All posts by SHLF

Novice driver charged for careless driving in Alliston and having open liquor

A member of Nottawasaga OPP’s bike patrol unit pulled an unsafe driver off the road in Alliston over the weekend.

The officer was patrolling Beattie Avenue on Saturday, Aug. 11 around 8:30 p.m. when he came across a vehicle driving erratically.

The vehicle reversed and veered side to side, almost hitting an oncoming vehicle.

The driver, a 27-year-old New Tecumseth man, was stopped and arrested.

He was charged with driving a vehicle with an open container of liquor, being a novice driver with a blood-alcohol level above zero, driving without a permit and careless driving.

The man was also issued a three-day licence suspension.



Thousands of Midland, Penetanguishene residents struggling with food insecurity

Jane Shrestha believes more needs to be done to try and address the ‘mind-boggling’ food-insecurity issues plaguing the Simcoe Muskoka region.

Shrestha is a public health nutritionist with the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit and someone who is passionate about trying to address the food struggles that are prevalent in Simcoe Muskoka, Ontario and all across Canada.

According to data collected by the health unit, 70,000 people in the region deal with some form of food insecurity every single day.

“About one in eight households, 12 per cent of the population, are experiencing some degree of food insecurity,” said Shrestha. “For our area that works out to be 70,000, or the combined population of Orillia, Collingwood and Huntsville. It’s mind-boggling.”

Food insecurity is when someone has inadequate or insecure access to food due to financial constraints.

“It is rooted in poverty,” said Shrestha. “It is essentially having no money for food.”

Month after month, over 5,700 residents across Midland, Penetanguishene, Tay and Tiny struggle with having to choose between feeding their family, paying rent or purchasing basics like clothing and school supplies.

“Since about 2005, food insecurity has flat lined at about 12 per cent,” said Shrestha. “For as long as Statistics Canada has been measuring household food insecurity in Canada through the Canadian Community Health survey, things really have not budged.”

Steady statistics over the past decade show that traditional strategies such as food banks and food box programs might not be having as big an impact on addressing food issues as everyone thinks.

“Food banks and the communities that support them work really, really hard to try and address the urgent food needs. But only about one in four food insecure people visit a food bank and for those that do, when the food is gone the problem of food insecurity is still there,” said Shrestha.

While emergency food helps people out in the short term, Shrestha believes income-based solutions are needed to address the underlying issue, which is a lack of money for food.

In Midland 18.6 per cent of residents are considered after-tax low-income earners, up from 11.1 per cent in 2006. In Penetanguishene 16.1 per cent of residents fall within the low-income bracket (up from 8.7), while Tay has 13.4 per cent (up from 5.5) and Tiny has 12 per cent (up from 5.7).

The health unit has launched a campaign calling for a continuation of the basic income pilot, a living wage and an increase in social assistance. Nurses, nutritionists and other staff have been making presentations to area councils, informing them on the situation that exists and asking them to advocate for better provincial policies.

“We are asking for advocacy to encourage legislations and policies to create good jobs with regular hours and benefits,” said program manager Christine Bushey. “We need to look at income solutions. We are also asking for advocacy related to the basic income pilot that has been in place for a year and a half.”

The Liberal government launched a basic income pilot project in 2017, which will see more than 4,000 people receive up to $17,000 a year ($24,000 for couples). Another $2,000 will be paid to fill out surveys as part of a control group. Participants with disabilities will get an extra $6,000.

Shrestha believes there are already a variety of examples, which show basic income can have a direct impact on food insecurity.

“We know that when low income individuals aged 60 to 64 reach the age of 65 and start collected a government pension the rates of food insecurity are cut in half,” she said.

The unit’s push to try and solve local food insecurity is fuelled by its direct impact on the health care system. Someone who is constantly stressed and worrying about food tends to have more health issues, putting more of a strain on the health care system. The most food insecure individuals can cost the health care system 121 per cent more than someone in a stable setting.

“Someone who doesn’t worry about food on a day-to-day basis might use up about $1,600 a year in health care costs, whereas with someone who is food insecure tends to use about $4,000 a year in health care,” said Bushey.

According to the unit, food insecurity issues are known to have a huge impact on physical, mental and social health. One in three adults hospitalized due to mental health problems are from food insecure homes.

“The stress of struggling with food insecurity and the other circumstances that lead people into those situations really take a toll on mental health,” said Shrestha.

Penetanguishene and the Township of Tiny have already received presentations from the health unit, while Midland and Tay Township are scheduled to hear from delegations in late August and September.

