OCT2017 Ask the Councillor: Do police still patrol downtown? Can I grow cannibis in my community garden plot? What is happening at Guelph Line/Harvester?
J.S. asks: Now that there's no longer a police substation on Brant Street, are we still getting police patrols downtown? Many people who live behind alleys don't report break ins yet have experienced them. Do officers patrol this area of downtown in the evenings, and if not can it be added?
Answer: They do patrol it. HRPS has at least 3 and sometimes 4 cars that are designated to patrol the core area 24/7. The Core border is QEW Niagara to the west, QEW Toronto to the north, Guelph Line to the east and Lake Ontario to the south. The cars spend a majority of their time in the downtown area. The Halton Police have shared information with us regarding statistics and analytics which examine break and enter, theft and mischief occurrences for the period of May 1st 2017 and August 31st 2017 (timeframe since the sub-station was closed until today) against the same timeframe for the preceding 7 years. It does show that an increase of two occurrences over last year, however we are significantly down when compared against the years 2010 to 2015.Please see the below table and supporting maps. An increase of two occurrences over four months, compared to last year is not a drastic increase, according to HRPS.
| Year | Total Occurrences | Break and Enters | Thefts | Mischiefs |
| 2010 | 31 | 2 | 11 | 18 |
| 2011 | 40 | 5 | 12 | 23 |
| 2012 | 25 | 3 | 9 | 13 |
| 2013 | 32 | 4 | 12 | 16 |
| 2014 | 17 | 0 | 10 | 7 |
| 2015 | 21 | 2 | 9 | 10 |
| 2016 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 5 |
| 2017 | 13 | 2 | 5 | 6 |
L.K. asks: Can I grow cannibis in my community garden plot?Answer: The current legislation and regulatory framework does not allow for the public production/cultivation of cannabis for recreational or medicinal purposes. However, the new federal legislation Bill C-45, would allow adults, without being issued a licence, to cultivate their own cannabis plants at home, if grown from legal seeds or plants. They will be allowed to grow no more than 4 plants per residence and the plants can be no taller than 100cm in height. So in terms of growth on public property (community gardens), this would also not be permitted under the new federal legislation.When a permit is issued to gardeners for the community garden program, it details the rules of the program which exclude growing cannabis.In addition, planting of illegal plants and noxious weeds is prohibited. For more information visit Health Canada Q&A, provincial government information on Noxious Weeds or the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
M.B. asks: What is happening at Guelph Line/Harvester Road?Answer: The Halton Region is scheduled to construct a Second Watermain Feed to the Washburn Reservoir and Booster Station in Burlington.
- Prospect Street (between the Hydro One Corridor and Guelph Line),
- Guelph Line (between Prospect Street and Mainway),
- Mainway (between Guelph Line and the Burlington Hydro Corridor),
- and within the Burlington Hydro Corridor (between Mainway and Heathfield Drive).
In addition, localized construction work will also occur within the Hydro One Corridor near New Street.
The southeast corner of Guelph Line and Harvester Road will be occupied by construction equipment working to complete the feedermain to the Washburn reservoir until December 2019. The attached drawing illustrates the extent of the construction footprint.