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OXFORD COUNTY - Great roads and quiet traffic are just some of the assets Oxford County has that appeal to cyclists.
Oxford County Cycling Committee is working hard to develop a series of cycling routes in hopes of making us a prime cycling destination.
Tourism Specialist Meredith Maywood says they worked closely with the award winning non-profit organization 'Transportation Options'.
"They are known for the website 'Ontario By Bike' and what they do is they promote cycling and cycling tourism throughout the province. Ontario By Bike came down to Oxford County, they met with members of the Cycling Committee and reviewed the trails master plan and other cycling information for the area and they developed 11 cycling routes that would appeal to cyclists coming to the area."
"They vary in length from something that would appeal to someone who is very recreational so from 15-30km to people who are looking for a more challenging ride up in the area of 100km or more," says Maywood. " The routes have just been developed and we are actually just in the process of getting ready to launch the routes for 2015."
Oxford County businesses are being encouraged to have cycling amenities available which could earn them 'bike friendly certification'.
Ten local businesses have received the Ontario by Bike designation which Maywood says varies based on the type of business it is.
"For a restaurant having healthy food options, bike locks available and water bottle refill and then obviously information on cycling available. To accommodations they would want to have overnight lock up available so whether it's in the person's hotel room or another location on site and also a bicycle repair kit would be required for those groups."
Once the routes are launched, Maywood says a pocket-sized cycling map, downloadable route sheets and videos promoting cycling in the County will become available.
Tom Curtis is a Toronto-based real estate policy professional.
We are a few weeks away from the tenth anniversary of the Ontario Liberal government’s landmark passing of the Greenbelt Act.
This act enabled the creation of the world’s largest permanent greenbelt, which now protects about 7,200 square kilometres of land surrounding the Greater Toronto Area from urban development – an area larger than Prince Edward Island. The government claims that the Greenbelt supports healthy communities across the greater Golden Horseshoe by curbing urban sprawl and preserving natural heritage. Linda Jeffrey, now mayor of Brampton, explained earlier this year that the Greenbelt “supports our plans for a prosperous and sustainable Ontario” and that it “is one of the greatest contributions our generation has made to the future of Ontario.”
Such strong rhetoric might lead us to assume that the legislation is delivering overwhelmingly and unquestionably positive results. However, the benefits of greenbelt policy are widely questioned. Referring to the 13 per cent of England that is greenbelt-protected, Paul Cheshire, emeritus professor of economic geography at the London School of Economics, writes that “the unstoppable damage [greenbelts] do to societal fairness, housing affordability, the economic efficiency of our cities, even the environment, is devastating.”
Consider two facts: 1) the population of the Greater Toronto Area is seeing unprecedented growth; 2) through the implementation of Greenbelt legislation, the supply of land is being severely restricted. Basic supply and demand economics will tell you that if demand increases dramatically and supply is limited then a shortage occurs and prices will rise. In 1991 the population of the GTA was 4.2-million; in 2001 it was 5.1-million, and by 2011 it was estimated to be 6.1-million. The provincial government projects that the area’s population will tip 8.9-million by 2036.
Meanwhile, Greenbelt legislation has been introduced, premised on controlling the GTA’s urban growth boundaries. This, along with municipally-enforced density and height restrictions, heritage building protections and NIMBYism, impedes any effort to balance the supply of housing stock with demand. The result of this imbalance has been extreme and it is highly visible: hyper-development and Manhattanization of the downtown core, rapid gentrification of neighbourhoods, severe overcrowding of the transit system, and skyrocketing rents and property values.
The Toronto Real Estate Board reports that average property sale prices in Toronto are 68 per cent higher than they were in 2005. The average price of a detached home in the GTA is now $700,000, in the City of Toronto this number is nearer to $900,000. Even condo sales in Toronto are averaging $380,000. Property owners, including many of Canada’s wealthiest, are laughing their collective way to the bank.
But not everyone is benefiting. As prices skyrocket, first-time buyers are finding it increasingly difficult to access the market (The Bank of Montreal reports that a typical Toronto family now has to spend 42 per cent of family income on mortgage payments for the average bungalow), and huge polarization is forming between the price of single-family homes and condominiums – restricting mobility within the market. Aggressive gentrification is resulting in the poor being pushed out of their neighbourhoods into the less-desirable periphery and, not surprisingly, the demand for affordable housing is huge. The Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association states that in 2013, 91,000 Toronto households were waiting for affordable housing. In addition, wait times for subsidized housing were 8.39 years in Peel, 7.57 years in York, and 6.67 years in the City of Toronto.
The provincial government’s first 10-year review of the Greenbelt Act is now due. However, it seems as though Queen’s Park has already concluded that the Greenbelt has been a unanimous success. In 2008, only 3 years after implementation of the Greenbelt and a full 7 years before its first review, the Liberals released criteria for expanding it. This document outlined the process by which municipalities could add land to the Greenbelt, while also stating that “reductions or deletions to the Greenbelt area will not be considered.” One has to wonder if there is any point in the review at all.
