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2007/07/10 - ProvincialCouncil Information *for period ended July 10, 2007* *ProvinciaUA.M.O.* 1. A.M.O. June Board Report 2. Open/ Closed Council Meetings 3. Municipal Law Issues 4. National Building Fund 5. Rent I ncrease 6. Clean Water Act 7. Greenbelt 8. Fiscallmbalance 0. Property Tax 10. Ontario Good Roads 11. Gas Tax 12. Asset Valuation 13. Public Review of Transportation 14. Rapid Transit inToronto/Hamilton 15. Waste Diversion 16. Recycling 17. Municipal Eco-Challenge 18. Bulk Purchasing of Electricity .., . .,,~.,,...,. T.,.T~,,. ~,.~,......rt,.,~.~,... ;. .: ,, . X7/12/2007) Dean lorfida - 070705a1t Board Outcomes.pdf ~soclatlono~ l~unlClp~liti~ af(~tarro N# 200 University Ave Suite 801 `' ~ ~~~`""'~~~` Toronto, ON M5H 3C6 Tel,: (416) 971.9856 (Fax: (416) 971-6191 .. : : , E-mail: amo~amo.on,ca :r~<. ,~~~•~ i:~',' 0 M M l~ IATIQ A~~RT N°: .,2'' .. 07 036 ~~I ~'~~ att~'1~tVOn o~~~'~ C~~~~ an~ CoGtd~CJ/ w £~ -~: Ro'~:~::~:~ii~'1.:5:}jiF:': FoR MQR~ INFf~RMATIC3N CQNTACT~ `. ,. July 5, 2001 ~z laurel McCosham, Policy Advisor (416) 971-9856 ext 315 x ......................... ,; 's'r~~SC•>";:ill .. u: :'''S:dw:a:.. v'. g ..,:, . :::~~ AMO Report to Members on June 2001 Board Meetin ~..x.."~`~~`~`~~`~~~~~~~~' To keep members informed, AMO continues to provide updates to its members on important issues considered at regular meetings of the AMO Board of Directors. Highlights of the June 2007 Board meeting follow: Update on Status of Transportation Standard under the AODA The Board received an update from London Transit an the status ofTransportatio n Standard developed under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. While it was acknowledged that transit is supportive of the AODA and accessibility, the sector is concerned that the Standar d, as it is currently written, will be prohibitively expensive for some jurisdictions. The Board directed staff to prepare an Alert, requesting AMO member municipalities to participate in the public consultation process once the Standard is released. AMO will also be preparing a response to the Standard. AMO Discussion Paper on Social Housing The Board of Directors approved the framework for an AMO Discussion Paper on Social Housing. The paper uvilltie into the AMO Principles for Housing in Ontario which support an upload of social housing costs and service delivery based on local accountability, integration, flexibility and innovation. The paper will be fo rurally presented atthe AMO Conference. Contact: Petra Wolfbeiss, S enior Policy Advisor, email: w~olfbeiss amo.o n.ca; ext: 329 • AMO Advocacy Paper "Poverty and the Property Tax Burden in Ontario The Board approved the AMOAdvocacy Paper, "Povert~r and the Property Tax Burden in Ontaro which will be presented at the AMO Conference in August. The paper highlights the impact afcurrent municipal-provin cialfiscal arrangements (and the resulting high property taxes} on to w income families and seniors. Contact: Laurel McCosham, Policy A dvisor, email: Imc~osham(~amo.on .ca; ext. 315 Association o~ 1-2 ~li~nicipalities of Onta~ia ~..,.,~,..,.,..,.,,,.,.~.~,.,,,......m-m ...................~,n.....,,.,~.......,.. :~ .,..:. ...... ...... .... .....................................:.:......... ....... v....:..... ........... ., . .: :. ..:..:.::.......:...:...:..::::.:::::::::::::...::.:...:,.::.:::..~.:::::::::1::::.::.:::.,::: <::n::::::.vv.. ..t :11:;:or.. •11::.;'055»1;,0.5::;0. .;;; :•:::;: ~:,:•::::::.,:.:;•~::.:;.•::::.~.::.~:::.:~.:::::::::::..~:::::::::::.v::::............................................ .... ........ .. ..........n ...............::.......................................................: ..:.....................................:.............::: :::.::::::.~:::.:.:::..:...... ....... .... .................. .. .... ....................... . . ...:... ...• . .. ........::..:::::...~::.~:: 11:01:::a:0f•1x11551:0111:1o111:tt:0:o1111:01::•1»1111:01111111111;1111::0v.:0::u,1r,11115:0111111111::.1:0 (7112/2007} Dean lorfida 070705a1t Board Outcomes.pdf a e2 1 ........1:::::.1 .:..:..:.:..:.::1.1.:.:... :1.1:.1:.:.1.:.::...1.:...1::.::.::.::1:.......... ::..::...:: ................:::...:. . .W _.~_.._.~....~.__ ~..:~. .:.. ::..:.::.....::::.::5:1. ........n .................:..n...........,...........• n....... ..Fix...:.................{:......... .:.1.......:.:. v.... ...... ...........n ............:• .:.:.:::nv)::::::::::::..:n.... ::n:v::::;:::::::::::A/••:.:: +v::::::n........:::::: ;•::::::ii5::i:Ji:~:Yvi55:v5i5iii :ii .: i151,v1:1:::::: Member Com m unicatlon Municipal Energy Plan Template ,:,~~~, ~}: The municipal energy plan template, created by AMO's Energy Conservation and Smart Meters Task Force, was approved in principle by the Board. The template is designed for facilities managers to allow them to structure their energy management initiatives, and ~„~~. measure energy consumption and conservation efforts. It will be available to members in 1::w.;:::~;::~~~` 1:?.:_: the near future . ~F:~n;:::,:.~.,. :;::~~: :~: Contact: Craig Reid, Senior Policy Advisor, email: cre d(~amo.on.ca ; ext: 334 ~:- ~ ~ ~~... • Waste Electronics and Electrical Equipment (WEEEj and Waste Strategy Announcement The Board received a report on the recent announcement from the Minister of the Environment designating electronics as the first full extended producer responsibility program in Ontario. The Board also received the Ministry's proposed Provincial Policy Statement (PPS) on Uvaste Management Planning, which was developed in response to AM0's request foran integrated waste management policy framework for Ontario. Contact: Milena Avramovic, Senior Policy Advisor, email: milen ~ama.on.ca ; ext: 342 Mining Resolution The Board considered a resolution from Lanark County regarding mining activities on private lands for which the Crown controls the mineral rights. The resolution calls on the Government to reunite surface and mining rights. Members of the Baard noted that this issue isa problem not just in Eastern Ontario but in all parts of the province. Endorsing the resolution, the Board directed staff to transmit itto both the Minister of Northern Development and Mines and the Premier. Contact: Laurel McCosham, Policy A dvisor, email: Imrcosham aC~,,amo.on .ca; ext: 315 This information is avaiiabie i n the Policy Issues seefion of the AMO website at ~~~. ago. o~. ~~. ~sc~ciatio~ of 2-2 I~unicipali~i~s of ®nta~d globeandmail.com: Keep meetings open, municipal councils told Page 1 of 2 SUPREME COURT Keep meetings open, municipal councils told KIRK MAKIN JUSTICE REPORTER JUNE 22, 2007 The Supreme Court of Canada has issued awake-up call for municipal councils across the country to conduct business in the open whenever possible. Ina 7-0 ruling, the court said that the city council of London, Ont., was wrong to hold a meeting in camera and then hastily pass a vote that put a freeze on a controversial development project. Madam Justice Louise Charron said the whole point of holding municipal meetings in the open is "to imbue municipal governments with a robust democratic legitimacy." "The open meeting requirement reflects a clear legislative choice for increased transparency and accountability in the decision-making process of local governments," she said. Print Edition -Section Front More National .Stories Enlarge Image • Scurvy, spruce beer and a liberal dose of history • The pursuit of wealth far the greater good • Tycoon rallies industry to help the poor • Escalator wisdom turned upside down • Stay past 2009, NATO chief urges http :l/www, theglobeandmail. comiservlet/story/LAC.20070622. SECRET22/TPStorylTPNa... 6/22/2007 globeandmail.com: Keep meetings open, municipal councils told Page 2 of 2 • Go to the National section ~t University of western Ontario law professor Samuel Trosow said in an interview that it would be wrong to view the ruling as a victory for developers. What it really represents is an important endorsement of the public's right to openness in the political process. "I think that the reason the Supreme Court took this case was that they wanted to make a very strong statement to the public about the right to open meetings," Prof. Trosow said. "This is a case of interest to every city in Canada. I think that every city solicitor will be sending a memo to council today about it." The dispute began in early 2004, when London City Council and its planning committee held two closed meetings -without stating their purpose - to debate an interim control bylaw that would impose aone-year freeze on development of a portion of one of its main thoroughfares, Richmond Street. The move came after one of the city's biggest developers, RJS Holdings Inc., had moved to create a highly contentious student-housing proj ect. within eight minutes of concluding its second closed meeting, the full city council immediately voted to impose the freeze. Defending its actions in court, the city argued that closed meetings should be allowed when the subject matter of a debate involves potential litigation and that interim control bylaws are important enough to require secrecy. However, the Supreme Court said that, while a council can justifiably hold a private meeting to deal with a wide range of topics, it cannot blithely dispense with the notion of at least giving advance notice or publicizing the nature of the meeting. ~ Copyright 2007 CTVglobemedia Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved. V globeandmail.comanl The Globe and Mail are divisions of CTVglobemedia Publishing Inc., 444 Front St, w., Toronto, ON Canada M5V 2S9 Phillip Crawley, Publisher http;/lwww.