Ward 9 Councillor's Report for March 2016 - Vol 33
Dear Neighbour:
It has been a very busy month with the highlight of course being the favourable OMB decision refusing the application to build apartments at 2700 Aquitaine.
I have been working with our Region staff and the food banks on a transit program for low income riders and Council approved the low income pilot last week. We are working on a program now with the food banks. Our seniors' $1 bus fare program is still on so make sure you let anyone you know over 65 know about it.
There have been some other major decisions made at the City and Region and I have highlighted some below.
We also reinforced the position on Uber. We affirmed they are operating illegally as they do not conform with the Public Vehicle by-law but we will be amending the by-law to allow for other forms of service while protecting the long standing taxi industry in the city.
This newsletter also contains information on whats available during March Break. Remember children are out of school from March 14-18 so watch for them.
I am seeking input on naming the new park at Tenth Line and Aquitaine. Please take the time to give me your feedback.
As always, my staff and I are here to help you with any City or Regional issues. Just send me an email to
[email protected]
or call 905-896-5900 and check the Ward 9 website at
www.ward9.ca
for ongoing updates.
Click on links to go directly to the article
Ward 9 News:
New Ward 9 Businesses
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Input needed on naming new park at Tenth Line/Aquitaine
As you may have seen, work has started on the site and construction will take place over the next 6 months. The target completion date is August 26! I will be planning a big opening celebration this fall so watch the Ward 9 website for details.
The plans for the
park
are available for the community to view at the Meadowvale Library. You can also view them online by visiting my website at
ward9.ca
by clicking on "City Info" and then on "Development".
Our new park will incorporate almost all of the suggestions from the community that I gathered through ward meetings as well as from emails. It will have something for all ages. We are building a skate park designed by the youth in the community, a multi-purpose pad for basketball and skating, a small water feature for cooling, pavillion, games tables, benches, paths, grass area, improved toboggan hill, landscaping, playground and adult fitness equipment. These are the main park features. There will also be open space along the utility corridor to the north that is not owned by the city.
As well, a one acre parcel along Tenth Line is being held for a future fire station and paramedic station. This land will be used for some temporary (possibly 10-15 years) uses such as a community hockey rink and possibly a small fenced dog run. The dog run will be based on budget availability. The hockey rink is under construction now but has been delayed due to a water valve leak. I have a few residents who have volunteered to maintain the rink but if you can help, please contact me at
[email protected]
.
It is now time for us to select a formal name for the park so that all signage can be designed. Through the process, I have been using the name "Union Park" in recognition of the Union Gas facility which existed on this site since 1957. This would preserve the most recent heritage of the property and recognize the previous landowners.
These lands have a long history and have been owned by many people since first bought by Timothy Street in 1820. The most significant owner seems to be the Kindree family but we already have streets, a school and a park named after them so this is not feasible. The Karl family also is significant and the family owned the four small homes on Winston Churchill Blvd. opposite
Meadowvale Town Centre until they sold the lands in recent years. Click here to view a complete history of the lands. Click here for information on the selection criteria for naming City facilities.
I would like to get feedback on a name before I submit it to Council. Please let me know if you agree that we should name it Union Park or please offer other suggestions. Please send your comments by email to me at
[email protected]
by March 18, 2016.
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Lisgar GO Station - Pedestrian Crossing
I received a number of requests from residents for a safe crossing on Tenth Line from the east side to the Lisgar GO station south of the tracks.
I have been working with staff to find a solution that will work in this location.
Studies were done for a pedestrian signal but the warrants were far from being met as there was not sufficient pedestrian traffic to warrant installation of signals.
Traffic staff observations do not indicate a need for any further controls in this area as there are signals at Argentia and at Innisdale. In addition, unlike many other streets where pedestrians cross without signals, Tenth Line is only two lanes wide and has a low speed limit. However with the constant flow of traffic during peak hours, I understand that there may be few gaps to enable pedestrians to move across the road.
As signals are not an option, I requested a centre median (island) to be installed so that pedestrians would only need to cross one half of the road at a time. These work well in situations like this and provide a measure of safety not presently there. Click here to view the design for the median.
This was included in the 2015 budget but could not be undertaken due to other committed projects and it is now planned for the 2016 construction year which begins in spring.
This improvement will help residents who cross to and from the GO station on a regular basis.
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Peel Launches Curbside Battery Collection in March
A reminder that the Region is launching our curbside battery collection of single-use household batteries this month.
The collections will be:
March 14-25, and
November 7-18.
Please note that you will find a free battery collection bag in the recently delivered green bin brochure. Please use it to collect used batteries to place at the curb from March 14-25.
Place your single-use household batteries
in the bag on TOP of your closed green organics cart.
Please place out on your RECYCLING week only.
