Reduce Your Outdoor Water Use

Posted on June 17, 2013 by haltonregion

Summer is finally here and Halton is reminding residents to be mindful of their outdoor water use to ensure there is enough water for essential and emergency services like firefighting.

Water conservation is very important during summer months when water consumption can double due to the increase in outdoor water use from activities such as lawn watering and car washing.

In order to ensure a continuous supply of water for essential and emergency services, residents are asked to conserve water by following Halton’s Outdoor Water Use program. The program consists of a three level, numeric, colour-coded system that considers factors, including water demand, water storage levels, groundwater levels and weather patterns:

LEVEL 1 (Blue) - Careful Use

Voluntary odd/even lawn watering between 6 a.m. – 9 a.m. & 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.:
- Properties with odd address numbers water on odd numbered calendar days
- Properties with even address numbers water on even numbered calendar days
Car washing and watering of trees, shrubs and gardens is allowed.
Although level one is voluntary, resident cooperation to reduce regular outdoor water use is important.

LEVEL 2 (Yellow) - Limited Use

Mandatory odd/even lawn watering between 6 a.m. – 9 a.m. & 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.:
- Properties with odd address numbers water on odd numbered calendar days
- Properties with even address numbers water on even numbered calendar days
Use a hand-held device such as a watering can.to water trees, shrubs and gardens.

LEVEL 3 (Red) - Stop Use

No outdoor lawn watering or car washing is permitted in order to conserve water for emergency and essential services.
Watering of trees, shrubs and gardens can be done using a hand-held device following the odd/even watering rule.

For tips on how to reduce your outdoor water use and to sign up to receive an email alert when water restrictions are in effect visit www.halton.ca/waterconservation.

If you have any Regional concerns or comments you would like to share, please feel free to email me at gary.carr@halton.ca. You can also find me on Twitter @garycarrhalton or on Facebook. To receive further updates on Regional issues, please subscribe to my quarterly e-newsletter, “The Carr Report.”

Beach water monitoring

Posted on June 13, 2013 by haltonregion

Summer is an energizing and exciting season with many opportunities for people to get outdoors and find fun ways to be active with family and friends. What’s even better is that you don’t have to drive north to cottage country to enjoy all that the outdoors in summertime has to offer, you can enjoy it all right here in Halton.

Halton is fortunate to have several recreational beaches located throughout the region. Residents and visitors in each municipality of Halton are able to access our natural surroundings and can enjoy summer activities like swimming, boating and sports in and around the water.

During the summer months, Halton’s beach water is tested weekly by our Health Department. This testing is done to determine if the water quality is safe for swimming and for other recreational water activities. Beach water is sampled at the following locations:

Beachway Park, 1094 Lakeshore Road, Burlington
Kelso Conservation Area, 5234 Kelso Road, Milton
Bronte Park Beach, Lakeshore Road/Bronte Road, Oakville
Coronation Park West, 1462 Lakeshore Road West, Oakville
Coronation Park East, 1462 Lakeshore Road West, Oakville
Prospect Park Old Beach, 30 Park Avenue, Acton

Before you head out for the day, take a moment to find out if the beach you are going to is safe for swimming. Dial 311 or go online for 24 hour a day access to results of our weekly beach water testing.

This summer, plan a stay-cation and experience the natural water features that Halton has to offer. Play on the beach, dip your toes in the water or take the plunge! There are so many reasons to get outdoors, be active and discover why Halton is such a great place to live, work, raise a family and retire.

Celebrate Tourism Week in Halton

Posted on June 10, 2013 by haltonregion

June 10 to 16 is Tourism Week in Canada. Tourism is a key contributor to our economy, not only on a national level but also right here in Halton. Tourism also means business in our community, since jobs and businesses in our region are directly supported by the industry.

Tourism Week is not just about showcasing the economic impact and social benefits of our tourism sector, it’s about celebrating the many opportunities for entertainment, recreation, education, relaxation and fun, here in Halton Region.

From beautiful gardens, farmers’ markets and heritage attractions, unique dining and shopping, performing arts, to biking, hiking horseback riding and countless other activities, there is truly something for everyone to enjoy.

This week, why not invite a friend or family member to Halton and share your favourite spot?

For a list of upcoming events and activity ideas, visit Halton.ca/tourism.

You can also find Halton Tourism on Facebook or join the conversation on Twitter @HaltonTourism or on Pinterest at pinterest.com/haltontourism.

Celebrating Clean Air Day with Ka-Pow to Powerjams

Posted on June 6, 2013 by haltonregion

Protecting public health, emergency preparedness, environmental health and air quality are all Citizens’ Priorities in Halton Region’s 2011-2014 Action Plan.

On June 5, Halton Region celebrated Canadian Environment Week (June 2 – June 8, 2013) and Clean Air Day (June 5) at Milton Public Library with the first public reading of Ka-Pow to Powerjams, a picture book for children aged four to eight.

