Sewage Disposal Re-inspection Program
Please be advised that Seguin Township, in conjunction with the North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority, has initiated a Sewage Disposal Re-inspection Program.

The goals for this Program are to inspect all existing sewage systems in the Township and bring all unsafe systems into compliance with the Ontario Building Code.

During the course of the summer of 2002 the watershed including Star Lake, Marsh Lake, Maple Lake and a portion of Duck Lake were completed. The positive response from those ratepayers involved was overwhelming. It is intended that work in 2003 will be continued on this watershed and it may be possible to expand the program to include another watershed during the summer of 2003. Prior to inspectors visiting your area, you will be notified and the procedure will be explained.

Municipal Emergency Planning
Emergency Management Ontario (EMO) is the Provincial Agency that reviews Municipal Emergency Plans. An emergency may be an environmental, technological or human event that exceeds the ability of an area to safely return conditions to normal. EMO recommends that everyone has the resources to be self-sufficient for three (3) consecutive days by keeping a supply of food, water, heat, lighting and a battery powered radio on hand and available at all times.

New Municipal Act
Effective, January 1st, 2003 all municipalities in Ontario are operating under the authority of a New Municipal Act. This is the first time since 1858 that this piece of legislation has been totally revamped. Under the old Act, municipalities were given specific, prescribed powers. Under the new Act, municipalities have been granted 'natural person powers' and within 'Spheres of Jurisdiction' they have been granted the authority to operate.

The new Municipal Act is seen as a revolutionary piece of legislation and is based on the Province's recognition of municipalities as responsible and accountable governments. There has been and will continue to be much debate on this legislation and there will undoubtedly be many problems encountered and legal challenges issued.

Please note, one of the changes in the new Act requires that Council notify the public before they undertake certain actions and Seguin Council in keeping with the requirements of Section 251 of the Act have adopted a 'Notice By-law'. Copies of this By-law are available upon request from the municipal office and it has been posted on the Township website.

Rosseau Nursing Station
Approval from the Ministry of Health has been received for the location of a Nursing Station in Rosseau and it is expected that it will be operational, from a temporary location sometime this spring.
The Rosseau Nursing Station Task Force, the West Parry Sound Health Centre and Seguin Council have persisted in their efforts to see this project become reality and it will undoubtedly be a tremendous improvement in health services in our area.

Pits and Quarries
In response to recent development pressure for the siting of pits and quarries in Seguin and the overwhelming public response, Seguin Council has adopted an interim control By-law for Pits and Quarries and have directed that a detailed study of pits and quarries be undertaken to establish appropriate Official Plan policies, zoning regulations, other land use controls and other regulations.
The interim control by-law will be in force for one year (unless further extended) while this study is being completed and during that time, the establishment of any new pit or quarry will be prohibited.

All owners of an existing pit or quarry or any interested individuals are asked to provide their name and contact information to the municipal office so that they may be advised of future meetings on this matter.

Parry Sound Area Airport
The Parry Sound Area Municipal Airport Commission has recently completed a new development plan for the airport. The previous plan was done in 1984. The objective of the development plan is to provide a rational and comprehensive framework for the orderly development of airport lands, satisfying aviation demands in a financially feasible manner. A twenty year planning horizon was used in the development of the plan with particular emphasis on the first five years. The extension of the 400 highway adjacent to the airport has impacted the previous plan for the provision of an east-west runway. The new plan also looks at several options which would allow an east-west runway to be built.

Property Re-Assessment
New assessments reflecting a property valuation date of June 30th, 2001 will be in effect for taxation in 2003. In Seguin Township the average increase in residential assessment was 33.6%, with some ratepayers experiencing a much higher increase and some experiencing a decrease. This average increase in values is substantially higher than that experienced in Parry Sound District or the rest of the Province. While it is not yet known what impact the new assessment values will have on the municipal tax rate, those who have experienced an increase can expect to pay proportionately more in education taxes and for those levies, outside Township control, which are included in the municipal portion, and are based directly on assessment.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE that the interim tax billing is 50% of your 2002 total taxes which was based on the previous assessment of your property. The final billing, which you will receive later this year, will be based on the new assessment values and in cases where values have increased dramatically the final billing will be substantially more than the interim bill.
The Taxation Committee, which was appointed in 2002 and is comprised of Ratepayers and Council representatives, will be reviewing the 2003 Budget and providing comments to Council, prior to Council deliberations.