The comment period for the project has not yet been reached (deadline is Feb. 19) yet the provincial government appears to be pressing ahead without considering this input.

(More to follow)

Julianne and Paul Snepsts moved from Toronto to Picton at the beginning of the year so that Julianne could begin her job as General Manager of Festival Players. “I’m a Belleville girl, born and raised, and I’ve always wanted to relocate to the County,” Julianne said.

If you live in the County and use its services— prepare to pay more and get less. Members of council got their first glimpse of the budget proposed for 2012 last week— and the story it tells is grim.

First the big numbers. County administrators figure it will cost $51.5 million to run the municipality this year, up $4 million over last year. Revenue is predicted to rise by $1.2 million— leaving $2.8 million on the shoulders of County taxpayers.

The budget for capital projects such as major acquisitions and road and bridge repairs ($7.1 million) will be trimmed back in 2012, netting ratepayers $187,000 in savings. That leaves about $2.6 million overall to be funded by taxpayers in 2012—an increase of 10.6 per cent.

But this, it turns out, is only part of the story.

Not yet included in this budget is nearly $456,548 of grants this municipality has traditionally contributed to organizations such as the Regent Theatre, the Chamber of Commerce and Taste the County.

Also not in the budget currently are more than $1.3 million worth of additions proposed for such things as increasing nursing hours at McFarland Home, enhancing the municipality’s geographical information system, and a study to control odour issues at the Wellington wastewater treatment plant.

If Council were to approve all the proposed grants and additions before them—and that is far from a given—they would add $1.8 million to the tax levy pushing it from a 10.6 per cent hike to an eye-watering 28 per cent jump.

County manager Merlin Dewing says the budget he and his staff tabled last week was not designed to maintain the “status quo” but rather reflect the cost of doing business in delivering the services and facilities this municipality has said it wants.

It gets worse. Residents face stiff increases in 2012 in the fees they pay for water and sewer service. They will also likely be asked to pay significantly more for such things as garbage pickup and disposal, ice rental, as well as using County facilities like its town halls and community centres. Just how much more residents will be asked to pay for these services is to be debated at a committee of council meeting later this month.

Taken together the tax hike proposed in this budget and a conservative estimate of the swelling of user fees will mean the single largest increase County administrators have ever asked its residents to endure.

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE
The good news, and there is some (though modest), is that the municipality will receive a bit more from provincial transfer programs ($318,000) in 2012. The municipality is also expecting a “significant” surplus from operations in 2011—though it is not yet known how much this will be.

New residential and commercial growth pushed the County’s assessment higher in 2011, boosting the municipality’s tax base by just over $370,000 in 2010.

Longer term, Dewing says federal and provincial governments aren’t paying enough tax (or payments in lieu of taxes, to be precise) for land they own in the County. He said a recent Supreme Court decision opened up the door for municipalities to charge a rate more in line with current valuations of similar classes of privately held property.

Currently the municipality receives about $800,000 in payment in lieu of taxes. But Dewing suggests that a fairer valuation of these properties might net the County double this amount.

Treasurer James Hepburn noted that the impact on an average household (valued at about $240,000) of a 10.6 per cent tax hike would mean an additional $175 to their tax bill. But when grants, budget additions and user fees are added, the impact may top $300 per household.

In 1998 the County was composed of about 25,000 people. The total tax levied that year was $10.8 million. In 2012 the population is still about 25,000—many of whom are seniors and those on fixed incomes. The tax levy proposed, when considering all grants and additions, is $31.5 million. The tax burden, as proposed, will have tripled in 14 years but the population meanwhile barely budged. The numbers are bound to spark much debate across the County in coming weeks.

It is not the old DukeDome proposed to go on the selling block but rather the shiny new Wellington and District Community Centre, opened for just over a year.

“Should we have it appraised and consider selling it?” asked Dianne O’Brien, one of three councillors in Ameliasburgh.

