[0:12] Good evening. Welcome to the regular meeting of the Council
[0:14] of the Corporation of the City of Elliott. Lake, dated
[0:17] Monday, December to the 8th, 2025 07:00 p.m. And echo.
[0:29] Call to order. Roll call. All members are present. Land.
[0:33] Acknowledgment we would like to begin by acknowledging that the
[0:37] land on which we are gathered is in the traditional
[0:40] territories of the initiation abeg of the Robinson Huron. Treaty,
[0:44] specifically the Serpent River, Mississauga and Sagamuk First nations, as
[0:50] well as the north channel Mati council. We. Say, Migwitch,
[0:54] to thank indigenous peoples for taking care of this land
[0:57] from time immemorial we are all called to treat this
[1:01] sacred land, its plants, animals, stories and its people. Peoples
[1:08] with honor and respect. Approval of the agenda. We have
[1:13] a motion that the agenda be approved as presented. Mover.
[1:18] Councilor Morsette. Seconded. Councilor Flintoff. All in favor? That is
[1:24] carried. Declarations of pecuniary interest. Are there any declarations? Going
[1:31] once, twice. Adoption of the minutes from previous meeting. We
[1:38] have a motion that the following minutes be adopted. November
[1:41] 24, 2025 regular meeting. Mover, councilor bowl, seconded. Councilor men,
[1:49] any questions or comments? No. All in favor? Not carried.
[1:58] Public input session. We have Mr. Mike Thomas this evening
[2:01] for items 8.1 and 11.4 Mr. Thomas, please.
[2:13] Mr. Mayor, members of council, good evening. With regards to
[2:19] 8.1. You have a presentation before you tonight. That has
[2:27] no information to the public and as far as I'm
[2:29] aware, no information to you prior to this meeting. I
[2:33] believe Perry and Perry associates was here in September. Stating
[2:38] at the time that we wanted to have this buttoned
[2:41] up. And work on going on the interior by December.
[2:46] At the latest. If you recall. In the last two
[2:51] years, we heard multiple times from Dr. Tingly that it
[2:54] was paramount that we control the humidity of the environment.
[2:59] And ensure that it was made at a constant temperature.
[3:03] Since September. We've had a variance of 30 degrees in
[3:08] temperature. Rain, snow. Freezing. I drive by there three times
[3:15] a week. There's people shoveling snow out of the interior
[3:18] of the building. I don't know. How that takes care
[3:23] of tens of a million dollars of investment in city
[3:26] infrastructure that you've worked so hard to try and get
[3:29] it back afloat. It would be helpful. If we get
[3:34] the answers to some of those concerns. Least of which
[3:38] is we're on the hook to make sure that this
[3:41] project succeeds, and. I don't know what liabilities it leaves
[3:46] us open to. If the environment, the structure. Is not
[3:49] maintained in a sealed manner while we're working on it.
[3:53] A lot could go out the window. So those are
[3:56] serious concerns, and I hope Mr. Perry addresses those this
[3:59] evening. And. It belays itself to all the hard work
[4:05] you've done to try and get this. Back on track.
[4:08] With regards to the swimming pool. There's a couple of
[4:12] similar issues. The report is excellent in terms of what
[4:17] it lays out, that what we have to do. The
[4:22] thing that boggles the mind is. It's unknown whether it's
[4:26] the same contractors that are doing the work now that
[4:29] did the work before. And why I bring that up.
[4:34] Is because the solution seems so self evident. That if
[4:39] we'd have had this CO2 system in place before, we
[4:41] wouldn't. Be dealing with what we're dealing with now. So
[4:45] it would be helpful to know. Why that? Wasn't visited
[4:51] before this, when we had the pool shut down and
[4:53] we spent all that money to refurbish it in the
[4:56] first place. My secondary concern with that is I'll go
[5:01] back to the insurance issue. We were told. None of
[5:06] us could be told anything because there was an ongoing
[5:08] investigation with the insurance. As far as I'm aware, this
[5:13] council hasn't been made aware publicly of what? The results
[5:16] that were neither has the community. We don't know where
[5:20] it stands. When the Pearson center collapsed, It was a
[5:27] ten to $12 million building insured, and we ended up
[5:29] getting $3. Million for it. Well, the same thing could
[5:32] happen to us with the pool. And we don't know
[5:35] who's handling who's stick handling the insurance claim. For the
[5:38] pool. Now. Community doesn't know. That would be helpful information
[5:43] to have. So, moving forward with the pool, I would
[5:47] hope. That more would come to light as to why
[5:52] this wasn't thought of before, how that's going to impact
[5:55] us now. How it's going to affect our insurance before
[5:59] and after, and those are all helpful things. That the
[6:03] community and myself would like to know. Thank you for
[6:05] your time. That's my input. Okay. Thank you, Mr. Thomas.
[6:11] Okay, item eight is the presentation from Perry and Perry
[6:14] architects. Mr. Perry is not feeling well, so he's joining
[6:22] us by zoom. And I believe we have him here.
[6:30] Can you hear me, Mr. Perry? Yes, I can. There.
[6:34] Oh, perfect. Welcome back. Apologize for not being there, but
[6:38] I'm probably better here. With. Spreading any viruses. Okay, sounds
[6:45] good. So go ahead, please. I'm going to share.
[7:07] Can everyone see my screen? Yeah, we can see it.
[7:16] Okay. As per Mr. Thomas. 's acknowledgment our last visit
[7:26] was. September. And at that time, we were going to
[7:31] take a look at. What the overall requirements are to.
[7:38] Get this occupiable by September 1, 2026. Today's presentation is
[7:45] to give you an update on where we're at and
[7:48] how we're going to achieve. That objective. So I will
[7:53] be talking about the progress to date stakeholder meetings that
[7:57] we have been held. Meetings with the structural WRD team,
[8:04] meetings with the ventilation and air Handling group, the JCI
[8:07] group the exterior wall insulation and finish scope. Also from.
[8:14] Jhci. Electrical upgrades. Based building improvements. And recommended enhanced design
[8:22] options. Also like to touch base on the project schedule.
[8:28] We've got a milestone timeline from which. We need to
[8:32] manage and juggle all of the different groups and requirements
[8:36] in order to achieve the objective. I want to give
[8:40] an update on the project budget. And advise us where
[8:44] we're at with respect to the overall budget. And acknowledge
[8:50] some project risks that we will be managing. As we
[8:55] move forward. First item with stakeholder meetings. We have been
[8:59] meeting. With the structural team, wrd and Dr. Dan tingley.
[9:10] I have been briefed up to speed. We've been coordinating
[9:13] the architectural and structural requirements. On a weekly basis. It's,
[9:20] I think, important to note that we are not. Directly
[9:26] or personally involved with the contractual relationship with WRD, but
[9:32] we have been given the authority by the city. To
[9:35] engage and have. Some input and influence into how things
[9:40] are moving forward and being scheduled. Same with the mechanical
[9:45] JCI that's under. A different contract. We've been in discussions
[9:50] with HH Angus the engineer with that group to better
[9:55] understand. The requirements and the outcome in terms of design.
[10:01] We've engaged directly. North engineering for electrical as a result
[10:07] of that review. We'll talk about it after that. There
[10:10] will be some electrical upgrades required. We've met with the
[10:15] Rogers family group. I believe it's about four times we
[10:19] have another meeting tomorrow. I'll share with you some of
[10:22] the insight with them later on in the presentation. We
[10:27] met with municipal staff and arena personnel. To reduce some
[10:31] of the ideas of proposed changes and design revisions to
[10:36] get. A more direct response as to. What works and
[10:41] doesn't work in terms of what's being proposed. We've also
[10:44] met with the figure skating club. We've had contact with
[10:47] the accessibility. Committee, but we will be having hard meetings
[10:51] with them in early January. The minor hockey and the
[10:56] Vikings group we have not had any direct discussions with
[10:59] but are encouraging them. To come forth in that we
[11:04] can share. Some of the ideas and how they impact
[11:07] or don't impact. Their groups. With regards to the structure,
[11:12] the WRD and Dr. Tingly scope. The trust and columns
[11:22] are now completed. Foundation and files are completed. They are
[11:26] proceeding with the exterior wall framing and bracing. That's ongoing.
[11:32] We have been directly related to that as a relationship
[11:34] to the exterior wall finish. And insulation. I will be
[11:40] showing you. A rendering of what we think the exterior
[11:45] can look like. To give you an idea of how
[11:47] we're moving. Proceeding with that design. And an item that
[11:52] came up. Concrete floor. Depending review and confirmation. Of the
[12:00] existing floor under the bleachers and around the proper is
[12:03] asphalt. And with what we want to do with some
[12:07] of the leatures, another scope we want to look at
[12:10] a concrete floor in there. This is a structural item,
[12:14] so. It's been. Put onto wrd. 's portfolio. Just a
[12:22] quick image. Of the original arena going up. Going through
[12:30] the process with WRD and getting up to date as
[12:33] we came in, sort of. Later in the process. I
[12:40] just wanted to acknowledge that it appears that we are
[12:42] reconstructing the arena to current and future standards. These are
[12:50] some shots of some of the updated trusses. Being painted
[12:56] and completed, and the new brackets. And sort of luck
[13:01] so far. There's a closer view. This is a column
[13:07] base plate. That was interesting. We questioned. The size and
[13:15] the design of the plate. As we're finding out. The
[13:19] columns, the existing columns are not aligned and they are
[13:23] being aligned and the plates are assisting. With that alignment.
[13:29] This does affect exterior wall, but we have mitigated. That
[13:33] with some of the architectural design elements that we're coordinating
[13:37] with WRD at the moment. With regards to the ventilation
[13:42] and air handling, the engineering and design has been completed
[13:46] and coordinated. Bidding negotiations is ongoing. We're hoping by middle
[13:52] next week that we get an idea of where we
[13:54] are with the cost. Here's a quick elevation view of
[14:02] the new duct system. Similar to what was there, just
[14:06] a little larger and coming. Through the building in specific
[14:11] areas. Exterior wall insulation and finish. The designing coordination is
[14:16] completed. We are expecting again in mid December. Next week
[14:20] having some idea of the cost and budget for that.
[14:27] And profile and color selection. This is what we're recommending.
[14:34] What we've done is. We are recommending. A kind of
[14:41] a general. White traditional siding, metal siding to go with
[14:46] the roof. Color? But then. We accentuate of the columns
[14:54] the wood columns with wood, metal siding. Wood looking metal
[14:58] siding. To help sort of give a hint of what's
[15:02] coming into the inside of the building. We're spending a
[15:05] lot of money on that structure, and I think we
[15:07] should celebrate it. And play up on it from the
[15:11] interior point of view. In between. In each bay. We've
[15:14] got to recess. Again. A simple metal siding profile. Just.
[15:23] To sort of blanket it off and hold it to
[15:25] create a little bit of texture to the building to
[15:29] give it a new look. There's a bit of an
[15:31] angle section here. This is to allow for some signage.
[15:36] Mostly for the Vikings. If that's a preference. We're in
[15:42] discussions with. Rogers in terms of their signage expectations, we
[15:47] can't show anything yet because they still need approval. I
[15:51] can show you where we recommend it going. It's not
[15:53] on this side. It's. On the other part of the
[15:55] building. Terms of electrical upgrades, we have confirmed. Sorry. The
[16:00] engineering and coordination is ongoing. We've confirmed. Upgrade required to
[16:06] 1000 amps, 600 volts. I believe it's a 600 amp.
[16:10] 600. Volts now. Proponent of this is the new mechanical
[16:17] air handling unit that's required to be. Upgraded for power.
[16:23] This will also allow. Better power for other events within
[16:28] the arena. Once it's set up, give it some more
[16:32] versatility. We need to be coordinating with Hydro one electrical
[16:37] safety authority. The design and approval is required. We're now
[16:42] looking at a pad mount transformer application and a new
[16:45] electrical room. This is what we have now. You can
[16:50] see on the pole there's what they're called cans. Essentially,
[16:55] those cans will not be required anymore, and we're looking
[16:58] at an underground service through a padmount transformer. On the
[17:04] site. The proposed electrical room is actually in this corner,
[17:08] so it's a closer application. And a more safer. And
[17:13] secure location within the building. The existing base building improvements.
[17:22] This is the existing demolition removals plan. Just the graphic
[17:25] to show you what. Has been. Significantly touched within. The.
[17:32] Blue generally represents. Demolition and removals, as you can see.
[17:43] Features which do not meet code are coming out. All
[17:46] the penalty boxes. Same on the other side. We need
[17:50] a new Zambonia room. That's required to be fire separated.
