[0:24] Heat. Heat.

[0:49] Heat. Heat. N.

[1:27] 86 86 86 the hot tub.

[1:33] » Good evening everyone. Welcome [clears throat] to the July 13th

[1:37] committee the whole meeting. I'll be your chair this evening, councelor

[1:40] Penna. And uh as our custom, we'll start with the land acknowledgement. And on

[1:46] July 13th, we acknowledge that this sacred land of which Miss Walls is now

[1:50] located has been a site of human activity for over 10,000 years and is

[1:55] rich in indigenous history. This land is the ancestral unseated territory of the

[2:00] Argangquan Anesnabi nation. We're grateful to the Argangquin ancestors who

[2:05] cared for the land and water that we might meet here today. We're also

[2:09] grateful to the Okonangquin people for their contribution in the making of the

[2:13] Rita Canal which runs through Smith's Falls. We're mindful of broken covenants

[2:18] and the need to reconcile with all our nations. Together, may we care for this

[2:23] land and each other, drawing on the strength of our mutual history of nation

[2:27] building through peace and friendship, being mindful of generations to come.

[2:33] And uh I have a recommended motion that the July 13th, 2026 committee, the whole

[2:38] meeting be approved as circulated, moved by councelor Robinson, second by

[2:43] councelor McGuire. All in favor? That's carried. Thank you. at this point if

[2:48] there's any disclosure unitary or monetary interest.

[2:53] Seeing none and we have another motion uh that the minutes of the June 15th

[2:59] 2026 June June 22nd 20 26 committee the whole meeting be approved as circulated

[3:07] moved by councelor Miller second by councelor Brennan. All in favor that's

[3:11] carried. I did want to uh remind those of you who are watching uh our internet

[3:19] and your internet may be compromised still. If it is uh no worries, we'll be

[3:26] posting this uh uh first thing tomorrow morning. [snorts]

[3:29] However, we'll do our best to live stream it tonight if the uh providers

[3:34] cooperate. Um

[3:39] councelor McGuire, >> I've got a question on the minutes.

[3:41] Could we get the minutes posted with the agenda, draft minutes posted with the

[3:45] the week's agenda that they're going to be approved on and then the final

[3:48] minutes can be posted with the meeting that they were approved for. Um, and my

[3:53] reasoning is that uh I don't always read the minutes because when I'm going

[3:57] through the reports, they're not there. Um, and it would be easier, I think, for

[4:01] everybody, members of the public and ourselves, if it was listed in the

[4:05] agenda like a report. um you know it'd be easier not to miss them.

[4:11] » Okay. Uh do you understand that question?

[4:13] » No, I don't. I'm not following. >> Uh so all of our reports like when we

[4:17] click on the link >> online, we can read them.

[4:20] » Can we get [clears throat] the draft minutes posted under approval of minutes

[4:24] » with the link? >> Yeah. Instead of because like they're

[4:27] posted at the previous week, >> but I think sometimes we don't always go

[4:32] back and and check that. So, if we could get the final ones posted on the week

[4:36] that they were from. >> Mhm.

[4:37] » But the draft ones posted on move three, approval of agenda,

[4:43] » then we can read them as we're going through our reports after the meeting.

[4:47] » Do you have any comment, clerk, you want to

[4:50] » I'll have to talk to councelor McGuire a bit more. It may it may call for some

[4:53] amendments to the procedural bylaw. Um, but I will chat with councelor McGuire

[4:57] and if if it is feasible, we 100% can do that if it's easier for everyone.

[5:01] » Is that of interest to council? So, the clerk will come back uh the next meeting

[5:05] and [clears throat] give us an update on that. Thank you.

[5:10] Um I don't see our delegation unless she's online.

[5:14] » Yeah. Okay. On to uh I believe we do have some

[5:19] director's reports. >> Uh we do indeed, Mr. Chair. We have two

[5:24] starting with Mr. Crank.

[5:32] » Good evening. Just a couple quick updates from development services. Uh

[5:35] firstly, in regards to the Heritage Conservation District, uh council will

[5:39] recall from an earlier update that uh that we do have uh that we do have an

[5:43] appeal on the HCD and based on the rules of the Heritage Act, once there's an

[5:47] appeal of the of the HCD, the uh the enforcement of the of the entire

[5:52] district is on pause until the uh until that's until that's resolved. In this

[5:56] case, the OOLT has now granted the town's motion to allow the HCD to come

[6:00] into effect for the remainder of the property other or the remainder of the

[6:04] district other than the one property that's uh subject to the appeal. So,

[6:08] we'd certainly like to thank the uh the appellants for their their cooperation

[6:11] in that. So, I'm just uh publicly advising council that uh as of July 2nd,

[6:16] the Heritage Conservation District is in is in force in effect for 107 of the

[6:22] properties in the district. Secondly, with respect to the official plan, we're

[6:26] getting very close to to releasing the uh the second draft of of the OP and uh

[6:31] certainly we appreciate the work of of the steering committee and and others

[6:35] who provided comments through uh through the entire process. We've done done a

[6:39] lot of work especially on the uh on the uh the uh the opportunity areas and

[6:45] developed some some policy there. So, we're working with with Dylan to

[6:49] schedule the statutory uh public meeting and we're looking to have that towards

[6:54] the end of uh the end of August. So, we will keep uh we'll keep council apprised

[6:59] once that's once the uh the draft OP is released and once the uh the public

[7:04] meetings been scheduled. >> Thank you. [clears throat]

[7:07] » Questions or comments? Certainly a significant uh milestone. July 2nd, the

[7:14] our heritage district is now in force and uh let the fund begin over the next

[7:20] decades to come and thank you for your work on that.

[7:26] » Was there another >> Yes. Uh we have our manager of economic

[7:29] development and tourism is on with a few updates.

[7:34] » Uh good evening. A couple of updates for all of you. Um first of all our business

[7:38] retention and expansion info session and training session went quite well last

[7:42] week. We had seven participants. Um others from other adjoining counties

[7:46] were there and uh we had good discussion about how to attract investment and how

[7:50] we can use our our business study to to inform an active strategy. Uh the

[7:57] » just to speak up Mike picks it up but the people in the

[8:00] room >> might not.

[8:02] » Okay. No, I mean that that's [laughter] so it's it's only you in here.

[8:08] » I'll speak loudly. Thank you. And slowly. Our um work on the EORTL that

[8:13] would be the rail loop is going well. Our feedback has been submitted. Uh

[8:17] there's a marketing plan being developed by the group by the end of the year and

[8:20] we've had some conversations interdep departmentally with uh community

[8:24] services and um public works about how we can collaborate on future upgrading

[8:29] uh infrastructure and signage. Most importantly, the pop-up art gallery has

[8:34] been receiving great uh favorable reviews. Uh it's open now in the

[8:40] downtown. We've got it for two months. It's supporting the art block and RTO

[8:44] artist of the year uh which are both taking place on July 25th. It also will

[8:49] help us support the kickoff of a cultural planning process. And

[8:52] ultimately, whether or not artists or a similar association decides to continue

[8:58] working as a gallery, we're hoping it will support investment attraction by

[9:01] highlighting one of the most beautiful spaces in our downtown core. It's being

[9:04] cleaned up and and basically, you know, has an opportunity to go through and

[9:08] check it out. The vertic I think was well attended on the Friday. I think

[9:12] some of you were there and um positive comments and strong sells of the

[9:17] original artwork. So, that's exciting news. And then we've got a quick video

[9:21] to show you some of the social media stuff. And I'll just pass this around

[9:25] because I won't have time to get into the the details.

[9:34] That's okay. >> Try it. [laughter]

[9:38] So basically we're trying to capture as per our destination planning process

[9:42] some of the early metrics coming in from the way that we've positioned ourselves

[9:46] regards to uh SEO and GEO which is search search engine optimization.

[9:52] So our events in Smith Falls page is receiving 10.35% of all traffic to the

[9:58] city website after implementing the recommended changes and that is the

[10:03] currently most second traffic page after the main landing page for the city. So

[10:08] that's a good stat. Um the audit had showed previously only 2%

[10:13] of the traffic to the tourism web pages [cough] previously. [clears throat] So

[10:16] we've we've trying to up our game with getting visitors to our pages. But I

[10:20] think other than the events in Smith Falls page, some of the other pages are

[10:24] seeing less than 1% of total site traffic. So that will help us inform on

[10:29] a shift to a a separate micro site for visitor attraction which is recommended

[10:33] as part of the destination planning. Um the second page of your handout, I'll

[10:39] just highlight our target demographics are online uh 35 to 55 years of age

[10:44] holding steady at 47.4% 4% of our audience and our secondary audience 55

[10:49] and over is 37%. So we're sticking to those demographics promoting our

[10:53] findings to to that group and we've got 5,000 followers on Facebook which is

[10:58] five months early given our goal to hit 5,000 this year. Other channels we have

[11:04] are promoting our tourism products. Our what's happening newsletter is um got a

[11:09] really high open rate 23% higher than the industry average. We've had a couple

[11:14] of social media influencers through town. Um, we've gotten some really great

[11:18] coverage from that. We've partnered with Leonard County, Pedal and Paddle. Uh,

[11:22] we've been picked up by Nars City as a collaborator and picked up by Ontario

[11:25] Travel Destination Ontario and featured on our page today, which is the first

[11:29] time we've ever been featured on on the Destination Ontario page.

[11:33] So, the video is getting thousands of views. It's called Project Local Love,

[11:37] and it's about Smith Falls as a paddling destination. Another influencer has put

[11:42] out a reel in partnership with Labote, the Downtown Business Association, and

[11:46] Remo uh as collaborators and it's just been launched. It's about a Smith Falls

[11:51] road trip for a young family and they stay overnight in a caboose and lots of

[11:55] positive comments from that. Um audiences are really reacting well to

[12:00] the opportunity to stay in a caboose and they're seeing the bookings going up for

[12:04] that. Special mention to Tim Norris at Remo. The raise the roof fundraiser got

[12:10] 139,000 views on Facebook, 11,000 on Instagram. It's alltime most viewed reel

[12:15] currently and 120 plus comments including people looking to donate and I

[12:20] would add positive comments which is which is nice to to have. And uh yeah, a

[12:26] few other visuals in the handout of paddling reels, our promotional efforts.

[12:31] Uh we've also included information from Rita Lakes Rita Ramble which is an event

[12:35] that was incubated by economic development and tourism as opposed to

[12:38] other events that are run by our event delivery partners. Um this was meant to

[12:43] highlight the tourism opportunities for ATV riders because we have a unique

[12:47] advantage compared to surrounding communities where we allow ATVs in the

[12:51] downtown within the city streets. So we had u 80 uh ATVs in town, 200 plus

[12:56] attendees and uh the club will take this over now and is planning next year's RTO

[13:01] ramble as we speak. [snorts] >> That's it.

[13:05] » Thank you very much. >> Uh any comments or questions

[13:09] for Sounds like we're on the right track.

[13:12] » Thank you. >> Thank you [cough]

[13:15] [clears throat] for your reports.

