Change in political landscape the story of the year

By TEVIAH MORO, THE PACKET & TIMES December 29 2010
A municipal election that radically altered the political landscape in Orillia was, without a doubt, the story of the 2010.
Seven of nine members of the incoming council turned out to be newcomers after the polls closed on the evening of Oct. 25.
And, for the first time in a decade, the city would have a new mayor at the helm.
Angelo Orsi, known to most as Orillia’s most prominent developer, coasted to a decisive victory on growing frustration with the status quo at city hall.
Orsi managed to overcome concerns over potential for conflict of interest and political inexperience to soundly defeat political veterans, Tim Lauer and Ralph Cipolla, in a hotly contested contest.
The father of West Ridge promised a new era of fiscal responsibility and most of all — a change in leadership.
The game-changing election eclipsed the other watershed moments in 2010, but it wasn’t just the municipal hustings that made headlines.
SCHOOL PROPERTIES
You, Orillians, were invited to “Have Your Say” in the city’s well-organized effort to garner feedback regarding future uses of former school properties.
Following the city’s acquisition of David H. Church, Hillcrest, Mount Slaven and Central school sites, a wide range of ideas were harvested.
City council decided Orillia Central Preschool should stay at the old school on Coldwater Street and granted the Second Mariposa Non-Profit Housing Corporation an acre of land at either the David H. Church or Mount Slaven site.
MUSKOKA HEIGHTS IN COURT
lt was one of the most horrific events of 2009: a deadly blaze tore through the Muskoka Heights Retirement Residence, sparking a national debate over mandatory sprinkler systems in such facilities.
This past October, the residence’s owner and administrator pleaded guilty to charges relating to the fire and were fined $81,250.
The amount seemed paltry to some, considering four residents died in the fire’s aftermath.
TERRIERS NO MORE
Junior hockey played its final period in Orillia after nearly 30 years when the Jim Wilson Couchiching Terriers ceased operations in April.
The Terriers were one of three teams decommissioned by the Ontario Junior A Hockey League in a move to consolidate.
“We basically can’t afford to be in the league,” Terriers general manager Roy Micks lamented.
GORDON LIGHTFOOT NOT DEAD
It was a morbid example of how a faux report can spiral out of control in the high-speed digital information age.
To the relief of his adoring fans, and to the deep embarrassment of the mainstream media outlets that carried the story, Gordon Lightfoot’s reported death turned out to be false. The hometown hero heard of his own passing on the radio while many others read about it online. After some
tense moments, Lightfoot, reached at home by Packet & Times entertainment columnist John Swartz, let everybody knows he was alive and well.
FESTIVAL EXPRESS
For those who may have doubted the Lightfoot report was indeed false (Remember the conspiracy theory about Beatle Paul McCartney dying), Orillia’s folk legend headlined the 50th Mariposa Folk Festival.
And what a festival it was. Around 27,000 fans crowded Tudhope Park to hear such venerable folk veterans as Lightfoot, Ian and Sylvia Tyson, and Murray McLauchlan. A younger generation, including Dan Mangan, Serena Ryder and Catherine MacLellan, promised to keep the torch alive.
Chris Lusty took over as president of the folk foundation after Catherine Brennan decided not to seek election to the Mariposa board.
Tapping into the folk fervour, Streets Alive! took on a new iteration of public art with Guitars on Parade, which had artists paint oversized guitar sculptures that ended up dressing up the main street.
The Orillia Blues Festival found its soul by riffing at the waterfront. Under the leadership of Joe Fecht and Lance Anderson, the show struck a nice chord at Couchiching Beach Park, melding together stunning vistas, soft grass, refreshing beer and melodious tones.
MURF LIMPS ON
The city’s long-delayed plan for a recreation centre on a West Street South brownfield finally passed the Ministry of the Environment’s risk assessment examination.
After several tries, the ministry finally accepted the document, but the green light was still subject to a 45-day public comment period.
The news, however, was anti-climatic as no $63.4-million multi-use recreation facility (MURF) would be constructed soon on the contaminated former foundry site. Some on city council said the MURF plan was out of date with a new twin-pad arena in west Orillia.
Coun. Michael Fogarty suggested a full-scale MURF would be political suicide: “I would fear the wrath of the voter.”
The year came to a close as many others have since 2002, when the city bought the brownfield from Molson for $1 — with an open postindustrial sore near the centre of town.
GAME ON AT TWIN PAD
The 2006-10 city council, tagged with the setbacks of the brownfield fiasco, did what others could not do for many years: build a recreation centre.
After considerable anticipation, the West Orillia Sports Complex made its debut on University Avenue this past September.
The Rotary Place twin-pad arena its centrepiece, and artificial turf one of its perks, the $27.6-million facility delivered where the MURF failed for so many years.
But a swimming pool and more gym space were still missing.
While the past council deserves credit for building a top-notch facility in good time, an unexpected pillar in the middle of a room designed for ballroom dancing marred a perfect grade. It seemed that everyone working on the project — the construction firm, architects and city staff — blamed each other for the gaffe. So there the pillar remains.
