Friday, September 25, 2009

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Cities in transition : World Bank urban and local government strategy - 2000/09/30

Cities in transition : World Bank urban and local government strategy 2000/09/30
http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2000/11/10/000094946_00102805334064/Rendered/PDF/multi_page.pdf

The role of national governments is being refocused to facilitate markets, promote economic and social stability, and ensure equity. But reforms of public sector management or private sector development will not do what is desired for national development until they are adapted and implemented appropriately at the municipal level. Local government remains the everyday face of the public sector- the level of government where essential public services are delivered to individuals and businesses, and where policy meets the people.

Poverty has many dimensions, with material deprivation (commonly measured in terms of income or consumption) one important element. But urban poverty often has a broader meaning of cumulative deprivation, characterized by squalid living conditions; risks to life and health from poor sanitation, air pollution, crime and violence, traffic accidents, and natural disasters; and the breakdown of traditional family and community safety nets. Moreover, income inequality is worsening in many urban areas, implying further exclusion of low-income groups from employment opportunities, basic services, political representation, legal and social protections, and amenities. Urban poverty entails a sense of powerlessness, and an individual and community vulnerability, that undermines human potential and social capital. Urban populations are also hit particularly hard by macroeconomic and financial shocks, such as the recent crises in East Asia and Russia, which have forced some households back into poverty.

World Bank Report on Urban Development 09/2000.

The World Bank has no Projects in North America.
http://go.worldbank.org/HF1YPQXCQ0

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE AGENDA, TOWNSHIP OF KING. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21ST, 2009

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21ST, 2009http://king.fileprosite.com/contentengine/document.asp?ID=2732

Building By-law 2008-41 and Fee Schedule (3.5meg)



Last Night's Council Meeting

-----Original Message-----
From: Jeff Laidlaw [mailto:kingribbit@gmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, September 22, 2009 3:24 PM
To: Nobleton Resident
Subject: Last Night's Council Meeting


To let you know.....

At last night's Council meeting, Council voted 4-3 to mandate sewers
and hook-up for 850 homes (of about 1,200) in Nobleton at $ 19,400 +
hook-up.

Jeff L.

North Crescent Buffer Zone

North Crescent Buffer Zone Alliance

Nobleton - ABCs of Sewer Connection

ABCs of Sewer Connection
Nobleton - ABCs of Sewer Connection
ABCs of Sewer Connection

To assist King City’s property owners navigate the process of connecting their homes/businesses to the sanitary sewer, we’ve compiled the ABCs of sewer connection, which will answer some of your questions or, at the very least, point you in the right direction.
The King City sanitary servicing project is being phased in over a number of contracts through 2008. For information on the timing for your property, please contact the Township of King Operations Department at 905-833-5321.
General Information

What should I consider when determining the location of the sewer connection at the property line?
1. The shortest distance from where the building drain exits the building
2. Proximity to the municipal water service and other buried services (if applicable)
3. Account for existing landscaping features i.e. mature trees, etc
4. If possible, avoid crossing driveways

What are my connection options?
1. Open trench construction preferred (ball test of the installed building sewer)
2. Directional boring (ball test, video inspection of the installed building sewer and in some cases, a water flow test)
3. Grinder pump and forcemain (select properties only). Grinder pumps are used only when the property being serviced is lower than the sewer connection at the property line

If I choose to bring the pipe around the back of my home to connect where the septic system currently exists, what will the contractor need to do? What should I ask?
1. Contractor will excavate a trench from the back of the building to the connection point at the property line, the depth of which depends upon the sewer connection depth and the slope of the building sewer
2. The building drain and sewer (100 mm diameter pipe) will have a minimum and maximum slope of two per cent and four per cent respectively.
3. Cleanouts (100 mm diameter pipe) brought to grade, will be required every 15 metres of building sewer. A cleanout is an access point for snaking, should the building sewer require cleaning.
4. Cleanout at municipal connection (and all outside cleanouts) brought to grade
5. Ask for a price for all work – including the cost of decommissioning the septic tank

If I choose directional boring, what will the contractor need to do and what should I ask?
1. The contractor will bore a small diameter tunnel from the property line to the building. If connecting at the existing septic/drains, the boring will continue under the building to the connection at the back
2. If connecting in the basement, the boring will continue from the property line to the closest interior point to access the building drain. Likely, a hole will have to be dug in the basement and/or outside the foundation wall to connect the bored pipe to the building drain
3. The building drain and sewer (125 mm diameter pipe) will have a minimum slope of one per cent
4. Ask for a price for all work – including the cost of decommissioning the septic tank

Septic Tank Decommissioning:
1. Arrange for a licensed sewage hauler to pump the tank dry and retain a copy of the receipt for services received
2. The building drain is disconnected from the dwelling and sealed at the tank
3. Holes are punched into the bottom of the concrete/plastic tank to ensure drainage and the top crushed into the tank, which is then filled with an acceptable granular material such as sand or native soil. Soil should be compacted to prevent settlement
4. Steel tanks are to be crushed

Any tanks and/or leaching bed components excavated and removed must be disposed of appropriately.

