[2:30] Good evening everyone. Welcome to everyone in the chambers. It's

[2:35] good to see a good crowd here this evening. I

[2:39] would like to call this Council meeting of the Town

[2:42] of Lincoln Council of July the 27th, 2026 to order.

[2:48] And I would ask, if you are able to please

[2:50] stand for the National Animal.

[3:10] True. Patrio. Come.

[3:24] La. Croix. Des. Plus brillants.

[3:34] Exploi.

[3:56] O. We. Stand on. God.

[4:06] Thank you. We have the right people. Here this evening.

[4:09] Thank you so much. I would like to begin by

[4:16] reading a safety notice. In the event of an emergency

[4:21] please evacuate Council Chambers to the nearest exit through the

[4:24] Chamber of Doors. Obey all instructions given. And assistance if

[4:29] it's required, please see the clerk to my right. She'll

[4:33] be out there once you've evacuated the building, please gather

[4:36] in the front parking lot outside of Town Hall. Now

[4:40] please ensure you place your cell phone on silent or

[4:45] turn it off. The Town of Lincoln Council meetings are

[4:49] posted on our YouTube channel. Closed captioning is available on

[4:53] all our videos by selecting the closed captioning button on

[4:57] the bottom right of the video. The Town of Lincoln,

[5:03] being part of the Niagara region is situated on treaty

[5:06] land. This land is steeped in the rich history of

[5:10] the First Nations, such as how to Wanderonk, the Hoden

[5:14] of Shone, Diana Schnabe, including the Mississaugas of the Credit

[5:18] First Nation. There are many First Nations, mati an inuit

[5:23] people from across Turtle Island that live and work in

[5:26] Niagara today. The Regional Municipality of Niagara and the Town

[5:31] of Lincoln stand with all Indigenous people past and present

[5:35] in promoting the wise stewardship of the lands on which

[5:38] we live. All members of Council are in attendance. And

[5:45] we have staff and attendance this evening. We also have

[5:48] representatives from the Lincoln soapbox Derby and the Lincoln Garden

[5:52] Club. And regional councillor foster is an attendance. Item 5

[6:00] is confirmation of agenda. Due to the recent flooding that

[6:04] occurred and in light of the comments from the CAO

[6:07] and members of council on this matter, I would like

[6:10] to move Council remarks to item seven on the agenda.

[6:15] Immediately before announcements by members to allow council the opportunity

[6:19] to discuss this issue at that time. I'll now ask

[6:23] for a show of hands. That is unanimous, thank you.

[6:30] Declarations of interest. Are there any declarations of interest. I

[6:36] see none. We will now consider the matter of recent

[6:40] flooding. That has occurred. And the CAO will provide some

[6:46] comments. Mr. C. Hale. Thank you, Madam Mayor. And following

[6:50] my comments, I am going to ask Director Graham to

[6:52] provide a little bit of an operational update for you

[6:56] as well. But this is one of those times where

[7:00] I'm not happy to be addressing Council. I wish I

[7:02] didn't have to speak on this particular. Item, but we

[7:06] are here. And so I will provide some comments. Staff

[7:10] meant today specifically to discuss what happened. We had been

[7:13] meeting over the weekend and following the storm up to

[7:17] and including that evening. And to review really the flooding

[7:21] event itself. But what happens next? What can we do

[7:25] next? I know I've discussed this with a number of

[7:27] members of council most recently as today. And I think

[7:32] you've heard me say a few times you've heard us

[7:34] say that this was one of those extraordinary storms. And

[7:39] generally our infrastructure performed relatively well. I say that, but

[7:45] to the resident who experienced significant flooding and there were

[7:47] many of them. That really doesn't make a difference that

[7:50] it performed well and that this was greater than 100

[7:54] - year type storms that were receiving. And so I

[7:57] say that really to say it doesn't really matter that

[8:00] our infrastructure performed well. At the end of the day,

[8:03] we need to understand where we had issues. There were

[8:07] areas with some of these micro bursts that didn't get

[8:10] hit that typically get hit. I think about Hickson. I

[8:13] think about other locations that during the storm we drove

[8:16] to. And there was actually very little rain. We need

[8:19] to understand the how this happened. And ultimately really the

[8:23] why so that we can figure out what happens next.

[8:26] You've heard us or you've seen us, whether it be

[8:29] social media or specifically reaching out to residents to gather

[8:32] information from those that were affected. Some have proactively already

[8:36] reached out. Some were going to be reaching out. And

[8:39] we really need to understand from everyone whether the flooding

[8:43] came through floor drains, whether it was their sump systems,

[8:48] the window wells, we had a lot of overland flow,

[8:52] or really if there were some other sources. And I

[8:54] think what we want to do with that is make

[8:56] sure that we're mapping that information to see what some

[8:58] of the patterns and what were some of the key

[9:00] issues. I think intuitively we know where some of those

[9:03] in Beamsville were. I heard from a number of you

[9:05] that were out that evening. Next, we're going to be

[9:08] working with our engineering consultant and primarily Niagara region to

[9:13] look at the storm and to really model how our

[9:16] systems perform. We're going to try to recreate it in

[9:19] a modelling format. Um, so that we can determine how

[9:24] we reduce it in the future. Importantly, and I think

[9:28] you've heard us talk about some of the regional infrastructure

[9:30] improvements that we're looking at on Ontario Street and in

[9:34] and around on Terio Street. Um, I think we're going

[9:37] to have to identify whether those need to be accelerated.

[9:42] Whether some of those, um, improvements, some of those projects,

[9:47] uh, would have led to reduced flooding in those particular

[9:49] areas and specifically I'm talking about the Ontario Street Pumping

[9:52] Station and the sanitary trunk main that really runs down

[9:56] from the tracks down towards the pumping station, which ends

[10:00] near Lake Ontario. And so at the end of the

[10:03] day, bottom line here is, yes, it was a massive

[10:06] storm. A lot of water in a short period of

[10:08] time. Um, but we need to make sure that if

[10:11] infrastructure needs to be accelerated, right now those works are

[10:14] scheduled for 2030. Um, if those works, do need to

[10:18] be accelerated, whether they're hours or the regions. We need

[10:21] to push to make that happen. And I do see

[10:24] Councillor Foster nodding. Um, but I think this is one

[10:27] of those things that in short order, we're going to

[10:30] determine what needs to get done. How it needs to

[10:33] get done. And if the region needs to come to

[10:36] the table, we'll be having those conversations. I've reached out

[10:38] to Deputy CAO surgy as well as Ron Trip today,

[10:42] uh, and I echoed similar comments as I'm making this

[10:45] evening. So. Turn it over to maybe director Graham if

[10:48] he's got some high level comments. He wants that. And

[10:50] then of course the members of Council. Director Graham. Through

[10:57] you, Madam Mayor. And to just build off what Mr.

[11:01] CAO had said, we really did receive an unprecedented amount

[11:06] of rainfall. Um, Beansville got hit the worst. Beensville North.

[11:12] We had about, uh, 110 millimeters of rain in 100

[11:17] minutes. And just for some context, that exceeds 100 year

[11:22] design storm that a lot of the infrastructure is designed

[11:26] for in turns in terms of its maximum service level.

[11:29] So that's why residents may have seen various stormwater management

[11:34] ponds, uh, where they may have been overflowing because that's

[11:39] the design service level that, uh, they've been, you know,

[11:42] built and designed to, to accommodate to 100 year storms.

[11:45] So we did see a lot of flooding across the

[11:49] community that probably a lot of people haven't seen before,

[11:53] just given the degree of this magnitude of this storm.

[11:56] Um, as Mr. CAO said, um, in terms of next

[12:00] steps, we are mapping, um, out every flooding report we

[12:07] receive from residents, various types of flooding. So we're mapping

[12:11] them out. We're going to be assessing them in much

[12:14] greater detail to try and learn what may have happened

[12:17] in some of those areas. We'll be working with, uh,

[12:20] our engineering consultants to also help as model some of

[12:24] the systems. Um, we have a lot of data from

[12:28] the rainfall that we can use to kind of help

[12:30] create, you know, what happened and see what we can

[12:33] learn from that. Uh, in terms of how things performed

[12:37] and identify, uh, what else can be done in the

[12:40] future to improve those situations. And we're going to be

[12:43] working very closely with our partners at the NAGA region,

[12:47] uh, as we go through this, this review. Thank you

[12:53] very much, Director Graham. Do you have anything else to

[12:56] add Mr. CAO. All right. Well, we'll open up the

[13:01] floor now to councillors. And, um, you can just go

[13:06] into the cues. You normally would, if you have, uh,

[13:09] any comments to make on this. Well, I would be

[13:19] very disappointed since you asked me, thank you very much

[13:23] Council Russell. You go ahead. We're good. Yep. Yep. Yep.

[13:33] Yep. That's the work. He's on. Thanks, Madam Mayor. Um,

[13:37] through you two staff, again, very much appreciate the opportunity

[13:41] to speak on this, uh, obviously, uh, again, being one

[13:45] of the ward one residents, we received probably the most,

[13:49] um, concerns raised in our area. I know I had,

[13:52] as of today, 99 homes, uh, that reached out to

[13:54] me directly about flooding concerns. Again, and it was all

[13:57] three. It was, um, again, sewer backup. There was overland.

[14:01] And then there was just, uh, some pump overflow. So,

[14:04] um, there is again, the wide variety across lower or

[14:08] northern ward one. I think what everybody just really wants

[14:11] to know is again, what is that plan going forward?

[14:13] So again, I talked to Councillor Bernie earlier today. I

[14:16] guess there is a motion coming forward in Grimsby. Should

[14:19] we bring forward a motion just to direct staff on

[14:23] the specifics of a report to come back? Or is

[14:26] staff already taken out on their side to, again, to

[14:29] your point about the external engineering firm coming in. Is

[14:34] that enough, um, to give you, uh, the direction on

[14:38] what to bring back to either this council or future

[14:40] council on, again, mitigation, um, again, problem solving. And just

[14:46] again, overall, what happened? Is that, uh, is that where

[14:48] we are right now? Mr. C. Hulk. Through you, Madam

[14:53] Mayor, did the council. I mean, Councillor, you know, motions

[14:56] are always something that council can look at providing us.

[14:58] I would tell you the severity of the issue, the

[15:00] amount of residents that were impacted by it. This is

[15:03] the top on our list in terms of priority. And

[15:05] so, um, I think, you know, you echoing that council

[15:09] echoing that this evening, I think is sufficient in terms

[15:11] of what staff's doing. We've already started to take action

[15:14] on a number of those. We can definitely determine what

[15:16] is the best way to make sure that that's communicated,

[15:19] both externally as well as internally so that members of

[15:22] council over the summer are kept up to speed and

[15:25] up to date in terms of what's happening. But I

[15:26] don't think the bigger issue right now than this. Today,

[15:31] probably about an hour or so, go receive a flood

[15:34] warning from NPCA now that covers the broader catchment. And

[15:38] so we were immediately, I think talking to one another

[15:40] in terms of just what other preventative measures can we

[15:43] do, what sort of communication externally needs to happen on

[15:47] that. And just to make sure that we're ready. So

[15:50] I don't think we need a formal motion. Definitely we're

[15:52] in Council's hands. Should you want that? But this is

[15:54] on the top of our list. PONNERTON Thank you for

[15:57] that. Um, second question, Madam Mayor. Again, talking to Councillor

[16:01] Micolik earlier today as well. Um, and just again, as

[16:04] far as again, terminology for disaster. Is there any metrics

[16:09] that we have either in our bylaws or our policies

[16:12] that would label something a disaster that may allow us

[16:15] to seek, um, funding from other levels of government to

[16:18] assist residents through situations like this. Again, I think if

[16:21] we're looking at 200, 300 homes potentially that were impacted

[16:25] by this. I don't know if that qualifies or if

[16:26] we even have that sort of thing in our policies,

[16:30] uh, that we could leverage. PON. Why don't I start

[16:37] that question councillor and either Dave Charlotte or Matt who

[16:41] have worked on these types of applications in the past.

[16:46] We tried the last time we had storms, uh, that

[16:48] really impacted a number of residents to look at, is

[16:51] there some provincial disaster relief funding that we could tap

[16:54] into and there wasn't. Uh, we don't have anything per

[16:57] se in our respective policies that would address this typically

[17:00] when we've had sex storms where we've had erosion or

[17:03] we've had significant land damage. We've been successful on two

[17:07] occasions actually to the tune of about three million dollars

[17:10] collectively in terms of what the province provided. Uh, I

[17:13] have reached out and spoken with, uh, the CAOs of

[17:17] St. Catherine's, uh, as well as the CAO up in

[17:20] West Lincoln and in Grimsby in terms of, you know,

[17:24] is there an opportunity to do something here? We did

[17:26] reach out to the region waiting for a bit more

[17:28] information on that. I don't believe it meets the threshold,

[17:31] um, but definitely, uh, should again, again, should, should counsel

[17:34] one, uh, provide us some direction even this evening to

[17:37] seek that out more formally. We can definitely, um, get

[17:41] you a more formal response from the provincial government on

[17:44] that. MONOC. Okay. And then just one follow up, Madam

[17:46] Mayor, three of you. Again, would there be any strength

[17:51] or to advocate at AMO for this type of thing?

[17:53] To again, either make it, again, it may be a

[17:56] more localized disaster funding model that could be tapped into

[18:00] to such things like this. Um, that again, I'm sure

[18:03] multiple municipalities across the province could probably utilise, especially again,

[18:08] as climate change starts to, again, alter some of the

[18:10] weather patterns that we've got. Is that something that, uh,

[18:13] you would suggest maybe that occurs at AMO. Through you,

[18:17] Madam Mayor, to the councillor. Absolutely. I think we can

[18:19] ask we're meeting with the ministry municipal affairs and housing.

[18:22] We can definitely add this to the list of items

[18:24] that we can have a discussion with them on. I

[18:27] agree with you. I think the threshold that is currently

[18:29] in place at the provincial government is one that is

[18:32] sometimes, um, difficult to reach or difficult to hit. It

[18:36] is when you have large scale emergencies and it was

[18:38] designed for things like tornadoes, things that are massive kind

[18:42] of climactic, um, interruptions or disruptions to communities, uh, and

[18:47] I think something like this as we start to experience

[18:49] more isolated showers and micro bursts and things like this

[18:54] that are happening, you know, in no way can we

[18:56] create infrastructure. That is of the size and scope or

[18:59] at least it would be cost prohibitive to do so

[19:01] that would be able to accommodate this amount of water.

[19:04] But when we do have issues like this, we need

[19:06] to be able to tap into funding, uh, versus people

[19:09] simply just going to their home insurance companies, which I

[19:12] know I've heard some of the challenges with that as

[19:15] well. So definitely something we can add to our ammo

[19:17] delegation list and make sure that we bring that forward.

[19:21] Okay. Thank you, Mr. Sioux. Thank you, Madam Mayor. Councillor

[19:24] Brunet, please go ahead.

[19:42] We'll move you up. In the queue. Yeah. Uh. Councillor

[19:50] Patrieva, put yourself back on, put it on and I'll

[19:52] move you up. I'll just. Move him up. I. Think

[19:56] you were next. Yep. He was. And now. We'll just

[19:59] go here. Okay. Great. Go ahead. Thank you, Madam Mayor,

[20:06] through you. Um, appreciate the opportunity to be discussing this.

[20:12] You know, obviously there's a number of families that are

[20:14] having to deal with this. And, um, I do appreciate

[20:17] the public works team and how quickly they got out

[20:20] there to talk to some of these families. That, you

[20:22] know, in some areas, uh, I spoke to a family

[20:24] today. They've been living on Green Lane since they bought

[20:27] since they purchased or built their house actually. It was

[20:29] farmland in 1979 and they built the house and, uh,

[20:34] have never had any flooding until last Monday. So, um,

[20:38] it's pretty tumultuous for some of these people to have

[20:40] to deal with it. They don't understand, um, you know,

[20:43] how the insurance work. They don't know what a claim

[20:46] involves. So I really appreciate the fact that, um, we've

[20:49] made a great effort to get out there, um, but

[20:53] my question through you, Madam Mayor, to either the CA

[20:56] or to the director or maybe just Mr. Deani is,

[21:00] um, you know, as we move forward, um, and director

[21:05] Graham kind of touched on it. Um, we have made

[21:09] some huge investments in our infrastructure. And I heard comments

[21:13] about the cherry heights'storm retention pond. I heard comments about

[21:17] the storm retention pawn at the corner of Bartlett in

[21:19] Green Lane. And normally those ponds are bone dry and,

[21:23] you know, last Tuesday, they were full to the brink.