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20074622.SECRET22/TPStory/TPNa... 6/2212007 AMO/LAS Moving Ahead with Closed Meetings Investigator Program Municipal Act provisions regarding closed meeting investigations (Municipal Statute Law Amendment Act, 2006) are scheduled to come into effect on January 1, 2008. In an effort to help municipalities fulfill the requirements of the Act without relying on the Provincial Ombudsman, AMO's Local Authority Services (LAS} conducted a survey of municipalities in April~May 2007. The survey was intended to assess whether there was sufficient municipal interest in an Investigator Program provided by LAS; the survey also sought to determine what type of investigator service municipal governments might want. The AMO/LAS survey received 165 responses from Ontario municipalities and the results were very supportive of the development of an LAS Investigator Service. Of the survey responses, almost 63% noted their desire to appoint an investigator to examine municipal complaints opposed to relying on the Provincial Ombudsman. More than 82% identified that they would be interested in an LAS-sponsored investigator service, and many indicated that their municipality would be willing to sign a service agreement with LAS and pay an annual retainer fee to access the service. Municipalities clearly indicated that it would be important for the LAS program to provide a sizeable roster of competent investigators that have a strong knowledge of municipal government and are appropriately trained to administer any investigation requested under the provisions of the Act. Having considered the survey results, LAS is now working with an outside company to develop and to establish an Investigator Service that will be made available to all interested municipalities. Although the business case for this planned service is still under final development, it is known that there will be a service agreement, a small annual retainer fee, and a daily billing rate for an investigation into a complaint lodged with the municipality. The details surrounding the roster of investigators are still being determined and AMOILAS will ensure that the Investigator Service will provide municipalities in the program with access to a pool of qualified investigators that are familiar with particular regions of the province. Program details including the process for signing up will be announced at the AMO Conference in August. Material will be distributed to all municipalities that week for timely consideration in anticipation of the January 1, 2008 effective date for the provisions related to closed meeting investigations. Should you have any questions about the scope and details of this new program please contact Jason Hagan, LAS Program Coordinator, at the coordinates listed above. This information is available in the Policy Issues section of the AMO website at www.am0.On.ca and on the LAS website at www.las.on.ca. Association of 1.1 Municipalities of Ontario L ~ ~,~f. ~ L L P BARRISTERS & SOLICITORS MUNICIPAL LAW -SUMMER 2007 Power to delegate far reaching for Ontario municipalities By Constance V. Lanteigne A new era for municipal governments in Ontario was ushered in on January 1, 2007 with the proclamation of Bill 130's major amendments to the Municipal Act, 2001. Like the City o f Toronto Act (also in force January 1, 200?), the new amendments to the Municipal Act, 2001 ("the Act") recognize municipal- ities as responsible, accountable governments, granting them new and broader powers and more autonomy. The changes not only provide municipalities with greater flexibility in determining the appropriate mechanisms for delivering municipal services, they also provide municipali- ties with much wider scope for determining the types of services they can offer to meet community expecta- tions and needs. Specifically, municipalities now have the power to "provide any service or thing that the municipality considers necessary or advisable for the public." The potential room for new types of municipal services to evolve is huge. For example, a city could provide health-related facilities or even provide health services itself - a potentially attractive option for munic- ipalities looking to attract doctors to their area. Gone are the prescribed activities needed for municipalities to "foster the economic, social and environmental well being" of their communities. In their place is a single purpose - to provide good government - and a new set of tools to accomplish this. Delegation powers may change the municipal landscape Of all the new tools in the municipal toolkit, none are as far reaching as the new rules relating to the delegation of municipal powers. governmentupdate Under the new Act, municipalities are enabled to delegate many of their powers and duties under the Act or Planning Act, including their legislative and quasi-judicial powers, to one or more members of council, a local board, a council committee, or any body of which at least 50% are members of the council or appointed by council. And for minor matters, municipalities can also delegate legislative and quasi- judicial powers to any individual officer, employee or agent of the City. S While certain core powers cannot be delegated - such as taxation, budgeting, development of official plans, creation of zoning bylaws, and the power to incorporate -the new rules could provide community councils or neighbourhoods with the ability to deal with local issues, and certain municipal employees could be authorized to undertake duties on behalf of council. There are a number of potential advantages to the delegation of certain powers: • Clearer focus: With some decision-making delegated to other groups, councils will have more time to focus on more strategic issues and directions. • Better use of experrtisse: Individuals and groups with delegated authority will in many cases be closer to the action and have more .specialized expertise to make the right decisions and take appropriate actions. • Faster response: The delegation of authority away from a centralized municipal council may relieve bottlenecks and speed up the decision-making process. 0f course, these are still early days under the amended Act and it remains to be seen how far municipalities will go in exercising these new delegation powers. With change comes challenge While municipalities undoubtedly welcome the greater flexibility the amended Act provides, many will face challenges in coming months as governance mechanisms are developed and the limits of their new powers are tested. With municipalities testing broader powers, and the courts and Province both able to set limits, it's clear that much of the tale of the new era of municipal government remains unwritten. Clean drinking water: Provincial protection with a municipal impact CJntario residents will soon benefit from greater protections for their drinking water, but these protections will come with both responsibilities and changes for municipalities. Here's an overview of what the new Clean V~ater Act, 2006 means for Ontario municipalities and the businesses and landowners who reside there. Province cap withdraw powers Source Protection Plan is key At the heart of the Ontario's new Glean dater Act, 2006 is the requirement that a Source Protection Plan be established for each source protection area in the Province. Source protection areas generally correspond to the geographic areas of conservation authorities, who, in most cases, are designated as the Protection Authority responsible for the develop- ment of Source Protection Plans. While the, Province has the ability to withdraw municipal pov~ers by -, regulator, there are ,some restrctiions to this ~ght: First, cabinet mist believe it is necessary or desirable to limit the municipal;. power; taking provincial interests into account: Second, the regulation is valid for a rnaximurn of 18 months, giving he province time to consider whether it needs to permanently remove. the power. Third, if no legislation is enacted within 1$ months, the regulation is automatically revoked and municipal powers ire fully restored. Each Protection Authority must appoint a committee (whose menyber- ship will be determined by a regulation yet to be promulgated) to prepare terms of reference for an assessment report that will ultimately form the basis for the Source Protection Plan. The assessment report and Source Protection Plan must be submitted to the Source Protection Authority, and By Blake Hurley governmentupdate approved by the Ministry of the Environment. The Act provides landowners and municipalities a limited opportunity to provide submissions to the Source Protection Authority. The Source Protection. Plan must include, among other things: • policies intended to end existing threats to drinking water and policies intended to prevent future activities from becoming threats to drinking water; • a list of activities that are prohibited in certain locations; • a List of activities that are not permitted until a risk assessment has been submitted, a risk management plan developed, and a permit issued; • a List of locations where a landowner cannot build or change the use of land without a permit. These requirements will significantly impact some landowners, as they impose restrictions and prohibitions on both existing and future uses and activities that have been identified in the Source Protection Plan as being a significant threat to drinking water. In addition, the power of municipali- ties in relation to land use is signifi- cantly altered by the Act. For example, the Act: • requires that existing Official Plans and Zoning By-laws conform to the Source Protection Plan, with the Source Protection Plan prevailing in the event of conflict; • prohibits municipalities from passing by-laws for any purpose that would conflict with the policies of the Source Protection Plan, or carrying out any public works or undertakings that conflict with these policies; • requires municipalities to consider the Source Protection Plan policies in making planning decisions. While municipalities are subject to the limitations and restrictions of the Act, they are also responsible for enforcing it and appointing, officers and inspectors to carry out the enforcement. These officials will have wide powers including the power to issues orders to landowners contra- vening either the Act, Source Protection Plan, or any risk management plan imposed on particular lands to reduce a threat to a drinking water source. Contravention of orders can result in significant monetary penalties. With the Act providing significant changes to Land use planning -and establishing a new framework for the protection of drinking water sources - it's important for municipalities to be clear about the restrictions that apply to them and the new responsibilities that they now carry. Changes to construction plans? Building permits can be revoked In a recent WeirFoulds win, the Ontario Superior Court confirmed that a chief building official can revoke a building permit if the facts on the ground change after the permit is .issued, even if the changes don't affect what's built at the end of the day. Here is what took place. A property owner wanted to increase the height of its building. The town told the owner that if the building was demolished and rebuilt, certain strict requirements would have to be met. The owner therefore applied for and got a permit to renovate the existing building by adding several rows of brick to the tops of the existing walls, During construction, the walls of the building were demolished. DUhen the chief building official learned that the walls had been demolished, he revoked the building permit on the ground that the information the permit was based on -that the walls would remain standing -was now incorrect. The property owner appealed the chief building official's decision. The judge concluded that the chief building official had .acted correctly in revoking the permit. Since the permit contemplated that the walls would remain standing, once those walls were demolished, the construction authorized by the permit could not be built. It didn't matter that the property owner intended to rebuild the building in exactly the same way as shown on the plans -the owner knew that it had to meet certain requirements if the building was demolished and made a conscious decision to apply for a permit to renovate the existing building. The appeal was dismissed. ,The lesson for those applying to municipalities for permits? Make sure the information on your permit application accurately reflects what you intend to do, or you could face the revocation of your permit and a stop to your construction. 