Municipal Politics

[haljackey]

I'm off to the ward 10 meeting/debate tonight.

I wonder how boring it will be? Only reason I'm going is because I have to. Gotta take notes for a project... hopefully they'll actually talk about the stuff I need to take notes on.

[GreatTallNorth2]

Originally Posted by haljackey

I'm off to the ward 10 meeting/debate tonight.

I wonder how boring it will be? Only reason I'm going is because I have to. Gotta take notes for a project... hopefully they'll actually talk about the stuff I need to take notes on.

I was the guy making Paul Van mer Burgen angry all night, asking questions about transit, etc. Were you the guy sitting beside me?

[haljackey]

Originally Posted by GreatTallNorth2

I was the guy making Paul Van mer Burgen angry all night, asking questions about transit, etc. Were you the guy sitting beside me?

lol. Yeah, that was me.

[GreatTallNorth2]

Originally Posted by haljackey

lol. Yeah, that was me.

That's too funny. I had a good time making Paul angry.

[MolsonExport]

good for you. i keep bitchin to my wife that I am gonna show up to council/ward meetings just to spout off about local pissmeoffmanship.

[haljackey]

Joe gets swarm in later this week.

He really reminds me of the Library Cop on Seinfeld:

• Video Link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9tP9fI2zbE

Notice any resemblance? His appearance in the final episode (in court) is even better!

[Simpseatles]

^It's so true!!

The resemblance is uncanny!!

[haljackey]

Joe Joe JoeJoeJoeJoe

[haljackey]

So now there's talk of London annexing Arva.

I'm all for it, but even if the two communities agree it still has to be approved by the province.

Thoughts?

[Simpseatles]

If the annexation means a better chance of a northern freeway, then I'm for it. But if no plans are made and no land set aside, then my guess is that the sprawl will continue, and another 20 years down the road, we may be in the same predicament again.

Plus, doesn't Fontana live there? It would be nice if he actually lived in the city he was governing!

[Pimpmasterdac]

Originally Posted by haljackey

So now there's talk of London annexing Arva.

I'm all for it, but even if the two communities agree it still has to be approved by the province.

Thoughts?

All for it! London is fulfilling its 'manifest destiny' of SW Ontario

Unlike like GTA where Toronto and other cities have been decisively demarcated, London only has villages and hamlets around it, which it can easily gobble up! I can see in the future Delaware & Dorchester being added as well!

As far as Arva goes it makes sense for Fontana to do since technically he lives in area. But also if he wants to achieve 0% tax goal annexing neighbouring villages is an easy way to gain a greater tax base, with minimum servicing needed. Especially if Arva wants to use our sewage system for their expansion, they ought to be apart of London rather than just get all the benefits of de facto being apart of London without the responsibilities.

Resistance for these areas would be futile too, Lambeth made a big stink about being annexed in the early 90s but there were no real political consequences. It basically turns into a London vs. hamlet situation, where London wins due to its prominence in SW Ontario.

[haljackey]

Articles in the Free Press about annexing Arva:


Arva’s annexation raised
http://www.lfpress.com/news/london/2.../17385166.html

White’s Arva annextion suggestion a true news godsend
http://www.lfpress.com/comment/colum.../17412681.html

The mayor of Arva (surprise!)
http://www.lfpress.com/blogs/londonc.../17404536.html

Arva angry about annexation
http://www.lfpress.com/blogs/londonc.../17390921.html


Sewers... 0 tax increase... possible freeway.... etc. Seems like a win-win for (almost) everyone.

They got a nice park too!

[go_leafs_go02]

Would this annexation raise the northern limit just in and around arva? Or would Medway become a city roadway all the way from west of Hyde Park to the east past Clarke road..

[MrSlippery519]

No question this is going to happen, my only hope is that they are doing it first because it makes sense and second because it would allow them to build a North/South freeway.

