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Written by Gordon Prentice

Published: 28 July 2015

The Glenway Lessons Learned report has now been published by the Town of Newmarket. You can download it here.

The report by the independent facilitator Glenn Pothier makes no recommendations as such but is, according to a covering note by Newmarket staff, a “descriptive session summary” of the lessons learned meeting on 23 June 2015.

Glenn Pothier captured a thousand suggestions – some mutually contradictory – and no attempt was made to rank them in order of importance. Such focus as there is comes on pages 17, 18 and 19 of the report; the key lessons learned. There is enough here to stimulate a productive debate in public amongst councillors. Those elected officials present at the June meeting kept their views to themselves.

It is now their turn to tell us what they have learned.

It is open to any councillor to ask for the report to be put on the agenda of a forthcoming Committee of the Whole.

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The Pothier report and other Glenway material can be found in the "Glenway" file of this website. Open "Documents" in the panel top left and navigate to Glenway.

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Written by Gordon Prentice

Published: 27 July 2015

Maddie Di Muccio's doomed libel action against John Taylor gets under way at the Small Claims Court tomorrow (Tuesday 28 July).

A Settlement Conference which aims to resolve matters between the parties will take place at 1.30pm in room 2002 at the Superior Court of Justice at 50 Eagle Street West. If there is no agreement tomorrow the matter will proceed to a full trial.

Settlement Conferences are not open to the public, unlike the trial itself.

Di Muccio, a former Newmarket councillor and currently President of the York Region Taxpayers Coalition, launched an ill-advised action for libel against Regional Councillor John Taylor. She is demanding $5,000 in damages to compensate for alleged injury to her reputation. You can get the background to the story here.

Earlier, in a bizarre series of tweets on 7 July 2015, President Di Muccio seems to suggest that a Freedom of Information request vindicates her and that there was no evidence of her placing an ad while seeking the Provincial PC nomination. She placed the ad – using public money – after she had been blocked by Tim Hudak.

Maddie Di Muccio ‏@MaddieDiMuccio

I've submitted many FOI's over the years to the @TownofNewmarket. The one I received today was the best one yet.

1 retweet 2 favourites

6:17 PM – 7 Jul 2015

Instead of referring us to the FoI request, inexplicably she points us to a post by her husband, John Blommesteyn:

Maddie Di Muccio ‏@MaddieDiMuccio

FOI report: "no evidence of personal legal advice; no record of ads while seeking nomination" http://pllqt.it/4pitKm 

6:15 PM – 7 Jul 2015

View photo3 retweets 3 favourites

Then, to round things off, she talks about exposing liars who are trying to make her look bad.

Maddie Di Muccio ‏@MaddieDiMuccio

Thank you Internet. Tonight's lesson of exposing liars who attempt to make others look bad was well received, and should serve as a warning.

7:13 PM – 7 Jul 2015

1 retweet 8 favourites

Make of that what you will.

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Details

Written by Gordon Prentice

Published: 24 July 2015

I have now received another tranche of hitherto confidential memos and reports on Glenway. These fill in some of the blanks but do not change my earlier narrative setting out what really happened.

Last year, I submitted a Freedom of Information request for sight of key documents which would help me understand how decisions were made by staff and councillors at Mulock Drive. My request was refused on 8 October 2014. A couple of months ago, I re-submitted the same FoI request and I am now told some material (see below) is being released

“due to public interest in the matter and that the legal proceedings are now complete…”

So, what does the new material tell me?

On 3 April 2014, the outside consultant, Ruth Victor, recommended that councillors should approve the final “without prejudice” offer from the developer, Marianneville, which would increase the number of housing units by 12. She explains that relocation of easements and so on had led to a more efficient use of land “resulting in additional units”.

The confidential memo dated 4 April 2014 from Jason Unger, the Assistant Director of Planning, explains the key differences between the “without prejudice” offer and the earlier ones. There is an increase in park area. Earlier confidential reports are provided as background and are attached to Unger’s memo. The one dated 6 June 2013 on “strategic property acquisition” shows the Council’s interest in acquiring some of Marianneville lands for parks and open space. The 15 February 2013 confidential memo reminds councillors that they considered and rejected the purchase of the Glenway lands after hearing a verbal report from the Town’s Chief Administrative Officer, Bob Shelton in March 2008.

Councillors decided by consensus (ie without a vote) that the Town was “not in the golf course business”.

The confidential minutes of the closed session meeting of the Committee of the Whole on 7 April 2014 tell us that Councillor Tom Vegh proposed accepting the Marianneville without prejudice offer (giving 742 housing units). This was seconded by Dave Kerwin.

