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Here is a LINK to the newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/ec5f99bf5d14/ava-news-brief-april-9131899
By Zachary Roman, Caledon Citizen "The Alton Village Association scored 29 points and will receive $6,000 to expand their community pollinator and vegetable gardens. The association plans to add three new gardens to the Alton Village square with over 100 new plants, as well as publish educational materials to act as a guide for the community gardens." Link Here to read more.  This Town of Caledon Emergency Council Meeting is still available online and is very informative if you want to understand the potential impacts of Bill 23, More Homes Built Faster Act 2022 on our community. Presentation of the memorandums start about 14 minutes in. CLICK HERE  Hi everyone, On behalf of the Directors of your Alton Village Association we want to post this update. Again this year we will not be hosting any event at the Village Square but will be LIGHTING OUR CHRISTMAS TREE on December 1, 2022. Your AVA Directors want to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas, and a healthy and prosperous New Year. Please take care and stay safe. Sincerely Mary Cooney President AVA  Concerned citizens are encouraged to join Forks of the Credit Preservation Group. The proposed project location of this blasting quarry, is less than 2 km. south of Alton Village, and is posted on the CBM Caledon Quarry website. Link: Reform Gravel Mining Coalition The DAMN! campaign is endorsed by a diverse range of community groups also opposing new approvals for gravel mining in their communities.  by Steve Hertzberg, Historic Alton Schoolhouse Committee (HASC) The Historic Alton Schoolhouse has been vacant for the past eight years. During this time, community efforts have taken place to have the Town renovate and preserve this heritage landmark building for public use. In 2018, the Town hired consultants to do a Feasibility Study that made recommendations for the Schoolhouse reuse – but no action followed. See link below to the Study. Last year, the AVA formed the Historic Alton Schoolhouse Committee to re-engage the Town in discussions on the future of the Schoolhouse – The Committee’s Vision for the Schoolhouse is (like other communities have recreation centres) – The West Caledon Creative Community Hub is a meeting space for residents, community groups and tourists to thrive by supporting their learning, leisure and social needs through a variety of quality programs and services. On January 20, 2022 the Committee met with Town officials and Councillors Kiernan & Sinclair to discuss how to best move forward together. The Committee made a Presentation for the Schoolhouse reuse that included: 1) Delivery of the Town’s recreation + leisure programs, 2) A store selling locally made products, and 3) A One Room Museum showcasing local history exhibits. See link below to the Presentation. There have been further exchanges with the Town since January, but with COVID-19 things have moved slowly. When we have a better idea of what direction the Town would like to proceed, we will be back to the community with a further update. Link: Presentation for the Schoolhouse reuse from HASC. Link: Feasibility Report - The Old Alton Public School  The Veggie Gardens by Emily Quinton, Director, AGA, (Alton Village Square Gardens Committee), April, 2022 Did you know that the Alton Village Square is home to 4 raised planters and a number of perennial fruit shrubs like currants and gooseberries? For the last few years, I’ve had the pleasure of planting, weeding and watering this space for the community to taste, enjoy and watch grow. This year we have an exciting new addition to the square – a pollinator planter! Attracting pollinator species to a space is critical for many of the reasons that Julie explains under the Alton Village Butterflyway news, but some of the vegetable varieties planted in the raised beds (such as pumpkin, squash, zucchini and cucumber) also require the work of pollinators to produce fruit. This year, you can expect to see a variety of vegetables in the Village Square garden including tomatoes, squash, kale, peppers, onions, herbs, carrots and peas. Soil and compost are being added next week, and planting will begin on the first weekend of June. Please feel free to stop by and see what’s growing! edit.  by Julie Pomeroy, Director, AVA (Alton Village Butterflyway Project Committee) The Alton Village Butterflyway is an initiative of the Alton Village Association. We are a group of keen volunteers, residents and businesses, creating native habitat, "one fun butterfly-friendly" planting at a time. We do what we can to help the environment, create beautiful spaces, and promote community well-being with the wonderful gardens that we plant. Our mission is to promote and plant a network of diverse and sustainable native plant gardens in our community, that will meet the objectives of the David Suzuki (DSF) Butterflyway, add colourful character to our neighbourhood and foster a spirit of community pride now and for future generations. This year a planter has been selected in the Alton Village Square to initiate our first butterfly garden. THANK YOU to Lynx and Hare Cycles, Stephan Schneider and Shannon