Re: Nanticoke MZO request
To the Editors,
I hope that before this request is considered, that there is a review of the collapse of the Provincial attempt to create the city of Townsend in the early 1980s.
I have asked what happened to this project and have been told that it started when Stelco decided to build a plant as large as their Hilton Works plant in Hamilton. I worked for a contractor at the Hilton plant in the late 1960s and was told that there were 18,000 people working there at that time. The question became “where would 18,000 people and their families live in the Nanticoke area”. With four-person families that would equate to 72,000 people moving into the area. That figure doesn’t include the additional personnel working any of the support industries and their families. Also there were other large companies that had purchased options on property in the new industrial park if development went ahead.
So the decision was made to create the new city of Townsend, which would also become the administration centre of the Haldimand-Norfolk Region. The infrastructure installed was for a city with a population of 200,000 by the year 2000.
Stelco was already committed and the building of the plant was underway. The support companies would come later when Stelco started production. The companies holding options wanted a commitment from the Provincial government to build a four-lane highway to the industrial park so that they could move their products efficiently. As I understand it, the Government can’t build a highway unless there is a need and so told the option holders that if they build their plant, then a highway would be built. This was not acceptable to the option holders and so they dropped their options.
The Stelco plant was not going to be as large as predicted and so the Townsend City project slowed to a stop. As a result Townsend is a town with a population of possibly 1,500 – including the residents in the Parkview Meadows Retirement Village. There are no stores. If you don’t have a vehicle, it would not be convenient to live there. I have lived in Townsend for 25 years and enjoy it very much.
This could happen again if the MZO goes ahead with no highway in place. At present, large trucks continue to rumble through Hagersville from Stelco and Imperial Oil, causing a risk to pedestrians and drivers in the town. Hagersville is still waiting for a bypass to be built to resolve this issue, but I guess the government feels that there is still no need.
Bob Rankin, Townsend
We need more say on what businesses come to town
To the Editors,
I started writing this about all the local print papers closing over the years, but the one that hurt Dunnville the most is when the Chronicle closed, being a mainstay in the town for many years. Dunnville has no newspaper other than The Haldimand Press, which occasionally puts some Dunnville news in it.
Several weeks ago there was a picture of the future plans for several new businesses supposedly coming to town, those being a Shopper’s Drug Mart, I believe a Wendy’s and a taco or pizza outlet.
I want to know what organization or person makes these decisions as to who gets to come to town; is it our new “invitation only” Rotary Club or the Chamber of Commerce who I got an email from but my wife didn’t; I believe it read that three females had been appointed but I could put my name in to be voted on, sounds like the same system that was how our MP and MPP, both female, also where chosen.
What really irritates me is that we do not need another drug store as we have two quality long-serving drug stores, the Rexall and Hauser’s, and the pharmacy at the hospital, which every hospital has. There is not enough population to carry four drug stores so at least one will close, a dumb move.
We also have enough fast food places in town. Everybody whines about the food prices in our Sobeys and Food Basics but seem to find fast food prices cheaper.
What Dunnville needs in this town is a medium priced clothing store such as Winners or Marshalls, as Giant Tiger does not have any dress clothes other than work or casual.
Could someone in the powers that be, be so kind as to put in The Press who makes these, what I allege are, bonehead decisions that affects all our lives but we have no input in these decisions so all a person can do is complain?
Thank you,
Doug Wadel, Dunnville
Note: This letter is referring to a proposed commercial development at the corner of Broad Street East and Ramsey Drive, as reported in the January 4, 2024 edition. Lidy Romanuk, Haldimand Manager of Economic Development & Tourism, explains, “Haldimand County does not have the ability to choose a specific business to be located on a parcel of land. If the business fits within the existing zoning of the property, then the business would be permitted as of right. Staff do provide input and direction through the site plan process; however, the site plan process is more technical in nature and focuses on the layout of the building(s) on the parcel of land, the required infrastructure, and placement of that infrastructure.”