[21:26] In reality, those, that means they're working to their full

[21:29] capacity and they're working as designed. But through you, Madam

[21:33] Mayor, to whoever wants to handle it, um, how do

[21:36] we get that communication out that, you know, the infrastructure

[21:39] that we've done on Lincoln Avenue is actually working that

[21:42] when someone sees, um, that rainwater going over the sidewalk,

[21:47] on the curb and down the middle of the road

[21:48] to the, to the culvert and to the, um, area

[21:52] by good earth, that that is by design. That's where

[21:54] we want to take the water. We want it to

[21:57] flow down there so it doesn't go east, west into

[21:59] somebody's basement. So how do we communicate that? So, you

[22:02] know, residents really understand in parallel. Uh, it doesn't, it

[22:07] doesn't ease the pain. It doesn't help, um, the stress

[22:10] of, of having to bring a contractor in and redo

[22:14] your house. But, um, in parallel. I think communication is

[22:18] really important. And education. And I'm just wondering, how do

[22:21] we get that? How do we get out that, uh,

[22:23] to the, to the general population. Mr. Sayo, would you

[22:27] hear. Three, Madam Mayor. Absolutely. And I think it's a

[22:30] good question, Council. I think we've started a little bit

[22:32] of that, but to your point, uh, is it reaching

[22:35] everyone that it needs to reach to? Not everyone's going

[22:37] to local media. Not everyone is going to our website

[22:42] or other social media channels. So I think some of

[22:44] it is really taking that old fashion approach and individually

[22:48] doing what we've started to doing. I know I've started

[22:50] doing reaching out to individuals one by one. And I

[22:53] think carrying some of that message forward, um, because you're

[22:57] right again, people are in the crux of dealing with

[22:59] an emergency in their own homes, uh, they're not logging

[23:03] on to a website to look for information or they're

[23:05] not necessarily reading their local paper. And so I think,

[23:09] uh, again, some of that's going to be just the

[23:10] individual outreach that we do. But, um, I know Dave

[23:14] and a number of his staff, uh, did work late

[23:16] and have continued to work late talking to residents specifically.

[23:20] And I think all of you are messengers in that

[23:22] as well, in terms of being able to share that

[23:24] information. So if we need to equip you as well,

[23:26] we will do that. But I don't know if anyone

[23:28] else on the team maybe wants to add something. Mr.

[23:35] Dianni, do you have any comments. Thank you, madam Mayor.

[23:39] And through you to the Councillor, just to sort of

[23:40] dovetail on what the CO indicated, uh, I think our

[23:43] communication approach over the last little bit, councillor has really

[23:46] been focused on, uh, providing obviously some empathy and understanding

[23:50] in terms of what our residents have experienced last week,

[23:53] showcasing what we're trying to do to prevent this moving

[23:56] forward, similar to the comments that the CO made in

[23:59] regards to our public work staff and they're working with

[24:01] the region. But I think in terms of next steps,

[24:03] that could be something that we will definitely look at.

[24:06] I know as a CO indicator, we had some conversations

[24:08] this morning. The communication staff in terms of how we

[24:10] can get some more messaging out there, uh, and I

[24:12] think, uh, we'll take to heart what you just said.

[24:15] So thank you. Thank you very much. Council Renee. If

[24:20] I could just follow with another question. I know that,

[24:23] um, I know Councillor Russell indicated that, um, from his

[24:27] perspective, the calls that he's getting as award one councillor

[24:31] that Beanfield was hit hard. And we agree with that.

[24:34] But we've also, we've also been aware of a district

[24:38] in Vineland and Tolman Drive. And they experience quite a

[24:41] bit of flooding. So I'm wondering, um. I'm wondering what

[24:45] the thoughts are on that specifically. I know we've had,

[24:49] you know, we've had that on our radar. We've been

[24:51] hearing it at ward meetings. We've been hearing it at,

[24:54] uh, the Moses Rittenhouse open houses. And some of those

[25:00] residents have been looking for some assistants. So I'm just

[25:04] wondering if through Madam Mayor, the CEO could speak to

[25:07] that specifically. POND. To the Councillor. I think your right

[25:14] councillor. Tollman is one of those, um, areas in our

[25:17] community and Vineland. That is the hardest hit and has

[25:20] been the hardest hit. And I think you've heard me

[25:22] say on a number of occasions. If I'm prioritizing capital

[25:25] investments over the next number of years, Tollman's probably on

[25:28] the top of the list in terms of what needs

[25:30] to get done. Uh, some of that work is conditional

[25:32] on the region. Uh, but I think we need to

[25:34] look at what can be phased, what we can do

[25:37] in advance of the regional work. And I think every

[25:40] time we have issues like this, the region does need

[25:42] to be brought up to speed. No different than what

[25:45] we're going to do on Ontario Street. And the pumping

[25:48] station in terms of 2030. Again, knowing that everyone's got

[25:51] an infrastructure deficit in infrastructure shortfall. And we have limited

[25:54] amounts of money. But to me, Tollman Drive remains the

[25:58] top priority that we need to start advocating for and

[26:01] prioritize when we look at capital works into 2027 and

[26:05] beyond. PONO PO Thank you, Madam Mayor. Thank you, Councillor.

[26:10] Councillor Pechiriva, please go ahead. Yeah. Thank you, your worship.

[26:17] Um, and I'm going to kind of go down the

[26:19] same tact as Council Brene and Councillor Russell. I'm going

[26:24] to start off first with AMO. Um, we had some,

[26:27] uh, success a few years ago when we advocated about

[26:31] the change of the state of emergency. When it dealt

[26:34] with social issues like mental health, addiction and homelessness. And

[26:38] I think this is a great opportunity to come and

[26:41] say, you know, as not only we experience it, but

[26:46] other areas of the province, be it an ice storm

[26:49] or flooding or fire. These things are here and now.

[26:55] And we can say that, you know, they're reaching thresholds

[26:59] of 100 year storms, but when they happen every couple

[27:01] of years, that someone's reality. So I think it's, I

[27:05] think it's very important that that becomes top of the

[27:07] list for our ammo delegations. Um, secondly, with respect to

[27:13] communication, um, I think we need to maybe take a

[27:19] little bit of a pivot. Um, to try to separate

[27:24] the three causes, right? So we've got overland flow. We've

[27:27] got sewer backup. And then we've got, um, like streams,

[27:33] creeks. And they're three distinctive possibilities. So whether we maybe

[27:38] use an insert because it's, it's still hot on the

[27:43] press. The Council priorities. And I know it's all printed,

[27:48] but a little insert in there on, okay, this is

[27:52] what she can do to combat yourself against, um, sewage

[27:57] backup, right? Backflow prevention. And maybe we develop a little

[28:00] program with, with, um, some money going back. Um, with

[28:05] respect to overland flow, you know. Keep your swales clear.

[28:10] Don't put a shed in it. Don't put a raised

[28:12] garden bed in it. And things like that, like, much

[28:16] like when the fires have hit out west, you've got

[28:19] a fireproof your home. So you don't have these shrubs

[28:21] that are flammable close to the home. And do a

[28:25] whole, um, uh. Communication. Program around that on arming our

[28:31] residents with what they can do and then how we

[28:33] can help them to get there. And I think the

[28:35] third one and the most important from, from my standpoint,

[28:39] having stood out there and watched the water rushing down,

[28:43] uh, the creek beside lencos. And then through the brand

[28:46] new box culvert and around it like Council Bernet said,

[28:50] it went down Lincoln Avenue. It went down the curb.

[28:52] That's where we wanted to go. But people don't know

[28:55] that the, the creeks are their responsibility. To keep them

[29:01] clear. So whether we, we maybe adopt them as a

[29:06] municipal drains or some oversight or work with Councillor Foster

[29:09] and the conservation authority to develop some type of program

[29:13] to educate and help the residents keep these things clear.

[29:18] Because it only becomes top of mind when something like

[29:22] this happens. Like there was a resident on Green Lane

[29:26] that had flooding overland flooding. And you could see the

[29:29] brown water right up to the back. So this poor

[29:32] gal got hit from the back from the stream overflowing

[29:36] and then got hit from the front. From the water

[29:39] rushing down Green Lane because she was in the dip.

[29:43] And, um, you know, she's looking after a brother who's

[29:47] ill in the house. She had six inches of water

[29:49] in the basement. So you can't call her because her

[29:52] modems cooked. And then she had another four steps down

[29:58] to like a sub basement. That freezers and chests. And

[30:04] it was heartbreaking to see it. And, you know, she

[30:08] couldn't try to contact the insurance and things like that.

[30:12] And I know we've all been diligent to on posting

[30:16] things, but, you know, we had the map come out.

[30:19] And I think Council Russell posted. And I was about

[30:21] to post. And then it starts, well, where is, where

[30:23] am I? Why am I not there? So what kind

[30:26] of does more bad than good if we can kind

[30:30] of regroup on all this and, and get some messaging

[30:33] out? Cause it's, it's up to us to control the

[30:35] narrative. That's the thing that really bothered me that, you

[30:38] know, the infrastructure's not, not working. And we've spent money

[30:42] on parks and trails and not looked after this. Well,

[30:45] that's not true. Right. So just need to be a

[30:50] little more diligent now in the messaging. I think we've

[30:53] got through the compassionate part. And that's still got to

[30:57] be there. And it's still always going to be there.

[30:59] But, you know, how can we help and what can

[31:01] we do. To prevent it. Through you, Madamer, all good

[31:11] points, Councillor, and all things that, um, are in progress,

[31:14] both in terms of the community newsletter, as well as

[31:17] a number of other things. So, um, every, everyone from

[31:20] our climate, uh, environmental coordinator to operation staff are working

[31:24] on providing some of those updates. I think you provided

[31:26] some good suggestions in terms of other things that we

[31:29] can be doing more proactively. I think, you know, I

[31:32] can tell you we probably had, um, a little under

[31:35] two dozen people. You know, following the storm, um, uptake

[31:40] the backflow preventer program and the grants that we have,

[31:44] uh, for residents on that. And I think, um, the

[31:46] more people that are aware of that program and the

[31:48] funding available, uh, for each individual home that wants to

[31:51] put in that backflow preventer, I think the better. Uh,

[31:54] and so we have talked about if we're over prescribed

[31:56] how we're going to address that. And I think we've

[31:58] got a plan in terms of, uh, the conversations that

[32:01] director tunicatis, Graham and I have had recently knowing that,

[32:04] uh, already we had had over 20 people subscribed to

[32:07] that. So a number of ways I think we're going

[32:09] to try to get the information out. And so I

[32:11] appreciate your comments. And, and that's terrific. And two, I

[32:14] just want to highlight the fact too that that staff

[32:17] was out there during the storm. I mean, there was,

[32:19] uh, you know, the fire truck at the corner of

[32:21] Green Lane pumping. Mr. Neubauer was up at King Street

[32:25] and Lincoln Avenue and was witnessing the water rushing firsthand.

[32:31] And that, you know, people that have put in, you

[32:36] know, contact information that, uh, staff is doing everything they

[32:40] can to reach out. And then those circumstances too, when,

[32:43] you know, their telephone line isn't working that they'll make

[32:46] every effort to go and knock on the door. And,

[32:49] you know, go with a compassionate year and that. So

[32:52] thank you. Appreciate it. Thank you very much. Uh, through

[33:01] you to our CEO. Yeah. Thank you, Councillor Russell for

[33:04] bringing it up. Disaster conversation when I spoke to you

[33:12] earlier today. I did consider this to be a disaster

[33:15] similar to any disaster where there's excessive water. With sewage,

[33:21] I can't even imagine the scope of that disaster is

[33:24] I've not experienced that one. Um, thank you Council Brunet

[33:27] for bringing up the vine land issues and Tolman. I

[33:31] think the more of us that recognise that area is

[33:34] being a problem area. The stronger the argument would be

[33:37] for the region to and ourselves to step up and

[33:41] take this, um, matter seriously in the future. Um, with

[33:47] regards to. This, we're always hearing about, unprecedented storm. These

[33:52] unprecedented storms seem to be happening quite frequently. And I'm

[33:56] going to ask our director of planning. What sort of

[33:59] data. Our engineers using when it comes to stormwater, sewer

[34:06] water management. Uh, how outdated is this? Is this, um,

[34:11] are the specs or the stats from 90 years ago

[34:14] that this is happening almost on a regular basis to

[34:17] the point where residents can't get insurance anymore. Does this

[34:25] do these specifications or acceptances need to be reviewed and

[34:30] updated? I've asked this before. Mr. Brooder. Yeah, thanks. Through

[34:36] you, Madam Mayor. Yeah, it's a good question. I mean,

[34:39] when we look at designs of new developments and new

[34:44] development, when I say new developments, that can range from,

[34:46] you know, a new house being built and a drainage

[34:48] plan associated with that to a larger subdivision. Um, there

[34:52] are design standards that need to be, you know, undertaken

[34:55] and fulfilled specifically. I don't want to go too far

[34:58] into the technical details, but, you know, we look at,

[35:02] or the design engineers look at, okay, what's happening on

[35:05] the site before the development happens. Usually there's already some

[35:08] type of drainage pattern water coming in, leaving the site.

[35:11] Um, that's supposed to be kind of maintained or, or

[35:15] held capacity and flow ice so that what happens after

[35:19] the development, um, water leaving the site is the same

[35:22] as it was before. And the means of doing so.

[35:25] I heard stormwater management ponds, um, sometimes there's underground storage

[35:28] tanks. Sometimes there's upsized pipes under the ground to kind

[35:31] of hold that water and discharge it slowly. So you

[35:34] can match the pre - development levels. What the issue

[35:36] is, is all these design parameters are associated with what

[35:40] we call in the industry a hundred year storm on

[35:43] the max side of things in terms of capacity. Well,

[35:45] I think, you know, we can all acknowledge, um, that

[35:48] those are happening a lot more frequently than every hundred

[35:51] years these days, um, because of a variety of factors.

[35:55] Um, the hundred year design is something that is industry

[36:00] - wide at the moment. You're right. It's been industry

[36:03] - wide for quite some time now. It's something the

[36:05] industry is looking at in the context of climate change

[36:08] and adaptation. But, you know, there haven't been new standards

[36:12] developed yet. I think it's a little bit, it's a

[36:14] very big undertaking because it applies very broadly. I'm not

[36:18] sure what the implications are from an insurance perspective, but

[36:21] that's what I can tell you is that, um, those

[36:25] particular standards have been in place for quite some time

[36:27] and they are being looked at because the recognition. You

[36:30] take that storm. We got, you know, probably even a

[36:32] little better than a hundred year design storm in like

[36:34] an hour and a half. So, you know, these are

[36:37] the types of things that need to be looked at

[36:38] because of the, uh, increased frequency of these events. Appreciate

[36:42] that answer. I think it's not so climate change. I

[36:45] think it's an adaptation. I think we need to adapt

[36:48] ourselves to expect these sorts of, uh, instances to occur

[36:53] more often. You live in Florida. You don't have a

[36:56] basement. I don't even know if I would want to

[36:59] basement if I was living in an area that would

[37:01] have flooding, especially this sort, you know, is frequently is

[37:05] what I'm hearing. Um, another question I have is to

[37:10] ourselves and to our CAO, like with respect to the

[37:14] timeline of reviewing this with the region. And this sort

[37:18] of thing. There's developments, new developments that are going to

[37:21] be asking more of our existing or current infrastructure. Do

[37:28] we, do we just keep going with all of that?

[37:31] Like, um, do we put a pause on that? Do

[37:34] we wait and look at this before we move forward

[37:37] with future parking lots, future, um, condominium, future, anything.

[37:51] Through humanity, the councillor. Anytime we have a new development,

[37:56] uh, small or large and direct or brooder can definitely

[38:00] chime in. In those particular cases, we're doing those types

[38:04] of studies and modelling to determine, does the addition of

[38:08] eight new homes, 10 new homes, uh, 50 new condos

[38:13] impact our water systems. Maybe to go back to the

[38:16] 100 year storm, 100 year storm doesn't mean it's necessarily

[38:18] going to occur one in 100 years. What it means

[38:20] is that historically there was a one percent chance of

[38:24] that storm occurring to that severity. And so I think

[38:27] we could all, or we would all determine when we

[38:29] look at, you know, rainfall statistics, that it's based on

[38:34] PAST observations, not future observations. And I think what we're

[38:38] seeing more now, uh, is the fact that how do

[38:41] our other systems work that support it? I've said it

[38:44] before and I think Councillor Brunet hit this particular point.

[38:48] Uh, it is inconceivable to think that we could build

[38:51] every pipe or culvert or pumping station, um, to handle

[38:55] every possible storm. The costs would be enormous. And that's

[38:58] just not how municipalities, um, you know, look at kind

[39:02] of modern flood resilience. I think what we need to

[39:04] do is determine are all our systems working well together

[39:07] is the overland flowing is the influention that we're looking

[39:12] at addressed. Our stormwater management PON's acceptable. And so I

[39:17] use that example to talk to you about now moving

[39:20] forward. What do we do with developments that are coming

[39:23] towards us are coming online. I think we need to

[39:26] continue to update and look at whatever town and regional

[39:29] improvements can reduce that particular impact. But I don't know

[39:34] if director brooder may have, you know, something to add.

