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So good evening and welcome to our Council meeting on

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August the 26, 2026. I will now call Tim Brubacher

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Regional Clerk to conduct the roll call. There we go.

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Thanks, Chair. Chair Redman. Present. Councillor Craig. Councillor Foxton. Present.

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We have regrets from Councillor Gowing. Councillor Harris. Councillor James.

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Present. Councillor Liggett. Councillor McCabe. Councillor Nowak. Councillor Rodriguez. Present.

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Councillor Salonin. Councillor Shantz. Present. Councillor Vrbanovic is running a

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little late. Councillor Wolf. Present. Thank you, Chair. I'd like

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to acknowledge that the land on which we gather today

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is a traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee, the Anishnawbe

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and the Chonnonton Peoples. In doing so, I want

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to reflect on what it means to be doing important

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community work like we are in engaging in collectively today.

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And also my own individual relationship to the land. As

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a settler, one of the most important aspects of my

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individual journey towards truth and reconciliation has been to listen.

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I am continually grateful to community who shares their stories

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and their concerns with me. As well as the chair

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of the region, I know that I carry a large

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responsibility to ensure that it is not just myself on

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an individual level listening and acting, but that as a

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government, we are listening and creating action with community. I'm

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offering this acknowledgement as one of the many actions I

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am personally in the region largely is taking towards truth

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and reconciliation. We acknowledge in during Presence of the Indigenous

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people with whom we share this land today, their achievements

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in their contributions to our community. I also want to

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acknowledge a couple of days of significance this month. August

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25th is Rohingya Genocide Awareness Day, which honours the memory

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of the lives lost during the attacks by minimars, armed

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forces on August 25th, 2017. August 31st, 2026 marks the

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25th year of international overdose awareness day. It is a

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day to remember those we've lost to drug overdose and

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poisoning. And to acknowledge the grief carried by the families,

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the friends, and the communities left behind. To commemorate international

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overdose awareness day and exterior lightning of regional buildings will

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be in purple on August 31st. Colleagues, are there any

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declarations of conflict of interest. Seeing none I now would

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consider a motion to go into close if I have

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a mover in a second or move my councillor James,

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seconded by Councillor. I'm going to ask you to use

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your escribe, but we are going into a closed

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meeting to receive advice, subject to clients this privilege regarding

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potential, well - interference policy, receiving advice that is subject

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to solicitor client privilege relating to litigation on the Ontario

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Land Tribunal and discussions related to identify individuals and labour

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relations regarding organisational structure. Colleagues, do I have unanimous consent

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to go into closed. Yeah. Thank you. We will reconvene

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in the Waterloo County room.

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So I'd like to welcome all of a guests in

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the gallery and I'm looking to counsel we need a

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motion to reconvene an open session if I have a

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move by accounts or fox and seconded by Councillor James.

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Do I have unanimous consent to reconvene an open session?

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Thank you. We are now back in open session. So

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we begin to night with a very positive note to

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our meeting. We come together to honour the recipients of

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the 2026 Jack Young Civic Award. It is a pleasure

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to gather with friends, family, and current and former colleagues

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and members of Regional Council to celebrate two individuals whose

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dedication and service have been, have made a lasting impact

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on the regional Waterloo. The Jack Young Civic Award is

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one of the region of Waterloo's highest civic honours named

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after Jack Young, The Regent's First Chair. It recognises individuals

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who exemplify the values that have defined his public service,

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which were integrity, leadership, civic commitment, and dedication to improving

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the lives of others. What makes this award especially meaningful

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is that it honours people whose contributions closely are connected

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to the region of Waterloo government, the programs, and the

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services that support our community. Their work may not have

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always been in the spotlight, but it has been atlasting

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impact on the region of Waterloo and the residents we

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serve. One of my favourite parts of being regional chair

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is the Opportunity to recognise people who have made a

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genuine difference. Tonight we celebrate two individuals whose dedication, professionalism,

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and commitment to public service have strengthened both our organisation

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and our community. Our first recipient this evening is Terri

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Plummer. For 15 years, Terry served the region of Waterloo

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with dedication, professionalism, and a genuine commitment to helping others.

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During her career and council and administrative services, she supported

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regional council and committees helped administer elections, manage the Waterloo

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Regional Arts Fund and contributed to countless projects that help

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keep the organization running smoothly. Terri became known as someone

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colleagues could always count on. She stepped in whenever support

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was needed and embraced new challenges and approached every task

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with a positive attitude and a strong focus on service.

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Through her work with the Waterloo Region Arts Fund, she

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helped support local artists and cultural initiatives that continue to

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enrich communities across the region. She also volunteered her time

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to support elections and community initiatives always going above and

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beyond what was required. What stands out most about Terri

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is the way she treated people, whether working with residents,

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volunteers, colleagues, our community organisations. She consistently demonstrated kindness, patience,

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and professionalism. Even in retirement, Terri continues to give back

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through volunteer work and fundraising efforts. Terri's commitment to service

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and her positive impact on both the organisation and the

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community make her a truly deserving recipient of the Jack

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Young Civic Award. So please join me in congratulating Terri.

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And if Terri, if you want to make a few

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comments, you're welcome to the podium.

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Thank you, Chair Redman. And Regional Councillors.

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When I received the email notifying me that I had

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been awarded at the Jack Young Civic Award, I just

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thought that I had been included in an email as

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a courtesy regarding someone I'd known and worked with, or

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perhaps included inadvertently by mistake. But when I actually began

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reading The Message written by Karen, I immediately burst into

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tears. So as we go through our lives, we get

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jobs, we do our work to the best of our

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abilities. We try to do a good job. We try

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to work well with others and working at the region

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of Waterloo. We hope we make a small difference in

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the everyday lives of people in our community. And then

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if we're lucky, we retire. And we figure that's it,

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right? Because we're often just remembered for that last project,

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that last report rewrote. And the last meeting we were

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at, mine was actually on my 65th birthday. I very

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much appreciated working in the regional clerk's office. I was

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fortunate to work with a lot of really wonderful people.

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And our team was wonderful to work with every day.

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I enjoyed working with others in many different areas at

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the region, including. Craig Dyer. And I enjoyed the diversity

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of the work that we did. I really, really did.

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And I even provided Administrative support to the Jack Young

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Civic Award Committee at one point for a little bit.

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So full circle. One of the things I'm most proud

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of was the work I did with the region of

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Waterloo Arts Fund. Art has such a fundamental and diverse

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role in our community. Creating beauty, providing entertainment and generating

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conversations. It's all such an important part of what makes

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this community vibrant and living. An artists are people I

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have great admiration for. Providing our community with art is

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a wonderful and a very hard thing. And making a

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living added is even harder. I was pleased to be

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able to work with so many creative people from artists

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struggling to submit grant applications, and they did struggle. To

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the artists who were successful in receiving grants. And I'm

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very proud of the support I provided to the region

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of Waterloo Arts Fund Board. Most of the more volunteers,

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people who were artists, art administrators are just strong supporters

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of the arts and lovers of the arts. So many

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wonderful people who I admire for the hard work they

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did to provide artists with the funding resources to bring

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us all the art in our community. It's an honour

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to receive this award. And I thank Karen. And the

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other members of the Jack Young Civic Award Committee and

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Stacey Abbott. Who nominated me. And I thank you all

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for this recognition. Thank you very much. Can you join

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me in the middle.

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Our second recipient this evening is Craig Dyer. For more

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than 36 years, Craig dedicated his career to municipal government,

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public service, including 12 years as Region of Waterloo's Commissioner

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of Corporate Services and our chief financial officer. Throughout his

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career, Craig earned the respect of colleagues and elected officials

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alike as a trusted advisor and exceptional leader. He helped

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guide some of the region's most significant initiatives, including major

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infrastructure investments, long - term capital planning, and the implementation

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of the Ion Rapid Transit. One of Craig's greatest strengths

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is his ability to take complex financial information and make

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it understandable. His advice helped council make informed decisions that

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balanced immediate needs with long - term interests of residents.

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During the COVID - 19 pandemic, Craig's calm and steady

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leadership helped guide the organisation through a period of significant

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uncertainty while maintaining a focus on financial sustainability and responsible

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stewardship. His expertise was respected not only within Waterloo region,

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but across Ontario's municipal sector, where he became a trusted

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voice on Financial Planning and Governance. Even after retirement, Craig

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continues to contribute his knowledge and experience to the broader

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municipal community. Craig's integrity, professionalism, and commitment to public service

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reflect the very qualities that this award was created to

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celebrate. So Craig, I'm going to invite you to the

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podium if you'd like to say a few words.

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I was hoping you wouldn't notice. So it's a bit

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strange standing here. I got to say, and I should

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start off by saying, no, I don't miss the 10

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- hour budget meetings. At all. Um, and I should

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also say that, uh, Terry and I did not have

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any conversations about what our speeches would be like. The

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fact that our opening paragraphs are virtually identical. Is, um,

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truly, uh, coincidence, because nobody was more surprised than me

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when I saw the email, I read it four or

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five times and concluded that it had gone to the

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wrong Craig. And, um. And, uh, I was surprised. And

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I thought I was thinking afterwards about why was I

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so surprised? And I was surprised because, um, I think

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by definition as public servants, we think about the public

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and we think about service. We don't think about, um,

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I don't know, personal glory or, you know, our share

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price or our profit margin. We're always thinking about how

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do we deliver better service? And we're constantly asking ourselves,

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you know, is this good public policy? I have a

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little sign in my backyard office that says, is this

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good public policy? Um, yes, I'm a nerd. I know

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that. I was going to get to that later in

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the speech, but, um, and I say all of this

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because it seems to me we're at a time where

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public servants, uh, are under an immense amount of pressure,

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both elected officials and staff, the, you know, calm, respectful

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public discourse is hard to find these days. And then

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enough patience and not enough reflection and not enough desire

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to better understand differing viewpoints. And so it seems even

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more important to me that opportunities to recognise the great

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work that gets done in local government, um, every day,

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uh, are so important. And it's with that context in

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mind. Um, that I find myself, um, deeply honoured and

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grateful to have received this recognition. Someone took the time

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to nominate me. I think I now know who it

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is. Um, so thank you. Um, and thank you Chair

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Redman and members of the award committee and regional council

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for believing that, uh, self - confessed municipal finance nerd

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is worthy of this level of recognition. Public service has

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never, um, a one - time, sorry, a one person

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effort. And I've been so fortunate throughout my career to

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have spent time working with such smart, um, smart, dedicated

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colleagues who share a commitment to the local government sector.

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I've learned so much from so many of them. And

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I'm grateful for the many relationships and friendships I've built

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along the way, some of which continue strongly to this

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day. And, uh, you know who you are. Um, for

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the other finance nerds here today, municipal Finance happens, like

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there like municipal finance. It's one of the conclusions I've

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come to in the last while, um, it happens for

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the most part, quietly behind the scenes, except for budget

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time, of course. Um, but it plays a huge role

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in building prosperous and sustainable communities. Well, at the same

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time, uh, caring and showing compassion for those who struggle

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to share in such prosperity in our communities. It's been

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an honour to have contributed to this kind of work.

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In municipalities across the province and most significantly at the

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region of Waterloo. And then finally, I thank once again

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my long suffering family who are here tonight back here,

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um, for their patients, their understanding and support over the

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years, especially when I subject them to another municipal finance

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rant. Of which there have been many in the last

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little while. Um, I feel truly honoured today. So thank

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you very much. So Craig, if you'll join me in

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03:23:32,533 --> 03:23:34,232
the, at the round table, and I just want to

238
03:23:34,232 --> 03:23:36,512
tell you from my perspective, I've been doing this a

239
03:23:36,512 --> 03:23:39,712
little while. It's never only about money, but it's always

240
03:23:39,813 --> 03:23:40,352
about money.

241
03:24:48,783 --> 03:24:50,922
I know there are people at home watching this on

242
03:24:50,943 --> 03:24:53,042
YouTube and they are not going to be able to

243
03:24:53,263 --> 03:24:55,802
pan the gallery, but there are so many familiar faces

244
03:24:56,463 --> 03:25:00,202
of current and past people who have made this region

245
03:25:00,303 --> 03:25:02,442
what they are. So what we are. So thank you

246
03:25:02,482 --> 03:25:05,562
very much for coming and supporting these two outstanding people.

247
03:25:05,562 --> 03:25:08,522
And it doesn't surprise me that Craig and Terri had

248
03:25:08,703 --> 03:25:12,582
very similar speeches because you're both incredibly humble people. And

249
03:25:12,582 --> 03:25:14,602
you get the job done and you make sure that

250
03:25:14,703 --> 03:25:18,122
everybody else has looked after, uh, you have provided amazing

251
03:25:18,303 --> 03:25:21,855
leadership. So we thank you very much. Today we've recognised

252
03:25:22,276 --> 03:25:29,150
two remarkable individuals whose contributions made Waterloo regions stronger. Terri

253
03:25:29,190 --> 03:25:33,470
Plummer and Craig Dyer have demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to

254
03:25:33,491 --> 03:25:36,750
public service and have left a lasting legacy through their

255
03:25:36,851 --> 03:25:39,790
work. So on behalf of Regional Council and the residents

256
03:25:39,790 --> 03:25:43,950
of Waterloo Region congratulations and thank you for everything you've

257
03:25:43,950 --> 03:25:44,030
done.

