The level of disrespect and unprofessionalism shown by some members of council at Monday night’s meeting was horrific and embarrassing. If you didn’t watch the meeting, I encourage everyone to watch the video of Monday night’s meeting, in its entirety. The disrespect was littered continuously throughout the entire meeting, right up to the very end. The meeting lasted about 3 hours and 45 minutes so you’ll need some time and a comfy chair.
This blog will be painful to read. It was equally painful to write.
Council met in-camera at 4:00.
There was a planning meeting at 5:00.
The regular meeting had a revised agenda that included two new delegations that weren’t on the original agenda. Here are the links to the revised agenda :
And for those that prefer the PDF : https://calendar.amherstburg.ca/council/Detail/2024-03-25-1800-Regular-Council-Meeting/c8846ff0-1257-4107-9fce-b13e0104c6f7
The meeting started promptly at 6:00. It was a full house in the gallery and people were standing outside in the hallway.
***Mayor Prue attended the meeting via Zoom***
Deputy Mayor Gibb chaired the meeting.
Report-Out in camera
There was a motion made to approve the sale of two vacant lots on Victoria Street for $350,000 + HST. The motion carried.
There were some other in-camera report outs but they were all to proceed on verbal direction of council.
PRESENTATIONS
Map and Grow Program – Danielle Bohn, Quentin Maini, Brian Kountourogiannis and Alice Grgicak-Mannion, University of Windsor School of the Environment
Ms Bohn addressed council about a tree program that the town had entered into with the University of Windsor. She was representing students that are studying a science certificate program. She spoke of the importance of trees to reduce pollution, create habitats, add value and curb appeal to properties among other positives. She explained the project purpose of tagging trees and compiling data about their growth, type and condition. She also showed a small snapshot of how the information is being stored so as not to reveal anyone’s private information.
Councillor Crain thought that this is an excellent program to help with Amherstburg’s tree canopy and was an all-around win/win.
Councillor Courtney wondered how big the program would become and if it could become too big to manage. Ms Bohn said that the data is there and continues for the tree giveaways. She noted that it’s the same amount of work and that new students will fill in as the existing students graduate. Councillor Courtney noted that there was a request for $10,000 and wondered how it would be funded and if a sponsorship had been lost. Ms Baillargeon, Director of Parks and Facilities said that the first year, THRIVE had sponsored the program and then Piroli had sponsored it the year after. At the moment, they are looking for a sponsor. She noted that the town already has the money set aside if they are unable to find a sponsor. Ms Baillargeon also noted that they are seeing sponsorships currently and that a few things are pending. Another person that was part of the group from the University also mentioned that the students are looking at some initiatives as well and also the TD Friends of the Environment Fund.
There was a motion to receive the presentation and it carried.
Map and Grow Tree Program
This item was pulled forward on the agenda since the previous presentation was in relation to this report.
Councillor Courtney asked about the $10,000 and that it was not taxation dollars. Ms Baillargeon explained that there was money built up in an account and that they were seeking sponsors and donors. The money is already set aside and the tree program provides trees on town property as well as on private property.
Councillor Allaire made the motion for the administrative recommendation.
It is recommended that:
1. That Council SUPPORT up to $10,000 from the annual Parks Tree Operating Budget to the Earth Day Map and Grow Tree program.
The motion carried.
DELEGATIONS
Delegation – Item #14.1 – Open Air – Dave Doherty
Mr Doherty delegated to council next. He explained that he is one of the owners of Flow Cafe and Bikes and the Meal Prep Company located at 274 Dalhousie. He was there to discuss Open Air and its boundaries. He was asking to move the boundary further down Dalhousie Street in order to include his business. He felt that having the boundary end at the corner of Murray Street and Dalhousie Street was a strong deterrent for people to continue on down the street to his business. He noted that thousands are out enjoying Open Air. Mr Doherty explained that when the barrier was moved further down Dalhousie Street during Cars Gone Crazy, that his business revenue increased 4.3 times.
He felt that as things are now, he is locked out of Open Air and doesn’t get the foot traffic that he could get if he were in the footprint. He did mention that he was aware of the logistics of having to man the barrier for the protected lane in order to allow for access to the Queen Charlotte residents parking. Mr Doherty felt that expanding the Open Air footprint to include his business would be the difference between him being a long-term business or a struggling business.
