in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, Ju ly 18 ,2 01 9 | 10 oakville.ca Kerr Street at Lakeshore Rail Corridor - Grade Separation Addendum to the 2009 Environmental Study Report Notice of Study Addendum In 2009, the Town of Oakville completed an Environmental Study Report (ESR) for the Kerr Street/CNR Grade Separation Class Environmental Assessment (EA) Study between Speers Road and the QEW. The rail corridor has since been acquired by Metrolinx and is referred to as the Lakeshore Rail Corridor. The Class EA Study subsequently was approved by the Minister of the Environment (now Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks) in March 2010. EA Addendum The Town of Oakville is initiating an EA Addendum, to be carried out in accordance with the Municipal Class EA process, to address access requirements for a property, located north of the rail corridor, that requires significant modifications as a result of the realignment of Kerr Street. The EAAddendumwill investigate design alternatives and recommend a preferred alternative to address access requirements. Consultation with affected property owners and agencies will be scheduled, as well as an online Public Information Centre. Questions? For more information, visit oakville.ca and search Kerr Street Underpass. If you have any questions or wish to be added to the study mailing list, please contact: Jill Stephen, P.Eng., Director, Engineering and Construction, Town of Oakville, 1225 Trafalgar Road, Oakville, ON L6J 5A6, 905-845-6601, ext. 3308 or jill.stephen@oakville.ca Katherine Jim, M.Eng., P.Eng., Project Manager, WSP, 610 Chartwell Road, Suite 300, Oakville, ON L6J 4A5, 905-823-8500. Local residents can expect to see a mod- est tax increase on the Halton portion of their bill next year. During its July 10 meeting, regional council approved the 2020 budget direc- tions, setting the stage for staff to prepare the tax-supported budget with an increase at or below the rate of inflation (or two per cent). This would equate to an extra $6 per $100,000 of the assessed value of one's home - $4 for regional services and $2 for police ser- vices. Halton also oversees water and sewer in- frastructure and services throughout thefrastructure and services throughout thef region. On this front, local residents can ex- pect to see a 3.9 per cent increase in their utility bill next year, or an additional $39 based on a typical household consumption of 250 cubic metres of water per year. Halton finance commissioner and Re- gional Treasurer Mark Scinocca told coun- cil that the 2020 budget year will be "very challenging" due to changes in provincial funding for programs such as public healthfunding for programs such as public healthf and paramedic services. "The provincial announcements are our biggest challenges," he said. "Although it (regional budget numbers) all seem to fit in this time of uncertainty, I can tell you under the hood, there's a lot of moving parts." Halton Hills Coun. Jane Fogal asked if the provincial budget cutbacks on things like health and children's services will re- sult in regional service cuts or job losses. "We get feedback from the public that they love our programs and they're not go- ing to want to lose them, and we don't want to see that happen either," she said. Commissioner of social and community services Alex Sarchuk said the provincial funding changes could result in an in-funding changes could result in an in-f creased wait time for families seeking child care fee subsidies. "We continue to look at our staffing mod- el and seek efficiencies on a regular basis," he added. "We intend to be able to continue to provide the excellent programs and chil- dren's services on a going-forward basis." Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward asked when the province intends to solidify plans that will impact the regional budget. Scinocca said due to the impending fed- eral election, the region likely won't know the province's full intentions until late fall. "As new information becomes available, we may have to go back and re-look at this budget," he said. Council approved having regional chair Gary Carr write a letter to the province re- questing direction on funding for public health and paramedic services. The 2020 budget and business plan will go back before councillors on Dec. 4 for bud- get deliberations, followed by approval at regional council on Dec. 11. For more information visit halton.ca. HALTON TAXES TO RISE 2 PER CENT NEXT YEAR MELANIE HENNESSEY mhennessey@metroland.com COUNCIL 2020 BUDGET DIRECTIONS SET BY REGIONAL COUNCIL The Lakeside Park Bandstand, located at 144 Front St., is in the process of being replaced. JUST THE FACTS As part of the town's 2018 capital budget, funding was approved to replace the wood bandstand located in Lakeside Park. The existing bandstand, which was built in the early 1980s, has been repaired various times and reached a point where the primary structural elements were fail- ing. A company called C&C Built Right has been awarded the replacement project and will attempt to closely replicate the previ- ous structure. The replacement is scheduled to be complete by the end of July. For more information visit https:// www.oakville.ca/culturerec/lakeside- park-bandstand-replacement.html. NEWS WHAT'S GOING ON HERE? LAKESIDE PARK BANDSTAND REPLACEMENT WHAT'SGOINGON WONDERING WHAT'S GOING ON SOMEWHERE IN YOUR COMMUNITY? VISIT INSIDEHALTON.COM Lakeside Park Bandstand being demolished. Nina Penteado photo