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7. Because the Owen Sound waterfront has not been designated a federal 'Area of Concern' it is not eligible for funding to clean up toxic pollution, and prepare disused land for redevelopment. Will you work and vote to get this designation and seek other ways to clean up the vacant land on both sides of the bay?

 

MAYOR

Ray Botten
Yes, I will support a toxic cleanup and promote our undervalued water front! As our stimulus project gets under way we will look to tourism at a world class level both in our harbour area and along both sides of our water front!

 

Ian Boddy
The harbour is owned by Transport Canada. I do not support transferring the costs of cleaning up their pollution to the City. If our harbour qualifies, I support Transport Canada applying for the designation.

With regard to the lands around the harbour, the City's Community Improvement Plan offers incentives to private land owners for rehabilitating brownfield lands. We have waived development charges on residential builds as incentives to encourage developers to invest.

 

DEPUTY MAYOR

 

Paul Patille
The answer is YES. We will work and vote to get this designation and to seek other ways to clean up the vacant land on both sides of the bay. I see this as the future of Owen Sound. (Locally Meaford, Collingwood; Nationally, Victoria, St. John's and Halifax)

 

Brian O'Leary
I understand that there are 12 designated hot spots, and the federal Government has provided funding for these locations. Owen Sound is not currently on the list, but I would support a thorough investigation of what this would mean for Owen Sound. The federal lands along our harbour are actually quite small. The city's Community Improvement Plan provides private businesses an incentive to help clean up brownfields along the harbour waterfront. This is an important action the city has taken, and I will continue to support this program.

 

COUNCILLORS

 

Richard Thomas
Designations of 'Area of Concern' initially came out of the work of the International Joint Commission on the Great Lakes, and the Canada-US Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, which identified 43 areas of concern in 1987 (the agreement was amended in 2012). A designation is based on criteria included in the IJC's 14 Beneficial Use Impairments  which are used to determine eligibility, and if you look at the list you'll see that Owen Sound is nowhere near the levels of impairment that are specified. Since 1987, only 7 areas of concern have been delisted by the International Joint Commission.

There is no 'application process' for the designation that I'm aware of, but I'm not an expert. There is a Great Lakes Guardians Community Fund through which interested community groups can access funds to clean up specific areas—I would encourage your group to investigate this option. Last year the Ontario Government provided 1.5 million dollars for cleanup projects.
From a community standpoint, Owen Sound has a Community Improvement Program (CIP) with a Brownfield Tax Rebate Incentive contained within it. It has been used on a number of occasions by private developers so that they do the remediation and fund that, and get their costs of that back through the municipal portion of their property taxes. For some developments this was the financial difference that helped to make the project viable. I am in full support of the program as a means to clean up privately held lands along the inner harbour.

The construction of the Grey Bruce Health unit is an example of this. Opened in 2008, it was hoped at the time the development would stimulate additional growth in the harbour area. Unfortunately, the economic circumstances of 2008 and the years following stalled that initiative, but we are now seeing results such as the new condo development by the Bayshore and the opening of the Mudtown Brewery/Restaurant. I expect more growth will continue in this area.

 

Bill Twaddle
Both the previous and the current federal governments have made it clear that they do not care about the Owen Sound Harbour, either in its existing state, or in its future. For two decades or more attempts to work with the federal government have been like pushing a rope. Efforts by the city should continue but sadly there is little hope for optimism.

Meanwhile the city spent considerable money cleaning up one property for the construction of the Public Health Building on the waterfront, cleared the way for redevelopment of the CP Rail building and worked closely with the Family Health team on redevelopment of that property.

As well two major pieces of property have records of site condition (Black Clawson and Russell Brothers) and are considered ready for development. One is currently for sale and the owner of the other has shown no indication that he is planning development in the near future. Both properties should qualify for the CIP.

 

Riel Warrilow
Responsible development of the waterfront is one of my top priorities. If getting "area of concern" designation is what it takes to be able to get the harbour cleaned up, then that's what we need to do.

 

Jacquie Furtner
I will absolutely support any initiative that enables us to use our harbour. It is a local icon and a beautiful asset that is unique to us in this area. I would like to see more development around the harbour as an extension of the downtown core.

 

Denae Moores

Yes, I will vote to get this designation. Our harbour and waterfront is not up to its potential and could be one of our biggest assets in driving economy and attracting tourists to just not pass through on the way to the beach or Peninsula. It depends on what we choose to do with it. Let's get it cleaned up and the surrounding areas, develop those areas to showcase our beautiful City.

 

John Tamming
Interesting idea. We have a proven success story right next door, with the Collingwood harbour. I understand that the program works best if driven by a focussed citizen's group. Any takers?

I see no reason why any councillor would oppose at least applying to the program and I wonder if any of your members have communicated with Larry Miller on this matter. I understand that available federal funds are very limited. The city will not have the funds to contribute to such a cleanup (and I don't hear you suggesting that the city acquire the harbour and its residual liabilities).

I am not a fan of the eyesores on either side of the bay and indeed remember walking around the old Kennedy property a few years ago with some councillors to lament what that land has become. A stronger property standards bylaw and rigorous enforcement would help.

 

Marion Koepke
Cleaning up the lands in the harbor is extremely costly and I cannot see the Owen Sound taxpayer footing the bill for this. However, given the potential to showcase our harbour to business enterprises that would not require extensive cleanup would be the way to proceed.

 

Gail McCartney
As stated, I am very pro-development and share the concern for unused land that is an eye-sore and a wasted opportunity.

On the surface, I would support any way to move the process along as long as I have fully explored any unintended consequences of such a designation

 

Travis Dodd
Owen Sound's waterfront is one of the City's biggest attractions. Unfortunately, most of the vacant land surrounding the harbour is privately owned and contains some environmental contaminants. As a Councillor I would be in full support of working through our current Community Improvement Plan (CIP) to ensure our brownfield incentive is comparable to other regions. If changes to the CIP are required, I would be in favour of seeing an increase in the incentive to clean brownfields and beautify our waterfront.

 

Brock Hamley
I will always support efforts to find funding for environmental cleanup and redevelopment of surplus land.

 

Carol Merton
My understanding is that the designation is not earned or applied for, but is more a rating system used to
assess priority areas for cleanup. I do not want local taxpayers to pay for cleanup and land rehabilitation.
I want to have effective working agreements with the private and public sector to make the waterfront
better for the whole community. I propose community action groups such as "Friends of the Harbour" to
start working on possibilities.

 

 

 

Steven Hencze
We should be screaming at the feds to get their shit together and pay for clean up

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