Tile Yard Residents won’t get Petrolia help for drain costs

July 20, 2014

There will be no financial relief for Petrolia residents on Tile Yard Road.

Enniskillen Township is preparing to repair the road, which it shares with Petrolia but first it has to build a new drain.

The work will cost $322,000. That cost has been divided between Enniskillen, Petrolia and the residents along the road under the Drainage Act.

That blindsided town residents who didn’t realize they could be forced to pay for a municipal drain built by another municipality.

Jonathan Hart and his neighbour, Andrew Hart, have voiced concerns to council on behalf of the nine homeowners. “There is  no doubt drainage work is necessary,” Andrew Hart says  “and the cost needs to be borne for the work that is to be done. What’s different is the boundary of the town, specifically for tile yard…the catchment area falls within the town.”

Hart argues the Tile Yard Road residents already pay for drainage through their taxes. “I’d like to be reassured were not paying twice – in a sense that our taxes pay for sewage cost, too.”

Jonathan Hart argued it doesn’t make sense for the Petrolia residents to pay for the Enniskillen Drain. “Water is draining into Petrolia …seems like we are paying for it twice when it really is Petrolia water draining into Petrolia.”

But town council says their hands are essentially tied since in the past in similar situations town residents pay the cost of the drain and the Drainage Act, which governs the work, “supersedes anything we can do in Petrolia,” according to Mayor John McCharles.

“We’ve mulled over this quite a bit,” says Councilor Tim Brown who sits on the Drainage Board. “You have to understand – if you could put yourself in our shoes this is the decision; this is what has to happen, there have been precedents set. I’m sorry it is not a better decision for you.”

Council agreed the homeowners should each pay the amount assessed. The town will have to pay $37,000 as its share of the project.

Both the homeowners and the town could face more costs in the future. Under the Drainage Act, the people benefiting from the drain also pay for its clean out when it gets clogged in the future.

 

Share This

Image
Front Page

Lambton lands part of 30×30 project

July 11, 2025

Heather Wright/The Independent Almost 700 acres of land along the Sydenham River, including some in Petrolia and Wawrick, will be recognized as conservation lands in Ontario. It’s part of an international plan to protect 30 per cent of the earth’s land and sea by 2030. Tim Payne, manager of forests for the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority, was contacted by

Read More

Image
Front Page

No PW park fees for severed farm lots

July 11, 2025

The Independent Farmers severing a house from their land won’t have to pay a park land fee in Plympton-Wyoming. The idea came up for discussion at June 30 council meeting after the Committee of Adjustment suggested the town consider the idea. Developers of subdivisons must provide park land or pay a fee in lieu of land. Farmers severing homes don’t

Read More

Image
Front Page

Learning about wood turning at Petrolia’s Art in the Park

July 11, 2025

Heather Wright/The Independent Petrolia’s downtown is filled with people for Art in the Park. Artisans and artists line Victoria Park and there are demonstrations going on as well. This is Brian Houf of The Houf Workshop in Corunna. He takes green wood and turns them into bowls and utensils using a lathe he made himself. Houf, who works for the

Read More

Image
Front Page

Model trains and planes take over Mooretown Museum

July 11, 2025

The Independent There was a big turnout for Model Train Day at the Mooretown Museum on Sunday. It is the 80th anniversary of Victory in Japan Day and the end of the Second World War and a recent donation to the museum of 30 military and 7 warships models were incorporated into some of the train layouts. Also on hand

Read More