HawthorneVillager.com

I'd like to prioritize (if possible) a top 10 list of local issues that residents of Hawthorne Village are concerned about. Please only reply to this if you live in Hawthorne Village (or will be moving here in the next few months).

In your reply, list your 10 (in priority order if you can). I've listed 10 myself feel free to copy some of mine, or add your own. As long as your list feels right for you. I'm going to "moderate" the thread to the limited degree of making sure similar issues end up being called the same and making the post replies limited to a simple 10 list (i.e. no hijacking/off topic stuff ). I realize you may think of more than 10, my original list was like 15, but for now keep your list to 10 max (smaller list if you want).

Keeping Property Tax growth in check
Traffic / Road construction better in sync with growth
Town Budget - improving reserves & town fiscal health
Milton Hospital Expansion
Ensuring local schools are actually ready for growth
Fire fighter responce times
Preserve small town look & feel as we grow
Ensure Intensification is well managed (future condo/apartment locations)
Increase Milton's presence on halton's regional council
public transit

_________________
Visit my Blog | Twitter | or Facebook page

#1 Education- A good measure would be the points improvement in the standardised test scores

#2 Employment- A good measure would be how many adiitional employers with over 50 employees

#3 Bike Paths

#4 Reduction of accidents, crime, etc

#5 Milton Hospital

First and foremost I think the town needs Hospital Expansion, as for the lisbe below....here are my 2 cents...as they probably arent worth that much.

Keeping Property Tax growth in check - I don't mind a property tax increase if the services are being increased and they are justified. If it is just used for a tax grab due to poor planning and every council member wanting their yearly increase then I will not support it.
Traffic / Road construction better in sync with growth - While I agree, you can't put the cart before the horse. Both should go hand in hand with advanced infastructure projects begun and completed within a few years after new development takes place.
Town Budget - improving reserves & town fiscal health - Fiscal responsibility....hold the mayor and consulors accountable.
Fire fighter responce times - never had a problem with this. When the houose burnt down next to my parents, they were there in a timely manner. (I would be more concerned with the Derry underpass near Scott). God forbid someone has a medical emergency and they are delayed due to a train.
Ensuring local schools are actually ready for growth - Fully support.
Preserve small town look & feel as we grow
Ensure Intensification is well managed (future condo/apartment locations) - Everyone will be a NIMBY but I agree, there should be a mis, but it has to be controlled. Everyone was complaining about the condo's going up at Main and JSP and they actually turned out much nicer than anyone could have hoped for. They actually look a lot better than the houses along Main where the front/back yard backs on to Main and there is no consistency with fencing. (Whoever on the counsil who is responsible for approving architecture for this project should not still be employed by the town - Everyone makes mistakes, but this is a mistake that is long lasting and not easily fixed)
Increase Milton's presence on halton's regional council - I think it will happen as the town continues to grow and our residents demand more accountability.
Growing downtowns 'walkable pedestrian friendly storefronts' core - For the most part, I think we have a great down town area.
public transit - This is where the cart was put before the horse and it is an albatross that the town is paying for to this day.....

Traffic / Road construction better in sync with growth
Ensuring local schools are actually ready for growth
Milton Hospital Expansion
Town Budget - improving reserves & town fiscal health
Preserve small town look & feel as we grow
More incentives for businesses to set up shop in Milton (other then retail, industrial, and medical/dental/etc)
Keeping Property Tax growth in check
Fire fighter response times
Leash free dog parks
Increase Milton's presence on Halton's regional council

REDUCING Property Taxes. Common Rick, limiting increases is for wimps.
Traffic / Road construction better in sync with growth. Time all lights.
Roundabouts, everywhere.
Milton Hospital Expansion
Growth planning (would like to see more commercial businesses in and around new residential areas).
Ensuring local schools are actually ready for growth
Ensure Intensification is well managed (future condo/apartment locations)
Increase Milton's presence on Halton's regional council
New local parks get larger play centers (Most are too small and get overcrowded) And a ban on play equipment that toddlers cannot use because they have no stairs.
Zero-tolerance, no exceptions, mandatory death sentence for dogs owners who lock their barking dogs outside at 5:00AM everyday. (this is a guaranteed vote winner Rick!)