[39:38] I think he may be able to chime in in

[39:39] terms of how we look at individual projects, uh, our

[39:42] individual homes, but adding a few homes, you know, isn't

[39:46] necessarily what's going to impact the system. We need to

[39:48] look at it at a much more macro level. PONO

[39:51] Mr. Brooder. Thank you, Mayor Easton. Um, yeah, I think

[39:56] another thing to consider, I agree, you know, we definitely

[40:00] have to exercise a high level of diligence when it

[40:03] comes to new developments, which we are. Um, we're trying

[40:05] to look at larger catchment areas too. When we get

[40:08] a development application, not just that specific property trying to

[40:11] figure out the overall drainage patterns in the area and

[40:13] go from there. But one thing I did want to

[40:15] highlight an additional point that I think might get lost

[40:17] in this is I know we're talking about new development

[40:19] and the extra contributions in terms of the impacts of

[40:22] the overall drainage system, but also I would add a

[40:25] lot of these design standards requiring this control on site

[40:28] for new development for some of the existing and longstanding

[40:30] land uses that are already there and have been there

[40:32] for years. That wasn't there. So I think that's a

[40:35] whole other factor that goes into this. Some of the

[40:37] existing properties, developments that have happened. I don't know, you

[40:41] know, decades ago that are there now. Um, I would

[40:44] contend with you that even though, yes, we're seeing the

[40:47] severity of storms happen more often than perhaps they used

[40:50] to. I would also say though that the standards, although

[40:52] we talked about may need to be updated, they're still

[40:55] more stringent than they were when a lot of other

[40:57] developments went in years ago. So I think that's an

[40:59] important point too when you're considering kind of existing land

[41:02] uses already there to new development. And it's just a

[41:04] little bit of a clarification I wanted to make. I

[41:09] appreciate that. I just, you know, when we talk about

[41:11] the future and we talk about, you know, this and

[41:13] that, that's part of the adaptation or that's part of

[41:16] the, uh, the new norm that I think we all

[41:19] need to look at, not just arm municipality, but any

[41:22] municipality that, uh, sees a dark rain cloud, um, so

[41:28] those are my comments. And the other thing is just

[41:30] like, you know, there's even in Jordan itself, there was

[41:32] a, there was, there was an individual that, you know,

[41:35] he got flooded out because the surface water on a,

[41:38] on a quite a pretty recent, um. Parking lot that

[41:43] was constructed, you know, saying that this has never happened

[41:46] before, this and that. And it's just, it's tough. To.

[41:53] Knock on this person's door, knowing what they're experiencing. And,

[41:58] you know, having the answer, well, everything, everything meets standards.

[42:02] Well, some people are going to disagree with that. So

[42:05] that's, that's why I'm bringing these sorts of questions up

[42:09] at this time. Thank you. Councillor Renema. Thank you, Madam

[42:17] Mayor. Uh, so my question is about, I have attended

[42:21] on your behalf and with you, um, some great lakes,

[42:24] St. Lawrence, um, cities initiatives, um, conference and some, um,

[42:30] uh, some other events. And obviously, uh, one of the

[42:33] things that's talked about is water and how to control

[42:36] water. Um, I think the, you know, if you look

[42:40] back over the last 10 years, Canada wide, the crazy

[42:44] sort of flooding events, really intense flooding events. So, um,

[42:48] I'm wondering if there's any wisdom advice on a precedent

[42:52] that that group can provide. But my question is, Councillor

[42:57] Miklick brought up insurance and Councillor Russell brought up AMO.

[43:02] So I'm wondering if that's something that we can look

[43:05] at discussing at AMO with the Ministry of Finance about,

[43:08] you know, asking what that looks like. Canada - wide

[43:13] and locally and how people are being affected by the

[43:15] flooding and getting ahead of it and seeing if they're

[43:18] anticipating any issues. And if the ministry can do to

[43:21] assist. Because if you can't get insurance, that's tough. Mr.

[43:24] CAO, would you have anything that you could add now.

[43:30] Three, Madam Mayor, to Council Regime. I think when we

[43:32] look at the work that the Great Lakes in St.

[43:34] Lawrence cities initiative, uh, is doing, I mean, they are

[43:39] doing a lot of work, as you will know, being

[43:41] our rep on there around municipal climate adaptation. Some of

[43:45] the infrastructure vulnerability issues. And specifically, uh, the watershed based

[43:51] stormwater management. I think continuing to advocate and bringing some

[43:55] of those voices to the table when we're at AMO.

[43:58] I think it's going to be critical. Um, as we

[44:00] move forward. And so I think, you know, we take

[44:02] that comment, councillor, I think in addition to the other

[44:05] comments, this evening. I think we need to be looking

[44:07] at those particular issues and looking at the whole watershed

[44:12] in particular, as well as some of the vulnerability assessments

[44:15] that I know the Great Lakes in St. Lawrence cities

[44:18] initiative is encouraging us to undertake with them. PONO Thank

[44:24] you. Thank you very much, Councillor. And, um, maybe we

[44:30] could just give regional Councillor Foster a little heads up

[44:36] so that he could make a few comments regarding the

[44:38] NPCA on some of these matters when you present your

[44:41] report tonight. If there's an. Okay, we move on now

[44:46] to Councillor Reimer. Go ahead, Councillor. Thank you, Madam Mayor.

[44:50] Uh, a couple of questions. Um, first, maybe to Director

[44:54] Brooder, um, I think it's important that we are investigation

[44:58] determines the actual cause of some of these things. I

[45:00] know people who have, who have been affected by it

[45:03] aren't really going to care. But I think as far

[45:05] as a determining, um, sometish happened already. And it's hard

[45:10] to understand, but, but drainage, overland drainage. That's almost impossible

[45:13] to gauge that for a hundred year storm. Right. So

[45:15] if it's overland, we still need to know about it.

[45:18] But I think the important thing is, and I'll ask

[45:20] Director Bruder this, uh, the sewage backup. Was it not

[45:23] discussed at higher levels or is it not part of

[45:26] the building code already that some newer builds or possibly

[45:30] will have those as part of the building code. And

[45:33] their sewers and new houses or not. Sewage backup. Yeah.

[45:39] Sanitary sewage backup. Dr. Bruder, sorry. Didn't explain. Yeah. Our

[45:43] senators sewage would have the backplow for vendor as part

[45:45] of the building code. PONOSIN, that's correct. Councillor, they would

[45:50] with the newer buildings. Yes. They'd be subject to the

[45:52] newer building code requirements, which require that. Okay. To touch

[45:55] on maybe something as a follow - up May Reese

[45:58] and just something that Councillor Pachiva, maybe some, some type

[46:01] of program we could offer, you know, we've done that

[46:03] in the past with other things. Um, to help those

[46:07] who don't have that requirement. Any idea what time of

[46:09] year that or what the year that became in, uh,

[46:12] Councillor Root or Councillor Hooter. Director Rooter. What year did

[46:16] that come in the Ontario building code just so people,

[46:18] people would know when their house was built that they

[46:20] have that protection in there. Through you, Mary said. And

[46:25] I'm not exactly sure. Councillor, when that would have come

[46:27] in, it'd be, it would have been in place for

[46:28] a little while now though. Like I upwards of a

[46:30] decade for sure that it would have been. I think

[46:32] it's 10 years, but I wasn't sure the exact year.

[46:34] Yeah. Around there. Okay. So thank you for that. I

[46:36] just wanted to thank also staff for, um, there are

[46:40] attentiveness on that day. I was in contact with director

[46:42] agreement a couple of times on that day. And he

[46:43] responded to a couple of instances. One, he knew about

[46:46] already. But the other one he was, he was right

[46:48] on top of it. And since staff out to, to

[46:51] act. So that was, uh, that was good to see.

[46:54] Um, I'm glad to hear we have a, an engineering

[46:59] firm looking at these, again, going back to the causes,

[47:04] um, and I would hope that they're not only looking

[47:07] at the causes, but also some solutions. Um, and I

[47:11] can't help but thinking we, we struggle, um, these last

[47:14] two occurrences happened. One happened in 2025 and early April

[47:17] and the last one in July. And we struggle getting

[47:21] water off the escarpment basically to the lake. Right? Except

[47:25] we have King Street, John Street, Green Lane, the CN

[47:28] tracks and the QW on the way. That's, that's all

[47:30] it's in the way. And then we, and now we're

[47:32] talking with the NAGA irrigation initiative project. And we're going

[47:35] to pump it all back up again for the farmers.

[47:38] So it just seems, I hope there's some outside the

[47:41] box thinking that, that we could somehow coordinate those two

[47:44] retention PONs are there for a purpose. And they do

[47:46] function very well. Maybe we expand some of those to

[47:49] help some of our, you know, there is a, it

[47:52] won't help every situation, but I think it will, it

[47:54] will lead to a, uh, a positive effect, especially in

[47:57] some of our trouble areas. If we could combine some

[47:59] of those, um, and suggest that to the engineering firm,

[48:02] that would be great. And one of the questions Mayor

[48:05] Eason, if I may, to David, uh, David Graham, with

[48:09] our infiltration and INI program, which has gone extremely well

[48:14] in other municipalities are copying, um, I can't help but

[48:17] think some areas would have been worse off than they

[48:19] were. Um, does it help? We've talked about advocating at

[48:23] AMO. Does that, uh, our program? Does that help us

[48:28] or hinder us if we were to ask for money,

[48:31] um, through infrastructure rehab program or something like that. Trying

[48:35] to think of another way, another way to the money.

[48:38] Um, the work, do you think, director Graham. Director Graham.

[48:45] Three, Madam Mayor to the Councillor. Uh, I think that's

[48:48] a great idea. Um, I think what it demonstrate that

[48:52] we're doing what we can. We're trying to be proactive

[48:55] in mitigating flooding with our, uh, INI reduction program. I

[49:01] think council has done a lot of good work with

[49:04] investing in that. Um, I know when we do our

[49:08] modelling assessment of the storm, the flooding would have been

[49:11] a lot worse if we wouldn't have done the INI

[49:14] work that we've been doing over the last, uh, number

[49:17] of years to help remove excess flow from the sewers.

[49:20] So I think that's important to note. But, um, yeah,

[49:23] I think it would be viewed councillor as, you know,

[49:26] we're doing what we can to help. When you're making

[49:30] that ask. Thank you, Director Graham. And. I think in

[49:37] our messaging too as well, I think some people misunderstand

[49:40] that backup situation. We talk about infiltration, but I don't

[49:44] think they put two and two together. That stormwater is

[49:47] in our sanitary sewage. That's why that happens. It's not

[49:49] everybody uses the washroom more. Right. Like there's, there's a,

[49:52] there's a reason why. And that's, that helps. There's lots

[49:55] of reasons why that happens. It shouldn't be. There should

[49:57] be zero issues with your standard territory sewer when the

[49:59] reigning, right? It just doesn't, that's not the way things

[50:01] work. But I think in our messaging somehow we could

[50:04] get creative and kind of encourage people not to put

[50:06] some pumps in the sanitary sewer and those kind of

[50:08] things. Like that's all those add up. Right. So downspouts,

[50:12] all that kind of stuff. So thank you very much,

[50:14] Marrison. P Councillor and Deputy Mayor, and Councillor Timmer is

[50:21] your next. Thank you very much, Maryston. So when you're

[50:25] at the bottom of the queue, most of my questions

[50:26] have been answered. And, um, I'm, I'm really happy that

[50:30] we're having this discussion because there was a lot of

[50:33] misinformation. And I think we're kind of clearing a lot

[50:35] of that up here tonight. And, um, the, um, the

[50:40] points of Tolman Drive being added to the priority list

[50:43] for 2027 budget is, is really a good thing. That's

[50:47] coming out of a terrible situation. Um, you know, I

[50:50] had family and friends as well that were affected by

[50:52] the flooding. It's, it's one of those things that we

[50:57] didn't predict. And, um, hopefully through the review, we'll learn

[51:01] if the areas that we can correct. And we can,

[51:04] um, make some changes moving forward. Um, I think communication

[51:08] is key though. And I think it's been a very

[51:10] good discussion tonight. So I don't have any further questions.

[51:14] Uh, AMO, the delegation of AMO makes a lot of

[51:16] sense. Perhaps the kind of disaster relief funding available that

[51:21] we could apply for. I'm not sure on that. But

[51:24] I'll leave that up to our staff. And, uh, that's

[51:27] it. That's my comments for tonight. Thank you, Mayor Easton.

[51:30] Thank you very much. Thank you, Councillor Timmers. And Councillor

[51:33] Russell and Councillor Patriva. I'm looking for a unique, not

[51:37] never heard before this evening. And, uh, one shot each.

[51:41] Okay. Go ahead, Councillor Russell. Pressure's on. Thanks, Madam Mayor.

[51:46] Three of you to staff. Again, kind of touching on

[51:50] what Councillor Pachiriva and Council Bernet had mentioned earlier, but

[51:53] not to the same degree. Um, there are a number

[51:55] of hotspots that we are well known throughout the Town

[51:58] Town of the Drive. Golden Horseshoe estates, um, again, some

[52:02] of the areas along John, some of the areas along

[52:03] Green Lane along both creeks. Is there a way to

[52:07] prioritize, um, some of the staff work to make sure

[52:11] that, again, the ditching, things that we can take care

[52:14] of ourselves without any external funding, or acetical contractors, that

[52:17] we can prioritize that in the next little while, um,

[52:20] again, if it's ditching, if it's creek maintenance and removing

[52:23] trees, uh, some of that debris, I know director graham

[52:26] has already done that again on again a number of

[52:29] occasions that we've reached out. But is there something that

[52:31] we could do on a more grand scale to try

[52:33] to make sure and mitigate this as much as possible?

[52:36] Or is there any service in, again, requesting additional funds

[52:41] for external contractors to come in and start doing some

[52:44] of that ditching along some of those either North Sorth

[52:49] corridors where we are getting a lot of funneling, um,

[52:52] and at some of the pinch points where we are

[52:53] seeing some of that overland pooling. Is there any, any

[52:56] thoughts to that whether or not we should focus or

[52:59] prioritize that. Go ahead, Mr. C. Dale. The amount of

[53:02] mayor to the councillor. Councillor, I think you're, you know,

[53:06] in a lot of ways echoing the conversation, uh, Dave

[53:09] Frank Buffalino and I had earlier today. We are prioritizing

[53:12] those areas now in light of just the most recent

[53:15] flood watch that we received. There are things that we're

[53:17] going to be doing. I see Dave nodding. And so

[53:20] I would suggest to you, um, we're going to be

[53:22] prioritizing those areas. And I think looking at, um, putting

[53:26] our resources where they need to be right now, uh,

[53:29] for the foreseeable future till we can get some of

[53:31] this work done. Okay. And just one quick follow up.

[53:33] Is that something we can do in - house or

[53:34] do we need any external assistance. Through you, Madam Mayor,

[53:38] to the Councillor. I see Dave nodding. I think most

[53:40] of it can be done in - house if we

[53:41] do. We'll be sure to update Council and probably go

[53:44] out and seek those external resources or go to some

[53:47] more municipal partners. But I'm comfortable to say I think

[53:50] we can do most of that in - house. Okay.

[53:52] Thank you. Thank you, Madam Mayor. Councillor Pachiriva, go ahead,

[53:56] please. Thank you, worship. And, um, you know, I was

[53:59] perusing the, um, the ammo program. And lo and behold,

[54:05] on Sunday at one o'clock, uh, ministry of the environment,

[54:11] practicing leadership in a flooding, a municipal exercise workshop. So

[54:18] in a realistic flooding exercise and workshop municipal leaders and

[54:20] staff will navigate escalating impacts on critical infrastructure, public safety,

[54:25] municipal services and community recovery while working through the decisions

[54:29] leader's face during a flooding event. Participants will experience how

[54:33] municipal exercise is encouraged discussing mutual aid, prioritizing resources and

[54:39] collaborating with provincial and community partners, participants will also get

[54:43] hands - on experience working with the provincial supports available

[54:46] to municipalities before, during, and after an emergency. So I

[54:51] think that if, um, if director Deanny can arrange that,

[54:56] um, session for us, the, I'm drawing a blank on

[55:00] what we call them. Delegation. Delegation, thank you, Anna. Uh,

[55:06] Councillor Murray, that it's, it's, you know what, it's right

[55:11] there. It's set on a T for us. So. Let's

[55:14] make it happen. And I plan to get there to

[55:17] attend this. So I'll take copious notes. Very good. Thank

[55:20] you, your worship. Thank you very much. Did you have

[55:23] anything more to say? I know through you, Madame Mayor.

[55:25] I just know Paul's making notes. So I think he

[55:27] heard the Councillor Loud and Claire. Very good. I'm glad

[55:30] everybody's on the ball here. So, um, interesting. I have

[55:36] a couple of comments. Besides some possible, um, input from

[55:42] NPCA. Although I'm sure the staff have already been talking

[55:45] with them. But the, um, I'll be very interested to

[55:50] know whether or not the emergency team at the ministry

[55:55] that it's really, I think it's a year and a

[55:59] half or, I don't think it's quite two years old.

[56:03] So I don't know what the state of all their

[56:06] policies is. Councillor Pechiriva, you brought this up. So we,

[56:11] um, we could speak with Kathy McGrath about that. And,

[56:17] um, if there's, um, if there's an opportunity for us

[56:22] to have a side meeting, not necessarily a delegation, but

[56:25] a side meeting with one of the key staffers from

[56:29] that ministry that might be helpful as well. Yeah. I'm

[56:38] happy to hear the comments about the I and I

[56:40] reduction because we've spent a great deal on that. But

[56:43] once again, it comes back to communication. How well do

[56:47] people understand it? It kind of makes your shake your

[56:49] head when the roof leaders going into the sewers. And

[56:54] then you end up at the backup. So that's, that's

[56:56] a little bit of a mystery. But again, this is

[57:00] new. There's a lot of things about this that are

[57:03] new. This was a great discussion. Thank you, Councillors, for

[57:05] bringing forward all of your suggestions ideas. And, uh, further

[57:11] and detailed discussions about what was actually going on during

[57:16] the night of the 21st. All right. We'll move on

[57:21] now to number eight, which is announcements by members. We

[57:25] seem to have been doing an awful lot of attending

[57:27] of this that. And the other thing you are limited

[57:31] to three items. And let's start the queue.