What kind of contractor is needed?
1. Plumbing in the basement, if not completed by the homeowner, will require a licensed plumber and drain work will require the sills of a master drain layer
2. Contact the Township’s Building Department for an abridged list of contractors, or to receive a comprehensive copy of The Regional Municipality of York’s Drain Contractor Registry Program List for approved drain contractors and master drain layers
3. If the property owner decides to install his/her own drains, staff must be notified at time of application

What are the safety considerations?
All installations shall be carried out in a professional manner
2. All work will be subject to the “Occupational Health and Safety Act and Regulations for Construction Projects.” If unsafe working conditions are found at the time of inspection, the work will be stopped and the inspection will not be completed. The Ontario Ministry of Labour will be contacted and advised of the unsafe working conditions

What permits are required?
1. Permit to Connect – there is no fee for the Permit to Connect
2. Plumbing/Drain Permit – must be obtained from the Building Department following issuance of the “Permit to Connect.” There will be a $100 fee for the Plumbing/Drain Permit. Inspections must be called for as per the instructions that will be provided with the permit
3. Septic Tank Decommissioning Permit - $100
4. The Regional Municipality of York Occupancy Permit – For those properties on Regional roads – Keele Street and King Road, a Regional Road Occupancy Permit is required. There is no fee for this permit. For information about this permit, please call 905-895-2744 ext 5207 or 5242.

How do I obtain a permit?
1. Construction Permits - apply for construction permits at the Township of King Building Department
2. The Regional Municipality of York Occupancy Permit - call 905-895-2744 ext 5207 or 5242

No plumbing or drain shall be put into use until it has been inspected and found to conform to Ontario Building Code, Part 7, Plumbing. For further information, contact the Township’s Building Department at 905 833-4013.
What information is needed for a construction permit?
1. Property description, property owner, contractor information, drain layout sketch

Contractor Specifications:
What building material is acceptable?
1. The sewer pope must have a minimum nominal diameter of 4” (100 mm). Underground sewer pipes are usually PVC or ABS. All PVC lengths of pipes and fittings must be stamped with CAN/CSA-B182.1, Plastic Drain and Sewer Pipe and Fitting. All ABS lengths of pipes and fittings must be stamped with CAN/CSA-B181.1 “Plastic Drain and Sewer Pipe and Fitting”
2. The markings indicate the pipe material meets the minimum standards of the Ontario Building Code. Solvents or glue used for joints in the pipe are specific to the material used. PVC solvent must meet CAN/CSA-B181.2 and ABS requires solvent standard CAN/CSA-B181.1. Check with the supplier before purchasing
3. The type of pipe used in directional boring applications will generally be high density polyethylene pipe (HDPE). Directional boring contractors must supply proposed pipe specification to the Township’s Building Department prior to installation and comply with the requirements as set out above

What are the typical installation techniques for the building drains?
1. Base support: Underground pipe must be supported on a base that is firm and continuous under the entire length of the pipe. All building sewer pipe must be supported to prevent sagging. A compacted depth of 6” (150mm) is generally sufficient bedding thickness. Crushed ¾” (19mm) clear stone provides good support that does not require compaction and provides protection for the pipe prior to backfill.
2. Slope: The pipe slope should be at least two per cent slope (1/4” per foot or 1:50 and directed away from the building and toward the municipal sewers
3. Cleanouts: Every sanitary building drain must have a cleanout that is located as close as possible to the place where the drain leaves the building or can be located outside the building to facilitate access.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

This is What Passes as Democracy

This has been a predictable exercise in obfuscation as evidenced by the communication below.

To the best of my knowledge, no one voted Jody Laplante into the position of Deputy Director of Engineering and Development and is therefore apparently unaccountable to the citizens of Nobleton and of King Township. Too bad there's no law that holds government accountable for the content of their communications or lack thereof.

This is what passes as Democracy; Council holds a public meeting, the public speak and council returns to chambers to finalize legislation. What a joke!

