[1:49] Good afternoon everyone and welcome to
[1:51] our regular meeting for uh Monday, July
[1:54] 13th. Uh I'm going to call the meeting
[1:56] to order now and invite everyone to rise
[1:59] for O Canada.
[3:18] Now I'm going to invite uh Deputy Mayor
[3:20] Keveny to read our land acknowledgement.
[3:25] Thank you, Mr. Mayor, and good
[3:26] afternoon, everyone. We would like to
[3:29] begin by acknowledging that we are
[3:31] meeting on the traditional lands and
[3:34] treaty territory of the Sin Ojiway
[3:38] nation which includes the Chipawas of
[3:41] Naywash unseated First Nation and the
[3:45] Chipawas of Sin First Nation. We also
[3:49] recognize the Matei whose ancestors
[3:52] shared this land and these waters. We
[3:55] extend our gratitude to all Anesab and
[3:59] Matei peoples and their descendants,
[4:02] past, present, and future, who continue
[4:05] to care for and inhabit these lands and
[4:08] tend these waters.
[4:11] » Thank you, Deputy Mayor. Um, now I just
[4:13] invite you to join me in a moment of
[4:15] silent reflection on our business today.
[4:27] Thank you.
[4:30] Uh is there any disclosure of pecuniary
[4:32] interest around the horseshoe? I see
[4:34] none, but uh should it uh occur to you,
[4:36] please bring it up when that time comes.
[4:40] Um announcements.
[4:43] Deputy Mayor, we can usually count on
[4:44] you to uh [laughter]
[4:46] bring
[4:46] » Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Yes, I try to keep
[4:48] uh up with what's happening in the
[4:49] community and there's always lots going
[4:51] on in Meford. So, just a couple of
[4:53] things today. Um on behalf of Bogner
[4:56] Hall, they are hosting coffee houses now
[4:59] and I think I mentioned this uh when
[5:00] they first began, but they've become so
[5:03] successful already, averaging 36
[5:05] attendees and they have poets and
[5:08] musicians, storytellers, standup
[5:10] comedians, you name it. The next event
[5:13] is uh Sunday, July the 19th from 2 until
[5:16] 4:00 at the Bogner Community Center. And
[5:19] the event is by donation. So just uh
[5:22] come and pay what you can. They do keep
[5:24] the bar open and this will be a
[5:26] recurring event every month. So it's a
[5:29] great time had by all.
[5:31] Uh secondly, on the 15th of uh July
[5:35] coming up this week, is the annual pork
[5:38] chop barbecue out in Bogner. So, just uh
[5:41] keep that in mind as well. And that's uh
[5:43] beginning at 5:00. And on the 17th is
[5:48] the Rotary annual fish fry right down at
[5:52] the Rust Bumpstead Rotary Pavilion.
[5:54] Tickets are $30 and available at Grandma
[5:57] Lambs or from any Rotarian. There's two
[5:59] of us in the room, past President Bill
[6:01] and myself. And the menu is pickaro,
[6:05] baked potatoes, coleslaw, all the
[6:07] fixings and pies from grandma lambs for
[6:09] desserts. Uh the bar is open there as
[6:12] well. And do come out and help Rotary
[6:14] support uh the community. All this all
[6:16] the funds that we raise go right back
[6:18] into projects uh right here in the
[6:20] municipality of Meford and some
[6:22] international projects as well. But come
[6:24] on out and enjoy the fish fry on the
[6:26] 17th. Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
[6:29] » Councelor Renis.
[6:30] » Thank you very much. Um, we have uh the
[6:33] Great Lakes Matei Fish Fry being held uh
[6:35] by the the council uh that's based out
[6:37] of Bowen Sound on Saturday, July the
[6:40] 20th. I've been um every year for the
[6:42] past couple of years. The fish is uh
[6:44] highly recommended. It's excellent. Um
[6:47] the day after uh the Rotary Fish Fry. Uh
[6:50] lunch starts uh at 12 and tickets are
[6:52] $20 per person or $60 for a family.
[6:58] » Council Yurig.
[7:00] » Thank you, Mr. Mayor, sorry I don't have
[7:01] another fish right. Um, MIFF is its 20th
[7:05] anniversary and so as I've said before,
[7:07] Tiff is a a series that's running
[7:09] throughout the uh leadup to myth in
[7:12] September and this evening uh is the
[7:15] third of four films that are being shown
[7:18] um in that 20th anniversary slot. Uh
[7:20] it's called Holy Days and it shows at
[7:22] 700 p.m. tonight at Meford Hall and
[7:24] tickets are only $20. So, uh, we would
[7:26] appreciate anybody coming out to
[7:27] support, uh, Tiff and you can find more
[7:30] information at mefordculture.ca.
[7:33] » U, councelor Greenfield.
[7:36] » Thank you, uh, Mayor Kentner. Yes, I
[7:39] have a couple items to mention. Uh, they
[7:41] both pertain to the historic Leaf
[7:44] Church. I'm sure everyone knows where
[7:47] that is located. Saturday evening, July
[7:50] 18th at uh 700 p.m.
[7:55] uh a group entertaining. They're called
[7:57] the Seventh Town. They're a Celtic folk
[8:01] band from your PEI.
[8:03] Uh they include pipes and drums. And uh
[8:08] the uh performance will be uh will be
[8:11] outside unless uh uh weather insists
[8:15] that uh it should go inside. And then on
[8:18] Saturday, July 25th at 7:30 also at the
[8:23] uh Leath Church. And this is one I think
[8:27] everybody should be interested in taking
[8:29] in. It's the Maple Reserve Barberhop
[8:33] Quartet.
[8:35] Uh, how exciting is that? Tickets are
[8:39] available through the Roxy Theater
[8:41] ticket office in Oldtown. Thank you.
[8:44] » Excellent. [clears throat] Anyone else
[8:46] on our side of the horseshoe? Um, anyone
[8:48] on the other side have something to
[8:50] offer? Yes. Uh, Director Carbert.
[8:55] » Uh, thank you, your worship. Um, this
[8:57] will be posted online and through the
[9:00] municipal website this week, but also on
[9:02] site. The Georgian Trail will be closed
[9:05] between Sworthmore Drive and Christy
[9:06] Beach Road on Thursday and Friday in
[9:10] order for engineering work to be
[9:11] completed on structure 129. Um they'll
[9:14] have a large drilling rig in there. So
[9:16] we can't accommodate both pedestrian
[9:18] bikes and the drilling rig. So the trail
[9:21] will be closed and unfortunately there
[9:23] is no alternative route uh around this
[9:25] trail section. So, if all goes well,
[9:28] it'll be finalized Friday night and
[9:30] everything will be returned to normal on
[9:31] Saturday morning again.
[9:33] » Thank you. Anyone else? Um, well, I have
[9:36] a very pleasant duty myself at this
[9:38] point in time and I'm just going to uh
[9:42] read this um tribute and then I'm going
[9:46] to go go down there and meet this young
[9:48] lady. Uh, this is uh to Doris Rose. Dear
[9:52] Doris, on behalf of the council of the
[9:54] municipality of Meford, it is our great
[9:56] pleasure to extend our sincere
[9:58] congratulations to you on your selection
[10:01] for the Herbert Smith Freeh Hills Kramer
[10:04] Portrait Award 2026 at the National
[10:07] Portrait Gallery in London, England.
[10:10] This remarkable honor reflects your
[10:12] extraordinary talent, dedication to your
[10:15] craft, and the international impact of
[10:17] your artistic practice. To be chosen for
[10:20] one of the world's leading exhibitions
[10:22] of contemporary portrait painting is an
[10:25] exceptional achievement and one that
[10:27] brings great pride to the municipality
[10:29] of Meford. Your selected work, Stripes,
[10:33] is a powerful example of the creativity,
[10:36] technical skill, and personal insight
[10:38] that defines your practice. We also
[10:41] recognize the meaningful role you play
[10:43] in our local arts community through your
[10:45] studio work here in Meford and your
[10:47] efforts to make art education more
[10:49] accessible. Your success on an
[10:52] international stage is an inspiration to
[10:54] artists and residents alike and a
[10:57] reminder that creative excellence can
[10:58] flourish in communities of every size.
[11:01] Please accept our heartfelt
[11:03] congratulations on this well-deserved
[11:05] recognition. We wish you continued
[11:08] success as the exhibition opens in
[11:10] London and tours across the United
[11:12] Kingdom. Yours sincerely and it's signed
[11:15] by uh myself as mayor uh Deputy Mayor
[11:17] Keveny and every member of this council.
[12:35] Now we uh move on to public
[12:37] participation. Uh members of the public
[12:39] are encouraged to provide council with
[12:41] their comments and questions.
[12:44] Presentations must be pre-arranged with
[12:46] legislative services before the agenda
[12:48] is released and will be limited to 10
[12:50] minutes. If a member of the public
[12:53] wishes to make a deputation on items on
[12:55] the council agenda or to ask a public
[12:57] question of council, they may do so
[12:59] either in person at the council chambers
[13:02] or remotely via Zoom. Members of the
[13:04] public wishing to make a deputation or
[13:06] to ask a public question are encouraged
[13:09] to register in advance with legislative
[13:11] services by 10 in the morning on the day
[13:14] of. And you can do that by contacting
[13:16] deputy clerk@me.ca CA or calling
[13:19] 519-5381060
[13:22] extension 1100. An email with access
[13:25] information will be sent to those who
[13:27] register for remote participation.
[13:30] Deputations are limited to 5 minutes and
[13:32] public questions are limited to two
[13:34] minutes. The public can watch this
[13:36] meeting live via the Municipality of
[13:38] Meford's YouTube channel
[13:40] www.mmeford.ca/youtube.
[13:44] We have no uh presentations today, but
[13:47] we do have some deputations.
[13:50] And uh first I'm going to call uh Gina
[13:53] Jawarski who is speaking tonight item
[13:56] 91A which is consideration of sale and
[13:59] disposition of municipal properties.
[14:03] Someone turn uh Gina's uh
[14:06] microphone there.
[14:08] » Okay.
[14:11] Okay.
[14:11] » I don't
[14:12] » Is that all right? I don't see. Is there
[14:14] microphone on? Good. Okay, fine. Just go
[14:16] right ahead. Thank you.
[14:17] » Okay. Thank you. So, good afternoon,
[14:19] mayor, members of council, and staff. My
[14:21] name is Gina Juniper Jorski, and I'd
[14:23] like to thank you for the opportunity to
[14:25] speak regarding the proposed disposal of
[14:26] the Aken Street Road allowance. I'm here
[14:30] as the owner of the adjoining property,
[14:32] but also as someone whose family has
[14:34] been connected to this land for
[14:35] generations. In 1969, my father served
[14:39] severed these properties and registered
[14:42] them with the town. I have the original
[14:44] survey certificate available which shows
[14:46] the lots as they were created with the
[14:48] road allowance intended to provide
[14:49] future access. These lots remain legally
[14:52] registered today. However, they cannot
[14:54] be developed because the road identified
[14:56] on the survey has never been provided.
[14:59] There are two lots that are legally
[15:02] registered behind 244 Aken Street. Our
[15:06] road allowance is a public asset. Once
[15:09] it's sold, it may be impossible to
[15:10] recover if future community needs needs
[15:13] to change.
[15:15] This neighborhood continues to grow.
[15:17] There's a large vacant property across
[15:20] from our home that may one day be
[15:21] developed. Memorial Park is located at
[15:24] one end of Aken Street. The old high
[15:26] school is located at the other. And the
[15:28] street already experiences significant
[15:30] pedestrian and vehicle traffic. There is
[15:33] also an existing stop sign intersection
[15:35] at this location which demonstrates that
[15:38] the road allowance was considered part
[15:40] of the future road network. Before
[15:42] removing this opportunity, I believe
[15:44] council should carefully consider
[15:46] whether this connection may be needed in
[15:48] the future for traffic flow, emergency
[15:50] access, pedestrian safety, or municipal
[15:54] servicing. Looking ahead, a new school
[15:56] is planned for the former track
[15:58] property, and the future use of the old
[16:00] high school has yet to be determined.
[16:03] While access from Aken Street to the
[16:05] former high school property has been
[16:06] closed, future changes to the area may
[16:09] result in increased traffic being
[16:11] directed onto Richmond Street and then
[16:13] back through Eliza Street to access
[16:15] alternate exits. If Aken Street becomes
[16:18] congested during school related traffic
[16:20] times, maintaining future road options
[16:23] may be an an an important consideration.
[16:26] Disposing of this road allowance could
[16:28] limit future solutions and may
[16:30] contribute to further traffic pressures
[16:32] on surrounding streets. Concerns that
[16:35] council has already heard from residents
[16:37] when you had your past meetings
[16:39] regarding whatever is happening at the
[16:41] old high school. I also asked council to
[16:44] consider the history of this property. A
[16:46] previous council considered disposing of
[16:48] the same road allowance and ultimately
[16:50] chose to retain it. I respectfully asked
[16:53] what has changed since that decision.
[16:57] I also question why only one part of the
[17:00] portion of the road allowance is being
[17:02] considered for disposal while the
[17:04] section fronting Eliza Street is not. I
[17:07] need to understand the reason for this
[17:08] distinction. Uh and I believe it's
[17:11] important before making any irreversible
[17:13] decision regarding public land. While my
[17:16] concerns are about the future of the
[17:18] community, I also need to acknowledge
[17:20] that this decision would have a direct
[17:22] negative impact on my property. The two
[17:25] registered lots created in 1969 were
[17:28] established with the understanding that
[17:30] the road allowance would provide future
[17:32] access. Removing that possibly affects
[17:34] the future use, value, and development
[17:37] potential of my property.
[17:40] Finally, I was never formally informed
[17:42] that this proposal would be coming
[17:43] before council. I became aware of it
[17:46] only by reviewing the council agenda
[17:48] myself. I believe decisions involving
[17:50] public land should include meaningful
[17:52] consultation with those most directly
[17:56] affected. For those reasons, I
[17:58] respectfully ask council to postpone any
[18:01] decision to dispose of this road
[18:02] allowance until its historical purpose,
[18:05] future municipal needs, access
[18:07] considerations, and long-term planning
[18:09] implications have been fully reviewed. I
[18:12] believe good planning requires us to
[18:14] think beyond today's need. Once this
[18:16] land is sold, the opportunity to use it
[18:17] for the benefit of future generations
[18:19] may be gone forever. I thank you for
[18:22] your time and consideration.
[18:24] » Thank you very much. Uh is any counselor
[18:26] have a question for the speaker
[18:29] and I'm just going to ask uh CEO
[18:32] Everett, did you wish to respond at all
[18:34] at this time?
[18:35] » Uh thank you, Mr. Mayor. In regards to
[18:37] response, um the report laid out what
[18:40] the process was uh in regards to
[18:43] reaching out once council uh approves
[18:45] that report. There will be
[18:47] correspondence going out to the adjacent
[18:48] land owners to understand if there are
[18:51] any concerns. Uh there have been some
[18:53] communications in this regard. Um and at
[18:56] this point, council's not disposing of
[18:59] the land as yet.
[19:01] » Okay. Thank you very much.
[19:04] Uh the next speaker is uh Jean Burch and
[19:07] she is also uh speaking to item uh 91A.
[19:19] Um, I live in the same vicinity as Gina
[19:24] does and of course uh I've been taking
[19:27] care of a piece of property that ab
[19:29] butts the land uh the road allowance for
[19:34] a number of years. At one time I did my
[19:37] husband and I did ask to buy it and we
[19:40] were informed it had been made part of
[19:43] the road allowance.
[19:45] So, uh, at any time in the future that
[19:50] you want to sell the road allowance, I
[19:53] think I should be given consideration to
[19:55] buy the piece of property adjoining it.
[19:58] It's not big enough for a building lot.
[20:02] Uh
[20:04] also uh
[20:07] I would like to ask
[20:10] is there any way
[20:13] that you can
[20:15] open up the back road of the cemetery?
[20:19] I think you need to for emergency
[20:22] reasons because of the amount of people
[20:25] that live down my way. And we don't have
[20:29] a great deal of roads down there to get
[20:32] out if there was ever an emergency.
[20:35] And I'd like to I I have uh asked
[20:39] Shirley about it before on occasion. Um
[20:43] so I I'd really like to know something
[20:45] about that.
[20:46] » I see staff making some notes. So, thank
[20:48] you very much.
[20:49] » Thank you.
[20:50] » Um,
[20:53] » Third speaker is uh Patrick McDonald uh
[20:57] also speaking to uh 91A.
[21:08] Mayor Kentner, deputy mayor, counselors,
[21:11] staff. Um, I'm speaking specifically to
[21:16] uh the inclusion of uh block,
[21:21] pardon me, Kingston Beach Road plan
[21:24] block A to B on the list of properties
[21:28] recommended for sale and and uh
[21:30] disposal.
[21:32] Um,
[21:34] I am owner and resident at lot 17 plan
[21:38] 731 at Kingston Beach. that's otherwise
[21:41] known as 113 Kingston Beach.
[21:45] My understanding and belief is that a
[21:48] pre-existing
[21:50] easement
[21:52] which exists
[21:54] uh from May 1986
[21:56] for block A and the shore road allowance
[22:00] for the purpose of obtaining water from
[22:02] the wellhead located on block A would
[22:05] prelude
[22:07] uh the inclusion of this
[22:10] um piece of property in the municipal
[22:14] municipalities plan for disposal. That
[22:17] easement was granted by Sidnham Township
[22:20] Council to my father and passed to me
[22:23] when I purchased the family home. Uh
[22:26] indeed, that well on block A supplies
[22:31] water to other users in the subdivision,
[22:34] a total of three others. To my
[22:36] knowledge, it's not clear to me in what
[22:39] I've been able to read that municipal
[22:41] staff were aware of this infrastructure
[22:45] uh on the uh block A property or the
[22:49] 40-year-old legal easement or the shore
[22:52] well and water lines. And in my opinion,
[22:55] that would preclude its inclusion in as
[22:58] a property for uh for disposal.
[23:02] I would ask whether or not that was
[23:04] considered in
[23:07] um staff's decision to include it in the
[23:11] package of properties to be disposed of.
[23:14] » I think that perhaps the CEO ever can
[23:16] respond to that now.
[23:19] » Uh thank you, Mr. Mayor. Um as I
[23:21] mentioned in the last my my previous
[23:23] response, going through this process
[23:26] will allow us to have that communication
[23:27] with residents. Um I'm sure over the
[23:30] years there are a number of of different
[23:32] easements that have been put in place.
[23:34] Uh I was not aware of of of this
[23:37] situation. Um however this is why the
[23:40] process works. We we basically get
[23:43] information from residents. Um and again
[23:46] I want to stress council has not
[23:48] disposed of these lands. This is the
[23:50] early stages of consideration of
[23:52] disposal of lands.
[23:55] » Thank you.
[23:56] And uh we have a final uh speaker uh
[24:00] Darcy Chapman. Uh if you would come
[24:03] forward, I think you're quite familiar
[24:04] with our facilities here. Welcome back.
[24:08] Thank you, your worship, council.
[24:10] [clears throat]
[24:11] Uh so yeah, I'm I'm here for the the
[24:13] same uh agenda item. Um I'd first like
[24:16] to start by saying that I recognize that
[24:19] council passed a budget this year that
[24:21] included a million half dollars in
[24:23] revenue for land sales. So, if you don't
[24:25] find land to sell, you're going to have
[24:27] an operating budget deficit. So, I know
[24:29] that this is why this is this is a a big
[24:31] deal. Uh I certainly question why the
[24:35] million half dollars was included in the
[24:37] operating budget because we by the looks
[24:38] of the the 94 properties that were
[24:40] provided to council. Many of them can't
[24:42] be sold. So, where we're going to come
[24:44] up with a million and a half dollars
[24:45] every year going forward uh is is
[24:47] certainly a question. Um, some of the
[24:50] properties I have no problem with, but
[24:51] there are five that I take great
[24:53] exception to. Um, Kingston Beach, Sunset
[24:56] Beach, and Queens Bush. Uh, all three of
[24:59] those properties were reviewed eight,
[25:01] nine years ago. Um, I question whether
[25:04] staff actually went and did any kind of
[25:06] a site tour. I've actually walked all
[25:09] three of those properties. There were a
[25:11] number of staff that came to those
[25:12] meetings. There were actually members of
[25:14] council that came to those those on-site
[25:16] meetings as well. Those properties uh to
[25:19] the best of my knowledge do have
[25:20] encumbrances on them. They either have
[25:23] deemed access for back lots or they do
[25:25] have uh things like um wells like the
[25:28] the gentleman just noted. Um more
[25:31] importantly, uh having waterfront lots
[25:35] that the municipality owns is not
[25:37] something that we should sell. It is a
[25:39] massive asset. These things should be
[25:42] kept for for public use. They should
[25:44] actually be improved upon. they we
[25:46] should be looking at creating small
[25:47] parkquetses with a handful of uh parking
[25:51] spaces and actually providing access to
[25:53] the waterfront for more locations. We
[25:55] already know that the locations that we
[25:57] have do get overwhelmed. So something
[25:59] very simple like a Leath Beach idea
[26:01] would be perfect at these locations. It
[26:03] would actually mean maybe that we could
[26:05] uh you know put something out there to
[26:06] the public that they can go and access
[26:08] these locations. It would get the people
[26:09] to actually go and drive around the
[26:11] municipality and see different areas of
[26:13] the municipality. So, I don't think
[26:14] these three properties should be sold at
[26:16] all. They actually need to be kept in
[26:17] the public trust and they should be
[26:18] improved upon. The other two are uh
[26:21] Ridge Road and Susan Street. Uh council
[26:25] over the last 12 to 18 months has put in
[26:30] significant investment into industrial
[26:32] and commercial lands. Uh you're now
[26:35] looking at making a decision to sell
[26:37] industrial lands and I don't understand
[26:41] why. Uh these are fully serviced
[26:44] industrial lots. Uh they take no
[26:47] investment of public money whereas the
[26:50] property that you've recently just
[26:51] purchased is going to take millions and
[26:53] millions of dollars to put underground
[26:55] infrastructure and roads onto them. The
[26:58] these properties are available. If
[27:00] they're going to be if they're already
[27:01] usable or can be used, uh, council
[27:04] should be going through the process with
[27:05] planning staff, legal, engineers,
[27:07] whoever the case may be to actually make
[27:09] sure that these things are available for
[27:11] use and that they can be easily
[27:12] marketed. Whereas the land that you've
[27:14] just bought right now will need
[27:15] significant investment in multiple years
[27:17] to even get close to being actually
[27:19] market ready. So, I mean, the question
[27:22] that I have, this this came up at the
[27:24] last meeting. Councelor Bell was the
[27:25] only one who who mentioned anything at
[27:28] the meeting. He said, you know, that
[27:30] these are the kinds of discussions that
[27:31] happen in in close session. Uh he was
[27:34] very comfortable with the decisions uh
[27:37] that were made based on the on the
[27:38] conversation that happened with staff.
[27:41] The rest of the council stayed, Mom. I
[27:42] know you weren't at that meeting, but
[27:44] the rest of the members of council that
[27:46] were here didn't speak to it. So, we
[27:48] don't actually know what was talked
[27:50] about in the closed session and and the
[27:51] rest of the members of council didn't
[27:53] voice their opinion as to why that they
[27:54] thought that this was a good idea or a
[27:56] bad idea. Uh so it it lends to my
[28:00] question about transparency to the point
[28:02] that on this exact agenda, you also have
[28:05] a report coming forward uh to talk and
[28:08] take a look at the tiny homes situation
[28:10] on those two properties uh um that I
[28:13] just mentioned on Ridge Road and Susan
[28:15] Street. It seems fairly presumptive to
[28:18] me that uh the CEO mentioned at the last
[28:21] meeting that there's a 120 meter radius
[28:24] around each property. The property
[28:26] owners need to be advised of the
[28:27] potential for the disposition. Yet, at
[28:29] this meeting, you have a report from
[28:30] staff coming forward to start the
[28:32] process of a request for information for
[28:35] tiny homes on those locations. I think
[28:37] your your cart is many miles ahead of
[28:40] the horse on on this one already. Uh,
[28:43] you know, another property that was not
[28:45] discussed uh was property number 24 from
[28:48] the council package, which is uh uh the
[28:50] Collingwood West and Parker Street
[28:51] property. Uh it is a piece of property
[28:53] that is used I know for the fall fair
[28:55] but generally primarily just for
[28:57] parking. It's a a one two-day event and
[28:59] that's the only time the property gets
[29:00] used for. It's in close proximity to
[29:03] other um high residential uh areas
[29:06] walkability to the arena to the curling
[29:09] club much closer to the downtown. I
[29:12] don't understand why that property
[29:13] wasn't looked at uh for a tiny homesuh
[29:16] type of development versus properties
[29:18] that are already zoned industrial and
[29:20] are already serviced. Thank you for your
[29:22] input, Darcy. Um, did I didn't hear a
[29:27] question. Uh, you've raised many issues
[29:29] and I'm sure they will be dealt with by
[29:30] council. So, thank you.
[29:35] » Did anyone wish to ask a public
[29:37] question? Uh we've just gone on on our
[29:41] agenda today is a review of our uh uh
[29:45] our protocols and I we're going to
[29:47] rename public questions public input so
[29:50] that people don't have to go to the
[29:52] trouble of framing a question because
[29:54] usually that results in a speech. So
[29:56] anyway, I just want to make people aware
[29:58] that change may be approved today and in
[30:00] the meantime there will be an
[30:02] opportunity for people to uh ask a
[30:04] question uh in our public meetings. Um,
[30:08] I'm going to move on to council
[30:09] inquiries.
[30:11] Any inquiries from council today?
[30:14] I see none. So, uh, at this point, uh,
[30:19] I'm going to move to item nine, motions
[30:21] and bylaws for decision, and there are
[30:23] nine matters on our consent agenda
[30:25] today. Items in this list have been
[30:28] before committee of the whole for
[30:29] discussion. Council may choose to pass
[30:31] these items and/or bylaws with one
[30:33] motion. A member may also request an
[30:36] item or items be pulled for separate
[30:38] consideration.
[30:40] Item A is consideration of sale and
[30:42] disposition of municipal properties.
[30:44] Item B, a commercial business occupying
[30:47] municipal land. Item C is a special
[30:49] event licensing agreement with the
[30:51] Meford Chamber of Commerce. Item D is
[30:54] 2025 non-budgeted year-end transfers.
[30:58] Item E is the 2025 yearend surplus. Item
[31:02] F is to declare land surplus and
[31:04] transfer ownership of Georgian Beach
[31:06] Lane. Item G is an addendum to the
[31:09] inaugural meeting of the 2026 through
[31:12] 2030 term of council. Item H is to
[31:15] finalize the procedural bylaw review and
[31:17] item I is to pass the new procedural
[31:20] bylaw. Does any counselor wish to pull
[31:22] any of these items for further
[31:24] discussion today? Uh councelor Bell.
[31:28] » Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
[31:30] Item A.
[31:35] » Okay. Thank you. Uh any other uh
[31:39] in that case uh we can uh take item A uh
[31:44] out and um can I have a motion to
[31:48] approve uh everything in uh item 91 with
[31:52] the exception of A.
[31:54] Deputy mayor, a seconder, a councelor
[31:57] Yurig. Any discussion? All in favor? Uh
[32:02] any opposed? So that is carried
[32:04] unanimously. Thank you very much. And uh
[32:07] at county council, we usually come back
[32:09] to the item that was pulled at the end
[32:10] of the day, but I don't know as we have
[32:13] to be guided by county council in this.
[32:15] Uh so I'll defer to the clerk.
[32:17] » Thank you, your worship. At this point,
[32:18] we would return to 9.1A
[32:21] um and complete the the consent agenda
[32:23] discussion.
[32:24] » So can I have uh a motion to uh put it
[32:27] on the floor?
[32:29] Councelor
[32:31] Bell and a seconder councelor
[32:32] Greenfield. So go ahead and we'll
[32:35] discuss this.
[32:37] » Thank you, Mr. Mayor.
[32:39] So um it is absolutely correct that when
[32:44] this came up I did say that I felt very
[32:46] comfortable with what uh council had
[32:49] received from information from uh staff
[32:52] pulling together a report um without
[32:56] disclosing anything uh truly out of the
[32:58] closed session since the general public
[33:02] uh can obviously read the list of
[33:04] properties uh they were absolutely the
[33:07] properties that uh council looked at to
[33:14] tell the general public.
[33:17] Council received maps about what those
[33:22] properties were, how big those
[33:24] properties were, listed in hectares,
[33:28] which I converted over to acres being a
[33:30] little bit old school. took a look at
[33:33] all of those properties that staff had
[33:36] analyzed and looked at for development
[33:38] or not for development.
[33:41] But to be absolutely clear, as our CIO
[33:44] had said uh to one of the questions,
[33:47] there was nothing specifically on any
[33:49] one of those properties that would have
[33:52] said anything like, "Oh, on this
[33:55] property, you know, there's a little
[33:57] garden shed painted in the corner." We
[33:59] we didn't read about any little garden
[34:01] sheds. We didn't read about whether or
[34:03] not there was a well that was located on
[34:05] there for anybody close by put in from a
[34:08] historical point of view. Um we didn't
[34:12] get anything like um say from Sidenham
[34:17] St. Vincent uh councils or the town of
[34:20] Meford uh former councils what was
[34:24] presented was exactly what's before us
[34:27] today a series of properties which when
[34:31] staff had analyzed the size of them
[34:33] where they're located council got a look
[34:36] at that big package we took a look at it
[34:39] and I am very happy to hear uh that even
[34:43] if uh council says this afternoon uh
[34:46] that we will proceed on doing something
[34:48] here. Um I take it then each and every
[34:51] one of these will be sent out so that at
[34:55] a council if there is something that's
[34:57] going on specifically at those
[34:59] properties this council can make a
[35:02] decision to say uh we will for not do
[35:06] that particular item for a very specific
[35:08] reason but that's not this afternoon. Is
[35:11] that clear?
[35:14] » Uh thank you Mr. Mr. From here to
[35:15] councelor Bell, that's absolutely clear.
[35:18] Uh there is no no decision to sell
[35:20] dispose of at this point. It was just
[35:23] clearly um identifying potential
[35:25] properties that could be considered in
[35:27] the future.
[35:31] » Deputy Mayor.
[35:34] » Thank you, Mr. Mayor. And just uh as
[35:36] follow up to councelor Bell's comments,
[35:37] I just wanted to first of all thank the
[35:38] residents that have joined us today and
[35:40] have shared information with us because
[35:43] we're we're learning as well the
[35:45] specifics about these pieces of property
[35:47] and I appreciate that the CEO is sharing
[35:49] more about the process of how this will
[35:51] go forward. So my question I think for
[35:53] staff in the matter is if if we find out
[35:57] uh issues about any of these particular
[35:59] properties, is there an opportunity to
[36:00] go back and review the land inventory
[36:03] and and to look perhaps at other pieces
[36:06] because we acknowledge that we did put a
[36:08] number in the budget being fairly
[36:10] comfortable that we could uh um
[36:12] potentially dispose of some of these
[36:14] pieces of land in 2026.
[36:17] » Uh you Mr. Mayor to the deputy mayor.
[36:19] Absolutely. I think you know from a from
[36:23] a process perspective before the
[36:25] municipality can actually consider
[36:27] disposing lands need to be declared
[36:30] surplus to the municipal needs. So we're
[36:33] in the early stages council has every
[36:36] opportunity even if you were to declare
[36:38] it surplus and then afterwards you
[36:41] decided not to sell that's council's
[36:44] prerogative. um council has a land
[36:47] disposition policy uh that identifies
[36:50] the process to go through to potentially
[36:53] dispose of of property. So, it's very
[36:55] very clear, but I think the public um uh
[37:00] having the information that you know
[37:02] even if something was declared surplus
[37:05] does not force the hand of council to
[37:07] dispose of it. Um this is um the
[37:12] question in regards to are there other
[37:14] lands. Um I think the report identified
[37:17] that this is phase one of of the process
[37:21] um throughout the entire municipality.
[37:23] There is a number of opened and unopened
[37:25] road allowances. And I say open road
[37:27] allowances could just be because they
[37:30] could be considered open. They're not
[37:33] you can't use them but they've never
[37:35] been they've never been closed. Um
[37:38] there's a number of road allowances that
[37:40] this next phase in 2027 will consider
[37:43] going through a similar process to
[37:45] identify. Are there any road allowances
[37:48] that you know make sense for the
[37:49] municipality to um to dispose of um
[37:54] unopen road allowances typically 66 ft
[37:56] wide so they would be building lots. Um
[38:00] but again um and and I'm very aware and
[38:03] and I I really appreciate the comments
[38:06] uh raised by the public. One thing that
[38:09] doesn't get made any more of is land. Um
[38:12] so staff is taking that very very
[38:15] seriously. Um I will say that the
[38:18] municipality will benefit from an actual
[38:20] strategic review of the inventory to
[38:24] then determine whether or not something
[38:26] makes sense to sell. Um the last thing
[38:29] staff wants is knee-jerk uh
[38:31] recommendations. Um that put us in
[38:34] positions where you know we've sell we
[38:36] sell something and you know five six
[38:39] seven years later you look and think why
[38:41] why why would we ever have sold that? Um
[38:43] so the intention of this is to be very
[38:45] very strategic and and if there is land
[38:48] that is available to sell um then uh
[38:54] those are the recommendations that staff
[38:56] would be coming forward with. But
[38:58] ultimately it's a council's decision.
[39:02] » If there are no further comments on
[39:03] that, we should vote on uh uh the item
[39:07] before us. And um I will call a
[39:11] question. All in favor?
[39:13] Any opposed? That is unanimous. And that
[39:17] takes care of u the uh uh first item on
[39:21] the uh the u consent agenda.
[39:25] Uh did we vote on all the others? We
[39:28] did. Right. Then that's that's good. Um
[39:33] we uh also have two new items for
[39:36] consideration today. Uh the
[39:38] recommendation for U 92A
[39:42] is
[39:44] uh be it resolved that bylaw 2026-55
[39:47] being a bylaw to delegate certain duties
[39:50] respecting the implementation of the
[39:51] administrative penalty system to the
[39:53] director of legislative services by
[39:56] amending bylaw 40-204
[39:59] to add schedule D be taken as read a
[40:01] first, second, and third time and
[40:03] finally passed. Can I have a mover and
[40:05] seconder for this? Councelor Greenfield
[40:07] and Councelor Forter. Thank you. Uh any
[40:10] discussion on this?
[40:12] Go ahead, Councelor Fter.
[40:15] » Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Uh and through
[40:17] you. Um I just wanted to get a little
[40:19] bit of clarification with regards to uh
[40:22] something on this. I have no problem
[40:23] with the delegated authority. Um,
[40:25] however, with regards to delegating the
[40:27] setting of things like penalty amounts,
[40:30] um, I just don't really see any kind of
[40:32] guard rails or anything like that where
[40:34] it completely removes, um, council, uh,
[40:36] from this. Um, so I just wanted to know,
[40:40] do we consider setting the penalty
[40:41] amounts uh, for this um, bylaw to be an
[40:45] administrative function or more of a
[40:47] policy function? Um because my concern
[40:50] would be if there's any changes to the
[40:53] penalties and we don't find about out
[40:55] about it till we get our reports. There
[40:57] could be major changes and penalties
[40:59] that could be in place for several
[41:01] months um without council not even being
[41:03] aware of any of these changes. So just
[41:05] curious to know how do we ensure that
[41:07] for council we are um implementing the
[41:10] right guard rails to make sure that
[41:12] there is the proper level of
[41:14] administrative function but also the
[41:16] policy control that is ultimately
[41:18] council's responsibility. Just looking
[41:20] for some comment on that please.
[41:22] » I'm going to go to clerk.
[41:26] » Thank you worship and through to
[41:27] councelor forer. Um Holly is not able to
[41:30] be here today so I will try my best to
[41:31] explain. Um,
[41:34] initially what my my first comment would
[41:36] be is actually the legislation provides
[41:38] those guardrails because the um the
[41:40] penalties can't be considered punitive
[41:43] um and are really restricted by what's
[41:45] reasonable and required to promote
[41:47] compliance. And so our intention um
[41:49] should council um move forward with a
[41:52] delegated authority in this area would
[41:53] be to set penalties that are comparable
[41:55] to our neighbors um who have done the
[41:57] benchmarking and and that would be our
[41:59] process. Um certainly these would be
[42:01] transparent penalties that would be put
[42:03] up on the website as part of the final
[42:06] bylaw that's posted. And so there's a
[42:08] transparency component to that. Um all
[42:10] members of the public should be able to
[42:12] see that the penalties in this area. Um
[42:14] so I I don't know if that offers uh too
[42:16] short of an explanation, but I think
[42:18] both the legislation and the
[42:19] transparency piece um really help to
[42:22] ensure everything is in line with what's
[42:24] required and and reasonable in that
[42:26] respect. Thank you.
[42:30] Anyone else wish to uh speak? And I'm
[42:33] going to call the uh vote. All in favor?
[42:36] Any opposed? And that is carried
[42:38] unanimously. Thank you.
[42:44] The uh next item is uh that council of
[42:47] the municipality of meford uh approve
[42:49] heritage permit application
[42:51] heritage-01-2026
[42:55] um on 36 Psych Street South by Aowski uh
[42:59] with the following conditions. One, that
[43:02] the final materials and colors to be of
[43:04] to the satisfaction of planning staff.
[43:07] Two, that the brick facade be conserved
[43:09] and retained as proposed.
[43:12] osed with new brick materials to be
[43:13] integrated with the original brick.
[43:16] Three, that any future signage be
[43:17] subject to applicable sign bylaw
[43:19] requirements. And four, that the works
[43:21] generally conform to the plans and
[43:23] renderings submitted with the
[43:25] application. Can I have a mover and
[43:27] seconder, please? Moved by councelor,
[43:29] seconded by councelor Andis. Very good.
[43:32] Um, discussion,
[43:34] questions. I'll start with councelor
[43:37] Greenfield.
[43:40] Thank you, Marshall. Um, well, when I
[43:44] first started reading through this
[43:46] report, I I was uh quite uh quite
[43:49] enthused by the uh the renovations and
[43:53] the uh the upgrades. I uh uh
[43:59] picked up on the uh use of uh more
[44:03] traditional line masonry to do any uh uh
[44:07] masonry repairs. and uh uh putting in
[44:11] the middle window again brings it back
[44:14] to uh I think a a very attractive, very
[44:18] acceptable storefront.
[44:21] However,
[44:24] then I got down to looking at the
[44:27] entrance way
[44:29] and I saw two steps
[44:33] and I would be remiss if I did not bring
[44:39] up the accessibility problems here.
[44:43] Um,
[44:46] I know I'm
[44:48] been beating this drum often in the past
[44:51] few years and I'm going to beat it
[44:52] again. This is a this is an opportunity.
[44:56] Yes, it will
[44:59] cost
[45:01] the manager, the owner of this operation
[45:03] more money. But there's an opportunity
[45:06] here to recess that doorway, create a
[45:10] ramp, make this
[45:13] facility
[45:15] um accessible. I I'm just
[45:22] I endorse the heritage features trying
[45:25] to maintain them. I I'm 100% for that.
[45:28] But when it comes to accessibility, why
[45:31] can't we collaborate and cooperate the
[45:35] two of them together when something like
[45:37] this comes forward? We're we're missing
[45:40] an opportunity here.
[45:42] And we've missed it in other areas too.
[45:46] We're supposedly a community of
[45:48] well-being
[45:50] uh
[45:52] accepting everyone regardless of their
[45:56] physical needs. And here's an example
[46:01] where we're not not doing that or at
[46:04] least I I don't see it in this
[46:06] application. So
[46:09] that's where I'm at. uh your worship. Uh
[46:11] as I say, other than that, I'm I'm quite
[46:14] all right with it, but I I I have to
[46:16] mention this and and this is the the
[46:19] accessibility issue to our downtown
[46:22] businesses is not getting better.
