A Meat Eater Goes Vegan for a Week

Peter Thurley loves meat. If you don’t understand that, the rest of this post won’t mean a thing. He also loves his new job at the Children’s Foundation which supports Food and Friends a children’s nutrition and breakfast program that funds 80 programs in Wellington, Dufferin, and Guelph.

Peter is one of my Facebook friends. About a month ago, he asked people what he should give up for a week as part of the Livefree campaign. He would pick one suggestion for what he should give up for a week to raise funds for Food and Friends.

I challenged him to go vegan for a week, giving up milk, eggs and meat for 7 days. I would give him 10 dollars for everyday he can do it. Peter picked my challenge, knowing that as a meat eater this would be very hard for him but would also remind him of the kids whose only food in a day might be the breakfast of a nutrition program.

Along with the members of my church, All Saints Anglican, I am a volunteer at the Cedarbrae breakfast club and have not only served hot breakfasts but also made up bagels and veggies for kids who do not have a lunch either. I am also going to give 70 dollars to Nutrition for Learning, our Waterloo Region breakfast program.

So why vegan?  My oldest daughter has been a vegetarian for many years. Lately, I have been trying to get my eating into some kind of sensible order and I have also discovered I am very lactose intolerant. I am not vegan but I do eat less meat, fish and eggs. It is also amazing how many products have milk products, particularly whey in them! I can still eat a bit of certain cheeses, but not too much!

What I hope Peter, who is a blogger and tweeter, will learn from this exercise is what a shock it is when you begin to read packaged food and fast food labels. I don’t expect he will become a vegan. It’s a pretty hard row to hoe unless you are dedicated or it is your religion.

But there is a world of great meatless meals out there. So far he’s just eating the veggies so must be pretty hungry. I am making up a care package of yummy vegan meals for his wife and him this week-end.

To donate to Peter’s fundraiser, go here: http://www.livefreewdg.ca/live-free-life/2012-participants/peter-thurley

For more about vegans, Google has a good range of recipe sites. (Most vegetarians use vegan recipes otherwise you get a life of constant cheese) I tried to go to the Toronto vegetarians but their site has been hacked!!!!

Building Boom Around Potential LRT Stations: An Alternative News Story

Over the last few days, huge machines demolished the old Go Kart/ Laurel Springs building at the intersection of Northfield and the railway tracks in North Waterloo. Next comes the building of Northfield Station http://www.collierscanada.com/5286, a commercial building right beside the proposed LRT station on Northfield. Today, CTV trumpeted a new development at the NCR building that has lain vacant for the last few years. Mayor Halloran stated, “They came to us.” Waterloo Commons will contain commercial, restaurants, high-end development and perhaps a hotel. http://swo.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20120222/waterloo-commons-development-jobs-120222/20120222/?hub=SWOHome

This is not the only potential station area that boasts the beginnings of new development. Uptown Waterloo has 5 new condo buildings going up around the proposed Allen St. station and a stone’s throw from the Uptown stations.

In Kitchener, a new development was just announced on King St. East by the proposed LRT station. Also in the same area, a group of young entrepreneurs are reviving the area around Madison. Not to mention the Breithaupt Block http://www.thebreithauptblock.com/ and the Tannery near Victoria St. and the proposed transit hub.

Looks like the proposed LRT stations are already spurring intensification.

Voted for DBFOM

I voted for DBFOM. The important point for me is that the Operations part is coming back to council with a plan for 10 year terms with renewal up to 30 years. I will not support 30 years for operations.

Also important is that the Region will own the LRT, set the fares and collect the revenue. There are a lot of safeguards built in.

We already have garbage run by Waste Management and I believe it runs very well. Customer service is as good as GRT customer service. We have also increased garbage routes and also added such services as the green bin with little or no problems from the private company side. Waste Management does not have a 30 year term though!

We will hold back approximately 125 million and dole it out based on performance. This is similiar to when you have work done on your house and money is held back at the end until all work is shown to be good.

Once again, this was a hard decision, but I believe it is the right one.

P.S. The RFP and the contracts will be on the website for the public to look at.