Councillor McArthur said that he wanted their business to be a long-term business. He also mentioned the contributions that they have made in such a short time (the bike trails at the Libro Centre). He wondered if they were allowed to move patio furniture out in front of their store. Mr Doherty said that he did confirm that they can use the space up to the sidewalk.
Councillor Courtney noted that there were 4 other businesses in the plaza and wondered if Mr Doherty had consulted them. He said that he had spoken with the Legion, Nucelli’s and the Yoga Studio and that they were okay with the changes. He mentioned that the other two businesses are closed on the weekends.
There was a motion made to receive the delegation and it carried.
Delegation – Item #14.1 – Open Air – Bethany D’Alimonte
Ms D’Alimonte delegated next. She is the owner of MusicLand. She noted how Open Air launched in 2020 during the pandemic. She cited an article from the Windsor Star from March 2023 that the main objective of Open Air was to boost business and that it did. She said that the return on investment to date is over $13 Million and that approximately 123,000 have attended Open Air. As well Open Air ranked as THE number one destination of 2023 of a Top 100 events and festivals in Ontario. She felt that we should be very proud of these achievements. She felt that 10 years ago this was something we all dreamed of, of Amherstburg being a colourful and happy town creating memories for a lifetime and now our dream has come true.
Ms D’Alimonte spoke of the 5 options that were presented to council last year with Mayor Prue choosing the 14 week event and trying to compromise with council. He had noted at the time that council was divided. Ms D’Alimonte noted the importance of compromise. She then asked that council compromise about the footprint of Open Air in order to extend it and allow Flow Cafe and Bikes into the footprint. Ms D’Alimonte felt that anyone that was born and raised in Amherstburg would know that Amherstburg was a lifeless town 5 years ago. She felt that the small businesses are what have given life to our town. She mentioned perhaps only closing one lane for Traffic instead of both in front of the Queen Charlotte could be a compromise.
Ms D’Alimonte expressed that many do not do well with change, herself being one, but that for Amherstburg, change is needed. She also said that we are a community, people that reside in the same place and share common characteristics and common goals. She noted we are all individuals that may not share the same opinions or the same values but that we need to look at the bigger picture. She again noted that Open Air ranked as THE #1 event in 2023 for Festivals and Events Ontario. She felt that keeping the exact same event year after year would not do it justice and there was room for change, by expanding the footprint to include more business in the success of Open Air.
Councillor Pouget asked Ms D’Alimonte if she were representing a group of businesses. Ms D’Alimonte said that she had spoken to many of the business owners. She said that some felt that their words were twisted and that they are not against Open Air. Councillor Pouget felt that last year some people were begging for compromise and that they felt that 14 weeks was excessive and that they left in tears.
Councillor McArthur asked Ms D’Alimonte what her plans were for her music studio during Open Air. Ms D’Alimonte said that she is planning to open the garage door and have live music with an open mic night available at the end of each month.
The delegation was received.
Delegation – Item #15.1 Open Air – Sue Hudson (supplementary agenda)
Ms Hudson delegated next to council. She had a powerpoint presentation on the screen to accompany her presentation. She felt that she had two areas to highlight. She said that she does not have an issue with Open Air but felt that it shouldn’t happen without a review. She noted that there have been many surveys about Open Air. She felt that survey results can be debated and felt that they can be presented to fit a narrative. She had some of the survey results on her powerpoint (I’ll include them all after). She spoke about the motion made March 13 2023 which granted authority to the CAO to handle Open Air and that it would not be part of special events. She felt that for 2025 Open Air that we need to set goals, measure the goals and see if the goals are met in regards to Open Air. She felt that the way Open air 2024 was handled was unclear and disappointing and that council should let us know what the goal is for Open Air.
Councillor Courtney felt that the frequency of Open Air is problematic. He also noted that other towns have BIA’s that fund events with their own money. (Amherstburg does not have a BIA). Councillor Courtney did not like how taxation dollars are being used to fund a festival that happens every weekend. Councillor McArthur called a point of order and asked if there was a question for the delegate since that was what was supposed to be happening. And, no, Councillor Courtney didn’t have an actual question, just commentary. (Side note…..tax dollars fund EVERY SINGLE EVENT in Amherstburg…..the Santa Claus Parade, River Lights, Canada Day, the list goes on and on…..why is it such a problem for some tax dollars to be used for this ONE festival but not the others? That’s my question!)
