I am a firm believer information such as what I am about to type should never be withheld from the general public especially when it involves taxpayer money.
How many are familiar with what a homeowner has to pay for water consumption and sewage treatment compared to other municipalities?
As most should know all water and sewage treatment for The Town of Pelham is provided through the City of Welland. Are you aware a Pelham resident pays $.889 per cubic meter of water while a resident of Welland pays $ 1.1294 per cubic meter of water?
Are you aware a Pelham resident pays $.909 per cubic meter for sewage treatment while a Welland resident is paying $1.6689 per cubic meter for sewage treatment?
Both municipalities pay the Niagara Region the same; water $0.512 per cubic meter, sewer $0.613 per cubic meter treated.
Are you aware Welland residents pay for all unaccountable water while Pelham residents pay??????
Are you aware in 2006 Welland's consumption of water was 8,521,546 cubic meters when only 6,605,248 cubic meters were accounted for and paid plus 1,916,298 cubic meters of unaccounted water, 22.53%, was paid for that we did not use, supposedly 32%?
Are you aware the factor of 32% used for unaccountable water is wrong according to city engineer Shantz who indicated back a number of months the figure should be around 22%?
All of the above figures were taken from the Regional and Welland records.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Municipalities can be sued
This information may not seem important to some and even trivial to others but this report involves every municipality across Canada. There are some municipalities that are already using this suing process against their respective municipalities.
This lack of public information is one reason why Eyes on City Hall was formed back in 1998 as at that time there was a perception people did not need to know everything that went on in their municipality, region, province,and country. "What they don't know won't hurt them " is the wrong attitude to take.
This writer and Eyes on City Hall are very careful on what we write. The information is garnered from newspapers and periodicals all across the province and country, information Eyes know has not appeared in local papers.
The following is a copy of a press release by Greater Toronto Sewer and Watermain Construction Association (GTSWCA) for the public dated March 01, 2007. "Municipalities increasingly ON THE HOOK for damages from poorly maintained water and sewer pipes. Increasingly Canadian homeowners and businesses are successfully suing municipalities for damages resulting from sewer and watermain failures, and local governments had better wake up to the fact that their aging underground pipes pose serious risk of liability. That's the conclusion of well-known Toronto environmental lawyer Dianne Saxe. In her report commissioned by the Ontario Water and Sewer Construction Association (OSWCA) she says municipalities face civil suits and even quasi-criminal prosecutions if they fail to adequately inspect,maintain, repair, and replace their aging underground infrastructures. Lawyer Saxe goes on to say this may come as a shock to many municipalities because they believe they are protected by statutory authority and statutory immunity" NOT SO" notes Saxe.There are several cases where municipalities have been held responsible for property damage resulting from sewer and drain backups and broken watermains"
The above is an exert taken from the (GTSWCA) press release in Toronto on Thursday March 1, 2007.
This is a severe problem right across the country, a problem that every citizen in Canada should be made aware in the event one experiences such damages.
This lack of public information is one reason why Eyes on City Hall was formed back in 1998 as at that time there was a perception people did not need to know everything that went on in their municipality, region, province,and country. "What they don't know won't hurt them " is the wrong attitude to take.
This writer and Eyes on City Hall are very careful on what we write. The information is garnered from newspapers and periodicals all across the province and country, information Eyes know has not appeared in local papers.
The following is a copy of a press release by Greater Toronto Sewer and Watermain Construction Association (GTSWCA) for the public dated March 01, 2007. "Municipalities increasingly ON THE HOOK for damages from poorly maintained water and sewer pipes. Increasingly Canadian homeowners and businesses are successfully suing municipalities for damages resulting from sewer and watermain failures, and local governments had better wake up to the fact that their aging underground pipes pose serious risk of liability. That's the conclusion of well-known Toronto environmental lawyer Dianne Saxe. In her report commissioned by the Ontario Water and Sewer Construction Association (OSWCA) she says municipalities face civil suits and even quasi-criminal prosecutions if they fail to adequately inspect,maintain, repair, and replace their aging underground infrastructures. Lawyer Saxe goes on to say this may come as a shock to many municipalities because they believe they are protected by statutory authority and statutory immunity" NOT SO" notes Saxe.There are several cases where municipalities have been held responsible for property damage resulting from sewer and drain backups and broken watermains"
The above is an exert taken from the (GTSWCA) press release in Toronto on Thursday March 1, 2007.
