Well, tonight was not too bad, not too bad at all. A lot less grandstanding and more on-point discussion, which was very nice to see. When I left the house, I thought my notebook may not make it through the meeting, so I brought along an extra, just in case. I said to my husband as I left :”I’ll bring an extra notebook, maybe it will be a good omen and the meeting won’t drag on.”. And, low and behold, didn’t need the new notebook, have about 7 pages to spare and the meeting wrapped up in about 2 and a half hours. So, I guess it was a good omen after all, to be prepared for potential grandstanding and then it did not happen…..well not too much anyway. đ
The gallery was jam packed full with spill over of people standing the gallery.
First, council met in-camera at 3:00 in-camera to discuss:
SPECIAL IN-CAMERA COUNCIL MEETING
That Council move into an In-Camera Meeting of Council at 3:00 pm pursuant
to Section 239 of the Municipal Act, 2001, as amended, for the following
reasons:
Item A â Section 239(2)(b) â Personal matters about an identifiable individual,
including municipal or local board employees; and, Section 239(2)(d) â Labour
relations or employee negotiations.
Then council had a 5:00 planning meeting.
The regular meeting started at 6:00. There were several delegations.
DELEGATIONS
Request to Allow Backyard Chickens for Therapeutic Purposes â Miranda Ronholm
It seems that Ms Ronholm moved to Amherstburg from Windsor in August of this year. She lives in the Monopoly subdivision now. There has been a complaint issued against her since she has 3 backyard âtherapy chickensâ. Ms Ronholm said that she uses the chickens for her epilepsy and it has been greatly reduced since having the chickens. They also reduce her stress. She felt that the chickens are playful pets and they follow her around. They are protected in a coop that she cleans daily. She said she shares the eggs with the neighbours, well, the ones that she gets along with LOL. (I’m guessing not with the ones who made the complaint….?) Ms Ronholm said that she had a difficult pregnancy and the chickens have helped her to require less medication and they keep her calm and safe. She felt she would be sad and depressed if she had to get rid of her chickens and it would also cause her anxiety to have them removed. She said she is willing to obtain a licence or permit and to get inspections. She said that she keeps the coop clean. Ms Ronholm said that Windsor allowed her to keep the chickens when she provided a doctor’s note.
Councillor Prue asked Ms Rubli, the manager of Licensing when the bylaw would be coming forward regarding chickens and other animals. (Blog followers would remember there was public consultation about this issue some time ago.) Ms Rubli said that the town is waiting on provincial legislation regarding animal welfare and said they’re still waiting to see if the responsibility for enforcement will fall onto the municipality, the police or the humane society. Councillor Prue wondered if it would be possible to hold off on any enforcement action until the bylaw is finalized. And ultimately, that’s what happened. Ms Ronholm will keep her chickens, for the time being, until the bylaw comes back in front of council.
Request for Tiny House By-law â The Raybots Robotics Team, Stella Maris Catholic Elementary School
A group of students from Stella Maris were up next. Their group is called the Raybots Robotics Team. They were asking council to amend the bylaw regarding tiny houses. The students explained that tiny houses use less energy, increase trade, reduce the carbon footprint, require less maintenance, less materials, less energy, provide accessible living and neighbourhood revitalization. They proposed a bylaw for a 28 square meter tiny house, there is currently no bylaw to allow a house this small. They expressed their willingness to work with the bylaw department.
The presentation was very well received by council and ultimately it was decided to write a letter of support of the idea to other municipalities and to send the presentation to the building department.
Request for the Town of Amherstburg to Take Part in âGreenâ Initiatives â Paul Hertel
Mr Hertel spoke to council regarding green initiatives. He was asking council to prepare for changes that are looming on the horizon. He asked that environmental issues need attention especially in the upcoming official plan review. He wondered if the town’s fleet of cars cold be looked at, for example, converting to electric cars. He also suggested a new festival, called a Green Festival. (For those of you who know me, you know I really like festivals…..so count me in!)
There was some discussion about the ideas. Councillor Prue felt there were 4 things that should be done…..first, to forward the report to the November 29th Official Plan meeting, second to review the town’s fleet of vehicles to look at the possibility of electric cars, third for staff to look at green festivals, including the “Green man” and fourth to look at the possibility of green buildings. Councillor Simone added in to look for the possibility of bringing back an Advisory Committee. Councillor McArthur spoke about the Windsor/Essex Environmental Committee giving presentations to council and declaring a climate emergency, but that part was moved to new business.
Ultimately, council decided to receive the presentation and proceed with the ideas listed above.
