October 8, 2010

 

Dear Municipal Candidate,

 

Sustainable food production,  and the preservation of farmland and our cultural heritage have become significant issues in communities across Ontario, as well as here in Brant County.  The large scale purchase of prime farmland by developers and landbankers in Brant County has elicited strong responses from local residents as well as media, individuals and organizations outside the city.  Brant County has also been approached by a gasification (incineration) company. In response residents have brought in speakers from other communities that successfully opposed incineration and stepped up their waste diversion efforts.

 

The following questionnaire is intended to gauge candidatesÕ positions on issues pertaining to the land use planning, agriculture and local food, the built heritage, waste diversion, campaign financing and the democratic process.  Please take the time to complete the questionnaire.  Your responses will be shared with the residents of Brant County to let them know where you stand on these important issues.  The Yes/No answers will be shared in a newsletter to Brant County residents. Your written responses will be posted at http://sustainablebrant.blogspot.com/ and will not be edited in any way.  If you do not complete and return the questionnaire, it will be noted that you have no comment on a particular issue.

 

Please return completed questionnaires by email to: sustainablebrant@gmail.com or by fax to 519-647-0307 (call first).

Please return questionnaires by: Friday, Oct. 15, 2010.

 

We appreciate your time and interest in these issues.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Sharon Terry

Sustainable Brant

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Brant County Election 2010 Survey Questions:

Please return by Friday, Oc. 15 to sustainablebrant@gmail.com or by fax to 519-647-0307 (call first). Please feel free to elaborate in 150-200 words, on what steps you would take to support your position. 

 

Annexation:

1)    On Nov. 9, the Ontario Municipal Board will rule on whether it can rule on requests by Brantford to annex land in the ÒgreenbeltÓ (standstill/no build zone) that was created by provincial legislation in 1980.  Brantford is interested in annexing land in the ÒgreenbeltÓ at Hwy 403 and Garden Avenue. The original intent of this ÒgreenbeltÓ or standstill/no build zone was to protect this land for "permanent agriculture and related rural uses".  

 

As an elected official of our county would you protect this land for Òpermanent agriculture and related rural usesÓ?

 

Yes, I would try my best but the province would have the final say.

Amalgamation:

As an elected official of our county, would you support amalgamation of Brant County with Brantford?  

 

 

 

NEVER!

Waste and Waste Diversion:

2)                                                                                                                                                                                                           a) The ÒGreen HubÓ is being promoted by the Chamber of Commerce and some politicians, but no one is really clear about what it means.

 

 

 

As an elected official of our county, would you ensure more transparency and democratic imput on the Green Hub?

 

Absolutely!!  We need more consultation with everyone.  The more involvement the better.

 

b) What initiatives would you support for the ÒGreen HubÓ?

 

Any and all private sector investments as well as provincial and federal monies that are available. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

3)                                                                                                                                                                                                           TThe present Brant County council voted to remove Òwaste to energyÓ and gasification proposals from the Official Plan, because of concerns from residents about toxic emissions, the destruction of valuable resources and costs to municipalities.

 

As an elected official of our county, would you work to ensure that our municipal waste is not gasified (incinerated) in Brant County or in any other community (e.g. Six Nations)?

 

If all provincial and federal regulations are met and it is deemed safe, I would not be opposed as it would create jobs.  Presently, I oppose it.

 

4)                                                                                                                                                                                                           SSome Brantford business are accepting and processing toxic waste from other communities (computer waste, used tires and radioactive waste).

 

As an elected official of our county, would you work to ensure that our county does not encourage or allow industries that would import toxic waste (e.g. tires, e-waste, radioactive waste, municipal garbage, sewage sludge) from other communities, to be processed or disposed of in Brant County?

 

I am certainly not interested in dealing with anybody elseÕs waste and would fight against it.

 

5)     Our landfill is quickly filling up.  Markham won awards for diverting 73% of its municipal garbage from the landfill. 

 

As an elected official of our county, would you work on efforts to match or beat Markham's 73% municipal waste diversion rate?

 

Yes, I would strive to be like Nova Scotia and have an 80% diversion rate or better.  I would strongly recommend recycling more than every two weeks.