Councillor McArthur asked Ms Hudson what her favourite part of Open Air is. She said that she likes seeing everyone out there enjoying themselves. She added that she’s not sure of the goal of Open Air and that if we don’t know then it makes it difficult.
(My own personal side note…..do the Canada Day festivities have a goal? Does River Lights have a goal? The Santa Claus Parade? I don’t believe so…..so is a goal necessary for this ONE event but not the others?)
Delegation – Item #15.1 – Open Air – Linda Saxon
Ms Saxon delegated to council via zoom. She shared some statistics regarding disabilities. She shared her concerns regarding accessibility at Open Air.
She received several questions from various council members. Councillor Crain asked which barriers she was referring to. Ms Saxon mentioned physical barriers and attitudinal barriers. Councillor Crain asked if the physical barriers she mentioned were the ones at the end of the street filled with water.
Councillor Pouget asked if Ms Saxon could elaborate about other disabilities. Ms Saxon cited statistics from Statistics Canada and that the largest disabilities are pain related, as well as heart disease, lung disease.
Deputy Mayor Gibb noted that the Accessibility Advisory Committee had reviewed that footprint and did not find any issues but simply to advertise the accessible parking more heavily. Ms Saxon felt that maybe the 7 members of the committee are not representative of various disabilities and she noted that the microphones did not work properly during that meeting so she was unable to hear what was being said.
Councillor McArthur said that he was at the meeting and that there were no delegations. He noted that it was an emergency meeting at council’s request. It was a free flowing conversation and that it was recommended to aggressively advertise the accessible parking and to enforce it.
Finally, the delegation was received.
INFORMATION REPORTS – Report on Open Air
The report about Open Air was bought forward since the delegations were about this item. Here is the link to the report if you ‘d like to read it.
https://pub-amherstburg.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx?DocumentId=14368
As well, here are the various survey results included with the report (I had mentioned earlier that I would share them). Take a long, hard, objective look at them.
Open Air Visitor Survey (813 participants were surveyed)
- 41% of participants surveyed were visitors from outside of Amherstburg
- 6% of participants surveyed stayed overnight
- 99% of visitors surveyed would like to see Open Air Weekends return
- Open Air Weekends demonstrated that it appealed to all age groups
Businesses in the Footprint Survey (19 Respondents)
- 79 % participated in Open Air Weekends
- 68% benefitted from the Open Air Weekends
- 68% would sponsor an activity at Open Air Weekends
- 84% received good or excellent feedback from their customers
Businesses outside of the Footprint Survey (10 Respondents)
- 20% outside of the footprint have benefitted from the Open Air Weekends
- 50% liked the Open Air Weekends
- 60% would sponsor an activity at Open Air Weekends
- 60% received good or excellent feedback from their customers
Talk the Burg Survey (549 respondents).
- 89.3% attended Open Air Weekends
- 77.8% liked the 2023 Open Air Weekends Footprint
- 83.2% would like to see Open Air Weekends return
- 74.8% would like Open Air Weekends to return every weekend
(And before I begin to try to summarize what was generally a scattered and chaotic debate, I must take a moment to clear the air. I find it so hypocritical that some members of council have talked about the survey results about Centennial Park and Jack Purdie Park – and they were filled out by about 200 people – as if they were golden. They used the results from those surveys to make decisions to keep affordable housing out and “save the parks”. They didn’t try to satisfy “everybody” by allowing a small portion of land to be sold for affordable housing and use the funds to improve the park did they? Nope. They used the results of a survey filled out by about 200 people to justify keeping affordable housing out. And now, we have a survey that Councillor Allaire asked for in the fall of 2023 that shows that overwhelmingly people love Open Air, they like the footprint, they want it to return every weekend, but it’s being discounted and cast aside by certain members of council? The hypocrisy of that is mind boggling! You can’t have it both ways folks! If the surveys give you what you want, it’s wonderful! And when it doesn’t, we’ll just ignore it and cast it aside? If that isn’t hypocrisy I don’t know what is.)
Councillor Allaire started off the Q&A period asking if the town had a goal for this year for Open Air. (Later in the meeting several other events were approved and not a peep about what the goals were for those events…..weird….) Ms Osborne, Deputy CAO said that Open Air is a tourism driver, that the town has collected statistics and that she had a presentation prepared with specifics for council. Councillor Allaire asked about the cost of Open Air. (Nobody asked about the costs of the events that they would approve later in this agenda. Maybe they’ll ask next time? ) There was some back and forth about the costs and Ms Osborne again mentioned she had a detailed presentation that needed to be walked through.