4 ~ 5641 Ontario Inc. v. Hardy Brornb~rg, Chie f Building O f f icial o f the Corporation o f the City o f Cambridge and Corporation o f the City o f Cambridge (February 7, 2007) C-776.05 (Ont. S.C.J.) By Kim Mullin governmentupdate Municipal actions. Court reactions. With the actions of municipalities having such a direct and wide-ranging impact on the communities they serve, conflicts inevitably occur and court cases result. Here are a few recent cases you may find of interest. Freeze on redevelopment by City not a taking The .City of Vancouver adopted an official development plan under the Vancouver Charter that designated former railway lands owned by the CPR as a public thoroughfare for transporta- tionand greenways. This froze the rede- velopment potential of the site and the CPR soug~.t compensation. The Supreme Court of Canada held that the City had acted within its powers to freeze the use of the land with a view to preserving it for future development -and did not have to compensate the CPR. The plan did not prevent all reasonable uses of the property and the CPR could still use the land to operate a railway and was not prohibited from leasing the land for uses conforming to the by-law. Canadian Pacific Railway Company v. Vancouver (City), (Feb. 23, 2006) No. 30374, McLachlin C.J., Bastarache, Binnie, LeBel ,Deschamps, Fish and Abella JJ. (S.C.C.) Naked truth about adult entertainment licensing The Ontario Court of Appeal ruled that the City of Windsor does not have the power to require people working nude, or partially nude, in adult enter- tainment parlours to be separately licensed and pay an annual special licence fee of $466.00. 679619 Ontario Limited (Silvers Lounge) v Windsor (City), 2007 ONCA 7 Qanuary 9, 2007), Ontario Court of Appeal Reclaiming railway? Build those fences A municipality bought a stretch of abandoned railway right-of-way, allowing it to be used and developed as a multi-purpose walkway and riding trail. Concerned landowners complained about the lack of fencing dividing their lands from those of the trail -and the nuisances and disruptions caused by motorized vehicles -and attempted to enforce a provision of the Line Fences Act that required a municipality buying land formerly used as a railway line to build and maintain fences along the boundaries of the land. The municipality reacted by enacting a by-law designating the trail as a ''highway", thus bringing it within an exception to the municipality's obligation under the Line Fence Act. The Ontario Court of Appeal struck down the by-law based on a finding by the lower court that the Township had acted in bad faith and had attempted to avoid responsibility that it knew it had. Grosvenor et al v. East Luther Grand Valley (Township), 2007 ONCA 55, Ontario Court of Appeal Trash talk: Garbage may be personal property The Halifax Regional Municipality decided that all solid waste generated in the Region should stay within municipal boundaries for disposal. The goal was to encourage source separation and reduce the amount of waste product diverted to landfills. The revenue from tipping fees for the landfill site inside the Region accounted for 25% of the Region's solid waste management budget, and the Region also received from the Province $22.00 per ton for every ton of solid waste diverted from disposal. The Region learned that some haulers were taking waste to landfill sites outside of its boundaries, where tipping fees were substantially lower. In response, the Regional Council enacted a by-law that prohibited the export of solid waste from the Region and required it to be disposed of in the Region. The Court struck down the by-law on the basis of lack of statutory authority, unlawful extraterri- torialeffect, unlawful municipal purpose, unlawful monopoly, and "quasi-expropri- ation ofpersonal property".The Court of Appeal has given leave to appeal from this decision. The appeal was heard on May 8, 2007, with judgment reserved. Halifax (Regional Municipality) v Ed DeWolfe Trucking Ltd:, [2006] N.S.J. No. 3$5, Nova Scotia Supreme Court City can profit from towing services The City of Abbotsford issued an RFP for the purchase of vehicle tow services for alive-year term. The towing services related to vehicles involved in motor vehicle accidents that needed to be towed off the City's roadways, at rates imposed by the City. An unsuccessful bidder challenged the City's award of an exclusive towing contract to the successful bidder by reason of the fact that the City required, in exchange for the contract, that the towing company enter into arevenue-sharing agreement, as well as provide free towing to the City ' for its own vehicles. The Court held that the City had the power to enter into arevenue-sharing agreement, and there was no evidence that the scheme was not for the purposes of good government. The issue of whether or not the munici- pality ought to raise revenue by extracting aprofit-sharing agreement in exchange for an exclusive contract was a matter of policy, and .the City's decision was not patently unreason- able. Jack's Towing Ltd. v. Abbotsford (City), [2007] B.C.J. No. 97, Supreme Court of British Columbia Information contained in this publication is strictlyof a general nature and readers should not act on the information without seeking specific advice on the particular matters which are of concern to them. WeirFoulds will be pleased to provide additional information on request and to discuss any specific matters. If you are interested in receiving this or any other WeirFoulds publication by a-mail, please send a message to publications@weirfoulds.com. The Exchange Tower, Suite 1600 130 King Street West, P.O. Box 480 Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5X 1J5 Tel: 416.365.1110 Fax: 416.365.1876 www.weirfoulds.com ©WeirFoulds LLP 2007 WeirFoulds«. BARRISTERS & SOLICITORS By George Rust-D'Eye ~' Ass~~ia~fan tit f1~+u~icipafitis ~f ontaria MEMBER COMMUNICATION 200 University Ave, Suite 801 Toronto, ON M5H 3C6 Tel.: (416) 911-9856 ~ Fax: (416) 971-6191 E-mail; amo@amo.on.ca A~~RT' N~: 011040 To e e~or~ o~ ~~e C~~e~k nc0 Co~r~c~~ ~o~ ~of~~ ~~i~o~~~-~r~o~ cor~T~-c~r~ JUIy 6, 2007 Patricia Swerhone, Senior Policy Advisor (416) 971-9856 ext 323 Federal Government Announces Negotiations Process to Conclude Agreements on the Building Canada Fund Issue: The Federal Government has announced its intention to meet with provinces/territories and the municipal sector over the summer months to conclude agreements on the new funding programs announced in the Federal Budget 2001, including the "Building Canada" infrastructure plan. Background: The 2007 Federal Budget announced a new $8.8 billion Building Canada Fund to provide infrastructure funding to provinces and territories, allocated on~ a multi-year, per capita basis. Ontario's estimated share of this fund is $3.4 billion over seven years for both provincial and municipal infrastructure investment. The Building Canada Fund will focus on projects of "national importance", including projects for cleaner air and water, modernizing infrastructure, and enhancing the quality of life for communities. It will .replace several existing federal programs, including the Municipal Rural Infrastructure Fund (MRIF) and the Canada Strategic Infrastructure Fund (CSIF). AMO has stressed to the Government of Canada the importance of ensuring that the amount allocated for municipal infrastructure is clearly defined. Discussions will soon be underway between the federal and provincial/territorial governments and the municipal sector regarding determination of the parameters of this infrastructure funding, including eligible project categories and how the funding will be allocated AMO will ensure that municipal .priorities are clearly and forcefully articulated in these discussions. AMO will continue to support and advocate for a flexible national framework that allows for sustainable and secure programs tailored to meet the needs of individual jurisdictions, both provincial/territorial and municipal, based on an entitlement approach. Action: AMO has been successful in its efforts to secure municipal sector representation alongside Infrastructure Canada and Ontario in the development of the parameters of the Building Canada fund. AM0 will keep its members informed as progress is made regarding planning forthis funding to support predictable longer-term infrastructure funding for Ontario's municipal governments. This information is available in fhe Policy Issues section of the AMO website of www.ar~o,on.ca. '~. >~3>$ s.:S;' ~'~•t~'::f: <r << >„<:; x ;::. ~~' ~.~f:~::. .:.,:. .;:::. • ::,• :i. ~mx>~. W;:. :: . ~; ,,..:< .. ::~. ;,..v. ~ :::::: :::::.::.:.