Scugog gives candidates a wish list
by Blake Wolfe/The Scugog Standard

Municipal infrastructure programs, tighter regulations on commercial fill operations and increased local input for projects funded by all three levels of government are among the items on Scugog Council’s wish list following the upcoming provincial election.
mFour Durham riding candidates - incumbent John O’Toole (Progressive Conservative), Betty Somerville (Liberal), Edward Yaghledjian (Green Party) and James Terry (NDP) - will vie for the local seat in the Oct. 6 election. And regardless of the vote’s outcome, councillors are seeking commitment to a number of local issues from the elected representative.
mThose issues include a continued focus on assisting municipal infrastructure programs, said Scugog Mayor Chuck Mercier, adding “the province and the feds appear to be listening.”
mMore specific to Scugog but just as relevant in other rural communities across Ontario, council is also seeking tighter regulations regarding commercial fill operations and land use policies.
mThis follows the township’s recent legal battles with Earthworx Industries, stemming from the company’s use of a Lakeridge Rd. property as a commercial fill operation under the guise of a future aviation facility exempt from municipal site alteration bylaws.
mAlthough the site has remained dormant for several months and a provincial court has determined that the property is subject to local legislation, the issue of commercial fill has since become a hot topic, which has attracted a closer look from the province.
m“I think the MOE and Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing are all finally coming together to put some sort of process in place to manage these major commercial fill operations,” said the mayor.
mMayor Mercier also said that he hopes to see the incoming representative will expedite the delayed expansion of the Great Blue Heron Charity Casino, which is currently awaiting provincial approval for an increase in slot machines, table games and betting limit, a plan submitted by the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation in May 2007.
m“We need to have some conversation regarding the casino and the future and expansion of one of the major employers in the township,” said the mayor.
mWhen it comes to projects funded equally by all three levels of government, Regional Councillor Bobbie Drew said that municipalities need to have a greater say in what items should be eligible for the money.
m“It’s great for stimulating the economy and creating and maintaining employment,” she said, “but we need to be allowed to determine our own projects using sound planning.”
mCouncillor Drew added that provincial funding to municipalities should be, in part, determined by factors such as the Greenbelt, which has hindered expansion in rural communities across the GTA - the inverse of preventing urban sprawl.
m“The shortage of sewage capacity has prevented growth,” she said, “and therefore we are not sustainable at the current transfer payment level.”
mAnd with provincially-required updates to municipal planning and zoning policies, such as those contained within Scugog’s Official Plan, sometimes bringing about appeals at the local level, Councillor Drew hopes that the provincial government will consider taking on some of the municipal costs involved.
m“The province should help and pay for Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) hearings currently funded by the local taxpayer,” she said.
mScugog was among the numerous members of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), who resolved to petition provincial party leaders for their respective stances on a number of issues affecting municipal governments in the province.