Archives September 2021

New $6.4M fire hall slated for Bradford

It’s been a long time coming, but Bradford West Gwillimbury will finally get a new fire hall after council gave the go-ahead for a $14 million redevelopment project involving a new station and public works operations centres.

“We can’t overestimate just how important this project is,” Mayor Rob Keffer said regarding the town’s redevelopment plan for Melbourne Drive and Line 11 at council June 19.

“It’s a big big project, but something our community is desperately in need of,” Deputy Mayor James LeDuc said.

“We’ve done a lot of capital expenditure for growth related issues and now we need to start looking at some of the services that our residents need.”

BWG Fire Chief Kevin Gallant said the new 2-storey, 19,000-sq.ft. hall, to be built at a cost of $6.4 million beside the current facility on the vacant town-owned 5.8-acre site at 75 Melbourne Drive, addresses current needs as well as accommodating growth in the community, in terms of location, response times and design.

According to the department’s master plan, the site of the new build is “almost in the optimum location for the urban area in regards to a four-minute response time,” Gallant said.

As far as construction timelines, Gallant said he’d like to see it built “as soon as possible because the department is really stretched thin at this point.”

While the new fire station can be built without any significant disruption of service to current fire operations, the town’s water and transportation services’ urban operations — also currently housed on Melbourne Drive — will be “significantly impacted,” according to the staff report tabled.

While the new hall is being built, the current operations buildings will need to be demolished.

As a result, $1 million is being allocated to build a new 12,000-sq. ft. facility for the water department at 3541 Line 11 as well as a second 12,000-sq. ft. building to store equipment.

Consolidating operations and equipment on to town-owned land will “provide greater efficiencies” by eliminating the town’s current lease costs for storage as well as prevent any disruption in service by fast-tracking construction ideally by October, the report states.

Under a $6.5 million budget, the old fire station will be re-purposed to house the transportation division’s urban operations centre as well as a rural works yard.

Construction on Line 11 is the first step, with an anticipated 2019 completion date.

Construction on Melbourne Drive is slated to begin next year and completed in 2021.

“We could probably pull the Melbourne construction off within a 12 to 16-month window,” the town’s director of community services Terry Foran said.

Since a good deal of the project is required as a result of growth, about two-thirds of the $14 million total cost will be covered by Development Charges, which are paid to the town by developers.

The project is the first phase of the town’s multi-year facilities initiative, which also includes a second fire station to serve the Hwy. 400 employment lands and Bond Head by 2022.

With town staff currently working in 10 different locations at eight different sites, a $35-million consolidated administration centre is also part of the long-term plan.

How you can prepare for a blackout, according to HVAC company Reliance

Almost 15 years ago — August 14, 2003 — a widespread blackout left approximately 10 million Ontario residents without power during peak summer temperatures.  

While it’s hard to predict when or if another outage will strike, it is always good to be prepared in case of such an emergency. To help safeguard against the perils of a summer blackout, Reliance Home Comfort is pleased to offer the following household tips:

• Stop the surge: Unplug all unnecessary appliances in the event of a blackout to help guard against a surge once the power is turned back on.

• Power line protection: Stay away from any downed power lines and report them to your utility company right away.

• Fridge basics: Food can remain cool in a refrigerator for up to four hours and in a freezer for up to 48 hours if it’s fully stocked. Ensure refrigerator and freezer doors are shut tightly to prevent premature spoilage.

• Emergency essentials: Power outages are unpredictable and can sometimes drag on for days. Every home should have a fully stocked emergency kit with three days’ worth of supplies that is safely stored and easily accessible. Non-perishable food, a can opener, two litres of water per day for each family member, basic toiletries, blankets, insulated clothing, flashlights, extra batteries, garbage bags and a first aid kit should be included.

• Generator safety: Residential generators can come in very handy during a power outage but must be installed with care. Generators should only be installed outside the home to ensure proper ventilation and to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.

For more about the company, visit .

Midland council looking to implement more efficient decision-making process

Midland council is looking at overhauling the entire way it operates.

A new procedural bylaw is proposing a slew of changes aimed at streamlining the decision-making process to help expedite municipal business.