[46:25] We have opportunities to help and we're
[46:30] ignoring them.
[46:31] » Okay. Thank you.
[46:32] » Thank you for that passionate,
[46:34] deservedly passionate comment. Um, does
[46:38] anyone want to respond to that or at
[46:40] least speak to
[46:43] Yeah, let's call on staff here to uh
[46:45] help us out a bit.
[46:47] » Hi there. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Um, so
[46:50] that is something that the heritage
[46:52] advisory committee did bring up um at
[46:54] their meeting for this application as
[46:56] well. Um and so our standpoint is that
[47:00] when someone applies for a heritage
[47:01] permit application,
[47:03] um we c we can require them to uh keep
[47:09] or upkeep the steps in as good condition
[47:12] as they can. Um if they were submitting
[47:15] a building permit application to
[47:16] renovate Jake Scrapand Go restaurant,
[47:19] then that's something where AODDA
[47:21] compliance could come into effect. Um if
[47:24] it's council's wishes, we could amend
[47:27] um the recommendation. Um but from from
[47:31] the planning staff perspective, uh we
[47:34] would just require them to maintain
[47:36] those steps in as good condition as they
[47:38] can.
[47:41] What I don't understand is that I
[47:43] thought that we're well past the
[47:44] deadline for u um
[47:48] structural changes to provide
[47:50] accessibility and I I don't understand
[47:53] why uh the proponent isn't isn't
[47:57] required uh in some way to conform to
[47:59] the provincial legislation. Am I wrong?
[48:05] Uh if I may your worship, um the trigger
[48:08] to uh make something like a door, excuse
[48:12] [clears throat] me, accessible really
[48:14] only comes up on under the Ontario
[48:16] building code when specific
[48:18] modifications are being made. So, um
[48:22] existing B business owners aren't
[48:24] compelled to make accessibility
[48:26] improvements unless they're already
[48:29] altering that item. So, for example,
[48:33] removing a washroom and and replacing it
[48:35] or renovating, then the new the replaced
[48:37] version would have to meet accessibility
[48:39] standards. I'd look to a facilities
[48:42] expert um to to help me out there, but
[48:45] um really they would have to be altering
[48:49] the entrance um for us to be able to
[48:52] trigger under the code an accessibility
[48:55] um improvement, if that makes sense.
[48:57] » I'm going to ask other members of
[48:58] council to weigh in here for their
[48:59] opinion. I'll come back to you after
[49:02] everyone's spoken and I'm going to start
[49:03] with councelor Yurig.
[49:05] » Thank you Mr. Mayor and thank you
[49:07] councelor Greenfield for bringing up.
[49:09] We're all extremely sympathetic to um
[49:12] AODA standards and would love to see
[49:15] more in the downtown h have that happen.
[49:17] I guess my question is the obviously the
[49:19] logistics of it because I'm presuming if
[49:22] that was looking at the diagram or at
[49:24] the picture if that was going to happen
[49:26] it obviously can't shut out forward.
[49:28] have to be side and the and the gradient
[49:32] of any ramp has to be fairly long
[49:34] obviously to accommodate the uh
[49:37] standard. Is there room even to do that
[49:40] on that building? Um because it's then
[49:44] going to jut into the driveway to the
[49:45] part of it or to the left it's going to
[49:47] be the building. So has it even been
[49:49] looked into to determine whether or not
[49:51] a ramp would even be able to manage to
[49:54] work in that environment?
[50:00] um through your worship. Uh I think that
[50:02] you've just pointed out sort of the the
[50:05] catch, right? Um while we all um hold um
[50:09] accessibility um and heritage to a high
[50:13] standard and high importance, uh in a
[50:15] historic downtown like ours, space is
[50:17] very limited and the existing sort of
[50:20] logistics really really tend to to come
[50:22] into play. So, um the applicant in this
[50:26] case hasn't uh applied to to alter their
[50:30] um their entrance. So, we can't compel
[50:33] them to do so. Again, uh even though we
[50:36] do really prioritize accessibility. So,
[50:39] um looking forward to our our new CIP
[50:41] coming into force and effect so that we
[50:43] can um help add um you know funds to to
[50:47] help incentivize those changes because
[50:49] again in these historic buildings those
[50:51] represent significant potentially
[50:53] significant changes. So um I think
[50:56] you've you've hit the nail on the head
[50:57] there.
[50:59] » So that sort of truncates discussion
[51:01] unless somebody let's hear what you have
[51:04] to say anyway and councelor Renis.
[51:06] » Thank you. Um
[51:08] yeah, I I complet um I completely
[51:12] uh sympathize uh with with with with the
[51:16] idea. Um I worry that at this point we
[51:19] don't have the structures in place to be
[51:21] able to enforce something that large on
[51:24] uh what is essentially the update of you
[51:26] know in in appearance. Um so and that's
[51:29] essentially what I'm hearing from. we're
[51:31] not getting into like structural
[51:32] building, but I do think that there
[51:35] might be the opportunity then for future
[51:38] discussions to require accessibility
[51:41] requ uh
[51:43] or accessibility considerations to be
[51:45] part of our heritage permitting process.
[51:48] Um I've been to had the fortune to be in
[51:51] other parts of the world and uh take
[51:54] courses uh designed around um how to
[51:58] include uh various forms of physical
[52:00] disability um in in some locations that
[52:04] have been built on for at this point a
[52:06] thousand years and in cultures where
[52:09] heritage is extremely important.
[52:12] and they've come up with some very
[52:14] creative solutions uh around the world
[52:16] to make very historical buildings uh
[52:20] meet modern accessibility standards. I
[52:23] presume that maybe their larger
[52:24] government tax structures are different
[52:26] and allow for that so that a small
[52:28] municipality could apply for money to be
[52:29] able to do that. But looking at this
[52:32] building on Google Maps right now on
[52:33] street view, I'm seeing that for
[52:35] example, uh the spa next door is kind of
[52:38] more at grade and then the building kind
[52:40] of comes across and the sidewalk drops
[52:42] down making that adding a step uh just
[52:45] from one front door to the the
[52:46] neighboring front door. And I've seen a
[52:48] solution where essentially the ramp is
[52:51] added along the front of the building.
[52:52] Um you know, in this case it might be a
[52:54] little need to be more creative because
[52:56] there's a door to the apartments above
[52:57] it seems. But um there are solutions uh
[53:00] to to be able to do that. Um
[53:03] so if we're when we you know maybe maybe
[53:06] for the next council maybe we included
[53:09] in our recommendations for the next
[53:10] council to make that a part of our
[53:14] heritage permitting because heritage
[53:15] buildings are going to be inaccessible
[53:17] pro most likely and so if anyone's going
[53:19] to be doing any work on them at all we
[53:21] should be requiring this.
[53:24] » Thank you. This is very valuable
[53:25] contribution. Councelor Bell, was your
[53:27] hand up?
[53:30] Councelor Bell. No. Okay, fine. Sorry.
[53:33] Um, Deputy Mayor, and then I'll go back
[53:35] to Councelor Greenfield.
[53:37] » Uh, thank you, Mr. Mayor, and I
[53:38] appreciate the discussion. I was going
[53:40] to mention accessibility, but Harley did
[53:42] it much more descriptively than I ever
[53:44] could. So, I'm glad we're addressing
[53:46] this for this particular building. Um,
[53:48] I'm wondering in relation to the steps,
[53:51] because I appreciate the challenge that
[53:52] we face with them. Um, is there a
[53:55] potential for us to require a temporary
[53:58] ramp that could be just, you know, set
[54:01] down if someone wanted to enter the
[54:03] business who required that with a
[54:05] walker, wheelchair, whatever the concern
[54:07] might be, something that just could be
[54:10] brought out of the business, set down
[54:11] over the steps on that very temporary
[54:14] basis so that individual could get in
[54:16] and out. Are we allowed to require
[54:18] anything of that nature?
[54:22] Sure.
[54:27] Um through you, Mr. Mayor. Um that's a a
[54:31] good solution on a temporary basis. Um I
[54:34] think staff would need to look into
[54:36] those required clearances for sidewalk
[54:38] as well. I believe it's 1.5 m of
[54:41] clearance is required and I'm not too
[54:43] sure um how it would affect um how large
[54:47] the ramp would need to be and if we
[54:49] would maintain that required walking
[54:52] clearance on the sidewalk as well. Um
[54:55] but it's something that staff could
[54:57] could look into further.
[55:01] » Go ahead councelor Greenfield. Thanks
[55:03] again and your worship and thank you
[55:05] Helina and uh uh director K uh for your
[55:09] comments and I
[55:11] um you know first of all I I I know this
[55:16] is a
[55:18] a difficult storefront to to do uh uh
[55:24] a lot of things with. When I mention a
[55:28] ramp, I the AODDA
[55:31] ramps are a mile long and I wasn't
[55:36] really thinking about that. I I was
[55:39] thinking about, okay, we'd have to take
[55:42] a recessed doorway and a lot a number of
[55:46] our heritage buildings did have recessed
[55:48] entranceways.
[55:50] um a ramp of even a steeper
[55:55] grade.
[55:59] Someone could
[56:01] push someone in a wheelchair up into the
[56:04] building or someone with a walker I
[56:07] think could get up into it. They can't
[56:10] do that with those two steps.
[56:13] Um, going back to I I don't understand
[56:16] why the community improvement plan and
[56:18] accessibility are not directly tied. Uh,
[56:22] like I think any community improvement
[56:24] plan uh grant or loan application that
[56:28] comes forward
[56:30] if if they have accessibility features
[56:33] to them, they should there should be a
[56:35] an asterct right behind it saying, "Hey,
[56:37] this is this is special. this is uh this
[56:41] is one one vote for your uh uh for your
[56:45] application and I don't think we've done
[56:48] that in the past and to me in the future
[56:50] it's uh it's essential. So okay I've
[56:54] made my point. Thank you. Thanks. And
[56:57] I'm just going to add that
[56:59] [clears throat] uh I've seen uh many u
[57:02] facade improvements take place in our
[57:04] downtown core with no sympathy for the
[57:08] heritage of our heritage district. So,
[57:11] uh I want to compliment the uh proponent
[57:14] here for u uh thinking about how um a
[57:19] part especially that block of uh of
[57:22] psych street which is you know not as
[57:25] built up and has more you know diverse
[57:27] buildings on it. It's nice to see
[57:29] something that salutes heritage in
[57:31] meford and uh I want to congratulate him
[57:34] and uh I'm going to call the vote. All
[57:36] in favor?
[57:38] Any opposed? That is carried unanimously
[57:41] and now we can move uh into committee of
[57:44] the whole at 155. Uh could I have a
[57:47] mover and seconder? Deputy mayor and
[57:50] councelor Yuri. Thank you very much. And
[57:53] the first item is
[57:57] um under library services that committee
[58:00] of the whole receive report library
[58:02] 2026-01
[58:04] mered public library annual report 2025
[58:07] for information purposes. And I'm going
[58:09] to turn the microphone over to uh to
[58:11] Lynn CEO. Thank you.
[58:14] » Thank you. Move and second. We didn't do
[58:16] that. Moved by councelor for seconded by
[58:19] councelor Andis. Thank you very much.
[58:21] All in favor? Oh go. Okay. Boy after
[58:25] four years if [laughter]
[58:27] I pity my follower. Okay. Uh go ahead
[58:32] and
[58:32] » Thank you so much. Uh, thank you. Your
[58:35] worship, deputy mayor, counselors,
[58:37] including the M meford public library
[58:39] board, council reps, GR, uh, councilors
[58:42] Greenfield and Forer,
[58:44] uh, and M, my municipal colleagues for
[58:47] the opportunity for Chair Grafton and I
[58:50] to present the Meford Public Library
[58:52] 2025 annual report.
[58:55] The annual report supports transparency
[58:57] and promotes knowledge of the importance
[58:59] of the Meford Public Library within our
[59:02] community and helps to clarify what
[59:04] we've spent, what we do, why we do it,
[59:08] and how we do it. Uh, it takes a village
[59:11] to run the Meford Public Library from
[59:13] from council right on down to our valued
[59:16] users who supply great feedback to their
[59:19] public library. Uh Mephford Public
[59:22] Library celebrates 100 years uh this
[59:24] year in 2026. Uh but the building will
[59:27] be 6 years old, believe it or not, uh on
[59:30] November 20th. Uh so we thank our
[59:32] facilities manager, Steve Burgess, and
[59:35] his dedicated team for keeping the
[59:37] building in shape both inside and out.
[59:40] And we also would like to thank the
[59:42] parks and recreation uh department and
[59:44] their wonderful garden volunteer uh who
[59:47] helps keep the parkquette and the
[59:48] surrounding gardens in order
[59:51] uh for for our story times, our library
[59:54] programs and the public to enjoy. I'd
[59:58] like to introduce uh Chair Kim uh Kim
[1:00:00] Grafton uh our board chair who would
[1:00:03] like to say a few words.
[1:00:14] Good afternoon, Mayor Kentner, Deputy
[1:00:17] Mayor Shirley Keveny, counselors, fellow
[1:00:20] board members on council, and town
[1:00:23] municipal staff. Welcome to the annual
[1:00:26] report of the Meford Public Library. As
[1:00:28] chair of the library board, it is a
[1:00:30] pleasure to be celebrating a 100red
[1:00:33] years of library service in our
[1:00:36] community.
[1:00:37] I would like to take a moment to
[1:00:38] acknowledge the contribution of my
[1:00:40] fellow Meifford Public Library board
[1:00:43] members, our library CEO, Lynn Fasnado,
[1:00:47] and our great library team. Their
[1:00:50] innovative leadership provides a public
[1:00:52] space that creates opportunities for
[1:00:54] people of all ages to learn,
[1:00:56] collaborate, and connect. Community
[1:00:59] partnerships are essential to our
[1:01:01] success and we again welcomed financial
[1:01:04] support from the friends of the Meford
[1:01:06] Library, the Rotary Club, individual
[1:01:09] donors, the Municipality of Meford
[1:01:12] Council, the province of Ontario through
[1:01:15] the Ministry of Tourism and Culture and
[1:01:17] Gaming, and the Ontario Library Service.
[1:01:20] And I would like to just bring to your
[1:01:23] attention
[1:01:25] some of that sponsorship.
[1:01:29] During the budget process this year, uh
[1:01:32] there was some discussion about the
[1:01:34] library seeking sponsorship
[1:01:37] and I would like to bring to your
[1:01:40] attention that the Meford Public Library
[1:01:43] has benefited from sponsorship for many
[1:01:46] years from the Friends of the Meford
[1:01:48] Library as well as the Rotary Club of
[1:01:50] Meford. The Rotary Club sponsored
[1:01:53] equipment and licensing for the youth
[1:01:55] area in our new library, as well as for
[1:01:58] Wi-Fi routers, which is ongoing to this
[1:02:01] day.
[1:02:03] The Friends of the Meford Library have
[1:02:05] supported us since 1994.
[1:02:09] This year alone, they sponsored our
[1:02:13] library to a tune of $31,159.89.
[1:02:21] Their financial support doubles the
[1:02:23] funding available for programming.
[1:02:26] It enables author events and enhances
[1:02:29] services and resources. In our budget,
[1:02:32] we have $3,500
[1:02:36] each for our children's programming and
[1:02:39] our adult programming.
[1:02:42] The Friends of the Mayford Library
[1:02:44] provide an additional $3,11566
[1:02:49] for the children's program and $5,278
[1:02:54] for adult programs. And that's just a
[1:02:56] small portion of that $31,000.
[1:03:00] In essence, they double our budget for
[1:03:03] programming.
[1:03:07] We have major sponsorship. We have had
[1:03:10] within our community the support from
[1:03:12] these organizations and they greatly
[1:03:15] enhance the services and programs that
[1:03:17] would not exist without them. And I just
[1:03:20] want to take that opportunity to
[1:03:22] reinforce that that we already have
[1:03:24] sponsorship and and it is very
[1:03:27] important.
[1:03:29] We also welcome partnerships from local
[1:03:31] cultural and economic stakeholders who
[1:03:33] helped contribute to the diverse mix of
[1:03:36] programming that included life
[1:03:38] directions, the YMCA of Owen Sound,
[1:03:41] bright shores, adult learning center. We
[1:03:45] have elder law series, income tax
[1:03:47] clinics, gardener and residence series,
[1:03:50] and the ever popular story time
[1:03:52] sessions, STEM and craft events for
[1:03:55] youth and teens, author events, book
[1:03:58] clubs, puzzle exchanges, just to name a
[1:04:01] few. An average of 65 programs a month
[1:04:05] for all ages. And I would also like to
[1:04:08] just hold so that everything doesn't
[1:04:11] pull off. This is for July and August.
[1:04:16] This alone is our children's programming
[1:04:19] Monday to Sunday. And every day there
[1:04:22] are four to five programs running. And
[1:04:26] that's that's just a quick little
[1:04:27] snapshot. And again, that's just our
[1:04:30] youth programs. Our adult programs are
[1:04:32] also running concurrent to this. So our
[1:04:35] library provides a very valuable space
[1:04:38] in our community
[1:04:41] and a vast array of resources await at
[1:04:43] the library from fishing rods, room
[1:04:46] rentals to tech help. The meford public
[1:04:49] library was featured in the January 2025
[1:04:52] edition of connecting the sound magazine
[1:04:55] in an article entitled the little
[1:04:57] library that could. 100 years in Meford
[1:05:01] Public Library is a shining example of a
[1:05:05] hub of learning, care, and connection. A
[1:05:08] space where everyone can belong and it
[1:05:10] enables our community to thrive. And I
[1:05:13] would like to take a moment just to read
[1:05:14] a little excerpt. And this is from a
[1:05:18] library patron involved in our writing
[1:05:21] circle program at the library. And I'm
[1:05:24] not going to read it all. It is on I
[1:05:26] believe available if you wanted to read.
[1:05:29] But I just I love her her her story here
[1:05:33] and this is a short excerpt out of it. I
[1:05:36] now have the time in my winter chapter
[1:05:38] to explore more which brings me great
[1:05:40] joy. This Meford library is new to me
[1:05:43] and its offerings have awakened,
[1:05:46] enriched, fed and nurtured my current
[1:05:50] curiosities and I love to enter its
[1:05:52] sliding doors to again lead me to a
[1:05:55] world of topics that tickle my fancy.
[1:05:58] Such a joyous feeling
[1:06:01] likened to wanting more and more of a
[1:06:03] favorite bon bon.
[1:06:05] Hail to the library. May it remain a
[1:06:08] place of community and learning for all.
[1:06:11] And that just tickles my fancy that uh
[1:06:14] someone wrote about the library in a
[1:06:16] program at our library sponsored by our
[1:06:18] library.
[1:06:20] The coming year holds a promise of new
[1:06:23] programs and exciting events. With
[1:06:26] municipal elections this fall, there
[1:06:29] will be a change in our board. I have
[1:06:32] served on the last eight years and it
[1:06:34] has been an honor and a privilege to
[1:06:37] serve on this board and work with our
[1:06:39] amazing library team. I can't say enough
[1:06:42] at the energy, the love that they put
[1:06:46] into everything that they do there. They
[1:06:49] go above and beyond.
[1:06:52] There's been some wonderful milestones.
[1:06:54] As Lynn mentioned, we're coming up to
[1:06:56] six years on our new library, and it is
[1:07:00] just such a shining example in our
[1:07:02] community of of what we can do when we
[1:07:04] all collaborate
[1:07:06] to do the right thing.
[1:07:08] I will be sad to be leaving the board,
[1:07:12] but I hope that the many gains that we
[1:07:14] have made and all the wonderful assets
[1:07:19] continue to be used, enjoyed, and thrive
[1:07:21] in our community.
[1:07:25] we say it's a little hard. It's that's I
[1:07:28] value our library very very much and our
[1:07:30] board has been a wonderful board that
[1:07:32] has been very uh very
[1:07:38] passionate about how and what we do.
[1:07:42] I would like to thank my fellow board
[1:07:44] members, our staff
[1:07:46] and council for your investment in our
[1:07:49] library which continues to be the
[1:07:51] cornerstone of the social infrastructure
[1:07:53] in our community. I have enjoyed working
[1:07:56] and learning alongside our amazing team
[1:07:58] of staff and more board members for the
[1:08:00] last eight years and wish that the
[1:08:03] future of our library continues to be a
[1:08:07] happy and prosperous one.
[1:08:10] turn back to L.
[1:08:18] » Thank you so much, Chair Grafton, for
[1:08:20] those kind words. And Chair Grafton has
[1:08:23] worked diligently as well these last
[1:08:25] eight years to uh make the Meford Public
[1:08:28] Library the place to be. Plus, she works
[1:08:30] very hard on the ministerial library
[1:08:32] board as well.
[1:08:38] I don't know what to say after all of
[1:08:40] that.
[1:08:43] Um, going over to our report. Um, the
[1:08:46] first thing that we do is our vision and
[1:08:47] mission statement. Uh, everything we do
[1:08:50] at Meford Public Library fall under
[1:08:52] these two very important statements as
[1:08:54] found in the Meford Public Library
[1:08:56] strategic plan 2022. Plus, uh, the
[1:08:59] board's strategic plan is also in
[1:09:02] influenced by council's strategic
[1:09:04] priorities. uh helping to ensure that we
[1:09:07] have similar visions for our users um
[1:09:11] and members of our community.
[1:09:19] Next page are our revenues.
[1:09:22] I wanted to mention that the donation
[1:09:24] lines of $11,252
[1:09:28] uh these include uh individual donations
[1:09:30] uh donate uh monies collected from
[1:09:33] donation bids bins around the located
[1:09:35] around the library and uh also from uh
[1:09:38] the me sorry the friends of the meford
[1:09:41] library uh donations. uh the friends pay
[1:09:45] for li uh library items uh usually to um
[1:09:49] they make a check out to the to the
[1:09:50] library to cover the costs. Uh this is
[1:09:53] why uh and this revenue line is only
[1:09:57] 11,252
[1:09:59] whereas on page 7 uh the we and as chair
[1:10:03] uh Grafton has mentioned that they
[1:10:05] donated over $31,000 of items to the
[1:10:08] library in 2025. And the reason this
[1:10:10] donation line is uh smaller is because
[1:10:13] those are the ones that uh we have
[1:10:15] purchased as staff and the friends have
[1:10:17] reimbursed us. So uh fees and charges of
[1:10:20] $78.99. These include printing, faxing,
[1:10:24] scanning, proctoring fees, uh late fees,
[1:10:27] uh lost and damaged items and that type
[1:10:30] of uh information. Uh interl loan
[1:10:33] postage rebate. uh we get an annual
[1:10:35] rebate from the Ontario Library Service
[1:10:38] for postage uh to ship books to uh
[1:10:40] within to other libraries within the
[1:10:42] province. And in 2025 we shipped out 772
[1:10:47] books to other libraries and we received
[1:10:50] for our patrons who um who uh looked for
[1:10:53] books within the system 787
[1:10:56] u books came in. uh the programming
[1:10:59] revenues of 1625. These are revenues
[1:11:01] generated to cover costs of our
[1:11:04] programming um that are not covered
[1:11:06] either through our budget or through the
[1:11:08] friends of the ME for library
[1:11:10] sponsorship. Uh room rentals uh these
[1:11:13] are fees collected for room bookings uh
[1:11:15] for businesses and for-profit
[1:11:17] organizations. Uh public library
[1:11:20] operating grant of 23935
[1:11:23] uh which has not changed in over 30
[1:11:26] years. that is uh comes to us every year
[1:11:29] from the Ministry of Tourism, Culture
[1:11:30] and Gaming, which is the the uh ministry
[1:11:33] responsible for Ontario Public
[1:11:34] Libraries. And I just wanted to also
[1:11:37] mention that the special events uh the
[1:11:40] 11,000
[1:11:42] plus that we uh were from the Allen
[1:11:44] Doyle event of last October, it was a
[1:11:46] sellout, so it uh created uh some good
[1:11:49] revenues for the Meford Library. And we
[1:11:52] received uh from the Ministry of
[1:11:53] Tourism, Culture, and Gaming in 2025 the
[1:11:56] uh summer experience uh opportunities
[1:11:59] grant for our summer student last
[1:12:01] summer.
[1:12:07] Here we go. Um expenses. We've uh any
[1:12:10] expenses that have uh the FOM supported
[1:12:14] brackets uh next to it indicates that
[1:12:17] the FOML um have contributed
[1:12:19] [clears throat] items in this category
[1:12:21] of expenses.
[1:12:22] Uh advertising uh these are expenses
[1:12:25] such as ads and any MPL logo uh items
[1:12:29] that we have such as tote bags and thank
[1:12:31] you cards and that kind of thing. Um
[1:12:33] that was 500 uh sorry that was $631 last
[1:12:37] year. Uh association fees are for
[1:12:41] Ontario Library um association
[1:12:44] memberships for both board and staff. Uh
[1:12:46] these memberships are important because
[1:12:48] they uh give us a heck of a discount on
[1:12:50] our uh um on our uh courses that we take
[1:12:54] through the OA to improve our library
[1:12:56] services. We also um spend money on the
[1:13:00] Ontario Municipal Public Library
[1:13:02] Organization and the Federation of
[1:13:04] Ontario Public Libraries um and also
[1:13:06] something called access copyright and
[1:13:09] that is a license to enable public
[1:13:11] libraries to uh have the public and
[1:13:14] staff uh photocopy uh various items with
[1:13:17] that uh uh that we do as a service.
[1:13:21] Uh books is our capital item. We spent
[1:13:24] last year $36,417.
[1:13:27] Um, and that's just not for books.
[1:13:29] That's also for movies and also uh
[1:13:31] barcodes for items, any circulation bags
[1:13:34] to uh to enable uh something to
[1:13:37] circulate and book repair items, cover
[1:13:40] jackets, that kind of thing. Um, the
[1:13:43] clothing is for staff logo clothing, PPE
[1:13:46] like silicon gloves and also sun
[1:13:48] sunscreen, which is very important for
[1:13:50] uh staff to wear when we go on um
[1:13:52] outreach. uh outside are e resources.
[1:13:55] They're heavily sponsored by the Ontario
[1:13:57] Library Service. Uh these include Libby,
[1:14:00] Ancestry, Mango, World Book, Novelist.
[1:14:03] Um and uh we also spend on our own and
[1:14:06] we have non-sponsored um e- resources
[1:14:09] called Biblio and Hoopla. Those are
[1:14:11] downloading movie and book services. And
[1:14:14] uh we pay that. We don't have a u the
[1:14:18] opportunity for a uh discount in those
[1:14:21] but these are all renewed annually as
[1:14:23] well and our events uh was our signature
[1:14:26] author event uh for Alan Doyle which was
[1:14:29] sponsored um the booking at the hall was
[1:14:32] sponsored by the friends of the meford
[1:14:33] library uh facilities maintenance this
[1:14:36] is the amount spent by our by our
[1:14:38] manager to maintain the building hydro
[1:14:40] heat water cleaning etc and um the cost
[1:14:43] of the debenture for the new library
[1:14:45] building is also included in that
[1:14:47] amount. Uh information technology uh
[1:14:50] large budgeted by our IT department uh
[1:14:54] this includes Wi-Fi, all computers,
[1:14:56] software um that runs them, public and
[1:14:59] staff networks, photocopy machines,
[1:15:01] phones, internet backups, email, etc. We
[1:15:05] could not uh function uh without our IT
[1:15:08] uh people. So, thank you to Mark Ian and
[1:15:10] his team. uh the library computer
[1:15:12] hardware software line. Uh that's uh
[1:15:15] staff also purchase our own hardware
[1:15:17] soft software that run outside of the IT
[1:15:19] department. Uh these are things such as
[1:15:22] um our inter our integrated library
[1:15:24] system Koha. Uh our the catalog book uh
[1:15:27] carousel that's on our um catalog
[1:15:31] librarian which runs our public access
[1:15:33] computers. uh all the RFID licenses that
[1:15:36] run our alarm system and our inventory
[1:15:38] system, our Zoom Chromebook software,
[1:15:40] and everything's renewed annually as
[1:15:42] well. That's why you'll see it every
[1:15:43] year uh on on the budget estimates. Uh
[1:15:47] other expenses, they include staff
[1:15:48] items. Uh uh uh Friends of Meford
[1:15:51] Library purchased uh the 2500 U
[1:15:54] membership cards from that line last
[1:15:57] year. They also uh bought Nintendo games
[1:16:00] for us in 2025. These games are quite
[1:16:02] expensive. So, we um we look at them to
[1:16:06] help us uh keep that uh inventory fresh.
[1:16:09] Uh we also purchased a square terminal.
[1:16:11] Thank goodness, now we have debit at the
[1:16:13] library. Uh we also uh bought a new
[1:16:16] collar printer um and a summer student
[1:16:19] desk for our summer student in our staff
[1:16:21] office, which we never had, and we
[1:16:23] bought those from individual uh
[1:16:25] donations in 2025.
[1:16:27] uh programming out of the 7,000 budgeted
[1:16:30] yearly for all programming. This is uh
[1:16:33] heavily sponsored by the friends of the
[1:16:34] Meford Library and we couldn't offer the
[1:16:36] same quality and quantity of programming
[1:16:39] without their support. Um and the
[1:16:42] expenses also include the Owens Sound
[1:16:44] and North Union Public Library annual
[1:16:46] cost for library services which was a
[1:16:48] little over I think 154 last year 158476
[1:16:53] sorry about that. And um of course the
[1:16:56] largest expense would be the salaries
[1:16:59] and benefits.
[1:17:05] Um as chair Grafton had mentioned about
[1:17:07] the uh friends of the meford library
[1:17:09] this year in the report we added uh an
[1:17:11] extra page uh just uh to highlight uh
[1:17:14] everything that the friends of the
[1:17:15] meford library have bought for us. uh
[1:17:18] because uh just looking at numbers on a
[1:17:20] spreadsheet doesn't really give you the
[1:17:21] the true uh idea of what they do for us.
[1:17:24] And in fact, the if you go down to the
[1:17:26] netshed, they've got this uh page
[1:17:28] highlighted uh uh in in the uh netshed
[1:17:31] for the public to see where the money
[1:17:33] that they um that they buy used
[1:17:36] generally used books for goes to within
[1:17:38] the the year. Uh they buy hard copy
[1:17:41] newspapers, Globe and Mail, Toronto
[1:17:42] Star, Meford Independent. These are read
[1:17:45] daily and our beautiful living room area
[1:17:47] of the library. Uh this old school form
[1:17:49] of information is still going strong and
[1:17:52] and it's a welcomed addition to
[1:17:54] ourformational resources. If we uh
[1:17:56] forget to pick up the newspapers, uh we
[1:17:59] will have a patron with five minutes
[1:18:00] asking where they are. So we have to
[1:18:02] pick them up at Rexel. They come in
[1:18:03] through there. Uh the TD summer reading
[1:18:06] program, it gets a great boost by the
[1:18:08] friends supplying uh fantastic prizes
[1:18:10] for participants. Uh it's great to read,
[1:18:13] but it's uh it's uh but a chance to win
[1:18:15] a great prize makes it even better,
[1:18:17] especially when you're young. Um uh
[1:18:20] Ontario Public Library Week also gets a
[1:18:22] boost for prizes supplied by the Friends
[1:18:24] of the Meford Library. Uh they purchased
[1:18:26] oversized bookends for our junior
[1:18:29] picture books back in 2025. Um these are
[1:18:32] the largest items in the library.
[1:18:34] They're almost larger than most
[1:18:36] reference books. Uh and the most popular
[1:18:38] item within the junior collection. Uh so
[1:18:41] thanks to the FL they now uh sit neat
[1:18:44] and tidy on the shelves. They were
[1:18:45] falling over and it was uh not uh not a
[1:18:49] pretty sight sometimes. So now they're
[1:18:50] all neat and tidy. Uh inventory one
[1:18:53] really helps um us find uh lost books
[1:18:56] within the library and also helps with
[1:18:58] our inventory
[1:19:00] extremely um it works with our libraries
[1:19:03] RFID tag system. Uh video games are
[1:19:06] expensive. the friends help keep this
[1:19:08] collection fresh and um and as mentioned
[1:19:11] before the friends have sp sponsored our
[1:19:14] membership cards since we first
[1:19:16] automated in 2005 I believe uh so we're
[1:19:20] now on our third uh library system um
[1:19:24] which houses our uh the inventory of our
[1:19:26] books and our patrons database and the
[1:19:28] friends have provided cards for this
[1:19:30] every step of the way. So, we're very
[1:19:32] they're they're very expensive and we
[1:19:34] really appreciate that they um that they
[1:19:36] help us out in this fashion. Uh and as
[1:19:39] mentioned by Chair Grafton, they've also
[1:19:41] sponsored five of our Wi-Fi hotspots
[1:19:43] which uh are flying off the shelves
[1:19:46] especially this summer. We've got
[1:19:47] campers coming in, people at Memorial
[1:19:49] Park. We've got people up in cottages
[1:19:51] for the summer. So they uh uh that and
[1:19:54] the Ontario parking passes uh are
[1:19:56] [clears throat] and the um parking
[1:19:58] passes are hot hot ticket items in the
[1:20:00] in the summertime. Uh we go this is my
[1:20:05] favorite page statistics. This is Neford
[1:20:08] by the numbers. These statistics will
[1:20:10] provide a snapshot of the 2025 usage
[1:20:13] here at Neford Public Library. Um 2025
[1:20:17] saw almost 84,000 visitors through our
[1:20:20] doors. Uh this equates to about when you
[1:20:23] think about it 84,000 questions from
[1:20:26] something as simple as where are the
[1:20:28] washrooms to how do you print? Can I
[1:20:31] have a book recommendation? And the
[1:20:34] staff do a tremendous job in helping to
[1:20:36] provide this top-notch service. You
[1:20:38] never know what you're going to get when
[1:20:39] they come in the door, but we hate to
[1:20:41] say no, so we do love to to help out any
[1:20:44] way that we can. Uh we registered 804
[1:20:48] new patrons in 2025.
[1:20:51] uh with staff giving most a tour of the
[1:20:53] building and a warm welcome. Uh almost
[1:20:56] 73,000 materials checked out uh from a
[1:20:59] collection the size of 31,769
[1:21:03] items. Uh the replacement value uh of
[1:21:06] items circulated was over $1.3 million.
[1:21:10] So a yearly budget of 40,000 uh returns
[1:21:13] over uh 1.3 million in usage. Uh so this
[1:21:17] dollar value does not include um the
[1:21:20] free meeting room spaces uh the free or
[1:21:23] lowcost 789 programs offered and
[1:21:27] attended by almost 12,000 users and most
[1:21:30] importantly uh the feeling of being in a
[1:21:32] bright modern beautiful facility that
[1:21:36] values diversity, inclusion,
[1:21:39] confidentiality and equality has no
[1:21:41] price tag in my opinion. That is
[1:21:43] priceless.
[1:21:45] Uh MPL is proud to supply up-to-date
[1:21:47] technology for its users. Thanks in part
[1:21:50] to the municipal IT department who
[1:21:52] worked uh diligent diligently to keep
[1:21:54] both the public and the staff networks
[1:21:56] running. Uh we've got two systems so
[1:21:59] takes a lot of uh a lot of maintenance.
[1:22:02] Uh the 15,610
[1:22:04] computer users reap these benefits. uh
[1:22:07] volunteers run the tech center and
[1:22:09] helped 339
[1:22:11] people in 2025 with tech questions and
[1:22:14] we thank our dedicated volunteers. Uh
[1:22:17] this number doesn't include the mirage
[1:22:19] of technology questions posed to staff
[1:22:21] on a daily and almost hourly basis. Uh
[1:22:25] the e library which includes more than e
[1:22:27] uh it includes more than ebooks. Uh our
[1:22:29] e library contains uh movies, magazines,
[1:22:32] learning and language courses. uh saw
[1:22:35] almost 40,000 downloads in 2025. Uh and
[1:22:39] the online catalog with over 44,000
[1:22:42] searches.
[1:22:47] Uh this is a fun page, most circulated
[1:22:49] items in 2025. This is just a sample of
[1:22:52] the of the popular titles that
[1:22:53] circulated then. Uh even with the many
[1:22:56] different movie streaming services
[1:22:58] available to folks now uh now these
[1:23:00] days, our movie discs are still going
[1:23:02] strong in circulation. I know some of
[1:23:04] the local libraries are taking them out
[1:23:06] of the collection because they're not
[1:23:07] circulating, but uh I think uh if we did
[1:23:11] that right now, it wouldn't uh wouldn't
[1:23:13] benefit our users. They're they're very
[1:23:14] very popular. The old discs still
[1:23:17] around. Uh membership uh who makes up
[1:23:21] our membership. Um well, I've added uh
[1:23:24] we've added the footnote explaining uh
[1:23:26] how we actually calculate the active
[1:23:29] card holders. I know it's been a
[1:23:31] question um uh that many libraries we
[1:23:34] want the ministry wants to make sure
[1:23:35] that we we tally every library tallies
[1:23:38] their active card holders the same way.
[1:23:41] So an active membership is a member with
[1:23:43] an unexpired card within the last two
[1:23:45] years. So that's how we uh do our active
[1:23:48] memberships and that's how we reported
[1:23:50] to the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and
[1:23:52] Gaming every year.
[1:23:54] So it's not based uh on if they check a
[1:23:56] book out. uh this is based on the expiry
[1:23:59] date because pe people use their cards
[1:24:01] for many reasons. Uh that doesn't
[1:24:03] necessarily give us a statistic to
[1:24:06] measure. Uh for example, if they use
[1:24:08] their card for a meeting space or if
[1:24:09] they tend a program uh these are counted
[1:24:12] in number only not end user. So, you
[1:24:14] know, we uh we take uh statistics of how
[1:24:16] many bookings were in the uh rooms rooms
[1:24:19] per month, but we don't exactly pinpoint
[1:24:21] who who does what um for confidentiality
[1:24:24] and and also because we only wanted a
[1:24:26] grand total anyway. Uh using u people
[1:24:29] that use their card to access any e-
[1:24:31] resource such as Ancestry, Libby,
[1:24:33] Hoopla, uh they don't get re registered
[1:24:35] individually as well. They get
[1:24:36] registered um just as a lump sum number
[1:24:39] at the end of the month. Excuse me. Uh
[1:24:42] from the membership uh chart, you can
[1:24:44] see that uh card holders from the Blue
[1:24:46] Mountains and Grey Highlands enjoy
[1:24:48] reciprocal card agreements um with us
[1:24:51] and our our um members can go and get
[1:24:54] free cards over at uh Grey Highlands and
[1:24:56] Blue Mountains libraries as well. And
[1:24:59] non non-residents as well that live
[1:25:01] outside these zones also get a free
[1:25:03] membership at Chifford Public Library.
[1:25:05] We don't charge uh uh non-resident fees
[1:25:10] uh with the 5,235
[1:25:12] uh uh municipal municipality of meford
[1:25:15] residents having an active card in 2025.
[1:25:19] Uh this indicates based on the
[1:25:21] population data um the last census uh
[1:25:24] that almost 47% of residents hold an
[1:25:27] active card. Um this just this indicates
[1:25:30] a large commitment to the Meford Public
[1:25:32] Library by our community and we we are
[1:25:35] most grateful.
[1:25:38] Uh here we have uh three pillars of
[1:25:41] service are very important to uh the
[1:25:44] Meford Public Library. That's
[1:25:45] engagement, innovation, and
[1:25:47] collaboration. Uh in 2025, uh Meford
[1:25:51] Public Library embrace em embraced
[1:25:53] diversity and inclusion with their
[1:25:55] rainbow book club and its spin-off
[1:25:56] Rainbow Crafts. Uh selected library
[1:25:59] staff and board trustee Elgen Peekchuk
[1:26:01] presented a seminar on inclusion and
[1:26:04] safe uh library spaces and rural
[1:26:06] libraries at the OA super conference in
[1:26:09] January 2025. So that started the year
[1:26:11] off on a great note. Um, health and
[1:26:14] safety is very important to the library
[1:26:16] and the municipality of Meford as a
[1:26:18] whole. Uh, the library thanks the
[1:26:20] municipality uh for the training
[1:26:21] opportunities and first aid uh joint
[1:26:24] health and safety training uh the the
[1:26:27] new composition of the joint health and
[1:26:29] safety um program. It's all uh points to
[1:26:32] a real commitment in health and safety.