[17:55] The core of the entrance. Rooms and the lobby, et
[18:03] cetera. Are generally being gut renovated. We'll give you an
[18:10] idea of. What we're recommending. Here's the proposed floor plan.
[18:18] Can you see this on your screen? Yes, we can
[18:26] see it. It's quite small. There. So.
[18:38] As I go through. I've got the legend here. Of
[18:42] one to 13. The numbers will be appearing on the
[18:45] screen. Number one is a new entrance. I'll show you
[18:49] in the 3d rendering what that means. It's basically a
[18:53] red. Canopy element that comes out from the building and
[18:56] in through into the arena. Recommending. Brand new lobby design.
[19:04] And layout centralized and symmetrical off the arena and the
[19:08] entrance. Got a donor wall in direct relationship. To that
[19:16] lobby. And opposite donor wall we have the canteen. Are
[19:21] you able to see my numbers as I press them?
[19:23] Yes. Okay. We're also recommending consolidating the change rooms up
[19:30] in that west section. Northwest section. Of the arena. We've
[19:39] got new washrooms, including a universal washroom. For. Battery free
[19:46] compliance with the code, as well as accessible washrooms service
[19:51] the public. Within the rank. Yeah, we've got some user
[19:57] group storage rooms at the request of some of the
[20:00] user. Groups. We're taking some of that storage out of
[20:05] the arena proper into a more controlled, secure. Environment. And
[20:09] easier to manage. Eight is some new offices, including the
[20:14] arena office that. They can be set up for the
[20:18] staff. Nine. We're recommending to
[20:28] put on one side. New bleachers on the entire. Side.
[20:36] Similar to this with aluminum. System. We have discussions with
[20:43] them in terms of coordinating. Design and a layout and
[20:46] a capacity. In a traditional sense. The timekeeper penalty boxes
[20:53] and the players benches on the opposite side. So we're
[21:00] separating the players? From. The stands. At that location, we'll
[21:08] have, like, a media platform or booth above, overlooking the
[21:12] rank from. The center. You've included for some storage cages
[21:18] that are easily ventilated and open, yet secure. For some
[21:22] of the other user groups that have equipment more directly
[21:25] related to the. Rink. And. We're going to be up
[21:33] making the code the zambone. In the corner. And the
[21:38] southeast corner. Sorry. This
[21:48] isn't a large plan. What we're proposing is. To. Highlighted
[21:56] by the yellow, create a nice. Simple, symmetrical, directly related
[22:04] to the. Rank lobby. So as you enter, you can
[22:09] actually see right through the lobby through a glass. Opening
[22:13] into the rink. So there's a constant relationship between there.
[22:17] We have a sub relationship. In the other direction for
[22:20] the canteen and the donor wall. And then from there
[22:25] we go to our washrooms. User storage. Here's the electrical
[22:34] room in the corner. Right beside the ice plant room.
[22:39] You've got a universal washroom. And then we converted. This
[22:43] section into. Additional dressing rooms. The referee room is out
[22:48] here. And the offices are on the other side.
[23:00] We consider an enhanced design options. A lot of what
[23:04] we're doing is we're obviously functionality. And providing an occupancy
[23:09] for September. We wanted to sort of master plan and
[23:13] maybe look at options. To have budget remaining that we
[23:18] could entertain. I'll show you a proposed entrance canopy. Some
[23:25] veneer staining, some new landscaping equipment screening, and we're looking
[23:30] at the rink. Boards in glass. What we can do.
[23:34] With the actual rink itself to offer you. So there's.
[23:42] A quick rendering. Has given you a general conceptual idea
[23:47] of those enhanced ideas. Basically, it's a new canopy up
[23:51] front. That's. To somewhat distract your attention from the mechanical
[23:57] duct work and the other things that are going on.
[24:00] As you know. You've got your killer and ice plant
[24:03] equipment on one side. You're going to have the mechanical
[24:06] air handling unit on the other side. We're just trying
[24:09] to create. A different feel and look with some of
[24:13] these ideas. The brick recommending be stained the same color
[24:18] as we're doing that infill. Siding. So it looks like
[24:21] the building is actually inserted into the rink and has
[24:24] a complementary feel. And look. We will be discussing as
[24:30] well with the accessibility committee. Access. From where? How? Parking.
[24:37] From the exterior to within the building. We looked at.
[24:46] A schedule. I don't want to get too much detail
[24:49] in here in terms of. The specifics in terms, but
[24:55] what we have done is. Terms of the project requirements.
[25:02] We juggled. The way we're looking at the scope, I've
[25:06] got building structure. Arena ventilation and air handling, exterior wall
[25:10] insulation and finish ventricle upgrades, building upgrades and enhanced design
[25:15] options. We're looking at these different phases from the project,
[25:19] defining the project. Requirements. The design development of each of
[25:26] those elements where we're anticipating, where things are happening, right?
[25:30] Into the construction tender documents. And. Into construction. I think
[25:39] at this time you're more concerned about this date here,
[25:42] September 1. Where we've identified a partial occupancy. Where ice
[25:49] use and user group use. Is happening. The additional. Timeline
[25:57] here would be perhaps some of the enhanced design options
[26:01] if we can fit them in, but some of the
[26:04] billing upgrades non related to the ice usage may be
[26:07] happening. In that time. In essence, in terms of. The
[26:13] whole project completion or anticipating the end of. 2026. December
[26:21] as we clean it up. You can imagine there's a
[26:23] bunch of commissioning and other things that have to be
[26:25] done. But again, the objective is to be occupiable. September
[26:30] 1. Terms of budget again. I've reorganized the budget.
[26:41] Same context of my elements. Of the scope of work.
[26:45] I've had to identify some of the structural walls of
[26:50] concrete floor scope that has come up that was not
[26:53] there in September. You've rearranged the budget to make sure
[26:59] that we can have something there to accommodate that. That
[27:04] costing will be confirmed, hopefully. In February. The ventilation and
[27:11] their hailing. It's at the moment about 3.6 million. We're
[27:15] just doing some value engineering, and we'll know better once
[27:18] we get the final costing in place. Exterior wall insulation
[27:22] and finish, same thing. We should get that number more
[27:25] settled. In the next couple of weeks. Electrical service upgrades
[27:30] are new. To the budget. We did have some minor
[27:33] electrical service work, but this is. A significant change of
[27:39] 350,000 to bring in that upgraded service. That leaves us
[27:45] with baseballing improvements of about 4.25 5 million. Which we
[27:50] vetted out in terms of the interior scope, and at
[27:54] this time, we are comfortable. That it can be accommodated
[27:56] for. That brings us to the 11.6 million. Budget. That
[28:03] we're still in line. I've identified the enhanced design options.
[28:11] With a 1.6. We'll be assessing that as we move
[28:15] forward. And firm up the other budget items as our
[28:19] objective is to be at 11.6 or under.
[28:29] Terms of project. Risk. Based on? Historical observations and.
[28:39] Are now three months of experience with WRD. There are
[28:44] some structural schedule risks that we are managing. And are
[28:50] moving through. The system. I anticipated that their work would
[28:55] be done by Christmas. It is now apparent. That the
[29:00] exterior wall enclosure and concrete floor will be going into
[29:04] the new year. Same with the mechanical. They are delivery
[29:09] times in terms of schedule. Where the unit has to
[29:12] be ordered to be able to be on site in
[29:14] time. Budget. Again, the structural and mechanical, and those are
[29:19] the new items that I have reallocated. Some funds from
[29:22] our contingency to accommodate. Once we get a handle on
[29:27] those actual costs, then we can hopefully redirect some of
[29:30] them back to. The enhanced building improvements. In terms of
[29:37] implementation, some of the risks include having multiple contractors on
[29:41] site. We're looking at ways. To separate. Potential groups of
[29:49] contractors on site. We have to identify constructor issues with
[29:53] the occupational Health Safety act. So we're going through that
[29:56] process to see how we can manage. The scope. As
[30:02] a collective group of contractors on site. We are entertaining
[30:07] some potential construction management approaches to some of the work
[30:11] in order to facilitate the multiple contractors. Or to facilitate
[30:18] the scope to meet the deadline. And that's it. Okay.
[30:27] Thank you. Is there anything you want me to go
[30:31] back to? That's a question for council. Do you want
[30:38] to go slide by side or is there? Questions that
[30:40] we could, or would you like to just ask questions?
[30:45] Just ask questions. Yes. Okay, who would like to go
[30:52] first? Councilor flintoff. Thank you, worship. Through you. To Mr.
[31:00] Perry. Very informative presentation. My first question is, we were
[31:06] led to believe that there'd be a bigger workforce there.
[31:09] Right now in closing the arena, and I've driven by
[31:13] many a time, and I'm only seeing two people there.
[31:16] Maybe. Four, and we were told at least eight in
[31:20] December to get these walls enclosed. And. I'm not negative
[31:26] on it, but it seems like it's real slow going.
[31:29] Yes. So, as I mentioned, I'm stick handling the contractual
[31:35] relationship between you and WRD. Not in control of that
[31:41] relationship. At the moment. And with our weekly meetings with
[31:45] them, we have been expressing the urgency. To get their
[31:50] work done so that we can properly schedule all the
[31:53] other work. I do recognize. Mr thomas. 's comments about
[32:02] enclosing the building into a weather tight and weatherproof facility
[32:07] with the proper environmental controls? I can't answer that. That's
[32:13] WRD or Dr. Tingley's expertise, and it will be asked
[32:16] in. Fact, it has been asked in terms of that
[32:18] exposure. We haven't got a formal reply back. With respect
[32:23] to that. So we are working towards having them fast
[32:28] track. This structural stuff because it is impeding on our
[32:32] ability to get other contractors on site. So that's holding
[32:38] us up right now because from your last presentation, didn't
[32:41] you. Say we have to get the walls and closed
[32:43] and we can get workforces inside. To get going. So
[32:51] maybe we should have had Dr. Tingley here too. You're
[33:00] correct. So we've adjusted the schedule to accommodate. The. Fluidity
[33:07] of the structural scope. I still am confident that we
[33:11] can work in and through it. And get it closed
[33:16] up as soon as we can. Okay. And just to
[33:21] follow up on the budget, When you did your original
[33:24] presentation. You sort of said, I know things can happen,
[33:28] but you'd said we'd be. Lucky to get to the
[33:30] 11.2 million all in. And now I'm looking down. At
[33:35] 12.9. I'm sure I'm not the only one. Can you
[33:42] elaborate on that? So the enhanced design options were never
[33:45] part of the original budget. We're hoping to get some
[33:49] of that work in. I felt. It was professionally visible
[33:55] to provide a master plan. For the scope. The objective
[34:01] was to have you occupyable. By September 1 and. That
[34:08] is. The first five elements in the budget that come
[34:12] to 11.6, which I understand. Is the maximum upset limit.
[34:19] Yes, that was our limit. I was going to look
[34:22] at that again because. The enhanced design options I assumed
[34:27] were in with the 11.6 or two or whatever. Okay.
[34:32] Thank you. Any other questions? Councilor Morrissette. Through you, you,
[34:42] worship, I have two questions. Have some of the companies
[34:47] start ordering parts or whatever that is necessary to do
[34:51] the work. So there's no delay when it's time for
[34:57] them to install it. Yes. So, for example, like the
[35:02] bleachers. We have established kind of drop dead dates when
[35:09] a PO has to be issued in order. For it
[35:12] to be there prior to when we need it. The
[35:16] biggest red flag is the mechanical system. It can take
[35:21] up to 30 weeks. With respect. To getting it on
[35:27] site. And so we're hitting some critical path elements. Very
[35:33] quickly. In the next month, and so decisions will be
[35:36] made. And to what we're going to do in order
[35:40] to make sure we achieve those dates. To be in
[35:43] the ice on September 1. So the answer is yes.
[35:46] We are identifying long lead items that would require. Commitment
[35:54] prior. And the other big concern I have is with
[35:59] Ontario Hydro. They seem to. Be slow, like molasses sometimes.
[36:06] And getting some of their stuff done. We're still waiting
[36:09] for. Other hydro projects. We waited a long time for
[36:14] Ontario Avenue, so could that be a big potential? Delay
[36:20] there. You're correct. I've got a number of other projects.
[36:27] That. Were waiting many months in order for hydro one
[36:31] to provide either their approval or designs or all the
[36:35] above. So it has been red flagged. There's another urgent
[36:40] item I've assigned the electrical engineer. To update me weekly.
