By John Francis,
Bruce Peninsula Press
At MNBP Council’s Nov 22 Meeting, GM Blue Plan Engineering delivered its roads and sidewalks report. Most of the content was, pardon the pun, pedestrian.
Conspicuously absent from the report — and from the report’s terms of reference — was any mention of the adequacy of MNBP’s sidewalks and bike lanes. The report’s terms of reference only called for an evaluation of the condition of the existing sidewalk network. There was no mention of the need for sidewalks/bike lanes on Bannister Hill in Lion’s Head, nor of the heavy vehicular and pedestrian traffic on Bay Street and Harpur Drive in Tobermory.
The report’s recommendations stressed the need for regular traffic counts, summer and winter, on all roads.
In his delegation, GM Blue Plan’s Fred Stephenson reiterated that it should be a priority for the municipality to go out and get good traffic counts for all four seasons. He suggested that the technology also exists for MNBP staff to go out and do road and sidewalk condition surveys themselves.
When the Public Works Manager’s Roads Needs Study Report came up later in the meeting, Councillor Smokey Golden and Mayor Milt McIver began by noting that the Isthmus Bay Road improvements looked good and that recent heavy rains had drained off nicely. “It’s a much better road,” commented the Mayor.
Public Works Manager Troy Cameron asked Council to identify research priorities. He suggested that a pedestrian plan should be one of those. Mayor McIver agreed, stating that sidewalks are becoming more and more important.
GM Blue Plan’s 24 page Roads and Sidewalks Needs Study and the Public Works Manager’s 112 page Roads Needs Study can be found online in the Agenda for the Nov 22 Meeting.
Conflict of Interest Decision Deferred to Dec 13
The Nov 22 Agenda also included a report from the municipality’s Integrity Commissioner into an anonymous complaint against Councillor James Mielhausen. The complaint alleges that Councillor Mielhausen had a conflict of interest when he spoke in favour of a Zoning Amendment requested by Blue Heron Company of Tobermory, because his daughter Jada works for Blue Heron.
Integrity Commissioner Harold Elston found that Councillor Mielhausen did indeed have a conflict in this matter.
When the report came up at Council, Councillor Mielhausen recused himself from the discussion. Mayor McIver was uncomfortable with the fact that this was an anonymous complaint. Municipal Clerk Cathy Addison promised to contact the Integrity Commissioner to find out what the protocols are around anonymous complaints.
Mayor McIver wondered how Council should proceed. Deputy Mayor Debbie Myles suggested Council should require at least some training and a written apology.
Councillor Golden was obviously uncomfortable with the finding — a recent conflict of interest complaint against her was found not valid — but she stated “he is our integrity commissioner and he has made this recommendation. I assume there are guidelines that we go by.” We need to know what those regulations are, she continued. Should there be punitive consequences? Or do we just receive this as information? There is not a serious consequence here because the Zoning decision was deferred. Deputy Mayor Myles disagreed, stating that the Integrity Commissioner called it serious and we can’t just let it go. Councillor Megan Myles asked if there were County regulations or protocols which could guide a decision.
Mayor McIver expressed agreement with Councillor Golden — the Integrity Commissioner has found that this violates the MCIA (Municipal Conflict of Interest Act) despite the fact that Jada is an employee, not an owner at Blue Heron, and this application has no bearing on her employment. Mayor McIver asked municipal CAO Peggy Van Mierlo-West what Council’s options were. She outlined several options, one of which was to defer the issue to the next meeting and have the municipality’s lawyer come in to discuss it with Council. Councillor Golden immediately agreed with this suggestion. “This is increasingly the world we are living in,” she said. “We need better information.”
Council voted to defer the issue to the Dec 13 Meeting so that the municipality’s lawyer can assist Council in reaching a decision. That meeting will take place while this newspaper is being printed.
Free Parking Returns to Lion’s Head
Also taking place on Dec 13 is a Special Meeting on parking. The Municipal Law Enforcement Official’s Report on the Agenda contains one large departure from the previous report — the addition of a large swath of two-hour free parking in Lion’s Head: “THAT free two (2) hour parking be permitted on Main Street both sides from Mill to Scott Street, AND; THAT free two (2) hour parking be permitted on Webster Street both sides from Main Street easterly to Helen Street,..”
The first item on the Agenda for the Dec 13 Special Meeting is a delegation from Scott and Carla Hellyer of Scott’s PRO Hardware, at the corner of Main and Webster Streets. Their reaction to the proposed changes will help Council decide whether to accept or amend the MLEO’s recommendations.
The MLEO Report also recommends that the municipality assume responsibility for parking on Little Cove Road near Tobermory and implement a Park Pass system similar to the one in place at the McCurdy Road parking lot in Lion’s head. The report also recommends minor adjustments to the paid parking area on Big Tub Road in Tobermory.