258
03:25:56,139 --> 03:25:57,958
Now I'm going to invite all of you to stay

259
03:25:58,299 --> 03:26:00,918
if you choose to, but we will not think poorly

260
03:26:00,958 --> 03:26:02,818
of you if you decide that you want to, um,

261
03:26:03,419 --> 03:26:05,638
carry on and do other things over the evening. Thank

262
03:26:05,638 --> 03:26:15,441
you all for coming. Terri's offering to run the

263
03:26:15,481 --> 03:26:17,601
cameras one of her old tasks.

264
03:26:35,203 --> 03:26:38,622
So colleagues as the gallery, um, becomes a little bit

265
03:26:38,803 --> 03:26:41,702
thinner and people are leaving. Um, I'm just going to

266
03:26:41,763 --> 03:26:45,022
draw your attention to a petition that was received earlier

267
03:26:45,062 --> 03:26:49,422
this week, The Bloomingdale Traffic Coming, uh, petition. And we've

268
03:26:49,422 --> 03:26:53,305
received that for information. I'd now like to welcome our

269
03:26:53,345 --> 03:26:57,705
delegations. There we will hear them as they're listed on

270
03:26:57,705 --> 03:27:00,025
the agenda. And I would like to remind all delegations

271
03:27:00,065 --> 03:27:04,345
of some guidelines for participation. If you are attending in

272
03:27:04,345 --> 03:27:07,225
person, please proceed to the podium when you're called upon

273
03:27:07,265 --> 03:27:09,945
to speak. The podium has the ability to be lowered

274
03:27:10,046 --> 03:27:13,465
and raised using buttons on the right. If you're attending

275
03:27:13,566 --> 03:27:16,985
virtually, please turn on your microphone and camera when you

276
03:27:16,985 --> 03:27:20,937
are called upon. You will have five minutes to speak

277
03:27:21,198 --> 03:27:23,737
if you registered before the deadline and three of you

278
03:27:23,737 --> 03:27:27,577
registered afterwards. When the light on the podium turns yellow,

279
03:27:27,758 --> 03:27:30,697
that means you have one minute remaining. When the light

280
03:27:30,718 --> 03:27:33,097
turns red, that means your time is up and you

281
03:27:33,097 --> 03:27:35,417
may hear me give you a reminder of your remaining

282
03:27:35,518 --> 03:27:40,792
time. Additionally, some general reminders, if you conduct yourself in

283
03:27:40,792 --> 03:27:43,352
any of the following manners, it will result in an

284
03:27:43,392 --> 03:27:48,152
immediate removal from the meeting. Interrupting councillors, staff, or other

285
03:27:48,173 --> 03:27:53,912
delegations derogatory statements about councillors, staff, or others. Turning on

286
03:27:53,912 --> 03:27:58,552
your camera at inappropriate times and H speech or defamatory

287
03:27:58,733 --> 03:28:02,712
comments. One last reminder for Delegations, please do not take

288
03:28:02,813 --> 03:28:05,992
offence if following your presentation. There are no questions from

289
03:28:06,333 --> 03:28:09,992
council. This is counsel's time to really listen and reflect

290
03:28:10,032 --> 03:28:12,712
upon the opinions and the ideas shared with us from

291
03:28:12,752 --> 03:28:15,912
our community members. And a quick reminder to members of

292
03:28:15,912 --> 03:28:23,364
the audience, you're asked to maintain order. Our first delegation

293
03:28:23,404 --> 03:28:28,324
is Alan Carpenter, North Dumfries. Alan, I believe you're here

294
03:28:28,345 --> 03:28:31,764
in person. Welcome to the podium. You have five minutes.

295
03:28:46,531 --> 03:28:50,350
Sorry. And our safety issues, uh, before us on the

296
03:28:50,390 --> 03:28:55,224
road. Let me just read from my notes. Let me

297
03:28:55,224 --> 03:28:58,804
pick it up. Um, so we're here before the region

298
03:28:58,844 --> 03:29:03,124
for that purpose. We're talking about regional road 49 from

299
03:29:03,145 --> 03:29:08,804
Scott Street to Spragues Road. Just a 5K road. And,

300
03:29:08,804 --> 03:29:12,644
uh, it takes about, uh, 080K, which is the speed

301
03:29:12,684 --> 03:29:16,804
limit. It takes, uh, 32 seconds. But if you drop

302
03:29:16,804 --> 03:29:21,524
it down to 60, um, then I'm sorry, at 60,

303
03:29:21,524 --> 03:29:24,265
it's 42. So it's just a difference of one minute

304
03:29:24,446 --> 03:29:28,362
if we can get the speed down by 20K. So

305
03:29:28,863 --> 03:29:32,282
we'll brief counsel here on the area resident concerns related

306
03:29:32,303 --> 03:29:35,962
to road safety. Within the settlement area of Wrigley and

307
03:29:35,962 --> 03:29:41,259
along the broader Wrigley Road corridor. So we request that

308
03:29:41,299 --> 03:29:47,339
the region undertake speed reduction, to 60, okay. Within the settlement

309
03:29:47,379 --> 03:29:50,219
area, I live in the settlement area and many of

310
03:29:50,219 --> 03:29:54,919
our residents also. Also a speed review this summer, uh,

311
03:29:54,919 --> 03:29:57,659
they did a speed review. And I mentioned it later,

312
03:29:57,659 --> 03:30:00,059
but, uh, they did it in the wintertime. So you

313
03:30:00,059 --> 03:30:03,259
can understand that the speeds are much, much different in

314
03:30:03,299 --> 03:30:06,859
the summer. So we would look for, uh, a review

315
03:30:06,880 --> 03:30:12,882
of speeds, uh, before the summer's finished. And Wrigley, as

316
03:30:12,882 --> 03:30:16,202
I mentioned, is 5K in length under the jurisdiction of

317
03:30:16,202 --> 03:30:20,602
the region of Waterloo, including authority over speed limits, road

318
03:30:20,623 --> 03:30:27,377
design, driveway permits, and road maintenance. The road bisects are

319
03:30:27,478 --> 03:30:33,022
settlement area of Wrigley where rural residential properties font. Directly

320
03:30:33,062 --> 03:30:36,622
onto the corridor. And where there are no sidewalk cycling

321
03:30:36,662 --> 03:30:41,532
facilities or streetlights. Residents on the north side would have

322
03:30:41,572 --> 03:30:46,649
to cross the road carefully to retrieve their mail. The

323
03:30:46,750 --> 03:30:50,169
current posted speed limit is 80, but I would mention

324
03:30:52,110 --> 03:30:58,593
viewing westbound, at all. There's no sign. Uh, so 80

325
03:30:58,593 --> 03:31:01,953
through the settlement area and along the corridor between Scott

326
03:31:02,054 --> 03:31:07,907
Street and Spragues Road. Residents of raised concerns over the

327
03:31:08,008 --> 03:31:13,027
past two years regarding vehicle speeds and broader road safety

328
03:31:13,067 --> 03:31:20,248
conditions. Speed monitoring undertaken by the towns of North Dumfries

329
03:31:20,288 --> 03:31:26,333
during the winter months. Approximately a high percentile at 78

330
03:31:26,514 --> 03:31:31,453
kilometers an hour. A maximum record was 103 and approximately

331
03:31:31,954 --> 03:31:34,813
10 percent of vehicles above the Post - 80 threshold

332
03:31:35,394 --> 03:31:40,860
within the settlement area. Comparable regional roads throughout other rural

333
03:31:40,900 --> 03:31:44,540
settlement areas in North Dumphreys are posted at lower speeds,

334
03:31:44,540 --> 03:31:48,620
including Roseville, Clyde, branched in and Browns, which vary from

335
03:31:48,721 --> 03:31:53,260
50 to 60 kilometers an hour. Only the Wrigley settlement

336
03:31:53,281 --> 03:31:57,900
area has a posted speed of 80. Despite similar built,

337
03:31:57,900 --> 03:32:04,811
uh, roads characteristics, when contrasted against other rural communities. The

338
03:32:05,152 --> 03:32:08,171
residents along Wrigley Road, which is supported by an adopted

339
03:32:08,272 --> 03:32:13,291
resolution of North Dumfries Council is requesting a broader road

340
03:32:13,331 --> 03:32:17,291
safety study, not simply a posted speed limit review to

341
03:32:17,392 --> 03:32:23,371
consider Pedestrian and cycle safety driveway movements. Centre line passing,

342
03:32:23,371 --> 03:32:32,477
farm equipment, traffic volumes, car truck splits. Collision history, topography,

343
03:32:32,477 --> 03:32:38,567
uh, and quarter land issues, uses. Recommended, we ask of

344
03:32:38,748 --> 03:32:44,967
regional council, uh, that direct staff to compete a speed

345
03:32:45,007 --> 03:32:51,540
review and comprehensive road safety assessment for Wrigley Road. Extending

346
03:32:51,561 --> 03:32:57,060
from Scott in the west to Spragues at the east

347
03:32:57,060 --> 03:33:00,900
end, particular attention to our settlement area and the transition

348
03:33:00,921 --> 03:33:08,964
from approaching the settlement. This is a road safety request,

349
03:33:08,964 --> 03:33:13,124
not simply a speed limit request. The residents along Wrigley,

350
03:33:13,124 --> 03:33:17,524
which has been endorsed through an adopted resolution of North

351
03:33:17,564 --> 03:33:22,084
Dumfries Township Council is seeking a comprehensive analysis of the

352
03:33:22,345 --> 03:33:29,175
corridor becomes speed, traffic mix, roadside conditions. Settlement form and

353
03:33:29,196 --> 03:33:34,435
vulnera world users must be considered together. Wrigley functions differently

354
03:33:34,475 --> 03:33:37,395
within the settlement area than it does in the open

355
03:33:37,576 --> 03:33:42,675
roll corridor. Rural residents, uh, front directly onto the road,

356
03:33:42,675 --> 03:33:46,355
The Residence must interact with traffic from driveways along the

357
03:33:46,456 --> 03:33:52,381
roadside with sidewalks, cycling facilities. Or treatment. No, no cycling.

358
03:33:53,380 --> 03:33:59,008
Facilities and no street lighting. The current 80 posted should

359
03:33:59,008 --> 03:34:04,928
be reviewed in context, although the winter months at about

360
03:34:05,029 --> 03:34:08,848
78 an hour. The settlement context in comparison with other

361
03:34:08,949 --> 03:34:14,048
rural sediment areas suggest that a review is warranted. Examples,

362
03:34:14,048 --> 03:34:18,368
and I mentioned them Roseville Road, Clyde, Branchton, et cetera.

363
03:34:19,142 --> 03:34:20,721
Alan, you're out of time if you want to sum

364
03:34:20,721 --> 03:34:28,084
up, please. Okay. Um, that's too bad. Um, I will.

365
03:34:28,084 --> 03:34:33,764
Um, so looking ahead, um, we've got a 290 housing

366
03:34:33,804 --> 03:34:37,705
development coming in across from the air fire hall. And

367
03:34:37,726 --> 03:34:39,905
we got two new gravel pits and that's going to

368
03:34:39,905 --> 03:34:43,932
add a lot more traffic to Wrigley. My closing message

369
03:34:43,972 --> 03:34:46,572
of I can read that and I'll be done. The

370
03:34:46,833 --> 03:34:49,772
area residents along the Wrigley Road are recognized that

371
03:34:50,193 --> 03:34:53,612
Wrigley Road is a regional facility and that any changes

372
03:34:53,652 --> 03:34:58,092
must be informed by regional analysis. The request before regional

373
03:34:58,132 --> 03:35:01,692
counsel is to undertake that analysis so that future decision

374
03:35:01,793 --> 03:35:05,532
on speed, design, and road safety improvements are evidence -

375
03:35:05,532 --> 03:35:10,252
based corridor - wide and responsible responsive to the settlement

376
03:35:10,593 --> 03:35:16,076
context and road approaches. Uh, there was a Waterloo Regional

377
03:35:16,177 --> 03:35:20,456
Police Service study last year. And it had a lot

378
03:35:20,456 --> 03:35:23,196
of what we're asking for tonight to make road safe.

379
03:35:24,196 --> 03:35:28,895
Thank you to Region for having us tonight, Mayor Foxton

380
03:35:30,116 --> 03:35:35,695
and Andrew McNeely, Alita Wilma for forgetting us here tonight.

381
03:35:35,695 --> 03:35:38,795
And, uh, I'll take any questions. Thank you. Hey, can

382
03:35:38,795 --> 03:35:40,575
we, Alan, we do have some questions. So don't run

383
03:35:40,615 --> 03:35:44,806
away. Uh, Councillor Foxton. I was going to make a

384
03:35:44,846 --> 03:35:49,606
comment after the next Delegate, please. Thank you. Councillor Shantz.

385
03:35:51,918 --> 03:35:54,837
Thank you. I don't have questions for the Delegate, but

386
03:35:54,837 --> 03:36:01,068
I also have some comments and questions for staff. So

387
03:36:01,068 --> 03:36:05,226
thank you, Alan. Uh, you can take your seat. Thank

388
03:36:05,247 --> 03:36:10,613
you. So Council, the Shantz and Foxton, you want to

389
03:36:10,613 --> 03:36:13,773
hear the next delegation before you pose your comments and

390
03:36:13,813 --> 03:36:16,847
questions. I would like to. It's one of my councillors,

391
03:36:16,847 --> 03:36:21,683
Alida Wilms. Thank you. So the next delegation is Alita

392
03:36:21,723 --> 03:36:26,323
Wilms Councillor Ward for War 3 in North Dumfries. You're

393
03:36:26,323 --> 03:36:30,294
joining us virtually and you have five minutes. Welcome. Thank

394
03:36:30,294 --> 03:36:35,200
you. Good evening. Chair Redman, members of Council and staff.