Canada Post ‘hellbent’ on labour dispute as talks continue, union president says

OTTAWA—The president of Canada Post’s biggest workers’ union says the Crown corporation is spoiling for a labour fight as more than 50,000 employees prepare for a summertime strike-vote amidst ongoing talks.

Mike Palecek, president of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, accused Canada Post management of stubbornness at the bargaining table, where talks for a new employees’ contract that began in late 2017 have accomplished “virtually nothing.”

Negotiations entered a this week, as third-party conciliators were brought in to help hammer out an agreement before a Sept. 9 deadline. If no deal is reached by then, a strike or lockout will be possible by late September.

“So far we’ve been met with an absolute refusal to move on any substantial issue from the corporation,” Palecek told the Star.

“They seem hellbent on driving us towards a labour dispute,” he said.

Canada Post spokesperson Jon Hamilton said Thursday that the company would not comment on the situation in an interview, but provided an emailed statement that described the conciliation process as a normal part of labour talks.

“Canada Post negotiators are working hard to find common ground with CUPW and believe a quick resolution to negotiations is in the best interest of customers and employees,” the statement said.

Palecek said the union wants to resolve a number of problems for the two workers’ units involved in the talks: the 42,000 workers in urban operations and 8,000 rural and suburban mail carriers that together make up more than three-quarters of Canada Post’s workforce.

A major sticking point is over pay equity between these units. Sixty-five per cent of the rural and suburban unit is women, but the average pay of those workers is 30 per cent lower than those in urban operations, even though they do “the exact same work,” Palecek said.

In a released May 31, arbitrator Maureen Flynn criticized Canada Post’s pay discrepancies as “fundamentally flawed” and ordered the two sides to settle the issue by the end of August.

“This was a major issue in our last round of negotiation, and we have a government that says they want to make pay equity a priority,” Palecek said.

“We haven’t seen that yet.”

Other issues on the table involved forced overtime and union demands to bring social issues into the workers’ contract with the company. For example, Palecek said the union wants Canada Post to convert its fleet of vehicles to electric, and set up postal banking.

“We don’t have to be here. We’ve come to the table in good faith,” he said.

95-suite Hampton Inn coming to Bradford

A 95-suite Hampton Inn should soon be welcoming guests — and helping generate spinoff economic benefits — in Bradford West Gwillimbury after council agreed this week to defer the town’s development charges for the multimillion project.

“This is a big thing for us,” said Coun. Peter Ferragine, who was on board with deferring the town’s development charges to kick-start the project.

“When you’re talking about a major project like this, you’re talking millions of dollars to get this going,” he added.

For several months the town has been in discussions with representatives of 2477034 Ontario Ltd. who want to build a hotel under the Hampton Inn and Suites brand and stand alone drive-thru restaurant at the West Gwillimbury Power Centre Inc. site on the southwest corner of County Road 88 and Hwy. 400.

Developers had requested a 10-year deferral of the town’s development charges to make the project “viable”, according to a report tabled at council Aug. 7.

While town staff did not oppose a deferral agreement, the 10-year time frame was considered “too great of a burden for the town to carry” since the town’s investment of millions of dollars over the past few years in order to service the Hwy. 400 corridor was predicated on being repaid through the collection of development charges.

Staff, therefore, recommended a one-year time frame for the deferral instead.

Council, however, agreed with Coun. Raj Sandhu, who said the town could “do more”, especially since the project would be entitled to either $600,000 in CIP grants if it were being built in the downtown core or just over $1.2 million if slated for the town’s industrial area, according to rough “guesstimates”.

“We’re looking to defer this, not waive it,” Sandhu added.

Council approved a four-year deferral agreement with fees payable being split into 1/3 instalments collected in years two, three and four from date of occupancy.

“This is a good win-win because this will (show) that this town is willing to work and open for business on our employment lands,” Sandhu said.

The move also addresses the issue of lodging in BWG or, more precisely, lack thereof.

The complaint has been raised by numerous residents, particularly those associated with sports clubs and organizations, who hesitate to bid on tournaments since people have to travel to neighbouring municipalities for accommodations.

“Nobody stays in Bradford. Nobody spends any money in Bradford,” Ferragine said, adding the issue has been brought to his attention on numerous occasions.

Every sports team in the community had to go and spend their money elsewhere, Coun. Mark Contois agreed.