Her comments came after it was revealed the facility cost nearly $100,000 more to operate than its managers had anticipated in last year’s budget by Recreation, Parks and Culture staff last spring. The bulk of this budget disaster is a $92,000 miss on utility costs— which Treasurer James Hepburn didn’t mask, calling it “grossly underestimated.”

RPC staff budgeted $167,000 for utilities for the new facility. But when the year was done, utility costs in Wellington had soared to $241,000—44 per cent more than had been budgeted just a few months earlier.

Much of council’s anguish last week, focused on the fiasco in Wellington, but overlooked the fact that the RPC Department had no better luck at estimating utility costs for the Picton arena—a facility it has operated for many years—underestimating utility cost there by 20 per cent.

Councillors were apoplectic.

“I’m in shock over the utility costs,” said Brian Marisett, councillor for Picton. “This was a new, efficient building with advanced electricity management systems. It costs more than $90,000 to operate than the older building in Picton. Shouldn’t we have a talk with the engineers? Did we get the wrong energy management system?

Alec Lunn was staggered by the cost of wages and benefits which, when tallied together between the two facilities, exceeded $416,000.

“What has happened here?” asked the Hiller councillor. “How many people work at these facilities?” RPC Comissioner Barry Braun said his department has four full-time arena and community centre staff. He also clarified the arenas manager’s salary is contained in this amount. Braun said that for a time he was restricted from hiring students to work at the facilities, but that that restrictions had been lifted.

“We will start using students more,” said Braun.

As to the utility bills, Braun didn’t have an answer.

“It doesn’t look good,” the commissioner observed feebly. “There were mechanical issues and issues with water use. I believe we will be a lot more efficient in 2012.”

But Braun failed to offer council any evidence why 2012 would be any better than 2011.

He did say his department will spend more money this year in marketing the facility.

“We need to get people through the door,” said Braun. “We have a marketable product. We are contacting local organizations about hosting regional events. It’s the only way we can offset our costs.

“Our intention is to operate this facility as efficiently as we can,” offered Braun.

Some councillors want the arena’s users to pay more for using the facility.

Janice Maynard said that, notwithstanding an agreement signed just last spring, council should renegotiate its deal with the Wellington Dukes.

“Something has to give,” said the councillor from Ameliasburgh.

The courtroom on the second floor at the Union Street courthouse in Picton is like a set from an old movie. High ceilings, ornate lighting, large windows, a glassed-in prisoner’s box, a long wood railing, combined with rows of tiered, well-worn, hard wooden benches for the public to view the proceedings.

On Friday those benches were filled by more than 30 family members and friends of Jeff Vader, each of them wearing red. Vader was run down by a pickup truck driven by his neighbour Eric Menard in May of 2009 as Vader stood by the roadside in front of his Kelly Road home. He was wearing a red tshirt on the day he died.

For almost three years this group of friends and family has come to every legal proceeding to support Jeff’s widow Debbie and to watch as the scales of justice tipped slowly toward the verdict. His family and friends were back in court on Friday to hear ruling against the man who struck and killed Vader that day.

In his decision, Justice Scott clearly and succinctly walked through the facts of the case, the law and the basis for his decision on this, the fifth day of the trial by judge alone.

Given those facts in the case he framed his conclusion based on the charge under 249(4) of the Canadian Criminal Code: Dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death. The first question is, did the accused operate a motor vehicle in a manner dangerous to the public, and point two, did the accused’s behaviour constitute a marked departure from the norm?

He listed facts of evidence including weather, season, roadway, sight lines, the animosity between the neighbours, speed, path chosen by the driver, little or no braking by the driver, and that Jeff Vader had no escape from where he was standing. Even after Menard hit Vader with enough force to dent the hood of his truck and propel Vader 20 metres across the roadway, he didn’t stop. Instead he drove home.

Justice Scott concluded that yes, Menard did operate a motor vehicle in a manner dangerous to the public and yes, his driving exhibited a marked departure from the norm.

