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09 29 2011 Rec Tech AgendaTOWNSHIP OF ORO RECREATION TECHNICAL SUPPORT GROUP  COUNCIL CHAMBERS Thursday, September 29, 2011            7:00 p.m. Page 1.ADOPTION OF AGENDA a)Motion to Adopt the Agenda. 2.DISCLOSURE OF PECUNIARY INTEREST 3.ADOPTION OF MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING: 2-6 a) 2011. 4.DEPUTATIONS: 5.COMMUNICATIONS: 7 a)Correspondence dated June 6, 2011 from Paul Weber, re: Request f Walking Path to Line 4 Park. 8 b)Councillor Lancaster re: Possible Placement of Commemorative Sig 9 Vehicles on Municipal Roads. 10-15 d)Tim Crawford, re: War of 1812. 16-21 e) 22 PR03 g) 6.ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION: 7.NEXT MEETING DATE 8.ADJOURNMENT a) Page 1 of 22 3a) THE TWNSHIPOF ORO-EDONTE OOMM RCREATIN TECHNICAL EEOO SUPPORRT GROUPP MEETINGG MINUTESS CouncilChamberss Thursdaay, Augustt 25, 20117:07 p..m. Presentt: Reeta RegelinnkTraceey Rynard Tim CrawforddNancyy Stoddart Counci: ll Mayor H.S. ughes HH Cuncillor Klly Meyer, Chai ooeer Regretss: Coouncillor Marty Lancasster Riick Maddenn Staff: Shhawn Binnss, Director oof Recreatioon and Commmunity Seervices Marie Brissette, Committee Coordinator Also Present: Cuncillor Jhn Crawford, Councillor Dwight Evans, Eal Dertinge, oooorrrr Buce Campbell, Orvill Hutchinsn rreeoo 1.ADOOPTION OFF AGENDA a) Moton to Adot the Agenda. ipp MotionNo. RTSG110825-1 Movedbby Stoddartt, Secondedd by Crawfoord It is recoommendedthat the Reecreation Technical Suupport Grouup agenda for Thursdaay, ugust5, 2011 b received nd adoptd. A22eeaaee Caried. rr 2.DISCCLOSURE OF PECUNNIARY INTEREST None deeclared. 115 Page of Page 2 of 22 3a) Recreation Technical Support Group Minutes – Thursday, August 25 3.ADOPTION OF MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING: a) Minutes of Recreation Technical Support Group meeting held on July 28, 2011. Motion No. RTSG110825-2 Moved by Reynard, Seconded by Relink It is recommended that the minutes of the Recreation Technical Support Group meeting held on Thursday, July 28, 2011 be adopted as printed and circulated. Carried. 4.DEPUTATIONS: None. 5.COMMUNICATIONS: a) Correspondence dated June 6, 2011 from Paul Weber, re: Reques Line 4 Park. Motion No. RTSG110825-3 Moved by Regelink, Seconded by Crawford It is recommended by the Recreation Technical Support Group 1. That the correspondence dated June 6, 2011 from Paul Weber, re: Request for Walking Path to Line 4 Park be received. 2. That costs for a walking trail on the east side on Line 4 from Highland Drive to Horseshoe Valley Road be investigated and brought back to the Recreation Technical Support Group. 3. And That the Recreation Technical Support Group recommends to Council that the merits of a three way stop to be placed at Highland Drive and Line 4 be investigated. Carried. 25 Page of Page 3 of 22 3a) Recreation Technical Support Group Minutes – Thursday, August 25 b) Correspondence dated June 16, 2011 from Kristina and Carl Guldenstein re: Request to Use Smart E-Bike on Rail Trail. The Group reviewed the safety and liability implications of allowing the use of E-Bikes on the Rail Trail balanced with potential requirements under the Ontarians with Disabilities Act. Motion No. RTSG110825-4 Moved by Reynard, Seconded by Crawford It is recommended by the Recreation Technical Support Group 1. That the correspondence dated June 16, 2011 from Kristina and Carl Guldenstein re: Request to Use Smart E-Bike on Rail Trail be received. 2. That Shawn Binns, Director of Recreation and Community Services investigates best practices used by surrounding municipalities. 3. And That the matter be discussed at a future Recreation Technical Support Group meeting. Carried. c) Councillor Lancaster re: Possible Placement of Commemorative Sign on Shanty Bay Road/Ridge Road. Motion No. RTSG110825-5 Moved by Reynard, Seconded by Regelink It is recommended by the Recreation Technical Support Group defers Item 5c) Councillor Lancaster re: Possible Placement of Commemorative Sign on Shanty Bay Road/Ridge Road until September 29, 2011. Carried. 