Ancaster and area celebrates business highs

and community achievements

 As Ancaster residents prepare for a change in season, I’m pleased to be able to report on a number of projects and business initiatives that have been completed that will positively impact our leisure activities and residential tax rates.

First, and most importantly, the news last week that Maple Leaf Foods is investing in a new $395 million meat-processing plant for Hamilton is just fabulous. This project means almost 700 permanent jobs, $2.6 million in development charges and more than $2 million in annual tax revenue. It is the economic boost we need in this City, increasing the industrial tax base and reducing the burden on residential taxpayers. In addition, this facility – LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified – will generate a further $1 million in much needed water and sewer revenue once it comes on line.

I want to congratulate all City Staff involved in this project, particularly Tim McCabe, Neil Everson, Tony Sergi and Bill Farkas, for an outstanding job in bringing the second of two Maple Leaf facilities to the Red Hill Business Park – Canada Bread bakery has just started operations next door. In business, like we did here, we set the strategy, put the tools in place and surrounded ourselves with people who went out and executed. They did what they are supposed to do and as a result, Maple Leaf Foods will be Hamilton’s third-largest private employer. Congratulations on a real winner for our City.

Turning to sports and recreation now, I want to report that on October 2, we had the ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the official opening of the Morgan Firestone Arena’s Twin Pad and by all accounts, this facility is living up to all expectations. Completed ahead of schedule, and with financial support from both the federal and provincial governments, the new complex is literally paid off. This project had been a priority of mine and it feels great to have it up and running.

We can also celebrate the completion of renovations to the historic Hammill House (Circa 1860) as it too marked the official opening this fall. Now open for business, Hammill House is home for all Ancaster Minor Sports Association’s administrative offices.

Located just behind Hammill House, the town’s tennis courts are also nearing completion with fencing and lighting due to go up shortly and final surface work scheduled for spring. At an annual membership fee of approximately $80, the Ancaster Tennis Club is always looking to serve up new members.

I also want to congratulate Ancaster’s own Sandra Kisil, a bronze-medal winner at the 2011 Pan American Games currently underway in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Speaking of the Pan Am Games, I remain committed to the City’s position that as part of our support of the proposed velodrome for the 2015 Games, the $5 million we have on the table is the City’s position. I feel that with the planning we’ve done to date, the ideal location for the velodrome at Mohawk College, and detailed planning that’s taken place, that the Games officials may be back to us to host the cycling events for 2015. Stay tuned!

This past Saturday, I had the opportunity to celebrate another significant achievement in the growth of Ancaster and the collaboration we enjoy with community partners. You will recall that with soccer fields in constant demand, we entered into a partnership with Redeemer University College and Ancaster Soccer to share its new indoor soccer dome. Well, that dream was realized Saturday with the official opening of Redeemer’s new indoor facility where soccer players in Ancaster will have year-round access to the dome for evening and weekend play. Congratulations to all involved in this partnership.

One final sporting note, plans are well underway for the 2012 Canadian Open to be held at the Hamilton Golf and Country Club. Sales of Corporate boxes are exceeding expectations based on the success and popularity of our hosting of this international event in both 2003 and 2006.

With fall quickly fading, I also want to acknowledge the work of a number of Ancaster residents in maintaining the beauty of our community throughout the spring and summer months. Last week I had the opportunity to attend the Trillium Awards reception and want to publicly congratulate our four diamond winners as selected by the Ancaster Horticultural Society: Linda Cooper, Anna & Roy Metcalfe, Elizabeth Kaczmarczyk, and Christine & Anthony DeMarco.

In closing, I want to extend congratulations on behalf of Ancaster residents to MPP Ted McMeekin for his appointment to the provincial cabinet as Ontario Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. With agriculture playing such an important part of everyday life in our community, Ted has served the residents of Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale well over the years. This portfolio complements his understanding of our rural way of life.

Until next time, if you need to reach me for any reason, please contact my office at City Hall at 905-546-2704. You can also contact me by e-mail at Lloyd.Ferguson@hamilton.ca.

Councillor’s Corner – September 2011

Wilson Street Reconstruction – Short Term Pain for Long Term Gain

 The closure of Wilson Street for four months next spring is literally paved with good intentions. As part of the implementation of the Ancaster Transportation Master Plan, approved by City Council and endorsed by the Ancaster Community Council, the reconstruction to Wilson Street is the start of a proposed capital project for Ancaster Village.

