Concerned Citizens of King Township

The Augustinian Fathers (Ontario), Inc are before council again on Monday, February 8th, requesting the town approve a Long-Term Care Facility with 188 beds at their Marylake facility. CCKT is concerned about the implications regarding water and wastewater servicing crossing the 15th sideroad, and the continued interest of additional expansion of facilities on the property. Concerned residents can contact the clerk to make a deputation by calling 905-833-4068 or email [email protected] by 12:00 p.m. (noon) of February 8th. The issue is the second item on Monday's agenda: https://king.civicweb.net/filepro/documents/80147

Concerned Citizens of King Township works to protect the natural heritage features of King Township and to promote sustainability in our community. Check out the articles on our website to learn more and become a member to support our work! https://cckt.ca/

York Region recently voted in favour of re-zoning land in the Greenbelt from agriculture to employment. Not only would this proposal shrink Ontario’s important Greenbelt unnecessarily, there are serious issues surrounding the water that would be necessary to service the area.

CCKT encourages everyone to share their thoughts about the governments use of MZO's by January 30th. The Environmental Registry of Ontario is a public forum that details the proposed enhanced authority of the Minister to address zoning orders and allows everyone to submit their comments.

Want to have your say on how King tackles climate change impacts and effects within the community? Register for two webinars, Oct 15 and Oct 22 at 6pm To register, visit https://speaking.king.ca/climate-action-plan

TVO hosted a great conversation on the controversy surrounding the government of Ontario overruling conservation authorities and allowing development too close to the Greenbelt. Guests include David Crombie, the former chair of the Greenbelt Council; Dave Wilkes, the President & CEO of Building Industry & Land Development Association, and Noor Javed, specializing in 905 Municipal Politics for Toronto Star.

Please help Save Our Water. Visit SaveOurWater.CA

Kingscross Estate Ratepayers Association (KERA) seeks to protect sensitive features of the Oak Ridges Moraine water, significant wetlands, East Humber River and forested areas which are being threatened by proposed urban development plans in King City. You can learn more by going to website: www.DontDevelopOurMoraine.ca. KERA is raising funds to assist with an upcoming LPAT hearing to engage expert witnesses in the protection of the Moraine.

The first of two All Candidate Meetings for King-Vaughan, hosted by CCKT on October 1/19. Only the Green Party and Liberal Party participated. The second All Candidates Meeting will be on October 10/19 at the King Township Municipal offices at 7pm. http://cckt.ca//video-of-october-1-19-all-candidates-meet/

Did you miss the second All Candidates Meeting on October 10/19, hosted by CCKT? http://cckt.ca//video-of-october-10-19-all-candidates-mee/ Click here to view video highlights

CCKT is a non-partisan and non-profit organization. Our All Candidates Meetings will be moderated by former King Township councilor Cleve Mortelliti. Candidates will make introductory comments before being asked questions by CCKT and members of the public.

CCKT is pleased to report that King Council voted to "Declare a Climate Emergency" in King Township. The vote was 4 3 with Steve Pellegrini, David Boyd, Debbie Schaefer and Avia Eek supporting the resolution. In addition, following a very thoughtful discussion by Council, there was a vote to support a target of a 45% reduction in carbon and other GHG's by 2030 by King Township (municipal) rather than the target of 30% recommended in the staff report. The vote was unanimous. The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has clearly identified 45% reduction in emissions from 2010 levels to 2030 as necessary in keeping average global surface temperature rise to 1.5 degrees C maximum.

Look forward to seeing the community at CCKT's second All Candidates meeting this Thursday!

King Township Draft Official Plan, Our KING. Ongoing work continues as many members of CCKT review specific sections of the King Draft OP, Our KING. We are still awaiting a date to meet with the planning consultant and Township planning staff and anticipate this meeting will take place shortly. Written comments are being prepared by a number of members and shared with others participating in the review. We are also planning to prepare a CCKT written submission in addition t...o many individual comments that are submitted. We encourage members of CCKT and the public to send in written comments on one or more items of importance. A public meeting to introduce a revised draft of Our KING to King Township Council is scheduled for Thursday, June 27th, at the Municipal Centre.