A 2017 governance review revealed that council held more special meetings this term than regular council meetings and suggested councillors consider significant changes to the way they operate. Council has held 43 regular council meetings, 33 general committee meetings, 36 planning and development meetings and 48 special meetings during the current term of council.

“There are some pretty big changes being proposed … in particular that we would be going to two council meetings a month, getting rid of the planning meeting and getting rid of the general committee meeting,” said Coun. Pat File.

The bylaw proposes to switch over to the format currently being used by Penetanguishene council, which calls for two council meetings a month, each followed by committee of the whole meetings.

These meetings would be moved from Monday nights to the first and third Wednesday of every month.

Council would receive their agendas one week in advance of the meeting, giving time to prepare. Only items councillors want to debate would be pulled from the agenda and discussed at the meeting.

“We would be putting the onus on councillors to do their homework, to receive their agenda ahead of time, to ask their constituents their opinion ahead of time … and we will be a better council because of this,” said Mayor Gord McKay. “It sets the bar higher.”

The number of deputations would increase from three to 10 per month, opening the door for more businesses, organizations and residents to address council in a timelier fashion.

“This is not a new idea that somebody suddenly woke up one morning and decided to do,” said Coun. George MacDonald. “This is something that a whole lot of thought went into. It is progressive and we need to buy into the process.”

Bylaws from 36 Ontario municipalities were assessed, allowing staff to focus on the best practices currently being utilized.

The bylaw will be considered for adoption at the Aug. 27 council meeting.

Harold Dougall — Orillia Ward 2

I was born and raised in Hamilton.

In 1960, at age 11, I was placed at the Huronia Regional Centre.

I was 18 when I moved out of there to Edgar. In 1975, I moved into Orillia.

I want to join council to help the people in the community.

If I win, that would be lucky.

If they want to vote for me, fine.

Right now, some of the issues that are important to me include accessibility.

By 2025, everywhere in this city has to have wheelchair accessibility.

I’ve been in a wheelchair; trying to open a door in a wheelchair? No way.

If those push buttons are there, it is easy for people to go into stores.

I would also like the city to get a medical centre in Orillia because you wait a long time to get into the emergency department at the hospital.

I know the wetlands were blocked off on the other side of HRC, and I’d like to see them get animals in there, like turtles and birds.

It’s a wetland, you can’t build on it.

If you build on them, there go all of your animals and you will be having floods all of the time.

I’d also like council to look into Orillia Transit.

In the wintertime, they have bus shelters on Mississaga Street, but they don’t have one on West Street on the far side.

In the winter we have cold weather and you can’t stay out in the snow and cold air.

I know people feel it if they don’t have bus shelters.

About me, I’m kind, I’m happy and any questions that they want to ask, they can ask me. I’ll try to answer them.

I volunteer for Mariposa Folk Festival, and most of the time I volunteer with the jazz festival and the blues festival.

I want them back here.

A lot of people ask me why the blues festival quit.

I’m a paper carrier and I like to meet people, a lot of people. They like the way I do the papers.

I can be reached at or on Facebook.

911 ‘misdials’ divert valuable time from real emergencies in South Simcoe

South Simcoe Police Service is reminding the public about the proper use of 911 following a rash of pocket dials and inappropriate calls this month.

While a majority are made while a person’s mobile phone was in a pocket or a toddler’s curious hands, others are the result of residents clearly not understanding what constitutes an emergency.

Case in point is one example this month of a resident dialing 911 for police help with a bird flying around their bedroom.

On compassionate grounds, officers did try to help the distressed caller with a visit to the home.

While the suspect bird had flown the coop or, in this case, the bedroom after the caller followed the advice of the 911 communicator to leave the window open, the victim of the “avian invasion” was given a stern caution by officers regarding the proper use of 911.

“While we don’t want to discourage people from dialing the emergency phone number, we want to remind people that it is for emergencies only, such as a crime in progress, a fire or a medical emergency,” police spokesperson Sue Sgambati said.

Dozens of inappropriate calls were logged with South Simcoe’s communications centre this month alone.

