Monday September 25th Regular town council meeting

Do not read this blog. Don’t say you weren’t warned. 

I decided to attend Monday night’s meeting in person. There were only about 15 people in attendance, some were residents and the others were there for presentations and such. The last two meetings, there has been a member of council that spent a lot of time typing on their computer. This meeting, things were somewhat better. Somewhat. Again, the typing seemed to escalate more towards the second half of a very long meeting. The member of council would type very quickly and then withdraw their hands from their computer just as quickly. As they did this more frequently, the typing was happening for a longer time and even smiles at their computer were seen. If you don’t believe it, check out the link to the video. Ironically, somebody watching from home messaged me that they saw another councillor typing and checking their phone during the meeting. Those crazy cameras catch everything, including body language and facial expressions! 

The meeting lasted just shy of three hours. There were a couple of recorded votes (those of you that know me know that I love those!) and some interesting debate. Of course, there was also some less interesting debate mixed into the evening. There were several 4-3 votes…..shining the spotlight on what is pretty much a divided council…..those that seem to look to the future and those that seem to look to the past….

Here is the recap. I’ll do my best to keep it somewhat brief. I’ll try anyway. LOL 

Regular Council Meeting Minutes – September 11, 2023

I usually don’t blog about the adoption of meeting minutes, since, well, there’s usually nothing to blog about. Sometimes if there’s an error found, it’s noted and corrected and then the minutes are adopted. No big deal really. Monday night this was not the case. 

Councillor Pouget felt that there were several errors in the meeting minutes. She noted that CAO Critchley had been marked present however she had been absent from the September 11th meeting and Ms Osborne, Deputy CAO had filled the role for the evening. The Clerk said that would be corrected. 

Councillor Pouget read back her motion about the flooding. She said that the motion in the minutes was not correct and noted she had provided a typed copy of her motion. She also felt that her motion regarding the Boblo dock was not accurate and was missing the wording about including photos. 

Mayor Prue said that the minutes could be amended and held off for one day. 

Councillor Pouget wanted the minutes corrected and made a motion to defer the adoption of the minutes until the next meeting. 

Councillor Allaire felt it was a good idea to defer the minutes since Councillor Pouget had handed in her exact motion. 

Councillor McArthur asked when the agenda had been available for review and noted that it was ten days ago. He felt that that was adequate time to address the errors prior to the meeting and that he would not support a deferral. 

Councillor Pouget felt that the public minutes are public and that she had the right to question them in public. (True, that is certainly her right. It is also other people’s right to feel that the errors could have been addressed in advance and corrected in time for Monday’s meeting. It would have been more empathetic I guess. It is also my right to think that this situation was poorly handled and seemed to be a way of trying to embarrass staff publicly.) 

Deputy Mayor Gibb said that he concurred with Councillor McArthur. He felt that there had been 10 days to have the minutes corrected and he did not understand why someone would wait until the last minute to point out the errors. He felt that it could have been corrected in an email. 

Councillor Courtney felt that the deferral was not a big issue. He said that he didn’t “listen” to the minutes but he felt that it wasn’t urgent and it could be deferred. 

It went to a recorded vote : 

In favour of deferral : Councillors Allaire, Courtney and Pouget, Mayor Prue

Opposed to deferral : Councillors Crain and McArthur and Deputy Mayor Gibb

Although Mayor Prue voted in support he noted that he had never seen minutes deferred before in 32 years but didn’t see the harm in it. 

Personally, I found it somewhat ironic that the adoption of minutes was deferred when some members of this council have complained repeatedly that getting minutes was taking months and months (due to staffing shortages in the Clerk’s department). Now, they get the minutes very quickly and then sit on them and wait until the meeting to point out the errors publicly? Interesting twist I guess. Have you ever heard the expression “This could have been an email?” Well, the errors in the minutes could have been an email and handled ahead of time. Seems somewhat mean-spirited to wait to point out somebody’s mistakes publicly when you knew the mistakes were there ten days ago. That’s how I see it anyway. And if you’re still reading this, you were warned not to. 

Presentation – Re : Item 13.2 Street Naming – Brittany Crescent and Stone Street – Norbert Bolger

Mr Bolger addressed council that he did not have a presentation but that he was present if any members of council had any questions. He had proposed naming the two streets for his new development as Brittany Crescent and Stone Street. He noted that the Heritage Committee had approved the street names. 

Nobody on council had any questions. 

So, the item regarding the street names was pulled forward for debate. 

Street Naming – Brittany Crescent and Stone Street

It seems that the Heritage Committee has endorsed the naming of 2 streets in a new development. One will be Brittany Crescent and the other Stone Street. The name for Stone Street comes from the Street naming inventory list of the Town of Amherstburg. It appears that Frances Stone is a Veteran of WWII. Administration is recommending the approval for both street names. 

Councillor Pouget read the guidelines from the street naming policy. She didn’t have a problem with the name “Brittany’s Gate” for the subdivision but she did not want the name used for the street. She said she would be voting against the recommendation. 

Councillor Crain said that he would support it. He noted that he is a member of the Heritage Committee and that they had supported the street names. He noted that Mr Bolger and his family have helped our community over the years and felt that both street names were appropriate. 

Councillor Courtney felt that he was good with the town’s policy but with consideration. He felt that the town committees are vital and that they are a great group of people. He felt that since the committee had endorsed the street names he would support the recommendation. 

Mayor Prue passed the gavel. (Sigh….it happened a few times Monday night….). He felt that he had difficulty with the situation since it was a 3-2 vote at the Heritage Committee. He felt that he did see a place for the name “Brittany” and wondered if the two names could be switched places. Therefore, he felt that making “Brittany” the name of the street going into the subdivision and making “Stone” the name of the street IN he subdivision. He felt that he agreed with Mr Bolger about the deviation from the policy and noted that he knew of only one other deviation, which was Mulberry Court. He felt that it is the town’s obligation to take names from the list of street names and noted that Stone is on the list. 

Councillor Crain asked if the current street naming policy was up to date and perhaps was set to be reviewed. The Clerk said that the policy is on the list for review but that the policy is not out of conformance. Ms Osborne, Deputy CAO said that there would be a report coming to council in October on this matter.

(I can hardly wait! I believe I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…..we need to stop naming things, streets, parks, buildings, whatever after people….it’s an antiquated way of thinking. However, I do think we need to finish honouring the veterans that are still on the list. After that though, the list should become a thing of the past…..but looks like I’ll be able to blog more about that in October, so I will save my energy for that later). 

Anyway, Mr Bolger wanted to reply to Mayor Prue’s statements. There was a motion to waive the rules of order to allow him to speak and it carried unanimously. For those who had carefully read the new procedural bylaw, a vote to waive the rules of order must be unanimous to pass. Yes, it’s in the bylaw. I found it. 

Mr Bolger explained that the street coming into the subdivision will not have any homes on it (Stone Street) and that when people talk about where they live he wants them to live on Brittany Street. 

Deputy Mayor Gibb felt that developers take all the risk when they fund a development. They have to provide reports, spend money, get inspections and build homes for the people of the community. He felt that it was unfair for council to weigh in on street names and a bit of government overreach. He said he would support the recommendation. 

Councillor McArthur also said he was in support. He noted that the developer had come forward with a clear and convincing case. He noted the developers contributions to Amherstburg. 

It went to a recorded vote : 

In support of the recommendation for Stone Street and Brittany Crescent : Councillors Allaire, Crain, Courtney, McArthur and Deputy Mayor Gibb 

Opposed : Councillor Pouget and Mayor Prue

Regional Waste Management County By-law

This is kind of interesting. The provincial government has created a law that all municipalities must have an organic waste program in place by January 2025. The question is, do we do this alone or do this at the County level? This is from the report in terms of frequency for waste pick up : 

• Bi-weekly garbage collection for all residents (reduced from weekly);  
• Weekly organics collection for all residents (new service); 
• Maintain bulk/large item collection;  
• Bi-weekly leaf/yard waste collection for urban residents (no change); and  
• Monthly white goods collection (no change).

So, eventually, possibly garbage would be picked up every other week but organic waste would be picked up weekly. 

It looks like administration is recommending that Amherstburg embark with the County to move to a municipal waste collection process.

It is recommended that: 

1. Council SUPPORT the Corporation of the County of Essex By-Law 2023-40, being a by-law to transfer all power of the lower tier municipalities of the County of Essex with respect to the collection of waste and the delivery of such waste in the County of Essex, pursuant to the provisions of Sections 189 and 190 of the Municipal Act, 2001, S.O. 2001, c.25, as amended. 

This is key…..the actual green bins, garbage pick up etc were not up for debate. The green bins are being legislated by the province and the pick up of those green bins will be managed by the County. The only thing up for debate is : Do we manage the rest of our waste disposal alone and pay for it alone or do we allow the County to take over the entire waste disposal program and we pay a levy to the County for this specific service? Sadly, the program itself was debated, which was a big time waster. Organic waste compliance is no longer a choice or up for debate but I digress. 