McCauley, for your kind and generous offer to sponsor this garden. The plants have been ordered and planting will begin sometime in June. Please come join us! Links for more information:  The Town of Caledon has one Heritage Conservation District (HCD) in the Village of Bolton and is working on a second Heritage Conservation District in Alton. A Heritage Conservation District designation includes buildings, streets, landscapes and views within a specific area. By designating a Heritage Conservation District, a municipality can manage and guide future change to preserve the identity of a heritage community as outlined in Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act.  by Mary Cooney, President, AVA Directors from the AVA and members from our community and others have joined together to form the West Caledon Communities Group (WCCG). Our objectives are to address common community concerns raised by our residents. The WCCG is comprised of the following members:
We support a Caledon Village bypass to handle growing traffic concerns. We thank our local politicians for Ward 1 and Ward 2 and Town of Caledon staff for their ongoing support of WCCG. The current representatives from Alton on the WCCG are AVA Directors: Pam Stratton, Eric Wood, and Mary Cooney. Residents from the village have also participated. Link: Presentation to Town of Caledon on September 21, 2021  by Steve Hertzberg, AV Environmental Assessment Committee As most residents are aware, the Town of Caledon is planning road reconstruction to Alton on Queen Street West and Main Street North. To this end, they recently completed the Alton Environmental Study Report that included consultations and technical studies. In addressing the need to reconstruct the road, the Report recommends improvements to active transportation (pedestrian and cyclist) facilities, rehabilitation of the Main Street Bridge (at Queen Street), improvements to drainage and stormwater management and enhancing the streetscape throughout the Village. See link below to the Report. However, the Report only includes some 30% of the design decisions – while laying out recommendations for decisions to be made next - in the “Detailed Design and Consultation Phase”. Further, most areas of concern raised by residents will only be addressed in the Detailed Design Phase planned for later in 2022. Reconstruction work is planned for 2024. For this Detailed Design Phase, the AVA is reaching out to strengthen relationships with Town officials. Also, to ensure the best possible outcome, we have requested improved consultation and decision making processes. In reply to date, the Town has committed “to the involvement of key stakeholders such as the Alton Village Association during detail design on key items including streetlighting (type, placement, shielding etc.), streetscaping (locations, types), and traffic calming measures (locations and types).” There is much community work ahead to preserve our Village’s unique character. Link: Alton Village Environmental Assessment - Town of Caledon  In the News: "Proposed quarry project in Cataract brings residents together to protect water"7/22/2021 Link Here to read the article by Rob Paul published in the Caledon Citizen
" To bring attention and awareness to a potential quarry project in Cataract, multiple environmental groups have banded together to protest the proposal by Canadian Building Materials (CBM), a division of St. Marys Cement, a subsidiary of Brazilian company Votorantim Cimentos. Last week the groups held a protest to help spark the conversation. Over a year ago, St. Marys publicly announced their intention to apply for a quarry in the Cataract area. It was indicated the quarry would be upwards of 800 acres and nearly 100 feet deep. “We have to think globally and act locally,” said WW Campaign Director Mike Balkwill. “Gravel mining, the extraction and consumption of aggregates makes a significant contribution to the climate crisis. If the cement industry was a country, it would be the third largest emitter of CO2 globally.” Read more... A Message to the Village of Alton was received from Mayor Allan Thompson this morning. Construction of the ALTON SKATE SPOT is expected to begin on June 1st and be completed August 6th, 2021. The construction works include the installation of a new skate park facility, concrete pathway, and associated drainage works. A small area of the existing parking lot will be utilized as a construction staging area, however the remainder of the parking lot will remain in full use. Access to the existing playground, baseball field, and pump track will all be maintained throughout the duration of construction. New Line Skateparks Inc. is the contractor completing the works.  Hi everyone, we want to pass on the new website for the Forks of the Credit Preservation Group. These folks are committed to stopping the proposed CBM St. Marys Quarry in Caledon. Please have a look and register on the site to add your voice if you oppose this mega quarry.
The site address: fcpreservation.ca This a.m. your AVA Directors received an update to be shared with our village on Osprey Mills subdivision. They are nearing the launch of the both the sales and initial construction phases of the subdivision project located on Queen and Mississauga Rd..