[13:17] » That's it. Thank you. Uh we have no committee of the whole

[13:20] consent report and our first uh priority issue is uh with Chief Burl on the

[13:26] backyard hen program. >> Welcome Chief. Good evening. Thank you.

[13:34] Uh my report tonight is to seek council's direction andor approval uh

[13:40] with a draft bylaw that I have proposed. Uh as pre as stated in the report, this

[13:47] draft bylaw was presented uh a year ago when the pilot project was initiated. Uh

[13:54] at that time, there was a number of items that were removed to facilitate uh

[13:58] residents uh the ability to start up uh the backyard hen program, review it

[14:05] after a year, and determine whether or not it was a feasible operation. Uh

[14:09] since that time at the conclusion of the uh one-year pilot program

[14:15] uh council committee the whole uh directed staff to come back with the

[14:19] draft bylaw which is uh identical to the original one that was proposed. Uh this

[14:26] bylaw uh there's one item that is missing and that's for council committee

[14:31] the whole to determine whether or not uh they are in favor of it or support it

[14:35] and that would be the licensing and registration.

[14:38] uh the licensing can take place or the registration can take place without a

[14:42] fee uh or the license take place without a fee. The reason we didn't put that in

[14:46] is in the previous reports that were presented there were a number of

[14:50] municipalities that had a variety of different levels of charge whether it

[14:53] was a free charge for them up to $200 or $300 a year. Uh the intent uh for this

[14:59] project should it be a permanent one is to ensure that the municipality has cost

[15:03] recovery uh and that the items contained within the bylaw uh provide us with the

[15:09] mechanism that we can provide enforcement, inspection, removal uh and

[15:14] the recommendation in the bylaw is to provide the same consistent approach as

[15:18] we would have with cats or dogs. If you exceed the number of limits or there's

[15:22] an animal on the loose that the cost to pick that animal up or retrieve that

[15:26] animal uh would be the same as a cat or a stray dog.

[15:32] Looking at that, we [laughter] only have one uh concern with that should you

[15:36] proceed is where do we take these animals? No location has been

[15:41] identified. Uh the delegation that was to be here tonight uh was one area where

[15:48] they would accept animals, but they were at their limit the last time we spoke,

[15:53] which was a year ago. Um we still have not determined whether or not there is a

[15:58] livestock disposal in the general vicinity or a manure disposal in the

[16:03] general vicinity. We know that the garbage collection will not pick that up

[16:08] if they exceed the allowable amount contained within the bylaw.

[16:14] Saying that we've we've gone over this a number of times. Um I'm providing

[16:18] council with three options tonight and that is to accept the information

[16:22] contained in the report and pass a bylaw permit in the backyard hens in the town

[16:26] which is recommended with the attached bylaw. Option two is not to accept the

[16:32] revision and end the pilot program andor uh backyard hens in the town. The third

[16:38] option is for council to defer the decision on the backyard hands to the

[16:42] next elected council. >> Thank you very much, Chief Council

[16:48] McGuire had his hand up early, so why don't you kick it off? just uh want to

[16:53] say I fully support the draft bylaw as presented and attached tonight and

[16:59] hopefully can pass this and this is the last time we talked about it for a

[17:03] while. >> Thank you. Anyone else? Councelor

[17:08] Miller, [clears throat] >> thank you. Thanks for your patience with

[17:11] us. Uh Chief, um I do support uh option one and I support your recommendation um

[17:18] about licensing and registration and matching it with dogs and cats. So

[17:25] » councelor Bren. >> Yeah. Well, no surprise. I support

[17:29] option two. I I I think it was folly to go down this road in the first place. Um

[17:35] and to treat chickens like cats and dogs. I know the difference. Uh chickens

[17:39] are livestock and they're pets. I was taught that in primary school. So, um I

[17:45] I I don't think it's a good idea. I don't know what's next. Goats, maybe.

[17:49] I'm not sure. Um I will say that uh in June I was contacted by a resident on uh

[17:57] on Merrick Street um about a fox who's been half tamed there for a number of

[18:03] months. Well documented sightings. uh chief followed up for me and uh the fact

[18:10] of the matter is uh I did ask her if there's chickens in the neighborhood.

[18:13] there are um and there's nothing we can do about it and there's nothing M&R can

[18:18] do about it because the fox would have to be dead and I'll ask the chief is is

[18:22] that right >> through the chair that's correct uh we

[18:25] have no mechanism to trap the wild animal uh or remove the wild animal and

[18:30] no agency will touch it unless the animal is deemed to be

[18:35] » containing rabies or is is of ill health.

[18:39] » Yeah. So um no one's surprised. I I I I I think this was folly to go down this

[18:45] road in the first place. So, I'm I'm sure I'm probably going to be in the

[18:49] minority, but that's my view. >> Thank you, Mayor P.

[18:53] » Yeah. Chief, uh can you talk a little more about cost recovery when it comes

[18:57] to registration licensing? What what will that look like?

[19:01] I if if uh council was to endorse the licensing registration, uh it would be

[19:08] on the same lines as a dog tag, a cat tag. Um and certainly for the purposes

[19:16] of of being able to identify exactly where

[19:20] they're located uh so that enforcement and inspection could take place. At the

[19:25] present time, we have no idea how many where they are. Um, as councelor Brennan

[19:30] indicated, we've been influxed with calls about this fox. Um, and certainly,

[19:35] uh, uh, people are scared, they're nervous. They say that the animal has

[19:40] has been, uh, very aggressive. Um, unable to do anything about it, which

[19:46] didn't satisfy them. Uh, they've indicated that the presence of the

[19:50] chickens in the area, that is what prompted this animal to be going through

[19:54] the backyards back and forth. Uh again, we can't confirm or deny that, but

[19:58] certainly uh it makes sense if they weren't there previously. The cost

[20:03] recovery portion would be uh should bylaw go out and have to investigate

[20:09] these and search and look and uh we need a mechanism in place to ensure that all

[20:15] the taxpayers of town aren't covering the cost of uh I don't I don't want to

[20:19] say a wild goose chase but certainly looking for animals that are on the

[20:22] loose or stray or to where they came from. uh should they encounter and pick

[20:28] up an animal that's on the loose. Again, no idea whose it is uh or where it is.

[20:34] Uh with the registration part of it, at least we have an idea exactly in the

[20:38] general area. Um that the possibility could be, you know, one of two or three

[20:44] or four depending on how many are in that area that have them. So you suggest

[20:48] a probably a low barrier cost to more more to track where these hens would be

[20:56] housed, >> right?

[20:57] » Uh we're not planning to inspect the coups to make sure they're compliant.

[21:03] We're simply more a matter of having a record of where where they are and be so

[21:08] we better prepared to deal with situations should they arise. Is that

[21:11] correct? >> Correct. Now, if if we were to go out,

[21:15] um the only cost recovery that would be in place to insurance compliance or

[21:19] non-compliance would be um a fixed yearly fee or reinspection fee, an

[21:25] annual fee um that some jurisdictions do have. Uh some are $30 a year, some are

[21:30] $100 a year uh which would cover the, you know, partially cover the cost of

[21:35] going out and inspecting. One of the items that again uh inside our expertise

[21:42] is the size of a coupe, size of a a run uh for that. So to be able to do an

[21:48] inspection and do an enforcement, those items need to be contained uh within the

[21:53] bylaw which we're willing to bring back with the contents of that uh following

[21:57] the direction of council. >> Okay. So, um, as as long as a the

[22:03] license registration fee is fairly modest, 30, 40, 50 bucks, whatever, I'll

[22:07] be supportive of having that as part of the model to give us that at least the

[22:12] the understanding of of where they are. Uh, we we would know they've got a

[22:18] information package as well as that be distributed. So, they have they would be

[22:22] able to I guess ensure compliance with the setbacks and and the coupe size etc.

[22:27] Even if we're not inspecting, I think most people would be respectful of of a

[22:31] bylaw. Uh so we'll have to I guess come back with a recommendation when it comes

[22:35] to the dollar amount. >> Okay, Council Robinson.

[22:39] » Uh thanks. Um I'm not going to uh talk for very long. I uh I'm not changing my

[22:47] opinion from previous discussions. Um, I don't think that farm animals should be

[22:53] raised in inside an urban environment and I won't be supporting any bylaw

[22:59] about it. I'd rather see I'd rather see it come back to the next council for a

[23:03] final decision. >> Thank you, uh, Council Quinn.

[23:07] » Thank you. I, uh, I appreciate all the work that you put into this and it

[23:12] doesn't come at no cost. Very definitely doesn't. And I'm on that opinion that I

[23:20] really believe farm animals really belong in the country, not in town. And

[23:24] I do think that there can be issues uh with allowing this to happen. And

[23:30] right now, I guess there haven't been too many issues. But if it um is put

[23:36] into place, then there could be more people doing the same kind of thing and

[23:40] bringing in [cough]

[23:42] and [clears throat] no one knows where it's going to lead

[23:44] to. And like you said, if chickens are allowed, then what's next? I was

[23:49] thinking I'd get a goat so and have to cut my grass. So, I'm just being smart

[23:54] on that. But anyways, no, I I agree that chicken should be allowed should be in

[23:59] the country, not in [snorts]

[24:03] council, you want to jump back in. >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um I think first

[24:09] thing I just want to clarify something that based on my understanding and that

[24:13] um I was lucky enough to get to study at McDonald campus at McGill University and

[24:18] it has the faculty of agricultural environmental science and we were taught

[24:21] that chickens are poultry not livestock. So I think that it's an important

[24:26] differentiation. I think another um another point that's important to note

[24:30] is there's a lot of urban municipalities in Canada that are using goats for uh

[24:33] for controlling their their grass in certain situations. So, um, just because

[24:38] we haven't done it before, it doesn't mean that, uh, that things can't be done

[24:42] differently. Uh, when we talk about licensing and registration,

[24:45] uh, I'm okay if it's voluntary. Right now, it's not in the proposed bylaws.

[24:50] So, depending on the wording of that, but because dog and cat tags are

[24:54] voluntary, I think that this should also be voluntary. And I'd only support that

[24:59] aspect of it if it uh if it's the same as dogs and cats. So right now I fully

[25:03] support uh the draft bylaw as presented but um

[25:08] yeah depending on on where that licensing registration goes uh I just I

[25:14] don't think it's fair this is chickens are not as dangerous as dogs

[25:17] » right so the summary is that three counselors oppose it all together

[25:24] [clears throat] like which is option three I think uh the mayor said he would

[25:30] uh like to see that modification of the uh fee from the do [clears throat] you

[25:35] have any comment on whether it be voluntary or involuntary?