Mayor Prue mentioned that the County CAO and two Directors from the County were present at the meeting in case members of council had any questions. 

Councillor Pouget felt that the lower tier municipalities would be bound by this bylaw and lose power. A Director from the County explained that there is a plan in place regarding service levels and that 4 of the 7 local municipalities would have to vote in favour for this bylaw to go into effect. 

CAO Critchley did not that Councillor Pouget was right in the sense that lower tier municipalities would be giving up control of the waste collection. She noted however that the partnership did have a menu of services available and that if the municipality wanted something extra, such us yard waste collection after a storm, the municipality would still have an element of control. She noted that the issue was simply who would administer the contract. She noted that a larger group has better buying power. 

I am going to repeat this again…..the issue at hand Monday night was simply who would administer the contract for waste collection, the County or the local municipality, Amherstburg. Please note that there are (will be) four types of waste collection : garbage, recycle, yard waste and the green bins will be a fourth service added in 2025. 

Councillor Pouget wondered if the residents were allowed feedback. 

CAO Critchley noted that the County had presented all of this to council earlier this year and this week’s agenda was available ten days in advance. The CAO noted that the amount of savings was still unknown but did note that the municipalities that are currently negotiating their waste collection are seeing large increases for these services. 

Councillor Crain asked if other municipalities had joined forces in other areas and been successful at realizing cost savings. 

A Director from County council responded that it is a well established practice in Ontario for municipalities to join together for waste pick up. She noted that the Waterloo region involved a partnership of eight municipalities and had saved 1 Million dollars. 

Deputy Mayor Gibb asked the Director of Engineering what types of percentage increases other municipalities had been seeing for waste increases. (Side note….it was nice to hear a member of council address town staff by their titles rather than their first names. I only wish other members of council would start to do the same…..It’s professional and courteous.) 

Ms Giofu, Director of Engineering said she had attended several meetings and was hearing concerns from other municipalities about price jumps for waste collection. She noted that Amherstburg’s contract is in place until 2027 at current price but that the recommendation of having the County administer all of the waste disposal would be a savings for the town. Ms Giofu noted that all existing contracts would remain at the current levels of service until the contract expires in 2027. She noted that Amherstburg should prepare for a price increase post 2027. 

Councillor Courtney was concerned to see bi-weekly garbage collection and weekly organic collection. He wondered what the statistics for participation were. (I believe that Councillor Courtney is one of our ERCA representatives. It surprised me that he seemed to be somewhat negative about the organic collection and that people wouldn’t participate and want to do the right thing to help our environment?) 

A Director from the County noted that the goal was to divert 30.5% of our waste in Windsor/Essex, so that it doesn’t go to the landfill. She said that municipalities with organic pick up and biweekly garbage pickup have a diversion rate of over 60%. 

Councillor Courtney asked if that was tonnage or user rates. 

The Director noted that only tonnage information is provided since there is not a mechanism to measure participation. 

Councillor Courtney said he was apprehensive about regionalization since it could lead to amalgamation. He noted a crazy time with the policing contract. (He failed to mention that the policing contract did and does provide monetary savings to the town though.) He wondered what the amounts of increases were that municipalities were seeing for waste collection. 

The Director from the County said that municipalities that are currently negotiating are seeing increases of 40% or 50% and some even as high as 100%. 

Councillor Courtney asked about the potential savings. He was concerned with the loss of control if we went with the County administering the waste collection contract. He again noted his concern about bi-weekly garbage collection and didn’t want less service. 

There was some discussion about how other local municipalities had voted so far about this issue. 

Mayor Prue noted that the organic waste collection would be an additional pick up and would not mean less service, but more service. 

Councilor Allaire wondered if Amherstburg had the option of extending our contract. The Director of Engineering said she wasn’t aware of other municipalities but noted that extensions are at a higher cost and not the same price as what is in a current contract. 

Councillor Allaire wondered if diapers and pet waste would be included with the organic pick up. 

A Director from the County said that Seacliff Energy would be doing the initial roll out of organic waste collection and it did not, at the moment, include diapers and pet waste. She said it would include traditional organics such as food, tissue, dryer lint, hair etc. She noted that it would be a more expensive program to include diapers and sanitary products but there could be possible free drop off sites as was implemented in the Niagara/Waterloo region. 

Councillor McArthur then spoke and said that this program did not come out of the blue. (So true!!!) He noted that the Ontario government had legislated that organic waste collection must be implemented by 2025. He noted that we have seven separate contracts now for garbage in the county. He wondered if we were to regionalize our waste collection if it would offer economies of scale. 

A Director from the County spoke of the presentation a few months ago and that Amherstburg was required to divert 50% of our waste away from the landfill. She noted that the regional approach allows for opportunities for efficiency. She noted it would allow us to coordinate the pick ups so that instead of 4 different pick ups per week, there would be two. (Don’t forget, organics, garbage, recycle and yard waste…..with all different contracts would mean 4 different days……) 

Councillor McArthur noted that there would still be some element of local control since the Mayor and Deputy Mayor sit on County council and represent Amherstburg. He felt that there was a perception about the biweekly garbage pick up being a problem but that it was yet to be determined. 

There was some more debate but finally a motion was made by Deputy Mayor Gibb to support the recommendation (noted above). It was seconded by Councillor Crain. 

Councillor Allaire felt that she couldn’t see the savings. She also felt there had been problems with the policing contract as “Peter” said. (I find it just as disrespectful not to use members of council’s titles as I do not to use staff members titles.) Councillor Allaire felt that there were no guarantees and that had her worried. She felt that our current system is effective and she felt that outside bids would put people out of jobs. She felt that this is one of the biggest decisions this council will make during their 4 year term. She said she felt nervous to decide without fact. She felt that the report was amazing but that it was missing costs. (Just a side note….does anybody have a crystal ball to give costs for things that are coming in the future? Anybody? Bueller?) 

Councillor Crain felt that the report states clearly that regionalization of waste is practiced across Ontario successfully. He was concerned about the increase that will likely be faced in 2027 when our current waste disposal contract expires. He felt that bi-weekly garbage collection wouldn’t be a problem since there would not be any organic items in the garbage. He felt that he wanted to do what is best for Amherstburg and look for economies of scale. He didn’t want the taxpayers to pay twice for the services. 

Deputy Mayor Gibb felt that there are no guarantees and that the joy of leadership is having to make decisions. He noted the long term savings that are possible with economies of scale. He felt that seven individual contracts with one company is not efficient. He noted that in the business world larger contracts yield savings. He also noted that with the upcoming price increases that in 2027 council could be forced to go to bi-weekly garbage collection. He explained that with organic collection, there would be nothing to rot in the garbage and there wouldn’t be any vermin going after the garbage. Deputy Mayor Gibb noted that with the county overseeing the contract it would be an individual waste levy on our tax bills and that at the moment the costs are not a line item but just rolled into the total tax bill. He also felt that the municipalities need to show the province that we can work together. He felt that Amherstburg can’t keep going to the province and asking for money for infrastructure when we aren’t willing to work with our neighbours to find efficiencies. 

Councillor Courtney then spoke again. He said he was opposed to the motion and felt that with seven different contracts a company could “give deals”. He went on about no concrete numbers being provided. He also didn’t like that percentages of participation weren’t offered just tonnage numbers. He felt that reducing the collection for garbage would reduce the tonnage. He felt that the contract will promote illegal dumping and that it would be a nightmare. He felt that there wasn’t enough information for regionalization. (Side note….our ERCA rep thinks that the people of Amherstburg will start to illegally dump garbage? I got the impression during Councillor Courtney’s speech that he thinks that we won’t use the green bins and try to do our best to reduce waste….Odd that he seems to think so little of us that we wouldn’t try to do our part for our environment?…) 

Councillor McArthur then spoke again. He noted that he drinks a lot of coffee from Tim Horton’s and that when he finishes his coffee he has to make a choice. Does he throw it in the garbage can or walk down the hall and put it in the recycle? He said he makes a choice to do the right thing. He also noted that whatever council does, either way, organic collection is coming. He talked about caring for the environment and that yes, organic collections will cause some growing pains and some adjustments. But just like recycle causes growing pains, we did it! He felt that it was logical about the economics of scale. He noted that the seven municipalities have seven CAO’s, seven of several positions etc. And that one contract for waste collection introduces competition which is good and yields savings. He went on to say how vendor efficiencies could be found, for example both sides of Walker Road could have their waste picked up on the same day (one side is Amherstburg and one side is Essex), with a regional contract. Councillor McArthur felt that everybody needs to do their part and that it is incumbent on all of us to do so. He noted some concrete numbers from the Niagara Region about reduced tonnage. Ultimately he said that our goal was to protect the environment . He felt that there would be more trucks and efficiencies with regionalization and that it would be easier for the residents not to have to juggle a four day schedule of waste collection. 