1- find creative solutions to raise revenue for the town rather than increasing/introducing new taxes/levies on common man (consumers).
2- create more jobs by inviting businesses to move to milton
3- create an effecient public transit network with overlapping bus routes, new routes, new bus stops on inside roads and more frequent service (rather than 30 mins).
4- milton hospital expansion
5- proper intensification & housing development
6- conduct all the paperwork electronically

#1 Parking enforcement!!! I hate when people park all over the place for weeks on end and nothing is done. Hire more bylaw officers!!!!

I don't have 10, but here is my short list in order of urgency:

1. Improve Milton's hospital. Those poor Haitians suffering from lack of healthcare despite availability of water and food underscores the importance for a good hopsital. Ours is bursting at the seams. God forbid, but if I have diverticulosis like Brock Lesnar did, I hope our hospital won't keep me waiting in Emerg for 8 hours! I also hope that old people and sick children don't have to suffer or die because there was no space or not enough doctors here in town.

2. Make sure tax increases are just and fair. I don't mind a small increase in taxes if there are major benefits to the residents and the town, such as #3 below.

3. Improve roads for optimal traffic flow.

4. Improve social services to families and the abused in need, or help lines for troubled people.

_________________
What is the difference between ignorance and apathy? I don't know and I don't care.

In order, my opinion only of course.

1. Traffic/Road Construction Better in sync with growth
2. Public Transit... increased service and reduced fares
3. Community Services (squash, pools not closed during winter break, etc.)
4. Incentives for businesses to relocate to Milton
5. Keeping traffic light/stop sign creep in check
.
.
.
997. Ensuring that the lane markers on Derry are parallel to the lane markers on Brittania
998. Increased presence for Milton on regional council
999. Keeping property taxes low

My two cents on the hospital. While I am really disappointed we've not seen much movement on enhancing MDH, as a realist, I'm pretty sure its not going to be remedied any time soon with the New Oakville Hospital probably taking every dime available. I've seen some places saying 2013 opening and others 2014/2015. The small bit of good news (how I see it) is that the location is 3rd Line & Dundas. That would then become the closest hospital (17 minutes from where I'll live at Derry & Tremaine) vs 26mins for Credit Valley and 28 minutes for OTMH.

Call it looking for the silver lining but as someone that just had an MRI at OTMH and had to wait 7 months to get it, they are planning to have 2 MRI units at the New Oakville, and 17 mins away is the distance that some people in Milton probably would drive to get to MDH

With the hospital issue, why doesn't the province make a Halton Regional Hospital? They have a Peel one.

+1, and with above priority sequence

I've had occasion to talk to several candidates so far, and the top three issues that have been coming up have been: transit, infrastructure, and the hospital. I suspect as we continue, intensification will creep into the debate, as will the education village. I think the idea behind the new Oakville Trafalgar Hospital, is to have it serve the entire region. I've heard it's the priority and then other improvements will be made to the other sites.

Hi compasslaura

Thanks for getting involved.

Just one note though, the new Oakville hospital on Dundas St. at 3rd Line will be built with the same number of beds as the existing one and is only being built to serve the immediate Oakville area which will be adding at least another 50,000 people over the next 5-10 years.

There is no other hospitals in the area that are being expanded to serve the Milton area which is the reason Council added the amendment to the intensification report requesting the Ministers of Intrastructure and Health to expand the hospital to meet the Provincial requirement for intensification and the other 63,000 people expected for Milton south of Britannia road and along the Trafalgar Road corridor as part of the Places to Grow requirement of 150,000 new residents in Halton from the year 2021 to 2031.

I attended a planning and public works meeting at the Region this meeting and was informed by staff that there is now more requests for water and waste water allocations for 2010-11 by builders than there is allocation for which is about 6200 new homes between north Oakville and south Milton. Sounds like the recession is over now.

See the attached articles from today's Toronto Star.

http://www.yourhome.ca/homes/realestate ... developers

http://www.thestar.com/business/article ... f-recovery

I will be posting more information on the Milton Hospital as we should be hearing from the Ministry later this spring with the budget details on where Milton stands in terms of expansion funding.

Colin Best
Local & regional councillor
Milton/Halton

_________________
Become a Fan! Visit my website! Email: colin.best@milton.ca Twitter Follow! 905-878-3623