395
03:36:35,200 --> 03:36:37,600
My name is Alida Wilms and I'm award councillor in

396
03:36:37,621 --> 03:36:40,640
North Dumfries. And thank you very much for this opportunity

397
03:36:40,741 --> 03:36:43,040
to talk to you about a safety matter. That's important

398
03:36:43,141 --> 03:36:46,674
to our shared community. Wrigley Road is a regional road

399
03:36:46,714 --> 03:36:50,056
that connects the village of ayr, Cambridge, and Paris. It's

400
03:36:50,077 --> 03:36:52,696
a very busy rule road with a lot of commuters

401
03:36:52,957 --> 03:36:57,093
and trucks. But Wrigley Road is also home. It passes

402
03:36:57,194 --> 03:37:01,813
directly through wetlands, active farms, local businesses, and their residential

403
03:37:02,154 --> 03:37:05,413
Wrigley Rural Settlement area where the neighbours, before you Tonight

404
03:37:05,453 --> 03:37:09,419
live. Currently, Reglonal Road is an 80 kilometer zone. It

405
03:37:09,419 --> 03:37:13,539
has limited shoulders, no lighting, and is very straight and

406
03:37:13,539 --> 03:37:16,179
flat. It's the only road in North Dumfries that

407
03:37:16,219 --> 03:37:18,659
permits a speed of 80 kilometers an hour through a

408
03:37:18,659 --> 03:37:24,320
designated residential settlement zone. That's fast. Residents in the settlement

409
03:37:24,360 --> 03:37:27,360
need to access their mailboxes, mow their lawns, walk their

410
03:37:27,360 --> 03:37:30,560
dogs, shovel their driveway, all within a couple of feet

411
03:37:30,581 --> 03:37:34,823
of high speed, heavy traffic. Residents of Wrigley have been

412
03:37:34,863 --> 03:37:37,881
concerned about the increase of traffic for some time. This

413
03:37:38,222 --> 03:37:41,241
past winter, a young resident was severely injured when she

414
03:37:41,241 --> 03:37:45,051
was hit by a car. In April, resonance appealed to

415
03:37:45,472 --> 03:37:49,611
directly to North Dumfries Council for help. In turn, Council

416
03:37:49,632 --> 03:37:53,611
unanosleep past emotion to bring this urgent matter before count

417
03:37:53,651 --> 03:37:57,217
directly before the region. So we asked for two things.

418
03:37:58,167 --> 03:38:01,266
An immediate reduction of the speed through the residential settlement

419
03:38:01,287 --> 03:38:04,606
area to 60 kilometers an hour. So that's first. And

420
03:38:04,647 --> 03:38:07,906
second, a traffic safety study for all of Wrigley Road

421
03:38:07,927 --> 03:38:11,426
to evaluate engineering and traffic calming measures that could help

422
03:38:11,607 --> 03:38:16,243
slow drivers down. We recognise that there are many rural

423
03:38:16,264 --> 03:38:20,883
regional roads that share similar characteristics. They're straight, they're fought,

424
03:38:20,883 --> 03:38:25,870
and they're busy. However, the concentration of residential homes and

425
03:38:25,910 --> 03:38:29,870
daily pedestrian activity along this specific stretch creates an issue

426
03:38:30,371 --> 03:38:36,253
that requires regional intervention. Our residents are simply asking to

427
03:38:36,293 --> 03:38:40,024
feel safe outside their own homes. Please support our request

428
03:38:40,064 --> 03:38:44,184
to bring moderation, lower speeds, and improve safety to Wrigley

429
03:38:44,224 --> 03:38:48,308
Road. Thank you for your time and consideration. Thank you

430
03:38:48,329 --> 03:38:51,748
very much, Alida. Um, Councillor Foxton, is this a question

431
03:38:51,929 --> 03:38:54,948
or comment to the delegation or to staff? This is

432
03:38:55,849 --> 03:39:00,668
two staff and council. Okay. Um, Councillor Shantz, your questions

433
03:39:00,929 --> 03:39:05,690
to the Delegation or to staff. Okay. Thanks, Alita. You

434
03:39:05,711 --> 03:39:07,770
may want to hang on because we are now going

435
03:39:07,770 --> 03:39:09,930
to talk to staff. So Councillor Foxton, please go ahead.

436
03:39:10,111 --> 03:39:12,970
Thank you. So you have to realise North Dumfries is

437
03:39:12,970 --> 03:39:16,330
an air is an interesting community in that we are

438
03:39:16,671 --> 03:39:20,796
a major arterial role to the 401. Dumfries Road runs

439
03:39:20,817 --> 03:39:24,076
into Wrigley's world and it is the major arterial world

440
03:39:24,177 --> 03:39:28,108
off the fore one going towards the 403. So these

441
03:39:28,369 --> 03:39:32,946
residents are dealing with major, major Commuter traffic. On top

442
03:39:32,946 --> 03:39:35,786
of that, you've got a letter today an email, I

443
03:39:35,786 --> 03:39:38,226
believe from an individual that lives on Wrigley's Road talking

444
03:39:38,226 --> 03:39:40,946
about they don't want the speed limit dropped. They said

445
03:39:41,047 --> 03:39:43,266
it's a clear role. They can just fly on down

446
03:39:43,367 --> 03:39:45,986
and it's great. And that's the whole point. If you

447
03:39:46,026 --> 03:39:48,706
look at some of the pictures that were up, you'll

448
03:39:48,727 --> 03:39:52,076
notice it's very tree - lined. So you can't really

449
03:39:52,116 --> 03:39:57,049
see the houses. So this woman was that, that was

450
03:39:57,089 --> 03:40:01,559
injured. She was out jogging on a winter's morning. She

451
03:40:01,660 --> 03:40:06,616
got hit and thrown into the air. Into snow bank.

452
03:40:06,656 --> 03:40:08,856
No, not even the bank, Snow in the field. One

453
03:40:08,896 --> 03:40:14,573
of the regional snow ploughs saw this grey sweater. And

454
03:40:14,594 --> 03:40:16,413
thought First thing we were going to do anything. And

455
03:40:16,413 --> 03:40:19,213
then they thought it doesn't look right. So they stopped

456
03:40:19,213 --> 03:40:22,013
the plough and went into that field and found her

457
03:40:22,053 --> 03:40:25,653
body. He wasn't even sure she was alive. That's only

458
03:40:25,674 --> 03:40:29,253
one of several cases. There's been fatalities on this world,

459
03:40:29,253 --> 03:40:32,053
quite a few. Um, now you have to figure that

460
03:40:32,794 --> 03:40:35,253
your rule. Some of my seniors, you have to cross

461
03:40:35,594 --> 03:40:39,107
Wrigley road to get your mailbox. They're on the opposite

462
03:40:39,128 --> 03:40:43,830
side. And you're competing with now we are getting as

463
03:40:44,331 --> 03:40:50,630
it. We're getting two new subdivisions. One, the potential of

464
03:40:50,651 --> 03:40:53,510
two gravel pits on either side of the boat and

465
03:40:53,531 --> 03:40:57,022
a subdivision. So that traffic is going to be heading

466
03:40:57,062 --> 03:41:00,142
towards the 401 Wrigley road. They're going to be going

467
03:41:00,323 --> 03:41:03,422
either to Hamilton. So the girl on the Sprage's road

468
03:41:03,422 --> 03:41:05,582
or they'll be going to the 401 to get to

469
03:41:05,622 --> 03:41:08,462
wherever they go in the destination. So we're increasing the

470
03:41:08,483 --> 03:41:12,862
amount of traffic there. We're putting these people in risk.

471
03:41:12,862 --> 03:41:15,422
The only option you can say to them is only

472
03:41:15,443 --> 03:41:17,102
getting your cars when you're going to go get your

473
03:41:17,102 --> 03:41:18,462
mail only getting your cars that you're going to go

474
03:41:18,502 --> 03:41:21,262
any threat. There's no walking to your neighbour. There's no

475
03:41:21,363 --> 03:41:23,982
because otherwise you're putting your life at risk. And I

476
03:41:23,982 --> 03:41:27,262
think this is a true situation of many of the

477
03:41:27,523 --> 03:41:30,622
township roads. What they want is, and what we've done

478
03:41:30,723 --> 03:41:36,062
as a council, every hamlet, every little set of communities,

479
03:41:36,062 --> 03:41:39,338
settlement areas, we have lowered the speed. So that we

480
03:41:39,439 --> 03:41:43,178
can try and at least control that and even have

481
03:41:43,218 --> 03:41:45,738
police come out there and charge people. And that's what

482
03:41:46,239 --> 03:41:49,338
right now they're asking is one, to have the speed,

483
03:41:49,338 --> 03:41:53,658
Lord, in the hamlet area. It's about 15 houses, 20

484
03:41:53,679 --> 03:41:59,600
hoses. Maybe 30. Maybe 30 houses. And this one area,

485
03:41:59,600 --> 03:42:01,920
um, and then do a traffic study. And I think

486
03:42:01,920 --> 03:42:04,640
you're probably going to hear from my colleague along the

487
03:42:04,640 --> 03:42:07,200
same lines because of the Bloomingdale one is one that

488
03:42:07,200 --> 03:42:09,840
came to us. So if we could do just these

489
03:42:09,941 --> 03:42:14,400
few small things and you save one life, you've done

490
03:42:14,440 --> 03:42:22,340
us tremendous thing. Thank you. Councillor Shantz. Thank you. And,

491
03:42:22,340 --> 03:42:25,300
uh, thank you to the Delegates and to the folks

492
03:42:25,641 --> 03:42:28,980
in Bloomingdale for sending this in. And it's a reminder

493
03:42:29,081 --> 03:42:34,020
for me that, um, sometime in this term of counsel,

494
03:42:34,020 --> 03:42:39,184
we asked for a rural strategy. For our towns because

495
03:42:39,184 --> 03:42:43,264
all the world roads are connecting roads. And the speeds,

496
03:42:43,264 --> 03:42:47,202
it doesn't matter what's posted. People drive too fast through

497
03:42:47,223 --> 03:42:50,882
them. Um, I'm not sure if I've shared with you

498
03:42:51,063 --> 03:42:56,002
a video of, um, from, from winterboure that was

499
03:42:56,002 --> 03:42:59,922
shared with me. And it showed some kids out playing.

500
03:42:59,922 --> 03:43:02,962
And while they were out playing someone hit a garbage

501
03:43:03,063 --> 03:43:08,482
can and dragged it. And the sound was just horrifying.

502
03:43:08,482 --> 03:43:13,619
Um, it's a problem. For all our regional roads coming

503
03:43:13,800 --> 03:43:19,619
into towns and our hamlets and our villages. And so

504
03:43:19,640 --> 03:43:23,779
I guess my question is what happened to that study.

505
03:43:25,401 --> 03:43:29,915
Or that strategy. I was expecting it before now. Commissioner

506
03:43:29,936 --> 03:43:33,985
Getsky. Thank you to you, Chair. You think you for

507
03:43:34,486 --> 03:43:38,865
drawing our attention again. As you know, during this mandate,

508
03:43:38,865 --> 03:43:42,065
um, a couple of years ago, the focus was very

509
03:43:42,105 --> 03:43:46,545
much on automated speed enforcement as a tool that enables

510
03:43:46,585 --> 03:43:50,445
to control speeds everywhere across the entire regional network. Uh,

511
03:43:50,445 --> 03:43:54,945
that program was accelerated and then cancelled by the province.

512
03:43:54,945 --> 03:43:59,265
So we had to pivot. Since the late spring of

513
03:43:59,526 --> 03:44:04,285
this year, we initiated a township traffic calming program. Uh,

514
03:44:04,646 --> 03:44:08,785
in partnership with area municipalities, we identified alongside in Bloomingdale

515
03:44:08,806 --> 03:44:11,905
and Wrigley are part of it. Uh, there's 47 sites

516
03:44:12,006 --> 03:44:14,945
in total. We understand that as, as more and more

517
03:44:14,966 --> 03:44:18,605
houses get built in the townships, the settlements expand. And

518
03:44:18,605 --> 03:44:21,585
that is becoming a more frequent problem. You're talking about

519
03:44:22,006 --> 03:44:25,185
winterboure. There's many other communities that have similar problems

520
03:44:25,366 --> 03:44:29,585
between, or friction between the houses that are being built

521
03:44:29,926 --> 03:44:32,785
and the heavier traffic that may go through. So we

522
03:44:32,785 --> 03:44:36,745
have 47 sites that are being investigated right now. So

523
03:44:36,745 --> 03:44:39,265
the first part, um, that went through the summer was

524
03:44:39,305 --> 03:44:41,745
about data collection. They will continue that. And we will

525
03:44:41,745 --> 03:44:45,665
bring back that to council. I think the expected timeline

526
03:44:45,926 --> 03:44:52,445
is mid next year to provide examples of countermeasures. Uh,

527
03:44:52,445 --> 03:44:55,585
so measures that can be implemented to be able to,

528
03:44:55,585 --> 03:45:00,465
uh, reduce speeds effectively, uh, and sustainably in these different

529
03:45:00,505 --> 03:45:04,705
sites with all their specific, you know, the specific characteristics

530
03:45:04,726 --> 03:45:07,345
of each of each hamlet, but also we want to

531
03:45:07,345 --> 03:45:10,545
have some consistent solutions across the region throughout the townships.