[25:39] » Uh no, I I I respect council member's

[25:44] comments, but I think overall it's it's a low barrier to register. I mean, and

[25:49] there's a lot of merits to have a dog and cat registered, of course. Um, and

[25:54] but I will set some not everyone licenses,

[25:57] but uh I would prefer in the situation that it'd be part of the process

[26:02] requirement. I don't know what if we had if we

[26:06] discovered one that was not registered. I I guess our action would be to ask

[26:09] them to register. We're not going to tell them to get rid of their animals, I

[26:13] would think. But from a tracking standpoint, from a I guess collaboration

[26:17] standpoint, and work towards a solution here, that's uh acceptable by I guess by

[26:22] the majority, I would prefer we go that route, but a low barrier cost. And maybe

[26:28] we can even if want to agree on that tonight, then we could be able to move

[26:32] forward with this. I guess it's depending on councelor McKenna's

[26:35] position, I guess. >> Well, council me, do you have any

[26:38] comment on a modified uh you were going with it as it was presented? Um,

[26:43] [clears throat] yeah, and I I think we're pretty new at

[26:46] this and I and I agree with the mayor and that I think a fee um for this

[26:51] particular [clears throat] situation is warranted and it doesn't

[26:53] have to be a huge fee, but just something to show both sides are serious

[26:57] and we'll follow the rules. >> So, you're okay with a fee?

[27:04] » Uh, no. [laughter] >> Okay. I guess is the question like if it

[27:09] if it's a tie is it uh >> it's defeated

[27:13] » but does the does the pilot continue as written?

[27:19] I was assuming avoid we're we're talking about changing but well I guess that

[27:22] would be council's decision but uh yeah

[27:26] » because if if the status quo remains then

[27:29] » yeah this was an update after one year and this is the recommendation and

[27:34] council can decide on it or not or just say leave it as it is which I thought

[27:40] was one of the recommendations

[27:46] so there's really no clear uh consent ensus on on this particular report to

[27:51] council tonight. Um and uh whether the bylaw or sorry

[27:59] whether the pilot would continue for another year. I guess it's a separate

[28:04] discussion. Um is my take on it. Yes, council.

[28:11] » So I guess my question is it's passed as a pilot. Does that pilot become

[28:15] permanent if nothing replaces it or it's not rescended?

[28:18] » Again, that's council's decision. Um, it would be a different report

[28:24] unless or chief chief bro want a comment.

[28:28] » The at the last meeting. This was to be a continuation of the

[28:33] pilot project until a final decision was rendered by committee of the whole and

[28:37] council on the draft bylaw containing the articles that were previously

[28:42] removed at the onset of the pilot program. So, if council is supportive of

[28:49] the items contained in the report being included in the bylaw along with a

[28:55] registration fee uh and fee structure similar to the cats and dogs that could

[29:02] be incorporated into the bylaw. >> That's what I understood and council's

[29:06] not in favor of that. So, we don't have a consensus. So, he's asking what

[29:10] happens. Well, it's nothing happens. See Mars. Uh yeah, Mr. Chair, I think

[29:18] you you got it. Um I mean, the whole idea of a pilot is to test it and then

[29:22] come back and either change it or stop it.

[29:26] So um in the absence of changing it, the default it it's really council's

[29:33] decision, but it it you would stop it if it wasn't working.

[29:39] There's no evidence to say it's not working. The recommendations are to make

[29:44] it work better in the eyes of staff. >> That's right.

[29:47] » So, council can still make the decision as to whether to continue the pilot or

[29:53] not as is. >> Councilor Brennan,

[29:57] » I I respectfully I would say that it's not working. There's foxes running

[30:01] around town. So, but that's just me, right?

[30:07] » The foxes have been in Miss Walls before. Yeah.

[30:12] Okay. >> Yeah. Wild wildlife is [clears throat]

[30:15] alive and well in Smith Walls and it and in every other community,

[30:18] » they're more attractive now. >> Uh so unless you're interested in uh

[30:26] some license fee, then >> I'm okay with the license fee as long as

[30:29] it's a voluntary registration, the same as the cats and dogs,

[30:33] » and that's different than what the mayor's proposed.

[30:35] » Yeah.

[30:38] Uh so there is no consensus on any of these reports. Uh so the question then

[30:45] becomes would we just like the status quo to continue and it sounds like as

[30:50] councelor Robinson said the next council can deal with it. So I don't want to see

[30:55] this come back again. Uh we could keep going with the status quo which is our

[31:01] pilot extending it until next council has a chance to look at

[31:08] that's the uh or not end at all right now.

[31:15] So, uh, end it all right now is, uh, is just by a thumbs up.

[31:23] One, two. [clears throat]

[31:28] Sure. Do you have any opinion on this, Council? Quick.

[31:30] » No. >> No. I

[31:33] » You have no opinion? Okay. All right. And then to uh let the pilot keep going

[31:40] uh in its current form and let the next council deal with it. Just a thumbs up.

[31:45] Not sure. >> Okay.

[31:48] » I think the downside of letting the pilot continue is that the enforcement

[31:51] mechanism is not included in the pilot. >> That's correct.

[31:55] » So, it's not an ideal outcome.

[32:00] Council Miller, >> I'm just wondering if Council Councelor

[32:04] Maguire would consider um making the uh licensing fee um mandatory for now and

[32:12] then asking for another one-year review with the new bylaw just as a way to put

[32:17] this to rest for now and to make sure that um we can get this bylaw passed and

[32:24] because it's so new try it out again for another year. Would that be something

[32:29] you're willing to consider? >> Council me thoughts.

[32:34] » From my perspective, it's more about the fairness to different animal owners in

[32:38] the town. And I don't think it's fair to have one mandatory, one not mandatory.

[32:43] So, I don't mind the voluntary process, but um unless we're going to and I don't

[32:48] want to get down the road where cats and dogs become mandatory, but um I just I

[32:53] think we need to question. We've got we've had a year of this. you know,

[32:56] there's been no issues with uh that I think the registration would solve. And

[33:01] and I think it's important to note that we had issues with um chickens in town

[33:06] that didn't comply with this bylaw before we even started debating this. So

[33:11] um the issue of enforcing animal control with chickens has existed before this

[33:15] bylaw came up. Um the precedent set with other animals that uh that are much more

[33:21] dangerous that that there's a voluntary registration process. And I just think

[33:25] that it's important we apply consistency of fairness for uh for all animal

[33:29] owners. C Mar

[33:33] » Yeah, thank you, Mr. Chair. I I think we should explore what we mean by mandatory

[33:37] registration. Our bylaw requires if you have a dog to have a dog take. It's not

[33:44] voluntary. You need one. Do does every dog owner have one? No, they don't. And

[33:49] we're not able to enforce it. So we're not there's no material difference

[33:56] between whether it's a chicken or a dog. We can't force people to have a license.

[34:07] So So I don't unless you know their dog is running a stray then we catch the dog

[34:11] and we require them to license it. But so so I I I wouldn't want to draw a big

[34:17] distinction between the type of animal. You either require it or you don't.

[34:23] The the issue comes down to how do you enforce it. And again, we only enforce

[34:28] dogs when they run astray and cause a problem. We don't go into people's

[34:32] backyards and say ask if their dog has a tag. So, I don't see a big difference

[34:37] between u the type of animal in this instance.

[34:42] or pantro. >> Yeah. The difference would be if we do

[34:46] if we do pick up a dog, we have a place to go with it. We do pick up a cat, we

[34:52] have a place to go. If our staff are authorized to collect that hand that's

[34:57] running around, >> we don't have a place to take it. But if

[35:02] we know where it resides, then we know where to return it to. So,

[35:07] I think it's really largely it's for the benefit of the of the person who owns

[35:12] the hands to to have that ability to get it back. I don't think anybody wants to

[35:15] let their hand get loose. Uh, and if it does, I'm sure they want to get it back.

[35:20] I think it would just provide staff with that, oh, if it's in this part of town,

[35:24] odds are we'll go here, it's not there, go somewhere else. It makes it easy to

[35:28] to come to a solution hopefully. And I guess and see how Morris's comments are

[35:34] relevant. I mean, like a lot of things, I guess, you you request compliance

[35:40] and you hope people comply, but in the end, we're relying on people complying.

[35:48] » Okay. >> And I guess I don't know if you've had a

[35:49] chance to weigh in on your thoughts. >> No, I would have I would have gone with

[35:53] uh moving forward with that modification that you've put forward. Uh and that

[35:59] would just be three of us and three three for that option and three for

[36:05] ending this pilot alto together and not allowing chickens and then

[36:10] [clears throat] council mess in has another opinion. So

[36:13] it's it's defeated uh or just your recommendation if none of the options

[36:19] are accepted unfortunately. >> So Mr. Chair, just so I'm clear,

[36:26] this is the end of the program. >> I didn't say that, Chief. I'm sorry.

[36:30] There is an option, but uh that we could continue the pilot as it is without your

[36:38] advice and uh go forward and let uh the next council decide that. But uh that's

[36:45] only if council chooses to do that tonight. Council Magguire, last word to

[36:50] you. >> Thanks. So, my understanding from a

[36:53] previous report we had on cat and dog licensing that it was voluntary because

[36:56] I remember asking that if it's not voluntary and it's something that's not

[37:00] enforced. I don't think that's a good policy. But

[37:04] if that's the precedent for that one, then there's precedent for this one.

[37:08] But, um, it's kind of I don't like these things. We're going to do it, but we're

[37:13] not going to enforce it. But, if that's the precedent, that's the way it's being

[37:17] proposed, then I can support that. But >> yeah,

[37:21] » just for clarity, we enforce it if it's a problem. So if a stray dog is running

[37:26] at large, we know where the dog goes. If you don't have a tag, as the mayor

[37:30] indicated, your dog ends up in a pound and you have to pay to get it out of the

[37:34] pound. So it it's about identifying the home of

[37:40] that animal. And with a chicken, that's a little more difficult. But if if

[37:44] everyone is registered, as the mayor indicated, we know likely where it goes.

[37:48] So So I just want to be clear, we we have lots of bylaws that we don't fully

[37:53] enforce until it becomes problematic and then we need to enforce it. So whether

[37:58] it's a hen or a dog, it it makes no difference.

[38:03] So it is a policy to register but there's no consequence if you don't

[38:10] unless that animal becomes a problem. [clears throat]

[38:15] Do >> you have any thoughts?

[38:18] If it's not, if it's consistent, I'm more Yeah, I can go with that. And I

[38:23] don't like it. But it's uh because I think the difference with with this

[38:26] situation is if you could had a neighbor call in, nothing's wrong, then they're

[38:30] still subject to it. Where if you've got a neighbor with a dog in the backyard

[38:33] and somebody's complaining about it, there's got to be it's a different

[38:37] standard. But, uh, if the precedent's for the dogs and the cats to do that,

[38:41] then I guess we can do it for the chickens. I don't see the need for it

[38:45] from the pilot, but uh if that's what it takes to get this dealt with, we can.

[38:48] » So, in summary, chief, because I know you're [laughter] doing a lot of notes

[38:53] here. >> All right. Uh it it appears that uh four

[38:58] members of council, which is the majority, uh are supporting your uh

[39:03] additional uh recommendation on adding registration

[39:10] uh to the bylaw as you presented it. with a modest fee.

[39:18] » So, Mr. Chair, are we looking at a simple one-time registration or annual

[39:23] registration? Um, they do it once and that's it. Or

[39:27] they're going to pay an annual registration fee.

