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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, May 14, 2015 | 10 Riders able to track Oakville Transit buses in real time by David Lea Oakville Beaver Staff Oakville Transit users will soon be able to tell where their bus is and when it will reach their stop just by checking their smart phone, tablet or computer. The Town of Oakville announced Wednesday that over the next six weeks, 13 conventional buses and four care-A-van buses will begin testing a new Intelligent Transportation System that works with GPS to track buses in real-time. Once fully implemented on all buses later this year, Town officials say, riders will be Oakville Transit users will soon be able to track their bus in real time. | Oakville Beaver file photo able to quickly and easily pinpoint the exact location of their bus and its arrival time at their stop through a mobile device. A new mobile app will also allow riders to track their bus in real-time and receive arrival alerts for their favourite bus stops. "Real-time tracking of your bus will give you real benefits," said Oakville Mayor Rob Burton. "You'll be able to cut your wait time and have more time for yourself and your family." Burton said transit riders can also look forward to accessibility enhancements including special signs inside buses displaying the next stop on their route and automated voice announcements about next stops and public service information. Large digital signs at four key transit hubs -- Oakville and Bronte GO stations, Sheridan College and the Uptown Core terminal -- will list departure information. "Real-time bus tracking is the next step in Oakville Transit's service evolution," said Barry Cole, director of Oakville Transit. "Once fully implemented, riding the bus will be easier and more accessible for everyone." Oakville Transit is encouraging riders to be patient as it fine-tunes the system during this test phase. For more information, visit www. oakvilletransit.ca. legal matters CONSTRUCTION LAW Q a DEliVERY in VERY FAST Home Renovations - What You Need to Know Home renovations have become a very popular item to increase the value of your home, and make it more comfortable and enjoyable. If your renovation involves structural changes (i.e. removing a bearing wall or floor joist, modifying roof trusses, electrical work, plumbing or heating and air conditioning) a permit will be necessary. If renovations are done without the necessary permits and inspections from the local municipality or electrical authority, you could be required to remove a portion of the work for inspection, in addition to obtaining a permit. Further, your home insurance may deny coverage if your home is subsequently damaged and the damage can be attributed to the renovation for which there was no permit and/or inspection, when one was needed. If structural changes are done, municipalities require that a licenced engineer approve the drawings and confirm that they comply with the Ontario Building Code. Electrical changes must meet Electrical Safety authority standards, and be done by a licenced electrician. When considering a potential contractor, one should: a) ascertain whether all the work will be done by the contractor's own work force or will parts of it be sub-contracted out to another contractor. If sub-contracted out, you will want to know who the sub-contractors are and how long have they been doing sub-contracting work for the contractor? Some areas that are commonly sub-contracted out are electrical, heating and air conditioning, plumbing, drywall and tiling. One must remember that the quality of the work is only as good as the sub-contractor. b) It is essential that you have a written contract with your contractor. In renovation work, it is not always possible to obtain a fixed price contract, especially if you have not selected some of the finishing such as cabinets, flooring, windows, counter tops and bathroom fixtures. If at the time of entering into the contract, these amounts are not known, generally an allowance with a maximum cost should be put into the contract. The contractor should be able to give you a range of possible costs depending on the type and quality of the finishing items you wish. c) Obtaining references and checking those references for other renovations done by the contractor within the past two years is also a valuable source of information, however be aware that contractors generally only provide references to contracts which were successfully completed, and the homeowners were pleased with the work. d) You should obtain from your contractor, a warranty for the work done. a minimum warranty would be one or two years with structural portions of renovations having a five to ten year warranty; however, one must remember that the warranty is only as good as the contractor. e) Prior to commencing any renovation work, you should confirm with your homeowner insurance company that you are covered under your policy while the renovations are done. You should also confirm that the contractor has insurance coverage, the nature of that coverage and the amount of that coverage. The contractor should also be able to show that his/her workers have Workman's Compensation, and it is in good standing. oAkVillE Home of the Kenneth Watts as a litigator, Ken practices exclusively in commercial and construction law, using his unique skill set of both a legal and an engineering background. Ken is one of the original lawyers in the firm and, with his active participation, has played a significant role in making OMH, Halton Region's largest law firm. Great big Super Sac black soil only $ buY 2 SACS SAVE $20! AMERICAN EXPRESS ® HuGE SAC... SmAll PRiCE! DEliVERY inCl. 1 1 9 + $5 refundable deposit on sac 700 Kerr Street Oakville ON L6K 3W5 (905) 842-8030 www.omh.ca watts@omh.ca This column is intended for informational purposes only. This column does not replace or substitute any professional, financial, or legal advice. 1.866.465.8657 Call or order online: supersac.ca www.oakville.ca Let's talk Culture! Public Meeting - Cultural Plan Update Tuesday, June 2, 2015 7-9 p.m. Black Box Theatre Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre 2302 Bridge Road Oakville's cultural landscape has changed dramatically since the town's first Cultural Plan was developed in 2009 and significant progress has been made to connect and build on the many forms of culture that exist within the community. Now we're asking for your help to build on that progress so that culture continues to inspire, engage and thrive well into Oakville's future. To RSVP email Sarah Douglas-Murray, senior manager, Cultural Services at sarah.douglas-murray@oakville.ca. Can't attend the meeting? Share your input by completing a short online survey at oakville.ca.