532
03:45:13,539 --> 03:45:19,359
Councillor Shantz. Not happy. Councillor Foxton. Uh, thank you. Colleagues,

533
03:45:19,359 --> 03:45:21,999
my colleagues. I'm asking you to please watch this and

534
03:45:22,039 --> 03:45:26,332
make sure that something's done. And you were trying to,

535
03:45:26,332 --> 03:45:28,332
it's not that we want fancy things. We just want

536
03:45:28,372 --> 03:45:32,092
to save lives. So if you could please on our

537
03:45:32,132 --> 03:45:35,337
behalfs, keep your eyes on this for us. Thank you.

538
03:45:37,944 --> 03:45:41,283
So Commissioner Getzky, I understand you need the data and

539
03:45:41,283 --> 03:45:43,443
that you're trying to do this in a holistic way.

540
03:45:43,443 --> 03:45:45,203
Can you maybe get back to council and see if

541
03:45:45,243 --> 03:45:48,020
the way we could expedite that. They could come back

542
03:45:48,020 --> 03:45:53,998
to council in a more time efficient manner. Uh, yes

543
03:45:54,038 --> 03:46:00,933
we can. Thank you. I see no more questions in

544
03:46:00,954 --> 03:46:06,133
this section. The next delegation is Dr. Terry Polevoy, from

545
03:46:06,154 --> 03:46:11,280
Waterloo, who is joining us virtually. Terry, uh, you have

546
03:46:11,381 --> 03:46:12,400
five minutes and you have the floor.

547
03:46:27,135 --> 03:46:30,707
Can you hear me now? Yes, we can. Great. Okay.

548
03:46:31,048 --> 03:46:36,787
I haven't spoken to the council for, um, many years.

549
03:46:36,787 --> 03:46:38,307
The last time I was there was maybe 10 years

550
03:46:38,307 --> 03:46:45,706
ago talking about tobacco issues. But this is basically, um,

551
03:46:46,547 --> 03:46:52,479
I'm a retired physician. And been retired for about 10

552
03:46:52,500 --> 03:47:02,378
years now. And I've been noticing thermography promotions. Which

553
03:47:02,639 --> 03:47:08,458
is using a camera to claim to screen for breast

554
03:47:08,458 --> 03:47:13,653
cancer, which is totally untrue. I have no commercial interest

555
03:47:14,714 --> 03:47:17,866
in what I'm about to describe. And I'm not asking

556
03:47:18,367 --> 03:47:21,386
the council to take a position on any of the

557
03:47:21,407 --> 03:47:26,574
businesses. Which I'm not going to mention. What's being sold

558
03:47:26,595 --> 03:47:31,199
here. In this region, women can pay hundreds of dollars.

559
03:47:31,586 --> 03:47:36,417
For an infrared breast scan. That's advertised as a way

560
03:47:36,457 --> 03:47:42,110
to assess their risks of developing breast cancer. Some of

561
03:47:42,131 --> 03:47:47,230
this marketing promises and early morning, years before other methods.

562
03:47:48,588 --> 03:47:52,087
Some of it grades a woman's result on a risk

563
03:47:52,108 --> 03:47:56,248
scale. And then offers her treatment to move her score

564
03:47:56,288 --> 03:48:00,393
down. This is not new. It's been going on for

565
03:48:00,433 --> 03:48:06,575
over two decades in our region. Health Canada years ago

566
03:48:07,476 --> 03:48:13,782
has addressed this only twice. We both notices. Are basically

567
03:48:13,803 --> 03:48:20,100
hidden away on their website. In November, 2012, the Health

568
03:48:20,140 --> 03:48:26,260
Canada Advised Canadians and Healthcare Practitioners that no thermography machines

569
03:48:27,161 --> 03:48:32,896
have ever been approved to screen for breast cancer. Anywhere

570
03:48:32,896 --> 03:48:36,658
in Canada. And that they may present a potential risk

571
03:48:36,919 --> 03:48:44,013
for women who rely on these results. In 2017, September,

572
03:48:44,013 --> 03:48:47,598
it went even further. These devices are licensed only to

573
03:48:47,638 --> 03:48:53,231
measure skin temperature, like a simple thermometer. There's absolutely no

574
03:48:53,271 --> 03:48:58,011
evidence that the cameras could detect breast cancer early. And

575
03:48:58,011 --> 03:49:02,191
if a woman relies on thermography alone, cancer could go

576
03:49:02,372 --> 03:49:07,251
undetected. I also said that I would follow up with

577
03:49:07,672 --> 03:49:14,131
manufacturers because advertising or selling these devices for breast cancer

578
03:49:14,152 --> 03:49:17,971
screening is prohibited in Canada. Yet they're all over the

579
03:49:18,011 --> 03:49:24,648
place. Nine years have passed since I first contacted Health

580
03:49:24,669 --> 03:49:28,408
Canada. And no outcomes of that follow - up has

581
03:49:28,448 --> 03:49:33,632
ever been published on their website. Growth Health Canada notices

582
03:49:34,613 --> 03:49:38,312
now carry an archive banner. So you're not going to

583
03:49:38,312 --> 03:49:41,312
be able to find it very easily on health Canada

584
03:49:41,333 --> 03:49:49,139
website. If you look for thermography. That happens automatically with

585
03:49:49,400 --> 03:49:55,577
notices from healthcare after four years. The federal warning, a

586
03:49:55,577 --> 03:50:00,097
woman finds today is marked as not updated while the

587
03:50:00,137 --> 03:50:06,547
websites across Canada, especially in this region. Are selling the

588
03:50:06,568 --> 03:50:13,187
scan. Continuously and they're updated regularly. My concern is not

589
03:50:13,288 --> 03:50:17,873
the camera itself because a camera doesn't harm anybody. A

590
03:50:17,913 --> 03:50:21,873
woman who's told her skin is normal may feel reassured

591
03:50:22,854 --> 03:50:26,593
that that reassurance leads her to delay or skip mammography.

592
03:50:27,999 --> 03:50:32,314
The delay is the harm. Not the picture. I want

593
03:50:32,314 --> 03:50:35,754
to be clear that this is not only my view.

594
03:50:35,754 --> 03:50:41,114
I wrote the region of Waterloo Public Health Associated Medical

595
03:50:41,114 --> 03:50:45,972
Officer of Health recently. And described my concerns accurately. That

596
03:50:46,073 --> 03:50:50,932
breast thermography may provide false reassurance and could discourage some

597
03:50:50,972 --> 03:50:55,972
individuals from participating in evidence - based breast cancer screening.

598
03:50:58,422 --> 03:51:02,641
The associate medical officer of health told me correctly that

599
03:51:02,641 --> 03:51:09,041
medical devices advertising claims and regulated health professionals all full

600
03:51:09,142 --> 03:51:13,910
outside the mandates of the local public health unit. I

601
03:51:13,931 --> 03:51:17,736
accept that. I'm not here to ask counsel to overturn

602
03:51:17,736 --> 03:51:22,009
it. But I would ask counsel to notice the pattern.

603
03:51:23,577 --> 03:51:26,996
Health Canada have moved my complaint that queen its own

604
03:51:27,036 --> 03:51:33,236
branches cancer care Ontario said publicly 20 years ago that

605
03:51:33,417 --> 03:51:37,396
health candidate regulates the promotion of treatments not of screening

606
03:51:37,436 --> 03:51:44,833
tests. And call this case of Buyer Beware. This month,

607
03:51:44,833 --> 03:51:47,953
even state medical boards in the United States, like in

608
03:51:47,974 --> 03:51:52,593
Texas, told me that they don't even track these devices.

609
03:51:52,593 --> 03:51:54,673
Carry your eyes. They don't even have Terry you're out

610
03:51:54,673 --> 03:51:59,041
of time. Can you just sum up please? Yes. Um,

611
03:51:59,222 --> 03:52:04,177
I would like to make a request. That the council

612
03:52:04,217 --> 03:52:10,235
issue a public advisory. On breast thermography. And it's not

613
03:52:10,416 --> 03:52:13,519
going to cost you one nickel. It's not going to

614
03:52:13,519 --> 03:52:17,805
cost anything to make that public announcement. And I've included

615
03:52:18,386 --> 03:52:27,351
supplementation supplemented papers and so forth. For your review. Thank

616
03:52:27,391 --> 03:52:31,227
you very much. Terry. Um, I see no questions. Dr.

617
03:52:31,248 --> 03:52:36,117
Wong, would you like to give a response. Thank you

618
03:52:36,778 --> 03:52:40,357
through you, the chair. So I would recommend that public

619
03:52:40,378 --> 03:52:47,606
health act. Within its legislated role and establish program responsibilities,

620
03:52:47,606 --> 03:52:51,926
uh, we do not regulate medical devices advertising claims or

621
03:52:51,947 --> 03:52:56,200
health professionals. And we do not deliver the provincial breast

622
03:52:56,200 --> 03:53:00,440
cancer screening program. Public health also does not lead breast

623
03:53:00,440 --> 03:53:06,599
cancer screening communications. Provincial screening communications are coordinated through cancer

624
03:53:06,620 --> 03:53:10,839
care, Ontario. And lastly, I would like to thank Dr.

625
03:53:11,260 --> 03:53:15,479
Pollovoy's longstanding. Thank him for his longstanding service to our

626
03:53:15,519 --> 03:53:18,599
community and his commitment to the health and wellbeing of

627
03:53:18,639 --> 03:53:22,714
our residence. Thank you. Thank you Dr. Wong and thank

628
03:53:22,714 --> 03:53:26,594
you Dr. Polevoy for Delegating. The next, I

629
03:53:26,594 --> 03:53:29,994
see no further questions. The next delegation is David Marskell,

630
03:53:29,994 --> 03:53:33,434
CEO of the Museum. David, you're here in person. Welcome

631
03:53:33,434 --> 03:53:42,987
to the podium and you have five minutes. Thank you

632
03:53:42,987 --> 03:53:50,357
very much. And it's good to see everybody. Um. I'll

633
03:53:50,357 --> 03:53:52,117
move fairly quickly through the first part of the deck

634
03:53:52,458 --> 03:53:54,437
because I assume you all received it and it's on

635
03:53:54,437 --> 03:53:57,637
public record. Uh, but we have a wonderful and continue

636
03:53:57,637 --> 03:54:00,737
to have a great stellar, uh, board of directors, um,

637
03:54:00,938 --> 03:54:04,837
over the last two years. We will have turned that

638
03:54:04,877 --> 03:54:12,683
over by 60 percent. Next. Um, we follow the mission

639
03:54:12,784 --> 03:54:18,852
vision and values next. Um, and art and technology, a

640
03:54:18,852 --> 03:54:21,052
play that was the original model of the children's museum

641
03:54:21,313 --> 03:54:25,212
that opened 24 years ago, continues to be our model

642
03:54:25,393 --> 03:54:31,184
for motto for all stages of life. Next. We have

643
03:54:31,224 --> 03:54:33,184
a bright future. We've been working with the city of

644
03:54:33,205 --> 03:54:35,984
Kitchener. We appreciate your support in terms of the annual

645
03:54:36,165 --> 03:54:39,504
grant. We have been meeting the needs of the of

646
03:54:39,504 --> 03:54:43,104
the, um, of the growing population. And we are getting

647
03:54:43,125 --> 03:54:45,744
close to returning to pre - COVID numbers. Thank you

648
03:54:46,165 --> 03:54:51,827
next. Our fiscal that just ended was extremely successful. Our

649
03:54:51,827 --> 03:54:54,407
attendance was up over 20 percent previous over the last

650
03:54:54,428 --> 03:54:59,287
year. And we had our highest numbers in terms of

651
03:54:59,788 --> 03:55:03,687
March break, an individual day had 1, 700 people and

652
03:55:03,727 --> 03:55:06,407
highest revenues ever in a number of lines. Um, and

653
03:55:06,588 --> 03:55:09,287
we've started our fiscal July 1st and July was our

654
03:55:09,308 --> 03:55:12,967
highest attendance since 2012 and August is on target. Next.

655
03:55:15,103 --> 03:55:20,202
We have a stellar group of Canadian speakers, um, launching

656
03:55:22,063 --> 03:55:26,742
the Leonardo da Vinci 500 years of genius exhibition. Um,

657
03:55:27,423 --> 03:55:31,402
starting November 22nd with Bob McDonald. And we have a

658
03:55:31,423 --> 03:55:34,602
nostril and we're bringing back to the community Margaret Atwood

659
03:55:34,943 --> 03:55:41,149
next. Leonardo da Vinci, um, I'm sure you all know

660
03:55:41,330 --> 03:55:45,949
him incredibly what he thought, what he did, what he

661
03:55:45,989 --> 03:55:50,029
created from science, her monatomy to the Mona Lisa in

662
03:55:50,029 --> 03:55:56,000
the last, uh, the last supper next. Um, we are

663
03:55:56,101 --> 03:55:59,840
in partnership with a number of incredible organisations. Are there

664
03:55:59,840 --> 03:56:03,600
any Italians in the room, Karen? Like we've got a

665
03:56:03,600 --> 03:56:06,160
lot of Italian. I've been meeting so many Italian friends

666
03:56:06,181 --> 03:56:09,200
across the province. Um, the ambassador will be opening the

667
03:56:09,461 --> 03:56:12,000
event on September 23rd. And I messed up and you

668
03:56:12,000 --> 03:56:14,960
have a council meeting. So we will figure out a

669
03:56:15,000 --> 03:56:17,920
day right after that, uh, sometime to get you there

670
03:56:18,341 --> 03:56:22,000
to, to enjoy the show. Uh, we're working with so

671
03:56:22,040 --> 03:56:28,710
many groups across, um, The Italian Community. Next. The Da

672
03:56:28,710 --> 03:56:31,110
Vinci Festival, which I think is what we do best

673
03:56:32,811 --> 03:56:35,910
is wonderful. On the right is some of the galleries

674
03:56:36,011 --> 03:56:38,230
and rooms that will be explored. On the left, we

675
03:56:38,491 --> 03:56:44,470
are what we do normally from school groups

676
03:56:44,510 --> 03:56:51,259
to some of our Special events. Next. Top right is

677
03:56:51,299 --> 03:56:54,299
the anatomy room that you'll see some of the drawings.