“The Crown has proved beyond a reasonable doubt,” said Justice Scott as he proclaimed Eric Menard guilty.

After the verdict it was agreed between counsel and Justice Scott that a pre-sentencing report would be needed to assess the offender’s history and to assist the court with the sentencing. Menard will be sentenced on May 31. Justice Scott advised Menard to get his affairs in order.

“For me this is done now, I’m happy,” said Debbie Vader, speaking outside the courtroom. “The hardest part is the dredging up the accident again and again. That’s the verdict I was hoping for and I’m glad it’s here.”

Eric Menard was released without restrictions until his sentencing hearing on May 31—three years and 21 days after Jeff Vader died on the roadway in front of his home.

First came the outrage, as Ms. Hassainia called the Speaker’s request—communicated via page—“deplorable.” Then came the backpedalling, as the Speaker clarified that the baby was welcome; he merely intended for cooing members of the House to put away their cameras and take their seats. Cue more outrage, as some commentators deplored the government’s failure to lead the workplace charge to accommodate working moms, while others decried the reign of political correctness on Parliament Hill.

The uproar has rekindled the fury over workfamily balance, the overwhelming responsibility for which is undeniably borne by women. Green Party Leader Elizabeth May chimed in, “If we’re going to fully integrate women in the House of Commons, that includes babies.”

Is it a reasonable accommodation? Newborns eat, sleep and cuddle. Unless they’re colicky, their presence is hardly what you would call disruptive. They will happily spend great stretches of time dozing in a bouncy chair or tucked up in a Snuggli, kangaroo-style. They do not run riot knocking books off shelves and banging computer keyboards with sticky fingers.

Nevertheless, the question is out there: does accommodating working moms—as May seems to suggest—mean cradles in the Green Chamber? And if so, when does it end? After all, many health professionals advocate breastfeeding for fully two years—by which age babes may indeed run riot and throw tantrums, which may or may not stand out in the House of Commons.

It’s simple common sense that some jobs can’t be performed with a baby in tow. Those who raise the spectre of surgeons scrubbing in with an infant strapped to their back do little to elevate the discussion. It’s equally obvious that in some jobs, a short-term childcare gap could easily be accommodated to allow a nursing mom to attend an important meeting or a Parliamentary vote.

And lest we forget, MPs are not offered maternity benefits; nor would they be able to represent their constituents if they took them.

Society treats new mothers (but not fathers) with contempt when they return to work while their infants are very young. Then it fusses and frets when they blur the lines and bring tots to work. Fewer and fewer families can afford to have a parent stay home full-time, if indeed they’d choose to. Universal childcare would give Canadians more affordable options, and generate millions in tax revenue. But this is the government that scuppered a national childcare policy in favour of a $100-per-month electoral bribe for young families, and called it “choice.” I’m not holding my breath.

robin@wellingtontimes.ca

Councillor Diane O’Brien and others suggest the County must look at selling the brand new Wellington and District Community Centre to spare ratepayers the outrageous amount it is subsidizing this facility

She is right to be upset. We all should be. It cost nearly $700,000 to operate this facility last year—$313, 693 of this bill picked up by the taxpayer. Utility costs were $92,000 over budget. A brand new building—built to modern and energy-efficient standards!

The answer, however, isn’t to sell it, close it or blindly pass along massive rate increases to the users of the facility to recoup these losses. Long before any of these measures are even considered,council must know that this and other facilities under RPC management are being operated effectively and efficiently.

It certainly knows this is not the case currently. It isn’t a new problem. Seven years ago in these pages I described how, for the first six years of amalgamation, taxpayers subsidized both arenas—Picton and the Duke- Dome—by an average of about $50,000 each year. Then in 2004 the tax subsidy for these arenas jumped, without explanation, to $206,403. Despite several critical articles, columns and letters, no explanation for the spike in the costs was ever provided.

