A few minutes

This one is basically a cut and paste entry. The following are the minutes from my final Council meeting on May 16.
Pay special attention to every seconding of a motion. I thought it was pretty clever at the time but it's even better seeing it in black and white. :)
I've bolded the parts I want you to make note of.
You don't really have to read the whole thing if you don't want to. It's rather dry reading.
It is a pretty good idea of what goes on at the meetings though.

By the way, I should mention that I was pleasantly surprised the other day when the Mayor called me and mentioned that she had read my last blog entry.
She called to clarify that the names of people offering to be on Committees will be brought forward by the Committee Chairs themselves and voted on by Council.
It will be in September or so when it's done. That's fine since not much really goes on during the summer months in the Committees.

I'm happy to see that someone is actually taking a look at this blog after all.

Here are the minutes.

VILLAGE OF NEW MARYLAND COUNCIL
May 16, 2012

Present: Mayor Frank Dunn
Deputy Mayor Judy Wilson-Shee
Councillor Paul LeBlanc Councillor Gisèle McCaie-Burke
Councillor Tim Scammell
Councillor Scott Sparks
Also Present: Cynthia Geldart, Chief Administrative Officer/Clerk
Karen Duncan, Assistant Clerk

1. CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Dunn called the meeting to order at 7:30 pm.

2. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
MOVED BY Councillor McCaie-Burke and seconded by Councillor Scammell to approve the agenda as distributed. MOTION CARRIED.

3. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES
MOVED BY Deputy Mayor Wilson-Shee and seconded by Councillor Scammell to approve the minutes of the April 18, 2012 regular session of Council as distributed. MOTION CARRIED.

4. DISCLOSURE OF INTEREST
No disclosures of interest were proclaimed.

5. PRESENTATIONS
Mayor Dunn presented Cynthia Geldart, CAO/Clerk with the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators’ Long Service Award. Cynthia received this award in recognition of her 18 years of municipal service in a management capacity. She began her career as Clerk in the municipal office in Centreville in 1994 and joined the New Maryland team in 2000. During her 18 year career she has achieved Level II in the National Advanced Certification in Local Authority Administration, served as the president of the Association of Municipal Administrators of New Brunswick, and helped draft the Local Government Resource Manual. She continues to promote education and professionalism in municipal fields and works diligently on behalf of staff, Council, and our residents.

6. PROCLAMATIONS
Mayor Dunn proclaimed the week of June 4th – 8th, 2012 as Epsilon Golden Games Week.

7. CORRESPONDENCE
The following correspondence was read into the record by the CAO/Clerk, Cynthia Geldart, as per the request of Mayor Dunn:

- a letter to Jacques Hebert, the Director of Spectrum Management Branch, Industry Canada, concerning noise interference in the New Maryland/Fredericton area on the 80-meter band of the radio spectrum;
- an email from Jason Hebert, Transportation Manager for School District 01, regarding school bus use on Daniel Drive;
- a letter from Mayor Frank Carroll, Village of McAdam, concerning an Ambulance New Brunswick policy;
- a letter from Minister Bruce Fitch, Dept. of Environment and Local Government, concerning nominations for the 2012 Environmental Leadership Awards;
- an email from the RCMP relating to the periodic survey of their Contract Partners; and
- a memo from the Department of Environment and Local Government concerning the Municipal Orientation event that will follow the quadrennial municipal election.

8. MEETINGS AND/OR SPECIAL EVENTS
Mayor Dunn noted that he did not attend any meetings and/or special events since the last formal Council meeting.

9. COMMITTEE REPORTS / UPDATES

Planning Advisory Committee

Deputy Mayor Wilson-Shee reported that the Planning Advisory Committee met on May 7th with all members present.
- An update was given regarding the conceptual subdivision plan for NDR Developments.
- The Sunrise Estates subdivision entrance sign was discussed by the committee.
- The Building Permit Report for April 2012 was presented to the committee. A total of 17 permits were issued for the period. The estimated value of construction totaled $168,801 and $1,205 was collected in permit fees. Year-to-date figures to the end of April 2012 indicate that a total of 33 permits were issued with an estimated value of construction totaling $596,123. Permit fees collected totaled $3,670.
- A temporary-use permit was granted to allow a seasonal ice cream stand to be set-up on the property at 210 New Maryland Highway.
- The tentative plan application for Centennial Heights Subdivision 2012 was discussed by the committee. Details of the proposed development have been distributed to the various committees of Council for their review and suggestions. Once feedback has been received, the comments will be compiled and reported back to PAC for final consideration of any terms and conditions that may need to be included to any formal approval of the tentative plan.

