**Mayor DiCarlo was absent tonight**
Prologue
This is a prologue or editorial or whatever you want to call it about last night’s meeting. Once again, the meeting lasted well past 10:00 PM. There was a motion to extend until 10:30…..I shut it down at 10:08 PM because it had become a complete waste of time, in my opinion. I believe that council has lost sight of the big picture reason of why they are sitting at a council meeting. A big part of their mandate is to move the business of the town forward. Yet, a good part of the meeting was spent asking questions about issues that are outside of a municipal government’s purview…..there were questions and issues brought forth that could have and should have been dealt with outside of a council meeting…….I’m not sure that council realizes that they can deal with residents concerns or issues outside of a meeting, that the entire town doesn’t need to watch the spectacle……I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again……in my opinion, any type of meeting that is long and drawn out is not productive or efficient and last night was yet another example……we’re halfway through this council’s term and it seems to me that the momentum forward has ground to a halt and we are spinning in circles…..I am losing hope that this council will get back to representing the interests of the town and the entire population of Amherstburg.
Conflict of interest
At the beginning of the meeting, council members are always asked if they have an item of pecuniary interest. Councillor Courtney declared a conflict about the new high school since he owns a property nearby and its value could be affected by the new high school. Later in the meeting, when a new item came up about opening up seating at the arena, Councillor Renaud declared a conflict about that item since he is the President of the AMHA.
Supplementary Agenda – Jennifer Stokes – CIBC Run for the Cure
I didn’t see this item ahead of time, since it seems it was on a supplementary agenda. Ms Stokes addressed council to propose a fundraiser. She was asking permission to show two movies at the Libro Center on November 7th. One movie would be at 7:00 and the next at 9:30, drive in style. She said that the event would be all funded through donations and that the Rotary Club was sponsoring the movie costs. The funds raised would be split 50/50 between the CIBC Run for the Cure and a local family that is affected by cancer. She was asking for fees to be waived and the use of any town resources, such as garbage pails and clean up etc. She said her request wouldn’t exceed $1,000.
Councillor McArthur wondered if she had worked with the WECHU about following the safety protocols due to the pandemic. Ms Stokes said they have been working with the bylaw department and looking at how to distance the cars. As well, they’re looking for volunteers to go to the cars rather than having kids getting out of the cars to go buy things. She also said they would give a list of safety protocols to the families that come to the movies.
Councillor Renaud wondered where the movie screen would be set up and if washroom facilities had been considered. Ms Stoke said it would be set up in the gravel parking lot to the right, with the screen near the Libro. As well, she said someone was covering the costs to get washrooms there (I think port-a-johns).
Councillor Prue wondered what they were charging for the event. She said it would be a $20 donation for 1 movie or $30 donation for 2 movies.
Ultimately, council approved this event a little later in the meeting.
Delegation Laurie Cavanaugh – Amherstburg Legion
Disclaimer, this made me feel really, really sad…..the modifications to recognize Remembrance Day due to the pandemic were pretty heartbreaking.
Ms Cavanaugh addressed council and said that originally the Legion was looking to have a parade to the cenotaph and have the road closed. However, there is no parade allowed, nor a vigil allowed due to COVID. There can’t be any contact between people and many of the Legion members fit into the vulnerable sector of the pandemic. Ms Cavanaugh was asking the town to waive the fees for the poppy sales and to pay for the banners to be hung. They’re looking at a small service at the cenotaph, with no students, no speakers, no chairs etc. There will be 20 people, distanced, that will participate in the walk. Also, there will be no wreath laying ceremony, they will be placed ahead of time. As well, there won’t be a reception after the ceremony either.
Councillor Prue asked about the cost of the banners and I believe it was $150. He also wondered if bagpipes could be allowed since there won’t be a crowd…..the event won’t be advertised, no police, no firefighters, no cadets, no students etc.
Ms Rubli, Manager of Licensing and Bylaw explained that as per government regulations, brass or wind instruments need to be separated by plexiglass or a barrier. She said that they had suggested that the Legion play recordings of the music. It seems that the Legion was okay with this suggestions.
There was some back and forth…..it seemed a couple of members of council were trying to find a way around the regulations for the wind instruments.
Councillor Courtney wondered if the police could put a temporary barricade for each direction of the procession, simply for a few minutes.
Staff Sargeant Cheney spoke and said that as per provincial regulations, no parades are allowed and that they must keep in line with the provisions from the province. Councillor Courtney felt it was a 3 or 5 minute walk from the Legion to the Cenotaph and asked if it could not be called a parade. He also wondered if there was a quiet way to do this.
