The meeting discussed a proposed rezoning application to allow a firearms training facility to be built near the community. Key concerns discussed included potential noise, traffic, environmental, and safety impacts. Residents shared personal concerns about how it could negatively impact their quality of life and property values. An action plan was proposed to research the application and legislative framework further, express concerns to the local council and planner, engage media, and attend the upcoming public meeting on the application. Alternatives for the training facility's location were also discussed.

1. Meeting of Concerned Citizens
Re-zoning Application
“Firearms Training Facility”
Proposed for 1090 6th Concession
Held at Cedar Hill School - 8 May 2012, 7pm.
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2. Agenda
• Research – John Grierson
– Legislative Framework
– Specifics of the Application
– Community Potential Impacts
• Personal Impacts – our thoughts
• Develop Action Plan
• Closing
• Note – this document updated with content
received after the meeting – in red font
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3. LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK
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4. Application made to Mississippi
Mills (MM) for rezoning
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5. Application made to Mississippi
Mills (MM) for rezoning
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• Location map submitted
• Zoning bylaw definition:
• Does this mean police and other forces will be
trained here? Yes!
• “Training Facility” not defined

10. Speak up now!
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• Note that if we do not speak up now, we
lose our chance to protest later!

11. RU Zone Uses
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• Allowed:

12. Source: Zoning Bylaw, Zone Schedule B

13. EP Environmental Protection
Zone
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14. Setback from EP Environmental Protection is 120m (Zoning
bylaw 6.26)
Location of proposed range is non compliant

15. C5 Zone Purpose
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16. C5 Zone Uses
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17. C5 Zone Uses
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18. Mississippi Mills Official Plan
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• “Compatibility with surrounding uses”

19. Mississippi Mills Official Plan
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• Firearm Training Facility isn‟t in the list!

20. Ontario Planning Act
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• ONTARIO REGULATION 545/06, ZONING BY-LAWS, HOLDING
BY-LAWS AND INTERIM CONTROL BY-LAWS
(4) Notice shall be given,
(a) by personal service or ordinary mail, to every owner of land within 120 metres of the
subject land, subject to subsections (5) and (6); and
(b) by posting a notice, clearly visible and legible from a public highway or other place to
which the public has access, at every separately assessed property within the subject land
or, if posting on the property is impractical, at a nearby location chosen by the clerk of the
municipality or the secretary-treasurer of the planning board. O. Reg. 545/06, s. 5 (4).
1.The clerk of every upper-tier municipality having jurisdiction in the area to which the
proposed by-law would apply.
3.The secretary-treasurer of every planning board or municipal planning authority having
jurisdiction in the area to which the proposed by-law would apply.
4.The secretary of every school board having jurisdiction in the area to which the
proposed by-law would apply.
5.The secretary-treasurer of every conservation authority having jurisdiction in the area to
which the proposed by-law would apply.

21. Ontario Planning Act
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• 4. Where and when additional information and material about the
proposed by-law will be available to the public for inspection.
From the Mississippi Mills „Application for Zoning Amendment’
• Applicant is expected to attend the Public Meeting
• Planner prepares report to Planning Committee (Committee of the
Whole – which is the full town council), presented at the Public
Meeting
• Planning Committee recommends to Town Council

22. Ontario Planning Act
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• Ministry of municipal affairs and housing
http://www.mah.gov.on.ca/Page1758.aspx
• Official Plan statements are so broad ....
• MM Community Official Plan
http://www.mississippimills.ca/en/resourcesGeneral/Community%20Official%20Plan%20
2006.pdf

23. SPECIFICS OF THE APPLICATION
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24. Information with Application
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25. Information with Application
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26. Information with Application
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27. Information with Application
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28. Information with Application
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29. Information with Application
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30. ALTERNATIVES
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31. Alternatives
• Connaught Ranges
– Controls in place
– Closer to Ottawa
• Joint Task Force 2
– Dwyer Hill Road & Roger Stevens
• For the outside and inside ranges, an
industrial park totally indoor range makes
sense – weather, access, acceptability
• Why another?
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32. IMPACTS OF THE PROPOSED
ZONING CHANGE
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33. Impacts
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• What are we dealing with?
• YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/XARMSCanada/videos
• Noise
– MMills bylaw 02-89 allows firearms in
rural areas 7am to 11pm Mon-Fri + 9am –
11pm Sat & Sun
– Noise pattern – altitude, tree cover, ponds

34. Impacts
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• Traffic
– Commercial!
– One lane bridge
– Access road not township maintained
– Access road shared with Ed Smith
– Access road deviates from road
allowance, on to private land

35. Impacts
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• Environmental
– Wildlife – this is their home
– Lead - elemental and vapour pollution
– Proposed indoor shooting range within
EP area – 120 metre set-back
– Why 300 acres re-zoned, why not just 4
acres?
– Where will this end up?
– Continued growth is the objective “Foot in
the door”

36. PERSONAL IMPACTS
TELL US YOUR THOUGHTS
(POND PHOTO REMOVED TO REDUCE SIZE OF COMPUTER FILE)
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37. Personal Impacts
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• Any link to last fall‟s Army exercise? Weapons of aggression
• Psychological Trauma – legal action
• Wildlife in Cdn Forces Base Suffield in Alberta have learned to
cluster around oil wellhead to avoid being hit – applicants may
have these facts to refute our arguments about effect on
wildlife (Ms Blanding <turtle> will probably just go to the
bottom of the pond). Need to do our homework. Will need
legal representation.
• Berms that trap the lead bullets – need to do research
• „Beware of back doors‟ – influencers behind the scenes
• „Something is not being told‟ – scary, compensation
• 59 households, 100 + people certainly affected
• Will MPAC re-assess properties‟ assessed values
downwards? Resulting in tax revenue losses to Mmills?