MOVED BY Deputy Mayor Wilson-Shee and seconded by Councillor Scammell the adoption of this report.
MOTION CARRIED.

Human Resources & Administration Committee

Councillor McCaie-Burke reported that the Human Resources and Administration Committee met on April 24th and May 9th. April 24th meeting:
- The committee met on April 24th with one member absent.
- An update was provided to the committee regarding the two newly hired staff members.
- A revised version of the committees’ mandate was reviewed and will be brought to the May meeting for one last review.
- The CAO informed the committee that she has provided staff members with a draft of the Attending Physician’s statement form and some feedback has been received. A revised version will be brought to Council at the next C-I-C meeting for discussion and approval.
- The committee is interested in receiving training for the set-up and use of Twitter since the use of social media is becoming more important.
- A possibility of having a part-time communication administrator on staff to do regular updates and maintenance to the Village website was discussed.
- Changes to the forms in the HR Policy manual were reviewed.
- A request from 1 Engineer Squadron to do a Village project was discussed by the committee.

May 9th meeting:

- The committees’ mandate report was reviewed one last time and will be presented to Council at the June C-I-C meeting.
- A social media training session is being organized by the City of Fredericton and our Council and senior staff members have been invited to attend. The date for the social media training session will be announced once it is known. Councillor Scammell has also agreed to help the members of the HR Committee with Twitter training as well.
- The committee discussed at length the fact that communication with our residents is an increasingly important issue and the expectation of residents for the Village to communicate via the website, Facebook and Twitter requires that an appropriately trained staff member works on this issue. It was suggested to hire someone part-time to work on communications projects, so our CAO will begin drafting a business case for a communication position over the next few months. St. Thomas University will also be contacted to determine if a journalism student may be available to work with us this fall.
- The committee reviewed the merit of sending out flyers similar to what was done in the past. Numerous residents have expressed their preference to receive Village information in the form of a flyer as they do not have a computer or access to the internet. Several options were suggested and will be examined further by Council.
- Some amendments to the HR manual will be brought to the June C-I-C meeting for discussion.
- The committee debated and agreed that the sign policy will need to be amended to indicate that the Village has first priority for signs and that there is the possibility that groups could be bumped.
- The committee had a discussion regarding responses to emails from the public, timelines, and who should respond to them.
- The date and time of the next meeting will be announced at a later time.
- Councillor McCaie-Burke stated that she enjoyed being the Chair of the committee for the last 4 years and she thanked those who served on the committee. She also thanked the Treasurer for attending the committee meetings when needed. She expressed her pride for the amount of work that was accomplished in a relatively short period of time and added that there is always room for improvement.

MOVED BY Councillor McCaie-Burke and seconded by Councillor Scammell the adoption of this report.
Discussion:
- Councillor Sparks suggested that RSS feeds on the website should be considered so that people who subscribe to them can receive electronic notifications about areas of particular interest to them.
MOTION CARRIED.

► MOVED BY Councillor McCaie-Burke and seconded by Councillor Scammell the following resolution of Council:
Be It Resolved That the the Council for the Village of New Maryland transfer the sum of $369,383 (three hundred and sixty nine thousand, three hundred and eighty three dollars) from the General Capital Reserve Fund to the General Capital fund for the following purposes and amounts:

$ 5,000 for the equipment for the office; and
$ 364,383 for the office building expansion;
and that these funds were reserved for such purposes.

Discussion:
- Councillor McCaie-Burke explained that Council previously agreed to reserve the funds for the building expansion and associated equipment. The funds were reserved as per the motions of Council, and now need to be moved from the Reserve Fund to the Capital Fund for payment of invoices.
MOTION CARRIED.

► MOVED BY Councillor McCaie-Burke and seconded by Councillor Scammell the following resolution of Council:
Be It Resolved That the the Council for the Village of New Maryland transfer the sum of $8,165.00(eight thousand one hundred and sixty five dollars) from the General Operating Reserve (Acct # 1015-013) to the General Operating Fund (Account # 1020-875) for the Municipal Office Building Expansion project, and that these funds were reserved for such purposes.
Discussion:
- Councillor McCaie-Burke clarified that in December 2011 a motion was made to move the funds from General Capital Reserve to General Operating. The auditors decided that the funds should have been moved to General Operating Reserve instead, before being transferred again, and therefore made an adjustment. Basically, the auditors have decided that the transfer needed to be done in two steps, from General Capital Reserve to General Operating Reserve and then to General Operating. This motion will make the adjustment that has become necessary due to the auditors’ entry.
MOTION CARRIED.

