Agenda item 8.3 KIRKLAND/KLAGES/TURNER01-2014 Festivals and Events

The agenda indicates:

 The current by-law only allows for overnight camping on Town owned property. The Town has been approached on numerous occasions for private events with overnight camping and the current by-law makes no provision for camping overnight at that type of event. This has prevented events such as plowing matches, rodeos, music festivals and other such events that may require overnight camping from being held, to the detriment of the Town.

This is a difficult policy decision. On the one hand you want to allow truly charitable organizations to continue to do their good work. On the other hand council also has a duty to protect the residents.

If council allows for the Turner, Kirkland, and Klages proposal there is no way that the situations can be controlled. Residents will be harmed.

The duty to protect the residents is paramount. It’s a duty that Turner, Kirkland, and Klages do not seem to comprehend.

In terms of protecting the residents, the Turner, Kirkland, Klages proposal fails, and should be rejected.

Note that the proposal includes “notify the surrounding neighbours”.   That means notify the surrounding neighbours when you’re going to keep them up all night with non-stop partying. This is unacceptable. Turner, Kirkland, and Klages should show a little more respect for the residents.

It’s easy to have charitable organizations do their good work and protect the residents too. Just have events where events are normally and legitimately held (e.g. Wiarton arena), and let people camp where people normally and legitimately camp.   That way the charitable organizations can do their good work and you don’t have to sacrifice the residents. Everyone wins.

Council should not change the special events by-law or the tents by-law. There is no need. And there is no justification.

And anyone who wishes to brand my pro-resident stance as “anti-veteran” should consider this. My father is a WWII veteran. He wasn’t on the front line, but he still signed to fight for the freedom we now have and for the protection of the rule of law that is the foundation of our society, and the basis of our freedom. He turns 94 this month. He has always been a caring and considerate man. He would be appalled at the way some people are trying to invoke the image of “veterans” to justify abandoning the very rule of law that he and so many others were willing to fight and die for. Appalled.

Agenda item 8.6 PW8-2014 Highway 21 Corridor Through Allenford-Paved Shoulders

I agree this should be done. But it is not a town road. It is not a county road. The province should be doing this. Not the town.

Agenda item 8.13 ADM26-2014 Deputy Manager of Public Works Position

The proposed requirements for the position of deputy manager of public works include:

Certified engineering technologist or professional engineering designation (similar to the previous Assistant Public Works Manager position)….

It appears that the previous position required only a certified engineering technician, which is quite different than a certified engineering technologist.

The work of a deputy manager of public works, in my view, would be classified pursuant to the Professional Engineers Act as “engaging in the practice of professional engineering”.

The law is that to “engage in the practice of professional engineering”, one must be a licensed professional engineer or hold a temporary licence, a provisional licence or a limited license issued by the Ontario Association of Professional Engineers. Being a certified engineering technologist does not qualify one to legally do that kind of work. Being a certified engineering technician does not qualify one to legally do the work. Nor does being an unlicensed professional engineer. To do the work one must be properly licensed. And to get licensed requires a lot more than just being a certified engineering technologist.

The job description needs to be modified to match the law so that a new hire doesn’t run afoul of the law.

Agenda item 8.12 ADM25-2014 Deletion of Policy A.1.3 Employee Classification & Remuneration/Benefit /8.14 ADM27-2014 Future Wage Adjustments for Non-Union Employees

This is a proposal by the administrator to give non-union employees a raise equivalent to union employees every time union employees get an increase through collective bargaining.  This is in addition to the annual performance review raise that the non-union employees already get.

The administrator claims that giving non-union employees these automatic raises is a requirement of Ontario’s pay equity legislation. The administrator claims that she has no choice.

The administrator’s claim is bogus.

There is absolutely nothing in Ontario’s pay equity legislation that requires pay raises for non-union staff every time union employees get an increase.

There are lots of residents in the Town of South Bruce Peninsula who are struggling. How does council think these residents feel when they are struggling yet they see their tax dollars going into the pockets of so many staff members that are on or approaching the $100,000 a year “sunshine list”, and they see that staff are controlling their own salaries, and they see staff justifying big salaries and big increases on some nebulous bogus claim about “pay equity”.   (“We had to give ourselves a raise. We had no choice. It’s the law!”)

The administrator’s proposal fails the sniff test. Badly. The administrator’s request should be denied.

And compensation policy should not be made by the people being compensated. Council needs to get control of compensation policy.

Agenda item 10.4 By-Law 39-2014 Being a By-Law to Amend By-Law Number 44-2009 Being a By-Law to Adopt the Manual Governing the Policies and Procedures for the Corporation of the Town of South Bruce Peninsula (Professional Conduct Policy)

I talked about the professional conduct policy in a previous commentary. The policy has made council a joke. Or rather more of a joke than it already was. The professional conduct policy has made the whole town a laughing stock.   Or rather more than it already was. I can’t wait for the election.

Craig Gammie