~ :t r::::; :::: . .,~... ;:•°~~ ........., 5th i. dry, .f Assaciation of 1/1 Municipalities of ontario This facsimile is provided by CNW Group. To unsubscribe, please call 416-863-2101 or 1-866-309-3811 / Cette telecapie provient de troupe CNW. Pour vous desabonner, veuillez nous joindre au 416-863-2101 ou 1-866-309-3811 Please Deliver To / SVP REMETTRE A : Clerk ~c rour~ er ~~ acumen in orm~~ion Ministry of Ministere des Municipal Affairs Affaires municipales and Housing et du Logement July 3, 2007 ZaUB RENT INCREASE GfJIDELINE The 2008 rent increase guideline is 1.4 per cent. It applies to rent increases that occur in CJntario between January 1 and December 31, 20Q8. The guideline is the maximum amount that a landlord can increase the rent of a tenant without obtaining the approval of the Landlord and Tenant Board. The guideline applies to most private residential rental accommodation covered by the Residential Tenancies Act. The rent increase guideline does not apply to: • Vacant residential units • Residential units first occupied on or after November 1, 1991 • Social housing units • Nursing homes • Commercial property. Timing of Rent Increases Inmost cases, the rent for a unit can be increased if at least 12 months have passed since a tenant first moved in, or if at least 1 Z months have passed since the last rent increase. A tenant must be given proper written notice of a rent increase at least 90 days before the rent increase takes effect. A landlord who wishes to increase the rent by an amount higher than the guideline must apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board. .../2 News Release Communique Q Ontario Ministry of Ministere des Municipal Affairs Affaires municipales and Housing et du Logement For Immediate Release July 3, 2007 C}NTARIO RENT INCREASE QUIDELINE LOVt~EST IN HISTC}RY 2~~8 Guideline 1.4 Per Cent TORONTQ -The rent increase guideline for the year 2008 will be 1.4 per cent, the lowest guideline in the history of rent regulation in Ontario. The 2008 guideline was calculated for the first time under the new Residential Tenancies Act, and is based upon the Ontario Consumer Price Index. "Our goal is to protect tenants from receiving a rent increase well above the rate of inflation," said Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing John Gerretsen. "By linking the rent increase guideline to the Ontario Consumer Price Index, we've ensured that landlords can recover the increase in their costs, while tenants can still pay their rent." The rent increase guideline is the maximum amount by which a landlord can increase the rent of a tenant without seeking the approval of the Landlord and Tenant Board. Most tenants in Ontario receive an annual rent increase that is at or below the amount of the guideline. The first rent increase guideline was announced in 1975. Guidelines have been calculated each year since, ranging between 1.5 per cent and 8 per cent. The new Residential Tenancies Act took effect on January 31, 2007, creating a new system of rent regulation that includes linking the annual rent increase guideline to the Ontario Consumer Price Index, a measure of inflation calculated by Statistics Canada. The Z00$ guideline applies to a rent increase that occurs between January 1 and December 31, 200$. Contacts: Patti Munce Minister Gerretsen's Office 41 ~ 585-333 Disponible en fran~ais -30- www.mah.gov.on.ca Kevin Sullivan Housing Policy Branch 41 ~ 585-6541 -2- Calculation of the Rent Increase Guideline The 200$ guideline is the first guideline to be calculated under the new Residential Tenancies Act, which tool effect on January 31, 2007. Under the new act, the guideline is calculated based upon the Ontario Consumer Price Index. The C}ntario Consumer Price Index is calculated monthly by Statistics Canada, and is regarded as a reliable and objective measure of inflation, charting the change in the price of all goods and services in the provincial economy. The 200$ rent increase guideline was calculated by averaging the percentage increase in the Qntario Consumer Price Index for each of the previous 12 months from June 2006 to May 2007. :;:: .'{.'.':: '..'.,l{:f.'::.':::: ri~'i1~'ii: ~~~':::.'.':.'~•l}~ .....~... .:.. • :..:; ... •. 'V..... ~:•l~ii'i{{ ;.::::::.:.: 'i':'i:'i'i}.'i'i{.; .:'.~~};ly'l:It.p•.{ii'i'.i yii'.V: '}.'.!J'i{{.i'}.'.{•1.'.'.•.'.'l:'.'." ? ~' ~i~ •~~. ........ ....... ...... :.::::: ::~a.. ..~.~~~a ~::. .'.'.T.::'.':: '. CPI for 106.8 106.9 107. S 108.2 107.7 107 . S 107.6 108.2 107.9 108.8 109.1 109. S 108.0 2005-06 CPI for 109.3 109.0 109.1 108, S 108.4 108.6 108.8 108.6 109.7 110.8 111.1 111.6 109. S 2006-07 Percentage 2.3 2.0 l.S 0.3 0.6 1.0 1.1 0.4 1.7 1.8 1.8 1.9 Increase M Past Rent Increase Isuidelines < yyi !i .! .. i , i~ . . I ~ ~~ ~ ; EI ~ , Ef~ a~i .'• i i ~ RE ~I ... ,~ ' "~~~ .~~ FI~ tiEi 'i ail li i ~ I I I... i~~ii ! ~ . ~, , : y ~. ~ . i. i1 .. .. ' 2007 2.6% 1996 2.8% 1985 6.0% 2006 2.1 % 1995 2.9% 1984 6.0% 2005 1.5% 1994 3.2°l0 1983 6.0% 2004 2.9% 1993 4.9% 1982 6.0°/a 2003 2.9% 1992 6.0% 1981 6.0% 2002 3.9% 1991 5.4% 1980 6.0% 2001 2.9% 1990 4.6% 1979 6.0% 2000 2.6% 1989 4,6% 1978 6,0% 1999 3.0% 198$ 4.7% 1977 $.0% 1998 3.0% 1987 5.2°l0 1976 8.0% 1997 2.$% 1986 4.0% 1975 8.0% _3~_ Contact: Kevin Sullivan Housing Policy Branch 41 G 585-4541 Drspo~rble e~ fran~ars wwvc~.mah.gov.on.ca ,,„.... ,...: ,~.,..~...rmm~...~...,,.~~.~.~.,,~~,,...~,.... ..:::::::: .:....:...:......... .............. ~ p .....:,,.... .... ...,:., ......:..:::.:.:.::::::...:...:,::::. , 7/1212007 Dean lorf~da 070705a1t Clean Water Act Proclaimed. df Pa e 1 v..~~_ ._.~......~..._~.....~y.. ........ 200 Universit Ave Suite 801 ,~,~;y:.:,~:,~s:<k~>~H,a."~ n,~v::, ..:~: Toronto, ON M5H 3C6 <=<<x-- ~~: ~" Tel.; (416) 971-9856 ~ Fax: (416) 971-6191 ,, E-mail; amo~amo.on.ca :.:``;:~`,"'::~::;~`;~{'";::' Aociationo~ M~nicipalitie~ ofOntaric~ 'f~~'`''" ~..~<:"" ~.: ~ =;ry. ~`h '•! :~ ~. ;~ CO M ICATC~ AL,~RT Nor 01!039 ~: t~.... ;::~ ~5 ~o the e~tet~tlo~ o~tl~e Clerk artd Council ~oR ~lorrt~ iNFt~RMATiaN coNTACT: :::~ Craig Reid, AMO Senior Policy Advisor '`~~` July 5, 2007 (416 971-9856 ext 334 <~~€~< M~: `? ./~:: Province Proclaims the Clean Water Act - Munici al v,,Y .;..~~M p ~ti. Government Action is Re wired ~~~ :~f>>` q Issue: On July 3, 2007, the Clean Water Act was proclaimed and the regulations regarding the preparation of Source Protection Plans came into force. Background: The Ctean Water Act, which received Royal Assent on October 19, 2006, requires the creation Source Protection Plans to address threats to drinking water sources. The Act requires Source Protection Committees composed of municipalitie s, land owners, industry and the public to study drinking water source threats and to develop Source Protection Plans for their communities. On July 3, 2007 the Actand the regulations identifying Source Protection Areas and constituent municipalities came into effect. The first phase of the planning process will now begin with the grouping of municipalitie s and nomination of memb ers to the Source Protection Committees. Municipalities have the ability to appoint ~/ of the members to each committee for their Source Protection Area. Appointment Process: The government has amended the Source Protection Committees Regulation to allow the Source Protection Authorities (SPA) to divide the municipalitie sthat are located in whole or in part within the source protection area/region into groups in an effort to streamline the appointment process and make municipal representation more effective. The SPAs are required to consult with municipalities on how to develop the groups to ensure that representation is fair and effe ctive across the watershed. Municipalities and source protection authorities have approximately 60 days after the Act and its regulations have come into effect to develop groups within the source protection area/region. After 60 days, by September 3, 2007, the SPA must provide notification to the Clerks of municipal councils within the source protection arealregion. The notice will include: o A description of the functions of the source protection committee; o A summary of the obligati ons of committee members; o The municipal groups that have been determined through a negotiated process with municipalities to select members; o The number of municipal representatives each group must select; o The date by which a joint list must be sent by the groups} to the source protection authority. ~ociation of 1-2 IUluniclpaliti~s of Qr~ar~a .~ ~ .., . r , m.,~, ~...T~. ,.~ ~.. (7112/2007? Dean lorfida - 070705a1t Clean Water Act Proclaimed. df .. ... Pa e 2 ~._.. _..~..~~..~W~ :.. _ ....::::.:. ...: Member tom ~ unication From the date the notice is sent to the Clerks, each group of municipalities will then have an approximately 60 days to work together and pass council resolutions that provide a listof potential municipal representativ es to the source protecti on authority. The SPA would then appoint these people asthe municipal representatives on the committee. Once the committees are appointed, work will begin on the creation of terms of reference to guide the work of each committee and the source protection planning process. Action: It is recommended that each municipality contacttheir source protection area to begin discussing appropriate municipal groupings and the nomination process. Further information may be found atthe Ministry of the Environment w~ebsite at: www.ontario.calc leanw~ater . A copy of the regulations can also be found an the Environmental Bill of Rights Registry, wuuuu.ebr. ov.on.c a, EBR reference number 010-0122. 'his information is available i n the Policy 1 ssues section of the AMO website at w~iw. amo. on. ca . y Ifn'. gyCi:; .~v::: x:,;{. 4y6%.ri:',#<, • • tor.':"7.': :4~r... ..v4: ~;:~: :H: ~v:~,NH.... '"i<"^ ii Assoc~aticm of 2.2 [unicipal~ties of Onta€ria ~. This facsimile is provided by CNW Group. To unsubscribe, please call 416-863-2101 or 1-866-309-3811 / Cente telecopie provient de troupe CNW. Pour vous desabonner, veuillez vous joindre au 416-863-2101 ou 1-866-309-3811 Please Deliver To / SVP REMETTRE A : Clerk News Release Communique .. __ l~I '~ ~N~.L~; ~ ~.E~`~~'~ ~ ~ f ~ ~ ~.~t ~,~~,.