Recreation and Leisure Services Committee

Councillor Sparks reported that the Recreation and Leisure Services Committee met on April 30th with two members absent.
- The Development Officer attended the meeting to make a presentation to the committee regarding a proposed subdivision plan and sought the committee’s input regarding the 8% land dedication. The committee discussed the bikeway and trail that leads into Athletic Park and how it relates to the tentative subdivision plan. The committee recommended that no decision would be made until all members of the committee are present to discuss the matter.
- The Recreation budget was reviewed and an update for the Capital Project Summary was given.
- A request from 1st Engineer Squadron to work on some small projects this fall in the Village was considered by the committee. The committee came up with some suggested projects for the squadron to complete.
- The Day Camp Financial Assistance Request Policy was discussed by the committee. The committee made the decision to address the issue again in September. In the meantime inquiries about financial assistance will be directed to the Lions Club as they sometimes sponsor or donate resources to families in financial need.
- It was brought to the committee’s attention that the residents of Sunrise Estates would like the mounds of dirt that are currently in Sunrise Park to be flattened. They are posing a potential danger as recreational vehicles have been driving on them. The Recreation Department will look into the cost of flattening or removing the mounds of dirt.
- The Spring and Summer Recreation Guide has been uploaded to the website and has been sent out in the mail.
MOVED BY Councillor Sparks and seconded by Councillor Scammell the adoption of this report.
Discussion:
- Councillor LeBlanc stated that he felt it is very important that we have a Financial Assistance Policy in place so that children do not miss out due to financial reasons.
MOTION CARRIED.

Transportation and Protective Services Committee

Councillor Scammell reported that the Transportation and Protective Services Committee met on May 8th with two members absent.
- The previous month’s session notes were approved by the committee.
- The Statement of Expenditures to the end of March 2012 was reviewed and it was noted that some accounts in the ERP budget were over-budget. It was felt that this may be due to the amounts being posted to the wrong accounts. This concern will be brought to the attention of our Treasurer.
- Research into the purchase of a sidewalk snow removal machine is ongoing and an update will be given as it becomes available.
- The April 2012 Fire Department Report was distributed to the committee prior to the meeting with no items of concern being noted.
- The April 2012 Transportation Report was reviewed as circulated. Our Public Works Supervisor informed the committee that Council wants boulevards to be installed between the sidewalk and the street wherever possible and in situations where they cannot be installed, Council wants an explanation why they cannot be. The plan for sidewalks has been changed so that boulevards will be accommodated in every location except one, and a solution to that problem is still being worked on. Our engineering firm is working on the tender document for the work on Bismark, Loddington and Newman Streets and will add on the other street if a solution can be found that will be to Council’s satisfaction.
- The budget for street sweeping is over budget this year because we did not have enough rainy weather for Public Works staff to sweep the centre of the streets as they have done is past years. This resulted in the contractor doing more of the work.
- The Animal Control Reports for March and April 2012 were reviewed with no items of concern being noted.
- Public Works staff members met two Corporals from 1 Engineer Squadron, who are based out of downtown Fredericton. They have approximately 25 to 30 cadets who will be available to volunteer their time and skills to work on projects in the Village after they return from training. The cadets have skills in basic carpentry, clearing brush, chain-saw work and are looking for a project that they can start and finish in one weekend. All committees are being asked to submit their ideas to Rockland, who is planning to meet with the Corporals again at the end of May with a list of suggested projects. The Corporals will advise Rockland which projects can be done and then they will train their cadets for the particular task.
- A tentative subdivision plan was reviewed by the committee. The plan has been previously reviewed many times by the Public Works Supervisor and the Development Officer, and they have recommended changes to the proposed street structure. Overall, the committee agreed with the suggested changes that were brought forward. The committee also suggested that rather than building townhouses on the corner lot as proposed, the developer could build a field house or a community centre and felt this suggestion should be taken to the developer for consideration.
- The committee was informed that NB Power is looking to expand the installation of LED lights and a new program is being developed now which will be rolled out provincially in the future.
- The committee bid farewell to Councillor Scammell as Chair of the committee and as a member of Council. Councillor Scammell advised that he would like to remain on the committee as a volunteer member with the Mayor’s approval. He thanked the committee members and staff for all the work done over the past 4 years.
- The date and time of the next meeting will be announced at a later time.
- Councillor Scammell took a moment to thank the committee members, members of Council and Village staff for their hard work, dedication and support.
MOVED BY Councillor Scammell and seconded by Councillor McCaie-Burke the adoption of this report.
Discussion:

- Councillor McCaie-Burke commented on the over-budget items in the ERP budget. She has discussed this with the Treasurer and this has been corrected.
MOTION CARRIED.