Councillor Prue wondered if a police officer was in front of the daycare and just stopped the car there for 5 minutes. And then the officer could do the same a little later in front of the clock when the parade returns.
Staff Sargeant Cheney felt that perhaps the police could handle it like a crossing but that they did not want to go against provincial regulations. She acknowledged that Rememberance Day is extremely important but that they also did not want to break provincial regulations.
Councillor Prue said it would be okay and the police could just stop for three minutes…..Staff Sargeant Cheney felt that personally it wouldn’t be a problem but that it would have to go up the chain of command.
(This was getting slippery…..very slippery……I get it that Remembrance Day is extremely important but it seemed that some members of council were trying to find ways around the provincial rules…….I’m guessing they wouldn’t support residents trying to find ways around municipal bylaws……????)
Ms Cavanaugh explained that no veterans would be participating in the walk. Ms Rubli, Manager of Licensing and Bylaw explained that this is an organized walk and that she preferred that they use the Navy Yard for the walk and offer a virtual celebration. Ms Rubli said that province-wide in person celebrations are discouraged.
Councillor Prue then asked about the idea of walking through the park. Ms Cavanaugh said that Mayor DiCarlo had mentioned a possible road closure but he wasn’t at the meeting to speak to it. Ms Rubli explained that the portion at the Cenotaph would be live streamed for those who wanted to watch.
Ultimately, the application for the road closure was denied and the $155 for the banners was approved.
2020 Second Quarter Variance as at June 30, 2020
Councillor Simone, seconded by Councillor McArthur moved the following recommendations from the report:
It is recommended that:
1. A transfer from the Fire Reserve not to exceed $50,000 BE APPROVED to fund unbudgeted personal protective equipment (PPE) expense under the Fire budget centre;
2. A transfer to the Reserve Fund General of surplus Ontario
Aggregate Fees revenue not to exceed $195,000 BE
APPROVED for funding of asset management lifecycle spending
in a future budget; and,
3. Administration BE DIRECTED to apply for Safe Restart
Agreement Municipal Operating Funding – Phase 2 to assist in
funding operating costs for COVID-19 response in 2020.
Councillor Prue questioned the third recommendation and wondered if the town should apply, since he felt the town may not meet the criteria for the funding. Mr Rousseau, the Treasurer, explained that there was merit to apply for the funding and to try to get the grant money. He said that the finance department was currently going through the entire third quarter and there very well could be extra expenditures, over $560,000 due to COVID.
Councillor Prue pointed out that on page 30 of the report it does not appear that the town is in precarious times since we may have over $1 Million in surplus. He wondered how much staff time would be put into the application for the grant and if it would be worthwhile. (Side note……council asks for numerous reports from staff every single meeting…..no concern of how much staff time that takes, yet now there’s a concern for staff time to apply for grant money? That doesn’t make much sense to me..…)
Mr Rousseau said that it was very noted about the surplus however the province will be looking at expenses. He explained that the forecasted surplus has to do with staffing issues due to COVID and the difficult process to hire staff. He explained that the direct costs due to COVID are trending upwards and that if the town doesn’t apply for the funding they’re guaranteed to get zero.
Councillor McArthur wondered if the town were in jeopardy of not getting the $1.7 Million for OCIF funding from the province this year (due to financial constraints at the provincial level). Mr Rousseau explained he has reached out and has not heard yet but that it will have a great impact on the town if we do not get that funding.
CAO Miceli said that they haven’t received anything in writing yet about the OCIF funding but that they were told to prepare for the worst due to the provincial financial situation.
Councillor Renaud felt it was important to reach out and try to get the funding. Ms Horrobin, Director of Financial Services spoke and explained that other municipalities were also looking to apply for this funding. She felt it was clear that the province is looking at funding cuts and that the Town of Amherstburg has been lauded for looking for savings. She said the province recognized the town for the police contract and the savings that it allowed us.
Councillor McArthur felt we should definitely apply for the funding and noted that many projects had been put off and kicked into next year due to COVID.
Finally, Deputy Mayor Meloche called the vote and all three recommendations passed. We will apply for the funding. Fingers crossed.
Alternate Employee Recognition for 2020
Each year, council holds an annual staff appreciation banquet during the holiday season to recognize staff contributions and to present awards for various achievements (for example, long service or retirement awards etc).
From the report :” The impact of the pandemic emergency (COVID-19) in 2020 is having a profound affect on the Town’s employees. In these unprecedented times, the importance of recognizing the efforts of staff and showing appreciation for them has become even more important than during periods of normal operations; particularly since employee wellbeing and recognition are directly tied together.”