Councillor Allaire spoke again. She talked about living on a farm. She felt that if Amherstburg continues with the contract until 2027 then council (the next one) will have a choice about staying weekly or going biweekly. 

Mayor Prue passed the gavel. (sigh….) he noted that he grew up in Toronto and that 25 years ago Toronto did exactly what was being proposed for Essex County. He noted that all of the same things were said. He said that in certain areas within months residents were getting rebates since their garbage was only one bag every two weeks. He noted that many were worried about costs but he felt that he was more worried about us going it alone. (Amen! Going it alone is more costly…..think about why couples move in together….much cheaper for two people to live in one house together than two people to live in two separate houses…..but I digress….) Mayor Prue said he would support the motion since it is the right thing to do. He felt that we should go boldly into the future. 

Recorded vote : 

In favour of the recommendation : Councillors Crain and McArthur, Deputy Mayor Gibb and Mayor Prue

Opposed : Councillors Allaire, Courtney and Pouget

Options to Address Zoning By Law 1999-52 as amended by 2019-028

It seems that there are some issues with structures along the shoreline and some of our bylaws need to be updated and re-worked. Here is the recommendation : 

It is recommended that: 

1. Administration BE DIRECTED to initiate a Zoning By-Law housekeeping amendment to address the current issues with the Zoning By-Law 1999-52, as amended by 2019-028 and; 

2. Administration BE DIRECTED that, upon completion of the Zoning By-Law housekeeping amendment, the owners of properties believed to be non-complying with Zoning By-Law 1999-52 are to be provided options they must take in order for their properties to be compliant with the By-law. 

It seems that there was a complaint about a structure being built close to the water. When it was investigated there were other structures found that were not in compliance. Councillor Courtney felt that there is a bylaw in place about this issue. Deputy Mayor Gibb asked if council were to decline this option to amend how many homeowners would be affected and have to tear down structures. Ms Osborne, Deputy CAO said there were a couple dozen. She explained that the structures are on the water side of the property and that there aren’t any site lines from the street. They would need permission to enter the property to measure the structures but were able to use GIS to see that structures were there. She noted that administration had reached out to ERCA. 

There were many other questions and Mayor Prue was looking for a motion. A motion was made for the staff recommendation. 

Councillor Courtney felt that the amendment wouldn’t hold people accountable for their structures. Ms Osborne said that it was housekeeping due to the number of structures. If ERCA inspects the structure and doesn’t have an issue with it, then it can remain. However if ERCA has a concern then the zoning bylaw amendment would apply. 

Councillor Allaire asked if ERCA would check each structure. The Deputy CAO said that yes they would and that ERCA had asked the town to put this in place to help them be a gatekeeper. 

Councillor Pouget felt that if council voted to accept the recommendation then two individuals will be exempt because ERCA said their structures were okay but that others would receive letters for an inspection. 

Recorded vote : 

In favour : Councillors Crain and McArthur, Deputy Mayor Gibb, Mayor Prue

Opposed : Councillors Allaire, Courtney and Pouget (Odd that our two ERCA reps voted in opposition to something ERCA requested?) 

Amherstburg Fire Station 3 Washroom proposal

For those that have been following council and local issues, you may recall that the fire station #3 (old Malden) does not have shower facilities for the firefighters. Council recently approved the construction of a new fire hall at the Libro Centre but that will take some time to be built. So in the meantime, a solution is required for the firefighters that respond from Station 3. There are 3 solutions proposed with solution #3 being recommended to be put in place immediately. Here they are, from the report  : 

“Until completion, an alternative solution for Station # 3 is required; 

Option #1 Build a 312 square foot addition on to the existing building to accommodate two separate gender neutral 3-piece bathrooms, decon/extractor room, and clean room. This would require and upgrade to the existing outdated septic system. This plan would require taking most of the front parking, or the rear storage area behind the fire station for a septic system including the septic bed which is non- existing Addition of 312 square feet at $400/square foot = $124,800.00 Replace septic system $35,000.00 Relocate storage buildings and new concrete and prepare site for bed $15,000.00 Total Cost $174,800.00 plus design, permit costs and HST This option would result in the loss of valuable space, and would not be completed in a short timeline. 

Option #2 Purchase a 2-unit shower/ combo self-contained trailer to be stored on site for approximately 1 year, until the new station build is complete. Cost to purchase $90,000.00 plus service maintenance (empty waste as required) Up-fit for water and winterize $5,000.00 Unit can re-purposed for other town events/projects, or sold after completion of new Fire Station build. Total Costs $95,000 plus HST 

Option #3 Currently, in the event that firefighters require showers due to exposure to contamination, Station 3 firefighters would be transported to stations 1 or 2 to utilize showers at those two facilities. This would utilize designated support vehicles to transport contaminated firefighters to shower, and these vehicles would be decontaminated once all firefighters were transported for showers. Firefighters would be provided alternate clothing arrangements and transported back to their respective stations in clean vehicles by additional firefighters who would remain after a call. This process could take an up to an additional 2 hours for those affected firefighters based on how many firefighters required decontamination. A procedure would be established to ensure proper decontamination and hygiene be followed post incident, as required to minimize exposure to cancer causing agents. Costs Based on 20 events per year involving 8 firefighters on average totals 160 firefighter showers @ 31.74 hourly rate using 2-hour timeline for each firefighter shower including 2-way transportation = $10,156.80 Total Cost $ 10,156.80

This item was debated at length and frankly I just don’t have it in me to summarize. I’m sure you can guess which councillor spoke a lot. The wheels are in motion for a new fire hall to be built at the Libro Centre so these are interim measures until the new structure is ready. 

Councillor Courtney made a motion for Option #3 for the moment until option #2 is up and running. He wasn’t sure that the new “big, big, big structure” would be ready in a year. 

Councillor Allaire said she was going to with option #3 however she didn’t know when “the chalet” would happen. (I found that remark extremely disrespectful. And even worse than what she said….a couple of members of council laughed about it. For members of council to make disparaging remarks about our new fire hall is disrespectful and uncalled for in my opinion. And for others to laugh with them was quite distasteful.) 

Councillor Prue asked council where they would take the funding from for the options. Councillor Allaire again mentioned that council had just put $1.2 Million into reserves so it could be taken from there. (The suggestion of just casually taking money from reserves puts the hair up on the back of my neck…..that type of thinking is what brought us to the 2014 financial crisis in Amherstburg. How quickly we forget I guess. Scary.) The Treasurer explained that the usage of reserves are set up for certain items. Councillor Crain noted that council is six weeks away from budget time and that the money could be budgeted. There was a little more debate but ultimately the motion carried for option #3 for now and then option #2 with money coming from the contingency reserve to fund it. 

2022 Year End Financial Ratios and Indicators

This report is going before council for receipt of the information. For those of you that have an interest in detailed information about the town’s finances, here is the link : https://pub-amherstburg.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=12270

The CFAO explained some of the highlights of the report. Of importance, she noted that Amherstburg is considerably lower in reserves than other municipalities. 

New Business

Councillor Allaire made a motion for a report about installing recycling bins in the downtown core. It carried. (The irony of this made me laugh a little bit….just heard some members of council complain about separating organic waste, as if it’s a huge problem, but then want more recycle bins. I say this only to point out the contradiction as I do think recycling bins downtown are important.) 

There was some discussion about a naturalized area in Kingsbridge. Seems more signage will be installed. 

NOTICE OF MOTION

Notice of Motion of September 11, 2023 – Centennial Park Field House – Councillor Pouget To be deliberated September 25, 2023 

– That Council DIRECT administration to negotiate with North Star High School and the Greater Essex County District School Board to use the portion of Centennial Park, the Libro Centre and the Bill Wigle Park, if required for football and other athletic uses, as per their previous historical agreements and further to that, allow for immediate use of the Field House in Centennial Park to store the North Star Football Team’s equipment and to allow practice to take place in said park, until this agreement can be reached.

Mayor Prue noted that the day after the last meeting that there were a number of emails sent. The Clerk wrote to the principal of the High School and a letter was sent in the Mayor’s name to the board. It is being studied at the moment. Since the wheels are in motion for some type of agreement for the field and the field house, Mayor Prue asked Councillor Pouget to defer her motion to a future meeting. It was decided to defer to one of the meetings in October and the motion to defer carried. 

The meeting adjourned at 8:53. It was a long one. It took me more than two evenings to get this all typed up….

The agenda for the October 10th meeting will be ready in two more days….so I’ll be back with a preview of that sometime this weekend. 

In the meantime, I hope everybody had a chance to see our beautiful town showcased on Still Standing! If you missed it, it’s available on CBC Gem. 

