Municipal Monitor - May/June 2008 - (Page 23)

cently opened a 78-room facility that runs at a 90 per cent occupancy rate. Bates also forecasts the development of a major water park, additional hotels with retail outlets and a housing project for hundreds of new homes. At present, the township averages 100 new homes a year and they are striving to bring young families to the region. However, as a small municipality, one of the biggest challenges is the limited staff resources to implement and monitor development. The provincial Places to Grow Act has brought about a significant investment in a major sewage project for Ramara Township. The project will improve sanitation and servicing in the region and ultimately draw developers and builders to the area to create more large-scale investment opportunities. The $10.4 million project expands the collection system in the region and helps to prevent waste from entering nearby Lake Simcoe. “It can be really frustrating,” remarks Bates. “The provincial government provides funding for bridges but when it comes to sanitation, there is no provincial funding despite sewage going into Lake Simcoe.” As a result of the improved sewage and servicing work being done, local residents within the township are responsible for $14,000 to $19,000 per household in Lagoon City and Brechin respectively. “There was lots of public consultation regarding the sewage system but most residents came to the realization that they would have to bite the bullet and clean up the community,” says Bates. The town did manage to secure low interest funding through the provincial government over a three-year period, which has helped many families with the additional cost. While there are challenges in place with funding models for both private and public investment in municipalities, patience and persistence does pay off in the long run. Defining and communicating expectations for all involved parties is critical. Whether initiating improvements to services like sewage and sanitation to increase housing development, or repurposing industrial land to create a park to draw visitors, one message is clear: the face of Ontario is changing and municipal collaboration with public and private investors is essential. ◆ McCormick Rankin Corporation Global Transportation Engineering – – – – – – – Highway Engineering Railway Engineering Transit Systems Municipal Engineering Electrical Systems Airport Engineering Road Safety – – – – – – International Border Crossings Intelligent Transportation Systems Environmental Planning & Sciences Structural Engineering Transportation Planning Project Management Mississauga Ottawa Kitchener Kingston Edinburgh Halifax Brisbane Auckland Phone: (905) 823-8500 Fax: (905) 823-8503 Web: www.mrc.ca 365344_McCormick.indd 1 1/24/08 11:39:10 AM MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS INC. RANDOLPH G R O U P Strategic Planning Organizational Effectiveness Governance Facilitation Services THE P. Douglas Petrie Carolyn Kearns Michael Rowland Susan Wright 111 King Street East, 3rd Floor Toronto, ON M5C 1G6 Tel: (416) 368-7402 Fax: (416) 368-9335 E-mail: consult@randolph.on.ca www.randolph.on.ca Environmental Law Specialist Certiﬁed by the Law Society of Upper Canada 416 862 4835 dpetrie@willmsshier.com Your Environmental Counsel www.willmsshier.com ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY & RESOURCES LAW May/June 2008 371338_Randolph.indd 1 3/27/08 1:35:43 PM 317069_Terraprobe.indd 1 1/26/07 9:40:40 AM 370783_Wilms.indd 1 municipal MONITOR ·5:48:46 PM 3/12/08 23 http://www.mccormickrankin.com http://www.terraprobe.ca http://www.willmsshier.com http://www.randolph.on.ca

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Municipal Monitor - May/June 2008

Municipal Monitor - May/June 2008 Contents President's Message: On Messages and Milestones Viewpoint: Much Ado About Nothing? Again Mapping the North: Municipalities Team Up to Create Sophisticated Geographic Information System The Clean Water Act: Let's Make it Perfectly Clear Developing Trend: Communication is Essential During Large-Scale Projects Water Under the Bridge Municpal Memos Index to Advertisers

Municipal Monitor - May/June 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.