Volunteers can register via e-mail for the upcoming Ancaster Community Food Drive, slated for Saturday, Feb. 20.
Volunteer drivers are still needed to cover about 20 routes for the town wide, door to door canvass. E-mail ancastercommunityfooddrive@gmail.com or contact Ancaster Community Services at 905-648-6675 to volunteer your time.
Launched 19 years ago by the Ancaster Ministerial Association with local citizens, businesses, schools and community agencies, the food drive supports eight Greater Hamilton foodbanks.
Volunteers are needed to distribute information flyers on Feb. 13 and to collect, load and sort donations on the following Saturday. All donations are delivered to St. John’s Parish Hall to be sorted and shipped to the individual agencies.
Last year’s food drive collected a record total of 79,000 pounds of non-perishable food. Food collection takes about three hours and most routes produce a car load of food.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
Apartment plan set to challenge height, density bylaws
A new multi-unit residential development is expected to test the limits of Ancaster’s height and density bylaws.
An application for a 39-unit, three storey apartment development at 95 Wilson Street West will be presented to Hamilton’s committee of adjustment on Jan. 7.
The applicant, under an agreement of purchase and sale, is seeking an amendment to increase the maximum density by six units. The application also requests a height amendment of 19.2 metres at the rear of the building, instead of the maximum permitted height of 10.5 metres.
A minor variance application has been submitted by a numbered company. A corporate profile report lists Michael J. Corrado and David Eccles as company administrators. Neither could be reached for comment.
A public meeting is slated for 1:40 p.m. in the Hamilton Convention Centre, room 207.
The development site, located at the corner of Wilson Street West and Dunham Drive, has been previously rezoned for multiple residential purposes.
The property, which is just 0.25 hectares, is one of the last undeveloped land parcels with frontage on Wilson Street.
The development is planned to include 49 parking spaces, 35 of which are underground.
A 33-unit condominium development was previously approved in April, 2008 by city staff. But the project, referred to as Terraces on Wilson, never materialized. The property was then put back on the real estate market.
An application for a 39-unit, three storey apartment development at 95 Wilson Street West will be presented to Hamilton’s committee of adjustment on Jan. 7.
The applicant, under an agreement of purchase and sale, is seeking an amendment to increase the maximum density by six units. The application also requests a height amendment of 19.2 metres at the rear of the building, instead of the maximum permitted height of 10.5 metres.
A minor variance application has been submitted by a numbered company. A corporate profile report lists Michael J. Corrado and David Eccles as company administrators. Neither could be reached for comment.
A public meeting is slated for 1:40 p.m. in the Hamilton Convention Centre, room 207.
The development site, located at the corner of Wilson Street West and Dunham Drive, has been previously rezoned for multiple residential purposes.
The property, which is just 0.25 hectares, is one of the last undeveloped land parcels with frontage on Wilson Street.
The development is planned to include 49 parking spaces, 35 of which are underground.
A 33-unit condominium development was previously approved in April, 2008 by city staff. But the project, referred to as Terraces on Wilson, never materialized. The property was then put back on the real estate market.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Check your records, says Landmart
If neighbourhood green space is a priority, Meadowlands residents should check the city’s zoning plans before purchasing a home, said a Landmart Homes executive.
The Ancaster home builder drew criticism earlier this month following the approval of the latest phase of development on Chambers Drive and Raymond Road. Hamilton councillors approved a draft plan of subdivision which includes a community church, 28 street townhouses, five lots for single detached homes and three condominium blocks.
But residents said a Landmart Homes salesperson assured them the lands to the north would remain protected green space when the lots were sold in the fall of 2007.
“All of the information that we handed out did not show any green space there,” said Landmart vice president of sales and marketing Darlene Fraser. Fraser did not work for Landmart in the fall of 2007.
Fraser said some of the lots on Chambers are deeper and wider, which command a premium price. Premium pricing also includes options such as oak stairs or granite counter tops.
“I can’t speak to what was said,” Fraser said. “I can speak to what is in writing.”
