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2018 Year in Review – September

January 7, 2019   ·   0 Comments

September 6

• Members of the Orangeville Fire Department will host a special car wash fundraiser this weekend in honour of one of their fallen brothers.

Approximately two dozen local firefighters will come together on Saturday (Sept. 8) from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Orangeville Fire Hall on Dawson Road to raise money for the family of Owen Sheardown, who passed away on Feb. 26 following a short battle with cancer.

• Ryan Hann’s recent ‘Will Swim for Food’ event, has successfully raised $4000 plus 300 food items for the Orangeville Food Bank.

From August 19 to 25, the local 12-year-old did 200 laps a day, equal to five kilometers, or 35 km for the week, at the Alder Recreation Centre. Along with friends who came out to swim, his school’s teachers and parents who stopped by to show their support, he surpassed his initial goals of $500 and then $2000. 

Ryan, a competitive swimmer for four years, and a member of the Orangeville Otters Swim Club, described the swim as challenging, and admits he was tired and hungry all week, driving home his point of the need for food. “It reminded me of why I started this campaign in the first place.”

September 13

• Dozens of local residents this week voiced their opposition against the proposed infill development on Hansen Boulevard behind the Orangeville Mall, which town staff estimates would house about 1,500 people.

The proposal, fronted by Orangeville Highlands Limited and Brucedale Investments has been in pipeline since 2010. A new application was submitted back in May that, if it were approved, would see 623 units constructed at the site.

The Hansen High Density Awareness Group (HHDA), fronted by Dorothy Petersen, is fighting the proposal. Speaking at the meeting, Ms. Petersen said there are several concerns surrounding the density of the development and the pressures it would put on both the environment and municipal infrastructure. 

The application is currently under appeal to the Local Planning Appeal Tribunal (LPAT), formerly known as the Ontario Municipal Board. A hearing is scheduled for Feb. 26, 2019.

• In what was something of a startling revelation on Monday evening, Orangeville Food Bank Executive Director Heather Hayes informed Town Council Monday that the organization has seen “more than a 100 percent increase” in the demand for its services since 2011.

 In the last year, the Orangeville Food Bank has distributed more than 93,000 pounds of food to people in the community, serving 4,500 individuals – approximately 1,150 families and 500 individual residents. The food bank has seen an increase of seven percent in family use from this fiscal year to the last.

• More than 30 people came together last Saturday for the eighth annual Orangeville WALK-IT for Parkinson’s at the Alder Recreation Centre, raising $10,107, with more coming at the end of the month, for people suffering with the debilitating disease.

The event has been growing since its start in 2012, and has now raised over $100,000 in Orangeville.

September 20

• Orangeville residents were afforded their first real opportunity to see local council candidates in action on Tuesday evening, as the Dufferin Board of Trade (DBOT) hosted the first of its regional All Candidate Forums at Orangeville District Secondary School.

The event provided Orangeville’s 12 councillor candidates, two deputy mayor hopefuls and three mayoral contenders the chance to discuss their platforms with hundreds of interested locals. Running from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. it was an evening jam-packed with talk on all of Orangeville’s major issues heading into the Oct. 22 election.

Front and centre on the night was the debate open to mayoral and deputy mayor candidates. The three men vying for the big seat in Orangeville council, incumbent Jeremy Williams, Darrin Davidson and Sandy Brown, were joined by Nick Garisto and Andy Macintosh in answering questions submitted to DBOT ahead of the event.

• The Orangeville-area Terry Fox Run was held at the Island Lake Conservation Area this past Sunday (Sept. 16), raising $18,260 and counting, with over 150 people walking or running on the conservation area’s 10 trails.

• Dufferin County Council has directed its staff to begin discussing with the Ministry of the Attorney General (MAG) transferring responsibility and duties of the Provincial Offences Administration (POA) court from the Town of Caledon to the county.

The decision came at last Thursday’s (Sept. 13) council meeting, with council unanimously approving the General Government Services Committee (GGSC) recommendation for staff to begin discussions. 

Back in June, county council voted in favour of offering a lease agreement with Caledon that would have seen the courthouse moved to 10 Louisa Street. However, before the council meeting, Caledon town clerk Carey deGroter sent a letter stating the proposed lease was not acceptable.

The use of courtroom 103 has been a debated topic for several years between the Ontario Superior Court, Caledon POA staff and the county. During this time, several options have been discussed, including: to maintain the status quo for the county to rent the space to the Caledon POA staff; move the administration office to Caledon, with the cases still being heard in Orangeville; lease the entire first floor to the Caledon POA staff; or relocate the court to Caledon East.

September 27

• Approximately 200 Orangeville high school students took education into their own hands last week as they staged a mass walkout in protest of the new sexual education curriculum proposed by Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative government.

As promised during his election campaign, Mr. Ford announced back in July that he would once again change the way students are introduced to sex-ed in elementary schools, scrapping the modernized curriculum originally brought in by the Liberal government in 2015. The newer model taught students about the dangers of sexting and online bullying, while also addressing issues such as same-sex relationships and gender identity.

In late August, Education Minister Lisa Thompson released details of a new curriculum designed to replace the modernized syllabus.

Here in Orangeville, more than 100 students from Orangeville District Secondary School and Westside Secondary School gathered at local MPP Sylvia Jones’ office on Broadway to protest the curriculum change. Echoes of “we have the right to learn” could be heard throughout the downtown core as members of the local student body took a stand.

• Who says that retirement and growing old can’t be fun? Well the Orangeville and District Seniors Centre has celebrated its 30th anniversary to recognize all members, both past and present, and everything the centre has done to provide a fun, social, and relaxing place for seniors.

The centre marked 30 years on Tuesday (Sept. 26). Members enjoyed music, food and drinks, and a raffle draw for prizes. Having long been located at 26 Bythia Street, the centre has been a focal point for seniors in Orangeville and the surrounding areas.

• Orangeville has signed off on a new five-year contract to continue its firefighting operations in three neighbouring municipalities.

In what was the final decision made by this current Orangeville council, it was agreed that the Town would increase its fire rates substantially in 2018 – a move presumably made in reaction to the recent hiring of eight new full-time firefighters. Neighbouring municipalities will now pay $4,028 per call and $113 per hour for prevention, inspection and public education services in 2018 – a 24 percent increase from 2017.

The Town has long provided fire services to Mono, Amaranth and East Garafraxa, with each community paying a pre-determined rate per call. Rates have traditionally been set over three- or four-year terms, but a one-year agreement was signed in early  2017, with rates of $3,248 per call and $91 per hour for prevention, inspection and education services.

This five-year agreement calls for a further two percent increase in 2019, followed by an annual three percent increase up to 2022. In the final year of the contract, municipalities will pay $4,489 per call and $126 per hour for prevention, inspection and education.

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