Regardless, it will be done in consultation of a government-appointed Greenbelt Council, comprised of a hand-picked team of environmentalists and supporters of the Greenbelt. It seems extremely likely that this will be a review focused on the conservation of green space and protection of idyllic private country estates, rather than the broader consequences the legislation has inflicted upon the region and its population to date.
There are many benefits to the provision of open spaces across the Toronto region: preserving natural heritage, supplying recreational space, providing clean air and water systems, and supporting the existence of farmland (although this claim is seriously questioned by some local farmers), to list a few. However, social equity is fundamentally important to our region and a healthy balance of these objectives is crucial. As with any government legislation, we must challenge the idea that Ontario’s Greenbelt is flawless and encourage debate.
The walks are part of a province-wide initiative which harness nature’s healing powers to help those with mental illness.
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AARON HARRIS FOR THE TORONTO STAR
Hikers stroll through Jefferson Forest in Richmond Hill as part of a program called Mood Walks, which harnesses nature to boost mental health.
By:Andrea GordonFeature Writer,Published on Fri Nov 07 2014
The forest floor is piled with golden leaves. Overhead, a crow squawks and wind rustles through a nearby hemlock grove. A dozen people stand together, inhaling fresh air and peering up through bare maples as the sun peeks through a crack in the slate sky.
This may not be the scene most people imagine when they think of a mental health support group. But the gathering, on a recent autumn morning, is one of the regular hikes organized by the York Region and South Simcoe branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association.
It’s part of a province-wide initiative launched this summer called Mood Walks, which harness nature’s healing powers to help those with mental illness.
“This is the highlight of my week,” says Susan Callon, 59, of Markham, who has come on almost every walk since they began last June and considers it an important part of her recovery from depression and anxiety.
“Once I get here, my anxiety goes right down to zero,” says Callon, also a volunteer with CMHA.
“It gives me the opportunity to be present here, right now, instead of having what they call ‘the monkey mind.’ I find myself feeling more at ease and more relaxed and refreshed afterwards.”
By the time the two-hour hike is over, she’ll have walked almost six kilometres.
Growing evidence of how green space benefits mental health inspired the CMHA’s Ontario chapter to launch Mood Walks in partnership with Hike Ontario and Conservation Ontario, funded by a $150,000 provincial grant.
At least a portion of the club's network of trails running through the City of Orillia ... A standard permit to ride the 33,000 kilometres of trails of Ontario ...
The moon is pictured behind power-generating wind turbines from a wind farm near the village of Ludwigsburg, northern Germany October 5, 2014. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch
OTTAWA - Some may find them annoying and that might cause stress, but there's no direct link between wind turbines and human health.
In the most comprehensive study of its kind in the country, Health Canada scientists looked at communities that host wind farms. Two dozen government, academic and industry experts contributed to the study.
Researchers examined 1,200 participants living within two kilometres of wind turbines in Ontario and P.E.I.
The study's results are only applicable to those two jurisdictions, researchers said.
Scientists found that while some residents living near wind turbines noted some indicators of stress -- sleep disruption, headaches -- there was nothing to indicate those stressors were the result of the wind turbines.
"If someone indicated a higher level of perceived stress, (in some cases they) did have higher cortisol levels (a hormone released when an individual experiences stress)," a Health Canada official told reporters. "However, these (were) not related to wind turbine exposure."
Wind farms in Ontario have been blamed on everything from bat deaths to hurting weather radar capabilities and causing ill health.
Those living near turbines have reported a slew of symptoms including trouble sleeping and headaches. Those claims have been behind a growing anti-turbine movement in the province, of which group Wind Concerns Ontario is part.
Jane Wilson, the group's president, says she has a hard time reconciling the report with the stories she hears from fellow wind-power haters.
"Wind power has some applications, but it shouldn't be next to people's homes," she said.
Interestingly, wind power has been used for decades in Alberta, where it is considered among the most commercially viable forms of alternative energy.
Pembina Institute's Tim Weiss has reported that since 2000, the Alberta Utilities Commission has received zero complaints about wind turbines, compared with more than 200 annually to do with the oil and gas sector.
The Ontario Agency of Health Protection and Promotion study found that "having a negative attitude toward wind turbines in general or their visual impact on the landscape were associated with annoyance."
The cycling enthusiast subsequently turned the Ontario trip into a cross-Canada trek. In 2010, he rode from Victoria to Thunder Bay and raised $3,700 ...
It has a spending commitment from the city; now the Brock Trail committee is setting out to get the rest.
City council is backing an application from the Brockville Kinsmen Club to the Ontario Trillium Foundation on behalf of the trail group, seeking $150,000 in funding for work on three components of the Brock Trail expansion project.
The project's total cost is estimated at up to $490,000.
“Certainly there was the feeling that a letter of endorsement from the City of Brockville would strengthen the (application),” said Councillor Jane Fullarton, council's representative on the citizen-run Brock Trail Committee.