This is a severe problem right across the country, a problem that every citizen in Canada should be made aware in the event one experiences such damages.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
A glass of clean water on Canada Day
This morning, July 1, 2007, while having a glass of cool clean water I reflect on how lucky we are to live in a country with so much to offer such as a glass of germ free water while all of those unfortunate people in Africa where populations are dying like flies for the lack of clean water, food to fill their stomachs, and medical supplies to help the sick. Yes thousands are dying while here in Welland we waste water with little concern for the desperate and destitute.
Here in Welland we insist on carrying on the flushing of millions of cubic meters of clean germ free treated water into ditches 24 hours a day, 365 days a year while in Africa people trek miles for a drink of water that is in most cases contaminated. We double our water consumption in the summer with abandon.
We continue to water lawns through out the day regardless of being told it is a waste as the water evaporates in the heat.
A Conservation Committee was set up by the city with one chief purpose, that being to educate the people on how to conserve water but in their itinerary this committee seems to have forgotten one very important segment in water conservation, a segment the province has been centering on for quite some time, LAWN WATERING,the misuse which doubles in the summer months. Our city council and Conservation Committee who are in a position to put a handle on this misuse just sit back and do nothing. These same parties don't even make a statement to defend their position.
What good are they????
Here in Welland we insist on carrying on the flushing of millions of cubic meters of clean germ free treated water into ditches 24 hours a day, 365 days a year while in Africa people trek miles for a drink of water that is in most cases contaminated. We double our water consumption in the summer with abandon.
We continue to water lawns through out the day regardless of being told it is a waste as the water evaporates in the heat.
A Conservation Committee was set up by the city with one chief purpose, that being to educate the people on how to conserve water but in their itinerary this committee seems to have forgotten one very important segment in water conservation, a segment the province has been centering on for quite some time, LAWN WATERING,the misuse which doubles in the summer months. Our city council and Conservation Committee who are in a position to put a handle on this misuse just sit back and do nothing. These same parties don't even make a statement to defend their position.
What good are they????
Toilet Day July 7, 2007
I stand to be corrected but I believe toilet day is scheduled for July 7, 2007 which I presume will be held at most of the retailers listed on the established toilet list put out by the Conservation Committee???
For this reason I am writing this letter for the benefit of every probable low flow toilet buyer to study before buying. There are a number of toilets that have been approved at a choice of prices so for those who are price conscious one should shop around to not only take advantage of the $60.00 rebate but also a possible lower cost.
For those who intend to buy one or more of these toilets while shopping around make sure you ask a few questions. Are original replacement parts available? Is the toilet tank lined? Can another make of replacement part be used?Is the tank to bowel hardware solid brass, not brass coated steel? Does the retailer stock the replacement parts?
Now for those who bought these toilets and intend to install the toilet themselves in lieu of hiring a plumber here are a few things to remember when installing the toilet. Use either a Kant leak wax seal or two(2)1/2" sponge rubber gaskets to fit the horn of the bowl.Use solid brass closet bolts, nuts ,and washers, not brass coated steel. Use a braided closet supply with an angle stop instead of a chrome plated flexible supply as they are much easier to handle. Finally when fastening the tank to the bowel do not use a wrench to pull down the nuts and bolts. Use your fingers and make the nuts and bolts finger tight.