[1:26:34] Our library board uh is responsible for
[1:26:37] everybody in according to our safety and
[1:26:39] security and library policy are also
[1:26:41] extremely are are responsible for
[1:26:44] everyone in the library as well. So they
[1:26:46] also thank the municipality for their uh
[1:26:48] health and safety commitment as well.
[1:26:52] uh staff training very important uh in
[1:26:54] order to keep staff aware of trends in
[1:26:56] books and technology, AI, intellectual
[1:26:59] freedom
[1:27:01] um everything and training is important
[1:27:03] on how we deal with unruly patrons and
[1:27:05] other social issues which are becoming
[1:27:08] all too common in a lot of public
[1:27:10] libraries uh such as homelessness,
[1:27:12] addiction. Uh so we're training
[1:27:15] frontline staff to how to help in these
[1:27:17] uh in these uh unfortunate condition
[1:27:21] conditions that can happen. Uh here we
[1:27:23] go. Oh, sorry.
[1:27:27] Next pillar of service is uh innovation.
[1:27:31] Uh it is crucial that the library um
[1:27:33] keeps relevant in its community with
[1:27:36] within innovation. Innovation is what uh
[1:27:38] patrons want in order to access
[1:27:40] up-to-date items and to access quality
[1:27:42] programming uh to keep them learning on
[1:27:45] how to use the latest technology, how to
[1:27:47] use e- reser resources and how to make
[1:27:49] the most of of their library membership.
[1:27:52] Technology is changing quickly and the
[1:27:54] library needs to be ready with trained
[1:27:56] staff who can shift services and keep
[1:27:58] ahead of this fast-paced technology
[1:28:01] based world. innovation is necessary
[1:28:04] necessary so that staff can use the most
[1:28:05] recent technology in order to serve the
[1:28:08] public. Uh we are also active on our
[1:28:10] social media and our newsletter. We have
[1:28:13] almost 4,000 um subscribers to our
[1:28:16] newsletter that goes out monthly. So
[1:28:17] that's a real commitment uh and it's
[1:28:19] fantastic uh u community support and uh
[1:28:24] so
[1:28:27] thank you. Uh collaboration
[1:28:31] that takes two pages because the uh we
[1:28:33] would um collaboration and partnerships
[1:28:36] is what makes the tr uh the library
[1:28:37] truly public. Partnerships contribute to
[1:28:40] learning services our inventory items.
[1:28:44] Um, it can make a visit to the library
[1:28:46] fun, interesting, create social
[1:28:48] opportunities for others. Uh, the list
[1:28:51] is endless on our collaboration pages.
[1:28:53] We collaborate with our municipality,
[1:28:55] social services,
[1:28:57] uh, uh, legal firms, the list goes on.
[1:29:00] It's just, uh, an amazing collaboration
[1:29:02] within our community and, uh, we reach
[1:29:05] out to, um, people to partnership and
[1:29:07] they reach out to us. So I think we've
[1:29:08] got trust within the community uh that
[1:29:11] so that uh these social services um and
[1:29:15] other other um partners reach out to us
[1:29:18] and they know that they can hold their
[1:29:21] uh their programs in a in a secure
[1:29:23] confidential space. Um and there are
[1:29:26] also many economic benefits to our
[1:29:28] community from our library program
[1:29:31] programming as most items and supplies
[1:29:33] for programming we purchase within the
[1:29:35] community.
[1:29:39] No,
[1:29:45] no, I just wanted to mention the library
[1:29:47] board. I know we're we'll be getting a
[1:29:49] council will appoint a new a new board
[1:29:51] at the end of this year. So, a shout out
[1:29:53] to um Kim Grafton, our chair, uh Lloyd
[1:29:57] Moore, our vice chair, Frank Ampage,
[1:30:00] trustee, Elegant Pekjack, trustee, Marne
[1:30:03] Wraith, trustee, counselors, uh Brandon
[1:30:06] Fer, and counselors Hardy Greenfield,
[1:30:09] our council reps on board, uh on the
[1:30:12] board. Uh, shout out to our staff. Uh,
[1:30:15] Lori Pierce, children and youth
[1:30:16] coordinator. Amy Selei, community
[1:30:19] outreach coordinator. Shantel Highfield,
[1:30:21] technical services coordinator. Ashley
[1:30:24] Trestler, library specialist in
[1:30:26] circulation and interl loans. Uh,
[1:30:28] Samantha Macintosh, library assistant,
[1:30:31] Rosemary Palmer, library assistant, Kim
[1:30:34] Bley, public services clerk, and our
[1:30:36] library summer student, Claire. Every
[1:30:39] year it changes and um it's
[1:30:42] we uh we enjoy having our summer
[1:30:45] students so much and they are pivotal in
[1:30:47] our TD summer reading program. But I
[1:30:50] would also like to ones that's not on
[1:30:52] this list are our valued volunteers. Uh
[1:30:55] we we treat our volunteers as staff and
[1:30:58] valuable team members. So they should uh
[1:31:01] they are included in this list as well.
[1:31:06] uh reviewing the year and planning the
[1:31:08] future. Uh in closing, um I want to uh
[1:31:12] I've thanked all our stakeholders.
[1:31:14] There's just so many. That's why my uh
[1:31:16] it's two pages long. My my thank you. Uh
[1:31:19] I talk about uh in my uh report I talk
[1:31:22] about the challenges of AI and
[1:31:23] intellectual freedom. That is something
[1:31:25] not going away. Uh AI affects can
[1:31:28] affects books uh our e- resources. So
[1:31:31] it's something that we really um have to
[1:31:33] stay on top of. Uh we certainly don't
[1:31:35] want um an algorithm telling us what
[1:31:39] books we need to buy for our our our
[1:31:42] database. We need to have people with
[1:31:44] passion and heart to um to create items
[1:31:48] for the library.
[1:31:50] Uh we are looking forward to our 100th
[1:31:52] anniversary celebrations this year and
[1:31:55] another signature author event which has
[1:31:57] which we've just booked on November 9th.
[1:32:00] I'm not going to tell you who it is yet.
[1:32:02] Uh and and we are also looking forward
[1:32:05] to working with a new council and a new
[1:32:07] library board at the end of this year.
[1:32:17] Here's our contact us page. Uh, I want
[1:32:20] to thank you, council,
[1:32:24] uh, your worship, deputy mayor,
[1:32:26] municipal colleagues, uh, chair Grafton,
[1:32:29] the Meford Public Library board council
[1:32:31] reps, uh, Greenfield and Forer, uh, and
[1:32:35] the Meford Public Library staff. uh they
[1:32:39] are a dedicated team who are committed
[1:32:41] to me for public library both past,
[1:32:43] present and future and a team that will
[1:32:46] help ensure that we remain the community
[1:32:48] hub and the place to be. Um but I thank
[1:32:51] most of all the public users of the
[1:32:53] Mford Public Library. Um by coming
[1:32:55] through our doors, providing feedback,
[1:32:59] positive or negative, we learn from
[1:33:01] everything. uh taking out a membership,
[1:33:03] donating funds, and more puts the public
[1:33:06] into your Meford Public Library. Thank
[1:33:09] you for taking the time today to listen
[1:33:11] to Chair Grafton and I describe the
[1:33:13] beautiful community hub called the
[1:33:14] Meford Public Library, and we look
[1:33:17] forward to your next visit. Thank you so
[1:33:20] much.
[1:33:21] » Thank you, Lynn. Does anyone have any
[1:33:23] questions or comments for Lynn, Deputy
[1:33:26] Mayor?
[1:33:28] » Thank you, Mr. Mayor. And first of all,
[1:33:30] and I just want to say a huge thank you
[1:33:32] for everything that the library provides
[1:33:34] to this community. It's amazing. I often
[1:33:36] take advantage of the meeting spaces and
[1:33:38] I don't know what I'd do without them.
[1:33:40] But a very special note of appreciation
[1:33:42] to Chair Grafton and thank you for your
[1:33:45] intense passionate commitment to the
[1:33:47] library over these past years and I know
[1:33:48] you'll be no stranger going forward. Um
[1:33:51] I just wanted to ask one question
[1:33:53] though, Lynn. You mentioned the uh Wi-Fi
[1:33:55] routers um and how often they are looked
[1:33:59] out. Do you actually have enough of
[1:34:02] those at this point?
[1:34:03] » Uh I was just discussing that with our
[1:34:05] IT uh department actually last week. Uh
[1:34:08] I think they're moving over to another
[1:34:10] company. So they've already replaced
[1:34:13] some of the SIM cards in them because
[1:34:14] they they've been going strong for 5
[1:34:17] years now, almost six years. So, we may
[1:34:20] I might investigate investigate buying a
[1:34:23] few more units as well because there are
[1:34:25] two actually that uh actually went out
[1:34:28] and never came back unfortunately. So,
[1:34:31] we have um from the we started with 11
[1:34:34] and we have actually nine that are are
[1:34:37] um being circulated.
[1:34:40] » And if I may, Mr. Mayor, a followup.
[1:34:42] Thank you for that, Lynn. And just uh
[1:34:44] noting that perhaps it's something the
[1:34:46] Rotary Club would just like to know
[1:34:48] about uh that you might be interested in
[1:34:50] some additional routers. And and just
[1:34:52] one last thing, um you mentioned the
[1:34:54] volunteers, but I just have to uh
[1:34:56] express gratitude for the gardeners who
[1:34:59] do an incredible job, those girls out
[1:35:01] there every morning and the watering and
[1:35:03] the weeding and and I tell them every
[1:35:05] year the gardens look better and better.
[1:35:07] So a special shout out to them.
[1:35:09] » Absolutely. Thank you. Anyone else wish
[1:35:13] to make a comment? Uh then thank you
[1:35:15] again so much. Very comprehensive and uh
[1:35:19] uh straight up for the library for sure.
[1:35:21] » Thank you so much.
[1:35:22] » Under community services um the
[1:35:25] recommendation is Oh, we have to vote to
[1:35:27] accept this for uh for it's okay but we
[1:35:30] we want to accept this for information
[1:35:33] purposes.
[1:35:34] Uh all in favor?
[1:35:37] Uh any opposed?
[1:35:40] I'm going to assume that councelor Andis
[1:35:43] is very in favor of the library here.
[1:35:46] » Thank you your worship. Just for
[1:35:48] clarity, we will not be counting his
[1:35:49] vote in this as he did not.
[1:35:50] » Okay. So then it is unanimous among
[1:35:53] those of us who are in the horseshoe. Um
[1:35:57] so under uh community services uh the
[1:36:00] recommendation is that uh uh committee
[1:36:03] of the whole recommend council of the
[1:36:05] municipality of meford enact a bylaw to
[1:36:07] repeal and replace schedule Q of the
[1:36:10] 2026 fees and charges bylaw and I'll
[1:36:13] call on director uh carpet to uh
[1:36:17] yes mover and second. Thank you again.
[1:36:19] Um so uh a mover
[1:36:22] councelor for a seconder councelor Bell
[1:36:25] all in favor don't need to do that. Okay
[1:36:28] questions or uh and I think we should
[1:36:31] hear from director Carver here.
[1:36:35] » Thank you your worship and I can be
[1:36:37] relatively quick with this one. Uh this
[1:36:39] is another kind of housekeeping item
[1:36:41] that I'm bringing to council's
[1:36:42] attention. Um, we require the 2026 fees
[1:36:46] and charges schedule Q, uh, to be
[1:36:49] updated in order for us to issue our
[1:36:52] renewals for the arena advertising
[1:36:54] program. Uh, the amount that was
[1:36:56] included in the original fees and
[1:36:58] charges bylaw was incorrect for this
[1:37:01] year. And had we have issued our
[1:37:03] renewals at that rate, we would result
[1:37:06] in a approximate loss of $7,500 to
[1:37:08] $8,000
[1:37:10] uh, due to this. So the original bylaw
[1:37:13] included kind of a blanket fee whereas a
[1:37:15] system that has been in place for
[1:37:17] approximately 5 years now actually has a
[1:37:19] tiered pricing system so that the more
[1:37:22] prime locations particularly behind the
[1:37:24] home and the players or home players and
[1:37:26] away players bench are uh 4003 or $400
[1:37:31] and $350 and the end boards are cheaper
[1:37:34] than that but they are all still
[1:37:36] significantly higher than what was
[1:37:37] included in the bylaw. So we felt it
[1:37:39] appropriate to bring this back to get
[1:37:41] this rectified so that we can issue the
[1:37:44] renewal letters for this upcoming season
[1:37:46] and in order to maintain consistency
[1:37:48] from year to year. So last year we
[1:37:50] charged the higher rates if we brought
[1:37:51] it back down to the amount in the bylaw.
[1:37:53] This year we would lose the money but
[1:37:55] then also have um some negative flicity
[1:37:58] next year when we turn around and put
[1:37:59] that put it back up to the proper rate.
[1:38:01] So we thought we'd bring this to council
[1:38:03] right now.
[1:38:04] » Any questions for Brady?
[1:38:06] You ready to vote? Well, go ahead,
[1:38:08] councelor Bell.
[1:38:11] » Thanks, Mr. Mayor. Thanks for the
[1:38:13] report. So, you have mentioned uh
[1:38:16] verbally that you want to have this in
[1:38:19] place before you start asking personnel
[1:38:23] that wish to advertise.
[1:38:26] So, no one has paid $150 at this point.
[1:38:30] when they see what you're going to
[1:38:31] charge them, should council do this this
[1:38:34] afternoon, they will be told these
[1:38:37] prices on the right hand column.
[1:38:40] To councelor Belu, your worship, yes, we
[1:38:43] have not issued our renewals for the
[1:38:45] 2026 2027 season. Um, if council
[1:38:48] approves the report today, the bylaw
[1:38:50] will come back in two weeks and then
[1:38:52] those renewal letters will go out that
[1:38:54] week.
[1:38:58] Okay, seeing no more questions, I'm
[1:39:00] going to call the uh item. All in favor?
[1:39:03] Any opposed? Though that is carried
[1:39:06] unanimously.
[1:39:08] Um under corporate services the
[1:39:10] recommendation is that the committee of
[1:39:11] the whole recommend council of the
[1:39:13] municipality of meford approve uh one
[1:39:16] option three as per the staff report and
[1:39:19] two establishing a capital budget of
[1:39:21] $47,500
[1:39:23] to be funded by the information
[1:39:25] technology reserve fund. I'm going to
[1:39:27] ask director Dinsmore to uh speak to
[1:39:30] this one. I'll move her in a second.
[1:39:31] Let's do that right away. Um, Deputy
[1:39:34] Mayor and Councelor Yurig.
[1:39:37] All in favor? No. Okay. Uh, please go
[1:39:41] ahead.
[1:39:43] Uh, thank you, your worship. So, I'll
[1:39:44] just quickly, excuse me, [clears throat]
[1:39:46] run through the three options that staff
[1:39:48] have put in front of council for their
[1:39:50] consideration with option three being
[1:39:51] the one currently recommended by staff.
[1:39:54] So, under option one, it would be the
[1:39:55] basic level of investment that would be
[1:39:57] required to allow council to participate
[1:40:00] remotely. Um, so it it would allow for
[1:40:03] hybrid participation by council members.
[1:40:05] In addition, there would be some
[1:40:06] upgrades made when other presenters are
[1:40:09] making presentations to council. So
[1:40:11] right now you can either see what
[1:40:12] they're presenting or the person. You'd
[1:40:14] be able to see both. Um, making it a
[1:40:16] little bit more interactive.
[1:40:19] Option two.
[1:40:21] And each one as I go through each one of
[1:40:22] these options, what comes in option one
[1:40:24] you get if you go with option two. What
[1:40:26] comes in options one and two you get
[1:40:28] when you go to option three. So they
[1:40:29] build off of each other.
[1:40:31] Uh option two looks to at looks to
[1:40:33] improve the overall audio quality within
[1:40:36] council chambers and uh more
[1:40:37] specifically for those who are
[1:40:39] participating online and for those who
[1:40:40] are viewing council online. And again,
[1:40:43] it allows for better um better
[1:40:47] presentations and better content um
[1:40:50] viewing for for those that are
[1:40:52] participating in the council meeting.
[1:40:53] And then option three, which is the
[1:40:55] highest AV investment and the one again
[1:40:57] that staff are recommending at this
[1:40:58] time. Uh the the main part of this one
[1:41:01] is it improves the backup storage of all
[1:41:03] recorded meetings which um is very
[1:41:05] important because as everybody's aware
[1:41:07] these are uh permanent records of the
[1:41:10] municipality. Uh it also allows for a
[1:41:14] little bit better public viewing while
[1:41:16] um the public is in this room. some of
[1:41:18] the TVs would be made a little bit
[1:41:19] larger, would be angled out so that um
[1:41:22] it's a little bit easier for every for
[1:41:24] everybody here to to see what's going on
[1:41:26] and be able to view presentations that
[1:41:28] are being made by staff and uh and other
[1:41:31] other third parties. So, with that, I
[1:41:33] will uh I'm available for any questions.
[1:41:37] » Councelor Yuri,
[1:41:39] » Thank you, Mr. Mayor, and thank you,
[1:41:41] Sam. It' be inappropriate for me to go
[1:41:43] over and hug you. So, um I'll just say
[1:41:46] thank you very much for the report and
[1:41:48] for the elacrity that it came in. Uh I
[1:41:51] will wholeheartedly uh recommend we
[1:41:53] proceed with option C3 as recommended
[1:41:56] and uh thank you for the very quick work
[1:41:59] on this because I know we've asked for
[1:42:01] for a long time but we did sort of ask
[1:42:03] for this to come or I asked for this to
[1:42:05] come back quickly and I appreciate that.
[1:42:08] » Councelor Ford.
[1:42:11] Uh thank you Mr. Mayor. It's for you.
[1:42:13] Um, I definitely agree that some
[1:42:15] upgrades do need to be done. However, I
[1:42:17] just find that we're being asked to
[1:42:19] spend money without seeing equipment
[1:42:22] costs or what these operating costs
[1:42:24] include. Like I find it's way too high
[1:42:26] level. Um, I'd really like to see more
[1:42:29] detail to see what we're actually
[1:42:30] spending money on. Um, it's also not
[1:42:33] very clear. You know, you get everything
[1:42:35] from option one to option two to option
[1:42:37] three, but like what is that? So, I just
[1:42:39] find that I'm not comfortable voting not
[1:42:42] knowing what exact products or equipment
[1:42:45] we're voting for and the reasons behind
[1:42:47] it. I also don't have any information
[1:42:50] with regards to what type of um service
[1:42:54] agreements that might be with any of
[1:42:55] this hardware. If there's software and
[1:42:57] there's technology, there might be some
[1:42:59] subscription fees. Um, I also don't know
[1:43:02] who this consultant was. Is this the
[1:43:04] individual that's selling us this
[1:43:06] product or how are we going about buying
[1:43:08] this product and who are we buying it
[1:43:09] from? I just find there's a lot of
[1:43:11] information that I'm just not
[1:43:12] comfortable moving forward without that.
[1:43:14] So maybe you can help me with that, but
[1:43:16] I I would have loved to see a more
[1:43:18] detailed list of the equipment and the
[1:43:20] services like just more specific to see
[1:43:22] what that money actually where that's
[1:43:24] coming from. Thank you.
[1:43:28] » Thank you. And through you. So, as staff
[1:43:30] went through this, we actually went
[1:43:32] through our purchasing policy to ensure
[1:43:33] that we were getting quotes correctly.
[1:43:35] Um, I believe only one bid was received
[1:43:37] on this work. The reason that I've left
[1:43:39] it high level is we do start to get into
[1:43:41] the area of proprietary information.
[1:43:43] We're not specifically allowed to say
[1:43:46] for exact types of things that um how
[1:43:50] much individuals are charging us. Um,
[1:43:53] that's why when we put large tenders in
[1:43:56] front of council, we leave it as one
[1:43:57] number. Um, because to go into much more
[1:43:59] detail is actually giving out
[1:44:02] confidential information. Uh, I'm happy
[1:44:04] to bring back a little bit more of a
[1:44:05] breakdown if that's what council would
[1:44:07] like to see. Um, we could also look at
[1:44:09] going into close session to to walk
[1:44:11] through exactly what would be offered by
[1:44:14] the consultant.
[1:44:19] » Deputy Mayor.
[1:44:21] Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Uh first of all,
[1:44:22] I'd like to rename this the councelor
[1:44:24] URIG report because this has been uh on
[1:44:27] Rob's mind for a long time. So I
[1:44:29] appreciate seeing this in front of us
[1:44:30] today. Um in my mind in relation to the
[1:44:33] breakdown that councelor Ford has
[1:44:35] requested and I appreciate uh your
[1:44:38] desire to do that, but I look at this as
[1:44:40] being operations and kind of
[1:44:43] understanding the role of council and
[1:44:45] governance and the role of staff in
[1:44:48] executing the desires of council. If we
[1:44:50] look back at our budgeting process and
[1:44:53] you could pick anything, but if we look
[1:44:55] at the new financial software for
[1:44:57] example, um you know, we didn't see that
[1:45:00] level of information. So, I just think
[1:45:03] it's it's interesting and a good
[1:45:06] opportunity for us to kind of explore,
[1:45:08] you know, what's what's appropriate for
[1:45:10] us to see and what is, you know,
[1:45:12] completely operations for staff. So,
[1:45:15] some more information on that might be
[1:45:17] uh good to have. Uh but Sam, my question
[1:45:19] for you. Um we talk about council on
[1:45:22] this report. So just review with us
[1:45:24] again in terms of committees, whatever
[1:45:26] the committees look like in the next
[1:45:28] term. Um will this uh upgrade be
[1:45:31] available for uh committee meetings as
[1:45:33] well as council?
[1:45:36] » Uh through uh thank you through you, Mr.
[1:45:38] Mayor. So because the any committee
[1:45:40] meeting that would happen in this room,
[1:45:41] all of this technology would be
[1:45:43] available for those committee meetings.
[1:45:45] We would have to ensure that it's
[1:45:46] through the procedural bylaw that all of
[1:45:48] it is allowed. But yes, anything that
[1:45:50] would happen in this room could take
[1:45:52] full advantage of this new equipment.
[1:45:56] » Going to call the question. All in favor
[1:45:59] any sorry
[1:46:02] just can we start again here? I don't
[1:46:04] know if you heard I'm I'm calling a
[1:46:05] question. All in favor of accepting the
[1:46:07] report.
[1:46:09] So we have one, two, three, four, five,
[1:46:13] six in favor. Those opposed?
[1:46:16] Okay, one opposed. And I declare the
[1:46:19] motion carried. Um the next
[1:46:23] recommendation is uh from uh development
[1:46:26] services. Um it's that committee of the
[1:46:29] whole recommend council of the
[1:46:30] municipality of meford one direct staff
[1:46:32] to initiate a request for
[1:46:34] pre-qualification
[1:46:36] RFPQ process for the three surplus
[1:46:39] residential parcels identified and two
[1:46:42] endorse exploration of a tiny home
[1:46:44] community model subject to feas may be
[1:46:47] bigger pardon
[1:46:48] » Thank you we just uh missed D under
[1:46:51] corporate services the 2027 to 2031
[1:46:54] capital facility capital program Okay.
[1:46:56] Uh do you want me to finish this and go
[1:46:59] back to that or don't? Okay. We'll start
[1:47:02] over here. The recommendation is uh and
[1:47:04] this is uh from um uh corporate services
[1:47:07] that committee of the whole recommend
[1:47:09] council of the municipality of meford
[1:47:11] approve option X which we will determine
[1:47:14] as we move forward. uh as outlined in
[1:47:17] report uh uh corporate services uh 2027
[1:47:22] to 2031 and that is a facilities capital
[1:47:26] program and again I'm going to turn it
[1:47:28] over to director Dinsmore. Sorry. Yes,
[1:47:31] let's get a mover and seconder to have
[1:47:33] it on the table. Um it's moved by
[1:47:35] councelor for seconded by
[1:47:39] sorry thank you councelis. Um,
[1:47:43] and let's proceed.
[1:47:46] » Uh, thank you, Mr. Mayor. And I'll just
[1:47:48] quickly explain why why I wrote the
[1:47:50] recommendation the way I wrote it and
[1:47:52] didn't staff haven't actually made a
[1:47:54] recommendation in this case. And we're
[1:47:56] looking for direction from from council
[1:47:57] on that part. At this point, staff
[1:48:00] didn't feel it was within our
[1:48:02] responsibility or within our right to
[1:48:04] make a recommendation. Um we're looking
[1:48:06] for guidance and a um we're looking for
[1:48:09] guidance from council on how we go about
[1:48:11] putting together the 2027 to 2031
[1:48:14] capital budget for the five specific
[1:48:17] facilities mentioned in this in this
[1:48:19] report. I just want to quickly highlight
[1:48:20] those facilities. Um they're the
[1:48:22] administrative offices at 21 and 15
[1:48:24] trail the blue dolphin pool the council
[1:48:27] chambers. So just this building we're
[1:48:29] not including the uh patrol a and then
[1:48:32] the meford stent community center and
[1:48:34] arrange. So this report is specifically
[1:48:36] focused on those five five facilities
[1:48:39] that are currently owned and operated by
[1:48:41] the municipality. Uh I just want to
[1:48:43] quickly outline chart one. Um chart one
[1:48:46] gives some gives some basic information
[1:48:47] about the facilities, what year it was
[1:48:50] constructed, what a replacement value is
[1:48:52] in 2024 and what their current facility
[1:48:54] condition index is. And then tied to
[1:48:56] that would be what condition that asset
[1:48:59] is considered to be in. So when you look
[1:49:00] at it, the the the newest facility is
[1:49:03] the one we're sitting in right now,
[1:49:04] which is still over uh over 30 years
[1:49:07] old. So some of these facilities are are
[1:49:09] quite old, 15 Trobridge being a bit of
[1:49:11] an outlier at, you know, coming up to
[1:49:13] 100 years old.
[1:49:17] Staff have put together two options for
[1:49:19] council's consideration today. And and
[1:49:21] what we're looking for is to direct us
[1:49:23] on how to build the capital budget. So
[1:49:25] we're not specifically asking for
[1:49:26] council to approve $12.6 6 million
[1:49:29] today. But what we're doing is looking
[1:49:31] to see if you would like to see that
[1:49:33] type of information and those type of
[1:49:34] capital projects put into the 2027 to
[1:49:37] 2031
[1:49:39] capital program.
[1:49:42] So within the the facility condition
[1:49:44] assessments done on those five
[1:49:45] facilities, the 12.6 million was
[1:49:48] identified of work that needs to be done
[1:49:50] over the next 3 to 5 years. The main
[1:49:54] pieces of that of that amount are roof
[1:49:57] replacements and parking lots. They're
[1:49:59] rather expensive. Um, and a lot of these
[1:50:01] facilities, specifically specifically
[1:50:03] the arena, are getting to that age where
[1:50:06] some significant dollars are going to be
[1:50:07] needed to invested into that facility to
[1:50:10] get it to its full useful life of
[1:50:11] roughly 80 years for a facility. So, so
[1:50:15] option one is looking at just continue
[1:50:16] to budget the projects as they need to
[1:50:19] be done at the price that they need to
[1:50:21] be done at. Um, some pros to this
[1:50:23] approach would be it's a lower capital
[1:50:25] cost than option two and it maintains
[1:50:27] the level of service that council has
[1:50:29] set with minimal impact on the operating
[1:50:32] budget.
[1:50:33] Uh, some of the cons that we've outlined
[1:50:35] is after the 12.6 million, there still
[1:50:37] will be a 55year-old arena and a
[1:50:40] 66-year-old outdoor pool. Uh, the
[1:50:44] capital works will be like for like with
[1:50:46] no improvements to the facility. So, as
[1:50:48] an example, the dressing rooms at the
[1:50:50] arena are a bit of a a cause for concern
[1:50:52] due to their size. Investing this type
[1:50:55] of money won't make those dressing rooms
[1:50:58] bigger, won't make that facility more
[1:51:00] user friendly. It will basically operate
[1:51:02] the same way it does today. Um, the
[1:51:05] investment will not greatly increase the
[1:51:07] operating efficiencies of those
[1:51:08] facilities. So, we would continue to see
[1:51:10] the similar hydro bills, natural gas
[1:51:13] bills, things like that. and we would
[1:51:15] continue to operize in a decentralized
[1:51:17] administration. So right now there is
[1:51:19] administration at at least four
[1:51:21] facilities throughout the municipality.
[1:51:26] Option two would be to look at explore
[1:51:28] multi-use facility.
[1:51:30] So in the report I specifically talked
[1:51:32] about bucketing everything together
[1:51:34] administration and recreation.
[1:51:37] going through a study like this, it may
[1:51:39] make more sense that administration is
[1:51:40] kept separately. Maybe here out to this
[1:51:44] piece of property and the recreations
[1:51:46] are bucketed together. Um, or maybe it
[1:51:49] does make the most sense that
[1:51:50] everything's put into one central
[1:51:52] facility. We can see throughout kind of
[1:51:55] our neighboring municipalities when you
[1:51:57] go to Sagen Shores, the arena, the pool,
[1:52:00] and the administration facilities are
[1:52:02] together. Um when we go somewhere like
[1:52:04] Stainer, you've see you can see the
[1:52:05] library is with the arena. So there's
[1:52:07] lots of different examples of what other
[1:52:09] municipalities have done
[1:52:14] within the within this recommendation.
[1:52:16] Staff would be looking at budgeting
[1:52:17] about $200,000 to complete this
[1:52:19] assessment. This assessment would
[1:52:21] include a lot of public and council
[1:52:23] outreach to gather what the community
[1:52:25] wants and what the community needs. Um a
[1:52:28] concept development. So, you know, a
[1:52:30] high level concept of what potentially
[1:52:32] could be built, what type of amenities
[1:52:35] the building would include, and whether
[1:52:36] it would be, you know, one or two
[1:52:38] facilities.
[1:52:40] And then a a you know, a central part
[1:52:42] would be a funding strategy. How are we
[1:52:44] going to pay for for a facility of this
[1:52:46] size? Um looking at possible grant
[1:52:48] opportunities, looking at a potential
[1:52:51] partnerships with, you know, the YMCA.
[1:52:53] We have a partnership with them with the
[1:52:54] Blue Dolphin uh pool right now. also
[1:52:57] looking potentially at the Department of
[1:52:58] National Defense and whether there would
[1:53:00] be any any appetite for a partnership
[1:53:02] there. So, this study would would dig
[1:53:05] into those a lot more to see if there
[1:53:07] was possibilities there.
[1:53:10] Um, some pros of this approach would be,
[1:53:12] you know, your consolidation of your
[1:53:13] three administration hubs into one
[1:53:15] administration center. Um, increased uh
[1:53:18] energy efficiencies. We would be looking
[1:53:20] at, you know, making these buildings as
[1:53:22] close to net zero as possible. uh a
[1:53:24] potential for additional services to be
[1:53:26] offered to the public including walking
[1:53:28] track, multisport gymnasium, and
[1:53:30] exercise center. We would also be
[1:53:32] potentially looking at bringing the pool
[1:53:33] indoors. Then it can be used all year
[1:53:35] round rather than just the summer
[1:53:37] months. And then the ability to
[1:53:39] repurpose current facilities or that
[1:53:41] land that those facilities sit on. Um
[1:53:43] some cons to this this option would be
[1:53:46] there's a large, you know, capital cost.
[1:53:49] This is the larger capital cost option.
[1:53:52] It's hard to say exactly what a facility
[1:53:54] like this would cost. Um I did put into
[1:53:57] the report you probably would be looking
[1:53:59] at the $60 to $80 million mark. Um I
[1:54:02] believe that's what God has recently
[1:54:04] spent on their facility. And then there
[1:54:06] would be a significant impact on the
[1:54:08] operating budget with additional staff
[1:54:10] uh requirements. You you know if there
[1:54:12] is a pool that's open all year round, we
[1:54:14] need pool attendance. Um having the
[1:54:17] facility just simply cleaned at the end
[1:54:19] of every day and things like that. So we
[1:54:21] would see large operating impacts.
[1:54:23] Again, that would be picked up within
[1:54:25] that study about what the ongoing impact
[1:54:28] would be on the uh municipal tax rate.
[1:54:31] So with that, I'll uh I'll pause and
[1:54:34] I'll am available for any questions.
[1:54:37] » I'd like to thank you very much for the
[1:54:38] report uh Sam. It it is probably the
[1:54:42] most important discussion we may have uh
[1:54:44] in our term here and uh I regret that we
[1:54:47] only have maybe you know 40 minutes or
[1:54:50] something to devote to it but at this
[1:54:51] time um councelor Yuri you can start.
[1:54:55] » Thank you Mr. Mayor and thank you Sam.
[1:54:57] Yeah it's a big one obviously um I know
[1:55:00] you go out and you talk to a lot of the
[1:55:01] public and a lot of people that have
[1:55:03] certainly talked to me about it
[1:55:05] everybody would love the concept of the
[1:55:06] multi-use facility assessment. So, um,
[1:55:10] it's interesting when you said 60 to 80
[1:55:11] because I did started to look at a lot
[1:55:13] of research around as well and it was
[1:55:15] interesting because I was really
[1:55:17] thinking that would probably be more
[1:55:18] like in the 80 to 120 realistically and
[1:55:21] you looked at a lot of the other
[1:55:22] competitors. Godidge was one but a lot
[1:55:24] of the other ones were certainly higher
[1:55:26] than that. So, I guess the question is
[1:55:28] twofold. One is I mean obviously it's
[1:55:30] not just this because trying to do this
[1:55:31] in concert with another maj major
[1:55:34] purchase i.e. wastewater plant somewhere
[1:55:36] down the road is two big chunks of
[1:55:38] change to bite. Um you did mention about
[1:55:40] partnerships and one thing you didn't
[1:55:42] mention in there and when we go to AMO
[1:55:44] and Roman places like that they always
[1:55:46] talk about um cooperation between
[1:55:48] municipalities not just working with
[1:55:51] like the um DoD or Y but literally
[1:55:56] looking at like a Blue Mountains or or
[1:55:58] Grey Highlands who are neighboring who
[1:56:00] might also benefit from a poolled
[1:56:01] facility like that. So hopefully that
[1:56:03] would come into vogue as well. But my
[1:56:06] question is that when you talked about
[1:56:09] budgeting 200,000 for 2027, seems to me
[1:56:12] that we already did budget like a couple
[1:56:14] hundred,000 to look at the harbor and
[1:56:17] the urban meford kind of um master plan.
[1:56:22] This to me, even though this doesn't
[1:56:24] fall under those two geographical
[1:56:27] probably locations, it seems to me that
[1:56:30] this is a big part of that overall
[1:56:33] conversation because not only with the
[1:56:35] harbor, what it's going to look like and
[1:56:36] how it's going to, you know, be assessed
[1:56:37] for the benefit of for all, but the
[1:56:40] urban downtown, but this becomes almost
[1:56:42] a third part. This becomes almost a
[1:56:44] triumphant. And I was just wondering, is
[1:56:46] there a way that that should be melded?
[1:56:50] So, if we're going to get a consultant
[1:56:51] to look at that anyway, should we be
[1:56:54] doing that as well? Because in the
[1:56:56] public, it almost seems like we would be
[1:56:58] doing a public input to talk about those
[1:57:00] things and then we were doing a public
[1:57:02] input to talk about that and there's a
[1:57:03] lot of overlap. So, there is there a way
[1:57:06] that we could kind of combine those
[1:57:08] agencies and and have that as a much
[1:57:10] larger conversation.
[1:57:16] » Uh, thank you and through you, Mr.
[1:57:18] Mayor. Uh both really great questions
[1:57:20] and great points and yes we would to
[1:57:22] kind of answer your first part we would
[1:57:23] look to our surrounding municipalities
[1:57:25] to see if there were any partnership uh
[1:57:28] that could be done there. One that jumps
[1:57:29] out to me would be Chadzsworth who's
[1:57:31] recently decided not to move forward
[1:57:32] with an arena. Um yes we could look at
[1:57:36] something like that. The way I
[1:57:37] structured this with that was that this
[1:57:39] would come back through the 2027 budget
[1:57:41] process to be considered by council at
[1:57:44] that time and if approved staff would
[1:57:45] then move forward with it. So, we can do
[1:57:48] kind of one of two things. We can either
[1:57:50] bring this one forward and potentially
[1:57:52] look at approving something like this
[1:57:54] today with final approval by council on
[1:57:56] the 27th because the harbor downtown
[1:57:59] project has not been initiated to date.
[1:58:02] Um, so we could look at, you know,
[1:58:03] increasing that budget, changing that
[1:58:05] scope and and bundling this all
[1:58:07] together. or we could go the other way
[1:58:10] and leave this for the 2027 budget
[1:58:12] deliberations and not do the downtown
[1:58:14] harbor until 2027. Um, so I would leave
[1:58:18] that up to council's direction and how
[1:58:20] they wanted to handle it.
[1:58:22] » Deputy Mayor,
[1:58:24] » Thank you, Mr. Mayor, and I appreciate
[1:58:26] both the report and your comments,
[1:58:28] Director Dinsmore. And I guess too it
[1:58:30] would be depend on the consultants who
[1:58:32] were hired whether or not they had the
[1:58:34] skill set to look at recreation
[1:58:36] facilities and you know the downtown and
[1:58:39] harbors. So that that would remain to be
[1:58:41] seen. But I'm I'm just really pleased
[1:58:43] that we're having the opportunity to
[1:58:44] have this discussion. I think it's
[1:58:46] important that we give consideration to
[1:58:48] the future of these facilities. I mean
[1:58:50] we know that wreck facilities are a draw
[1:58:52] to communities and and uh I know friends
[1:58:55] in God would say that their wreck
[1:58:57] complex has helped them attract doctors.
[1:58:59] So that there's some merit in that as
[1:59:01] well for us to consider and you
[1:59:03] mentioned uh you know various facilities
[1:59:05] and it would be my assumption you'd also
[1:59:07] be looking at pickle ball courts and
[1:59:09] partnering with that organization and I
[1:59:12] know the lawnballing group are concerned
[1:59:14] about you know potential future flooding
[1:59:16] again and and you know could they be
[1:59:18] part of this. So I think there's just
[1:59:20] lots of opportunity to uh to build upon
[1:59:22] what's been uh said here today. So, I'm
[1:59:25] I'm just excited to see this come
[1:59:27] forward into the 2027 budget and to have
[1:59:29] an opportunity to to explore and I think
[1:59:32] you've you've touched on, you know, how
[1:59:34] we might continue to maintain current
[1:59:36] facilities in the process because it
[1:59:38] will take a number of years to bring
[1:59:39] this to fruition, but I think we would
[1:59:42] want to be very mindful of what
[1:59:44] investments we made in our existing
[1:59:46] facilities, but we would need to keep
[1:59:47] them uh limping along. So, thank you
[1:59:50] very much, Sam. I
[1:59:51] » Think councelor Bell, you're next.
[1:59:53] Thanks, Mr. Mayor. So, uh, the report is
[1:59:57] something that, uh, I guess in the back
[2:00:00] of mind of, uh, current council members.
