I arrived tonight around 5:40 or so. I had forgotten that tonight was the “open mic” night starting at 5:00. During “open mic” night, any resident can get up and speak directly to council about whatever they wish. They can ask questions or just make statements. I heard a few people complaining about what they felt is a lack of parking downtown (can you tell that I don’t think we have a lack of parking????…..I go downtown a lot and find parking all the time…..but I digress), a resident that was upset about a cat colony of feral cats in the Monopoly Subdivision, a resident seemed to be complaining about the Kingsbridge development and then the same resident then yelled at council with very derogatory comments regarding the performances at the True Festival from the Valentine’s Day weekend.
I had said that I’d wait and see about these “open mic” sessions before I gave an opinion……tonight, I was ultimately disgusted. All I heard tonight was 20 minutes of complaining along with some comments that could be considered libelous about a developer and some comments that could be considered absolutely derogatory and horrible about a group of people. If this is what is going to happen allowing an open microphone in an open meeting, council may want to reconsider, just sayin’.
The Mayor had to stop the yelling resident since it was time for the regular meeting to begin.
Delegations
AMA Sportsmen Association – Request to Waive Park Rental Fee for Bob Meloche Kids Fishing Derby – Chris Drew
Mr Drew addressed council on behalf of the AMA Sportsmen Association. He was requesting the use of the extreme west of the Kings Navy Yard Park for a fishing derby as well as the waiver of the rental fee of $274.94 to use this section of the park. Councillor Prue asked if next year that Mr Drew could address council in November during budget deliberations so that this fee waiver could be incorporated into the budget to be fair to the taxpayers. The motion carried and the fees were waived.
Amherstburg Freedom Museum – Request to Waive Fee for Ribs & Ragtime- Mary-Katherine Whelan (Supplementary Agenda)
This item was on a supplementary agenda when I arrived. Ms Whelan addressed council. She said that the Freedom Museum relies on fundraisers to keep the museum open. She said she’d make her request brief. It seems that the vendors for their Ribs & Ragtime event have increased their prices. She was asking council to waive the fees for the road closures ($398). Deputy Mayor Meloche confirmed that these fees had been waived before. Councillor Prue noted that Ms Whelan had been before council during the budget deliberations and had received all of her requests. He asked, like the above delegate, if she could include this fee in her request for next year’s budget. She agreed and the item was passed. Fees were waived here as well.
2020 Special Events Approval Part 1
There are several special events coming up in town that need council’s approval :
Town administration is requesting the following events BE APPROVED:
- Ducks on the Detroit River – February 29, 2020
- Good Friday Procession – April 10, 2020
- Amherstburg Baseball Parade – May 2, 2020
- Ribs and Ragtime – June 6, 2020
- Bob Meloche Kids Fishing Derby – June 21, 2020
- The Gathering Amherstburg Worship in the Park – July 5, 2020
- The Gathering Amherstburg Worship in the Park – August 16, 2020
Many of these events require exemptions for street closures, and/or noise bylaw exemptions and other bylaw exemptions. There were a couple of small questions but ultimately this carried and everybody got their exemptions and their approvals.
Ontario Cannabis Consultation – Cannabis Consumption Venues and Special Occasion permits
For any of my readers who are particularly interested in the Cannabis Consumption issue, I suggest you watch the live streaming to get the full details. I’ll give a summary, as per usual, but if you want all the nitty gritty, sit down and watch probably about a 20 to 30 minute discussion…..not sure exactly on the length but it got lengthy.
The Provincial Government is seeking input regarding cannabis consumption at venues and special occasions, such as festivals. According to the report, administration is looking for direction from council :
“Administration BE DIRECTED to complete the Ministry of the Attorney General
feedback form indicating Council’s support of cannabis consumption lounges
and Cannabis Special Occasion Permits with municipal government discretion to
allow these in their communities, local zoning and licensing powers to ensure
appropriate locations and community responsiveness.”
Councillor Prue wondered if council was going to be agreeing to sites where people can ingest cannabis. Ms Rubli, Manager of Licensing said that the report and survey are in regards to supporting cannabis lounges with discretion regarding licensing and zoning. Councillor Prue wondered how the town could have a site when there is no one to sell the product. Councillor McArthur interjected that the province is asking for feedback and that they want the municipalities to weigh in. He felt that the town can bury their heads or take a position on this issue. He said that the province wants a position from the towns. Councillor McArthur said that filling out the survey will not change anything, that cannabis is legal and that this would be allowing consumption of cannabis in public settings.
Councillor Prue felt that cannabis should not be allowed along with alcohol consumption. He felt it should be one or the other. He had concerns of mixing alcohol and cannabis.
Councillor Courtney said he had concerns with this and putting council’s stamp on this issue. He felt that a location and licensed area could be okay however he had issue with the special occasion permit. He listed a lengthy list of negative side effects that could happen from cannabis consumption. Councillor Courtney said that he did not endorse this recommendation. He felt that this issue had not been pre-planned properly.