King Township Climate Action Workshop June 14, 15 and 16. Please see the attached invitation to a very relevant workshop being organized by a new citizen initiative titled Climate Action King. This is not specifically a CCKT initiative, but one in which CCKT has a strong interest in light of dramatic climate change and recent announcements of the forecast rise in temperatures across Canada, overall twice the average forecast globally. You may have heard of the recent book... titled Drawdown:The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming, organized by author and environmentalist, Dave Hawken. Through the pages of Drawdown, Hawken lays out a bold vision to take action in reversing climate change through the dramatic drawdown of global carbon emissions. The upcoming workshop will introduce the vision of the Drawdown Project and focus on steps and actions in which people everywhere can be involved. The workshop takes place at the King Municipal Centre.

Draft Tree By-Law for Settlement Areas Coming to Council June 10 Please mark you calendars for June 10th! As you know CCKT members have been meeting with King Township staff over the past year to review past work on a Township Tree By-Law and have been focused on the crafting of an effective draft tree by-law for the three main Settlement Areas in King Township, King City, Nobleton and Schomberg. An important goal has been to craft a tree by-law that will gain the support o...f a wide range of residents. The draft by-law is a focused effort at blending individual property owners rights with the broader public interest. Key goals have been to support and encourage the conservation of healthy, mature trees and to grow the tree canopy through replacement planting when trees are removed. Kathryn Moyle, Township Clerk is planning to bring the draft tree by-law to King Council with a report on Monday, June 10th, meeting begins at 6:00 p.m. at the King Township Municipal Centre. CCKT is inviting all CCKT members and other interested members of the public to attend this meeting in support of the draft tree by-law. With Council’s support public consultation will begin following the June 10th meeting.

Together for Ontario Conference June 8 Wilfred Laurier University Environmental Defence in partnership with a considerable number of other Ontario-based organizations (Ontario Nature, Earthroots, Wellington Water Watchers + ) extend an invitation to CCKT, and many, many others to attend a day-long conference in Waterloo at Wilfred Laurier University. The conference is planned to bring together active "environmental" groups in response to the multiple changes being proposed and implemented by the current Ontario government that are unraveling important provincial legislation and plans which provide protections to the Greenbelt, natural heritage systems, endangered species, farmland, etc. and seek to address climate change. Please see the link: https://act.environmentaldefence.ca/page/42479/event/1

Lots of great deputations about the Mansions of King and Bushland Heights developments at tonight's King Council meeting. Citizens (and CCKT!) presented many well researched concerns surrounding density, flooding, and harm to ecology and land that is all on the Oak Ridges Moraine - including Provincially Significant Wetlands and the East Humber River. Council is currently considering how they will proceed with the application. How do you feel about the proposal?

Congratulations to all the volunteers who received recognition at the 2019 Volunteer Appreciation Event. A special congratulations to Bruce Craig, CCKT Chair, for being awarded Citizen of the Year

Concerned Citizens of King Township welcomes farmers, land-owners, and all those interested in preserving farmland to an informative meeting on Wednesday, April 10th, 7 - 9 p.m., at the Schomberg Community Hall (lower level), 325 Main Street, Schomberg. Our guest speakers are Heather Reid, Policy & Land Program Assistant, Ontario Farmland Trust, and Anahita Belanger, Marketing Lead, FarmLINK . Why do we need to protect Ontario’s farmland? Ontario has some of the best farmlan...d in Canada. It produces the greatest diversity of crops in the country. However, only 5% of the land in Ontario can support farming, and our most productive farmlands are under threat from urban development. http://bit.ly/2OQWVkU

Concerned Citizens of King Township is hosting Ontario Farmland Trust and Farmlink to discuss provincial policies, Farmland Easement Agreements, and other tools and strategies for protecting farmland. https://bit.ly/2TTrV9x

Please take note of Mondays deadline!