[2:00:03] We've seen reports where our long-term
[2:00:06] debentures on a lot of facilities have,
[2:00:08] uh, got themselves now that they're
[2:00:10] getting almost paid off, but I don't
[2:00:12] think any of us here thought that, you
[2:00:15] know, we're not going to incur costs on
[2:00:18] those buildings just because we've got
[2:00:20] the main debenture paid for. Um, as far
[2:00:24] as direction today, um, I think sitting
[2:00:27] here that if we tell staff to maintain a
[2:00:30] status quo, uh, this this major subject
[2:00:34] matter, uh, will definitely be in front
[2:00:37] of the new council. And when we consider
[2:00:41] the number of people who are our
[2:00:43] taxpayers, we run with about $22 million
[2:00:46] of tax supported money. Um I mean we
[2:00:49] talked about the need for the wastewater
[2:00:51] treatment plant. I mean the needs and
[2:00:54] the desires of this community.
[2:00:57] Name the percentage higher than what our
[2:01:00] purse can actually handle. So that is
[2:01:03] the big discussion really in my mind.
[2:01:06] This is a service level that we need to
[2:01:08] do and uh I appreciate comments about
[2:01:13] looking to other municipalities.
[2:01:16] What do they need? what they don't have,
[2:01:18] what they could have. But I think when I
[2:01:21] see numbers like this and we just had a
[2:01:24] report about how much money we've got in
[2:01:26] our reserves. Um and then given the
[2:01:30] dynamics of of of our society where
[2:01:33] we're at today. Um,
[2:01:37] not not to say that the rural people
[2:01:41] don't appreciate things that might be
[2:01:44] available to them, but when we start
[2:01:47] talking about these tens of millions of
[2:01:50] dollars
[2:01:51] and we really have to come up with a
[2:01:54] decision
[2:01:55] on how we promote or how we get
[2:01:59] feedback,
[2:02:01] buy in. Should a future council do this?
[2:02:06] I think that this this subject matter is
[2:02:09] just saying that I've met people
[2:02:11] recently that their service level that
[2:02:14] they've experienced in other places in
[2:02:16] Ontario is top shelf and then I tell
[2:02:21] them that we've got a beer budget
[2:02:23] and that's kind of where we're at. We
[2:02:26] need to be in our means because we can
[2:02:27] overstep our our own ability to repay.
[2:02:31] we can overstep that immediately
[2:02:34] and I don't think we should do that and
[2:02:36] I think that this major subject matter
[2:02:39] is is for the future council and uh for
[2:02:43] my myself today if you need something to
[2:02:46] move forward to know what you need to
[2:02:47] put in for opening remarks for 2027
[2:02:51] for the mayor at that time to consider
[2:02:53] what that might look like I think I'd
[2:02:56] like to just say status quo this
[2:02:58] afternoon and we can start there in the
[2:03:00] future
[2:03:01] Thanks.
[2:03:03] » Um, councelor Greenfield.
[2:03:06] » Thank you, your worship. Thanks, uh, Mr.
[2:03:09] Timsmore for bringing this forward. Um,
[2:03:12] I have a couple of concerns with this.
[2:03:15] First, first of all, just a comment. We,
[2:03:18] not too long ago, we had a facility
[2:03:21] report from,
[2:03:24] I'm sure if it was Hamson or Watson, uh,
[2:03:27] one of those two. uh and uh I'm I'm
[2:03:31] hoping that report could be utilized
[2:03:36] somewhat uh for anything in the future.
[2:03:39] Uh there was quite a bit of detail in
[2:03:41] there and uh and uh
[2:03:46] I estimates on the longevity ahead of
[2:03:51] some of our buildings. I uh
[2:03:55] when I first read this, I thought
[2:04:00] and I still think I I think this is a
[2:04:02] decision that should be left for the
[2:04:04] next council uh to make. uh we are going
[2:04:09] to have some new members on that uh on
[2:04:13] that establishment and this is a huge hu
[2:04:17] potentially huge huge uh investment uh
[2:04:22] obligation. We know something does have
[2:04:26] to be done. Uh some of our facilities,
[2:04:31] a number of them are uh uh getting on
[2:04:34] the uh uh
[2:04:38] the the old side of their uh of their
[2:04:42] tenure. Uh certainly the the pool uh
[2:04:47] even the the St. the Meford St. Vincent
[2:04:49] Community Center uh which is
[2:04:53] approximately 50 years old. We have to
[2:04:56] remember the the arena
[2:05:00] before what we have now, it only lasted
[2:05:03] 25 years. So
[2:05:06] if you compare the two, this one's quite
[2:05:10] an age. I guess
[2:05:15] I certainly there should be cost
[2:05:18] efficiencies of combining
[2:05:22] everything into
[2:05:24] one huge complex.
[2:05:28] But
[2:05:30] again, when I first read this, I
[2:05:32] thought, hey, this is, you know, where
[2:05:35] this is all have to be located.
[2:05:39] That's in the urban area on on the
[2:05:42] services. Um,
[2:05:46] we could have
[2:05:48] an administration office in the rural
[2:05:51] area.
[2:05:53] uh this I I I
[2:05:56] hope that is kept in mind. We could have
[2:06:00] a council chambers
[2:06:02] in the rural area. We are a big
[2:06:06] geographical municipality. So um
[2:06:11] those are my two concerns. one is uh
[2:06:16] I'm not I feel uneasy for this council
[2:06:20] to commit to something and and I know
[2:06:22] it's in its infancy, but even then
[2:06:25] there's there's going to be a record of
[2:06:27] that. Miss Miss Wilton Seiguel is going
[2:06:29] to make sure this this gets in the
[2:06:31] record. So that's my first problem. And
[2:06:34] the second problem is I
[2:06:38] I I I really hope in a in an attempt to
[2:06:42] reach out to our rural residents, uh it
[2:06:46] is not a given
[2:06:48] something like all all of these services
[2:06:52] have to be downtown mefort
[2:06:55] thinking.
[2:06:57] » I'm looking to uh councelor Anderson,
[2:07:00] councelor Ford, do you wish to speak to
[2:07:02] this? So, go ahead, please.
[2:07:05] » Yes, thank you, Mr. Mayor, and I
[2:07:06] appreciate the discussion here, and I'm
[2:07:08] sort of in line with um councelor
[2:07:10] Greenfield and councelor Bell is that um
[2:07:12] I this is a very important decision. I
[2:07:14] think it'd be best to leave this to the
[2:07:16] next term of council to decide. Um and
[2:07:19] so, I'll just leave it at that for now.
[2:07:20] Thank you,
[2:07:21] » Councelor.
[2:07:23] Thank you, [clears throat]
[2:07:24] Mr. Mayor. Uh similarly, I think it
[2:07:26] would be best for the next council to
[2:07:28] decide though while we're talking about
[2:07:31] it. I guess it might be helpful to sort
[2:07:33] of put my thoughts in. Thinking of cost
[2:07:36] efficiency, I worry about whether or not
[2:07:38] that would be uh sort of scrubbed by
[2:07:40] having to pay a huge debt uh to be able
[2:07:43] to do it. Um, so I don't I I'm not sure
[2:07:46] that that would be uh,
[2:07:50] you know, a sort of like a useful um,
[2:07:53] argument for it, but I just don't feel
[2:07:56] that we're a municipality that's big
[2:07:58] enough to to sort of justify a project
[2:08:01] that large. Um, especially considering
[2:08:03] um, we're struggling to figure out how
[2:08:06] we're going to get the water treatment
[2:08:08] um, situation uh, sorted. Um, I think
[2:08:11] this is something that would be very
[2:08:13] nice to have. Um, but I I just don't
[2:08:17] think we're there. I don't think that
[2:08:18] that's what this municipality is. Um, I
[2:08:22] think we're very lucky to have the
[2:08:23] services and and um options uh that we
[2:08:26] have, the recreation options that we
[2:08:28] have. Um, and keeping them going is is
[2:08:31] expensive and we it it's known to be
[2:08:34] expensive. Talking to members of the
[2:08:36] community, it comes up a lot about how
[2:08:38] expensive it is. But if we then double
[2:08:40] down on something that is
[2:08:43] massively expensive, uh I just I I don't
[2:08:46] know that that would that would sit well
[2:08:48] um with with with a lot of the
[2:08:50] municipality, a lot of our a lot of our
[2:08:52] neighbors. Um so yeah, today I would I
[2:08:56] would be most comfortable uh seeing what
[2:08:58] the ne voting to see what the next
[2:09:00] council thinks.
[2:09:03] » Um I just [clears throat] I I'd like to
[2:09:05] weigh in on this as well. So, uh, do we
[2:09:08] want to u uh do you have something you
[2:09:11] want to start answering? I I I'd like to
[2:09:13] just make three points if I could. This
[2:09:15] is coming from somebody who's lived in
[2:09:17] Meford since 19 uh 56.
[2:09:22] And uh I was a young man then, I'm an
[2:09:25] old man now. And so it's I I just want
[2:09:28] to share with you how from my
[2:09:30] perspective how this looks. U the first
[2:09:32] thing is I I see two projects. I think
[2:09:34] that uh I would divide recreation uh
[2:09:37] which is multifaceted and and
[2:09:39] administration. I would divide those
[2:09:41] into two projects and I would say that
[2:09:43] uh it's important that the
[2:09:44] administration perhap it can maybe go uh
[2:09:47] rural or urban. Uh I think there are
[2:09:49] real merits in in having it in the urban
[2:09:51] center. Uh but I think that uh if if
[2:09:54] we're going to look at involving uh
[2:09:57] other communities, uh we should be very
[2:09:59] open to uh a rural destination for a a
[2:10:03] rec center. Um the second thing I want
[2:10:06] to say is uh I regret to inform you that
[2:10:09] I do not I don't have a lot of
[2:10:11] confidence that our boundaries will
[2:10:12] always be what they are today. I think
[2:10:15] the Ford government is likely going to
[2:10:17] change things uh before it is done and
[2:10:20] um we may be part of a we may be either
[2:10:23] a much smaller municipality than we are
[2:10:26] now or or part of a great big
[2:10:28] amalgamation and I have no idea what
[2:10:30] might be coming. And the third thing is
[2:10:32] with respect to councelor Bell's points,
[2:10:36] um
[2:10:38] I think it's very important to realize
[2:10:40] that a lot many many millions of dollars
[2:10:43] are coming to municipalities of all
[2:10:45] sizes for these recreational projects.
[2:10:49] And if we don't have a plan and if we
[2:10:51] don't have a vision for where we're
[2:10:53] going, uh we won't be we won't be
[2:10:57] getting our fair share.
[2:10:59] And if we wait for uh the next council
[2:11:03] or it waits for the next council, uh I'm
[2:11:06] not sure those funds will continue to be
[2:11:08] available. And from what I have seen,
[2:11:10] it's critically important that uh
[2:11:13] improvements to uh to our uh our pool
[2:11:17] and to our arena are something that we
[2:11:19] can't start soon enough to deal with.
[2:11:24] Um I guess we'll go around one more time
[2:11:27] and then we'll come back to staff. Thank
[2:11:28] you, Council Eric.
[2:11:30] » Thank you, Mr. Mayor, and thank you for
[2:11:31] your last comment because the one thing
[2:11:32] I did want to say, and I and I do 100%
[2:11:35] appreciate the concern about the overall
[2:11:38] massive expense. To that regard, I will
[2:11:41] say the problem being is is to your
[2:11:43] point twofold. One is the further you
[2:11:47] kick it down the road, a few years ago,
[2:11:49] a wastewater plant would have cost us
[2:11:51] $30 million. Now, it's going to cost us
[2:11:54] $120 million. this put off another 5 10
[2:11:57] years what is it going to cost then to
[2:12:00] do it and at that point when does your
[2:12:02] actual facilities become end of life and
[2:12:04] then what do you do but I can still
[2:12:06] think moreover to your point again as
[2:12:09] well about boundaries may potentially
[2:12:11] shifting but I think that's why it's
[2:12:12] also paramount and I again cannot stress
[2:12:15] enough how many
[2:12:17] um at how many conferences you hear it
[2:12:20] is so vital that municipalities need to
[2:12:23] get together to try and share costs to
[2:12:27] to to share these kind of facilities
[2:12:29] because you're right, Blue Mountains
[2:12:31] can't afford this by themselves,
[2:12:32] Chadzsworth can't afford it by
[2:12:34] themselves, Greyhound, but if you put it
[2:12:35] together, then you all can maybe take a
[2:12:38] bite out of it and do it. So that's why
[2:12:40] I just think and without taking a step
[2:12:43] forward and I'm fine with it being in
[2:12:44] the next council, if we're putting it
[2:12:46] forward literally six months for that
[2:12:48] conversation, I have no problem with
[2:12:49] that. But I have real concerns about it
[2:12:52] getting kicked further and further and
[2:12:53] further out and it gets more expensive
[2:12:55] and then then you're in a situation
[2:12:57] where we just may not have any at some
[2:13:00] point down the road. So your point is so
[2:13:03] [snorts]
[2:13:03] apt I think that if you don't at least
[2:13:06] plan for it, you will not have the
[2:13:08] availability to potentially do it.
[2:13:11] That's why at least a plan I think to
[2:13:13] look at what could be done is more
[2:13:15] important than sitting back and going ah
[2:13:17] let's just put band-aids on everything.
[2:13:19] I think councelor Greenfield, I don't
[2:13:21] think he's spoken yet, please.
[2:13:26] » Okay, deputy mayor.
[2:13:29] » Uh, thank you, Mr. Mayor. And yeah, I
[2:13:31] think we all recognize that this is a
[2:13:33] multi-year process that is going to have
[2:13:35] some really difficult decisions attached
[2:13:37] to it. But I just want to clarify what
[2:13:40] is being asked of us here today, which I
[2:13:42] believe if I'm correct, Director
[2:13:43] Dinsmore, is to um provide a
[2:13:48] recommendation to yourself to include in
[2:13:51] the 2027 budget $200,000
[2:13:54] to undertake a study to give some
[2:13:57] direction to the next council as to what
[2:13:58] they might be looking at in terms of
[2:14:01] recreation facilities, administration
[2:14:03] facilities, and and they would be
[2:14:05] charged then with making those
[2:14:06] decisions. Am I correct in uh that
[2:14:09] assumption?
[2:14:10] » Uh thank you and through you Mr. Mayor.
[2:14:11] Oh 100%. This report is looking for some
[2:14:14] direction on what to include in the 2027
[2:14:16] budget. It is not appro preapproving the
[2:14:19] 2027 budget. Um without this report
[2:14:23] there may not have been anything
[2:14:24] included in the 2027 budget except for
[2:14:26] maybe some facility capital requirements
[2:14:29] just for that in year. Um staff wanted
[2:14:32] to take a bit of a holistic approach to
[2:14:34] this. So what could happen as an example
[2:14:37] if council was to go with option one the
[2:14:40] status quo and staff puts in the 15
[2:14:42] million or 12 million over the five
[2:14:44] years we could get to 2027 the new
[2:14:47] council is making the decision they
[2:14:48] could at that point say no no take all
[2:14:51] that out put the $200,000 and we want to
[2:14:53] do the study and that would be allowed.
[2:14:55] So we're not making any decisions. What
[2:14:57] we're doing is giving the next council a
[2:14:59] starting point for how they want these
[2:15:02] recreational facilities and
[2:15:03] administrative facilities to operate. Um
[2:15:06] I will just make one quick comment on uh
[2:15:08] the mayor's point. All new grants coming
[2:15:12] from the province and the federal
[2:15:14] government include a must be shovel
[2:15:16] ready, right? Must be ready to go
[2:15:18] whether it's ready to go with the
[2:15:19] engineering or ready to go with the um
[2:15:22] the actual construction. So having the
[2:15:24] public consultation, which is what that
[2:15:26] 200,000 really would be done so we know
[2:15:30] what we're building, um would allow us
[2:15:33] better would give us better information
[2:15:36] for those grant applications
[2:15:39] because we would know what we want to
[2:15:41] include. Um staff have made no
[2:15:44] assumptions as to what a recreational
[2:15:46] facility includes. It may include a
[2:15:49] pool, it may not. We don't know. Um, we
[2:15:51] again we we would like to go through
[2:15:53] this process to figure out what the
[2:15:55] community wants and what it's going to
[2:15:58] cost the community. I was always told
[2:16:00] that if you ask someone if they want a
[2:16:01] Ferrari, they're going to say yes until
[2:16:04] you tell them how much it's going to
[2:16:05] cost. And that's what this is doing,
[2:16:07] right? If we went out to the public
[2:16:08] right now and said, "Do you want an
[2:16:10] indoor gym? Do you want an indoor pool?
[2:16:11] Do you want a new arena?" Everybody is
[2:16:14] going to say yes. But we need to make
[2:16:15] sure that everybody knows what that will
[2:16:18] do for their annual property taxes.
[2:16:21] Without this 200,000, it's very hard to
[2:16:23] answer that question.
[2:16:26] » I'm going to go to councelor Renis and
[2:16:28] I'll come back to you, councelor
[2:16:29] Greenfield.
[2:16:29] » Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Um, you've changed
[2:16:32] my thinking a little bit. So, I
[2:16:33] appreciate that. It sounds to me like we
[2:16:36] need to go with option two to make it
[2:16:38] possible for the future council to make
[2:16:40] that decision. So in that case um I
[2:16:43] could change my thinking and go with
[2:16:45] option two.
[2:16:48] » Uh councelor Greenfield.
[2:16:51] » Thanks uh thanks to worship and uh
[2:16:54] thanks again Mr. Dinsm. Uh I'm still uh
[2:16:58] uneasy about this. Uh I I
[2:17:02] it's it's wonderful to look at
[2:17:07] the big picture uh forward vision. Uh
[2:17:13] I I'm just not sure if our municipality
[2:17:17] is quite there yet. And I'm somewhat
[2:17:21] afraid that by
[2:17:23] looking at too many of these big ticket
[2:17:26] items,
[2:17:27] there may be
[2:17:29] an exclusion of the basics.
[2:17:34] We've got streets. We've got roads
[2:17:39] that are not in good shape.
[2:17:43] basic transportation items that gets
[2:17:46] everybody from home to work to to
[2:17:49] pleasure hopefully.
[2:17:53] lot of this we've talked about grants
[2:17:56] and yes there are grants out there but
[2:18:00] you've got 444 municipalities in Ontario
[2:18:04] reaching out for them and uh the chances
[2:18:08] of uh our municipality they are as good
[2:18:12] as any of the others but there aren't
[2:18:15] 444 huge grants out there I'm sure that
[2:18:20] we're talking about maybe a $20 million
[2:18:22] OP PP station that we may get a grant
[2:18:26] for some of it. Uh
[2:18:30] we're trying to dredge a harbor and it's
[2:18:32] at least a half a million dollars just
[2:18:35] to get started on the dredging.
[2:18:38] Um
[2:18:40] I I really I mean it's it's great to
[2:18:44] have a vision. It's great to have
[2:18:48] uh
[2:18:50] some kind of an idea of where you want
[2:18:51] to go, but I I don't think we're there
[2:18:54] yet. I I think we've got uh
[2:18:58] we're looking at third base, and I don't
[2:19:01] think we've got the first base yet. So,
[2:19:03] I
[2:19:05] I I just think it's premature. I think
[2:19:08] it's it's great to have a discussion.
[2:19:10] Yes, we know something has to be done
[2:19:13] likely within the next 101 15 years, but
[2:19:17] um I'm not content to uh uh get into
[2:19:22] something today.
[2:19:23] » Thank you.
[2:19:24] » I think that CEO Everett would like to
[2:19:26] speak.
[2:19:26] » Uh thank you, Mr. Mayor. Uh just from a
[2:19:29] few years of in the community services
[2:19:31] and recreation aspect, um doing a
[2:19:35] feasibility study, you know, it's a it's
[2:19:37] a good start. Um, councelor Greenfield
[2:19:40] mentions we're on third base. I' I'd say
[2:19:42] we're still in the dugout. Um, and and
[2:19:45] trying to get an idea of where we need
[2:19:47] to go. Um, I could provide a a lengthy,
[2:19:51] very lengthy list of the facilities that
[2:19:54] need dramatic investment that we have
[2:19:57] today. whether it be a tennis court,
[2:19:59] whether it be a waterfront, whether it
[2:20:01] be a campground. Um,
[2:20:04] there's a lot of our facilities that are
[2:20:05] extremely deficient in where they need
[2:20:09] to be. Um, having an idea of what the
[2:20:15] future of a of a pool is, an arena is,
[2:20:18] um, I would have to say a feasibility
[2:20:21] study would have to look at is it even a
[2:20:24] meer? Like you have to look at your your
[2:20:26] neighbors. Um the days of doing your own
[2:20:31] facility, in my opinion, are long gone
[2:20:34] because each municipality can't bear the
[2:20:36] cost. Um I can tell you the the arena uh
[2:20:39] the new new complex in Wasaga Beach cost
[2:20:42] about $60 million. Uh in 2021, I believe
[2:20:45] it was budgeted for $43 million. By the
[2:20:48] time it was constructed, it was at 60
[2:20:50] million. Over a course of two years, it
[2:20:52] it increased. Um,
[2:20:56] we need to get a vision though. Uh, we
[2:20:58] need to really reflect on what we have
[2:21:01] today. Um, because, you know, I've been
[2:21:05] here just over a year now and I'm really
[2:21:08] starting to recognize that what we
[2:21:11] thought some facilities just needed in
[2:21:12] repairs,
[2:21:14] they're they really need complete re
[2:21:17] redu. um they've they've had some um
[2:21:22] facial surgery on them um but the bones
[2:21:25] and the structure are gone. When you're
[2:21:28] talking about facilities that are 1966,
[2:21:31] 1930 something um they do not owe the
[2:21:35] municipality anything. Um, but it it is
[2:21:39] really a time that we need to look at
[2:21:41] what are the nice to haves to councelor
[2:21:43] Bell's point. Uh, and what what the
[2:21:46] needs truly are. I I've heard lots about
[2:21:49] our roads. Um, and I would have to say
[2:21:53] that that's got to be one of the
[2:21:55] priorities. I think the why I like this
[2:21:58] report coming forward
[2:22:00] today was not so much that this council
[2:22:03] was being put in a position to make a
[2:22:05] decision that the future council was
[2:22:07] going to be tied to. I think it's a
[2:22:10] really good report for the future
[2:22:12] council to understand going into 2027
[2:22:15] and the next term of council
[2:22:18] the issues that they're going to have.
[2:22:21] Um that's that's what I'm looking
[2:22:24] forward to. I believe that's what
[2:22:25] staff's job is is to really put it into
[2:22:28] the public um uh information in the
[2:22:33] public sphere to understand that we need
[2:22:37] to build this municipality. Um and we
[2:22:40] need to sort of
[2:22:43] really take a look at what are the
[2:22:44] services that we're providing and what
[2:22:46] we need to provide because we can't be
[2:22:48] everything to everyone. Um so um I think
[2:22:52] 2027 having that discussion in in in a
[2:22:55] budget uh deliberation irregardless if
[2:22:58] it's fa is if it's uh status quo or not
[2:23:01] um I think this discussion has served
[2:23:04] the next term of council well already if
[2:23:06] people are thinking about running and
[2:23:09] you know the public's listening to this
[2:23:12] um I very rarely go into the arena
[2:23:15] without somebody saying to me oh when
[2:23:16] are we going to get a new rink this this
[2:23:19] puts it at least on the radar. Um
[2:23:22] because to be honest with you, I we
[2:23:24] wouldn't need a double rink. Um I think
[2:23:27] there's huge benefit if you were to take
[2:23:30] a look at replacing a pool. You wouldn't
[2:23:32] replace it with an outdoor pool, right?
[2:23:34] There are there are some things that in
[2:23:36] my opinion from the recreation field are
[2:23:39] just given. Why why would you invest in
[2:23:41] building an outdoor pool when at the end
[2:23:43] of the day you invest and you cover it
[2:23:45] and you get year- round use? So I think
[2:23:48] the feasibility study like it it helps
[2:23:51] us and it helps us even I will say the
[2:23:54] feasibility study is not going to be
[2:23:55] shovel ready. It that's not going to
[2:23:57] give you a shovel ready project. It's
[2:23:59] just going to give you the idea of what
[2:24:02] the facility needs to be made up of. So
[2:24:05] then you can start your engineering on
[2:24:08] having an actual shovel ready. the in
[2:24:11] the last two points, nothing in Sam's
[2:24:14] report was dictating whether or not this
[2:24:16] was going to be in a rural area or an
[2:24:19] urban area. Nothing in Sam's report also
[2:24:22] identified that the end the end product
[2:24:26] wasn't the existing facility.
[2:24:28] It was just can we focus on what do we
[2:24:32] need in the future? Um, I've seen way
[2:24:35] too many municipalities do these do
[2:24:37] these uh studies and it becomes just a
[2:24:40] wish list and you get nothing. Calling
[2:24:44] was a great example. 20 25 years ago I
[2:24:47] think it was they they were looking at
[2:24:49] Fiser Field um and they opened up what
[2:24:52] everybody wants and they missed all
[2:24:54] their funding opportunities and and you
[2:24:58] know at the end of the day they missed a
[2:25:00] really opportunity really big
[2:25:01] opportunity to centralize things. um
[2:25:04] were here
[2:25:06] like town of Blue Mountains and and
[2:25:08] calling with they just over the last two
[2:25:11] years looked at doing a feasibility
[2:25:12] study and ended up deciding not to
[2:25:14] partner. Um so there's lots of there's
[2:25:18] lots of information that we have to look
[2:25:19] at. And the last piece just in regards
[2:25:21] to the harbor and downtown emerging
[2:25:24] those I personally think that would be
[2:25:26] the wrong thing because again that would
[2:25:28] be assuming that what we're talking
[2:25:30] about would be in the rural or in the
[2:25:33] urban downtown area. Um I think the two
[2:25:35] could go hand inand 100% but I think
[2:25:38] they're completely separate projects.
[2:25:40] » So now to proceed I need some advice
[2:25:42] from clerk Wilton Seagull. Um and here's
[2:25:46] the question. Uh the recommendation is
[2:25:48] option X. We also have option one and
[2:25:51] option two. Uh will I look for a motion
[2:25:54] uh for option one first and vote on that
[2:25:57] and then
[2:25:59] Thank you, Risha. My recommendation to
[2:26:01] council would be that if um a member of
[2:26:03] council feels that option one or option
[2:26:05] two is their preference that they put
[2:26:06] forward an amending motion to replace X
[2:26:09] with one and council can discuss that or
[2:26:12] alternatively if a member of council
[2:26:14] feels that option two should be
[2:26:16] discussed. Um they would put forward an
[2:26:17] amending motion for replacing it with
[2:26:19] option two and then the debate can be
[2:26:22] had and the vote can be taken at that
[2:26:23] time.
[2:26:24] And to be clear, option one is u to move
[2:26:28] forward uh spending uh 12 uh.6 million I
[2:26:32] think it is on uh repairs to existing
[2:26:35] facilities and option two is to budget
[2:26:38] 200,000 for the 2027 um budget uh to
[2:26:42] have a study of uh requirements for
[2:26:45] these facilities.
[2:26:47] Councelor Yurig.
[2:26:49] » Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I on that basis
[2:26:52] would recommend I would move that it be
[2:26:55] option two. Been to too many act
[2:27:00] conferences recently where Stratford
[2:27:02] took big swings and ended up hitting
[2:27:04] home runs. If you don't have a you don't
[2:27:07] have a map, you're not going to get
[2:27:08] anywhere.
[2:27:10] Um and is there a second for that? Are
[2:27:13] you seconding that? Thank you. Okay. And
[2:27:16] does everybody understand uh we're going
[2:27:18] to call a vote on whether or not you
[2:27:19] agree with option two, which is to
[2:27:21] budget $200,000 for a study which will
[2:27:23] give staff the direction they need to uh
[2:27:26] help the next council move forward on
[2:27:28] this whole issue. That's how I interpret
[2:27:29] it. Anyway, um um anyone have a question
[2:27:34] about what we're going to vote on?
[2:27:35] Councelor
[2:27:36] » Renis
[2:27:38] more of a more of a comment. I'm just uh
[2:27:40] wanted to say out loud that I'm sort of
[2:27:41] approaching this like uh we spoke about
[2:27:43] earlier today in uh item on the agenda
[2:27:46] 9.1A
[2:27:48] uh where the report wasn't about
[2:27:51] disposing of land. It was about
[2:27:53] considering it as an opportunity talking
[2:27:55] to uh you know neighboring properties
[2:27:57] talking to the community uh and
[2:27:59] exploring that option. So I'm seeing
[2:28:01] nods from from staff. So option two to
[2:28:04] me is essentially the same sort of
[2:28:05] process. Um, and so I uh would be happy
[2:28:08] to support that.
[2:28:11] » Then are you ready to vote uh for option
[2:28:13] two? Uh, all in favor?
[2:28:17] Those opposed?
[2:28:19] I think those in favor have won the day
[2:28:22] and um
[2:28:25] and the vote was uh 5 to two. Correct.
[2:28:28] Okay. Um uh my my apologies your worship
[2:28:32] for interrupting but because that was an
[2:28:34] amending motion we do need a final vote
[2:28:36] on the main motion. So now the main
[2:28:37] motion will be that council uh committee
[2:28:39] of the whole recommend council of the
[2:28:41] municipality of meford to approve option
[2:28:43] two uh as outlined in report and then
[2:28:45] that will move on to
[2:28:48] » Can I uh I didn't need a mover and
[2:28:50] seconder for this. No. Okay then uh you
[2:28:52] but you want to vote. So are we voting
[2:28:55] to confirm option two? All in favor
[2:28:59] the bigger pardon
[2:29:01] » The whole report. Okay. And those
[2:29:03] opposed and it's the same 52 vote I
[2:29:06] believe. Okay.
[2:29:09] So now um and I I'm going to make people
[2:29:13] aware that at 4:30 or thereabouts we are
[2:29:16] going to um have a recess because we
[2:29:20] have a planning public meeting at 5:00
[2:29:22] this afternoon. And um I'm just hoping
[2:29:25] we can get through the majority of our
[2:29:27] agenda uh with the time that is left. So
[2:29:30] at this uh point um under development
[2:29:33] services the recommendation is that
[2:29:35] committee of the whole recommend council
[2:29:37] of the municipality of meford one direct
[2:29:39] staff to initiate a request for
[2:29:41] pre-qualification
[2:29:42] RFPQ process for the three surplus
[2:29:45] residential parcels identified and two
[2:29:48] endorse exploration of a tiny home
[2:29:50] community model subject to feasibility
[2:29:52] and market response and number three
[2:29:55] direct staff to report back with results
[2:29:57] and next steps. a mover in a second,
[2:29:59] please. Deputy mayor Kiny and seconded
[2:30:03] by councelor Bell. Thank you.
[2:30:06] Um and u maybe you should speak to this
[2:30:09] because it is uh really your project and
[2:30:11] I congratulate you on the the way this
[2:30:13] has been brought forward and and a lot
[2:30:15] of work went into it and uh a lot of
[2:30:18] your personal contacts to to see about
[2:30:20] the feasibility of this. So go right
[2:30:22] ahead.
[2:30:23] » Thank you very much, Mr. Mayor. I'm
[2:30:24] happy to uh to speak to this report and
[2:30:26] I want to thank Director KN for all of
[2:30:29] her efforts in uh in bringing that to us
[2:30:31] so expeditiously. So with this I'm just
[2:30:34] very very pleased to have this
[2:30:35] conversation today and uh I certainly
[2:30:38] can confirm that there is a great deal
[2:30:40] of interest from our residents in seeing
[2:30:43] this project move forward. I've heard
[2:30:46] from people of all ages that uh they
[2:30:49] feel this is a really really good
[2:30:51] project for me. I think it's exciting.
[2:30:54] We could be the first community in Gray
[2:30:56] County to have a full uh tiny home
[2:30:58] community in our backyard and I I see it
[2:31:01] as um you know structured in such a way
[2:31:04] that the homes are affordable and that
[2:31:05] it's wellmaintained and that it's a
[2:31:07] place that people can be proud to call
[2:31:08] home and I know there's also interest
[2:31:11] from the development community in
[2:31:13] looking at the opportunity to respond to
[2:31:15] this RFI. So, I uh am just feeling quite
[2:31:19] confident that uh we can see all of this
[2:31:21] come to fruition. And we understand
[2:31:22] there's a lot of steps in the process
[2:31:24] that was mentioned earlier today by a
[2:31:26] presenter. We understand we're a long
[2:31:28] way yet from uh from actually making
[2:31:31] this happen. But, uh you know, this is
[2:31:33] this is where we start. I like the
[2:31:35] location because it's walkable to uh to
[2:31:38] downtown. And I think that's uh that's
[2:31:39] important for Tiny Homes. And uh I'm
[2:31:42] just uh very very pleased to see this
[2:31:44] moving forward. And thank you again to
[2:31:45] you Amy.
[2:31:48] » Um so councelor Ford and then councelor
[2:31:51] Bell.
[2:31:52] » Uh thank you Mr. Mayor and through you
[2:31:54] and uh appreciate Deputy Mayor with this
[2:31:57] initiative and so I just looking for a
[2:31:59] little bit of clarification because I
[2:32:00] love the idea of a tiny home community.
[2:32:02] But is the goal of this to provide
[2:32:05] affordable housing to residents or is
[2:32:07] the goal to provide a tiny home
[2:32:09] community? Because where I struggle with
[2:32:10] that is in the report there are more
[2:32:13] affordable options. Tiny homes aren't
[2:32:14] technically more affordable. You're just
[2:32:16] buying a smaller home, so it's less
[2:32:18] money, but in terms of cost per square
[2:32:19] foot, it may actually be more expensive.
[2:32:22] Um, so my question is, is our goal to
[2:32:25] provide more affordable housing to
[2:32:28] people who need it, or is the goal
[2:32:29] simply to provide a tiny home community
[2:32:31] so we can say we have a tiny home
[2:32:33] community and all the good things that
[2:32:34] come with that? And I'm not trying to
[2:32:36] say that to speak down of it because I
[2:32:37] think it's a great initiative. I'm just
[2:32:39] not really sure what the objective is
[2:32:41] for this tiny bid project. Are we
[2:32:43] considering other types of developments
[2:32:45] that have been referenced in the report
[2:32:47] itself or is it tiny home take it or
[2:32:49] leave it? I just kind of want to know
[2:32:51] what the direction is of this
[2:32:52] initiative. Uh because that's going to
[2:32:54] sort of dictate the feedback that I
[2:32:56] have. Uh so I just I just appreciate uh
[2:32:58] knowing what the what the end goal is of
[2:33:01] the the tiny home initiative here.
[2:33:03] » Please. Yes,
[2:33:05] » Mr. Mayor. If I may, I'd be happy to
[2:33:06] respond to councelor Porter. And I think
[2:33:08] to some degree it's it's both. I mean a
[2:33:10] tiny home as you suggested it is a
[2:33:12] smaller home. So therefore the price tag
[2:33:14] is likely in the affordable range and we
[2:33:17] have no idea at this point whether
[2:33:18] they're owned or leased or rented or
[2:33:20] lifelased or land leased or there's just
[2:33:22] so many different ways that it could be
[2:33:24] set up. So there's no idea at this point
[2:33:27] what that could look like. But yeah the
[2:33:30] in in my mind I see it as providing
[2:33:32] affordable living. But yes, definitely
[2:33:34] the the community aspect of a tiny home
[2:33:37] community where there are, you know, a
[2:33:38] central gathering place and there's uh
[2:33:41] fire pit and there's trails and and
[2:33:43] community garden and that sort of thing
[2:33:44] where people can can congregate. I see
[2:33:47] it as being that real community, but you
[2:33:50] know, are we tied to an actual tiny home
[2:33:52] community or could it be a pocket
[2:33:54] community? Or there's there's different
[2:33:56] ways of of setting up small homes,
[2:33:59] whether it's, you know, a tiny home on
[2:34:00] its own little lot with its own little
[2:34:02] driveway or whether it's a pocket
[2:34:04] community where houses are side by and
[2:34:06] the driveway goes along behind them and
[2:34:09] that keeps the front, you know, very
[2:34:11] very clean. Um, I think there's I'm just
[2:34:14] interested to see when we get the
[2:34:15] responses to the RFI what suggestions
[2:34:18] come back from the development community
[2:34:20] as to what it could look like. So
[2:34:22] there's in my mind not tied to any one
[2:34:26] look or format in my head. I just I just
[2:34:28] want to see what the options are. Does
[2:34:31] that help?
[2:34:32] » Yes.
[2:34:33] » Councelor Bell.
[2:34:35] » Thanks, Mr. Mayor. So, um, this council
[2:34:39] may have, uh, forgot that, uh, I brought
[2:34:42] forward a motion, uh, that was, um,
[2:34:44] adopted unanimously to advance to our
[2:34:48] building community that they look at the
[2:34:50] Ontario building code what it says to be
[2:34:53] the minimal requirements in order to
[2:34:55] have a dwelling. Same thing. So, one of
[2:34:58] the issues that I just did just with
[2:35:00] math, you know, talking about whether
[2:35:02] you're $300 a square foot or $400 a
[2:35:05] square foot,
[2:35:08] 14 ft by 14 ft at $400 a square foot is
[2:35:13] $78,000 for something and I think
[2:35:15] somebody would be quite ridiculously
[2:35:18] to spend that kind of money for that
[2:35:20] kind of square footage, which is like a
[2:35:23] garden shed. So then I just said, "Well,
[2:35:25] let's do something 20 by 25." And you
[2:35:27] get up there. Well, you're at $200,000.
[2:35:31] Haven't bought the land. What's the
[2:35:33] service land underneath that? So, it
[2:35:36] doesn't take long to hit that $400,000
[2:35:38] mark. And you have to get a builder
[2:35:40] who's wants to do this. So, the
[2:35:42] initiative about doing it, I'm all for
[2:35:45] it. I'm interested to see what the
[2:35:47] building community can do with this. But
[2:35:50] then I looked up what a um all seasons
[2:35:53] trailer 8 by40 320 square feet you can
[2:35:57] live in it all year round you have your
[2:36:00] own spot but now I'm talking about a
[2:36:01] trailer park so what is it that we
[2:36:04] really want to see here and I think
[2:36:06] that's the point from my fellow
[2:36:07] counselor for is it a series of really
[2:36:10] small dwellings maybe for one or two
[2:36:13] individuals what are we trying to do so
[2:36:16] I think opening it up to the building
[2:36:19] community is the right thing to do. Let
[2:36:22] them tell us if it can be done because
[2:36:24] we just had an open house on Highway 26
[2:36:27] not long ago. I think they're
[2:36:29] advertising opening units at 585,000.
[2:36:33] That's where they're at. So, we're
[2:36:35] trying to cut that. And if we have it in
[2:36:38] our mind to cut it in half, how can we
[2:36:40] get somebody into a place for 300 or
[2:36:43] 350,000?
[2:36:45] So that's what the building community is
[2:36:46] going to tell us about this, whether
[2:36:48] there's even any appetite to do it. So I
[2:36:52] welcome it. I'm going to vote for it,
[2:36:54] see what happens with it. But um it's
[2:36:57] interesting because um you know, you do
[2:37:00] have to pay for the labor and I don't
[2:37:02] think any construction company's going
[2:37:04] to take a cut. Very rarely you're going
[2:37:07] to need three 400,000 to do a square
[2:37:09] footage. So that's the point.
[2:37:12] » Go ahead.
[2:37:14] My apologies for interrupting your
[2:37:15] worship. I have noticed that there is um
[2:37:18] on the agenda uh the reports
[2:37:21] recommendation has been updated and
[2:37:23] isn't reflected in the agenda index. So
[2:37:25] I wondered if I could just display ask
[2:37:26] Allison to display if you're looking at
[2:37:29] the report you're seeing the
[2:37:30] recommendation. I think that was
[2:37:32] changed. Um and the index if you look at
[2:37:35] the index is is different. So, I just
[2:37:38] want everybody um on council to be sure
[2:37:41] we're looking at the same
[2:37:42] recommendation. So, if I could just ask
[2:37:44] that that be displayed. Um it's a
[2:37:47] slightly different recommendation with
[2:37:48] the same theme um but definitely not the
[2:37:52] same if you've looked at the index. So,
[2:37:55] those who use um who are looking at the
[2:37:58] report specifically, that recommendation
[2:38:01] has not changed from when you read the
[2:38:03] report.
