By Robert Frank
www.thesuburban.com
Beaconsfield town council held a moment of silence during its Jan. 23 meeting, to mark
the loss of District 4 Councillor Brian Ross, who succumbed to cancer, Dec. 31.
Mayor David Pollock later announced that prospective candidates to fill the vacant post
have from Feb. 17-Mar. 2 to register to run for office in an April 1 by-election.
The council also voted to ask the province for permission to reduce the number of
municipal councillors from eight to six, a move opposed by District 2 councillor, Karin
Essin.
Several issues preoccupied citizens during question period, particularly the fate of Angell
Woods. Mayor Pollock acknowledged that councilors have viewed three potential scenarios
for the area. One involves conservation and another, development. He said that council
decided that no individual member was to retain a copy of the proposals, which he
declined to disclose despite a vigorous appeal to do so from Beaconsfield resident Diana
Shahmoon.
If the council opts for one of these scenarios without prior public consultation as to the
alternatives, “these will be fighting words,” vowed Ms. Shahmoon.
Several Beaconsfield residents continued to agitate to reduce the speed limit on Highway
20 to 70 km/h and to introduce photo radar, to reduce road noise in adjacent residences that is “destroying our health.”
Some attributed the problem to the 1970s speed limit increase to 100 km/h, while resident
Derrick Pounds complained that he has suffered health-related road noise problems
since he moved to Beaconsfield 49 years ago.