We now wait to see what the Town will do with the “Glenway Lessons Learned” report that has, apparently, now been delivered to Mulock Drive by the professional facilitator, Glenn Pothier. Personally, I would like to see councillors debate the report in public and at length, taking the opportunity to tell us what they have learned. Staff, who are key players in this drama, should also be invited to contribute.

It seems to me our senior paid employees have as much to learn as the rest of us.

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You can read the now declassified former confidential reports by opening “Documents” in the panel top left. Navigate to Glenway and open the relevant documents.

The response to my FoI request, received on 23 July 2015, reads:

This letter is in response to your request under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (the Act) for access to:

1. Committee of the Whole Minutes (Closed Session) 7 Apr 2014

2. Confidential memo dated 3 Apr 2014 from Ruth Victor

3. Confidential memo dated 3 Apr 2014 from Mary Bull.

4. Confidential memo dated 3 Apr 2014 from Asst. Director of Planning re: Marianneville dev.

These records may be considered exempt from disclosure under section 6(1) (b) of the Act. Section 6(1) (b) of the Act provides that “a head may refuse to disclose a record that reveals the substance of deliberations of a meeting of a council, board, commission or other body or a committee of one of them if a statute authorizes holding that meeting in the absence of the public”. However due to public interest in the matter and that the legal proceedings are now complete we are releasing documents 2 and 4 (as listed above) and those portions of document 1 (the Committee of the Whole Minutes (Closed Session) of April 7, 2014) related to the Glenway lands and proposed development.

Item 3 the Confidential Memorandum dated April 3, 2014 from Mary Bull and Johanna Shapira is exempt under section 6(1) (b) and section 12 of the Act. Section 12 provides that “a head may refuse to disclose a record that is subject to solicitor-client privilege or that was prepared by or for counsel employed or retained by an institution for use in giving legal advice or in contemplation of or for use in litigation”. This record contains legal advice provided by counsel employed by the Town for use in litigation matters; as such we will not be disclosing this memo.

Details

Written by Gordon Prentice

Published: 17 July 2015

Three months ago, Premier Kathleen Wynne told us that, as part of the Regional Express Rail Program, GO trains will be running every 15 minutes from Union Station to Aurora. But just north, here in Newmarket, a designated growth area with a forecast 33,000 population in Yonge/Davis, we are offered trains every half hour at peak times and every hour outside peak. Why are we getting a poorer service than Aurora?

This is a question I put to Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca at a Town Hall in Aurora earlier this week, organized by local MPP Chris Ballard.

The enhanced GO Train schedule on the Barrie Line is, of course, terrific news but it is not a 15 minute service.

The Minister talks about “service concepts” and tells me the 70 GO Trains per week on the Barrie Line will increase to 200 within five years. This is a huge increase but it dodges the question.

Definition of the “core area”

If the 15 minute service is for the “core area” where can I find the definition of “core area” in the context of Regional Express Rail? Is the core area linked to projected future demand for train travel or, as suggested by Chris Ballard, is it something to do with the cost and difficulty of grade separations in Newmarket? I don’t know. In April Ballard tweeted:

@lynngr Enhanced service coming to Newmarket. Need time to build a number of crossings in Newmarket before 15 min. service possible, though.

2.41PM – 17 Apr 2015

Del Duca tells the audience to expect details from Metrolinx on the location of grade separations by the end of the year or shortly thereafter. This is fast work given that an update on capital projects given to the Metrolinx Board on 25 June 2015 reported that work on identifying the key rail and road separations on the Barrie line hasn’t yet started.

Where are the grade separations?

We need to know asap if there are going to be grade separations at Mulock Drive or Davis Drive (to name but two). And what about Green Lane? This major arterial road connects Newmarket with the 404. It seems inconceivable to me that a level crossing can survive at such a busy location.

We know from reports to the Metrolinx Board that the entire 60km long Barrie line is to be electrified. Land will presumably have to be acquired to accommodate the second track and to straighten out the line where it snakes. This in itself is a huge undertaking.

Reports to last month’s Metrolix Board tell me that a system wide environmental assessment will be completed by 2017 and that design, procurement and construction will take place over the period 2015-2024. Detailed design work is being done on the Union Station – East Gwillimbury section of the Barrie line as I tap this out.

The Regional Express Rail program is the answer to the congestion and gridlock that is choking the GTA. It is decades overdue and should be enthusiastically welcomed.

So I see the glass half full rather than half empty. But I still want to know why Aurora gets a 15 minute service and we in Newmarket don’t.

Metrolinx will be giving a presentation to Newmarket councillors in the Fall. Perhaps we shall find out then.

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For the Metrolinx reports that went to the Board on 25 June, click on documents in the panel top left and navigate to Metrolinx and open.