Alert Nobleton Resident



-----Original Message-----
From: Jody LaPlante [mailto:jlaplante@king.ca]
Sent: Monday, September 21, 2009 4:19 PM
To: Alert Nobleton Resident
Subject: RE: Once There Were Trees


Hi Alert Nobleton Resident

Was the hedge on your property that you own?

Jody LaPlante
Deputy Director of Engineering and Development
Township of King
2075 King Road
King City ,On
L7B 1A1

905 833 4052

-----Original Message-----
From: Alert Nobleton Resident
Sent: Monday, September 21, 2009 3:59 PM
To: Jody LaPlante
Subject: RE: Once There Were Trees

Can we reimbursed for a hedge on our property?

-----Original Message-----
From: Jody LaPlante [mailto:jlaplante@king.ca]
Sent: Monday, September 21, 2009 3:47 PM
To: Alert Nobleton Resident
Cc: Mayor; Jeff Laidlaw; Chris Somerville; Mike Cole; Robert Flindall
Subject: RE: Once There Were Trees


Alert Nobleton Resident,

A storm sewer is being installed on the Park and School blocks (along
the rear of the lots on Goodfellow). This was design to capture the
majority of the storm water runoff from these two blocks from entering
the existing lots.

The alignment of the sanitary sewer outlet from the subdivision is along
the west limit of the Park Block.

We try to save a many trees as possible but the construction of these
two sewers required several trees to be removed on the Park and School
blocks.


Jody LaPlante
Deputy Director of Engineering and Development
Township of King
2075 King Road
King City ,On
L7B 1A1

905 833 4052
-----Original Message-----
From: Chris Somerville
Sent: Monday, September 21, 2009 2:54 PM
To: Mike Cole; Jody LaPlante; Robert Flindall
Cc: Alert Nobleton Resident
Subject: FW: Once There Were Trees


Your message has been forwarded to the Engineering & Public Works
Department.

Chris Somerville


-----Original Message-----
From: Alert Nobleton Resident
Sent: Monday, September 21, 2009 2:53 PM
To: Jeff Laidlaw
Cc: Mayor; Scott Somerville; Chris Somerville; Cleve Mortelliti; Chris
Somerville; Bill Cober; Jane Underhill; Chris Somerville
Subject: Once There Were Trees

They just ripped out the tree line behind our house.

If we wish to retain any degree of privacy we will have to put some
trees in
at the back of our lot.

We had not anticipated such an event since the original plans fell short
of
developing directly behind our property. That line appears to have
extended
and as a result the few remaining trees on the farm property behind us
have
been removed. The development is now within 50 feet adjacent to our
backyard.

If we can afford to put in a hedge, who can we charge it to?


Kind regards,

Alert Nobleton Resident

Monday, September 21, 2009

On a Motion by Councillor Mortelliti

Motion by Councillor Mortelliti to defer the recommendations of Staff report OP09-22 until the following minimum information has been satisfactorily provided:
1) Provide further financial data combined with a 20 year projection of the tax implications of the concurrent projects that will be required as a result ofimplementing Nobleton Sewers, as well as the 4.9 million dollar Township portion for the proposed Schomberg Arena Curling Facility, as well as other projects currently on the books.
2) Include projections for upgrades to the King City and Nobleton Arenas . Assumethe addition of an ice pad to each building, and the addition of fitness facilities for both, and an indoor pool for one of the two buildings in order to achieve reasonable service demands that will come into play once the projected populations are reached in each of these two villages of which King City is projected to have the largest population (12,000) of all 3 villages within the Township of King.
3) Include scenarios such as possible road, bridge, culvert or other infrastructure failures that could occur within a 20 year period and how they would be funded by debenture, and, illustrate the immediate impact of such failures should we exceed our debenture limits and how this would directly impact the general tax rate, should the Townships debt capacity be exceeded.
4) Create a scenario for a 3 million dollar road failure in the year 2012 (such as the failure that occurred on 8thconcession did this year), also include a large concrete road culvert failure in the year 2015 into the projection, and another in 2018.
5) Show this within the context of our current debt capacity, as well as within the context of increased debt capacity should the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) approve our request to increase our debt ceiling.
6) Show this within the context of the MMAH and OMB denying this request. 7) Show our current debt limit and debt room, and the projected debt limit, and debt room for 2014.
8) Show the current, and projected value of all Township reserve funds for January 2015.
9) Get the RFP out for the detail engineering design of the entire village of Nobleton (this still hasn’t been done yet)
10)Stipulate the RFP provide a separate fee for Option 3
11)Petition the province for grant funding on the basis of source water protection
12)Petition the region for further funding, over and above the 1.3 million, in order to offset operational issues of the treatment plant
13)Negotiate with the development community, in the same manner that was negotiated for King City, for the securement of a subsidy for each existing dwelling assuming the implementation of Option 1. Recommend the development community form a group to cost share the provision of the subsidy that will facilitate the commissioning of the treatment plant in order to remove the H provisions from their draft plans. (this is an assumed requirement based on the information provide on Page 11, paragraph 3 of the report.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Alert: Council Meetings on Monday Sept 21