The Kinsmen Club is submitting the grant application as part of a four-party effort including the trail committee, the city and the Cycling Advisory Committee.
In September, councillors decided funding for the Brock Trail will be included in the city's capital budget for the next 10 years.
The move was also aimed to boost the project's credibility as it approaches outside groups such as Trillium.
The reconstruction and extension of the Brock Trail, a walkable and cyclable green space linking larger green spaces across Brockville, ranks among the “strategic” priorities on the city's 10-year capital plan.
The city has now committed to adding $136,000 to the 2015 capital budget for the Brock Trail, as well as $15,000 for cycling infrastructure. From 2015 through 2024, the city plans to spend a total of $683,000 for the Brock Trail and $150,000 for cycling.
The total project costs for the two combined amount to $2,421,000 over that same period, with the rest of the funds coming from grants and in-kind donations.
Since most of the current council members who made that commitment were re-elected Monday, it seems unlikely to change as members get back to budget business.
The 2015 funding includes three key projects: connecting St. Lawrence Park to Cedar Street; widening a stretch of the trail and replacing a bridge between Perth and William streets; and reopening the trail segment between St. Paul Street and Henry Street, crossing Butler Creek and the Wayfare property.
In a related decision, councillors have also backed the cycling committee's attempts to secure eventual provincial funding for the design of a Brockville-wide cycling network.
The Ontario Municipal Cycling Infrastructure Program plans to distribute $10 million over three years to help municipalities build cycling infrastructure.
The program would require the city to match any provincial spending.
Rather than asking for a specific amount, the city motion asks that the program's criteria include a “cycling network technical audit” as an eligible expense.
Cycling advisory committee chairman Alan Medcalf said the group is now designing that cycling network. Members are not sure if they will need an external audit to vet the design they submit.
“If we want to do that, then we will be able to apply for matching funds from the province,” said Medcalf.
The cycling group hopes to have the “first chunk of implementation” of the cycling network ready by next summer, added Medcalf.
“We'd like to get the first pieces ready to go as quickly as possible,” he said.
Sarnia's tax base is expected to see an all-time low level of growth in 2015.
City officials are projecting only $120,320 of new tax revenue – or a 0.2% increase in real assessment growth – next year.
“This comes as a surprise to me because the real estate numbers and the building numbers have been good,” Coun. Anne Marie Gillis said during a special council meeting held Monday.
While new residential taxpayers have come on board, the city's finance director Brian McKay said the growth of new commercial and industrial taxpayers has been slow.
But the solution isn't just a large industrial plant coming to town, he noted.
“I don't believe that myself,” he said. “If you get [a large plant], that's wonderful. What you need is several smaller industrial businesses to see real assessment growth.”
The city typically likes to see more than a 1% increase to its tax base, McKay noted. But until the recent 2015 projections, the lowest increase had been 0.5%.
City officials are proposing a 5.97% tax hike – or $50 for every $100,000 of residential assessment – to maintain the current level of services and programs. While much of that increase is attributed to rising staff salaries, benefits and insurance premiums, McKay said city departments haven't even factored in inflation to the cost of their materials to keep their budgets low.
At the same time, city councillors heard Monday about the growing demand for road repairs, as well as the addition of new sidewalks and bike lanes.
In the last two years, public works staff have focused on arterial and collector roads rather than local roads due to budget limitations.
But they are proposing the city spend an additional $500,000 next year to handle the deteriorating condition of local roadways.
Stretches of Waterworks Road, Confederation Line, Vidal Street, Plank Road and Blackwell Side Road have all been flagged for work.
“They're all gateways to our community, they're used in different ways and they're in need of immediate work,” city construction manager Robert Williams said in his presentation to council Monday.
About 100 kilometres of city roads all together have been flagged as in need of immediate work, according to an updated 2015 roads study.
In the last decade, the city has completed 85 kilometres of road work to the tune of $12.4 million.
A total of $1 million – enough to repair roughly six kilometres of a two-lane road – has been budgeted for road work in 2015.
“We're never going to catch up at $1 million a year,” Coun. Bev MacDougall pointed out.
But councillors did hear some good news in terms of the long-awaited expansion of city bike lanes.
The province recently announced the Ontario Municipal Cycling Infrastructure Program. It will fund up to 50% of a project completed by March 31, 2017.
“The Ontario government is recognizing (cycling) is an important mode of transportation for a lot of people,” city development manager Mike Berkvens said Monday.
Earlier this year, city council approved a transportation master plan outlining ways to make Sarnia a more accessible city for walkers, cyclists and bus riders.
Consultants have estimated the city would need to spend $350,000 annually for 20 years and $160,000 annually for 10 years to improve the city's sidewalks and cycling routes respectively.
But neither of those funding commitments have been included in the 2015 draft budget.
City council will hear public input on the draft budget at its meeting next Monday. Budget deliberations have been set for Dec. 9.
