Tonight there was a pretty full house in the gallery. Probably about 30 people. I loved that!
Communities in Bloom Trophy and Plaque Presentation – Anne Rota, Manager of Tourism and Culture and Annette Zahaluk, Manager of Parks, Greenspaces and Naturalized Areas
Ms Rota was the first to speak tonight. She held a red granite stone from the Canadian Shield that looked like a big, pretty brick. She thanked council who always supports them. Ms Rota said they work for them and the residents. Ms Rota said that Amherstburg won first place for Canada 150 programming. ( Oh ya!!! Canuck it up rocked in my opinion! Fantastic event that finally opened up our Kings Navy Yard Park for activity!) Amherstburg won second place for National Community Award and received Special Recognition for floral and landscaping displays. (The one year I managed to keep my flowers alive all summer, well, most of the summer, well, at least until after the judges came through town…..) Amherstburg also received a Special Award for Education as Ms Zahaluk offers education tours of the Navy Yard Park and she works with St. Clair College. Over all, awesome for us Amherstburg! Mayor DiCarlo recognised Councillor Pouget for her role with the Communities in Bloom committee. Councillor Meloche said some words of thanks. Councillor Pouget then commended Ms Rota and Ms Zahaluk and Ms Ibrahim (all from the Tourism Department I think) for their leadership. Councillor Fryer then spoke quite at length (in my opinion) about how it all starts from the top. He gave kudos to CAO Miceli and Mayor DiCarlo and their leadership. He said he’s busy with his daughter’s hockey……(at this point it I wasn’t sure if I had accidentally sat down at the Grammy awards….I’d like to thank my mom and the Academy…..) But seriously, it was a nice beginning, it just got a little weird when things got laid on too thick I think.
DELEGATIONS
Councillor Fryer asked to waive the rules of order to add Tom Walsh to be able to speak and to move the item about the flooding forward on the agenda.
Canada Post Services – Diane Mitchell and Derek Richmond, Canadian Union of Postal Workers
Mrs Mitchell spoke about the removal of door to door mail delivery and thousands were converted to the super box system. This conversion and change was met with protest and played a part of the 2015 federal election. There is currently a moratorium to stop the changes and reinstate door to door service. She feels that door to door delivery is a value added service and wants to see a reversal of the service cuts to the postal services. The end of her delegation was met with applause.
Councillor Meloche spoke about the difficulty with aligning the interests between management and labour. He feels Canada Post is struggling with more changes and more concerns than just door to door delivery. Councillor Fryer spoke and felt the rural route drivers are doing a fantastic job. He used the example of ordering something from Amazon and it arriving the next day via Canada Post. (Councillor Fryer then spoke again about a family member……I just don’t get that……why do some members of council talk about their family members in the meeting? I don’t understand…….) Finally, after Councillor Fryer’s speech was over, Councillor Pouget made a motion (paraphrased here) to direct administration to send a letter to Prime Minister Trudeau and the federal government to continue, expand and improve postal services. The motion carried.
Belle Vue Conservancy Fund Raising Update – Shirley-Curson Prue, President, Belle Vue Conservancy
Ms Curson-Prue presented an update to council about the fundraising initiatives. (At this point, I noticed the lady next to me reading my blog on her phone. 🙂 Thanks! ) Ms Curson-Prue summed up the various fundraisers and said they had approximately $115,946 on hand. She said some of the fundraisers raised more than predicted, so the numbers are about to go up. She said they are very grateful to the River Town Times for promoting their fundraising events. She then presented the painting done by Peter Rindlisbacher and it is absolutely GORGEOUS! She said once they saw the painting, they decided that it must hang in the Belle Vue house once the house is ready. In the meantime, she requested if it could be hung in Council Chambers (although they would have to borrow it back periodically). She said the Conservancy decided to sell proofs and numbered prints instead of auctioning off the original.
