Council news: Council endorses CABP request
Clearview council has voted unanimously to endorse a request for a Community Infrastructure Housing Accelerator Order (CIHAO) on behalf of the Clearview Aviation Business Park.
The CIHAO would allow the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to overwrite or replace existing planning requirements for projects that align with provincial priorities.
At a meeting in February, representatives of the Collingwood Regional Airport spoke out against the request, criticizing a lack of due process. Owners of the Clearview Aviation Business Park argued that the requested change would be good for the township, paving the way for new businesses and new employment opportunities.
Mayor Doug Measures said the ultimate authority for decisions affecting lands surrounding the airport rests with Transport Canada. He noted that as far back as 2001, the Collingwood Regional Airport and adjacent lands were identified as an area for future industrial development.
“If the CIHAO request is approved, the subject lands are still governed by federal rules designed to protect airports and allow for the growth of the airport industry,” he said.
The March 11 resolution passed by council eliminated certain proposed uses from the draft order based on recommendations in a staff report. Those included animal hospital/ veterinary clinic, contractors’ yard, garden centre, home improvement outlet, storage units and stockpiles of aggregate and topsoil.
Council’s support was conditional on impact and compatibility studies for any new uses to ensure that Airport operations are protected.
Waste management changes coming
The Township of Clearview will ask the province to amend new regulations regarding collection of recycling.
New rules coming into effect in 2026 will transfer responsibility to producers. As it stands now, all industrial, commercial and institutional units (IC&I) will be required to enter into private contracts for collection of recyclable waste.
The proposed amendment would exempt small IC&I’s which produce similar amounts of waste to residential users.
Correspondence from the County of Simcoe asks Clearview to communicate the request to the Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks.
In other waste-related news, the county has decided to halt work on a proposed Environmental Recycling and Recovery Centre (ERRC).
“The county still doesn’t know how garbage and recycling will be handled, how many trucks we will see on the road,” Deputy Mayor Paul Van Staveren reported to council. “It will be $220 million cheaper for the county to ship out organic waste versus the cost of building a new facility over the next 20 years.”
Support for new training
Clearview Township will lend its support to a request for establishment of a training program for municipal roads workers. The Association of Ontario Road Supervisors (AORS) is warning of impending labour shortages and asking the province to fund the creation of a program to train new operators.
Clearview Director of Public Works, Dan Perreault says while there are some professional development courses available none are focused on entry level skills. The problem is less acute in Clearview, he explains, because we are a farming community.
“You have young people who grow up on farms and learn to operate large pieces of equipment and get DZ licences,” said Perreault.
The township currently employs 13 full-time road operators and eight winter operators.
In the past five years Clearview has hired three full-time staff to replace retiring workers. Two of those started out as winter operators.
The proposed program, to be offered at Fanshawe College in London, would teach basic skills and provide some experience operating road maintenance equipment. Graduates would leave with DZ licences ready to assume responsibilities on a municipal road crew.
The AORS has asked all municipalities in Ontario to support the request with a letter to the Minister of Skills Development.
New joint Huronia West OPP Detachment Board
Mayor Doug Measures and Councilllor Marty Beelen have been named to sit on a new joint Huronia West OPP Detachment Board.
The board is newly created under the Community Safety and Policing Act, which comes into force and effect on April 1.
Council has directed staff to send out a joint recruitment notice for three community representative positions.
In year one, costs for the new board will be shared equally by Clearview, Springwater and Wasaga Beach.
Eventually, a funding formula will be developed based on use of services.