[57:41] Okay. I don't see anything. Oh, we do. Councillor Mickelo,

[57:48] go ahead. Thank you very much. I thought it was

[57:50] worthy noting that, uh, we attended several members of council

[57:54] attended the, uh, the designation of the old oak tree

[57:59] and Victoria Avenue celebrating the, um, anniversary of the old

[58:03] oak barn. Yeah. 400 year old tree. I never thought

[58:11] we would dedicate her. I never thought we designate a

[58:15] tree, you know, as a, as a, as a municipal

[58:20] leader, but, uh, it was a, it was a well

[58:22] attended celebration. I thought, uh, everyone did an excellent job.

[58:27] There's cupcakes for everyone while we were at it. It

[58:30] was, uh, it was a beautiful day. So I just,

[58:33] uh, wanted to make sure that that didn't skate through

[58:35] without a comment. Quite right Council Brunet. Thank you, Madam

[58:43] Mayor. Very quickly, um, I was pleased to, uh, to

[58:47] travel down to the Niagara Parks power plant last Thursday,

[58:51] July 23rd as a board member for NAGA Peninsula Energy.

[58:55] Uh, there was a funding announcement that, um, staff had

[58:58] been working on this application for probably 18 to 24

[59:01] months. And, uh, we were successful in receiving 2. 7

[59:05] million dollars to support the modernization of our electrical distribution

[59:10] system across Niagara. Why is this important? Well, we've been

[59:15] having a lot of power outages. And there has been

[59:19] a lot of discussion about, um, Niagara Penitential Energies, um,

[59:23] investment. Um, Councillor Timmers and I both sit on the

[59:27] board. We've been along with you, Madam Mayor recently up

[59:31] to the Spring Creek Transformer station where they're investing 38

[59:36] million dollars up there to ensure that, uh, we meet

[59:39] the requirements for power. Uh, this doesn't, um, this doesn't

[59:44] mean that we're not taking these power outages seriously. Uh,

[59:48] we are, because the businesses and there are residents that

[59:52] have been impacted by the outages that have been occurring.

[59:55] And as we talk about flooding, uh, power outages seem

[59:58] to be happening on more frequent basis as well. So

[1:00:01] I thought it was important to, uh, to point out

[1:00:03] that, uh, we were successful in receiving 2. 7 million

[1:00:06] dollars from the federal government, um, MP Chris Biddle was

[1:00:11] on hand to bring information from, uh, from that, uh,

[1:00:16] that funding stream, uh, and Niger Penitential Energy is contributing

[1:00:21] an additional 3. 5 million dollar. So thank you, Madam

[1:00:28] Mayor. Thank you very much. And, uh, that's a very

[1:00:31] important. Very important comment, uh, very important area that more

[1:00:37] and more people are talking about Councillor Timurs. There we

[1:00:44] go. Thank you, Marison. Um, I just wanted to add

[1:00:47] a little bit, um, about the grand oak tree. You

[1:00:51] know, I've been on the heritage committee since I was

[1:00:53] elected to council and Councillor Brenier sits on that with

[1:00:56] me as well. And for about 10 years, I think

[1:01:00] people got tired of me talking about the grand oak

[1:01:03] tree. And we finally were able to designate that tree.

[1:01:07] And I just wanted to make the comment that it's

[1:01:09] the first tree in the town of Lincoln to be

[1:01:12] designated. So it's pretty special. And, um, it's designated through

[1:01:16] the Ontario heritage act. So it will always be protected.

[1:01:21] And the history and the beauty of that tree is

[1:01:24] just phenomenal. So if there hasn't seen the grand oak,

[1:01:28] you definitely need to go down there and take a

[1:01:29] picture of it. But I was so unhappy that I

[1:01:32] had to miss it. I was travelling at that time.

[1:01:35] So I missed it after 10 years. And I want

[1:01:38] to thank Monica Colquier, our staff who really, um, did

[1:01:42] a lot of the heavy lifting and helped to make

[1:01:45] this happen. So anyway, thank you for allowing me to

[1:01:48] make those comments, Mary soon. Thank you very much. Now

[1:01:55] we move on to item number nine, and that is

[1:01:58] proclamations. We have no proclamations this evening. Idem 10 is

[1:02:05] recognition and achievements. And our first item for recognition and

[1:02:09] achievements is the recognition of the Town of Lincoln sponsorship

[1:02:14] of the Lincoln Soapox Derby. And we have Gourd Gary,

[1:02:19] Lion Gorry, Lion Kenseuthward in attendance. Gentlemen, please come forward.

[1:02:24] If you have a few words that you'd like to

[1:02:26] say. Thank you, your

[1:02:36] worship. Members of Council, Administration. Uh, our presentation is going

[1:02:40] to be much shorter than it has been in the

[1:02:42] past. As you know, your worship, it's been about two

[1:02:45] and a half hours. Each presentation previously. Anyway, um. I

[1:02:50] think there was some wine involved in it, too. Could

[1:02:52] have been, could have been. Um, we, uh, we want

[1:02:56] to thank the Town of Lincoln for its participation with

[1:03:01] the soapbox Derby. This is our, um, this was our

[1:03:04] ninth year this year. We had a couple of years

[1:03:06] out with COVID, of course. It went off splendidly well

[1:03:12] this year. We had no accents whatsoever. We added one,

[1:03:17] one element this year. Uh, to the Derby. And that

[1:03:22] is a PIT crew and racer day. And we do

[1:03:25] that two weeks prior to the soapbox Derby. On PIT

[1:03:29] crew and racer day, we tear all of the cars

[1:03:30] down. We make sure all of the steering linkages are

[1:03:33] correct. We make sure that the, uh, the brakes are

[1:03:35] working. That the pads are, are there. We seem to

[1:03:38] be going through many more brake pads now than we

[1:03:41] ever did in the past. And the reason for that

[1:03:43] is really simple. We seem to have much smaller children.

[1:03:48] And as you know, we wait the cars up so

[1:03:50] that they are 200 pounds. The car, the driver and

[1:03:54] additional weights. We have made the decision that we're going

[1:03:57] to bring that back to 175 pounds, uh, this coming

[1:04:02] year. Simply so that we don't have to add so

[1:04:04] many weights and it'll keep the brake pads a little

[1:04:07] bit longer. We can get through an entire Derby day

[1:04:10] with the, uh, with the brake pads intact. So with

[1:04:13] that, just a couple of things. I said that the

[1:04:19] Derby went off splendidly well. One of the things for

[1:04:23] me that was the greatest aspect of the Derby this

[1:04:26] year is that I had my partner in the, in

[1:04:29] the Derby in full functioning mode this year. Um, most

[1:04:33] of you or many of you will recognise that Ken

[1:04:38] was suffering from Guy and Bari syndrome last year. And

[1:04:42] if you don't know what that is, take a look.

[1:04:44] It's debilitating. He's way ahead of schedule. And I'm, I'm

[1:04:48] so very thankful for that. Can starts the, uh, the

[1:04:53] races. We have a new announcer on that now. He's

[1:04:58] a police officer. So that kind of keeps everything sorted

[1:05:01] out. And, um, and Evan does, or Kevin does a

[1:05:06] tremendous job with that. Um, Ken's wife, Jennifer, my wife

[1:05:10] Colleen, uh, do the, uh, the scoring for every race.

[1:05:15] And to give you an idea of how. Tightly contested

[1:05:24] the soapbox Derby is. The difference between. Number one racer

[1:05:30] and number two racer, Ken, this year was just about

[1:05:34] one third of a second. On two heats, one third

[1:05:40] of a second on two heats. So they, they, uh,

[1:05:44] the kids, um, they're into it. There's no question about

[1:05:47] that. We'd like to see every member of Council at

[1:05:50] the Derby. We had, uh, we had four members of

[1:05:52] council. Your worship, you were excused this year, of course.

[1:05:55] You had that tree come through the roof and all

[1:05:57] that good stuff. Uh, we'd like to see some administrative

[1:06:00] people there too. And, um, and, uh, those of you

[1:06:05] in the gallery, come take a look at the soapbox

[1:06:07] Derby. It's a whole bunch of fun. Right, Tony? So

[1:06:10] with that, we have, uh, we have some presentation that

[1:06:13] we would like to make. And we have some gifts.

[1:06:16] So your worship, if you would come forward for just

[1:06:20] a moment, that's that one there. Yeah. That's the wine.

[1:06:32] Get a hand. On this. So. Here, do you put

[1:06:37] the. Photographer here. So on behalf of the Lincoln Soapox

[1:06:45] Sturm Association, we want to thank you for your dedication

[1:06:48] and support to the soapbox Derby the last, uh, since

[1:06:52] the beginning. And we look forward to the town being

[1:06:55] our title sponsored in the future as well. Thank you

[1:06:58] very much. And we have a souvenir t - shirt

[1:07:08] for you. Thank. You. Guaranteed to fit. Maybe. And we

[1:07:15] have a, uh, we have a t - shirt for

[1:07:18] all members of council as well. They all the same

[1:07:21] size? No, perfect. They're all sized accordingly, I think. Thank

[1:07:31] you all. Thanks very. Much.

[1:08:34] I can't tell you. I mean, many people in this

[1:08:37] room have volunteered for many, many, um, special events over

[1:08:42] the years. So you know how much work it is.

[1:08:44] To start something from the ground up. And let me

[1:08:47] tell you, they've done a great job. So it's a

[1:08:51] wonderful opportunity for youth. And, um, they do have some

[1:08:56] big racers. And the first couple of years, Ken and

[1:09:00] I can I, but, uh, Gordon, I used to race

[1:09:04] each other, but I swear he let me win. But

[1:09:06] it was kind of fun. I'd never done anything like

[1:09:08] that before. Okay. Um. Thank you very much, Deputy Mayor.

[1:09:18] The next item on the agenda is the Mayor's Metal

[1:09:22] Recipients. And, um, we have, um. We have, we're doing

[1:09:27] these in a number of different ways. Tonight, we actually

[1:09:30] have, um, the garden club here, represented it from the

[1:09:34] garden club, Lincoln Garden Club. But we also will be

[1:09:37] going out and visiting people where they work and visiting

[1:09:43] people, um, on their farms, uh, to recognise the contributions

[1:09:49] that they make to our community. So not everybody's coming

[1:09:52] into the chambers. However, tonight we have Angela Collixto from

[1:09:59] the, uh, Lincoln Garden Club in attendance to receive this

[1:10:03] award on behalf of the garden club. The Lincoln Garden

[1:10:07] Club is a registered nonprofit organisation and there are part

[1:10:12] of district nine of the Ontario horticultural association. They've been

[1:10:17] in town since the 1990s, the early 90s. And even

[1:10:21] though they shy from standing in the spotlight, they've been

[1:10:26] keeping the tome beautiful for many years as well as

[1:10:29] inspiring new generations of gardeners. The club has made up

[1:10:33] of passionate gardeners, very knowledgeable people and volunteers who care

[1:10:38] about the community and they provide educational opportunities for young

[1:10:41] people. And they selectively choose spots around the town that

[1:10:47] they beautify. The club sponsors scholarships at Niger College and

[1:10:53] the Niger Park School of Horticulture. And in 1992, they

[1:10:58] donated. A greenhouse to the Beamsville District Secondary School and

[1:11:04] sponsored a scholarship for horticultural student each year. They donate

[1:11:10] plants left over from an annual plant sale, which is

[1:11:13] held each May. Now just imagine what it must be

[1:11:16] like to be a small group of people who do

[1:11:20] things like donating a greenhouse. How would you do that?

[1:11:24] This is not a small thing. And it is so

[1:11:27] important to our community, which is so embedded in agriculture.

[1:11:33] And to sponsor a scholarship really remarkable initiatives and quite

[1:11:37] dedicated community members for sure. They have planted and maintained

[1:11:43] gardens across the area. Including balls falls conservation centre, as

[1:11:48] well as here at Town Hall. They also maintain a

[1:11:53] garden at the experimental farm on the Vineline Research Innovation

[1:11:56] Centre site. And we're instrumental in the Millennium Forest Project

[1:12:01] at that site. They are also a valued partner with

[1:12:05] the Town of Lincoln for the Lincoln and Bloom Garden

[1:12:08] Recognition Program. Angela, it's so great to have you here

[1:12:13] with us tonight. If you would come forward.

[1:12:35] Just go. Right in here. I actually just want to

[1:12:40] thank the Town Blincon for the recognition that we're getting

[1:12:47] tonight. And that I'm speaking for on behalf of the

[1:12:49] Lincoln Garden Club, an horticultural society. And I also want

[1:12:53] to thank the ton of Lincoln for being one of

[1:12:56] our partners in crime. Uh, for the projects that we

[1:13:00] have undertaken. I would like to invite all of you

[1:13:04] to see the Millennium Forest, which is one of our,

[1:13:08] um, flagship projects. And unlike the other speaker, you have

[1:13:14] to wait until the next soap Derby. This time you

[1:13:17] can just go to the Millennium Forest anytime you want

[1:13:21] and enjoy the 135 or 137 trees now, uh, and

[1:13:27] I think there are no two or probably the only

[1:13:30] two trees that have, uh, you know, in other words,

[1:13:35] what I'm saying is there are no two trees available

[1:13:39] that are the same in the forest except for probably

[1:13:42] a couple, uh, but having said that, thank you again.

[1:13:47] And I'm delighted to receive this and it will filter

[1:13:50] down to our members. PONO POUTONO.

[1:15:09] Is just reminding me that they don't just plant flowers

[1:15:12] and select and plan gardens, which they did here all

[1:15:15] across the front of the town hall. But they also

[1:15:19] designed the signage that went up. Because they, um, they

[1:15:24] wanted to make sure that as time went by, that

[1:15:27] people understood how these things were dealt with. Can I

[1:15:30] just add. One sometime for not to say. That the.

[1:15:33] Town. Going. On right now. And everyone

[1:15:43] is invited to send pictures. To the town you're entitled

[1:15:48] to send at least 10 per person. And at the

[1:15:52] end of the program or the event, like maybe around

[1:15:56] end of August, we will have a random draw for.

[1:16:01] Crisis. And. Everyone that's submitted pictures. Are invited to. A

[1:16:07] town picnic. On climbing. Centre. At the early part. Of

[1:16:11] September. Right? Yeah. So please, please send your pictures. Thank

[1:16:17] you very much. Thank you, Angela. So there you're all

[1:16:21] inspired. Pictures and food. Very good. All right. Um. We'll

[1:16:31] move on now to item number 11, which is delegations

[1:16:36] and presentations. And I'd like to invite regional councillor Rob

[1:16:40] Foster to come forward to the podium. And I must

[1:16:45] say that, um, since regional, uh, councillor Foster has been

[1:16:52] our regional representative. He has missed very, very, very few

[1:16:57] meetings. He is here at almost every Council meetings. So

[1:17:00] thank you very much for having such a good attendance

[1:17:03] record. Rob. Thank you, Mayor Easton. And, uh, so I'll

[1:17:08] put a timer on because I have about a 20

[1:17:10] minute thing tonight. So. First off, just from the earlier

[1:17:19] conversations, I wanted to say on behalf of chair foster,

[1:17:25] um, they were very happy with the heritage committee designating,

[1:17:29] uh, the grand oak as well. Um, I'm very, very

[1:17:32] proud of the fact that my son, um, stepped up,

[1:17:36] um, into that particular role. It really fits well with

[1:17:40] his educational background. And a lot of the work that,

[1:17:43] uh, that he's done for the town and for the

[1:17:46] NPCA in the past. So anyway, that was a great

[1:17:49] event. Um. I want to talk a little bit about,

[1:17:52] um, the discussion around water. Um, that you guys had

[1:17:55] earlier. So, um, I wanted to start with the I

[1:17:58] and I program and, uh, I think, um, you brought

[1:18:01] it up Councillor Reimer. I don't know if you did

[1:18:04] as well. Councillor Patrieva, but the, um, Mayor Easton and

[1:18:09] I, uh, spent a lot of time saving that program

[1:18:11] at the region. Um, that was one of the ones

[1:18:14] that was on the chopping block about a year and

[1:18:17] a half ago as we were going into budget. And

[1:18:19] so ourselves along with the mayor of Fortiri, did a

[1:18:24] lot of work on that to make sure that the

[1:18:26] INI program continued on. And just for the sake of

[1:18:30] the audience, the eye and I program really is taking

[1:18:33] a look at downspouts that are going into the sewer

[1:18:37] systems that shouldn't be going into it. Um, the leakage

[1:18:40] that's going on within all of our programs within the

[1:18:43] thing. And. I give the town of Lincoln full credit

[1:18:48] and I look back to my days on Town Council

[1:18:50] as well for making that a priority to make sure

[1:18:53] that we have a solid water system. The event itself,

[1:18:58] um, I was sitting at home, um, listening to the

[1:19:04] rain literally pounding, um, on the roof. Um, my neighbourhood

[1:19:09] was really quite lucky. Um, we didn't really have much.

[1:19:12] I don't think there was, there was much overture in

[1:19:14] your area too, Adam. But, um, it was interesting because

[1:19:19] everything worked as designed, um, through the back of our

[1:19:23] area, um, so much rain came down, um, the flooding

[1:19:27] came up in the back of my property. But then

[1:19:31] it drained away within like about three hours. So, so

[1:19:34] everything worked in that area the way that it was

[1:19:37] supposed to, which was, which was terrific, um, as I'm

[1:19:41] watching it. And I'm like, oh, okay. Well, sooner or

[1:19:43] later, uh, it may raise my neighbour, a couple of

[1:19:46] neighbours had, uh, water issues in their homes because the

[1:19:49] rain pounded on their homes and ways that had never

[1:19:51] been pounded on before, um, and so they had leakage

[1:19:55] coming through spots that, um, our houses were all built

[1:19:59] in 1988. So there was places that just need to

[1:20:02] repair. So now they're going to have to take a

[1:20:04] look at it with their homes. Um. The day of

[1:20:10] flooding, I was in discussion with regional staff, uh, from

[1:20:15] about an hour and a half after once I realised

[1:20:18] what had been going on with it. Um, and, uh,

[1:20:21] I talked to Phil Lambert down at, uh, the region

[1:20:26] who's responsible for, um, the wastewater management in particular. And

[1:20:32] it was overwhelming. And it wasn't just in beamsville and

[1:20:35] it wasn't just in violin. It was in St. Catharines.