35 Page of Page 4 of 22 3a) Recreation Technical Support Group Minutes – Thursday, August 25 d) Shawn Binns, Director of Recreation and Community Services, re: All Terrain Vehicles on Municipal Roads. The Group reviewed the safety and liability implications of allowing the use of all terrain vehicles on the municipal roads and what has been successful practice in the past to allow access to Lake Simcoe for winter recreation activities. Motion No. RTSG110825-6 Moved by Crawford, Seconded by Stoddart It is recommended by the Recreation Technical Support Group that the verbal information presented by Shawn Binns, Director of Development Services, re: All Terrain Vehicles on Municipal Roads be received. Carried. e) Councillor Meyer, re: Future Agenda Items. Motion No. RTSG110825-7 Moved by Crawford, Seconded by Regelink It is recommended by the Recreation Technical Support Group that the verbal information presented by Councillor Meyer, re: Future Agenda Items be received. Carried. 45 Page of Page 5 of 22 3a) Recreation Technical Support Group Minutes – Thursday, August 25 6.NEXT MEETING DATE Thursday, September 29, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. 7.ADJOURNMENT a) Motion to Adjourn Motion No. RTSG110825-8 Moved by Stoddart, Seconded by Crawford It is recommended that we do now adjourn at 8:31 p.m. Carried. Councillor Meyer, Chair Marie Brissette, Committee Coordinator 55 Page of Page 6 of 22 5a) Correspondence dated June 6, 2011 from Paul Weber, re:... Page 7 of 22 5b) Councillor Lancaster re: Possible Placement of Commemo... Page 8 of 22 5c) 5c) Insurance/platesRequiredbyall NoiseInaccordancewithNoiseBylaw;or Mustnotemitnoise. Speed20kmifspeedposted50kmorlessand50kmifspeedpostedisgreaterthan 50km;or 20kminaposted50kmor50kminaposted80km;or tš­·;7­¦;;7Œz’z· RoadsAllunlessspecified;or Allunlesssigned{/Œš­;7|orbarriersprohibitaccess;or Allopenandmaintainedmunicipalroads;or h“Œä·wš­;“š·;7z“·w;{-w;7Ҍ;·š·w;,äŒÞ Hours7:00a.m.to11:00p.m.;or 5:00a.m.to11:00p.m.;or 6:00a.m.to1:00a.m.;or t u’u·š ¦u’u TimeofyearAllyear;or BetweenDecember31andMarch31;or December1toMarch31;or W“Ò©ä ·ša©-w  SignageRoadsnotauthorizedsigned; Roadsauthorizingaresigned; w;7‰,šŒ7‘IncludedintheTownshipofOroa;7š“·;x­bylaw. Page 9 of 22 5d) Tim Crawford, re: War of 1812. Possible Involvement of Oro-Medonte In Celebrating the (and/or “simply some good heritage projects”) by Tim Crawford July 2011 A Quick History Lesson on The War of 1812 (only for those who would like a reminder) About 235 years ago the U.S. broke away from Britain. About 35 years later there were problems between the U.S. and Britain. War broke out in 1812. The major battles occurred between Washington DC and New Orleans; across the Niagara River into Ontario; the Detroit/Windsor area, and; Naval Battles in the Great Lakes. That war literally defined Canada! The sinking of a British ship at Wasaga Beach was the only skirmish in our Georgian Bay 1 Region. But this region has been enriched by pre-war, war, and post-war strategies and decisions. Celebrating that War Now, 200 years later, there will be in the U.S. and Canada a of bi-centennial celebration that war, over the equivalent 2 ½ years the war lasted, from 2012 - 2014. The Americans will be spending likely in the hundreds of millions of dollars in bi-centennial celebrations. The Province of Ontario will spend a modest amount as will Ottawa, mainly steering currently available heritage funds toward these celebrations. Regional have been formed by the Ontario government to help bi-centennial committees municipalities, museums and other agencies plan appropriate commemorative events. Thehas been meeting about once a year for the South Georgian Bay Regional Committee last 3 years. This writer has been attending. Possible Projects of the war could be celebrated: anything leading up to the war, the actual war, Any aspect and/or any result of the war. Some examples of the types of projects: re-enactments of battles; adding a display in a museum dedicated to the war; researching and writing a book about the war and its impact; having any type of get- 1 Ships were the major force – on the high seas, rivers and the Great Lakes. Compared to most wars at the time there were relatively few soldiers involved. Of course there were casualties but not near the number from the later and other major wars between nations. Total casualties, both sides: 3900 killed, 8200 American Civil War wounded, and 19 000 died of other causes, mainly disease. A motto for the War of 1812, might be “never was so much land fought over by so few, with such a profound result”. 