I was not able to attend the Nov. 8th and 29th Council meetings so the notes are based on the official minutes. I attended the Dec. 20th meeting.

November 8

• the By-Law to debenture funds for the Township Office and to purchase an emergency service vehicle ($3.5M) was not tabled for Council approval and will be re-worked for further discussion in early in 2005.
• the shoreline of Georgian Bay has been identified as a UNESCO Littoral Biosphere Reserve.
• we have asked the District to assess the possible benefits of having the waste bin site at Honey Harbour used as a temporary, supervised transfer site for large objects, on a fee for service basis, 7 days a week, for next years cottage season (May 24-Labour Day).
• an official Committee of Council – Santa Claus Parade Committee- was approved to ensure a parade was held in Port Severn ( Dec. 5) will full liability insurance.

November 29

• the Township Health and Safety Committee reported that staff are experiencing fewer headaches, less fatigue and moodiness in the new offices.
• a controversial blasting application on Aberdeen Island in Georgian Bay was approved.

December 20

• Council endorsed the location for a Bell Tower on Twelve Mile Bay Road.
• a Township Community Emergency Response Plan has been approved.  The plan will be implemented during major emergencies (forest fires, Hwy blockages, floods, severe weather, etc).  Staff have been trained for all key positions.
• a 1-2 year Interim By-Law 2004-148 was approved to restrict dwelling heights to a max. of 7 meters (from 8 meters) for waterfront properties on Georgian Bay north of Honey Harbour.
• Council did not support a proposal by the MTO that would of had the Township and MTO jointly funding a parking lot off South Gibson Lake Road 33 for campers to access Bear Lake.  However, Council did support MTO action to prevent future parking by campers on Hwy 400 and Road 33.
• the Township new office Project Manager, David Dautovich, reviewed the results of all the numerous consultant reports concerning the condition of the old office. He, Councillor Braid and Councillor Jackson toured the old building (with full suit and mask protection) and noted several new structural problems once ceiling tiles were removed. Mr. Dautovich believes renovations alone could reach $1M.  There would be additional costs for a new Publics Works building.

Paul M Wiancko
Six Mile Lake
pwiancko@csolve.net