[36:47] I haven't got an update yet this week. With respect
[36:51] to that coordination with Hydro one and Electrical Safety authority
[36:56] in order so that we can get things in place.
[36:59] I've been told that it should not be a problem,
[37:02] but from my past experience. It's an authority to have
[37:07] a jurisdiction out of our control, and I'd rather be
[37:10] safe than sorry and get it done sooner than later.
[37:14] Councilor bowl. And thank you, your worship. Through you to
[37:18] Mr. Perry. When you say occupiable. Does that mean that
[37:21] we'll be able to use it in September and they
[37:23] can start the ice in August. Or will the ice
[37:26] have to be started in September? Then. Okay, go ahead
[37:32] then. Use it in October sort of thing. The objective
[37:36] is isis. Starting in august. For use September 1. Okay,
[37:42] thank you. And I know you've been in contact with
[37:45] the accessibility advisory committee regarding the plans. And I'm glad
[37:51] that's going to happen. Then the committee is going to
[37:53] have a chance to look at the plans. Before. Construction
[37:58] starts so that they can have their input to make
[38:00] sure everything's up to code. For the aoda. And I
[38:04] just want to make sure that we do it right
[38:06] this time, because I've seen some issues that the new
[38:08] art center, that didn't go well or proper, so I
[38:12] just want to make sure that we do this one
[38:14] correctly and properly. Thank you. Councilor the fifth. Thank you,
[38:22] you, worship. Through you to Mr. Perry. You just made
[38:25] comment about mechanical decisions that need to be made. Is
[38:28] there anything holding up those decisions? And if so, was
[38:30] that something you can share with council? Yeah, well. It
[38:39] came in over budgets and what we were advised. So
[38:43] we're quickly doing some value engineering to see how we
[38:46] can get it back online. We will be hitting a
[38:49] point where we may say go or no go. This
[38:53] does have a connection with the structure because the design
[38:56] parameters of the mechanic equipment is given. By Dr. Tingly.
[39:02] So. We need to coordinate it between the two to
[39:05] make sure. We're getting what is required for all that
[39:10] investment putting into that structure. So I'm anticipating that. In
[39:15] short order, that council. Will be advised to make a
[39:19] commitment. One way or the other to the mechanical system.
[39:24] Councilor Seidel. Thank you, worship. Through you. To Mr. Perry.
[39:32] You said you're in weekly meetings with Dr. Tingley, is
[39:35] that correct? Correct. But you have not got an answer
[39:39] on why the walls are taking so long. To close
[39:44] that arena in. From my understanding, the main reason is
[39:48] they did not finish. The timber plate work. And pile
[39:55] foundation work. Until I believe it was two weeks ago.
[40:00] I do know as of today or over the weekend,
[40:02] they did do a mockup of a wall assembly. Shear
[40:08] wall assembly. That we reviewed today and actually made some
[40:14] changes. Because it did not work with the architectural. Intent
[40:20] and integrity of what we need to do with the
[40:23] building envelope. So my understanding that he is proceeding ASAP.
[40:30] On this exterior wall. I believe on the weekend. My
[40:36] concern is. We're in basically phase one of closing this
[40:41] arena, and it looks like our timetable. Is already pushed
[40:45] back. From what it used to be. These walls were
[40:50] supposed to be enclosed by mid December, and now we're
[40:53] pushing them into January. How much is that going to
[40:56] throw off? The other schedule for inside. So my post
[41:03] schedule also schedule has taken that into effect. It has
[41:08] tightened. The march window where I've got. Four separate contractors
[41:15] potentially on site. I was hoping not to have that
[41:18] situation, and that's why we're looking at some of the
[41:21] health and safety and legal issues about having multiple contractors
[41:25] doing work on the same project site. As I had
[41:29] mentioned. Some of these items are fluid. Out of our
[41:36] control, and we're trying to manage them with the objective
[41:39] of having ice. And occupancy September 1. Hold on to
[41:44] that. No questions, Councilor Flintoff.
[41:54] Thank you, worship. Through you. Back to Mr. Perry. So
[41:58] the ventilation and air handling. When our CEO, Mr. D.
[42:02] Bartoli, was here, he was sort of giving us. An
[42:06] impression that. It should go the other way. Like we
[42:09] might be able to lower this. And now it's. Gone
[42:12] back up to three point. 5 million. So is that
[42:17] Dr. Tingly telling us we have to get this huge.
[42:22] Expense of ventilation. Because I know that's out of your
[42:27] hands and you have to deal with it, but. You're
[42:28] presenting this information to us? Yeah, so correct. I had
[42:35] used a different number, a lower number. The latest budget
[42:40] I was advised was the three point. I think it's
[42:43] 3.6. Which to me is a red flag. And we're
[42:48] value engineering that to understand why it's going up and
[42:51] not down. And as I said, that decision is going
[42:54] to have to be made within a week or so.
[42:59] Because you can't afford not to have ventilation, not only
[43:02] for the structure, but for ice. Making. They won't be
[43:06] able to make ice without some form of. Air handling
[43:10] equipment in there. It'll be all foggy. So you are
[43:14] correct. It went in the opposite direction. I put it
[43:17] in the budget as it is now. As I've been
[43:21] advised. But we haven't had a chance to do our
[43:24] due diligence. This was given to me, actually, on the
[43:27] weekend. And my last question. So who has the final
[43:33] say? Is it you or is it Dr. Tingly on
[43:36] the ventilation? System. I don't want to put you in
[43:40] the. But this is big money, so the public and
[43:42] everybody wants to know. Yeah. So I'm not the designer.
[43:48] In the context of managing JCI and Dr. Tingly. I'm
[43:52] a project manager. I'm not the architect. So I'm managing
[43:56] on your behalf. That item, and so. We've asked Dr.
[44:03] Tingly if. There's some room with respect to the design
[44:08] parameters. That can look at some cost saving measures without
[44:14] affecting the integrity of the structure. And as well with
[44:18] the mechanical system. The mechanical engineer is not under. Our
[44:27] contract. It's under jci's contract. And you've been given a
[44:33] little bit of discussions with them or allowed to discuss
[44:37] with them. But basically. The design parameters provided by Dr.
[44:42] Tequlin. Okay. We'll leave this with you. Thank you. Any
[44:50] other comments? Questions? Overall, I appreciate your presentation. It sounds
[45:00] like you were given information at the last minute. I
[45:04] feel the same. We are just learning and getting this
[45:09] presentation today. I think you've brought up a lot of
[45:13] points. That. We need to discuss further. I will say
[45:20] that the overall concept. I'm loving a lot of these
[45:25] designs. I think looking at it closely might benefit us
[45:32] a little bit. But. I don't know if today is
[45:38] a day that we are going to make any decisions.
[45:41] I appreciate the presentation. But. There are a number of
[45:46] factors you brought into play. That are making us question
[45:50] a lot of things about the project and where it
[45:52] is, especially budget. Timing and those things. Now we have
[45:59] in our agenda that we are considering maybe moving our
[46:02] next council meeting, which would be December 22. Do you
[46:08] think you would be available to join? Hopefully all parties
[46:12] involved. To our council meeting and maybe we can go
[46:17] have some time and look at things. And have a
[46:21] good discussion with all involved. Because it seems like you're
[46:25] putting up all these things in front of us, and
[46:27] you're. Going to get hit with everything, and it's not
[46:30] your fault. What you paid. I understand.
[46:41] I had my presentation ready earlier. However, there was still
[46:46] some fluid. I wanted some answers on some items. Because
[46:50] I wanted to give you good current information. Which I
[46:55] believe I have now I feel comfortable with where that's
[46:58] at. And by all means. Yes, I will make myself
[47:01] available on the 22nd. This has to. Be managed and
[47:06] dealt with on a weekly basis. So again, apologize for
[47:11] the late presentation. However. I think in the big picture.
[47:16] It is moving forward, I'm still optimistic that we're going
[47:18] to meet our dates. And yes, I'm getting blindsided by
[47:24] some of the other entities that are involved with the
[47:29] project. But that's something we just got to manage as
[47:32] we go through the objective of being on that ice
[47:36] September 1. We. Thoroughly agree with that point. We've been
[47:42] living this for two or three years now. So there
[47:46] are a number of issues you just brought up as
[47:48] well. The weekly meetings and reporting. I think we're getting
[47:56] a bit frustrated with not knowing a lot of things
[47:58] as well. So I think moving forward, we are going
[48:03] to demand some more answers, and I hope you plan
[48:06] for December 22. As all parties will be informed to
[48:13] join us. Any other questions or comments? Okay, one more,
[48:22] Mr. Perry. Go ahead. I'm thinking that. Maybe there's
[48:31] been a lot of. Review and meeting with all the
[48:35] groups since September. For me with all of this, to
[48:38] get a handle on the big picture. I would think
[48:42] that perhaps. I present every council meeting an update. About
[48:49] where things have been and where we're at, and so
[48:51] that you're apprised of the schedule of the budget. On
[48:56] a two week basis. That'd be excellent. I totally appreciate
[48:59] that. But I just going to reiterate one more time.
[49:05] Is that you don't have all the information either. So
[49:08] that's a little bit of a stumbling block for council,
[49:11] I believe. But like I said, continue what you're doing.
[49:17] I think the idea here is really good. I see
[49:21] potential for. All season use. With this redesign of the
[49:27] arena. And I think. Accessibility factors. You could see that
[49:33] there are changes here that will allow. A lot more
[49:38] accessibility. But I think the next two weeks will allow
[49:42] maybe a few more. Consultations, such as minor hockey, maybe
[49:49] the local junior club. If they can contact you directly,
[49:54] that might be something. But now that this presentation is
[49:57] out, It allows a little time for people to digest
[50:00] and maybe bring up some other comments. Like my grandpa
[50:05] said, take a few days and sleep on things before
[50:08] you make some decisions. Any last comment? Okay. Once again,
[50:16] Mr. Perry, I hope you feel better, and thank you
[50:19] very much for presenting this. Evening. Thank you. I'll see
[50:24] you in two weeks. See you in two weeks. Hopefully
[50:27] in person this time. Thank you. Take care. Thank you.
[50:38] Okay. There are no delegations. The consent agenda.
[50:48] I can just say this, right? May I have a
[50:53] motion that the consent agenda be received and the recommendations
[50:57] contained therein be. Approved with the exception of item 10.2,
[51:02] which will be dealt with separately. We have a mover.
[51:06] Councilor man, seconder, Councilor Bull. All in favor? That is
[51:12] carried. So. 10.2 memo from the Director of Clerks and
[51:17] Planning services. So we will have the. I don't know
[51:23] how to go about it, but we will. Have the
[51:25] December 22 meeting? Yes, you, worship. So my memo was
[51:29] advising counsel of the schedule of. Meetings for 2026 and
[51:33] had a recommendation to cancel December 22. But if it's
[51:36] the will of counsel. We can simply. Receive the 2026
[51:42] schedule and maintain our December 22 council meeting. Okay, that
[51:47] would be the motion. Councilor man second. Council of the
[51:52] Faith. Any questions or comments? All in favor? Introduction and
[52:01] consideration of corporate reports. 11.1 report from the manager of
[52:05] environmental services regarding service agreement hazardous and special products materials.
[52:16] We have a motion that council authorize entering into a
[52:18] service agreement with product care association of Canada for hazardous
[52:23] and special. Products, materials and that the appropriate bylaw be
[52:28] passed. A mover. Councilor Faye seconded. Councilor Bolt, Mr. Irving,
[52:34] please. Good evening, your worship. And through you to members
[52:38] of council, the city of Elliott Lake entered into. An
[52:41] agreement with Product Care association of Canada on June 30,
[52:45] 2015, with an amended agreement following on April 1, 2016.
[52:50] This agreement pertains to the waste diversion program for municipal
[52:53] hazardous and special waste. Specifically paint encodings, pesticides, and solvents.
[52:59] These products are all collected during the City Valley at
[53:01] Lake's annual hazardous waste collection event. Product care is registered
[53:05] as a producer responsibility organization. Or pro, and operates its
[53:09] Ontario program in accordance with the hazardous and Special Products
[53:13] Regulation. Ontario Regulation 449 20. One. This agreement succeeds and
[53:18] replaced the current amending agreement from 2016 and shall be
[53:22] on an initial term until December 31, 2026. Upon the
[53:26] expiry of the initial term, this Agreement will automatically renew
[53:29] for successive renewal terms of twelve months. The City of
[53:33] Elliot Lake will continue to provide the annual hazardous waste
[53:35] collection event while utilizing a service provider approved by product
[53:39] care. The City of Elliot Lake assist the service provider
[53:42] by recording relevant information and the individual dropping off hazardous
[53:46] and special waste and by assisting in the loading of
[53:49] said waste. The service provider provides support by organ. Organizing
[53:53] the waste packaging to proper specifications and delivery to the
[53:56] drop off location. This agreement serves to provide some modifications
[54:00] to the compensation the City Valley Lake currently receives, such
[54:04] as. Product care will compensate the city value of Lake
[54:07] $2.66 per kilogram of paints and coatings. Product area will
[54:13] compensate the city Valley Lake $3.21 per kilogram of pesticides.
