Went to the Children’s groundwater festival today at Doon Heritage Crossroads. Was there as a Regional Councillor and as first vice-chair of GRCA. There are now 14 groundwater festivals in Ontario. The school kids love it. All hands on learning about water. Saw the watercup challenge with local media and grade 5 students from Sandhills school. In the “Are you smarter than a 5th grader” format. Uhh, Mike Farwell isn’t when it comes to questions about water.  LOL He has time to bone up though as he is the honourary chair of the festival.

The musueum’s walls are up. It seems a lot closer to Homer Watson than in the drawings. Here’s more info:

http://www.region.waterloo.on.ca/web/region.nsf/DocID/E419E25D551A1F92852573DA007176AF?OpenDocument

After the watercup contest, council members of the committee looking into the Development Fee by-law said they have done some tweaks. It is proposed to raise development fees to cover the cost of the infrastructure needed for growth. But we’ve hit the recession and no one’s buying homes or building new factories. So tweaking is in order. (Sorry, can’t tell you the inside scoop)

Went to the LRT public meeting in Waterloo tonight.  The place was buzzing. Most people for the Light Rail, discussion around the form of the route in Waterloo. One woman concerned about the train going through Waterloo Park, one man wanted Bus Rapid Transit and one man said it was too expensive.  Good discussions.

Went to the Children’s groundwater festival today at Doon Heritage Crossroads. Was there as a Regional Councillor and as first vice-chair of GRCA. There are now 14 groundwater festivals in Ontario. The school kids love it. All hands on learning about water. Saw the watercup challenge with local media and grade 5 students from Sandhills school. In the “Are you smarter than a 5th grader” format. Uhh, Mike Farwell isn’t when it comes to questions about water.  LOL He has time to bone up though as he is the honourary chair of the festival.

The musueum’s walls are up. It seems a lot closer to Homer Watson than in the drawings. Here’s more info:

http://www.region.waterloo.on.ca/web/region.nsf/DocID/E419E25D551A1F92852573DA007176AF?OpenDocument

After the watercup contest, council members of the committee looking into the Development Fee by-law said they have done some tweaks. It is proposed to raise development fees to cover the cost of the infrastructure needed for growth. But we’ve hit the recession and no one’s buying homes or building new factories. So tweaking is in order. (Sorry, can’t tell you the inside scoop)

Went to the LRT public meeting in Waterloo tonight.  The place was buzzing. Most people for the Light Rail, discussion around the form of the route in Waterloo. One woman concerned about the train going through Waterloo Park, one man wanted Bus Rapid Transit and one man said it was too expensive.  Good discussions.

I am leaning towards Light Rail Transit because it will create 23,000 permanent jobs around the stations. Not to mention the hundreds of jobs building and equiping the route. Many of the building jobs will be local, and we can hopefully use a Canadian company for the trains. That would be my preference.

I was at Waterloo City Hall tonight as Regional staff presented the latest about Light Rapid Transit. (On Rogers TV if you get it, council is televised tonight)
After the presentation, I was standing beside Mike Murray, our CEO as the press interviewed him, but the Chronicle wasn’t interested in a quote from me. One of the reasons I started this blog, so you can hear from me.
So here’s some info and thoughts about Light Rapid Transit.
We wil be having a public meeting in Regional council chambers on June 10 at 5 pm. Then final decision on June 24 between bus or light rail and the route. Here is the address of more LRT info
http://rapidtransit.region.waterloo.on.ca/