In a letter to city staff, Chambers Drive residents David Di Stefano and Deborah Carvalho said they paid for a premium lot with the understanding that lands to the north would remain as green space.
“We are opposed to the zoning amendment application because we paid an increased price for our lot since it backed out onto green space and there would not be any development,” their letter states.
Fraser said residents should always check the city’s records before purchasing a home.
“I know that the opportunity for verification has always been there for each and every purchaser,” she said. “This town house block is not a secret. It’s been there for a long time.”
Fraser said homes backing onto a community park on Fair Street and Lampman Drive may have been sold as premium lots. But the same arrangement was not applied to Chambers and Raymond.
Seven residents of a condominium at 400 Stonehenge Drive also signed a letter of objection, arguing the townhouse development threatens a wooded green space backing onto their units.
In an e-mail to city staff, Chambers Drive residents Peter and Lucy Filice stated they were misled by the homebuilder when they paid a premium price for their home. They argue “there were no plans for future development” to the north of their properties.
Fraser said she was surprised that residents did not research the community plan for the area before purchasing their homes.
“The opportunity was there to go and check the zoning,” Fraser said.
Marketed as The Masters of Ancaster, the latest phase of the Landmart development is slated for completion by the spring of 2011.
The Ancaster home builder drew criticism earlier this month following the approval of the latest phase of development on Chambers Drive and Raymond Road. Hamilton councillors approved a draft plan of subdivision which includes a community church, 28 street townhouses, five lots for single detached homes and three condominium blocks.
But residents said a Landmart Homes salesperson assured them the lands to the north would remain protected green space when the lots were sold in the fall of 2007.
“All of the information that we handed out did not show any green space there,” said Landmart vice president of sales and marketing Darlene Fraser. Fraser did not work for Landmart in the fall of 2007.
Fraser said some of the lots on Chambers are deeper and wider, which command a premium price. Premium pricing also includes options such as oak stairs or granite counter tops.
“I can’t speak to what was said,” Fraser said. “I can speak to what is in writing.”
In a letter to city staff, Chambers Drive residents David Di Stefano and Deborah Carvalho said they paid for a premium lot with the understanding that lands to the north would remain as green space.
“We are opposed to the zoning amendment application because we paid an increased price for our lot since it backed out onto green space and there would not be any development,” their letter states.
Fraser said residents should always check the city’s records before purchasing a home.
“I know that the opportunity for verification has always been there for each and every purchaser,” she said. “This town house block is not a secret. It’s been there for a long time.”
Fraser said homes backing onto a community park on Fair Street and Lampman Drive may have been sold as premium lots. But the same arrangement was not applied to Chambers and Raymond.
Seven residents of a condominium at 400 Stonehenge Drive also signed a letter of objection, arguing the townhouse development threatens a wooded green space backing onto their units.
In an e-mail to city staff, Chambers Drive residents Peter and Lucy Filice stated they were misled by the homebuilder when they paid a premium price for their home. They argue “there were no plans for future development” to the north of their properties.
Fraser said she was surprised that residents did not research the community plan for the area before purchasing their homes.
“The opportunity was there to go and check the zoning,” Fraser said.
Marketed as The Masters of Ancaster, the latest phase of the Landmart development is slated for completion by the spring of 2011.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Committee will study deer population
The Hamilton Conservation Authority has agreed to strike a stakeholders committee to examine an overpopulation of deer at Iroquoia Heights Conservation Area.
The Six Nations Confederacy, the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters and Hamilton City Council are expected to be among the key stakeholders, HCA board chair Chris Firth-Eagland said.
The HCA plans to form the committee in February, after a final report on the deer population is submitted by the Ministry of Natural Resources.
HCA ecologist Shari Faulkenham said property owners have been overrun with deer in the Old Mohawk Road and Scenic Drive area.
“People have had up to 30 deer in their backyard,” she said.
An over abundance of deer threatens the ecosystem, Faulkenham said. When deer cannot find sufficient food they are prone to spreading disease. A high deer population also increases the frequency of vehicle collisions, she said.