[39:30] » What do we do for dogs and cats? [snorts]

[39:33] » They have to get a tag every year. Every >> year, right?

[39:43] That works for me.

[39:49] » That's required. >> So if the whole point is to know where

[39:51] they are, uh once would be adequate for that and that would reduce the burden on

[39:55] staff to uh to administer it.

[40:03] » I'm sorry I missed that. >> He said that uh he was his advice was

[40:07] that once uh and done. One and done.

[40:14] And councelor Miller is saying annual. >> Yeah.

[40:18] » And the mayor >> I I can support one and one and done. It

[40:22] was a I don't I don't if he should be if it's agree on.

[40:26] » So it's it's a one-time registration and fee.

[40:32] » And do we [clears throat] Okay. Um, what kind of cost do you believe we would

[40:37] incur to cover a registration?

[40:45] » Well, if we're looking at

[40:50] um putting a dollar figure on potential of having to do an inspection or go out,

[40:56] drive around, we're looking at staffing time, vehicle use. Um, you had indicated

[41:03] $40 to $50 for a registration. I don't think that's unreasonable.

[41:08] Um, and based on the previous report

[41:12] indicating that there was been seven or eight calls,

[41:16] um, I think that registration based on the numbers that could be in town would

[41:20] be adequate. >> I'll I'll I'll suggest $40 onetime fee.

[41:27] » Council McGlire, any thoughts? Yeah, I just I want to make clear that the

[41:31] registration we're not doing an inspection as part of the reg

[41:34] registration, but the um >> do we know what the fee is for a dog or

[41:38] a cat tag? >> Because the website's not working when I

[41:43] try to pull it up. >> Do you know the does anyone know the fee

[41:46] for the dog? >> 10. It's We also have five hands or six

[41:51] hands potentially. So, I'll just say $40 if we can get agreement on that.

[41:56] » It's reasonable. Yeah, it's a onetime fee. So,

[41:59] » yeah. >> Mr. Chair, if it if it provides some

[42:04] comfort, we could come back with two pieces of information. One is the best

[42:08] practice on one time registration versus annual, and we could do some market

[42:14] research on on registration fee level. So, we're not

[42:19] making policy on the fly and setting fees on the fly.

[42:23] » I'm fine with that. Um, as much as I would like to see this and I'm sure the

[42:29] chief would like to see this tonight, but uh,

[42:35] » yes, Council R. >> I found the 2024 fee schedule online,

[42:40] and it's uh, $15 spayed or neutered before March 31st, 30 after, and $30 not

[42:48] spayed or neutered, 60 after. Uh, if they've got a chip, it's5 or $10.

[42:55] um or 10 and $20 and cats are 15 or 30. So

[43:00] that >> tell

[43:02] » but I I would support Mayor Banko's $40 and end it tonight because I think that

[43:07] seems to be within the realm of uh what's fair.

[43:11] » Are you going to require the chickens to be chipped?

[43:14] » Just asking. Sorry.

[43:20] » I don't think that's best practice, but I don't know.

[43:24] Uh but Sio Moore said that uh he makes a good point. Coming [clears throat] up

[43:29] with numbers while we're here is not always best practice and I would prefer

[43:34] to have just staff come back with those two pieces. But the the bylaw is going

[43:39] to go ahead with those two uh additional we'll have that information uh in the

[43:45] near future. >> So with our animal control bylaw, we've

[43:48] got the bylaw and then we've got the fees and charges schedule separate from

[43:51] that. So we can talk about the fee as part of the fees and charges schedule

[43:55] but >> approve the bylaw

[43:58] » tonight. We've got consensus to push the bylaw forward.

[44:00] » We do.

[44:04] » Anything else? >> So Mr. Chair, we we could uh do some

[44:07] quick research and and come back before this uh appears on the council agenda.

[44:14] » That would be great. >> Thank you very much, Chief, for your

[44:18] patience and uh your hard work. Appreciate it very much, Mr. Chair.

[44:25] As councelor Miller said, this is the first time we've done and not many

[44:30] municipal have done this. There's not a lot of experts out there in this. So,

[44:36] getting it right is important and we'll do the best we can. Thank you.

[44:40] So, moving on. Uh, and that's why you're still there is the SCBA Deacon report.

[44:50] Thank you, Mr. Chair. So, my recommendation tonight is that council

[44:54] pass resolution to award a contract 26 fire SCBA decon washer to AJ Stone

[45:01] Company Limited for the supplied installation of one self-contained

[45:04] breathing apparatus uh decontamination washer uh in the

[45:09] amount of 41,838 plus the non-rebatable HST in the amount

[45:13] of 73635 for a total of 42,574.

[45:19] Uh as mentioned before uh the Ontario government had put out grant money for

[45:25] cancer prevention initiatives in the fire service. Uh originally the uh grant

[45:31] application that come out was a $10 million grant for all of Ontario. Uh the

[45:36] government turned around and increase that grant funding up to $20 million. Um

[45:41] the matrix that they used was based on the number of stations you have in your

[45:46] jurisdiction. So unfortunately having one station uh we had the minimum amount

[45:51] uh we received the minimum amount uh a year ago uh with the increase uh they

[45:57] doubled the amount just over doubled the amount contributing towards uh cancer

[46:01] prevention initiatives. So, last year we received $8,23045

[46:07] that were used to purchase carbon fiber uh particle flash hoods and firefighter

[46:13] gloves uh that uh don't uh retain the uh contaminants from fires and chemical

[46:22] situations. This year, our grant funding that was

[46:26] approved, we received 19,62605. Uh the intent was to put towards the uh

[46:33] SCBA washer uh and the for decontamination. We originally put in

[46:39] the budget that we were expecting to receive 13,000. Unfortunately, we

[46:43] received uh $3,000 more than that. So based on the the submissions from four

[46:51] different companies, uh AJ Stone came in at 41,838.

[46:56] uh LEC Co. Incorporated committ 48, Broen 48, and Canadian Safety Committee

[47:04] 144. Uh after reviewing all submissions to

[47:08] ensure compliance with the specifications of pricing, AJ Stone met

[47:11] and exceeded the specification requirements and was the lowest bidder.

[47:15] Uh the approved capital budget for this project was $51,000.

[47:19] Uh including the $16,000 of grant money, which should I'm sorry, should read

[47:24] 19,000. um of grant funding received. Um so we

[47:29] uh we were far under budget with that uh of approximately $12,51.70.

[47:36] So the recommendation is to accept the lowest bidder, proceed with project uh

[47:42] and option two is for council to uh not accept the quotation uh and direct staff

[47:47] to reissue a request for quotation. >> Thank you very much, Chief. Mayor

[47:52] Panker, you have a question. >> Yeah, thanks Chief. Um, how have we been

[47:56] cleaning SCBA equipment before this up till now?

[48:01] » Through the chair with a hose uh and uh um special soap that we apply to it. Um

[48:09] it's it's a very lengthy process to do that doing unit by unit by unit. Uh

[48:14] these units depending on the amount of contaminants that are contained in it,

[48:19] the machine will either run for 2 minutes or 12 minutes. 12 minutes is a

[48:22] maximum. You can hold four units in there at once, the total unit, the

[48:27] harness, everything, mask, uh, and then 12 minutes later, they're all done. Um,

[48:33] it also has a filter that picks up all the particulate and, uh, any

[48:36] contaminants that are in there, uh, so they're not washed away into the waste

[48:40] water. >> And is there an annual maintenance cost

[48:44] or and a warranty that comes with it, too?

[48:46] » There is a 2-year warranty that comes with it. Um, and there is no annual uh,

[48:51] service requirement for this unit. Okay, I certainly support the recommendation.

[48:54] I think we owe it to our our staff to ensure that the equipment they use and

[48:59] they're going to provide all the production they need. So,

[49:02] » I'm seeing a thumbs up around the table. My one question and it's more for the

[49:07] CEO is in these reports I'm going to assume this is a Canadian company but is

[49:12] it possible when we're doing these tenders now to noting that the

[49:17] legislation both federally and proincially has changed that we add a

[49:21] line in our reports to council that's saying that we're compliant or that it's

[49:25] Canadian sourced or something that would be nice for me to know when I because

[49:30] each time I'm going to ask is this a Canadian supplier?

[49:34] uh an astute question so thank you for asking it. Uh so you'll recall that the

[49:39] buy Ontario legislation passed uh we uh will be bringing back an amendment to

[49:45] our procurement bylaw to incorporate the the language and the requirements and at

[49:50] that point we will start uh reporting out on the criteria that we have to

[49:55] assess when we look at a procurement like this.

[49:58] » Terrific. >> Um but I think the chief might know the

[50:00] answer to that question. This unit is made in Peterbr, Ontario.

[50:04] » Wonderful. Thank you very much, Chief. And uh

[50:08] thanks for that report. And not going anywhere, of course. Uh

[50:14] Chief Jboro is going to talk about the new fire tanker contract.

[50:18] Thank you, Mr. Chair. The recommendation this evening is that council will

[50:22] approve the recommendation of the fire chief to award the contract for the

[50:26] manufacturing of one tanker apparatus to Fort Gary fire trucks in the amount of

[50:29] 820,000 plus the non-rebailable HST.

[50:34] If this award is done within 30 days of the closing date of the tender

[50:39] um we it'll be held at the 820,000. But it's after that due to the engine

[50:46] changes uh in all vehicles the price goes up by $30,000 to $849302

[50:52] plus the non-rebatable uh HST.

[50:57] On May 27th 26 tender document was posted on the bids and tenders for the

[51:01] replacement of one tanker apparatus. The tender package included two sections uh

[51:05] a municipal compliance section and detailed specification section. As part

[51:10] of the specification requirements, all instant biders were required to provide

[51:13] proof of insurance, ISO certification, professional engineering certificate,

[51:18] welding certificates, fire apparatus manufacturing association certificate,

[51:23] uh, and a licensed motor vehicle sales permit. Further, vehicle must be

[51:26] compliant under the ULCS515 requirement for fire apparatus. All

[51:32] interested bidders were required to request a copy of the package in order

[51:35] to submit a proposal. Uh on the closing date there was one submission. Uh we

[51:41] reviewed the bids and tenders. There was four companies that had looked and

[51:47] pulled the tender document uh to review it. Uh however, only one submitted uh a

[51:53] proposal. During the budget deliberations, council

[51:58] had approved the $200,000 in the 2025 budget and approved an additional

[52:02] 550,000 in 2026. Uh the terms and conditions of the payment for the tanker

[52:08] if approved is 20% deposit to secure the order. 100% payment of the cabin chassis

[52:14] upon arrival at the manufacturer uh which totals 479,846

[52:19] leaving a balance of 270,1 153 with the balance to be paid upon

[52:25] delivery. Therefore, the additional cost over and above the budgeted amount uh

[52:30] could be placed in the 2027 capital budget or be financed from the capital

[52:34] reserve. Fort Gary met and exceeded all requirements listed in the

[52:38] specifications and has provided payment options and payment requirements. At the

[52:42] time of tendering, all prices have been based on the current exchange rate and

[52:45] tariffs. The above pricing is firm for 30 days from the date of the tender.

