Seguin Township
eNewsletter | February 2014
winter 
sled dogs 
EVENTS:
    
Every Wednesday
Seniors Cards 10am-4pm
(Humphrey Arena)

Every 2nd & 4th Monday
Loon Country Quilters' Guild
(Humphrey Fire Hall)
  
February 15
Seguin Sled Dog Mail Run
(Humphrey & Rosseau)
  
February 15
2nd Annual Winter Whirl
(Humphrey Nature Trails & Barn)
  winter whirl 2012   
February 23
Humphrey Figure Skating Carnival 2-4pm
(Humphrey Arena)
  
March 10-14
Crazy Kid's Club
(Rosseau Memorial Hall)
  

March 22

12th Annual Potato Bash
(Orrville Community Centre)
  
Hockey puck and skates 
April 5
Firefighter's Late Riser's Pancake Breakfast
(Orrville Community Centre)
  
April 9
Ball Hockey Registration
3pm-6pm
(Humphrey Arena)
  
April 9
Spring Tea & Open House
2:30pm-5pm
(Humphrey Library)
  
April 20
Easter Egg Hunt
(Humphrey Museum)
  
April 23-June 18 5:30-8:30pm
Ball Hockey every Wed
(Humphrey Arena)
  
April 30
Swim Registration Available
(online & Humphrey Arena)
  
May 1
Mayfest
(Humphrey Arena)
  
May 17
Annual Plant Sale
7am-11am
Foley
  
May 17
Sandy Plains Church Annual Bake Sale
(Humphrey School)
  
May 17
Free Bulky Item Event
(Brooks Rd Transfer Site)
  
May 25
Georgian Bay Walk, Run, Pole--Do It For Life
(Parry Sound)
  
For events details please visit our Calendar of Events
  
Township of Seguin
5 Humphrey Drive  
Seguin, On P2A 2W8
T: (705) 732-4300
    (877) 473-4846
F: (705) 732-6347
  
Treasury
The interim tax bills have been mailed to residents with due dates of February 26 & April 28. If you do not receive your tax bill or would like to discuss pre-authorized payment options, please contact the Treasury Department.
 
 
Get out the skates and come to the Humphrey Arena for public skating.
Hours are:
Saturdays 3pm-5pm
Sundays  11:30am-1:30pm 
  
Shinny Hockey:
Sundays 10am-11:30am
  
Adult Skate:
Wednesdays 11am-1pm
  
Parent & Tot Skate:
Thursdays 9am-11am
  
Please check the website for cancellations due to tournaments or special events.
  
  
Want some excitement this winter? Come out to the Humphrey Arena to cheer
on the Seguin Huskies. The new junior "A" team has proven their worth winning 37  of 40 games and winning the President's Cup for the regular season championship. Check the Seguin Huskies website at www.seguinhockey.com for details and game dates.   
  
  
eNewsletter Subscription

 Please advise your friends, family & co-workers  to sign up for this valuble free service. Go to the Seguin Website to sign up & then watch your inbox for updates & newletters! 
We still mail paper copies of the newsletter if requested. Just contact a staff person by phone (705) 732-4300 or email [email protected] & provide your full name & mailing address.
Happy New Year from Mayor David Conn
I appreciate this opportunity to review Seguin's major activities during 2013, another productive year for your municipality.

 

As always, we continued our "environment first" focus. The good news for all of us is that our water quality testing program indicated no major concerns about the water quality in our lakes. Similarly, no major problems were discovered from our septic re-inspection program. We plan to continue these high priority initiatives in 2014.

 

Additionally on the environment front, we won a landmark court case against a Lake Rosseau resident who built an illegal boathouse on Environment Protected land and claimed the boathouse was an aerodrome and thus exempt from provincial and municipal law. The court disagreed and ordered the boathouse be removed. Further, with the much appreciated support of many of our lake associations, we managed to convince the Ministry of Transportation not to implement their sign proliferation strategy on the secondary provincial highways (i.e hwys. 141, 518, and 632) that run through Seguin. Unfortunately, we were not successful in getting signs limited on the portion of highway 400 within Seguin.