AND there is no secret report. The Deloitte calculations are a propriatory model (e.g. software). If you look at the charts in the report, the placing of the different risks are pretty much common sense. We get risk all the time with road projects. For instance, Townline Road reconstruction ended up hitting a peat bog making it a much more expensive and longer project. That is an example of the type of risk.

LRT Procurement Questions and Answers.

Tonight Regional Council decides which type of procurement we want to go with to build the LRT. Here are some of the questions people have sent me and the answers from the staff.

Q: Who will control the advertising on the LRT?

A: The Region will control the advertising on the LRT.

Q: Is there any LRT or transit system that has gone through the 30 years or are we the first?

A: Municipalities around the world began using DBFOM to procure and deliver transit projects in the 1990s. These early projects are well into but have not yet reached the end of their project term. For example, the Hudson Bergen DBOM (New Jersey) has been in service since 2000 and is approaching the end of its initial 15-year O&M term. Deloitte discussions with New Jersey Transit indicate that New Jersey is very happy with the outcome of the project. The construction was completed on schedule. Operationally, performance has been good – 98% or 99% of service quality indicator (above target of 96%). They believe that the integration of DB and O&M functions have yielded positive results and the discipline of scheduled lifecycle maintenance payments has also been good.

Q: Couldn’t we hire consultants for the parts where we don’t have expertise, as we usually do?

A: The Region will be hiring the required expertise to implement LRT, through the DBFOM procurement. The main benefit of the DBFOM procurement of this expertise is that that Region avoids multiple contracts with multiple suppliers (engineers, constructors, operators, maintainers, etc.) – these multiple contracts are replaced by a single contract with one Contractor. This Contractor is then responsible for coordinating and managing all of the suppliers needed to design, build, maintain and operate the project (which avoids “finger-pointing” when performance targets are not met and which improves the overall quality of the project).

Q: Where do the savings come from for the 18 per cent of DBFOM. E.g. from labour costs?  From buying a large order of cars because the private company has many projects and can buy in bulk (found in Deloitte full report)?

A: The DBFOM procurement model provides the Region with estimated value of approximately 18 per cent (consisting of savings and the value of avoiding certain risks), when compared with the traditional design-bid-build (DBB) model. The 18 per cent is the overall benefit to the Region that is achieved by 1) transferring project risks to a Contractor that is more experienced in dealing with these risks, 2) integrating design, construction, operations and maintenance with one Contractor to promote efficiencies and permit more innovation, and 3) providing incentive for the Contractor to design, construct, operate and maintain a high-quality LRT system because the Region will pay (or withhold) construction payments to the Contractor in instalments based on the Contractor meeting performance standards.

Q: Where does the company’s profit come from. E.g. the concern that it is from lower labour costs or no benefits, etc.?

A: The Contractor’s bid will include a profit margin for design, construction, and O&M services. This is similar to profit margins included in any contractor’s work, such as design or construction services procured by the Region through the traditional DBB process. As well, the Contractor will include a profit margin for equity investors, based on the risks assumed by investors in delivering the project.

Q: Can you provide a list of rapid transit projects that have not done so well?

A: The DBFOM model generally provides a high degree of success for on-time construction and overall service quality. However, there are lessons to be learned from other rapid transit projects. Focusing on procurement issues, some examples are:

• The Hudsen Bergen (New Jersey) rapid transit DBOM, while very successful for operational performance, is near the end of its 15-year term. The short project term is ending at a time when the system is approaching the need for major refurbishment. Bidders for the next contract will have to factor in the lifecycle costs of major refurbishment, with significant uncertainty surrounding the amount of legacy risk left over from the first contract.

• The Nottingham rapid transit DBFOM started Phase 1 with a 30-year operating contract that did not account for Phase 2. To proceed with Phase 2, Nottingham had to negotiate termination of their Phase 1 contract. For the Phase 2 tender, Nottingham built in flexibility for future phases.

• The Sydney Airport Rail Link is a 9-km subway link between the Sydney Airport and Sydney, Australia. With this project, the ridership and revenue risk was transferred to the Contractor. Ridership fell significantly short of projections and the project went into receivership. The Contractor walked away from the project.

Q: Are there any protections that Canadians will get part of the light rail vehicle contract?