After months of public consultation and detailed design work, the plan is to close Wilson Street – permitting access only to local traffic and business owners – from March to June 2012 to allow for the redevelopment of Wilson Street between Halson and Fiddler’s Green. This construction project is one of the many highlights of the roadway activity in the core, which also includes: a traffic signal at the intersection of Wilson and Jerseyville Road, rather than the earlier proposed roundabout; one of two pedestrian crosswalks installed where the rail trail terminates on Wilson, sidewalks and curbs in both directions; bicycle lanes; and a turning lane at Cameron and Dalley in addition to sidewalks and bicycle lanes at that location as well.

Wilson Street has been in deplorable shape for years and I am pleased to have the support of community groups and local residents as we move forward with this construction.   This project has been included by staff in the 2012 Capital Budget and will go before Council in December for debate and hopefully approval so work can begin in March. I know this means a four-month closure of Wilson Street but it is long overdue..

You may have noticed that construction is underway on the new tennis courts behind the Municipal Building. There have been no surprises to date as base construction, fencing and lighting will be done by fall and surfacing scheduled for spring for use in summer 2012.

I am also following the status of the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board’s plans to declare surplus Ancaster’s Memorial School at 357 Wilson Street East. As you’ve read here in the past, I believe the City should purchase the site for re-development for local seniors’ housing and other community use. The latest news is that it will be declared surplus in spring 2013 and vacant in 2014. I will keep you posted.

Finally, I want to express my disappointment with Infrastructure Ontario for its handling of the proposed Pan Am velodrome for Hamilton as part of the 2015 Games. The City has set aside $5 million for the project but Infrastructure Ontario is now telling us the indoor cycling oval could cost as much as $45 million to build. I have lost trust with the report now before Council on this project and I will not be supporting any additional funds caused by the inflated budget established by Infrastructure Ontario. I believe IO has contempt for City Council – first it was the massively inflated cost of a brand new Ticats stadium and now this budget for the Pan Am velodrome. I’ve had enough.

Until next time, if you need to reach me for any reason, please contact my office at City Hall at 905-546-2704. You can also contact me by e-mail at Lloyd.Ferguson@hamilton.ca.

Councillor’s Corner – August 2011 

Sports Facilities cross the finish line

Ancaster is now home to two newly completed sports and cultural facilities that both preserve the history of our community and provide additional recreational capacity.

After an extensive renovation of the historic Hammill House that saw delays because of the unique nature of restoring heritage buildings, it is great to see this project come to fruition in time for the fall lineup of sports programs in our community. As you know from the updates I’ve provided here over the past 18 months, the Hammill House, located in the downtown core, is our new home for the Ancaster Minor Sports Association’s administrative offices. Stay tuned for the official opening date.

As well, I’m so pleased to report that one of my priorities in the last term of council – the twinning of the Morgan Firestone Arena – has been completed ahead of schedule and will be ready for use when the hockey/figure skating season opens in the fall. The new surface mirrors the existing pad, with dressing rooms, washrooms and seating for 250. The City of Hamilton, along with the federal and provincial governments, each contributed more than $3.4 million for this project that is so important to the sport and leisure pursuits of residents in our community. When we hold our official opening – yet to be determined – we will mark the occasion with a free, public skate for anyone who wants to come out and enjoy the modern conveniences of this fabulous sports complex.

In other news, further to ongoing updates on the Ancaster Transportation Master Plan, I will be reporting next time on a meeting I am having – this week – with Ontario Transportation Minister Kathleen Wynne and Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale MPP Ted McMcMeekin. I won’t assume anything at this time, but the nature of our meeting is in regards to proposed exits ramps onto Highway 403 from Mohawk Road and Main Street. Again, stay tuned for further developments but also watch the News for coverage in its next edition.

Speaking of traffic-related issues, I want to report on the “perfect storm” that occurred during the highly successful TD Festival of Friends now making the Ancaster Fairgrounds its permanent home. With Friday’s entertainment schedule including both The Sheepdogs (recently profiled on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine) and City and Colour, the combination of the two successful bands created a fan base that was overwhelming and beyond the existing infrastructure currently in place. I am happy to report that already included in the 2012 budget is a call for an additional southbound through lane on Trinity Road at Wilson and, an advanced green for cars turning south onto Trinity Road whenever major events are held at the Fairgrounds. I’m optimistic these traffic improvements will significantly improve traffic flow in and out of the Fairgrounds and enhance what is truly a great show for the citizens of Hamilton to enjoy.

And finally, I want to report that the next meeting of the Ancaster Community Council is being held on September 7.