Emergency Response Plan Committee

Councillor McCaie-Burke reported that the Emergency Response Plan Committee met May 15th with nine committee members, five staff members and three guests present.
- Councillor McCaie-Burke announced that the committee representative from Horizon Health, Debbie Giffin, has resigned from the committee due to work commitments.
- Dr. Cristin Muecke, who is the Regional Medical Officer of Health, Fredericton and Central Region, Dept. of Health, made a presentation to the committee regarding food and water borne illnesses.
- The committee practiced an emergency scenario led by our EOC Director. The scenario concerned municipal water contamination which related to the presentation made by Dr. Muecke.
- The Fire Department recently had four of its volunteer firefighters complete Emergency Operations Centre training.
- The Town of Oromocto will hold a 2-hour training session for Sentinel on May 30th from 10:00 am to 12 noon.
- The committee held a follow-up discussion regarding the public presentation of the Sentinel Emergency Alerts that was held on May 10th. Overall the committee was very pleased with the event but felt it would have been better if more residents attended. The Public Information sub-committee will meet soon to discuss the continuing promotion of Sentinel. Councillor McCaie-Burke acknowledged the hard work of the committee members and staff members who helped with the promotion of Sentinel to New Maryland residents. She also thanked Council for their continued support on this matter.
- The committee was informed that Industry Canada has responded to our previous letter that requested their assistance with improving the 80-meter amateur radio band signal in the Fredericton and New Maryland areas. Industry Canada has stated that their office is willing to assist us by providing direction and information on method use to isolate and mitigate transmission interference.
- Councillor McCaie-Burke was the guest speaker at the City of Fredericton’s EMO Committee meeting which was held earlier this month. At the meeting she spoke about our committee structure, the 5-year ERP Master Plan, and the promotion of the Sentinel System. Fire Chief Farrell also attended the meeting and spoke about the benefits of the Sentinel System for the fire department. The possibility of sharing a volunteer coordinator position between Fredericton, Oromocto and New Maryland was also discussed at the meeting. A resident has stepped forward and expressed interest in volunteering for the position.
- Certificates of Appreciation were presented at the meeting to Dick Rogers, who was the first Chair of the committee when it was established back in 1999; Connie Storr, who was instrumental in the development of the Village’s Pandemic Plan; and Rob Pero, Development officer.
- The date and time of the next meeting will be announced at a later time.
- Councillor McCaie-Burke stated that she has enjoyed being the Chair of the committee for the last 4 years. She felt that the committee has accomplished much which is due to the hard work and dedication of its members.

MOVED BY Councillor McCaie-Burke and seconded by Councillor Scammell the adoption of this report.
- Councillor LeBlanc suggested that brochures for the Sentinel System should be sent out in the mail with the next water and sewer billing in July.
MOTION CARRIED.

►MOVED BY Councillor McCaie-Burke and seconded by Councillor Scammell the following resolution of Council:
Be It Resolved That the Council for the Village of New Maryland, as per the recommendation of the Emergency Response Plan Committee, adopt the amendments to the Emergency Response Plan as attached hereto in “Schedule “A”.
Discussion:

- Councillor McCaie-Burke explained the amendments include updates to the EMO fanout and the resources lists as well as the addition of a disaster scenario entitled “Heat Wave”, and the MOU with Faith Baptist Church.
MOTION CARRIED.

Water and Wastewater Committee

Councillor LeBlanc reported that the Water and Wastewater Committee met on April 25th.
- Some minor corrections to the previous month’s session notes were noted.
- An update was given on the expropriation status with Armco Capital for Well 3A. Councillor LeBlanc explained that since that meeting an additional update has been received and he read an email from our lawyer. The notice of objection from Armco has been withdrawn so we can now proceed with the preparations for the filing of the notice. This means that once the Village takes official ownership of the property, the Village can proceed with their plan for Well 3A without delay.
- The financial reports were presented and discussion took place regarding the $5 fee charged for the water meters and where the funds collected should be spent.
- The Water System Development Master Plan sub-committee presented some documents for the committee to review and discuss at the next meeting.
- The discussion of a proposed development was postponed as there was no information to present at that time.
- Flushing of water mains began this week and will continue into next week.
- The committee was informed that the New Maryland Esso property will be connected to the municipal sanitary system at pump station 3.
- It was brought to the committee’s attention that it would be to our benefit to start sampling Baker Brook on a quarterly basis in preparation for the new CCME guidelines so we know how the brook is functioning and if we have an impact on it. The Baker Brook lagoon is in the process of being decommissioned.
- Councillor LeBlanc, committee member Bob Landine, Public Works Supervisor Rockland Miller and Opus consultant Stephen Pyke visited the water treatment facilities at Shediac and Memramcook. Both facilities use the Maganzur treatment process which is one of the processes that Opus is proposing for Well 3A.
- Filling of residential pools is still not permitted under our by-law even though the water tower has been completed. An amendment to the by-law would be required in order to permit that.
- The Strategic Plan was reviewed.
- The website was reviewed and it was suggested that we may want to to have a banner moving across the home page that will announce new events to residents. - The next committee meeting will be held on May 23rd.
MOVED BY Councillor LeBlanc and seconded by Councillor Scammell the adoption of this report.