They included a man trying to call a money-transfer company; a call from a four-year-old who was recently taught about 911 and “wanted to try it out”; pocket dials from people on a motorcycle and a golf cart; and a man who said his phone was blacked out and kept dialing into emergency mode.

Calls to 911 can be made from a number of smartphones, even while the phone is locked. The feature is aimed at increasing consumer safety, but often results in countless calls being mistakenly made to dispatchers, who then need to use valuable time to determine the validity of the call.

If you accidentally call 911, police urge you to stay on the line and let the communicator know what happened.

“When an unintentional 911 caller hangs up, that could be considered an ‘unknown trouble’ call and police will respond, taking away valuable time and resources from someone who really needs help,” Sgambati added.

Police are urging the public to “lock it before you pocket it” and advise against letting children play with mobile phones in an effort to reduce the amount on non-emergency calls flooding system operators.

Children should not be given old cell phones as toys. Many decommissioned phones can still dial 911, even without a SIM card.

Locking a cellphone’s screen can also prevent an unintentional 911 call from being activated by an accidental swipe of the highly sensitive touch screens.

In 2017, South Simcoe’s communication staff answered 5,611 calls to 911. Of those, 419 — or 7 per cent — were misdials.

For non-emergencies, you can contact South Simcoe Police at  or .


Barrie police release damage description for hit-and-run vehicle

Barrie police investigators hope someone can identify an SUV involved in a hit-and-run now that there is more information about damages.

Police say the SUV that struck a 53-year-old Barrie man at about 12:30 p.m. March 2 on Huronia Road, near McKay Road, has front-end damage, a broken windshield and a dented hood.

The pedestrian, who suffered serious injuries, landed in the ditch after he was struck. The motorist failed to remain to assist the injured pedestrian and continued northbound on Huronia Road. 

The victim had been returning to his vehicle after assisting another motorist, when he was struck by a vehicle heading northbound on Huronia Road. The vehicle pulled over monetarily then left the scene.

Contact Const. Chris Allport at 705-725-7025 ext. 2913 or email [email protected] if you any information about the vehicle or the driver.

Any information can be provided anonymously to  at 1-800-222-TIPS or leave an anonymous tip online at .

Wasaga Lion receives club’s highest honour

A Wasaga Beach Lions Club member has received the organization’s highest honour.

The Melvin Jones Fellowship was presented to Genie Mathers on June 23. The award is named after Lions Clubs International founder Melvin Jones.

The award represents humanitarian qualities such as generosity, compassion and concern for the less fortunate.

The presentation to Mathers is in recognition of her hard work within the Wasaga Beach club — especially in working with the club’s health and welfare committee.

Mathers received a personalized wall plaque and a lapel pin in recognition of her commitment to helping others. The club’s incoming president, John Tindale, presented the award.


Orillia recreation site eyed for proposed skateboard park

Awe-inspiring tricks and gravity-defying feats are more than the stuff of dreams.

For members of Orillia’s skateboarding community, these are the moves that draw crowds eager to witness the thrills, and occasional spills, of this increasingly popular sport.

Their dream now includes a proposal for an all-concrete, professionally designed and built skate park — an open-air facility catering to all skill levels.

“You could start from a kid at four-years-old and, three years, four years later be one of the best skateboarders in the world because where you are skating is that good,” said Mark Watson, an advocate of the project.

The proposal is an initiative of the Skateparkers, a group of skateboarders, business owners and friends who came together to encourage active and safe participation in skateboarding and other recreation activities.

The Kiwanis Skateboard Park, built in 1999 at Veterans’ Memorial Park, is time-worn and lacks the features boarders are seeking, the group said.

“It has been a great park for everybody to use, but it is at the point now where we are losing skateboarders when they come to it,” Watson said.

The absence of a modern public facility in Orillia leads children and youth to seek out unsanctioned, and often dangerous, terrain such as local streets and parking lots, the group told council.

Unlike the existing skate park, the proposed facility would have “a lot more obstacles, more flow and roll to it,” Watson said.

A park of between 9,000- and 11,000-square feet would cost between $500,000 and $750,000.

