Monday September 27th Regular town council meeting

Well tonight’s meeting lasted about two hours and 15 minutes…..and could have wrapped up in half that time….but it did not. So I’ve decided I’m only going to blog about half of the meeting LOL! I think I’m done summarizing certain councillors wanting to listen to themselves go on and on and on……if you’re interested in that, pull up a chair, get comfy and be prepared for two hours and 15 minutes of listening…..

DELEGATIONS 

General Amherst High School 100 Year Celebration – Linden Crain and Jen Desjardins-Grondin, General Amherst HS 100 Year Celebration Committee Members

Ms Desjardins-Grondin addressed council first on behalf of the committee. The General Amherst HS 100 Year Celebration Committee is in the process of organizing a celebration that will take place on May 14 2022. They came before council to ask for their assistance. They want to bring the town together to learn, celebrate and fundraise as well for some amenities at the new school. The celebration will take place both inside and outside of the current General Amherst building. It will be a final chance for people to explore the school. There will be tours, decade rooms, photos, music, tents outdoors and food trucks among a huge variety of fun things to do! The committee is trying to make the most use of the outdoor space in case there could be any pandemic restrictions still on-going at that time. Ms Desjardins-Grondin said that they need the town’s help to plan and execute the event. They are requesting assistance to get permits, food truck planning, barricades, the emergency plan etc. As well, they were requesting that fees be waived and music be permitted. 

Deputy Mayor Meloche expressed his support of this endeavor. Councillor Simone wondered if the committee had met with the town’s public events committee and if there were any recommendations or concerns. It seems that they had already met to present their initial plan. Councillor Prue wondered how much the fees could be if council were to consider waiving them. The Clerk said that at the moment, the fees are estimated to be about $1,890.00.  The road closures, banners etc had to be factored in and could possibly change somewhat. The Clerk suggested that council could make a motion to waive the fees with an upset limit of $2,000 or $2,500.00. Councillor Prue wondered if there was any rush or if there was time to look at the event more in depth. He did not want to make a motion as he preferred waiting to get a report so that all of it was clear and then council could support it. The committee members felt that it would be fine if council could agree to the event in principle and they would submit specific details closer to the event. 

So, then Councillor Prue made a motion to approve the request in principle and that council will await a further report with details. The motion carried. 

Municipal Modernization Program Intake 3 – Grant Application

Looks like administration wants to apply for some grant funding. Councillor Courtney said that he supported the organizational review, since he felt he had been asking for it and that the Service Delivery Review did not provide what he was looking for. He inquired about the Bluebeam software. Mr Rousseau, the Treasurer, explained that this was an add-on tech system to allow people to submit floor plans and drawings online, among other technological advances as well. There was a bunch of back and forth, but ultimately it didn’t much matter, the motion was made to support the recommendation and it passed. 

 Here’s the recommendation:

It is recommended that:

1. Administration BE APPROVED to submit an application for the implementation stream of the Municipal Modernization Program Intake 3 for the Bluebeam software for digital plans review; and,

2. Administration BE APPROVED to submit an application for the review stream of the Municipal Modernization Program Intake 3 for a staff utilization and organizational review study. 

2021 Second Quarter (Q2) Variance as at June 30th, 2021

This report included several financial reports…..lots of numbers and not overly interesting LOL! 

This part of the meeting went on and on…..there was a lot of talk about the old St. Bernard’s school (320 Richmond Street). (I may have nodded off during some of this, I’m not sure…..) Councillor Prue wondered when the Q3 variance report would be available to council. Mr Rousseau said that it would either be forthcoming with the budget or in a November meeting. He mentioned the current staffing issues and that administration may have to review the time-line for the budget. (For anyone who has been out of town for the past two months, the CAO and two senior directors at town hall were dismissed in August…..so administration is very short staffed at the moment…..not that council seems to take that into consideration but I digress…..) Councillor Courtney felt that 320 Richmond Street has been a “money pit” and wondered if council was going to get a detailed report with all of the costs. He felt that a lot of money had been sunk into the building and that a lot more is needed. (Personally, I do not feel that a Community Hub is a money pit at all…..it’s an investment in our community!!!! A municipality is in the business of providing services, not turning a profit! Maybe it’s a glass half full, glass half empty thing…..community building investment or “money pit”? I’m all about building a community and having amenities for all of our residents!)  Deputy Mayor Meloche also seemed to not like the “money pit” reference. He asked for a pay back component to be incorporated into the report, since there is revenue that will be generated that will eventually offset the expenses….he wondered if it could be a 5 year or 10 year pay back time period. 

Anyway, all this to say, the motion was made for the recommendation and it carried. 

Here’s the recommendation : 

It is recommended that:

1. A transfer to the Plans and Studies Reserve from surplus professional fees within the Human Resources budget centre not to exceed $57,500 BE APPROVED to fund the compensation review and HR strategic plan in a future budget; and,

2. A transfer to the Information Technology Reserve from surplus computer maintenance expenditures not to exceed $56,500 BE APPROVED to fund the Bluebeam project in a future budget.

2021 Sidewalk Maintenance Additional Works

It looks like administration wants to expand a contract to include some additional sidewalk maintenance work. It seems that the original contract was for $30,000 but $60,000 had been budgeted for this work. Here’s the recommendation from the report : 

It is recommended that: 

1. The 2021 Sidewalk Maintenance Program BE EXTENDED with Giorgi Brothers (1994) Inc. for a sum of $30,000 excluding HST.

There was a question or two but the recommendation carried. 

The rest of the meeting carried on with little to no discussion. At 6:52 PM we were at Consent Correspondence……things were rolling along…..

Unfinished Business

And then we hit a brick wall. Unfinished business. Councillor Prue started going through item, by item…..item by item…..I started to take notes and then thought “Heck no! Anybody who wants to listen to this, can tune in and suffer! LOL”. He listed report after report after report….it made me wonder two things…..does council realize that the town does not have a CAO and two directors at the moment? Should council realize that perhaps they request too many reports, some of which may not really be that vital? Maybe, just maybe? I think it lasted about half an hour…..maybe longer I don’t know….I opened another tab on my computer and did some worthwhile things while I waited to hit the next brick wall. 

New Business

There were several trivial items brought up, as usual, however, there were some significant items brought up during new business tonight. 

Mayor DiCarlo had a proposal regarding acknowledging Truth and Reconciliation. He said that he had worked with the tourism department about organizing a ceremony, however he noted that the indigenous community is grieving. He said it was important that the indigenous community be acknowledged. He requested that for two weeks, the town hall be lit with orange flood lights. As well, that Every Child Matters flags be at each entrance to town. The residents would be encouraged to wear orange and to put orange ribbons on their mailboxes. Since the Mayor does not make motions as chair of the meeting, Councillor Prue made the motion to implement these items and the motion carried. 

There was quite a discussion about the skate park’s temporary location as well. It seems that there have been issues with large amounts of garbage, offensive language, urinating, kids knocking on doors asking for water and also vandalism. Councillor Simone felt that at the next meeting, a discussion about the skate park’s permanent location should be had.  Councillor McArthur felt that some of the issues can’t be addressed by council (for example bullying) but he did acknowledge that the temporary location has become a hang out and lacks visibility. He advised that administration wants the skate park at the Libro Centre but that council was still waiting for a report about a site selection. He also said that a report from the police department also felt that the safest location was the Libro Centre. 

