioned in your letter?

5. Why was this decision not made more available to the public rather than a sign put up sometime in May and a statement sent to the local municipality. They made no efforts to let the public know other than a notice on its website. A statement to some local media outlets seems more appropriate?
6. Where and who do I contact to get freedom of information requests regarding this situation?

7. Are you aware that this beach is the only place in southern Ontario where handicapped people are able get access to a large lake to cool in the summer or fish a large lake’?

8. Why were no other measures tried before closing this beach, in terms of posting no overnight camping signs and maybe regular police patrols?

9. Is there going to be an opportunity for a public meeting on this issue? Which I suggest should have happened prior to this extreme measure.

10. Are you aware of a local petition at http://www.change.org/petitions/stop-the-closure-of-shale-beach which has over 450 signers at today’s date?

Comments:

1. I suggest that local residents who complained are few in number compared to the amount of people who use that beach. Does the greater need not outweigh the few. This smacks of Nimbyism!!!

2. When the local residents bought or moved into this area were they not already aware that this beach was there? If so do they expect things to change just because they moved into this area?

3. I post on a local blog which gets between 200 and 500 views per day and will be posting these questions and your answers on that blog and other social media sites.

4. Users of this beach request a postponement of this closure until after a public meeting.

5. In terms of environmental concerns, It is my understanding that this beach has been used in the same manner for over 30 with the lake being at various levels over that period with no adverse environmental effects

I look forward to your responses to these comments and questions.

Shale Beach part 2

Thanks to Brendan Thompson for following up on the shale beach closing. Below is the response from the MTO. I will be following this up with phone calls and an email or two. I will post my progress on this blog .

Dear Mr. Thompson,

Thank you for your e-mail regarding the temporary closure of the access to the area of the shale beach (also known as Fish Barrel beach) east of Craigleith Provincial Park on Highway 26 in the Town of The Blue Mountains.

The Fish Barrel beach area, located between Highway 26 and Georgian Bay, is owned by the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) and is part of the Highway 26 right-of-way. Historically, on a limited basis, Fish Barrel beach has been used by the public for fishing, swimming and picnicking. With the Lake Huron water levels dropping over the past several years, Fish Barrel beach has significantly increased in size and as a result there has been a significant increase in use. MTO and the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) have observed, and been advised by local residents, of the inappropriate use of the area, including overnight camping, alcohol consumption, and excessive noise during the summer months.

Because of these concerns regarding public health and safety and environmental damage, as an interim step, the ministry is temporarily closing the vehicle entrance to the shale beach from Highway 26. Along with the closing the entrance, MTO will be placing a ‘No Parking Zone’ on both sides of Highway 26 in the vicinity of Fish Barrel beach.

This entrance will remain closed until we can develop a proper long-term strategy for the beach. Parking and public access is still available through Craigleith Provincial Park.

The ministry is initiating a project to rehabilitate Highway 26 between Thornbury and Collingwood. The project is listed in the ministry’s Southern Highways Program for construction between 2014 and 2016. As part of the design and Environmental Assessment work for this project, we will be investigating strategies and options for access and controlled parking for Fish Barrel beach.

We are committed to consulting with the public as we develop a long term strategy for the beach as part of this study. I would encourage you to participate in that process. We are also committed to working with MNR and the Town of The Blue Mountains in developing a long-term plan for the beach.

Should you have any questions you may contact Ken Teasdale of our London office at 519-873-4596.

Thank you again for sharing your concerns.

Liane Fisher
Communications Coordinator
Ministry of Transportation – West Region
519-873-4186 liane.fisher@ontario.ca

A Shale Beach Shafting!!!

It’s weird I must be psychic. It was around a year ago on a perfect Sunday afternoon, I was sitting in a soccer chair at Fish Barrel Beach (Shale Beach for those of you who are lesser informed) reading my National Post. My kids were swimming. A nice old German couple were cooking up some bratwurst on a hibachi next to us, On the other side was a well healed Toronto family having a quick swim before the long trip back to the ‘big smoke’. And I thought, this is way too perfect, way too much freedom. I wonder how long it will take the ‘Nanny State’ to put a stop to this? A year later it happened. In an instant my all-time favorite swimming spot has been taken away from me. When I say taken away, it hasn’t actually been taken away, it will still be there but to get to it instead of driving off a little side road and parking right next to the water, you will now have to pay $14 and park at Craigleith Provincial Park and trudge on foot about 500 meters to get to it.
For those of you that do not know where I am talking about it’s the stretch of shale between Northlands Beach and Arrowhead Rd. Don’t worry they have all the bases covered they will be installing no parking signs all the way along Highway 26 in that area and up Arrowhead Rd. I am sure our local constabulary will be given strict instructions to ease up on seat belt patrol and make sure they enforce this to the letter until we submit.
There is a petition floating around http://www.change.org/petitions/stop-the-closure-of-shale-beach sign it if you want. But it won’t do any good. No one pays attention to petitions especially some unelected pencil necked MOT official. I wonder how this came about? I bet this was a civil servant driving by one weekend and thinking ‘ This can’t be right we must put a stop to it’. The official explanation is from a Mr. Bentley at the MTO in a letter sent to the Town of Blue Mountain stating “The ministry is undertaking a design and environmental assessment for the rehabilitation of Hwy. 26 between Collingwood and Thornbury — and as part of that process is “investigating strategies and options for access and controlled parking” for the beach, known locally as Fish Barrel Beach”.
Another explanation given is local residents complaining about inappropriate summer use. I have been going to that beach around 6 times a year for 13 years and I have never witnessed anything more inappropriate than a large hairy southern European man in a pair of Speedos.
This is what we get in this brave new world we live in, the cost of the nanny state will hit you not only in your wallet, but in everything else you do in life.