Due to regulations about gatherings, the banquet can not be held this year. Therefore, there are three recommendations for council in order to recognize the town staff this year, in ways other than the banquet.
Administration recommends the following alternative ways for Council to recognize staff in 2020:
- Long Service Awards:
a. The Mayor will send an email to recipients, on behalf of Council and copied to all staff and Council, recognizing the award recipients’ contributions and accomplishments
b. Awards will be distributed to eligible recipients by their department head - Retirement Gifts:
a. The Mayor will send an email to recipients, on behalf of Council and copied to all staff and Council, recognizing the award recipients’ contributions and accomplishments
b. Gifts will be distributed to eligible recipients by their department head - Holiday Season Gift – Alternate Recognition – All Staff:
a. In lieu of the banquet, a holiday season gift will be issued to all staff
members recognizing them for their contributions to the Town
b. The gift will be of a nominal value and will not be in the form of cash or near-cash, as outlined in Canada Revenue Agency policy.
Councillor McArthur spoke and wanted to be clear about the costs for the firefighter and staff recognition. The Treasurer explained that $10,000 comes from the Human Resources Department and $4,000 for the firefighter recognition comes from the fire budget center. Councillor McArthur felt that it was important to recognize staff and that with 205 employees times a gift of $25 value each would be feasible and that council needs to support staff. This carried. Our hard working town staff will still get recognized for their hard work during the 2020 year, even if it’s in a different way than usual. Seems everything is different than usual anymore I guess.
Removal of Holding Zone for Kingsbridge Subdivision Phase 7
Councillor Courtney had a couple of questions about this but eventually this item carried, since this is a very standard procedure to remove the Holding symbol once all items are in compliance.
Site plan and Development Agreement – 330 Simcoe Street, General
Amherstburg High School
Here’s a good news story that I thought would have been embraced by council. We are finally at the site plan and development agreement phase for our new local high school. I had hoped to hear things like “This is great!” or “We’re so happy that the Board chose to build a new high school in Amherstburg and not another community.” or “This is wonderful news and will provide economic spin off” or “This new school will be fantastic for the future of our town” or other such positive comments…….but that’s not what happened, not at all. Does anyone remember what the developer for the new greenhouse had to go through? Well, this wasn’t much different…….questions and hoops of fire but at least the high school received all 3 readings at once, as per usual procedure, since they had complied with all of the requirements. (Although so did the greenhouse development comply with all of the requirements…..)
Deputy Mayor Meloche reminded council that the conversation about this issue had to be related to the site plan and that the details of the building itself were not up for discussion tonight. (Kudos to you Mr Deputy Mayor for trying to keep council in the right lane on this…….trying…..)
Councillor Prue asked if the project was time sensitive and if the first, second and third reading should be done tonight for this project, since council won’t see the reports. (And yes, just to put it out there……there is an advantage to watching the meeting at home…..I started muttering to my computer……Are you kidding me????? Building anything is time sensitive…..and it is usual practice for a municipality to pass all 3 readings at once for development…..it’s done ALL THE TIME. Oh, wait, except for the greenhouse development…….what kind of message is council sending to developers? Wow just wow.)
CAO Miceli said that the School Board is ready to mobilize on the site and that yes, the project is time sensitive. He said that the reports (financial content and others I didn’t catch) are all as per usual procedure.
Councillor Prue felt that this was the first time council had seen the site plan and was now being asked to pass this tonight and he felt wary of this. He wanted the project to be done the way it’s supposed to be done. (And more muttering to my computer……was this some kind of joke? We are getting a brand new high school and council is about ready to hold this up????? Unbelievable….)
There were two people on the phone to answer questions, one was from the Architecture Company and the other was from the Public School Board. The representative from the school board (I think Mr Gory? not sure) spoke and said that the board was looking for a September 2022 occupancy of the school and that this was a very aggressive policy to get it done in time. He explained they’re ready to break ground within the next few weeks.
CAO Miceli said he had received a call from the Fortis General Contractor and they wanted to mobilize on this project this week.
(Side note…..with all of the financial turmoil in the province I wasn’t sure if we would see the funding for this school and that the project could have been dead in the water or stalled indefinitely……yet here we were with a site plan agreement…… and council should have been jumping for joy! But they weren’t. I know I was happy to see this on the agenda.)
Councillor Prue then wondered about a recommendation for rain water to be captured from the roof, since that question had not been answered. (Just Wow……I have no words…..)
I believe it was the representative from the Architecture Company that explained that they have met all of the building requirements, including the flow to the sewers….that everything has been approved including ERCA approval and that there’s not much more they can do or need to do since they are meeting all of the requirements.