Have a great rest of your week! And I told you not to read this blog. 

In preparation for Monday September 25th Regular town council meeting

Well the agenda came out on Friday September 15th for the September 25th agenda. As per the new procedural bylaw, the agenda is sent to the public 10 days before the meeting. I’m really liking this! It gives me more time to read things through and more time to get the pre-meeting blog done! It also gives time to anybody who may want to delegate about an item on the agenda to get their paperwork in by Friday September 22nd so that they can be added to speak as a delegate. 

The agenda is 425 pages. Here is the link if anybody wants to read it in its entirety, instead of just the preview. https://pub-amherstburg.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx?Id=f39d5fe0-cd69-4b62-b811-2ed6e364a87b&Agenda=Agenda&lang=English

Here are the highlights of what’s coming up : 

Kingsbridge Subdivision Phase 7A9A– Assumption of Surface Asphalt and Sidewalk

This looks to be pretty standard stuff for the Kingsbridge subdivision development. The town will assume responsibility for the asphalt and sidewalks in a new area of Kingsbridge. 

Kingsbridge Subdivision Phase 9B – Assumption of Surface Asphalt and Sidewalk 

Seems to be similar to the item above but for a different new area of Kingsbridge subdivision. 

Kingsbridge Subdivision Phase 10 B/D – Assumption of Underground Infrastructure, Base Asphalt and Curbs

And again, some pretty standard approvals needed here for the Kingsbridge development. 

Regional Waste Management County By-law

This is kind of interesting. The provincial government has created a law that all municipalities must have an organic waste program in place by January 2025. The question is, do we do this alone or do this at the County level? This is from the report in terms of frequency for waste pick up : 

• Bi-weekly garbage collection for all residents (reduced from weekly);  
• Weekly organics collection for all residents (new service); 
• Maintain bulk/large item collection;  
• Bi-weekly leaf/yard waste collection for urban residents (no change); and  
• Monthly white goods collection (no change).

So, eventually, possibly garbage would be picked up every other week but organic waste would be picked up weekly. 

It looks like administration is recommending that Amherstburg embark with the County to move to a municipal waste collection process. I would think that by having one large county-wide contract, that could create some savings for each municipality. 

It is recommended that: 

1. Council SUPPORT the Corporation of the County of Essex By-Law 2023-40, being a by-law to transfer all power of the lower tier municipalities of the County of Essex with respect to the collection of waste and the delivery of such waste in the County of Essex, pursuant to the provisions of Sections 189 and 190 of the Municipal Act, 2001, S.O. 2001, c.25, as amended. 

Zoning By-law Amendment ZBA-15-23 for 196 Fort Street

It looks like a property on Fort Street is looking for some rezoning. This is from the report and explains what is being requested : 

“The purpose of the application is to establish a site-specific Residential Second Density (R2) Zone to permit semi-detached and single detached dwellings and a reduced exterior side yard setback of 4 m where 6 m is required. The subject site is currently zoned Residential First Density (R1) Zone. The current zone does not permit semi-detached dwellings. The proposed site plan is provided as Appendix C in the attachments. The applicant is proposing the development of two (2) semi-detached dwellings (four (4) units) and one (1) single detached dwelling for a total of five (5) dwellings on the property.”

Street Naming – Brittany Crescent and Stone Street

It seems that the Heritage Committee has endorsed the naming of 2 streets in a new development. One will be Brittany Crescent and the other Stone Street. The name for Stone Street comes from the Street naming inventory list of the Town of Amherstburg. It appears that Frances Stone is a Veteran of WWII. Administration is recommending the approval for both street names. 

Urban Structure Plan – Background Report

This report is to be received for information only. It seems to be a “big picture” type document in terms of planning. The report identifies various areas in Amherstburg, such as Urban Nodes, Downtown Node, Community Node, Neighbourhood Nodes, Corridors such as primary, secondary and scenic, major activity areas and growth areas. If this interests you, here is a link that explains what the Urban Structure Plan is https://pub-amherstburg.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=12304

Options to Address Zoning By Law 1999-52 as amended by 2019-028

It seems that there are some issues with structures along the shoreline and some of our bylaws need to be updated and re-worked. Here is the recommendation : 

It is recommended that: 

1. Administration BE DIRECTED to initiate a Zoning By-Law housekeeping amendment to address the current issues with the Zoning By-Law 1999-52, as amended by 2019-028 and; 

2. Administration BE DIRECTED that, upon completion of the Zoning By-Law housekeeping amendment, the owners of properties believed to be non-complying with Zoning By-Law 1999-52 are to be provided options they must take in order for their properties to be compliant with the By-law. 

Amherstburg Fire Station 3 Washroom proposal

For those that have been following council and local issues, you may recall that the fire station #3 (old Malden) does not have shower facilities for the firefighters. Council recently approved the construction of a new fire hall at the Libro Centre but that will take some time to be built. So in the meantime, a solution is required for the firefighters that respond from Station 3. There are 3 solutions proposed with solution #3 being recommended to be put in place immediately. Here they are, from the report  : 

“Until completion, an alternative solution for Station # 3 is required; 

Option #1 Build a 312 square foot addition on to the existing building to accommodate two separate gender neutral 3-piece bathrooms, decon/extractor room, and clean room. This would require and upgrade to the existing outdated septic system. This plan would require taking most of the front parking, or the rear storage area behind the fire station for a septic system including the septic bed which is non- existing Addition of 312 square feet at $400/square foot = $124,800.00 Replace septic system $35,000.00 Relocate storage buildings and new concrete and prepare site for bed $15,000.00 Total Cost $174,800.00 plus design, permit costs and HST This option would result in the loss of valuable space, and would not be completed in a short timeline. 

Option #2 Purchase a 2-unit shower/ combo self-contained trailer to be stored on site for approximately 1 year, until the new station build is complete. Cost to purchase $90,000.00 plus service maintenance (empty waste as required) Up-fit for water and winterize $5,000.00 Unit can re-purposed for other town events/projects, or sold after completion of new Fire Station build. Total Costs $95,000 plus HST 

Option #3 Currently, in the event that firefighters require showers due to exposure to contamination, Station 3 firefighters would be transported to stations 1 or 2 to utilize showers at those two facilities. This would utilize designated support vehicles to transport contaminated firefighters to shower, and these vehicles would be decontaminated once all firefighters were transported for showers. Firefighters would be provided alternate clothing arrangements and transported back to their respective stations in clean vehicles by additional firefighters who would remain after a call. This process could take an up to an additional 2 hours for those affected firefighters based on how many firefighters required decontamination. A procedure would be established to ensure proper decontamination and hygiene be followed post incident, as required to minimize exposure to cancer causing agents. Costs Based on 20 events per year involving 8 firefighters on average totals 160 firefighter showers @ 31.74 hourly rate using 2-hour timeline for each firefighter shower including 2-way transportation = $10,156.80 Total Cost $ 10,156.80″

2023 Special Events Approval – Part VIIII

I love events!!! 

And speaking of events that I love (and I know most of you do too….) the survey is now available for Open Air. Here is the link : https://www.talktheburg.ca/openair  Make sure to fill it out! 

Back to the agenda now….sorry I got distracted LOL 

There are two new events seeking approval. Here they are : 

It is recommended that: 

1. The following events BE APPROVED: 

a) Witches and Warlock Walk-a-thon – October 14th, 2023 

b) Howl-O-Ween – October 28th, 2023 

2. An exemption from table number 3-1(2) of Noise By-law #2001-43, as amended with respect to the operation of any electronic device or group of connected electronic devices incorporating one or more loudspeakers to allow for music BE GRANTED for the following events:

3. The Special Events Resource Team BE DIRECTED to confirm that the requirements identified by the Committee are met prior to the event.

Since these are two new events, I took a read through the report to see what they were. The first event, Witches and Warlock Walk-a-thon is being organized by Amherstburg Community Services and provided the following description : 

“This new fundraising event will be a welcome opportunity for people of all ages to walk (in costume or not) around four routes. Walkers will receive pledges (Young people walk so our seniors can roll) which the funds will then go towards the cost of operating our CareLink Accessible Transportation vehicles. All four routes have sidewalks and ACS will supply volunteers at every street crossing to ensure safety. The youngest of our walkers would be encouraged to following the Chain Link Route with their guardians (strollers encouraged). Others can choose a route based on their ability. All routes are wheelchair accessible. Following the walk a thon, everyone will gather back at ACS in the Victoria/Richmond Street (in the north parking lot).” 

This sounds like a lot of fun and a great fundraising idea that promotes walking! 

