How do we get to yes?
This process is not always easy or guaranteed, and it may seem like red tape, but we have a land-use bylaw for a reason and bylaws are not meant to be just be bent. They are complicated though and they do need help to be navigated. Yes is not always easy and yes does not mean everything gets rubber stamped. It means that even though your idea may not fit within the current bylaws and policies that it is not met with an automatic no. It means your idea or application may need to evolve in order to find a way to yes. This council has stressed for almost four years now, when an idea or application comes to the Town we want them to be met with the mindset of how do we get to yes?  At the Monday, June 7 council meeting the long-awaited debate around an R5 (multi-use residential) zoning application took place. (A related story can be found here .) Article content  Administrations job is to assist our residents and business owners with their applications, no matter the size, how long it may take or the potential controversy it may have. All applications are treated equal and impartially, some files may be easy and some may be extremely complicated. On Monday the R5 proposal was neither approved nor denied. It was however sent back to administration to explore other options in order for the daycare to continue in some form or another. The majority of council is very cognizant that R5 zoning should not be in residential areas. At the same time they are trying to find a way to assist the applicant with maintaining their existing business. This council will always exhaust every effort to help any application that comes to them. Again, no guarantees but we want to know that every effort within our authority was made and explored in order to get to yes.  At the same time it is not lost on council that this application has had significant opposition within the community. Those voices and opinions also need to be and deserve to be considered when a decision is ultimately made. For now the application has been sent back to administration to see if there are other options besides R5 zoning that could work for the applicant and the community. We do not at this time know when exactly it will be back at the council table for discussion; that will depend on the work of the applicant and the Towns administration. Likely within the next month or so though. To further complicate this file I have had to recuse myself from the discussions due to the applicant being a direct neighbour of mine. This leaves six councillors to the decision, which as we saw on June 7 can lead to tie votes and defeated motions. Always. Jennifer Handley is Nantons mayor.