 

Of course, everybody wants to know what their tax bill will be in 2014. I am really pleased to report that Council's preliminary budget discussions indicate that there will be no increase In tax rate in 2014. As a matter of fact, there may even be a marginal decline in the 2014 tax rate. Overall, we continue to be in good financial shape and debt-free. Thanks to excellent cost control by Staff and some unexpected revenue we generated a surplus in 2013. Also, we have a comfortable level of reserves.

 

We continue to achieve economic development progress most notably at the Industrial Park located at our municipal airport. Thanks to generous grants from both Provincial and Federal governments, and the terrific work by our volunteer Airport Commission under the leadership of Councillor Doug Sainsbury we continue to attract to businesses and jobs to our area.

Another major 2013 project was the successful completion of the new Foley firehall. Renovations to the Foley Agricultural Hall will be completed this Spring. Both of these major projects will be completed on time and on budget thanks to excellent work by our Staff.

 

It is important to remind everybody that there will be a Municipal election this October. A major change in the election process will be our decision to move from a mailed ballot system of voting to voting via the internet and telephone. This system of voting has been successfully used by other Ontario municipalities, will make the voting process easier for our residents, and be less expensive to implement.

 

However, the most important issue concerning the upcoming election is for all residents to become informed, involved, and definitely to cast a vote. Remember, we always get the quality of government we deserve!

 

I am writing this report in the midst of one of our toughest winters in a long time. This winter, there seems to have been only two types of weather in Seguin: either bitterly cold; or snowing heavily. The large amount of snow has created significant challenges in keeping our roads safe and drivable. We all owe a vote of thanks to the terrific work done by our public works team in successfully meeting these challenges.. The upside of all of the snow is a terrific opportunity to sled, ski, snowshoe, or participate in any other winter activity. So take advantage of our Winter Wonderland and enjoy!

Internet Voting in 2014 
Seguin Township will be implementing Internet and Telephone Voting for the 2014 Municipal Election. This system replaces the traditional polling place method and eliminates the need for advance polls and voting proxies. It also improves voter access and increases voter participation. As the election draws closer, we will be including more information about the voting process on the Township's website.
  
The Mayor is elected at large, which means all eligible voters choose from the same mayoral candidates when voting. Councillors are elected to represent one of six wards, one Councillor per Ward.
  
The Voters List will be available in late summer 2014 at which time you are encouraged to review your personal information and make any corrections neccessary. This information is required in order to provide all the neccessary documents for you to vote.
Please watch the Election page on the Township's website for further information.
Beat the Winter Blues...
There are a number of exciting Seguin events to enjoy over the winter months and active ways to keep the mind in positive spirits & the body healthy!
    
The 30th Annual Seguin Sled Dog Mail Run and 2nd Annual Winter Whirl took place on Family Day weekend. Both events were enjoyed by residents and visitors alike and the weather did not disappoint! 
  
Take in a ski or snowshoe over at the Humphrey Nature Trails & Barn . The trails are groomed for xcountry sking and the barn is heated if you're in need of warming up!
  
Coming up on March 22 is the 12th Annual Potato Bash! Due to the renovations at the Foley Agricultural Hall, this year's Potato Bash will be located at the Orrville Community Centre.
Think Safety in 2014
Although the Seguin area is a destination for recreational ATVing & snowmobiling, please think "safety first" in 2014. Use caution, observe speed limits & slow down on roads that are shared with drivers & pedestrians. 
  
Due to the increase in cell phone use in the last few years, there has been a steep rise in the number of people "pocket dialing" 911. These calls are a public safety issue and a drain on law enforcement resources.  To avoid wasting the time of a 911 operator, police ask that you stay on the line if you accidentally dial the emergency service - hanging up could be a sign of trouble. Lock your keypad, don't pre-program the number into your phone and don't let children play with your mobile device.