1 Page 10 of 22 5d) Tim Crawford, re: War of 1812. together which would have some theme related to the war; putting up a plaque; commissioning a sculpture, a painting, a play, some type of music; etc. There are also opportunities for schools to become involved along any of these lines. One very encouraging project seems to be a new TV program to be broadcast October 10, on the Buffalo public broadcasting channel. It has been produced by a joint committee that appears to have been made up of experts in the Buffalo area, and in Ontario. The project 2 includes materials for teachers. Possible Involvement of Our Region In our South Georgian Bay region the following seem to have potential for some themes type of “celebratory project”: 1. The at Wasaga Beach; Sinking of the British supply ship, the Nancy, 2. The more or less following Sunnidale Rd from Barrie to the 9-Mile Portage Minesing swamp, actually to the reconstructed fort called ; Fort Willow 3 3. The (now Hwy 93) from Barrie to Penetanguishene; Penetanguishene Rd 4. The in Penetanguishene; Naval and Military Establishment Museum 4 5. The ; Oro Black Settlement 5 6. The have some relevance but are Coldwater Rd and Glouchester Rd perceived by some others – not this bias writer – to be insignificant. Plans For Our South Georgian Bay Region Working from memory here are some examples of projects mentioned as options or actually being planned. was on board quicky and applied for grants. The Nancy Museum There will be another celebration of the out of Barrie (they tend to do 9-mile Portage something every year, but next year’s celebration will be more relevant). (large Tall ships 2 There is an older documentary on the war, at least 10 years old, that provides an excellent overview. There was a type of documentary created this past year featuring local situations and local historians of the South Georgian Bay Region. It is available on the internet. 3 The Penetanguishene Road has a link to Oro-Medonte for a couple of reasons: (a) at the south end of that road was historic , at least half of which is now in O-M, and, (b) the fact that for many km that road Kempenfelt Village borders on O-M. As a matter of interest, its construction was attempted during the war but it took about 3 decades to be finally useable, long after the war was over. Nevertheless it was surveyed due to the war, partly cleared during the war and was a major part of war strategy in our area. 4 There were two reasons Oro was selected to settle the black militiamen: i) the defensive strategy of having experience soldiers settled near the Penetanguishene Rd so that if the war was re-activated, they could help defend the road from an American invasion down into southern Ontario, via Georgian Bay; ii) a Black man was already settled there on the north shore of Lake Simcoe and was doing quite well. He could assist the new Black settlers. He may have been a surveyor’s helper paid off in land for his work, while the area was being surveyed ca. 1809 or again, ca. 1813. 5 The Glouchester Road went east from Hillsdale to Mount St. Louis village and then diagonally north-east to end just north of Coldwater. The “diagonal part” has been long abandoned. It is an important part of Medonte’s history. 2 Page 11 of 22 5d) Tim Crawford, re: War of 1812. sailing ships) will be touring the Great Lakes. A couple will port at Midland for 2 days: the Midland Council has earmarked in the range of $25,000 to pay for that project. The in Midland wishes to research, and write a book on the historic Huronia Museum . It is assumed that something special will take place at the wonderful Penetanguishene Rd in Penetanguishene. Naval and Military Establishment Museum Possible Projects For Oro-Medonte You will notice in the above list of possible projects that there is nothing related to the Oro , yet. There has been an expectation (a bit of pressure over the past 2½ Black Settlement years) for Oro-Medonte to announce its plans for its involvement. Given the significance of the there is an . Oro Black Settlement expectation When this writer was asked to come up with some ideas as to what we could do, the suggestions below materialized. Some of these suggestions have in fact been shared with the Georgian Bay Bi-centennial Committee, but I was unable to commit the Township to carrying out any one of them – I did not have the authority to do so. There are at least 9 heritage projects we could do that fit and might be eligible for a grant. Each project stands on its own merit, whether or not we submit it to be included on the list being compiled by the regional committee, and subsequently the Provincial list. Directly Related to the Oro Black Settlement... 