[2:38:05] Does that make sense?
[2:38:08] So I just again to be to be clear what
[2:38:10] council is considering this is correct.
[2:38:12] The index has been updated but it may
[2:38:14] not have been reflected if you had been
[2:38:16] looking at it um during this meeting.
[2:38:20] So this differs I think Mayor Kentner
[2:38:23] from your index because
[2:38:25] » You don't have the report. So if you go
[2:38:27] to the item to the report in your binder
[2:38:30] » That recommendation is right.
[2:38:32] » Thank you. Okay I'll do that.
[2:38:40] You can see just a bit of reading
[2:38:43] for these council meetings. So, um we're
[2:38:46] looking at um three points in the
[2:38:48] recommendation here and they're on the
[2:38:50] the uh on the screen there now.
[2:38:55] Um
[2:38:57] did you wish to speak to that at point
[2:38:59] or or is it something else? Okay, let's
[2:39:03] go to councelor Greenfield.
[2:39:05] Thank you. Um, okay. I I I noticed this.
[2:39:09] I I thought we were doing an RFI and
[2:39:12] then we've got different different
[2:39:14] acronym here. Um,
[2:39:18] so I'm wondering
[2:39:21] I I I was quite comfortable with an RFI.
[2:39:25] I thought it was a great idea. Um, tiny
[2:39:28] homes do seem to be catching on. Um,
[2:39:31] they seem to be popular. I uh uh looked
[2:39:35] on Google and I couldn't find anything
[2:39:38] negative about tiny home communities and
[2:39:41] I I thought that was kind of
[2:39:42] interesting.
[2:39:45] Um but
[2:39:47] anyway, um so the request for
[2:39:52] pre-qualification
[2:39:56] um can can you explain that a little bit
[2:39:59] further? Like to me it's the request for
[2:40:02] information was fairly general. Uh is
[2:40:06] this more specific? Is this going to
[2:40:10] uh
[2:40:13] reduce the the potential number of ideas
[2:40:17] that are coming forward or potential
[2:40:19] number of proposals? Can can you help me
[2:40:21] on that?
[2:40:22] » Go ahead, director K.
[2:40:24] » Uh thank you and through your worship to
[2:40:26] councelor Greenfield. Uh so the original
[2:40:29] notice of motion from deputy mayor
[2:40:31] Kibney had indicated um the
[2:40:33] pre-qualification idea and so as I was
[2:40:36] crafting the report I thought that the
[2:40:39] number of questions that that still um
[2:40:43] were sort of in the ether on the nature
[2:40:45] of the project, the viability of the
[2:40:47] project uh might warrant sort of backing
[2:40:50] up and doing a request for for interest
[2:40:53] instead. Um, and that would allow us to
[2:40:55] sort of reach out to the community, the
[2:40:58] development community, and get a little
[2:41:00] more information on from their expert
[2:41:02] perspectives, um, you know, what goes
[2:41:04] into their consideration,
[2:41:07] how viable is this, um, in their minds
[2:41:10] and and maybe they're they hold
[2:41:12] information that we don't have by virtue
[2:41:15] of not being uh, expert developers. So,
[2:41:17] I sort of backed up on that. Um, and
[2:41:20] then I embedded that in my
[2:41:22] recommendation back to council if that
[2:41:25] sort of makes sense.
[2:41:28] » Go ahead. Uh,
[2:41:31] thanks. Thanks, Amy. Uh, just two more
[2:41:34] questions. Um
[2:41:37] I I'm I'm assuming
[2:41:40] municipality still has the usual site
[2:41:44] plan agreement uh opportunities controls
[2:41:48] or wish lists. Um and
[2:41:52] the the next one is
[2:41:55] the neighbors neighbor involvement
[2:41:57] public involvement is are we too soon
[2:42:01] for that or uh I'm hoping that will come
[2:42:04] into play somewhere down the road
[2:42:09] » Again through your worship um certainly
[2:42:12] so not unlike the CIO's process for um
[2:42:16] divestature of public property or or
[2:42:19] municipal property, there would be a
[2:42:21] public engagement process for that
[2:42:22] aspect alone if we were to consider sale
[2:42:26] of of municipal lands. But on top of
[2:42:29] that, knowing that that any development
[2:42:31] on these parcels will require planning
[2:42:34] act approvals, we will engage the public
[2:42:37] um in accordance with the planning act
[2:42:39] on top of that. So they may be sort of
[2:42:41] concurrent processes, but you sort of
[2:42:43] have two um double requirements to be
[2:42:46] able to engage engage the public on on
[2:42:49] this proposal.
[2:42:52] » Okay, deputy mayor.
[2:42:54] » Thank you, Mr. Mayor. And I want to come
[2:42:55] back to councelor Bell's comments just
[2:42:58] for a couple of examples in relation to
[2:43:00] costing of these homes. And I mean they
[2:43:03] can be high-end or they can be, you
[2:43:06] know, regular normal uh materials like
[2:43:09] uh you know, arborite countertops
[2:43:11] instead of stone sort of thing. But um
[2:43:13] there was a model home in Collingwood
[2:43:15] last uh year that I went to see at uh
[2:43:19] the Home Hardware location and it was I
[2:43:21] think $320 square ft with a selling
[2:43:24] price of $150,000
[2:43:26] and a separate bedroom and a nice little
[2:43:28] kitchen with a stone countertop and you
[2:43:31] know washer and dryer, full bathroom and
[2:43:32] so on and so forth. Um Quality Homes is
[2:43:35] making tiny homes. Um and I went to see
[2:43:39] them. The smaller one is just over 500
[2:43:43] square ft and you know full separate
[2:43:46] bedroom, full closet, kitchen again with
[2:43:48] stone countertops, electric fireplace,
[2:43:51] lots of amenities. Um and that one at
[2:43:53] just over 500 ft² sells for 199,000 and
[2:43:57] you still have to, you know, put it on
[2:43:59] your lot and hook up the servicing and
[2:44:01] so on. But just to give us a sense of of
[2:44:04] costs, um I just found that interesting.
[2:44:07] But I think the important thing for us
[2:44:10] to remember today is that you know
[2:44:12] there's no cost in what we're doing at
[2:44:14] this point. We're just looking for
[2:44:16] interest from the development community
[2:44:17] so that we have some proposals to
[2:44:19] consider. So if we move this forward
[2:44:21] today, no cost to the municipality. It's
[2:44:24] just put it out there and uh allow this
[2:44:27] council or the next council to have an
[2:44:28] opportunity to give consideration to uh
[2:44:31] whatever proposals come before it. So I
[2:44:33] just thought it was important to note
[2:44:35] the financial side of this today.
[2:44:38] » Councelor Fer.
[2:44:40] » So thank you Mr. Mayor and through you.
[2:44:41] So just a quick question. So and I have
[2:44:43] no problem supporting this just to see
[2:44:44] what comes back but will the um the bids
[2:44:48] or the information we get from the
[2:44:49] developers will it just be tiny home
[2:44:52] specific? I apologize if I missed that.
[2:44:54] um or are we going to be asking
[2:44:56] developers to provide their, you know,
[2:44:58] most affordable options for the best use
[2:45:00] of the land that that we're providing or
[2:45:02] that is available? Um so I just like to
[2:45:05] know um if if we're only going to be
[2:45:06] getting tiny home bids that might be
[2:45:08] limited in scope uh in terms of
[2:45:10] evaluating what other options could be
[2:45:12] used for that land. Um so what what
[2:45:15] would that look like? And are we going
[2:45:16] to be opening up to more than just tiny
[2:45:18] home offerings? Like let's say stacked
[2:45:20] town houses um for example. Um would
[2:45:23] that be something that we would expect
[2:45:24] accept a bid or a proposal um from a
[2:45:27] developer who might be able to offer
[2:45:28] that but not necessarily specific tiny
[2:45:30] homes?
[2:45:35] » Uh I think I can help through your
[2:45:37] worship. Um with the information I have
[2:45:40] today, I likely would um you know craft
[2:45:45] um the requests for uh interest or
[2:45:47] information with the thought that tiny
[2:45:50] homes is sort of the objective. But um
[2:45:53] you know if it's council's wish that we
[2:45:55] sort of neutralize it a wee bit and and
[2:45:58] um put the request for interest out
[2:46:01] noting that um we'd be happy to receive
[2:46:04] you know suggestions of other forms. Um
[2:46:07] you know we can certainly do that. I'm
[2:46:09] I'm in your hands uh in that regard.
[2:46:16] » Yes. Okay. And thank you Mr. Mayor. Be
[2:46:18] brief and thank you for that director K.
[2:46:21] Um, and so my my only reason for that
[2:46:23] line of question questioning was I just
[2:46:25] didn't want to limit our options to just
[2:46:26] tiny homes. If we do determine that
[2:46:28] there could be better use of that space
[2:46:29] and ultimately if our goal is to make
[2:46:31] best use of that land and develop it for
[2:46:34] the benefit of the maximum number of
[2:46:36] people, I'd certainly like to benefit
[2:46:38] more people than less people,
[2:46:40] particularly if we can still make it
[2:46:41] affordable to them. Um, so, um, not to
[2:46:44] sort of derail this initial tiny home,
[2:46:47] um, initiative, but I really think it
[2:46:49] would be in our best interest to see to
[2:46:51] challenge the developers to see what
[2:46:53] they can do to provide affordable
[2:46:54] housing of all kinds on that land and
[2:46:57] put the challenge out to them and see
[2:46:58] what they can come back. And of course,
[2:46:59] we don't have to commit to anything we
[2:47:01] don't want to, but I think um, you know,
[2:47:03] let's leave it in the minds of the
[2:47:04] creative developers and see what they
[2:47:06] they could uh, they could pull out of
[2:47:07] their hat. Um, so that's just a
[2:47:09] suggestion. Um, and I don't know if I
[2:47:11] have any support for that, but I would
[2:47:13] certainly suggest considering making an
[2:47:14] amendment to um, opening the scope a
[2:47:17] little bit uh, rather than just tiny
[2:47:18] homes um, to, you know, just to my
[2:47:21] comments. So, I just don't know if any
[2:47:22] of my fellow counselors think that
[2:47:23] that's a pragmatic thing to be doing or
[2:47:25] not, but I'll leave it to you guys.
[2:47:28] » Did you wish to speak, councelor Andis?
[2:47:30] » Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Um, I
[2:47:32] would support councelor Ford's idea. I
[2:47:34] love the idea of tiny homes. I know a
[2:47:36] lot of people that would be interested
[2:47:37] in moving into one and and uh enjoying
[2:47:40] their life there. Um but I think that if
[2:47:42] we're going to go for an initiative to
[2:47:45] give good affordable um you know
[2:47:48] cost-effective options um it
[2:47:52] I it doesn't sit well with me to to look
[2:47:54] at one specific type. Um, so yeah, I I
[2:47:58] would want to prioritize uh cost
[2:48:02] efficiency versus the style.
[2:48:05] » And I I'm tempted to, you know, got a
[2:48:08] mover in a secondary there. Uh I just I
[2:48:10] have never heard of an affordable
[2:48:12] stacked townhouse. I've never heard of
[2:48:14] an affordable townhouse. I've never
[2:48:16] heard of an affordable uh single uh uh
[2:48:19] dwelling uh or or a duplex. uh does
[2:48:23] somebody have affordable like what is
[2:48:25] the number? Uh it's way below uh um
[2:48:29] attainable and uh we have trouble
[2:48:32] getting the standard size houses into
[2:48:35] the attainable category.
[2:48:38] So go ahead.
[2:48:40] » Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Um I think those
[2:48:42] are great points. So if the building
[2:48:44] community comes back and all of their
[2:48:47] non-tiny options are uh financially not
[2:48:51] considerable by us for for these
[2:48:53] purposes then great the decision is
[2:48:55] absolutely made from a financial
[2:48:56] perspective. Um but if they come back
[2:48:59] with a model that um does does work and
[2:49:03] does make sense and could provide sort
[2:49:05] of achieve the goal here um at least as
[2:49:09] I interpret um deputy mayor Keven's
[2:49:11] goals um if we achieve that through a
[2:49:13] different option then that would be
[2:49:15] great to councelor Bell's point of um
[2:49:18] you know just looking at kind of square
[2:49:19] footage costs um I think it is
[2:49:23] incredible that Lonal is doing it for
[2:49:24] the prices that they are doing it Um,
[2:49:27] and if we can drive that down even
[2:49:29] further, kind of however we however a
[2:49:31] builder is able or a developer is able
[2:49:33] to achieve that, um, I would want to
[2:49:35] consider and I would want to look at,
[2:49:37] um, I don't build houses, so I don't
[2:49:39] know what they might come up with, but,
[2:49:41] um,
[2:49:42] » So I think we got a mover and a
[2:49:43] seconder, uh, um, and that we should
[2:49:46] proceed. Can you uh, develop a motion
[2:49:49] for their
[2:49:52] » Uh, thank you. I wonder if councelor
[2:49:53] Ford is able to offer a little bit more
[2:49:55] clarity in the wording that he would
[2:49:56] like reflected to replace
[2:49:59] um as I'm understanding it the tiny home
[2:50:01] development with something more broad.
[2:50:06] » Yes, thank you Mr. Mayor through you. if
[2:50:08] I may. Um, so just going off the top of
[2:50:10] my head, I'm not exactly sure how I'd
[2:50:12] word it, but I would be open to
[2:50:14] receiving any and all suggestions from
[2:50:17] developers on how they could provide
[2:50:20] their best affordable housing option,
[2:50:22] whatever that looks like. Um, you know,
[2:50:25] I would say there's nothing, you know,
[2:50:27] off the table because if it doesn't,
[2:50:28] like to what councelor Anna said, if it
[2:50:30] doesn't fit our criteria and it's not a
[2:50:33] good fit for whatever reason, we simply
[2:50:34] just dismiss it and we move on to the
[2:50:36] next. Uh, but I just think we need to
[2:50:38] broaden the scope a little bit and put
[2:50:39] the challenge out to the developers and
[2:50:40] see if they can get creative and provide
[2:50:42] us with some options that maybe we
[2:50:44] haven't considered. Um, so if you can
[2:50:47] magician that a little bit, Margaret,
[2:50:49] I'd appreciate that. But that would be
[2:50:50] sort of the the gist of my uh my motion
[2:50:54] there. Thank you.
[2:50:59] » Um, until we get this motion on the
[2:51:01] floor, please uh we'll just
[2:51:22] Thank you, Rishop. I might just be a
[2:51:23] minute. I just wanted to confer with our
[2:51:25] director of development services to make
[2:51:26] sure that the wording would be
[2:51:28] » Appropriate. I'm sorry.
[2:51:31] » Do you want me to declare a two-minute
[2:51:33] recess?
[2:51:35] Well, why don't we do that? We've been
[2:51:37] at the table a long time here, so a
[2:51:39] two-minute recess. We'll reconvene at
[2:51:42] 3:51.
[2:51:47] 355.
[3:01:50] just having a little challenge
[3:01:52] reconvening this council but I think and
[3:01:55] then we did we gave us you gave us an
[3:01:57] inch we took a mile I'm sorry however uh
[3:02:00] I think we are ready to proceed and
[3:02:02] we've got a motion here uh moved by
[3:02:05] councelor for seconded by councelor and
[3:02:07] uh that the motion be amended by adding
[3:02:10] and or affordable housing options
[3:02:13] following development in clause one. So
[3:02:16] clause one then
[3:02:19] is going to read
[3:02:28] my apologies that's how it would read.
[3:02:30] It's a little bit tricky when it's in
[3:02:31] isolation. So that's um an example if it
[3:02:34] were to pass how it the main motion
[3:02:36] would read. But that's not how the main
[3:02:38] motion reads now with the red.
[3:02:40] » Is that agreeable to the mover and
[3:02:42] secondary?
[3:02:45] » Uh, thank you, Mr. Mayor. And through um
[3:02:48] for now, yeah, I think that sort of sums
[3:02:50] up what I what I was thinking initially,
[3:02:52] but I know um there likely be some
[3:02:54] comments from members around the table
[3:02:56] that would maybe help improve the
[3:02:58] wording if anybody has any ideas. Um, I
[3:03:00] know the wording is really tricky, but I
[3:03:01] think that is a very good starting point
[3:03:03] and I welcome everybody's input to see
[3:03:04] if there's um a good final product that
[3:03:07] we uh that we can all look at.
[3:03:08] » Okay.
[3:03:10] So, um
[3:03:12] other uh comments, suggestions that
[3:03:15] deputy may
[3:03:15] » Thank you, Mr. Mayor. And I'll I'll
[3:03:17] start it off and I'll just um uh I
[3:03:20] appreciate the intent and I'm fine with
[3:03:22] that. I think my concern is the word
[3:03:24] affordable because we don't have an
[3:03:26] actual definition in me for what is
[3:03:30] considered affordable. We know it's 30%
[3:03:33] of someone's income, but that doesn't
[3:03:35] necessarily give us a dollar amount to
[3:03:38] again define uh what we're looking for
[3:03:41] here. So, I'm looking for um other
[3:03:44] wording which I think council can help
[3:03:47] us with um that would replace the word
[3:03:50] affordable.
[3:03:52] So you
[3:03:53] » Here, Mr. Mayor. Um I was thinking
[3:03:56] something along the lines of saying um
[3:03:58] costefficient
[3:04:00] uh housing options or housing models and
[3:04:02] then in uh the request
[3:04:06] um essentially explain that we'd like to
[3:04:08] see um you know a a a good balance uh of
[3:04:13] final cost and cost per square foot. Um,
[3:04:19] and then that sort of I think still
[3:04:22] probably guides towards uh a tiny home
[3:04:25] um option. Um, and I'm sure there there
[3:04:29] will be a lot of really really great uh
[3:04:31] great great offerings. Um, but then it
[3:04:33] also allows for um other other ideas to
[3:04:38] come in uh that still serve as sort of
[3:04:39] the the overarching goal.
[3:04:46] Go ahead.
[3:04:47] » Just to clarify, so the motion that
[3:04:49] councelor Ford would then be bringing
[3:04:51] instead to to clarify the wording. I
[3:04:54] there are two ways we could do this, but
[3:04:56] if if you're tableabling the motion
[3:04:57] right now, it would be andor coste
[3:05:00] effective housing options rather than
[3:05:03] andor affordable housing options is what
[3:05:05] you'd like. The alternative is of course
[3:05:07] to vote on this one. We vote it down and
[3:05:09] then we have another motion. to to go
[3:05:12] ahead if that's what you're wanting to
[3:05:15] work on.
[3:05:16] » Thank you, Mr. Mayor. And if I if I may,
[3:05:18] yes, I like um the wording from
[3:05:19] councelor Anis, but I think it's it's
[3:05:22] smarter wording to use than using the
[3:05:23] the term affordable.
[3:05:25] » Okay.
[3:05:25] » Thank you.
[3:05:28] I just go on record that I would be uh
[3:05:30] you know um much more inclined to uh
[3:05:33] consider a motion down the road to uh u
[3:05:36] uh make a a similar call for truly
[3:05:39] affordable housing in Meford where we
[3:05:41] would perhaps uh we we do have a a
[3:05:44] pretty considerable surplus of land in
[3:05:46] the community and we could uh perhaps
[3:05:48] designate a more suitable parcel and
[3:05:51] offer it for truly affordable housing.
[3:05:54] Uh I just don't want to chase um uh tiny
[3:05:57] home uh builders away from uh the
[3:06:01] proposal that we're making at this
[3:06:03] point. That that's my concern about uh
[3:06:06] this
[3:06:11] um at least CEO Everett, you maybe have
[3:06:14] some thoughts to help us through this?
[3:06:16] » Uh thank you, Mr. Mayor. Um and again,
[3:06:19] the direction I think is is fine. and it
[3:06:21] gives staff all the guidance that they
[3:06:24] require. I think one of the pieces that
[3:06:26] I just want to be mindful of that
[3:06:29] included in an RFI is identifying how
[3:06:33] the long-term
[3:06:35] affordability criter
[3:06:42] is with affordable housing in my opinion
[3:06:45] is real estate. Real estate is a free
[3:06:48] market. It only is affordable at the
[3:06:51] first purchase
[3:06:53] that you can turn it over and make
[3:06:55] double your money. So there has to be
[3:06:58] the element within any development
[3:07:00] agreement that they have to prove how
[3:07:03] how the the unit how the property is
[3:07:07] going to continue to be within that
[3:07:09] affordable criteria. That's the only way
[3:07:12] this works. Um or else, you know, the
[3:07:15] developer, whoever is they they may be
[3:07:19] in at a certain level, but it's that new
[3:07:22] homeowner who flips it who gets
[3:07:24] [clears throat] to make the money. And
[3:07:25] and that's where typically these things
[3:07:28] fall off the rail. There are ways of
[3:07:30] doing it. The question is whether or not
[3:07:32] the industry wants to go down that road
[3:07:35] because there isn't necessarily the
[3:07:37] money that they would make at the end of
[3:07:39] the rainbow. But if it's truly about,
[3:07:42] you know, making these units attainable
[3:07:44] or affordable or whatever the word we
[3:07:46] want to use, having that mechanism in
[3:07:49] place part of the RFI is incredibly
[3:07:51] important so they know what the rules of
[3:07:53] the game are going in. Thank you,
[3:07:56] » Deputy Mayor.
[3:07:58] » Uh, thank you very much, Mr. mayor and I
[3:07:59] completely agree with what our CEO is
[3:08:01] saying and I'm wondering to that intent
[3:08:04] do we also need um at this point in time
[3:08:08] to include in the RFI any incentives
[3:08:12] that might be on the table through our
[3:08:14] CIP
[3:08:16] um because you know that the side of
[3:08:19] this the financial side of this is
[3:08:21] critically important and so I think
[3:08:23] that's a question developers are going
[3:08:25] to come back with you know what what
[3:08:27] skin are we going to have in the name,
[3:08:29] so to speak. So, what's in our CIP that
[3:08:32] could assist in keeping these homes? I
[3:08:36] know we're going to use the word
[3:08:36] affordable even though we're talking
[3:08:39] about doing this in a different way, but
[3:08:41] I think we all understand in our minds
[3:08:43] where we're trying to get to here is
[3:08:45] that yeah, we want these price points to
[3:08:48] be doable for for people who are looking
[3:08:50] for this minimalistic type of living and
[3:08:53] we want them to stay that way. So I
[3:08:55] think that's generally how it works is
[3:08:56] that the municipality participates in
[3:08:59] some fashion. So director Ken, what's in
[3:09:01] our CIP that could support this
[3:09:06] through your worship? I'm happy to
[3:09:08] answer that question. So there's a few
[3:09:10] ways uh to look at this. thinking of our
[3:09:13] our new uh CIP that unfortunately is
[3:09:16] currently under appeal, but thinking of
[3:09:19] when the CIP does come into force, um it
[3:09:23] would be uh an option under the CIP for
[3:09:27] council to be able to offer lands uh at
[3:09:30] a discount or for free um if that if
[3:09:33] that is um of interest to council. Um
[3:09:37] otherwise there are other incentive
[3:09:39] programs that could be offered to the
[3:09:41] developer. Um if for example um the
[3:09:45] units constructed were for purpose-built
[3:09:47] rental um then there are incentives uh
[3:09:50] available there are um planning and
[3:09:52] building uh application fee uh rebates
[3:09:56] and that kind of thing. So um depending
[3:09:58] on how we wanted to look at it um and on
[3:10:02] exactly the type of of development that
[3:10:05] is before us ultimately um the CIP uh
[3:10:09] once it comes into force would
[3:10:10] definitely be available um for uh the
[3:10:14] developer or council to use um to sort
[3:10:18] of bolster this financially. So hope
[3:10:21] that helps.
[3:10:25] So um are we going to alter this clause
[3:10:28] uh as uh the mover and secondary have
[3:10:31] asked?
[3:10:34] » Um
[3:10:36] your worship it has been um it has been
[3:10:38] updated to what councelor Ford would
[3:10:40] like to have as the motion for the
[3:10:43] amending
[3:10:45] clause.
[3:10:46] » So and or cost effective housing
[3:10:48] options.
[3:10:49] » Okay. All right. Uh, is there any more
[3:10:51] discussion or can we vote on this
[3:10:53] motion?
[3:10:56] And I will call the vote. All in favor?
[3:11:00] And that is uh
[3:11:03] unanimous.
[3:11:07] Um,
[3:11:08] so let's uh come back to pardon. Yeah,
[3:11:12] we have to go back to the original here.
[3:11:14] And uh we've
[3:11:16] um
[3:11:19] and it's already on the floor. We but
[3:11:21] we've added this to it. So I just call a
[3:11:24] vote on this as it was worded now.
[3:11:26] Correct.
[3:11:28] » I I would say uh if if there are no
[3:11:30] other changes to this motion, then it
[3:11:32] would be appropriate to um to have the
[3:11:35] vote on the final main motion. Thank
[3:11:36] you.
[3:11:37] » And I don't see any discussion on that.
[3:11:39] So let's go ahead and vote. All in
[3:11:41] favor?
[3:11:42] and any opposed. So that is carried
[3:11:45] unanimously and thank you everyone.
[3:11:46] [clears throat] I hope everyone is you
[3:11:48] know satisfied with that. Um the next uh
[3:11:52] item is uh uh with director
[3:11:57] Peridge Mabid here uh the recommendation
[3:12:00] that committee of the whole recommend
[3:12:01] council of the municipality of meford
[3:12:03] one direct staff to bring forward a
[3:12:06] bylaw to implement a 40 km speed limit
[3:12:09] on municipal roads in urban meford. Two,
[3:12:12] request the county of Gray to consider
[3:12:14] implementing a 40 kilometer speed limit
[3:12:16] on Grey Road 7 from Psych Street South
[3:12:20] to Mir Street. And three, authorize the
[3:12:22] treasurer to transfer $40,500
[3:12:25] from the roads, street lights, and
[3:12:27] drainage reserve fund to fund signage
[3:12:29] and communications. Can I have a mover
[3:12:31] and second for this?
[3:12:34] Councelor Fer and Councelor Greenfield.
[3:12:36] Thank you. Um, discussion on this.
[3:12:40] Um this uh did you wish to speak to it
[3:12:43] Tori?
[3:12:45] » Um through your worship I'd be happy to.
[3:12:47] Um through our transportation master
[3:12:50] plan um it did provide a recommendation
[3:12:53] to bring forward to council um a 40 km
[3:12:57] hour speed limit in our urban
[3:12:59] boundaries. Um the there were changes to
[3:13:04] um the Highway Traffic Act in 2017 that
[3:13:08] allow for municipalities to establish an
[3:13:11] entire area uh at a speed limit of less
[3:13:14] than 50 km an hour. Um previously you
[3:13:17] would have had to have signed all the
[3:13:18] roads within those areas and now you can
[3:13:21] create these gateway speed limit signage
[3:13:23] that um uh allow for that lower speed
[3:13:26] limit within uh larger areas. without
[3:13:30] the additional signage. And so
[3:13:31] municipalities have been looking to
[3:13:34] reduce speed limits in some of their
[3:13:35] urban areas through this new um ability
[3:13:38] through the highway traffic act. Um and
[3:13:40] so with that recommendation in the
[3:13:42] transportation master plan um we wanted
[3:13:45] to bring it forward to council um to see
[3:13:47] if there was appetite to complete this
[3:13:50] within our urban area. Um, as a part of
[3:13:54] the report, we've also identified some
[3:13:56] alternative options. Um, and those
[3:13:58] included some things that could be done
[3:14:00] alongside this reduction as well as um
[3:14:03] items that could be done instead of it.
[3:14:05] And so, um, we could look at adding as
[3:14:08] well um those um reduced speed limits in
[3:14:11] our rural settlement areas in
[3:14:13] conjunction with the urban area. Um,
[3:14:15] instead of doing this, we can continue
[3:14:17] to look at specific speed limit
[3:14:18] reductions. Um and alongside it
[3:14:21] obviously there's always the ability to
[3:14:23] complete traffic calming um as it helps
[3:14:26] with more of the enforcement of the
[3:14:29] change speed limits. Um and so staff
[3:14:33] have identified um the cost of the
[3:14:35] signage as well as a communications plan
[3:14:38] um if uh council wishes to proceed with
[3:14:41] the implementation of this. Um and we
[3:14:43] estimated it would cost about um $40,000
[3:14:47] um and feel that it would um provide
[3:14:50] great benefit from a safety perspective
[3:14:52] as there have been many studies that
[3:14:54] have shown that reducing the speed limit
[3:14:55] even that 10 km an hour um provides a a
[3:14:59] significant um decrease in um fatalities
[3:15:03] on our roadways.
[3:15:05] » Thank you very much. Um, comments or
[3:15:08] questions on this?
[3:15:11] Deputy Mayor.
[3:15:13] » Uh, thank you, Mr. Mayor. Um, and I
[3:15:15] appreciate Director Perry May bringing
[3:15:17] this forward to us because we all hear
[3:15:19] about speeding every day. We're hearing
[3:15:21] about this issue, not just in Mayford,
[3:15:22] it's in the county. It's everywhere.
[3:15:24] People just can't seem to slow down
[3:15:26] these days. So, um, but from what I'm
[3:15:29] hearing in the community, you know,
[3:15:31] lowering to 40 is great, but what's
[3:15:33] going to happen to enforce it? If this
[3:15:35] is not enforced, then people are still
[3:15:37] going to drive at whatever speed they
[3:15:39] normally do. So, I just want to
[3:15:42] understand if there's been conversation
[3:15:44] at this point with the OP, you know, if
[3:15:46] council agrees to do that, can we count
[3:15:48] on them to have a presence in our urban
[3:15:51] area to make sure that people understand
[3:15:54] that we mean business moving to 40
[3:15:58] through your worship. I have reached out
[3:16:00] to the OP but haven't received comment
[3:16:02] to date with regards to this program. Um
[3:16:04] I also didn't mention I have reached out
[3:16:06] to the county and the MTO as well. Um
[3:16:09] and um depending on council's wishes,
[3:16:12] there's potential appetite to comm to to
[3:16:14] change speed limits within their
[3:16:16] roadways as well. Um obviously we're we
[3:16:19] are recommending that the school zone u
[3:16:22] mimic the municipal roadways. Um but
[3:16:24] there is an ability to to ask for
[3:16:26] additional they would review it on their
[3:16:28] end and and we wouldn't necessarily be
[3:16:30] able to provide any more input on that.
[3:16:32] Um but to date there hasn't been
[3:16:34] additional input from the OP. I do know
[3:16:38] in the past when um we have implemented
[3:16:42] um specific areas that are community
[3:16:44] safety zones, the OP did identify that
[3:16:48] um having those varied speed limits all
[3:16:51] over the the urban area um wasn't they
[3:16:55] weren't able to enforce because some
[3:16:57] areas were would have been 40 and some
[3:16:59] of them would have been 50. Um, and so I
[3:17:04] um I hope that they do provi to provide
[3:17:08] us some input because it would be
[3:17:09] helpful to understand if the blanketed
[3:17:11] um 40 is more helpful for them to
[3:17:12] enforce um than um lo varying locations
[3:17:17] throughout the municipality.
[3:17:20] » Council,
[3:17:22] thank you, Mr. Mayor.
[3:17:24] As much as it would be a nice thought to
[3:17:26] think that I'm I'm just gonna and I'll
[3:17:29] bring it up at the next OP board
[3:17:30] meeting, but I'm going to say the
[3:17:32] likelihood of them actually sitting in
[3:17:34] Meford and enforcing it would be pretty
[3:17:37] minimal at best. They have to cover a
[3:17:40] very large area with a very limited
[3:17:42] amount of officers. And the real reality
[3:17:45] is every municipality would love to have
[3:17:47] the police sitting in their community
[3:17:49] just sitting there watching for
[3:17:50] speeders. The reality is that's probably
[3:17:53] not very likely. So they are, as Tori
[3:17:56] has said, they're they're hoping um and
[3:17:59] they will have obviously spot
[3:18:01] availability, but they're hoping that
[3:18:03] lowering speed limits is a
[3:18:05] responsibility and you will get X amount
[3:18:07] of the population that aders and you
[3:18:09] know that you're going to get X that
[3:18:10] doesn't and you you kind of work around
[3:18:13] that. I do like the idea of other caling
[3:18:15] measures in areas that we know are
[3:18:17] concerning um because that is again
[3:18:20] something that they also recommend um at
[3:18:22] those meetings um as ways to try and
[3:18:25] help curb um constant speeding areas of
[3:18:29] problems. So, but I will bring it up at
[3:18:31] next OP board meeting and ask as well.
[3:18:33] But yeah, past conversations don't lead
[3:18:35] towards that.
[3:18:38] » Councelor Bell.
[3:18:40] » Thanks, Mr. Mayor. sort of put a point
[3:18:42] on this. I'm really not interested in
[3:18:43] dropping the speed limit at all. I think
[3:18:46] we've seen that this council has uh
[3:18:48] heard from neighborhoods like Ridge Road
[3:18:50] in particular. They came, they talked
[3:18:53] and uh council moved to do a reduction
[3:18:57] in that particular area. The report says
[3:18:59] that even when you do something like
[3:19:01] that, the traffic flow basically is the
[3:19:03] same. But uh I certainly I certainly
[3:19:07] just don't want to see us just do a
[3:19:08] blanket statement that you're going to
[3:19:10] slow right down when you come into the
[3:19:12] town of Meford. And then more than that,
[3:19:15] a recommendation to go out, you take a
[3:19:17] look at Annen. You go out to Annen and
[3:19:19] you're there and you're going over the
[3:19:20] hill and you're heading down to Le and
[3:19:22] it's 80 km an hour and you're going to
[3:19:23] change that to that. They're not going
[3:19:25] to like that for a minute. And then out
[3:19:27] at Woodford up at the going around that,
[3:19:30] you're going to be in trouble. And then
[3:19:32] the little spot that's just outside of
[3:19:33] that, I'm not going for that. And I'm
[3:19:35] not going to do the one down in Bogner
[3:19:37] either. They're out at Rockford. So, as
[3:19:39] far as dropping the speed limits down to
[3:19:41] 40 kilometers an hour,
[3:19:44] I'm just not interested in doing that.
[3:19:46] If people want to come and tell us that
[3:19:48] their roads a problem, I'll entertain
[3:19:50] the conversation then.
[3:19:53] » Councelor at least deputy mayor.
[3:19:55] » Thank you, Mr. Mayor. And just uh to
[3:19:57] councelor Bell's comments. I think the
[3:19:59] more we have some at 40 and some at 50,
[3:20:01] then there's confusion out there as
[3:20:03] drivers may not be paying really close
[3:20:06] attention to, you know, which road
[3:20:07] they're on. But we've heard about
[3:20:09] Bayfield several times and the concern
[3:20:11] around the new splash pad and the little
[3:20:14] beach that we need to undertake some
[3:20:16] traffic calming measures there and one
[3:20:18] of those would be a reduction in speed
[3:20:20] and I do believe at some point other
[3:20:22] trafficcoming measures are coming for
[3:20:24] that particular section. Um but just in
[3:20:27] respect to Bogner um at the Bogner board
[3:20:30] meeting last week, I did bring forward
[3:20:32] uh the mention that this report was
[3:20:34] coming up before council and the members
[3:20:36] of the board suggested that they would
[3:20:38] like to see the speed limit drop to 40
[3:20:40] in that urban section of Bogner where
[3:20:42] kids are going back and forth between
[3:20:44] the community center and the uh
[3:20:46] ballpark. So, I think we're going to get
[3:20:48] different answers from uh different
[3:20:50] members of the community, but I I would
[3:20:52] like to ask Tori then when you have that
[3:20:54] conversation with the OP and and the
[3:20:57] same with councelor Urick if if that
[3:20:59] information could come back to council
[3:21:01] to uh to help us understand their
[3:21:04] willingness in uh in supporting if this
[3:21:07] passes the uh reduction to 40. I think
[3:21:10] you know if it goes to 40 at least then
[3:21:12] it's clear that that's what it is all
[3:21:14] over town not just on some roads because
[3:21:17] you're right on ridge you know I guess
[3:21:20] the hope always is if the speed limit is
[3:21:22] 50 you know that they're drive 60 if
[3:21:25] it's 50 they'll drive you know if it's
[3:21:27] 40 they'll drive 50 I mean that's kind
[3:21:29] of typically how people drive so at
[3:21:31] least you slow it down potentially a
[3:21:33] little bit but uh anyway I'll leave that
[3:21:36] with you Tori to let us know when you
[3:21:37] get a response
[3:21:39] Councelor Porter.
[3:21:41] » Thank you, Mr. Mayor. And through you,
[3:21:44] um I kind of look at it like um a pound
[3:21:48] an ounce of prevention is better than a
[3:21:49] pound of cure. And if this is an
[3:21:51] initiative that can make um our road
[3:21:54] safer and if it could even save one
[3:21:56] life, um I would just hate for there to
[3:21:58] be an instance where we had an
[3:21:59] opportunity to make our road safer by
[3:22:01] reducing the speed and then there was a
[3:22:03] tragic event and then we have to live
[3:22:05] with that. Um, I agree not everybody's
[3:22:08] going to follow the speed limit, but to
[3:22:09] the deputy mayor's, um, point is that if
[3:22:11] you lower it, um, it will hopefully
[3:22:13] bring down the average speed that, uh,
[3:22:15] people are traveling on. But there are
[3:22:17] statistics that do back this up that if
[3:22:19] you reduce from 50 to 40, risk of
[3:22:21] pedestrian death is decreased by 35%.
[3:22:24] Um, and so I I I'm in favor of this. If
[3:22:27] it can save one person's life, um,
[3:22:29] that's to me that's that's a step in the
[3:22:31] right direction. Community safety is
[3:22:33] something we should take very seriously
[3:22:35] and I would hate to be in a reactive
[3:22:36] situation where we had a chance to do
[3:22:38] something and something bad happened.
[3:22:40] Um, so I'll I'll be in favor of this
[3:22:42] one. Thank you,
[3:22:42] » Councor Greenfield.
[3:22:44] » Thank you, Worship. Um, I'm in favor of
[3:22:48] uh dropping the speed limit in the
[3:22:49] settlement areas uh down to 40. Um
[3:22:54] the the only one that we can do
[3:22:58] individually would be Woodford. Uh since
[3:23:01] all the others involve county roads that
[3:23:03] would be up up to the county. Uh and I
[3:23:07] was actually wondering about not today
[3:23:11] necessarily but in the future uh
[3:23:14] introducing another area and that is
[3:23:17] that's in a a hamlet that we no longer
[3:23:20] call a hamlet but I still think of as a
[3:23:23] hamlet and that's Gersville. And as you
[3:23:25] turn off County Road 7 and go east on
[3:23:28] Gersville there are just quite a number
[3:23:30] of residential uh uh dwellings there.
[3:23:34] And uh uh I I think that would perhaps
[3:23:39] be another place in the future. But I no
[3:23:43] uh I I think the uh uh in conversation
[3:23:48] recently with some good folks out at
[3:23:50] Leaf they uh they suggested and and this
[3:23:54] pertain to the Beayshore road uh that
[3:23:57] the speed limit on it should be 40
[3:24:00] kilometers. So, I' uh um I'd like to see
[3:24:04] it dropped. Uh yes, it's going to
[3:24:06] involve enforcement. Uh like any any and
[3:24:10] all other enforcement, I think we'll do
[3:24:12] the best job we can, but uh uh as the
[3:24:16] deputy mayor says, uh you know, 60 means
[3:24:19] 50. 70 means 60. So, there is some
[3:24:23] benefit.