Tonight, Waterloo city council asked for a route that passes the R and T park, UW and WLU then the Iexpress route down King St. It was not clear but the block between Bridgeport and Erb cannot accommodate the LRT without removing car lanes and parking! So city counicl proposes one line down King and another down Bridgeport/Caroline. This will cost more than using the rail spur through Waterloo Park. The problem may be solved by running an Iexpress or Iexpress up University in the short term and streetcar or LRT/BRT along all along University in the long term.
Also, Stan Rektor made a presentation and I need to correct a few things.
Not the fact that the LRT will cost alot! It will, see the info in the link. Stan was right about that, though the proposed cost is 790 million not the 1.3 billion if we did the whole line as LRT.
Stan wants a pipeline to the Lake, preferrably Huron. He may be the only person in Waterloo keen on that. Despite what the article said in the Chronicle, Waterloo Region has enough groundwater for the 750,000 people in the future, particularly if we keep conserving. A pipeline may be needed around 2035.
We are presently building a bridge across Fairway Road to Kossuth, for around 50 million not 500 million, so that job is underway.
We cannot go on increasing and widening roads and increasing car traffic because we do not have the capacity, not to mention pollution and air quality.
We need to intensify in the cores to save our farmland and sensitive lands and water quality. So we must have a public transit solution.
After much thought and a long preference for Bus Rapid Transit, I have come round to the Light Rapid Transit. As long as we get most of the start up money from the province and the feds. Both BRT and LRT are incredibly expensive, but the rail has the most other benefits.
By the Way, how about the costs of building roads? Add it up and you will soon get over a billion dollars.
I’m glad Stan likes the new Ira Needles Road with its ring roads though.

More later on my thoughts about Cambridge.

The most important part of the GO announcement to my mind is that the buses are accessible. Graycoach is not and VIA trains will only take up to 600 pounds. Many electric wheelchairs are over 300 pounds and that’s not with the person.  A lift came out of the bottom middle of the bus and then a door opened in the side of the bus. Seats are moved and the person is lifted into the bus.

The bus also had a bike rack on the front with something we need, a counter to see how it is used. An amazing vehicle.

Link to a picture. Would have liked one of the lift.

http://www.570news.com/news/local/more.jsp?content=20090508_133700_2572

On Friday was at the announcement that with provincial and federal funding, GO buses will start in September. A few weeks ago, it was announced that the train tracks are undergoing an upgrade. So GO train is on its way to the Region.
Downside, it wil probably be Park and Ride by the 401, so the Region needs to get buses to the lot.
Also, this coming Tuesday, we will be moving into final discussions about Rail or Bus for light rapid transit. Look on the Region website for details.

http://rapidtransit.region.waterloo.on.ca/

Which ever is chosen it will mean, jobs, jobs, jobs. For light rail, 23,000 in the intensification around the stations. 11,000 for jobs with the buses.
plus the jobs for building the system.
We need Canadian jobs both locally and to build the rail cars or buses to make this a recession busting project.

On Friday evening I went on a ridealong with the police, Division 3, City of Waterloo.

At first the evening was very slow. The officer checked license plates of passing cars (did you know they can do that? I didn’t.) to see if any violations came up on his computer.

Incoming calls come in by email and some chatter by radio, but most of the work is done by computer. We need to upgrade the technology to hands free!

Small stuff — checking on a family where the mother had cut herself badly with a broken glass bowl. This is part of the three services response code. She had already been taken away by ambulance.  Part of this is to check for domestic violence (Not at that house or there would have already been a code by ambulance)

Another, warning a guy who left without paying for his gas an hour earlier. Lived in a nice neighbourhood too. Said he would pay up in a half hour. (Yeah or be charged)

Noise complaints now handled by by-law

Checked on two boys walking along with full backpacks at 10 p.m.  They had just finished a paper route, probably Pennysaver.

Two alarms both turned out to be false but officier said they can be nothing or nasty.

Officers have a lot of paperwork

Picked up a homeless woman sleeping by the Public Library. Out of the Cold had ended for the season the night before. Took her to Mary’s Place.  No drugs, no alcohol, evicted a couple of months ago and sleeping at Out of the Cold. A good candidate for the type of people that will be in the new SHOW apartments on Erb St.

11:30 went out with the sargeant and things picked up. Lots of calls coming in over the computer.

A girl kicking other residents and staff at a group home. Throwing extinquishers. Amazing how the police can calm people down but she still had to be watched. Grabbed something from the table and made to sit down again in a corner. Arrested. So much anger in such a young girl.

Domestic — Several police there. Not straightforward, a complicated case but police very professional in taking everyone’s story.

Police drive around alone in the car but back up always there for a serious call.

95 percent of the calls seem to involve alcohol.

Thank you Waterloo police for a very interesting night! You are so professional.