There was a lot of back and forth about the Skate Park location but ultimately nothing was decided tonight. I’ll wait for the report too I guess. Lol

There were a bunch of other issues brought up under new business as well, but, again, I’m not going to entertain them. You can either check with the media (not sure if they’ll even cover the minutia) or sit down, put your feet up and get comfortable…..

The final item brought up was regarding the following story that was in today’s Windsor Star :

https://windsorstar.com/news/local-news/new-amherstburg-high-school-building-sprayed-with-graffiti

Councillor McArthur said that he felt compelled to bring this issue up. He expressed that everyone was sitting there wearing orange ribbons and council had just passed a motion to support a Truth and Reconciliation initiative yet our town is named after a man that advocated genocide. He felt that cooler heads need to prevail in this situation. He acknowledged that he did not grow up in Amherstburg and did not attend General Amherst High School. He also said that it would have been better if the school board had said from the beginning that they did not want the name “Amherstburg” in the name of the new school. Councillor McArthur encouraged the committee and the board to work together to get this issue back on the table. He also said that he does not think that “Amherstburg” should be in the new high school’s name. He noted a recent column written by Ann Jarvis :

https://windsorstar.com/news/local-news/jarvis-its-a-step-we-can-take-a-step-cant-we?fbclid=IwAR1mDKJqvtiPRUCSSaVhx3EooKZoyH323QmgimBMwufcwd3nXm0Q46KVUCw

Councillor McArthur went on to say that he does not think we need to change the name of our town. He felt that Amherstburg is a hardworking, open community filled with kind and generous people. He felt that we have the opportunity to give a brand new high school a brand new name. He felt that having the name Amherstburg in the name would fly in the face of the indigenous community. He mentioned how many flags are flying at half mast in recognition of the indigenous children buried and now found at the residential schools across Canada. As well, September 30th is upon us in just a few days, The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. He felt that now is not the time to name a new school with the name of a man that advocated genocide. Councillor McArthur pointed out that we are combining two schools, it’s time for a new beginning, acknowledge both school and reconciliation all at once. 

Councillor McArthur expressed that he may be speaking for the minority and seemed to feel that he may take some heat for his stance…..

Well, I’m going to weigh in too…..First, I read the article about someone spray painting on the new high school and I was disgusted. And I was even more disgusted when I read some of the comments on social media. Just 6 months ago, the Mayor had all 4 tires slashed on the two cars parked in his driveway. Now, someone picked up a can of spray paint and vandalised a brand new building under construction. Since when does having “passion” about something make violence or vandalism acceptable? Since when is committing a crime something that people find amusing or worse they find it the right thing to do? It’s another sad day in Amherstburg. 

And, for the record, I have lived in Amherstburg my entire life…..the generations on both sides of my family can be traced back at least 5 generations in Amherstburg. Does that matter? No, it does not. That fact does not make my opinion any more important than anyone else’s.  I’m putting that information out there for those that feel it’s their trump card, that it makes their opinion more valuable than others. Amherstburg is better than this. I do not believe that Councillor McArthur was speaking for the minority. Just because 100 people take to the internet and express their opinion 100 times, that does not make it 10,000 opinions…..it’s still 100……and I see it….the same people yelling and screaming repeatedly. After what happened to the Mayor, I vowed to correct misinformation on the internet whenever I saw it. After this, I am vowing to do better, to be better and to do everything I can to promote creating an open, inclusive community. When people start turning to crime to get their “opinions” across, it’s gone too far. 

On that note, I saw a suggestion of North Star High School, during the survey process. I liked it then and I like it now. It gives a nod to our history and gives a message of hope. I’ve also seen many other wonderful suggestions. It’s time to open our minds (and our hearts) and embrace new beginnings. 

On that note, after Councillor McArthur spoke, council went in-camera 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 reasons:

Item A – Section 239(2)(d) – Labour relations or employee negotiations; and, Section 239(2)(f) – Advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege, including communications necessary for that purpose.

Item B – Section 239(2)(b) – Personal matters about an identifiable individual, including municipal or local board employees; and, Section 239(2)(d) – Labour relations or employee negotiations.

And that’s a wrap folks! See you in two weeks! 

In preparation for Monday September 27th Regular town council meeting

Monday night’s meeting is a light 228 page agenda. I didn’t see anything particularly riveting, however that doesn’t mean that it won’t be yet another marathon meeting. I think I’ve given up hope that this council can have an efficient and productive meeting. I’m starting to wonder if some members of council think they’re starring in some kind of bi-monthly sitcom or soap opera? Maybe? Any of my readers want to take a stab at naming the show? I’m open to suggestions. 

First up is one delegation. 

DELEGATIONS 

General Amherst High School 100 Year Celebration – Linden Crain and Jen Desjardins-Grondin, General Amherst HS 100 Year Celebration Committee Members

It looks like there is an event being planned for May 14 2022 to celebrate General Amherst High School’s 100 year anniversary and the last year for which it will be open. (The new high school combining Amherst and Western is slated to open in September 2022.) The delegation presentation shows that there may be a big tent, food vendors, music and games for all ages. It seems that the delegates are requesting the town’s assistance in a few different ways. It looks like they’re requesting assistance from various departments to help plan and execute the event. As well, they’re requesting that fees associated with the event be waived, including the fees for barriers, garbage cans, picnic tables, road banner etc. They’re also requesting a permit to allow low-volume music outside. As well, they’re looking for marketing and advertising leading up to the event. We’ll have to wait and see what council thinks. 

Municipal Modernization Program Intake 3 – Grant Application

Looks like administration wants to apply for some grant funding. Here’s the recommendation:

It is recommended that:

1. Administration BE APPROVED to submit an application for the implementation stream of the Municipal Modernization Program Intake 3 for the Bluebeam software for digital plans review; and,

2. Administration BE APPROVED to submit an application for the review stream of the Municipal Modernization Program Intake 3 for a staff utilization and organizational review study. 

The report outlines the criteria required for the grant application and why administration chose the above two items for which to request funding. 

2021 Second Quarter (Q2) Variance as at June 30th, 2021

This report includes several financial reports…..lots of numbers and not overly interesting LOL! Here’s the recommendation : 

It is recommended that:

1. A transfer to the Plans and Studies Reserve from surplus professional fees within the Human Resources budget centre not to exceed $57,500 BE APPROVED to fund the compensation review and HR strategic plan in a future budget; and,

2. A transfer to the Information Technology Reserve from surplus computer maintenance expenditures not to exceed $56,500 BE APPROVED to fund the Bluebeam project in a future budget.

2021 Sidewalk Maintenance Additional Works

It looks like administration wants to expand a contract to include some additional sidewalk maintenance work. It seems that the original contract was for $30,000 but $60,000 had been budgeted for this work. Here’s the recommendation from the report : 

It is recommended that: 

1. The 2021 Sidewalk Maintenance Program BE EXTENDED with Giorgi Brothers (1994) Inc. for a sum of $30,000 excluding HST.

