The latest Municipal stories from Lindsay and the City of Kawartha Lakes.
Three deputations made by local citizens at the most recent city council committee of the whole meeting proved that with a little bit of research and the willingness to engage politicians, citizens can change decisions made by senior Kawartha Lakes staff about inclusion of properties on the heritage register.
As public consultations begin on a new trail master plan, it is already clear there are two very different visions for trail usage in Kawartha Lakes. One vision is favoured by motorized users and one is supported by non-motorized users.
Since 2019, municipalities were given the right to use photo radar on any designated road where the speed limit is 80 km or less. Toronto was the first jurisdiction to sign on, and since then they have been joined by 11 other municipalities and cities including Durham, York, Ottawa, Hamilton, Brampton, Peel, Waterloo, Mississauga, London, Pickering and Oakville. Kawartha Lakes could be next.
Councillor Pat Dunn, chair of the ORV task force, used the Sept. 21 council meeting to remind the mayor and other councillors about procedural hurdles that are still in place regarding the city’s final decision to route ORV traffic around the city rather than through it.
The Kawartha Lakes council chamber took on a decidedly somber tone as councillors, the mayor, CAO and clerk all wore orange shirts to recognize the first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation that occurs Sept. 30.
After much passionate debate and suggestions of secret deals made between councillors, Kawartha Lakes council will be recommending that ORVs not be allowed to pass through Lindsay. In a tie vote among councillors at the committee of the whole meeting, Mayor Andy Letham cast the deciding vote to halt the proposed route through Lindsay and instead look at another option.
A clear majority of Lindsay residents have said "no" to an ATV route running through the town, according to a city poll.
New homes, a park, a large grocery store, a good commercial plaza, and maybe even a recreation centre – all of this and more is being considered on Lindsay’s east side by Flato Developments. Shakir Rehmatullah, president of Flato Developments, held a community open house at The Pie Eyed Monk in Lindsay recently -- a chance for residents to get a sneak peak of the draft plans.
Flato Developments was given a rough ride by Cameron residents at a public information session today whose residents were worried about plans for a big new residential and commercial development. But founder and president of the building company, Shakir Rehmatullah, said he was glad they did the event and said he would have asked “the same things” if he were in Cameron residents’ shoes.
A grassroots group that doesn’t want to see ORVs (also called ATVs) allowed on Lindsay streets is still gathering signatures until at least Aug. 25. The group, led by residents Darryl and Robyn James, is waiting to see if the committee of the whole will accept the petition.
The Ontario government is providing $2.4 million to help the City of Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton County deliver critical services, create longer-term housing solutions and keep vulnerable people safe, according to a media release from local MPP Laurie Scott.
A group of concerned citizens known as Keep Our Roads Safe in Lindsay is encouraging town residents to vote ‘no’ in allowing ATVs on town streets. Last month, an ATV (also known as ORV) route through Lindsay was put on hold by council to get more input after criticism that residents were not notified.
Ross Memorial Hospital’s leader is seeking as much as $7.5 million from the city over the next five city budgets. At a special meeting of council on June 29, senior staff and volunteers from RMH presented a plan regarding upgrades and improvements necessary at the hospital that will cost about $15 million.
The Ontario government is providing up to $458,750 to help improve the delivery of critical programs and services in Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock -- money that Kawartha Lakes will be using to fund a third-party review of the fire service budgets, according to a media release.
As cottage season arrives, a staggering 15,000 cars pass through Fenelon Falls on Saturdays. Locals have long wondered when someone’s house will burn down because the volunteer fire department trucks couldn’t get across the bridge. With these and other concerns in mind, Dillon Consulting staff hosted an on-line webinar recently to present a clear choice from four options under consideration to improve vehicle flow.
Kawartha Lakes council, by a vote of 7-2, decided at their June 1 committee of the whole meeting to recommend only one route for ORVs to travel through Lindsay. Councillor Pat Dunn called the route the best choice “because it was the shortest, safest route with the fewest number of homes impacted.” The route selected will impact the following streets:
If the Off-road Vehicle Task Force gets its way, ORVs could soon be permitted on such busy Lindsay streets as Logie, Wellington, Cambridge and Angeline Streets, among many other choices, as a go-through route. Bobcaygeon, too, could see ORV use on some of its main roads. In what is expected to be another contentious meeting on June 1, Kawartha Lakes council is being asked to approve a new set of off-road vehicle (ORV) routes through Lindsay and Bobcaygeon.