[54:18] And product care will compensate the city of Elliot Lake.
[54:21] $2.54 per kilogram of solvents consumer price index index adjustments
[54:28] on the rates outlined above will be determined on the
[54:30] first day of each renewal term. This will be calculated
[54:33] by the percentage change of the Statistics Canada Consumer Price
[54:37] Index for Ontario for the most recent twelve month period.
[54:42] Product care will provide the City of Elliot Lake a
[54:44] one time retroactive payment for the 2024 HSP collection service
[54:48] in the amount of 4% of the amount paid by
[54:51] product care to the city of Elliot lake. This aligns
[54:54] with the city's strategic plan by the city, recognizing its
[54:57] interest and role as a steward and stakeholder in the
[55:00] condition of the local environment. And will continue to conduct
[55:03] its affairs with an awareness of environmental impact. In summary,
[55:07] by executing this replacement agreement. The City of Elliott Lake
[55:10] will continue to support waste diversion from the landfill, along
[55:13] with providing a long term hazardous and special waste collection
[55:16] agreement. I'm open to any questions should you have any.
[55:20] Okay, thank you. Mr. Irving, any questions? Comments. Councilor flintoff.
[55:26] Thank you, worship. Through to Mr. Irving. More of a
[55:29] curiosity question. Why are we getting a retro? Payment for
[55:33] 24. Through. Worship. They just really want us to sign
[55:40] this agreement. So it's a bonus. Okay. I like those
[55:45] deals. I knew that was good news story. Thank you.
[55:53] Sorry. Appreciate the honesty. Any other questions or comments? Councilor
[56:01] Marcett through you, your worship. I noticed on the other
[56:06] two reports how much possible money. But do we have
[56:09] any numbers yet for this one? For this one. I
[56:16] believe in 2025 we collected. I could be wrong here,
[56:20] but. It was a couple of hundred kilograms that was
[56:24] collected. So I don't have the exact figures. I haven't
[56:32] looked yet into it. Okay, but I can get you
[56:36] that information if you'd like. I can share, that is.
[56:39] That something Mr. Alt would have. Thank you through your
[56:44] worship. So. Looks like we collected. About
[56:53] total dollars that we retire through this program. Was $12,085.
[57:00] So not a ton of money, but enough to buy
[57:03] a few tons of metal anyway. Okay. Very good. Are
[57:07] you okay with that? Yes. Okay. Any other questions? All
[57:13] in favor? Not carried. 11.2 report from the Manager of
[57:21] environmental services regarding municipal and First nations automotive materials services
[57:27] amending agreement. We have a motion that council authorized entering
[57:31] into an amending agreement with automotive. Mat. Materials Stewardship, Inc.
[57:40] For the establishment of a collection and management system for
[57:43] hazardous and special products regulation and that the appropriate bylaw
[57:48] be passed a mover. Councilor lefe seconded. Councilor bo. Mr.
[57:54] Irving again, please. Thank you, your worship. And through you
[57:58] to members of council. The city of Elliot Lake entered
[58:02] into an agreement with Automotive Materials Stewardship, Inc. On October
[58:07] 1, 2021. This agreement pertains again to the Waste diversion
[58:12] program for automotive HsP. Which includes oil containers, oil filters,
[58:16] and antifreeze. These products are all collected during the city
[58:20] value Lakes annual hazardous waste collection event, and AMS is
[58:24] also registered as a pro and operates under. The hazardous
[58:27] and special products regulation. Oreg 449 21. The current agreement
[58:34] was on initial term until December 31, 2022, an automatically
[58:38] renewed for successive one year terms. This amended agreement will
[58:42] commence on January 1, 2026, and the initial term will
[58:46] continue. For five years until December 31, 2030. The agreement
[58:50] will automatically renew for an additional five years unless it
[58:53] is terminated in accordance with this agreement. City Valley Lake
[58:58] will continue to provide the annual hazardous waste collection event,
[59:01] and this agreement service provides some modifications to the compensation
[59:04] the city of Elliot Lake currently receives, such as AMS,
[59:08] will compensate the city of Elliot Lake. $2,550 per ton
[59:12] of automotive HSP, plus taxes and ams will compensate. The
[59:17] city of Elliott Lake. A minimum payment of $500 plus
[59:21] applicable taxes per event. Consumer price adjustments on the rate
[59:25] outlined above, excluding the minimum payment, will be adjusted on
[59:28] January 1 of each year. This will be calculated by
[59:31] the percentage change of the Statistics Canada Consumer Price Index.
[59:35] For Ontario. For the most recent twelve month period, AMS
[59:39] may increase the payment rate without requiring an amended agree.
[59:43] Agreement and the city valley lake will be notified of
[59:46] any such increase. A minimum of 15 days. In advance
[59:49] through written notice. This aligns with the city strategic plan
[59:53] by the city, recognizing its interest and role as a
[59:56] steward and stakeholder in the condition of the local environment
[59:58] and will continue to conduct its affairs. With an awareness
[1:00:01] of environmental impact. In summary, by executing this amended agreement,
[1:00:05] the city Valley Lake will continue to support waste diversion
[1:00:08] from the landfill, along with providing a long term and
[1:00:11] hazardous. And special lease collection agreement pertaining to oil containers,
[1:00:14] oil filters and danifreeze. Again open to questions. Thank you.
[1:00:21] Mr. Irving. Any questions or comments? So we use these
[1:00:25] services just once a year after our weekly collection. Correct.
[1:00:31] So after. All the items are collected during the event.
[1:00:36] Then the service provider brings it back to a depot.
[1:00:39] And they submit all the weights to us, and then
[1:00:42] we take all those weights, submit them to. All these
[1:00:46] providers that we have agreements with and receive compensation based
[1:00:49] on those rates. But we don't have a depot for
[1:00:52] all year donations. Quote unquote. No. It's only operated once
[1:00:59] per year. Once per year? Okay. Any other questions or
[1:01:04] comments? Council Marcett. True. One more little question I noticed
[1:01:10] when I was at the dump the other day. There
[1:01:12] was a lot of steel there. Is that collected or
[1:01:16] does stay at the dump eventually? Are you? Your worship?
[1:01:21] That's typically collected a couple of times per year. Okay.
[1:01:26] All right. All in favor? Not carried. 11.3 report from
[1:01:36] the Manager of environmental services regarding agreement with product care
[1:01:39] association of Canada Municipal Lighting materials. Of a motion that
[1:01:46] council authorized entering into an agreement with product care association
[1:01:49] of Canada for the provision of certain collection and post
[1:01:53] collection services of lighting materials and at the appropriate bylaw
[1:01:58] be passed. May have a mover. Councilor Ho fave seconded.
[1:02:03] Councilor Moore. Set Mr. Irving. Thank you, your worship. And
[1:02:08] through you to members of council. The City Valley Lake
[1:02:12] currently collects lighting during the annual hazardous waste collection event,
[1:02:16] but no compensation is received through this agreement, product care
[1:02:19] will begin compensating the city Valley lake based on the
[1:02:22] amount of unit weight collected during the event. This agreement
[1:02:26] pertains to the waste aversion. Program for electrical and electronic
[1:02:29] equipment, specifically lighting. Product care is registered as a producer
[1:02:34] responsibility organization and operates this Ontario program under the Electrical
[1:02:39] and Electronic Equipment, or EEE Ontario Regulation 522 20, which
[1:02:45] is issued under the Ontario Resource recovery and circular. Economy
[1:02:49] act. The initial term of this agreement commences on November
[1:02:54] 16, 2023, and shall end on December 31, 2025. At
[1:02:59] the expiry of the initial term, this agreement will automatically
[1:03:02] renew for successive renewal terms of twelve months. The agreement
[1:03:06] outlines the accepted program products inclusive of fluorescent tubes, fluore.
[1:03:11] Fluorescent bulbs, high intensity discharge bulbs, led bulbs, miniature bulbs,
[1:03:17] halogen and incandescent valves. The products not accepted under the
[1:03:21] program are light fixtures, ballasts, string lights, batteries, smoke and
[1:03:27] CO2. Detectors. The city value lake will continue to provide
[1:03:31] the annual hazardous waste collection event, and this agreement serves
[1:03:34] to provide compensation to the city Valley Lake, such as.
[1:03:39] Product air will compensate the city of Elliot Lake $2,200
[1:03:42] per ton of lighting. And although not located within the
[1:03:47] agreement, Product Care has communicated that it will provide retroactive
[1:03:50] payments for the lighting collected during the 2023, 2024 and
[1:03:53] 2025 collection events. This aligns with the city strategic plan
[1:03:58] by the city, recognizing its interest and role as a
[1:04:01] steward and stakeholder in the condition of the local environment
[1:04:04] and will continue to cond. Conduct its affairs with an
[1:04:06] awareness of environmental impact. In summary, by executing this agreement,
[1:04:11] the City of Valet Lake will continue to support waste
[1:04:13] aversion from the landfill, along with providing a long term
[1:04:16] lighting collection agreement. I'm open to any questions. Thank you,
[1:04:21] Mr. Irving. Any questions or comments? Councilor Flintov? Thank you,
[1:04:27] worship, sir. To Mr. Irving. So there's all kinds of
[1:04:30] different product, down to. Led light bulbs, and the other
[1:04:33] ones were paint cans. Who separates all this? They do,
[1:04:37] or the staff. So staff assists a contractor. We bring
[1:04:43] in and all this is then separated so we record
[1:04:48] all. The people showing up and help them load the
[1:04:51] equipment, and the service provider will package all this. And
[1:04:56] just one more quick follow up. So this lighting one,
[1:04:59] is this brand new we've never done the lighting before,
[1:05:02] is that what. Correct. We've never done the lighting, but
[1:05:05] they. Sent out the agreement in 2023. I'm glad you're
[1:05:09] on it. Thank you. Councilor. Thank you, your worship. Through
[1:05:14] you to Mr. Irving. Just knowing that you're new. To
[1:05:16] the role. It's commendable that you're bringing these three agreements
[1:05:19] making. Sure that the city is protected and that we're
[1:05:21] renewing things on time. So thank you for taking this
[1:05:24] a priority for you. Yes, I agree. Thank you very
[1:05:30] much. Good work. Same question. Are we going to have
[1:05:34] a depot set up for. Light collection. So that'll just
[1:05:39] be annually during the collection event, okay? I am looking
[1:05:44] into different options we can take in the future. Yeah,
[1:05:49] the hazardous waste. I can understand you can't store it
[1:05:51] somewhere without regulations, but light. Bulbs. In a big container.
[1:05:57] I don't know even a couple of it. Over the
[1:06:01] course of the year. Some of that can be sort
[1:06:03] of organized for you. Led lights. And whatever. Something just
[1:06:07] to think about. I have something to speak on for
[1:06:11] that. Sorry. So for the lighting, if it's broken, they
[1:06:16] don't collect it, so that's. One of the struggles with
[1:06:20] having a storage facility. Wow. Interesting, then. Very good point.
[1:06:28] Any other. Questions. Okay. Thank you very much. All in
[1:06:36] favor? Not carried. 11.4 memo from the Director of Recreation
[1:06:44] and Culture regarding Reuben Yudi, center update we have a
[1:06:49] motion that the memo from the Director of recreation regarding
[1:06:52] the Rubeni UD center update be received. Mover. Councilor man
[1:06:57] seconded. Councilor Flintoff. Ms. Kluk, please. Thank you. So, since
[1:07:05] the completion of the inspection. At the Ruinley Beauty center,
[1:07:08] staff and contractors have been working diligently to ensure the
[1:07:12] facility can be safely returned to full operation following the
[1:07:16] investigation of the equipment in the mechanical room. A specialized
[1:07:19] team was brought in to preserve all mechanical equipment to
[1:07:23] stop any further corrosion. Once that work was completed, our
[1:07:27] electrical contractors conducted a full assessment of the damage and
[1:07:31] have now ordered parts that were required for replacement of
[1:07:35] the components. At the same time, staff had been working.