Amendments to the Accounts Payable Policy

Looks like there are some minor amendments proposed to the above policy. 

Amendments to the Bank Accounts Policy

Once again, another policy requiring minor amendments. It seems that policies are reviewed every 5 years or so and this policy is one that fell under review. 

Amendments to the Cash Receipts Control Policy

And, once again, some amendments to the above noted policy will be before council. 

Cheque Listing for the Months of July and August 2021 

I always take a look through the cheque listing report to see if anything stands out. This jumped out at me this week : ELMAN BRUCE P JULY 27, 2021 PROFESSIONAL FEES  – CLERKS $7,898.70 (Mr Elman is the Integrity Commissioner.) Other than this item I didn’t notice anything else of interest. 

CONSENT CORRESPONDENCE

During this part of the meeting, council receives correspondence from other municipalities or from other organizations. They can simply receive the items or they can choose to support and action any items. Oh, I almost forgot……they can also ask questions……how could I forget that? This week, they have seven consent correspondence items. 

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

Council can also ask questions about any unfinished business items. I’m sure some members of council will forget that we do not have a CAO at the moment and we are down two senior managers……and they will ask questions and wonder why the gazillion reports they’ve asked for haven’t miraculously appeared. Oh, and we’ve been living through a global pandemic for the past 18 months…..but some on council seem to think it’s business as usual on the admin side of things I guess. 

NEW BUSINESS

And here, any member of council can bring up a new business item. Generally, one would think that it would only be items of significance that affect the town as a whole. But not in Amherstburg! I wonder which random phone calls or emails we’ll hear about on Monday night? 

And then, council will finish their regular meeting with an in-camera meeting 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 reasons:

Item A – Section 239(2)(d) – Labour relations or employee negotiations; and, Section 239(2)(f) – Advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege, including communications necessary for that purpose.

Item B – Section 239(2)(b) – Personal matters about an identifiable individual, including municipal or local board employees; and, Section 239(2)(d) – Labour relations or employee negotiations.

And that’s it, that’s all folks. This meeting SHOULD wrap up in about an hour…..but what should happen and what does happen are two very different things……and now I’m off to enjoy the weekend!!!!! I’m planning on enjoying the last Open Air Weekend!!!!! Catch you on the flip side!

Monday September 13th Regular town council meeting

Well, as expected Monday night’s meeting dragged on and on and on….talking in circles and indecisiveness ruled the night! I stopped watching at 10:30 PM and the meeting was STILL going……

First council met in-camera at 4:30 to discuss: 

SPECIAL IN-CAMERA COUNCIL MEETING

That Council move into an In-Camera Meeting of Council at 4:30 p.m. pursuant to Section 239 of the Municipal Act, 2001, as amended for the following reason:

Item A – Section 239(2)(f) – Advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege, including communications necessary for that purpose.

The regular meeting was set to begin at 6:00. The meeting got underway at about 6:15. 

DELEGATIONS

Heritage Designation, 275-277 Bathurst – Joe Shaw, Property Owner

AND

275-277 Bathurst Street Notice of Intent to Designate

Since there was a delegation in regards to the proposed designation, the agenda item was also moved up. This way, the entire issue was discussed at once. 

Mr Shaw addressed council. He explained that he owns the above noted property and that he wants to demolish it to build another home. He said that he’s owned it for over 30 years and that the building was in his family for many years before that. He said that the building is a triplex and is in need of extensive renovations. He said he had met with the new Heritage Planner to show him the poor condition that the building is in. Mr Shaw explained that he wanted to build some semi-detached units similar to the ones on Park Street. He explained that he had read the heritage report about his property but he did not see the merit in keeping it. Mr Shaw said that he did not understand how it could be designated heritage since the building needs to come down. 

Councillor Prue asked some questions of Mr Clint Robertson, the new Heritage Planner that was hired about 2 months ago. Councillor Prue wondered if Mr Robertson had looked at the property and wondered if it were salvageable. Mr Robertson felt that the building was in surprisingly good condition and that the foundation was remarkably sound. He said there was a need for upgrades, which would be normal for an old building but that the designation does not require the owner to do the repairs. 

Councillor Prue cited the pages and pages of documentation about the 130+ year old property. He felt that it met 4 of the 9 criteria to be a heritage building and asked Mr Robertson if the property should be kept. (It’s kind of funny how certain questions get asked and certain opinions get listened to…..) Mr Robertson said that it was a significant property. He felt that there had been interest in creating a heritage district in Amherstburg and that demolishing the home would be detrimental. 

Deputy Mayor Meloche said he had driven by the property a couple of times and felt that the house looked to be in decent shape. He asked Mr Shaw if he had gotten any estimates for upgrades or repairs to the home. 

Mr Shaw said he had not gotten any estimates about the foundation. He said that so many things need to be fixed that he had not taken the time to get estimates. Mr Shaw did express that he could get some prices if required. 

Councillor Renaud wondered if anybody was living there. Mr Shaw said he currently has three tenants in the building. He advised he could get the cost for the repairs but already has a pretty good idea of the costs and that they just don’t make sense. 

Councillor Courtney wondered how this situation had transpired. Mr Robertson explained that the request for the demolition permit had flagged that the house was on the property of interest list and that he then did his research on the property. (I wonder…..could my property someday become a property of interest?? Hey, some lady wrote a gazillion blogs about town council meetings sitting at her kitchen table there for years and years and years…..LOL) Councillor Courtney wondered if there were a way to expedite the process if a property is on the properties of interest list. Mr Robertson said that there are about 120 homes on the list and that perhaps council could increase the property tax abatement. He noted that as of July 1st, there were changes to the Property Act and that owners now need to be notified if they own a property of interest. 

Councillor Courtney then asked Mr Robertson what credentials he had to make assertions about the property. (Seriously, my jaw hit the floor. To ask such a question of an employee in a public meeting. It seemed kind of disrespectful to me. Councillor Prue seemed to be giving a lot of weight to Mr Robertson’s opinion, yet Councillor Courtney questioned his qualifications? I wonder if anybody has ever asked Councillor Courtney what his qualifications are to be a town councillor? Just a thought.) Mr Robertson explained that he is not an architect or an engineer but that he did not see walls out of plumb or other such items. Councillor Courtney said he was on the fence about this item. He explained that he did not support the designation of the house on Park Street that the owner felt was past repair. Councillor Courtney was looking for specifics about the Bathurst property of it being historical in nature, such as railings or spindles etc. He felt that the owner had gotten to the demolition process and now council wanted to halt the process. He felt that he was not seeing a good case to salvage the building. 

Councillor Simone wondered if anybody had spoken to Mr Shaw about the tax rebate program. Mr Robertson said that yes, it had been explained about the 40% property tax rebate for rehabilitation work. Mr Shaw felt that the rebate was a drop in the bucket for all of the work required. He felt that the building had too many problems and that it would be too costly to get it where it needs to be. 

