Reeve Wants Legal Advice Regarding Land Claim Settlement Information

Craig Bakay | Oct 09, 2024

Addington Highlands Reeve Henry Hogg would like to know what’s going on with the Algonquin land claim settlements and he asked staff to confer with the Township’s lawyers at the regular Council meeting Oct. 1 in Flinton.

“I’ve made a request to ask staff to seek legal advice on the status of the Algonquin land claim,” he told Council. “I’m just not happy with the fact it’s been . . . I guess we’ve been uninformed for the last number of years.

“The property is in our municipality and we have some right to know.

“I’d like a legal opinion on that.”

Council passed a motion asking staff to make the necessary inquiries.

Denbigh Rink

Dep. Reeve Tony Fritsch is very pleased with the Denbigh rink project and how it all came about.

“The Denbigh rink paving project was completed mid-afternoon last Saturday (Sept. 28),” he said. “And for anyone who drove by they could say ‘the rink looks absolutely fantastic.

“Yes, it is black but it’s a huge improvement over what was there.”

Fritsch said a coalition of local contractors, suppliers and volunteers worked together to provide a new paved rink at no cost to the Township.

“The Township roads department removed the old surface and installed donated crushed gravel,” he said. “On Saturday, a local paving company, a construction and trucking company, an asphalt thatching company, local companies with loaders and many volunteers worked as a team to pave the rink and a road into the park.”

Council passed a motion to send thank you letters to the companies involved.

Firefighter Training

The Denbigh Fire Department is more than half way through the Firefighter 2 course, Chief Casey Cuddy told Council.

“Unfortunately, one person dropped out but I wasn’t all that surprised because I didn’t think she would start crawling through burning buildings anyway,” he said. “But I’m sure she’s still the one cracking the whip for the other ones to make sure they continue.”

He said he hasn’t heard back from the testing agency yet but that didn’t surprise him either because “they don’t tend to communicate early.”

He said they have one Denbigh and one Kaladar/Barrie firefighters taking the air brake course as they’re working on getting more drivers.

“It’s continued good news from the Denbigh Fire Department,” said Dep. Reeve Tony Fritsch.

Drone Funding

Fire Chief Casey Cuddy is optimistic about an Emergency Preparedness Grant that would see the department acquiring a drone with normal and thermal imaging cameras as well as training and licencing for 10 pilots.

“Last year we weren’t successful,” he said. “But those who were successful can’t apply again this year so I recommend we apply for the drone equipment given the list of potential disasters and all the wind storms in recent years.

He said the cost of the equipment is $47,479 and the grant ceiling is $50,000. He said just over half of that is for the gear itself and the rest for training and licences.

Fireworks Approved

Council gave its approval for the Land O’Lakes Lions Club to use Tracy Park to discharge fireworks after the Northbrook Christmas parade Nov. 23 (as well as an exemption to the noise bylaw).

Fire Chief Casey Cuddy said he had been concerned that the Lions had asked the department to set off the fireworks and about liability insurance. However the Lions withdrew their request to have the firefighters set off the fireworks and responded that they have secured their own liability insurance for the event.

High Density Social Housing

Council voted to invite Lynn Chenier, L & A County director of Social Service to come and address the Township on possible high density social housing project(s) at the request of CAO/Clerk-Treasurer Christine Reed.

“This was brought up at a CAOs meeting,” Reed said.

Dep. Reeve Tony Fritsch said the matter has been discussed at County Council but is “still up in the air as to whether it will be one large building, several small buildings or even anything built at all.

“The unit cost of these would be high and likely have to be subsidized through tax dollars.

“(But) it’s not like you would build a 40-unit complex in Addington Highlands.”

However Coun. Ken Hook thought it might be a good opportunity to fill a need for affordable housing.

“If this went through, I don’t know that we would ever get a better deal if we only had to provide the land,” Hook said. “And I was thinking a 10- or 15-unit structure would make a big dent in a need that we have here.”