Discussion:

- Councillor Sparks commented that the sampling of Baker Brook is an excellent idea. He added that the Fredericton Region Solid Waste Commission samples Baker Brook where it enters their property and just before it exits the property so it can be determined if actions on the landfill site have an impact on the brook. He suggested that it may be beneficial for the Village to sample Baker Brook in a similar manner so in the event that something happens to the brook, it can be known whether or not it took place within Village boundaries. Councillor LeBlanc agreed and stated that for the time being the data collected will be for internal use.
MOTION CARRIED.

►MOVED BY Councillor LeBlanc and seconded by Councillor Scammell the following resolution of Council:
Be It Resolved That the Council for the Village of New Maryland adopt the document entitled Municipality of the Village of New Maryland Five-Year Capital Investment Plan (2011 – 2015).

Discussion:

- Councillor LeBlanc explained that Council decided quite some time ago to put the Gas Tax Fund money towards the development of Well 3A for the next term of the program. Each year we are required to submit a revised Five-Year Capital Investment Plan, and this motion reflects that requirement.
MOTION CARRIED.

Finance Committee

Deputy Mayor Wilson-Shee reported that the Finance Committee has not met since the last Council meeting.
►MOVED BY Deputy Mayor Wilson-Shee and seconded by Councillor Scammell the following resolution of Council:

Be It Resolved That the Council for the Village of New Maryland adopt the 2011Village of New Maryland Audited Financial Statements as prepared by the chartered accounting firm of Grant Thornton LLP and as reviewed by the Finance Committee and Council on 11 April 2012.
MOTION CARRIED.

10. APPROVAL OF THE TREASURER’S REPORT
MOVED BY Deputy Mayor Wilson-Shee and seconded by Councillor Scammell to approve the Treasurer’s Report as follows:

(1) Cheques and direct payments from the General Operating account for April 1 through 30, 2012 in the amount of $331,724.94;
(2) Payments from the Water and Sewer Operating account for April 1 through 30, 2012 in the amount of $29,649.07;
(3) Payments from the General Capital account for April 1 through 30, 2012 in the amount of $11,761.58; and
(4) Payments from the Water and Sewer Capital account for April 1 through 30, 2012 in the amount of $15,512.64.
MOTION CARRIED.

11. PUBLIC INPUT / INQUIRIES

No items were brought forward by the members of the public that were in attendance.

12. NEW BUSINESS

Presentations by Mayor Frank Dunn and Cynthia Geldart, CAO/Clerk

Mayor Dunn presented Councillor Scammell with a token of gratitude on behalf of Council and staff, and thanked him for his hard work and commitment serving on Council for the past 4 years.

On behalf of Council and staff, Councillor LeBlanc presented a gift of appreciation to Mayor Dunn for his leadership and enthusiasm serving as Mayor of the Village for the past eleven years. He added that he is pleased that he will be able to work with him for another 4-year term as a colleague on Council.

13. DATE, TIME AND LOCATION OF NEXT MEETING

The Swearing-In Ceremony will be held on Wednesday, May 30, 2012 at 7:00 pm at the New Maryland Centre.

14. MOTION FOR ADJOURNMENT

MOVED BY Councillor LeBlanc and seconded by Councillor Scammell to adjourn the meeting.
MOTION CARRIED.

The meeting adjourned at 9:00 pm.


The Transportation Committee section didn't go into detail of my little speech but it's in this blog a couple of entries ago.

I hope that your summer is going great.
Stay well,
Tim

Clear conscience? Yes indeed.

For a few weeks I've been stewing over some things in my head about next Monday's Municipal election day here in New Brunswick. I've been reading things from candidates in the newspaper and hearing things on the radio and television.
I can get past the people who aren't currently in office saying things like "we need open access to members of Council which we don't have."