[1:07:39] Have been coordinating with contractors who've installed the original mechanical
[1:07:42] system together. They've been reviewing the condition of all affected
[1:07:46] equipment and arranging for ordering any additional parts. That will
[1:07:49] be required for replacement. In parallel with these repairs, staff
[1:07:54] and contractors have been taking steps to improve the overall
[1:07:58] safety of the mechanical room. A redesign has been completed
[1:08:01] to prevent similar incidents. From occurring in the future. Under
[1:08:05] this redesign, the chlorine tanks will be relocated to a
[1:08:08] separate, dedicated storage room that's outside of the mechanical room.
[1:08:13] They will supply the necessary systems through piping and wiring,
[1:08:16] providing full isolation. Of the rest of the mechanical room
[1:08:20] and the equipment inside. During the process, staff were also
[1:08:26] informed of the alternate option for managing pool ph levels
[1:08:30] that does not rely on acid. Based on the recommendations
[1:08:33] from our contractors and consultants, staff approved transitioning from an
[1:08:38] acid based pool to a CO2 system, which would be.
[1:08:43] A new development in Lake. It should be noted that
[1:08:46] there's some costs associated with this transition. A portion of
[1:08:50] these is expected be covered under the insurance claim. Related
[1:08:54] to the acid leak, and additionally, we do not anticipate
[1:08:56] any meaningful increases in operating costs with the change from
[1:09:01] one system to the next. In fact, the CO2 system
[1:09:05] is expected to be comparable to the previous acid base,
[1:09:09] and there may be less corrosion or anything on equipment
[1:09:13] further down the road. So most importantly, the CO2 is
[1:09:17] significantly safer and more reliable method for balancing the pool's.
[1:09:21] Ph. It reduces the risk for staff and the equipment
[1:09:24] and avoids hazards associated with storing and handling acid installation
[1:09:29] of the new CS two system was completed last week.
[1:09:33] And our team fully remains committed to completing all remaining
[1:09:36] mechanical and electrical repairs as quickly and safely as possible.
[1:09:40] Staff continue to work closely with the appropriate authorities to
[1:09:43] secure required approvals and ensure that upgrades meet all current
[1:09:47] safety standards, so that's kind of where we're sitting. Right
[1:09:50] now. With just trying to work with ESA. On being
[1:09:55] able to get approval, so I'm open for any questions
[1:09:59] that you may have. Okay. Thank you, Ms. Kluk. Any
[1:10:02] questions? Councilor man? Thank you, worship. Through you a. Comment,
[1:10:07] and I have two questions, if I might, through you
[1:10:09] to Ms. Kluk. First of all. Thank you for the
[1:10:11] report. It is nice to hear that there is work
[1:10:15] going on and some of the information we've been provided
[1:10:18] is that some of the damage wasn't to the significant
[1:10:22] extent that we thought initially. I guess my first question
[1:10:25] is, when would you anticipate. The timeline for the results
[1:10:29] in the investigation. Have we got any sense of the
[1:10:33] final report and when that will be available. Through your
[1:10:37] worship. I don't have a timeline yet. Still ongoing. So
[1:10:42] it's hard to comment on that right now. My second
[1:10:47] question, your worship. Obviously, I think in the last main
[1:10:52] point of your report about the transition from the acid
[1:10:55] based system to the CO2 system. Easy to sit here
[1:10:59] now and kind of wonder why, when the initial redevelopment
[1:11:02] of the pool. Can't make assumptions, but. I'm wondering why
[1:11:09] that wasn't something that was considered at that time by
[1:11:11] the engineers and consultants that we were using to do
[1:11:15] the rehabilitation, because obviously some of this could have been
[1:11:18] prevented. Thank you. Your worship. Definitely. It's easy to sit
[1:11:24] back now and comment. But it's an acid system, is
[1:11:28] very common for commercial pools. I've worked in many now,
[1:11:32] and it's always been acid. From my experience, I think
[1:11:35] the switch to CO2. Is becoming more modern. But the
[1:11:39] acid system is very tried and tested with pools and
[1:11:43] acid, actually. Reacts faster for ph, and it actually has
[1:11:46] a better. It balances alkalinity as well. So even switching
[1:11:49] to CO2, we would still have to have acid on
[1:11:51] hand to manually. Add it. Say that if there's a
[1:11:54] ph swing, it does react faster. But it wouldn't be
[1:11:59] as much and we wouldn't be relying on heavily and.
[1:12:04] It's never our experience. Sorry. The engineer's experience with this
[1:12:07] as well as the. Designer has never experienced a failure
[1:12:09] like this in their past. So they wouldn't have known.
[1:12:12] Or, I guess, expected something like this to happen. So
[1:12:15] that's why they've never. Kind of steered away from going
[1:12:17] with the asset system before, so it's something we're seeing
[1:12:20] more and more in newer pools. And same thing with
[1:12:25] the consultants. They were able to make the suggestion. There's
[1:12:27] other even systems out there, too, that other pools have
[1:12:30] gone to now, but. It's just, I think based on
[1:12:34] experience and the designers and engineers, Didn't obviously expect it.
[1:12:38] Nor did we at the time. Okay. Thank you. Thank
[1:12:41] you. Any other questions, Councilor Marsette, through you, your worship.
[1:12:47] If we were to get the okay from Esa tomorrow.
[1:12:53] How long of a process would it take to get
[1:12:56] it started? The pool again. With the public health and
[1:13:01] all of those agency that needs to be approved. During
[1:13:06] your worship. It would take a little bit of time.
[1:13:11] With just one. We've dealt with this. So public health
[1:13:13] after a 30 day shutdown. We would have to schedule
[1:13:15] an inspection, so they'd have to come in and improve
[1:13:17] everything. ESA ultimately would have to say yes, and then
[1:13:21] it would just be a matter of making sure staffing
[1:13:24] and programming are set to go. I know we have
[1:13:27] a lot of eager staff waiting. To get back to
[1:13:29] it, so I don't think. That would be a problem,
[1:13:32] but it just would be scheduling that inspection and making
[1:13:36] sure everybody is aware. So we're all ready to go
[1:13:39] and eager to go and wanting to go. So it's,
[1:13:43] I guess, just a matter of following provincial standards. And
[1:13:47] has ESC said anything or gave us a timeline, or
[1:13:52] are they coming back to the city to look. Through
[1:13:56] your worship. It's something that our electrical contractors and main
[1:14:01] engineer. Are pushing on them at this time, but I
[1:14:04] don't have a time letter date for their inspection time,
[1:14:08] but I know it's being pushed on almost daily. Councilor
[1:14:12] is in favor. Thank you, you, worship. Through you, I'm
[1:14:15] a little confused, so. My understanding was that we had
[1:14:18] ordered parts that aren't coming until spring or summer, so.
[1:14:25] Are those parts not dependent on us reopening the pool?
[1:14:28] Through humi worship. They're trying to figure out the best
[1:14:32] way to get approved, so they're working. With ESA for
[1:14:36] something that they would sign off on. There'd be no
[1:14:39] liability. There is some things that need to be replaced,
[1:14:42] and I think they're just trying to exploit all options
[1:14:45] right now and try to get. This approved by ESA
[1:14:48] so we can get open fast and still replace what
[1:14:51] is needed. The time of the arrival of the other
[1:14:55] part. So they're trying many different plans and options to
[1:14:57] get everything safely approved open so that we can operate
[1:15:02] as soon as possible. And have. The remaining parts upon
[1:15:06] arrival, replace. Just another follow up question. I know that
[1:15:14] the recommendation is that we move to CO2. My fear
[1:15:17] is that are we just making a knee jerk reaction
[1:15:19] to the fact that we had an acid leak because
[1:15:22] CO2 been tried, tested and true. Because you are saying
[1:15:25] it is new technology. Drew. Your worship. No, I don't
[1:15:30] think. It's pretty common. There's other pools and commercial pools
[1:15:34] using it. It's also been used in our water treatment
[1:15:36] plant years ago. So. It's pretty trying to test it
[1:15:42] as well. It's just kind of one option. Or the
[1:15:44] other. And based on the research, And everything that's been
[1:15:49] given to us. It seemed like the right and the
[1:15:52] proper fit for us. And also with the less risk
[1:15:55] of corrosion on our equipment. And that it'll last longer
[1:15:59] and it might be more cost effective along in the
[1:16:01] long run. Councilor flintoff. Thank you, worship. Through to Ms.
[1:16:08] Kluk. So from your report, the CO2 system is. All
[1:16:12] in. As of on Friday. Is it the contractor that
[1:16:17] did this? Is this the same? Contractor that did the
[1:16:20] original work. Through your worship, so. They supplied it and
[1:16:26] installed it. Yes. It's not the same designer. But. Some
[1:16:31] of the contractors that we use to have all the
[1:16:34] equipment installed. And it is the same one we used
[1:16:39] prior. And they're the same ones. That are addressing all
[1:16:42] of the other the motors and the pumps down there
[1:16:45] and cleaning and replacing what would be needed for the
[1:16:48] claim as well. And sort of follow up from councilor
[1:16:51] Le Fabe. So the CO2 systems in has it been
[1:16:55] tested yet, or do we still need more equipment before
[1:16:58] it can be tested? Through your worship. It's sin right
[1:17:04] now. We did temporarily turn it off for the weekend
[1:17:07] just because it would be unsurprised and we didn't want
[1:17:09] there to be. Any incidents that happened unsupervised, but we
[1:17:14] are just using right now. Smaller cylinder tanks so that
[1:17:18] there would be a later install that we would require
[1:17:20] for that, but there's just been a little bit of
[1:17:22] a weight, so we've worked locally to get that? But
[1:17:25] it's been able to get it into our system, and
[1:17:28] we'll have better. Reads throughout, but. We're not apprehensive, Earth.
[1:17:33] There's no precaution for us. To think that it wouldn't
[1:17:36] work. It's set up and ready to go. We just
[1:17:40] are waiting for more electrical approval than anything. Okay. Thank
[1:17:45] you. Councilor Seidel. Thank you. To Ms. Cloop, would you
[1:17:51] anticipate having an answer before the 22nd from ESA to
[1:17:57] give us more of a time frame. Like, are they
[1:17:59] coming to do an inspection? Usually they're. Here on Thursdays.
[1:18:04] Through you. I hope so. Like every week we've been
[1:18:08] trying. There's been almost change frequently. Every day we're making
[1:18:14] calls and trying to get answers and try to get
[1:18:16] them here. I think. When I spoke to the contractor,
[1:18:22] they were hoping. For potentially last week or this Thursday,
[1:18:25] so I'm hoping to have an answer on that. So.
[1:18:31] If they are, I'll definitely come back with an update.
[1:18:34] But at this time. I just don't have an answer
[1:18:38] from when they would come to inspect. Thank you. Okay,
[1:18:48] so this system. Is there a breakdown of the cost
[1:18:53] of what's been happening? Any updates on that so far?
[1:18:59] Through you. Just based on we've been tracking, because everything
[1:19:04] that's come through right now, there hasn't been. Any. Are
[1:19:08] you wondering just how much the unit itself cost? Yeah,
[1:19:11] like changing to a CO2. System. We don't know what
[1:19:15] the cost is. Where's the money coming from? Yeah. So
[1:19:21] it's expected that the unit itself, the CO2 unit, we
[1:19:25] would have had to replace the acid beck system unit,
[1:19:28] so it's expected that that would be covered under. The
[1:19:30] claim. But. That alone. That's part of the reason to
[1:19:37] switch, is that we knew that that would have come.
[1:19:40] Through the claim or in hopes. But. It was under
[1:19:45] $10,000 to get the system purchased and. It wasn't as
[1:19:51] costly as we thought. And especially. Expecting that. It should
[1:19:56] be filed under the claim, and then. There'd be a
[1:19:59] little bit of an upfront cost just to get the
[1:20:01] tanks installed. As they would be coming from a supplier.
[1:20:08] And. We would look temporarily at renting to see if
[1:20:12] that's better than just for hazard. And to prevent staff
[1:20:16] to having to do the inspections, it would be done
[1:20:18] by an actual company. Itself. But that's expected to be
[1:20:23] five grand as well, so it's nothing that has been
[1:20:25] astronomical. For the change, and then. The operational costs are
[1:20:30] expected to be similar with having to bring supplies out
[1:20:33] of town with the asset like we normally do as
[1:20:35] well. So the system we have now is sufficient for
[1:20:39] the reduced acid use. I understand you're just using it
[1:20:44] as a quick buffer, but it still has to be.
[1:20:48] A system that has to get into the water, correct?