[52:52] the budget and financial implications as indicated uh that the additional over

[52:58] budget amount of 84,739 uh can be either taken from the reserve

[53:05] or carried over into the next fiscal year. Um my recommendation is to approve

[53:11] the report as written uh and provide Fort Gary Firet Trucks uh the award the

[53:18] attender which is a Canadian company. >> Uh Counc.

[53:24] » Yeah. Uh do we have an idea of how much it's going to cost to renovate the

[53:27] garage for the truck? >> We do and thank you for that question

[53:31] through the chair. We had put aside in the 2026 budget uh $125,000

[53:39] based on a previous estimate uh from a contractor.

[53:44] We did go to tender um and put the tender on bids and tender looking for uh

[53:49] companies to uh provide pricing on that. Uh there were 17 companies that pulled

[53:55] the document. Two companies uh provided a quote. Uh the first company provided a

[54:00] quote of 400 just over 400,000 for the addition. The second company provided a

[54:06] quote of 200 just over $200,000. Significant difference uh uh in two

[54:12] quotes. Um and certainly uh the one contractor is with us this evening just

[54:17] to uh uh to see what council's decision was going to be on the vehicle. Um the

[54:22] $200,000 is not unreasonable. There is no special um design that was done to

[54:28] the building. We had an engineer draw it out, stamp it, uh provide that to all

[54:34] prospective biders. Uh we're looking at a wall or roof and extending taking the

[54:39] door off that's currently on there and moving it to the end of the building.

[54:42] Again, the vehicle, if approved, is going to be up to 18 months or more for

[54:48] delivery. So again, that will be council's decision as to whether or not

[54:53] uh we proceed with the building renovation at this time. Uh that report

[54:58] was drafted, but it was pulled from tonight's meeting.

[55:02] » Okay. You got a followup? >> Yeah. So I'll just uh like we're going

[55:06] from 750 to well over a million. Now, uh my preference would be to reach out to

[55:13] Monu and get a costing for an automatic aid agreement. what the guaranteed

[55:17] response time could be with their pumper and how much that would cost or on a

[55:22] fivey year or 10 year basis. >> Uh councelor Brennan.

[55:28] » Yeah, I I disagree with that. I think that uh this is an essential piece of

[55:32] equipment and uh and uh depend on monu coming in with that I think is uh is um

[55:42] risky to say the least. Um, I think that the uh I guess the question

[55:50] to you, Chief, is for the adjustments to the building, what's the timeline to get

[55:55] that done? You mentioned it was I think 18 months to receive the pumper

[56:02] » from the tanker, correct? >> Yeah, the tank tanker and then for the

[56:05] renovations, >> the time frame to complete the

[56:09] renovations um that we didn't have a timeline in

[56:12] there. timeline wasn't indicated, but certainly uh it was an indication that

[56:16] they could start the project this year either now or in the fall depending if

[56:20] the contract was awarded. >> Okay. So, and we we set aside 100,000

[56:26] and we're short another 100, right? So, I would I would

[56:32] prefer to do the building prior to the vehicle being delivered and just to go

[56:39] ahead with that and then uh whatever we need to budget for next year, put it in

[56:44] there. That's my

[56:46] » the building isn't on tonight's agenda, but I know

[56:49] » I understand. Yeah. So, that's part of it,

[56:51] » but definitely you're uh supporting the chief's recommendation on the truck.

[56:54] Good. >> Yes.

[56:55] » Thank you. Yeah. >> Uh other thoughts on the truck?

[56:58] Councelor Quinn has given a nod thumbs up and councelor Robinson and councelor

[57:04] Miller coming. >> Um so you know we already made the

[57:07] decision on the truck and and yes it's over. Um but there is a suggested way to

[57:14] um to compensate for that and I think the building um could be uh started in

[57:19] late fall but budgeted in 2027. And um I think both of those overages are

[57:25] manageable. So I'd support going ahead with the truck and look forward to

[57:29] seeing the report on the building. >> I see it.

[57:33] » Uh I mean expensive. There's no question

[57:38] about it. >> Absolutely.

[57:39] » And uh I mean we've been down this road before. We've replaced I guess three

[57:44] major pieces of apparatus in the last 12 15 years somewhere in that area I guess.

[57:50] Um, and every time it goes in, the price is

[57:54] always higher than we ever [laughter] anticipated. But I guess the reality is

[57:58] these are, even though [clears throat] it's a piece of equipment which would

[58:01] not go out to every call, there are parts of town that do not have hydrants

[58:06] services. And so this would be needed at mutual aid situation. I guess when we

[58:12] had the automatic a with lakes it was probably more frequently that way in a

[58:15] mutual aid situation with our rural partners would be called upon I guess to

[58:19] be used and the lifespan is 30 years >> correct

[58:24] the through the chair the recommendation from the fire underwriters is 20 years

[58:28] but uh with the maintenance schedule that we currently have and obviously you

[58:32] can see the vehicle it's in the garage um well-maintained wellkept

[58:37] um repairs are are done immediately uh you can extend the life uh of the

[58:43] vehicle. And certainly to put into context, the app the aerial apparatus

[58:49] that's downstairs uh when purchased 12 years ago was $1.4

[58:53] million. Peter Fire Department just ordered the identical truck with the

[58:58] same drawing. It is now $4.6 million.

[59:03] Um so um as we move forward with vehicles, we can't get away from

[59:10] um that unbelievable, in my opinion, unacceptable rising cost. Uh but again,

[59:16] when you're looking at an emergency piece of apparatus that has an impact on

[59:22] one life or one building, um I could not stand here in good conscious and put a

[59:28] price tag on that. >> Thank you. uh you have consensus to move

[59:32] ahead with the uh your with that tender award that tender uh and uh that

[59:38] building report will come back in the near future I'm sure.

[59:42] » Correct. >> Okay. Thank you.

[59:43] » Thank you. >> Uh director McMun going to talk to us

[59:49] about another contract for Ashevol concrete milling and paving.

[1:00:04] No, I'm sorry. That's not yet. I missed you on 9.4. It's the new transmission

[1:00:12] name. Thanks. >> Yeah, thank you, Mr. Chair. Test.

[1:00:14] » You had me wondering there for a second. [laughter]

[1:00:17] » Um, yeah. So, thanks for the introduction to the report. So staff uh

[1:00:20] so the report this evening uh is titled award of contract 26PW-010

[1:00:26] new trans transmission main phase 1. The second part of the approval or the

[1:00:31] recommendation sorry is the approval request for engineering services

[1:00:35] associated with the contract administration and inspection services

[1:00:39] for phase one. So staff are recommending that council

[1:00:42] award contract 26PW-010 for phase one of the new transmission

[1:00:47] main and sewer separation project to Ingmanson Construction Limited in the

[1:00:51] amount just shy of 2.5 million and authorize an additional agreement with

[1:00:56] EVB engineering for contract administration and inspection services

[1:00:59] valued at $171,445 excluding HST.

[1:01:05] Uh this particular project is the first f phase of a a larger multi-year

[1:01:10] infrastructure program designed to improve the town's long-term potable

[1:01:14] water supply and fire protection capacity.

[1:01:18] The overall initiative will establish a continuous 16-in transmission water man

[1:01:23] connecting the existing trunk water man on Chamber Street at Empress Avenue to

[1:01:28] the new elevated water tower at 12 Airare Drive across from the public

[1:01:32] works garage while also upgrading associated municipal infrastructure.

[1:01:38] That would be the um uh the sewer separation portion of the project. So,

[1:01:42] think of it as full reconstruction through that roughly 1.9 km corridor.

[1:01:48] Phase one of the works will include construction of a new 16-inch

[1:01:52] transmission water man from the new water tower to RTO Avenue South at

[1:01:56] Lauren Street. Construct a new 8-in distribution water man on Lauren Street.

[1:02:02] Isolated sanitary sewer repairs on RTO Avenue South. So, we're replacing a

[1:02:06] portion of a existing sewer combined sewer on RTO Avenue North.

[1:02:14] um replacing it this year because there the

[1:02:17] the pipe is compromised and we we uh having a hard time sleeping at night

[1:02:21] hope holding hoping that it holds together. Um so we've designed the

[1:02:25] street uh so what will be phase two of the project such that we won't need to

[1:02:31] change that pipe again. We change it now and then when we roll into phase two

[1:02:34] we'll just continue on with that with that sewer.

[1:02:38] Um the project will also include a development of a multi-use pathway uh

[1:02:42] between airare drive and Lauren Street. So that's the easement that runs in

[1:02:45] behind the bottling plant making its way from Lauren Street over over to the

[1:02:48] tower. And then of course full reconstruction of Lauren Street between

[1:02:52] RTO Avenue South and the easement. Sorry, I meant I said Rita Avenue North

[1:02:56] there. I meant RTO Avenue South earlier. Uh the this particular tender closed um

[1:03:02] just last week uh on June 29th, 2026 and attracted four qualified bids. After

[1:03:08] review by town staff and EVB Engineering, IMG Igman Construction

[1:03:12] Limited was confirmed as the lowest compliant bidder at approximately 2.5

[1:03:16] million, nearly 100,000 lower than the next closest bid.

[1:03:21] EBB engineering also confirmed that the bid falls within the project pre uh

[1:03:26] tender budget estimate and recommended award of the contract.

[1:03:31] As we know, this broader project is supported through the province's health

[1:03:34] and safety water stream funding program, which will fund up to 73% of eligible

[1:03:40] project costs to a maximum contribution of $13.3 million.

[1:03:45] engineering costs associated with EVB services are also eligible for the same

[1:03:49] funding and they would have been represented when we put our application

[1:03:53] in in the first place. There was a portion in that application for contract

[1:03:57] admin and inspection. Um,

[1:04:02] yes. So, they're also eligible for the same funding, reducing the town's share

[1:04:05] of the proposed engineering services contract to approximately $46,000 290

[1:04:11] for sorry, $46,290, excluding tax.

[1:04:16] Subject to council approval, construction is expected to begin in

[1:04:19] early August 2026 with sanitary sew repairs substantially

[1:04:23] complete by August 31st, 2026. That's the section on that I spoke of earlier

[1:04:28] on RTO Avenue South. and the remainder of phase phase one to be substantially

[1:04:33] completed by December 1st, 2026. The project aligns with council

[1:04:38] strategic priority of investing in infrastructure to support community

[1:04:41] growth and service reliability. So, with that, I'm happy to take any

[1:04:47] questions, but I just wanted to note that this is a word of contract here

[1:04:50] this evening. Um, time is a little bit of the essence. I'd like to get shovels

[1:04:53] in the ground on this project and get get rolling on it. So, happy to take any

[1:04:58] questions. Councelor McGuire.

