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The Citizen, 2016-10-20, Page 6PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2016. IPM trailer delivery marks beginning of '17 process The process begins With the International Plowing Match of 2016 wrapping up in Wellington County near Harriston, it was a milestone moment in Walton on Friday as 10 shipping containers arrived and unloaded at the home farm of Jack Ryan, just south of Walton, the home of the 2017 International Plowing Match. Locals Paul Dodds and Neil McGavin, not pictured, were on hand to help with the unloading, which signals to many locals that next year's event is coming up sooner than they may have thought. (Denny Scott photo) PEOPLE AROUND WALTON By Jo -Ann McDonald Call 887-6570 The "fall' weather has really set in with the cool mornings and warm days. Lots of farmers have began the corn harvest in earnest these days and moisture for the corn is reportedly good, around 20 per cent, so hopefully drying costs will be down! We send our congratulations to Pauline Gulutzen and Dave Tompkins on hosting a beautiful second wedding at Dave's farm in Cadillac, Michigan. The wedding was held on Thanksgiving weekend and all of Pauline's family, Bill, Darlene and Charles and their families attended from the area. The party began on Friday evening with many of the friends enjoying dinner with the happy couple. The wedding was held on a beautiful Saturday afternoon with the bride wearing a lovely cream ensemble and a sparkling smile. The reception was held in the decorated shed. A delicious catered meal was enjoyed by all and then the party began with music and dancing into the night. Close friends attending included Sharon Stephenson, Linda Gingerich, Helen Hummel and Connie Nesbitt who were among the last to leave the celebration. We send our get -well wishes to Nora Stephenson who has had hip surgery. She is recovering nicely and will hopefully soon be home. She is anxious to see that great-grandchild Walker again. Get well soon Nora. We send our get -well wishes to Jim Lee who is recovering from a heart issue. We hope he is doing well and will be out and about again soon. We hope that Francis Fischer is on the road to recovery after hip surgery. She is convalescing at Seaforth Hospital. Welcome home to Jim and Linda McDonald who spent a week in Las Vegas. They had a good trip and it is always great to come home. The reality of the upcoming International Plowing Match in 2017 at the Ryan farm is now looking " real". The arrival of container boxes, fence posts and fencing used every year at matches has arrived at the farm. Truck after truck arrived to drop off about a dozen containers and other necessary things for the match. The county has been making the new entrance ways onto the properties that will be needed as well this past week. Celebrating birthdays this past week includes John Lowe, Brian Love, Jim McDonald, Owen Taylor, Lisa Glanville, Randy Fraser, Sarah Grobbink, Jessica Kelso, Mary Helen McLachlan, Adam Bauer and Travis Wilts. Happy birthday to all! FROM WALTON Letter to the Editor Writer describes Official Plan as `Trojan Horse' THE EDITOR, The Bluevale Hall was busy on Oct. 11 when between 50 and 60 people showed up to learn more about the amendments to the Morris- Turnberry Official Plan. Not bad for a Tuesday night during harvest! After introductions by Morris- Turnberry Mayor Paul Gowing, the county planner very ably presented, with quotes from the Planning Act, support for the provincially mandated review process. What needed to be mentioned however, (also from the Planning Act) was that the municipality must acquire the consent of the property owner before they can do anything on it. This is purposefully part of the checks and balances of the system, designed to protect the rights of the property owner. The discussions, both formal and informal, showed many flaws in both the process and in the proposed amendment. For example, the maps used to fabricate the amendments were quite outdated and showed features that no longer exist, and in some cases were inaccurate in their markings. This would support one councillor's argument that no changes should be made until there have been "boots on the ground". Yet, the (re)designations were based on those maps. Furthermore, some discovered that changes in designation on their property froze any hope of development (putting up a shop/building, etc.). The staff made available "comment sheets" to register any "concerns". The question was raised — what if someone wasn't aware of the whole process and came to find, long after the fact, that their property was negatively affected? Who will pay the associated costs? This is how I see it — as it stands, the municipal office, under the oversight of the Planning Department and claiming the mandate of Queen's Park, Toronto, is carrying out an action of disputable validity, on private property. Not only do they dictate the rules, they create the language, set the agenda, and provide the forms written in their language and expect the private property owners to comply with the system they designed, and often against the property owner's will. Many people express frustration at feeling bullied into having to speak to an issue which they did not ask for, do not understand and don't know the language or ways of dealing with it. Must we all become experts in both the Municipal Act (almost 300 pages?) and the Planning Act (almost 150 pages?) in order to know and protect our interests? I will allow this - the Planning Act puts significant emphasis on consultation. I feel genuine empathy for the members of our council. Being aware of their democratic responsibility and potential liability as those who will ultimately vote on accepting the amended plan, they find themselves caught between a rock and a hard place. They face pressure to maintain a deeply flawed but well -entrenched civic instrument, but also realize how the official plan can violate enshrined private property rights, thus injuring those whose interests they are elected to represent. For them, it comes down to a choice: Will they heed the powerful interests of Queen's Park, or those who elected them as their representatives? It's a tough spot, but we can help them keep focus by speaking with them. The Official Plan has been aptly deemed by some as a Trojan Horse — it's the vehicle by which special interest groups can project their ambitions onto private property owners without having to acquire their land. And with the rise of anti - farming sentiment and rabid environmentalism as displayed by our current provincial government, this is a matter of grave consequence. At the close of the meeting, I asked that the mayor use the opportunity to take an informal poll to gauge the crowd's support for the concept of an Official Plan, because the Municipal Act clearly states that the duty of the mayor is to represent the interests of his constituents. He declined. What better opportunity was there to learn more of the constituency's interests? In summary, there were two strongly conflicting views at the meeting — one indicating that we need more government control on private property and the other stating that many of us believe that private property rights are paramount and must not be sacrificed for the perceived "common good". We obviously place a great deal of trust in the competence and character of our planner, who needs to operate within the constraints of private property rights. History shows us that many of the founding fathers in Canada and the U.S. recognized the undeniable link between private property rights and prosperity: remove our rights and you remove our incentive to produce. While it's really just that simple, the tension lies in finding a balance between good governance and avoiding the slippery slope to stifling, government mismanagement. If you want to protect and hand down to our children and grandchildren the opportunity to prosper in freedom, you can do your part by making your opinion known to the municipal office or council at this crucial time by saying, "Silence is NOT consent" and registering your objection to a practice which has been outlawed in the business world (i.e. — negative option billing). It's your right on the land to which you hold title. John Schwartzentruber, Brussels MEETING NOTICE Municipality of Morris-Turnberry The upcoming meetings for the Municipality of Morris-Turnberry will be held: Friday, October 21 Tuesday, November 1 Tuesday, November 15 at 9:00 a.m. Emergency Exercise Training at 7:30 p.m. Regular Council Meeting at 7:30 p.m. Regular Council Meeting