ORILLIA GETS THE SHAKES
You might have missed it, but on June 23 at 1:43 p.m., a 5.0 magnitude earthquake shook parts of Ontario, Quebec and the northern United States.
In Orillia, rattled residents called the fire department to report shaking buildings. There were no injuries or damage.
DOWNTOWN IN TRANSITION
The United Cigar Store, an icon at the corner of Mississaga and Peter streets, closed its doors due to slumping sales.
With a newsstand in decline and city buses moved to West Street, the shop couldn’t weather tough economic times. That left Orillians with no place to pick up the New York Times or Harper’s magazine downtown.
Another main-street mainstay, Varley’s, also decided to retire. A liquidation sale marked the end of more than 70 years of operation for the family-owned clothing store.
Also on Mississaga Street, the Downtown Dispensary found itself at the centre of a long-smouldering debate. The Downtown Orillia Management Board (DOMB) griped to city council about “loitering,” “foul language” and “volatile” behaviour outside the methadone clinic.
SHELL BLOCK RAZED
Bulldozers flattened a good part of the block where Paul Valle’s Shell service station, the Prudential real-estate building and houses stood to make way for a new Shoppers Drug Mart.
Some residents in the Matchedash Street neighbourhood whose houses will back onto a parking lot and massive retail outlet, expressed disapproval for the plan. But city politicians hailed the project as an economic boost. As crews razed perfectly good homes for the big store, locales remained empty at the Front Street Plaza across the street.
OFFICIAL PLAN
Through extensive consultation and deliberation, the city draw up a new official plan to guide Orillia into the future. The plan encouraged “intensification” in built-up areas, protected existing neighbourhoods and sought to preserve heritage.
Not everyone was happy. Council refused to pave way for an eight-storey condo/convention centre at the foot of Tecumseth Street near Lake Couchiching.
Proponent Al Langman needed a 1.5-acre parcel of city-owned land used for boat-trailer parking in order to pursue his $55-million plan. Council decided not to change the land use to “downtown intensification” from “parkland.”
Seeing the writing on the wall, Langman told The Packet, “It’s gone now.”
DOUG LEWIS’ TOWN HALL
In an effort to inspire the right kind of candidate to run for office, local lawyer Doug Lewis organized a series of lectures for would-be municipal hopefuls.
Said Lewis of his Municipal Election Project: “For some time now, I have been concerned about voter apathy and the quality of municipal governance.”
So did the project encourage more to run for politics? The field this time around wasn’t any greater than previous elections. But it’s quality, not quantity that counts, right?
LIBRARY MARKS MILESTONES
Before crews started tearing down the Orillia Public Library, staff, city officials and friends of the library held a special ceremony to reveal the contents of a time capsule from 1961.
After that, the walls of the old Carnegie building, modified more than once during its lifetime, were slowly torn down, marking the end of an era.
Library users started to get used to signing out books at a retrofitted former bar at the corner of Highway 12 and Gill Street.
But deep fissures over the controversial project show themselves when the Downtown Orillia Management Board pursued litigation against the city over fewer parking spots at the future library site. After some huffing and puffing, the board dropped its challenge and the bones of the $22.9-million future library started to rise up on Mississaga Street.
Dawn Silver, who was CEO of the library for a little more than two years, was dismissed by the board of directors.
“She did an admirable job with the move to the new premises, but our directions have changed,” Gay Guthrie, chair of the board, told The Packet.
GORD EVANS SLAIN
Gord Evans became Orillia’s first homicide victim in four years. Described by neighbours on Andrew Street South as a “recluse,” the 58-year-old was found dead in his home at 89 Andrew St. S. on June 29.
In September, police sought the public’s help in identifying a person of interest: a “very tall and very thin” woman, 25 to 30 years old, with straight, long, blond hair.
LAKEHEAD SWINGS OPEN DOORS
The dream to make Orillia a full-fledged university town came true when Lakehead University’s permanent campus in west Orillia opened its doors in September.
The 79,000-square-foot environmentally friendly building at 500 University Ave. is not only cutting edge for Orillia, but Canada also — it is the first LEED platinum campus in the nation. Construction also started on an on-campus student residence.
With students in classrooms in west Orillia, the campus maintained its scholarly presence downtown at its Heritage Place headquarters.
In the meantime, signs of a student enclave started to show in nearby West Ridge. Coun. Michael Fogarty, who lives in the area, suggested the city start looking at ways to keep order as more students come to town looking for off-campus housing.
HOSPICE ON HOT SEAT
In the fall, a group of disgruntled volunteers of Hospice Orillia called for a government probe of the organization’s operations.
The Friends of Hospice Orillia became upset with “secrecy” in light of a $38,000 deficit and after an employee was laid off.
Concerned members also called for the board of directors to resign and also formally voiced opposition to folding hospice into the Local Health Integration Network.In December, hospice officials broke their silence and addressed some concerns in an interview with The Packet. Said board chair Dee Cox:
“How do you respond to negativity without sounding like it’s a banter? We really didn’t want to go there. The board was extremely respectful of all the folks, given the situation we were in.”