Batteries can also be dropped off at the Household Hazardous Waste Depot at The Battleford Recycling Centre (CRC) or at Erin Meadows Community Centre in the bin pictured above.
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A reminder that Free tax clinics are being held by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and the Region of Peel.
Click
here for dates and CRA clinic locations. There are two CRA clinics in Ward 9, one at the Village of Erin Meadows and the other at West Credit Secondary School.
The Region of Peel is offering Tax Preparation Assistance for Low-income Individuals and Families. Click
here for Region of Peel clinic dates and locations.
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Stormwater Charge Billing Begins in March 2016
The Stormwater charge will appear on the Region of Peel water bills for Mississauga beginning in March 2016.
The total annual stormwater charge for a property will be divided into a daily rate. Each bill will show the stormwater charge for the number of days that have passed since the last bill.
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New on street parking exemption on statutory holidays
On February 24, Council approved a change to the traffic by-law
to allow parking beyond the three-hour limit for 10 statutory holidays. Cars can be parked
between 8 a.m. to midnight on the following statutory holidays:
New Years Day, Family Day, Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, August Civic Holiday, Labour Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Boxing Day.
This will allow residents to enjoy special days with family without having to worry about getting a parking ticket if cars are parked on streets for longer than 3 hours.
On all other days, you can request a parking exemption if you have guests staying longer than 3 hours.
For information on how to request an exemption any time click
here
.
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Jesse Arrigo Go Fund Me Campaign
Jesse Arrigo is our Ward 9 Miracle Baby who survived a near drowning when he was 10 months old. Jesse has required a lot of therapy since surviving and his family needs help in order to continue with it.
I encourage you to help support his family as he continues to recover from his life threatening ordeal.
Jesse's progress and cognitive development has shocked the medical community but many of the non-traditional therapies for Jesse, who's loving grandfather Bob is a resident of Ward 9 are not covered by OHIP. To donate to Jesse and help with some of these expenses click
here.
To read about Jesse's story please click
here.
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Be A Donor - Peel Region Gift of Life Campaign
Mississauga has one of the lowest percentages of registered organ donors. You can help increase those numbers by registering online for organ donation at www.beadonor.ca.
You could help save the life of someone waiting for an organ. One donor could save 8 lives!
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Civic Awards of Recognition Nominations Now Open
The City of Mississauga is now accepting nominations for the 25th annual 2016 Civic Awards of Recognition Program.
The awards are open to Mississauga groups and individuals who have volunteered in the community for more than 10 years. I know we have many volunteers in Ward 9 who have contributed well beyond this length of time so please nominate them.
The awards will be presented at a formal ceremony at the Mississauga Civic Centre on May 31, 2016. Due to limited seating capacity, only the first 100 nominations received will be considered for this year's event.
The nomination form and criteria can be found by clicking here.
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Meadowvale Residents' Association 
I attended a meeting of our new residents' association on March 3rd to discuss various issues. The Meadowvale Residents Association was founded at a meeting on October 7 and I look forward to working with them on all local and city issues.
The new organization is moving to affiliation with the city. For information or to
get involved in the residents association, please email [email protected]. You can also visit and like their Facebook page by clicking here.
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Meadowvale Community Centre Update
The photo on the right is the most recent bird's eye view of the new Meadowvale Community Centre and Library.
Work continues to move along and we have set dates for the opening this fall. I met with staff a few weeks ago to discuss programming to ensure we meet the needs of the community.
I will also be asking for suggestions for naming of the rooms in the centre. Watch for more information in future e-newsletters.
The building will be turned over to the city this summer at which time staff will move in in time for the
September 6 opening date. Programs will start the third week in September. I will be holding my annual
Seniors' Fair in the new building a bit later than usual this year on September 13th. The
official opening party is planned for October 22.
Mark these dates and more info will come later.
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New Waste Carts Update 
I hope you are finding the new collection services to be easier to follow after 2 months of use. I continue to receive some concerns from residents which have all been handled and referred to region staff.
I have listed below online links where you can make reports, register complaints and find information. You can also call the region at 905-791-9499.
To check which calendar week click www.peelregion.ca/waste/.
If your carts are not collected, you can also report this online at the Region of Peel's "Missed Waste Collection site" by clicking here.
To download your collection calendar, click here.
To report broken or damaged carts, click here.
For more information on the system you will be using, click here.
Please note that when you place your organic bin curbside, bins must be locked.
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Ontario Electricity Support Program - OESP
If you are a customer of an electricity utility and in a low-income home, you may qualify for a reduction on your electricity bill through the Ontario Electricity Support Program (OESP).
Click here for more information.
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Anniversary/Birthday Congratulations
If you know someone who is celebrating a milestone birthday or wedding anniversary please contact me at 905-896-5900 or email me at
[email protected]
and I would be pleased to send a letter of recognition and a small gift to commemorate the special occasion.