~'~11 Q Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing Minist~re des Affaires municipals et du Logement For Immediate Release July 6, 2DQ7 MCGiTINTY GOVERNMENT CELEBRATES GREENBELT'S BQTJNTY Country's First Certzfre~Local Farmers'Mat^kets Open rn Toronto T(JR(JNTU -John Gerretsen, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, today visited one of the first certified local farmers' markets in the country to celebrate the local fresh produce season and agricultural products from C}ntario's Greenbelt. The Greenbelt permanently protects from development 1.8 million acres of agricultural and environmentally sensitive land around the Greater Golden Horseshoe, including prime agricultural and special crop lands. "We are very fortunate to live so close to some of the world's richest farmlands," said Gerretsen. "The Greenbelt protects farmland so that we, and many future generations of Ontarians, may continue to enjoy foods that are grown and raised close to home." "Farmers' markets allow Ontario's food producers to showcase their high quality Ontario-grown food products," said Leona Dombrowsky, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. "If everyone buys (Jntario products, everyone wins, because we're supporting our farmers and processors, our economy, our environment and ourselves with healthy, fresh food from here at home." Farmers' Markets Ontario recently opened the country's first two certified local farmers markets- MyMarket Woodbine Centre and MyMarket Liberty Village. Vendors must complete a farm inspection to verify their products are produced locally. "The new markets are wonderful assets for residents of Rexdale and Liberty Village, offering them access to fresh, local foods," said Shafiq C~aadri, Member of Provincial Parliament for Etobicoke North. The government's broad, province-wide Pick Qntario Freshness strategy will complement and support producer-led branding and marketing campaigns. The government is contributing $12.5 million to the strategy, which includes a consumer awareness campaign designed to increase interest and demand for local foods across the province, expands the Foodland ~Jntario program to more fresh food products, and boosts the Savour Qntario program in fine dining and vacation establishments. "®ntarians have taken a keen interest in their food and where it comes from," said Robert Chorney, Executive Director, Farmers' Markets l~ntario. "The new MyMarkets provide a direct link between real farmers and consumers looking for fresh, local produce." • . . / i/ -2- The Greenbelt is part of the McGuinty government's comprehensive approach to planning for growth that calls for more energy efficient, compact, pedestrian and transit-oriented development. This approach will result in more sustainable communities, preserved farmland and fewer carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to climate change. The Greenbelt has earned a number of accolades recently, including the Canadian Institute of Planners' Award of Excellence in Environmental Planning and a special award from the Environmental Commissioner of {~ntario. ~3p. Contacts; Patti Munce Audrey Bennett Minister Gerretsen's Office Provincial Planning Policy Branch 41 b 585-6333 41 ~ 585-b~014 Dispo~r bl e e~ frar~~af s www. Ontario. ca/ma Fact Sheet ~ Ontario Fiche d'information Ministry of Ministate des Municipal Affairs Affaires municipales and Housing et du Logement July 6, 2007 THE GREENBELT -QUICK FACTS • The Greenbelt protects 1.8 million acres - an area larger than Prince Edward Island - including protected land of the Niagara Escarpment and the Oak Ridges Moraine. • The Greenbelt extends 325 kilometres from the eastern end of the Oak Ridges Moraine near Rice Lake, to the Niagara River in the west. It is about $0 kilometres wide at its widest point from the mouth of the Rouge River to the northern tip of Durham Region. • The Greenbelt provides full protection for about three-quarters of the lakes, wetlands and forests within its boundaries. • The Greenbelt protects the headwaters of all major watersheds in the western Greater Toronto Area that were not protected by the l~iagara Escarpment or Oak Ridges Moraine plans. • The Greenbelt permanently protects about 104,000 acres of Niagara Peninsula tender fruit and grape specialty crop areas and the entire Holland Marsh specialty crop area of over 15,000 acres, located in York Region and Simcoe County. -30- Contacts: Patti Munce Audrey Bennett Minister's Office Provincial Planning Policy Branch 41 ~ 585-d33~ 41 d 585-d~14 Disponible en fran~ais www.Ontario. ca/mah As~ciaticn f ~ ni +~ a c~~alit~e~ p~ ontaria MEMBER COMMUNICATION 200 University Ave, Suite 801 ~s~~::,<::»>;:~ ~:~~:.::: Toronto, ON M5H 3C6 Tel„ (416) 971-9856 I Fax: (416) 971-6191 ~ ~. ;,;~ E-mail; amo@amo.on.ca ~~~~~~ ,•::Gfi:•`r: :y'ii~ ~Y~ N°; 07-011 N;~~~}. 4 v,.: To the attention ofthe Clerk and Council Julys, 2007 Feeling the Pinch We want to share with you the following recent Letter to the Editor of The Toronto Star. As yet another step in our $3 billion gap campaign, an OP ED piece that has similar messages will be sent to other print media with the hope that they will publish it. There is a lot of awareness building underway locally and AMO will continue its own efforts. If municipal governments are to have strong vibrant communities, we must have the fiscal capacity. This is our number one priority. Lift fiscal burden from city budget -Toronto Star Editorial, June 30 I want to echo the call by Toronto Mayor David Miller and the Toronto Star for the uploading of provincial costs from municipal budgets. During the 199os, more and more of the Ontario government's programs and service costs were downloaded to municipalities. Today, the full range of services that property taxes support would shock most property taxpayers. It includes the obvious, such as roads and transit, water and waste-water treatment, fire and policing, and parks and recreation. However, it includes many more services that some might not be aware of, such as welfare benefits, long-term care for seniors, public health, child care and social housing. Almost half of all property taxes go to provincial programs and responsibilities, such as education and disability benefits. we .pay $237 per person more in property taxes every year than other Canadians, while the province spends $258 less per person than the rest of Canada on health and social-service programs. As a result, municipalities struggle to fund core responsibilities, such as infrastructure investment, environmental protection and economic development. !f Ontario spent as much per capita as other provinces on health and social services, downloaded municipal costs for these provincial programs would be reduced by about $3 billion a year. While the Toronto media regularly report on their local budget squeeze, it is important to recognize that the same basic funding relationships that tie Toronto's hands apply to all Ontario municipalities, and they often have devastating results when applied to each municipality's unique circumstances. Downloading did more than just balance the budgets of the federal and provincial governments by dumping huge costs onto Toronto and other cities. It downloaded unsustainable costs onto the property-tax base of every municipality, large and small, and every property taxpayer in Ontario. Downloaded provincial costs are undermining the strength of Ontario's municipalities and the hundreds of communities we serve. The answer is to reduce the unsustainable and unwise fiscal burden that provincial policy has placed on them, by uploading health and social-service costs over a manageable period of time. Doug Reycraft, President Association of Municipalities of Ontario, Toronto This .information is available in the Policy Issues section of the AMO website at w~vw. amc. cn, ca Association of Muni~i~alities of Ontario 1-1 +I~' ~ I p~ ~,4 ,t Come for a visit. Stay for a lifestyle. G~IC~ C1= THE MYCR June 4, 2007 Head and All Members of Council Dear Colleagues: ,3 ` 12 ~ 1 REC~VED r ~, ~uN z ~ zout MpVGASOFFICE 8 ~, t , y,- l~n the fall of 2004 f wrote to you about the efforts of the Canadian Advocates for Tax Awareness ~CAFTA~ as they worked toward the axation of a more fair and equitable system of property taxation in Ontario. The Municipality of Trent Hills joined with them at that time to pressure the Provincial Government to make changes to a system that was literally driving people from their homes, As many of you know, CAFTA has now joined with the Canadian National Taxpayers Coalition to form an even stronger alliance. This alliance is vital as we ail know there is much work left to be done. We must build on the efforts of Ombudsman Marin to bring transparency and equity back into our system of property taxation. As we enter into an election period it is imperative that we do no# allow ourselves to be lulled to sleep by an assessment freeze that will only serve to delay the inevitable pain that will come with the next reassessment. It is more important than ever that we support the efforts of CAFTA~CNTC and continue pressuring our Provincial representatives tofix the assessment system once and far all. 1 encourage you and your Council to check out the latest activities of CAFTAICNTC at their website, _www.cntccanada.ca, or telephonelfax 705 6~- 2356 and to do whatever you canto support their efforts. WE SIMPLY MUST KEEP UP THE EFFORTS TO CREATE A PROPERTY TAX SYSTEM WE CAN ALL AFFORD! Yours tr~r, .~ ..----. Hector Macmillan, Mayor X705} 653-~9a0, Ext. ~3l hector.macmillan ~trenthills,ca Ta: Dean Iorfida; Fm:QGRA 20:08 07/11/07 PG 001 (! (-` ,~~ly 11, X007 OGRA Board Identifies Key Issues to be Raised during Upcoming Election OGRA has identified the following issues end questions that should be addressed by the candidates in the provincial election campaign. These questions have also been sent to premier Mc~uinty, John Tory and Howard Hampton for their response, which will be printed in the September, 20~? issue of Mite~stone~ m~ga~ine. Sustainable funding far municipal transportation infrastructure and the removal of pST, and other fees, on municipal goods and services are among the important issues to municipalities and we hope that they will be fully discussed in tl~e upcoming election campaign, 1, Please comment on whet your government would provide by way of sustainable funding to municipalities for transportation infrastructure. Specifically, will a government led by you allocate gas tax revenue to all municipalities for use on infrastructure? 2. Would your government support removing PST from ell municipal goods end services in line with the current municipal exemption from the federal SST? 3. There are measures that could easily and immediately be put into place to assist municipalities by reducing municipal costa, These include removing tl~e fee for licence plating of municipal fleets end allowing municipalities to use coloured diesel fuel, Would you support the introduction of these measures? Are there additional measures that you would take to reduce municipal costs? 4. There is a need for aprovince-wide transportation strategy that identifies and integrates both provincial and municipal transportation needs, This pion would guide Ontario in meeting the challenges of growth fiend non~growtl7~ and ensure that infrastructure is in place to support and sustain economicdevelopment.what priaritywould the developmentofsuch a plan assume in your government and what additional aspects would you include? please comment on the links you gee between economic development and municipal transportation infrastructure. How would your government support municipalities where non~growth or de^population is occurring? 