[3:24:24] I'm definitely voting in favor of this
[3:24:26] motion for the simple reason that uh I
[3:24:28] could give you a list as long as my arm
[3:24:30] of the uh municipalities that are um
[3:24:33] agitating to have the speed limit
[3:24:35] lowered. U there's you know Leath is
[3:24:39] just one of many and I think that uh
[3:24:41] this is um the it we'll just be faced
[3:24:46] with peacemealing this you know over and
[3:24:48] over and over again. So that's that's my
[3:24:51] reason for supporting it anyway. And and
[3:24:52] I I also subscribe to councelor Ford's
[3:24:56] idea. Those statistics are pretty
[3:24:59] compelling. Uh how much safer uh
[3:25:02] pedestrians and people in automobiles
[3:25:05] are uh when the speed limit is 40 versus
[3:25:09] 50 in um in in the builtup areas.
[3:25:13] Councelor Andis.
[3:25:15] » Thank you, Mr. Mayor. just um I
[3:25:18] appreciate the [clears throat] spec uh
[3:25:20] statistics on how changing the speed
[3:25:23] affects um rates of of of incidences.
[3:25:27] I'm just curious though if we have data
[3:25:30] on how unsafe our roads actually are. Um
[3:25:36] cuz I I feel like I'm just voting to
[3:25:38] reduce a number, but for all I know, it
[3:25:40] could be very minimal anyway. And I uh
[3:25:43] agree that um you know saving even one
[3:25:45] life um is uh you know desirable but um
[3:25:50] I just I I would like to know that
[3:25:52] background
[3:25:58] » Um through your worship. I guess safety
[3:26:01] on roads can be measured through many
[3:26:03] different
[3:26:04] um
[3:26:06] metrics. Um, I did review our current
[3:26:11] um, average speed and 85th percentile
[3:26:14] speeds on our urban roadways um, as I
[3:26:18] was preparing this report. And it was
[3:26:19] actually really interesting to see that
[3:26:22] a majority of our roads um, already have
[3:26:25] speeds below 50 kilometers an hour and
[3:26:28] so this change of speed limit might
[3:26:30] actually be more in tune to what people
[3:26:31] are actually traveling on the roads. Um
[3:26:34] however there are locations where we do
[3:26:36] get residents identifying um on a
[3:26:39] regular basis concerns with speeds and
[3:26:41] two of the ones that we have in recent
[3:26:43] years made changes to our Miller Street
[3:26:45] and Pearson and Ridge Road um which
[3:26:47] we've dropped to that 40 km an hour. Um
[3:26:50] through our traffic count data, we have
[3:26:52] seen um slight reductions in average
[3:26:55] speed in those two locations because of
[3:26:57] the um the items that were done on those
[3:27:01] two roads. both um some traffic calming
[3:27:03] as as well as that reduction in speed.
[3:27:06] Um and so um again it it it varies. Um
[3:27:14] we
[3:27:17] additional data was requested from
[3:27:19] council. We can definitely look into
[3:27:20] other avenues of assessing safety on our
[3:27:23] roadways. Um but it from looking at
[3:27:28] other municipalities um you know and as
[3:27:30] kind of discussed here um that if the
[3:27:33] speed uh is reduced or the speed limits
[3:27:36] reduced you know um on average
[3:27:39] municipalities are seeing those
[3:27:42] reduction in speeds overall and so um I
[3:27:46] don't see why we wouldn't see similar
[3:27:48] trends that other municipalities are
[3:27:50] seeing um which then lend to those um
[3:27:53] statistics that are identified in the
[3:27:54] report.
[3:27:56] » Council Randis,
[3:27:57] » It's a followup. Thank you. Um then I'm
[3:27:59] I'm wondering also if there's a comment
[3:28:01] on um how changing the speeds like this
[3:28:04] would affect traffic flow. Um cuz it's
[3:28:08] things are going to get busier over time
[3:28:09] and so if we make a a step now that's
[3:28:11] going to change the speed essentially
[3:28:13] forever uh you know functionally um what
[3:28:16] what the impacts of that could be. And
[3:28:19] just thinking about residents who
[3:28:21] comment on speed. I know a lot of people
[3:28:23] personally who will comment on everybody
[3:28:25] blowing by their house and you know say
[3:28:27] oh my road is in a raceway and then get
[3:28:29] in a car and speed past somebody else's
[3:28:31] house. So I don't like I appreciate
[3:28:35] their concerns and there are some roads
[3:28:36] that are you know the way they're built
[3:28:38] and designed lends itself to people kind
[3:28:40] of ripping through like I think Ridge is
[3:28:42] a great example. Bayfield is kind of an
[3:28:45] interesting example because I feel like
[3:28:46] most people on Bayfield aren't looking
[3:28:48] at the road, they're looking at the
[3:28:49] water, which you know, slower speeds
[3:28:51] probably good for that. Um, but for the
[3:28:54] most part,
[3:28:56] I feel like everything's pretty safe.
[3:28:58] So, I don't see a need to reduce it just
[3:29:01] because.
[3:29:03] Um, but I'm also cognizant of, you know,
[3:29:06] we'll obviously feel terrible if we
[3:29:07] don't do it in something it was
[3:29:08] something preventable. So, I I don't
[3:29:10] know. I just I feel like I need a a
[3:29:12] better sense of that side of this the
[3:29:13] equation before I would feel comfortable
[3:29:16] um just deciding right now to change all
[3:29:18] the speed limits.
[3:29:21] » Tori, please.
[3:29:22] » Um through your worship to speak to um
[3:29:25] traffic flow. Um
[3:29:28] Miller Street is one of our busiest um
[3:29:31] municipal roadways within the
[3:29:33] municipality. Um, and there has been no
[3:29:37] change in traffic flow when we've
[3:29:39] reduced the speed limit to um from 50 km
[3:29:43] an hour to 40. There there I I'm not
[3:29:45] aware of any any changes to or like
[3:29:48] issues that that created. Um, Pearson
[3:29:50] and Ridge is another really good
[3:29:52] example. Um it also has a higher traffic
[3:29:54] flow in comparison to a lot of our uh
[3:29:56] municipal roads and again there's been
[3:29:58] no um traffic concerns identified with
[3:30:00] regards to um flow or or the amount of
[3:30:03] traffic that we're now seeing. Um and
[3:30:05] those um the amount of vehicles on those
[3:30:08] roads have also continued to um increase
[3:30:12] over time and again the the change in
[3:30:15] speed limit hasn't affected how the the
[3:30:16] flow of the traffic is occurring on
[3:30:18] those roads. So using those two as an
[3:30:20] example within our own municipality, I
[3:30:22] don't see that the the roads that would
[3:30:24] have less flow would be of concern. Um
[3:30:27] and this is part of the reason why staff
[3:30:29] have identified keeping those arterial
[3:30:31] roads. So both um Nelson Street as well
[3:30:34] as Highway uh Psych Street, Highway 26
[3:30:37] at that 50 km an hour. Um so that you
[3:30:41] know those are and designed to be higher
[3:30:44] flow uh roads and and accept more
[3:30:47] traffic and so to keep those at the 50
[3:30:49] kmter an hour so that um cars can still
[3:30:53] um travel um through our municipality
[3:30:55] and and through downtown Meford and not
[3:30:58] experience any negative um impacts um
[3:31:01] due to changes but then on our on our
[3:31:04] less on our lower volume roads um have
[3:31:07] have that reduction in speed. Councelor
[3:31:09] Yuri.
[3:31:10] » Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Um, councelor
[3:31:12] Andis, just maybe help you a little bit.
[3:31:14] Statistically, the OP 25 annual report
[3:31:17] last year, uh, in 2023 there were four,
[3:31:20] 2024 there were nine. In 2025, there
[3:31:23] were 11 fatalities. So, that's all of
[3:31:25] Gray Bruce area. So, are we a high high
[3:31:29] area of, you know, literally fatalities?
[3:31:33] No. Having said that speeding in 2023
[3:31:36] there were 2004
[3:31:38] uh issued uh 2024 1936 25 1927 it's
[3:31:43] coming down and they do attribute that
[3:31:45] as well to a more coverage by OP uh more
[3:31:49] actual more actual OP coverage but again
[3:31:53] they do say that yes reducing speed is
[3:31:56] helping in that factor because be the
[3:31:58] more you can make aware the more people
[3:32:00] actually do somewhat so if you can get a
[3:32:03] percentage slowing down contributes to
[3:32:06] the overall. So, take those stats for
[3:32:08] what it's worth.
[3:32:10] » Councelor Andis,
[3:32:11] » Thank you. Um, thank you, Mr. Mayor. Uh,
[3:32:13] to councelor Yurig, just wondering then,
[3:32:15] um, are are those stats applied to like
[3:32:19] urban settlement areas or are they just
[3:32:21] across the counties?
[3:32:23] Okay.
[3:32:26] » Um, I'm going to call the vote if people
[3:32:30] are ready. Um all in favor
[3:32:34] opposed.
[3:32:36] Well, that is a 5 to2 vote. Uh thank you
[3:32:39] very much. Now um we have a planning
[3:32:44] public meeting coming up at 5:00 p.m.
[3:32:46] this afternoon and uh our
[3:32:49] council chambers are already beginning
[3:32:51] to fill for that meeting. So I'm going
[3:32:54] to uh temporarily adjourn. Uh go ahead
[3:32:57] tell us what we should be doing.
[3:32:59] » Thank you. I was just going to comment
[3:33:00] that it might be an appropriate time for
[3:33:02] a motion to extend the proceedings
[3:33:04] because typically we have a 3 and 1 half
[3:33:05] hour and it's 4:30 now. So, we'll have a
[3:33:07] motion to extend and then if if council
[3:33:09] wants to continue or take a recess prior
[3:33:12] to the 5:00, we'll reorganize the agenda
[3:33:14] to move the planning public meeting up
[3:33:17] for when uh the 5:00 because we are in
[3:33:20] the middle of the the regular council
[3:33:21] meeting.
[3:33:21] » You want to bear on, right?
[3:33:23] » So, no, sorry. My first my first item
[3:33:25] would be uh if we could have a motion to
[3:33:27] extend the meeting that would be great
[3:33:29] and then um it's sort of council's wish
[3:33:32] if we want to work through one more
[3:33:34] report or if we want uh if council
[3:33:36] wishes to take a 25minut uh break then
[3:33:39] that might be appropriate as well to let
[3:33:41] people come in. There are actually three
[3:33:43] items uh left on the con on the uh
[3:33:46] committee of the whole agenda and they
[3:33:48] are pretty u um they're not
[3:33:51] controversial and I imagine we could uh
[3:33:53] you know cover that before we adjourned.
[3:33:56] So uh let's uh do that but I need a
[3:33:58] motion to uh continue beyond uh 4:30
[3:34:00] this afternoon. Uh councelor Urick and
[3:34:03] councelor Greenfield all in favor.
[3:34:06] Any opposed? That is carried unanimously
[3:34:08] and we'll move on to u um legislative
[3:34:12] services. Um
[3:34:15] sorry
[3:34:17] uh item G which is an award report
[3:34:22] is the next one on uh the index.
[3:34:25] » Oh right. Okay. Um [laughter]
[3:34:29] the way it is uh presented here it looks
[3:34:31] like uh it's the uh the report we just
[3:34:34] passed proposed speed limit is in caps
[3:34:37] right above it. Sorry. So then uh four
[3:34:40] items and this one again is not I don't
[3:34:42] think contentious. The recommendation is
[3:34:45] uh that committee of the whole recommend
[3:34:46] council of the municipality of meford
[3:34:49] approve the award of tender uh
[3:34:52] transportation 2026-16
[3:34:55] supply and delivery of various fuel and
[3:34:57] oil products to 9412401
[3:35:01] heating limited um that's Brian's fuel
[3:35:05] at a tendered cost of $2,791,387
[3:35:10] including the municipality's non-ref
[3:35:12] refundable allocation of HST over a
[3:35:16] 5-year agreement and to authorize the
[3:35:18] Marin clerk to enter into the necessary
[3:35:20] agreement. Can I have a mover and second
[3:35:22] councelor Bell and Councelor Greenfield?
[3:35:25] Thank you. Um,
[3:35:29] does anyone wish to speak to this from
[3:35:31] staff? Tori,
[3:35:33] » Through your worship. Thank you. Um,
[3:35:36] this is a standard award report for us
[3:35:38] to proceed with um a new fuel contract.
[3:35:41] Um just some key things to note. Um
[3:35:45] while we only received one bid, um we do
[3:35:49] feel that it is quite competitive in
[3:35:50] reviewing the last um uh tendering
[3:35:54] process. Um we did when we did receive
[3:35:58] multiple bids. Um the successful bid was
[3:36:02] 2 cents under rack rate while this bid
[3:36:04] is um between seven and 9 cents below
[3:36:07] rack rate. So it will reduce what we're
[3:36:09] currently spending. um which we see
[3:36:11] quite favorable. Um the other benefit is
[3:36:14] we won't need to transition any of the
[3:36:16] existing infrastructure we have with um
[3:36:19] Brian's fuel. So there's benefit as well
[3:36:22] to have that continuity. Um um but
[3:36:25] otherwise if you Oh, the only other
[3:36:27] thing I did want to note is while this
[3:36:30] um is presented in yearly costs, it's
[3:36:32] very much based on what fuel prices are.
[3:36:35] And so everything is based on rack rate.
[3:36:39] um in May when this went out as a tender
[3:36:42] um the rack rate was higher than what
[3:36:44] we're seeing today. I looked at to see
[3:36:46] and I have as I was preparing this
[3:36:48] report and so for example um the regular
[3:36:51] fuel rack rate today is um $125 is what
[3:36:56] and but in the um tendering process it
[3:36:59] was identified as an example at $147. So
[3:37:02] um obviously we know things right now
[3:37:04] are going up and down um with what is
[3:37:08] happening around the world um but um
[3:37:12] these specific um bigger um bucket items
[3:37:16] per year um doesn't mean that we'll
[3:37:19] actually spend that. It will change with
[3:37:21] what the industry costs are.
[3:37:24] » Councelor Greenfield.
[3:37:26] » Thanks your
[3:37:28] thank you through you to Victoria. Uh
[3:37:31] thanks. I I'm wondering a couple of
[3:37:33] things. First of all, uh is the turmoil
[3:37:39] uh in the Middle East. Uh one of the
[3:37:42] reasons why we only got one bid, could
[3:37:45] that be a factor on that? And I guess
[3:37:48] the other reason is is is this
[3:37:51] absolutely fixed rate? Is is there are
[3:37:54] there any straight of door moves
[3:37:56] conditions involved in this or is this
[3:37:59] going to be the the five-year number
[3:38:03] » Through your worship? Um there's a
[3:38:06] potential that the uncertainty in the
[3:38:08] industry is why we only received one um
[3:38:12] bid, but um obviously we um don't know
[3:38:16] if that that is the the reason. Um the
[3:38:20] um so the contract is set up that the
[3:38:22] the rate we pay is based on the Toronto
[3:38:25] rack rate. So yes, whatever happens um
[3:38:28] with pricing um in for for fuel in based
[3:38:32] in Toronto um that is the price we pay.
[3:38:35] And so um depending on if fuel costs
[3:38:38] increase or decrease, this contract will
[3:38:40] increase and decrease with those. And as
[3:38:43] I had stated um as of today, those costs
[3:38:46] are actually lower than what we tendered
[3:38:47] this out as. So if we were to have
[3:38:49] tendered this today, this report would
[3:38:50] have looked slightly different with
[3:38:51] slightly lower costs. Um but we all know
[3:38:54] that there's uncertainties around this
[3:38:56] as of right now. Um but this is how
[3:38:58] these are set up is that yes, it is
[3:39:00] based on um the fluctuating costs. Um
[3:39:03] and what we will be spending is um that
[3:39:06] 7 to 9 cents below what those costs are.
[3:39:10] um whereas in our current contract we
[3:39:12] were spending two cents below what those
[3:39:14] costs are. So regardless of those costs
[3:39:17] we will be seeing a cost savings between
[3:39:19] the last contract and this contract
[3:39:25] » Councelor for thank you Mr. Mayor and
[3:39:28] through you and I guess this would be to
[3:39:29] Tori. Um so the prices um that are
[3:39:33] provided here below the Toronto rack
[3:39:34] rate does that represent the complete
[3:39:37] delivered price or are there other
[3:39:38] charges like fees fuel search charges is
[3:39:41] is that an all-in price or
[3:39:44] » Um through worship that this is the
[3:39:46] all-in price that we would be seeing um
[3:39:48] on our invoices.
[3:39:51] » Yes.
[3:39:52] » Uh thank you Mr. Mayor for indulging me.
[3:39:53] And so obviously this contract does have
[3:39:56] the option to extend for five one-year
[3:39:59] uh terms. Um is that something after the
[3:40:02] 5 years that would come back to council
[3:40:04] or who has the authority to extend that?
[3:40:10] » Um depending on the price, but yes, this
[3:40:13] price is
[3:40:15] it because of the price of this it would
[3:40:17] be coming to council because it's over
[3:40:18] that threshold of the $200,000.
[3:40:22] Any
[3:40:24] other questions?
[3:40:26] Going to call a vote. All in favor? Any
[3:40:28] opposed? So as carried unanimously.
[3:40:31] Thank you. Um the next item is um
[3:40:36] uh for legislative services.
[3:40:39] The recommendation is that uh the
[3:40:41] committee of a whole recommend council
[3:40:43] of the municipality of Meford one enact
[3:40:45] a bylaw to adopt a policy governance
[3:40:47] framework and two direct staff to
[3:40:50] undertake a review of the municipality's
[3:40:52] existing policies and bring forward a
[3:40:54] policy inventory and review schedule for
[3:40:58] council's consideration as outlined in
[3:41:00] report legislative services 2026-09.
[3:41:04] mover in a second, please. Councelor, at
[3:41:06] least deputy mayor and councelor Bell.
[3:41:09] Um,
[3:41:11] do you wish to speak to that? Uh, clerk.
[3:41:14] » Thank you, your worship. I I think
[3:41:16] probably Allison and I are prepared to
[3:41:18] take any questions. I just want to
[3:41:19] comment that probably this is the
[3:41:20] clerkiest clerk report ever to have a
[3:41:23] policy of policies. So, if if uh there
[3:41:25] are any questions, we're happy to take
[3:41:27] them. Thank you.
[3:41:28] » Okay.
[3:41:30] So, you you'll take our questions. Okay.
[3:41:33] Uh so councelor Bell.
[3:41:35] » Thank you Mr. Mayor. So um the
[3:41:38] background uh comments the very first
[3:41:42] paragraph
[3:41:44] when I read this I have to ask the
[3:41:46] question has this council been doing
[3:41:48] something which staff feels is improper
[3:41:50] because we got reminded what the
[3:41:51] municipal act says about council making
[3:41:54] the decisions and staff implementing
[3:41:56] those decisions and I believe that we
[3:41:59] have been doing that going down and
[3:42:01] reading it further that says we've got
[3:42:03] policies that we're doing that are not
[3:42:05] right that we need to review them. I'm
[3:42:08] just interested as why why was the
[3:42:10] municipal act quoted on the
[3:42:13] responsibilities of roles and
[3:42:14] responsibilities of council and staff if
[3:42:18] what we're really doing is saying we've
[3:42:20] got some policies that simply need to be
[3:42:22] reviewed. I just didn't know why we were
[3:42:25] reminded of our duty.
[3:42:30] » Thank you for the question and through
[3:42:32] you Mr. Mayor. Um I would note that the
[3:42:34] background of course serves as
[3:42:36] background not only to council but to
[3:42:37] the public and to anyone else that might
[3:42:39] be reading the report. And so while of
[3:42:41] course council is well apprised of their
[3:42:42] role um as it comes to the division of
[3:42:45] responsibility that maybe is not so
[3:42:47] obvious to the casual reader or follower
[3:42:49] of council agendas. Um the other piece
[3:42:52] that I'll note is that um the the idea
[3:42:54] of a policy governance policy is to
[3:42:56] really lay out in plain terms how we are
[3:43:00] working to move our policy aims forward.
[3:43:02] And so having that background and having
[3:43:04] the ability to say this is why and this
[3:43:06] is really the legislated root of why
[3:43:09] we're making our decisions this way um
[3:43:12] is the reason that you see that
[3:43:13] citation. Um the reference a little bit
[3:43:16] further on to the policy cleanup that
[3:43:18] needs to be done um is specific both to
[3:43:22] the policies that have been before
[3:43:23] council. And so I would say there are
[3:43:26] policies that are on the books now that
[3:43:27] council has adopted by bylaw that
[3:43:29] perhaps do live in the role of staff and
[3:43:31] that's on staff. Council didn't pull
[3:43:33] those out of their own hat, right? Staff
[3:43:35] presented them to them to um to adopt.
[3:43:38] And so what we want to do is just take a
[3:43:39] full a wholesome look at all of the
[3:43:41] policies that exist currently and make
[3:43:43] sure that we've put them in the right
[3:43:44] bucket in the administrative bucket or
[3:43:46] the governance bucket and make sure that
[3:43:48] we are continuing to review those going
[3:43:50] forward so that we don't have policies
[3:43:51] on the books that are out ofd or
[3:43:54] inappropriate.
[3:43:57] » Other questions?
[3:43:59] Deputy mayor.
[3:44:01] » Um just two quick things if I may, Mr.
[3:44:03] Mayor. First of all, I'm pleased to see
[3:44:05] that our legislative department is able
[3:44:08] to bring this forward. It tells us that
[3:44:09] we've got, you know, staff in place, the
[3:44:11] capacity to undertake a project such as
[3:44:13] this because I'm sure it's something
[3:44:14] that kind of stayed on the edge of a
[3:44:16] desk for a while. So, that's very
[3:44:18] reassuring. But, um, from what you just
[3:44:20] told us, Allison, I'm wondering, are you
[3:44:22] also reviewing any, um, counselor
[3:44:25] motions that may not have seen, uh,
[3:44:28] themselves come to fruition at this
[3:44:30] point? and may some of those then fall
[3:44:32] into these categories where they will
[3:44:34] end up now being reviewed and and as you
[3:44:37] suggested land in the appropriate staff
[3:44:39] person's bucket.
[3:44:41] » Thank you. And through the mayor, um I
[3:44:43] believe that is our intention that um
[3:44:45] prior to the end of this term of
[3:44:47] council, we will have a look at all of
[3:44:48] the outstanding counselor motions that
[3:44:50] have come forward um and we will report
[3:44:53] back to council about the disposition of
[3:44:55] those. So, does that actually belong in
[3:44:57] staff's bucket? Have we achieved it or
[3:44:59] is it still on someone's work plan and
[3:45:00] we're waiting to get there?
[3:45:03] » Okay, any other comments, questions? I'm
[3:45:06] going to call the vote. All in favor?
[3:45:09] Any opposed? And that is carried
[3:45:11] unanimously. Thank you, Allison.
[3:45:17] And we have one more here which is um
[3:45:22] the recommendation is uh that committee
[3:45:25] of the whole receive report legislative
[3:45:27] services 2026-10 access to information
[3:45:30] and privacy update. Mover and a seconder
[3:45:34] councelor and deputy mayor kiny um do
[3:45:39] you wish to speak to that one Allison?
[3:45:42] » No thank you I'll just accept your
[3:45:44] questions if there are any. Are there
[3:45:45] any questions? It's pretty
[3:45:47] straightforward. All in favor?
[3:45:51] Any opposed? That's carried unanimously.
[3:45:54] And now, uh, we're going to hear, uh,
[3:45:57] from Deputy Mayor Keven on, uh, an
[3:45:59] update on County Council.
[3:46:01] » Uh, thank you, Mr. Mayor. Uh, county
[3:46:03] council last met on July the 9th. Uh,
[3:46:07] the agenda was on the shorter side. Um,
[3:46:10] and it began with a request from
[3:46:12] councelor McQueen to pull the minutes of
[3:46:15] the prior meeting for further discussion
[3:46:17] of the urban roads transfer report. Uh,
[3:46:20] staff had incorporated points raised by
[3:46:23] council at our last meeting and uh, I
[3:46:26] believe in terms of our own situation
[3:46:28] that uh, uh, to put it bluntly, it's as
[3:46:31] good as it's going to get. Um, Meford
[3:46:34] will now receive $2,453,431
[3:46:39] in transitional funding over the next 10
[3:46:42] years for the two sections coming our
[3:46:44] way, which as we know was Grey Road 7
[3:46:46] from Mir Street Highway 26 and Grey Road
[3:46:49] 12 from Gardener to Sykes.
[3:46:52] a bylaw um supporting uh the appointment
[3:46:56] of Sue Murray as acting treasurer and
[3:46:58] Garrett Reed as deputy treasurer uh was
[3:47:01] passed. Uh recently, Mary Lou Spicer,
[3:47:05] who's been with the county for 24 years
[3:47:07] in the finance department, has uh
[3:47:09] retired.
[3:47:10] A second bylaw is passed to adopt
[3:47:12] amendment 30 to the Gray County official
[3:47:15] plan affecting lands in Normandy
[3:47:17] Township in the municipality of West
[3:47:19] Gray, changing that zoning from
[3:47:21] agricultural to agricultural with
[3:47:23] exception and that will allow um
[3:47:26] residential lot creation.
[3:47:29] Manager of transportation Trevor Ryton
[3:47:31] presented a video to council and I
[3:47:33] wonder if this is something we could do.
[3:47:35] It was really quite wonderful. Um, and
[3:47:37] the video overviewed all of the
[3:47:39] completed capital projects uh from 2025
[3:47:42] and they included 5 kilometers in
[3:47:44] Southgate, 5.3 km on Grey Road 14, 11.1
[3:47:49] km on Grey Road 2, 9.7 on Grey Road 25,
[3:47:54] 6.6 km on Grey Road 119, and 10 culbert
[3:47:58] replacements on Grey Road 30 at a total
[3:48:00] cost of $13 million. But it was just
[3:48:03] really great to see all of the work that
[3:48:05] had been done. Council heard the
[3:48:08] presentation of the 2025 audit completed
[3:48:10] by MNP. Uh the audit must be approved by
[3:48:14] council before the rep final report can
[3:48:16] be signed. The auditors found no
[3:48:18] deficiencies and provided a clear
[3:48:20] opinion on the county's financial
[3:48:22] position as of December the 31st, 2025.
[3:48:26] The next report brought an update to the
[3:48:28] Bruce Gay Duffren Wellington transit
[3:48:31] study. This regional working team is
[3:48:33] studying a unified transit plan for the
[3:48:35] four counties. This is the largest
[3:48:38] public transit collaboration currently
[3:48:40] underway in the province. It was decided
[3:48:42] that information would continue to be
[3:48:44] gathered over the summer with existing
[3:48:46] routes continuing during the study
[3:48:48] period uh along with the addition of the
[3:48:51] Owens Sound to Wyon route number five so
[3:48:53] people can get to Sabo Beach. Ridership
[3:48:56] and potential funding sources will be
[3:48:58] assessed with report coming to the new
[3:49:00] council to determine the next steps on
[3:49:02] public transit. The updated official
[3:49:05] plan for the settlement areas of Durham
[3:49:07] and Newad and the municipality of West
[3:49:09] Gray was adopted with staff stating the
[3:49:11] plan met requirements of the Gray County
[3:49:13] official plan and the provincial
[3:49:15] planning statement with the land use
[3:49:17] schedules conforming to both. The
[3:49:19] corporate financial update revealed a
[3:49:21] few deficits to budget such as an
[3:49:23] unexpected boiler favor. I'm sorry, a
[3:49:26] boiler failure at Sydnham campus and the
[3:49:29] unpredicted severity of our past winter
[3:49:31] season. The planning department at Gray
[3:49:34] County is also operating in a shortfall
[3:49:36] as we are in Meford with fewer than
[3:49:39] anticipated applications underway.
[3:49:42] Um, again, Councelor McQueen from Grey
[3:49:44] Highlands pulled a letter from the uh uh
[3:49:47] Grey Highlands to the county requesting
[3:49:49] support for consideration of physical
[3:49:51] traffic calming measures for the hamlet
[3:49:53] of Kimberly. So, this really fits in
[3:49:55] with what we were talking about earlier
[3:49:57] in in relation to speed reductions.
[3:50:00] After a very significant discussion, a
[3:50:03] motion was passed to have staff
[3:50:05] investigate options for physical traffic
[3:50:07] calming measures for all hamlets and
[3:50:10] builtup areas across Gray County, uh,
[3:50:12] not just those in Kimberly. So, I think
[3:50:14] this will benefit all of us. And as we
[3:50:17] know, speeding is a major problem
[3:50:19] everywhere. But we do hear that physical
[3:50:21] barriers such as what they have in Bruce
[3:50:23] County and areas like Terara actually
[3:50:25] make a difference in slowing drivers
[3:50:27] down. So I thought that might be a
[3:50:29] solution to consider for Bayfield
[3:50:30] Street. And Mr. Mayor, that's it, unless
[3:50:33] you wanted to add anything.
[3:50:35] » Not really. Um, is there any other uh
[3:50:38] boards or commissions to be heard from
[3:50:40] uh at this meeting?
[3:50:43] Okay. Then uh I am ready to entertain a
[3:50:45] motion to uh move out of committee of
[3:50:48] the whole.
[3:50:49] Councelor Yurig and councelor
[3:50:51] Greenfield. Thank you. Um and that would
[3:50:53] be at 4:49 p.m.
[3:50:57] And uh all in favor?
[3:51:00] Any opposed? That's there we are. So I
[3:51:04] think at this point uh we have a number
[3:51:07] of items that remain on the agenda for
[3:51:09] today and we're going to recess and uh
[3:51:12] come back to those items following the
[3:51:15] public planning meeting scheduled at
[3:51:16] 5:00 this afternoon. So um uh with that
[3:51:21] uh we will
[3:51:24] be
[3:51:26] » Yes we will we will recess until 5:00.
[4:02:34] I would invite anyone who is um
[4:02:36] attending the meeting tonight to come in
[4:02:38] and find a seat um and see if we have
[4:02:43] there are some seats at the front and
[4:02:44] some at the rear there.
[4:03:02] Yeah, there are some seats right at the
[4:03:03] very front on this side
[4:03:06] and some at the front here.
[4:03:13] Uh ple please come in and sit down if
[4:03:15] you're going to attend the meeting.
[4:03:18] There are some seats in the front there.
[4:04:17] Okay, it is slightly after 5:00 uh 502
[4:04:21] and I want to welcome everyone and uh
[4:04:23] thank you for coming tonight. Uh this is
[4:04:26] a important uh uh public meeting and uh
[4:04:30] we are always pleased to see our gallery
[4:04:33] filled. Uh this meeting is to learn
[4:04:36] about a proposal to amend the land use
[4:04:38] planning permissions applying to certain
[4:04:41] lands in the municipality of Meford.
[4:04:43] Council is legally required to make
[4:04:46] decisions that conform to the county and
[4:04:49] local official plans. Our policies
[4:04:52] encourage us to reach out to community
[4:04:54] stakeholders to gather information. We
[4:04:57] have a variety of legal tools available
[4:04:59] to us that we can apply to development
[4:05:02] to help us manage change in a positive
[4:05:04] manner with as minimal an impact as
[4:05:07] possible. And your insights can be part
[4:05:09] of what forms or informs our direction.
[4:05:13] Those in attendance for today's meeting
[4:05:16] will have an opportunity to speak in
[4:05:18] person or remotely if pre-registered
[4:05:20] through Zoom. This meeting is not
[4:05:23] structured as a dialogue between
[4:05:25] speakers and the applicant. However, the
[4:05:28] applicant may take the opportunity to
[4:05:30] respond to comments toward the end of
[4:05:32] the meeting if they wish. Note that any
[4:05:35] uh or in many cases formulating
[4:05:37] responses actually may require staff to
[4:05:40] carry out research after the meeting on
[4:05:42] the matters raised and provide answers
[4:05:45] following the meeting or through their
[4:05:47] report to council.
[4:05:49] So, I'll call this uh uh today's public
[4:05:52] meeting to order. It's a public meeting
[4:05:55] to consider a zoning bylaw amendment for
[4:05:57] lands at 245690
[4:06:00] Side Road 22 in Meford.
[4:06:03] This meeting is a mandatory part of the
[4:06:05] planning process which has been set out
[4:06:07] by the planning act. Based on the rules
[4:06:10] of the act, there must be at least 20
[4:06:12] days notice given to residents within
[4:06:14] 120 mters of the property. Notice of the
[4:06:18] zoning bylaw amendment was issued on
[4:06:20] June 23rd, 2026, giving the required 20
[4:06:23] days notice.
[4:06:25] So, first of all, I'm going to call on
[4:06:27] Helina Fashionado, planner at the
[4:06:30] municipality of Meford to give us a
[4:06:32] brief presentation about this
[4:06:33] application to provide us with any
[4:06:36] public and agency comments that have
[4:06:38] been received to date. Helena,
[4:06:41] » Thank you. Through you, Mr. Mayor.
[4:06:42] » Please move that microphone up really
[4:06:44] close. Can you hear me?
[4:06:45] » Yes, that's much better. Perfect. Okay.
[4:06:48] So, this is a zoning bylaw amendment
[4:06:51] application for a temporary use
[4:06:53] extension. Um, so the purpose of this
[4:06:56] public meeting is to hear a presentation
[4:06:58] from planning staff with some of the
[4:07:00] details about the planning application.
[4:07:02] Uh, provide an opportunity for the
[4:07:04] applicant to speak on their behalf about
[4:07:06] their proposal and to provide a forum
[4:07:08] for the public to comment on this
[4:07:10] proposal.
[4:07:14] So here are some details about the
[4:07:16] proposal. Uh so on November 13, 2023,
[4:07:20] a bylaw 2823-70
[4:07:23] was passed which reszoned a portion of
[4:07:25] the subject property to permit the
[4:07:27] following temporary uses. So a motor
[4:07:30] vehicle repair garage and accessory
[4:07:33] outdoor storage. So this temporary use
[4:07:35] was granted for a period of 3 years and
[4:07:38] it will expire on November 13th, 2026.
[4:07:41] So, November of this year, the applicant
[4:07:44] has requested an extension of the
[4:07:46] existing temporary use of the property
[4:07:48] for a further period of 3 years.
[4:07:53] And so, here on the screen is a little
[4:07:55] bit more detail of the bylaw that was
[4:07:57] approved uh coming up on 3 years ago.
[4:08:00] So, the temporary use is motor vehicle
[4:08:03] repair garage and outdoor uh storage
[4:08:06] accessory to the repair garage. Um the
[4:08:09] maximum amount of garage bays is two and
[4:08:13] the total permitted area of the
[4:08:14] temporary use is 4,200
[4:08:18] uh square meters. The maximum number of
[4:08:20] vehicles on site to be serviced at one
[4:08:23] time is 10. And then an additional
[4:08:25] maximum number of parking spaces for
[4:08:28] customers and employees is 15.
[4:08:34] Um so the planning act legislative
[4:08:37] authority um so under the planning act
[4:08:40] section 39 a temporary use can be
[4:08:42] granted by a council of a m municipality
[4:08:46] um for any purpose is otherwise prohibit
[4:08:48] sorry prohibited by the zoning bylaw.
[4:08:52] Um, so a temporary use bylaw must define
[4:08:55] the area where the use can occur and be
[4:08:57] for a maximum of three years and council
[4:09:00] may grant further periods of not more
[4:09:02] than three years.
[4:09:07] So here are the subject lands on side
[4:09:09] road 22
[4:09:15] and it is in an agricultural area. The
[4:09:18] surrounding lands are predominantly
[4:09:19] agricultural with some residential
[4:09:22] and the lands are approximately 30
[4:09:24] hectares in area.
[4:09:29] So the county of gray official plan
[4:09:31] designates the lands as special
[4:09:33] agriculture and hazard lands and the
[4:09:35] permitted uses in this area are
[4:09:37] agricultural in nature.
[4:09:40] Um, and the county official plan, it's
[4:09:43] important to note that they only permit
[4:09:45] one extension of a temporary use bylaw.
[4:09:53] And then the MEF official plan mirrors
[4:09:55] those policies of the county. Uh, so the
[4:09:58] designation is special agricultural and
[4:10:00] environmental protection. Um, and the
[4:10:03] predominant use is agriculture and
[4:10:05] agricultural related uh uses.
[4:10:14] So here's a snippet of the zoning of the
[4:10:16] subject lands. Uh so it's special
[4:10:18] agriculture and environmental
[4:10:20] protection. And if you can see it on the
[4:10:22] screen, the black square or shape um is
[4:10:26] the permitted area for the temporary use
[4:10:29] on the property.
[4:10:32] And so the special agricultural area
[4:10:34] permits once again agricultural uses and
[4:10:37] those related uses um including home
[4:10:40] industries and a home industry use
[4:10:43] cannot include a home or sorry a motor
[4:10:46] vehicle repair shop. Um the proposed
[4:10:48] uses are also outside of the EP
[4:10:51] environmental protection area of the
[4:10:53] property.
[4:10:58] So the zoning requested um so a portion
[4:11:01] of the lands were reszoned from special
[4:11:03] agriculture to special agricultural with
[4:11:05] a temporary use. Um so it's limited to
[4:11:08] the area identified on the map. Um and
[4:11:11] it's limited to 3 years but could be
[4:11:13] extended on request which is what the
[4:11:15] applicant has done.
[4:11:20] And here is a sketch uh from the
[4:11:22] original temporary use uh proposal. Um
[4:11:27] so this is what the applicant would like
[4:11:28] to continue to use. Um so there's an
[4:11:31] existing drive shed on the property. Um
[4:11:34] and then they've proposed a parking area
[4:11:37] as well.
[4:11:44] So here is where we are in the
[4:11:46] application process. So we've received
[4:11:48] the application. um completed an initial
[4:11:51] review and deemed the application
[4:11:53] complete. Uh so we're now at the public
[4:11:55] meeting stage. Um so following this,
[4:11:58] we'll take all the information from
[4:12:00] council, from members of the public, the
[4:12:02] applicant. Um and we'll complete our
[4:12:04] review and provide a recommendation to
[4:12:06] council in a staff report. Um and it's
[4:12:09] important to note that to follow our
[4:12:12] prescribed timelines, we will be
[4:12:14] bringing an or a recommendation report
[4:12:16] to council on July 27th. Um so we ask
[4:12:20] any members of the public to provide
[4:12:22] comments um as soon as possible.
[4:12:29] So here's how to keep engaged in the
[4:12:31] process. Um so you can submit comments
[4:12:34] to planning me.ca.
[4:12:37] Um and you can also make a request in
[4:12:39] writing to planning@me.ca to be notified
[4:12:42] of the decision rendered.
[4:12:48] And so that concludes the end of the
[4:12:50] presentation. We have received some
[4:12:52] comments to date and I'll just summarize
[4:12:54] them now. Um so we have received
[4:12:56] comments from uh some members of the
[4:12:59] public. Um and they have been shared
[4:13:01] with council and will be addressed as
[4:13:03] part of the staff recommendation report.
[4:13:06] Um, and to summarize, some comments
[4:13:08] expressed concerns about the business
[4:13:09] using more of the site than permitted,
[4:13:12] operating outside of business hours, and
[4:13:14] not complying with planning policies and
[4:13:16] bylaws.
[4:13:18] Written comments were also received in
[4:13:19] support of the business and of the
[4:13:21] temporary use extension.
[4:13:24] And that's a summary of the comments
[4:13:25] received so far. Thank you.
[4:13:28] » Thank you, Helina. [clears throat] I I
[4:13:30] understand the applicant John Bolsink is
[4:13:33] present today to speak about his
[4:13:35] application. Uh John, yeah, do you want
[4:13:38] to step up to the microphone at the
[4:13:40] podium there, please?
[4:13:50] » Good evening, mayor, deputy mayor,
[4:13:52] counselors,
[4:13:53] everybody here. It's uh great to see
[4:13:56] everybody.