An aerial study of 66 hectares surrounding Iroquoia Heights showed an estimated tally of 102 deer where there should only be 10-12 deer, Faulkenham noted.
The HCA plans to study a variety of options to mitigate the deer population including a controlled hunt, a cull or relocation.
Faulkenham said 73 per cent of the census area included urban land where hunting is not permitted. But along the urban/rural boundary of Highway 6, researchers found a “huge congregation” of deer on the north side where hunting is forbidden, and a lesser amount on the south side where hunting is allowed.
Iroquoia Heights presents a unique challenge for deer, Faulkenham said, because the conservation area is like an island, land-locked between highways and urban development.
The stakeholder committee is expected to determine whether the Six Nations Confederacy, the traditional government of Six Nations, will participate in a controlled deer hunt at Iroquoia Heights sometime next year.
“Six Nations Confederacy has come out with a recommendation that they are willing to help and I think that’s commendable,” said Firth-Eagland.
But Ancaster Councillor Lloyd Ferguson said he will oppose any plan that seeks to permit hunting at the urban park.
“I hope the message given tonight is that we have not given permission to hunt,” he said at the HCA’s Dec. 3 board meeting.
Faulkenham said in accordance with the province’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, deer cannot be transported more than one kilometre from where they are captured. Relocation can cause extreme stress in deer, Faulkenham said, leading to a fatal condition called white muscle disease.
The Six Nations Confederacy, the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters and Hamilton City Council are expected to be among the key stakeholders, HCA board chair Chris Firth-Eagland said.
The HCA plans to form the committee in February, after a final report on the deer population is submitted by the Ministry of Natural Resources.
HCA ecologist Shari Faulkenham said property owners have been overrun with deer in the Old Mohawk Road and Scenic Drive area.
“People have had up to 30 deer in their backyard,” she said.
An over abundance of deer threatens the ecosystem, Faulkenham said. When deer cannot find sufficient food they are prone to spreading disease. A high deer population also increases the frequency of vehicle collisions, she said.
An aerial study of 66 hectares surrounding Iroquoia Heights showed an estimated tally of 102 deer where there should only be 10-12 deer, Faulkenham noted.
The HCA plans to study a variety of options to mitigate the deer population including a controlled hunt, a cull or relocation.
Faulkenham said 73 per cent of the census area included urban land where hunting is not permitted. But along the urban/rural boundary of Highway 6, researchers found a “huge congregation” of deer on the north side where hunting is forbidden, and a lesser amount on the south side where hunting is allowed.
Iroquoia Heights presents a unique challenge for deer, Faulkenham said, because the conservation area is like an island, land-locked between highways and urban development.
The stakeholder committee is expected to determine whether the Six Nations Confederacy, the traditional government of Six Nations, will participate in a controlled deer hunt at Iroquoia Heights sometime next year.
“Six Nations Confederacy has come out with a recommendation that they are willing to help and I think that’s commendable,” said Firth-Eagland.
But Ancaster Councillor Lloyd Ferguson said he will oppose any plan that seeks to permit hunting at the urban park.
“I hope the message given tonight is that we have not given permission to hunt,” he said at the HCA’s Dec. 3 board meeting.
Faulkenham said in accordance with the province’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, deer cannot be transported more than one kilometre from where they are captured. Relocation can cause extreme stress in deer, Faulkenham said, leading to a fatal condition called white muscle disease.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Hortons appeal hearing cancelled
Tim Hortons appears close to reaching an agreement in its appeal against air emission rules imposed by the Ministry of the Environment for a new Ancaster coffee roasting facility.
A negotiated settlement could help Tim Hortons open its $30 million facility in the Ancaster Business Park later this fall.
Evangeline Berlie, case manager for the province’s environmental review tribunal, said a preliminary hearing slated for Monday has been cancelled. Berlie said counsel for the appellant, Fruition Manufacturing Limited, a Tim Hortons subsidiary, is close to reaching a settlement with the ministry of the environment.