The second event, Howl-O-Ween, is being organized by the town. Here is the description : 

“This 2-hour event will be a Halloween costume contest for dogs taking place at Amherstburg’s dog park. Owners are encouraged to dress their pets to impress for a chance to win a prize in one of these categories: Best Costume, Scariest Costume, Most Creative Costume, and the Best Pet & Parent combination. We will be seeking sponsorship for prizes and refreshments. Pre-registration will be required ($10) and space will be limited. We hope to have activities such as “A Trick for a Treat” and a possible meet and greet with the Windsor K9 unit.”

I am a cat person and not much of a dog person, but this event sounds so cute!! 

2022 Year End Financial Ratios and Indicators

This report is going before council for receipt of the information. For those of you that have an interest in detailed information about the town’s finances, here is the link : https://pub-amherstburg.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=12270

Basically, it still seems that Amherstburg needs to concentrate on building reserves and paying down debt. This part of the report explains it quite well : 

“Prior Year 2021 Financial Information Return 

The attached analysis of our Financial Information Return provided by the Ministry (Attachment A) indicates improvements across our Sustainability Indicators and our Flexibility Indicators for the period 2017 to 2021. 

Debt Servicing Costs are relatively high in comparison to other municipalities in the Western Region, a result of utilizing debt in 2014 to address infrastructure deficits, and ongoing carrying cost of the Libro Centre. These debts will not be paid until 2034 & 2041 respectively. As the Town continues to utilize debt for large projects this number will continue to be at minimum, a moderate level of risk and could move to a high level of risk or the next few years. 

Total Reserves and Discretionary Reserves Funds in comparison are substantially lower than other municipalities in the Western Region. This is also reflective of the debt servicing cost the lack of reserves will result in the use of debt to fund infrastructure projects. Although this risk is considered low, if the reserves are not built-up or replenished it will result in higher usage of debt and increase the risk associated with the Debt Servicing Costs. 

Balancing debt and reserves will continue to be a challenge that Administration is attempting to mitigate with the 5-year capital budget tied to the Asset Management Plan.”

Amherstburg Accessibility Advisory Committee Achievements in 2022 and Updates to Multi-Year Plan

This report is also going to council for information purposes. It outlines some current initiatives of the Accessibility Advisory Committee as well as some of their future plans and initiatives. 

Essex Region Conservation Authority – Expanding greenhouse sector in Essex County, ON and downstream water quality degradation. Kingsville Leamington Nutrient Project 2012-2022 

This is a consent correspondence item from ERCA. 

UNFINISHED BUSINESS

Council can ask any questions about any unfinished business items on the list. 

NEW BUSINESS

And hopefully this section of the meeting will go more smoothly than last time….this will be council’s second meeting with their new procedural bylaw….so as I understand it, any new business items can be brought up but then they are debated at a future meeting, so this section of the meeting should be more orderly. Mayor Prue did an admirable job at the last meeting of trying to keep council on track. Hopefully the members of council are more familiar with the new procedural bylaw that they passed unanimously and will be able to adhere to it this time. I guess we’ll see.. 

NOTICE OF MOTION

Notice of Motion of September 11, 2023 – Centennial Park Field House – Councillor Pouget To be deliberated September 25, 2023 

– That Council DIRECT administration to negotiate with North Star High School and the Greater Essex County District School Board to use the portion of Centennial Park, the Libro Centre and the Bill Wigle Park, if required for football and other athletic uses, as per their previous historical agreements and further to that, allow for immediate use of the Field House in Centennial Park to store the North Star Football Team’s equipment and to allow practice to take place in said park, until this agreement can be reached.

The above item was discussed at the September 11th meeting. It looks like there will be further information and debate about the above notice of motion. I’ll listen and watch intently. 

And that’s it that’s all. If anybody wants to delegate about an agenda item, you’ve got until Friday at noon to get your affairs in order and contact town hall. 

I hope everyone was able to get out and enjoy the Uncommon Festival this past weekend! Downtown was packed and full of fun!!! 

And in case I’m not back right away with the post-meeting blog from September 25th…..just a reminder to all of those that love Amherstburg that our town will be featured on the CBC show “Still Standing” with Jonny Harris on Tuesday September 26th at 8:30 PM. Be sure to watch! 

Monday September 11th Regular town council meeting

Well Monday night was an interesting night. This was the first council meeting that fell under the new procedural bylaw that council passed unanimously last month. It seems that a few members of council don’t understand how the new procedural bylaw that they approved unanimously works….more on that later. Also, there was a pretty big ticket item that was passed with ZERO discussion, yet smaller items were discussed ad infinitum. Oh and the councillor that spent the last two meetings typing away on their computer messaging with who knows who? Well, the first part of the meeting the councillor was following the meeting and paying attention. The latter half not so much. All members of council should be listening intently to everything going on during the meeting, not typing and smiling at their computer or checking texts on their watch don’t you think? I find it extremely troublesome that a member of council seems to be engaging in conversations on their computer, rather than listening to and following the meeting. Interestingly, at one point, the councillor would look up as if they were paying attention but continued to type. Not sure if they wanted to show their ability to type without looking at the keyboard? I don’t find that impressive at all. This poor behaviour during meetings has been ongoing for this member of council. It was happening with a phone in the spring, now it’s switched to typing on a computer instead of a phone in the summer and fall. If you’re curious as to who is behaving disrespectfully during the meetings and not actively listening and following the proceedings, just watch the video of the second half of the meeting and you will see it for yourself. 

I decided to attend the meeting in person Monday night. The gallery was not full, maybe about a dozen people were in attendance. This is the third council that I’ve been watching and this is quite typical. At the beginning lots of residents show up. As time goes by, fewer and fewer. Unless of course there is an issue that affects people directly, then they’ll show up. But as far as watching and following with regularity, we are a rare breed. 

***Councillor Courtney attended the meeting via Zoom*** The rest of council were present in Chambers. CAO Critchley was absent, however the Deputy CAO, Melissa Osborne took her place for the duration of the meeting. 

The regular agenda came out 10 days in advance on September 1st as per the new procedural bylaw. There was a supplementary agenda added on Friday September 8th with two items. Here is the link to the full agenda if you want to read any reports. https://pub-amherstburg.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx?Id=a435e885-580c-44c1-b392-e89df1cf16fc&Agenda=Merged&lang=English

There were some report outs from in-camera meetings that just said that verbal direction was given by council. 

PRESENTATIONS 

Enbridge Gas – Boblo Island CE Project

It looks like Boblo Island is part of the Ontario Government’s Natural Gas Expansion Program. There were several people present from Enbridge Gas to present the project to council. They explained part of the construction aspect that a gas line would be put under the river to provide natural gas to Boblo Island. It would follow engineering design and would have all of the necessary permits. It seems it will take approximately one or two weeks to get everything in place to cross the river. Enbridge is required to submit an application to the Ontario Energy Board and was hoping to start the project in the third quarter of 2024 with the project finished by the end of 2023. It was made clear that the residents of Boblo Island could choose to hook up to Natural Gas or not. They are under no obligation to do so. 

Councillor Allaire asked about the map since it showed only half of the island would be serviced. She wondered if they would finish the other half of the island. The presenters said that yes, eventually service would be offered to the south side of the island but that only the north side of the island is developed at the moment and falls under Bill 32. They said that they would ensure that the pipe and infrastructure could service the whole island when the time comes. 

It was made clear that this project will not involve any costs to the taxpayers of Amherstburg. Deputy Mayor Gibb was pleased that there would be a net positive of some added tax revenue due to the new infrastructure and he made a motion to send a letter of support for the project. If any residents of Boblo Island choose to convert to natural gas, they will pay for the service. The motion carried and a letter of support will be sent. 

This was around 6:20PM. I noticed that Councillor Courtney’s camera was off and he seemed to have left the meeting. He showed back up later on but I’m not sure exactly when. He was gone for a while. 

2023 Ice Surfacing Equipment. – Award of Tender

During the 2023 budget deliberations, council had approved funding to replace the existing zamboni. There was a bit of discussion and a few questions but ultimately the motion was made and it carried.  Councillor Allaire was happy that the money saved would be used for the Libro Centre. Councillor Crain commended staff for being able to come in under budget and create a $15,000 surplus. Deputy Mayor Gibb was pleased that the price included the charging system and all equipment. Mayor Prue was happy that there would be no more diesel fumes. So, long story short, we will be getting a new electric zamboni for the arena. Here is the recommendation that passed. 

It is recommended that: 

1. An expenditure for the purchase of a 2024 Zamboni 650 Electric BE APPROVED with a total cost not to exceed $198,131.97 plus HST; 

2. The purchase of the 2024 Zamboni 650 Electric BE AWARDED to Zamboni Company Ltd.; and, 

3. Net proceeds from the sale of the current Zamboni BE DIRECTED to the Libro Ice and Arena Infrastructure project (#723004), along with any surplus funding after the purchase of the Electric Zamboni, estimated at $58,381, to be use towards the purchase of additional ice maintenance equipment required for the Libro Centre rinks.