[4:13:58] It's been three long years,
[4:14:01] I'm not going to lie, and it hasn't been
[4:14:03] very fun. Um,
[4:14:06] I didn't think I'd be here for three
[4:14:08] years. I was promised that within these
[4:14:09] three years I'd have a new building, and
[4:14:11] it has not happened. Um,
[4:14:14] we've had some struggles. We're working
[4:14:16] with the municipality diligently to try
[4:14:18] and work through, resolve, get a
[4:14:20] resolution for the problems. Um, but in
[4:14:22] the meantime, we require a little more
[4:14:25] time. um you know
[4:14:29] so that we can move forward and get the
[4:14:31] new building built. Um
[4:14:35] yeah, it's been hard for me. We have a
[4:14:37] lot of customers, a lot of people um to
[4:14:40] try and get
[4:14:41] customer service to give the quality
[4:14:43] service that we used to have with a
[4:14:44] smaller facility, smaller um footprint,
[4:14:48] all that kind of stuff. It's been really
[4:14:50] really difficult.
[4:14:52] You know, trying to follow all the rules
[4:14:53] and trying to follow everything has has
[4:14:55] been really, you know, it's been it's
[4:14:56] been really stressful and it's been
[4:14:57] really tough, but we're making it work.
[4:15:00] Um,
[4:15:02] you know, with everybody's support and
[4:15:03] help, it's been it's been pretty good. I
[4:15:05] mean, that's why that's why we do it. So
[4:15:07] many great people in me. It's it's
[4:15:09] pretty awesome.
[4:15:11] Um,
[4:15:15] with respect to the neighbors and
[4:15:17] everything else, I've been adamant to my
[4:15:19] staff to be respectful to all the
[4:15:20] neighbors and, you know, we tried our
[4:15:24] best to keep noise down. You know,
[4:15:27] I mean, it's not always easy. I mean, my
[4:15:30] customers, [clears throat] they just
[4:15:31] drop stuff off. I have no real control
[4:15:32] of a lot of stuff. Yeah, there's a few
[4:15:34] too many vehicles there.
[4:15:36] We have purchased a new facility in
[4:15:38] Owens sound and that's probably going to
[4:15:42] take quite a bit of heat off the meford
[4:15:43] one here. We have a lot of customers
[4:15:44] that come from over in Owens sound. So
[4:15:47] we're working really hard to get that up
[4:15:49] and going. That's probably going to be
[4:15:50] open in about two weeks.
[4:15:53] Still waiting on a few things to get
[4:15:54] going there. So
[4:15:57] we definitely don't have enough room
[4:15:58] where we are and I [clears throat] have
[4:16:00] my employees and they need some room to
[4:16:02] work. You know, we we support quite a
[4:16:04] few people. We support quite a few
[4:16:09] customers and people to give them the
[4:16:10] service that they require and the
[4:16:11] service that they want. I mean, we do a
[4:16:13] lot of different service in a lot of
[4:16:15] regular shops. I mean, we do a lot of
[4:16:16] repair. We do engine rebuilds,
[4:16:17] transmission rebuilds. Therefore,
[4:16:19] turnaround times on vehicles is a little
[4:16:21] longer than most. We're not just doing
[4:16:22] replacements.
[4:16:24] Um, you know, we do a wide variety of of
[4:16:27] things. And it's it's it's tough to try
[4:16:29] and satisfy everybody. It's tough to try
[4:16:30] and satisfy.
[4:16:33] You know,
[4:16:35] we need to make money. We need to get
[4:16:36] our shop built. I mean, there's been
[4:16:38] hurdles
[4:16:40] and we're getting through them. You
[4:16:42] know, one big hurdle was, you know,
[4:16:43] everybody thought my shop my my my old
[4:16:45] shop was contaminated. It all got dug up
[4:16:47] as if it was contaminated.
[4:16:49] In the end, it wasn't contaminated.
[4:16:52] Well, there's a big issue there. Um, you
[4:16:55] know, just because things are an
[4:16:56] automotive shop doesn't mean they're
[4:16:57] contaminating everything. I mean oil's
[4:17:01] oil is not not toxic. They actually put
[4:17:03] oil in in they put petroleum and
[4:17:05] fertilizer if you can believe that and
[4:17:07] it's spread on fields, you know. So, you
[4:17:11] know, we we do our best. If we have
[4:17:13] little spills from vehicles, we clean
[4:17:14] them up. We use oil dry, dispose of it.
[4:17:18] You know, we're busy. We're busy. We're
[4:17:20] busy working. It's hard to satisfy
[4:17:21] everybody. But, you know, as far as the
[4:17:23] tires go, there's been a big change in
[4:17:25] January as far as tire pickup and
[4:17:27] recycling. the government have stopped
[4:17:29] some funding on the recycling. I spoke
[4:17:31] with Paul Vickers's MPP. He's looking
[4:17:34] into solutions for that. I spoke with
[4:17:36] the um tire recyclers and there is a new
[4:17:38] recycler coming but he won't be up and
[4:17:40] ready for a couple of months. All the
[4:17:42] shops in this area all have a backlog of
[4:17:45] tires including the municipality.
[4:17:48] So, you know, all the you know, a lot of
[4:17:50] this stuff's out of our control. You
[4:17:52] know, we can't just start jumping in
[4:17:53] ditches everywhere. And that's probably
[4:17:54] what's going to start happening if the
[4:17:56] government just doesn't start picking
[4:17:57] stuff up. I mean, everybody pays for
[4:17:59] recycling. It's not happening. But
[4:18:02] again, it's out of our control. We do
[4:18:05] our best.
[4:18:06] Um,
[4:18:11] um,
[4:18:13] yeah, I'm really hoping that when we get
[4:18:14] this new facility going, it'll take a
[4:18:16] lot of pressure off the 22 side road and
[4:18:18] maybe a lot of pressure off the off the
[4:18:19] neighbors there. Um, far as the road
[4:18:22] getting wrecked, the military uses the
[4:18:23] road now because the road across the top
[4:18:25] of the Hogsback is closed. So, the
[4:18:26] military comes around there every day.
[4:18:28] One afternoon, I count 14 military
[4:18:30] vehicles, dunk trucks, loaders,
[4:18:34] their patrol vehicles. Like, you see
[4:18:37] them all the time, you know. So, it's
[4:18:39] not just Johnny B that wrecks the road.
[4:18:42] And the road was patched up in the front
[4:18:44] of our shop before we got there. Well,
[4:18:45] it's still patched up and hasn't been
[4:18:46] patched up any further.
[4:18:49] So, I really don't feel that the whole
[4:18:52] road issue is is our fault either. Um,
[4:18:55] but yes, it's busier. So,
[4:18:59] um,
[4:19:02] yeah, I don't know. You know, I've been
[4:19:05] patient. I've been waiting. I've been
[4:19:08] We've all been doing our due diligence
[4:19:09] to try and get this thing off the
[4:19:10] ground. you know, we're struggling with
[4:19:13] there's there's there's a bunch of
[4:19:15] things that that are going on that I
[4:19:17] can't talk about here, but it'll all
[4:19:19] come together in the end, I think. And I
[4:19:21] appreciate the municipality support.
[4:19:23] Appreciate all the friends and family
[4:19:24] and everybody's support because I
[4:19:25] wouldn't be here without them. And if I
[4:19:28] didn't have this much support, I
[4:19:29] probably wouldn't even start this three
[4:19:30] years ago.
[4:19:32] But I appreciate everybody trying hard.
[4:19:34] I know it's difficult and but we'll get
[4:19:36] through it. And
[4:19:41] yeah, I'm I'm so excited to have a new
[4:19:44] shop and I think everybody else is too.
[4:19:47] Anyway, thanks everybody.
[4:19:48] » Thank you, John.
[4:19:57] » There there have been u uh
[4:19:59] pre-registrations to speak at this
[4:20:01] public meeting uh by members of the
[4:20:03] public. So, first I'm going to call to
[4:20:05] the microphone Dave and Kathy Wilcox.
[4:20:23] » Good afternoon. Can everybody hear me?
[4:20:24] Okay.
[4:20:25] » I just move the microphone down a bit.
[4:20:27] Yes. And speak right up close to it.
[4:20:29] » Good afternoon. Can everybody hear me?
[4:20:30] Okay. Now,
[4:20:31] » Good. Thank you.
[4:20:32] » Okay. I'd like to begin by
[4:20:35] introducing myself. I'm Dave Wilcox and
[4:20:37] over here to my left is my wife Kathy.
[4:20:40] We live at 245689
[4:20:43] Side Road 22 which is directly across
[4:20:45] from the subject property.
[4:20:48] We were opposed to the initial reszoning
[4:20:52] which granted Johnny bees a temporary
[4:20:55] three-year permit to operate his
[4:20:58] business across directly across the
[4:21:00] road. We are also opposed to this
[4:21:03] application for a three-year extension.
[4:21:06] Our concerns are as follows.
[4:21:09] A heavy increase in the amount of
[4:21:11] traffic on side road 22.
[4:21:14] We requested a traffic count be done 3
[4:21:18] years ago. I would like to know from the
[4:21:20] municipality if there has ever been a
[4:21:23] traffic count done.
[4:21:26] » [clears throat]
[4:21:27] » The number two issue is dangerous
[4:21:29] driving at the entrance to the business
[4:21:31] as vehicles do not stop when exiting the
[4:21:33] driveway. We've seen many near
[4:21:35] collisions there, including me twice.
[4:21:40] Speeding vehicles on side road 22. That
[4:21:43] was also an issue three years ago. It
[4:21:45] was mentioned that maybe the speed limit
[4:21:47] on the side road be reduced to 70 km an
[4:21:51] hour. I have not heard seen anything
[4:21:54] like that. I don't know that that would
[4:21:55] really fix anything because the vehicles
[4:21:58] are doing at least 100 kilometers an
[4:22:00] hour. So what difference does it make if
[4:22:03] you reduce it by 10?
[4:22:06] And uh excessive noise and car alarms at
[4:22:09] all hours. There's noise coming from
[4:22:12] that place
[4:22:14] 24 hours a day. Car alarms banging
[4:22:19] carrying on. I know Johnny has a
[4:22:20] business to look after, but he also has
[4:22:23] business hours that he's supposed to
[4:22:25] operate between. And that is very much
[4:22:27] extended. At night, if I leave my
[4:22:30] windows open, sometimes I can't sleep
[4:22:32] because all I hear is banging and car
[4:22:34] alarms.
[4:22:36] And we live in a rural area, which we
[4:22:39] don't shouldn't have to put up with.
[4:22:42] One of our my biggest concerns is
[4:22:44] contamination into the protected water
[4:22:46] course.
[4:22:48] It was mentioned years ago that water
[4:22:50] samples were going to be taken. Has
[4:22:51] council taken any or has the
[4:22:53] municipality taken any water samples to
[4:22:55] see about contamination?
[4:22:58] We've heard nothing.
[4:23:01] Decline declining property values for
[4:23:03] all the budding land owners. That's
[4:23:06] that's a huge thing. You guys extend
[4:23:09] this another three years. got six years
[4:23:12] where
[4:23:13] the the value of everybody's property, a
[4:23:15] bunning land owner's property is down.
[4:23:18] And if somebody wants to sell, well, you
[4:23:20] now you don't want to sell till after
[4:23:21] Johnny be has moved away because
[4:23:25] your land value is going to increase
[4:23:26] immensely
[4:23:29] and general [clears throat]
[4:23:30] non-compliance to all municipal bylaws.
[4:23:33] Examples of this are the number of
[4:23:36] vehicles on site in various states of
[4:23:38] repair and disrepair.
[4:23:43] » [clears throat]
[4:23:43] » They're supposed to have a maximum of 10
[4:23:45] vehicles on site.
[4:23:47] I've counted up as many as 93 on site
[4:23:52] and that's a lot more than 10. I don't
[4:23:54] know why he needs to have 93 vehicles on
[4:23:57] site in a special agricultural area and
[4:24:00] many of those vehicles are outside of
[4:24:02] the permitted area.
[4:24:07] tires being stored in properly outside.
[4:24:12] As far as I know, most people that have
[4:24:15] businesses, they have containers that
[4:24:18] the tires are stored in.
[4:24:21] There's these are just being stored
[4:24:23] outside and are
[4:24:26] an eyes sore and I've already mentioned
[4:24:29] operating outside of normal business
[4:24:31] hours.
[4:24:33] This is just a very generalized list of
[4:24:35] concerns, many of which have been what
[4:24:38] many of which were brought forward to
[4:24:39] council before the initial resoning. We
[4:24:42] are very frustrated that some of these
[4:24:44] concerns have never been dealt with by
[4:24:46] the municipality.
[4:24:48] We really feel that the municipality has
[4:24:50] dropped the ball on this subject.
[4:24:53] And in closing, we we hope the council
[4:24:58] will take some of this information
[4:25:03] into account when making their decisions
[4:25:05] on this matter. Thank you very much.
[4:25:08] » Thank you.
[4:25:10] » The uh second party to speak is Lynn
[4:25:13] Piery.
[4:25:31] My name is Lynn Piery and I'm here
[4:25:33] speaking on behalf of my husband and
[4:25:35] myself. We live right next door to
[4:25:39] Johnny Bees and Extreme Excavating.
[4:25:42] Before I address council, I would really
[4:25:44] like to
[4:25:46] talk to Mr. Bullsync, the property
[4:25:48] owner, and those who support them.
[4:25:51] Please listen to what I have to say.
[4:25:55] I would not be standing here today
[4:25:59] fighting this extension if the rules had
[4:26:02] been followed. There were restrictions
[4:26:04] set out in that temporary reasonzoning
[4:26:07] and they have just flaunted all of they
[4:26:11] obliterated the rules. Further, in
[4:26:14] addition, for the past 3 years, I've
[4:26:16] experienced an ongoing campaign of
[4:26:19] harassment and attempts to intimidate
[4:26:22] me. I served 22 years as a member of our
[4:26:25] Canadian Armed Forces. I'm not easily
[4:26:28] intim intimidated, but you can keep
[4:26:30] trying. Like this gentleman who was
[4:26:33] staring at me prior to the meeting and
[4:26:36] this gentleman who just stands right
[4:26:39] behind us.
[4:26:41] You can tell me to go back to the city.
[4:26:45] » You can dump your crap at the end of my
[4:26:48] driveway.
[4:26:58] Um, I just want to make a comment here.
[4:27:02] Um,
[4:27:04] we really want to have a a
[4:27:07] » I'm I'm just here to speak my peace,
[4:27:09] Mayor. I'm I had a really nice, very
[4:27:13] polite
[4:27:14] uh well-crafted speech written, but
[4:27:19] » This note in my mailbox, am I allowed to
[4:27:22] say what it says on here in chamber
[4:27:24] council?
[4:27:24] » I would not. No. And what I'm saying is
[4:27:27] uh I we in order to have a a a
[4:27:31] reasonable discussion of the application
[4:27:34] uh
[4:27:34] » I need to discuss the escalating and
[4:27:37] ongoing harassment.
[4:27:38] » Okay. And but can you do that in a way
[4:27:40] that you do not uh incite people to uh
[4:27:43] you know because then we're going to
[4:27:44] have a riot and not appropriate.
[4:27:47] » People have incited me. I'm here because
[4:27:52] you dump your crap at the end of my
[4:27:54] driveway. You tell me to go back to the
[4:27:56] city and call me a very nasty name.
[4:28:00] Um
[4:28:02] you honk your horn at midnight.
[4:28:06] You leave nasty notes in my mailbox. you
[4:28:08] and I'm not going to stop. So that's why
[4:28:10] I'm here because of your
[4:28:14] No, you can't. This is my turn to speak.
[4:28:18] » This is why you're hearing it, honey.
[4:28:21] This is why I'm here because of your
[4:28:24] escalating harassment and intimidations
[4:28:27] and Mr. Bullsyncs and the property
[4:28:29] owners disregard for any rules. So to
[4:28:34] Mayor Kentner,
[4:28:36] Deputy Mayor Cavini, members of the
[4:28:38] municipal staff and council, here's the
[4:28:42] nitty-gritty of what I've come to say. I
[4:28:45] have composed, but not yet sent 28
[4:28:48] emails to various county, provincial,
[4:28:51] and federal government entities and
[4:28:54] other groups. I've email I have them in
[4:28:57] my drafts. Environment ministers, health
[4:29:00] ministers, even their critics in
[4:29:02] opposition, I have 28 emails sitting
[4:29:06] there.
[4:29:11] Should you decide to extend the
[4:29:14] temporary reszoning by as much as 10
[4:29:16] minutes, I will press send on all of
[4:29:18] that and then I will submit my complaint
[4:29:21] to the Ontario Land Tribunal. I do have
[4:29:23] three other plans up my sleeve, but I
[4:29:25] don't I won't use them. I call them
[4:29:26] nuclear options, and I don't want to go
[4:29:28] scorched earth if I if I if I don't, but
[4:29:31] I will not stop. And another thing, the
[4:29:33] property in question must be cleaned up
[4:29:35] and have clean water and soil samples by
[4:29:37] midnight on November 13th. I will not
[4:29:41] stop. Thank you for your time.
[4:29:45] Thank you. Uh the next speaker is Greg
[4:29:48] Hart.
[4:29:51] Somebody
[4:29:55] gets disabled, they need to say.
[4:30:00] » Mr. Mayor, before I start, I have worked
[4:30:03] very hard on my presentation and I know
[4:30:06] that you have a fivem minute limit.
[4:30:08] » Sorry,
[4:30:08] » You have a five minute limit on
[4:30:11] presentations. If I go 30 seconds over,
[4:30:14] would you indulge me?
[4:30:16] » I for 30 seconds. Of course I would. I
[4:30:19] think we've indulged I appreciate that
[4:30:22] very much. I just wanted to make that
[4:30:23] clear first because it is a very
[4:30:26] important subject as you know.
[4:30:29] » So, Mr. Mayor, members of council, I'm
[4:30:32] here on behalf of John Bolsync to
[4:30:35] express my support for his efforts to
[4:30:38] complete the rebuilding of Johnny Bee's
[4:30:40] auto and return his business to its
[4:30:43] longtime home in Meford. Three years
[4:30:46] ago, Johnny Bee's was auto was
[4:30:48] devastated by a fire. It was a tragic
[4:30:51] day for John, his family, his employees,
[4:30:53] and our entire community. Johnny Bees
[4:30:56] has served the Meford community
[4:30:58] faithfully for many years. Earned the
[4:31:01] trust and loyalty of c of countless
[4:31:04] customers. For many of us, John was more
[4:31:07] than just a mechanic. He was someone we
[4:31:09] relied on to keep our family safely on
[4:31:12] the road. Following the fire, the
[4:31:14] community rallied around John. Council
[4:31:16] members, mayor, local businesses,
[4:31:19] residents, and surrounding communities
[4:31:21] all expressed their support and their
[4:31:23] desire to see Johnny's rebuilt. There
[4:31:26] was a shared belief that this important
[4:31:28] local business belonged to in Meford and
[4:31:31] should return as soon as possible.
[4:31:34] Unfortunately, 3 years later, that goal
[4:31:37] has still not been achieved. Johnny has
[4:31:40] invested substantial time and money into
[4:31:43] this project. Professional engineers
[4:31:45] have prepared plans. Contractors have
[4:31:48] completed work. The building
[4:31:49] foundation's been in place for over a
[4:31:51] year. Structural steel is ready to be
[4:31:54] erected. Yet another permit is still
[4:31:57] required before construction can
[4:31:59] proceed. So the question in many people
[4:32:02] in this community in their minds is
[4:32:04] simple. Why has this process taken so
[4:32:07] long? The challenge has been continuity
[4:32:11] within the building department. I'm sure
[4:32:13] over the past three years, Meford has
[4:32:15] experienced turnover in a senior
[4:32:17] administration and in building
[4:32:20] leadership. Every transition inevitably
[4:32:23] requires new staff to become familiar
[4:32:26] with existing files, reviewing
[4:32:28] preisions, and ensuring compliance with
[4:32:32] acceptable and applicable legislation.
[4:32:36] While that is understandable, act
[4:32:38] applicants should not bear the cost of
[4:32:40] unnecessary delays resulting from
[4:32:43] organizational change.
[4:32:46] Large commercial projects are complex.
[4:32:48] They often require revisions, technical
[4:32:50] reviews, and compliance with Ontario
[4:32:52] building code, and no one disputes that.
[4:32:56] However, every requested revision
[4:32:59] results in additional engineering work,
[4:33:02] additional costs, additional time. When
[4:33:04] reviews extend over months rather than
[4:33:07] weeks, these costs continue to grow.
[4:33:10] Inflation has increased construction
[4:33:12] costs dramatically over the past four
[4:33:14] years. Delays making rebuilding s uh
[4:33:17] delays make rebuilding significantly
[4:33:20] more expensive for any building builder
[4:33:23] business owner. I'm sorry. John has
[4:33:26] shown remarkable patience throughout
[4:33:28] this process. He's asked for and
[4:33:30] received council's approval to
[4:33:32] temporarily relocate his business on
[4:33:36] concession 22 so he could continue
[4:33:38] serving his customers while rebuilding
[4:33:40] was underway. At that time everyone
[4:33:43] understood this was intended to be a
[4:33:46] temporary solution not a permanent one.
[4:33:49] So today 3 years later Johnny be's auto
[4:33:52] remains in a temporary location.
[4:33:56] Why? Well, the situation affects more
[4:33:59] than one person. It affects his
[4:34:01] employees. It affects his customers. It
[4:34:03] affects the nearby residents.
[4:34:06] Every successful small business
[4:34:08] contributes jobs, tax revenue, economic
[4:34:11] activity, and community stability.
[4:34:14] Helping an established local business
[4:34:16] return to its permanent location
[4:34:18] benefits every
[4:34:20] So, I'm not here to criticize municipal
[4:34:23] staff. I recognize they have demanding
[4:34:25] jobs and must ensure every project
[4:34:28] complies with applicable legislation.
[4:34:32] But what I'm asking for is
[4:34:35] accountability,
[4:34:36] communication, and a sense of urgency.
[4:34:40] There are outstanding dis if there are
[4:34:42] outstanding deficiency, let John know
[4:34:44] exactly what they are. If additional
[4:34:46] information's required, provide a
[4:34:49] checklist. If timelines can be
[4:34:51] established, communicate them with them.
[4:34:54] Most importantly, assign someone to
[4:34:57] shepherd this file from beginning to
[4:35:00] completion so it does not continue to
[4:35:02] stall as responsibilities shift between
[4:35:05] departments or personnel or even the
[4:35:08] municipal election.
[4:35:10] Council has the opportunity to
[4:35:12] demonstrate that Meford supports local
[4:35:14] business. This is not asking about
[4:35:17] special treatment. It's about ensuring
[4:35:19] that respectful business owners who have
[4:35:22] worked in good faith for the last three
[4:35:24] years receive fair, efficient, and
[4:35:26] timely service. As we approach another
[4:35:29] municipal election, I believe residents
[4:35:31] will be watching closely to see how
[4:35:33] council supports businesses that choose
[4:35:36] to invest in our community.
[4:35:39] John's ready. The contractor's ready.
[4:35:42] His building materials are ready. His
[4:35:44] customers are waiting. Now, it's time
[4:35:47] for this approval process to move
[4:35:49] forward forward. Excuse me. I
[4:35:52] respectfully ask council to direct staff
[4:35:56] to make this project a priority,
[4:35:59] identify any remaining requirements,
[4:36:02] establish a clear path forward for
[4:36:04] permit approval, and to help bring
[4:36:07] Johnny's bees back to where it belongs
[4:36:10] in the town of Meph.
[4:36:13] Thank you for your future.
[4:36:23] The next next speaker is uh Michelle
[4:36:26] Whitmer.
[4:36:39] » Yep. Is Michelle Witmore here? Yes.
[4:36:43] Okay.
[4:36:51] Just while you're getting ready to to
[4:36:53] take the mic there, I I'm just going to
[4:36:55] share with you that uh you know, members
[4:36:58] of council and staff uh are coming to
[4:37:00] this meeting with an open mind and uh to
[4:37:02] hear from the public, both those who are
[4:37:05] in favor and those who are not. And no
[4:37:08] decision is going to be made tonight. So
[4:37:10] be aware of that, please. Uh go ahead,
[4:37:13] Michelle.
[4:37:15] Mayor, council, good afternoon. I'm
[4:37:18] Michelle Whitmore, a friend and a
[4:37:20] business associate associate of John
[4:37:23] Bullsync and of Johnny Bee's Auto. Thank
[4:37:26] you for having me here today. I wish to
[4:37:29] speak to you about hardship.
[4:37:32] Due to the fire in May of 2023, the
[4:37:35] family business known as Donnie Bees has
[4:37:38] had to deal with stress causing health
[4:37:41] issues and undue financial hardships
[4:37:44] that they have faced
[4:37:48] due to not being able to rebuild for the
[4:37:50] last three years. I would like to remind
[4:37:53] everyone that they have faced many
[4:37:55] refusals for rebuilding. They have
[4:37:58] submitted and planned on rebuilding
[4:38:01] since the day the fire happened. But due
[4:38:04] to circumstances beyond their control,
[4:38:07] they are still waiting on approval.
[4:38:10] With the generosity of a customer and a
[4:38:12] friend, a place was found for a
[4:38:14] temporary solution. With the support of
[4:38:17] the township varants, they were able to
[4:38:21] retain partial business while awaiting a
[4:38:24] building permit.
[4:38:27] They were requesting an additional
[4:38:29] variance to sustain some income for
[4:38:32] their family and employees. This
[4:38:35] variance would be for an additional 3
[4:38:37] years if accepted by council. I would
[4:38:41] like for the mayor to understand the
[4:38:43] losses are still happening to this small
[4:38:46] business. They cannot have their convict
[4:38:48] license which allows buying and selling
[4:38:51] of cars. The body shop for repairs is
[4:38:54] not available due to the temporary
[4:38:57] location. The business is struggling
[4:38:59] financially, losing approximately 50% of
[4:39:03] their business revenue. It's only
[4:39:05] covering cost. They are unable to
[4:39:08] satisfy their customers base due to so
[4:39:11] many limitations.
[4:39:14] This small business has always been
[4:39:15] compliant with rules, regulations,
[4:39:19] government policies and procedures.
[4:39:22] As with any business, they are licensed
[4:39:26] requirements.
[4:39:28] Examples are easer, which is the
[4:39:30] environmental
[4:39:32] env for used cars, drive on so they can
[4:39:36] do a safety on your car, tire
[4:39:39] stewardship,
[4:39:40] business licenses. These are all things
[4:39:44] that they have to pay and maintain with
[4:39:48] or without
[4:39:50] a solid site.
[4:39:54] There is only a temporary trailer for
[4:39:56] office space and no room to grow from
[4:39:59] this location. The bottom line is they
[4:40:02] require their new permit for rebuild or
[4:40:05] they require this location for longer
[4:40:08] term or the financial hardship will
[4:40:11] cause more tragedy than the fire itself.
[4:40:16] People will be out of work with nowhere
[4:40:18] to go. A family, a solid family in this
[4:40:23] community needs the compassion of this
[4:40:27] council to accept this as a need to this
[4:40:31] community.
[4:40:33] Thank you.
[4:40:34] » Thank you.
[4:40:41] Finally, finally, I'm [clears throat]
[4:40:42] going to call on Ken Jolly.
[4:40:52] Good evening everyone. My name is Ken
[4:40:54] Jelly and I'm here not as Johnny's
[4:40:56] friend but I'm but myself because I'm a
[4:40:59] customer and I'm a business owner and I
[4:41:01] need my mechanic.
[4:41:03] Just like thousands of other customers
[4:41:05] and other businesses rely on him. The
[4:41:07] local economy is intertwined in having a
[4:41:09] reliable vehicles to run our businesses
[4:41:12] to get to and from work. Not approving
[4:41:14] this extension has huge economic
[4:41:16] recourse with the entire community and
[4:41:19] would devastate the bullings.
[4:41:22] We all know what we are here to discuss.
[4:41:25] But do we know why? Why are the bulls
[4:41:27] still operating on side road 22? They
[4:41:30] don't want to be there. Some of the
[4:41:32] neighbors don't want them there. Their
[4:41:34] customers don't want them there. But yet
[4:41:36] they're stuck there. The bulls have done
[4:41:38] everything that they can be done not to
[4:41:41] be there. The site plan was done years
[4:41:43] ago. An engineered steel building sits
[4:41:46] on the Highway 26 site ready to be
[4:41:49] erected. And there's been and has been
[4:41:51] there for quite some time. A concrete
[4:41:53] foundation was approved. Sits ready. No
[4:41:57] building permits, no way to leave side
[4:42:00] road 22 and let the neighborhood go back
[4:42:02] to normal. So why in 3 years, 1 month,
[4:42:05] 19 days does he not have a permit? Does
[4:42:08] bureaucracy really take this long? Is a
[4:42:11] town really trying all that hard to
[4:42:12] remedy the situation? Everyone would be
[4:42:15] happier if he wasn't there. So here we
[4:42:18] are asking for an extension for the bull
[4:42:20] sinks to be where no one wants them to
[4:42:22] be, where they don't want to be. All
[4:42:25] because they are still waiting for a
[4:42:26] building permit. Now I'm aware of the
[4:42:29] say no to Johnny B petition from the
[4:42:31] neighbors who don't want the bull sinks
[4:42:33] on side 22. to the organizers of the
[4:42:36] petition. You do know the bulls are on
[4:42:38] the same you and the bulls are on the
[4:42:40] same side. You could be allies. You
[4:42:43] could be helping each other get get him
[4:42:44] back to where he should be. Have you
[4:42:47] ever asked the town why they're taking
[4:42:48] so long with the permits?
[4:42:50] I understand that temporary zoning for
[4:42:53] this property had a timeline on it. And
[4:42:55] when it was first granted, it should
[4:42:56] have been tons of time to get permits to
[4:42:59] get the build done. But with it soon
[4:43:01] expiring, it's only logical to grant an
[4:43:03] extension since the town is the only
[4:43:06] reason he is still there. The site plan
[4:43:08] done, engineered building done,
[4:43:11] foundation ready. Unfortunately, there
[4:43:13] will be a few people that don't like
[4:43:15] this decision. And yes, your your
[4:43:18] opinions matter. However, you are few
[4:43:21] and we are many that need Johnny B. He
[4:43:24] is our mechanic. He keeps several
[4:43:26] thousand people on on the road. He keeps
[4:43:29] many businesses going with without him
[4:43:31] the whole town suffers. Many businesses
[4:43:34] excuse me, I'm talking.
[4:43:40] There are many people that need Johnny
[4:43:41] B. He is our mechanic. He keeps several
[4:43:43] thousand people on the road. He keeps
[4:43:45] bis many businesses going. Without him,
[4:43:47] the whole town suffers. Many businesses
[4:43:50] will suffer. The whole community will
[4:43:51] suffer. Unfortunately, the few
[4:43:55] for the few the greater good to for the
[4:43:57] community is granting the extension.
[4:43:59] Democracy says there's only one choice.
[4:44:02] Logic says there is only one choice. So
[4:44:04] the town council, you have one choice to
[4:44:07] make. Approve the extension and the
[4:44:09] extension should remain in place until
[4:44:11] he has a permit and can move forward and
[4:44:13] get back to his place on Highway 26
[4:44:15] where everyone wants him to be. Thank
[4:44:17] you.
[4:44:29] Uh you uh Yes. Well, I did call you. Uh
[4:44:32] but anyway,
[4:44:34] » Yes. Okay. No, you go right ahead.
[4:44:45] » Hi, I'm Kathy Wilcox. to live across the
[4:44:47] road from Johnny Bees. So, my my
[4:44:51] question is,
[4:44:53] it was a three-year term. My question to
[4:44:56] everybody here that hates our guts and
[4:44:58] calls us horrible names and leaves dead
[4:45:00] things in our uh mailboxes. Um, those
[4:45:05] people, I'd like to ask when did it
[4:45:08] become aware to Johnny that this meeting
[4:45:11] was coming up? Last week or three years
[4:45:14] ago? because he's had a lot of
[4:45:16] opportunity to make some actions to
[4:45:19] assist himself in that interim. He knew
[4:45:22] these permits were being denied. Well,
[4:45:24] what did he do a year ago when they were
[4:45:26] being denied? Anything? No, he just
[4:45:28] waited for today. Right.
[4:45:32] So,
[4:45:34] my my concerns are I see
[4:45:38] um so many people walking up and down
[4:45:43] the side road. Um
[4:45:46] they're walking. They're they're coming
[4:45:48] to a halt. There was there were people
[4:45:50] three people on the road the other night
[4:45:52] and a woman screaming at her children to
[4:45:54] stop because they were coming and
[4:45:56] someone's flying out of Johnny Bees. And
[4:45:58] John, it's not you that's doing the
[4:46:00] driving. I'm not saying that. But there
[4:46:03] people are asking for respect. But what
[4:46:05] about us?
[4:46:07] What about any health issues that we
[4:46:08] have? What about our what about our
[4:46:11] hardships that we have? our health, our
[4:46:13] finances, every like we don't feel hor
[4:46:16] this is a horrible situation for
[4:46:18] everyone to be in. And if you refer back
[4:46:20] to three years ago, I said this and
[4:46:23] stressed it that it was an is a
[4:46:24] situation for council and it still is.
[4:46:28] So, we're not here screwing around with
[4:46:30] anybody. And we're not hoping somebody
[4:46:31] does that to us, but there is dog
[4:46:35] and and a dead bird left in my mailbox.
[4:46:38] And my poor neighbor here with the most
[4:46:40] recent spelling of C go back to Toronto
[4:46:44] on a on a slip of paper that my husband
[4:46:46] and I delivered to everybody's mailboxes
[4:46:48] to say, "Come and help us out." because
[4:46:51] there were walkers and joggers and
[4:46:52] bikers and hikers and kids on um ATVs
[4:46:56] and golf carts and I was almost struck
[4:47:00] three times in front of my mailbox in
[4:47:03] the same day right there. So, I don't
[4:47:07] know what else to say. We're not trying
[4:47:08] to pick on anyone and just like stop the
[4:47:11] nonsense going on across the road from
[4:47:13] us. This is horrible for all of us.
[4:47:15] Everybody has health issues. Everybody
[4:47:17] has their finances.
[4:47:19] Nobody feels like anyone's being
[4:47:22] horrible except I would say
[4:47:25] the posi that showed up three years ago
[4:47:28] and those of which the posi are here
[4:47:29] again. Some of you know some of you are
[4:47:32] great to deal with others it's just a
[4:47:34] lynch mob and as the mayor said earlier
[4:47:37] if it doesn't settle down it's going to
[4:47:38] become that and I also am not afraid and
[4:47:42] intimidated. So if you're going to pull
[4:47:45] that nonsense, Lynn has and her husband
[4:47:47] have my support as well as my husband's.
[4:47:50] So we're on speed doll for each other.
[4:47:52] Something happens, I'll be over. And so
[4:47:55] my husband and our little itty bitty dog
[4:47:58] who who now has to be fearful of a huge
[4:48:01] Rottweiler that was across the road from
[4:48:04] Johnny Bees the other night. And I don't
[4:48:06] know why the man was there. I asked him
[4:48:09] what he was getting paid because my
[4:48:10] suspicions were he was hired as security
[4:48:13] because I've never seen the man or that
[4:48:15] dog ever before. So now there's OP
[4:48:18] involve it. And and at the OP showed up
[4:48:21] and said, "Oh, um um by the way, um you
[4:48:26] told them you're not a police or you're
[4:48:27] a police officer." Said, "Yes, I am."
[4:48:30] Well, no, you're retired. I said, "No,
[4:48:31] somehow I missed my party. So I am an
[4:48:34] active officer. So, anybody in case you
[4:48:36] need me at any point. So, I'll be there
[4:48:38] to assist Lynn as well for any issues in
[4:48:41] that regard. Um, and if she needs any
[4:48:44] protection, I'll be there before
[4:48:45] probably my brothers in blue show up.
[4:48:47] But I don't know what else to say other
[4:48:49] than John. I really feel bad for you. I
[4:48:51] just really do. So, I thank you.
[4:48:57] It's uh my uh duty to also inquire if
[4:49:00] there's anyone who didn't pre-register
[4:49:02] who would like to uh take the microphone
[4:49:05] and uh uh state their views.
[4:49:09] Go ahead.
[4:49:11] » Please, please give us your name and
[4:49:14] address. And
[4:49:15] » Absolutely. Hi, my name is Tim Wallace.
[4:49:17] Uh me and my beautiful wife moved here
[4:49:20] recently uh about a year and a half ago
[4:49:23] and we came under the worst thing
[4:49:26] possible obviously car trouble and I
[4:49:29] know there's a lot of tensions high. I
[4:49:31] know a lot of people care and I think
[4:49:33] there's a lot of passion and I think
[4:49:36] there's passion because there's a good
[4:49:37] man over here. There's a guy who is the
[4:49:41] reason I've been able to work feed my
[4:49:44] family. I've seen him put roofs over
[4:49:47] people's houses. I've seen him jump
[4:49:49] through hoops with you guys and with
[4:49:52] everybody else. And it's always for the
[4:49:54] good.
[4:49:56] And so all I ask here is let's let's put
[4:50:00] the shame aside. Let's let's put away
[4:50:04] whatever we're holding in that has
[4:50:06] stopped
[4:50:08] whatever silly building permits stops a
[4:50:11] man that does this much good for a
[4:50:13] community.
[4:50:15] I I can't believe paper gets in the way
[4:50:17] of that. And I know there's some good
[4:50:20] shops around,
[4:50:23] but the amount of lengths he's gone
[4:50:25] through in the trouble he's been
[4:50:27] through, I I couldn't ask more. Please,
[4:50:31] please give him his permits. Please let
[4:50:33] him keep working cuz it's
[4:50:36] people around here trying to get by.
[4:50:45] What I what I can say is that this
[4:50:47] meeting is not about his permit. It is
[4:50:49] about uh the application uh to extend
[4:50:52] the uh the uh use of the uh the land.
[4:50:56] But I I will ask CIO ever, do you wish
[4:51:00] to respond to the concerns about the
[4:51:02] permit at all? Is there anything you can
[4:51:04] say tonight?
[4:51:06] » Uh through you, Mr. Mayor. Um, as far as
[4:51:08] the permit, I believe that that is with
[4:51:10] the uh the planning department as well
[4:51:12] as the building department. Um, and that
[4:51:14] process is underway and has been for
[4:51:16] quite some time. So,
[4:51:18] » Okay.
[4:51:20] Uh, I have to ask um council if uh you
[4:51:24] have any questions uh for anyone.
[4:51:28] Sorry. Oh, did you do you wish to speak?
[4:51:32] » I I do.
[4:51:33] » Please go ahead. Please go ahead. I'm
[4:51:35] sorry. I I thought I had everyone who
[4:51:36] had registered or and asked for anyone
[4:51:38] who hadn't.
[4:51:40] » Thank you, Mr. Mayor and Council. My
[4:51:42] name is John Greer. I'm a former
[4:51:45] resident of Neford. Uh several people in
[4:51:49] the chamber here know me. I've known me
[4:51:51] since my family moved here in 2016.
[4:51:56] Um, I I have to say that I'm a car guy
[4:52:01] and people come to me for guidance and
[4:52:03] advice, including my family and friends.
[4:52:06] Um, I have recommended and people have
[4:52:10] come and had service performed at the
[4:52:13] former location and also at the current
[4:52:16] location
[4:52:17] and they come from downtown Toronto to
[4:52:22] get work done here. There is a reason
[4:52:26] why after having the tragic loss of that
[4:52:30] facility that people continue to seek
[4:52:33] out Johnny B and his cadre of mechanics
[4:52:39] and it's because there's tremendous
[4:52:41] value but there's also someone mentioned
[4:52:45] it a sense of urgency.