Finally, there was a motion for Ms Osborne to present her presentation. I wrote and took notes as fast as humanly possible.
As far as the total funding for events goes :
$110 K 2023 Base Budget for Community Events
$ 50K 2024 approved base budget increase
$160K Total Base Budget for Community Events
$ 20K 2024 One Time funding for Community Events
$180K Total funding for 2024
Base budget expenditures for events cover such things as entertainers, tent or stage rentals, port-a-johns, security, display maintenance and installations and other items I could not catch. These items are NOT funded in the base budget : Fireworks for Canada Day and River lights, Community Living Holiday, New Displays for River lights, Storage and Euro Shed, Additional Programming and the Bagpipers.
There were amounts shown for base budget for various festivals, I couldn’t catch them all, but I got some of them….Open Air, about $30,000, River Lights $57,000, Uncommon Festival $28,000, Santa Parade $16,000 and there were a few other events too.
Then, the data got even better….it got broken down by base budget for each community event with an average cost per programmed day. Open Air was the cheapest, although considering it is spread out over more days, that makes sense mathematically. Anyway, Open Air was about $860 per programmed day, Canada Day was $12,000 and the Santa Parade $16,000. Again, there were others but I could only do so much. Ms Osborne noted that the TWEPI Economic Generator formula was used to come to these numbers. She felt that Open Air had a great rate of return and provided economic stimulus. She also spoke about how the funding is one lump sum for community events and there is no risk to reallocate funds if necessary, for example, if one year entertainment costs go down but River Lights require more repairs.
Ms Osborne also pointed out that Murray Street Investment, there are several commercial (historical) buildings being renovated with new uses, such as the first boutique hotel, the Garage Gym is in a newly remodeled building, the old Tim Hortons now has a diner in and that people are spending millions of dollars to remodel and upgrade these buildings.
Councillor McArthur then spoke. He noted that Councillor Allaire had asked for a survey and council endorsed it. In November, council just received the survey and the survey showed that overwhelmingly people love open Air. He pointed out that nobody on council really said anything. (LOL! Of course they didn’t! How do you get a survey result showing people love Open Air, then at the very same meeting, start to make motions to pick it apart? That would likely affect re-election possibilities???? So you wait a few months right? Hope that the people that used their voices to let you know they loved Open Air won’t notice that you’re ignoring them????) He pointed out that council doesn’t tell administration how to organize Canada Day every year, they just do it. He felt that the town and businesses need time to plan things and a consistent environment to operate so that they can plan for staffing, capital investments etc. He wondered how important it was for administration and businesses to have consistency for events.
Ms Osborne said that consistency is essential. At this stage, the town is hiring resources, organizing night marks and day time activities to fill the gaps, since it was found through the surveys that, at times, there are gaps without activity. She said they’ve been auditioning performers. The ability to sell advertising also relies heavily on consistency. She also noted that when they bring forward events they don’t anticipate that that would be the time to discuss whether it’s time to make changes to the Santa Claus parade or if River Lights should start on a particular day. Things are planned way in advance and the time to make changes to summer events would be in the fall, well ahead of time.
Councillor McArthur also spoke of grants that administration was successful in acquiring as well as funding sources and partnerships. He noted that advertising is key and that also funding is sought based on a certain model. He talked about a grant that was about to be submitted requesting $100,000.
Councillor Pouget asked several questions about the money that the events generated. She felt that the figures were inaccurate and that it was “wrong” for her to present them. Ms Osborne said that the TWEPI formula was used and that it is a provincial model used to calculate economic spin off. Councillor Pouget said that it was not “Amherstburg’s model”. (At this point, my jaw was on the floor….unbelievable….) There was a lot more back and forth but I had a hard time keeping up….the level of disrespect being shown to administration had me floored.
Councillor Crain asked about the feasibility of moving the barrier this year to incorporate Flow Cafe and the other businesses on that end of Dalhousie Street. Ms Osborne said it would be tough to have it in place for the first weekend at the end of May, but that it could be possible to move it at some point during the summer, since it requires a lot of logistics to move it.
Councillor Allaire mentioned that Open Air is set for this year but that before Open Air is approved again next year if administration could meet with the businesses and council to “make it work for everyone”. (And boom! It was off to the races…..let’s play both sides here…..and guess what? It’s virtually impossible to make something work for “everyone”.) Ms Osborne said that council would have to give direction to administration to do so.