Temporary Zoning By-law Amendment – East Side of County Road 20 North of River Canard (ZBA-14-23)

This carried with no discussion. 

Official Plan Amendment No. 23 and Zoning By-law Amendment for 9538 Walker Road

This carried with no discussion. 

Suitability for Development on a Private Septic System on Front Rd N

This carried with no discussion. 

Amendment to the Video Surveillance Policy

This also carried with no discussion. 

Update on the Status of Kings Navy Yard Park Extension Lands August 2023

Here is the link to the report for the update of the Navy Yard Park Extension that council had requested last month : https://pub-amherstburg.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=12135

Ultimately, there was nothing very exciting there in my opinion. A lot of we’re waiting and waiting for various approvals etc. 

Councillor Crain questioned that the risk assessment for the property had been revised three times. Ms Baillargeon, Director of Parks and Facilities said that this is not an uncommon event. Councillor Crain asked some questions about the timeline. It seems that the project is in two parts at the moment. Administration is proceeding as per council direction for a tender at the end of the year for the shore line work. The rest of the project will be coming in the budget for next year. 

Councillor Pouget appreciated administration’s work but felt that we are no further ahead than a year ago. She wondered if council could do anything to help the process along. Ms Baillargeon said that the process is the process but that if the budget is approved they could start certain work on the property. She noted that the 5 year capital plan is not approved as of yet. 

Deputy Mayor Gibb also asked if council could do anything to help move the project forward. The Deputy CAO said that administration is revisiting the timeline for the capital budget to see if work can be pulled to 2024. The Deputy CAO also noted that Deputy Mayor Gibb had advised MPP Leardi about this report and had reached out. 

At this point, things got very interesting…..Mayor Prue noted that a person in the gallery had their hand up to speak. He noted that the procedural bylaw had changed and that the vote had to be unanimous in order to waive the rules of order and open the floor to the public. Just an important reminder…..council UNANIMOUSLY approved the new procedural bylaw. Then, just like that, Councillor Pouget made a motion to waive the rules of order and Councillor Allaire seconded it. (What a contradiction…..council just approved the new procedural bylaw a month ago unanimously, this is the first meeting with the new procedural bylaw in place and they are going to waive it already?????? The agenda came out 10 days in advance! If a resident wanted to speak to an item on the agenda, they had over a week to submit their paperwork to delegate…..)

Deputy Mayor Gibb felt that he would not support waiving the rules of order. He felt it was unfair to give an opportunity to speak to a person that is able to be in person at the meeting while someone watching from home does not have the same opportunity. He felt that it was inequitable. 

Mayor Prue said there would be no vote then since one member of council had spoken in opposition to waiving the rules. 

Councillor McArthur said that he wanted to back up Deputy Mayor Gibb and did feel that waiving the rules was unfair to residents that aren’t physically present at town hall. He also said that he did not want to throw staff under the bus by waiving the rules. He acknowledged that waiving the rules often puts the meetings off the rails and that as much as he loved meetings going off the rails as a reporter, he noted that council needs to do the business of the town and have a structured meeting. He also noted that council unanimously supported the procedural bylaw. 

Mayor Prue said that since it would not be unanimous so there wouldn’t be a vote. Since there was a motion made and seconded, I feel that Mayor Prue should have called the vote. I would have been very interested to see which other members of council would have voted against their new procedural bylaw with Councillors Pouget and Allaire. Unbelievable. 

Councillor McArthur and Councillor Crain asked a couple more questions but finally the motion was made and it carried. The report about the Duffy’s property was received. 

MINUTES – Accessibility Advisory Committee Meeting- August 24 2023

I usually don’t blog about meeting minutes since they are usually adopted with no discussion or very little discussion. However, this committee meeting had something of interest in it that drew council’s attention. Deputy Mayor Gibb asked about some wording in the minutes that the committee was calling on council regarding a sidewalk on Pickering Drive. He wondered if there would be a report for council to debate. 

Councillor McArthur gave some background since he sits on the Accessibility Advisory Committee. It seems that a site plan had come forward for the committee’s stamp of approval but in reality there is nothing the committee could do to stop it. It seems that a new LCBO will be built in the WalMart parking lot near the corner of Pickering and Sandwich Street. The committee noticed that there wouldn’t be a sidewalk providing access to the building. 

Deputy CAO Osborne noted that the town can’t compel the developer to put in a sidewalk. It was explained that a sidewalk was needed on Pickering Street from Sandwich to the first driveway near the RBC Bank. 

Mayor Prue pointed out that the current LCBO, as small as it is, has a sidewalk with a ramp for wheelchair access. He felt that this proposal was for less than what we have now. He noted that the province has taken away the municipality’s power when it comes to development and that council has to say yes to the development. 

Councillor Courtney suggested some paths instead of cement sidewalks. Councillor Pouget wondered if that idea had any merit. The Clerk said that he could ask the developer about putting in a sidewalk or paths. 

Councillor McArthur made a motion for administration to approach the developer to find a creative solution to the sidewalk issue. If the developer is unable to do so then administration is to come back with a report for the budget deliberations. (Sounds like if the developer won’t put the sidewalk in, then perhaps council will.) 

During this discussion about the sidewalk, one member of council was typing on their computer….

Minutes – Drainage Board Meeting – August 9 2023 (supplementary agenda)

The above item came out in a supplementary agenda on Friday September 8th. 

And while one member of council was typing away…..the minutes of the drainage board were approved without a question and without any discussion. I have to wonder if members of council read them? I’m guessing not…..?  They quietly approved spending around $1,000,000 on drainage work in the Lakewood Beach area. The town is assessed to pay two thirds of that amount and the residents will have to pay the other third. We were about to sit through endless debates about crossing guards, reports, the old Boblo dock, small cost items…..yet in a matter of seconds council agreed to spend around $650,000. 

This is from the minutes : 

-These upgrades will help mitigate flooding and provide a better level of service to the watershed than currently exists. 

– Costs are estimated just over $1,000,000.00 

– The Town of Amherstburg is assessed 2/3 of the cost of the project due to the Lakewood Drive being narrow and the new drain has to go in the road.

Here is the link to the minutes https://pub-amherstburg.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=12243

Here is the link to the new bylaw https://pub-amherstburg.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=12242

And here is the recommendation that was made and approved. Somebody stopped typing for a brief moment to make the motion : 

• It is recommended that:
  1. The Drainage Board Meeting Minutes of August 9, 2023 BE RECEIVED;
  2. The engineer’s report, prepared by Rood Engineering Inc., dated May 30, 2023 for the Bondy-Bastien Drain BE RECONSIDERED;
  3. Rood Engineering Inc. BE DIRECTED to modify the engineer’s report dated May 30, 2023 for the Bondy-Bastien Drain, and include the changes to culverts that has been brought forward by landowners subsequent to the consideration meeting;
  4. The report from the Drainage Superintendent and Engineering Coordinator dated May 18, 2023 to amend By-law 2020-062 under Section 62(1) BE RECEIVED; 
  5. By-law 2023-097, being a By-law to amend By-law 2020-062 to provide for the levying of costs for the improvement works to the John Parks Drain No. 2 be taken as having been read three times and finally passed and the Mayor and Clerk BE AUTHORIZED to sign same; and,
  6. The following drainage apportionments BE APPROVED, as recommended by the Drainage Board:
     1. Consent B/36/20 – Drainage Apportionments for the Waldron Drain, 7th Concession Drain South and the Beaudoin Drain South – 8270 South Townline Road.
     2. Consent B/21/22 – Jeths Drain – 21 Marsh.
     3. Section 65(1) report by Tim Oliver, dated May 30, 2023 – Assessment Reapportionment for the Tremblay Drain – 7751 Howard Ave.

New Business

Welcome to the Town of Amherstburg’s Wild Roller Coaster. For your safety, please hang onto your hats because things are about to get really bumpy and wild. It will likely be difficult to follow this part of the ride, I mean meeting, because it went round and round and upside down over and over again. Mayor Prue did a great job trying to steer the Wild Roller Coaster but it got off the tracks a few times…..

So. Before I begin. Again, this was the first meeting with the new procedural bylaw. I have read it in depth a few times now. From my understanding, any new business items are now put off as Notice of Motion for the next meeting and then are debated at that time. This allows staff to be prepared (and council) with proper reports in front of them, rather than debate things on the fly, as has often happened in the past. The old way new business was done, often left staff trying to scramble up information on the spot and council making decisions about items without giving the public advance notice. So, the way this was all SUPPOSED to work….council bring up their issue, it would be placed as a notice of motion for the September 25th meeting and then would be debated and voted on at the next meeting. This is the way the new procedural bylaw works. Don’t forget folks that the new procedural bylaw was passed UNANIMOUSLY. It seems that some members of council don’t understand their new procedural bylaw that they passed unanimously…..