1. , similar to the ones that were held in the Replicating an Emancipation Day Picnic Black Settlement 140 years ago. The Act which finally abolished slavery in the British st Commonwealth, which of course included Ontario, was enacted on an August 1. To celebrate this important milestone, Oro Blacks (in fact all Blacks in Ontario) held gloriously st6 colourful picnics each August 1. 2. We have an excellent description of the A New Year’s Eve Church Service in July annual, dramatic, all-night(!) services which were held in the Oro African New Year’s Eve Church. Replicating such a service in the winter would be impossible. The idea is to replicate it in the summer. 3. Install new plaques, such as one on the Old Barrie Road at Line 1, formerly known as 8 7 The Blacks were originally settled along this road. There are a Wilberforce Street. 6 I just had a thought: it might not be too soon to make a note or mark our calendars for the year 2019. There could be, and should be a here in O-M to acknowledge what I believe to be a grand national celebration profound milestone in British Commonwealth history: the first time in British History if not world history that Blacks were given large tracts of land for settlement on an equal basis as were whites.And it happened right here in Even the Queen should be invited, and Oro! That celebration should put Oro-Medonte on the national map. given the significance, she should attend! What long-term facility-planning should we now do in order to accommodate such a national celebration? By the way, the analysis of the facts-of-the-time, and finally the hypothesis of this “first time milestone,” did not come from some distinguished historian or government department, but from one of your historians. That local too is somewhat significant. 7 Wilberforce was a British parliamentarian who for decades fought to abolish slavery in the Commonwealth. Mainly due to his influence, slavery was being abolished but in stages. Finally his bill of total st abolition (full freedom or ) was passed. It was to come into force August 1, 1834. Unfortunately emancipation 3 Page 12 of 22 5d) Tim Crawford, re: War of 1812. couple of other plaques we could consider installing in the area of Edgar that would better describe the scope of the Oro Black Settlement. More about these, if requested. 9 4. , on our own or in partnership with the City of Barrie. Create a War of 1812 Bus Tour 5. perhaps titled the that would combine two out- Produce a book Oro Black Settlement of-print books about the settlement, with the current book, the The Oro African Church. 10 intent would be to produce a compilation of the 2 out-of-print books, the current Oro book, and new material on “the recent history of the church”, i.e., its African Church exciting recent history (becoming a ). national historic site Other Possible Projects (not related to the Oro Black Settlement) 6. Do something to highlight the defensive strategy, and settlement strategy of . A locating retired officers along the north shores of Lakes Simcoe and Couchiching plaque? 7. Acknowledge the First Nations’ Involvement There were roughly 3 classes of soldiers at the time: i) regular full-time, fully-trained soldiers; ii) militia men who were actually more or less forced or coerced into duty settlers mainly the professional soldiers, (the , some of whom in support ofBlack Regiment settled in Oro, were militiamen – some actually “saw action”) and; iii) warriors who fought with the professional soldiers, usually in their First Nations own style. Often there would be more warriors fighting a battle than professional soldiers and militiamen. Many historians believe those warriors, mainly due to their larger numbers and unique strategies, were a major factor in the war. Mayor Harry, wishing to acknowledge the extensive involvement of the First Nations in that 11 war, initiated a dialogue with . That dialogue with Rama has stalled. Chippewas of Rama Wilberforce died some months before that date. In spite of the steps toward emancipation previously taken, the enactment of the Act eliminating all semblance of slavery was a defining point in time, therefore creating a type of “reverence in the Black community” for . August 1 As a matter of interest the Oro Settlement had been established 15 years before the Emancipation Bill was enacted. 