678
03:56:54,299 --> 03:56:57,659
Um, much of what he did. He didn't actually make.

679
03:56:57,659 --> 03:56:59,899
He created drawings. So in the bottom right, you're seeing

680
03:56:59,939 --> 03:57:02,859
some of the things like the bicycle, uh, and so

681
03:57:02,859 --> 03:57:06,059
on. Um, we have our immersive eye pool room on

682
03:57:06,099 --> 03:57:09,179
the left, which we'll talk about Florence and some of

683
03:57:09,179 --> 03:57:11,499
the places that he lived. But that just gives you

684
03:57:11,539 --> 03:57:17,529
a sense of what people will enjoy next. This is

685
03:57:17,790 --> 03:57:20,969
the, this is the best part of it. From Margaret

686
03:57:21,070 --> 03:57:26,889
Atwood to seven post - secondary, um, institutions from Villanova

687
03:57:26,910 --> 03:57:29,609
all the way to Georgian College to our universities to

688
03:57:29,790 --> 03:57:34,169
Guelph, um, Carlton. The speaker series, for the most part

689
03:57:34,350 --> 03:57:38,649
on Sunday afternoons is incredible. Um, and, um, I would

690
03:57:38,750 --> 03:57:41,609
urge you all to, to come to some or all

691
03:57:41,609 --> 03:57:44,809
of those. Um, Dorothy, I don't know if you knew

692
03:57:44,849 --> 03:57:48,249
this. I certainly didn't know that in Waterloo and the

693
03:57:48,270 --> 03:57:51,929
Hydro Cut that the Waterloo Cycling Club created the Da

694
03:57:51,929 --> 03:57:56,649
Vinci Bridge to make it passable for cyclists and people

695
03:57:56,670 --> 03:58:00,569
walking in Waterloo. Um, it's a pretty awesome lineup that

696
03:58:00,569 --> 03:58:07,236
we have next. The building wrap dropped last week on

697
03:58:07,276 --> 03:58:10,516
furrowed last week as a beacon to downtown Kitchener in

698
03:58:10,516 --> 03:58:13,876
the heart of the region. And I think we're winding

699
03:58:13,876 --> 03:58:15,396
down. I don't see a clock, but I think I'm

700
03:58:15,497 --> 03:58:20,436
on time. Next. Yeah. About 31 minutes. Seconds minutes. Oh,

701
03:58:20,476 --> 03:58:23,636
minutes. I can go for, yeah. Anyway, it's, it's a

702
03:58:23,676 --> 03:58:29,076
wonderful, um, really on brand for us what he embodies

703
03:58:29,417 --> 03:58:33,396
an art and technology at play what we inspired to

704
03:58:34,937 --> 03:58:38,036
bring to this community. It's probably the biggest brand that

705
03:58:38,036 --> 03:58:41,716
we've ever done, notwithstanding the Rolling Stones, Titanic and all

706
03:58:41,716 --> 03:58:45,476
of those things. This is probably the biggest one ever.

707
03:58:45,516 --> 03:58:51,456
Next. Maybe you could say this word, Karen, so I

708
03:58:51,456 --> 03:58:55,056
don't butcher. Grazie, grazie. There it is. And thank you

709
03:58:55,056 --> 03:58:58,596
very, very much. That was all for information. So David,

710
03:58:58,596 --> 03:59:00,356
thank you very much. I have to say, I'm very

711
03:59:00,377 --> 03:59:04,996
excited about this and not just because, uh, Italian is

712
03:59:05,177 --> 03:59:07,956
my family roots, but, um, it feels to me like

713
03:59:08,057 --> 03:59:10,116
you're going to be able to go to Italy and

714
03:59:10,156 --> 03:59:13,716
it's much cheaper way to get there and enjoy the

715
03:59:13,756 --> 03:59:17,076
beautiful artifacts and the inspiration from Da Vinci. So thank

716
03:59:17,076 --> 03:59:19,636
you very much for coming and presenting this. We actually

717
03:59:19,636 --> 03:59:22,276
have one of our colleagues, I think is in Italy

718
03:59:22,316 --> 03:59:24,516
as we speak. So I will make sure that he

719
03:59:24,697 --> 03:59:28,196
comes too. So, um, thank you for accommodating. I was

720
03:59:28,236 --> 03:59:30,756
very sad to see that it was opening on a

721
03:59:30,796 --> 03:59:34,196
council night. So yeah, we were accommodating the ambassador who

722
03:59:34,236 --> 03:59:38,496
was opening and I do apologise. One ambassador or all

723
03:59:38,496 --> 03:59:42,596
of us, geese David. I'll call him in the morning,

724
03:59:42,596 --> 03:59:44,196
see if we can switch it up. I don't see

725
03:59:44,217 --> 03:59:46,676
any questions, but thank you very much again for inspiring

726
03:59:46,777 --> 03:59:52,854
the community. Thank you all very, very much. Next delegation

727
03:59:52,875 --> 03:59:57,814
is Craig Sloss from Waterloo. I believe you're here in

728
03:59:57,835 --> 04:00:00,374
person, Craig. You have the podium and you have five

729
04:00:00,414 --> 04:00:10,284
minutes. All right. Uh, good

730
04:00:10,324 --> 04:00:13,084
evening chair and members of Council. My name is Craig

731
04:00:13,124 --> 04:00:16,044
Sloss. I'm an actuary and a data scientist living in

732
04:00:16,065 --> 04:00:20,244
Waterloo. A significant portion of my work these days relates

733
04:00:20,244 --> 04:00:25,690
to policies and practices around responsible use of AI. Core

734
04:00:25,690 --> 04:00:29,930
principles of responsible AI include having a clearly defined value

735
04:00:30,031 --> 04:00:34,985
generating purpose. Understanding the costs and risks associated with AI

736
04:00:35,886 --> 04:00:38,905
and enabling well - informed decision - making that balance

737
04:00:39,006 --> 04:00:43,538
as benefits and risks of AI. From my experience with

738
04:00:43,578 --> 04:00:44,978
my colleagues, I know that there are people who work

739
04:00:45,018 --> 04:00:49,192
with AI diligently and ethically. From my experience as a

740
04:00:49,232 --> 04:00:52,152
consumer of technology products, I know that these qualities are

741
04:00:52,173 --> 04:00:56,432
rare. And speaking today as a resident and not as

742
04:00:56,472 --> 04:00:59,072
a representative of my employer or profession, but my perspective

743
04:00:59,733 --> 04:01:02,352
is informed by my years of experience thinking critically about

744
04:01:02,453 --> 04:01:07,078
these trade - offs. I support the motion requesting a

745
04:01:07,118 --> 04:01:10,518
report to inform policy direction on data centres. And we'd

746
04:01:10,518 --> 04:01:13,078
like to highlight a few areas that may require additional

747
04:01:13,099 --> 04:01:20,494
attention. First, the motion correctly recognises that data centres very

748
04:01:20,494 --> 04:01:25,694
significantly in size function and resource requirements. By then see

749
04:01:25,955 --> 04:01:30,254
that's explicitly reflected in the concrete proposed content of the

750
04:01:30,254 --> 04:01:34,498
report. So data centres have a wide variety of uses.

751
04:01:34,498 --> 04:01:38,590
Many of which generate significant value for society. Hosting websites

752
04:01:38,611 --> 04:01:41,310
and email servers enabling us to share files with friends

753
04:01:41,331 --> 04:01:45,630
and family and hosting databases to support local business operations.

754
04:01:46,611 --> 04:01:49,230
But data centres are also used to flood our social

755
04:01:49,270 --> 04:01:52,030
media fees with AI - generated slop, some of which

756
04:01:52,051 --> 04:01:58,412
is fraudulent or pla plagiaristic. Waste and inefficiency are widespread

757
04:01:58,412 --> 04:02:01,809
in the AI industry. We all see this every time

758
04:02:01,809 --> 04:02:04,529
we do an internet search and get an AI summary

759
04:02:04,529 --> 04:02:08,264
that we never asked for. Every time AI is used

760
04:02:08,285 --> 04:02:10,824
without a valid purpose is a waste of data centre

761
04:02:10,864 --> 04:02:15,502
capacity. Waste that threatens our drinking water, our electricity supply,

762
04:02:15,502 --> 04:02:19,906
and our ability to grow food locally. The policy question

763
04:02:19,946 --> 04:02:23,906
is, how do we ensure that limited resources are used

764
04:02:23,927 --> 04:02:28,386
only for data centres whose function aligns with our community's

765
04:02:28,386 --> 04:02:33,826
values and priorities and prevent local resources from enabling waste,

766
04:02:33,826 --> 04:02:38,726
deception, and abuse. This means that any future policy direction

767
04:02:39,147 --> 04:02:42,166
only to set different rules based on the purpose and

768
04:02:42,347 --> 04:02:45,766
size of the data centre. And the report can support

769
04:02:45,806 --> 04:02:50,006
this by identifying criteria the policymakers can use to categorize

770
04:02:50,187 --> 04:02:54,525
data centres. This should be done in collaboration with the

771
04:02:54,626 --> 04:02:58,445
lower tier municipalities who also need to update zoning bylaws

772
04:02:58,485 --> 04:03:00,765
to reflect different cities in the size and purpose of

773
04:03:00,786 --> 04:03:05,044
data centres. Using my own city of Waterloo, as an

774
04:03:05,044 --> 04:03:08,404
example, our zoning bylaw contains a single definition of data

775
04:03:08,585 --> 04:03:11,524
centre that makes no distinction based on size or purpose.

776
04:03:13,488 --> 04:03:15,947
If we had a zoning bylaw that made no distinction

777
04:03:15,987 --> 04:03:18,907
between a single detached dwelling and a 30 - story

778
04:03:18,907 --> 04:03:21,547
residential tower, I think we'd all agree that would be

779
04:03:21,648 --> 04:03:25,124
an absurd situation. But that's a situation we're currently in

780
04:03:25,164 --> 04:03:29,918
with data centres. Having a clear definition of different categories

781
04:03:29,939 --> 04:03:33,358
of data centres is a critical first step in developing

782
04:03:33,619 --> 04:03:38,158
policy that allocates resources in accordance to our community's priorities.

783
04:03:41,266 --> 04:03:43,965
This season to my second recommendation, which is that the

784
04:03:44,146 --> 04:03:48,125
report should incorporate public feedback, gather through mechanisms such as

785
04:03:48,146 --> 04:03:52,822
engage WR or public feedback meetings. Since the report will

786
04:03:52,862 --> 04:03:56,426
be used to support future policy direction. This direction should

787
04:03:56,527 --> 04:03:59,546
be informed by a summary of public perspectives on data

788
04:03:59,567 --> 04:04:03,384
centres. This information will be needed so that any policy

789
04:04:03,485 --> 04:04:08,104
developed around data centres will prioritize allocating resources to purposes

790
04:04:08,144 --> 04:04:14,304
that are consistent with our values. Finally, I'm glad to

791
04:04:14,304 --> 04:04:17,104
see the report is asking for information on the environmental

792
04:04:17,205 --> 04:04:21,576
impact of data centres and greenhouse gases in particular. It's

793
04:04:21,616 --> 04:04:24,456
important that the report address the impact that data centres

794
04:04:24,496 --> 04:04:27,416
have on the greenhouse gas emissions of the grid as

795
04:04:27,416 --> 04:04:30,536
a whole, not just the direct impact of data centres.

796
04:04:31,542 --> 04:04:35,361
Data centres frequently make use of renewable energy sources. Forcing

797
04:04:35,401 --> 04:04:38,801
other electricity users to rely on more carbon intensive sources.

798
04:04:40,033 --> 04:04:47,090
We've already seen local impacts of increasing grid carbonization. In

799
04:04:47,130 --> 04:04:53,890
April this year, the City of Kitchener reported it primarily

800
04:04:54,231 --> 04:04:58,288
to a 27 percent increase. What's not clear to me

801
04:04:58,389 --> 04:05:01,488
is how much of that increased carbon intensity is due

802
04:05:01,509 --> 04:05:04,588
to the presence of data centres already in operation. And

803
04:05:04,588 --> 04:05:06,768
this is an impact that needs to be better understood.

804
04:05:08,187 --> 04:05:10,486
A full picture of greenhouse gas emissions needs to look

805
04:05:10,486 --> 04:05:12,886
at the system - wide impact of adding data centres

806
04:05:12,886 --> 04:05:16,335
to the grid. And, uh, thank you for taking the

807
04:05:16,375 --> 04:05:18,975
time to listen to my feedback today. Thank you very

808
04:05:19,015 --> 04:05:21,855
much Craig. You finished right on the button. And Councillor

809
04:05:21,876 --> 04:05:25,375
Foxton has a question. Thank you. Um, very informative. Could

810
04:05:25,375 --> 04:05:29,069
you share what you've stated with us. The notes you

811
04:05:29,069 --> 04:05:32,530
mean. Yeah, the notes that you just read off. Yes.