5. The greening of municipal fleets will go a long way in assisting in the environmental sustainability of municipal public works operations. what measures would your government introduce to support municipal initiatives in green transportation? Uve view the upcoming election as a welcome opportunity to bring municipal issues forward for discussion. with a sustained effort by UGRA and its members we may be able to shape provincial policy for the betterment of Ontario's municipalities, ~NTA~IC~ ~~~D ~~AD~ A~~C~~IATIC~I~ PRE~IIER~P~N~QR; Ea,3.5.5 I~ENNEC~Y R~AC~, ~.1NIT #2, MI,~SI~SAl.1~A, ~N L.~T ~L~ ., TEL. ~~U~} 7~~-~JJJ FI~x: ~~UJ} 7~J-2GbU EMAIL: inFo~~o~ra.or~ ca{aMP1AN RAAE~ MA~HINERI' SAR„F5 m;~GRA To; Dean Iortida;Ted Salci; (99053569083} 29 :00 07104l07GMT-5:00 Pg 09 -09 ..,,;., ~~;~~~: ~,~'~~1~ti sl, '~~~i I+,~ ~`ti~l~, tli~f;'~~+~I:~:~ ~,~ r~~: '~' ~ 'If's 1~~++;+ S11 ~ .^f. X51,`',1 ,{Ihy~ 1';141', 5 ISSI', '~1, ,,f1 +~~V ly'hl~li ,S i '1''1 ,ry+'i( ~~,~ ' ~{1~~~~ / ++ {{ ' + _..__ ~~°ir ~ /~~~rr~~. ~~tr~~~~ ~~'~ ~~1y4, ~oa7 Gas Tax Revenue Reporting far Raad and Bridge Prajects gGRA has been advised that the oversight Col~nrnittee, which oversees federal gas tax reporting requirements, including I~neasurable outcol~esa has endorsed the tool developed by a~RA staff to calculate the reductiol~ in greenhouse gases for ~ variety of rand end k~ridge projects. The sample projects can be viewed on ~GR~°s website. tlisit www„c~~~r~~.,c~r~~ and look for has .~..~~..~~~~~..~~~~~~~...~~~~w.nr ~ndSy e.amxxw..~~~~~...».llp Tax R~v~nue Reporting far Road Ind fridge p'rajec~~; ~chedule~ C ~~Ir~nple~~ an the home page under News & Info, This work is intended to assist municipalities as they comply with the reporting requirements of the gas tax agreements. if you have any questions, please cal~tact ~ri~n Anderson, ~~RA's ~oordil~ator of Il~frastructure Services, at ~ 1 ~~6~4-~2~~ or k~ri~~n~s~~~~~c.l ra..c~r~~ ItlNN11111NNNNMWI111111111N1 INNI ~NTAI~ ~~~ ~~A~ A~~A'~+~N b3~~ KENNEC~Y ~UAC~, UNIT #~, MISSISSAU(~A, c~N LET ~LJ TELo (~o~~ 7!7~-~5,5.~ FAQ: ~`~~•5~ 7~5-~`f~D EMAIL: ir~f~~ ~~fcf~r~.c~r ~~EMIER ~PC~N~~~: ~; cwr~rnPruN roan mncr~r~cr~r ~a«~ To: Dean Iorfida;Ted Salci; Fm:OGRA 20:35 a6/25/O7 PG Dal ~"'~ [! ~] [fit( ! .. < < P ''f''; ' i ~~~i F~.i~ i~itLL~J ~LCt'.TS~ ~~! ~ ~ ~~~ i ;± Ei~, ~ ,~~ ,,;,t~ ~i +~' ~;,. ~~+ ;,,; ~ !~f! j '1 fs. S1 , r ~ ' 17~ iw~+++}js ti.y~f + '11~1)~ r~1 5 ~f~ ~.~I .. , J 'r';' ~} ~~'+'~,•' x'11` I~. Jft~'t ;,. tiS ;;~~ 4f~ .,121„ .~~~ 'I,;~;;'rl, '1~t';; ~ it'~~ 1 4 f.1 I f .I~t~.+S .rti ~' ~ ~'}S. ~ '~'}tip Itl. ~ }~ ~ I ~i ....'~ ~ , ~55~'.~.1 r 1' ~` ~..,. il'„ , ''tit ~ ' ',. i dui li'' t1, i,. i:~ iii ~ , jf ~llll~ fl ~i~~'. ','i ~ ~~f~ it iu I I ~ 'II f i '~~.,,Sr .c; ~~~~,r)rf ~A~ /r~~ir~f'n~~' «~a ~ urge ~5, ~0~7 7YMIMVIIY~M1•YYlY~YMI 1111111N11UI11U1111111/11/111111 ~1/1I11/111U11Y11111111 Municipal DataWorks Needs Your Data On behalf of O~RA's Board of Directors 1 wantto let the membership knowthe results of our efforts to enlist more municipalities in Municipal DataWorks ~MDW~. Over 1~o municipalities have now signed the data provision agreement and we continue to see an increasing number of municipalities sign up. Many municipal treasurers have seem the value of MDW's Asset Valuation module in meeting the PSAB 31 ~0 requirements end public works officials ere sold on MDW's asset management features and the ability of MDW to integrate with other software applications currently in use or under consideration iii their municipality. One of OGR~'s primary business objectives is to advocate on your behalf for sustainable infrastructure funding. To achieve this goal OKRA needs a cv~~plete picture of Ontario's municipal infrastructure. So even ifi your municipality does not intend to use MDW for your day- to-day asset management ~~eeds, OORA would still like you to share your data so that we can better represent your needs. Transferring data to MDW from your current applications is not difficult, time consuming or expensive and we would like you to consider helping OGRA help you. The Provincial-Municipal Financial Service Delivery Review that is currently underway has piqued the interest ofthe Ministry of Public Infrastructure Renewal ~MPIR} in what OGRA is doing. In order for good decisions to be made et the various tables, they need good data on the extent and condition of infrastructure in Ontario. We have been talking with MPIR on haw OKRA can assist in that undertaking, OGRA is seeking the support of all municipalities so that we can go forward with a comprehensive data picture that wilt demonstrate the true state of our infrastructure and, as importantly, the benefits of municipalities working together. Please contact me if you have any questions. OORA is committed to MDW and eve are excited to be leading this initiative. J,W. Tierney, Ea~ecutive Director ~ ~ ~ T ~~ PREMIER ~PON~oR: ~~T~~ +~~~ ~~ ~ ~ I X355 KENNEDY Rt~AC7, l1NIT #2, MI~~~I~~~Al1~A, t~N L5T 2L~ ~ TEL: ('30~} 7'~5-555 FAX: ~~o~} 7',~5-;~~ba EMA1L: info~c~o~ra.orD i~iinMi•,illd,Qil~AiT M,ai~,ilt+l~lt~ ~;n~r,:; ...,,. , ..,,. ,.~ m ,~..,,.,,....n.,,,~...,.,. ..,~.,..~.,. ~...~..... (7112/2007) Dean Iorfida - 070711 alt transportation standard review update.pdf Pa e 1 ...:.. .:.....:. :...::k:......... .::::::::::::::.::::.::::::.: ..::.:::.:::::.....t ..........................:..... :: . ~:: 200 Universit Ave Suite 801 `"~~~'~`~'"""~`~' Toronto, ON M5H 3C6 '~ Tel.: (416) 971-9856 ~ Fax; (416) 971.6191 ~~~~~~ ..,..;h Association o~ Municipaiities ofOntario E-mail: amo@amo.on.ca ~~~~~~~~~>kv"" "~`:'` h ,: <::<: ER CO I~ UICATO ~ ~~~~T N~r 071041 ~~ ~ >::; :,Nry~~:~ nos:::.;~:>.:>s::: To tl~e a~ter~tion ol`fhe Clerk a~~ Council FOR Mo~~ iNFORMATiON t;QNTACT; .~,,,.. ~`..',.,,~,':..~:..:.: :::n. July 11 2001 Petra Wolfbeiss AMO Senior Policy Advisor -s€ f: ~ (416) 971-9856 ext 329 :~><< iY ~::!l,.~f. 0i:µ.%N ..5'ry'~~;, 5£~~2d. UPDATE ::~ -~~...iii: ~i$in:4'~:Y:6~i~~. ~ r v~YNi'~iyi:. iii ~: ';S:Y.iw::`i,:",..,}s,'7,: ;`tai':.. ;;i~ Re: Ministry of Community and Social Services Announcement On Public Review of TransportationStondard Issue: Please be advised that the link to the "costing analysis package" in the original ALERT issued on June 28, 2007 was incomplete. The link has been updated and the full package is now available online. Please be sure to click on all of ~e tabs in the document in order to carry out a local impact analysis of the entire Standard. On June 27, 2007, the Ministry of Community and Social Services (MCSS) announced that the proposed standard for accessible transportation will be pasted on the Ministry website for public review and feedback. AMO is encouraging municipalities to consider the local impact of the proposed standard and to develop an d submit a response to the Minister. Background: The Accessibilifyfor Ontarians wifih Disabilities Act (AODA, 2005), requires the Minister of Community and Social Services to develop accessibility standards that will remove barriers for people with disabilities. The standards are expected to apply to the public sector, including all municipalities in tie Province, as well as the not-far-profs t and private sectors. They will address a full range of disabilities including physical, sensory, mental health, developmental and learning and will be implemented in phases leading to full accessibility in Ontario by 2025. Standards are being developed for customer service, the built environment, employment, information and communication and sector specific areas, of which transportation is the first. Once completed, the standards will be introduced into legislation and therefore will become mandatory and enforced by the Province. To date, funding to support the legislation has not been made available. AMO continues to advocate for provincial funding to assist in the implementation of the standards that are being developed. Concern is being expressed by the transit industry that the standard, as proposed, will be prohibitively expensive in some jurisdictions. Association of 1.2 Municipalities of Ontario ~ ...: ... . . ...... . .~ ,.., m.,, ~-..,,..,,.,,~ .~~.,,. ,...~,,.,~,.~ ... .............. ..... .. ... :.. ...: ... ...... ......... .... .... .. ::...::::v:::::::, •.. ..,. :..:::: 7112/2007 Dean lorfida - 070711 alt trans ortation ' . t an ar review update.pdf i ( ) _ p Pa e 2 ...............:....:.... .....::.:..:,..n:,:..::..::.. ~S • :.. ;. :n.' i. ii.:'v..... .... .:.:. v:., i :. n' ~lei~ ber G 0~1 ~ u~n~cat~~n >~; ~,~:: To assist municipalities in assessing the local impact of compliance with the standard in public transit (excluding for example taxis), an information and costing analysis package developed by representativ es of the transit sector has been provided. AMO is encouraging :;~~ municipalities to carry out a local analysis of the impact afthe proposed standard as guided by the document provided and to respond to the Minister through the public review process ~.~n being held between June 27, 2007 and August 31, 2007. ~"ft ~fi.'i To view AMO's response to ~e previously released Customer Service Standard, please click~~~~~~ here. AMO, through the Barrier Free Access Working Group and on the future SDCs, will continue to participate in the SDC process and advise the membership of arising issues, concerns and critical timelines. While supportive of the AODA, AMO will Continue to advocate, among other things, for the harmonization of standards, long-term sustainable funding for the implementation of the standard and recognition of undu a hardship in the implementation and compliance with standards. This information is available in the Policylssues section ofthe AMOwebsite at ~r-~~~~ ~ rrrn nr~ r~~ Assc~iatior~ of 2-2 ~liun~ipalities t~f o~tano ;~ A~~~ciatian t~f Municipalities ~f ~ntaria MEMBER COMMUNICATION 200 University Ave, Suite 801 Toronto, ON M5H 3C6 Tel.: (416) 971-9856 (Fax: (416) 971-6191 E-mail: amo@amo.on,ca ART ~a 0~1~~6/' ~o the a~eio of ~~e Cierk ar~~ ~onciE ~o~ Mo~~ ~~~o~MAT~o~ cor~TA~~o June 15, 2007 Patricia Swerhone AMO Senior Policy Advisor (416) 971-9856 ext 323 Rapid Transit Action Plan for the Greater Toronto Area and Hamilton Issue: The Ontario government today announced the launch of "MoveOntario 2020" - a $17.5 billion rapid transit action plan for the Greater Toronto Area (GTA} and Hamilton that will be built over 12 years and financed over 50 years. Announcement: "MoveOntario 2020" will build 902 kilometres of new or improved rapid transit, starting in 2008. It is estimated that the initiative will contribute to significant job creation during construction and ultimately deliver 52 rapid transit projects. (For more detailed information link to the Province's News Release) Background: The Ontario Government