[1:05:02] » Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you, Director McMahon. Um, good pricing and

[1:05:06] good responses to So, that's really nice to see. I'm wondering when, uh, when

[1:05:10] they do the design work, can we ask them to try to optimize the utility holes so

[1:05:15] they're not in the drivable path. There's a lot of intersections in town

[1:05:19] where there's utility holes, right? you know, if you're turning a corner at an

[1:05:22] intersection or um there if you you know, if you look after it snows where

[1:05:27] the tires generally go, they put the utility holes there. I'm wondering is

[1:05:30] that something we can ask them as it's part of the design?

[1:05:33] » Not at this stage, not for this particular phase, but

[1:05:36] » um if I could through the chair, the the one thing that we need to be cognizant

[1:05:41] of particularly when we're um you know, Smith Falls being in the Canadian

[1:05:45] Shield, we know we're going to be dealing with rock. often more than not,

[1:05:48] we try to utilize existing trenches, rock trenches, so that uh so we can

[1:05:53] mitigate costs on these projects. Um I understand what you're saying. You know,

[1:05:57] you're driving in the driving lane and you know, you'll come upon a manhole

[1:06:02] that might have a a depression in that frame and cover and and you feel a bump.

[1:06:07] Um my sense is with new construction that

[1:06:12] that risk should be mitigated with installing it right in the first place

[1:06:16] if that makes sense. So quite often more than not, it comes down to um you know

[1:06:21] the vertical adjustment of those manholes, the frames and covers on top

[1:06:24] that being addressed at paving operations to make sure that there's a

[1:06:27] nice transition through that structure as opposed to moving things within the

[1:06:31] roadway corridor to get the sewer uh the sewer lines out of the traveled lane.

[1:06:38] So I do understand the question. This phase is already designed. Um

[1:06:44] many [clears throat] many times often there uh there's a lot of infrastructure

[1:06:47] within the roadway and we're trying to shoehorn a bunch of different pipes in

[1:06:51] the ground. That is definitely um evident in this project where we're for

[1:06:59] for much of the project we're incorporating a 16-in water man on top

[1:07:03] of a an 8 in distribution main plus a sanitary sewer plus a storm sewer.

[1:07:09] Currently, right now, we're running with a a single pipe system, the combined

[1:07:13] sewer. Um, so I'll have to say there's a lot more linear infrastructure under the

[1:07:17] under the ground. [clears throat]

[1:07:20] » Although, just all that other linear infrastructure staying put, the sewer

[1:07:23] and the is that that's the limitation.

[1:07:28] » Sorry, >> sorry. All the other infrastructure

[1:07:29] staying put in the ground. All we're updating at this point is the water

[1:07:33] manes. So the service mains or the service lines and the sewer lines are

[1:07:38] staying but >> no if I if I could through the through

[1:07:41] the chair. Um no this project is effectively uh a full reconstruction.

[1:07:47] » So new services to property line not indifferent to a phase one and phase two

[1:07:51] of George Street. So it'll be the same idea. Uh the only thing that we're able

[1:07:55] to not have to change in phase one would be the sewer that runs down the ement

[1:08:01] because it's in good condition. and it's not that old. It's a it's a concrete

[1:08:04] pipe uh in really really good condition. So, we're not touching that at all.

[1:08:08] We're just replacing the um the trunk water main distribution pipe that we

[1:08:13] have down through that ement. >> So, so Lauren Street from the easement

[1:08:17] down to Rita Avenue South will be full reconstruction and then the balance of

[1:08:21] the projects uh next year and the year after will be full reconstruction as

[1:08:24] well. >> Mayor Panko,

[1:08:27] » thanks for uh two questions I guess. one um we've done a lot of the contract

[1:08:33] administration inspection internally for past projects and this one you're

[1:08:38] looking at hiring outside is it using EVB

[1:08:42] is there I know a lot of the cost is covered so 27% covered by by

[1:08:48] is it primarily a funding situation or workload situation or

[1:08:53] » yes through the chair it's a little bit a little bit of both um right now my

[1:08:58] staff We're focused on getting things uh surveyed, getting things ready for

[1:09:04] design for uh I would call our own capital project for next year, which

[1:09:08] we're focused on James Street. Uh that'll be the next on on the books for

[1:09:13] uh full reconstruction. So there's there's a tremendous amount of work to

[1:09:16] do there over the over the course of the balance of the summer and fall. Um so

[1:09:21] that's what we're focused on. So it always was the intention with this

[1:09:24] particular project to use contract or sorry uh consulting services for um for

[1:09:33] contract in and inspection for for phase one and then the subsequent

[1:09:40] phases of this project notably because it is it is largely funded and it does

[1:09:45] take the pressure off staff to focus on other assignments that we have. Uh

[1:09:49] second question it just sort of takes me back to takes us back to last Thursday

[1:09:53] and the storm system that hit and we had a lot of localized flooding in town and

[1:09:59] uh again it's how do you prepare for systems like that that come through but

[1:10:03] understanding um they're not that infrequent anymore

[1:10:07] and they may not hit all of town at a time but they we do get heavy systems

[1:10:11] coming through. So when it comes to our our storm sewer, I mean I suppose an

[1:10:15] engineering standard based on the formulas how how big a pipe should be,

[1:10:21] but I guess and and looking forward um should we be looking at making these

[1:10:27] pipes just a little bit larger to be able to handle the greater loads that

[1:10:30] are coming in the those 1% storms that seem to happen far more frequently than

[1:10:36] one every hundred storms. >> Yeah, thanks thanks for the question. So

[1:10:40] with with storm server design, we we design to a a 1 in5ear storm and that's

[1:10:45] standard MECP uh ministry guidelines. Um the short answer to that question is if

[1:10:51] we had to design for uh a 100redyear storm or or something in excess of a

[1:10:56] 100red-year storm, which I would argue we were subject to last Thursday.

[1:11:00] Anecdotally, I've heard reports of as much as 100 millimeters of rain in a 45m

[1:11:05] minute period. It came down hard and fast and um we certainly felt the brunt

[1:11:10] of that with areas such as Lumbard Street down by Abel and Aberdine that

[1:11:15] were were completely flooded. Um over on Hershey Drive at Queen Street was the

[1:11:21] the ditches were all flooded and over overflowing on the road down in that

[1:11:24] area. So the short answer is you would you would never be able to get a pipe in

[1:11:29] the ground large enough um to handle to handle those flows. So, anything over

[1:11:34] and above a five-year storm would be uh the the design would contemplate

[1:11:40] overland flow. Um so, you think of a roadway that has um you know, a 6-in

[1:11:45] curb face along the the edge of roadway. The roadway in itself will will hold a

[1:11:50] tremendous amount of water as well. Um, and if we're looking at like a new

[1:11:55] subdivision design, that's why we incorporate side and rear yard swell

[1:12:00] systems in in uh those new subdivisions as well as either retention or detention

[1:12:05] ponds as part of the overall storm water management system. Um, but I will note

[1:12:10] with last Thursday storm and you know the the amount of roadway flooding that

[1:12:15] we had around town, we had a number of reported um sewer backups throughout

[1:12:20] town. uh primarily in areas that maybe perhaps don't have a storm sewer network

[1:12:26] and and they're subject to a combined sewer on their street.

[1:12:30] Um you know, the the pipes simply can't handle that volume of of water when

[1:12:35] you're mixing mixing it with sanitary flow at the same time. So um it's going

[1:12:39] to find the path of least resistance and absent people having backflow preventers

[1:12:44] on their service laterals, it's unfortunately going to end up in some

[1:12:48] cases in people's basements. Um, the message for for people at home that

[1:12:53] we've been that we've been talking to is uh, you know, first and foremost to

[1:12:58] notify your insurance company to to initiate a a claim. Um,

[1:13:04] yeah. So, we're we're still dealing and fielding a a lot of those calls kind of

[1:13:08] as we speak. So, >> well, I guess the question really goes

[1:13:11] if it's if we're only planning for one and five year and I mean, how much extra

[1:13:15] cost would there be to put a bigger pipe in there that accommodate

[1:13:20] especially understanding it it there's potentially new development that could

[1:13:24] happen in that area of town in the future and a lot of side a lot of I

[1:13:28] guess uh storm feed probably would feed into this as well. So I don't know if

[1:13:34] it's I I know it's a it's a situation where you can't repair for everything

[1:13:39] but you can accommodate more does it make sense consider that I know there's

[1:13:43] only a small section being repaired right now but I'm thinking longer term

[1:13:46] when the pipe search run up you know to uh is that consideration but

[1:13:52] for future discussion >> yeah it is I mean we could sit here and

[1:13:56] talk technicalities all all night and I'd start losing people that are are

[1:13:59] queued in on the call the call here this evening so yeah

[1:14:02] » okay thank you Councelor Quinn, did you want to come in?

[1:14:05] » Yeah, I'm going to throw something in here totally off of all this. What? We

[1:14:10] don't need to make a decision tonight, but is there not product that we could

[1:14:14] be using rather than ash fault, rather than covering everything with a solid

[1:14:20] cover? Is there not product that we could start to think about using where

[1:14:24] the water could go through?

[1:14:28] And and I don't need an answer tonight. Let's just

[1:14:32] think of it. Well, well, >> just a thought.

[1:14:35] » Hold that thought then. Thank you. >> Um I'm people are in a general agreement

[1:14:41] with proceeding with this tender. Um excellent report goes up and it's nice

[1:14:48] to get this uh phase going and uh 9.5. Now we can talk about

[1:14:56] Ashwalt concrete milling and paving. >> Yes, thank you Mr. Chair. Uh so with

[1:15:00] this particular report, staff are recommending the council award contract

[1:15:05] 26-PW-005 for the town's 2026 Ashvalt concrete

[1:15:10] milling and paving uh coined as ACMP. You'll hear me talk about um so award

[1:15:17] that program to uh Drock Paving in the amount of $866,54412

[1:15:25] excluding HST. Uh the project was publicly tendered and

[1:15:29] uh this particular project only attracted two biders um with Drock

[1:15:35] Paving submitting the lowest compliant bid approximately 299 and a half

[1:15:40] thousand lower than the next bidder. So the annual ACMP program focuses on

[1:15:46] roadway re sorry roadway rehabilitation, aphalt resurfacing, concrete curb and

[1:15:52] sidewalk repairs, accessibility improvements,

[1:15:56] and related infrastructure upgrades throughout the throughout the

[1:15:59] municipality. Major works this year include the

[1:16:02] rehabilitation of Percy Street between Pearl Street and Broadview Avenue,

[1:16:07] rehabilitation and sidewalk improvements on Canal Street. So between Becka Street

[1:16:11] and the new uh Timber Bridge, new sidewalks on Union Street and Ferrer

[1:16:17] Drive. So Union Street will be the let me see the the the west side of Union

[1:16:23] Street. um uh from Cornelia down to

[1:16:30] uh I forget what the name of the street is, but a part partway down before we

[1:16:33] hit the VIA station. And there's an Ashevolt sidewalk from that point on to

[1:16:36] the uh to the VIA station. So, currently there's no sidewalk on

[1:16:40] that side. >> Uh doing some work over on Fer Drive as

[1:16:44] well. There's some areas over there that are missing sidewalks, some old

[1:16:47] dilapitated Ashewell sidewalk that we're going to rehab as well. and then uh some

[1:16:53] localized curbing repairs on Aberdine Avenue to try to address some of the uh

[1:16:57] the water issues that we have over on Aberdine in in a certain area.