Councillor Courtney thanked the Conservancy and felt that since their inception and their vow to raise funds, they’ve worked non-stop and have achieved results. She felt it was okay to thank council since they passed the motion but felt the Conservancy was owed thanks and helped her to know that council made the right decision and made the right vote. Several Conservancy members were in the gallery and stood to a round of applause. Councillor Pouget said if council were going to vote she will remove herself because of a conflict (proximity of Belle Vue to her residence). Councillor Lavigne said something about his parent’s residence, but I think he said he doesn’t see if it’s a conflict, but I’m not sure. It was hard to hear.
So finally, the motion to hand the painting in Council Chambers passed. Councillor Courtney made a joke and asked if they could take down a picture of Queen Elizabeth and replace it with this painting. Councillor Meloche jokingly seconded it. Where they’ll end up hanging the picture, I’m not sure, but it is truly beautiful. It may bring a sense of warmth to an otherwise kind of sterile room perhaps.
Grant Request for the Canadian Historical Interactive Center “The Garrison” – Leah C. Prentice
Ms. Prentice was requesting a $25,000 grant in order to create a not-for-profit organisation called “The Garrison”. Ms Prentice pointed out how we have many historical things even dating back to the late 1700s and how many of these pieces are crumbling or in poor shape. She said they have pilot space available at the Fort Family Fun Centre. It looks like they’re going to provide the following type of interactive activities :
- Highlighting our local history beginning with the glacial land formation & First Nations
- Local Art and Culture
- Campfire stories, Legends, singing, hand drums and guitar
- Craft workshops, contests, games, treasure hunts
- Survival skills/life skills – “hands on experience”
and more!
This is from their report and I feel sums it up well : “I know we can do better to show the First Nations we remember their loyalty and friendship and still do. “The Garrison” would make it possible for all races to be together and learn from each other without racism and discrimination. It will help dissolve these biases created from ignorance due to a lack of knowledge and first hand experiences. Instead of being the background voices of history they will get center stage, a chance to say how they feel, what it meant to them , and us, and how we can learn and grow together as a whole. ”
Ms Prentice also mentioned that the word “Huron” is still on one of the plaques and it is considered a derogatory term and should be replaced. She mentioned the name of the town …..I know this has been a hot topic in the news…..She said that the name General Amherst….to do the right thing is difficult. I’m not sure if she were insinuating we should change the name of the town. Ms Prentice gave credit to the Marsh Collection for doing a good job keeping track of our local history. She feels The Garrison will make it possible to unite and educate people about our past. She feels there is a lack of knowledge and they’re looking to provide education.
The Clerk said that they will follow up with Ms Prentice to get the information to include it in the 2018 budget. Ms Prentice seemed to be unsure what that meant (believe me I understand…..it took me quite a while to figure out how council worked and I attend almost all of the meetings…..and even now, sometimes I don’t understand….) Anyway, it was explained to her that the Clerk will get more information from her and then she’ll be added into the budget for grants for 2018. Then council will decide how much if any money she will get. So, she plans to be back at the end of November for the budget meetings.
Sign Variance Request – Luigi DiPierdomenico, Lumed Management Inc.
This delegation did not happen. It appears Mr DiPierdomenico changed his mind and did not come to council.
Mr. Walsh re : flooding Basement Flooding Protection Subsidy Program
As some of you may recall, Mr Walsh had delegated to council at the last meeting about issues with his basement flooding multiple times. He introduced himself to the councillors who were absent last time when he spoke (yes, he did….thought that was kind of funny….) He said he feels this has been a learning process and that he read the report. He said he does not feel that the downspout disconnect would work for him, since there is only a 10 foot distance between his house and his neighbour and the ground is very clay like. He also felt the backwater valve (with a maximum of $1,000) are much more expensive, around $2,200 plus. He also did not like the idea of having to get and pay for a permit from the town. He felt that Windsor is being taken care of in full and feels that $1,000 is nothing. He compared it to a band-aid solution. Ms Giofu from administration spoke and said they had done a comparison for the amounts to be covered etc. She said that Windsor also has the $1,000 maximum and Aburg matched it. They called local plumbers and were advised a backwater valve is around $1,200. She explained that all of the numbers match Windsor’s. There was much back and forth about applying for and paying for a permit.
Mr Walsh felt that all of this was not enough money to truly fix the problems. The CAO said he was aware there’s not enough money and will be asking in the capital budget for more money if too many homeowners apply for the reimbursements.