A teleconference between the company and the ministry was slated for this week.
Tim Hortons launched an appeal against the ministry air emission restrictions earlier this year, arguing the conditions were excessively onerous. Tim Hortons has been pursuing mediation with the ministry over the last several months in an attempt to avoid a lengthy hearing process.
A negotiated settlement could help Tim Hortons open its $30 million facility in the Ancaster Business Park later this fall.
Evangeline Berlie, case manager for the province’s environmental review tribunal, said a preliminary hearing slated for Monday has been cancelled. Berlie said counsel for the appellant, Fruition Manufacturing Limited, a Tim Hortons subsidiary, is close to reaching a settlement with the ministry of the environment.
A teleconference between the company and the ministry was slated for this week.
Tim Hortons launched an appeal against the ministry air emission restrictions earlier this year, arguing the conditions were excessively onerous. Tim Hortons has been pursuing mediation with the ministry over the last several months in an attempt to avoid a lengthy hearing process.
Friday, November 20, 2009
Hunting problem over. Or is it?
Ward 12 Councillor Lloyd Ferguson is also confident that hunting has ceased at the conservation area. At a fundraiser last night he noted that 'no hunting' sings are posted at Iroquoia Heights and violators can be prosecuted under the city's bylaw which prohobits hunting in an urban area.
Illegal hunting can be reported to police or to the Ministry of Natural Resources enforcement hotline at 1-877-TIPS-MNR.
But personally, I know First Nations treaty rights are a slippery slope. We've seen how governments and law enforcement have backed away from First Nations issues, in fear of the broad-reaching political ramifications.
In related news, it's clear there is a problem with overpopulation of deer at Iroquoia Heights. CAO Steve Miazga is still weighing the conservation area's options, which could include a cull or a relocation of deer. An areial census of the conservation area in January showed 102 deer. An ideal number is 12 or fewer.
Illegal hunting can be reported to police or to the Ministry of Natural Resources enforcement hotline at 1-877-TIPS-MNR.
But personally, I know First Nations treaty rights are a slippery slope. We've seen how governments and law enforcement have backed away from First Nations issues, in fear of the broad-reaching political ramifications.
In related news, it's clear there is a problem with overpopulation of deer at Iroquoia Heights. CAO Steve Miazga is still weighing the conservation area's options, which could include a cull or a relocation of deer. An areial census of the conservation area in January showed 102 deer. An ideal number is 12 or fewer.
No charges in Conservation area hunting probe
Iroquoia Heights Conservation Area has reopened to the public after Hamilton Conservation Authority staff received assurances from Six Nations officials that deer hunting has ceased at the urban park.
“As a result, it’s our understanding that hunting has stopped in the area,” said Steve Miazga, chief administrative officer for the HCA.
Claims of illegal deer hunting earlier this month prompted the closure of the conservation area for more than a week. Miazga said conservation authority staff began investigating after deer remains were found at the park in early November. Miazga said bow hunting was reported on Nov. 6 and Nov. 10. Deer entrails were found scattered in various locations.
“Some of the entrails have been spotted by myself and staff but we don’t know who the hunters are,” Miazga said.
Ontario’s natural resources minister said no charges will be laid after the ministry received reports of illegal deer hunting in the conservation area.
“We take this very seriously,” Donna Cansfield said. “This is a violation of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act.”
Cansfield said ministry investigators lacked sufficient evidence to pursue charges. The ministry has since completed its investigation.
Conservation authority officials have met with representatives from the Six Nations Confederacy and band council.
Leroy Hill, secretary for the Haudenosaunee Six Nations Confederacy Council, said the Nanfan Treaty of 1701 includes perpetual hunting rights for Six Nations people in Southwestern Ontario. But he could not confirm whether Six Nations hunters were invoking their treaty rights to hunt in the conservation area.
“That’s not my file,” Hill said. “I’m not authorized to speak to that.”
Hill directed questions to Chester Gibson, a wildlife representative appointed by the Confederacy council. Gibson was not immediately available for comment.