Until next time, if you need to reach me for any reason, please contact my office at City Hall at 905-546-2704. You can also contact me by e-mail at Lloyd.Ferguson@hamilton.ca.

Councillor’s Corner – July 2011 

New course for education facilities in Ancaster and Hamilton

The future redevelopment of two former education buildings in downtown Ancaster and Hamilton could spell tremendous gains for Ancaster Village Core and doctors in training if the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board is successful in relocating its new education centre at Crestwood School on the East Mountain.

If this happens, Ancaster’s Memorial School at 357 Wilson Street East would be declared surplus by the HWDSB and the site would then become available for sale and redevelopment. I am suggesting the City purchase the site and, building on the model successfully negotiated for the redevelopment of the former Grange School property, it could incorporate seniors housing, additional Village Core parking, permanent location for a farmer’s market, and enhanced cultural and recreational facilities. A rear portion of the property could also be sold off for further development, preferably seniors housing – again, like we did at Grange School – to allow the City to recoup some of its original investment.

The second piece of news around the school board comes in the way of a $20-million investment by the City to assist McMaster University in establishing a new health campus in the downtown core to train as many as 20% more doctors than is currently the case.  We are very aware of the doctor shortage in Hamilton.  Our contribution would come from the Hamilton Future Fund so there would be no impact to individual property owners on their residential tax bill. It has been suggested, however, that the City move its Public Health Department into the new facility but, at an additional $1.3 million annually for new space, I’m not yet sold on the idea. I want to see substantial savings or reductions elsewhere to justify an expenditure of this kind simply to relocate a municipal department.

Over the remainder of the summer and early fall, City staff will be preparing an RFP (Request for Proposal) for a new, five-year contract to handle Hamilton’s solid waste. One of the proposals going forward is to reduce curbside garbage collection to once every two weeks – with an unlimited amount to be picked up – while retaining weekly pickup of both blue boxes and green carts. The move to every two weeks for garbage pickup, (and I understand the inconvenience it will cause some residents),  should cut down on the illegal dumping of garbage in the rural areas and encourage people to better sort their waste into the various streams we use for pickup. While I am soliciting your feedback, rest assured that I want to see compelling significant savings by going this route before I endorse the new waste-management plan at Council.

I’m also pleased to report that the City and its largest union, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 5167, have ratified a new four-year deal, ensuring labour peace for that time for those working in waste management, roads and parks – just to name a few services provided by CUPE members. 

Speaking of parks, I want to encourage everyone with children ages 5-12, to attend the PlayLot Program at the Ancaster Village Green Park behind the Municipal Centre. Supervised youth workers are on site Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Friday from 1 – 4 p.m. No registration is required - just show up and let your kids have fun.

And finally, speaking of roads, Ancaster Historian Jim Green came to see me the other day and asked why Filman Road from Highway 2 to Mohawk is not used as a by pass when only a small section in the middle is unopened.  Apparently it was abandoned because of the grade that in the days of non-motorized transportation, was too steep a climb for horses and wagons. I’m interested in your feedback on this issue so please contact me at the numbers provided here.

Until next time, if you need to reach me for any reason, please contact my office at City Hall at 905-546-2704. You can also contact me by e-mail at Lloyd.Ferguson@hamilton.ca.

Councillor’s Corner – June 2011

Police Chief on the scene at Heritage Days

adding to an ‘overwhelming success’

When Hamilton Police Chief Glenn De Caire spends the day engaged with youngsters competing in the Heritage Days Soap Box Derby, you know everyone is in for a fun time. And that’s exactly what happened during the 33rd Annual Heritage Days Festival June 7-12, as the Chief watched and joked about issuing tickets for various traffic infractions like ‘texting while driving’.

I want to thank the Chief for being such a part of the festivities and for presenting winning trophies to the kids participating in the Derby and, for his role on the reviewing stand during Saturday’s parade.

Heritage Days 2011 was once again an overwhelming success and MaryAnn Leach and her committee as always, did a fantastic job organizing what is truly a unique festival in Ontario. Despite threats of weekend thunderstorms, the weather was beautiful and everyone had a great time taking in the week-long festivities. We all owe a debt of gratitude to the Heritage Days Committee for the hard work and planning.

I also want to thank everyone involved in the latest round of bargaining and the tentative deal reached in marathon negotiations last Friday night between the City and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 5167. These were difficult talks because we’ve all been hearing for a long time now that municipal taxes are too high in Hamilton and my job as your Councillor is to protect taxpayer dollars., I want to congratulate both sides on reaching a deal that ensures our summer programs throughout the City can go ahead without disruptions and, that major infrastructure projects can continue unabated.