Since then costs have escalated every year. Last year it cost taxpayers $568,357 to subsidize its arenas—10 times more than it did in 2000.

It isn’t just the Wellington facility that is in trouble. Taxpayers paid more than $250,000 to subsidize the Picton arena and community centre in 2011—again about 10 times the equivalent subsidy in 2000.

It is clear the problem isn’t the buildings themselves. One is older but its costs, operating sensitivities and maintenance needs should be well understood by now. The other is a magnificent new facility built to be efficient and, though larger, easier to maintain.

What is clear is that the RPC Department is in over its heads in operating these and other facilities. They simply don’t understand that they are in the customer service business—that the folks who call to book ice or rent a hall are the ones paying their wages and keeping the lights on, and that they have a choice about where to host their event or gathering. Customers and users aren’t the enemy or an inconvenience. This department has failed also to understand that they are in a competitive business—that they must market and sell their facilities in order to maximize their use and efficiency.

But RPC staff have nothing at stake in these facilities—nothing driving them to operate them well. Full or empty they get paid the same. In this operating arrangement, it is better that these facilities remain dark. Fewer complaints. No needy brides pestering them about details of their upcoming wedding reception. No requirement to run the Zamboni or even turn on the lights.

Seven years ago I proposed that if ever the Wellington arena had four hours of unbooked ice that they share this information with the Times and we would post it in the newspaper each week at no charge. Too often I walk into the arena during the middle of the day and the place is dark—and has been dark for a long while.

My offer was never taken up. It is simply not in department’s interest to maximize the use of its own facilities.

In its first stab at the budget last week, council members expressed shock at how badly these facilities performed in 2011. They shouldn’t have been surprised. They’ve known the problem for a long time. They hear it every week from individuals, groups and organizations that use these facilities.

When things get this bad it becomes difficult to avoid painting everyone with the same brush—and it is certainly true that many frontline workers in RPC care about their facilities and wish to provide a great service to their community.

But the culture in that department is poisonous and in time infects even the most diligent and inspired staff. In 2005 council made a half-attempt to reform the department. It hired a consultant, some new managers and even changed the name of the department. Yet it chose to retain the department’s leadership.

Council cannot continue to ignore management’s role in the disaster that has unfolded in this department. Nor can it make bad short-term decisions that affect users, and the viability of the facilities, because it is unwilling to do what should have been done seven years ago.

rick@wellingtontimes.ca

So, ladies, as we age the natural estrogen produced by your body, which provided natural protection against heart disease, gradually diminishes. By the time we hit 55 years of age, we are in the highest risk category for cardiovascular disease. Believe it or not, one in every three women over the age of 20 has some type of cardiovascular disease. Have a look around. You or someone you know is at risk. Worldwide, cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of women. And we thought cardiovascular disease was just a guy thing. It used to be. But women have changed a lot in the last half century. We smoke more. We drink more. We are less physically active. We have more stress in our lives. Because of our penchant to “multi-task,” we eat more highly processed foods laden with saturated fats. And, we are teaching our daughters to live the same way. In North America, more women than men will suffer a stroke—a cardiovascular event. While we want to stay in the race for better jobs, better wages and more opportunities, this is not the kind of race we want to win. If we’re going to have “the most” of anything, we should be aiming for the most healthy years.

Loss of estrogen is at the top of the list and estrogen replacement therapy has been proven to cause more problems than solutions. As we continue to increase our working hours and work challenges, we increase our risk of hypertension or high blood pressure. Often called the “silent killer,” we can’t see or feel high blood pressure until it’s too late. Hypertension puts unwanted stress on the heart and causes damage to our blood vessels. Every time you visit your health care provider, have your blood pressure checked. If you’re reading this, you’re the right age to ask about your numbers.