Dear Nobleton / Laskay Constituents:

There are 2 meetings on the topic of Nobleton Sewers, both on the same night, this Monday (September 21st). Nobleton Alert Residents Association recently sent out a flyer via Canada Post and mentioned that there is a Working Meeting on Monday Sept. 21st at 5:00 PM. There is also another meeting on Nobleton Sewers later that same evening during the Committee of the Whole where you CAN speak. If you missed receiving Nobleton Alert's flyer, you can find it at http://nobletonalertresidents.blogspot.com.

Monday Sept. 21

at 5 pm---Special Committee of the Whole Working Session regarding Nobleton Sanitary Sewer Servicing Program Implementation - residents can only listen.

at 6 pm--- Council Meeting begins, has a presentation re a golf tournament, and various other items, will likely go into Committee of the Whole about 7 pm. Nobleton Sanitary Sewer Servicing Program Implementation is the first item of business. --- Residents can sign in with the clerk at 6 pm to speak to this topic.

Both meetings will be held in the Council Chambers at 2075 King Road in King City.

Sincerely,

Jeff Laidlaw

Councillor, Ward 2 - Township of King

Jeff@LaidlawListens.com

www.LaidlawListens.com

-----

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Friday, September 18, 2009

Ottawa's 'Sewer-Gate' Fiasco (in Munster)

Ottawa
Went Through the Same Thing

THE KING CITY STORY:
...SAME 'MO'

King Township's battle for on-site wastewater treatment system,
against York Region's push for the far more expensive 'big pipe',
has striking similarities to the Munster situation

...including

two of the same Engineering Consultants (Conestoga-Rovers and Associates,
and R.V. Anderson Associated Limited), who, almost simultaneously (in 2002),
conducted "independent" peer review, client-paid assessments ...of each other's work.


By definition: For there to be no "conflict of interest", it "has to
be seen that there is no appearance of the possibility of a conflict
of interest", otherwise, a "conflict of interest" is deemed to exist.

The Big Pipe

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_City,_Ontario#The_Big_Pipe
King City has historically been served by septic systems, which proponents of the Big Pipe view as unhygeinic and unsafe. Various studies have been commissioned to study the town's septic systems, but no clear conclusion was reached. These studies were funded by King Township, York Region, or several interested environmental groups, especially those involved with protecting the Oak Ridges Moraine.

In previous elections, wards covering King City have voted to elect councillors against the Big Pipe project. Results for the rest of King Township were mixed. The most recent township election in 2003 elected a council favourable to the Big Pipe.

In 2001, York Region wrested control of King Township's sewage collection system. The Township's council at the time opposed the Big Pipe link, and brought the issue to court. Control of the system was returned to King Township after the 2003 municipal elections, which resulted in a pro-Pipe council, so that the township could request grants for the project from provincial and federal sources.

Proponents of the link cite health concerns about the aging septic systems in the town, and the occasional spill, as reasons to link to the Durham-York system. Opponents instead claim that the health issues of the current septic systems have been embellished, and that the new link will result in poorly controlled growth in the community, and hence urban sprawl.

The Big Pipe project (King City Sanitary Servicing Project) began construction in early 2005, jointly funded by King Township and York Region. It is expected that federal or provincial funds will also be provided for this project. However, homeowners will have to make the required connection to the system at their own expense. The primary trunk is due for completion in the summer of 2005; residential and business connections to the system will occur starting in late 2005.

A by-law was passed in April 2005 that made it mandatory for residents to connect to the new sewer system. Installation of the near $50 million project is funded through tax receipts, which includes system linkage for public facilities such as municipal offices and the library. Home-owners are responsible for the connection costs, and have been offered three payment scenarios:

lump sum upfront payment of $12,500.00 per household
10 year loan payback at 4.69% interest ($1600.00/year)
20 year amortization ($964.00/year)
This cost includes only the provision of a sewerage connection at the property line. In addition, homeowners are required to install piping from the home to the sewerage connection at their expense, either via a connection routed around the home, digging a connection underneath a basement floor, or via boring a connection underneath the home. Decommissioning and infilling septic tanks is also mandatory. Total costs for the connection and infilling may range from $4,000 to $12,000.