Should be changed to ………………………….

2014 Mayoralty Poll Results:

I know, I know I did publish in my post that this poll would not be released until 14th June but our extensive staff here at the newsroom of VFAN will be busy covering other important story’s tomorrow (taking my son to a rugby tournament). And I know that you have all been waiting with baited breath for the results of the VFAN 2014 Mayoralty Poll. This is completely scientific and is exactly how things would turn out if the vote were held today. For the 200 or so of you that visited this poll and did not vote – I blow a very large raspberry at you!!!

Lights and Roundabouts

How many of you have sat at the lights at High Street and First St and every light seems to be red and no one is moving? That set of lights are the most annoying set of traffic lights I have ever come across. I just missed that light one day and I timed it, it took over 4 minutes for it to go through its tedious motions. I hate to admit it but I cut through Metro parking lot occasionally to miss the drudgery of waiting at that light.
I was sitting there one day fuming and ranting about these ‘Nanny state traffic lights’ (that’s what I call them). My daughter said “I agree dad why don’t they put a roundabout here?” I replied ‘Don’t be silly ………… actually why don’t they put a roundabout there?”
You are all probably used to roundabouts by now, being as we have at least three of them around town now and another one coming at the old intersection at Highway 26 and Mosley St in Wasaga Beach. What do you think? Pretty good once you get used to them eh? Environmentally friendly for all you Greenie Libs, no hydro, no endless greenhouse gases from idling cars. No frayed nerves when you just miss the light, traffic flows continuously, so in the middle of the night when there are no other cars are around you drive straight through, no pointless waiting.
Back to First and High St. It would actually be quite easy to put a roundabout there, all we would need is a bit of Metro’s parking lot and the whole intersection shifted south west. True it would be a bit of a nightmare during construction but we have been through worse. Can anyone tell me how much a roundabout would cost? Let’s get this show on the road and make it happen. Could have used some of that Collus money, if only it wasn’t blown like a sailors pay cheque on shore leave, last Monday evening.

Ernie’s Conundrum

So, the Collus money has finally burnt a hole through this town councils collective pockets. They voted 8 – 1 (surprise Keith Hull voted against) Monday night to use all but around a million of it to pay for the tents. The balance getting put away for Hume Street.

My last ‘imagine this scenario‘ seemed to go down rather well so here we go again.

A man (let’s call him Ernie Smith) has a business it’s quite profitable, but that isn’t the most important thing when talking about this business. It has a steady cash flow and it sells something that everyone uses and has no competitors. This business can never go bankrupt. Let’s say this business makes $10k per year. It isn’t Ernies’s only source of income but it is a nice addition to his regular salary.
There is a problem though Harry has a 1957 Chevy Belair 4 door hardtop, his pride and joy. He keeps it in a garage at the side of his house. The building is old, the roof leaks and the door is hard to open sometimes. He needs a new garage. To build the garage he really needs will cost $25k. High ceiling with a work shop sink for cleanup and a pit to work on his car. Plus enough room to park the family Dodge Caravan. His wife thinks he should talk to the bank, but the bank manager will want bunch of forms filled out and signed and Ernie wants his garage now he’s waited for years.

A bigger player in the same type business as Harry’s, approaches him they would like to purchase half his company for $15k. Ernie never thought about selling half his company he’s had it for years. He really needs that garage though. One evening he is watching TV and an add comes on for Rocket Steel Buildings. They sell metal garages, no building permits and installation can be done in two days. He takes down the number and calls them the next morning. Guess what??? Ernie can get a new steel garage for $13k and if he sells half his company he still has a bit of money left to repave his driveway, problem solved.

Who the hell would do that deal???