Floor plans, renderings, sales materials and project website are also nearing completion and they expect the sales program will launch in late May/early June. Signs will be posted on both the Queen Street and Mississauga Road sides of the project in the coming weeks. They have installed temporary hydro connections on the site for the construction trailer/office that will be delivered to the site in the coming weeks. Construction of a home at the Mississauga entrance will serve as the sales centre, as well as three other homes, are expected to commence in June. Their building partner will ensure that all project trades and suppliers are instructed to access the project by coming up Mississauga Road rather than via Alton/Main Street. While it will be necessary for them to use the Queen Street entrance to the project at times, they will be asked to access this entrance via Mississauga Road. Further information will be shared as updates become relevant. This will include any regarding their timelines for commencement of construction at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley. April 9, 2021
Good morning Alton. Your Alton Village Association (AVA) has received the following invitation from CBM Canada Building Materials / St Marys Cement regarding the purposed Quarry. CBM’s proposed quarry site is located between Main Street/Cataract Road and Mississauga Road, around Charleston Sideroad, and is identified as an area of High Potential for aggregate development in the Region of Peel and Town of Caledon Official Plans. The proposal is still in a very early stages of development. CBM has held a series of virtual meetings with neighbours within a kilometer of the potential site, as well as a larger Caledon Open House on April 7, which included invitations to the residents of Alton. They are planning a separate virtual presentation and Q&A on the proposed quarry for Alton members of the Alton Village Association and we are including any residents or businesses in the Village of Alton. The on-line meeting will be held on: Tuesday April 20, 2021 from 6-7pm. If you are interested in attending, please email [email protected] and an invitation for the session will be sent to you  Hello everyone, As you may recall, CBM Aggregates scheduled a public open house event almost a year ago today to discuss our proposed Caledon Quarry project. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we needed to postpone the event indefinitely. As it became apparent that public gatherings were going to be difficult to facilitate we researched ways that we could substitute an in-person public open house event with something that achieved the purpose of keeping the public informed, but at the same time (and most importantly) keeping everyone safe. As a result, CBM will be hosting a virtual community town hall to provide an update to the community regarding the proposed project. The virtual community town hall is scheduled for Wednesday April 7, 2021 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. and will provide an opportunity for members of the public to hear an update presentation on the project, followed by some time to ask questions to CBM staff and their consulting team. If you’re interested in attending the virtual community town hall, please refer to the attached notice to find further details on the event. If you are a neighbour that is in closer proximity to the proposed project, you would have already had the opportunity to attend a ‘near neighbour’ virtual session earlier this month; however, you are more than welcome to also attend this larger community event. Please note that you may also receive notification of this meeting (similar to the attached) in the mail as well. If you have any questions regarding the content of the virtual community town hall or the project in general, please do not hesitate to reach out to the representatives of CBM listed in the invite, which includes myself. We look forward to ‘meeting’ you at the virtual community town hall. Best regards, David David Hanratty, P.Geo. Votorantim Cimentos North American Aggregates | Director of Land & Resources [email protected] Phone: 416 696 4459 Mobile: 705 930 6180 55 Industrial Street Toronto ON M4G 3W9 ________________________________ votorantimcimentos.com www.stmaryscement.com March 23, 2021
Update from the Alton Village Association re Purposed Quarry South of Alton. St. Marys Cement Company has now provided Alton Villagers with a date for us to join a meeting re the purposed Quarry Date: Tuesday, April 20th. 2021 Time: 6-7pm. On Line. Link will be posted once we are notified. The meeting will be about a 15 minute presentation, followed by 45 minutes of Q&A. We have also been advised, that all residents of Alton will also receive an invite shortly to a larger community meeting that will take place April 7. The whole town of Caledon is invited to this one. The meeting on the 20th will just be for Alton residents, but you are welcome to attend both. As previously advise Quarry. St. Marys Cement Company CBM Aggregates is in the process of preparing for an upcoming application to licence and operate a limestone quarry. The site is located between Main Street/Cataract Road and Mississauga Road, along Charleston Sideroad, and is identified as having a High Potential for aggregate development in both the Region of Peel and Town of