A: It will be a requirement of the province’s funding agreement that the light rail vehicles (LRV) have 25 per cent Canadian content. LRV suppliers generally meet this requirement by having the LRV parts shipped to and assembled in Canada. The assembly work accounts for the required Canadian content.

Also,here is the report which includes more FAQ and some interesting risk charts. http://rapidtransit.region.waterloo.on.ca/pdfs/2012_RECOMMENDED_STAGE_1_LRT_PROCUREMENT__DELIVERY_OPTION.pdf

Keep our Ground Water and Rivers Free of Salt

The other week I had an argument with my husband. He wanted to buy salt for our driveway and sidewalk. He also occasionally “salts” the walk-through near us (Want to promote walking, City of Waterloo? Keep the walk-throughs clear!) Even thugh it is cheap, I insisted that we get the non-salt variety. I have to walk the talk! So here is some info from the Region of Waterloo on how to be safe with salt in the winter.

Take the low-salt challenge

Winter has finally arrived. Staying safe during your winter travels is important but using large amounts of salt isn’t the answer. Help to reduce our reliance on salt. Wear proper outdoor footwear and drive for the conditions.  When clearing your driveway and sidewalks remember to shovel first and only use small amounts of salt at the proper temperature.

Organizations can help by becoming Smart About Salt™ certified.  The Smart About Salt program promotes best management practices on salt use while maintaining public safety through training and certification.

Salt damages our clothes, cars and the environment. When snow melts, excessive salt can be absorbed in to the ground – and into our drinking water.

Be smart about salt™!

• Wear proper outdoor footwear and make use of snow tires (Yak Traks for the bottom of your boots are fantastic. You can get them at the St. Jacob’s Outlet Mall — Jane)
• Shovel snow as soon as possible after a snowfall
• Use salt sparingly and only at the proper temperature
• Redirect downspouts away from walkways and driveways
• Use a certified Smart about Salt Contractor

To learn more visit www.smartaboutsalt.com.

Join the conversation at www.facebook.com/smartaboutsalt

My Light Rail Transit Speech and some Nifty LRT Pictures.

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My Speech

Thank you to staff who have worked and are working so hard on this project.

Thank you to everyone who emailed, mailed, met with me, twittered or phoned me.  And  the delegations and the people at the meetings. Well over 600 emails. If I haven’t gotten back to you yet, be assured I will. Regional councillors answer their own email.  I have never had anywhere near the response I have had on this issue.  Most of the people who have contacted me are for LRT.

also went door to door during the past municipal election. I personally visited thousands of doors, as I always do.  There were people against LRT. A lot were against because they needed transit in their area. Which is why I support increased regular transit and would like to see more in the future. I will deal with cost later. There were also people for LRT.

Most people just had a lot of questions which I was pleased to answer. This I believe is what happened at our public meetings. People came with a lot of questions and our staff answered them.

The public have spoken and we’ve listened. However, listening does not necessarily mean doing what people ask. For some here tonight, I have listened but I have said No.

Light Rail Transit runs quietly on electricity. It doesn’t spew smog into our air. I hope in the future we can run the system on renewable energy.

With less staff and more passengers, it is more economical in the long run.

As the Chair of the Grand River Conservation Authority, I have been travelling from Cambridge to Waterloo in the rush hour.  There is more congestion in Cambridge than there is in KW. Could this be because more people ride transit in KW?  I’m glad we’re ramping up transit in Cambridge but we need to start stage 2, LRT to Cambridge as soon as possible.

No one has talked about jobs and the LRT. The province and the federal government have given us a jaw dropping amount of money. Why? To help Waterloo Region through the recession. Jobs have disappeared in our Region and most of them were to do with the car industry, particularly the automobiles that eat gas. We need to reinvent our economy again and LRT helps with this.

LRT is estimated to create up to 23,000 new permanent jobs in the station areas. Everything from flower shops to tech start-ups. This isn’t even including the jobs created building and running the LRT.

During the election, I stated that I wanted Bus Rapid Transit back on the table. I voted for that and it was done.

