Wetland forces redrawing of Trent research park layout
This is the weekend most Canadians will gain an hour of sleep as they switch from daylight saving time to standard time.
Clocks should be turned back one hour by 2 a.m. Sunday.
The Peterborough fire department is urging residents to install new batteries in their smoke and carbon monoxide alarms when they change their clocks.
“In order for smoke and carbon monoxide alarms to do their job, they need to have working batteries,” Fire Chief Chris Snetsinger stated. “Twice a year, old batteries should be replaced with new batteries. When you change your clocks on Nov. 5, Peterborough Fire Services wants everyone to take the time to install new batteries in all alarms.”
To survive a fire, you need to be provided with an early warning and know what to do when the smoke alarms sound. It’s the law to have working smoke alarms on every storey of the home and outside all sleeping areas, a release from Peterborough Fire Services states. For added protection, it is recommended to also install smoke alarms inside all bedrooms, the fire department advises.
Carbon monoxide alarms must be installed outside all sleeping areas if your home has a fuel-burning appliance, fireplace or attached garage.
The time change doesn’t apply to Saskatchewan, which remains on central standard time year-round.
Other parts of Canada that keep to standard time include northeastern British Columbia, the East Kootenay region of southeastern B.C., three communities in northwestern Ontario, the eastern tip of Quebec and Southampton Island in Nunavut.
But there are rumblings across the continent that people are growing weary of moving their clocks ahead one hour in the spring — losing an hour of sleep — and then turning them back in the fall.
The Alberta government looked into scrapping daylight saving time before rejecting the idea last week, and similar proposals are taking root in New England, where several anti-DST bills are at various stages.
A wetland on campus at Trent University, near the planned Research and Innovation Park, has been re-examined and is now presumed to have provincially significant status – which has meant a redesign of the park’s layout, at increased cost to the city.
The Trent Research and Innovation Park is going to be designed to attract new green-tech startups to come set up shop on 85 acres of vacant land on Trent’s campus, east of the DNA buildings.
But a new city staff report states that a wetland located between the research park site and the developed East Bank of the Otonabee River has been re-examined.
That was done recently, at the request of the Otonabee Region Conservation Authority.
The report states that the wetland is now presumed to be provincially significant, and so the parks needs a new road pattern and more open space in the layout.
The city’s Toronto-based consultant, Brook McIlroy Inc., will need extra money to do the work.
The firm also had to do unanticipated work helping with the Indigenous consultation on the project (Trent and the city were planning to do that entirely, but they ended up asking for help).
It’s all going to mean that Brook McIlroy will need an extra $48,660, bringing their total contract to $440,411.
City councillors will consider adding money to the contract on Monday night at City Hall.
Also on councillors’ agenda:
2018 city budget
Councillors will receive the 2018 draft budget documents from city staff, at 5:30 p.m. Council had asked staff to prepare a budget that imposes a tax hike of no more than 2.85 per cent.
For an average taxpayer with a house assessed at $243,500, a 2.85% tax increase would add about $109 to the tax bill.
Councillors won’t debate the budget on Monday, though. Budget talks begin on Monday, Nov. 27 and continue through that week.
Remembrance Day
There will be a ceremony in council chambers to mark Remembrance Day. The ceremony begins at 6 p.m.
Livestreaming and tweets are available on website on Monday.