Deputy Mayor Meloche agreed that the rebate program was a drop in the bucket. He cited an example that if property taxes are $5,000, the owner would get $2,000 after doing repairs such as windows that could cost $25,000 plus. Deputy Mayor Meloche wondered if the Chief Building Official had seen the property, but it was said that he had not. 

Councillor Prue felt that this was one of ten 19th century homes and what would happen to the other nine should this one be allowed to be demolished? Mr Shaw said that this is not the only house he owns on Bathurst Street. He said he would never consider taking down the other house since it is beautiful and in good condition. 

So, very long story short…..the debate went on and on and on……Councillor Prue made a motion to designate the property, which would give Mr Shaw 30 days to write an appeal. At that point, council can evaluate and Mr Shaw could dispute it with the LPAT if he chose to. Councillor Simone seconded the motion. 

Councillor McArthur spoke (thankfully briefly….too bad the others can’t take note of that….) and explained that our history is our future. He felt it was important to protect our heritage attributes and the process will give Mr Shaw time to get the information that he needs. 

The debate raged on and on and on…..it was 7:06 PM and council was STILL on the first delegation. This was not good foreshadowing…..not good at all. 

Anyway, finally, they voted and the motion carried. The property is being designated a heritage property. Mr Shaw will need to go through the process if he wants to dispute it. 

Heritage Designation, 247 Brock Street – Vince Rosati, Tony Rosati, and Denis Gauthier 

Heritage Designation, 247 Brock Street – Jackie Lassaline, Lassaline Planning Consultants

AND

247 Brock Street Notice of Intent to Designate

The two delegations noted above presented together and the item to designate 247 Brock Street was moved up on the agenda. Ms Lassaline spoke first and explained that the property owners were simply requesting a deferral to defer the designation for the above noted building. The owners have no intent to demolish it and they are at the beginning of the design phase for the property. (For those who may not be aware, 247 Brock Street is the former House of Shalom Youth Centre and before that was St. Anthony’s School). Ms Lassaline explained that the owners want to work with staff and not have to come to council for approval of each detail for the building as they proceed. She explained that they respect heritage and they want to support the designation. She asked that council hold off on the designation to allow them to work on a plan, rather than have to come to council with each item and wait weeks for approvals. (Weeks??? She was being generous…..this is generally not a very decisive group….I’d be more inclined to use months as a time measurement but I digress…..)

Councillor Prue did not understand their request. He cited his experience in Toronto and East York….he felt that if a designation were passed it would not stop them from working together with administration. 

Ms Lasalline felt that the process will defer all changes to council and that it will become constant applications to council for any of the work to be done. She felt that the designation would take the process out of staff level and put it into the council level. She wanted to work with staff instead of bringing each item to council. (Just going to say it here…..I can’t blame her one bit……dealing with council every step of the way…..would be like pushing the gas and the brakes at the same time LOL) 

One of the owners mentioned that the designation would affect the entire property and that it would impede severing part of the land. There was some debate about that. 

Mr Robertson spoke and said that he wanted the changes to come to council and that he wanted council to weigh in on the process. 

Councillor Prue wanted to make a motion about the property. Ms Lasalline asked if they could get some type of assurance, within the motion, that the owners can defer to staff and not be required to come to council until they were at the end of the planning process. She did not want to bog down the system. (Oh don’t worry…..council does that all by themselves! LOL) 

Then, (I had some hope here but it was short lived….) Councillor Prue made a motion that staff work with the developer to finalize plans before coming back to council for final approval. 

And then……a lengthy debate began again since it seems that there was some type of 120 days notice expiration date…..There was back and forth and more back and forth. 

Then Councillor Prue made the motions as written to proceed with designating the property. Councillor Simone seconded it. 

Then so much more back and forth with everyone saying the same things over and over again…..Mr Robertson wanted council involved at each step, the developer wanted to just present a final plan and work with staff……time dragged on…..there was talk of getting a legal opinion…..more talk about time frames……what’s the rush? Why no rush? It was 7:41 in my notes…..it’s like I was watching the masters of talking in circles….. More repetition, more of the same….There was talk about adding the part back in about working with staff…..talk that the Heritage Committee could meet a few extra times……finally at 7:52 the Mayor said that there had been a request to call the vote (I’m not sure who requested it – it’s hard to tell watching the meetings on my phone – but my goodness, thank you!!! And next time, please do it MUCH sooner!!!) Things had gone around in circles for so long that nobody seemed certain what the motion on the floor even was anymore…..turns out it was the motion as written, to designate the property as historical….the motion carried…..I tried to see who voted and how on the issue, but I couldn’t tell from my screen. I guess I could go back and watch, but I don’t think I want to go down that rabbit hole again. 

The next several items passed with very little or no discussion. Until…..back down the rabbit hole we went. 

Fire Department Deployment – Fire Station Options

Before I begin, I’ll just explain things a bit. Council had two options in front of them about how to proceed in regards to our fire station and deployment options. 

Before reading the following, here is a refresher…fire station 1 is downtown at town hall…fire station 2 is in old Anderdon on Middle Side Rd…fire station 3 is in old Malden on Concession 6.

Here is a summary of each option as per the report : 

Option A – Two Fire Station Model

“This option includes: 

Construction of two new fire stations, based on consolidation of fire stations 1 and 3, with:

• demolition and reconstruction of fire station 2 at its current location;
• decommissioning of fire station 3, which could be repurposed by the Town or disposed of;
• construction of a new fire station at the Amherstburg Libro Centre (Libro) site; and,
• discontinued operations at the current fire station 1 facility, which could be repurposed by the Town or disposed of if the municipal office were relocated. 
• Redeployment of staff and equipment between the two new stations, with thirty (30) VFFs deployed from each site and relocation of full-time fire fighters to the fire station at the Libro site.

The relocation of existing full time firefighters to the new fire station on the Libro site would complete the improvement of response capabilities utilizing existing resources. The Town’s ability to meet at least the lower effective response level for emergencies occurring in high risk and extreme risk occupancies, as identified earlier in this report and improving the level of guaranteed response to the whole municipality may result.”

Option B – Three Fire Station Model:

This option includes:

 Demolition and reconstruction of two fire stations (2 and 3) at their current locations; 

• Capital upgrades to fire station #1 including the replacement of the roof and the 6 bay (overhead) doors (front and rear) of the station;
• Implementation of any capital improvements recommended in the pending Facility Needs & Condition Assessment;
• Increase staff complement by 20 volunteer fire fighters, including ten (10) per station at stations #1 and #2 to meet response targets.
• Increase staff complement by ## fulltime fire fighters. 

Additional FTE’s and fulltime firefighters to be located at upgraded Station# 1 improving response capabilities to meet at least the lower effective response level for emergencies occurring in high risk and extreme risk occupancies, as identified in this report and improving the level of guaranteed response to the whole municipality.”

The good news is that the report said specifically that Boblo Island was not addressed in this report and nobody asked about Boblo Island!!!!! The bad news is that it was already after 8:00 and they asked about everything else including the kitchen sink…….

Councillor Courtney started and said he had quite a few questions. He needed clarification about some things and even said “IF” there is a vote tonight on one of these two options……(how inspiring…..IF there is a vote and a decision tonight…..um, council was actually elected to vote and make decisions, the big ones, the little ones, the easy ones and the hard ones……so, ultimately, yes, please vote and make a decision, that’s why you’re there…..unbelievable…..)

