Morning Doug;
Pleasure seeing you the other night at the open house hosted by the VIA. You were looking robustly fit and full of vigour; Your Solomon like like presence & tenor was appreciated. Doreen should be highly complimented.
It was reassuring to discover that several other attendees had similar concerns about reducing & controlling vehicle speeds through the village. Several of the suggestions, particularly the concept of highlighting crosswalks at McDonald & McLaughlin, had true merit. The advent of the day care centre to the long vacant (5 years) white historic on the southwest corner, will indeed make this a much busier intersection.
Further, your subtle acknowledgement regarding the new advance green lights at Highway 10 & Olde Base Line, was an appreciated “Tip of the Hat” in a room occupied by many that were notably non-supportive of this very local but vital transportation safety upgrade. The fact that the number of accidents is far lower in the last year or so, than in any other preceding years, is testimony enough as to their effectiveness. Your support, along with Barb’s and Sylvia’s, as well as the numerous local families and businesses, was critical in having this small but important safety change implemented by the M.T.O.
Pointedly, there is so much more that could be done to make Highway 10 a safer commute, especially at the King Street interchange. According to people working close to that corner, we are averaging an accident and a half per week. This level of mayhem is simply unacceptable. Sadly, it will only get worse before it gets better as the density of traffic movement in that quadrant increases almost exponentially over the next few years.
Barbara’s progressive yet eclectic comments, borrowed from her educational seminar in Ottawa last week were thought provoking, particularly regarding affordable means to making bi-pedal transport along McLaughlin Road north, and other arterial roadways, safer. These will certainly be worthy of consideration and future discussion. A minor reservation to narrowing roads and eliminating median lines is the reality, that sooner rather than later we will all be driving in a world similar to southern Florida. Where Septuagenarians outnumber millennials on the roads. We may need more demarcation markers versus fewer?
Last but not least, there are over 1100 families that now live in the immediate Inglewood area. The fact that the basic premise of Tuesday`s meeting was about creating a town sanctioned committee to further regulate designs of new builds and retrofit homes in the village (historically themed) is something that will inevitably have a financial impact, albeit most likely in a negative manner (professional prognosis). Mr. Robert Hughes, the guest speaker was candid enough to state that logically this proposed process would take extra time and inevitably add another layer of cost. This is something that many of our indigenous seniors cannot afford, as well as something young families wanting to live in our neighbourhood will naturally avoid. Development charges throughout Caledon are already 2 to 5 times greater than neighbouring counties. Do we really need more?
Perhaps the time has finally come for Town-Sponsored Village Groups to concentrate on doing something truly affirmative for their neighbours & their community;
IE: Making sure that our seniors have transport to their scheduled doctor appointments,
Assisting seniors or the physically impaired with general property maintenance,
Raising funds to fix the historic church roof,
Encouraging or assisting locals to clear their yards that are filled with wantonly derelict mechanical objects,
Promoting safety & aesthetic upgrades to the multitude of trails that run through the very heart of their community.
Enhancing usage of the arena, etc.
These small steps would be deemed as Positive Property Value Catalysts versus championing the non-professional opinion of a small cadre of like minded individuals who want to create another strata of bureaucracy to an already overly burdened, expensive process.
It would be remiss if the blatant hostility demonstrated by members of this village group was not addressed. Particularly at an open meeting, to anyone with a modestly different discerning question, it was simply appalling! To imagine how anyone from the community with a different slant other than that chanted by their cell block, would be accorded a fair shake at one of their monthly closed meetings, literally defies common sense.
The fact that a room filled with less than 40 individuals, feel that in their poor man’s plutocracy, this anaemic turnout constitutes a Quorum out of a nearby population of > 3,000 plus souls is just simply not realistic or valid. These types of zoning changes require a majority-voted plebiscite. These advocated zoning changes have far ranging financial ramifications that will inevitably effect every Town citizen. Their votes count!
Paraphrasing William Burke: “that when good people do nothing, evil prospers.” Still wanting to believe that Inglewood is not a Bolshevik village run by an Orwellian cadre. Let us remind everyone, these pending matters need the expressed approval of all the citizens. Not individuals who espouse such magnanimous philosophical beliefs such as “We do not want those type of people living here.” This morally repugnant bravado, along with the the financially curtailment espoused by this self appointed New Taste Police should not be financially or legislatively endorsed by the town!
If people want to promote non philanthropic public policies, then let them do so at “their own expense!” Not at the expense of the local tax payers, who may not necessarily agree with their financially intruding philosophy. The Town should stop funding their pet projects, stop printing their flyers & newsletters immediately; until such time as it becomes a village group that is actually more concerned about the public good versus finite non philanthropic agendas.
May we wish you continued good health and again thank-you for your wise stewardship with some clearly contentious points of public interest. Have a wonderful weekend.
Sincerely,
Thomas Bremner.
Broker of Record, C.R.A, BA. McGill 80.