Councillor Pouget then called a point of order. She claimed that council had never approved a motion. She felt that administration had incorrectly assumed that council was doing it (Open Air). She said that Canada Day comes to council. (Was I one of the only ones in the room that read the report? The motion that was approved by council was in the report with the date and the recorded vote results! ) Deputy Mayor Gibb said that the funds were approved in the budget. Then, wait for it, Councillor Pouget said there was no breakdown in the budget, nowhere did council approve this and what they were doing was illegal. (Pretty wild accusation to throw out there! Was she accusing administration of doing something illegal? Isn’t one of the pillars of the Strategic Plan to improve council / administration relationship? Well she just took a sledgehammer to that pillar…..) The Clerk explained that it was all included in the budget and that council adopts a service level based on the budget. Councillor Pouget then started to get even more argumentative and wanted to be shown the motion. (It was in the report…..) CAO Critchley then spoke that the report was clear. That last year there was a fulsome discussion about Open Air regarding dates and the footprint. (Boy was it ever! Beyond fulsome! That meeting still sticks out in my mind.Not in a good way either. I think that was the meeting that people yelled expletives very loudly.) The motion was made on March 13 2023 and part of it delegated authority to the CAO for street closures etc and that was why it was not a special event. It had the same pattern and footprint. She also noted that the survey was done and council gave no direction other than to send it to the Accessibility Committee (again). (Side note…..of course council wasn’t going to pull the plug in November with overwhelming results of how popular Open Air is…..it’s much better to play the hypocrite and wait a few months right?) CAO Critchley went on that Open Air was in the budget and every year they start to plan. They are already planning River Lights but they don’t bring it all back to council for how long it will run or how every year. The budget was approved and administration started to plan. Nothing illegal took place and nothing went against the Municipal Act. She reiterated that the numbers provided by Ms Osborne were given to them by the province and TWEPI, that the same model was used for each event to keep it all consistent and that there should be no attack on her credibility or professionalism. She was using the number given by the professionals in the industry.
Was that enough to calm things down? No. Councillor Pouget pressed on that she wanted the motion. (The CAO had just told her it was March 13 2023 and it was in the information report that was in the agenda…..). The Clerk found and read the two motions from November where the report was received with the survey results and the second motion sending it to the Accessibility Committee.
Then Councillor Allaire made a motion that at the end of Open Air 2024, that there be a meeting to discuss it with administration, businesses and council, to discuss the footprint, frequency, benefits and the timing. Councillor Courtney seconded it for discussion.
Councillor McArthur said he would not support this sideshow. He felt that council should be listening to our businesses and that there was an item coming up showing that loud and clear. He went on to talk about consultation and the importance. He wanted to deal with the issue at hand, which was the delegation’s request to extend the footprint of Open Air. He felt that Monday night was not the right time for such a motion and that he would not support it that night.
Mayor Prue then spoke and said he had been listening. He agreed that the time was not right for the motion but didn’t think the idea was a bad one. He felt it would be much better to clear the air in the fall and that now was not the time to debate motions that were made or motions that should have been made and weren’t made. (LOL! That did make me chuckle, since a few members of council talk and talk and talk…..and don’t make motions……all talk, no action right?) He noted that administration had already started planning and applying for grants and that if the motion were made in September, he could support it. (Remember that folks, because the Mayor didn’t).
Councillor Crain felt that the motion was premature. He felt that council kept continuing to go down a rabbit hole about Open Air but not for other events and it becomes exhausting. (I wanted to stand up and clap. He was spot on! It is ridiculous, a huge waste of everybody’s time and energy and it is council that is making Open Air a “contentious” issue, nobody else. Well, certain members of council are…..) He also pointed out that not every business will show up for an open mic session or fill out the survey. He felt that it is impossible to get feedback from everyone.And he also said that it will be impossible to please every single business about Open Air and impossible to benefit every single business. (Spot on Councillor! Spot on! Thank you for saying it clearly!)
Councillor Allaire started talking about how businesses are affected inside and outside of the footprint. She felt that she has talked to some pizza parlors that their sales go down during Open Air and then go up later…..Councillor Allaire became somewhat argumentative and started using quotes from various members of council. She felt that council is playing with the livelihood of businesses and then…..she said that for someone to say our town was sleeping 5 years ago was baloney and that our town was vibrant (and the crowd cheered!) (I was absolutely floored again at how rude Councilor Allaire was towards a delegate that now, at this point, did not have the floor anymore, was sitting in the crowd, unable to defend herself. For a member of council to sit there in their big power chair and take a shot at a delegate, a resident, a business owner where they could not reply? While many people cheered? Awful, just awful and frankly, kind of mean….)