estimates that the economic cost of congestion in the GTA is around $2.2 billion per year. By 2031, it is predicted that this figure will rise to nearly $4.1 billion if action is not taken now. According to the government announcement, the rapid transit action plan aims to create a sustainable transportation system that will help reduce congestion by getting people out of their cars and onto transit, and contribute to the environment by reducing carbon dioxide emissions. The rapid transit action plan calls for 66 per cent of the projects to be completed by 2015, and 95 per cent to be completed by 2020. It will result in 800 million new transit trips per year, with a view to taking 300 million car trips off GTA roads. If successful, by 2020, this initiative will contribute to a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions in the region by 10 megatonnes. The Provincial government is contributing up to $11.5 billion and is calling upon the federal government to pay a minimum of 35 per cent of the costs of construction over the life of the projects, for a total of $6 billion. The Province will cover the balance of the capital costs out of existing provincial revenue streams and continue to share operating costs with municipalities through the existing Provincial Gas Tax program. The new capital funding program does not require a municipal capital contribution. Association of Municipalities of Ontario i~lember om~nunication The government will work with the Greater Toronto Transportation Authority ~GTTA) to implement the plan. The GTTA will report back to the Province in early 2008 on a detailed plan for moving forward. Action: This informs Pion is available in the Policy Issues section of the AMO website at . ~~, o~. c. Asscaci~tion of Municipaiiti+~s of Qntaria Association ~t ~i€a~icipaiitie~ of Ontario MEMBER COMMUNICATION 200 University Ave, Suite 801 Toronto, ON M5H 3C6 Tel.: (416) 971-9856 ~ Fax: (416) 971-6191 E-mail: amo@amo.on.ca A~.ERT N~: 071033 ~"o th+~ attention cif the Cher a~~ Counct~ Iwo l~ol~~ l11~FOi~~I,ATIOIV coNTACT: June 12, 2007 Milena Avramovic, AMO Senior Policy Advisor (416) 971-9856 ext 342 Province Announces Industry-Funded Waste Diversion Program for Electronics and Provincial Policy Statement on Waste Plans Issue: The Minister of the Environment, the Honourable Laurel Broten, has announced a new, industry-funded, Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment Program and municipal waste planning requirements. Background: Today, the provincial government took additional steps to respond to AMO's call for an integrated provincial waste management strategy by extending full producer responsibility for disposal of Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment (WEEE), such as computers, televisions and other electronic equipment, that is no longer useful to consumers. The Minister has directed Waste Diversion Ontario to develop an industry-funded waste diversion program for electronic waste. The first phase of the program, expected by February 1, 2008, will address products that are among those with the lowest diversion rates. Phase I of the program will deal with: desktop and notebook computers; monitors; desktop printers; and televisions. Phase II will address: telephones; audio players and recorders; radios; speakers; and cameras. Ontario is facing the combined pressures of a growing population, a lack of landfill capacity and dwindling options to deal with waste while municipal resources are increasingly taxed in the effort to manage waste and diversion programs. AMO has advocated for some time for the creation of an integrated waste management strategy that progressively manages products entering the waste management stream, including: • Enhanced Design for Reduction or Reuse, • Product Reuse, • Material Recycling and Composting, • Resource and Energy Recovery, and • Disposal via Landfill. <'%~'' ~~~ ~v:Si>"i'i~ii: J~ i:~: :i';' s;:n$A; ~, $ ~~.: :.. ~ m. n ..: :,ry~: <~_ .... .T., . ;~:: S:j;F~~i ::j:`~~i"+"~ i+t /~ ~ss~ciation of ~.2 Municipalities of Ontario Member communication The introduction of extended roducer res onsibilit for waste electronics will hel to divert p p Y p millions of consumer electronic items from landfills every year and ensure potentially toxic com onents of these roducts such as lead or mercu are ro erl dis osed of. p p , rY p p Y p At the same time, today's announcement also introduced a draft policy on waste management that will better enable municipalities to plan for waste management and diversion in a more integrated way. The policy statement would reco nize advances g already made by many municipalities in terms of long-term waste management planning and assist those municipalities which are at earlier sta es of this rocess. It would also g p recognize the difference between small and large municipalities. New municipal waste management planning and the provincial policy for an integrated waste management system are important steps in creating a waste management system that recognizes producer responsibility, respects municipal ratepayers, gives municipalities options for waste management and diversion and allows responsible energy creation from waste. Today's announcement follows previous provincial initiatives responding to AMO's position on waste management including: • The LCBD deposit return initiative; • Recognition of the importance of new technologies include energy recovery technologies; • New Regulations under the Environmental Assessment Act and amendments under the Environmental Protection Actfor waste recycling, alternative fuels, and newlemerging technologies; and • Anew policy for the diversion of Municipal Household Hazardous and Special Waste. Action: AMO will continue to monitor the implementation of the Province's integrated waste management strategy and report to members. Members are encouraged to review and comment on the proposed provincial waste management policy statement on the Environmental Bill of Rights Registry at www.ebr.gov.on.ca; EBR number 010-0420. Comments will continue to be received by MOE on the EBR until July 27, 2007. This information is available in the Policy Issues section of the AMO website at f1 ~' Y f! M Y. M6 Q 9 1 A.O a UA n e 4°'4N . `' rs:;.:,.:..::~:,~ .::.:.:::..::.: {£~:. :~-~~$ ,;~~<: N~:... ~$ ~. ;~:; A ~j,~ .~~:: :w: :;: ~. i ~:Ymi?~:u .n<,r, ~::::: ti..: - .:: Association of 2-2 Municipalities of Ontario ~,,,,m.. ...,, .., „:.::...:::• : :. .:.:..::....:.:.~:::::::::•.:.:::.::::.....:.:.:.:~•Rw:Oi:Aii:iY\vi':i':R+i?>ii:i:i.:::.:.i:.::ii:.~:•iiii:Mi:::;:,;..::..:::.:::.....::.::::::::•:.:•.:::::::.':::::::::::.::::::::::::::.~::::::::::•:.~::::::::..;............................. ..................... ~ ~ ..............................:....:........:......................................n........:....:::.~:::::/.w:n~:::.~::::::::::::::::::,vvn~.~:::!i.: v: nvii ~4iii:Miisvi:Jiii%iiiiii:~i:^iiiii:4)ii:Liii::Jii:R^iiiiiiii:ii%•iiiiiiii:R.i?isO:R:Siii:^i:Liiiiiiiiii:iii:M::~iii:v RRpii'.:tt:.ii':::i•i':•~:::::.~:::::.:~::::.::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::.:::::::::::::. `(7/12/2007) Dean lorfida - 07,07,11fy.i respo.nse.to MHSW..pdf. .....::..:.:.:::.:::::..:...:. ......... .. Pa e 1 200 University Ave, Suite 601 :~>;<:;;<:«_;::<;; Toronto, ON M5H 3C6 .. .'~";"`:".:" '~ Tel.: (416) 971-9656 ~ Fax: (416) 971-6191 t°;<~_~. R~.:t::F ~ Association o~ Mu€~iciPaiiti~ of Ontario : :::: E-mail: amo@amo.on.ca .~';>:` <~R::.: ~~<;:w~ ~~,... ~`:. DER CO M ~1CAT0 >~ Zvi ~~: o7ro~a :: H::. To the mention of the Clerk and Council Fay ~~~~ iNFORi~ATioN CONTACT, July 11, 2001 Milena Avramovic, AMO Senior Policy Advisor (416) 971-9856 ext 342 AMO/AMRC Response to MHSW Issue: AMO/AMRC responds to the EBR posting on the Municipal Hazardous or Special Waste Plan (MHSVI~. Background: The Minister of the Environment designated MHSW in December of 2006 and requested the completion of the Plan by May 31, 2007. The Plan was completed and approved by Waste Diversion Ontario and submitted to the Minister forapproval. The Ministry placed the Plan on the Environmental Bill of Rights for consultation. AMO and AMRC provided comments on the Plan which we include far your information. Action: For your information. This information is available i n the Policy Issues section of the AMO website at ~~~.arno.on,ca. Assa+~iation of 1.1 Municipalities of t~nta~io .............m,.,,,.,,~m „~., ,,,.m..m,m...„ m. ... ~ :: :. , .. .. :: ..",'. S^~ .~. :. Iv ;%,. .)., ......+; •:;.: yd:;::, .+::.::•>: .:: i:;f .: .... .... ... .. .. ... .. ... :yp'F.9::p:Yii:W:Y. i:':!v:•+,::.. .:: ,>;:Yi:Y...:.:,, ::..: (7112/2007) Dean lorfida 470710fyi Extended Producer Responsibility Discussion Paper. df Pa e 1 _. W ..._ ~.... ... .::..:..:..::...:..: :::.. 200 University Ave, Suite 801 ;:.•<a«;k,w>: Toronto, ON M5H 3C6 ~''r~YA"~"~~~`~`~;~`~` * Tel.: (416) 971.9856 (Fax: (416) 971-6191 ~~~~;:;,. E-mail: amo~amo.on.ca x<~'-;:~:;.<::~.;> Association of Mc~nicipaiitie; of C~ntaric~ Y::. .~:.. ~;<x;,: M BR c0 I~ UICAI~O ~~~ Apr 07.013 ~.,~~~ H; To the attention of the Clerk and Council iao~ i~o~~ i~iFO~i~ATioiu cot~TACr~ July 11, 2001 Miilena Avramovic, Senior Policy Advisor (416) 971-9856 ext 342 AMO Board Approves the Extended Producer Responsibility Discussion Paper Issue: The Association of Municipal ities ofOntario (AMO) approves the discussion paper on Extended Producer Res~ponsibilty (EPR). Background: In February of 2001, AMO/AMRC released a discussion paper on EPR for consultation to the AMO and AMRC membership. This paper focused on the inequities of the current Blue Box funding mechanism and proposed anew funding mechanism through which the industry would pay 100% of the casts for non-recove red Consumer Packaging and Printed Paper (CPPP}, This was accompanied by a listof recommendations of how to improve the effectiveness of the Blue Box through litter reduction initiatives, strengthening recycling markets and encouraging EPR ata federal level. As a result of the comments received during the consultation period from both municipalities and industry, the discussion paper was modified to recommend a phased-in approach to full EPR for C PPP. The first phase would estab lish a 50% cost sharing arrangement between industry and municipalities for the full cost of recyclable CPPP, which includes a portion of litter and garbage costs. The second phase calls fora full EPR system that requires industry to take on 100% of the full cost of all CPPP. AMO also consulted on the revised paper and received tremendous support from member municipal governments. The AMO Board of Directors approved the revised paper at its June Board meeting. Action: For your information. This informafion is available i n fhe Policy Issues section of the AMO websife at www.ama.c~n.ca. Association of 1-1 N~unicipar~ti~s of ontario ,~ Issue: Today in Peterborough, Ontario Premier, the Honourable Dalton McGuinty, announced $20M in grants to help municipalities to undertake greenhouse gas reduction projects. Background: The Premier announced today that the Province will provide $20M over three years to help municipal governments undertake projects that will reduce greenhouse gas (GHG} emissions. The grants will also be accompanied by $200M in low interest loans through Infrastructure Ontario. Funding will be available to municipal governments to undertake projects that improve energy efficiency in building stocks that can cut down on energy usage. Eligible projects might include such things as upgrades to heating, cooling and lighting systems as well as insulation in walls, roofs and windows. The Premier noted that details of the program such as funding allocations and mechanisms will be developed and implemented through consultation with AMO and other stakeholders. AMO will keep members up-to-date on developments. Action: Members are encouraged to read the news release and to look for furtherAMO communications on the program. This informa Lion is available in the Policy Issues section of the AMO website at www. arno. on. ca. Association of ~.