Once each year, you should ask to have your cholesterol levels checked. High cholesterol isn’t just for men. Like high blood pressure, cholesterol doesn’t leave a calling card until it’s too late. Are you a diabetic? If you are, ding-ding-ding, you’ve just moved up on the cardiovascular disease ladder. Women with diabetes go right to the front of the line when it comes to risk. High blood sugar damages arteries, giving plaque a great place to congregate and jam up your works. Get a grip on the diabetes. It’s a game changer. And, here comes my favourite part. The get-a-moveon- butt-out-lose-the-flab-eat-properly part sounds like a lot of work. But if you’re a smoker who loves to eat high-fat food, salty snacks and the only vegetation in your life is you on the couch, well you could come out ahead on this part. Quit smoking. After 50, we have a higher risk of heart attack than our non-smoking girlfriends. If you’re over 35 using oral contraceptives and enjoying a wee smoke afterwards, you edge out your older friends who haven’t got any estrogen or the need for birth control pills.

Vegetation. Oh, ya. Get off the couch, girl. Being physically active and dumping the excess body weight goes a long way in the battle against cardiovascular disease. Put the chips, the smokes and the soda down and go for a walk. Make a date to take a 30 minute walk, four times a week. When you think about it, two hours a week is the amount of time commercial advertisers drone at you during eight hours of television viewing (on your couch with a cigarette, a bag of chips and a can of pop). How much money would you save on smokes and snacks, not to mention the wear-andtear on your upholstery?

And, finally, women are different from men in more than the obvious ways. Yes we are and sometimes the symptoms women experience during a heart attack are a little bit different than the usual. If you have unusual fatigue, sleep disturbance, shortness of breath or unexplained anxiety, get help fast. “Make death wait.”

theresa@wellingtontimes.ca

It’s the 150th anniversary of Wellington’s incorporation this year. Now I hope that mere statement is not going to start those with similar longevity anniversaries rioting in the streets of Wellington on the Lake. And I know that, technically, Wellington is no longer an incorporated municipality, and further still, that the word ‘sesquicentennial is almost impossible to pronounce, let alone spell.

Still, Wellington is very much a community, and it always puts on a pretty good parade. So why don’t we celebrate? I don’t mean by comm u n i n g with the spirit of the Iron Duke; I mean by creating some tangible civic monument.

The sort of thing (in fact, the only thing) I have in mind is to follow what the Big Smoke has done with its own greatest asset, the CN Tower. Why? Because while we may not realize it, Wellington, like Toronto already has a tallest free standing structure and, like Toronto, it is also a tower—in our case, the water tower.

The CN Tower is milked for every possible use one can imagine. There is a restaurant over 1,100 feet up. There is a “Skypod” at the topmost level offering an “awe-inspiring 360 degree unobstructed view of Toronto” and surrounding region. There is a glass-floored observation platform which, we are assured, is safe to walk or even jump on because it can “withstand the weight of 14 large hippos.” (How they know that, I have no idea, because my hippocampus tells me that they can have never put 14 large hippos up there. And the word ‘large’ is a weasel word: I could put 14 hefty hippos up there, they would crash to the ground, and the CN Tower people would weakly plead “when we said large, we didn’t mean that large.” Unless they meant to say “14 large hippies.”)

And the latest gimmick is something called “Edgewalk.” For a mere $175, you can walk around the perimeter of the tower for an hour and a half on a five-foot-wide ledge, 116 storeys above ground, connected only by a “trolley and harness” system. Sort of like bungee jumping, I guess: no jumping, but connection only with a cord, and certain death if the cord breaks. Of course, it is designed with the “highest international safety and security standards in mind.” According to CN Tower PR, “trained Edgewalk guides will encourage participants to push their personal limits, allowing them to lean back with nothing but air and breathtaking views of Lake Ontario beneath them.”

Now for my money, I would pay $175 for the privilege never to go anywhere near Edgewalk. I would sooner push my personal limits by listening to rap music for an hour and a half. I’ve always been suspicious about the CN Tower. It was built by engineers, and therefore might fall down at any time; and always made me feel that Toronto was trying to prove it was world class by building something taller and uglier than anywhere else.