In other news, our summer landscaping program goes into full swing this week at the new Ancaster Minor Sports Association Office. We will be celebrating its grand opening in the renovated Hammill House, located at the corner of Wilson Street East and Church Street this summer. As I’ve reported here in the past, money from the Federal Brown Field Fund was spent renovating the historic Hammill House to make way for all minor sports leagues in Ancaster to have one facility to call home.

As the school year comes to an end and families began their long-awaited summer vacations, I want to wish everyone an enjoyable and safe holiday season.

Until next time, if you need to reach me for any reason, please contact my office at City Hall at 905-546-2704. You can also contact me by e-mail at Lloyd.Ferguson@hamilton.ca.

Councillor’s Corner – May 2011 

Rotary Clubs of Ancaster considering making a big splash by pooling funds to benefit local kids

The two Ancaster Rotary Clubs have jumped in to help the children of our community by considering the funding of a splash pool in the core. When the issue surfaced that we are one of the few communities without a splash pool, I was approached by the two service clubs wanting to get on board. I was thrilled with their response.   I have asked City staff to prepare a conceptual design for approval in June so we can get underway with the project in Village Green Park behind Old Town Hall hopefully to be ready by the summer of 2012. The executive of both Rotary Clubs will be presenting the plans to their respective clubs at the end of June.

I’m also excited about the 33rd Annual Heritage Days Festival June 7-12 and encourage everyone to check out the website at www.ancasterheritagedays.com for event details and highlights. Ancaster is the third oldest community in Ontario and we have a lot to celebrate over the week-long festival. I want to thank Committee Chair Mary Ann Leach and her committee for once again organizing a showcase festival that gets underway June 7th with the 28th Annual Ancaster Old Mill Race that starts at the Community Centre. Some of the other highlights of the week include the 10th Annual Community Links Golf Tournament in support of Ancaster Community Services on Wednesday, and the Strawberry Social (sponsored by the Ancaster Senior Achievement Centre) on Friday from 1 – 3 and Saturday after the parade.

The Ferguson family is especially honoured this year to have my brother Murray recognized as our 2011 Parade Marshall. The parade goes from 10-11 a.m. along Wilson Street and I invite you all to come out and support our local businesses, service clubs and community organizations that have entered floats for all to enjoy. At 10:30 a.m., spectators can look up and enjoy the sights of a B25, Firefly and the famous Lancaster Bomber as the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum hosts a fly-by over the parade route.  Also the soap box derby will take place directly after the annual parade. Participants will race their soapboxes down the hill on Wilson Street East between Halson and Church Streets. In addition to the kids division (ages 8 – 13) there will also be an adult division for those 18 years and over. Deadline for entry is 6 p.m. May 27th.

On the business side of municipal government, I want to report that the City is preparing a request for proposal (RFP) to deal with our local bio solids (human waste). There has been a lot written lately about this issue of trucking our solid waste – 40,000 tonnes a year or three tractor-trailer loads a day – and we need to resolve this matter for the benefit of our local environment. There are facilities out there that use gasification to make steam and generate electricity from these waste materials so we want to explore more the costs and benefits of doing so in Hamilton.

Until next time, if you need to reach me for any reason, please contact my office at City Hall at 905-546-2704. You can also contact me by e-mail at Lloyd.Ferguson@hamilton.ca.

Councillor’s Corner – April 2011

Councillor’s Corner – March 2011

Dismantling area rating and higher taxes,

two issues confronting Ancaster citizens

It’s been compared to two trains running down the track in opposite directions… it is the debate between urban and suburban Councillors over the future of area rating and the surety that dismantling it will lead to a spike in property taxes for Ancaster residents.

I want no compromise in maintaining area rating… we need 100% support from suburban Councillors and the Mayor to defeat the motion next month calling on the City to do away with it based on the recommendation of the Citizens Forum. I’m going to fight this with all my might because the elimination of area rating would see approximately a 5% jump in taxes on homes in Ancaster and double-digit increases in places like Glanbrook.  Final figures are being prepared by City Finance Department for a future presentation to Council. 

As we continue to wrestle with the 2011 Municipal Budget, which currently sits at a 1.6% tax increase, I remain hopeful that we can get that number to zero. The days of automatic tax increases have to stop if we want to build a sustainable community. 