The public and myself had the chance of another look. Unfortunately, almost everyone has found it wanting. Those against The LRT, such as Taxpayers for sensible transit  are for abrt which is a souped up Ixpress that will still be caught in traffic.  All the problems people think exist for LRT, like its dedicated lane, are also part of BRT. And experience elsewhere shows that BRT quickly creates its own congestion.

My second request during the election was that staff bring a report on keeping the costs down. The other concern at the door. They have put in some cuts. But I am most pleased with Councillor Wideman’s amendment that reduces the tax increase to  .7%.  I said during the election that I did not want property tax to increase on the capital portion left over after the province and feds had put in their money. These reductions do this.

The City of Waterloo will finally get its due. Light Rail Transit benefits Waterloo the most.  It will develop our industrial area on Northfield and our R and T park. Waterloo is up to its borders and must intensify. LRT helps do this. The trains will transport our young professionals and university students. The Ixpress, number 9 and mainline 7 are jammed with passengers.

Uptown will have huge benefits from light rail. I wish I could show some of the pictures I have from downtowns around the world that have light rail. People cycling and walking beside the train. Even a fountain between one of the tracks. I wish you all could have travelled to Edmonton, Calgary and Portland, even  Switzerland years ago, as I have.

 Cars don’t shop, people shop.  I ride the bus (yes I use my car and transit) and many times I have come from the region, gotten off at Waterloo Square and done some shopping then hopped back on the bus and gone home or onto Conestoga Mall. I can even go up to the Market and the Outlet Mall in the same trip. Think of 450 people getting off the bus at Waterloo Square.

Waterloo Park will be fine. I have seen a picture of a train with grass growing through the track. People will be able to easily cross the tracks and our report talks about the sensitivity to the heritage of the park.

When the LRT phase one is finished, my new grandson will be around six years old. We will get on my number 9 bus, then onto the train and get off at Waterloo Park where we will visit the zoo and the Wonder of Winter Lights. Then we will head home the same way. He and his generation are the future.

I support LRT.

My Campaign Promise on Rapid Transit.

Reporter Jeff Outhitt just wrote to me the following: I’m reviewing your campaign pledge, in which you said you could not support increasing property taxes to support the LRT proposal. I need to know if you intend to break that pledge or vote against the LRT proposal.

Here is my response:

Here is what I actually said in the election, still on my website, janemitchell.ca. 

 

“I do not support increasing property taxes to cover the current capital shortfall of the LRT proposal. I was the councillor who asked that a line be inserted in the LRT motion that it would not go forward without council  supporting how it is funded. This was included.”

  I want to see two thrusts to this project.

1. Put the Bus Rapid Transit project back on the table.”  DONE 

“ 2. A staff report on LRT showing various ways we might build Light Rail Transit without raising property taxes for the $225 million capital portion” DONE 

 

 Ideas for ways to decrease the property tax increase came to council a few weeks ago. They decreased the 1.5 percent increase by half to .75 approximately.

At present, the 1.5 to 2 percent proposed increase per year is for the capital shortfall, operating, regular transit, and a reserve fund.  I still need staff to break out what is what in this amount as to my mind, the reductions above will cover the capital shortfall (and also most of the operating).

Update from staff: .3 of the 1.5 is regular transit, of the 1.2 % tax increase the RT capital component is approximately .64% with the operating / maintenance cost component approximating .56% .

 

Addition of new info: There may also be motions on the day that will find funds to   cover more of the operating and capital. Regular Transit is increasing 25 % as part of the 1.5% increase  .

As mentioned in the article by Tim Mollison, over 100 million was taken from the proposal before it went out to the next round of public consultations.

I am adding here:

I will not be saying how I will vote until you see me vote on June 15th, out of respect for the people presently sending me feedback. Someone may bring forward something important not taken into account.

It is  too bad that councillors’ words are twisted to say we were against LRT in the last election when we were against the increase due to the government funding shortfall.

 I am keeping my promise. It is too bad my comments were not included in the article. That is why I have this blog.

Everyone will know how I vote in time for the next election, as they all knew how I voted in 2009 before the last election. (This is assuming I run in the next election)

 

Sources for my comments:

25% increase for regular transit for Regular Transit from Memo from Thomas Schmidt answering questions posed by Claudette Millar.