Personally, this ticks me off a bit. I suppose that the evening phone calls or messages that I have promptly returned from my home don't count as access?
What of the multitude of emails from residents that I have received during my term that I replied to as soon as I was able to? I suppose if a reply is not instantaneous some may deem that unacceptable.
Oh, let's not forget on more than one occasion that someone has contacted me requesting that I attend their property to see something.
If I could I went right away.
There were instances that I contacted these people to advise that I was asking a member of staff or other to attend on my behalf as they were better suited to address the topic.
I guess that could be seen as my not being accessible.

Now I know that I can't speak for the other members of Council. Perhaps there were times that they didn't reply to or ignored something.
It just annoys me when there are broad brush strokes though. I tend to take it personally.

Let's just say that I am going into my last week as an elected representative of the Village of New Maryland with a clear conscience.
I believe that I have done all that I could and what I said I would do to keep New Maryland as an awesome place to live and raise a family.

There was a letter to the editor the other day from an elderly lady which seemed to imply that most of Council has failed to do any of the things that they promised before the last election.
I honestly don't have time to go into everything that was screwed up with that letter but it was full of misinformation and confusion.
She praised one member of Council for being a champion of the people and standing up against the rest of us.

No-one has ever properly explained to these people that when things like the Baker Brook construction came to Council for decisions the votes were unanimous. Who opposed them? No-one.

Council all agreed that the poor residents of Baker Brook had lived with a goat path of a road for long enough and we were going to do right by them and throw in a big bonus of municipal water and drainage while we were there. At no cost to them except to decommission their wells. What a great deal that was.
All of us felt great that we were doing a great thing.
ALL of us.

I wish that more people would take the time to go to the Village web site and read through all of the posted committee and Council minutes and see what really went on and who voted for what.
That would be very time-consuming but man, it would bring so much clarity.

While you're in there, have a look at the minutes from committee meetings and see what Council candidates were really part of what committees as they have stated in their campaign literature.

I understand that attending one committee meeting and then resigning shortly afterwards officially could be considered "being on the committee" but feel it is misleading.
The reader of the campaign literature would read that someone was "on" the committee and must have gained some great knowledge and experience from it.

In reality, one meeting really gives a person little experience.

Then there was a candidate who was a part of the construction of the walking trails behind the New Maryland Centre.

Myself and my entire family were involved in that project from its absolute start to the last day and I don't recall seeing this individual on site at all. I guess he may have been there on a day that I had to miss for some reason.
Or perhaps he was a part of the planning phase at a time when I was not? That seems unlikely though. I recall that very first meeting at the Village offices when we met to start planning the trails.
This was a few years before I ran for a Council position. My father was also at that meeting and was a large part of the construction too.

When I set up my campaign four years ago I listed the board and committee experiences with complete confidence.

When I said that I had been a member of the Water and Wastewater Committee I was talking about being at almost every single meeting for the previous four years.
That's what being a member of a committee really is. Not popping in for one meeting and skipping off again.

Prior to that last election I had sat in the public gallery on the Council chambers for over a year to see what went on and to get a feel for what Council is about.
While I was there I took that opportunity to do a Home and School report from New Maryland Elementary School. I was the president for a few years and felt that it was a good idea for Council to be aware of what was going on at the school.

I clearly realize now that there are things that a member of the public will not know that Council members and Village staff do.
In honesty though, these things are few in number and the reasons for privacy are clear to me.
Eventually all comes out to the public though. Once minutes are approved by Council they become public.

I really want to mention as well that every meeting of any committee or council session is open to all members of the public at all times unless there is a reference to a specific individual or property being made.
We have to adhere to privacy regulations for those cases and ask members of the public to step out until the discussion is over.

I can't recall a single time that this has happened though because no-one ever attends any meetings.

People complain that they can't get information or that things are being kept from them but everything is right there in front of them.
There is so much information for so many people to see, yet nobody takes a moment to see it and decides that it's easier to complain.

Ah well. This rant is nothing new.
I have told people this over and over again.
If you REALLY want to be a part or have input in what goes on. Step up!
Put your money where your mouth is!

When my term is done in the next couple of weeks I hope to remain on the Recreation and Transportation committees as a public member. If the new mayor and Council will have me.

If they decide that they don't want me there anymore I'll accept that and ride off into the sunset with my clear conscience and the satisfaction of a job well done.

At least until the next election.
But that's a blog post for another day. :)

Oh, I should mention that the Public Gallery will be a sweet place to be if I happen to have something to raise at a future Council meeting.
I'm just saying.