I have reported here on several occasions about the status of the Ancaster Transportation Master Plan – available on the City of Hamilton website at www.hamilton.ca – and I am pleased that we have reached some decisions that I hope will satisfy most of those who have made their wishes known on improving road conditions in our community while preserving the unique character of Ancaster. City staff is supportive of local initiatives that will see the addition of two pedestrian crossings on Wilson Street and the elimination of the roundabout at Wilson and Rousseau in favour of an additional turning lane. The roundabout is too costly and, encroached on the Niagara Escarpment Commission (NEC) lands and the Ancaster Creek and on a number of private properties. I am ready to move this project forward so we can make the necessary road improvements along Wilson between Fiddler’s Green and Halson Street in time for next year’s Canadian Open that will once again be held at the Hamilton Golf and Country Club.

I also want to advise Ancaster residents that as of April 4, the McMaster Emergency Department will close to adults and instead, will become a children’s-only service. Also on this day, a new urgent care centre will open to adults living on the west side of Hamilton at the corner of Main Street west and Macklin Street north. All medical and surgical inpatient beds at McMaster University Medical Centre will also move to the Juravinski Hospital, the Hamilton General Hospital and St. Joseph’s Healthcare, which will all run as full-service emergency departments in Hamilton for patients of all ages.  For more information about these changes visit the website at  www.RightPlaceBestCare.ca.

Until next time, if you need to reach me for any reason, please contact my office at City Hall at 905-546-2704. You can also contact me by e-mail at Lloyd.Ferguson@hamilton.ca.

Councillor’s Corner – February 2011

Welcome back column picks up Ancaster transportation study and stadium

Welcome back Ancaster residents. After being sidelined from writing this column during the municipal election campaign, it is my pleasure to once again have the opportunity to report to you on civic issues that affect our city and our community. I also want to thank the Ancaster News for providing this space to speak directly with residents.

During my recent campaign, I identified the Ancaster Transportation Master Plan (ATMP) as one of my key objectives of this Council term. The condition of some of our roads, particularly Wilson Street, is deplorable. We deserve to have this road fixed but until the ATMP is completed, I cannot get the required capital dollars in the budget for Ancaster’s arterial roads.

I want to thank those members of our community who wrote to me as part of a Help us to preserve Ancaster Village coalition. It is great to see community engagement and it confirms my perception that Ancaster residents are passionate about the heritage character of our unique community. This plan has been in the works since it was approved in the 2007 Capital Budget and has met with considerable public consultation, debate and compromise – a true sign that good public policy is the result of extensive community engagement. However, we need to move this process along as further delays affect the quality of life for those residents who commute from Ancaster and who want to enjoy the social and recreational pursuits that exist here when they return home. This plan will not go to City Council until April so I have plenty of time yet to meet with the coalition executive, BIA and the new Community Council to reach a decision that will hopefully put to rest most of the concerns. I am pleased to hear any citizen concerns before it goes before Council.

A year ago in this very space, I reported to you on how we had jumped the first hurdle on our way to building a new stadium in Hamilton for the 2015 Pan American Games. The selection of the West Harbour lands was made and we began the work of getting the project underway. There were several obstacles in the site selection that led some to believe that council was dysfunctional. It is important to note that projects of this magnitude are always about compromises and most often involve last-minute deals that in the private sector occur in the boardroom behind closed doors. In our case, the stadium debate dragged out in public. Last February, there was almost unanimous support around council for a West Harbour stadium and it was late in the game when the Hamilton Ti-Cats announced they would not play at this location, forcing a further search for an appropriate site.

Finally, after a year of painful debate, we now have a deal – a “compromise position” – with the Ti-Cats and the Pan Am Host Corporation (HostCo) for the renovation of Ivor Wynne Stadium. When all is said and done, thanks to the additional financial support of the provincial government, there will be no impact on the local taxpayer… any city money for a new stadium will come from the $45-million Future Fund and not property taxes.

I also want to advise you that given my construction/business background and the fact the stadium is located in Ward 3, that Councillor Bernie Morelli and I have been appointed to be the liaisons between for the City and all partners involved in this project. As always, I will keep you updated on the project throughout the planning and construction phases.

In other news, a number of local sports organizations have been moving in to the rejuvenated Hammill House in the downtown core, home of our Minor Sports Association Administrative Offices. Please watch for news of a grand opening sometime in the spring around Heritage Days.

And finally, I want to congratulate Alex Johnstone on her election as the new Public School Trustee for Wards 11 & 12 and to thank Shirley Glauser for her stewardship in the role during her one term in office.

Until next time, if you need to reach me for any reason, please contact my office at City Hall at 905-546-2704. You can also contact me by e-mail at Lloyd.Ferguson@hamilton.ca.