[1:17:02] Um we're looking at uh pavement some pave some isolated pavement

[1:17:07] rehabilitation on Becka Street North and James Street. So these are

[1:17:12] uh significant enough uh areas that we're going to uh mill and pave. Just a

[1:17:17] a quick kind of dirty overlay if that makes sense. They're heavily heavily

[1:17:20] pledoled. Uh and then the replacement of sidewalk

[1:17:25] uh that was removed over at the former water treatment plant as part of that

[1:17:28] project. We're going to reinstitute that sidewalk over on that side. And I will

[1:17:32] note that that money is being funded through the insurance claim. So that

[1:17:35] money will come back to the uh to this program.

[1:17:38] » Yeah. >> Thank you. Uh councelor Brennan, you

[1:17:42] wanted to >> Yep. Thank you. Uh I love this. It's um

[1:17:46] when we do the the road work because it's people see it's their tax dollars

[1:17:50] at work and and I always look forward to this report. I had a couple questions

[1:17:54] though. Um I noticed on Percy Street uh you've got on here some speed humps.

[1:18:02] » Sorry. >> Some speed humps on on the Percy Street.

[1:18:06] » Yeah. >> So I imagine that's near the school or

[1:18:10] » Exactly. >> Okay. So there was some uh

[1:18:12] » yeah there's sorry through the chair community safety zone over in that area.

[1:18:15] So we're looking at speed mitigation. So it'll be

[1:18:18] » Ashvalt speed hump similar to what we have on Herald Street.

[1:18:21] » Yeah. And I I know you guys uh prioritize what we're going to do every

[1:18:25] year. And uh I'm always going to get questions about this street or that

[1:18:30] street. So, there's two streets that I had in mind and I had flagged before and

[1:18:35] one is John Street uh which leads up to um

[1:18:41] Chimo and so there's no sidewalks there and it's a feeder to the school and then

[1:18:47] there's a the street right in front of Chimo is

[1:18:52] » Ross >> Ross. So, and there's no sidewalk there.

[1:18:55] So, um hopefully that's on the radar. Uh John Street is not in good condition all

[1:19:02] the way down to Broadview. Um and so uh that's that's one. And then my other old

[1:19:09] nugget is Allen Street in Margaret. Um because um I've gotten questions about

[1:19:15] that as well. And that's a feeder to a school. And then it's um it's right

[1:19:20] outside of the apartment buildings uh where there's a lot of seniors there and

[1:19:24] for walking, that sort of thing. So, those are two two uh items that I I hope

[1:19:30] we can flag for uh the not too distant future. Um and you know, the um I'll

[1:19:38] just comment on the Percy Street piece. Um because I have the opportunity to

[1:19:43] walk mostly most of these streets daily, especially Percy, and it doesn't seem

[1:19:49] like the sidewalk's that bad. Um everything needs doing. I understand

[1:19:53] that. Um but the uh and it's just down the one it's just one side of the of the

[1:19:59] of the street that goes and leads into the school. But um anyway, uh it's good.

[1:20:06] It's all good. Just those two those two uh areas I think that we need to

[1:20:11] address. >> Yeah. If if I could, Mr. Chair, I just

[1:20:13] wanted to um emphasize that we're not replacing all of the sidewalk on Percy

[1:20:18] Street. We're making some uh some improvements, some AODA compliant

[1:20:22] crosswalks in those area with the tactile walking surface indicators.

[1:20:26] Those are those plates that we put in the in those crosswalks. So, it's not a

[1:20:30] replacement of all the sidewalks. So, I just wanted to to mention mention that.

[1:20:33] Y >> thank you and thank you for this report.

[1:20:38] And you know what I love about what you've done here? You've broke

[1:20:42] everything down into this street is going to cost this much. this street is

[1:20:47] going to cost so much more because we're doing more there. And I love that

[1:20:51] because now people can see how many times how many times are we asked, well,

[1:20:56] why can't I have a new sidewalk down here? Why can't I have my my street

[1:21:01] redone? Blah blah. Look at look at how much it actually costs because they

[1:21:06] don't realize the cost to all of this construction. So, thank you very much

[1:21:10] for the report. Thank you for breaking it all down. [laughter] just makes it

[1:21:15] easier to and I support what you're >> Thank you,

[1:21:19] » Mayor Panko. >> Yeah, thanks for and we can always look

[1:21:22] forward to this. I mean, it it does it's meaningful work obviously. Um, a couple

[1:21:26] questions. So, the uh on Union is it this is going to take and create a

[1:21:32] sidewalk from Cornelia to the point where the ashvault sidewalk starts just

[1:21:39] past uh Alexander. I want to say Franklin is that in that area.

[1:21:44] » Franklin will be your Franklin will be represent the gas station, mobile gas

[1:21:47] station. >> Yeah, it's the next the next block

[1:21:50] heading towards the uh the name's escaping me right

[1:21:53] » Alexander. >> Yes. Yeah.

[1:21:54] » So is um I guess the question is is that section

[1:21:59] in in good shape or would it make sense to replace the sidewalk all the way to

[1:22:04] the the via station when we're when we're mobilizing? Um

[1:22:09] just recognizing there a lot of people tend to walk that route

[1:22:13] » all times of the year. I see people trying to walk down through there

[1:22:16] dragging their suitcase and and um and I don't think it would be an awful lot

[1:22:22] more money to send extend it then we're done with that area uh would be one

[1:22:27] question. The second question would just be with Canel Street um understanding

[1:22:32] it's not a through no through traffic. It's very lightly used uh street

[1:22:36] certainly from a vehicular standpoint uh and and a fairly significant cost. Um

[1:22:42] and I guess obviously there's reasons why that needs to be done or why it's

[1:22:46] prioritized. >> Yeah, thank you for the question. So the

[1:22:49] the first uh the first question you had was with respect to Union Street. Um, so

[1:22:54] our our inspection and the condition of the Ashefold sidewalk,

[1:23:00] um, from Alexander Street down to the VIA station is in in pretty pretty good

[1:23:04] repair, I would say. Um, to me, it doesn't necessitate doing anything with

[1:23:09] it right at this point. Um, our focus there was to get continuity from Chamber

[1:23:14] Street down to that point because it's absent any sidewalk there right now. So,

[1:23:18] that that was the focus. Not to suggest down the road we can't come back. If

[1:23:22] that ashwalt happens to deteriorate, we can deal with it down the road. Um

[1:23:28] and then the second part of the question was with with Canal Street. Um

[1:23:33] yeah, we're we're we're looking at some some work there getting sidewalks on

[1:23:36] both sides of the street. So sidewalk favoring the uh the war monument or the

[1:23:41] Senate half, which there's no sidewalk there right now. Uh we're installing a

[1:23:46] couple of um street lights down through there as as well. Uh they'll be the same

[1:23:51] street lights that we have on on Becka Street as part of the the bridge work

[1:23:55] that we're doing there as well and what you see in the downtown core. Um

[1:24:00] and the ashwalts in in quite poor repair in that area. Um, one of the reasons we

[1:24:06] we looked at it as well is, you know, after

[1:24:09] um, commissioning the the the timber bridge and then we start to look at the

[1:24:14] condition of the access to the to the timber bridge, particularly on on the

[1:24:19] east side, um, it it doesn't present itself very well. So, what I would

[1:24:24] consider a fairly small investment to rehab that and make it a little more

[1:24:30] inviting, I think will go go a long way. >> Thank you. I'll support the

[1:24:34] recommendation. >> Uh Ber,

[1:24:36] » uh thank you. Um yeah, it's a it's like our most popular one, but it's also our

[1:24:41] most debated one because everybody in town knows a street that they think is

[1:24:45] in worse shape than one of the ones on here. So every year we this comes

[1:24:48] forward. I ask how did we rate it? What's our data? Um and we haven't seen

[1:24:53] it yet. So I'd love to see how we came up with this. like to me canal street,

[1:24:57] you know, it's bad, but it's aesthetic because there's some spots on McGill,

[1:25:01] some spots on um uh on Maple. We got some really rough rough areas on on the

[1:25:07] north end of town. So, if we had that data, then I can say this is this is how

[1:25:12] we rationalized it. This is how they were prioritized. I don't like getting

[1:25:15] into um this kind of anecdotal debate or politicizing it. So if we could get more

[1:25:21] information on the how we picked them, it would make it a lot easier to uh to

[1:25:26] sell that in the community. >> Yeah. Through through that, Mr. Chair.

[1:25:30] Um >> yeah, so so so most of the decisions

[1:25:35] that we make with respect to our ashalt works is dependent on what the what they

[1:25:39] call the PCI, pavement condition index. Uh we did some uh investigative work on

[1:25:44] that a couple years ago with our uh through street scan where they came and

[1:25:48] they have a piece of equipment, a vehicle that drives and it and it uh

[1:25:51] computes what that PCI would would be. Um however, it's not always uh that easy

[1:25:58] to solely look at at those to make decisions when we're looking at pay

[1:26:02] pavement restoration. Um, for instance, we have historically about, we'll call

[1:26:08] it a million dollars on an annual basis since council started to afford money

[1:26:12] towards this project. Um, it it doesn't necessarily get stretched very far when

[1:26:18] we're looking at works on these streets. Um

[1:26:22] and oftentimes we get into investigative work where we will go out and um core

[1:26:29] the road to try to determine what the existing thickness of ashvalt is to

[1:26:33] determine whether or not we can do a a a milling a grind if you will and then an

[1:26:38] overlay. So if we're not able to do that, if

[1:26:41] we're into full depth removal, then that effectively doubles or makes that

[1:26:46] project two and a half times more expensive than it was before. So then we

[1:26:50] may pivot and look to another street where we may get a little more bang for

[1:26:54] the buck if that makes sense where we can stretch those dollars further and

[1:26:58] perhaps just go and do a what we call a shave and pave and mill it off and pave

[1:27:01] 40 ms of ashall on top to reinstitute the riding surface. So it's a little bit

[1:27:07] of a crapshoot. Um we are still trying to develop something to bring back to

[1:27:11] council so we can present it and say here's the plan moving forward

[1:27:15] understanding none of it's ever written in stone. There may be a whole plethora

[1:27:18] of reasons why things need to pivot and change on an annual basis.

[1:27:23] » Thank you. Uh just a couple of comments for me. Thank you for the report. Um

[1:27:28] would there be pedest pedestrian snow plow now uh on Union Street right to the

[1:27:34] via station that once we put the sidewalk in even on the paved we'll be

[1:27:39] able to >> correct. Yes.

[1:27:41] » So they'll be a pave or a snowplow. Great.