WI-FI AND FAITH DEBATED
The Simcoe County District School Board grappled with a pair of controversial issues in 2010.
One started when a parent in Collingwood began to question the safety of Wi-Fi in his children’s elementary school.
Parents with children at Catholic schools picked up on those concerns. An Orillia woman started a petition to keep wireless Internet out of the future Orillia Public Library. Proponents and opponents of Wi-Fi courted experts with opinions on both sides of the issue, leading to a national discussion.
The Simcoe County District School Board’s decision to drop an outmoded clause dealing with the role of Judeo-Christian values also stirred the pot in 2010.
While a majority agreed to scrap the 25-year-old reference to faith in order to reflect a more inclusive society, Orillia trustee Deb Edwards defended the role of Judeo-Christian influences in schools, arguing “a little religion never hurt anybody.”
REGAN HOUSE MAKES ITS MOVE
On the strength of a federal grant secured by the city’s culture and heritage department, and some skilled volunteers, what’s known as Orillia’s oldest home was rebuilt at Scout Valley.
The culture and heritage department had for a few years planned to find a spot to showcase the 180-year-old log home called Regan House. The house once stood at the top of Westmount hill, but when the property owner had other plans for the parcel, the city took the logs under its wing for safe-keeping.
“What’s most remarkable is the way this has really been a community effort,” Michael Martyn, the city’s manager of community and cultural development, said of the finished product.
JACK WHITE CLEARS HIS NAME
After a 17-year struggle, Jack White finally watched a court clear his name of sexual assault charges. White, 66, was accused in 1993 of fondling the
breast of a mentally challenged client at the Huronia
Regional Centre in 1989.
He was convicted in 1995, but this past November, in the same Barrie courthouse, the charges were dropped.
“It’s quite a relief. It’s like a cloud that’s been hanging over my head,” a tearful White said outside of the courtroom. “That was the day I was living for for the last 17 years — to have the judge actually say it’s been withdrawn. It sets the cloud free.”
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
Angelo Orsi, city council and Orillia Power discovered the answer to that question as the West Ridge developer took umbrage over the process through which council named a stretch of roadway University Avenue.
Orsi drew his line in the sand, refusing to provide the city with easements needed to anchor hydro polls on University Avenue.
“When the public speaks up (and is not heard), we feel ignored and then we basically protest in a way. This is a protest,” he said.
The protest ended in negotiations that “reached a mutually beneficial agreement” for Orillia Power, Mark Rich Homes and Charter Construction. More power to them.
PRICE OF DEVELOPMENT
A group of developers, including Orsi, took their beef over the city’s development charges bylaw, which hiked the fees by 21.2%, to the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB).
The appeal put Orsi in the interesting position of fighting against the same city he sought to lead as mayor.
City officials argued the increase was needed to ensure taxpayers didn’t foot the bill for growth. Developers begged to differ, countering that they would have to pass extra costs onto home-buyers.
In late September, all parties agreed to adjourn the OMB proceedings in order to hash out a solution.POLITICAL VETERANS EXIT
After 10 years on the job, Orillia Mayor Ron Stevens hung up the chain of office, but won a council seat in Severn Township, where he lives. Political newcomer Angelo Orsi took over as mayor, elected to the top spot in the October municipal contest.
Stevens’ tenure marked the longest any mayor has held the top political post in Orillia. Under his watch, the city struggled with the West Street South brownfield, but also landed Lakehead University.
In an exit interview with The Packet, Stevens summed up the close of his time as mayor in Orillia: “It’s a bittersweet situation.”
Longtime city councillors Ralph Cipolla and Tim Lauer also left city hall, having lost their bids for the mayoralty. Once seen as undefeatable, Wayne Gardy lost his Ward 1 seat, as did his ward-mate Joe Fecht along with Maurice McMillan in Ward 2. Fed up with politics, Don Evans decided not to run again in Ward 4.
GRINCH SOURS CHRISTMAS PARTY
New Orillia mayor Angelo Orsi publicly denounced the brand of entertainment put on at a city staff Christmas party.
Refusing to elaborate on what irked him so much about a Grinch who Stole Progress skit, Orsi left it up to the public to speculate, fuelling a maelstrom of controversy.
the mayor did say such humour wouldn’t be displayed at future Christmas parties under his watch and that he’d ordered a report into the matter.
A week after The Packet broke the story, the mayor issued a press release stating his displeasure had to do with the portrayal of certain vulnerable segments of society.
While some rallied to the mayor’s side, others found the satirical script co-written by Craig Metcalf, the city’s director of culture and heritage, and lawyer Charles Manners to be clever and in good fun.
TRANSIT TANTRUMS
The city field complaints over its revamped transit system. In 2010, it was the downtown “terminus” relocating to West Street from Peter Street that provoked most of the grief, for both businesses and councillors tasked with the file.
PACKET ON THE MOVE
In June, Orillia’s daily newspaper packed up and left its longtime headquarters at 31 Colborne St. E. The Packet had pulled off the daily miracle in the built-to-purpose red-brick building for 43 years.
The move to a locale at Fittons Plaza also marked the end of more than a century for The Packet in downtown Orillia.