For those who want to keep their old toilet here are a few suggestions on how to lower the litre per flush. The most familiar method is a plastic jug of water or pebbles with a sealed cap set on the tank's bottom where it will not get in the way with the tank mechanism. One can save about 45 litres of water per day. DO NOT put bricks in the tank as they deteriorate, dispersing grit into the mechanism. One can also bend the float rod down which will shrink the water level in the tank. There are other gadgets on he market such as the toilet dam, toilet fill cycle diverter, and frugal flush flappers. All of these gadgets should be available at your local toilet retailer.
BE CAREFUL AND BE PRICE CONSCIOUS
For this reason I am writing this letter for the benefit of every probable low flow toilet buyer to study before buying. There are a number of toilets that have been approved at a choice of prices so for those who are price conscious one should shop around to not only take advantage of the $60.00 rebate but also a possible lower cost.
For those who intend to buy one or more of these toilets while shopping around make sure you ask a few questions. Are original replacement parts available? Is the toilet tank lined? Can another make of replacement part be used?Is the tank to bowel hardware solid brass, not brass coated steel? Does the retailer stock the replacement parts?
Now for those who bought these toilets and intend to install the toilet themselves in lieu of hiring a plumber here are a few things to remember when installing the toilet. Use either a Kant leak wax seal or two(2)1/2" sponge rubber gaskets to fit the horn of the bowl.Use solid brass closet bolts, nuts ,and washers, not brass coated steel. Use a braided closet supply with an angle stop instead of a chrome plated flexible supply as they are much easier to handle. Finally when fastening the tank to the bowel do not use a wrench to pull down the nuts and bolts. Use your fingers and make the nuts and bolts finger tight.
For those who want to keep their old toilet here are a few suggestions on how to lower the litre per flush. The most familiar method is a plastic jug of water or pebbles with a sealed cap set on the tank's bottom where it will not get in the way with the tank mechanism. One can save about 45 litres of water per day. DO NOT put bricks in the tank as they deteriorate, dispersing grit into the mechanism. One can also bend the float rod down which will shrink the water level in the tank. There are other gadgets on he market such as the toilet dam, toilet fill cycle diverter, and frugal flush flappers. All of these gadgets should be available at your local toilet retailer.
BE CAREFUL AND BE PRICE CONSCIOUS
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Salaries over $125,000.00
A few months ago, as a matter of fact it was just after April 1, 2007, the date when all Ontario businesses must report salaries paid the previous year over $100,000.00 that I started to check if those affected by this law in the Niagara Region had revealed their lists. Our local paper printed the respective lists with one noticeable exception, Niagara College I checked with the local paper to see if I missed the college list but received no reply.
I proceeded to check with the college by E mail to see if I could obtain their list. After seven (7) tries with no reply I gave up.
The other day while on the Internet I came across a complete list of businesses in the Niagara Region affected by this ruling , a list which included Niagara College in the St. Catharine's Standard.
For those interested here is the Niagara College list starting at $125,000.00 not $100,000.00 as per the ruling.
Martha Casson,V/P. international, $133.639.
Steven Hudson, V/P. of corporate services,$158,000.
Daniel Patterson, president,$210,000.
Barry Sharpe, associate V/P, academic, $145,501. Welland councilor
My question, how many are on the $100,000 up to $125,000.?
Monday, July 2, 2007
Why a blog??
The reason I started this blog was in response to many asking me about Municipal, Regional, Provincial, and Federal matters that do not always appear in the local papers or if they do there is not always a complete story. It is not that I know more than the local papers it is I follow all major newspapers and find on many occasions some information that was not printed in the local papers.
This blog is an attempt to keep those interested in every day issues aware of all of the points.
This writer tries to get points across by writing to the local papers but has found on numerous occasions the letters submitted were not printed.
Again, this writer as per the Freedom of Rights expresses opinions and expressions that at times some may not agree with and that is their right.
This blog is an attempt to keep those interested in every day issues aware of all of the points.
This writer tries to get points across by writing to the local papers but has found on numerous occasions the letters submitted were not printed.
Again, this writer as per the Freedom of Rights expresses opinions and expressions that at times some may not agree with and that is their right.
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