January 29, 2026 - Public Hearing (Updated Version)

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[0:02] Um I would like to see the approval of the agenda if there's any conflict of de
[0:08] of interest declaration. >> I have
[0:16] » go ahead. >> Thank you. I'm going to declare a
[0:18] conflict of interest. Um, since this is council business and this is a decision
[0:25] that will be made by council, I'm going to declare conflict because my son works
[0:29] for the oyster company in question. >> Okay.
[0:32] » Okay. >> Thank you.
[0:33] » So, I am going to actually leave the room.
[0:40] » All right. So before I start this meeting, before we go beyond the uh
[0:45] presentation, I'd like to read how this public hearing is managed. So good good
[0:53] evening everybody. Thank you for attending and the public as well.
[0:56] Tonight's public hearing gives council an opportunity to listen to public input
[1:01] and consider it when making a decision. The decision on the development
[1:07] agreement does not happen during the public hearing. It will be brought back
[1:11] up during the regular agenda at the time council can choose or make a decision or
[1:18] to defer. We will begin this evening with a brief presentation on the
[1:23] proposed development from our director of protective services Renee Jedri.
[1:29] Following the presentation we will hear comments from members of the public.
[1:34] After the public hearing we will take five or 10 minutes recess and start the
[1:37] executive meeting. We ask that all comments be relevant, respectful, and
[1:42] specific to the development itself, which is to bring the existing use of
[1:47] public of subject public property, sorry, into compliance with the existing
[1:53] municipality planning documents to ensure everyone has an opportunity to be
[1:57] heard. Speaking time will be limited to three to five minutes per speaker.
[2:03] Again, thank you for attending and we will begin with a presentation from
[2:07] Renee. And I just want to remind that this is not a debate
[2:12] uh of council. This is strictly uh to hear what the public has to say and what
[2:16] Renee has to say. Take it Renee. >> Mr.
[2:23] » Everybody. >> Okay. Yeah. I thought it was good. Uh
[2:29] tonight we are presenting the development agreement application for
[2:32] the marine related agriculture use on the property at 6592
[2:37] highway 3. Uh property identification number is 90341140
[2:44] Neilbrook. This is public hearing scheduled for today January 29th 2026.
[2:49] I'll walk you through the application details, the policy context and public
[2:53] engagement and then and the next steps. So, we have the application details. Um,
[3:00] the applicant is seeking a development agreement to bring the long-standing
[3:03] agriculture activities into compliance with the current municipal planning
[3:07] documents. These operations have been in place since 1995. The applicant also
[3:12] owns properties directly east and west of the subject site. Note that some
[3:17] aspects including driveway access to Highway 3, activities on Eel Lake
[3:22] agriculture licensing and operations fall under provincial regulations.
[3:27] This application is limited solely to the property previously identified on
[3:31] slide one and any other property would be subject to the same application
[3:36] process. Uh the subject property is approximately
[3:40] 93 hectares with nearly 293 ft of frontage. Current use includes sorting
[3:46] and grading building associated with marine related aquaculture operations.
[3:51] The remainder of the property is well treed and vacant.
[3:55] Access is provided through the adjacent property which is under the same
[3:58] ownership connecting to highway 3. The property is located within the
[4:04] coastal communities CC designation in the municipal planning strategy which
[4:10] I'll refer to MPS which supports a broad mix of residential, commercial,
[4:14] recreational, agriculture, forestry and light industrial uses. This reflects a
[4:20] diverse nature of a argal coastal landscape. The CC zone accommodates
[4:27] traditional coastal industries such as agriculture alongside housing and other
[4:32] other compatible uses. This zoning approaches approach
[4:36] recognized that many Argos coastal community functions as mixeduse areas
[4:41] similar to rural centers but tailored to coastal conditions. The property was
[4:46] recently subdivided to separate the resident from the business.
[4:52] Um policy considerations would be staff evaluated the proposal again against the
[4:57] municipal planning strategy with detailed review included on slide 9 and
[5:02] 10. The coastal community designation allows council to consider amendments
[5:07] through development agreements. Therefore, no municipal planning
[5:11] strategy amendments is required. This application is specifically evaluated
[5:16] under policy 3.3.7 of the MPS agriculture indooroutdoor.
[5:24] The development agreement addresses only landbased components. The municipality
[5:27] does not regulate in lake agriculture practices.
[5:32] The area along Highway 3 includes a variety of uses under coastal community
[5:36] designations including other agricultural operations around Eel Lake.
[5:41] Surrounding lots include residential uses under the same ownership as the
[5:45] subject property. Um, directly to the west of this property is currently zoned
[5:50] coastal community industrial. Staff have reviewed proposal relation to policy
[5:55] intent and surrounding land use contexts.