Councillor Courtney then said he felt it was the wrong time for this motion, so Councillor Allaire made a motion to postpone her motion indefinitely. (Indefinitely ended up meaning about an hour or two….) That carried.
So we were back to square one of discussing the information report about Open Air.
Councillor Courtney then started talking and talking and talking. He said he would be quick. He felt that Open Air is controversial. He felt that all of our festivals are awesome, the historical ones it seems. He felt that Open Air is now a business model since we use taxation dollars. (What funds does he think pays for the other festivals? Did we win the lottery? Tax dollars pay for the Santa Claus Parade, Canada Day, Uncommon Fest and the list goes on and on…..) Councillor Courtney didn’t like how the funds for festivals were umbrellaed. He felt that Open Air is a festival every weekend for 14 weeks coming from tax dollars. He felt that they needed to look at it with fairness and from a mile high. Councillor Courtney then said that somebody saying we were a sleepy town that he took great offense to that statement. He then went on to say that he’s NEVER seen vacancy signs in our downtown stores. (This made me laugh…..looks like Councillor Courtney must NEVER go downtown I guess…..during budget deliberations he had said the very same thing about no vacancy signs…..Lori Wightman was the guest blogger for that meeting and actually made a little list of vacancy signs she’s seen around town in the past 5 years…..here it is…..Tim Hortons, Elio Del Col gallery (currently sits empty), Insurance company and the storefront next door on Richmond St, the commercial places in the Queen Charlotte have only been filled the last few years, the storefronts on Richmond across from the Garage Gym have all been periodically vacant, the building on the corners of Ramsay and Murray – recently renovated, outside of the downtown core, a new plaza off Fryer Street sits empty, some empty storefronts in the Walmart plaza that have been recently filled, the building across from Canadian tire….So yes, in fact we’ve had our fair share of vacancies the past few years, fortunately several are filling up thanks to massive private investment.) Councillor Courtney felt that we’ve always survived pre Open Air and that it’s not our savior. He felt that if people keep falling on the sword that that’s the only way that Amherstburg can survive then that is a terrible mindset. (There was again, some clapping in the audience…..Effectively, I feel that Councillor Courtney negated all of the positive things that have happened for Amherstburg with Open Air, with his “terrible mindset”…. Open Air breathed new life into our downtown core and continues to grow, develop and thrive in my opinion. If someone thinks that Amherstburg was a sleepy town 5 years ago, they’re entitled to think that without Councillor Courtney lecturing them from his power chair about a “ terrible mindset”. And again, Councillor Courtney also took a shot at a delegate with his words…..unbelievable…..Frankly, if you look at our downtown now compared to 5 years ago, it is night and day, and for the better. In my opinion of course. I hope I don’t have a terrible mindset.)
Councillor McArthur then spoke. He mentioned he had a motion but wanted to address something first. He felt offended that council had taken a shot at a delegate tonight that had openly, honestly and passionately advocated for her business and other businesses in Amherstburg. She had pointed out something blindingly obvious that downtown is booming, that downtown is booming and revitalized to the benefit of everybody in town and in Essex County. He spoke about people coming here spending their money, taking music lessons, buying bikes, soon staying at a boutique hotel. He felt that council had had a business owner come and delegate and that shots were taken at her and that was very unfair. He felt that council should welcome people to come and delegate. He noted that two businesses had delegated that night pleading with them to expand the footprint of Open Air. He made a motion to consult with the businesses on that block to see if they can extend the footprint safely and also enhance signage to allow the businesses to better participate in Open Air. (And there it is folks, ACTION, a motion to make something happen…..rather than talking in circles….how refreshing.)
Councillor Crain wondered if it would be feasible to have a goal to have the new footprint ready before the season started. Ms Osborne said it would likely have to be implemented, if possible, later in the summer.