Deputy Mayor Meloche echoed a concern of mixing alcohol and cannabis and serving them at the same place.
Ms Rubli, manager of Licensing pointed out that this is only a consultation with the municipality. The province is looking for feedback. CAO Miceli cited the example that people need a Smart Serve license to serve alcohol. He said to serve cannabis, they need a Budtender license. (I learned something new today too! Never heard of that! And I just looked it up…..it’s one word….who knew?…..)
Councillor Courtney felt that there has not been enough research on this issue and that it’s just the beginning. (Flash forward to later in the meeting…..Councillor Courtney felt later in the meeting that doing Google research or being self taught about the environment makes one qualified for a committee, but I digress…..) Councillor Courtney talked about having read on the internet that someone could eat a cookie with cannabis in it and have effects 2 hours later that could be off the charts.
Councillor McArthur then spoke and said that he differs from Councillor Courtney. Councillor McArthur felt it was important to consult with the public and he was unsure where Councillor Courtney found the list of side effects since cannabis is given as medicine to help with anxiety and other illnesses. He felt that the cannabis issue should be treated separately since the government is loosing money selling marijuana. Councillor McArthur felt that his cat could make money selling marijuana. (LOL!!!! Cats are very smart creatures…..but they probably could…..but it may cut into their 20 hours of napping per day…..) He again pointed out that the government wants input and opinions and that council should give them that. He said that legalizing cannabis and allowing it’s consumption ultimately hurts the black market and that the black market hurts us all.
Then Councillor Prue made a motion to defer this issue to the next meeting, March 9th. The deadline for input is March 10th. Ultimately, council can send their feedback and questions to administration by Friday of this week. They will then incorporate it with tonight’s discussion to have the questions answered for the government for the March 9th meeting. Council will approve it at the next meeting and then administration will submit it all immediately to the government to meet the deadline.
Ultimately, this carried. Administration will compile the questions, comments and concerns into one document to be ready for March 9th. Then, administration will have to submit the survey immediately.
Feasability of Amherstburg Environmental Advisory Committee
Council had received a delegation a few months ago suggesting the creation of an Environmental Advisory Committee. This current report was suggesting to ad an environmental component to a few of our existing committees.
“Based on the report from the Municipal Clerk regarding Feasibility of Amherstburg Environmental Advisory Committee dated February 7, 2020, the following Committee mandates BE AMENDED to include an environmental component in line with their current mandate:”
- Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee
- Amherstburg Economic Advisory Committee
- Mayor’s Youth Advisory Committee
- Senior’s Advisory Committee
- Heritage Committee
- Amherstburg Accessibility Advisory Committee
However, if Council opts to add an Environmental Advisory Committee, additional costs
for Committee supports and resources are expected to be incurred starting in 2020,
which have not been anticipated in the approved budget.
Further, demands for additional resources to support advisory committees of Council
may be brought forward in a future budget to address workload demands for committee
coordination and to mitigate the risks outlined above for administrative liaison and
related functions. It is anticipated, that the minimum base budget impact would be
approximately $40,000 starting in 2021.”
And so it began…..the great environmental debate….
Deputy Mayor Meloche made a motion….I didn’t catch all of it but he wanted to add that on all administrative reports that an “Environmental Matters” be added, similar to the current “Financial Matters” that is part of all reports. However, nobody seconded the motion.
Councillor Prue then made a motion. (It was lengthy and I take my notes by hand…..if you need the full details, check the live stream video……that live streaming has become seriously very liberating…) The motion was something along the lines of receiving the report, include the composition of the Environmental Committee, which would include 2 members of council, 2 members of staff (Manager of Public Works and also Manager of Planning I believe), 5 citizens (including one under the age of 25) and advertise the positions in the RTT. Councillor McArthur seconded the motion.
Councillor Prue went on to explain that he believes we need an Environmental Committee, for example to look at recycling alternatives and other possibilities. Also, they could look at setbacks and planning, solar panels, new construction and waste disposal…..the list went on.
Deputy Mayor Meloche felt this should be everyone’s responsibility. He cited the rising costs. Having committees costs money and this would be creating another committee which would have a cost.
Councillor Courtney said that Amherstburg had declared a climate emergency. He said he was not a fan of the report received from administration since it seemed one directional in his opinion. Councillor Courtney said that he gets calls from knowledgeable residents and he echoed Councillor Prue’s beliefs in the need for this new committee. Councillor Courtney felt that the $40,000 cost of this new committee did not make sense since council already had 18 committees, what’s one more and why do they suddenly need budget money. He pointed out that this is an Official Plan Year for Amherstburg and the Official Plan is under review. He also mentioned increasing setback rules for municipalities. Councillor Courtney then went on to say that he disagreed with the specialties required for the members that were outlined in the report. He felt that they were too stringent. Councillor Courtney felt that people may not have a degree but that people have educated themselves with Google or have “self-taught” and should not be required to have formal education about the environment to be on the committee. (I almost laughed out loud……where has society gone when educating oneself with Google makes one knowledgeable enough to be an “expert” to sit on a committee?……maybe when I’m finished writing this blog I’ll watch some YouTube videos on how to perform knee surgery and offer up my services…..I’ll teach myself…..any volunteers? Clearly I’m being sarcastic……but come on…..Google? self taught? to weigh in as an expert on a committee? oh boy…..)