GREAT NEWS! Section 10 will be removed from Bill 66, according to a Tweet this afternoon from the Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs, Steve Clark. GREAT WORK done by so many environmental and community groups across Ontario to resist this poorly-considered legislation. https://www.cbc.ca//ford-government-backs-down-on-legislat

Below is CCKT's formal commentary to the Provincial Government on: "Bill 66: Restoring Ontario’s Competitiveness Act, 2018" ================================== ...Continue reading

Please consider voting at the end of the article. https://www.yorkregion.com//9124895-bill-66-cutting-red-t/

Very informative and well seasoned letter to the King Sentinel by renowned Schomberg environmentalist and community supporter, Mary Asselstine. http://kingsentinel.com/?p=10975

CCKT was there -- please read for the details. https://www.yorkregion.com//9127230-king-township-request/

https://www.cbc.ca//ontario-regional-government-review-1.4

This very large landfill site in the name of an aerodrome expansion is just west of Schomberg, on the north side of Highway 9. As this citizen group says, it's a positive step for the owner/managers to submit a storm water management system and plan. But if you live in the Tecumseth Pines community adjoining it, downstream, you wouldn't feel any relief. They have been fighting the importation of landfill that has a high probability of contamination this for many years now.

Several CCKT members and King Township Councillor Debbie Schaefer participated in and experienced an uplifting protest rally near Rod Phillips (Minister of Environment) office. CTV was there to film the rally and interviewed Tim Gray, Environmental Defence Chair.

We urge all King residents to come to Monday's Council meeting in King city to support our treasured Greenbelt and Moraine. Bill 66 is a serious threat. See you there! http://cckt.ca//monday-night-come-to-king-township-counci/

Please learn about and take action to Stop Bill 66 - it threatens every protection we have fought for to protect our water, the Greenbelt, the Moraine, and more. This is an excellent website! Sign the protest and get resources, including how to contact your local MPP. http://cckt.ca/2019/01/stop-bill-66-save-the-greenbelt/

The reasons given for Bill 66 don't quite add up.

Tell the Ontario government to Stop Bill 66, save the Greenbelt and protect our water. Take Action at www.stopbill66.ca

https://www.yorkregion.com//9087054-concerned-citizens-of/

Sign the petition and protect our water, the Moraine and the Greenbelt.

Mindful commentary on Bill 66 from King Township Councillor Debbie Schaefer. http://debbieschaefer.ca//open-for-business-putting-our-c/

https://wp.me/p38bba-m4

Think there's no value to our Environmental Commissioner or her office? Think again. GET INFORMED and COMMENT on the recent Provincial proposals that would serious affect our quality of life.

This is a must-read article if you are at all confused about what the Ford Government is trying to do here, and why it's so unnecessary. Do you want more gridlock, higher taxes and food prices? Please add your voice to save the Greenbelt, http://stopbill66.ca

Let's keep Ford to his promise not to open up the Greenbelt to developers. #stopbill66 Take action https://bit.ly/2BXqvAf

It is critical we stand against the provisions of this very new Bill that would permit any development on our hard-fought and protected Greenbelt with a mere passing of a bylaw by a local Council, with no public meeting required. Let's keep Ford to his promise not to open up the Greenbelt to developers. #stopbill66 Take action https://bit.ly/2BXqvAf

4:00 today! If you can't make it, it'll be available following.

The Premier’s office and party leaders already have too much power. Bill 57 will give them even more. That's why I'm continuing to stand up for independent over...sight in Ontario politics and the protection of government watchdogs for the environment, vulnerable children and Francophone services. See more

Mike Schreiner is well worth listening to here.

http://cckt.ca/2018/11/2018-annual-general-meeting/ Save the Date: Tuesday, November 27, 7 - 9 pm CCKT Annual General Meeting... In addition to our regular business session, our guest speaker will be Chris Fasciano, Director Parks & Recreation, who will present an interesting PowerPoint presentation looking at King Township's Trees Management Plan and approach for preserving trees and increasing tree canopy. The meeting will take place in the Council Chambers at the new King Municipal Centre. Refreshments Served, Open to the public, All are welcome!