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Each month I will welcome a new business to the community. If you would like to be recognized or if you know of a new business in the community please contact me at [email protected].
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ICNA Canada Family Day Walkathon
I was pleased to join members of the Islamic Circle of North America Canada on Family Day for their annual walkathon. This was their 5th anniversary of the walk. ICNA Canada has raised $250,000 over the past four years for Credit Valley Hospital as well as other organizations such as Eden Food for Change. As well, 10 Syrian refugee families joined us this year.
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Heartland Creditview Community & Health Services
I had a great meeting on February 16th with Nasir Chatha and the dedicated group from Heartland Creditview Community & Health Services. We talked about the many community programs they offer to women, seniors and youth and how we can continue to work together for our community.
Click here to learn about this wonderful organization.
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Feng Hua Seniors Celebrates Chinese New Year
I was pleased to join the Feng Hua Seniors to celebrate Chinese New Year on February 20. I had a wonderful time watching the members of this seniors' club perform a number of traditional dances.
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Coldest Night of the Year
On February 20th I joined hundreds of residents to walk on the Coldest Night of the Year to raise funds for the Dam Youth Drop In. This was a family-friendly, fun winter fundraising event for Mississauga's homeless, hungry and hurting that has been held in Mississauga for the past 4 years. I am pleased that I and my team "Pat's Plodders" were able to raise over $6,000 and the Dam surpassed their fundraising goal of $40,000.
Our new Meadowvale Residents' Association also participated and raised money for our local youth. Click here to learn about The Dam.
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| Walking with my grandsons Dylan and Morgan |
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| With members of the Meadowvale Residents' Association |
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Hazel McCallion's 95th Birthday
I had the pleasure of attending the Mississauga Board of Chinese Professionals & Businesses on February 21st at the dinner they held to celebrate former Mayor McCallion's 95th birthday as well as the Chinese New Year.
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5th Meadowvale Scout Dinner
On February 23rd I joined the 5th Meadowvale Scouts for a dinner t
o recognize the birthday of founder Robert Baden Powell.
It is always a pleasure to have a chance to thank the many volunteers who make scouting possible. I was a Brownie leader for many years and know how important scouting is to our children. I was pleased to see my old friend Cliff Paquette and his family.
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Terry Fox Trivia Night
On February 23rd I joined a
trivia team at a fundraiser for the Meadowvale Terry Fox Run.
The Meadowvale run takes place from the new Meadowvale Community Centre on September 18.
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Erin Mills Connects
I attended the second meeting of Erin Mills Connects on March 3rd at St. Aloysius Gonzaga Catholic Secondary School.
This new community group will bring together educators, organizations and government to help the youth in the community.
I am looking forward to playing a large role in supporting the group.
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Looking for Fun on March Break?
The City is offering a week full of March Break fun for
all ages
Click here for more information on a variety of drop-in activities, camps and registered programmes.
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Annual Seniors' Fair - Hold the Date
I usually hold my annual Seniors' Fair in June. This year I will hold it in September to coincide with the re-opening of the Meadowvale Community Centre.
Please hold
Tuesday September 13, 2016 from 10:00 am - 12:00 noon in your calendars and watch for details about the Seniors' Fair in future newsletters.
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Adopt a Seniors' Home Team Challenge
Adopt a Seniors' Home - Meadowvale Minor Hockey's ME51 Atom Red issues a challenge to hockey teams across Canada to spread some hockey cheer this winter.
Many seniors would love to come to hockey games, but need to be invited and given a schedule. Larger, reputable seniors' homes have a bus, trained staff and an Activity Coordinator to transport and accompany seniors who are mobile and interested in outings.
Please contact Liz Wilson-Ciconte at [email protected] or at 905-814-5844. Click here to learn more.
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Meadowvale Theatre
Click here for the Meadowvale Theatre line-up of performances for the 2016 season.
This month Jekyll and Hyde runs from March 11 to March 20th.
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Peel Regional Police - Cyber Academy
Peel Regional Police have added an additional Cyber Academy in May.
These sessions teach residents how to protect themselves and their family from cyber crimes and are excellent for everyone.
Courses are offered every
Tuesday evening in May 2016
and you must register to attend. Click
here
to learn more and to register.
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Credit Valley Horticultural Society
Credit Valley Horticultural Society meetings are held on the second Wednesday of every month except July and August at 8:00 pm
at the South Common Community Centre, 2233 South Millway, Mississauga.
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Streetsville Horticultural Society
The Streetsville Horticultural Society meets on the second Tuesday of the month September through June at the Community Christian Reform Church of Meadowvale, 2630 Inlake Court, Mississauga. Doors open at 7pm, meetings start at 7.30pm.
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STAY CONNECTED
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