First up, Councillor Allaire made a motion to increase the crossing guards by one at the corner of Pickering Street and Fryer Street. Mayor Prue explained that the previous council had adopted a policy in 2020 and that it is a 5 year policy. He said that that policy would have to be reconsidered. 

The Clerk told Councillor Allaire that it would be best if her notice were made as a notice of motion and debated at the next meeting in two weeks. 

Rather than do that, Councillor Allaire started defending her motion (which procedurally should be done at the next meeting as a notice of motion…..UGH). She said that she had received several emails and that the crossing guards were one of the main concerns since the election. She talked about the report from 2020 and that the study was done in the fall of 2019. She noted that we used to have eight crossing guards and now have three. She talked about a new subdivision being built near St-Jean-Baptiste. She felt that the town shouldn’t do another study since that would not allow for changes until next year. She felt that other municipalities don’t do studies and that they reach out to the school boards. She said had gone to talk to a principal and some Educational Assistants. 

Mayor Prue interjected and told Councillor Allaire that she needed to make a notice of motion and her arguments could be made at the next meeting on September 25th. He also noted that she would need to have a source for the money required for a study. 

Councillor McArthur said that it should be a notice of motion since council would need all of the facts in front of them. 

Councillor Allaire then went on and on that there used to be eleven crossing guards, then it went down to eight, now down to three. She said that administration had recommended two in 2020 but that then Councillor Prue had fought for a third one. Then….wait for it….Councillor Allaire said that council had just put $1.2 Million in reserves and that $10,000 could be spent for a crossing guard and no study. (OH MY……my jaw hit the floor. What is the polar opposite of fiscal responsibility? This right here. To think for one second that since money was put into reserves, you can just withdraw it on the spot and put a crossing guard somewhere……OH MY…..this is not how the process works. Not even close. I really think Councillor Allaire thought that this was as simple as just putting a crossing guard at that corner and taking the money from reserves. I have no words.) Anyway, at that time Councillor Allaire said she would change it to a notice of motion and as for a report. She then made a comment that she had a feeling that she was fighting against councillors not understanding. 

Mayor Prue said that her comment was not appropriate. 

Councillor McArthur felt that it was a shot at him since he was the only one who had spoken. Councillor McArthur said that council needs data to make a decision. The previous report felt that 40 warrants (crossings) was sufficient. He said that the decision was not about money but in the best interest of the kids. He said that a decision can’t be made without data. He also noted that if the town can’t staff the corner daily with a crossing guard then that becomes even more dangerous. The town needs to have sufficient staff. 

Mayor Prue interjected and said it would be a notice of motion and that there would be no more debate.

Councillor Pouget made a point of order and said she had her hand up before Councillor McArthur and wasn’t acknowledged. 

Mayor Prue again stated he was stopping the debate. 

At this point the motion about the crossing guards was carried as a notice of motion for the next meeting. That means that this issue will have a report and will be debated on September 25th, the next regular meeting. 

Then Councillor Pouget made a motion to direct administration to contact the Department of Oceans and Fisheries to request the immediate removal of the Boblo dock and for administration to provide pictures of the current state of the dock. 

The Mayor pointed out that council has been dealing with this item. 

While Councillor Pouget spoke and explained, another member of council was typing away and smiling at their computer…..Councillor Pouget said the item had been brought forward since 2016. She felt that it is unacceptable for the dock to remain and needs immediate action. 

Mayor Prue felt that this would be a situation of the Town of Amherstburg telling the federal government what to do. 

The Clerk pointed out that the federal government would have similar structure and procedure as the town, as in budgeting for removal, putting out tenders for pricing and if emergency work were needed they’d have processes for that as well. 

Councillor Crain agreed that something needed to be done but wondered if asking the feds to demolish it immediately was outside of council’s authority. He wondered if there could be an extra step taken. (And I would guess that yes, telling a higher level of government what to do would be outside of council’s authority, but who knows…..) 

Chief Montone then spoke. He said that specific situations have to exist for the Mayor to declare an emergency. He felt that perhaps they could take an up close look at the dock. He agreed that it was a serious concern but that an emergency is to move to something that threatens the health and safety of the municipality. 

Finally Councillor Pouget withdrew her motion and made a new one to send a letter to Chris Lewis MP to ask a question about the dock in the House of Commons. 

The Clerk felt that council should be mindful of our relationship with other levels of government and that the federal government has already stated that they are looking at the issue and seeking funding for demolition. 

Councillor Courtney reappeared and said something about probably missing some of the comments. He felt that the liability and the onus of the dock was on the federal government. He sympathized with the urgency but said it was being remedied just not on our timeframe. He felt he would not support the motion. 

Councillor Crain said that he would support the motion. 

Deputy Mayor Gibb said that he shares the concerns and sense of urgency but wondered if council was going to request that our MP pull a stunt in government if there could be risk of backlash for that. 

Councillor McArthur felt that the federal government doesn’t have the money at the moment and the dock is not a priority in their budget. 

Councillor Courtney asked for the motion to be read again. It was and it carried unanimously. Council will ask our MP to bring up the item in the legislature during debate. 

Councillor Crain mentioned the number of storms that resulted in flooding in Amherstburg in August. He mentioned that it was said in the media that the Mayor had requested a report. There was some discussion but ultimately a motion was made for a complete report about the flooding as well as flood control measures. It carried unanimously. 

Councillor Allaire then made a motion for a letter of recommendation to County Council to have traffic lights installed at the intersection of Middle Side Road and Howard Avenue. 

Mayor Prue pointed out that Deputy Mayor Gibb had already started the process with the County. 

Councillor Allaire wanted the infrastructure put in place at the intersection. 

Deputy Mayor Gibb said that he had sent an email to the Director of Infrastructure for the County of Essex. The intersection is on a list for a study. If he were to make a notice of motion, it could be studied sooner. However he noted that the tender for all the bridge work had gone out, construction is set to start in October and he’s not sure they’ll stop the project midstream to add other infrastructure. 

Councillor McArthur liked the spirit of the motion that it was laying the groundwork. 

Councillor Courtney then started talking about the two storms in August. He noted that the first night we had a lot of rain and the second night there was a tornado warning. Chief Montone explained the alerts and warnings system. He noted that on August 24th the initial alert was sent at 10:15 PM. Ontario Alerts were sent at 10:36 and Amherstburg repeated our alert at 10:38. He noted that people have the choice of a call and/or text and/or email. He felt that the town should promote the Amherstburg Alerts system since it is a reliable system. 

Councillor Courtney wondered if administration needed direction for more marketing since it is a good system. 

Chief Montone explained that that was approved in July for enhanced education along with the funding to do it. 

Councillor Pouget made a motion to negotiate with North Star high school to allow them to use the building/field house in Centennial Park to store their equipment.  She felt that there had been an agreement with the board for years for the use of the park and the rental of the field house. 

Mayor Prue said that the agreement had not been in effect for years. Again, he said a notice of motion would be required since staff would have to prepare a report regarding the current use of the building, if things needed to be moved in/out, proper insurance coverage etc. 

The Director of Parks and Facilities said that she would appreciate time for a notice of motion to prepare a report. 

Councillor Allaire seconded the motion and felt that the high school didn’t have time for a notice of motion since football season starts now. Ms Baillargeon explained that the town is currently using it for storage and there is no room currently in the building. Items would have to be moved etc. 

Anyway, Mayor Prue said that maybe the building could be declared surplus to the town’s needs but that the debate would happen at the next meeting. Ms Baillargeon said there had not been a contract last year with North Star high school. The clerk said that there had been an agreement in 1997 but that it had expired. Mayor Prue said that the CAO was away at the moment and that she needs time to contact the school board. So finally, they voted, it looks like it will be a notice of motion with a staff report for the next meeting. 

NOTICE OF MOTION

So, on Monday night’s agenda was the following notice of motion, that was up for reconsideration on Monday night. 

Notice of Motion – Amherstburg Siren Alerting System – Councillor Pouget

That Council RECONSIDER Council Resolution 20230711-016, namely that, Administration BE DIRECTED to proceed with Option # 1, decommissioning of the ATI – Siren System, as noted in the report entitled Public Alerting Considerations and Direction dated May 29, 2023; and, Equipment and poles BE REMOVED from all current Siren Sites, recycling materials.

Mayor Prue explained that the motion was to reconsider a motion that passed unanimously by council. Councillor Pouget made the motion and Councillor Allaire seconded it, that is the motion for reconsideration. 

Mayor Prue said that there could not be any debate, simply why or why not the motion should be reconsidered. Councillor Pouget was allowed to speak to her motion and why she felt it should be reconsidered. Councillor Pouget felt that it was a good idea to reconsider the motion to decommission the sirens because she had fielded complaints since the storms and done some research. She felt council acted too hastily. She felt that the sirens are a requirement for Fermi 2 and the province was not notified of their removal. She felt that three new sirens would be needed if land was available or lease reports but noted that the town owns parks so sirens could be placed in parks. She listed off several other reasons but I take my notes by hand….I did the best I could.