“Every councillor will agree this is wanted and needed in Bradford, whether it is for sports teams or weddings or anything else,” Coun. Peter Dykie said, adding there was virtually no risk to the agreement since should the developer default on the agreement, any outstanding amounts would be added to the property tax roll and collected in taxes.

While the agreement would defer the town’s development charges, those owed to the school boards and county are still payable at the building permit stage.

Noting BWG’s development charges for its employment lands at just over $14 a square foot is considerably lower than what is being considered in Innisfil and New Tecumseth, Mayor Rob Keffer said “we can hold our heads high with any further development that comes if we’re lower than our neighbouring municipalities”.

The estimated construction timeline for the project is one year.

Ontario’s cannabis industry faces a cloudy future

Marijuana stocks have fallen sharply this year, bringing them into what investors might consider bargain territory. But it would be unwise to bet on that assumption.

The fact that Canada is the first G-7 country experimenting with legal sales of recreational pot should be enough warning that uncertainty is going to characterize this new market for quite some time – probably at least two years after legalization, set for Oct. 17.

The size of the legal market – a prime consideration for investors, obviously – is unknowable with any kind of precision. That’s to be expected, given that projections are necessarily based on black-market sales.

Illicit dope peddlers and wholesalers are not among the most reliable sources of market data.

It’s therefore a leap into the unknown to speculate how big a pie the scores of publicly traded North American marijuana producers will be able to divvy up.

The most common projection on Canadian market size is about $5 billion (all figures in Canadian dollars) in annual sales by 2020. That assumes a complete migration by pot users from the black market to the new legal one, an unlikely prospect, and one of many risk factors I warned of earlier this year.

Read more:

Ontario complicated matters further this week by revealing it doesn’t know how many legal pot stores there will be, when nor how widespread in the province. It hasn’t determined its criteria for licensing retail outlets nor begun its promised exhaustive consultation with communities on how the market is to be set up and monitored.

Ontario is expected to be the biggest recreational weed market in North America after California. The industry’s investors have long had their eyes on that prize.

Ontario did take steps this week to suppress growth in pot demand. It has permitted municipalities to ban pot stores. It has also outlawed cannabis lounges. And it has prohibited pot use except in private residences, effectively making consumption of legal recreational marijuana a strictly middle- and upper-class activity.

In a policy reversal, the Ford government said this week there will be no Ontario bricks-and-mortar pot stores until April 1, 2019.

Given that the Ford government hasn’t yet decided on the qualifications for eligibility to open a pot store, it’s unlikely there will be very many of them come the province’s official start date.

“I’m a little suspect on these stores being open April, but maybe the first batch will be open by then,” Matt Bottomley, analyst at securities firm Canaccord Genuity, told Bloomberg News this week.

In the meantime, between federal legalization Oct. 19 and the first store openings next April, recreational pot will be available to Ontarians only online, with purchases from the provincial government’s Ontario Cannabis Store.

Selling pot exclusively online is a sure way to dissuade tokers from switching from the black market, the feds’ rationale for decriminalizing recreational pot use in the first place. An online purchase leaves a digital trail. That’s an obvious worry for consumers who don’t want employers, governments and others to know of their pot-consumption habits.

Ontario will ensure that consumers know that marijuana “is still a drug that poses risks to health and safety,” said Attorney General Catherine Mulroney this week.

What does that mean?

Does Ontario have in mind a public awareness campaign? Or is the Ford government planning to make the decisions on product pricing, the types of marijuana products that can be sold, acceptable locations for pot stores and acceptable marketing methods?

Each of those factors will affect demand and investor returns.

Ontario’s pot-plan announcement this week was sufficiently maladroit to further depress marijuana stocks. The stocks may have further to drop, though.

One of the biggest reasons for that was also revealed this week when Constellation Brands Inc., one of the world’s mid-tier beverage alcohol firms (Corona beer, Robert Mondavi wines), stunned the industry with a $5-billion investment in Canopy Growth Corp.

With that massive cash infusion, the Victor, N.Y.-based Constellation increases its stake in Canopy to 38 per cent, or 50 per cent if it exercises warrants that are part of this week’s deal. With a market cap of $52.2 billion, Constellation outclasses the entire industry in capital, which for starters, it expects Canopy to use to expand to 30 from the 11 countries in which it currently has a presence.

With Big Pharma and Big Tobacco yet to be heard from, Big Booze is quickly moving into the pot sector on several fronts. Mid-tier brewers Molson Coors Brewing Co. and Heineken NV already have forged partnerships to market beverages infused with THC, marijuana’s active ingredient.