Councillor Prue then went on and wondered if there were any plans to capture the rain water and be environmentally friendly. The representative said that there is no storage facility and no irrigation system and that he does not know of any school that has an irrigation system. (I wonder if Councillor Prue thinks the province gave the Board unlimited funds to build this school?)
Councillor Prue then went on again that many institutional buildings have solar panels and he wondered if they were required for the school. The representative again explained that they had followed the Ontario Building Code in it’s entirety. It was added that solar panels could be possible later in the future.
So, basically, we just watched a municipal councillor ask questions of the developer about provincially regulated items. Again, council was delving into issues outside of their purview……Just when I thought the line of questioning couldn’t get worse, it did.
Councillor McArthur then asked if the school would have an auto shop, the two PASS classes and a third gym. Deputy Mayor Meloche had to remind Councillor McArthur that these items were outside of a development plan agreement and that council had been asked not to touch on those issues. He reminded Councillor McArthur that the discussion needed to stay on point.
Councillor McArthur then asked about the portables and if the lighting would be installed as per recommendations by the police. The representative said that yes, if the portables were actually installed in the future, there would be lighting installed.
Councillor McArthur wondered about the future track and field site shown in the plan and wondered when it may come to be. The representative said that as of now there has been some input about a possible town partnership in the future but that it was included as is typical in drawings. The CAO explained that the Board had identified a potential site but that there was no immediate plan to build the track. CAO Miceli said he had met with the Director of Education, as directed, and that at the present time the track won’t be installed. If need be, the board can transport students to Sandwich or Tecumseh Vista to use their tracks.
And after a few more questions about traffic and infrastructure, finally, finally the motion passed all three readings to allow the new high school development to proceed. (What a shame that I actually sat there for a while wondering if council was going to hold this up…….just unbelievable…..something that should have been a great news story turned into minutia and quibbling…...)
Declaration of Surplus Properties for Disposition
There were 5 properties that were being looked at as surplus land. Here’s the list :
A. Vacant 100’ by 175’ viable residential building lot, located
on the east side of Dot Street, described legally as Part of
Lot 12, Concession 1, and more particularly as Parts 1 & 2
on Plan 12-R 5818, Part of PIN 01546-0460;
B. Vacant 80’ by 139’ viable residential building lot, located on
the west side of Townline Road (Essex Road 41), described
legally Lots 13 & 14, registered Plan 1292, Amherstburg,
PIN 75191-0080 & 75191-0081;
C. Vacant 20’ by 186’ non-viable remnant parcel located at the
rear of the improved properties known as 123-133 Girard
Street, described legally as Part of Block A, Registered Plan
960 and more particularly as Parts 1-3 on Plan 12-R 17362,
PIN 01544-1261;
D. Vacant approximate 26’ by 877’ non-viable remnant parcel
located at the rear of the improved properties known as
106-156 McDonald Avenue, described legally as Part of Lot
18, Concession 1, (aka Reserve Registered Plan 1156),
PIN 70571-0350;
E. Vacant irregular shaped .21 acre non-viable remnant
landlocked parcel located behind and landlocked by 1007
Front Road North, described legally as Part Lot 20,
Registered Plan 1455, Anderton, PIN 01546-0338;
Councillor Prue said he didn’t have an issue with properties A and B, however he wondered why the town wouldn’t seek value for properties C, D and E. He felt that selling those bits of property to the abutting landowners would increase the value of their property. He wondered why these properties wouldn’t be assessed and sold for the assessed value.
CAO Miceli explained that selling parcels at the rear of a property mitigates the town’s liability. The property owner would incur all of the costs of the transfer, such as legal fees and property surveys. The town would lose the liability of owning these bits of property and the purchaser would incur several thousands of dollars of legal fees. He felt that the property owners wouldn’t buy the property if the cost was too much. He used the example, of how this sometimes happens with alleys…..they’re sold for a dollar to an abutting property to get rid of liability and maintenance costs.
Councillor Prue noted that people were building sheds on the properties and wondered if anybody was looking at them. The CAO said that if there is a complaint it is looked at and that the town is currently looking at it’s land inventory. As well, the Deloitte report recommended that the town alleviate itself of assets that aren’t core to the municipality.
Councillor Prue talked about property E that it is a wooded property with a portion of Big Creek running through it. He felt it should be an environmentally sensitive property. The discussion went on and on and the CAO asked Councillor Prue if council wanted a protective covenant added to the property.