812
04:05:32,530 --> 04:05:34,370
Oh, for sure. Yeah. Yeah. You could share it with

813
04:05:34,410 --> 04:05:36,210
the cloak and they can share it with us. Thank

814
04:05:36,210 --> 04:05:39,696
you so much. Councillor Rodriguez. Yeah, thanks, Jared. Just a

815
04:05:39,696 --> 04:05:44,096
question to staff at the end of the committee report

816
04:05:44,117 --> 04:05:46,776
when we get there. Or I can hold for the

817
04:05:46,797 --> 04:05:49,884
committee report when we get there. Well, I'm going to,

818
04:05:49,884 --> 04:05:52,844
I see no further questions of the delegations.

819
04:05:52,884 --> 04:05:54,604
and then you can, um, ask

820
04:05:54,625 --> 04:05:57,084
your question. Craig, thank you for coming in. And it

821
04:05:57,084 --> 04:05:59,964
was a very thoughtful presentation. So thank you for providing

822
04:06:00,305 --> 04:06:03,760
us food for thought. Thank you. Uh, Matt, do you

823
04:06:03,801 --> 04:06:08,778
want to, or Councillor Rodriguez. Thanks. Uh, thanks Chair. Um,

824
04:06:08,899 --> 04:06:10,838
just to ask a question to staff. You know, I

825
04:06:10,838 --> 04:06:12,798
think there's a lot of good discussion at committee day

826
04:06:12,838 --> 04:06:15,838
about nuance and being specific about the different types of

827
04:06:15,859 --> 04:06:17,518
things that we're talking about when we see the word

828
04:06:17,539 --> 04:06:20,118
data centres. And just wondering if to the sort of

829
04:06:20,118 --> 04:06:24,078
suggestion of getting an understanding of the different scales of

830
04:06:24,259 --> 04:06:28,218
operations and maybe a bit of a local context. And

831
04:06:28,218 --> 04:06:30,398
do you see that being part of the work that

832
04:06:30,419 --> 04:06:33,978
will happen? Obviously there's, I'm sure equated an exercise, but

833
04:06:34,979 --> 04:06:37,118
will there be that bit of an understanding of these

834
04:06:37,158 --> 04:06:39,198
different contexts and what it can mean in our community.

835
04:06:42,281 --> 04:06:47,189
Yeah, through you, chair Redman. Uh, yes, this is, uh,

836
04:06:47,390 --> 04:06:53,129
the report that's underway under development is, uh, is a

837
04:06:53,169 --> 04:06:55,689
summary piece. I think this is, you know, there have

838
04:06:55,689 --> 04:07:00,889
been some excellent suggestions made here regarding, you know, addressing

839
04:07:00,990 --> 04:07:04,809
or understand, trying to understand the current standards for categorizing

840
04:07:05,310 --> 04:07:12,399
data centres, for example. Uh, we. I would say this

841
04:07:12,439 --> 04:07:17,439
is really the beginning of a conversation with future council.

842
04:07:17,439 --> 04:07:21,279
I would suggest it will probably trigger, uh, more questions

843
04:07:21,380 --> 04:07:27,839
than it will answer. Um, and then, uh, following the

844
04:07:27,860 --> 04:07:31,179
Presentation of this, which will be an information report, uh,

845
04:07:32,340 --> 04:07:36,719
Council can provide direction, the future council provide direction on,

846
04:07:36,820 --> 04:07:40,479
on how we want to engage further, uh, through public

847
04:07:40,500 --> 04:07:45,795
consultation and towards, uh, policy agenda. That's a great update.

848
04:07:45,795 --> 04:07:49,315
Thank you, Chair. Thank you. As you know, further questions,

849
04:07:49,315 --> 04:07:53,155
uh, that is the end of our delegations. Colleagues are

850
04:07:53,256 --> 04:07:55,475
going to move on to the minutes of previous meetings.

851
04:07:55,475 --> 04:08:00,995
I need a mover in a seconder to move minutes.

852
04:08:00,995 --> 04:08:04,355
They're under listed under item 9. 1 to 9. 17.

853
04:08:05,331 --> 04:08:09,230
Move by Councillor Shantz, second to my Councillor Salanin. Please use

854
04:08:09,251 --> 04:08:10,190
your eScribe to vote.

855
04:08:33,928 --> 04:08:37,267
Colligues that is carried the next agenda item or Communications.

856
04:08:37,267 --> 04:08:42,067
You have received an information package electronically, um, as well

857
04:08:42,067 --> 04:08:47,827
as correspondence from Jessica Denin. Those are received for information.

858
04:08:47,827 --> 04:08:54,802
Um, next gender item 11. 1 is Finance Reports. There

859
04:08:54,802 --> 04:08:59,042
are three finance reports in unless there are any requests

860
04:08:59,042 --> 04:09:01,282
to remove any of them from consent. I will take

861
04:09:01,322 --> 04:09:05,884
them as one motion. I, if I could have a

862
04:09:05,905 --> 04:09:08,444
mover in a second or move by Councillor Wolf seconded

863
04:09:08,484 --> 04:09:11,564
by Councillor James, please use your eScribe to vote on

864
04:09:11,745 --> 04:09:14,539
all three. Reports.

865
04:09:32,874 --> 04:09:36,053
College that is carried next to gender item 11. 2.

866
04:09:36,093 --> 04:09:41,233
1 is sustainable cenability infrastructure and development committee summary, May

867
04:09:41,274 --> 04:09:46,585
5th. I need a mover in a seconder. For this

868
04:09:46,606 --> 04:09:52,294
section. Moved by Councillor Henick, seconded by Councillor Erb. Please

869
04:09:52,294 --> 04:09:53,334
use your eScribe to vote.

870
04:10:16,072 --> 04:10:19,251
Collexit is carried the next. There are no recommendations from

871
04:10:19,291 --> 04:10:23,971
the library committee, which was held on June 18th, 2026.

872
04:10:23,971 --> 04:10:27,651
The next agenda item, uh, 11. 2. 3 is sustainability

873
04:10:27,992 --> 04:10:32,611
infrastructure development committee summary from August the 11th. If I

874
04:10:32,651 --> 04:10:34,811
could have a mover in a secondary councillor, like it

875
04:10:34,811 --> 04:10:40,268
would you like to move this. Seconded by Councillor Now,

876
04:10:40,268 --> 04:10:41,548
please use your eScribe to vote.

877
04:11:13,655 --> 04:11:16,754
Colleagues said is carried the next agenda item is Community

878
04:11:17,015 --> 04:11:21,514
and Health Services Committee summary from August 11th, 2026. If

879
04:11:21,514 --> 04:11:23,314
I could have a mover in the secondary move by

880
04:11:23,495 --> 04:11:27,858
Councillor Huinink, seconded by Councillor Craig. Please use your eScribe

881
04:11:27,898 --> 04:11:28,178
to vote.

882
04:11:48,579 --> 04:11:49,358
Councillor McCabe.

883
04:12:00,021 --> 04:12:03,920
Colleagues that is carried. The next agenda item is administration

884
04:12:04,261 --> 04:12:09,760
and finance committee summary from August the 11th, 2026. There

885
04:12:09,800 --> 04:12:14,240
are two parts to this motion. We by Councillor Rodriguez,

886
04:12:14,240 --> 04:12:17,200
seconded by Councillor Erb. Please use your eScribe to vote.

887
04:12:45,076 --> 04:12:52,119
Councillor Liggett, are you in favor. Colleagues that is carried.

888
04:12:52,119 --> 04:12:55,079
The next agenda item is licensing and hearing a committee

889
04:12:55,100 --> 04:12:58,199
summary from August the 20th, 2026. If I could have

890
04:12:58,220 --> 04:13:02,947
a mover into seconder. Move by Councillor McCabe, seconded by

891
04:13:03,528 --> 04:13:08,974
Councillor Foxton. Please use your eScribe. I always tell you

892
04:13:09,155 --> 04:13:12,974
there's too many animals on this side of the circle.

893
04:13:17,895 --> 04:13:19,154
Got a wolf, we've got a fox.

894
04:13:48,556 --> 04:13:52,595
Colleague, that is carried. Um, I have no other, um,

895
04:13:52,796 --> 04:13:56,855
matters. Uh, we have no, or there is a notice

896
04:13:56,855 --> 04:14:01,369
of motion by Councillor Craig at Councillor Craig. You're moving

897
04:14:01,550 --> 04:14:09,382
it. Yes, Madam Chair. Sorry. And Councillor Wolf's going to

898
04:14:09,403 --> 04:14:12,582
second it. Thank you. Moved by councillor Wolf. Go

899
04:14:12,622 --> 04:14:14,102
ahead. Would you like to speak to it? Well, thank

900
04:14:14,102 --> 04:14:17,912
you. Uh, members of Council, there's two parts to this

901
04:14:17,952 --> 04:14:20,552
that I want to talk about. First of all, there's

902
04:14:20,552 --> 04:14:22,712
the obvious things that I've written up in the motion.

903
04:14:23,540 --> 04:14:27,728
Which talks about the need for impartial leadership. In terms

904
04:14:27,728 --> 04:14:31,911
of whoever is in the regional chair. I think that's

905
04:14:32,012 --> 04:14:35,686
relatively one of the most important things. Also the possibility

906
04:14:35,787 --> 04:14:40,246
when you combine mayors and chairs together of conflicts of

907
04:14:40,246 --> 04:14:44,825
interest that may arise. And also the concentration of authority.

908
04:14:45,624 --> 04:14:50,327
Under both chairs and mere powers into one individual. And

909
04:14:50,367 --> 04:14:53,287
I think that is really something that, uh, I have

910
04:14:53,327 --> 04:14:57,207
a lot of concerns about. I think what's important is

911
04:14:57,228 --> 04:15:01,287
that we need to say publicly what we believe as

912
04:15:01,308 --> 04:15:07,127
a regional counsel in terms of the development and the

913
04:15:07,468 --> 04:15:11,207
continuation of regional council into the future, what we believe.

914
04:15:12,162 --> 04:15:14,941
And I think the motion is basically sending a message.

915
04:15:15,514 --> 04:15:19,307
To Queen's Park. That we found, yes, this is an

916
04:15:19,347 --> 04:15:23,114
affront to local democracy. That the people of this region

917
04:15:23,135 --> 04:15:26,714
can choose their own chair and they've done that successfully

918
04:15:27,055 --> 04:15:29,594
for a number of years and that we would like

919
04:15:29,634 --> 04:15:32,919
to stay on that path. Um, I want to go

920
04:15:32,919 --> 04:15:36,199
back just a bit in the history of the region.

921
04:15:36,199 --> 04:15:39,879
As I think it's important. When I arrived here in

922
04:15:39,980 --> 04:15:44,119
1991 as a regional council, it was a new breed

923
04:15:44,140 --> 04:15:47,559
because it was the first time regional councillors were elected.

924
04:15:48,414 --> 04:15:52,873
Before that, they were appointed within their municipal councils and

925
04:15:52,974 --> 04:15:56,792
sent to the region. So at that time, here, we

926
04:15:56,792 --> 04:16:03,703
had 26 regional councillors. Over the years, that was condensed

927
04:16:03,703 --> 04:16:10,352
down in 1997 to 22 members. And in 2000 down

928
04:16:10,392 --> 04:16:14,487
to 16. But along with that, you had the regional

929
04:16:14,527 --> 04:16:20,408
chair became elected. Not appointed within the Council. And you

930
04:16:20,429 --> 04:16:26,023
had, of course, uh, directly elected regional council. So the

931
04:16:27,964 --> 04:16:33,783
transparency accountability in a Democratic forum. And over those years,

932
04:16:33,783 --> 04:16:36,743
uh, there was this evolution and it was all done

933
04:16:36,924 --> 04:16:41,666
up front publicly. And we, with Queens park, agreed to

934
04:16:41,706 --> 04:16:45,026
these changes. And we dealt with these changes in a

935
04:16:45,026 --> 04:16:49,695
public forum. This particular, uh, issue now in terms of

936
04:16:49,956 --> 04:16:54,735
regional chairs and mayors, whenever the Queen's Park is dealing

937
04:16:54,735 --> 04:16:58,495
with is really a step back. And I think it's

938
04:16:58,495 --> 04:17:01,215
something that we should be concerned about. And it's something

939
04:17:01,215 --> 04:17:03,855
that we need to, uh, and our own way as

940
04:17:03,956 --> 04:17:08,458
a council, uh, state our position on. So I have

941
04:17:08,559 --> 04:17:10,778
the motion in front of you. I'd like your support

942
04:17:10,818 --> 04:17:14,618
on this as we go forward. And I think it's

943
04:17:14,618 --> 04:17:18,858
important. And I come back to the words transparency, accountability

944
04:17:19,119 --> 04:17:23,093
and Democratic. That's what's happened here over a number of

945
04:17:23,114 --> 04:17:27,173
years and how we've performed how we've worked and how

946
04:17:27,213 --> 04:17:31,173
we have progressed. As a regional community in terms of

947
04:17:31,194 --> 04:17:34,898
how we see government. And my concern, of course, is

948
04:17:34,919 --> 04:17:40,008
what Queen's Park is considering. Thank you, Madam Chair. Councillor

949
04:17:40,048 --> 04:17:41,448
Wolf, would you like to speak to this as a

950
04:17:41,448 --> 04:17:45,214
seconder? Yes, I would. Uh, I'm happy to second this

951
04:17:45,235 --> 04:17:49,374
motion. I too believe they combining strong mayor powers with

952
04:17:49,475 --> 04:17:56,343
the authority of the strong regional chair proofs. Concentrates too

953
04:17:56,364 --> 04:18:01,223
much authority and influence in one individual. And risks creating

954
04:18:01,564 --> 04:18:05,943
an imbalance in regional decision making. I'm also concerned about

955
04:18:06,284 --> 04:18:11,063
fairness to the other municipalities within the region. The chair's

956
04:18:11,103 --> 04:18:15,303
role is to represent the interests of the entire region,

957
04:18:15,303 --> 04:18:19,303
not a single municipality. Finally, I believe the position of

958
04:18:19,404 --> 04:18:22,743
regional chair is a full - time job that requires

959
04:18:23,244 --> 04:18:26,903
full - time attention. Being a mayor is also a

960
04:18:26,924 --> 04:18:30,983
full - time job. We know from past regional meetings,

961
04:18:30,983 --> 04:18:33,783
which have gone very long, that some mayors have had

962
04:18:33,823 --> 04:18:38,583
to leave our meeting to attend their city meetings. Given

963
04:18:38,684 --> 04:18:41,943
the demands of both offices, it would be difficult for

964
04:18:42,284 --> 04:18:46,823
one person to serve effectively in both roles. For these

965
04:18:46,863 --> 04:18:51,783
reasons, the position of mayor and regional chair should remain

966
04:18:51,884 --> 04:18:56,639
separate. And I urge you to support the motion. So

967
04:18:56,980 --> 04:18:59,439
colleagues, I see no further speakers. We had this as

968
04:18:59,479 --> 04:19:02,559
a notice of motion. It has been moved and seconded.