 

Decrease in amount for LRT proposal :

http://www.region.waterloo.on.ca/web/region.nsf/8ef02c0fded0c82a85256e590071a3ce/6068F907B89372608525783400539942/$file/E-11-021.pdf?openelement 

http://rapidtransit.region.waterloo.on.ca/pdfs/April_12_PW_Report.pdf  A bit hard to find but the suggested reductions are there.

We don’t need a referendum on Rapid Transit

There are many reasons why starting a referendum process so close to the final vote on what system we would use for transit is not a good idea.

I am going to speak about the public process for Rapid Transit so far. This process has been going on since 2003 with many, many meetings and a decision in 2009 that generated a lot of public response. There have been two elections (2006 and 2010) of municipal councillors as this process continued. I’m not counting the 2003 election as the process had just begun.

 People have had a say and are continuing to have a say. I have had over 100 emails on this topic since January and that’s not including all the mails I had before that time. I have had the most emails ever on any topic. And these are from separate individuals (I counted each person once). 80 percent at least not the “usual suspects” or advocates for one side or the other. My mail has been running 50/50 pro and con. I send all of the emails to staff to put into the count. I also record pro and con of the telephone calls.  This doesn’t even cover the many, many people whose main topic of conversation with me when I meet them is Rapid Transit. Everyone from the owner of the manicure shop to my book club to dogwalkers to people at various events.

There have also been various groups like the realtors and the tech industry running their own surveys of members. The Record Metroline survey should be very influential as no one can say they are biased because they are the Region. A friend of mine also told me that she answered an Angus Reid poll recently (Not the Region, I asked) I wait for that one.

I also listen to the Jeff Allan show, Rogers 20 talk local, CTV and read The Record and The Chronicle. The Region has a clipping service, so I have also read all the regional articles about Rapid Transit. Not to mention blogs, twitter and Facebook.

Finally there are all the public meetings the Region has held, not to mention the on-line comment form. http://rapidtransit.region.waterloo.on.ca/comment.html

Councillors get numbers and summaries of all.

Here is the list of the public meetings the Region has had with the public.It is in pdf format because there were and are so many. By the way, I have personally attended a number of these meetings, right back to 2006. And not all the meetings are even listed. I attended the Leadership Waterloo cafe recently and that’s not on the official list. Neither are the Probus and Rotary meetings staff presented at, to mention a few.

Rapid_Transit_Public_Outreach_Summary_May_2011

If you have not managed to phone me, or send an email , you can still do so. My information is at the side of this blog.

The final public meetings are May 31 and June 1st at council chambers. If you can’t make them, the decision day is June 15th in the evening at council chambers.

Here is what I am hearing from many of the public, most of them before this referendum question came up.  “Get ‘er done. We are tired of it. Make a decision.”

I hear you and I am going to.

Flash mob or just a mob?

Tomorrow I’m participating in a flash mob at the Clock in Victoria Park. It’s encouraging people to vote. Flash mobs are great when they are about such non-controversial things as encouraging voting or singing Handel’s Messiah. But when a constituents’ meeting about a topic like Rapid Transit that attracts passionate people goes viral as it did a week ago, that’s a different story.

With every infrastructure project the region does, whether large or small, whether a stop sign, a bridge, a water treatment plant or Rapid Transit, we have public meetings out in the community. These meetings include staff meeting one on one with constituents. There are boards and sometimes videos with information about the project. Constituents are invited to record their comments and councillors receive all comments. Sometimes these public meetings take the form of brainstorming or workshops when the council is exploring various options. These meetings help people who are not confident public speakers to get their opinions heard.

A person can come as a delegation to council anytime an issue is on the agenda to make comment. We also, with contentious issues like smoking or rapid transit, put aside whole evenings where constituents can come and speak at a microphone as a delegation. At these meetings, staff will first present a report (it helps delegations to have this first as then they can respond to it when they speak if there is new information) then people will speak. Even someone who hasn’t signed up beforehand can speak if they wish. No decisions are made at these public input meetings. Councillors just listen.

Sometimes a project effects a particular neighbourhood with a particular concern. For example, myself and other councillors met with people living near the corner of Westmount and Bearinger when the road was being realigned to discuss a road that would be partially closed and a potential parking lot.