Sad but true! Do you have a solution? We compared 2018 vs. 2914 for all Wards. Two Lowest: Ward 2: 22.23% Ward 3: 26.95%. See below for full details. WE WELCOME YOUR COMMENTS ON OUR BLOG POST.... http://cckt.ca/2018/11/less-than-32-vote-in-king-township/

What do you think about this King?

Have you valued our coverage of the King Township 2018 election? HOW'S ABOUT BECOMING A MEMBER OF CCKT, OR MAKING A DONATION? We're a volunteer organization, founded 45 years ago. We provide this service for all elections affecting King voters to help us make informed decisions. ... This is just one of our mandates! See our website at CCKT.ca for more. Most importantly, we ADVOCATE for King residents with a wide variety of concerns before King Council and Staff, and at the Regional, Provincial and Federal levels. We don't receive funding from any source of government, and we're not a registered charity. We depend solely on our members and private donations. PLEASE HELP US KEEP UP OUR GOOD WORK! Annual Single Memberships are a mere $20, with Family Memberships at $30. Register at the link below, and for your convenience we accept PayPal. We seek to expand our Board! If you might be interested in serving at a leadership position with CCKT, please let us know. http://cckt.ca/join-us/

Here is a link to the unofficial Election Summary report on the Township website. It's a PDF you can read or download. Congratulations to all the winners! http://www.king.ca//Documents/ElectionSummaryReportRPT3.pdf

Unofficial King Township election results: The following people have been elected to council: Ward 1 - Jordan Cescolini... Ward 2 - David Boyd Ward 3 - Jacob Schneider Ward 4 - Bill Cober Ward 5 - Debbie Schaefer Ward 6 - Avia Eek Congratulations to all!

STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHO TO VOTE FOR TODAY? Have a look at this ... PLEASE MAKE AN INFORMED CHOICE AND ... VOTE!... http://cckt.ca//your-one-stop-source-for-all-king-townshi/

STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHO TO VOTE FOR TOMORROW? Have a look at this ... http://cckt.ca//your-one-stop-source-for-all-king-townshi/

Good Luck to ALL School Board Trustee Candidates in this Monday's election!Good Luck to ALL School Board Trustee Candidates in this Monday's election!

Good Luck to ALL 14 King Candidates in this Monday's election! Good Luck to ALL 14 King Candidates in this Monday's election!

King Township 2014 election candidate statements are publicly available at this link: http://www.king.ca/Government/Departments/Clerk's/Election 2014/Pages/CandidateFinancialStatements.aspx Most interesting: ... The financial contributions to each candidate's campaign are listed as this is public information. You can get some good insights by peeling back these layers. WHY SHOULD YOU CARE? There has been a lot of research done on municipal campaign donations. Check out this article: https://www.thestar.com//developer-donations-influence-loc Key is this finding from this 2006 Study: "... candidates who took contributions from developers were twice as likely to be elected as those who did not report such contributions." Why should voters be concerned, even (perhaps especially) at the Municipal level: Campaign donations are publicly reported, and it's not hard to tell which candidates were being supported by developers. Yes, corporations and unions are no longer allowed to make contributions to candidates. But there are ways around that ... you'll see several people making contributions to the same candidate, with a name(s) that's clearly known in the development industry. With this information in-hand, we suggest: Challenge incumbent Councillors to explain and justify where their financial support came from in 2014 - and ask all candidates to publicly state their positions on campaign contributions from the development industry and other industry groups. Many candidates publicly took a challenge NOT to accept campaign donations from developers. Here's more on this below: https://www.yorkregion.com//5561345-letter-ban-corporate-/ King Township 2014 election candidate statements are publicly available at this link: Please make an Informed choice and ... VOTE VOTE VOTE

Please make an INFORMED choice and VOTE King! The last municipal election here only had a 33% voter turnout: Are you going to let a third of eligible voters in King make choices for your tax dollars? Bruce Craig (CCKT Chair) and Greg Locke (Past Chair) were both interviewed for this article in this week's King Connection.... https://www.yorkregion.com//8967252-be-sure-you-vote-in-k/

WATCH THE VIDEO! Taped coverage of the first of two All Candidate Meetings, held October 10th, 2018 at Villanova College, King City. More here on the CCKT Website: http://cckt.ca//king-township-candidates-meeting-wards-1-/... ALSO: See the reaults of CCKT's first 14-question Questionnaire to Candidates: http://cckt.ca//king-votes-2018-candidate-questionnaire-r/ PLEASE MAKE AN INFORMED CHOICE AND VOTE.