Stay well,
Tim

My 40′s Years

The post below appeared at http://www.fortylicious.ca/blog/2012/01/my-40s-years/
yesterday (January 18, 2012).
My friend Heather who operates the site asked me if I would like to provide a guest blog. I was happy to do so.

Stay well,
Tim

My 40′s Years

My Twitter pal Heather Held from http://www.fortylicious.ca asked me a couple of weeks ago if I would do a guest blog post for her site.
I guess she had read a couple of my personal blog entries and liked what she saw.

For those that don’t know, Fortylicious.ca is a web site started by Heather and Dena Pollack as a cool site for people in their 40’s to hang around, read interesting articles, seek expert advice and share things in common with other folks in their 40’s.

Heather asked me if I could talk about being in my 40’s. At first I felt kind of weird about it since I am at the far end of this age group. I’ll be 49 in June.

When I mentioned this to Heather she said to do a piece summarizing something about my 40’s years. Now why didn’t I think of that.

At first I was wondering what to say. Then it came to me.

Some huge and very important things have happened over the last 9 years.

In January 2003, my wife and I packed up from Ontario which was the only province we had both ever known as home, and moved our family to New Brunswick.

Second and more importantly, I have watched my two little twin guys go from being wee kids of 3 years old to become pretty darn close to adults at 13 years old.

These boys were barely up to my waist when they were 3. Now, they are 5’10 and 5’11 tall and have size 12 feet! The good thing with this is that when I am going out I can have my pick of the shoes at the door. They all fit except that the boys shoes are actually big on me. I’m serious. My feet are only a men’s size 10 ½ to 11. Lol.

Think about this though.

In my mind, there are really only 2 stages in life. Childhood and adulthood.

The teen years are sort of a limbo in between but I classify them as almost being in adulthood. Of course old age is adulthood as well but sometimes with a sad regression to childhood.

Within one decade of my life, my 40’s, I have watched my twin sons go from childhood into adulthood.

When I was 39, my sons were little guys singing in their car seats in the back of the car as we travelled.

Now I am almost 49 and both of my sons now have wonderful young ladies as girlfriends and sit in the back seat holding hands with them as I drive.

Many who read this are probably thinking “Girlfriends?? At 13??”. I would usually agree with you but I have to tell you that these kids are mature, responsible and polite about their “relationships”.

Cheryl and I have become friends with the girls’ parents and spent New Year’s Eve with them at our house. It was very nice.

When I was 39, the boys were barely able to stand up on skates and needed us walking with them on the ice holding their hands.

Now I am almost 49, these same boys stand over 6 feet tall on skates and fly like the wind out there in their hockey games.

One is consistently one of the top scorers on the team while the other is one of the best defencemen in the league and guards that blue line like an officer on the beat.

When they were little almost every moment of their young lives was tied in with my wife and I.

Over the last little while we are becoming less of a factor in what goes on in their lives.

That’s not really a negative thing. It is terribly sad to me but it’s a sign that my sons are maturing and becoming more independent. This will serve them well in the years to come.

Two little boys into two handsome young men in less than one decade of my life. That’s pretty huge.

The last and unfortunately the saddest thing about the years in my 40’s have been those that I have lost.

When I was in my 20’s I lost one of my closest friends to cancer. At that time I had never experienced the passing of someone that close to me before. It took a very long time for me to be able to put that loss into a section of my brain so that the pain was lessened. I didn’t think that anything could hurt as much as losing a close pal that I had known almost all of my life.

Then about nine years ago shortly after we moved to New Brunswick we lost my stepfather to cancer. He and my mother had been together for over 20 years but had only been oficially married for a couple of years when this happened.

The worst thing about losing him was that I was all the way over here in New Brunswick while my mother and sister were in Ontario trying to deal with his passing.

It wasn’t easy trying to help mom but we did the best that we could do a couple of provinces away.

Uncle Maurice was my great-uncle. My father’s uncle. He was one of my favourite people in the whole world. I had loved him like crazy for my whole life. One would be hard-pressed to find someone as personable, easy going and fun as Uncle Maurice.

In fact, people in Fredericton still talk about him with great fondness.

When we were moving to New Brunswick one of the biggest things that I was looking forward to was finally being close enough to Uncle Maurice to be able to see him often and let our boys get to know him.

Uncle Maurice passed away with the first few months of our coming out here and we never did get to hang out with him as I had hoped.

In August 2008 my beautiful little sister Hayley passed away of cancer.

A few months later on New Year’s Eve we lost my mother to cancer as well.

As hard as Andy’s passing had been to me when I was in my 20’s the passing of my mother and sister a couple of years ago has had the most profound effect on me.