A few weeks ago, the residents of the townhouses along Caroline asked for a meeting with councillors about the proposal that Rapid Transit (whether bus or train) will be going by very close to their homes. It was not a meeting about whether or not to have Light Rail or Bus or just Ixpress, it was about the alignment. Unfortunately, the meeting date went viral, a flash mob if your will, and people for and against various rapid transit proposals were going to come. The meeting was billed by some as an anti-LRT rally.

I did not attend the pro-LRT rally and I will not attend the anti-LRT rally if it is held. The neighbourhood meeting was cancelled and will be rescheduled in May.

Why? Mayor Brenda had a concern for the seniors at the Adult Recreation Centre. Though I was under the impression the meeting was at a room in City Hall. Anyway, those of us who are experienced councillors have been at meetings where the “mob” mentality prevailed and I, for one, was concerned this would happen at this meeting. I’m not hearing my constituents when the mob takes over.

What does it mean when a mob mentality takes over?

It means that the neighbours with a specific problem would likely be drowned out by the anti and pro sides of the overall issue.

More to the point, when a meeting becomes huge like this, there are not the controls on it that there would be if it was held formally in a council chamber. So what,you say. So, dangerous and unproductive, I say.

If a meeting is not run with distinct rules that have been created over the years to stop riots, you can end up with . . . a riot. A generally peaceful region, we forget how fast things can change in a charged atmosphere.

I’m sure no one was going to the meeting to start a fight but there is a lot of anger and passion on both sides of the rapid transit issue. I have been at meetings on other hot issues where people yell out and yell at people trying to speak. I have been drowned out when I tried to speak. Booing, jeering and wild clapping.  Swearing. People can get out of control and we don’t want meetings to end up in fisticuffs. I have been at a meeting where I didn’t leave alone, afraid I would be attacked. Seriously. Fortunately,that was only one meeting of many. But some times I’ve seen a badly run or loose meeting become dominated by one side or the other or end in chaos.

That is why on May 31 and June 1, from 6 pm on, people should come to Regional Council chambers at 150 Frederick St and have their say. You can sign up beforehand and get 10 minutes.

This meeting is run by a chair, probably Jim Wideman, chair of Planning and Works. People in the audience are not allowed to boo, jeer or clap and no waving of signs. No calling out from the audience.This is so people of an opposing view who may be speaking for the first time can have their say without harassment. It also reduces the tense  atmosphere so fights won’t break out. And it enables everyone to hear the speakers.

You can also e-mail me and I will read your mail and pass on your comments to staff so you can be counted in the public record.

In this way, we can all be passionate, but  also conduct ourselves in a way that all can be heard.

Regional Budget Increase 1.44%

I was hopeful we could decrease the budget slightly this year but it was not to be. Sean Strickland did bring forward reducing the supplementary taxes going to reserves by 2.5 million as a permanent move that I supported as it was greater than the 1.5 million I suggested in a note to councillors.  

I should also note that the budget was decreased by 3.7 percent approximately with money that was saved by the uploading of Ontario Works and Disability funds to the province.

Although there were many other small cuts, council eventually felt that a 1.20 percent increase in Regular transit with an emphasis on crowded routes (a topic I heard a lot about going door to door) and a small increase in money to fix homelessness and other programs (around .5 percent) were important.

As I said to council about the homelessness initiatives, we do know that these programs have reduced the number of “frequent flyers”, people who use emergency rooms, ambulance and police resources to an extraordinary amount because they have no other supports or help with physical and mental problems. In this way we save a little on expensive but necessary police and ambulance service.

Ten of the thirty police officers will be hired in December at a cost of 24,000 dollars. Of course this means at least 10 new officers in 2012, but I still hope we can add officers over say three years rather than the two requested.

I asked after the budget vote (I voted for the budget as I always do if I agree with it over all) for the Region to continue looking at our programs to see if some are redundant or can be made more efficient. We have done this in the past with Housing, Courts and inoculation services among others. It was too late at the 11th hour to start chopping programs and would be irresponsible in  my opinion without an in-depth review. Sacred cows would stay and overlooked programs without champions would go!