Councillor Courtney then addressed Councillor McArthur directly, which I thought was not procedurally allowed, but I digress. Councillor Courtney said he would support the motion. He said that grandstanding, showboating, sideshow used on Council, pointing fingers….The Deputy Mayor interjected about what was being said, Councillor Courtney then just spoke louder that “he called me out”. (What did he think he had done to a delegate that sat powerless to respond in the audience? My goodness! Get out a mirror!) Of course,during this heated exchange, the crowd started heckling, talking, speaking out…..Councillor Courtney seemed to give half of an apology to the delegate but it seemed more of a justification of what he had said. When he finished speaking, Councillor Courtney actually said : “But Don, Jesus man”. (I was shocked. The disrespect and rudeness was unbelievable. To address another member of council, then use his first name and disparage him…..I just have no words for the lows that were sunk to…..)
Councillor Pouget spoke at length about council ignoring AODA and that money is being spent on a small group of people. She did not agree to continue with Open Air.
Councillor McArthur’s motion to investigate extending the footprint to include more businesses at the Queen Charlotte as well as increased signage for them went to a recorded vote.
Opposed : Councillor Pouget
In favour : everybody else.
*Spoiler alert….if you think the Open Air discussion was over and had been put to bed, it was not….it would become a repetitive bad dream in another hour or so….**
Delegation – Item # 13.2 – Business Licencing – Sarah Brush
Ms Brush addressed council next about the business licensing bylaw. She noted that she is the owner of Speck’s Restaurant on Bathurst Street. She said that she received a letter about the new business bylaw in the mail on February 15th. The due date for the $350 fee was February 28th. She felt at a loss to understand the necessity of the bylaw and that there had been no communication from the town. She listed off various fees that she has to pay to various organizations for several required inspections. She felt that her business already goes through several routine inspections. Ms Brush asked that council revoke this bylaw or exclude her business from this bylaw.
There were a few questions of the delegate about the various fees that she is required to pay already and what they are for.
Then the delegation was received.
Licensing Committee Appointment 2024-018 & Business Licensing By-law 2024-019
This item was then brought forward.
Councillor Allaire asked if the inspection of the back flow drain was a real thing. The Director of Engineering said that it is a requirement to protect our drinking water. Councillor Allaire noted that council had passed the bylaw unanimously and that she had been confident about it but that now she felt that she had been wrong and apologized. CAO Critchley advised that council can revisit their bylaws at any time. Councillor Allaire asked about the multiple fees, why now and never before? The CAO said that the town has had a licensing bylaw for many years. That it was set up was that a new business needed a license one time when it opened and then never needed a renewal again. Therefore, nothing was ever checked again for any business in town for things like insurance coverage or other things. She also noted that WECHU does not give copies of their inspections to the town so the town is unsure if or when they are done and if they’re done annually. She noted that if council doesn’t want the bylaw, that’s their decision but that a license would be issued to a new business and there would never be any assurance if things have remained in place or changed. She noted that administration was trying to keep the town’s bylaw current.
Councillor Allaire asked another question and while the CAO was speaking, many people out in the hallway started yelling. The Deputy Mayor had to interject. The CAO said that this was a risk management practice to update the bylaw to ensure that things were current. The noise continued from the hallway and the Deputy Mayor had to interject again. He said that if there is to be a discussion, it needs to be a polite discussion since the CAO is giving her rationale, that it’s not to anyone to yell at staff. He said that everyone needed to show respect.
There was a lot more discussion about the business license bylaw but my brain was tired and my fingers are now very tired LOL. If you want to know it all, you’ll need to watch the video.
Ultimately, at the end Councillor Crain made a motion to suspend the bylaw, initiate public consultation, pause the fees and refund any fees that have already been paid.
There was more discussion and finally the motion carried.
It was 8:57 PM and council decided to take a break.
The meeting resumed at 9:05. Deputy Mayor Gibb had to bang the gavel to get some members of council’s attention to return to chambers to continue the meeting. They seemed to be having social time out in the hallway. I’ve been going to council meetings for nine years now….I always find that dynamic very interesting.
The rest of the agenda items flew through for the most part and yes some special events were approved, without any questions about goals, costs or any of that. Strange eh?
NEW BUSINESS
And just when things were rolling along and looked to be wrapping up, a member of council had to just beat the dead horse again.
Councillor Allaire made a motion to pull back her motion about Open Air and to put it back on the table now. (Remember when I said “indefinitely” didn’t last very long?)
Councillor Pouget wondered if council was promoting Open Air 2025 for or against. (I think we all know where she stands at least. No wishy washiness there I guess.) Councillor Allaire said that she wanted to bring her motion back now so that they could look at it together to see what is successful or not before proceeding to 2025 plans for Open Air.