Fire Chief Montone explained that he was looking for council to direct him regarding future deployment for the fire department and whether they wanted a two station or three station model. Once he had direction from council, he could then begin a detailed plan with full costing, design concepts, workspaces, modernizations, all of the details. He then explained that council would have a final plan to consider, approve and decide how to fund it. 

Councillor Courtney felt that there should be an Option C and that he would not support Option A or B. He expressed he was hoping for information on the existing buildings along with financials. 

Chief Montone explained that the Fire Master Plan in 2020 included cost estimates. He explained about some federal and provincial funding initiatives. Chief Montone felt confident about having either 2 or 3 locations. He explained that both options provided the ability to meet response times. He said that he needed to know if council wanted two or three fire stations. (Seems simple to me…..that’s how this process works folks…..council decides the direction and then administration gets all the nitty gritty together to make it happen…….so, when council has difficulty making decisions and choosing a direction, well……I think it’s starting to become very obvious how problematic this has been and continues to be…..)

Councillor Courtney felt that the response times had shifted. He thought that this issue about the fire stations should be kicked down the road. He felt it was viable to patch the stations that we have and then decide later. He was hoping there would be costs for repairs in the report…..

Deputy Mayor Meloche asked about some recommendations and operational cost savings. Chief Montone started quoting costs of utilities and other items.  (I am not going down the rabbit hole in this blog…..If you want to hear all of the minutiae, sit down, get real comfortable and take a listen…..) The Chief gave council data, data and more data. Chief Montone explained that either Option A or Option B would allow the town to achieve their service levels. 

Councillor Prue felt that he was leaning toward Option B. He felt that it did not cost much more to have the third fire hall. 

The Chief explained that both options required two rebuilds. However Option B required a renovation to one station along with two rebuilds. Councillor Prue and Chief Montone had some back and forth about time saving measures. Chief Montone explained that firefighters would go directly to the scene, thus saving time, not having to go to the station first. Councillor Prue mentioned an underwriters report and that Amherstburg could be doing better. 

Chief Montone explained that he had reached out to a local insurance Broker at Gibb Insurance. He read an email explaining that the new formats could translate into significant savings, since properties that are currently rated as semi-protected would upgrade to protected status and that could equate to a 10% decrease in insurance premiums. As well, Boblo could be upgraded from unprotected to protected and that could result in a 30% decrease. 

Councillor Prue noted that Chief Montone was leaving the choice to council and he understands that, since this was also a political decision. (Because, yes, that’s how the system works…..or at least how it’s supposed to work…..council decides the direction……do they want 2 or 3 fire stations?…..)

Chief Montone said that he could sleep well tonight with either option. He felt that one option was likely a better business decision and the other option was likely a better political decision. (So now the question remains…..would council do the right thing or the easy thing? Stay tuned…..five of them did the right thing I think…..) Chief Montone said that both options would meet the necessary requirements. 

Councillor McArthur noted the improved protection and possible insurance rate decreases. He spoke about the costs VS the cost savings. Chief Montone said that the response time in the urban area was not the challenge, but getting 15 firefighters there was a challenge. Councillor McArthur asked about three stations not necessarily offering better protection. The Chief explained that the stations were built based on old town boundaries (Amherstburg, Anderdon, Malden). Now, the town has new boundaries with new development in different areas. He felt that fewer stations placed in better locations would serve much better. Councillor McArthur wondered if the old stations could then be declared surplus and sold. The Chief said absolutely that that would be up to council. He also explained that they had looked at areas where the municipality already owns land and land availability since the cost of land is currently increasing exponentially. 

Councillor Courtney had concerns regarding deployment. He felt that the fire department is an insurance. He also felt that council would be signing a cheque to do all of these improvements. He still spoke about wanting to see an option 3 with an assessment of all three stations with true financial plans. He felt that council should see dollars and cents. He also felt that the following quote from the report : “What is best for the residents we serve” comes with a price tag. He was not happy to see new fire stations without options and said that he would not endorse either option tonight. (And once again, we have another glaring misunderstanding of roles…..the town IS in the business of providing services to residents……the town is NOT a for profit business…..the town does need to look at what is best for the residents…..and yes, everything has a price tag…..I think Amherstburg has done way too much pushing items off into the future….time to start planning…..and figure out how to pay for it…just ignoring it will not make it go away…...)

Deputy Mayor Meloche then spoke and said that we do like to kick things down the road far too often. We’ve been doing it for 20 years. He cited aging buildings among other items. Deputy Mayor Meloche wondered how many new firefighters would need to be hired. The Chief explained that with option B (3 fire halls), we would need more firefighters. However, with option A (2 fire halls), we would not need to hire more firefighters. The Chief pointed out that the current buildings can not accommodate new fire trucks. The new trucks are much bigger than they used to be. He cited some measurements, but the short answer is, new trucks will not fit in the existing fire halls. 

Councillor Courtney felt that they can not please everyone and that council is not kicking this down the road. He felt that we just don’t have the money for this and that we can not afford new fire stations. He wondered what it would take to fix the current stations and get some extra life out of them. He feels that if people live on the outskirts of town or on Boblo that they should accept that emergency services won’t get there quickly. 

FINALLY Deputy Mayor Meloche made the motion to proceed with Option A (two fire stations). He wondered if one could be done and then do the second one later. Chief Montone said that he did not want to bring forward a plan that was not realistic. He said he would bring back a doable, realistic plan and consider the impact on the taxpayer. Councillor Simone seconded the motion.

In Support : Councillor McArthur, Deputy mayor Meloche, Councillors Renaud and Simone, Mayor Dicarlo

Opposed : Councillors Courtney and Prue

Thank you to the five above for showing leadership. That’s your job! Choose the priorities and the direction that you want Amherstburg to go! After having read the report and listening to the Chief, it’s clear that our fire stations need to be updated to get with the times. It’s pretty sad that they can’t hold a new fire truck because they were built so long ago and they’re just plain too small. Much like our hospitals, things need updating and renewal. And yes, it costs money. They can start planning the budget accordingly, right? 

It was now 9:06. Council decided to take a recess. 

When the recess was over, the information reports and consent correspondence went through with some discussion but not too much. 

Consent other minutes

There were THIRTEEN consent of other minutes for council to receive. Councillor Prue went on at length about not getting minutes from committees quickly enough. (Maybe he forgot that we are down a CAO and two Directors at the moment? I bet town hall staff are overworked and tired right now…..maybe?)  There was some discussion about some of the other minutes, but my fingers are getting really tired from typing. 

Unfinished Business

Councillor Prue mentioned that there were a lot of items on the unfinished business list. He wondered if staff can go over the list and remove items and advise if council will get them…..funny, I seem to recall once, an item or two was dropped from the list and that turned into a big show of “how could this happen?”. There’s just no way to win on this. Again, administration does not have a CAO and two directors at the moment….is it realistic to even start to inquire about the list? Maybe council should look at the list and decide to remove some perhaps less necessary items? Perhaps reports were requested that really aren’t a big priority? Shouldn’t council be setting the direction? 

