Municipal Archives — Page 20 of 20

Community roundtables to be hosted across Kawartha Lakes

Published on March 25, 2019 in Community/Municipal by Lindsay Advocate

Deputy Mayor Doug Elmslie and roundtable discussions.

Kawartha Lakes Council is introducing a new way of engaging with the community. Starting late summer and continuing into September, the public will be invited to participate in community roundtables in each of the eight wards. A community roundtable is an opportunity for Kawartha Lakes residents to engage with their elected officials, municipal staff and each other about current topics of general interest.

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Healthy Environment Plan 18 months in the making

Published on March 22, 2019 in Environment/Municipal by Lindsay Advocate

The Healthy Environment Plan has been 18 months in the making, involving a 60-member working group and consultations with more than 2,600 community members.

Council Champion Tracy Richardson kicked off the presentation by sharing that “the Healthy Environment Plan is a transformational plan that maps out high-level strategies for reducing greenhouse gasses over the next 10 years. It addresses changes in our growing seasons, droughts, flooding, impact of freeze-thaw cycles and warmer lake temperatures. This is a community plan; it was created with the community and will be carried out by all of us as we seek to cope with climate change adaptation and mitigation.”

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Kawartha Lakes adopts its first Healthy Environment Plan

Published on March 20, 2019 in Environment/Municipal by Lindsay Advocate

At the March 19 Committee of the Whole meeting, the Healthy Environment Plan was recommended to be adopted by Council. The Plan has been 18 months in the making, involving a 60-member working group and consultations with more than 2600 community members.

Council Champion Tracy Richardson kicked off the presentation by sharing that “the Healthy Environment Plan is a transformational plan that maps out high-level strategies for reducing greenhouse gasses over the next 10 years. It addresses changes in our growing seasons, droughts, flooding, impact of freeze-thaw cycles and warmer lake temperatures. This is a community plan; it was created with the community and will be carried out by all of us as we seek to cope with climate change adaptation and mitigation.”

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‘Car culture’ prevails for new downtown after earlier public push-back

Published on March 8, 2019 in Community/Environment/Municipal by Jamie Morris and Roderick Benns

Cycling and pedestrian advocates who attended last night’s public meeting at the Lindsay Armoury were not pleased to see that the main features of Lindsay’s downtown will remain largely unchanged in its revitalization initiative.

Well over 100 people showed up to hear what City staff and urban planning firm CIMA+ representatives had to say about plans already in place, and to give feedback on some initiatives still up for grabs. But for the most part the downtown vision has been set – Lindsay will retain its angled parking and there will be no bike lanes.

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Chronic homelessness dramatically reduced in Kawartha Lakes, Haliburton

Published on March 6, 2019 in Community/Municipal/Social Issues by Lindsay Advocate

The Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness has announced that the City of Kawartha Lakes and the County of Haliburton have marked a 51 per cent reduction in chronic homelessness since August 2018. Currently, Kawartha Lakes-Haliburton are one of the two communities “in the last mile” and are being recognized at the ‘Built for Zero’ press conference in Toronto for showing that they are projected to reach “functional zero” on chronic homelessness within the next 12 months or less.

“Functional zero” means that the City and County will have three or less people experiencing chronic homelessness over three consecutive months. Chronic homelessness is when an individual has been experiencing homelessness for six months within the last year.

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Civic Engagement 101 in City of Kawartha Lakes

Published on March 3, 2019 in Municipal/Opinion by Jamie Morris

It’s fair to say that City Hall affects us more directly than Queen’s Park or Parliament Hill. The water we drink, our roads and sidewalks, our parks and arenas, the bylaws that regulate our relations with neighbours, delivery of social services — all municipal matters. Altogether, according to City CAO Ron Taylor, there are over 200 municipal programs and services, delivered by over a 1,000 municipal employees.

Our elected mayor and eight councillors represent our interests. Their mission, Taylor reminded them at a February 13 meeting, is to provide “responsible, efficient and effective services.” But their powers go beyond that: Council policy and budget decisions set priorities and shape our future.

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Consultations begin for downtown parking strategy

Published on March 1, 2019 in Municipal by Lindsay Advocate

Council approves study for downtown parking

The municipality is undertaking a downtown parking strategy to examine the current and future parking requirements in the downtown areas of Lindsay, Fenelon Falls and Bobcaygeon. As outlined in the Kawartha Lakes Transportation Master Plan, this study will develop solutions to optimize parking in the defined areas.

In the last several years, demand for downtown parking has increased dramatically. In downtown Lindsay, the average rate of use for parking during peak weekday business hours has increased from 61 per cent in 2014 to 81 per cent in 2018. Bobcaygeon and Fenelon Falls have also seen increased pressure on parking resources, especially during the busy summer season.

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