[1:20:52] Do we have that already? In our inventory. Or is
[1:20:56] that going to be an extra cost? The CO2 s
[1:20:59] no. You mentioned that we needed CO2. But for spikes,
[1:21:04] for example, to change that, you're still going to have
[1:21:07] to apply. An asset based system. Yeah. There wouldn't be
[1:21:14] a lot, and it would just be kind of monitoring
[1:21:16] on hand. We actually have a lot right now of
[1:21:20] acid just from purchasing it from our operations. It's not
[1:21:25] expected to be a lot, and it's something that we
[1:21:27] can purchase from a supplier. That we regularly use or
[1:21:32] service tele la. Lake so. If we needed it, there
[1:21:36] would be a lot smaller of an order than what
[1:21:39] we've been using. No, I understand the supply of asset.
[1:21:43] It's the distribution system of acid that just blew. Up.
[1:21:46] Yeah, we wouldn't be using it that way. It would
[1:21:48] be manually from the pool. Deck. Okay. Sprinkling it in.
[1:21:54] Got you. Appreciate it. Any other questions? Okay. All in
[1:22:01] favor? Not carried.
[1:22:12] 11.5 report from the Director of finance treasurer regarding 2026
[1:22:17] interim tax levy may have a motion that the bylaw
[1:22:20] to provide for an interim tax levy for 2026 for
[1:22:24] the payment of taxes and for penalty and interest on
[1:22:28] rears in accordance with the Municipal Act 2001. Be passed
[1:22:33] by council. Mover. Councilor man seconded. Councilor Seidle, Mr. Olt.
[1:22:40] Thank you very much. Your worship and through you. The
[1:22:44] memo in front of you today is with respect to
[1:22:47] an interim tax levy. So here in Ontario, it's very
[1:22:50] common for all municipalities. To bill taxes with. Two bills
[1:22:56] that come in the mail, one in February and one
[1:22:58] in June. The one in February is what we call
[1:23:02] the interim tax bill. The one in June is what
[1:23:04] we call the final tax bill. In the interim tax
[1:23:08] bill. We assess your property taxes at 50% of whatever
[1:23:12] your taxes were from the year previous. The reason we
[1:23:15] do that is because there are a lot of inputs
[1:23:18] that have to go into that. Bill. Municipal budget has
[1:23:21] to be passed. The school board. Rates have to be
[1:23:24] determined by the province, and we need to know what
[1:23:26] our assessment value is so that we can divide it
[1:23:29] up per dollar of property value correctly for the different
[1:23:33] classes of properties that we have, residential, commercial forests, aggregate
[1:23:38] pits and so on. So we usually send those bills
[1:23:42] in February, which means we print them in January. There's
[1:23:46] 5000 bills to print out. And even if we pass
[1:23:49] the budget here at the end of December, We would
[1:23:52] like to use last year's rate for that first bill
[1:23:56] because it's practical. And issue those bills accordingly, which would
[1:24:00] set the payment for April and June, and then. Once.
[1:24:05] We can have a bit of time. We can set
[1:24:07] our property tax rates once all those other unknowns are
[1:24:10] made available and send that bill in June. So this
[1:24:15] is a standard housekeeping. Procedure that's done in pretty much
[1:24:18] all 444 municipalities across Ontario. And I would ask. That.
[1:24:25] You ask me any questions you may have, and I
[1:24:26] look forward to answering them. Thank you. Thank you, Mr.
[1:24:30] Olt. Any questions or comments? Councilor man just to comment
[1:24:35] your worship and discussions. With Mr. Alt earlier today. I
[1:24:40] believe we're still on track to get the budget wrapped
[1:24:42] up. No later than early January. If that. So this
[1:24:50] is again. As indicated. Just a housekeeping matter, but I
[1:24:54] think we're going to be pretty close. To getting it
[1:24:56] done on our original schedule. Thank you. Thank you. Any
[1:25:00] other questions or comments? No. Okay, Mr. Holt, go ahead.
[1:25:06] Just on that note. So based on the results of
[1:25:09] the survey, Obviously, it was seen that user fees are
[1:25:13] big importance to the community, so we spent our time
[1:25:16] to revise user fees, not just applying a blanket percentage,
[1:25:20] but going through every single fee and so that is
[1:25:23] why we redirected the coming ad hoc budget committee towards
[1:25:27] primarily the review. Of user fees, which is a major
[1:25:29] input to the budget and has a direct imp. Impact
[1:25:31] on the levy. And then we would ask that an
[1:25:34] additional ad hoc budget committee meeting be made. To review
[1:25:40] the budgets that obviously that input would produce. With that
[1:25:45] one extra meeting and one council. Meeting such as the
[1:25:47] 22nd. We can have this passed by the end of
[1:25:49] 2025. Okay. Thank you. Yeah, that was my comment. You
[1:25:55] now have December 22 to play with. Any other questions
[1:26:00] or comments? Councilor Lo fave thank you, Richard. Through you,
[1:26:04] just a comment. Though the ask is that you're going
[1:26:06] to. Bill. The interim tax levy will be based on
[1:26:10] 50% of last year's property taxes. Irrelevant of whether we
[1:26:14] finished a budget on time. Thank you, you, worship. And
[1:26:17] through you. That is exactly correct. And that's what happens
[1:26:19] at every other municipality. For instance, City of Sue St.
[1:26:23] Marie just passed their budget last week, but they were
[1:26:26] still doing an interim tax levy even though the school
[1:26:29] board rates just came out this morning. Sudbury is doing
[1:26:32] the same thing, and they just passed a budget a
[1:26:34] couple of weeks ago. This is done by all communities,
[1:26:37] and it's because. We can't really set the rate until
[1:26:41] we know what the assessment value is, which means we
[1:26:43] have to wait at least until December 31. We don't
[1:26:46] come back to the office until, obviously, January. And we
[1:26:51] need to print off 5500 bills and have them mailed.
[1:26:53] So this is just. A practical way to do it.
[1:26:57] Questions. Okay. All in favor? That is carried.
[1:27:07] 11.6 report from the Director of Finance treasurer regarding Political
[1:27:10] Intelligence 2025 government relations activities. We have a motion that
[1:27:17] the report from political intelligence for 2025 government relation activities
[1:27:22] be received. Mover. Councilor bowl seconded. Councilor lefe. Mr. Alt,
[1:27:29] I believe you have a presentation, or we have two
[1:27:31] members. From the political intelligence group Christine Reddig and Dion
[1:27:38] Huawei. Are here to present via zoom, correct? That is
[1:27:46] correct, sir. And through you. This is with respect to
[1:27:50] a council report that was requested. Upon the signing of
[1:27:54] political intelligence to be the government relations experts here for
[1:27:57] the city of Elliot. Lake. As we know, government relations
[1:28:00] is more than just filling out applications. It's figuring out
[1:28:03] how projects that don't really fit neatly into. A government
[1:28:06] funding box can fit neatly into a government funding box
[1:28:09] and takes a lot of strategy. Relationship management and understanding
[1:28:13] of the unique needs of the client, or which in
[1:28:15] this case, is us. As a northern community. And it's
[1:28:19] on that note that I wish you could please invite
[1:28:22] both Christina Retig and Dina Huai to give a presentation.
[1:28:28] On their progress to date. And direct any questions you
[1:28:31] may have towards them. Thank you. Okay. Thank you. Hi,
[1:28:36] Dion. Hi, Christine. Can you hear us? I can hear
[1:28:40] you loud and clear. Can you hear us? Yes, perfectly.
[1:28:44] Here, you all, your worship. Thank you. Okay, please go
[1:28:47] ahead. I understand you have the presentation in your package.
[1:28:52] Would you like me to share my screen or. Is
[1:28:54] it easier to follow along on paper? Yeah. We have
[1:28:56] a number of people in the gallery. If you'd like
[1:28:59] to share. Okay. Just one moment, please. Sure.
[1:29:25] Okay, can everyone see that? No, not yet. Not yet.
[1:29:32] Okay. One moment, please. Sorry. Okay, now, are you able
[1:29:42] to see my screen? There you go. If you can
[1:29:44] enlarge. It. Maybe. Yes, no problem. Is that all
[1:29:54] right? Perfect. I'm going to take 1 second. My daughter
[1:30:00] just showed up and I'm going. To try and make
[1:30:01] sure that she goes upstairs. My love, please go to
[1:30:03] bed. Can you go? Upstairs and find daddy. I'm very
[1:30:06] sorry about that. She snuck downstairs. That's perfect. Don't worry.
[1:30:12] I thought I was hiding from her, okay? So this
[1:30:16] picture represents one of our early goals in our relationship
[1:30:19] with the city of Elia. Lake. We wanted to make
[1:30:22] sure that we were engaging at Queens park before Christmas
[1:30:26] while the house is still in session, which was a
[1:30:28] relatively short window to help make the case for the
[1:30:31] city. And priority projects. And some of you might be
[1:30:35] wondering why we were stressing the need to do this
[1:30:37] in. Person. Especially for Premier Ford, who we were targeting
[1:30:41] for a meeting in person is the way to go.
[1:30:44] He is. Not necessarily. A huge fan of Zoom meetings,
[1:30:48] and he is a dynamic, in person kind of. Kind
[1:30:50] of leader. So we wanted to lead with the direct
[1:30:53] approach, and I would say in person tends to also
[1:30:56] lead to more high quality and memorable engagements. Taking the
[1:30:59] time to make the trip to the legislature having discussions
[1:31:02] with multiple offices is definitely a net benefit, and I
[1:31:06] would say. There's also a net benefit to being just
[1:31:09] in the building while all the mpps are in town,
[1:31:11] you can have spontaneous interactions, et cetera, just wandering the
[1:31:14] hallways. Which definitely merits the in person approach. And here
[1:31:20] you can see around the table, this was the meeting
[1:31:21] with the premier. Staff. You can see your local MPP,
[1:31:26] Bill Rosenberg, was at the table. The mayor. Of course,
[1:31:29] the deputy mayor. And city staff Steven Tunis and Andrew
[1:31:32] alt. Each individual brought something different to the meeting. We
[1:31:37] wanted to make sure that we could have a wide
[1:31:39] ranging discussion with the various offices that we were engaging.
[1:31:42] So it was helpful to have a delegation there. And
[1:31:47] why were we there over two days? I would say
[1:31:49] that we wanted to make sure that we were making
[1:31:52] the trip as valuable as possible, given the distance and
[1:31:55] the drive. That your staff and your leaders were taking,
[1:31:59] so we wanted to make sure that we had as
[1:32:01] many meetings as possible. To. Talk about the priorities for
[1:32:05] Elliot Lake. So you can see here we had a
[1:32:09] number of touch points across a variety of ministries. While
[1:32:13] we were there. Most importantly, being with the premier, we
[1:32:18] wanted to make sure that we had an in person
[1:32:20] engagement. With him, his staff, because they are critical to
[1:32:24] drafting the budget and making decisions about what future funding
[1:32:27] looks like. Your local MPP, Bill Rosenberg, who I know
[1:32:31] is aware of the situation, but it's. Helpful to keep
[1:32:33] him. Abreast of developments and also included in meetings at
[1:32:36] Queens park so that he can be alive to the
[1:32:39] issues. In addition to that, there were staff meetings with
[1:32:43] staff from the Minister of Northern Economic development and growth,
[1:32:47] responsible for the heritage Fund, the office of the Ministers
[1:32:51] for the senior ministers in the portfolio. The Minister of
[1:32:55] Tourism, Culture and gaming. And the parliamentary assistant to the
[1:32:59] Minister of Sport, Natalie. Pierre. So, quite a few meetings.
[1:33:04] Were shoehorned into a short period of time. This is
[1:33:07] here to make sure that we're making sure that we
[1:33:09] are being publicly transparent. That we are keeping the public
[1:33:13] engaged about what leadership is doing at Queens park, showing
[1:33:16] that the wide variety of meetings and nature of the
[1:33:19] discussions and to make sure that. You're there where that
[1:33:24] your local MPP is being engaged in the conversations. And
[1:33:29] to just be as transparent as possible about the kind
[1:33:31] of work that you're doing. While you're at Queens Park.
[1:33:35] In terms of meeting outcomes. We had a couple of
[1:33:37] very specific messages that we were trying to get across.
[1:33:44] First is to raise awareness for the arena and project
[1:33:47] timelines relative to the different funding opportunities like Mr. Altis
[1:33:51] mentioned, this doesn't necessarily neatly fit into the programs as
[1:33:55] is and we needed to emphasize why that's the case.