New Business

Speaking of unnecessary things…..Councillor Prue talked about a phone call he received from a resident about a storm from last week and there was no emergency alert issued. It seems the complaint was passed and handled by the Fire Chief (as it should be) and he dealt with it. So, why does valuable council time get eaten up with telling this story publicly? The problem was resolved. Then Councillor Prue mentioned some people that had a flood in Kingsbridge and he wondered when an appropriate time would be for them to come before council. The Clerk cautioned council that a public meeting may not be the right forum since it could be a litigious situation. Councillor Prue felt that 20 homes had been affected and that all of council may not be aware of the situation. The Clerk felt that there were allegations and that the insurer will make the decision, that it is not up to council to make a decision about this issue. (How interesting…..council has such difficulty making a decision on most things but then they want to be involved in everything??? I’m starting to wonder if some members of council think that council meetings are like a TV series, to provide entertainment…..or maybe they’re actually to move the business of the town forward??? Just maybe??? Is it just me?)

Then, they started talking about the dressing rooms at the arena. I couldn’t take it anymore. It was 10:30…..I shut the meeting off, closed my notebook, and went to bed! What a night!

And here I am again, on a Tuesday night writing up the blog from Monday night. Gone are the days I could do it all in one night…..looks like Marathon meetings are here to stay. Well, for another year….then we’ll see I guess. 

Have a great week Amherstburg! Hope to see you all out at Open Air this weekend! Fingers crossed for another beautiful weekend!

In preparation for Monday September 13th Regular town council meeting

As I sat here thinking (and kind of appreciating lol) about how little blogging I’ve had to do this summer, I opened Monday night’s agenda…..and then I saw the revised agenda is a whopping 587 page. Can anyone say Marathon meeting # 3,421 coming our way? 

Monday night will probably be quite a different meeting though. The CAO and two directors are now gone from town hall. Antoinetta Giofu has stepped in as the acting CAO while council tries to find a new person for the position. I’ve been watching meetings for (gulp) 6 solid years now…..there’s a thoughtful balance required between council and administration for things to run smoothly……administration runs the day to day operations of the town (the nitty gritty)…..council decides on policy and how they want to spend our tax money (which projects they want to prioritize and what needs to be done)…..that’s a very simplistic way of explaining the two roles, but it’s important to recognize that they are two very distinct roles with different responsibilities and even different time commitments. At the moment, things seem to be somewhat in turmoil on the administrative side of town hall…..this is going to be council’s make it or break it time to show if they can actually provide true leadership……can they instill confidence in the electorate by showing up prepared Monday night? Can they have an efficient and productive meeting? I am personally feeling that things for Amherstburg could take a turn back in time to the 2010-2014 era…..a revolving door of CAO’s, a revolving door of senior staff…..that is not good for Amherstburg. (Generally, turn-over like that is not good for any organization.). With the instability at the moment on the administrative side, it’s not confidence inspiring to see instability on the council side of things…..the pontificating, the endless questions that could be easily asked and answered before the meeting, the showmanship, the repetition, the indecision, the talking in circles….shall I go on? LOL! Anyway, all this to say, a lot hangs in the air for Monday night’s meeting. I will be watching carefully. I sincerely hope that I see true leadership qualities shine through in our members of council that can instill confidence……I think they need to be laser focused…..and resist the urge to ask for any reports!!!! If they can’t recognize how short staffed administration is and then continue to ask for reports on items……UGH!!! Why not focus on what’s in front of them and keep something, anything, moving forward????

First, council will meet in-camera at 4:30 to discuss : 

SPECIAL IN-CAMERA COUNCIL MEETING

That Council move into an In-Camera Meeting of Council at 4:30 p.m. pursuant to Section 239 of the Municipal Act, 2001, as amended for the following reason:

Item A – Section 239(2)(f) – Advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege, including communications necessary for that purpose.

The regular meeting is set to begin at 6:00. Some of the items on Monday’s agenda come from the August 9th meeting that was cancelled. But there are many new items on this very lengthy agenda. 

DELEGATIONS

Heritage Designation, 275-277 Bathurst – Joe Shaw, Property Owner

It appears that the property above is slated to become a Heritage Designated property. The owner, Mr Shaw will be delegating to council. According to the delegation form, Mr Shaw feels that the required improvements such as structural repairs, mechanical repairs, windows, doors, walls, kitchens and baths, flooring and more are past his financial capabilities. He is requesting to proceed with a demolition permit in order to build a new ranch style home. 

Heritage Designation, 247 Brock Street – Vince Rosati, Tony Rosati, and Denis Gauthier 

The above noted delegation is asking council for a deferral regarding the heritage designation for their property at 247 Brock Street. It seems that they are already working with the planning department to keep heritage aspects of the property. Their delegation form is a very interesting read. Here’s the link if you’re interested : https://pub-amherstburg.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=4220

Heritage Designation, 247 Brock Street – Jackie Lassaline, Lassaline Planning Consultants

Ms Lassaline will also be delegating to council regarding 247 Brock Street. Her delegation points out that the property owners are at the preliminary stages of design. It seems that the property owner is willing to have the property designated at the end of the planning approval process. 

Accessibility Provisions for 320 Richmond Street (Community Hub)

It looks like the Community Hub needs some upgrades to make it fully accessible. Here are the recommendations from the report : 

It is recommended that: 

1. A 2021 expenditure not to exceed $25,000 plus HST for the provision of accessibility upgrades to the 320 Richmond (Community Hub) BE APPROVED in accordance with the report entitled Accessibility Provisions for 320 Richmond Street (Community Hub) dated August 27, 2021; and,

2. The Treasurer BE AUTHORIZED to fund the 2021 expenditure relative to the provision of accessibility upgrades to 320 Richmond (Community Hub) through a transfer from the AODA Compliance Reserve account in an amount not to exceed $25,000 plus HST.

275-277 Bathurst Street Notice of Intent to Designate

As noted above, in the delegations section, the property owner is opposing that council designate this property as historical. It seems that the owner submitted a request to demolish the building in July. It seems that the Heritage Committee looked into the property and is recommending that council designate the property as heritage. Here is the recommendation : 

It is recommended that:

 1. Administration BE DIRECTED to take action as required by legislation to designate 275-277 Bathurst Street as a Heritage Property in accordance with Part 4 of the Ontario Heritage Act; and,

2. The Notice of Intent to Designate 275-277 Bathurst Street INCLUDE the Statement of Cultural Heritage Value or Interest and the list of Heritage Attributes as recommended by the Heritage Committee, as required. 

247 Brock Street Notice of Intent to Designate

Again, as noted above, the property owner is requesting a deferral in regards to designating this property a heritage property. This is from part of the report : 

“On August 9, 2021 Administration met with the owner and representatives on-site and toured the property and discussed the redevelopment proposal. Additionally, the owner’s representatives made a presentation about the redevelopment to the Heritage Committee on August 12, 2021, where the committee expressed concerns about the interventions proposed to the property. Subsequently, on August 17, 2021 Administration provided feedback to the owner’s representatives about the proposal, including comments on the proposed interventions – including Administration’s concerns about the magnitude of the proposed interventions – and attempting to establish a process in which to protect or designate the property, allow redevelopment, and to rezone the property. 