[4:52:48] As I sat here and listened, I thought
[4:52:51] about what my wife experienced in
[4:52:53] December. Ice storm,
[4:52:57] an infant, a four-year-old, our
[4:53:00] daughter,
[4:53:01] and my wife in her vehicle, and the
[4:53:05] driver's window goes down and won't go
[4:53:08] back up.
[4:53:10] on the way to the airport.
[4:53:14] Imagine her horror having to deal with
[4:53:18] that. And the infant was 4 months old.
[4:53:23] Turn around.
[4:53:25] Go to Jollibee's.
[4:53:27] He stopped everything he was doing.
[4:53:30] Disassembled the door. Took the window
[4:53:33] out. Broken cables inside. clamped it
[4:53:37] all in with uh a pair of vice grips and
[4:53:41] in less than 20 minutes my wife is on
[4:53:43] her way and still adept.
[4:53:48] I support the business regardless of
[4:53:52] where it's located. I'd love to see him
[4:53:54] be able to pursue the growth of the
[4:53:57] business. But I have to tell you, if you
[4:54:00] don't already know,
[4:54:02] the service he provides, like many other
[4:54:05] services in the town of Meford,
[4:54:08] it's a metaphor for why I came here.
[4:54:14] This is a fabulous community and I hope
[4:54:16] you make a decision to continue to
[4:54:19] support a business like John's. And
[4:54:23] while I'm here, I want to say
[4:54:25] congratulations to you on making that
[4:54:29] new newly renovated park down by the
[4:54:32] harbor. You've got some really happy
[4:54:34] campers down there. That's a great
[4:54:36] decision to do that. So, good on you.
[4:54:39] » Could Could we get your name before you
[4:54:40] leave the microphone? I don't think we
[4:54:42] got it there.
[4:54:42] » John Greer. Oh, yeah. I live in
[4:54:44] Thornbury now.
[4:54:46] » Thank you, John. Thank you.
[4:54:53] So, members of council, do you have
[4:54:55] questions of anyone?
[4:54:59] » Oh, okay.
[4:55:01] » I'll be I'll be
[4:55:04] » Um I'm Andrea Wallace. That would be
[4:55:06] wife to Timothy Wallace that spoke
[4:55:08] earlier. We are fairly new to me, so a
[4:55:11] lot of the hubbhub we haven't heard
[4:55:13] about and just coming into it now. Um, I
[4:55:17] wanted to speak to you on my side of
[4:55:20] things where really I just stay at home
[4:55:22] with the kids, but very much my vehicle
[4:55:25] is almost like a third person in my
[4:55:28] marriage. If that vehicle isn't working,
[4:55:32] my family with my three kids can't be
[4:55:35] successful. I really can't do what I
[4:55:37] need to do with them at home if he is
[4:55:39] not providing financially what I need to
[4:55:41] do it. Um, not only that, we have had so
[4:55:45] many vehicle troubles, countless since
[4:55:47] we've been here. And the effect that
[4:55:49] that has on my family
[4:55:52] and our like not only financially, but
[4:55:55] our mindset when our vehicle isn't
[4:55:57] working, knowing that we're going to
[4:55:58] struggle to provide is something that if
[4:56:01] you haven't gone through it, I can't
[4:56:02] explain to you. It is terrifying. But
[4:56:06] one thing that has been saving during
[4:56:08] all of that is the relationship that my
[4:56:09] husband built with Johnny Bees in such a
[4:56:12] short period of time. Um, he is able to
[4:56:15] take his vehicle there. He is able to
[4:56:17] get peace of mind even without getting
[4:56:19] his vehicle fixed that day and be able
[4:56:22] to come home and have a successful night
[4:56:24] with the family. That is so so so
[4:56:27] important to me. If that is gone, if
[4:56:28] that is lost, I will not have that. I
[4:56:31] might have to consider leaving. In terms
[4:56:34] of the res residence, I am a mom at home
[4:56:36] with my kids all day. I can only imagine
[4:56:38] how annoying that can be for you. I
[4:56:40] think that the best force of all of that
[4:56:44] anger and all of that ability that you
[4:56:47] guys have down that on that street
[4:56:49] should be put into putting him where he
[4:56:51] wants to be and where you don't want him
[4:56:53] to be. Nobody wants him to be there. I
[4:56:56] don't care personally because I don't
[4:56:57] live there, but I can understand how
[4:56:59] that can really, really affect you. And
[4:57:02] I see how much power is down on that
[4:57:05] street to make change happen. I think if
[4:57:08] you can think realistically
[4:57:11] a little peaceful that maybe together
[4:57:15] something better can happen. Um, while
[4:57:19] you're thinking about that, obviously
[4:57:21] you guys are all going to get really
[4:57:22] really angry at uh 10 cars being above,
[4:57:26] but think about [clears throat] it from
[4:57:28] again a realistic standpoint. That is
[4:57:30] not possible. When was the last time you
[4:57:31] went to a successful auto shop with less
[4:57:33] than 10 cars there?
[4:57:36] » The restriction went.
[4:57:39] » I appreciate you for that comment. Thank
[4:57:42] you again. We would still have that
[4:57:44] fight if there were 11 there. So again,
[4:57:48] I applaud their success and their
[4:57:50] ability to have those cars. I know that
[4:57:52] some of the parts that have come from my
[4:57:55] car at cheaper rates have been from some
[4:57:57] of those sitting cars and I appreciate
[4:58:00] that because those rates are coming out
[4:58:02] at a price that I I can afford anything
[4:58:04] else. I cannot afford it. I cannot I
[4:58:07] cannot survive. So please let Johnny be
[4:58:11] stay. And I think someone mentioned
[4:58:14] before, let him stay and continue the
[4:58:17] fight to go back. That's what he's
[4:58:19] trying to do. He's not fighting to stay.
[4:58:22] Let him stay so he can continue to fight
[4:58:26] to go back and be out of your hair. And
[4:58:30] I'm sorry that the people are putting
[4:58:32] things in your mailbox. We all know
[4:58:33] that's not John Lee's. I would hate for
[4:58:36] people to be upset about things that if
[4:58:38] I was I run a small day home, so I've
[4:58:41] got kids running through. If those kids
[4:58:44] in my care were doing terrible, terrible
[4:58:46] things, I would hate to be held
[4:58:48] personally accountable for it.
[4:58:51] » Can we just get your name for the
[4:58:52] record?
[4:58:53] » Oh, Andrea. Andrea Wallace.
[4:58:54] » Okay. Thank you.
[4:58:55] » Andrea Wallace.
[4:58:56] » Thank you.
[4:59:03] So, we're just a few minutes away from
[4:59:05] six o'clock. So, I'm going to ask, is
[4:59:06] there anyone else in the gallery that
[4:59:08] would like to speak to the uh matter?
[4:59:13] speak now or forever hold your peace.
[4:59:16] Uh, okay. Uh, council, uh, do we have
[4:59:19] questions? Uh, deputy mayor.
[4:59:22] » Uh, thank you, Mr. Mayor. I do have a
[4:59:24] question and I I will get to it, but I
[4:59:25] just want to start by thanking everyone
[4:59:28] for being here. I know this is a very
[4:59:30] emotional issue and as council we are
[4:59:33] grateful to hear all of your comments
[4:59:35] and to allow us to have that information
[4:59:37] as we go forward with a decision on this
[4:59:40] extension. But I think I can speak for
[4:59:43] all of us in saying that May 25th, 3
[4:59:46] years ago, was a devastating day in this
[4:59:48] community when that fire happened. It
[4:59:50] was it was horrible and everybody's
[4:59:53] heart went out to John and his family
[4:59:55] and and it was just an awful thing that
[4:59:58] happened and and the people that were
[5:00:00] working in the shop and depended on the
[5:00:02] shop for their livelihoods and the
[5:00:04] people whose cars were there and lost
[5:00:05] their cars and and just so many terrible
[5:00:08] things that were a result of that fire.
[5:00:10] So, just know [clears throat] that that
[5:00:12] is a day that will never be forgotten in
[5:00:14] this community. But I just um wanted to
[5:00:18] come back and ask John a question if I
[5:00:20] may, Mr. Mayor. Um John, you mentioned
[5:00:23] Would you Is it okay if I ask John to
[5:00:25] come back to the podium?
[5:00:26] » Yes.
[5:00:27] » Yes.
[5:00:33] Thank you, John. Um when you first
[5:00:35] spoke, you mentioned about buying a
[5:00:37] property in Owens Sound.
[5:00:39] » Yes. And I'm wondering if you could give
[5:00:40] council and everyone present a little
[5:00:43] bit more clarity about because we we've
[5:00:46] heard about the number of cars on the
[5:00:47] lot and we understand that that is a
[5:00:50] concern for the for the neighbors. Can
[5:00:52] you share with us in your mind as you
[5:00:55] work through the process of moving a
[5:00:56] piece of your business to Owens Sound
[5:00:59] what impact that is likely to have on
[5:01:01] the number of cars remaining on your lot
[5:01:03] going forward?
[5:01:05] » Um yes, we purchased the property in
[5:01:07] Owens Sound. Um therefore we can um the
[5:01:11] idea was to get our business back up and
[5:01:13] running maybe closer to its full
[5:01:15] potential and not um have backlog here
[5:01:18] at the shop in Weepford. Um
[5:01:21] it's the only way to you know really try
[5:01:24] to deal with things we you know to some
[5:01:25] of the vehicles that we need to work on.
[5:01:26] It's tough to do in the shop that we're
[5:01:28] at now and you know I mean customers
[5:01:30] have been very patient this and that and
[5:01:32] all those vehicles there aren't mine. Um
[5:01:35] some of them are related to the farm
[5:01:36] that's there. this and that. So, you
[5:01:38] know, there's there's a few vehicles,
[5:01:40] whatever, but probably a fair a fair
[5:01:43] amount uh we're thinking probably like,
[5:01:45] you know, maybe 50% of it is going to go
[5:01:47] to sound.
[5:01:50] You know, we have employees there.
[5:01:52] That's a six bay shop there. Um we'll be
[5:01:54] able to do the turnaround times a lot
[5:01:55] better there than we can here. Um and
[5:01:57] that was the whole idea behind it, just
[5:01:59] so we can service our customers a little
[5:02:00] bit better. And we have quite a few
[5:02:02] customers that are kind of living over
[5:02:04] that way and they're ecstatic about
[5:02:05] that. They don't have to come so far
[5:02:06] now. So, it's good.
[5:02:09] Yeah, we're just in the process of
[5:02:10] fixing that that place up and giving it
[5:02:12] a nice facelift and uh you know, we're
[5:02:14] doing a lot. It's going to look really
[5:02:16] good and uh yeah, we'll be able to carry
[5:02:19] uh carry a fair chunk of the business
[5:02:21] over there. Okay. Councelor Yuri,
[5:02:26] » Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I'll echo Deputy
[5:02:28] Mayor and thank everyone for coming out.
[5:02:30] Obviously, contentious issues
[5:02:33] bring emotions and not not a lot of fun.
[5:02:37] So, just a question and a comment. The
[5:02:40] question is, so if permits were go, you
[5:02:44] were ready to go. Yeah.
[5:02:45] » How long would it take you to actually
[5:02:49] be back in your old location?
[5:02:52] » One year.
[5:02:52] » It would take you one year
[5:02:53] » To build it. Maybe a little less.
[5:02:55] » Okay. Thank you. All my contractors have
[5:02:57] been very good. They're ready to rock
[5:02:59] and roll and they said they'll work
[5:03:01] exceptionally hard. I mean, the
[5:03:02] foundation's in that that that part was
[5:03:04] the hard part. Um, that's in there. The
[5:03:07] metal building's ready. Everything's
[5:03:08] ready. If we get the go-ahad, it could
[5:03:10] happen very quick.
[5:03:11] » Good. And I just the comment is I just
[5:03:14] I'm sorry if there's any reflection on
[5:03:16] you sort of some of the stuff that's
[5:03:18] happening that's super superfluous
[5:03:20] because any h any and and again people
[5:03:23] could disagree, but there shouldn't be
[5:03:24] the harassment. There shouldn't be
[5:03:27] literally things happening that sound
[5:03:29] like they're happening. And I know it's
[5:03:31] not you. And I I hope that people can be
[5:03:34] a little bit more respectful cuz we all
[5:03:36] want to see you get back to where you
[5:03:38] should be. And there are ways to do that
[5:03:40] without um being less than professional.
[5:03:43] » Yep. 100%. No, we always try to be 100%
[5:03:45] professional. I tell my staff to do that
[5:03:46] as well. And um that's all I can ask
[5:03:49] for. Thank you very much. Anyone else on
[5:03:53] council wish to ask John anything?
[5:03:58] » Okay. Well, uh, thank you again, John.
[5:04:00] » Thank you. Um,
[5:04:04] » I want to thank everyone for attending
[5:04:05] this meeting and sharing your thoughts
[5:04:07] on this application. This matter will
[5:04:09] now be referred back to development
[5:04:11] services to follow up on any additional
[5:04:14] information required from the applicant
[5:04:16] based on the matters that were raised
[5:04:18] tonight.
[5:04:19] Once staff are satisfied that they have
[5:04:21] all the necessary information needed to
[5:04:23] provide a recommendation on the
[5:04:25] applications, a detailed planning report
[5:04:27] will be brought back to council to
[5:04:29] assist us in our decision-making. This
[5:04:31] report will evaluate how the proposal
[5:04:34] does or does not satisfy the provincial,
[5:04:37] county, and municipal policies that must
[5:04:39] be considered as part of council's
[5:04:41] decision. It will also explore the
[5:04:44] various public and agency comments
[5:04:46] received regarding the application.
[5:04:48] noting those tools which may be applied
[5:04:50] in order to address concerns raised and
[5:04:52] to mitigate potential impacts on nearby
[5:04:55] properties.
[5:04:57] And I just want to remind you if you
[5:04:59] would like to receive notice uh of a
[5:05:02] future decision on this file, please
[5:05:04] provide your uh contact information to
[5:05:07] the planning services division by email
[5:05:10] and the address is planning meford.ca.
[5:05:13] That's all lowercase planning meford.ca.
[5:05:17] And with that, again, thank you for your
[5:05:20] attendance. Thank you for uh allowing us
[5:05:22] to have a a civil conversation. And I'll
[5:05:25] declare this meeting adjourned.
[5:17:27] Well, good evening everyone. We're uh
[5:17:29] back in session. Uh we had our 5:00 uh
[5:17:33] public planning meeting with an
[5:17:35] absolutely uh packed gallery and uh
[5:17:38] we've concluded that and uh so we're
[5:17:41] going to resume um our council meeting
[5:17:44] and uh finish it.
[5:17:48] But first I have to
[5:17:50] find where we left off. So just give me
[5:17:52] one second.
[5:18:08] So uh on the agenda we are on uh item 11
[5:18:11] councelor motions. Is there any notice
[5:18:14] of motion tonight?
[5:18:17] Uh okay as uh we have one motion for
[5:18:20] decision and uh it's h by councelor
[5:18:24] Greenfield. Would you like to uh present
[5:18:27] your motion?
[5:18:40] » All right. Yes, your worship. Thank you.
[5:18:43] I would like to move the motion.
[5:18:46] » Yeah. And so if you read it and we'll
[5:18:48] get a second for it. Is that all right?
[5:18:50] Is that the order of uh
[5:19:00] » Yes.
[5:19:01] Yes. I I will move it, but I can't
[5:19:05] present it until I get a secondary. Can
[5:19:07] I?
[5:19:07] » No, I think you can present it and then
[5:19:09] we get a second for further motion.
[5:19:11] Nobody may second it.
[5:19:14] So,
[5:19:15] » Thank uh yes. Uh I'll read it. Uh the
[5:19:18] worship. Um
[5:19:21] uh whereas the council of Miss Pyford
[5:19:24] appreciate the presentation of June
[5:19:26] 22nd, 2026 by the Escarment Corridor
[5:19:29] Alliance and the suggestions expressed.
[5:19:32] Therefore, be it resolved that council
[5:19:34] recognizes the importance of broad
[5:19:37] ecological connectivity
[5:19:40] as a foundation of resilient growth,
[5:19:43] ecosystem services, and climate
[5:19:45] resilience. And the council acknowledges
[5:19:48] that land within the municipality
[5:19:51] form part of an emerging and connected
[5:19:54] ecological corridor across the southern
[5:19:57] Georgia Bay region and that the
[5:20:00] municipality continue to promote natural
[5:20:04] heritage preservation
[5:20:06] and protect the municipality's
[5:20:08] ecological systems through its decisions
[5:20:11] on land use, conservation, development
[5:20:15] and infrastructure. ure matters in
[5:20:18] accordance with our own mefort official
[5:20:21] plan.
[5:20:23] » Is there a second for the motion? Uh,
[5:20:27] councelor Yuring. Thank you.
[5:20:29] » U, do you want to speak to it? Uh,
[5:20:31] councelor Greenfield.
[5:20:33] » Well, thanks. Uh,
[5:20:35] hopefully it's fairly self-explanatory.
[5:20:38] Um, I just want to mention that people
[5:20:41] who live here, whether they've been here
[5:20:44] for a long time or a short time, uh,
[5:20:47] visitors, uh, uh, regardless often say
[5:20:51] they're attracted by our natural
[5:20:53] surroundings, our natural beauty. uh
[5:20:56] Georgia Bay, the uh many hills, valleys,
[5:21:01] and uh many of the hills in our
[5:21:03] municipality
[5:21:05] are shaped around uh the Niagara
[5:21:08] Escarment.
[5:21:10] I uh I didn't realize that the Niagara
[5:21:14] scarment starts near Rochester, New
[5:21:16] York, and goes up through Ontario,
[5:21:20] [clears throat]
[5:21:21] dips down below the water at Tuba Murray
[5:21:25] at the end of the Bruce, and then comes
[5:21:27] up again, goes across Manatulan Island
[5:21:29] to Sue St.
[5:21:31] goes westward through northern Michigan
[5:21:35] and then [clears throat]
[5:21:37] starts to cut back down south near Green
[5:21:40] Bay, Wisconsin. It actually terminates
[5:21:44] not that far north of the city of
[5:21:46] Chicago. So, it's a it it's quite a
[5:21:50] quite a structure. Um I it's been with
[5:21:54] us for over 400 and some million years
[5:21:57] and uh I'm hoping we can u maintain it
[5:22:00] for that many more. So I I like to think
[5:22:03] that the municipality meford will do its
[5:22:06] part in protecting and preserving this
[5:22:09] uh this ecological beauty that uh that
[5:22:13] we have with us. Thank you.
[5:22:16] » Any uh questions? [clears throat] Uh or
[5:22:18] I'm just going to call a vote then. All
[5:22:20] in favor? Oh, sorry.
[5:22:22] Sorry about that. Um yeah, through you,
[5:22:24] Mr. Mayor. Thank you. Um
[5:22:27] Harley, I was wondering
[5:22:29] um just thinking kind of through the
[5:22:32] course of today how to um
[5:22:36] maybe give this a little more teeth. Um,
[5:22:39] and a thought that popped into my head
[5:22:41] while um just kind of going through the
[5:22:43] day today was to add um another uh that
[5:22:49] line um that basically uh direct staff
[5:22:54] to include uh a natural heritage impacts
[5:22:58] section on staff reports. Um because
[5:23:01] that way I think that could help us
[5:23:03] contextualize all of our future
[5:23:05] decision-m. we do financial impacts and
[5:23:07] then it it at least gives us the
[5:23:09] opportunity to consider what the natural
[5:23:11] heritage impacts are um of um decisions
[5:23:15] that we're making. Um and I don't know
[5:23:18] if that's something that would best fit
[5:23:19] in a motion like this or perhaps in some
[5:23:23] other uh motion or or bylaw, but um I'd
[5:23:28] just like to hear your thoughts on that
[5:23:29] as a way to implement it.
[5:23:34] I'm not opposed to having that uh uh
[5:23:37] additional clause.
[5:23:41] » And are you going to speak to the the
[5:23:45] site or second it? Go ahead then.
[5:23:47] Councelor Bell.
[5:23:50] » Thanks to uh Councelor Greenfield. So
[5:23:53] the um the group that's been formed
[5:23:55] fairly recently and uh do you know what
[5:23:59] they do with the farmland that they get?
[5:24:02] Do they take it out of production just
[5:24:03] to turn it into
[5:24:05] natural environment or do they allow
[5:24:07] agriculture to continue? Do you know?
[5:24:13] I as I understand their
[5:24:18] their direction is to work with
[5:24:20] agriculture to
[5:24:23] be more pro
[5:24:29] not as not just protective but more more
[5:24:32] preservation for egg lands. uh to uh
[5:24:39] help
[5:24:41] influence
[5:24:44] how agricultural production can continue
[5:24:47] successfully
[5:24:49] uh and and and protect the the
[5:24:53] environment also. Now I I I don't think
[5:24:59] they're anti- fertilizer or anti-spray.
[5:25:04] I don't think that's the type of thing
[5:25:06] they're into, but I think they're just
[5:25:08] more into uh um
[5:25:13] you know, new new initiatives and uh uh
[5:25:19] I mean there's new stuff out there in
[5:25:21] agriculture all the time, too. New uh
[5:25:24] new ideas, new incentives. And I think
[5:25:27] that's what they're uh I think that's
[5:25:29] what they're uh looking for. I I don't
[5:25:33] think they're looking to take uh
[5:25:37] 20 20 hectares of protective soybean
[5:25:41] corn producing
[5:25:43] uh land and planted in trees. uh if if
[5:25:49] indeed there was
[5:25:52] uh I guess the owner of that property
[5:25:55] no longer wanted to produce agriculture
[5:25:58] products, they'd be interested in in an
[5:26:01] alternative. But I I I don't see that.
[5:26:06] Um
[5:26:07] give me quite like I I'm not a member of
[5:26:11] the advocacy group. I can only kind of
[5:26:14] relate what what I've read about them.
[5:26:17] But u
[5:26:20] uh I think in today's world where we're
[5:26:25] losing 320 acres of agricultural land a
[5:26:29] day, the last thing we want to do is
[5:26:33] restrict egg practices.
[5:26:37] My opinion. Uh can I just ask if I
[5:26:40] [clears throat] may because I missed the
[5:26:41] presentation uh personally but I thought
[5:26:43] this had to do partly with um um
[5:26:47] maintaining uh the corridors that are
[5:26:50] used by wildlife.
[5:26:52] Is that a different organization?
[5:26:56] » Um yeah, I can I can speak to that just
[5:26:58] um having had like past interactions
[5:27:00] with the organization though not a
[5:27:02] member. Um so there's kind of two
[5:27:05] organizations that are operating in our
[5:27:06] area that have very similar names.
[5:27:07] There's the Escarpment Biosphere
[5:27:09] Conservancy and the Escarpment Corridor
[5:27:11] Alliance. This one being the Escort
[5:27:12] Escarment Corridor Alliance. Um, and
[5:27:16] kind of similarly, they um kind of uh
[5:27:19] look at things as a as a land
[5:27:20] conservancy and they do own land and
[5:27:22] have greater degrees of protections uh
[5:27:25] on the land that they own. Uh but they
[5:27:28] sort of their main drive is to uh
[5:27:31] basically um try to map out areas of
[5:27:35] protected land, whether it's land they
[5:27:37] own themselves or a municipality owns or
[5:27:39] it's already um a conservation area or
[5:27:42] something like that. And while those
[5:27:45] individual pockets of land are useful
[5:27:47] for wildlife um and other forms of
[5:27:50] natural [snorts] heritage, uh they their
[5:27:53] function for wildlife is limited unless
[5:27:56] they are connected to other protected
[5:27:59] areas. Uh because if deer deer in the
[5:28:02] whole area are going to do well, they're
[5:28:04] going to move between uh different
[5:28:06] conservation areas, but they need a way
[5:28:08] to get there. Uh and so that's what this
[5:28:10] organization is looking at. So that
[5:28:12] might be okay well if you know we're
[5:28:14] redeveloping something how can we make
[5:28:15] sure that there uh you know is preserved
[5:28:17] wood lot at the back so that animals can
[5:28:19] still continue to move across it or if
[5:28:22] uh you're uh you know redesigning or or
[5:28:26] working um uh agricultural land how do
[5:28:29] you keep your uh hedro uh in good
[5:28:32] condition and you know maybe consider
[5:28:34] not getting rid of it so that there
[5:28:36] continues to be corridors and channels
[5:28:38] for wildlife to move through. Uh and
[5:28:40] that's sort of the biggest sort of
[5:28:42] conceptual uh goal uh is I've understood
[5:28:45] it directly from uh the CEO
[5:28:49] » Councelor Yurig.
[5:28:51] » Thank you Mr. Mayor. Um well councelor
[5:28:54] Anders I agree in principle with your
[5:28:56] additional that um my question I guess
[5:28:59] is and probably to the CEO is um are we
[5:29:03] equipped to do that? uh because at the
[5:29:05] end of the day uh a lot of the
[5:29:07] environmental processes are specialized
[5:29:10] uh and I just want to make sure that if
[5:29:12] we're going to do something like that,
[5:29:14] how does that impact staff a workload b
[5:29:18] cost? Because if we're now having to go
[5:29:20] out and get consultants to do and maybe
[5:29:23] rubber stamp everything that's kind of
[5:29:24] happening in conjunction with that, that
[5:29:27] puts a different wrinkle on it. So I'll
[5:29:29] kind of leave that one to uh Mr. Ever.
[5:29:33] » Yes. Do you Mr. Mayor to council York, I
[5:29:35] would agree. And it's not so much the
[5:29:39] resourcing. I would say we we want to be
[5:29:42] careful of having those types of headers
[5:29:46] within our reports and presupposing the
[5:29:50] planning process, right? Because the
[5:29:52] planning process is going to require
[5:29:55] potentially a natural heritage study. So
[5:30:00] if that's going to be part of the
[5:30:01] process, I think there's ways that we
[5:30:03] can strengthen that requirement. But um
[5:30:07] I would be it would be worrisome for me
[5:30:09] to think that every report's going to
[5:30:12] have it. We can we can identify it as
[5:30:15] yeah we think that there there may be
[5:30:18] some natural impact or but I think the
[5:30:21] planning process is the process that
[5:30:25] directs that and quite frankly puts the
[5:30:28] cost on the applicant to do that study
[5:30:32] because it's not something that the
[5:30:34] municipality should have to bear the
[5:30:37] cost of on behalf of the taxpayers when
[5:30:40] the planning process would actually have
[5:30:41] the applicant
[5:30:44] get that consultant to do that work as
[5:30:46] part of their application.
[5:30:49] » Councelor Bell.
[5:30:51] » Thank you again, Mr. Mayor. So, that's
[5:30:52] my major concern.
[5:30:55] You have uh property and your neighbors
[5:30:57] got property and you have things that
[5:30:59] are transpiring and wildlife that are
[5:31:01] moving and then all of a sudden you come
[5:31:03] in and you want to do a building
[5:31:04] somewhere and put a shed up for house
[5:31:07] your combine and then you find out that
[5:31:10] somebody somewhere else who doesn't even
[5:31:12] live here has made a decree on your
[5:31:13] property has got a listing on it that
[5:31:15] you can't even do anything with it. The
[5:31:17] prime example of that is Anancy. All of
[5:31:20] a sudden you go and you make an
[5:31:21] application. You find out that somebody
[5:31:23] down in Toronto has set a computer
[5:31:26] screen, multiplied things up and said,
[5:31:28] "Oh, gee, look at that. That'd be a
[5:31:30] great thing. They'll make you a Nancy
[5:31:31] and you can't even do anything. It's
[5:31:32] your own bush. So, this is the problem
[5:31:35] that I have with with groups that come
[5:31:38] that say you're going to take this
[5:31:39] property and you're going to take it.
[5:31:41] What are you going to do with it?"
[5:31:44] Councelor Yurig and I we Grace Sable we
[5:31:47] we've heard so many times about if you
[5:31:49] have a wet land what it used to be for a
[5:31:52] farmer to do the agriculture and how
[5:31:55] close they could get and they've changed
[5:31:57] that now. So actually the farmer can
[5:31:59] recuperate more land because land is so
[5:32:02] important to have to put into the food
[5:32:04] chain. So we've seen that kind of thing.
[5:32:07] There's other groups that exist that if
[5:32:10] a farmer ever signs on with them, they
[5:32:13] have lost the pres the right to even go
[5:32:15] on the land. And I don't want to name
[5:32:17] that name in this council meeting. But
[5:32:20] that's what happens. They come to the to
[5:32:22] the farm and they say, "Wouldn't you
[5:32:24] like to do this? This is all great. It
[5:32:25] sounds all lovely." They just signed it
[5:32:27] away. And so that's my my reservation on
[5:32:31] it. Now, this council will remember what
[5:32:34] I clearly told that group when they came
[5:32:36] here. I told them if they can help us
[5:32:40] with what we're doing with the major
[5:32:42] changes in grace conservation. I told
[5:32:45] them power to them to help us to do
[5:32:48] that. But this saying that we're going
[5:32:51] to embrace that to me it just makes
[5:32:54] another level of a hidden bureaucracy
[5:32:58] that can hit somebody that owns We've
[5:33:00] had some farmers here this afternoon
[5:33:02] that got tens of thousands of acres and
[5:33:05] he sat in that back row. Biggest farmer
[5:33:07] we've got in Sydam Township. Okay. And I
[5:33:10] don't want to see him someday or someone
[5:33:12] like him make an application and go
[5:33:15] where in the heck did this come from?
[5:33:17] and we've done it. So, I'm a little
[5:33:20] reserved on this.
[5:33:24] My my fellow forer, councelor for knows
[5:33:27] that I I care about sustainability and I
[5:33:30] and I care about our environment, but to
[5:33:33] me, whose fingers are in whose pie and
[5:33:36] how deep do they go? So, I'm a little
[5:33:39] reserved on it, that's all.
[5:33:42] » Okay. Are we ready to entertain the
[5:33:44] question?
[5:33:46] Um all in favor
[5:33:52] of the motion as presented. Yes. Um
[5:34:00] » Yeah. Yeah. I I myself have just changed
[5:34:03] my mind as a result of what councelor
[5:34:06] Bell has said here. Uh but so
[5:34:10] go ahead,
[5:34:10] » Mayor. If I may, I'm wondering if we
[5:34:12] have enough information at this point in
[5:34:14] time to make a decision on this motion
[5:34:16] or if we need to understand a little bit
[5:34:19] more about the intentions of the
[5:34:21] alliance in terms of because I
[5:34:24] appreciate councelor Bell's comments and
[5:34:25] we would not want to do that too many of
[5:34:27] our existing land owners particularly if
[5:34:29] they're um working the land. So, do we
[5:34:33] need to go back to the alliance and
[5:34:36] request a further understanding of of
[5:34:38] what uh you know terms and restrictions
[5:34:41] they would place on lands?
[5:34:44] » Uh, councelor Manis.
[5:34:45] » Sure. Thank you. Um, in a conversation I
[5:34:47] had a after the presentation um we
[5:34:50] discussed uh the desire uh because I was
[5:34:53] just curious to learn more about how
[5:34:55] they intend to work with the
[5:34:56] agricultural community. So perhaps it
[5:34:58] would be worthwhile to invite them back
[5:35:00] to give a presentation on that aspect
[5:35:03] specifically. Um I'm pretty sure that
[5:35:05] they're still kind of in the early
[5:35:07] fledgling stages of that program, but
[5:35:10] perhaps
[5:35:11] uh we could kind of start that
[5:35:14] conversation to make sure that it's
[5:35:15] something we would be comfortable with
[5:35:17] and then if uh we in our community are
[5:35:19] comfortable with it, then we could
[5:35:22] support it more strongly or or not if
[5:35:24] we're not comfortable. So, there's a
[5:35:26] couple of [clears throat] ways to come
[5:35:27] at this to defer or I just wonder do you
[5:35:30] want to withdraw the motion until uh we
[5:35:32] have that conversation with the
[5:35:34] organization or do you want to let it or
[5:35:37] would you be willing to have it deferred
[5:35:39] until we hear from and I'm going to get
[5:35:42] some direction from the clerk which will
[5:35:44] be much more
[5:35:45] » No, no, thank you worship. My suggestion
[5:35:46] might actually be to postpone the motion
[5:35:48] because we can put a reason in there and
[5:35:50] then that gives count that gives staff
[5:35:52] direction to go and see if they will
[5:35:54] present again to the the comment rather
[5:35:56] than trying to get formal direction to
[5:35:58] go and ask them separately. Uh so if we
[5:36:01] postpone to allow time um until such
[5:36:04] time as the they are invited and and we
[5:36:07] can deal with it that way I would maybe
[5:36:09] suggest.
[5:36:13] So over to you, Councelor Greenfield.
[5:36:16] » Um, yeah, that that's fine. If uh we
[5:36:19] want to uh postpone any decision until
[5:36:24] staff gets more uh
[5:36:27] more direction, I uh
[5:36:32] I I don't know. To me, it seems fairly
[5:36:34] straightforward. Do we do we want to
[5:36:37] conserve protect what we've got?
[5:36:44] And I really have my doubts if this
[5:36:47] council is is really all that concerned
[5:36:50] in it. And that disappoints me big time.
[5:36:52] To me, this is fairly straightforward.
[5:36:55] This is trying to preserve something for
[5:36:58] my grandkids, for your grandkids.
[5:37:03] » Okay. I'm sorry that [clears throat]
[5:37:07] so I'm
[5:37:11] [laughter] I'm in a corner here.
[5:37:17] » Well, and I
[5:37:19] » Yeah, I'll undertake to make sure that
[5:37:20] we come back to this uh and and get the
[5:37:23] information that we can make a maybe a
[5:37:26] little more qualified judgment on. Um
[5:37:30] so, moving on. Um and thank you for
[5:37:32] helping us there. Um adoption of uh
[5:37:37] minutes. We've got u the recommendation
[5:37:40] uh that council of the municipality of
[5:37:42] Meford hereby adopt the minutes of the
[5:37:44] council meetings held on June 17, 2026,
[5:37:47] June 22nd, 2026 and June 29th, 2026 and
[5:37:52] the closed meetings held on June 17,
[5:37:54] 2026 and June 29, 2026. A mover and a
[5:37:58] seconder. Councelor Urick and Deputy
[5:38:01] Mayor. Um is there any discussion? Uh
[5:38:06] I'll call vote. All in favor accepting
[5:38:09] those minutes. Thank you. Um that was
[5:38:12] unanimous. Uh the communications uh
[5:38:16] uh reports there are a number of them
[5:38:18] there. Anyone wish to bring any any of
[5:38:21] these forward to discuss in any way?
[5:38:24] Councelor Yur.
[5:38:26] » Mr. Mayor, I'm not sure about the actual
[5:38:28] A, B, and C, but of D on the
[5:38:30] correspondence list. I just had one
[5:38:32] thing.
[5:38:33] » Sorry,
[5:38:34] » I don't have anything on A, B, or C, but
[5:38:36] I do have something on the
[5:38:37] correspondence list under D.
[5:38:38] » Oh, okay. If that would be great. Please
[5:38:41] bring it forward then.
[5:38:42] » Okay. Um, on the correspondence list, we
[5:38:45] it would be if you anybody has that
[5:38:47] pulled up, it's page 71. It's just
[5:38:48] Peterborough County. Uh interesting one
[5:38:51] that because uh there was they brought
[5:38:54] forward a motion
[5:38:56] uh that where the province of Ontario
[5:38:59] shifted responsibility of the municipal
[5:39:00] election voters list from impact to
[5:39:04] elections Ontario by amending the
[5:39:05] municipal elections act. Um their
[5:39:09] concern is that many of the elector
[5:39:13] lists presented by elections Ontario
[5:39:15] have discrepancies in voter counts from
[5:39:17] the 2022 municipal election.
[5:39:20] specifically in the number of eligible
[5:39:21] non-resident property owners which are
[5:39:24] significantly lower than the 22 numbers.
[5:39:26] So what the recommendation was is that
[5:39:29] they're urging the province of Ontario
[5:39:31] to immediat immediately encourage
[5:39:33] prioritization of the review of data
[5:39:36] specifically related to non-resident
[5:39:38] property owners to ensure voter lists
[5:39:41] are as accurate as possible prior to
[5:39:43] August 14th. Um, we all want to see
[5:39:46] accurate voter list and I just thought
[5:39:48] supporting that motion would be an easy
[5:39:50] one to do. So, I'm putting forth that
[5:39:53] request.
[5:39:55] » Thank you. Um,
[5:40:00] is there do we need a motion to endorse
[5:40:03] that motion? Is that what I need?
[5:40:05] » Thank you, Rorip. Yes, if we have a
[5:40:06] mover and a seconder to to support that
[5:40:08] motion, then
[5:40:09] » Uh and I I suggested this to councelor
[5:40:12] Yurig. This is a very uh important thing
[5:40:14] in my mind. Uh if uh if the province has
[5:40:18] lost us a lot of uh potential voters in
[5:40:21] the election, uh we need them to fix
[5:40:22] that problem. So is there a seconder?
[5:40:26] Thank you, Deputy Mayor. Uh any
[5:40:28] discussion on this? U all in favor of
[5:40:31] the motion and that any opposed? That's
[5:40:34] passed unanimously. Thank you. Thank
[5:40:36] you, Councelor Yurig. Um
[5:40:39] anyone else anything on the
[5:40:41] communications list? If not, uh we are
[5:40:44] ready to uh go into a a close session.
[5:40:48] Um
[5:40:49] and uh the recommendation is that the
[5:40:51] council of the municipality of Meford
[5:40:53] does now go into a close session at 6:40
[5:40:57] p.m. Um number one, two items uh
[5:41:00] regarding a position, plan, procedure,
[5:41:03] criteria or instruction to be applied to
[5:41:06] any negotiations carried on or to be
[5:41:09] carried on uh by or on behalf of the
[5:41:12] municipality or a local board. And that
[5:41:14] is under the open meeting exemption K
[5:41:17] section 2392 of the municipal act 2001
[5:41:20] res um respecting the meford harbor
[5:41:23] dredging and a TC energy pre-development
[5:41:27] agreement with the CAO the clerk deputy
[5:41:31] CEO and director of corporate services
[5:41:33] the director of community services and
[5:41:36] manager of memorial park cemeteries and
[5:41:38] harbor in attendance and two uh one item
[5:41:42] regarding personal matters about an
[5:41:44] identifiable individual, including
[5:41:46] municipal or local board employees.
[5:41:49] That's under open meeting exemption B of
[5:41:51] section 2392 of the Municipal Act 2001,
[5:41:55] respecting an HR matter with the CEO,
[5:41:58] the clerk, the deputy CEO, and director
[5:42:01] of corporate services in attendance.
[5:42:04] And uh we will be back uh following this
[5:42:07] meeting to report out on it.
[7:23:41] All right, reporting out at 8:21 p.m. on
[7:23:46] our closed uh session. Um council met in
[7:23:50] closed session and discussed one uh two
[7:23:52] different items related to a position,
[7:23:54] plan, procedure, criteria or instruction
[7:23:57] to be applied to any negotiations
[7:23:59] carried on or to be carried on by or on
[7:24:03] behalf of the municipality or local
[7:24:05] board and with direction provided to
[7:24:07] staff on both of those items. Uh also
[7:24:10] one item related uh regarding personnel
[7:24:13] matters uh about an identifiable
[7:24:15] individual including municipal or local
[7:24:18] board employees with no direction
[7:24:20] provided to staff. Now we have a
[7:24:24] confirming bylaw. The recommendation be
[7:24:26] it resolved that bylaw 2026-56
[7:24:29] being a bylaw to confirm the proceedings
[7:24:31] of the meeting of the council of the
[7:24:33] corporation of the municipality of
[7:24:35] meford be taken as read a first second
[7:24:37] and third time and finally passed. Can I
[7:24:39] have a mover and seconder
[7:24:42] councelor Bell and councelor Andis.
[7:24:44] Thank you. Uh all in favor
[7:24:46] any opposed? That's carried unanimously.
[7:24:50] And with that we can finally conclude
[7:24:52] today's meeting.