But our tower is functional, not a monument to municipal vanity. It is modest in scale. All the same, it towers over our village and gives the visitor —if the visitor had access to it—relatively speaking, the same unparalleled 360-degree views that the CN Tower would offer. And without meaning to boast, our 360-degree view is a heck of a lot better than theirs. Or at least it will be until the wind-turbinesthat- nobody-except-Dalton-wants arrive.

Our water tower could be used to draw tourists in any number of ways. We could feature a unique exercise staircase all the way to the top. We could have it painted in trendy hues of grape. We could offer an observation deck where one could observe the goings-on at Swamp College Road or the creative work of our local beaver population in the harbour. It would actually appeal to the pusher of limits in me if I were to stand, caged in, on an observation platform more than 40 feet above ground. We could open a restaurant—probably with warmer food too, since we wouldn’t have to wait for our hamburgers to be shot up 1,100 feet.

We could also offer a water slide, which would thrillingly twist down four storeys and come to a gentle rest on Oak Street. Or we could install a pool at the base of the tower and offer high diving platforms. Or we could install a rope and pulley system and people could rappel their way down to Wellington Beach.

It’s an asset just begging to have its value maximized. Sesquicentennial: bring it on. And congratulations, Betty W., on your 60th!

David Simmonds’s writing is also available at www.grubstreet.ca.

He recently notched his ninth goal of the season into an empty net. On our last visit to the Bank Atlantic Centre in Fort Lauderdale, he had a similar opportunity; however, the play materialized as a “two on one” situation. In other words, as he skated over centre ice with the puck, he realized that he had teammate Matt Bradley on his right, with a lone defenceman impeding their way to the empty net. Matthias threw the puck to Bradley, who deposited it into the “yawning cage.” (That is one of the most overworked and horrible clichés used in hockey circles, and I apologize for that.)

It was a most unselfish play, yet typical of Matthias. He is indeed quiet, and unassuming, and often defers to his teammates regarding special plays. Essentially, he is a good teammate. He always speaks in terms of “we” rather than “I.” For example, after the game he told me: “We played really hard tonight. It was a tough game for us, and it was a huge win. The game we lost in Washington really hurt.”

The Panthers had just defeated the Los Angeles Kings 3-1, by no means an easy victory. “They really play a hard system. They don’t allow much, in terms of offence.”

The Panthers’ “game day” magazine is entitled Growl. I believe it is released on a monthly basis. The current issue contains an article about Matthias with some very honest dialogue.

Shawn began the year thinking that his time in Florida might be finished. “To be honest, I don’t know if they expected me to be here this year. They signed me to a two-way deal. You’ve just got to put your head down and work hard, and try to show them you’re better than what they projected you as.”

At this point in the season, the Panthers know that they made a good investment. Matthias has already topped his point production from previous NHL seasons. Confidence is a key factor.

Teammate Stephen Weiss has been with the Panthers since Shawn’s arrival. “He’s becoming way more confident on and off the ice. He’s starting to figure out if he plays a certain way, he’s going to have success, especially if he uses his size and speed and hangs onto the puck and makes plays.”

Matthias knows he is just at the start of his career. “I’m still young, still learning the league, and I still think there’s better hockey in me. I’m improving every day.”

All of this confidence has led to a good comfort level for Matthias. Add that to the fact that he is enjoying the game he loves, and you have a successful hockey player.

Next year Matthias will play on a one way contract. Assistant General Manager Mike Santos likes what he sees in Matthias’s play. “To his credit, Shawn was willing to earn his way to becoming a full-time NHL player.”

The Panthers have experienced team success thus far this year, to the surprise of most hockey pundits. They are inching toward the playoffs, something that has not happened in South East Florida in 10 years.

Matthias has helped put smiles on the faces of the faithful at the Bank Atlantic Centre this year.

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