8 Although Line #1 was to be , Line #2 went along the back edge of their property – you might for the Blacks like to look at a Twp map. For some reason the Blacks shifted their attention to the back of their property, building homes “at the back,” along the west side of Line #2. It took this writer some number of years to draw the conclusion why Line #2 was generally known as the line the Blacks lived on, not Line #1. By the way, Line #1 is not open all the way across what was formerly Oro Township, even to this day. 9 From in Barrie, out Sunnidale Rd to , then over to the Oro African Church Fred Grant SquareFort Willow and down the historic “Penetanguishene Rd” to the north end of Barrie, along the side road to Line 1 of Oro- Medonte, down Line 1 where Blacks were first settled, to the Shanty Bay Road, and then to the historic Anglican Church in Shanty Bay. The tour could be dramatically enhanced by including a cruise from Shanty Bay to Barrie on the , to see the current, beautiful homes and estates that are now on the land of the “retired Serendipity Princess half-pay officers, and Oro Blacks,” finishing the tour by pointing out the location of historic Kempenfelt Village. While cruising we could point out the multi-million dollar home built by the man who is reported to have invented . Canadian Tire Money 10 Permission/co-operation/assistance of one of the three authors would be necessary. 11 In addition to the war-related concept, the fact is Oro-Medonte has an extremely rich First Nations’ that could be or should be celebrated on its own. history and heritage 4 Page 13 of 22 5d) Tim Crawford, re: War of 1812. There are a number of First Nations projects which could be suggested but would need at least the blessing, if not the involvement, of and other Chiefs in the Chippewas of Rama region. Those possible projects could be: i) providing a better write-up (possibly a book) on the history of the involvement of local First Nations in the War, including that of Chief Yellowhead, a local hero; There are some primary source documents listing some of the regional First Nation persons involved in the war. This material needs to be organized, interpreted and published in some way. ii) commissioning a painting of Chief Yellowhead (of course composite or imagined there are no photographs of him so some painting could be painted representative using as a guide photos of his descendants current living in Rama); there are such paintings of the other chiefs at the time but not of Yellowhead; representative iii) commissioning a statue of, and/or a plaque about Chief Yellowhead (more than 12 one statue/plaque to are being planned to be unveiled in South- Chief Tecumseth western Ontario during their Bi-centennial Celebrations); iv) do a feasibility study on the possibility of developing one of our First Nations’ 13 Sites in O-M so that current and future generations will be better able to learn about, and celebrated our First Nations’ history. (A map of the Township showing known locations of First Nations’ sites indicates a surprising number of dots, each the location of a village site or ossuary (bone graveyard).) In that the initial contact with Rama was at the level of Mayor/Chief, the writer would like to have this committee’s and the Mayor’s approval to pursue and re-activating the dialogue promoting one or more of these projects. Ideas Others Have Had 8. The Niagara Region has produced a beautiful 2-sided poster outlining the military action and historic sites in that region. We could do something similar, but also include non-war related historical locations, and current features such as Big Curve, Burl’s Creek, Chappell’s, Horseshoe and Mount St Louis resorts, etc. (A copy of the Niagara area poster is available here locally as a model.) Remember the possibility of grants. 9. Produce a small book on some aspect of the war such as its impact on Huronia, or more locally, on Oro-Medonte. (An example of what others are doing will be provided.) We could enter into an agreement to licence out our African Church book so it could become part of the planned series of war-related books. 10. Produce souvenir trinkets, post cards, greeting cards, golf shirts, and small size images of a local scene or situation, that could be framed. (Examples will be provided.) 12 Well-recorded is the very significant contribution Chief Tecumseth made on the British side of the war, particularly around the lower Great Lakes region. 