Selwyn Council 4 Year vision, I would like to see more. January 2/2019 Walk and Talk from Your Local Realtor Brad Sinclair

Hey everybody , Brad Sinclair here, your local Realtor, Looking to earn your real estate business since 2007 and Welcome to today’s walk and talk.

Selwyn Council and staff has put together a strategic plan and goals document for their current 4 year term.  I reviewed the 7 page document (click here to see document) of the 4 year targets and I am a little disappointed of the lack of vision council has for Selwyn. Most of the targets in this document can be accomplished within one or two years very easily. Quite frankly, some goals should not even be in this document. For example, one of the 4 year goals is to expand the leaf and yard waste pick up in Ennismore and through out the Township. Why is a County of Peterborough program on Selwyn strategic plan? Another silly goal is having name tags for staff and on hold music for the township. Is that really the priority of council in a four year term?

That said there is some excellent goals in this document as well. Council is looking to hold Town Hall meetings for each ward once a year. They are also considering blogging key community decisions. Over the next four years counsel will also review severance policy’s, update and review the official plan and work on natural gas and broadband expansion. 

The questions that jump out at me is: What is councils vision on parks, township properties, roads and fire department over the next four years? What type of financial reserves will we have? What is staffing levels going to look like? What is their vision on major projects and infrastructure will we see in all wards of Ennismore, Smith and Lakefield?

I challenge council to push themselves and have a vision that truly excites the community for the next four years.

That is all I have for you today.  

When you are in a need for a Realtor Check me online at www.bradsinclair.ca I would like to have you business.

Written for you by:

Your local Realtor®

If you are looking to either Buy or Sell in Selwyn or Peterborough contact me immediately at 705-927-6236

Brad Sinclair, Sales Representative

Royal LePage Frank Real Estate Brokerage

Solving Problems and Making Things Happen in Real Estate since 2007

www.bradsinclair.ca

www.royallepagerealestate.com

www.gowaterfront.ca

My thought on what to do with the GE site. December 18/2018 Walk and Talk from Your Local Realtor Brad Sinclair:

After 126 years of business and Manufacturing, GE has closed its doors in Peterborough. So, what is going to happen to this 80 acre property? (Park St and Monaghan St parking lot.) 

Is GE going to do the American thing and board up the buildings and walk away?Maybe leave a skeleton crew on just to say there is current operations? 

My understanding is one of the biggest reasons this plant has closed is the poor condition of the plants buildings. It is also my understanding that the property is extremely contaminated. I don’t think this is a secret by any means. So what do we do? No one will ever be able to clean up this property. It will be a contaminated mess forever. Do you let it just rot? 

Or do we build the OHL and multiplex arena here? Think about this. When OMC left Peterborough they donated their contaminated property to the city and we even named the arena after one of their products. Developers Paved the site to seal the contamination and used the property for recreation. Win win right? So if nothing will ever happen to the GE property by GE why not approach GE to donate the land and a good portion of money for naming rights of a new complex for Peterborough to take over the property. Let’s try to make this loss the best win we possibly can. There is no better site in the city for a new complex and no other manufacturer is going to take over the site and poor condition buildings. 

Having a boarded up 126 year old manufacturing plant will never do Peterborough any good!

That is all I have for you today.  

When you are in a need for a Realtor Check me online at www.bradsinclair.ca I would like to have you business.

Written for you by:

Your local Realtor®

If you are looking to either Buy or Sell in Selwyn or Peterborough contact me immediately at 705-927-6236

Brad Sinclair, Sales Representative

Royal LePage Frank Real Estate Brokerage

Solving Problems and Making Things Happen in Real Estate since 2007

www.bradsinclair.ca

www.royallepagerealestate.com

www.gowaterfront.ca

Cannabis. Opt in or Opt out. Will fear rule here? Further Thoughts on December 18/2018 Walk and Talk from Your Local Realtor Brad Sinclair:

Currently as a resident of Ontario, you can have legal access to Cannabis in three ways.

1. You can purchase from the OCS online
2. Grow plants of your own (Up to 4 plants)
3. Prescription for medical purposes.

Soon storefront operation licences will be available in Ontario. Ontario is allowing Municipalities to choose if they will allow a storefront operation in their community which will be heavily regulated by the government. Municipalities Must make this decision by January 22. If you opt out you cannot opt back in later after you see how other municipalities make out with their storefronts. If you opt in you can opt out later, but opting in provides you with additional funding from the province. Any additional funding is welcome to any municipality.  

As far as I’m concerned this is no more dangerous then LCBO. It’s going to be well regulated and stores can not be located within 150 meters of a school. That’s said just like the LCBO ID will be required to purchase. There is plenty of marijuana use in our township. It can be purchased illegally or legally. Would it not be better to have the benefits of the legal purchases for a Township?

Selwyn Would like to hear what you have to say. There is a survey online for you to fill out which also is used as an education piece. The survey will be open until January 9th, 2019. Here is a link to the survey: 

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MCNRK59

Here is the questions in the survey:

1. Are you a resident of the Township of Selwyn?

2. What age range do you fall under?

3. In completing this survey, are you responding as a... (resident or Business owner)

4. If you were to purchase cannabis, would you prefer to purchase online or through storefront businesses?

5. Retail stores for recreational cannabis will create jobs and benefit businesses in the Township of Selwyn.

6. Are you aware that retail stores would NOT be permitted within 150 metres of a school and would be prohibited from obtaining a licence to sell cannabis even if retail sales are permitted in the municipality (i.e. if the municipality permits retail sales, any retail outlet within a 150 metre (490 foot) radius of a school would NOT be permitted to sell cannabis)?

7. Are you aware that the local police services (OPP and Peterborough Police) will enforce cannabis legislation (road safety and illegal storefronts etc.)?

 8. Both the OPP and Peterborough Public Health suggested allowing cannabis sales in the community as a way to provide local access to a legal product and to potentially curb the illegal market. Do you agree that allowing retail cannabis sales would help curb the illegal market?

9. Which of the following options best reflects your perspective? 

-Cannabis is a legal product and should be marketed at retail stores located in the commercial areas.
-Retail cannabis sales should be allowed, however should be subject to strict regulations and licensing.
-Cannabis is available legally to local residents on line and by growing at home therefore retails shops are unnecessary.
-Even though cannabis is a legal product, retail sales should not be allowed under any circumstances.

I can tell you the older population in Selwyn is scared to death of this. I learned this at the all candidates meeting earlier this year.  Don’t let their fears cost us as a township in the long run. Smoking of marijuana is not going to be allowed in public spaces. It’s not going to cause an epidemic of pot smoking criminals. This will give an opportunity for someone to open a small business in our township as well as provide funding from the province to Selwyn. The council must get this right.

Maps of where potential storefronts can open in Selwyn Township. See yellow highlighted areas

Ennismore

Buckhorn

Bridgenorth

Lakefield

Youngs Point

That is all I have for you today.  

When you are in a need for a Realtor Check me online at www.bradsinclair.ca I would like to have you business.

Written for you by:

Your local Realtor®

If you are looking to either Buy or Sell in Selwyn or Peterborough contact me immediately at 705-927-6236

Brad Sinclair, Sales Representative

Royal LePage Frank Real Estate Brokerage

Solving Problems and Making Things Happen in Real Estate since 2007

www.bradsinclair.ca

www.royallepagerealestate.com

www.gowaterfront.ca