969
04:19:02,559 --> 04:19:05,740
So I would ask you to please use eScribe. Oh,

970
04:19:05,761 --> 04:19:10,610
Councillor James. Thank you through you, Chair. I just have

971
04:19:10,650 --> 04:19:15,170
a question for Councillor Craig recognising the history that you've

972
04:19:15,351 --> 04:19:20,050
outlined for us. Um, if there's, um, any appetite within

973
04:19:20,090 --> 04:19:23,470
your motion to potentially put in a request for, um,

974
04:19:23,671 --> 04:19:27,090
The Province to consider having the elected officials for the

975
04:19:27,130 --> 04:19:34,238
next council be part of the process. If there's a

976
04:19:34,419 --> 04:19:38,158
middle ground, the middle ground would be the elected officials

977
04:19:38,259 --> 04:19:42,558
in the next election would within this horseshoe choose the

978
04:19:42,579 --> 04:19:46,608
regional chair. That's a middle ground. That's what happened at

979
04:19:46,709 --> 04:19:51,888
one point. Uh, and the late, uh, about 19 and

980
04:19:51,888 --> 04:19:54,528
the year 2000. That's why we, we elected the chair.

981
04:19:56,058 --> 04:19:58,117
It was done within the council. So it could be

982
04:19:59,338 --> 04:20:01,957
a middle ground. And it may be something we should

983
04:20:01,978 --> 04:20:06,597
talk to the province about, if in terms of backing

984
04:20:06,597 --> 04:20:12,065
off what they're suggesting. I'll just, I think, you know,

985
04:20:12,186 --> 04:20:15,825
there going through their process that they're in now. But

986
04:20:16,666 --> 04:20:20,965
in Councillor Craig, a support, your motion, um, in terms

987
04:20:20,965 --> 04:20:24,325
of, I see it potentially being really problematic. Um, I

988
04:20:24,346 --> 04:20:26,165
just don't know in terms of where they are in

989
04:20:26,165 --> 04:20:29,925
a process right now. Um, if that's something to find

990
04:20:29,965 --> 04:20:32,085
some sort of common ground. Because what I worry about

991
04:20:32,426 --> 04:20:36,965
is, um, the impacts. There's three things I think about.

992
04:20:36,965 --> 04:20:38,805
I think about the community and we have a very

993
04:20:39,066 --> 04:20:43,285
active and a very vocal community that is very engaged.

994
04:20:43,285 --> 04:20:46,165
And if they are not trusting a process or trusting

995
04:20:46,426 --> 04:20:51,525
who is in this very, um, influential and important position,

996
04:20:51,525 --> 04:20:54,925
there could be, you know, a significant community outcry. I

997
04:20:54,925 --> 04:20:57,765
think about the next term of counsel and next council

998
04:20:57,866 --> 04:21:00,485
that is sitting here and the trust that needs to

999
04:21:00,525 --> 04:21:04,325
be established for the person that's here. Um, and then

1000
04:21:04,586 --> 04:21:09,665
I think about, you know, our, our municipal employees. And

1001
04:21:09,665 --> 04:21:13,125
they think that there is, there's a lot, um, at

1002
04:21:13,125 --> 04:21:17,765
stake that I think that it's very nuanced and layered.

1003
04:21:17,765 --> 04:21:20,805
Um, so any appetite that could be there for the

1004
04:21:20,986 --> 04:21:24,405
province to think about, um, the next council being part

1005
04:21:24,445 --> 04:21:29,445
of this process, I think would be better this region.

1006
04:21:29,445 --> 04:21:32,885
So, um, you know, Councillor Craig, I don't, I support

1007
04:21:32,906 --> 04:21:35,605
this. I'm going to, uh, I just think they're, if

1008
04:21:35,645 --> 04:21:38,805
there was any appetite for the province to say, could

1009
04:21:38,805 --> 04:21:41,365
this council be part of that decision making process in

1010
04:21:41,365 --> 04:21:44,205
the end? Um, I think that's, that's some sort of

1011
04:21:44,426 --> 04:21:48,165
common ground in something that may benefit the community overall

1012
04:21:48,266 --> 04:21:50,725
in terms of how this region moves forward in terms

1013
04:21:50,725 --> 04:22:00,263
of its leadership and governance. Councillor Shantz. Thank

1014
04:22:00,263 --> 04:22:08,183
you. I've spent 12 years assuming that the region is

1015
04:22:08,204 --> 04:22:13,543
an organisation that works to bring the air municipalities together

1016
04:22:14,524 --> 04:22:18,983
and to work together and to provide services that serve

1017
04:22:18,983 --> 04:22:24,983
the area municipalities. And I can't support number two because

1018
04:22:24,983 --> 04:22:28,583
the way that reads, um, the mayors will no longer

1019
04:22:29,084 --> 04:22:35,247
sit here. You're seven. It's separating municipal and regional leadership.

1020
04:22:35,247 --> 04:22:38,087
And it's one and the same. It's not separate. So

1021
04:22:38,087 --> 04:22:40,367
as long as that's in there, I can't support this

1022
04:22:40,548 --> 04:22:48,072
motion. Thank you through your chair. I had the same

1023
04:22:48,333 --> 04:22:54,692
question about that particular, um, second part of separating, um,

1024
04:22:55,373 --> 04:23:00,530
municipal and regional leadership. I kind of wanted Doug to

1025
04:23:00,530 --> 04:23:03,890
provide clarity. Also, I guess the word municipal because we're

1026
04:23:03,911 --> 04:23:07,330
all municipalities of tears. I think the, uh, what I

1027
04:23:07,330 --> 04:23:10,930
was trying to get at, probably not worded very well

1028
04:23:11,991 --> 04:23:14,770
is the fact emerging or the marriage in one position

1029
04:23:15,911 --> 04:23:19,659
of a regional chair and mayor. That's essentially what I

1030
04:23:19,659 --> 04:23:22,271
was trying to say. And, uh, I apologise for the

1031
04:23:22,372 --> 04:23:23,311
bad wording.

1032
04:23:34,178 --> 04:23:40,976
Councillor. So I guess some negotiations going on maybe between

1033
04:23:41,016 --> 04:23:45,056
that point. If there's any, any wording changes, um, I'm

1034
04:23:45,096 --> 04:23:49,776
going to, um, I'm going to support this, um, enthusiastically,

1035
04:23:49,776 --> 04:23:54,016
um, in the, um, limited amount of campaigning I've done

1036
04:23:54,016 --> 04:23:59,936
to be reelected in certain groups you talk to in

1037
04:23:59,936 --> 04:24:04,316
certain neighbourhoods, transit speed, um, affordability is an issue. But

1038
04:24:04,316 --> 04:24:08,336
the number one consistent issue that I'm hearing from people

1039
04:24:08,677 --> 04:24:12,901
is the appointment. Of the regional chair number one. And

1040
04:24:12,901 --> 04:24:15,001
secondly, that it could be a mayor of one of

1041
04:24:15,001 --> 04:24:17,721
the municipalities and that it is a concern to the

1042
04:24:17,742 --> 04:24:20,761
public. They feel their Democratic right has been taken away

1043
04:24:20,801 --> 04:24:25,881
from them. And, um, it's, it's being articulated and voiced

1044
04:24:25,902 --> 04:24:29,241
by people who, um, who I have been talking to.

1045
04:24:29,241 --> 04:24:30,841
I don't know what the experience of other people have

1046
04:24:30,881 --> 04:24:34,681
been. And so I'm, um, I'm happy to support this

1047
04:24:34,782 --> 04:24:40,834
recommendation. Councillor Foxton. Thank you. So, uh, Councillor Craig, are

1048
04:24:40,834 --> 04:24:42,534
you going to make a change to the motion so

1049
04:24:42,574 --> 04:24:47,014
that it doesn't, uh, take it away from the mayor.

1050
04:24:47,014 --> 04:24:51,612
So the talents. I thought number two, my colleagues were

1051
04:24:51,652 --> 04:24:57,389
saying that number two, uh, takes away municipal representation. Well,

1052
04:24:57,429 --> 04:24:59,549
that's not the intent. You could take two right out

1053
04:24:59,570 --> 04:25:03,688
if you want. If you would consider that, that amendment.

1054
04:25:03,688 --> 04:25:12,067
I request that amendment. So Councillor Craig, you're suggesting that

1055
04:25:12,107 --> 04:25:16,867
you would just strike the second, um, number two. I

1056
04:25:16,867 --> 04:25:19,347
just strike it out. It's not was never the intent.

1057
04:25:19,347 --> 04:25:21,427
That's what I thought. That's what I've written in a

1058
04:25:21,427 --> 04:25:25,218
hurry and a late evening. Okay. I'll just take it

1059
04:25:25,258 --> 04:25:29,375
out. Councillor Wolf does striking that out. It's fine. Do

1060
04:25:29,415 --> 04:25:32,895
I have unanimous consent that we strike out? Number two

1061
04:25:33,076 --> 04:25:38,644
from the motion that's before us. Okay. I see no

1062
04:25:38,684 --> 04:25:44,804
dissenting votes. So that's great. Um, Councillor McCabe or Councillor

1063
04:25:44,804 --> 04:25:46,324
Foxton and that was the point you wanted to make.

1064
04:25:46,651 --> 04:25:52,432
Yes, ma'am. Councillor McCabe. Thank you through you, Chair. I

1065
04:25:52,432 --> 04:25:54,392
just wanted to thank Councillor Craig for bringing this forward

1066
04:25:54,733 --> 04:25:57,752
because I think it's, it's really important. And I echo

1067
04:25:57,853 --> 04:26:01,912
what Councillor said about this being an issue that people

1068
04:26:01,933 --> 04:26:04,792
are raising at the doors. They're very confused about why

1069
04:26:04,893 --> 04:26:07,832
this is happening. Um, but I just also wanted to

1070
04:26:07,933 --> 04:26:13,752
draw people's attention to, um, the AMO, which is a

1071
04:26:13,853 --> 04:26:17,432
provincial body to which I was just reelected to the

1072
04:26:17,472 --> 04:26:22,152
larger when caucus, Councillor Salonen was reelected to the small

1073
04:26:22,253 --> 04:26:28,472
urban rural, caucus, sorry, rural caucus and Councillor Gowing is

1074
04:26:28,512 --> 04:26:32,872
on the regional and single tier caucus. Okay. Got that

1075
04:26:32,872 --> 04:26:36,792
right. And I think you sit there sometimes too as

1076
04:26:36,792 --> 04:26:40,632
well. Chair through your position. I do as chair of

1077
04:26:40,672 --> 04:26:44,372
Marko. As Chair Marco. So well represented at AMO. But

1078
04:26:44,372 --> 04:26:48,952
AMO represents municipalities across the entire province from very, very

1079
04:26:48,992 --> 04:26:53,652
tiny ones to Toronto and everything in between. And

1080
04:26:53,652 --> 04:26:57,592
they have taken a very strong position against, um, Bill

1081
04:26:58,093 --> 04:27:04,132
100, which is called The Better Regional Governance Act. And

1082
04:27:04,132 --> 04:27:07,432
just wanted to underline that they sent a, we've had

1083
04:27:07,472 --> 04:27:10,532
lots of dialogue with the province around this point. Um,

1084
04:27:10,532 --> 04:27:15,432
and around the point that Councillor Craig's making and they

1085
04:27:15,432 --> 04:27:19,832
are across the board, um, in opposed to this direction

1086
04:27:19,933 --> 04:27:23,912
of the province and are calling on the province to

1087
04:27:24,013 --> 04:27:30,232
reverse Bill and to maintain the Democratic election of heads

1088
04:27:30,232 --> 04:27:35,832
of council. So just wanted to reinforce that municipalities represented

1089
04:27:35,872 --> 04:27:39,992
by their caucus representatives from across every corner of Ontario

1090
04:27:40,973 --> 04:27:44,472
also, um, are opposed to this direction, um, and Bill

1091
04:27:44,973 --> 04:27:47,752
100. Thank you. So I just want to recap for

1092
04:27:47,792 --> 04:27:51,192
everybody. So the notice of motion that we got stands,

1093
04:27:51,192 --> 04:27:53,272
um, regional counts, I'm not going to read the Whereas

1094
04:27:53,373 --> 04:27:56,552
as regional council pose any governance model allowing one person

1095
04:27:56,813 --> 04:28:00,672
to serve simultaneously as a mayor and regional chair. We

1096
04:28:00,733 --> 04:28:03,832
have struck number two. So the next bullet would be

1097
04:28:04,093 --> 04:28:07,592
regional council express concern about the concentration of strong mayor

1098
04:28:07,592 --> 04:28:12,072
and strong chair powers and one individual. And third, the

1099
04:28:12,093 --> 04:28:15,592
resolution before to the premier Ontario, the Minister of Municipal

1100
04:28:15,592 --> 04:28:19,832
Affairs and Housing Local MPPs, Area Municipalities and affected regional

1101
04:28:19,853 --> 04:28:22,792
municipalities. Councillor Henick, did you want to speak to this.