13 The writer has two specific sites in mind: one has excellent potential for future development. There is an issue of “private property” in both cases. 5 Page 14 of 22 5d) Tim Crawford, re: War of 1812. A Final Comment – more less a footnote The regional bi-centennial committee is focussed on what might be called the “military aspects of the war” and rightly so. But relatively few people have an interest in battles and . This writer suggested to that committee that we create initiatives to broaden the strategies interest by creating projects that would appeal to a wider demographic – to appeal to a wider range of adults, both men and women, who are not very keen on “war battles.” Their interest might be in that reflect dedication, perseverance, and challenges human situations that are overcome, all of which took place away from the battle field. Similarly students and children , might be not interested in war strategies and battles interested in “life back then” especially the lives of children. In effect the war would not be the main focus but form the to related human situations. The goal would be to background involve students interested in than “boring history.” other things The approach was, to a modest degree, use to broaden the interest, and possibly the arts increase tourism (i.e., perform a play or commission a new play at in Kings Wharf Theatre Penetanguishene; commission a painting of Chief Yellowhead, hold a song writing contest for secondary school music students, etc.). There now seems to be very little interest in the bi-centennial committee to promote this approach. This anecdote is mentioned in case the interests this broaden-the-appeal notion committee, and the committee might re-direct in some way any approach we take. The recent announcement of the new TV program has encouraging words in the promotional material in the press release. That program is reported to put considerable emphasis on . the human element : Questions Which Might Be Discussed by the Committee 1. Are there other ideas or concerns from committee members? 2. Do we wish to “pass,” at least for the time being, on doing any project? 14 3. If we wish to be involved, which of the proposals merit exploring? 14 A type of feasibility study could be carried out for any proposals which appeal to the committee, and that study/those studies, could come back to the committee for further consideration. For example, a year ago this writer, without consulting others, took some wild guesses as to the possible expense items if we re-created an Emancipation Day picnic. The total of those guesses was in the neighbourhood of $15,000, before any possible “gate revenue” or grant. A feasibility study would include a more thoughtful estimate. 6 Page 15 of 22 5e) Correspondence dated August 23, 2011 from Nathan Weste... Page 16 of 22 5e) Correspondence dated August 23, 2011 from Nathan Weste... Page 17 of 22 5e) Correspondence dated August 23, 2011 from Nathan Weste... Page 18 of 22 5e) Correspondence dated August 23, 2011 from Nathan Weste... Page 19 of 22 5e) Correspondence dated August 23, 2011 from Nathan Weste... Page 20 of 22 5e) Correspondence dated August 23, 2011 from Nathan Weste... Page 21 of 22 Policy SectionSubject Page 1 of 1 POL-PR-03 # Parks and Funding of Capital Park Enacted By Council : RecreationImprovements/Developments May 17, 2006 Purpose To establish guidelines for funding capital park improvements/developments on Township owned Public Parkland. Policy Township Owned Parkland All capital park improvements/developments on Township owned Public Parkland are to be approved by Council. a) Requests Initiated by Public Requests for capital park improvements/developments initiated by the public and that have been approved by Council are subject to funding in a ratio of: 50 percent funding commitment from residents requesting the improvements; and 50 percent from the Recreation Capital Projects Budget; This funding ratio may be varied at the discretion of Council. b) Projects Initiated by Council Projects for capital park improvements/developments initiated by Council may be funded 100 percent from the Recreation Capital Projects Budget. Lands not owned by the Township of Oro-Medonte Park improvements/developments on lands not owned by the Township of Oro-Medonte will not be funded as part of the Recreation Reserves. All such requests for funding are to be directed to Council as a separate request. Page 22 of 22