Deputy Mayor Meloche then spoke and reminded everyone that these properties, if sold, would also generate tax assessment for the town. (Thanks for seeing the big picture here rather than focusing on the $1 selling price..… because ultimately nobody except the abutting property owner will be interested in purchasing a little piece of land locked property..…..)
Councillor Courtney then spoke and said he had the same reservations. He felt that there was real value there for the neighbours and that it was not good to sell the properties for $1. He felt that this wouldn’t have any value for the town and felt that council should look at the surplus land policy.
There was much more back and forth with multiple questions piling up…..council inquiring who could purchase properties C,D and E……if the purchasers would have to go to ERCA for approvals……one of the properties showed an encroachment of a building and council wondered if the building was built without a permit……Finally, it was explained that this would take significant time to research and files would have to be pulled….
Councillor Prue then made a motion to just pass properties A and B for sale tonight and to remove properties C,D and E until staff provides additional reports.
Councillor Courtney then spoke again that he felt selling the land locked pieces for $1 was not worth it and that the properties should be appraised by a third party.
Deputy Mayor Meloche felt that the property only has value to one person. (Agreed 100%). And that to keep the properties continued to incur a cost to the town. Again, he agreed that the property does have value but that it increases the value of the property if the abutting owner purchases it and that means tax assessment money……. (Thank you Deputy Mayor Meloche for trying to lay down some logic on this issue…….If I were the abutting property owner, there’s no way I would incur the legal fees and survey costs if I also had to pay full value for the property……since it would only have value to me…..might as well leave it sit there and make the town maintain it…..and it would raise my property tax assessment……why pay thousands for it? )
Council then took a vote for a 10 minute recess for a lifestyle break. Councillor McArthur voted in opposition and wanted it noted since it was only 7:24…….I wonder if he could see into the future that the meeting would still be going well after 10:00 PM, he may have voted in favour? LOL
Amendment to the Code of Conduct – Council, Committees and Local
Boards
According to the report :
“On March 1, 2019, Bill 68, the Modernizing Ontario’s Legislation Act came into effect. This legislation amended the Municipal Act and necessitated that municipalities establish Codes of Conduct for Members of Council and local boards.”
It looks like the current code of conduct needs amending to include some new legislated sections.
Again, from the report :
“The amendments to the Municipal Act include the role of the Integrity Commissioner in the application of procedures, rules and policies of the municipality and local boards governing the ethical behaviour of members of council and of local boards. For this reason, the amendments to the Code of Conduct were drafted in consultation with the Integrity Commissioner in his capacity to provide guidance on policy development.”
I will guess that council will pass these amendments in order to comply with the new legislation. It’s funny, (not really ha ha funny, but just kind of funny), I can remember the old council having a heated debate about even hiring an Integrity Commissioner at all……it narrowly passed 4-3 and yet here we are a few short years later and it’s been legislated that each municipality must have one. Just having some memories…..or flash backs…..whatever you want to call them.
During this portion of the meeting, there was some cutting in and out for me…..could have been my internet connection, could have been a technical issue, I’m not sure. I tried to go back to listen to this portion of the meeting, however, it seems that the video for last night’s meeting is not yet posted. So I will do my best with the notes that I took.
Councillor McArthur made the motion for the new code of conduct in order to have discussion and suggest some possible edits. It was pointed out that the Integrity Commissioner, Mr Elman, was on Zoom should any members of council have questions for him.
Councillor McArthur felt that item 7.3.3, which reads as follows :”Members shall consult with the CAO or Directors prior to responding to constituents concerns or requests to ensure information regarding policies, programs, service levels, or work plans is accurate.” should be removed from the Code of Conduct. He felt that this would restrict conversations with residents and that if questions were asked in an email that council would have to check with staff. (Side note, he failed to note that it seems that councillors are bringing forth every single question received in an email at each council meeting anyway but I digress..…) He did acknowledge that it’s a great idea to consult with staff but that it shouldn’t be a requirement.
Councillor McArthur felt that section 7.3.1. which reads :” The Mayor is the official spokesperson for Council and shall be responsible for communicating the Town’s position on all municipal matters including decisions of Council.” should remain.
Councillor McArthur also made mention that at the moment, councillors can’t be critical of a council decision. Mr Elman, the Integrity Commissioner, spoke of the difference of disagreeing with a staff report and being critical of a staff member. For example, it would not be okay to say the author of the report was not objective but that it is okay to disagree with the report itself. He said this area is very nuanced and very important.