[1:20:38] They had, uh, they had flooding. They had grimsby as

[1:20:41] well. Um, opposite side of the peninsula, by the way,

[1:20:47] there was nothing. There was, there was practically nothing hit

[1:20:49] there. So really bizarre, um, storm to say the least,

[1:20:54] um, as I put this back up so I can

[1:20:56] read it. I didn't know you guys were going to

[1:21:00] talk about this tonight. So sorry. Garbage collection councillors, a

[1:21:06] few of you reached out to me on the garbage

[1:21:09] collection. Um, I got in touch with Mr. Copoulos. Um,

[1:21:13] he was already, um, well down the road with staff

[1:21:16] at the region to, uh, look at doing some extra

[1:21:20] work. Uh, I know there's some disappointment with some people

[1:21:23] in town about, uh, some extra garbage collection not being

[1:21:26] done in their area. But, um, what did get put

[1:21:31] in place is no additional costs that's coming into play

[1:21:34] for us. So I believe staff from the town and

[1:21:39] the region talked about it. And so the worst hit

[1:21:42] areas were the ones that, um, that the extra garbage

[1:21:46] pickup was doing. So, um, so that piece of the

[1:21:49] puzzle. I like some of the comments earlier about, um,

[1:21:56] communication. Both the NPCA, which issued the flood warnings once

[1:22:03] they realised what was going on. Um, and also, um,

[1:22:09] the, uh, the region and the town. I thought the

[1:22:12] town actually was able to get out good communication when

[1:22:15] it was all said and done. Boy, the social media

[1:22:18] stuff that went on that was just false and wrong.

[1:22:21] So, um, for goodness sakes, if you're going to be

[1:22:24] going and trying to figure out what's happening, be very

[1:22:27] cautious of where you're getting information from, uh, particularly social

[1:22:31] media. Conjecture is not fact. So, um, I think we

[1:22:36] should keep that in mind. PONO. Just the last thing

[1:22:41] on this for you. So the NPCA Mary Easton brought

[1:22:44] it up. So. We all have to remind ourselves a

[1:22:48] little bit. The province of Ontario has made significant changes

[1:22:51] to the way planning works. Um, and most of the

[1:22:56] onus on planning has come back onto the shoulders of

[1:22:59] lower area municipalities. We saw that happen. The region is

[1:23:03] right out of, uh, the game when it comes to

[1:23:05] zoning and when it comes to planning. There is an

[1:23:08] official plan at the region, but that is taken care

[1:23:13] of by this local area municipality. So you guys are

[1:23:16] the ones that make the enforcement things. When it comes

[1:23:19] to environmental things within the community, that also comes into

[1:23:23] play. You have to be aware of that when you're

[1:23:25] looking at any of the subdivisions that are being built,

[1:23:29] your staff, that's one of the very first things that

[1:23:31] they go through and deal with is they're looking at

[1:23:33] these things. Um, the NPCA is a commenting agency. And

[1:23:38] so when it comes to various areas that are going

[1:23:41] into play, I do like the idea. I think it

[1:23:44] was Councillor Patriva said, you know, maybe getting the NPCA

[1:23:47] involved with, with understanding how to make sure we have

[1:23:51] our ditches done properly, all this other type of stuff.

[1:23:55] Not a problem. And in fact, I think they would

[1:23:56] be, uh, I know for a fact, they would be

[1:23:59] quite happy to have those discussions to come in and

[1:24:02] through. Um. But there's not much you can do when

[1:24:06] you have four and a half inches of rain in

[1:24:09] an hour and a half. And I think, um, everybody

[1:24:12] just has to sometimes take a step back and realise

[1:24:16] this stuff happens. Um, anyway, those are my comments on

[1:24:19] that, Mary Easton, for that. Thank you very much, Councillor,

[1:24:25] for taking that off the cough. I appreciate it. Yeah.

[1:24:27] Um. So I got some really boring stuff to talk

[1:24:30] about. Um, DC, uh, once again, um, so the region

[1:24:36] is in the middle of doing the DC bylaw review.

[1:24:43] I'm part of that committee, but we haven't met yet.

[1:24:45] We did meet as a council back. Was it about

[1:24:49] a month ago, Mayor Easton, I believe. And the whole

[1:24:52] idea is that it has to be upgraded based on

[1:24:55] all of the new things that are actually coming into

[1:24:57] play with development charges. Um, all of us are going

[1:25:01] to be talking to all of these ministries when we

[1:25:04] get to Ottawa for the AMO conference on what a

[1:25:08] lot of these things really mean and how they come

[1:25:10] into play. There's supposed to be a new DC charge

[1:25:13] bylaw in place by October of this year for Niagara.

[1:25:16] Um, I do not see us meeting that, uh, that

[1:25:19] timeline. Um, but. We shall see. Um, work has to

[1:25:24] be done with that. Um, I put on to my

[1:25:28] notes. Just to let you know that, um, DCs are

[1:25:32] going to play a pretty important part of the South

[1:25:37] Niagara wastewater treatment plant. The first phase, which is worth

[1:25:41] about 35 million or something like that at this point

[1:25:43] in time. That's going to be 90 percent DCs that

[1:25:46] are coming into play with that. That's the engineering. That's

[1:25:50] the full design that's coming into play. And that's well

[1:25:53] on the road, by the way, as well. But the

[1:25:56] funding package is going to come from DCs. We're going

[1:26:00] to have the new dollar figure coming forward to us.

[1:26:04] And I, what did I say when I first started

[1:26:07] talking about this with everyone, uh, they came in with

[1:26:10] 320 million originally. And I said, it's going to be

[1:26:14] well more than a half a billion before this is

[1:26:17] all said and done. Well, once again, I was right.

[1:26:20] Um, uh, 509 million is the latest figure that we're

[1:26:24] looking at. I still am a strong believer that it's

[1:26:27] going to hit about 600 million before it's all said

[1:26:30] and done. This is a significant investment that's being done

[1:26:33] in Niagara. So, um, anyway, that's, that's on the go.

[1:26:38] Um. The couple of things that are coming up, uh,

[1:26:42] what is today, today's Monday. Coming up Thursday night, um,

[1:26:47] so nobody's ever happy with DCs, by the way. There's

[1:26:52] a, and I have a false hit on my statement

[1:26:55] here. So you can stroke off Niagara Falls and say

[1:26:58] St. Catherine's. But we had a request coming back because

[1:27:03] of a new hotel being built in St. Catharines. And

[1:27:07] they feel they shouldn't have to pay DCs because it's

[1:27:10] the first new hotel in 50 years. Well, okay. So

[1:27:14] now regional counsel has to make a decision on it.

[1:27:18] Um, the city of St. Catharines is willing to give

[1:27:22] up the DC money. Um, through the programs that are

[1:27:25] there. But, um, we've exhausted the funds for this year

[1:27:28] already. Um, on the DC side of things. So, um,

[1:27:32] and that was part of our cost saving piece of

[1:27:35] the puzzle that we did through our budget process this

[1:27:37] year. Um, being aware that they should be, um, they

[1:27:41] should be, uh, capped. Um, the business in well and

[1:27:47] that has funds that they're requesting an incredibly interesting business.

[1:27:54] But again, it's been capped out. So we're going to

[1:27:58] have to have a long discussion Thursday night. I'll be

[1:28:00] quite fascinated to see how that shakes out. I'm going

[1:28:03] to be interested to see how, uh, differing areas of,

[1:28:07] uh, of Niagara vote on this particular issue Thursday night.

[1:28:11] So. That's it for me tonight. Thank you very much,

[1:28:18] Councillor. And councillors. We do have two questions. So I'll

[1:28:23] go ahead Councillor Murray. Thank you very much, Mayor Easton.

[1:28:27] Three through you to Councillor Foster. Thanks for the good

[1:28:31] information on the DCs. I wanted to get a little

[1:28:33] bit more clarity if I could on the last note

[1:28:36] that you had the deferral of the DCs. So, um,

[1:28:39] when you say that the funds are not available with

[1:28:42] maxed out use, my understanding of that. So please do

[1:28:44] correct me if I'm wrong is that the region said

[1:28:46] we will defer or are removed X number of dollars

[1:28:51] of DC funds for this fiscal year. And that has

[1:28:54] been maxed out. Is that what you're saying? So. We

[1:29:00] had a pretty significant budget year that came into play.

[1:29:04] And by the way, whoever is going to be the

[1:29:07] next mayor of this municipality, whoever it is that's going

[1:29:10] on, this is going to be the big issue that's

[1:29:14] going on at the region is how to go and

[1:29:18] actually deal with these pieces of the puzzle. Like DC

[1:29:21] charges like the tax instrumental grants that are coming into

[1:29:24] play. To be perfectly frank, we can't afford it. Okay.

[1:29:28] Um, we do not have the taxation base across the

[1:29:31] board to handle this. Um, so the problem for us

[1:29:35] is going to be what should or shouldn't be being

[1:29:39] a part of this. We made a decision back, I

[1:29:42] think it was Mayor Easton about four years ago where

[1:29:45] we said, no, we're going to be shifting to affordable

[1:29:48] housing and we're going to be shifting to a variety

[1:29:50] of things. And we had a council that overrode the

[1:29:53] whole thing. They basically said, nope, nope, we're going to

[1:29:56] continue with the way that we're doing it. Much to

[1:29:59] our votes being the opposite. Um, but they, they continued

[1:30:03] on with the, with the process of handing out money

[1:30:05] the way they are. The, the problem is, is that

[1:30:08] it makes up a significant portion of the regional budget

[1:30:11] now. And it's not going away. It is continuing on,

[1:30:17] I would say a trajectory that looks kind of like

[1:30:19] a lunar takeoff type of thing. Okay. So, um, so

[1:30:26] they're in asking for a DC grant. It's a deferral.

[1:30:35] They've got coming into play, but also, um, you know,

[1:30:39] these things they're looking at actually not wanting to pay

[1:30:43] DC's in certain situations. And unfortunately, you know, maybe two

[1:30:50] years ago, it would have been a slam dunk. It

[1:30:52] would not have even been thought about as it was

[1:30:54] going through. But we had to put a cap in

[1:30:58] place for this week. Cannot continue spending the way that

[1:31:01] we have been spending on this much to the chagrin

[1:31:04] of some of the municipalities here in Niagara. Thank you

[1:31:09] very much for that. So, so then, um, I just

[1:31:12] see that as an enormous challenge, luckily not my challenge

[1:31:16] to solve as I'm not on regional counsel. But, but

[1:31:18] this idea that some, some, um, new developments, businesses are

[1:31:24] otherwise two years ago didn't have to pay DCs. And

[1:31:27] now that's, we don't have a, uh, a comparability of

[1:31:33] relief. So remember with these grants, this is not a

[1:31:36] matter of not paying DCs. It's you and I as

[1:31:39] taxpayers are paying the DC value that comes into play.

[1:31:43] There's nothing to do with, with them, you know, sort

[1:31:46] of being able to walk away. It's the businesses that

[1:31:48] are getting the break. They're getting a grant. Okay. And

[1:31:51] that's coming directly out of yours and my taxpayers money

[1:31:55] that's going into the region. Okay. Is it fair? I

[1:31:59] actually think it's grossly unfair that's coming into play. Is

[1:32:02] it needed? Well, you know, it depends who you talk

[1:32:05] to. You know, um, there's maybe a lot of good

[1:32:08] economic develop reasons for going and doing this stuff. But

[1:32:12] this is the type of thing that we have to

[1:32:14] balance every day as politicians. You guys have to do

[1:32:18] it. I've watched your council the last eight years as

[1:32:21] the Regional Councillor. And I've admired the way that you

[1:32:23] guys have approached a lot of these issues. You've taken

[1:32:26] a look at balancing the economic development aspects of things,

[1:32:31] but also making sure that it's, you know, affordable for

[1:32:34] taxpayers. Boy, it's a real fine line that you have

[1:32:38] to go through and deal with this stuff. It's the

[1:32:40] exact same thing at the region. Um, we've had to.

[1:32:44] And by the way, and I will, because nobody else

[1:32:49] would do it. I'm going to pat myself on the

[1:32:50] back because, um, I will tell you at the region,

[1:32:54] we have had some incredibly good tax years from the

[1:32:58] regional department's point of view. We have put through taxation

[1:33:02] that is not unreasonable. Um, uh, I would suggest you

[1:33:07] there may be certain aspects of Niagara region that we'll

[1:33:12] call it maybe policing. That has certainly caused a lot

[1:33:15] of grief. Um, in the taxation area. So. But it's

[1:33:20] a matter of balancing all this stuff. This is what

[1:33:21] we do. This is why we get elected as people

[1:33:24] on these things. And by the way, you know, like

[1:33:27] I'm really quite sad that, um, the regional councillor position

[1:33:30] is going away. In the last, I'm sorry I'm wandering

[1:33:36] away from your question, but, um, in the last two

[1:33:39] weeks, um, I have taken so many calls on so

[1:33:44] many issues. Within the municipality, the pieces that flow over

[1:33:50] into the NPCA, all these other types of things. And

[1:33:53] it's like there's certainly is an awful lot of things

[1:33:59] that regional councillors do do. Thank you very much, Councillor.

[1:34:03] Thank you, Mayor said. Councillor Pachiri vote. Please stick to

[1:34:10] the report. Thank you. Your swan song.

[1:34:29] Okay. Very good. Um, so following along in the standard,

[1:34:34] the first one about the hotel in St. Catherine's. That's

[1:34:38] a deferral. So they're willing to pay the DCs, but

[1:34:42] just defer the payment. Is it for. Because I never

[1:34:47] read, like, is it for five years? Is it 10

[1:34:49] years? And then how does that over, how does that

[1:34:51] affect, um, the situation. So knowing that they're coming, I'm

[1:34:57] not too sure about the business and well on, but

[1:35:00] yeah, just, just curious from your standpoint. PONO, I would

[1:35:04] suggest you that both of them really are not happy

[1:35:06] about paying DC. So that's what the crux of the

[1:35:11] matter is. So we're going to have a fascinating meeting

[1:35:14] this upcoming Thursday night talking about that. So. Because like

[1:35:19] sometimes regional council can be pretty exciting. So I might

[1:35:22] tune in Thursday night. And like you say, um, the

[1:35:25] shortfalls picked up by you and I, and the people

[1:35:28] in the room. Yep. Absolutely. Okay. Thank you. Thank you

[1:35:32] very much. And Councillor Mickeluck, you're next. Thank you through

[1:35:41] you two Councillor Prosser. So, um, with respect to that

[1:35:46] wastewater treatment plant. And yeah, 360 million that revokes you

[1:35:53] mentioned. And then now it's 508. We're thereabouts. And you're

[1:35:57] saying that it's probably going to end up being 600

[1:36:00] million. You mentioned something about DC's funding a certain amount.

[1:36:06] But what is that formula look like? Who's paying for

[1:36:09] this wastewater treatment plan. They're getting a significant, uh,

[1:36:20] they're given a significant expectation, you know, come tax time.

[1:36:24] Who's paying for this, uh, treatment plan. Well, I would,

[1:36:30] I would start by saying I'm not the absolute master

[1:36:35] at this whole financial wizardry that goes on in and

[1:36:39] around DCs. And how municipalities make use of them as

[1:36:42] they move into the future. But the reality is, is

[1:36:45] that, and the thinking process is, um, developers and development

[1:36:51] pays for development. That's what we have followed along. And

[1:36:55] that's one of the, one of the pieces is DCs

[1:36:58] that come into play with that. And so we know

[1:37:01] that there's going to be literally thousands of homes built

[1:37:05] and thorled. And in Niagara on the lake and in

[1:37:08] the edge of St. Catherine's and in Niagara Falls that

[1:37:12] are going to be coming into play where DCs are

[1:37:15] going to be coming into play with those, uh, those

[1:37:17] places being built. And so there's sometimes, um, again, perhaps

[1:37:25] maybe Mr. Kirkopoulos can explain it better than me. But

[1:37:28] sometimes there's, um, situations where essentially you're borrowing from the

[1:37:33] future to go and make all of these things work.