The CAO pointed out that council used to have 13 committees…..they’re up to 18 and now 19 with this new committee and that these committees need support. He pointed out that there are a number of policies that need to be updated and will be held up if staff is giving their time to committee support. The CAO pointed out that ERCA’s mission and mandate is to protect the environment and that we have a representative on the ERCA Board (Councillor Courtney). He also mentioned another Environmental Organization of which the Deputy Mayor is a member but I didn’t catch the name. He said that with these organizations the town has representation in other areas. The CAO explained that he appreciates that council wants input from the residents but that ERCA offers this service and that town staff can not keep up with the extra workload. That is also why a budgetary approach was used in the report.
Councillor Courtney felt that very knowledgeable people had shown interest in this committee.
Councillor McArthur also shared that he felt that the town should have an Environmental Committee. However, he felt that administration had written a good report weighing out both sides. He pointed out that it is administrations job to point out issues and be responsible in all facets. They presented their arguments and did their due diligence. He felt that it made sense to have 2 managers on the committee. He felt that it was important to relax the terms of reference and that people don’t need PhD’s, they need passion. (I’ll comment on that later…..) Councilor McArthur also wondered why the reports don’t have an environmental section.
The CAO said when he came to Amherstburg a one page report used to be provided, there was no financial section and detailed information. They developed a report writing manual and will have to update it to include an environmental section, however, noted that this will be new to the wheelhouse for most of staff.
Councillor Renaud said he supports this new committee and pointed out that many citizens will serve 2 or 3 terms on a committee and can provide expertise.
Councillor Courtney then went on again about being in disagreement with the way the report was written.
Mayor DiCarlo said that he supports council and he could see where this issue is going. He pointed out that the committee was important but that the town is behind in reviewing bylaws and policies and now adding another committee will affect the workflow.
Anyway, all this to say that ultimately council approved this new committee.
And now my thoughts……In essence, I think that an Environmental Committee can be a very good thing and is an important facet to all levels of government, municipal government included. The environment is important and we have to find ways to take care of it. However, my concerns come from several comments made at tonight’s meeting……I think the 5 citizens should have some level of education in environmental issues…..passion is great but it’s not enough all by itself. It takes education to back up that passion. Secondly, I have concerns that this new committee may end up comprised of people with passion that could hinder development. (Just think that the downtown hotel would already be under construction if it weren’t for the complaints about parking that slowed down the whole deal…..) I’ll be keeping a close eye on this committee to see what comes of it and what types of recommendations come forward……It’s all about balance and this, to me, doesn’t seem to be balanced.
Information Reports, Unfinished Business and New Business
There was a lot of various small discussions about information reports, unfinished business and new business.
Councillor Prue wondered about some cheques regarding 302 Richmond Street (old St. Bernard’s). So far, things are still on budget.
Councillor Courtney talked about the importance of using their microphones during the meetings since people are unable to hear them if they don’t.
Councillor Courtney wondered about an email that was brought up at the last meeting regarding some unfinished items that were removed from the list. Councillor Prue had received an email from a previous member of council about some items that were removed. Seems they’ve been taken care of.
Councillor Courtney went on at length with the Fire Chief about the Fire Truck on Boblo Island. It’s there and it works.
Councillor Courtney asked about the use of Centennial Park for the upcoming baseball season. Seems it will be available for the whole spring and summer season.
Councillor Courtney wondered about the grant money for the pool and ball diamonds…..We’re still waiting to hear and contingency plans are being looked at.
Councillor McArthur wondered about the skateboard park. It seems it should be available all summer. The CAO said that the school board has not tendered the new school yet so there is no official date for construction.
Councillor Prue wondered about people looking for paid overnight parking downtown and/or staff parking for downtown businesses. There was a motion made about meeting with the downtown businesses. Deputy Mayor Meloche added an education component to the motion too. (Very important…..I seem to always find parking downtown…..and I don’t mind walking a block or 2 or even 3…..)
Councillor Simone said she received emails about people speeding on the Third Concession, especially in the 50 km/h zone. Administration will contact the Staff Seargant of the Windsor Police – Amherstburg Detachment.
Councillor McArthur inquired about an update of the Chamber of Commerce sign on Highway 18. Seems there’s a report coming back.
Councillor Prue had a question about the previous minutes of a committee.
If anything in this grocery list strikes you as very interesting, please consult the live video for full details. 🙂
And that was that. The meeting adjourned at 7:48.
See you in two weeks Amherstburg! 🙂
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