Councillor Courtney said that the reports go to the public and then the residents come to a councillor and that is not a lack of respect to deal with issues in a public setting. He also felt that there is innuendo that councillors don’t read the agenda and he finds that very frustrating. He felt that council will always be scrutinized. He also agreed that councillors should reach out to administration if required. However, he asked about 7.3.2 which states :”Every effort shall be made to ensure that media releases will be sent to Members of Council prior to public release.” He felt that the wording should be changed. The CAO said that Councillor Courtney could ask for an amendment to change the wording that they are sent prior.
Councillor Courtney asked about section 7.3.4. which states :”Members shall not directly make inquiries or requests to any staff other than the CAO, Clerk, Directors, or staff liaison in the case of committees and local boards.” He said that he had difficulty with this one and wondered if going to the source, like a manager was okay. The CAO explained that the intent was for directors to know what is happening but that it is okay for a manager to update a director. He also cited that sometimes managers aren’t at council meetings, but the directors are so they need to be aware of any questions. Councillor Courtney said that he was old school and likes phone calls and does not like to email or text and create email chains and he hoped it was okay to make phone calls.
CAO Miceli suggested that for 7.3.3. that council change the word “shall ” to “may consult with the CAO or Directors….”. He encouraged councillors to do their own research if they wanted to.
Deputy Mayor Meloche mentioned changing it to “are encouraged to consult” and then if members of council chose not to to, then it’s their own issue to deal with.
Councillor Simone questioned section 7.4.3 :”Communications to Administration should be constructed with optimism and decorum while providing information that is timely and accurate.” and asked about rewording it. The CAO said he did not have an issue with Councillor McArthur’s proposal and that “optimism and decorum” could be replaced with “professionalism”.
The Clerk explained that there was no ill intent with the wording and that it was simply the spirit of moving the town in a positive and productive way. (Side note……and herein lies the problem, in my opinion, with the meetings…..they’re moving further and further away from being productive and more into a “nit picking” type of mode……again, big picture, council is there to move the business of the town forward……not nitpick and analyze minutia....)
Councillor Renaud felt that the suggested changes worked for the team and that everyone needs to be treated with respect.
Councillor Prue then spoke about something he didn’t see in the document. He felt that council meetings are an opportunity for debate, for views to be shared and defended. He felt that nothing should fetter the position of council members and they should have freedom to speak against ideas and have a forum for debate. He cited other councils that have half hour meetings, pass everything and that nothing is discussed. (I’m guessing this is somewhat of an exaggeration, however, timely meetings, with on point discussions are efficient and productive in my opinion…..something that seems to be lacking lately in Amhersturg. Although I have read articles about other municipalities meetings where things are handled very positively and quickly..…)
The Clerk agreed that council was here for that reason, that democracy and opinions are good. She reiterated about remaining positive and productive for the town and that the procedural bylaw speaks to councils rights.
Councillor McArthur then spoke about social media. I didn’t catch it all since my internet was cutting in and out……and the video still isn’t up for last night’s meeting…..
The Integrity Commissioner then spoke about the Code of Conduct and Procedural Bylaw. He also spoke that they both follow the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, however there are limitations. For example, we have the right to freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, however that doesn’t equate to being able to say whatever we want.
It was now 8:00 in my notes. Deputy Mayor Meloche said he had concerns that the Code could be restricting council’s freedom of speech and preferred the word “professionalism”. He also felt it was important when a member of council spoke to make it clear that it was their own personal opinion and not council’s opinion.
Mr Elman, the Integrity Commissioner said it was important to remember the Charter but that there are laws about defamation and hate speech. As well, even though we live close to the United States, we do not have the same legal culture and he again cited that staff can’t be criticized. Deputy Mayor Meloche felt that data can be critised but not the person.
Mr Elman said that council members can disagree and can advance opinions vigorously but that they can not make things personal or undermine staff, colleagues or discredit others.
Councillor McArthur again spoke about social media and felt that it is a useful tool. He felt councillors should be welcome to use it to speak as well as to speak to the press. There was then some discussion about changing the wording that media releases “will be sent” to council.
Finally, there was a motion to refer all of the changes back to the Clerk for the next meeting. So in the meantime, I am guessing that these changes in language will be made and council will finalize it all in two weeks.
Information Reports
Amherstburg Environmental Advisory Committee – Member Resignation
Councillor Prue made a motion that Hart Goldman be appointed to the Environmental Advisory Committee. This carried.
Review of Pedestrian Crossing Concerns for Signalized Intersections
It appears that town administration met with the residents of Wesview apartments. The group of residents had staged a protest at the corner of Sandwich Street and Pickering Drive to protest the speeding cars and the lack of time allowed to cross the street.
This discussion went on at length.