1102
04:28:23,928 --> 04:28:27,513
No, but I. M going to move it. It has

1103
04:28:27,534 --> 04:28:31,273
been moved in seconded. Um, we've had unanimous consent takeout

1104
04:28:31,694 --> 04:28:37,187
number two. Are there any further discussion. Okay. I would

1105
04:28:37,187 --> 04:28:39,587
ask you to please use eScribe and vote then.

1106
04:28:59,344 --> 04:29:03,883
Colleagues that has carried unanimously. And just in case we

1107
04:29:03,883 --> 04:29:06,203
all thought we were moving along at a great clip,

1108
04:29:06,203 --> 04:29:10,803
I actually skipped over one of the committee reports. It

1109
04:29:10,944 --> 04:29:16,183
is licensing and hearings committee summary August 20th, 2026. And

1110
04:29:16,183 --> 04:29:21,163
this is a motion from that committee that the region

1111
04:29:21,184 --> 04:29:25,323
of Waterloo continue providing on - call accessible taxis between

1112
04:29:25,744 --> 04:29:29,643
11 p. m. and 5 a. m. as of 2026

1113
04:29:29,904 --> 04:29:33,723
pilot project demonstrated increase in the demand to access overnight

1114
04:29:34,384 --> 04:29:38,763
accessible transportation services as outlined in a report dated August

1115
04:29:38,784 --> 04:29:43,919
2026. Councillor Huinink, would you like to move this. Councillor

1116
04:29:43,959 --> 04:29:46,754
Craig, would you like to second it. Okay. Please use

1117
04:29:46,794 --> 04:29:51,640
your eScribe to vote. Councillor Foxton, do you have your

1118
04:29:51,640 --> 04:29:53,880
hand up? I did have my hand up. Um, so

1119
04:29:53,901 --> 04:29:56,280
I just wanted to say that the pilot was a

1120
04:29:56,320 --> 04:30:00,200
huge success and that, uh, going with two is a

1121
04:30:00,200 --> 04:30:02,760
great thing. And I want to commend staff for the

1122
04:30:02,760 --> 04:30:06,579
work they did on this. Thank you. Now we can

1123
04:30:06,600 --> 04:30:06,979
all vote.

1124
04:30:25,000 --> 04:30:29,139
That is carried. I have no other notices of motions.

1125
04:30:29,240 --> 04:30:35,941
Is there any unfinished business. Councillor Craig. Very quickly. And

1126
04:30:35,941 --> 04:30:39,481
I don't want to step in on any toes about,

1127
04:30:39,481 --> 04:30:42,521
but I'm concerned about the tariff situation. And I know

1128
04:30:42,561 --> 04:30:47,173
that, uh, Mayor Vnovich has some sort of committee. But

1129
04:30:47,194 --> 04:30:50,693
I'm thinking at some point, if we could possibly get

1130
04:30:50,954 --> 04:30:57,573
an update from our economic development about what's happening and

1131
04:30:57,834 --> 04:31:01,253
what we might be able to do to help residents

1132
04:31:01,253 --> 04:31:05,093
in this region and dealing with this process. Now it

1133
04:31:05,093 --> 04:31:08,133
could be completely finished in two weeks. I know that.

1134
04:31:08,930 --> 04:31:12,258
And one is hopeful. But on the other hand, I

1135
04:31:12,258 --> 04:31:15,178
think we have to be prepared and have it in

1136
04:31:15,218 --> 04:31:17,978
our locker that we have another alternative to look at

1137
04:31:18,319 --> 04:31:22,682
this situation. That's all I'm suggesting. Madam Chair. So Councillor

1138
04:31:22,722 --> 04:31:24,122
Craig, I have to tell you how much I love

1139
04:31:24,303 --> 04:31:26,522
working with Optimists that you think this will be done

1140
04:31:26,562 --> 04:31:29,642
in a couple of weeks. We have, I believe, all

1141
04:31:29,663 --> 04:31:33,242
of us received, um, an email from Tony LaMantia on

1142
04:31:33,263 --> 04:31:37,942
behalf of WEDC. And he is calling BESTWR together. And

1143
04:31:37,983 --> 04:31:42,042
I, too, have been, um, corresponding with Tony to see,

1144
04:31:42,042 --> 04:31:45,882
um, as things unfold if we can have a conversation,

1145
04:31:45,882 --> 04:31:48,745
as you recall, we had one last time. That this

1146
04:31:48,745 --> 04:31:52,185
sort of surface. So we're on it. And we will

1147
04:31:52,206 --> 04:31:57,944
continue this conversation. Councillor Vrbanovic. Yeah. Thank you very much.

1148
04:31:58,925 --> 04:32:02,424
And thanks Councillor Craig for bringing this up. I mean,

1149
04:32:02,424 --> 04:32:05,704
this certainly is a significant issue. I think all of

1150
04:32:05,704 --> 04:32:12,504
us were glued to our computer screens in the news.

1151
04:32:12,504 --> 04:32:17,624
And then our phones, um, subsequent to, um, or emails

1152
04:32:18,045 --> 04:32:23,704
subsequent to, um, the news right around midnight on Friday

1153
04:32:23,805 --> 04:32:28,511
evening. This is an issue of, of significant concern to

1154
04:32:28,612 --> 04:32:31,311
many in our community. I think, uh, as we all

1155
04:32:31,351 --> 04:32:35,551
know, we have a depending on, uh, the numbers that

1156
04:32:35,572 --> 04:32:38,511
you look at anywhere between 17 and 20 percent of

1157
04:32:39,172 --> 04:32:42,651
our local economies based on manufacturing. We have a lot

1158
04:32:43,332 --> 04:32:47,871
related to automotive with the two Toyota plants in Cambridge

1159
04:32:49,412 --> 04:32:53,231
and Woodstock with many people living locally. A number of

1160
04:32:53,412 --> 04:32:56,971
tier one, two, and three part suppliers and others. Um,

1161
04:32:57,012 --> 04:32:59,231
and, and so as a result of all of that,

1162
04:32:59,231 --> 04:33:04,111
we are one of the more, uh, most trade impacted

1163
04:33:04,151 --> 04:33:08,331
communities in the country. Um, this is something that, um,

1164
04:33:09,092 --> 04:33:13,191
obviously our provincial and federal counterparts are aware of. I

1165
04:33:13,191 --> 04:33:16,431
know I've had some conversations with, uh, with some ministers

1166
04:33:16,772 --> 04:33:18,991
and so on in the last couple of days is

1167
04:33:18,991 --> 04:33:24,591
recently as this morning. Um, and, um, and FCM is

1168
04:33:24,631 --> 04:33:29,231
also, uh, getting significantly engaged in this issue. Uh, as

1169
04:33:29,271 --> 04:33:31,791
they have been since it started, uh, a year and

1170
04:33:31,791 --> 04:33:35,771
a half ago. So I too like, like you, uh,

1171
04:33:35,972 --> 04:33:39,631
chair, uh, would love to think that this was going

1172
04:33:39,631 --> 04:33:41,691
to be over in a couple of weeks, but, uh,

1173
04:33:41,691 --> 04:33:44,911
I think this is going to, uh, this is going

1174
04:33:44,911 --> 04:33:46,511
to be a challenge. And at the end of the

1175
04:33:46,511 --> 04:33:49,551
day, I think what's most important, uh, is that we

1176
04:33:49,572 --> 04:33:53,311
stand united with, uh, federal government with our provincial and

1177
04:33:53,311 --> 04:33:58,351
territorial premiers. Um, and, and overall as a country with,

1178
04:33:58,372 --> 04:34:01,471
with, with industry and sending a clear message, I think

1179
04:34:01,732 --> 04:34:04,271
there's very few things that have united us as much

1180
04:34:04,292 --> 04:34:08,651
as this has. Um, and also, you know, really, um,

1181
04:34:08,852 --> 04:34:13,631
focus here, um, at the region in particularly, um, in

1182
04:34:13,631 --> 04:34:17,451
terms, you know, we're a big purchaser of goods. And

1183
04:34:17,451 --> 04:34:19,711
so where it all possible, we really need to be

1184
04:34:19,812 --> 04:34:25,711
making sure that, uh, our procurement policies are buying Canadian

1185
04:34:25,972 --> 04:34:30,795
wherever possible going forward. Thank you. Thank you for that.

1186
04:34:30,795 --> 04:34:36,614
Um, other business. Oh, Councillor James. Thank you. Uh, through

1187
04:34:36,654 --> 04:34:39,494
you chair. And I guess this is a question for

1188
04:34:40,075 --> 04:34:43,654
Steph. We have someone from Finance here. In terms of

1189
04:34:43,915 --> 04:34:46,854
our procurement, and it may be something you come back

1190
04:34:46,894 --> 04:34:49,414
to us with, but I'd imagine with some of our

1191
04:34:49,435 --> 04:34:53,374
big construction, the back and forth between the U. S.

1192
04:34:53,374 --> 04:34:56,054
and Canada. Do we have any sort of idea of,

1193
04:34:56,054 --> 04:35:00,454
of regionally what, um, that looks like in terms of

1194
04:35:00,635 --> 04:35:09,342
a dollar figure. Thank you, three chair. Uh, at this

1195
04:35:09,342 --> 04:35:12,702
point we're just doing the analysis and we will look

1196
04:35:12,742 --> 04:35:15,102
at it and we can come back to, um, to

1197
04:35:15,142 --> 04:35:19,428
council with the numbers. Okay. And I think it's also

1198
04:35:19,529 --> 04:35:24,068
critical to know what the difference is with, with the,

1199
04:35:24,169 --> 04:35:27,028
whatever number we're at now. Um, as well. Okay. Thank

1200
04:35:27,028 --> 04:35:31,972
you. Darspreet's going to weigh in. Councillor James through your

1201
04:35:32,012 --> 04:35:34,652
chair. Yes. We're doing a full analysis right now. In

1202
04:35:34,652 --> 04:35:36,612
fact, for Water Waste Water where we have lots of

1203
04:35:36,793 --> 04:35:40,852
capital programs, we're moving forward with pre - procurement issuing

1204
04:35:41,113 --> 04:35:44,132
purchase orders so that our order is in line without

1205
04:35:44,233 --> 04:35:48,052
having an impact from potential tariffs. We just had a

1206
04:35:48,092 --> 04:35:51,492
lengthy discussion today with all the CLT members to explore

1207
04:35:51,993 --> 04:35:54,852
every procurement that we have underway and anticipated so that

1208
04:35:54,852 --> 04:35:57,012
we can take actions if they be required. So we'll

1209
04:35:57,012 --> 04:35:59,732
come back with some numbers and potentially some approvals from

1210
04:36:00,073 --> 04:36:02,372
council should they be needed so that we can avoid

1211
04:36:02,793 --> 04:36:04,852
any premiums that may have to be paid in the

1212
04:36:04,892 --> 04:36:07,412
coming months. Okay. Thanks, especially as we go into a

1213
04:36:07,412 --> 04:36:09,892
budget process. Yes. In a few months. So thank you,

1214
04:36:09,913 --> 04:36:13,492
Um, I'm going to assume that that was

1215
04:36:13,492 --> 04:36:18,971
under questions. Are there any other questions. Seeing none? Um,

1216
04:36:18,971 --> 04:36:21,791
I would now entertain a motion to enact the bylaws

1217
04:36:22,052 --> 04:36:24,831
first, second, and third readings. If I move by Councillor

1218
04:36:24,932 --> 04:36:27,871
Foxton and seconded by Councillor Nowak, do I have unanimous

1219
04:36:28,132 --> 04:36:35,439
consent to adopt the bylaws. So that is unanimously agreed

1220
04:36:35,479 --> 04:36:43,592
to. So this is the motion that makes everybody very,

1221
04:36:43,613 --> 04:36:47,352
very sad. I mean by Councillor Foxton and seconded by

1222
04:36:47,373 --> 04:36:50,072
Councillor Rodriguez that we now adjourned. Do I have unanimous

1223
04:36:50,253 --> 04:36:55,492
consent to adjourn. I'm looking for unanimous consent because a

1224
04:36:55,492 --> 04:36:59,285
lot of you have already unplugged your computers. Have a

1225
04:36:59,285 --> 04:36:59,525
great evening.