Mr. Miazga said Six Nations residents have been conducting a chronic wasting disease study on deer, but the study does not include killing the animals. According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, chronic wasting, a progressive, fatal disease of the nervous system, has been reported only in Saskatchewan in elk this year.
The Confederacy council is the traditional government of Six Nations, although the council was stripped of its formal governing authority by the federal Indian Act of 1924.
Cansfield said illegal hunting can be reported to the ministry’s enforcement hotline at 1-877-TIPS-MNR.
Any discussion on First Nations treaty rights should be directed to provincial Aboriginal Affairs minister Brad Duguid, Cansfield said.
“Our perspective is we consider this a private land,” Cansfield said. “I’m not going to comment on treaty rights.”
The conservation area is located off Old Mohawk Road, north of the Lincoln Alexander Parkway between Highway 403 and Scenic Drive.
Hamilton Police Superintendent Ken Bond said police received reports of hunting on Nov. 2 and Nov. 9. Bond said anyone who witnesses hunting can also contact police. If police confirm the names of people hunting illegally, they will forward the information to the Ministry of Natural Resources. It’s up to ministry staff to lay charges under the Fish and Wildlife Control Act for trespass to property for the purposes of hunting, Bond said.
“It’s in an urban-based park, so it’s not a good idea to be hunting there,” Bond said.
“As a result, it’s our understanding that hunting has stopped in the area,” said Steve Miazga, chief administrative officer for the HCA.
Claims of illegal deer hunting earlier this month prompted the closure of the conservation area for more than a week. Miazga said conservation authority staff began investigating after deer remains were found at the park in early November. Miazga said bow hunting was reported on Nov. 6 and Nov. 10. Deer entrails were found scattered in various locations.
“Some of the entrails have been spotted by myself and staff but we don’t know who the hunters are,” Miazga said.
Ontario’s natural resources minister said no charges will be laid after the ministry received reports of illegal deer hunting in the conservation area.
“We take this very seriously,” Donna Cansfield said. “This is a violation of the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act.”
Cansfield said ministry investigators lacked sufficient evidence to pursue charges. The ministry has since completed its investigation.
Conservation authority officials have met with representatives from the Six Nations Confederacy and band council.
Leroy Hill, secretary for the Haudenosaunee Six Nations Confederacy Council, said the Nanfan Treaty of 1701 includes perpetual hunting rights for Six Nations people in Southwestern Ontario. But he could not confirm whether Six Nations hunters were invoking their treaty rights to hunt in the conservation area.
“That’s not my file,” Hill said. “I’m not authorized to speak to that.”
Hill directed questions to Chester Gibson, a wildlife representative appointed by the Confederacy council. Gibson was not immediately available for comment.
Mr. Miazga said Six Nations residents have been conducting a chronic wasting disease study on deer, but the study does not include killing the animals. According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, chronic wasting, a progressive, fatal disease of the nervous system, has been reported only in Saskatchewan in elk this year.
The Confederacy council is the traditional government of Six Nations, although the council was stripped of its formal governing authority by the federal Indian Act of 1924.
Cansfield said illegal hunting can be reported to the ministry’s enforcement hotline at 1-877-TIPS-MNR.
Any discussion on First Nations treaty rights should be directed to provincial Aboriginal Affairs minister Brad Duguid, Cansfield said.
“Our perspective is we consider this a private land,” Cansfield said. “I’m not going to comment on treaty rights.”
The conservation area is located off Old Mohawk Road, north of the Lincoln Alexander Parkway between Highway 403 and Scenic Drive.
Hamilton Police Superintendent Ken Bond said police received reports of hunting on Nov. 2 and Nov. 9. Bond said anyone who witnesses hunting can also contact police. If police confirm the names of people hunting illegally, they will forward the information to the Ministry of Natural Resources. It’s up to ministry staff to lay charges under the Fish and Wildlife Control Act for trespass to property for the purposes of hunting, Bond said.
“It’s in an urban-based park, so it’s not a good idea to be hunting there,” Bond said.
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