Canopy stock leapt 31 per cent Wednesday on the Constellation announcement. But the deal sees Canopy lose its independence – the likely fate for most pot firms, destined to be absorbed by the handful of biggest industry players.

In the key Ontario market, players are free to seek market dominance, which will, as things look now, have Canopy heading for near-monopoly status in that rich market. By contrast, Alberta and B.C. have restrictions that prevent the emergence of an oligopoly or near-monopoly.

But in the huge Ontario market, it’s tough to imagine a scenario in which most pot firms aren’t outmuscled by Constellation’s new Canadian branch plant, Canopy Growth, which has targeted $1-billion worth of pot firms for acquisition.

Pot stocks were already in a swoon before Ontario’s abrupt policy reversal this week changed the rules of the game. Investor fatigue with escalating pot-firm expenses against a paucity of profits caused the pot-stock sector to tumble by 44 per cent in market valuation since its peak in January, as measured by the BI Canada Cannabis Index.

Current industry leaders such as Canopy Growth and Aurora Cannabis Inc. must achieve a bonanza in Ontario, with all its uncertainties, to recoup their enormous investment in expansion. Both firms have yet to earn a profit to justify their combined market cap of $15.4 billion.

Viability for this fledgling industry might lie with Fluffys and Barneys. Canopy Growth’s stock popped about 5 per cent early this week when it said its Canopy Animal Health unit has won Health Canada approval to research pot for pets, with an early emphasis of anxiety relief.

Canada’s publicly traded marijuana firms are on track to boost annual weed production to a staggering 3 million kilograms by 2020. The industry has to hope that among Canada’s 16.4 million household cats and dogs, there are enough stressed-out Fluffys and Barneys to help absorb all the weed they’re bringing into production.

Glenn Spriggs — Ramara Ward 1

I will create more partnerships between business, organizations and their communities and exhibit the positive attributes synonymous with living in rural Ontario. As a result of a collaborative approach we can demonstrate a quality of life second to none for the next generation and become a municipal leader.

I proudly call Ramara Township home for many reasons: you can’t ask for better neighbours who are willing to lend a hand in time of need, the family values shared by folks are with strong morals and the belief to be kind to your neighbour. I take joy in living where so many people want to come visit because of our lakes, rivers and streams and the overflowing amount of outdoor experiences right at our door step.  

I will be your voice as a concerned neighbour, councillor and friend (i.e. quarry development/expansion, noise bylaw, municipal services, roads, fire rescue services, high speed internet access and so on). I look forward to representing you at council, bringing your concerns before council and letting them know about the wonderful families at the north end in Ramara Township Ward 1. We will not just stand by — as we all know, north is not just a direction in our township … North is a place we call home!

Biographical details:

Has lived in Ramara Township for over 24 years

Successful career in tourism industry for more than 30 years

Proud father who happily raised a family in Ramara Township

Ramona Hall — longstanding board director and executive (president 2005 to 2010)

Ramara Fire Services — Station No. 3 (firefighter and captain — 12 years of service)

Ramara disaster relief committee (2013)

Graduate of Georgian College-Barrie (School of hospitality — marketing and business scholar)

“I came to know Glenn Spriggs during my years in the resort business on Sparrow Lake. He impressed me as a hard working resort manager with great integrity and a keen ability to listen to his customers and staff. ” Bruce Stanton, Coldwater — Simcoe County  

Contact information:

Glenn Spriggs

Telephone and text:

Email:

Address: 7609 Cronk Siderd., Washago

Visit my Facebook page.

Cathy Keane — Oro-Medonte Ward 3

Our family moved to Oro-Medonte four years ago. We have an eight-year-old son attending W.R. Best Memorial Public School. My husband and I came to look at houses, and upon arriving in Oro-Medonte, we said, “This may not be the house, but this is definitely the area where we want to raise our son and retire.”

Before my husband’s work relocated us, I worked for the public as a veterinary technologist, veterinary laboratory technologist, and as co-ordinator of disease surveillance (Animal Health Division; Department of Natural Resources) with the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador for over 15 years. At the same time, I was a trainer for Transportation of Dangerous Goods.  My 15+ years experience working with various provincial/federal governments and agencies, law enforcement, universities, non-profit organizations and the private sector throughout Canada and around the world has given me knowledge and skills that I will bring and use to council. Serving the public was something I had great pride in doing and made every effort to assist anyone who contacted me since I felt I was working for the taxpayers, and not the government itself. I will carry this work ethic as councillor of Ward 3.  