[1:37:36] So, um, so that, that piece of the puzzle, um,

[1:37:40] is well laid out. Um, and by the way, that

[1:37:45] South Niagara wastewater treatment plant has to be built. It

[1:37:49] has to be built for the whole development process that's

[1:37:53] going on within that part of Niagara. So, um, I'm

[1:37:57] sorry. I don't know if I answered your question, Mike,

[1:37:59] but, um, no, it's just, it's, it's a. We're almost

[1:38:05] talking like a 200 dollar, 200 million dollar difference from

[1:38:09] what we originally, um, were expecting. And we had not

[1:38:14] even really there yet. So I think though, and if

[1:38:17] I, if I can jump in over top, you just

[1:38:19] for a second, you know, the, the, the 320 million

[1:38:23] that, we started with was, what was that 2029 when

[1:38:29] that came into play. So there was this little thing

[1:38:31] called COVID came into play. And, you know, the cost

[1:38:34] of everything has gone up. And we take a look

[1:38:36] at this now from, from all of our own buying

[1:38:40] and handling point of view, the cost of everything have

[1:38:42] gone up dramatically. So it doesn't surprise me that it's

[1:38:46] hitting that. And it wouldn't surprise me if it goes

[1:38:49] higher. Um, I think that's just the reality of, of,

[1:38:53] uh, today's construction environments. You know, I'm just trying to

[1:38:58] make sure there's a benefit to the existing taxpayers. Through

[1:39:02] all of this. That's what I'm searching for. Through you

[1:39:07] Mayor, another question and it dances around the NPCA discussion.

[1:39:12] And, you know, I've talked on the side with Councillor

[1:39:15] Reimer or Deputy Mayor Reimer for a minute. What role

[1:39:20] does the NPCA have with respect to private properties, their

[1:39:25] ditches, their watersheds, their maintenance. You know, they're, they're importance.

[1:39:31] They're impact to getting that water to Lake Ontario. I

[1:39:36] know that the NPCA has governing authority over development. And

[1:39:43] I don't know. Uh, you're shaking your head. Yeah. So

[1:39:46] do they have any influence? Do they have any strength

[1:39:49] in when we ourselves as a municipality or looking at

[1:39:51] this sort of thing trying to get the water to

[1:39:53] Lake Ontario. Could the NPCA influence or.

[1:40:05] So the Niagara Peninsula conservation authority like all conservation authorities

[1:40:10] are there for the conservation protection and, you know, understanding

[1:40:16] the water that's coming into play? I mean, we're involved

[1:40:19] with, uh, with the lakeshore, um, uh, NPCA has been

[1:40:25] an actor participant in the group that Mary Easton is

[1:40:29] involved with, you know, making sure that, um, all of

[1:40:33] these water courses are known and understood and are functioning

[1:40:37] properly. But they don't do everything. Okay. Like, um, you're

[1:40:42] getting into an area that's kind of interesting. Once you

[1:40:44] start talking about drains, um, within a municipality. Drains have

[1:40:49] a certain context that comes into play and how they

[1:40:52] behave and how the municipality has to deal with that.

[1:40:55] Private landowners have going through their particular properties. You know,

[1:41:01] we don't have a bunch of people at the NPCA

[1:41:03] that are going out and going to private landowners and

[1:41:06] saying, you know, you shall dig your ditch out here

[1:41:10] because otherwise it's not working property. That's not the way

[1:41:12] that any of that stuff works. Um, we do the

[1:41:17] NPCA does a lot of mapping. They do an awful

[1:41:19] lot of understanding of what the environmental protection areas are.

[1:41:23] They make sure that the municipality anytime Matin is team,

[1:41:27] um, require assistance on the planning side of things and

[1:41:31] how water is going to run. And the courses and

[1:41:33] stuff like that, the NPCA is a commenting agency and

[1:41:37] all those things. But, um, that's, that's pretty much as

[1:41:41] far as it goes, Mike. So just follow up to

[1:41:44] that. Perhaps should that be part of the NPCA's role

[1:41:49] moving forward in the future. To work on those sorts

[1:41:54] of things. And two, look at. And two. Address these

[1:42:01] sorts of things. Interesting idea. I can tell you, and

[1:42:06] I know Mayor Easton knows, um, we're going through this

[1:42:09] with the conservation authority. The Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority is

[1:42:14] being amalgamated into the Western Lake Ontario region conservation authority.

[1:42:21] Um, I happened to be one of the members of

[1:42:25] the transition team that's coming into play with that. Um,

[1:42:29] as is the CAO, Leilani Li Yates, who you guys

[1:42:32] have had here a few times, Top Notch CAO, I

[1:42:35] might add, uh, but we're working with Hamilton. We're working

[1:42:38] with Hallton when we're working with the credit Valley to

[1:42:41] go and put together what this new conservation area, conservation

[1:42:45] association area is going to look like. Um, the problem

[1:42:48] is really pushing things on the planning side of things.

[1:42:51] Okay. Like that's, I think that's their fundamental bottom line.

[1:42:55] This is what we want to do. We want to

[1:42:57] make sure we have consistent planning. We want to make

[1:42:59] sure that the conservation area is there to back up

[1:43:02] what it is that's going on in that particular area.

[1:43:05] So not a bad idea. I like that. That'd be

[1:43:09] an idea I would take along. So thank you. If

[1:43:11] you could, just because like when we talk planning that

[1:43:13] we're talking in this case existing, uh, down the, you

[1:43:17] know, down the stream sort of stuff, but, uh, up

[1:43:20] the stream has to rely on making sure that down

[1:43:22] the stream works. Thank you. Thank you. All right. Thank

[1:43:25] you very much. Councillor Reimer. You're the last speaker. Go

[1:43:31] ahead. Thank you, Mayor Sin. Um, thanks Rob for being

[1:43:35] here again tonight. Just with regards to our, we talked

[1:43:38] about the last time you hear our favourite discussion is

[1:43:40] wastewater treatment plant. Is that any portion of that qualify

[1:43:46] for provincial funding through Hughes funding or is there, is

[1:43:50] there something else through the bill and escapes me? Maybe

[1:43:54] director brooder members which one it does because the bills

[1:43:57] come out. But for building homes faster. Is there something

[1:44:01] where that applies to? And just, is it, is it

[1:44:04] better for the reason to do it or does it

[1:44:06] demissalies play? Like where does that line, you know, where's

[1:44:09] that line come? We talked a little bit about on

[1:44:11] a practical level where it's infrastructure start. But for funding,

[1:44:15] can they also apply for their peace, uh, through you,

[1:44:19] Mary's. So actually that's a great question because it kind

[1:44:24] of circles off the whole evening. Thank you. Um, it

[1:44:27] goes back to the original discussion boat flooding and all

[1:44:30] this type of stuff. Region's responsible for the trunk lines

[1:44:33] that are coming into play. So when everything is exiting

[1:44:37] out of the town system, that's being fired off to

[1:44:40] the wastewater treatment plants. The water system, um, the region

[1:44:45] provides water up to the connection with the, with the

[1:44:48] local air municipality to go and do all that type

[1:44:51] of stuff. So, um, your question on, uh, sorry, with

[1:44:57] the, I took right off top. Yeah. Sorry. With the

[1:45:01] funding. Is it does it qualify for any of the

[1:45:03] provincial bills that they put down. They usually attach a

[1:45:06] funding model or opportunity with it. Of course it does.

[1:45:10] Like this, it's something that should ideally be funded. The

[1:45:15] problem is, is that, um, there is so much infrastructure

[1:45:20] deficit in the province of Ontario. It's, we're seeing some

[1:45:24] of these programs they're putting out. And it seems to

[1:45:27] be going into certain parcels, um, we haven't seen any

[1:45:33] yet towards the wastewater treatment plant. But the region has

[1:45:38] been doing a good job, um, and the local municipalities

[1:45:41] have been doing a good job. Of doing the advocacy

[1:45:43] with this, um, with the province. So, um, personally, I

[1:45:49] foresee good news coming along here at some point in

[1:45:51] time. But it's likely going to have to be other

[1:45:54] government funding that's really going to go and do that.

[1:45:57] So, okay. All right. Thanks Council Frost. Thank you, Marison.

[1:46:01] We could say councillor that, uh, the DC, the program,

[1:46:06] the phase one program, that it is a form. Because

[1:46:09] if I recall, within the last year, there have been

[1:46:12] many petitions to the province. And there has been no

[1:46:16] package that they get actually advertised as suitable and applicable

[1:46:22] for the wastewater treatment plant. However, the DC funding for

[1:46:29] the phase one is one that we're all contributing to.

[1:46:34] Because as you recall, we didn't select a particular project

[1:46:39] because of the way we had done our business differently.

[1:46:41] And we had received a great deal of provincial funding

[1:46:45] and federal funding. So however, we are participants in the

[1:46:55] South Niagara Wastewater treatment plan to the level of 90

[1:46:59] percent with remaining temper cell That's for the region as

[1:47:04] a whole. So there, but it's, um, it's not a

[1:47:09] package that people have been going around selling. In fact,

[1:47:12] that basket has been quite empty of money. I think

[1:47:16] it was just nothing. Thank you, thank you very much

[1:47:20] Councillor Foster. And thank you again for your commitment to

[1:47:24] this council and for the excellent work that you've been

[1:47:29] doing at the region, how you've applied yourself to things

[1:47:32] that matter to length. Well, thank you very much, Mayor

[1:47:34] Easton. I do appreciate that. And I got to tell

[1:47:36] you one of the highlights of being the regional councillor

[1:47:39] is coming and talking to you guys. So it really

[1:47:42] shows how boring my life really is. Thanks, guys. All

[1:47:48] right. Thank you, Rob. So there'll be no for the

[1:47:53] discussion. I have a motion moved by Councillor Pachiriva, seconded

[1:47:56] by Councillor Reimer. The Council receive and file for information

[1:48:00] the following delegation regional Councillor Foster and Madam Clerk. Would

[1:48:04] you please open the vote. Thanks, Madam Mayor. And the

[1:48:06] vote's open. Yes.

[1:48:16] I'll close that boat. And that carries, thank you. The

[1:48:21] motion is carried and we move on to item number

[1:48:23] 12. Um, items for just consideration. There are none this

[1:48:27] evening. And we move on now to the motion to

[1:48:30] approve previous Council minutes, considering the Council Minutes of July

[1:48:35] 6th, 2026, to members of Council have any questions. They're

[1:48:42] being none. I have a motion moved by Councillor Reimer,

[1:48:44] seconded by Councillor Murray. The Council approved the minutes of

[1:48:48] the following meetings with Council Council Minutes of July 6,

[1:48:51] 2026. Madam Clerk, would you please open the vote. PONOTA's

[1:48:56] Open? PONO. I'll close that vote. That carries. The motion

[1:49:05] is carried. We move on now to recommendations from standing

[1:49:08] committees and consider the following committee of the whole minutes

[1:49:12] of July 13, 2026. Do members of Council have any

[1:49:16] questions. PONOTONO. Seeing none, I have a motion move by

[1:49:22] Councillor Russell, seconded by Councillor Brene that Council approved the

[1:49:26] following recommendations from standing committees, Committee of the whole minutes

[1:49:30] of July 13, 2026. Madam Clerk, would you please open

[1:49:34] the vote. PONTON.

[1:49:44] Close it and that carries. Thank you. That motion is

[1:49:48] carried and we move on to item number 15, which

[1:49:52] is notice of motion. And we are now considering notice

[1:49:56] of motion brought forward by Councillor Pachiriva, seconded by Councillor

[1:50:00] Timmers that was introduced at the last meeting and will

[1:50:04] be brought forward this evening for consideration. Councillor Pachiriva, would

[1:50:10] you please provide comments. Thanks for worship. Um, Councillor Timmers

[1:50:18] and I are pleased to bring this motion forward because

[1:50:20] we believe Affordable Housing is one of the most important

[1:50:23] issues facing our community today. As the municipality, we may

[1:50:27] not have all the answers, but we do have an

[1:50:29] opportunity to be part of the solution. The motion does

[1:50:33] not approve a housing project tonight and set it as

[1:50:35] staff to explore whether a portion of the form of

[1:50:38] BDSS precinct could support a nonprofit Affordable Housing Development as

[1:50:43] part of the broader master planning process. Any future proposal

[1:50:46] would still come back to council following technical analysis, community

[1:50:50] engagement, and partnershipsions. And I just wanted to dispel to

[1:50:54] something out there, uh, in the community. Again, it's about

[1:50:58] controlling the narrative. The town of Lincoln is not building

[1:51:01] a building. They're not being landlords. They're not operating a

[1:51:04] building. What is happening is, um, the motion is the

[1:51:09] biggest impediment to building one of these is the land.

[1:51:13] And that's what we have. So a third party like

[1:51:17] indwell, the YWCA, Bethlehem Housing, they will build an operator

[1:51:22] or in pork Colbert where it's port cares. And they

[1:51:26] built an operated, the facility. The former BDSS property. Is

[1:51:33] a unique community asset. And we have a responsibility consider

[1:51:38] how can best serve Lincoln, not just today, but for

[1:51:41] future generations. Exploring affordable housing alongside recreation, community services, and

[1:51:47] other community needs is a thoughtful and responsible step forward.

[1:51:53] Um. I look forward to hearing my colleagues thoughts. And

[1:51:58] I hope you'll support this motion. Thank you, worship. Thank

[1:52:02] you very much, Councillors. And I will read the motion.

[1:52:09] Whereas some of the most important work undertaken by local

[1:52:12] government is creating the conditions for people to thrive. And

[1:52:16] that begins with ensuring residents have access to a safe,

[1:52:20] stable, and affordable place to call home. And whereas access

[1:52:24] to Affordable Housing remains a significant and growing need in

[1:52:28] the town of Lincoln and throughout Niagara. And as fundamental

[1:52:32] to supporting a healthy, inclusive and economically resilient community. And

[1:52:38] whereas increasing the supply, diversity and affordability of housing, is

[1:52:43] a strategic priority of the province of Ontario and the

[1:52:46] Town of Lincoln. With municipalities playing a critical role in

[1:52:51] facilitating housing opportunities through planning, partnerships, and the strategic use

[1:52:56] of municipal assets. And whereas innovative partnerships, strategic use of

[1:53:03] surplus municipal lands and a shared commitment between governments, community

[1:53:09] organisations, and housing providers can help address one of the

[1:53:13] most pressing challenges facing communities today. And whereas the former

[1:53:19] Beamsville District secondary school, BDSS site, represents a unique municipal

[1:53:25] asset with the potential to support a mixed - use

[1:53:29] community hub that responds to identified community priorities, including recreation,

[1:53:35] community services, and Affordable Housing. And whereas the successful delivery

[1:53:41] of Affordable Housing will require a strong partnerships with non

[1:53:45] - profit housing providers, senior levels of government, and the

[1:53:50] broader community, together with appropriate funding opportunities and a development

[1:53:55] model that ensures long - term financial sustainability. And whereas

[1:54:00] staff have commenced preliminary analysis and discussions, including mapping out

[1:54:06] and expression of interest, EOI, regarding the feasibility of incorporating

[1:54:12] affordable housing as part of the long - term redevelopment

[1:54:15] of the BDSS site. Now, therefore it resolved that Council

[1:54:23] affirm its commitment to advancing Affordable Housing Opportunities within the

[1:54:28] Town of Lincoln by directing staff to reserve and evaluate

[1:54:33] a suitable portion of the BDSS precinct for a potential

[1:54:37] non - profit Affordable Housing Development, including exploring innovative partnerships

[1:54:42] with non - profit housing providers, senior levels of government

[1:54:47] and community partners with the location, size, development model, funding

[1:54:52] opportunities, and partnership arrangements to be determined through the master

[1:54:57] planning expression of interest process. Technical analysis, community engagement, and

[1:55:04] future council consideration and approval. I will allow, ask our

[1:55:12] clerk to open the boat. Oh, we have a big

[1:55:16] board here. All right, we're going to start. You have

[1:55:20] something for the DSA Councillor Pechirita. Nothing for you. Okay.

[1:55:26] Councillor Renejema, go ahead. Oh, thank you. Thank you, Madam

[1:55:30] Chair. So I'm reading, so I know that we talked,

[1:55:36] I think it was July 13th or something like that

[1:55:38] about, um, or is earlier June, in June, about the

[1:55:43] next step is that we will be releasing an EOI,

[1:55:46] an expression of interest out to the community. Um, that's

[1:55:49] referred to in this motion. Um, so I'm thinking the

[1:55:54] intent. And correct me if I'm wrong, is to make

[1:55:57] sure that in that ELI, there is very clear direction

[1:56:01] that a portion of this property is going to be,

[1:56:05] um, focus on affordable housing. Um, I'm wondering what. Is

[1:56:15] going to come out of this motion at this point

[1:56:17] though, because, um, I was hearing that, um, staff is

[1:56:21] just going to evaluate a suitable portion of, uh, evaluate

[1:56:25] the BDSS precinct to find a suitable portion of land

[1:56:30] for Affordable housing. But then I see the word. To

[1:56:33] reserve and evaluate. So is, are we just asking staff

[1:56:37] to evaluate the property for a suitable portion of land

[1:56:40] to be designated for Affordable housing? Are we asking them

[1:56:44] to reserve it and designate it for it? So as

[1:56:47] the decision going to be made before the EOI goes

[1:56:49] out, um, what portion of the property is going to

[1:56:52] be used for Affordable Housing? Or is it just going

[1:56:54] to be sort of a suggestion? We'd evaluated this is

[1:56:57] what we're thinking. And are we thinking this. Out of

[1:57:01] this motion will happen this term. That makes sense. Yes.