Student Transportation Services – Community Impacts 2020
This is also an information report that council had requested regarding walkers vs bus riders. Here are the numbers :
“Amherstburg Public School (APS)
262 students living in the walk zone, of those 6 were on a bus last year as SK’s, and now are in grade 1 this year, so they moved to the different eligibility criteria.
École élémentaire catholique Saint-Jean-Baptiste (St. Jean)
99 students living in the walk zone, of those 7 were on a bus last year as SK’s, and now are in grade 1 this year
Stella Maris Catholic School (Stella)20 students in the walk zone, of those 14 may have been on a bus last year
(some sign up, but never ride), so 6 are new for this year.
It was also noted by STS, that while there may be new walkers, they may not necessarily walk to school, as some parents prefer to drive their children.”
And the conclusion of the report : “Overall, the impact to the Amherstburg community from changes to bus eligibility due to existing Student Transportation Services policies, is a total of twenty-one (21) additional walking students to the three elementary schools within the municipality. In consideration of this information, it is not recommended that Council re-engage HCEI. The information provided by Student Transportation Services supports the original warrants determined by HCEI and Administration does not recommend that Council reconsider its decision to eliminate five (5) crossings.”
Councillor Prue asked that a copy of the report be sent to the deputants and the schools.
Councillor McArthur then started talking about adding crossing guards at Simcoe and Victoria and at Simcoe and Fryer. He cited that the new high school would be coming as well. (It was now 8:31 in my notes).
Councllor Courtney asked about sending the correspondence to the delegates. He wondered if admin had heard back on the busing boundaries since he knew it wasn’t in the report. He wondered if they had heard from the MPs or other officials. He also wondered about the possibility of mentoring a program through the parent Advisory Committees.
The Clerk then spoke about the extra crossing guards and the report. She said that the warrants for crossing the street were from JK to grade 5. She had spoken with the Children’s Aid Society and that it is deemed at age 10, a child can get themselves safely to school on their own.
As well, the busing boundaries were indicated in the report. From the report : “In order to further expedite this information to Council, Administration also reached out to Student Transportation Services (STS) to determine the impact of new walking students to the Amherstburg Community. The following information was provided by STS:
“Amherstburg Public School eligibility requirements have not changed for this school year, as policy has been in place for 20 some odd years that anyone graduating from grade SK to grade 1 now has to be over 1.6km in order to be eligible. This is not a new policy, it has been in place for many years…” Therefore, the boundaries are indicated in the report, based on the student’s grade level.
The discussion spiraled into a never ending merry-go-round ride. I don’t think I have it in me to summarize it all…..once the video is posted, if this is something that interests you, please go watch it. The discussion was about adding crossing guards at Victoria and Simcoe and at Fryer and Simcoe. I will give Councillor Courtney credit for being reasonable during this discussion. He pointed out that council has given administration a lot of direction on this issue and that council has to own their decisions. He felt it was premature and shouldn’t be a knee-jerk reaction to add crossing guards. He felt that council should wait for the budget report and the ideas and costs and solutions to this issue. ( I agreed wholeheartedly with this.)
Ultimately the motion for the crossing guards failed. In favour were Councillors McArthur and Renaud. Opposed were Councillors Prue, Courtney, Simone and Deputy Mayor Meloche.
Considerations for Budget and Financial Report Disclosures
This was a report based on some recommendations from the Audit and Finance Committee regarding the budget process.
Here is the link for the whole report for those who are interested. https://pub-amherstburg.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=1863
Councillor Prue felt that there were 10 points made and none had recommendations. He said he had problems with #5 and #6 with how it was stated it was going to happen. He felt that the portion about “fund reserves” was “airy fairy” . He thinks that all of the recommendations should be adopted and become standard policy.
Councillor Prue then made a motion to adopt the recommendations in the report. Councillor Simone seconded it and it carried. I was/am still a bit confused about this…..for example, does that mean that the red font will be used anyway, even though it says in the report that it is not accessible for those with disabilities and that the town’s system does not support using red font? Or does it mean that since it was recommended not to use red font that that is being adopted?
Consent Other Minutes
Regarding the minutes from the Economic Development Committee meeting, Councillor McArthur brought up their motion that administration explore safe access to the Belle Vue grounds. The committee felt that the town is paying for upkeep and access to the grounds would generate enthusiasm.
Deputy Mayor Meloche said that Mr Roberts, Director of Parks and Recreation was not in attendance at last night’s meeting.
CAO Miceli said that Mr Roberts is looking at the costs, however there is a previous motion from the previous council that no taxpayer money be used for Belle Vue. Councillor Prue said he was present at that meeting and he felt that the motion was in regards to paying for the restoration of the building. He said that the Conservancy is working to restore the building but that the 9 acres is town land and would be beautiful for various uses.