I guess if one tries to weigh things out the years of my 40’s haven’t been so great but they haven’t been completely rotten have they?

I’m not going to say anything to predict what my 50’s will hold. I don’t dread them as many people do. A year is only a measure of time after all.

True age is a mental state.

Just try to enjoy today and continue along safely and I think everything will be just fine.

Stay well,

Tim

Tim is a 40-something part-time municipal councillor, current provincial government employee, married father of 13 year-old twin sons who lives in New Brunswick, Canada and has no problem telling the world exactly what is on his mind.

His personal blog page can be found at http://tim4nm.blogspot.com/

A Funny Thing Happened...

Maybe it's not funny but could be a bit amusing if it wasn't true.
Perhaps this is just about one particular physician or maybe it's about a lot of them.
Either way it's a true story.
If it ends in a bad way it's a horrific story. I'm sure that many of these situations do end badly but we never hear of them.
Sorry, this is another blog about the cancer issue.
Anyhoo, a couple of years ago my mother asked me if I was having examinations for cancer considering the recent eruption of it within my immediate family.
I admitted that I had not thought about it but would look into it.
I also have to keep in mind that my father's older brother passed away several years ago of cancer.
Additionally, my father's uncle, my great-uncle has had a recent bout with the disease over the past couple of years.

Mom spoke to her doctor who advised that I should be having a colonoscopy done as soon possible.
I made an appointment with my family doctor, Dr. K. to talk about it.

For those reading this not familiar with the New Brunswick situation finding a family doctor is insanely difficult teetering on frickin impossible to get a family doctor here.
When we moved here from Ontario we were able to get in to Dr. K by default since my family here were his patients already.

So Dr. K. and I sat down to discuss this.
He was pretty casual and light about it. He made a joke about how weird it is that someone WANTS one of these things.
Ha freakin ha. Big laugh riot. He didn't think it was really necessary but would look into it.
Dr. K. said it would be at least a year before getting in. That's just the way it is here. Plus, he didn't consider me "high risk".
I guess he knows. He's the expert after all, right?

Mom was constantly asking me about this so I told her what Dr. K. had said.
She was not happy.
Hayley also started expressing her concerns about this.
At one point mom became so upset that I couldn't have an immediate test she wrote a letter to Dr. K. expressing her displeasure.
Nothing changed. Several months passed and I didn't receive an appointment date or even an acknowledgement that I wished to have one.
My understanding is that Dr. K. needed to send a reference letter to the other doctor requesting an appointment for the colonoscopy.
My mother's doctor felt so strongly for my need for this test that he also sent a personal letter to Dr. K. speaking of his concern.
Now I KNOW that Dr. K. had these letters.
A few times along the way I would be at his office for one reason or another and saw the letters.
I asked him repeatedly and was told the same thing each time.
That I would be contacted when an appointment was being made.
About a year or so later I called Dr. K's office and spoke to the lady at the front desk. I asked for the name and number of the doctor who would procedure. I called and was told that my situation was not considered a priority and I would be contacted "sometime".
I suppose when I was crawling in pain or a growth becomes clearly visible protruding from my body.

Mom tended to be somewhat emotional in her correspondence.
Hayley, on the other hand was very fact oriented and detailed the facts clearly when she decided to write a letter on my behalf.

No change, crickets chirping, all was quiet. No appointment forthcoming.

When mom was in the hospital she had me calling and looking for a private place that would do the colonoscopy. She was willing to pay herself for me to get it done.

As you know things got very busy and shaken up so I never did locate a private clinic to schedule anything.

Hayley left us.

When I was in the hospice with mom before she went to sleep she insisted one last time that I push and get this goddamn thing done!
I promised her that I would.

A couple of months ago I attended Dr. K's to talk about some stuff.
I said "Mom and Hayley are gone now. Can I get someone to take my colonoscopy request seriously now?"
I think the tone of my voice said what I wanted it to.
He opened the file and looked. "it's only been 8 months that you've been waiting. "
"Look at the YEAR on that letter!" I replied.
Oh, a year and 8 months. I'll follow up on this...
No kidding... Good call.

A couple of months ago I finally received a letter in the mail confirming my colonoscopy on May 29th at Dr. Everett Chalmers Hospital.
Yay...
I'm telling you, it most likely will not happen but if anything unusual is discovered that could have been dealt with a year ago, there WILL be hell to pay. And the hell will not only be mine.
It's certainly not something I am excited to have done but it will give a certain degree of peace of mind finally.
It would have eased a couple of other minds very much too if they were still here with us.

Funny how these things happen, isn't it?

Stay well,
Tim