[5:59] Um, so we followed the all public participation requirements in the
[6:04] municipal planning strategy. A notification sign was installed on the
[6:08] property May 16, 2025. A public notice has appeared in January 1st and January
[6:17] 15th issue of the Tri County Vanguard. And then a notice of public hearing was
[6:22] mailed to property owners uh within 152 meters um or 500 ft. We rounded up in
[6:29] the conversion. Um, public hearing is required under section 206 of the
[6:33] Municipal Government Act and council's decision is subject to a right of
[6:38] appeal. Uh, so staff is continuing to accept and
[6:44] review public feedback and as it's received, council uh scheduled tonight's
[6:49] public hearing. Uh, the notices were mailed to the property owners and we
[6:55] only received one inquiry about the sign. After the explanation, the prop uh
[7:00] they provided no comments. Uh one property owner raised uh preference that
[7:06] delivery trucks pull fully onto the property when loading unloading.
[7:09] However, they expressed full support of the development. Um after the public
[7:14] hearing, council may choose to approve or refuse or uh table the development
[7:19] agreement. And slides nine and 10 just uh identify the policies that uh it
[7:25] meets that this development agreement meets.
[7:29] Thank you. >> That's it for you. That's it. Okay. We
[7:33] have uh Dale Pachce online who would like to speak.
[7:45] Hi Dale.
[7:51] We can't hear you. Can you hear us?
[8:06] You're still on mute.
[8:20] » Can we have Leah try to speak to see if we can hear her speak?
[8:29] There. >> Try it.
[8:38] Hang on one second, guys.
[9:09] Okay, Dale, you should be good to go now. Try again, please.
[9:12] » Can you hear me now? >> Yes, we can.
[9:15] » Okay. Okay. Um, this was kind of new to us.
[9:21] We had a notice that was dropped off in our back door in the rain around 11:00
[9:29] at night. We only found it the following day. And my concern is for the safety of
[9:39] vehicles going up the hill from my place. And there's a curve here. And
[9:46] it's very dangerous to have that 18-wheeler parked in the road to unload
[9:54] and load the pro produce.
[9:59] And um that was one of my main concerns. But the
[10:06] the main thing is we always seem to be the last ones to find out and
[10:12] everything's approved by the time we found out about it.
[10:17] So I'm quite disappointed with the municipality, right? I know this is just
[10:23] about the bylaw, but uh it's been it started a long time,
[10:33] two years going and we we feel like we don't have a voice anymore in this
[10:40] municipality. It's just industry and the residents don't have a voice anymore.
[10:49] So, I'm hoping there's a an investigation going on on 16 COIs, and I
[10:58] don't believe that this should be approved until the COIs have been
[11:04] investigated properly. >> So,
[11:08] that's what I have to say. >> Thank you, Dale.
[11:15] Okay, next we have Leah Lewis.
[11:23] » No comment.
[11:27] » Thank you, Leah. Um,
[11:32] I guess there's no other comments.
[11:44] Is he is he registered? >> He's not on.
[11:53] So, we can move to a journ
[11:59] as a suggestion if there's somebody um we we don't have of one person that's
[12:06] registered that's not online as of yet. Um I don't know maybe if you want to I
[12:12] mean I I know we can't delay indefinitely the the public hearing but
[12:17] there are other people in the in here in the crowd that may wish to speak.
[12:23] » Okay. >> And so that may allow for the person who
[12:27] registered enough time to join. I'm just I'm making the suggestion in
[12:33] support of >> you know sometimes things happen and
[12:37] » sometimes technology is an issue and I just I'm just trying to buy the general
[12:42] person time that's all. >> So does anybody in the audience wish to
[12:47] speak?
[12:50] We have nobody.
[12:55] » Does council want to wait? >> I'd just like to speak one thing.
[13:01] He said, >> um, just just wondering about the states
[13:06] that the notice was dropped off in the rain around 11:00 or so at night or that
[13:11] she found it in the rain. Just wondering if we have a policy or what the policy
[13:15] is for dropping off these notices and if this one may have been dropped off
[13:19] earlier. I I just I'd just like to know what for
[13:24] for just to know that's all what we do there. How we do it. See you.
[13:28] » Thank you.
[13:32] Yeah, respectfully. Uh because we're still in the public hearing, I believe
[13:35] the most appropriate thing is to hang on to that question and then we will give
[13:39] it the proper answer at the time that it's discussed in the meeting. Uh the
[13:42] purpose right now is to make sure that the public has a chance to. So any sort
[13:46] of clarification questions of that nature, we will deal with uh on the
[13:49] agenda item if that's okay. >> Perfect. Okay. Thank you.
[13:52] » We won't forget. >> Thank you.
[14:00] So I expected uh more questions than this. I don't know
[14:05] if we can wait.
[14:11] I guess we adjourn this meeting. Okay.
[14:17] Thank you. So we will move on to our uh regular executive meeting.
[14:24] » Yeah. We just Mr. Chair. >> Oh yeah. We need a
[14:27] » we need a reset. >> We need a recess
[14:28] » on the a reset on the technology so that the technology can work for the new
[14:33] meeting. >> So we'll take five 10 minutes five
[14:36] minutes should be >> take a recess.