Councillor Fryer then spoke for some time….it was mostly stuff that got said at the last meeting about the severity of the storms and lake levels etc. Ms Giofu pointed out that most of the problems seem to come from the private side.
From the report, administration is asking council to approve the following:
a. Downspout Disconnection: provide a downspout disconnection service to
residents on the Amherstburg wastewater collection system free of charge.
b. Foundation Drain Disconnection: provide a financial subsidy to residents on
the Amherstburg wastewater collection system to disconnect foundation
drains from the sanitary sewer, up to 50% of cost, to a maximum of $1000.
c. Backwater Valve Installation: provide a financial subsidy to residents on the
Amherstburg wastewater collection system to install backwater valve device
on the internal sanitary plumbing system in existing homes, up to 100% of
cost, to a maximum of $1000.
d. Sump Pump Overflow: provide a financial subsidy to residents on the
Amherstburg wastewater collection system to install a sump pump overflow to
discharge outside to the surface (applies to existing sump pumps only), up to
100% of cost, to a maximum of $300.
Mr Walsh again expressed his frustration as he felt that the core area of town receives more services than the more rural parts of Amherstburg. Councillor Lavigne didn’t seem to like that. He explained how the found defects and design flaws after one of the last big floods and the town fixed it. He felt that the town is offering something and that maybe going forward they could try to offer more. Councillor Lavigne doesn’t feel that council is ignoring county residents. Mr Walsh said the whole area where he lives feels this way. Councillor Lavigne said they’re trying to offer fairness across the board and that we are the tri-community, three who are now 1.
Finally, Councillor Pouget made the motion for all of the recommendations noted above and it passed.
2018 Budget Direction
Well, when we got to this part of the meeting, there was a big, silent pause. Councillor Fryer got up and left. (Coincidence? I have no idea…..) Finally, Councillor Meloche made a motion for a 1.5% tax increase (instead of the 2% originally asked for). Councillor Lavigne seconded it and said that administration could prepare the budget and then council could try to get it down to 0%. (They haven’t been able to do that yet….) Anyway, there was some back and forth about why the town needs more money, but frankly, I don’t want to hear it anymore. (I had previously supported tax increases because I felt it was necessary to get us back onto more solid financial footing……then this past spring, we had a tax surplus and could have socked it away in reserves, but council decided to give $100,000 of it away to the ERCA Foundation……so, I really don’t care about their woes anymore…..if council can afford to give away $100,000 of our tax surplus, they can figure out a 0% budget as far as I’m concerned.) Then, out of left field, Councillor Pouget said she appreciated where Councillor Meloche was coming from and that she’s always been about cut backs, but after having seen all of the infrastructure repairs that need to be done, she prefers the 2% tax increase. (My jaw almost hit the floor. Seriously. I would have never expected that!) Then, suddenly, Councillor Lavigne withdrew his second. Then the motion was made for the up to 2% increase as states and it carried. (I’m not even sure who made the motion because I was still in shock.)
Second Concession Bridge over Long Marsh Drain Replacement
The report is in about replacing the bridge on the Second Concession. It is the bridge that is similar in style to the larger “River Canard Bridge” just in front of St. Joseph’s Church. The price tag that administration looks to be recommending is a little more than $1.1 Million. However, further in the report, there are several scenarios provided with various dollar amounts. It appears that the bridge was never designated as a Heritage Site. It also appears to repair the bridge and keep the same “look”, will cost a significant amount. There also appears to be a significant short fall with the projected budgeted amount and the actual funds needed to repair the bridge. Any which way it shakes out, it’s going to cost a lot.
Councillor Lavigne made the motion for the recommendation of $1.1 Million to repair the bridge. He made a comment about how it’s not free to run a town. And it carried, no discussion.
Queen Charlotte Storm Sewer Easement
From the report, I think it sums it up well : “At the August 10, 2015 Council meeting Council approved the Development Agreement for the Queen Charlotte building. In approving the agreement, Council agreed that an easement would be provided to the developer in order to facilitate the installation of a storm sewer through King’s Navy Yard Park. The final location and terms of the easement have not been finalized for Council’s approval. This will occur at a later date in addition to the fees associated with the easement. However since that time, design issues have arisen that require Council reconsideration and direction prior to finalizing the easement.”