The group plans to seek contributions from service clubs and foundations to fund the project, as well as the municipality.

“We want to go ahead with this as quick as possible, so if we have to raise all the money we are willing to do that,” Watson said.

Locations eyed by the group include Victoria Park and the recreation site on West Street South.

The project could also involve a redevelopment of the Kiwanis Skateboard Park.

“It is a perfect location,” Watson said.

Staff will consider the group’s request as part of the design plan for Foundry Park — the lands surrounding the recreation facility — or other location in the city.


Georgian Bay in danger of grass carp invasion, wetland destruction

A Midland-based foundation is worried about grass carp invading the Great Lakes and destroying Georgian Bay wetlands.

The Georgian Bay Great Lakes Foundation is calling for the United States Environmental Protection Agency to begin grass carp eradication measures immediately.

“Grass carp eat vegetation and they will eat up all of our wetlands,” said Mary Muter, Chair of the Foundation. “They will rip our wetlands apart and chop them all down.”

Muter believes the Great Lakes are in danger, as grass carp have invaded two Ohio rivers that flow into Lake Erie and nothing is being done to stop them from spawning downstream.

Grass carp have already been found in Lake Erie and Lake Huron. The largest grass carp discovered in Lake Erie was over 51 inches long and weighed 72 pounds.

Research by Pat Chow-Fraser, a professor at McMaster University, states that Georgian Bay contains the highest quality, most diverse and extensive wetlands found in the Great Lakes.

“We don’t want our wetlands destroyed by these very large invasive fish,” said Muter. “Our native fish and other species need that wetlands for spawning, nursing and feeding habitat.”

The Foundation is calling for increased co-operation between Ontario, Ohio and Michigan and would like to see a collaborative approach taken to eradicate grass carp.

“I think it is time for Canadians to speak up. We don’t need to be polite on this anymore,” said Muter. “We need our federal and provincial governments to tell Ohio and Michigan … that we want to see a plan for eradication begin.”

Muter is frustrated by the lack of appropriate response she has seen from United States on the matter and believes it is time for them to ask Canada for help.

“This is now a crisis,” said Muter. “Our Fisheries and Oceans Canada staff and Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry staff stand ready to go down and assist in an eradication program.”

The Georgian Bay Great Lakes Foundation is hosting a fundraiser on Aug. 11 in Tiny Township which will feature the tribute band Classic Lightfoot. All proceeds will be directed toward ecologically responsible measures to eradicate grass carp.

For tickets go to the website


George Vadeboncoeur – Penetanguishene councillor

I’m George Vadeboncoeur and I’m running for councillor in Penetanguishene.

I have 35 years’ municipal experience, with the last 23 years as a chief administrative officer, 10 years with Penetanguishene and the last 13 years with the Town of Wasaga Beach.  I just retired from Wasaga Beach.

I have degree in urban planning from the University of Waterloo and a master’s degree in public administration, with a specialization in local government from the University of Western Ontario.

My community service includes serving on the PGH Board of Trustees for nine years, including two years as chair; four years as vice-chair of the Bar Committee for Penetanguishene Legion Branch 68; president of the Penetanguishene/Midland Basketball Association for over 15 years, and over 20 years as Rotarian.

I have an excellent understanding of how local government works and how to get things done. 

My whole career has been spent working with different councils, municipal employees, contractors and volunteers to improve the quality of life for residents and businesses.

I’ve had overall responsibility for all facets of Town operations, including budgets, public works, planning, events and recreation. Working with excellent staff, we were always focused on delivering great customer service.

My priority, if elected, is to work with council and staff to improve the town, using my background and experience.

Specifically, I would work toward allocating more funds to road and sidewalk repairs. I would work on bringing events to town for the benefit of residents and local businesses. I would support environmentally sensitive residential, commercial and industrial growth. I’d review the recommendations from the service delivery study to ensure we have the appropriate number of staff in the right places to deliver the services the public expects. I support effective policing to ensure a safe community, and I’d support the construction of affordable housing.

I live at 31 Dufferin St., Penetanguishene and can be reached at or at . I’m on Facebook.