 

 

Agriculture and Local Food:

6)    Pennsylvania and British Columbia use different methods to ensure that local farmers can compete with the developers to buy farmland (e.g. conservation easements, land trusts and purchase of development rights). 

 

As an elected official of our county, would you support similar programs to help Brant County farmland to continue to be owned and farmed by farmers?

 

I am all in favor of anything that preserves farmland.

 

7)     ÒMunicipalities close to home (like Markham) and across North America cities are implementing local and sustainable food procurement policies to support farmers and the local economy.Ó

 

As an elected official of our county, would you support a local and sustainable food procurement policy?

 

Most Definitely!

 

8)    a) Large amounts of land have been purchased in Brant County by developers and foreign investors. 

 

As an elected official of our county, are you concerned that this will give them undue influence in decision-making especially when it comes to development?

 

As you mayor, I will owe no favors to anybody and cannot be influenced that way.

 

b) How would you work to ensure that this does not happen?

 

We will follow the official plan that has been sent to the province for approval as required by provincial law. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

9)    Prince Edward County banned the spread of its municipal biosolids (liquid sewage sludge and dewatered sewage sludge) on farmland.

 

 As an elected official of our county, would you support a similar ban for Brant County?

 

If it affects ground water and wells than it is probably better not to spread it but it is a provincial decision on what you can spread and where.  More information is needed though as Prince Edward County is close to the lake and may be a different situation entirely.

 

10) There are 2700 signatures on a petition asking the Province to extend the provincial Greenbelt into Brant County to protect prime farmland, natural areas and the Paris-Galt moraine.  

 

As an elected official of our county, would you support extending the provincial Greenbelt into Brant County?

 

This is not a local government decision but a provincial government decision.

 

Heritage:

11) a) The Heritage Act and our Official Plan are very specific about the steps that should be taken to protect our architectural and natural heritage. 

 

Do you believe that this is important? 

 

YES!  

 

b)    As an elected official of our county, are you committed to keeping our old schools and halls publicly owned and operated?

 

Yes, as long as we can make them break even or profitable.  Whoever operates or runs them needs to have a business plan.  We need not save them for the sake of saving them without any solid plans.  WE do not want this to become a financial burden on the taxpayers but I do have an idea that might kill two birds with one stone in regard to helping save heritage buildings and solving an affordable social housing issue.

 

Campaign Donations:

12) a) Has your campaign office accepted any donations from the development interests which own or control land in Brant County?

 

No.  

 

b) Cities such as Toronto have introduced a ban on donations from corporations and unions for election campaigns. As an elected official of our county, would you support this in Brant County?

 

Absolutely!

 

Air and Water Quality:

13)  Airport residents documented a pattern of toxic emissions from brick factories in other communities.

 

As an elected official of our county, will you ensure stringent county oversight to prevent not just monitor, toxic emissions into the air and water from the proposed brick factory near the airport?

 

There are provincial standards that must be met and the county will consistanly ask for the results of these results of the provincial testing to ensure a safe operation of this new business.

 

Private-Public Partnerships (P3s)

14) The Council of Canadians takes a strong stance against P3s because of the debt that municipalities eventually get left with, and the quality of construction.

 

As an elected official of our county, would you work to ensure that the Council does not turn to P3s to provide sewer and  water infrastructure for proposed development projects in the county (e.g. Cainsville,  Brant East)?

 

I am not in favor of P3s.

 

Democratic  Process:

15) a) As an elected official of our county, would you work to ensure that residents are consulted and kept informed about issues that council deals with?

 

More information for all makes for a happier taxpayer.

 

b) Would you support delegations to council if an issue is not resolved?

 

Yes, absolutely!

 

c)     c) Would you work to reduce the number of in camera meetings?

 

Most definitely.  In my opinion, there are far too many.

 

Sustainable Transportation

16) The proposed highway (commonly known as Hwy 424) from Brantford to Cambridge would cut through prime farmland and the Galt-Paris moraine. The Smart Coalition has a legal challenge of the highway, arguing that a highway in this area is not included in the provincially binding Growth Plan.

 

As an elected official of our county, will you work to plan more sustainable ways of moving people and goods, rather than building a highway?

 

Yes, as far as I can see, the highway is 20 to 25 years away if it happens at all.  Because of the environmental concerns, we must strive towards conservation and always persue better and cheaper modes of transportation for all citizens.