The rest of the report is somewhat technical, in terms of engineering-type stuff, but it appears that the developer will have to pay for the changes and not the town.
There was quite a bit of discussion about this issue. It seems there have been a number of meetings trying to find an alternative solution to solve the storm sewer problem. The CAO explained that it was back to keep the discussion open and transparent. Apparently they will have to do an open trench cut in the Kings Navy Yard Park to properly install the sewer. After some back and forth, this passed.
Civil Marriage Ceremonies
Going to town council and we’re gonna get ma-a-a-ried, going to the chamber of love….I wish I knew how to put little music notes here
Well, there was no discussion about this! So, it looks like as of January 1, 2018, people can get married at town hall. Basically for $250 you can get married in council chambers or for $350 (plus rental), you can get married at the Kings Navy Yard Park. It looks like the Clerk, Deputy Clerk and the Manager of Licensing services will have the authority to perform the service.
I wonder if the town can perform enough weddings to help buffer the tax increase?
Municipal Street Naming and Street Name Change Policies
A few weeks ago, council approved a development after much discussion because they weren’t in agreement with the street names. Council was promised this report with new name possibilities for any new streets coming to Amherstburg.
This passed without any discussion. (Phew! They didn’t see that my name got added in the fine print LOL. Just kidding, relax….it’s a joke….)
Request to Waive User Fees
This weekend I wrote : “Another lengthy report……all of the user fees are listed. I’m not sure if this because some fees are waived and others aren’t?? I’ll have to listen on Monday night and see what’s what.”
Well, they didn’t really discuss it, so I’m not really sure what happened. It was something about “to deny”……sorry, no energy to go back and read it all now…..if anyone wants to go back and read it all and wants to jump in, well, go for it! I’ll publish your comment.
Consent Correspondence
This part of the meeting usually garners little discussion. Basically, it’s an acknowledgement by council about receiving various communications, either from residents, other organisations, other town councils etc. Usually it’s simply accepted and they move on, however council can ask questions to clarify. There were two things questioned that piqued my curiosity:
14.1 Resident Letter regarding Proposed Access Road – Carol Ouellette and
14.2 Resident Letter regarding Parking Lot Beside Police Station-Diane McLeod
Both letters were about the gravel parking lot near the police station with concern if this area will be opened up to provide a road to Belle Vue. Basically, it seems that the lot should be paved as per the town’s bylaws. However, council will have to make a decision in the future about this property whether it will be opened up to Belle Vue. Anyway, Councillor Pouget spoke and asked questions about this issue, yet it has to do with Belle Vue. I thought she had a conflict about Belle Vue? Isn’t a conflict a conflict all of the time? Or can a conflict be a conflict some of the time? I just don’t understand. I thought if something’s a conflict, the council member was supposed to remove themselves from any discussion or decision-making…..maybe I’m wrong, what do I know?
New Business
Councillor Courtney mentioned how she attended École St-Jean-Baptiste today to celebrate Franco-Ontarian Day with the staff and students. She said she thinks it’s wonderful that Amherstburg has a French language school and is supporting Canada’s two official languages. I agree completely. (I wonder if she knows the story of how that school almost never came to be…..?) But fortunately, it did and it was a great day!
Finally, council was going in-camera to discuss :
ITEM A – Encroachment Agreement – 515 Lakeside Dr. – Section 239(2)(b) –
Personal matters about an identifiable individual, including municipal or local
board employees.
ITEM B – Property Disposition/Acquisition Update – Section 239(2)(c) – A
proposed or pending acquisition or disposition of land by the municipality or
local board.
And Item C was added on a supplementary agenda : Verbal Update on Council Resolution # 20170911-975-Public Transportation Service
As for councillor of the week……I’ll admit, I’m stumped…..everyone seemed on track and engaged…..however, I think I’m giving it to Councillor Meloche, at least he tried to go down to a 1.5% tax increase instead of 2%. I’m still baffled about this.
amherstburg2 