Administration feels that it is prudent to proceed with issuing a Notice of Intent to protect the site from potentially inappropriate alterations. Upon issuance of the Notice of Intent to designate, the property will become temporarily protected for at least 120 days which will preclude potentially inappropriate interventions from occurring without Council approval.”

If the new owner needs council approval every step of the way….that development will grind to a halt, with the way this council operates…..maybe they’ll have the development finished by 2051? LOL!

I am anticipating some VERY lengthy debates about both of these properties.

Zoning By-law Amendment E/S Front Road South (Conc 1, Pt Lot 6)

It looks like this item was discussed during the July 12th meeting. According to the report, there weren’t any comments from the public about the amendment request. However, in the report is a list of questions that were asked by council and the answer to accompany each question. (This was a reminder as to why I never watch or attend planning meetings……ugh!)

Here is the recommendation in the report : 

1. By-law 2021-043 being a by-law to amend Zoning By-law No. 1999-52, to amend the zoning for the subject lands known as E/S Front Road South (Conc 1, Pt Lot 6), be taken as having been read three times and finally passed and the Mayor and Clerk BE AUTHORIZED to sign same. 

And this is from the risk analysis of the report (it kind of speaks for itself) : “The recommendation presents little to no risk to the municipality. Should Council not approve the proposed application for ZBA, the consent which has been approved by the Committee of Adjustment could be appealed.”

Suitability for Development on Private Septic System on Front Rd N and Concession 2 N

Here is the recommendation for the above noted property :

It is recommended that:

1. The development of the two lots on Front Road North (severed off 2125 Front Road North and 2268 Front Road North) and 909 Concession 2 N on private septic systems, as outlined in the August 30, 2021 report from the Manager of Planning Services, BE APPROVED.

Request to Waive User Fees – Unauthorized Burn

A few years ago, the previous council set up a burn permit system. If you want to have a fire in your backyard, you need to apply for a permit and meet certain criteria. Well, it looks like somebody had an unauthorized burn and is requesting that council waive the fees. It seems the details are in a private and confidential memo that council received. I’ve seen similar requests in the past and generally, the fees don’t get waived, but who knows…….Here’s the recommendation : 

It is recommended that: The request to waive user fees for an unauthorized open burn, as shown in the invoice in the Private and Confidential (P & C) Memo from the CAO dated August 9, 2021 BE DENIED.

Fire Department Deployment – Fire Station Options

It looks like council will have two options in front of them regarding updates needed to our fire stations. 

RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended that: 1. Administration BE DIRECTED to proceed with Implementation of the requirements for one of the following options for fire services facilities and deployment, as outlined in the Fire Master Plan and the Fire Department Deployment – Fire Station Options report from the Fire Chief dated July 16, 2021: 

Option A – Two Fire Station Model as outlined in the report from the Fire Chief dated July 16, 2021; OR;

 Option B – Three Fire Station Model as outlined in the report from the Fire Chief dated July 16, 2021.

Before I begin to try to summarize all of this, I must point out this paragraph from the report : “It was also identified that the Bois Blanc Island (Boblo Island) has significant fire protection challenges which will be intensified with additional planned development. A series of recommendations were included in the Fire Master Plan to be considered at a future time and are not included in this report.”  Therefore, if any members of council start asking about Boblo Island…..it will just drive it home that they either A) don’t read the reports, B) don’t understand the reports C) don’t care about the reports and just want to ask questions to hear themselves speak…..it says it VERY clearly in the report that Boblo Island recommendations are NOT included in this report…..therefore, please, council stay focused!!!!! Otherwise, this will become another meeting that will span two days. So ridiculous. 

Before reading the following, here is a refresher…fire station 1 is downtown at town hall…fire station 2 is in old Anderdon on Middle Side Rd…fire station 3 is in old Malden on Concession 6.

Here is a summary of each option as per the report : 

Option A – Two Fire Station Model

“This option includes: 

Construction of two new fire stations, based on consolidation of fire stations 1 and 3, with:

• demolition and reconstruction of fire station 2 at its current location;
• decommissioning of fire station 3, which could be repurposed by the Town or disposed of;
• construction of a new fire station at the Amherstburg Libro Centre (Libro) site; and,
• discontinued operations at the current fire station 1 facility, which could be repurposed by the Town or disposed of if the municipal office were relocated. 
• Redeployment of staff and equipment between the two new stations, with thirty (30) VFFs deployed from each site and relocation of full-time fire fighters to the fire station at the Libro site.

The relocation of existing full time firefighters to the new fire station on the Libro site would complete the improvement of response capabilities utilizing existing resources. The Town’s ability to meet at least the lower effective response level for emergencies occurring in high risk and extreme risk occupancies, as identified earlier in this report and improving the level of guaranteed response to the whole municipality may result.”

Option B – Three Fire Station Model:

This option includes:

 Demolition and reconstruction of two fire stations (2 and 3) at their current locations; 

• Capital upgrades to fire station #1 including the replacement of the roof and the 6 bay (overhead) doors (front and rear) of the station;
• Implementation of any capital improvements recommended in the pending Facility Needs & Condition Assessment;
• Increase staff complement by 20 volunteer fire fighters, including ten (10) per station at stations #1 and #2 to meet response targets.
• Increase staff complement by ## fulltime fire fighters. 

Additional FTE’s and fulltime firefighters to be located at upgraded Station# 1 improving response capabilities to meet at least the lower effective response level for emergencies occurring in high risk and extreme risk occupancies, as identified in this report and improving the level of guaranteed response to the whole municipality.”

Later in the report it is noted again (in bold) that Boblo Island fire concerns were NOT addressed in this report. (i.e. Please do not ask about Boblo Island Monday night…..but I digress….)

If anyone is interested in reading the full report, here is the link : https://pub-amherstburg.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=4152

INFORMATION REPORTS

Cheque Listing for the Months of May and June 2021

I usually go through the cheque listings to see if there’s anything of interest, but I think I’m going to need to save my energy for a Marathon meeting Monday night…..so I’m going to skip reading through this document this time. 

Committee Member Resignation – Amherstburg Environmental Advisory Committee

It seems that a committee member resigned but since council had appointed more than the necessary members, there is not a need to replace the person. 

Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP) – Green Infrastructure Stream 2021 Grant Application

This seems to be an information report that administration applied for some grant money. 