It went to a vote to bring it back on the table now. Indefinitely was over. It passed 4-2 to bring it back…..In favour Mayor Prue, Councillors Courtney, Allaire and Pouget. Opposed were Councillors Crain and McArthur. The Deputy Mayor did not vote since he was chairing the meeting. This wasn’t recorded but I watched.
So, “indefinitely” had come full circle and everybody got back on the Merry Go Round.
Councillor McArthur felt that this was not the right time for the motion. He felt that it was sending mixed messages about Open Air and to the businesses. He felt that council had done this debate every year, that there had just been a survey done that showed overwhelming support of the event. He noted that Open Air is one of the best events around and it is tiring to debate it continuously.
Councillor Courtney felt that council can get “intel” and set some goals or ideas. He wondered why some still can’t see that Open Air is controversial. (Honestly, I think it’s a handful of people and a couple of councillors that make it controversial, but that’s just my opinion. It’s odd how I see so many people downtown every weekend all summer long having a great time and then I hear it’s “controversial”. Maybe I don’t see what I think I see? LOL Nah, I’ve got pictures.)
Councillor Allaire felt that this is a proactive approach to prep and prepare and asked for a recorded vote.
Deputy Mayor Gibb said that since it would be a recorded vote and he would be required to vote then he would speak. He felt that this meeting in the fall consisting of admin, businesses and council would solve nothing and will cause more angst and just put the event at risk. He said that he supported what we have now.
Mayor Prue said that he would support it to let staff and council know that we will revisit this item at the appropriate time. He felt that it would cause some grief but that it would galvanize the businesses that want it to come forward. He was hopeful that with enough forewarning that they’ll come forward and the event could be fine tuned and made better.
Councillor McArthur said that his position remains the same. He pointed out that council had galvanized the community with the survey. He noted that 549 people had responded (which is by far the most responded survey that I know of) and that council asked the people what they thought and they told council they love Open Air. He felt unsure that the spirit of the motion was to make the event better or to improve it. (Yup. Agreed. I do not feel that that is the spirit of the motion at all. I think the spirit of the motion is to open up the possibilities to dissect and cut down the frequency and timing of the event, which will make it inconsistent…..and everybody knows for anything to be successful, consistency is key….but I digress…..) Councillor McArthur felt that the survival of Open air shouldn’t hang by a thread and that consistency is vital. He felt that it is a great event and that it has won multiple awards. He also said that he did not want the sword of Damocles hanging over it since that does damage to our town. He again noted that the community had been galvanized, council asked and the community answered. (Funny how that survey was such a high priority to get done and now that the results are in and didn’t line up with what some wanted to see, it’s being discarded. While surveys about Centennial Park and Jack Purdy Park filled out by far fewer people sit encased in gold in town hall. LOL.)
Councillor Crain spoke and said that Open Air is an event. He felt that by council going back at it again, puts grants at risk and sends a message that the event is unstable and up in the air every year. He pointed out that we don’t do this for River Lights (or other events) every year.
Councillor Courtney seemed to get defensive again. He felt that games could be set up in the park and that Open Air benefits some but not others. (See where this is going folks?)
Anyway, the motion was back….to have a meeting after Open Air 2024 is finished with administration, businesses within the footprint and outside the footprint by 500 meters and council to discuss Open Air.
Support: Councillors Allaire, Courtney, Pouget and Mayor Prue
Opposed : Councillors Crain, McArthur and Deputy Mayor Gibb.
There were some more questions about cheques from the cheque registry and other minutia, but my phone was exploding from friends watching at home. So I checked that instead.
The meeting adjourned at 9:44 PM.
It was a very disheartening meeting. The lack of respect shown to staff and even delegates was extremely troublesome.
And to listen to three members of council go after Open Air most of the evening was very disheartening. I know that many of you love Open Air and I know that many of you took the time to fill out the survey that Councillor Allaire wanted. And, well, looks like we all wasted our time.
But don’t worry folks. I’ll rally the troops again in the fall. And you can once AGAIN express how much you like Open Air and how it has become a vibrant event for our community that has created jobs, created fun and a sense of community. I guess the surveys and emails just weren’t enough for some members of council.
And I’ll be back before you know it with the pre-meeting blog for April 9th council meeting. See you then! Have a great week Amherstburg!
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