[1:33:59] A big reason for that is that this is a
[1:34:01] sole access project which differentiates it from other northern cities,
[1:34:05] such as the Sioux or Sudbury, et cetera, where there
[1:34:08] are multiple arenas which have been funded by the provincial
[1:34:11] government and made the clear link between. This arena. Hockey,
[1:34:15] skating and communities, wellness and morale. It's more than just
[1:34:19] a building. And the history that was behind it. Critically,
[1:34:23] we emphasize the major impact of the ongoing closure on
[1:34:26] the local economy. There are many spin off effects to
[1:34:29] having that arena open and functional. From not just skating
[1:34:33] in hockey, but also the trade shows and all the
[1:34:35] various events, concerts et cetera that I know are hosted
[1:34:38] there and all of the ripple effects that that has
[1:34:41] on the local economy, from accommodations to restaurants, retail, gas,
[1:34:45] et cetera. It all adds up. We also wanted to
[1:34:50] make sure that we were linking assets like the arena
[1:34:53] to demographic changes that are happening in Elliot Lake, where
[1:34:56] there's population growth happening. Involving young children and families and
[1:35:01] where these kinds of assets. Are important to access for
[1:35:05] those people in addition to the rest of the population,
[1:35:08] and they're expected in a northern city. And we also
[1:35:12] want to make the case that special circumstances were as
[1:35:14] usually allowed to some degree in various programs for funding.
[1:35:20] Can be expanded further to recognize some of the practical
[1:35:23] challenges facing northern infrastructure projects. Now the meeting. They were
[1:35:31] milestones. They were with important steps. But we want to
[1:35:33] make sure that we keep the pressure on because we
[1:35:36] want to ultimately come up with results. And part of
[1:35:40] that is not just explaining the problem to decision makers
[1:35:43] and staff at Queens park. But it's proposing policy solutions
[1:35:46] for them. And one of the funds we are focusing
[1:35:49] on particular is the community Sport and Recreation Infrastructure Fund,
[1:35:54] which already has special circumstances, and we're proposing that those
[1:35:57] circumstances be expanded a little bit more. To allow for
[1:36:01] funding for a project like the arena. In addition to
[1:36:05] that, those expanded special circumstances would not mean much if
[1:36:08] they didn't put more money into this pot because we
[1:36:11] assume that they have spent all of the $200 million.
[1:36:14] That was previously allocated to this fund. So we are
[1:36:18] advocating for additional funding and budget 2026. Next up, we
[1:36:22] also want to make sure that the local MPP is
[1:36:25] fully engaged and abreast of all the developments are happening
[1:36:28] because things can change. We've seen. This is a project
[1:36:32] where it is ongoing and evolving, so we want to
[1:36:35] make sure we're doing that. The relationships that were established
[1:36:39] need to be maintained, and we want to make sure
[1:36:42] we follow up. With them. To make sure that they're
[1:36:46] aware of the policy solutions and help with any advocacy
[1:36:49] that might be required for the budget. Because advocacy can
[1:36:52] come from all sides, not just from the city of
[1:36:54] Elliot Lake. And we also want to make sure that
[1:36:57] we're maintaining contact with the heritage fund about progress and
[1:37:01] interacting. With their funding of opportunities because we want to
[1:37:03] keep that door open as much as possible for future
[1:37:07] funding. And that about sums it up. Okay. Thank you
[1:37:14] very much. I will say, for my part, we did
[1:37:17] benefit from the services. Especially navigating around Toronto. It's not
[1:37:25] just one meeting spot you got to walk all around.
[1:37:28] There's, like, tremendous blocks in between. Dion was our guide
[1:37:33] every moment of the day. He has a good history.
[1:37:41] Of interacting with. Queens park mpps. And he knew a
[1:37:48] lot of people. And helped us get a few of
[1:37:50] these connections and meetings. And those meetings, to me, were
[1:37:56] very productive. Obviously, they don't say. Okay, here you go.
[1:38:02] But I think we've established a number of reports, and
[1:38:05] I agree that the pressure needs to continue. A lot
[1:38:09] of focus in the presentation was the arena, but there
[1:38:12] were a number of. Important issues for Elliott Lake that
[1:38:17] were brought up in these meetings. I've never been to
[1:38:21] a conference yet. But by all accounts, these meetings. One
[1:38:27] or two of them went beyond 45 minutes, which is
[1:38:30] unheard of. So it was very personal. And we're very
[1:38:36] appreciative for the guidance of the company. That we have
[1:38:43] contracted. To. So thank you very much for that. And
[1:38:48] I will say we do have ongoing talks currently. On
[1:38:52] board at the moment, which is great news. Councilor Morissette.
[1:39:00] Through who you worship. Does these talks was with the
[1:39:03] provincial government. Are we going to get this similar with
[1:39:07] the federal government. Or is that totally something different? Did
[1:39:13] you take out, your worship? Sure. So. Excellent question, Councilor
[1:39:19] Morrissette. We are planning on engaging at the federal level
[1:39:22] as well, to start through your local MP, Terry Sheehan,
[1:39:26] there was some language in the most recent federal budget
[1:39:29] about reusing existing infrastructure funds for a new community infrastructure
[1:39:35] stream that would be direct to commun. Communities, as opposed
[1:39:38] to going through all of the work involved in getting
[1:39:42] on a provincial priority list. Which I know you're familiar
[1:39:44] with from path infrastructure rounds. We are monitoring the situation
[1:39:48] carefully. To see when that is launched. As you know,
[1:39:51] the federal budget has not been passed yet. I don't
[1:39:54] expect it to be passed before the break, given the
[1:39:56] minority context, they're at a bit of an impasse at
[1:39:58] the federal level, but once that is passed, We hope
[1:40:02] that that community infrastructure fund will flow expeditiously and we
[1:40:06] will be absolutely looking for an application when that happens.
[1:40:11] Councilor flintoff. Thank you. Just a comment because I went
[1:40:17] down with the team and I've been to quite a
[1:40:21] few conferences and going into delegations, but you're one of
[1:40:25] a many municipality like you're. Lined up and you're in
[1:40:29] there and you're feeling, you're on the clock, but I
[1:40:32] really felt, when I went into these meetings, We weren't
[1:40:35] quite as marijuana said, a couple of them went into
[1:40:38] 45 minutes and we were in their work area and.
[1:40:42] It just. Seemed like a lot more like they were
[1:40:45] really focused on how we at lake when we were
[1:40:47] in there and Dion looked after us. He was the
[1:40:50] king of the Ubers and showed us. Where to eat,
[1:40:53] but. I really think it was time well spent. I
[1:40:57] agree. Thank you. Any other questions? Comments? Councilor man. Thank
[1:41:07] you, your worship. Through you to Mr. Ralph. Just to
[1:41:10] clarify the term of the existing agreement, ends when. Thank
[1:41:16] you. And through you. The term of the existing agreement
[1:41:18] technically ends on January 15 and a part of this
[1:41:21] note is also to provide direction to extend that agreement
[1:41:24] into the new year. There are a number of priorities
[1:41:27] that political intelligence obviously is engaging with currently, as you've
[1:41:31] seen. From the next steps, both at the provincial level.
[1:41:36] And at the federal level, and I believe that it
[1:41:38] would be in the municipality's best interest to continue the
[1:41:41] relationship on a month to month basis. And we can
[1:41:44] provide further direction in the 2026 budget. Thank you. Any
[1:41:52] other questions? All in favor? Not as carried.
[1:42:03] Okay. Thank you, Christine. Thank you, Dion. Merry Christmas. Thank
[1:42:07] you. To you as well. Thank you. Be in touch.
[1:42:10] Okay. Report from the 11.7. Report from the Director of
[1:42:15] Finance treasurer, regarding gis services. Agreement with Sue St. Marie
[1:42:19] Innovation Center SSMIC. The council approved the execution and renewal
[1:42:28] of the GIS services agreement with the Sue St. Marie
[1:42:32] Innovation center dated October 14, 2025, which provides pay as
[1:42:38] you go GIS support. Technical services and strategic spatial data
[1:42:44] management for the city of Elliot Lake, and that the
[1:42:47] appropriate bylaw be passed a mover. Council of fave seconded.
[1:42:52] Councilor bo Mr. Alt. Thank you, your worship, and thank
[1:42:56] you. For the opportunity to speak on behalf of this
[1:42:59] project. As you know, asset management remains one of the
[1:43:03] top priorities for the city of Elite Lake finance. And
[1:43:07] information technology and public works departments. And JS technology is
[1:43:12] how we're able to make a lot of decisions using
[1:43:15] data. And evidence. For many municipalities, GIs is known as
[1:43:20] the single source of truth, meaning that as soon as
[1:43:24] assets are updated. They're recorded on GIS. All of the
[1:43:28] inventory of our assets, everything. From the fire hydrants to
[1:43:31] the linear infrastructure underneath the roads to the treadmills and
[1:43:36] the gym to the. Ice plants in the arena are
[1:43:39] all recorded. On a GIS system. And the way I
[1:43:43] like to describe this is that we have smartphones and
[1:43:47] they're powered by Android or apple. What powers a lot
[1:43:51] of GIS systems is a technology known as Sri or
[1:43:54] Esri S. Three has been around for well over 30
[1:43:58] years. And provides the backbone kind of foundational infrastructure from
[1:44:03] that. Developers create app. Apps or applications similar to. How
[1:44:11] Google makes Google Chrome as an application on the smartphone.
[1:44:15] So these applications enable us to do things with the
[1:44:18] maps. The Sue St. Marine Evasion center has been a
[1:44:21] catalyst for developing apps on the GIS system ever since
[1:44:26] it's launched. In 2006. I had the pleasure of working
[1:44:29] there and myself in 2013. And since then, they've grown
[1:44:34] to be. Known worldwide for excellence in geomatic information systems.
[1:44:41] They rebranded their division for gas. As known as acorn,
[1:44:45] and they serve as a maid in the north solution.
[1:44:50] What Susan Renovation center does is develop these applications for
[1:44:53] the context of municipalities. Again, everything from linear infrastructure, buildings
[1:44:59] recording depreciation. Recording replacement cycles. Tracking when we have an
[1:45:07] excess number of leaks and pipes, when our maintenance costs
[1:45:10] are exceeding replacement. Cost. Those are things that we need
[1:45:14] in order to make informed capital budgeting decisions. Here at
[1:45:19] the city Valley lake, engaged with the sustained renovation center
[1:45:22] in the past. The project was incomplete as it was
[1:45:27] determined that. They wanted a change in vendor was required.
[1:45:33] And a Toronto based Mississauga based vendor at the time,
[1:45:36] was recommended. This is to restart our engagement with the
[1:45:40] maid in the north solution in Sue St. Marie. Here
[1:45:44] in Algoma municipality. We also qualify for their original product,
[1:45:49] which is how they gain their reputation, which is a
[1:45:51] municipal cost share pool. So when we want to develop
[1:45:54] new apps that they currently don't have say to track
[1:45:58] something in the arena. The cost to develop that app
[1:46:02] would not just be owned by the City Valley Lake,
[1:46:03] it would be actually shared by the municipality Awa municipality
[1:46:06] of Prince. Most of the townships along the North Shore,
[1:46:09] St. Joe's island, and if we become a member of
[1:46:12] the city of Valley Lake. It is a nonprofit entity
[1:46:15] fully owned by the city of Sue St. Marie. It
[1:46:17] has grown to well over 50 employees. The expertise. They
[1:46:21] have there is unbelievable. The agreement that you have in
[1:46:23] front of you is an extraordinarily. Cost effective agreement for
[1:46:26] providing top of the line. World class GIS support. That
[1:46:31] includes getting our maps up to date, getting our asset
[1:46:35] inventory up. To date. And ready to hit the ground
[1:46:40] running. For 2026. We had Sean Crozier come here to
[1:46:44] Elliot Lake to make a presentation. Which impressed everybody, and
[1:46:49] we have 100% confidence they're going to do a great
[1:46:51] job. In doing that. These are computery guys and girls
[1:46:57] and they like to work. So December when everything shuts.
[1:47:01] Down. They like to become workaholics, and that's why this
[1:47:04] agreement is in front of you today because we really
[1:47:06] want to get our asset inventory uploaded to gis as
[1:47:09] quickly. As we can so that we can start making.
[1:47:13] Good decisions. I don't anticipate we're going to come close
[1:47:16] to 50,000. By the end of the year. However, I
[1:47:19] am intending to carry over. Whatever we are expected not
[1:47:23] to use to the 2025. Operating budget. So on that
[1:47:28] note, I would look forward to answering any supplemental questions
[1:47:31] you have about this project. Okay. Thank you very much,
[1:47:34] Mr. Alt. Any questions or comments? Councilor man. Thank you,
[1:47:41] worship. I think the other point in this is it's
[1:47:44] very important that we become provincially compliant with this asset
[1:47:48] management, which we know we have not been as of
[1:47:52] late. So I thank you for bringing this forward, Mr.
