Lafarge deal good, but not for
all
A deal reached between the City, the Howitt
Park Neighbourhood Residents' Association (HPNRA) and Silvercreek Developments
was formally approved by council last Monday allowing development at the
Lafarge site to proceed, and shorten the hearing process at the Ontario
Municipal Board. Only Armel Corp, the fourth party involved in the mediation
process, has refused to endorse the deal, which was reached after nearly half-a-year
of negotiating. Mayor Karen Farbridge was pleased, saying that this will save
taxpayers money at the OMB. “At the very least we’ll be able to reduce the
length of the hearing, which will reduce the cost of the hearing to taxpayers,”
Farbridge said Monday.
The key components of the deal include: A
main street area for restaurants and other services along Silvercreek Parkway
between Paisley and Wellington streets; a business park, residential community
and park on the east side of Silvercreek Parkway; and retail/commercial uses on
the west side of Silvercreek on lands bounded by the Hanlon Expressway.
Farbridge said that she was grateful that an agreement could be reached given
the fact that this brownfield is a “difficult site for development.” She added,
“I think we’re really impressed with how hard everybody worked on it, and there
was a lot of give on all sides,” she said. She also commended representatives
of the Howitt Park Residents’ Association, whose members voted 61 to three in
favour of the deal at the end of January, according to HPNRA president Ron
Foley.
Valeriote to represent farmers
and foodies
Our local MP, Frank Valeriote, has been
appointed to the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food in the House of
Commons. This Committee focuses on bills, expenditures and activities of the
organizations that are part of the Agriculture and Agri-Food portfolio,
including issues such as farm income, food safety, pesticides and the wheat
board, says a Valeriote office press release. The position’s a natural fit for
Valeriote who advocated heavily during the campaign in favour of expanding the
opportunities in investment of the Agriculture sector and how it relates to
creating a greener economy. “It’s an exciting opportunity for me to focus on
Canada’s agriculture industry and our nation’s food supply,” said Valeriote.
“There’s no doubt that Canada’s farming industry is facing enormous challenges
but is also presented with an exciting range of opportunity with constantly
evolving advances and innovation in technology.”
City Hall on Doors Open tour
If you’ve been sitting around, waiting with
bated breath to see the inside of the new City Administration Building (AKA:
City Hall), fear not because you’ll get your chance on Saturday April 25.
The building was announced last week as one of the stops on the eighth annual
Doors Open Guelph Tour sponsored the Guelph Arts Council, Heritage Guelph and
the city’s tourism office. This will be the first time that the new City Hall
will be open to the public before its official grand opening which will
hopefully be held in May once the exterior portion is complete. Currently, the interior
is expected to be done in March for staff move-ins at the end of the month. The
Doors Open event is considered a celebration of the city’s architectural
heritage and was started in 2002 as part of Guelph’s 175
anniversary.
More Heritage to celebrate
Stone Road Mall is ready to welcome the
pillars of local heritage with its annual Heritage Day celebrations. The main
corridor of the mall will contain displays from such groups as Guelph
Historical Society, Wellington County Historical Society, Heritage Guelph,
Heritage Guelph/Eramosa, Architectural Conservancy – Guelph and Wellington,
Guelph Public Library, Hammond Museum of Radio, Guelph Historical Railway
Association, Locomotive 6167 Restoration Committee, Guelph Arts Council,
Norfolk Street United Church Archives, St. George’s Church Archives, Wellington
County Museum and Archives, and Guelph Museums. This year’s celebration is
called Spotlight on Heritage, and the exhibits, which are all organized by
Guelph Museums, will be on display from 9:30 am to 5 pm. And just so you know,
about 30 years before it became known as “Family Day,” the third Tuesday of
February was known in Canada as Heritage Day.
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