Parking on Windermere Place â Mark & Heidi Olivito and Lisa Carnelos, Windermere Place Residents
Mr Olivito spoke first and said he was speaking for 5 residents out of 6 houses that exist on Windermere Place. It seems he has been there for 20 years and that all of the homes were built based on parking being available. However, recently a truck came and installed no parking signs. He was seeking a compromise of parking on one side of the street. Another neighbour spoke and said that she felt the there was ample room for emergency vehicles as she felt their street is as wide or wider than other streets. The neighbours showed some pictures of a big truck parked on the road and a car easily going around it.
Councillor Courtney then spoke and said he had seen their emails and he saw the answers from the other members of council, so he didn’t answer them. (Yes you read that right……) Anyway, Councillor Courtney then said he was driving home today so he took a drive by and felt the area had a nice amenity for 6 houses and other houses had just a driveway. Councillor Courtney pointed out that fire trucks clip cars all the time and that the residents would have to compromise and only look at parking on one side of the street. Again, the neighbour pointed out that they were only asking for parking on one side of the street not both.
Another neighbour joined the discussion however, he had a different opinion than the first set of neighbours. He said that he owns 2 properties on that street and has enjoyed it for 13 years, however, in the last 2 years it has become a party zone and they have had to call the police regarding the noise, parties and parking. This neighbour expressed that he was against allowing parking on the street and did not want the agreement changed. He said he felt that administration was in accordance with not changing the agreement. A picture was shown with cars parked on both sides of the street.
Ms Rublie, the Manager of Licensing and Bylaw said the pictures stem from a previously investigated complaint. She said that the 1991 agreement stipulated no parking on either side of the street because of the narrow width. She said that emergency vehicles do not have enough clearance (if cars are parked there) in accordance with the Ontario Building Code.
There was a lot of back and forth about the width of the road and the ability for a fire truck to be able to maneuver it. Councillor Courtney and Fire Chief Montone had quite a bit of back and forth about this. Basically, the Fire Chief said that part of the difficulty regarding the issue is not just for the fire truck to pass through but also the difficulty in operating the vehicle and the aerial apparatus.
The dispute raged on among the neighbours…..
Finally, Councillor Prue made a motion to send the issue back to the neighbourhood to see if it would be feasible to widen the roadway but the neighbours would pay for it. They will work with staff and get the costs and come back in the future with a resolve to make the road wider to provide parking.
As Deferred on Sept. 9, 2019 â Establishing a Lobbyist Registry and Appointing a Lobbyist Registrar
Last month, the establishment of a lobbyist registry was a hot topic in council chambers. So hot, in fact, that the issue seemed to bring out some fairly poor behaviour for the public meeting, even had an unruly member of the public escorted out by the police. Tonight the issue was back in front of council. However, council simply received the report and there was no discussion. So, that was that. Done. No lobby registry.
Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) â Amherstburg Great Spaces, Great Places Project
This was, to me, the highlight of the evening. The CAO presented the grant application for some major projects for our town. The town is asking for $50 Million from the Federal and Provincial governments to be used to improve and enhance the quality of life in Amherstburg. The Community Wish list was established through public consultation, talk the Burg, various communications and other initiatives.
Regarding waterfront amenities, the residents are looking for the Duffy’s property to be developed and with active programming. The residents want access to the water and more events. As well, year round pickle ball, trails and theme splash pads are on the list of residents wants. The CAO also explained that the residents want outdoor activities for the young and old, kayaking, trails, outdoor skating, enhanced skateboard parks among other amenities. (I can only write so fast people! I couldn’t catch it all, but I think I got most of it….)
The government has announced that they will be giving $727 Million over a 10 year period to municipalities for certain improvements that meet their criteria. The grant was announced on September 3rd and must be submitted by November 12th, so there are some tight time lines involved.
Here’s the breakdown of the projects :
The Big Connection ($2.87 million)
- Simcoe Road Multi-Use Trail Improvements
- Neighbourhood Linkage Development
- Community Connectors (to existing hubs / areas of interest)
Waterfront Civic Plaza ($11.5 million)
- Civic Square / Extension of Navy Yard park
- Amphitheatre / performance area / comfort station
- Accessible Multi-use pier / breakwater (fishing / tall ship events)
- Marina
- Accessible Walking path / bench / water and fire feature
Belle Vue Gardens and Conservatory ($10.34 million)
- Botanical gardens / Carolinian Arboretum
- Community venue / multi-use space
- Greenhouses
- Parking
- Pavilion / washroom
- The Historical Walking Mile
During the Belle Vue presentation, the CAO pointed out that the funds do not include improvements for the house as the town has partnered with the Conservancy to apply for another, different grant for $4.29 Million.