[1:57:06] We'll start with CAO Crocopolis. Go ahead. Through you, Madam

[1:57:11] Mayor, to the Councillor, maybe I'll answer the last question

[1:57:13] first, Councillor. I don't see anything happening this term. This

[1:57:16] potentially is the last council meeting. And that's why I

[1:57:19] think this is before you. So I don't see anything

[1:57:21] necessarily happening this term. We are working on the parameters

[1:57:26] and generally what EOI will look like. I think when

[1:57:30] we present it to Council a few months back, we

[1:57:32] talked about that EOI going out later this year, uh,

[1:57:36] early next year, but really allowing the new council an

[1:57:38] opportunity to look at what's in that expression of interest

[1:57:42] and to have a chance to weigh into it. In

[1:57:44] terms of your question, uh, we aren't saying this amount

[1:57:47] of land needs to be designated for Affordable Housing. What

[1:57:52] we're saying is affordable housing will make up one of

[1:57:56] the things that we want to see in that broader

[1:57:58] precinct. And so I think in a lot of ways

[1:58:01] this motion, uh, reaffirms what council said, what staff said

[1:58:05] that evening when we presented that presentation. And that is

[1:58:08] a Neoy will include for all intents and purposes. A

[1:58:12] reference to Affordable Housing. Uh, there is existing. Affordable housing

[1:58:16] in that broader precinct already. This is a look at

[1:58:20] potentially expanding, not necessarily that one in particular, as I

[1:58:25] know there is some confusion in the community based on

[1:58:27] the emails I received today, but rather looking at, is

[1:58:30] there an opportunity for us to build something in that

[1:58:34] particular site. And we've always said the skin in the

[1:58:38] game for lack of a better word that the municipality

[1:58:40] has, uh, is land now in that broader precinct. PORRO.

[1:58:44] So I'm happy to hear that because that was one

[1:58:46] of the questions I had when we talked about EOI

[1:58:48] at the last meeting, you know, how are we going

[1:58:50] to shape it so that's clear that that's one of

[1:58:51] our priorities. So if that's the intent of this, then

[1:58:54] I support it. Thank you. So I just want to

[1:58:59] clarify something. Mr. CAO, would you define this as, um,

[1:59:05] simply intent. Or something much stronger than that. Through amount

[1:59:15] of mayor, I think it's, it's both. I think it's

[1:59:17] the intent. You know, an EOI needs to go out

[1:59:20] and we need to evaluate what comes back in that

[1:59:22] expression of interest. I think I said that evening on

[1:59:25] a number of occasions that I don't want to presuppose

[1:59:28] what the size is. I don't want to presuppose the

[1:59:32] type of, um, funding model, uh, the type of provider

[1:59:36] who will look at that particular site. I think the

[1:59:38] number of different options we can look at. But the,

[1:59:42] you know, its intent in directing staff, I think to

[1:59:45] very fulsomely look at this and incorporated into the EOI.

[1:59:49] Obviously that's coming back to council. Council will have the

[1:59:51] final decision. So I, you know, I think I want

[1:59:54] to put a finite point on that. Ultimately council will

[1:59:57] decide. But yes, in our expression of interest, we will

[2:00:01] include affordable housing. Okay. Very good. Thank you. Councillor Brune,

[2:00:06] go ahead. Uh, thank you, Madam Mayor. Through you, first

[2:00:10] of all, I wanted to thank Councillor Pachiriba and Councillor

[2:00:12] Timmers for bringing this motion forward. Uh, the number of

[2:00:15] us around the horseshoe that have sat on the, um,

[2:00:20] in different iterations of the housing committee, I think going

[2:00:23] back to 2017. So it's been a long time in

[2:00:29] the process and I want to thank all the individuals

[2:00:32] that are in the room and those that aren't in

[2:00:34] the room that are waiving the flag for affordable housing,

[2:00:38] um, throughout the community. Um, so through you, Madam Mayor.

[2:00:44] Councillor Pachiriva, um, spoke to one of the things that

[2:00:49] I wanted clarification on, uh, because I think there are

[2:00:53] a number of people, uh, within the community that are

[2:00:55] talking about the fact that the town should not be

[2:00:58] building or operating affordable housing. So, um, suffice it to

[2:01:02] say, uh, Mr. CAO that we are seeking operators and

[2:01:06] partners and we are not builders and we are not

[2:01:08] operators. Thank you, Madam Mayor, to the Councillor. That is

[2:01:13] correct. Council. So through you, Madam Mayor, I just was

[2:01:18] looking to see if the CAO or, or possibly Mr.

[2:01:21] Brooder could clarify just one thing. You know, we have

[2:01:24] heard since word got out that we purchased the land

[2:01:28] from the DSBN, you know, that the town has financial

[2:01:32] obligations. The land did not come free. Um, I think

[2:01:35] we paid, I believe, 2. 85 million dollars or somewhere

[2:01:39] in that vicinity. And we have an operating, uh, we

[2:01:42] have a loan, which I believe has a five year

[2:01:44] term. So we do have a commitment and we have,

[2:01:47] um, you know, we have debt that we need to

[2:01:49] repay. So through your metama, I'm just wondering if the

[2:01:53] CAO, and I don't want this to interfere with, you

[2:01:57] know, this motion in any way, shape or form. But

[2:01:59] for clarity purposes, um, you know, there are a number

[2:02:03] of objectives that we're trying to do here. We're trying

[2:02:06] to, uh, ensure that, you know, the BDS as precinct,

[2:02:10] uh, will, will be a site that we can make

[2:02:13] sure serves the community for the long term. And it's

[2:02:16] sustainable. Um, but there are people out there saying, you

[2:02:21] know, when will the debt be identified and when will

[2:02:24] the debt be repaid? So I'm wondering if either the

[2:02:28] CO or, um, Mr. Brooder can speak to, you know,

[2:02:32] whether these objectives, you know, can be working in parallel

[2:02:37] or just how, um, the town of Lincoln, uh, will

[2:02:42] be looking at this process moving forward. Mr. Kirkopoulos. Do

[2:02:47] you, Madam Mayor, did the councillor. And I was asked

[2:02:50] this question earlier today, Councillor, and my answer is the

[2:02:52] same. Really, it's a concurrent train as I look at

[2:02:56] it. Or two concurrent trains. They're not mutually exclusive. We

[2:03:00] realise we've got a five year window in the time

[2:03:02] on that five year window is progressing. We have a

[2:03:06] 2. 85 million dollar. It's a larger loan through IO,

[2:03:12] of which we've used the 2. 85 plus some legal

[2:03:15] fees. Uh, our priority is to pay that back. That

[2:03:18] doesn't mean we can't be looking at a small portion.

[2:03:22] Either of that site or the broader precinct. You hear

[2:03:25] me using the word precinct because in that precinct, we

[2:03:28] own other lands besides BDSS. And there are other vacant

[2:03:31] lands. And so I don't think we should presuppose it's

[2:03:33] just that site. We may want to look at what

[2:03:36] the broader precinct and determine where and if something makes

[2:03:39] sense in that particular area. So to answer your question,

[2:03:43] those aren't mutually exclusive. We will continue to look and

[2:03:46] ensure that our obligation to pay back, uh, that floating

[2:03:49] loan through infrastructure on terrio. And for everyone that doesn't

[2:03:53] know infrastructure, Ontario is not necessarily like your typical bank.

[2:03:59] It's run by the, or it is an arm's length

[2:04:02] kind of offshoot of the province of Ontario. And so

[2:04:05] the rates at which we borrow money, uh, how those

[2:04:07] are structured are very different. But I owe as the

[2:04:10] lender of the money to us. We have a five

[2:04:12] year window to pay it back. And that remains paramount.

[2:04:15] And our number one priority. At the same time, we

[2:04:18] need to look at the obligations. We have the commitments

[2:04:22] to the community to build affordable housing. There's some opportunities

[2:04:25] now with the federal government and the province of Ontario

[2:04:28] to tap into particular funding. Um, we are doing a

[2:04:31] lot of, you know, I would say work and analysis

[2:04:35] right now to determine what type of provider, what's the

[2:04:38] model look like talking to existing providers, both in Niagara

[2:04:43] and outside of Niagara that have done this existing contractors

[2:04:46] and trying to learn and ascertain what we do. And

[2:04:49] so those aren't again, mutually exclusive. You know, that is

[2:04:53] seem to be a confusing point out there for some

[2:04:55] people that we need to do one versus the other.

[2:04:58] That isn't the case. One will take a lot longer.

[2:05:00] And we will look at, you know, parsing off that

[2:05:03] site to pay back the, you know, the money that

[2:05:05] we owe prior to the five year window. I do

[2:05:13] see Director Bruder with his hand up. So he may

[2:05:15] want to chime in. Go ahead, Mr. Brooder. Thank you,

[2:05:18] Mayor Eason, through you to the Councillor. I just, I

[2:05:20] wanted to just point out one other thing. Um, you

[2:05:23] notice in the motion, we don't have any specific model

[2:05:25] or any specific parameters necessarily affordable housing opportunities can take

[2:05:31] very different shapes and forms a wide variety of them.

[2:05:34] Um, when you take that in the context of the

[2:05:36] available, um, vacant land there, we're talking about the vacant

[2:05:39] piece alone probably around seven acres or so on those

[2:05:43] lands. So I think really it presents, as our CIO

[2:05:45] stated an opportunity to look at these things concurrently, I

[2:05:48] don't think it's, it's one or the other, obviously priority

[2:05:51] is dealing with the dead peace. But that doesn't presuppose

[2:05:54] an opportunity still to manage to create an opportunity or

[2:05:57] fit in an affordable housing project that we find viable.

[2:06:00] So. Just want to clarify that point. Thank you very

[2:06:04] much. Yeah. Just, just in, in wrapping up, you know,

[2:06:09] I realise, you know, the complete transparency tonight. There's no

[2:06:13] decision being made. The decision will be made by the

[2:06:17] next council in the next term. Um, but I think

[2:06:20] this is an important step. Um, and, uh, I hope

[2:06:25] that the two proponents of this motion will be asking

[2:06:28] for a recorded vote. I think it's important that we

[2:06:31] note that, uh, and I will be supporting this. Thank

[2:06:34] you, Madam Mayor. Moving on now to Councillor Mikkelik. Thank

[2:06:43] you very much. Um, through you to staff through you

[2:06:49] two, uh, Councillor Pachiriva. What I'm looking at their where

[2:06:53] as is, um, as Councillor Brunet mentioned, like, you know,

[2:06:58] I've sat on this, um, board as well. This committee

[2:07:02] as well. Once upon a time and back then, we

[2:07:05] looked at a number of properties that we had owned

[2:07:09] at the time. These were, we were looking at surplus

[2:07:13] lands. That's where can we do something like that? You

[2:07:18] know, what sort of thing? So when I'm looking at

[2:07:20] this where as and strategic use of surplus municipal lands,

[2:07:23] I feel like the use of the word surplus in

[2:07:26] this instance is devaluing the land that we acquired. It

[2:07:33] was never surplus. It was purchased. So I'm just wondering

[2:07:37] if that use of the word surplus should be in

[2:07:41] this whereas. Because typically whereas is our standard whereas is

[2:07:46] where in this case, uh, the use of the word

[2:07:49] surplus, which this land was wired. And paid for with

[2:07:54] debt.

[2:08:10] Back. End. Okay. Thank you. Um, through you, your worship

[2:08:16] to Councillor Mickluck. The reason why surpluses is in there

[2:08:19] is because when, uh, Council Timers and I first brought

[2:08:21] this motion forward back last year, it was looking, um,

[2:08:27] we were looking at the BDSS site specifically. And then

[2:08:32] from listening to council, they said, look at the precinct.

[2:08:36] So the precinct is everything from the Lincoln Centre around

[2:08:41] to Bombery Park. So some of those lands are in

[2:08:44] essence surplus. That's why that word is in there. And

[2:08:50] around context, I don't want to get into a discussion

[2:08:53] where we go around and round and around and wordsmith.

[2:08:58] I think if the intent is there and we were,

[2:09:00] we worked with staff Councillor Timbers and I to be

[2:09:03] really strategic on this to have it open - ended.

[2:09:06] So that's why that word's there. So it's not devaluing

[2:09:11] the school property itself. But it's going from corner to

[2:09:15] corner. PONO. I'm going to ask Mr. Kropo is to

[2:09:23] comment on this as well. Go ahead. I threw you,

[2:09:25] Madam Mayor. And thanks for the opportunity, Councillor, or Madam

[2:09:29] Mayor. And to you, councillor. Just a point of clarification.

[2:09:32] The process that we undertake in order to sell land

[2:09:35] or transfer land is something that we refer to as

[2:09:38] declaring it surplus so that we can then sell that

[2:09:41] particular land. So it's not necessarily anything with respect to

[2:09:44] devaluing the land or how the land was acquired. But

[2:09:47] rather a way that municipalities under the municipal act are

[2:09:52] able to consider the sale or transfer of municipal land.

[2:09:55] So it needs to be declared surplus. And then we

[2:09:58] are able to transfer that. So, uh, I don't want

[2:10:01] you to think that in any way this devalues the

[2:10:03] land or somehow, um, looks at the land, uh, any

[2:10:08] less than it is, uh, and at the end of

[2:10:10] the day, um, puts us in a negative position. It's

[2:10:13] just the municipal act wording that is required. By my

[2:10:19] mind. Perfect. Thank you. Thank you for that clarification. I

[2:10:21] just, I just remember back in the day we were,

[2:10:24] we were like excited. We were hoping we were one

[2:10:28] of the pillars. It was one of the reasons why

[2:10:29] we acquired that, uh, BDSS site, you know. And we

[2:10:34] had surplus land, but we couldn't find any surplus land

[2:10:38] suitable at that time. Another question I have through you,

[2:10:42] um, either Councillor Patriva or our CAO is in the

[2:10:47] where eyes, in the final whereas staff have commenced preliminary

[2:10:51] analysis and discussions, including mapping out expressions of interest regarding

[2:10:56] the feasibility of incorporating affordable housing. Where are we with

[2:11:00] this? We've, we've owned the property for a year and

[2:11:05] a half now, um, we've known that we were going

[2:11:08] to acquire the property for a year prior to that.

[2:11:12] We were taking a run at acquiring prior to having

[2:11:19] the memorandum of understanding MOU. For probably, you know, we

[2:11:24] were talking about a kicking the can for two years

[2:11:26] prior to that. Where are we realistically with this, um,

[2:11:31] mapping out of an expression of interest. When can we

[2:11:34] actually expect this. Go ahead, Mr. C. A. POULO. Through

[2:11:40] you, Madam Mayor, to the Councillor, I'll start and turn

[2:11:42] it over to Matt. And I know, um, you know,

[2:11:44] Matt's been working on the various planning items and the

[2:11:47] specifics in terms of some of the modelling and identifying

[2:11:51] the site and what that site would look like. Um,

[2:11:53] but a lot of that analysis is just that councillor,

[2:11:56] uh, we are looking at the site. You're right. We've

[2:11:58] had the site since January of 2025 in our hands.

[2:12:02] Um, there were a number of processes that the school

[2:12:05] board needed to go to. We've been doing a lot

[2:12:07] of engagement since then. I'm not going to rehash the

[2:12:09] presentation from two months ago as it relates to BDSS.

[2:12:15] And, you know, the broader precinct and some of our

[2:12:16] actions other than to say, uh, that we are working

[2:12:20] on that EOI. And it will be ready probably the

[2:12:22] first thing that the new council will look at the

[2:12:25] minute you're sworn in, uh, and we have a few

[2:12:27] dates in front of you. That'll be one of the

[2:12:28] first things that we bring forward. Uh, but I'll turn

[2:12:31] to Director Brewer on more of the specifics or the

[2:12:34] mechanics of that EOI. PONO Mr. Berter. Through Mayor East

[2:12:40] into the Councillor. Yeah. Just in addition to what our

[2:12:43] CAO just said, um, we've also had some kind of

[2:12:46] some important kind of foundational discussions with, uh, Niger Regional

[2:12:51] Housing. They've been involved in other kind of opportunities structures

[2:12:54] of agreements and whatnot, um, with other providers, I think

[2:12:58] of something like port cares and trying to model after

[2:13:00] something like that. So we've had these preliminary discussions already

[2:13:03] to understand how it works. There's a lot of moving

[2:13:05] parts, especially as you heard earlier. We're not, we're not

[2:13:09] landlords here. Our role is mostly the land. So then

[2:13:12] you have to figure out, okay, you have to have

[2:13:14] a contractor. You've got to have an operator and so

[2:13:18] on and so on. And we've had discussions with all

[2:13:19] of these. Um, with the purpose of ensuring that the

[2:13:23] information we get from those is what we can show

[2:13:26] in the EOI that we bring back to council. So

[2:13:28] we've had many of those discussions. They're productive. There is,

[2:13:33] there's a lot of good partners and staff working at

[2:13:35] Niger Regional Housing. We've been in contact with them on

[2:13:37] and off, um, for quite a while now. So, um,

[2:13:40] as our CAO said, we expect to come back early

[2:13:43] in the new term. PONO. Thank you very much. And

[2:13:48] then finally my third question. I don't think any of

[2:13:52] them have been pretty pointed. But, um, when we talk

[2:13:57] about, um, searching for a, you know, acquiring a proper

[2:14:04] suitable sort of partner with all of this, how are

[2:14:09] we going to determine what makes what looks like a

[2:14:12] good partner? What sort of matrix are we going to

[2:14:15] do? Who's going to make that decision. Let me try

[2:14:19] to ask 15 questions in one. But like how, how

[2:14:22] are we going to, how are we going to determine

[2:14:26] like differentiate a tire kicker, a dreamer and endure. Who's

[2:14:32] going to make these sorts of challenging decisions when we're

[2:14:35] talking about municipal land that has a value to, it

[2:14:38] has a cost to it moving down the road. It's

[2:14:42] just a matter of you've been dreaming on this for

[2:14:45] a while. A little bigger warship and through you to

[2:14:50] the councillor. You know, when we look at structuring the

[2:14:53] EOI moving forward, I think, you know, there's, that's the

[2:14:56] important piece. It's going to have to be the evaluation

[2:14:59] criteria. There's probably going to be, you know, a scoring

[2:15:02] system, a waiting system. It's going to be based on

[2:15:04] maybe experience of service providers and contractors that apply. Maybe

[2:15:08] it's going to be based on a performa that they're

[2:15:10] able to provide in support of their application. It's all

[2:15:13] about the quality of the application and demonstrating that there's

[2:15:16] an ability not just to undertake the initial works, but

[2:15:18] also see the project through from start to finish. Um,

[2:15:21] as for who's making those decisions, uh, I think there

[2:15:25] probably needs to be a little bit more discussion there.