Councillor Prue felt he did not remember that no money would be spent on making it safe.
The CAO said that there are no costs esstablished yet. He also explained that the costs would have to be in the budget. He also mentioned that there is a risk in the sense that the town owns other properties and there is no access to those properties by the public. He also said that tearing down the greenhouse and other outside building would have a cost and if council would want to fund that or not.
Deputy Mayor Meloche said that he was on the previous council when the motion was made. He has concerns about the cost to make the property walkable.
(Editorializing a bit here…..I’m of two minds on this issue…..the motion said no tax payer money to be spent on Belle Vue…..and here we are talking about spending taxpayer money…..and a member of the Belle Vue Conservancy who is also a councillor is the one discussing it……on the other hand, it would be nice to see Belle Vue be somewhat useable if only for the grounds for the moment…..but again….this is getting slippery..…)
New Business
Councillor Prue mentioned some changes made at the provincial level regarding ranked ballots for the next election and possible new dates for people to be able to put their names into the ring. The Clerk said it was in the very beginning stages. Councillor Prue wanted a report on the issue. I believe a report will be forthcoming. Hopefully the province changes the rules about allowing wards and overturns this council’s motion about putting that question on our ballot…..that’s a big time waster and energy waster in my opinion.
Councillor Courtney then wanted to talk about spectator seating at he Libro. He wanted to see some open seating for rink A that would follow health regulations. He was looking to have a portion of the stands opened, in particular for the grandparents and the seniors who go to watch their grandchildren play hockey.
Mr Daly, Manager of the Libro spoke about the extra staff and cleaning that would be required. He said that council had approved spending $245,000 and he would have to figure out the extra costs. There was talk about the accessibility challenge of having to open up use of the elevator and the washrooms upstairs.
Councillor Courtney felt that other municipalities are doing it and absorbing the costs. (FYI other municipalities have a lot more in reserves than we do…..and I wonder if other municipalities took bigger tax hikes last year….? Just a couple of thoughts…..council seems to be spending lots on re-opening things – and I don’t necessarily disagree – but that 0.56% tax increase last year doesn’t support all of this spending..…)
Deputy Mayor Meloche said that administration would bring a cost for this to the next meeting. But Councillor Courtney wanted it done now. So he made a motion to direct administration to open a portion of the seating of Rink A following safety protocols due to Covid.
Councillor Prue felt that he does not like to do things until he knows the cost and that the cost to do this could be a whole percentage point for tax increases. He felt it was preferable to wait two weeks for the report. Councillor Courtney then changed the motion for administration to bring back the report for the next meeting since other municipalities are doing it. This carried. A report with costing to open up seating is to come.
And then the meeting dragged on….and on….and on…..I was losing steam. The meeting was losing steam too in my opinion…..there was talk about the electronic signs, the Mealtime Express fundraiser, meeting with representatives about the new high school….meeting with the board….questions about the school….meeting with trustees…..the track……..feral cats….ear tipping….not ear tipping….adopting cats….vouchers for spay and neuter….trapping cats….the track again……the old track….what will happen….the signs at Ralph McCurdy and H. Murray Smith Park…..AODA reporting…..cats again…..and at 10:08 PM I announced quite loudly to my own cat that I was done! I shut off the meeting and walked upstairs.
Council’s motion was to extend until 10:30 PM. But they also had an in-camera meeting scheduled to discuss :
SPECIAL IN-CAMERA COUNCIL MEETING
That Council move into an In-Camera Meeting of Council directly following
Regular session pursuant to Section 239 of the Municipal Act, 2001, as
amended for the following reason:
Item A – Section 239(2)(c) – A proposed or pending acquisition or disposition of land by the municipality or local board.
Epilogue
During the meeting I received texts or messages from 4 different friends who were also watching. I don’t believe one of them made it to the end of the meeting. One of them only made it through an hour and couldn’t take it anymore.
I am someone who is very engaged and politically involved and active. These lengthy, unproductive and redundant meetings are not engaging in any way shape or form. Perhaps council should look to those municipalities that Councillor Prue referred to that are having meetings in half an hour? (I will guess that’s an exaggeration, but still, a more reasonable amount of time? ) Are those municipalities faring better than us? Are those council’s more productive and getting things done? Maybe they could teach council something about efficiency? At this rate, it will take council a month or more to debate the budget. Speaking of the budget, that’s getting presented on November 2nd. I’ll be back with some commentary once that gets presented. See you then!
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