[1:27:44] » Correct. And I just wanted to second council Brennan's comment on John Street

[1:27:49] leading to the really uh busy school. There's no sidewalk on either side. So

[1:27:55] » for next year if if uh if we have any say about it, it would be nice to see

[1:28:00] that one in there. And I don't think talking about schools is politicizing

[1:28:06] it. I think that's just uh [clears throat] wanting to flag that

[1:28:09] one. All right. Uh you've got consensus. Good luck. a great summer paving.

[1:28:17] » Um, we're moving on to Mr. Granky, shared services agreement.

[1:28:26] Thank you, Mr. Chair. staff are bringing forward a recommendation to council that

[1:28:31] uh that a bylaw be passed authorizing the execution of a shared services

[1:28:35] agreement with Tay Valley Township for building inspection services and also

[1:28:39] that uh that we pass a bylaw appointing Tay Valley CBO Troy uh Marman as a

[1:28:45] building inspector in the town of Smith Falls. So this is just relating to

[1:28:49] backup for uh for our CBO. We have uh one chief building official full-time in

[1:28:55] the uh in the town and occasionally when he's on on vacation, we do need uh we do

[1:29:00] need to have some uh some coverage. We don't expect there to be a significant

[1:29:04] uh workload, probably just uh just some evenings, but somebody to cover uh cover

[1:29:09] inspections while he's uh he's off. So, we've already established a working

[1:29:13] relationship with Tay Valley from last year. Our CBO helped them out when they

[1:29:17] were in between uh building uh building inspectors as well. that that

[1:29:22] relationship has has been established. The uh the uh the township staff and and

[1:29:27] and our staff are amendable to uh sort of extending that uh that shared

[1:29:32] services agreement to cover uh their assistance on an as needed basis here

[1:29:36] here in the town. >> Uh everybody seems to be in favor of

[1:29:42] this. It's a great uh to work with our neighbors, continue to work with our

[1:29:48] neighbors, and I hope the our our building inspector gets a vacation when

[1:29:54] he needs it. >> Absolutely.

[1:29:56] » Thank you. >> Thank you,

[1:29:59] Clerk. Castello, you're up. >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. And I will note if

[1:30:05] you if you could look on your agendas, I I made a a typo on 9.1. That's actually

[1:30:09] supposed to be the Canada Day fireworks update. I'm not talking about the

[1:30:13] lighting policy twice. So, if you want to make that small change on your

[1:30:16] agendas, uh community covers. Uh so, as council recall, Mayor Panko had brought

[1:30:22] this up a couple months ago about the idea of having uh community covers

[1:30:26] within the town boundaries. Uh this is an initiative that the Smith Falls

[1:30:30] Equity for All group as well as the working group uh the food and security

[1:30:34] working group have been working on. Uh we've developed a bit of a pamphlet and

[1:30:38] a poster which is attached to your report um that's been included in our

[1:30:42] website and we've also uh included a page on our website dedicated strictly

[1:30:46] to food insecurity. Uh this was also something that council supported uh

[1:30:51] declaring a food uh food insecurity within the town of Smith Falls. Uh so

[1:30:56] what we've done is we've put together a kind of an information uh packet. Uh

[1:31:01] right now community pantries uh aren't prohibited in Smith Falls. uh we'd

[1:31:06] actually like to encourage them more and have uh people actually uh put pantries

[1:31:11] on private property uh whether it's inside or outside. So this report does

[1:31:16] um indicate what some of the parameters of having a a community pantry or

[1:31:21] community cover would be. Uh it could be inside or outside obviously not in right

[1:31:26] ofways on the sidewalks. Um so it's something that can be enforced from that

[1:31:31] from that um perspective. We've also included some food safety guidelines

[1:31:36] that we got from the local health unit. So, anybody who wants to have one of

[1:31:40] these pantries um that might be some links that they wish to look at. Um so,

[1:31:46] at this point, it's more of an information piece for council and

[1:31:49] hopefully um to get the word out that these are actually encouraged by council

[1:31:54] um to help the community and help our residents with food insecurity. Uh the

[1:31:58] hope is that this report and maybe some advertising we can do on our website and

[1:32:02] our social media feeds um will encourage people to have a food pantry um which

[1:32:08] would include obviously non-p perishable foods, maybe hygiene products uh things

[1:32:12] of that nature um where there would be signage obviously in place of what is

[1:32:17] permitted. Um each place that has a pantry what we would encourage would it

[1:32:22] that each one would have a host per se and they would be in charge of the

[1:32:26] maintenance of it. uh making sure that the products haven't expired, that

[1:32:29] there's been no pests, uh things of that nature. So, mostly encouraging our

[1:32:34] community to look at uh preparing and having a food pantry on their property

[1:32:40] and uh obviously Mayor Panko is the chair of the Smith Falls Equity for All

[1:32:44] and this was uh his brainchild. So, I welcome any additional comments that he

[1:32:49] may have. Now, thanks for the excellent report and not only there's links in

[1:32:54] there to to anybody interested to uh to follow them comments or questions.

[1:33:01] » Counc, >> thank you. These pantries that that

[1:33:06] doesn't mean that the town has to monitor them.

[1:33:09] » Correct. Uh the whole point with the pantries would be that they would be

[1:33:13] privately uh owned to use that term. Uh so it's more that that council is just

[1:33:19] letting people know that they aren't prohibited, they're encouraged. Uh and

[1:33:23] we're giving them the parameters to do so safely and without having to do any

[1:33:27] type of enforcement. >> Just to follow up on that, so if

[1:33:30] something happened and someone claimed they got sick out of eating something,

[1:33:35] that's not a town. >> It would be on the host.

[1:33:39] » Thank you, Council Miller. >> Thank you. I just wanted to say thank

[1:33:44] you, Clerk Castello, and thank you to the equity for all committee for putting

[1:33:48] this together. We're in a real crisis. Uh it's not unique to Smith Falls, but

[1:33:52] I'm really proud of the work that we're doing in this town to try and address

[1:33:55] that. So, this information is really great and if you're listening to this

[1:34:00] meeting tonight and can share this with your neighbors, um it would be a few

[1:34:03] minutes well spent. >> Thank you, Mayor Pat.

[1:34:07] » Yeah, thanks Classello for bringing this forward and and for council support in

[1:34:10] the past. Hopefully support tonight. Um it yeah the principle really is is is

[1:34:15] pretty straightforward. Leave what you want and and and take what you need. And

[1:34:18] it's it's a real grassroots initiative. Uh I have had uh a number of people

[1:34:24] reach out since this first came forward a couple months ago uh indicating they

[1:34:28] have an interest in in uh not just opening one but looking after one. And

[1:34:32] that's going to be really what what's required. It does note um where it's

[1:34:38] nothing on town property without an encroachment agreement. And so that's

[1:34:41] something that if an organization had an interest in putting one in a park

[1:34:47] [clears throat] or town square somewhere, they they would to reach out

[1:34:50] to the town for an encroachment agreement. And I don't know if if

[1:34:53] Manager Granky would have to come a little bit further on that. Um but I

[1:34:57] think it provides an opportunity for really discretion, right? People can

[1:35:02] discreetly leave things there and people can discreetly pick them up and uh again

[1:35:06] just help support the the food insecurity challenges in our community.

[1:35:10] So Frank G, if you don't mind maybe speaking just to how that would work if

[1:35:13] someone said, "Well, I say an organization wanted to put one uh at

[1:35:18] Lower Reach Park because it's an easy access point for people. How would all

[1:35:21] that work?" >> Thank you, mayor. Yeah. So, an

[1:35:23] encroachment agreement, it's a process that we uh that we follow from time to

[1:35:27] time. And oftent times, usually when when council sees an encroachment

[1:35:31] approval, it's for if if there's a a porch that's been sitting on a municipal

[1:35:34] rightway for for a hundred years and that was just discovered to uh through a

[1:35:38] survey and and to facilitate a sale. But but ultimately what the encroachment

[1:35:42] agreement does is it defines responsibilities.

[1:35:45] So in in this case, an organization, a a company, somebody would have permission

[1:35:51] to to put a a permanent installation on on town property. And then we would

[1:35:55] through that agreement, we and council would allow it, but they would be uh

[1:36:00] they would own the the obligations as far as as maintenance and and any sort

[1:36:05] of liability. The agreement process can spell out who's responsible for say

[1:36:09] clearing a pathway there and and anything there just to just to to cover

[1:36:14] off and and define the responsibilities and and obligations

[1:36:18] to to allow that to to happen. And that only applies if this is something that's

[1:36:22] that's that a third party is looking to put on on town property. The clerk

[1:36:27] referenced if there's if somebody's looking to put it on private property,

[1:36:30] we wouldn't be involved in that process. >> Thank you very much.

[1:36:34] » Um any other comments? Just my one is I'm aware of other committees where two

[1:36:40] or three neighbors got together and put one together rather than and then they

[1:36:46] support each other with there. So there's lots of options and uh again

[1:36:52] we're receiving this as information and encouragement. Uh I know there's a lot

[1:36:57] of support around the horseshoe and mayor bank.

[1:37:00] » Just one final comment. Anyone who's interested in learning more go to

[1:37:02] littlefreepantry.org.

[1:37:05] Um, it shows a map where they exist in other places in North America. They're

[1:37:09] actually pretty common in in in many places. Uh, and there's also drawings

[1:37:14] there. Uh, so a template if someone wants to build one, you can actually

[1:37:17] pull the drawings off of there and then use it to to guide your your own little

[1:37:21] free pantry. >> Can we get some of our wonderful

[1:37:26] communication person to put this all together into a wonderful

[1:37:31] [clears throat] Facebook or media release?

[1:37:34] » You certainly can. Thank you. Don't go away. Uh you're up next uh on the

[1:37:40] municipal lighting pilot. >> Thank you. This is probably going to be

[1:37:43] the shortest report this evening. Uh looking to remove the old water tower

[1:37:47] from that policy uh regarding illumination of municipal assets and

[1:37:51] adding our new beautiful Confederation bridge.

[1:37:57] Uh, counc >> would it be possible just to keep it? Do

[1:38:01] we need to iterate the assets in the in the bylaw or could we just say municipal

[1:38:07] assets that are lighted will be lighted and then if something comes and goes, we

[1:38:10] don't have to change it every time.

[1:38:15] » I don't see it happening very often. It's only the second time.

[1:38:20] see or do you want to add? >> Um, yeah, I I like the the principle of

[1:38:25] of making it more generic. Um, the only we only have three that are

[1:38:31] capable of of different colors and hues of lighting. So, that's why we

[1:38:36] specifically mention them, but I'm sure we could come up with language that are

[1:38:41] capable of being changed or something like that if if council felt more

[1:38:45] comfortable with that. But if somebody wanted to light up the

[1:38:49] public works garage, that's not on the list.

[1:38:53] » Correct. >> So, we don't want to be It's not generic

[1:38:56] of all of our assets, >> right?

[1:38:58] » Although it's

[1:39:26] Heat.

[1:39:31] Heat.

[1:39:37] Heat.

[1:39:59] Heat.

Meeting of Smiths Falls Town Council - July 13 2027

Transcript