Mayor Prue called for the vote for reconsideration…..it was defeated 4 – 3

In favour of reconsideration : Councillor Pouget, Councillor Allaire and Councillor Courtney (that kind of surprised me since only minutes before Councillor Courtney was talking about all of the wonderful weather apps available and how we should promote Amherstburg Alerts….but now wanted to spend money install more sirens? Odd….)

Opposed to reconsideration : Councillor Crain, Councillor McArthur, Deputy Mayor Gibb and Mayor Prue. 

And that was that….the meeting wrapped up at 8:17. The first portion of the meeting was fairly pleasant although not exciting. When we got to New Business, the floodgates opened and it got pretty chaotic. Hopefully for the next meeting, members of council will be more familiar with their new procedural bylaw that they unanimously adopted and they’ll be able to follow it…..we shall see. 

With that, have a great week Amherstburg! This weekend is the Uncommon Festival. Hope to see you there! Should be fun!

And the agenda for the September 25th meeting will be out this Friday…..giving us all plenty of time to read it, prepare and submit forms for delegation if we want to speak to an agenda item. 

See you sometime this weekend with a preview of the September 25th meeting! 

In preparation for Monday September 11th Regular town council meeting

Well, with the new procedural bylaw the agenda is now available ten days before the meeting. So, it was quite refreshing to get the agenda in my email on Friday afternoon of September 1st for the September 11th meeting. This gives me more time to take a good read through it. And most importantly it gives time to those who wish to delegate on an agenda item more time to get their paperwork in! This is a win-win. During his campaign, I believe Mayor Prue had promised that the agenda would be made available to the public sooner. Very refreshing to see campaign promises come to fruition! I remember those things and keep a close eye on them. Speaking of campaign promises, Councillor Allaire had promised to provide post-meeting updates to the residents to help with communication. She did so, until June 12th. She hasn’t provided updates about the meetings since then. Not quite sure what happened there. It seems that the entire update section on her website is now gone. Poof! 

The agenda is 607 pages but I am hoping that the new procedural bylaw that council passed unanimously at their last meeting may (finally!) make the meetings more efficient. We will see I guess….

Here is the link to the agenda in its entirety. https://pub-amherstburg.escribemeetings.com/Meeting.aspx?Id=a435e885-580c-44c1-b392-e89df1cf16fc&Agenda=Agenda&lang=English

Here are the highlights of the meeting as I see ‘em : 

DELEGATIONS

As of now there aren’t any delegations on the agenda. So, if anybody submits their paperwork before Friday at noon, I am guessing they’ll be on a supplementary agenda. 

PRESENTATIONS 

Enbridge Gas – Boblo Island CE Project

It looks like Boblo Island is part of the Ontario Government’s Natural Gas Expansion Program. There is a slide presentation explaining the process. It appears that Enbridge Gas is seeking a letter or resolution of support for the Boblo Island Community Expansion Project that will help demonstrate council’s support and the need for the Ontario Energy Board Leave to Construct Application for the project.

2023 Ice Surfacing Equipment. – Award of Tender

During the 2023 budget deliberations, council had approved funding to replace the existing zamboni. Looks like the tender results and a new electric zamboni will become reality. Here is the recommendation : 

It is recommended that: 

1. An expenditure for the purchase of a 2024 Zamboni 650 Electric BE APPROVED with a total cost not to exceed $198,131.97 plus HST; 

2. The purchase of the 2024 Zamboni 650 Electric BE AWARDED to Zamboni Company Ltd.; and, 

3. Net proceeds from the sale of the current Zamboni BE DIRECTED to the Libro Ice and Arena Infrastructure project (#723004), along with any surplus funding after the purchase of the Electric Zamboni, estimated at $58,381, to be use towards the purchase of additional ice maintenance equipment required for the Libro Centre rinks.

Temporary Zoning By-law Amendment – East Side of County Road 20 North of River Canard (ZBA-14-23)

It looks like the owner of a property near River Canard has made an application to allow the use of shipping containers on their property for a period of up to three years. 

It looks like the request meets all of the planning criteria and here is the recommendation : 

It is recommended that: 

1. By-law 2023-090 being a by-law to amend Zoning By-law No. 1999-52, to amend the zoning for the lands legally described as Part Lots 34 and 35 on Concession 1; Part 1 on 12R-22921 be taken as having been read three times and finally passed and the Mayor and Clerk BE AUTHORIZED to sign same.

Official Plan Amendment No. 23 and Zoning By-law Amendment for 9538 Walker Road

This appears to be another planning item for a future subdivision. Here is the recommendation : 

It is recommended that: 

1. Official Plan Amendment No. 23, attached to this report as Appendix “J”, BE ADOPTED by Council and forwarded to the County of Essex; and, 

2. By-law 2023-087 being a by-law to amend Zoning By-law 1999-52, to amend the zoning for the subject lands known as 9538 Walker Road, as the corresponding implementing Zoning By-law Amendment, be taken as having been read three times and finally passed and the Mayor and Clerk BE AUTHORIZED to sign same. 

Suitability for Development on a Private Septic System on Front Rd N

It looks like a large lot is being severed to create another lot and would require a private septic system. Here  is the recommendation : 

It is recommended that: 

1. The development of one lot on Front Road North (severed from 2005 Front Rd N), on a private septic system, BE APPROVED.

Amendment to the Video Surveillance Policy

It seems that the town’s video surveillance policy has not been updated since 2013. Generally policies are supposed to be updated every 5 years. Here is the recommendation : 

It is recommended that: 

1. The Video Surveillance Policy BE AMENDED in accordance with the report dated September 11, 2023 entitled Amendments to the Video Surveillance Policy. 

Update on the Status of Kings Navy Yard Park Extension Lands August 2023

Here is the link to the report for the update of the Navy Yard Park Extension that council had requested last month : https://pub-amherstburg.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=12135

Ultimately, there’s nothing very exciting there in my opinion. Stay the course,wait for approvals, funding is approved and ready if/when work can begin…..and I guess we wait some more….The report is simply to be received for information. 

Council Request Re: Item 16.2 from the August 14, 2023 Council – Agenda – City of Toronto Response to the Proposed Provincial Planning Statement

And another report to be received for information. At the August meeting, council had asked administration to review item 16.2 that was on the agenda. So administration did so and this is the report for anybody that may be interested (it’s not very exciting…..just a warning) https://pub-amherstburg.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=12104

Cheque Register – August

So, since this is such a boring agenda I thought I’d go over the August cheque register with a fine tooth comb LOL. However, when I clicked on the link, I found the list of Unfinished business LOL. Guess it just wasn’t meant to be. 

NEW BUSINESS

The new procedural bylaw that council adopted unanimously last month governs how new business will be handled now. It will be a lot different and I am looking forward to it! No more random phone calls, arbitrary emails, haphazard concerns, erratic questions etc etc etc….can’t wait to see if council understood the new procedural bylaw that they approved…..

NOTICE OF MOTION

 Notice of Motion – Amherstburg Siren Alerting System – Councillor Pouget

That Council RECONSIDER Council Resolution 20230711-016, namely that, Administration BE DIRECTED to proceed with Option # 1, decommissioning of the ATI – Siren System, as noted in the report entitled Public Alerting Considerations and Direction dated May 29, 2023; and, Equipment and poles BE REMOVED from all current Siren Sites, recycling materials.

Above is the notice of motion that Councillor Pouget will present. 

She will be making a motion that council reconsider a decision that they made in July. Here is the report about the decision made about the sirens : https://pub-amherstburg.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=12096

https://pub-amherstburg.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=12097

The second document is the map. 

However, before anyone gets too excited…..a notice of motion is just that…..notice that at the next meeting (September 25th) the above motion will be on the floor for debate. So, to be clear, the decision to reconsider (or not) about the sirens will not be made on September 11th, it will be made on September 25th. It’s like I’ve been watching council meetings for nine years now…..I’m not sure if I should be proud or I need a new hobby that I know the procedures of council meetings quite well LOL!!! 

Overall, it’s not a very exciting agenda. It is nice that it came out so far in advance. I certainly didn’t feel as rushed to get the pre-meeting blog done. If anybody wants to delegate about any of the items on the agenda, you’ve got until Friday at noon to contact the Clerk. So, everyone will have ample time….no more need to waive the rules of order and throw order out the window! LOL! 

Have a great week Amherstburg! The last Open Air weekend was this beautiful long holiday weekend! Hope everyone had the chance to enjoy it!

I’ll be back sometime after the September 11th meeting with the post-meeting summary. I’ll just have to decide if I want to go to the next meeting in-person or sit on my couch with my feet up….we shall see!

Have a great week!