[1:47:54] Alton, and getting back on track with us so. Much
[1:47:57] appreciated. Thank you, Councilor Flint. Flintoff. So this is a
[1:48:03] fairly new contract. Courtney, report. We started October 14. Go
[1:48:09] ahead. No. The agreement was dated October 14, when we
[1:48:12] had our initial conversation. We weren't sure what the fit
[1:48:19] would be like if what we had before would be
[1:48:21] salvageable. What the approximate cost would be from an aggregate
[1:48:24] perspective. So we had further conversations with them before. Bringing
[1:48:28] this to you. And that's why we didn't come to
[1:48:30] you in October. With that. We want to make sure
[1:48:32] what we have done before. Can be done again. And
[1:48:35] we don't have to reinvent the wheel, so to speak.
[1:48:37] As maybe our decision might have been different if we
[1:48:39] had to start from ground zero. So because we've had
[1:48:43] some stuff done in the past with them on Sri.
[1:48:47] Our cost was scaled much lower than. What continuing with
[1:48:53] dot, for example, might have been. Okay, so I misunderstood
[1:48:57] that. So we haven't really fully engaged them yet until
[1:49:00] after the. Meeting tonight. That's correct. And just. Could you
[1:49:03] just explain? The difference between level one, level two and
[1:49:07] level three? Yeah, for sure. So there's different. Levels of
[1:49:11] experience. Kind of like going to a law firm. You
[1:49:14] might get the top lawyer in the province, so you
[1:49:15] might get the junior lawyer, and of course, it depends
[1:49:17] on the complexity of your case. So some things that
[1:49:21] are relatively simple can get kind of farmed off to
[1:49:23] kind of the junior people. We don't need to be
[1:49:25] paying somebody that's going to be at a higher rate
[1:49:27] of pay to do something that a junior could do.
[1:49:30] But there are some things especially in this technology that
[1:49:33] you do need the expertise of a seasoned gray hair,
[1:49:36] so to speak. And it's worth paying the residual. I.
[1:49:40] Have great hair too, but. That's kind of the idea
[1:49:44] behind that. Okay. As councilor man said, it's a good
[1:49:48] way to get our asset management plan and good work.
[1:49:52] Council Bolt. Thank you, worship. To you. To Mr. Alt.
[1:49:55] Has the city ever done a gis? Before. Thank you,
[1:50:01] Councilor bowl. We've attempted to. There's been an attempt, initially
[1:50:07] with the Sue St. Mary Innovation Center a long time
[1:50:10] ago. With Sri. And then there was a more recent
[1:50:13] attempt with Dot. This is revitalizing the earlier attempt. With
[1:50:17] s three. Okay, a follow up. So is there an
[1:50:22] upset limit to how much we're going to spend next
[1:50:24] year on this? Or is it because I didn't see
[1:50:27] it in here? If there was an upset limit. Thank
[1:50:29] you for your question. I mean, I'm cognizant that we're.
[1:50:32] Already in December, so there's only so much time between
[1:50:35] now and the end of this year that this technically
[1:50:36] would be active for. However, in the budget that would
[1:50:40] be presented to you later. This. Month, and maybe we
[1:50:42] might want to word it in the motion today. An
[1:50:46] upset limit of a project total of $50,000 to get
[1:50:49] everything back up to date and running. Obviously, the work
[1:50:52] is going to start in December, but we'll definitely carry
[1:50:55] forward into 2026. My recommendation would be to approve the
[1:50:59] upset limit of $50,000 today. However, in the operating budget.
[1:51:03] We will also put in the 50,000 less, maybe five.
[1:51:08] And that gives them the flexibility to work as much
[1:51:10] as they want during the holiday season to get this
[1:51:12] done. We did have conversations directly with our account manager,
[1:51:15] Sean, to kind of ballpark that estimate pretty accurately. Okay,
[1:51:21] now for the information. Do they come here for that,
[1:51:24] or do we have to have our resources go through
[1:51:27] all that and send it to them again? Good question.
[1:51:32] So we are in a mixed digitization phase. So just
[1:51:36] to give you an idea, Was consulted on the capital
[1:51:39] budget because we believe strongly in infrastructure. You're at the
[1:51:42] city. Of Elliot Lake. And that's why we engage professionals
[1:51:46] in infrastructure. And when we ask them what might be
[1:51:49] a priority. They were digging up literal paper files, so
[1:51:52] we have a lot that stored. Not. In the digital
[1:51:58] system that has to get stored into a digital system.
[1:52:00] So the digitization. Is a big part of this. For
[1:52:05] an example. If you want to find out what road
[1:52:06] should we do next? Well, you probably want to know
[1:52:09] a the age of the infrastructure and the road and
[1:52:12] the problems that you're facing right. How many visits have
[1:52:15] we had to do? How many leaks have we had
[1:52:16] to repair, et cetera et cetera. And so there's a
[1:52:19] lot of information that goes into those decisions. Because we
[1:52:22] do have scarce resources. Ultimately, if we had unlimited money,
[1:52:26] we'd fix all the roads tomorrow, but we don't. And
[1:52:29] so to make. These informed decisions. We need good information.
[1:52:34] Right now, that information is mixed between paper and digital.
[1:52:37] There's not really one source of truth, because on some
[1:52:39] software that we use says one thing. Other software, says
[1:52:43] another even dot, for example. Our current dot subscription, which
[1:52:47] was recently updated. Hillside drive north is still listed in
[1:52:53] Dot and in the asset management plan as needing revitalization
[1:52:56] yet. We all know we just fixed hillside drive north.
[1:52:59] The reality is it just never got uploaded to the
[1:53:01] system. So that's what a lot of this is, is
[1:53:04] to upload. That data. Okay. Thank you. Any other questions?
[1:53:11] Just for curiosity's sake, if this goes further. I feel
[1:53:19] like I've asked this question before. Do we need a
[1:53:22] position at the city? To change our paper to digital.
[1:53:26] Is that something that's being considered through? Your worship, I
[1:53:30] think certainly I can comment on my understanding and finance.
[1:53:33] Although perhaps the it director. Might further expand. A desire
[1:53:40] to treat Gis seriously. Certainly at other municipalities that are
[1:53:45] medium sized. They have departments that are smaller but exist.
[1:53:53] I would say that working with a provider like the
[1:53:56] Sue St. Renovation center on this provides continuity. I don't
[1:54:00] know if we really want to attract a computer science
[1:54:02] student. To go into that cycle of every two years,
[1:54:06] having to recruit and so on and so forth. But
[1:54:09] I do think we could have somebody on staff that
[1:54:10] might support this initiative, and I do. Think that. That
[1:54:17] is attainable. I could put some metrics out there. So
[1:54:21] we usually compare ourselves to Canora and to Dryden. In
[1:54:26] canor. They do have a GIs analyst, and they also
[1:54:28] work with a GIs. Firm from Winnipeg. I think a
[1:54:31] model such as that would be something that would work
[1:54:34] for our city. So having, like, one employee, but still
[1:54:37] having. The main support department that we could consult and
[1:54:42] provide continuity of service. Thank you. Any other questions? Okay,
[1:54:50] so are we going to consider the 50,000 upset limit?
[1:54:58] In tonight's motion or just we're going to accept those?
[1:55:08] Is council. The fave moved. So what are we doing?
[1:55:12] Okay, let's just have a vote then. Councilor man.
[1:55:22] Wasn't my motion, so I feel a little uncomfortable about
[1:55:24] recommending it, but I would be happy. To agree or
[1:55:28] support the treasurer's recommendation for an upset limit of 50
[1:55:33] in 2025. So if the mover and seconder are agreeable,
[1:55:36] we can do a friendly amendment to add an upset
[1:55:39] limit of $50,000. So it was council, the fave, and
[1:55:42] it was councilor bowl. You're both in favor?
[1:55:52] Friendly amendment, but we said we would never do. Okay.
[1:55:56] It's now allowed under our new procedural. Okay. So the
[1:56:02] motion. Would you mind reading it, please? Thank you. You
[1:56:07] were. So the motion reads, that council approve the execution
[1:56:10] renewal of the gIs. Services agreement with Sue St. Marie
[1:56:13] Innovation center dated October 14, 2025, which provides pay as
[1:56:17] you go GIS support technical services and strategic spatial data
[1:56:22] management for the city light lake at an upset. Limit
[1:56:24] of $50,000. And that the appropriate bylaw be passed. Thank
[1:56:29] you. All in favor? Not as carried. There's no presentation
[1:56:37] of committee reports. No one finished business. No notice is
[1:56:41] a motion, general. Announcement. On behalf of the Elliot Lake
[1:56:49] Council and the city of Elliott Lake, we would like
[1:56:51] to congratulate. Mr. James Owl on being elected as chief
[1:56:56] of Serpent River First Nation we'd also like to extend
[1:57:00] our congratulations to George Coglin, Justin Irquart, Rebecca Sazar, Angela
[1:57:08] Trudeau, Nicole Pelchier and Aaron Carne on their election to
[1:57:12] council. We do look forward to working together with our
[1:57:17] neighbors to ensure. The success of our two great communities.
[1:57:22] The city's rock. The holidays decorating contest is back. Head
[1:57:26] to Elliot Lake, CA Rocktheholidays 2025 or the city's Facebook
[1:57:33] and Instagram pages between December 9 and December 14. To
[1:57:38] find a map outlining participants, take. The tour and experience
[1:57:43] the magic of the season with your friends and family
[1:57:46] after you've done. Head back to Ali Lake, ca. Rocktheholidays
[1:57:51] 2025 before December 15 to cost your vote for this
[1:57:56] year's. People choice winner. Contest winners will be announced on
[1:58:00] December 15. Please check the city's website and socials. For
[1:58:05] the map. And city holidays. Closures are as follows. City
[1:58:12] hall will be closed to the public beginning at noon
[1:58:14] December 24 until January 5. The call and call will
[1:58:19] be closed at noon on December 24. And on December
[1:58:23] 31, Closed all day on December 25, 26th and January
[1:58:29] 1. And the landfill will be closed in December 25,
[1:58:35] 26th and January 1. And the library will be closed
[1:58:39] at noon on December 24 and on December 31 and
[1:58:44] will be closed all day on December 2526, 27th, 28th,
[1:58:50] and January 1. Any other announcements? Okay.
[1:59:00] There are no addendums, introduction and consideration of bylaws. May
[1:59:04] have a motion that bylaws 25 118 to 25 125
[1:59:10] be passed. Mover councilor. Bowl seconded. Councilor lefe. All in
[1:59:17] favor? Not as carried. Closed session. There are three items
[1:59:23] for closed session this evening. Memo from the manager of
[1:59:26] economic development. Guarding letters. Of intent for Oakland Boulevard, a
[1:59:31] memo from the director of clerks and planning services regarding
[1:59:33] appointment to committee of Adjustment and property Standards Committee and
[1:59:38] a memo from the manager of human resources regarding CAO
[1:59:41] recruitment update. So may I have a motion that council.
[1:59:47] Proceed into closed session as per the provisions under section
[1:59:51] 239, Municipal act, at the hour of 09:00. P.m. mover
[1:59:57] councilor Mann seconded. Councilor sidle all in favor.
[2:58:11] Okay. May I have a motion that council return to
[2:58:13] open session at the hour of 09:58 p.m. Mover.
[2:58:22] Councilor Lefave. Seconded. Councilor Bowle. All in favor? Carried may
[2:58:28] have a motion that Rick Hamilton be appointed to the
[2:58:31] committee of Adjustment and property standards. Committee mover. Councilor, man
[2:58:36] seconded. Councilor Flintoff. All in favor? Not carried. Confirmatory bylaw
[2:58:43] 19.1, bylaw 25 126 being a bylaw to confirm the
[2:58:49] proceedings of council at its regular meeting held on Monday,
[2:58:52] December 8, 2025. We have a motion that bylaw 25
[2:58:57] 126 be passed. Mover councilor Sido councilor. La fave. All
[2:59:03] in favor? That's carried adjournment. We have a motion. That
[2:59:09] the meeting adjourned at the hour of 10:00 p.m. Mover.
[2:59:14] Councilor Marsette seconded. Councilor the fave. All in favor? Not
[2:59:18] carried. Thank you very much.