Caledon Official Plans. The proposal is still at a very early stage of development. It is our understanding that the assembly of land by St. Marys in the SW quadrant of Charleston Sideroad and Cataract Road consists of 285.76 acres, of which 47.216 acres are within the Settlement Area of the Hamlet of Cataract. (All 47.216 acres are also within the Niagara Escarpment Plan). The owners of Osprey Golf Course have entered into a 35-year Lease and Royalty Agreement with St. Marys Cement Inc., from July 4, 2019 to July 3, 2054, for 413.56 acres, on the north side of Charleston consisting of 323.41 acres (west of Main Sideroad Street) and 90.15 acres (east of Main Street). Also a local farmer has sold 100.26 acres at the northeast corner of Charleston Sideroad and Mississauga Road to St. Marys Cement Inc. Update from - The West Caledon Traffic group:
Belfountain Community Organization Caledon Village Association Alton Village Association Village of Inglewood Association Forks of the Credit/Brimstone Residents Association Village of Inglewood Association Terra Cotta Traffic Association Cheltenham Community Representatives Cataract Community representatives Traffic Calming Measures for Ward 1 and Ward 2 In September of 2019, traffic studies were conducted and Community Safety Zones were designated in Ward 1 and Ward 2. In November 2020, the WCTG made a presentation to the Town of Caledon requesting a series of actions to be implemented to support the safety of our communities. The Town committed to increase the number of Automated Speed Enforcement(ASE) devices in Caledon, to investigate a noise ASE to be used in communities like ours. A letter was written to the MTO to increase fines and include demerit points in fines associated with noise, road racing. The Town of Caledon contacted the Provincial Government for development of management plans for Provincial Parks for public safety and crowd management. The West Caledon traffic group delegated the Town in February to secure funding for an ASE in the 2021 budget, we were successful. The number of police officers was increased by 8 and Bylaw staff increased by 6. It was at this time we learned the Ontario Highway Traffic Act provides municipalities with the authority to install ASE systems within their jurisdiction. Peel Region has been working with the Attorney General regarding the policy framework. This system will incur processing costs at the court level and current systems can only process a fraction of daily violations. With the added processing of ASE’s and pandemic related issues, the Provincial Court system court system is expected to be unable to handle the volumes of violations from ASE’s and resumed court operations. As an alternative, we recommended implementation of an Administrative Monetary Penalties System (AMPS), where violations would be subject to automated enforcement rather than through the courts. This alternative was also shared with MPP Sylvia Jones. Changes to the Highway Traffic Act will not be completed till 2022. So what do we have right now? We have traffic, speeding cars and motorcycles and LOTS of noise! What have we done about it? We have shared our concerns with the Town, OPP and the Region to let them know they are all part of the solution. Policy changes must be expedited and implemented as soon as possible, OPP officers and Bylaw staff must be visible within the community regularly until alternative processes are in place, What can you do about it? Contact for OPP dispatch: 1-888-310-1122 Contact Caledon Bylaw: 905-584-2272 ext 3462 Notify Neighbourhood Watch or update on WhatsApp.com Contact Mayor Allan Thompson ([email protected]), Area Councillor Kiernan ([email protected]), and Regional Councillor Sinclair ([email protected]),Area Councillor Christine Early ([email protected]), Johanna Downey ([email protected]) and ask them to contact the Province to expedite the processes and make public safety a priority in Ward 1 and Ward 2. This morning your AVA was advised by Mayor Allan Thompson that the Region of Peel opened up the registration for the vaccination clinic at the Caledon East Community Complex for residents 80+.
We also received the following Message from Ward 1 Councillor Lynn Kiernan Good morning, As of today the Region of Peel opened up the registration for the vaccination clinic at the Caledon East Community Complex for residents 80+. I pulled together key messages for our community that you can share with your residents who may not rely on social media for information and may prefer to call to register. How to register: Registration is available online or by phone. To register online residents can use this link appointment booking and choose the Caledon East Community Complex. If they are unable to book online they can call the Region of Peel COVID-19 Vaccination Line at 905-791-5202, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., 7 days a week. Transportation Help; If residents need assistance getting to the clinic there are services available to help including; Caledon Community Services For more information: 905-584-2300 ext. 217, 218, 221, or 264 | [email protected] Door to Door and More Inc. For more information: 905-586-5868 | [email protected] I appreciate this process has been confusing and frustrating for our residents. Stay safe. |
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