The launch at Milton Public Library was attended by more than 50 young students and featured a book reading, a visit from some special guests from the Mountsberg Raptor Centre, a presentation on asthma triggers and an emergency preparedness display.

Ka-Pow to Powerjams is the third and final book in a three-book series about the implications of air quality and climate change on human health. It builds on the themes presented in A Farewell to Featherwagons and Wings and Thingamajigs, completing the Owls for Climate Change series by exploring emergency preparedness themes and the linkages between climate change, severe weather and energy conservation.

Over the next few months, copies of the book will be provided to public libraries in Halton as well as child care centres, schools, community networks and partners. A complementary Storytelling Kit is available online.

As this story illustrates, simple actions can have an impact in making our community healthy, energy smart and disaster resilient. This week, why not walk or bike to your local library and borrow a copy of the book to share with your children or grandchildren. Related to emergency preparedness, consider assembling or purchasing a 72 hour Go-Kit to use during an evacuation of your home or community.

Visit www.halton.ca/owlbooks to read all three books online. Books one and two are available in English, French, Cantonese, Polish, Punjabi and Spanish; translations of book three will be available online this summer.

Advocating for a Strong Halton

Posted on June 3, 2013 by haltonregion

Ensuring a strong future for Halton is a priority for Regional Council. The Provincial Places to Grow Act mandates Halton Region’s population grow to 780,000 residents by the year 2031. To facilitate this growth and maintain the high quality of life that is currently enjoyed in Halton, without burdening taxpayers with the cost of growth, there are a number of critical commitments required from the Provincial and Federal Governments.

Advocating for a Strong Halton is a series of documents that highlight Council’s positions on a number of key challenges facing the Region.

The key challenges identified in the advocacy documents include:

Municipalities only receive 11 per cent of every tax dollar paid and with this small amount we provide high quality, cost effective programs and services that touch the lives of residents every day. Council is committed to protecting the Region’s taxpayers from the financial impacts of growth and ensuring that the quality services our residents need, are in place.

Halton enjoys a prosperous and growing business community that helps drive the Province’s economic engine and it is Council’s position that a Strong Halton will help to build a strong Ontario.

Without the necessary tools, funding and legislative commitments, we cannot accommodate the growth mandated by the Provincial Government. Regional Council is committed to ensuring that growth pays for itself and that Halton remains a great place to live, work, raise a family and retire.

Enhancing online information for local physicians – The new www.halton.ca/physicians

Posted on May 30, 2013 by haltonregion

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of hosting our local physicians at Halton’s Physician Appreciation dinner. The dinner is held in honour of Physician Appreciation Week as a token of thanks for the contributions physicians make each and every day. Our local physicians strengthen our community and are one of the key reasons Halton is a wonderful place to call home.

Achieving the best possible health for our citizens is one of the key priorities for Halton Region, and we recognize we can’t do this alone. We work every day with physicians and other health care professionals in our community to offer programs, engage residents in active, healthy lifestyles, and provide consistent, quality health information.

Of course one of the key ways we provide health information is through our website, and over the past few years, we’ve been focused on increasing the interactivity of our site and improving the content we make available to our residents and professionals in the community. This includes the recent launch of our new physician-targeted web pages at www.halton.ca/physicians.

This section of our site has been completely revamped to provide more targeted and timely public health information to physicians to help them in the everyday care of their patients. It also informs physicians about the range of local services and resources available by the Health Department and other organizations who support their patients outside of the doctor’s office.

The new section of the site is easier to navigate, more visually appealing and will be kept up to date with the latest health information. The pages also link to our physician recruitment section targeted to new physicians who may be looking to set up practice here in Halton.

We hope the new online tools will benefit the work physicians do every day to make Halton Region the best place to live, work, raise a family and retire.

Still a few days left to spring into action with Halton Tourism’s photo contest

Posted on May 27, 2013 by haltonregion

With endless opportunities for entertainment, recreation, education, relaxation and fun, Halton Region is a true four season community. From beautiful gardens, farmers’ markets and heritage attractions, to biking and hiking trails, there is truly something for everyone to enjoy.

This May, residents and visitors have been sharing their favourite local spring activities in a Halton Region “Spring into Action” photo contest. There is still time for you to submit a photo with your favourite spring outdoor activity or location for a chance to win a $100 gift card at Burlington’s Mapleview Centre. The contest runs until May 31.

Looking for ideas of things to see and do in Halton this spring? Visit the Region’s tourism webpages, Discovering Halton and our welcome to Halton video, Tourism in Halton. You can also find Halton Tourism on Facebook or join the conversation on Twitter @HaltonTourism or on Pinterest at pinterest.com/haltontourism.

I invite you to grab your camera, hop on your bike or take a walk around your neighbourhood, snap some photos and enter our contest. With your help, and through the power of social media, we can share what you love about Halton in springtime with the rest of the world!

Chair's Corner – Halton Region, Ontario

Halton Regional Chair Gary Carr's blog about Halton's Regional events, programs, initiatives, and achievements