CONSENT CORRESPONDENCE

During this portion of the meeting, council receives consent correspondence from other organizations or municipalities. They can choose to support any of the letters received, take further action or simply receive the correspondence. This week, council has a really, really, really long list of items to read through……(hint, hint, I’m not going to read through all of these LOL)

 That the following consent correspondence BE RECEIVED:

• 16.1. Request to Address Chronic Underfunding of Eye Care – Dr. Peter DiPasquale, Local Optometrist 
• 16.2. Opposition to IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism – Brian Hogan, President, Windsor and District Labour Council 
• 16.3. Record Check Fees for Volunteers, Letter to Minister – Windsor Police Services Board
• 16.4. Ontario Big City Mayors Call for Action on Mental Health and Addiction Plan – Chatham-Kent Resolution
• 16.5. Licensing of Cannabis Operations Previously Operating Illegally – Chatham-Kent Resolution 
• 16.6 Support for Affordable Internet – Chatham-Kent Resolution
• 16.7 2021 Partnership Proposal for Shine the Light Campaign – Hiatus House
• 16.8 2021 Holiday Book Rate Card – Mocha Shriners
• 16.9. Affordable Housing Crisis in Canada – City of Woodstock Resolution
• 16.10. Climate Change Action, Proposed Initiatives – Peter Julian, MP, New Westminster-Burnaby
• 16.11. Support for Bill C-6, An Act to Amend the Criminal Code, Conversion Therapy – Town of Cobourg Resolution
• 16.12. Rising Costs of Building Materials – City of Kitchener Resolution
• 16.13. Request to Phase Out Ontario’s Gas Plants – City of Stratford Resolution
• 16.14. Request for Changes to the Provincial Offences Act – Northumberland County Resolution
• 16.15. Request to Raise the Legal Age for a Licensed Driver from 16 to 18 – City of Vaughan Resolution
• 16.16. Request for the Federal Government to Terminate its Appeal of the 2019 Human Rights Tribunal Ruling – City of Mississauga Resolution
• 16.17. Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Calls to Action – Township of Georgian Bay Resolution 
• 16.18. Relationship with MPAC – County of Perth Resolution
• 16.19. Year of the Garden 2022 – City of Brantford Resolution
• 16.20. Noise Concerns and Request for Expiry of Extended Construction Hours – City of Hamilton Resolution

Franco Ontarian Flag Day – September 25, 2021

It looks like ACFO Windsor-Essex Chatham-Kent has contacted the town about purchasing a Franco Ontarian flag to fly in front of town hall to honour Franco Ontarian Flag Day (September 25th). Amherstburg and the surrounding area are rich in history of French culture. Administration is asking council to either approve or deny the request. 

It is recommended that:

The correspondence from ACFO Windsor-Essex Chatham-Kent regarding Franco Ontarian Flag Day, September 25, 2021, BE RECEIVED; 

1. The request to purchase the Franco Ontarian Flag, in the amount of $28.32 (+ tax & shipping), BE APPROVED or DENIED; and, 

2. Pending approval of the purchase of the Franco Ontarian Flag, the flag BE RAISED in the Town of Amherstburg on Franco Ontarian Day, September 25, 2021.

Heritage Committee Meeting Minutes – June 24, 2021

It looks like the Heritage Committee has a recommendation before council.

It is recommended that: The Heritage Committee Meeting Minutes of June 24, 2021 BE RECEIVED; and, 

1. A Notice of Intent to Designate BE PUBLISHED for 65-67 Richmond Street in accordance with the Ontario Heritage Act.

Drainage Board Meeting Minutes – August 3, 2021 

It looks like the Drainage Board had a recent meeting.I am including the recommendations for any of my readers who may live in this area. 

It is recommended that:

 The Drainage Board Meeting Minutes of August 3, 2021 BE RECEIVED;

1. The tender submissions for the John Parks Drain No. 1 BE REJECTED, as recommended by the Drainage Board; 

2. The John Parks Drain No. 1 BE RE-TENDERED in the late fall of 2021 with appropriate modifications to the Tender documents according to the recommendations from R. Dobbin Engineering Inc., as recommended by the Drainage Board; 

3. The tender submissions for the John Parks Drain No. 2 BE REJECTED, as recommended by the Drainage Board; and, 

4. The John Parks Drain No. 2 BE RE-TENDERED in the late fall of 2021 with appropriate modifications to the Tender documents according to the recommendations from R. Dobbin Engineering Inc., as recommended by the Drainage Board.

Economic Development Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes – August 5, 2021 

Looks like the Ec Dev Advisory Committee also has a recommendation before council. 

It is recommended that:

1. The Economic Development Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes of August 5, 2021 BE RECEIVED;

2. Administration BE DIRECTED to coordinate a meeting between the principals of the Honeywell site and the Economic Development Advisory Committee on how best to make the lands saleable and whether they are interested in the use of the lands for energy production; and, 

3. A People-in-Motion Study, BE INCLUDED in the 2022 budget deliberations, to better understand the options available for businesses and visitors in the downtown core to support and enhance Tourism and Economic Development opportunities.

Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes – August 18, 2021

And again, the Parks and Rec Committee also has a recommendation before council. 

It is recommended that:

1. The Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes of August 18, 2021 BE RECEIVED; and,

2. Administration BE DIRECTED to review, in time for the budget, the safest means of transport from the High School or Monopoly to the Libro including but not limited to bollards, pedestrian crosswalk, bicycle lane paint, jersey barriers with signage and a potential speed limit reduction. 

Drainage Board Meeting Minutes – September 7, 2021

Some more recommendations from the Drainage Board meeting minutes. 

It is recommended that: 

The Drainage Board Meeting Minutes of September 7, 2021, BE RECEIVED;

 1. The request from Josh Mailloux for the replacement of an existing access culvert over the Deslippe Drain per Section 78 of the Drainage Act BE ACCEPTED, as recommended by the Drainage Board; 

2. The firm RC Spencer Associates Inc. complete a report for the repair and improvement of the Deslippe Drain, BE APPROVED, as recommended by the Drainage Board; 

3. The drainage apportionments BE APPROVED as listed, as recommended by the Drainage Board:

 4. Consent B/18/20 – Drainage Apportionments for the Sancrainte Drain – 1459 Front Road N • Consent B/27/20 – Drainage Apportionments for the 7th Line Drain – 7134 Howard Ave. • Consent B/06-07/21 – Drainage Apportionments for the 7th Concession Drain North and Long Marsh Drain – 7397 Concession Road 7N

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

This part of the meeting allows for any questions regarding items on the unfinished business list. Some members of council like to hear their own voices and go through each item….one by one…..considering how short staffed the town is at the senior management level, I think it would be respectful and prudent not to question this list on Monday night. But what do I know?

NEW BUSINESS

And this is the part of the meeting, where things generally bog right down and grind to a halt. We get to hear about random emails or phone calls received by council members…..questions….more questions…..I still do not understand what the criteria is for certain items to be discussed publicly under new business…..seems council will get one email about something and there we all are…..listening to a lengthy discussion….when it seems that these items should have just been handled between the resident and council/administration via email or a phone call. Or the questions could be asked and answered quickly and efficiently outside of a meeting? It’s strange and it’s a big time eater. Again, out of respect to the remaining senior staff, I can only hope that members of council deal with any of these items outside of a council meeting……Otherwise, I can see Monday night’s meeting lasting until midnight or later…..which would be a real shame. 

And that’s a brief preview of what’s to come Monday night. I’m guessing I won’t be back until at least Tuesday night or Wednesday night with the summary! Have a great weekend Amherstburg! It’s supposed to be beautiful! I’m hoping to get out and enjoy Open Air in downtown Amherstburg (again LOL).