Interesting and definitely not surprising from our perspective .... but MOST definitely ...concerning! Number of Ontario communities with acclaimed candidates rising, figures show Michelle McQuigge...Continue reading

WATCH THE VIDEO! (Right here on Facebook) Taped coverage of the second of two All Candidate Meetings, held October 11th, 2018 at Pottageville Lions Hall. More here on the CCKT Website:... http://cckt.ca//king-township-candidates-meeting-wards-2-/ ALSO: See the reaults of CCKT's first 14-question Questionnaire to Candidates: http://cckt.ca//king-votes-2018-candidate-questionnaire-r/ PLEASE MAKE AN INFORMED CHOICE AND VOTE.

WATCH THE VIDEO of our second All Candidate Meeting for Wards 2 (Nobleton), 3 (rural King), 4 (Schomberg-Pottageville) and 6 (Holland Marsh) PLEASE MAKE AN INFORMED CHOICE AND VOTE. http://cckt.ca//watch-the-video-king-township-candidates-/

WATCH THE VIDEO of our first All Candidate Meeting for Wards 1 and 5 (King City). (The video for last night's ACM for Wards 2, 3, 4 and 6 will be posted later today) PLEASE MAKE AN INFORMED CHOICE AND VOTE.... http://cckt.ca//watch-the-video-king-township-candidates-/

TONIGHT! At the Pottageville Lions Hall at the 7th Concessaion and the 18th Sideroad. Our second All Candidate Meeting for our remaining 4 Wards (Nobleton, Schomberg-Pottageville, The Marsh, and the expansive "Ward 3" rural area) will be at the Pottageville Lions Hall. Doors open at 6:30 pm and is free for all to attend. We advertised that we would live stream tonight's event on this Facebook Page. We've run into some technical difficulties. BUT: ... We are taping the event, and it will be available for viewing on Friday (Oct. 11). See you there! More on the event below. http://cckt.ca//king-township-candidates-meeting-wards-2-/

We're terribly sorry but we couldn't get the live Facebook feed to work tonight for our Wards 1 and 5 AL Candidate Meeting ! We DID tape the whole event though -- it'll be uploaded to our CCKT Facebook page here sometime tomorrow. Same goes for the Wards 2, 3, 4 and 5 ACM in Pottageville Thursday evening -- we'll be taping it and uploading afterward.... Sorry for the inconvenience. We're doing our best to leverage this social media technology to extend our reach to you - not to mention the convenience of an archived record.

TONIGHT! Can't attend? WATCH LIVE HERE 7:00 pm Our All Candidate Meeting for our two King City and area Wards will be at Villanova College. Doors open at 6:30 pm and is free for all to attend. For the second time we'll be live streaming the event right here on our Concerned Citizens of King Township Facebook Page. (It will also be archived following for later viewing).... http://cckt.ca//king-township-candidates-meeting-wards-1-/

Not sure who to vote for on Oct. 22nd? Perhaps this will help ... http://cckt.ca//king-votes-2018-candidate-questionnaire-r/

THIS WEEK! ALL CANDIDATE MEETINGS - The CCKT Board is pleased to announce our upcoming All Candidate Meetings for this Fall's Municipal Election in King Township (Vote on Monday, October 22nd).... King Township Candidates Meeting: Wards 1 and 5: http://cckt.ca//king-township-candidates-meeting-wards-1-/ King Township Candidates Meeting: Wards 2, 3, 4 and 6: http://cckt.ca//king-township-candidates-meeting-wards-2-/ Not sure which Ward you live in? The Ward Map is included in each meeting agenda. See you there! The CCKT Board (CCKT.ca)