[astuc]

The City of London sells Disability Taxi Licenses as a source of income. The City of London provides subsidized transportation for the disabled community. The more people use the Specialized Transit Service means less people will use the Disability Taxi and the value of the license would fall. Therefore the corporation is obliged to limit access to the subsidized service. This forces the disabled to pay ten times more for transportation in the taxi. The corporation is making money off the poor rather than assisting them. People are being unjustly denied needed transportation service.

[Snark]

Originally Posted by Pimpmasterdac

Resistance for these areas would be futile too, Lambeth made a big stink about being annexed in the early 90s but there were no real political consequences. It basically turns into a London vs. hamlet situation, where London wins due to its prominence in SW Ontario.

The big annexation of 20 years ago was imposed by the Province because suburban development on the fringes of the city was getting dangerously out of control. There was little local political fallout from the annexation action because it was an imposed solution coming from Toronto - and the aggrieved party (Westminster twp) numbered in the thousands of residents: not a significantly large group. That said, some resentment still lingers in the former township over the decision.

The Arva situation is quite different. From a planning control perspective, the annexation of Arva isn't really necessary - we are only talking about a few thousand people over the next 20 years. This is more about money - and the township isn't going to want to give it up for the same reason.

[Pimpmasterdac]

Originally Posted by Snark

The big annexation of 20 years ago was imposed by the Province because suburban development on the fringes of the city was getting dangerously out of control. There was little local political fallout from the annexation action because it was an imposed solution coming from Toronto - and the aggrieved party (Westminster twp) numbered in the thousands of residents: not a significantly large group. That said, some resentment still lingers in the former township over the decision.

London wanted the annexation of parts of Westminster, basically everything North of the 402 and only slightly South of the 301. Province stepped in a gave a massive swath of land South of both freeways, which sits idle until we see future development.

Originally Posted by Snark

The Arva situation is quite different. From a planning control perspective, the annexation of Arva isn't really necessary - we are only talking about a few thousand people over the next 20 years. This is more about money - and the township isn't going to want to give it up for the same reason.

For the same reasons the Lambeth annexation was a successful, the same would be true with Area. ~1000 people, area bordering London that is growing essentially on our tit. I'd say the only thing that has changed is the awareness of amalgamations and annexations with Lambeth, TO megacity, Hamilton, Ottawa which could make the residents weary of any annexation. But who to pander to, ~1,000 from Arva or 350,000+ in London, simple answer there.

As well we have a provincial election this year coming up, where I predict McGunity Liberals will be crucified for their taxes and heavy deficits. PCs innovated of the megacities, possibly would want to merge neighbouring townships to reduce the amount of municipal governments?

Either way eventually Arva will be annexed by London, whether now or in the future. It would cause more political problems not allowing London to grow, than to allow Arva to stop London's boundary growth!

[haljackey]

I posted this map a while ago... its rough but it shows what I think the City of London limits should encompass:



Basically much of Westminister shouldn't be in the city limits because it's practically farmland and is miles away from the downtown. Arva and Medway should be included because of it's proximity to development, the university and the downtown.

The eastern and western edges are pretty much the same as they are now.

If London had a nice circular shape around its downtown rather than the odd clump it has now, I think it would be a much better managed and more organized city.

Adding Arva won't do a lot politically or population-wise, but I think it will be a positive asset both economically and geographically.

[Simpseatles]

I don't want to sound like an idiot here, but why exactly did the city annex Westminister? It doesn't seem like there would be any reason to do so. It's just agricultural land that's decades away from ever being developed, whereas areas north and west in the city are pushing against the city limits.

[manny_santos]

Originally Posted by Simpseatles

I don't want to sound like an idiot here, but why exactly did the city annex Westminister? It doesn't seem like there would be any reason to do so. It's just agricultural land that's decades away from ever being developed, whereas areas north and west in the city are pushing against the city limits.

I don't recall the entire story, but I know that a large number of industrial developments were locating in Westminster by the 1980s. I know that some industrial properties in Westminster gained access to City of London services in the late 1980s. Perhaps the City of London decided they would be better off having those lands within city limits to gain tax assessment from land they were servicing anyway.

Why they annexed everything up to the Elgin County line is beyond me though.