38. Personal Impacts
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• One of the closest households to the proposed range – couple
both work night shift and need the day to sleep – gunshot
noise will cause great disruption
• Violation of Charter Rights “7. Everyone has the right to
life, liberty and security of the person and the right not to be
deprived thereof except in accordance with the principles of
fundamental justice.”
• Psychological terrorism
• Parents are overseas, wants them back, but they won‟t return
if this goes ahead.
• Retirement home – planning in process and have initial
investment in roadway – will move elsewhere if this goes
ahead <tax revenue loss>
• Property values will drop, real impact on people, especially
retirees
• Drinking & food garden water comes from uphill, which is

39. Personal Impacts
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• Drinking & food garden water comes from uphill, which is
where the range will be – don‟t want lead in water
• Retirees are full time at home – so continuously impacted
• RU zoning is relatively (Except for class A pit) respectful of
environment and neighbours. Proposed firearms training
facility is not.

40. ACTION PLAN IDEAS
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41. Mississippi Mills
• Steve Stirling is the staff planner
– 256-2064 ext 259
– Meet him, get the information on the application
– Express your concerns
– Follow up in writing – very important!
• Call our councillors:
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42. Mississippi Mills
• Call our mayor and other councillors:
– http://www.mississippimills.ca/en/townhall/meetyourcouncil.asp
– List of all councillors right pane of http://www.mmra.ca/links.htm
– Write to them, copy them on correspondence
• Talk with:
– Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority
– Ontario Provincial Police
– Your friends and neighbours and encourage them to attend the
public meeting
– Environmental Groups – Mississippi Valley Field Naturalists
– Art Brown – Fire Chief – very real danger of firearm initiated fires
according to Scott Duego (Petawawa as example). Difficulty with
access to fight fires on the mountain.
– Environmental Advisory Committee –
– Beautification (Advisory) Committee –
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43. Mississippi Mills
• Talk with community leaders:
– Fern Martin
– Marilyn Snedden
– Brenda Hurle
– Cliff Bennett
– Others?
• Ont Reg 545/06 states Notice of Public meeting must include
where and when additional information will be available for
inspection – NOT in the notice !!
• MMills Residents Association appears to be dated information
with very few updates since 2009 www.mmra.ca/
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44. Federal and Provincial
• Gordon O‟Connor – ex-military, Member of
Parliament
• Jack McLaren – landowner rights
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45. Applicant
• Before the amendment application, the applicant and Millbrook
should be required to submit:
– A master plan
– site plan showing the proposed road and proposed buildings,
– business plan
– Security fencing
– The facilities they currently own and operate (offering us a tour would
help!)
– the facilities they currently use for their training courses
– explain non-profit operation.
– Who are they associated with?
– Are they operating under the auspices of any government
agencies, DND, Police Foundation, etc.?
– Which proposed courses (referencing their website)
– Hours, number of courses projected into the future
– Documented relationship between applicants and Millbrook
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46. Applicant
• Other requirements and studies to be conducted by a third party
agency prior to zoning amendment:
– site specific Sound impact study based on the weapons listed in Millbrook Canada
website,
– lead leaching, its effects on White Lake Wetland Complex in Cedar Hill, ground
water and wild life (University of Guelph).
http://www.uoguelph.ca/ib/people/faculty/thomas.shtml "My students and I are
currently researching the problem of lead toxicity to wild life, specifically as it affects
waterfowl and loons. We are investigating non-toxic substitutes and how provincial
and federal policy and legislation on this topic needs to be revised to achieve a
common North American reform."
– Fire Risks
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47. Media
• EMC story
• “Millstone” story – Neil Carlton
• Others??
• CBC Morning and/or All In A Day
(afternoon drive-home show)
• CJHR interview
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48. References
• Applicants Jean-Francois Roy & Chantal Pelletier
chantal.jeff@sympatico.ca
• Millbrook Tactical – the client of the applicant
http://millbrookcanada.ca/
• Frank Paquette CEO Millbrook frank@millbrookcanada.ca
• Frank on LinkedIn http://ca.linkedin.com/pub/frank-paquette/30/b66/100
• Google search on “Millbrook Tactical” brings up several other listings
– https://www.defenceandsecurity.ca/index.php?action=mbrProfiles.viewProfile&amp;pr
ofileID=1237
– http://otab.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/MILLBROOK-TACTICAL-PISTOL-
INSTRUCTOR-DEVELOPMENT-COURSE.pdf
– http://www.ic.gc.ca/app/ccc/srch/nvgt.do?lang=eng&amp;prtl=1&amp;sbPrtl=&amp;est
blmntNo=234567124936&amp;profile=cmpltPrfl&amp;profileId=1921&amp;app=sold
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49. References
• There are currently available sound reports from the MoE for Sound level limits
- Rural
http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/stdprodconsume/groups/lr/@ene/@resources/documents/resource/std01_07935
9.pdf
• RCMP sound report (1972)
http://www.biathlonontario.ca/Coach_Resources/Docs/ShootingRangesSound.pdf
• Government of New Brunswick firing range
• http://www2.gnb.ca/content/dam/gnb/Departments/nr-rn/pdf/en/Publications/CLM0072003.pdf
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50. Meetings
• This group!
• The Public Meeting of Tuesday, May 21.
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51. Questions
• Thank you
• Questions
• Discussion
• Follow up in writing
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emergence of a parallel power which
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