Dock bubblers are a successful way to keep ice away from docks to prevent ice damage to dock structures over winter when water/ice levels fluctuate. Use of bubblers is rapidly increasing especially in larger lakes. As property owners now is the time to set some voluntary and responsible standards to prevent unnecessary injuries or property damages on our waterways. It is only necessary to separate the main lake ice pack from your dock area. Less is better to keep the area around your dock safer to the public. Arrange to have someone check them periodically. " DANGER OPEN WATER" signs should be posted and clearly display the open water danger. They should be large enough and clearly posted at a safe distance away. A hazard light should be clearly visible during all dark hours.
News from Public Works
Our plows are extremely busy this year and our crews are fully committed to keeping Seguin roads passable. We are having a real 'ol bout of winter this year, and crews are busy keeping the roads clear and the banks pushed back.
  
Please do not tailgate plows! This is especially dangerous on hills as plows can have traction issues as well. If you can't see their mirrors, they can't see you.
  
Please remember not to park on Seguin roads from Nov 1-April 15 (By-Law 2005-164). It interferes with winter maintenance and you will get a ticket!
  
Thank you to all residents who participated in the Free Bulky Item Events in 2013! Due to the overwhelming success of these events, we will be hosting 6 events again in 2014. It is our hope that residents will be encouraged to save bulky items for the event drop off dates. Dropping bulky items at the transter sites costs valuable taxpayer dollars to pick up. Please watch the website or posters at your local transfer station for more information. Staff are busy planning for the upcoming season and look forward to seeing everyone once again.
  
If you observe any problems with the roads or waste transfer sites, please call the Roads Department at 705 732-4300 during business hours. After hours, please call 705 751-0050. Enjoy the winter and drive safely!

Province attempts to implement unfair OPP service funding model

The Ontario Provincial Police has recently proposed a new funding model changing the way municipalities such as Seguin pay for their police services. This new model would essentially triple Seguin's police costs from $600,000 to $1.8 million, but not triple the service level we receive.

 

The formula would no longer allocate costs for crime activity in a municipality, it would set a base rate for all communities established on a per household basis and would charge extra for on call-outs for service.

 

Seguin Council is strongly opposed to this unfair, flawed and inequitable model. As such, Seguin has partnered with area municipalities who together are experiencing potential extreme cost increases including the Archipelago, Carling, McKellar, Whitestone and McDougall.

 

The Minister responsible for OPP services has initiated a province wide municipal engagement process prior to finalizing any changes to the billing model, and our team of municipalities have come together to write letters to the province, make delegations to the OPP and Minister; and share our deep concerns regarding the significant impact this new model will have on our communities.

 

Our concerns are legitimate and justified. In fact, when we apply the new Billing Model to our 2012 household count and crime statistics in the region, our combined OPP costs would essentially rise from $1.3 million to $5.4 million. This increased payment of $4.3 million represents a 315% increase. How can our communities and residents afford to pay this increase?

 

We truly believe that our potential increase in payment would be used to fund OPP services in other municipalities, and the downloading of police service costs from larger municipalities to smaller ones is neither fair nor equitable.

 

That being said, we believe the proposed new Billing Model is fundamentally flawed. It just does not make sense to charge fixed costs on a per household basis. Houses do not commit crimes, people do, and they do so where other people congregate. Furthermore, a per household charge certainly is not fair in seasonal communities such as ours where the majority of households are vacant for most of the year and many are inaccessible during the winter months. In fact, the proposed new Billing Model completely ignores commercial establishments, which are always attractors of crime.

 

We have respectfully and urgently have made requests to meet with the province to discuss our concerns. We urge you as residents to share your concerns and your displeasure with the new proposed OPP funding model.

  
Seguin Township
5 Humphrey Drive, Seguin, Ontario, ON P2A 2W8
Phone: (705) 732-4300 Toll Free: 1-877-4SEGUIN (1-877-473-4846) Fax: (705) 732-6347