While living in the city of Mount Pearl for 16 years, I (as a volunteer) and city councillor, led a drive resulting in the city creating its first dog park, changing methods of invoicing taxpayers for services, and adding more economical enhancements to the city.

Several concerns have been repeatedly raised and I will advocate those and others if elected:

-Need for affordable and reliable high-speed internet

-Roads: With the increasing growth of Oro-Medonte comes more traffic; aging roads need to be repaired, and replaced, and, signage and road safety in areas needs to be examined

— Tax increase is unwanted

-Need for more openness, communication and accountability with council. I will bring transparency and do my best to be available and always respectfully listen to all concerns that are brought forward. Being councillor of Ward 3 will be my full-time job.

Dinner in White pops up at Innisfil’s waterfront

Guests dressed in white unpacked their dinner in front of Lake Simcoe for this year’s annual Dinner in White.

The pop-up picnic event is put on by the Innisfil Arts, Culture and Heritage Committee and this year’s waterfront dinner at the Lefroy Harbour Resorts had an international theme.

Tables were decorated in white and guests pre-picked countries to represent, with guests including touches such as an Irish prayer, Grecian togas and French baguettes.

Proceeds from the annual event go to promoting art and culture in the community.

The next Innisfil Arts, Culture and Heritage Committee event is the 26th annual .

Paul Mitchell — Blue Mountains Deputy Mayor

I was born in Owen Sound, My great grandparents settled in Grey County in 1853. I have lived in Thornbury 23 years. I retired with over 40 years of business experience in the Automotive After Market and later my wife and I operated Lights Plus on Bruce Street.

My wife Carole and I have been married for close to 53 years. with two sons and five grandchildren.

I have attended most council meetings over the past 20 years so I am well aware of how municipal government works.

I know what is required of a Town and County Councillor.

TEAM PLAYER

WITH COUNCIL KNOWLEDGE

Challenges for the next Council

• Better Value from the County

• Affordable Housing

• Transportation

• Tax Fairness

• Openness and Accountability

• Community Values in Planning

• Fewer Closed Meetings

• Environmentally Responsible

I have the time to devote to Town and County Business

www.paulmitchellfordeputy.com

519-599-7793

[email protected]

RECALLS: Lean ground beef, barbecue lighters, more make this week’s list

Here is our weekly roundup of current product recalls. For more details on each, please click on the links. Don’t forget to check back next week for new items.

Food

Butcher’s Blend is recalling certain recalled due to E. coli.

Certain Nanfang brand, Want Want brand and Chencun brand food products are recalled due to undeclared allergens. Healthy Canadians website/photo

Certain Nanfang brand, Want Want brand and Chencun brand that include black sesame paste, shake jelly and instant noodles are being recalled due to undeclared allergens.

Goodleaf brand Daikon Radish microgreens recalled due to Listeria. Healthy Canadians website/photo

Goodleaf Community Farms Ltd. is recalling Goodleaf brand due to Listeria monocytogenes. contamination. Consumers should not consume the recalled product.

Miscellaneous

Canadian Tire Corporation Limited recalls Master Chef BBQ Igniter lighters. Healthy Canadians website/photo

Canadian Tire Corporation Limited recalls Master Chef . The refillable lighters feature an adjustable flame height and are 285 mm long with a grey handle and black barrel. Health Canada’s sampling and evaluation program has determined that these lighters do not meet the Lighters Regulations in Canada and may pose a fire or burn hazard.

Home Hardware Stores Ltd. recalls Home Flexible Multi-Purpose Lighter. Healthy Canadians website/photo

Home Hardware Stores Ltd. recalls with a 5” flexible wand. Health Canada’s sampling and evaluation program has determined that these lighters do not meet the Lighters Regulations in Canada and may pose a fire or burn hazard.

ITW Canada recalls Red Head Trubolt+ wedge anchors that are used for concrete anchoring. Healthy Canadians website/photo

ITW Canada recalls that are used for concrete anchoring. The affected product does not meet the requirements for use in cracked concrete and seismic applications, which may lead to incidents or injuries to consumers.

Huish Outdoors recalls Oceanic and Hollis Scuba Diving Regulators. Healthy Canadians website/photo

Huish Outdoors recalls Oceanic and Hollis . The scuba diving regulators can restrict airflow at low tank pressures (below 500 psi), posing a drowning hazard to divers.