The Libro Centre of Excellence ($25.29 million)
- The Big Creek trail and lookout loop
- The 5,000-step trail loop
- Ball diamonds / soccer pitches
- Swimming pool
- Pickle ball
- Pavilion / change rooms
- Event Plaza / Parking
**Side note……the indoor pool would be a 25 meter, fully accessible pool. **
If the town is successful getting these funds, it would address 48 of the 77 recommendations in the Parks Master Plan over a period of 7 years, which would put us 13 years ahead of schedule. Without senior government funding, realizing these projects would be very difficult.
It was pointed out that our state of the art Libro facility also came to fruition from senior level government grant money and we were able to get it for a fraction of the cost. The CAO also explained that this plan addressed venues that were lost at Centennial Park as well as other wish list items of the residents. CAO Miceli also thanked all of the town staff with their hard work getting this proposal together since the September 3rd announcement since the deadlines are tight.
Then it was opened up to council for questions or comments. Deputy Mayor Meloche felt it was quite exhilarating that we would only have to spend 27 cents on the dollar. He also pointed out that the residents would have to be ready to accept the costs involved, such as operating costs in the future. The CAO said that the town’s contribution would be factored into the 2020 budget and that the federal and provincial government would be looking to be sure that the town’s asset management plans are up to date. (For those who have only been following local politics for a short while, we did not have any of these documents prior to the arrival of CAO Miceli, just sayin’.)
Councillor Prue said he had quite a few questions. It was clarified that the $729 Million is only available for Ontario municipalities. It was also clarified that the federal government will decide which towns get the money and how much. It seems that $62,000 will be set aside in the 2020 budget and another $50,000 put into reserves. Councillor Prue figured that was approximately $60 per household. Councillor Prue felt that we could not afford not to do this. (I agree 100%).
Councillor McArthur felt that we can’t ignore 27 cents on the dollar. He referred to a quote of Mayor DiCarlo’s about many items being in the works and we have several pieces in the air at the moment. He felt that we need a pool but that an indoor pool is an $8 Million investment. He felt this was a fantastic plan and great for our community. (I agree 100%)
Councillor Renaud talked about when we got the Libro Centre and how we only had to pay a fraction of the cost. He felt that if we could get this money and get the Duffy’s project done, with winter time activities that it would be very unique for our community. (I agree 100%)
Councillor Courtney felt it was a great presentation and that we can’t go wrong going forward. However, he felt some of the costs would be extraordinary and used the example of the botanical gardens and how much staff would be required for the upkeep. He felt that we’ve lost assets and need ball diamonds and a pool.
Councillor Simone had some questions about another stream of the grant but also thought it was a great plan.
Someone from the audience wanted to speak. So Councillor Prue and Councillor Simone made a motion to waive the rules of order…..(this seems to have become the norm with this council rather than an exemption, but I’ll hold back my thoughts on this new norm…..for tonight anyway…)
The first person to speak thanked Ms Rota and her committee for the Uncommon Festival. He pointed out that it wasn’t that long ago that Amherstburg was under fire for spending too much money. He felt that this plan was great but also hoped that a boat ramp could be included…..
Another resident spoke and expressed concern that there are no accommodations for travelers. He felt this issue needed to be addressed.
Mayor DiCarlo pointed out that we have 2 commitments for hotels. One will be breaking ground in the spring, in the downtown area. He mentioned there have been a few delays. (again for those who follow a bit, you would know that the downtown hotel is in the planning stages and some members of council slowed down the process due to “parking issues”….) Mayor DiCarlo said that the other hotel is to be kitty corner to the Libro and that the plans are still moving forward.
New Business
Councillor McArthur made a motion about declaring a climate emergency.
Councillor Prue referred to 2 emails that he got today. The first was about a light on Boblo that is too bright.
The second email he said he received at 11:50 AM this morning. The resident was asking for accounts payable from December 2018 to June 2019 and wondered if it would be much work to get those for him. The Treasurer said it wouldn’t be a problem and could get them for Councillor Prue. Councillor Prue thanked him, said he wanted to see them and he’ll do his best to read through them but they make him fall asleep. Mayor DiCarlo asked if Councillor Prue wanted them included in the next agenda……Councillor Prue said yes, since it’s an awful lot of reading……then the CAO pointed out that council is provided with all the cheque statements in an email each month……(things that make you go hmmmmm……)
Anyway, overall, tonight’s meeting was much, much better than two weeks ago. Next week, the budget will be presented to council and to the public…..so I’ll see you in a week!
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