Council briefs: Clearview revisits shipping containers

At the request of Deputy Mayor Barry Burton, council has directed staff to revisit a decision to make shipping containers illegal in Clearview Township for the purposes of storage.
“There are several properties within the township that are using shipping containers for storage of personal and commercial items. In many cases most of these land owners were not aware of the existing bylaw restricting the use of [the] containers,” reported Burton on Jan. 11. “When a notice was published in the local newspapers of the existing bylaw I received several telephone calls from businesses and agricultural operations questioning the bylaw. These shipping containers have become a solution to keeping sites tidy and uncluttered from excess equipment and items being exposed to the open.”
Staff has been asked to find a way to monetize the storage containers, should they be permitted on lands zoned industrial, commercial, amd agricultural, either through fees or taxation, and also to propose rules for them to be located appropriately in terms of setbacks and
In the meantime, Councillor Thom Paterson said residents should be made to comply with the currently bylaw before a change is made, possible allowing people a free pass.
Shipping containers, or cargo containers, are prohibited throughout the township as per the zoning blyaw, but are not specifically addressed in the property standards bylaw. Nevertheless, said Pamela Fettes, who oversees the bylaw department, staff “has done several enforcements, but not to the scale council is talking about.”
A change to the zoning bylaw will require public input.
Councillors Paterson and Phyllis Dineen were the only two to oppose the proposed change.

Midwest Metals rezoning approved

A public meeting was held for a rezoning for Midwest Metals to bring the entire parcel of property under the “Restricted Industrial Exception.”
Planner Marie Leroux, operating as agent for the Gordons, former owners of Midwest Metals, explained that in order to satisfy the requirements of site plan approval application filed in 2006 a strip of property was purchased from the County of Simcoe works yard next door to satisfy setback requirements. That land is zoned institutional and must be changed.
Leroux said the Gordons have continued to improve the site for site plan and MOE approvals. The request for rezoning also includes a number of exceptions to reflect the existing configuration of the facility.
The zoning was approved at the Jan. 18 meeting.

Community Assistance Grants approved

Council approved $24,250 in Community Assistance Grants.
Deputy Clerk Brenda Falls reported that the municipality did not receive as many as requests as usual during the intake process and that eligible organizations received the full amount requested. The grant committee also took the initiative to fund the OPP’s Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program, although a request was not received.
There is $37,750 remaining in the $62,000 fund, $20,000 of which has been earmarked for 2021 COVID-19 relief fund requests.
Funds have been approved for the following organizations:
• Breaking Down Barriers, $1,000 (accessibility support/services);
• Brentwood Horticultural Society, $700 (Community beautification projects);
• Clearview Community Theatre, $2,000 (Youth Theatre Production);
• Clearview Minor Hockey Association, $1,000 (Promote and develop hockey for children);
• Creemore Cats, $1,000 (Spay/neuter program);
• Creemore Horticultural Society, $1,000 (Community beautification projects);
• DARE – Huronia West OPP, $2,500 (Drug Abuse Resistance Education);
• Duntroon Stayner Road Race, $1,000 (Promote physical fitness);
• Georgian Triangle Humane Society (Clearview Cats), $1,000 (Spay/neuter assistance program);
• Home Horizon Transitional Program, $2,000 (Counselling/housing for homeless);
• Hospice Georgian Triangle Foundation, $2,500 (Provide professional care/support);
• Magic of Children in the Arts, $1,000 (Support children art programs);
• Purple Hills Arts and Heritage Festival, $1,000 (Building community by cultivating and promoting arts and heritage);
• Resources for Area Youth Success (RAYS), $1,000 (To support local youth in pursuing post-secondary education);
• Royal Canadian Legion – Branch 397 Creemore, $1,000 (Canada Day Celebration events);
• SilverShoe Historical Society, $1,000 (Promote Bethel Union Cemetery/Sunnidale Pioneer historical site);
• South Simcoe 4-H, $250 (Youth learning opportunities);
• Stayner Heritage Society, $300 (Promote heritage preservation/appreciation);
• Stayner Horticultural Society/Stayner Garden Club, $1,000 (Community beautification projects);
• Stayner Lawn Bowling Club, $1,000 (Promote lawn bowling);
• The Living Wish Foundation, $1,000 (Promoting health and wellness of terminally ill patients).