~ I~unicipal~ties of ontario 25 Municipalities Now Saving Money Through Bulk Purchasing of Electricity With LAS Local Authority Services (LAS), a wholly owned subsidiary of AMO, is working with a group of 25 municipalities to help them save money on required electricity purchases while avoiding the risk associated with the end of the Ontario Government's Regulated Price Plan (RPP). LAS has established an Electricity Procurement Program to bulk purchase electricity directly from suppliers, This program has helped 25 municipalities proactively control their electricity costs and exit the RPP in advance of the scheduled April 2008 termination of the program. When the RPP ceases to exist, municipal organizations will be required to pay the hourly market rate for electricity which will create a volatile marketplace with little to no price predictability. As of July 1, 2007, the first "pool" of municipalities involved in this new LAS program are now saving an average of 4% to 8% compared to current RPP rates for most of their accounts, and upwards of 35% (depending on the month) for `off-peak' street lighting accounts. In addition to cost savings through bulk purchasing, the LAS program also provides predictability and budgetability for all program members given that the pool #1 purchase was fora 12-month term. There is a two-part buying strategy that LAS will employ to secure the best results for program members: 1 } Upon enrolment street lights will be moved from the RPP to the spot market 2} The vast majority of each municipality's remaining electricity requirement will be hedged with a small portion of required usage being left to the spot market to provide flexibility and avoid claims of speculation. As the scheduled end of the RPP is approaching, municipalities may want to consider their energy management options. The LAS program offers a way to exit the plan and secure advantageous and predictable pricing for municipal electricity requirements. There is great interest in this program and LAS will take subsequent "pools" of municipalities to market to purchase electricity as load profiles are completed and necessary Agreements Association of ~.Z Municipalities of ontario ~1er~ber ~omrnunicti~r~ and Resolutions are executed by municipalities. It is expected that a second "pool" of municipalities will be taken to the market in late September. About LAS: ::.:~::~H~~~.t. ~... ~l:~. ~~: LAS' mandate is to work with municipalities and Ontario's broader public sector to reducenth cost of their ex endi r n 'n #` to es a d i crease revenues throu h the nnci les of economies-of p g p p ~ :::.::::::::::::::::~,: scale and co-operative procurement efforts. This information is available in the Policy Issues section of the AMO website at www, ago. on. ca and on the LAS website at www.las. on. ca. ~ssoci~tion of 2-2 Municipalities of E~ntario ;~ iilew Program Administrator Effective Jur7e 1, 2007 and after a competitive RFP process, Energy Advanta e is the new ro ram many er workin with LAS to ` g p g 9 g ~~ ,. administer the LAS Natural Gas Pro ram. ~~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~~~~. '. g ~~.. ,,,~ Energy Advantage has a successful track record delivering natural gas services to clients with multiple members/facilities that are geographically dispersed, as is the case with the LAS program. The company also offers many added benefits to all LAS program members: • Management of day to day program administration and independent, objective assessment of purchasing opportunities • Annual reporting to all municipal program members, both at the organizational and individual account level to facilitate budgeting and energyconservationplanning • Consistent program oversight through detailed reporting to LAS, LAS Energy Advisory Committee and the LAS Board of Directors Note to Program members: Going forward, your utility bills will show Energy Advantage ~s your n~tur~l gas supplier - do not be concerned by this change as they are the new LAS Natural Gas Administrator, Bur~get Time - lLAS Rrogram Pricing This program continues to deliver value by hedging the vast majorityof each member's natural gas requirements (typically 80% - 90% for each year) through forward contracts. This level of risk management will provide continued peace of mind and budgetabilityfor program members. 1n/ith this objective in mind, 75% of the current program requirements have been fixed in for the 2007-08 program year (effective Nov. 1, 2007 to October 31, ZU08) at a price of approximately 31.0 cents/m~. This pricing is secure but given that ~5% of program requirements are still outstanding please budget cautiously - we suggest forecasting a rate of 33-34 cents for natural gas for the 2007-08 program year. Forprogram members interested in longer range budgeting, for the period starting Nov 1, 2008, 60% of current program requirements have already been fixed in at a price of 31,25 cents/m~. Please note that these costs do not ', include the transportation and delivery rate costs charged byyour natural gas utility. For a complete breakdown of the natural gas cost based on your utility. click ~~~ere car visit tf~~e I..AS wef~site at Market Qverview Often the short-term price of natural gas reflects actual technical trading effects such as weather and hurricane activity which is why prices are often very volatile. Natural gas prices are currently in the $O.Z5/m3 area but as crude oil prices rise as we enter the potential storm season for the Gulf region, and as we face the risk of hot summer weather, there is an increasing potential for significantly increased natural gas prices in the coming months. The forward market is always priced to account for this volatilitywhich is why forward prices can sometimes appear out of line. CONTINUED ON PAGE ~ Enroll~nt~/`Adding new Accounts to the Program Any Ontario municipality can join the LAS Natural Gas Program by contacting the LAS Program Coordinator to receive all necessary enrollment documents. New members are accepted into the program at November 1 of each year tthis is the program year start date, but to be included in the program at November 1 all enrollment documents must be received no later than August 15. For more information please contact the LAS Program Coordinator, Current program members can also add any new accounts to the program at November 1 of each year. In late July all program members will receive a list of all accounts currently enrolled in the program so that you can review it for completeness and add any new/additional accounts. Alternatively, you can forward a utility invoice for each new account to the LAS Program Coordinatoralong with clear directions to add these accounts to the program for November 1. If an account is already on contract with another natural gas provideryou must obtain a release from this contract- a contract termination template letter can be found on the LAS website ~:-~t v^,~v~~~,i~as.on.c~: @ a Glance [u~r~nt ~r~-r~r~ ~~r~r~ ~~uc~d Effective July 1, 2007 the LAS Natural Gas~rogram price will be reduced from $,3526/m3 to $.3450/m but note that transportation prices are separate -for more info...,c.lick hc~~rc:~ or visit tf~~e 1..7'iS we(•_~site at w~~v~~vf.ias.on,ca The LAS Natural Gas Program is designed to achieve savings for municipalities through the bulk procurement of natural gas. Utilizing the proven expertise of Energy Advantage, the program currently purchases more than l O,000GJ of natural gas for over 2,200 physical locations within 175 municipalities and other public sector organizations. The ongoing Natural Gas Procurement Program strategy is simple: 1. Prices Below Market Value -program members saved 14% over utility gas rates in 2006. 2. Budgetabiliry -blended annual prices allow members to confidently budget for future energy costs. 3. Maximize Purchasing Power -leveraging economies-of scale, program hedges majority of required gas utilizing futures contracts. Seasonal Volatility in Market Prices ::~~~~~E:ir~~.~ec:i frorr~ MAPKET C:~VEI<VIE'~Xl, ~:~ac~e 1, The market has experienced some Spot Market Price History fluctuation in pricing going from the Last 36 months $0.27/m3 area in late May, to current lows of $0.25 inmid-June but CAD/GJ forward prices for the November 2007 -October 2008 period are in the $0.32/m~ range (or $8.30/GJ' - this is consistent with the LAS program price for the same period. As of June 7th, North American For more information on LAS programs contact: Jason Hagan, LAS Program Coordinator jhagan@amo.on.ca ~ (416) 971-9856x.320 ~~~ t~~`~'~J ~-~'~~?"t"~, L'~~. ~~ LAS is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. „ ,..,... r...~,.~~..,.,,,~..,,~..~~.,~....~...,..,,~,. .............. ............:. .4v v::.,, ': x (711 x/2007} Dean lorfida -Community Showcase Conference.pdf ae ~....._. : Y..~W .. ;:..:.:. :.:..::... . .. :..:::::::.::~.:......:::.::::::.:::..::.:::....:4:,.::..:..:.::.:::..::::..:: ,::... .......::..,:..:.,.:......::::....:.: .......{».... ....:.:.:.:.:::::..::.:::..:.::.::.:::::::4:.:...:......:::...:..:.:.......4:.:.::.. ;8< ~:~~~:~' ~H4.:.(' .'~ Showcase, your`mmunit~ This CommunityS~owcaseCor~f promote themselvesto developnE