[2:15:28] Um, haven't quite mapped out exactly what that looks like

[2:15:31] yet. But again, it's going to be something when we

[2:15:33] have an EOI completed that council is going to see.

[2:15:36] And they're going to be obviously involved in that decision

[2:15:39] as well before we go forward with it. But again,

[2:15:41] that EOI, in my opinion, anyway, will include some structure

[2:15:45] and some scoring criteria and waiting as it pertains to

[2:15:48] affordable housing. So we can evaluate a provider based on

[2:15:51] their track record. Um, and previous experience. PON. Thank you.

[2:15:58] And appreciate that answer. I think that's going to be

[2:16:00] a significant piece to this. I think that's going to

[2:16:02] be extremely important to get anything over the finish line

[2:16:07] or even anything to the starting lines. So, and, you

[2:16:11] know, with, it's looking like this is going to be

[2:16:14] at least three, four months from now. And then maybe

[2:16:16] another. So I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, you know,

[2:16:21] I'm not getting ready myself if I get reelected for

[2:16:23] any sort of ribbon cuttings too soon. So I want

[2:16:26] to make sure everybody here is patient with this that

[2:16:29] it doesn't happen that quickly. The fact that we're even

[2:16:33] here, I think is pretty remarkable. Thank you. Thank you

[2:16:38] very much, Councillor. I'd like to hear from the CAO.

[2:16:43] Do you matter Mayor to the Councillor? I mean, one

[2:16:44] of the things I just want to echo is that,

[2:16:47] um, council ultimately will be making a decision. We did

[2:16:51] talk about bringing the UI back sharing that with council,

[2:16:54] uh, in the term in terms of who often assesses

[2:16:58] matrices. I mean, usually that's a staff team that we

[2:17:00] put together as well as external, uh, expertise or external

[2:17:05] consultants, uh, external, um, individuals, contractors, whatever it may be.

[2:17:11] I know we've met with a few. Some is recently

[2:17:14] as this week. Um, if I look at, you know,

[2:17:17] affordable housing projects and feasibility assessment matrices, uh, I have

[2:17:21] one from the region, uh, that I've just pulled up

[2:17:24] in front of me. And, you know, just to give

[2:17:26] you an idea of assessment areas that we look at,

[2:17:28] things like affordability and community benefit, financial feasibility. Municipal, financial

[2:17:34] impact, planning and site feasibility, deliverability and readiness, infrastructure and

[2:17:40] servicing long - term affordability and developer capacity and risk.

[2:17:45] So I want to put your mind at ease councillor,

[2:17:47] or at least reassure members of council who may be

[2:17:50] having a similar thoughts, that the number of things that

[2:17:53] would go into that, um, and then this suggested weights

[2:17:56] that we have with each of those in order to

[2:17:57] make that particular assessment. So, um, we will be in

[2:18:01] front of you again, as I said, uh, with more

[2:18:03] information as we move forward. But this is a key

[2:18:05] step in moving, um, an affordability housing project forward. Thank

[2:18:12] you very much, Mr. Grakopoulos. We'll move on now to

[2:18:16] Councillor Murray. Go ahead, Councillor. Thank you very much, Mayor

[2:18:19] Easton. Through you to potentially, um, our, our, our colleague

[2:18:26] who has moved this motion or perhaps to our CAO.

[2:18:30] I think that the issue of Affordable housing is important.

[2:18:34] I think nobody in this room doesn't believe that that's

[2:18:36] true. And I think we all believe that the availability

[2:18:38] of all levels of housing in our community is what

[2:18:42] creates a whole vibrant and healthy community. However, everybody else

[2:18:47] in this room also knows that our municipal revenue systems,

[2:18:51] as in property tax levy, are not designed to fund

[2:18:54] projects like this. Now I recognise that we're not talking

[2:18:56] about funding a project. However, this is a regional provincial

[2:19:01] and even federal mandate. And they have revenue streams that

[2:19:04] are not tied directly to property values that are better

[2:19:07] suited for funding a project like this. So then what

[2:19:11] can we as municipality do? It's in this motion in

[2:19:15] that, um, we can promote affordable housing by removing barriers

[2:19:19] by working to develop partnerships by providing opportunities and by

[2:19:23] advocating to other levels of government, which we have already

[2:19:26] done and which we have already committed to continue doing.

[2:19:29] So everybody at this table has already said on more

[2:19:33] than one occasion that the BDSS precinct is our best

[2:19:36] and brightest opportunity for Affordable Housing in our Town. And

[2:19:40] that if we miss this opportunity, we have made a

[2:19:42] big mistake. We've all said that. That's not news to

[2:19:45] any of us. So staff have already initiated tasks like

[2:19:49] talking with potential partners. Affordable housing has consistently been a

[2:19:53] part of our conversations around what's going to happen with

[2:19:55] this site. An EOI regarding a feasibility has already commenced.

[2:20:00] That's, that's in this, that's in this motion. So then

[2:20:04] I have two points, two questions that I'd like to

[2:20:06] ask. First of all, is I'm not sure that I

[2:20:08] understand why now, why this? And by that I mean,

[2:20:14] we're already doing everything that this motion is asking for.

[2:20:16] We have committed. We are, we are moving forward. We

[2:20:18] have talked with partners. We are already committed to advocating

[2:20:22] at other levels of government. So everything that you're asking

[2:20:24] us to do in this motion has already been initiated.

[2:20:28] So I don't understand. What this motion creates or achieves

[2:20:32] that isn't already in place. And then the second piece,

[2:20:35] which is maybe a second question or part of the

[2:20:38] same is we have to recognise that although this is

[2:20:42] our land, land has a cost. And there's an opportunity

[2:20:45] cost for using this land for affordable housing instead of

[2:20:48] for another project. And that's fine. I think it's important

[2:20:52] that that's where we're using our funding for. But how

[2:20:55] do we anticipate offsetting that cost so that it's not

[2:20:58] downloaded onto the municipal taxpayer because we've already said our

[2:21:01] system isn't designed to do that. Okay. I'm going to

[2:21:05] start with the CAO because there's policy issues here that

[2:21:09] we should clarify. And then if it's necessary, we'll see

[2:21:13] what, um, the mover and seconder have to say. Go

[2:21:18] ahead. Through you, Madam Mayor. And I'm probably going to

[2:21:22] push it back to Councillor Pachiriva because from everything you've

[2:21:26] said, you're absolutely correct. We've begun a lot of that

[2:21:28] work. Uh, emotion and the political nature of motions. And

[2:21:34] what we've seen around this table on numerous occasions where

[2:21:37] Council wants to actually draw a line in the sand

[2:21:40] and put something forward is something that you all do.

[2:21:44] Uh, we take that direction and we move forward on

[2:21:46] it. But you're absolutely correct, Councillor, that, um, we are

[2:21:51] beginning a lot of that feasibility work. Do I need

[2:21:52] direction to do feasibility work? No. But oftentimes you direct

[2:21:55] me to do a lot of things. I don't need

[2:21:57] direction for, uh, but you do it because I think

[2:21:59] Council wants to put a finite marker forward and you

[2:22:04] want to show that you have a level of commitment

[2:22:05] towards something. And so I think the nature of this

[2:22:09] type of conversation, the importance of it. Sometimes the diametrically

[2:22:13] opposed views that we often find with projects that are

[2:22:16] a little more contentious. It means Council wants to be

[2:22:18] taking some of these steps. There are certain things legislatively

[2:22:22] as the mayor said that Council will have to have

[2:22:25] a say in in terms of when we start looking

[2:22:28] at, uh, the disposition of land, the declaration of land

[2:22:32] being surplus, how much land, um, what sort of rebates

[2:22:36] potentially we get into with affordable housing providers. And by

[2:22:40] rebates, I mean, you know, the town becomes a conduit

[2:22:43] between the region that actually provides the funding and a

[2:22:47] particular builder in order to do that. There's 25 year

[2:22:50] agreements that need to be in place and so forth

[2:22:53] that often happens. So it's not money coming from the

[2:22:55] town per se, but it is regional services, regional supports.

[2:22:59] Um, if we're out there advocating publicly, uh, sometimes having

[2:23:03] direction from council is an important piece of that. Uh,

[2:23:06] so that we're not just out there talking about a

[2:23:08] particular project without that council backing. But I'll look to

[2:23:12] Councillor PACHARIVA if he wants that. Why he feels the

[2:23:15] motion is needed now. Notwithstanding, we're doing the work already.

[2:23:21] Go ahead, Councillor Patrick. Yeah. Thanks to worship. And I

[2:23:24] think first and foremost, it closes the loop on the

[2:23:27] first notice of motion. Councillor Timmers and I brought May

[2:23:31] 26, 2025. That night council was not comfortable because our

[2:23:38] CAO and our Director of Planning weren't here. So like

[2:23:43] the CAO said work is driven by motion. And we

[2:23:49] thought it's important that it comes back. Uh, there's been

[2:23:53] groundswell in the community of Affordable Housing Lincoln of the

[2:23:57] work of our housing select committee. It provides validation to

[2:24:02] the work of not only this term, but when Council

[2:24:06] Bernet and Councillor Mickeluck and Council Rinchamora on there going

[2:24:10] back to 2017, right? It's some momentum and momentum is

[2:24:15] now growing. And the time to close all this and

[2:24:19] make it formal. Is now. And your second point about

[2:24:24] opportunity cost. I'm the biggest, and that's why we included

[2:24:29] precinct. That was the big thing that came out of

[2:24:32] that night was the word precinct. Don't tie your hands

[2:24:35] on the BDSS site. Allow it to go from the

[2:24:39] Lincoln Centre around to Bombery Park. I'm the biggest blue

[2:24:43] sky are in the world. I can dream in technicolor.

[2:24:48] And what I potentially would love to see is something

[2:24:52] similar to the Legion in Portugalzi. So maybe it's the,

[2:24:58] um, senior centre on central that's redone because it's getting,

[2:25:04] you know, that it needs work. And the housing goes

[2:25:06] on top. So then your opportunity cost is zero. Because

[2:25:12] it's not using up any land. So that's, that's why

[2:25:15] this is so open - ended. And that's why maybe

[2:25:18] these, these expressions of interest hopefully will shake some trees

[2:25:23] and have someone come with something thought - provoking that

[2:25:27] may be can solve two or three issues. So Councillor,

[2:25:31] that's why now, and that's the opportunity cost. So thank

[2:25:37] you. Thank you, Wish. Thank you. Mr. Kirkopoulis has a

[2:25:43] response. And then Councillor Murray still has the floor. So

[2:25:47] we'll be going back to her. Through you, Madam Mayor

[2:25:48] and I apologise, Councillor. I didn't answer your opportunity, cost

[2:25:51] question. I just focused on the first part of that.

[2:25:54] You know, I'm not going to pretend otherwise that there

[2:25:56] is in value and an opportunity cost to land that

[2:25:59] could be sold at fire market value. And we know

[2:26:02] what potentially fair market value looks like in there. Obviously,

[2:26:06] um, reducing that cost or eliminating it completely for affordable

[2:26:10] housing does have a cost to it. But I think

[2:26:13] the question is what creates the long - term value

[2:26:16] for the community. And oftentimes, uh, just in a conversation

[2:26:19] this morning, uh, with someone who's in this particular realm

[2:26:22] who does a lot of the construction, you know, you

[2:26:25] need to look, we do a lot of things, as

[2:26:27] you've heard me say on a number of occasions, uh,

[2:26:29] that don't necessarily either break even or generate the most

[2:26:34] revenue for what we do. I couldn't operate ice rinks

[2:26:38] and arenas at what it costs me to recoup the

[2:26:41] dollars that it costs on a per hour basis. I'd

[2:26:43] have this room more full than it is tonight if

[2:26:46] I wanted to increase them and recoup the dollars similarly

[2:26:49] for libraries and a number of other services. Now some

[2:26:52] people will not and say, well, yeah, those have been

[2:26:53] around a long time and they're the traditional services municipalities

[2:26:58] provide, but 300 and change to operate an hour of

[2:27:01] ice versus the 175 I charge. You start seeing how

[2:27:05] there's definitely a discrepancy in that. So I think the

[2:27:07] question council needs to look at is how do we

[2:27:10] create long - term value in the community? And sometimes

[2:27:12] we have to put these types of value propositions forward

[2:27:16] and how these types of value conversations. So that's how

[2:27:19] I'd answer. I think that, um, that opportunity cost question.

[2:27:25] Murray, you're a floor. Thank you. Um, I appreciate those

[2:27:28] answers. I appreciate the fulsomeness of the thought that's gone

[2:27:31] into this motion as well as the work over the

[2:27:35] last three years or two and a half years after

[2:27:38] we first of all discuss purchasing it. And then after

[2:27:40] purchasing, I would also just want to suggest to Councillor

[2:27:43] Pachirima that the previous motion that was considered before this

[2:27:46] was, was quite a bit different than this motion as

[2:27:48] well. So I just want to clarify too that, um,

[2:27:52] one of the reasons I feel like that motion didn't

[2:27:54] move forward was perhaps because it hadn't evolved as much

[2:27:56] as this one had. Um, and, and then also, um,

[2:28:01] you know, the idea of it costs to create a

[2:28:04] community service and that we all need to support, um,

[2:28:08] the better societal good. I'm on board with that. I

[2:28:11] agree with it. But I think we just need to

[2:28:13] be really cognizant and aware of what we have, what

[2:28:17] we are agreeing to pay for. And that's fine. And

[2:28:20] it's, it's good. Um, but, but let's go into it

[2:28:23] with our eyes wide open. That's just pretty much where

[2:28:26] I, where I wanted to go with that. Thank you.

[2:28:28] Okay. Thank you very much Council Murray. And I would

[2:28:32] add to that, that unfortunately we can look, um, many

[2:28:39] municipalities in Niagara and find real data. On how much

[2:28:45] it is costing them to survive through encampments. And they

[2:28:52] can certainly identify the costs. And they are overwhelming. Our

[2:28:56] opportunity costs would be gone out to the window in

[2:29:00] no time. And those are real numbers that are out

[2:29:03] there well documented. So thank you for your question. Councillor

[2:29:08] Russell. Thank you, Madam Mayor. Very quickly, um, again, I

[2:29:12] like the open endedness of this motion. Um, again, I

[2:29:15] think it does, uh, again, give us a lot of

[2:29:17] flexibility. Again, at least the next term does when, uh,

[2:29:21] they make, uh, that decision. My only question is again,

[2:29:25] when it comes to the reservation point, um, to the

[2:29:29] RCAO, do you think that when we get to that

[2:29:31] point of making the reservation and actually starting to think

[2:29:35] about the land itself, are we going to put a

[2:29:37] timeline on that, uh, use of land so that the

[2:29:41] end date. At least just to try to keep a

[2:29:44] book in so that whoever those interested parties are, they

[2:29:47] have a date to work towards instead of just having

[2:29:49] like a vacant piece of land until, um, again, for

[2:29:54] years to come, uh, while people are trying to work

[2:29:57] on the math, uh, and making sure that the model

[2:30:00] does work is they're going to be an end date

[2:30:02] that Council can reevaluate whether or not it is actually

[2:30:05] a viable, um, opportunity. Or if it's just, uh, we

[2:30:08] need to reconsider how that land gets used in the

[2:30:10] future. Do you, Madam Mayor, to the Councillor. I think

[2:30:13] we need to have, um, parameters and goalposts at Councillor.

[2:30:17] I don't think we can have moving goal post or

[2:30:19] no goal posts at all. I think it's important that

[2:30:21] we have that, um, and I think, uh, it's important.

[2:30:25] And what I heard today again, meeting with someone who's

[2:30:27] in this particular realm and who does this type of

[2:30:29] work is that sometimes it's the municipality causing the whole

[2:30:33] dog, not necessarily the private sector that's looking to do

[2:30:35] something. So I think where we can, um, the municipality

[2:30:39] needs to get out of the way. Um, once our

[2:30:40] portion is done, but absolutely we need to have, um,

[2:30:44] goalposts and timeline set on, on either end of this

[2:30:47] to ensure that the work gets done, uh, because with

[2:30:50] all work, uh, like this, uh, and we're talking about

[2:30:53] value and property values, um, time is sometimes money. Uh,

[2:30:58] and the value of property often changes as well. So

[2:31:00] we do need to have some posts so that we

[2:31:02] can start to do the necessary financial planning that we

[2:31:05] have to have. Okay. Thank you. Good, thank you very

[2:31:10] much. And next is Councillor Timmers. Go ahead. Thank you,

[2:31:14] Mary Stin. Wow. I'm going to keep it really brief.

[2:31:19] So, you know, good discussion tonight. This has been a

[2:31:21] long time coming. I've been on the, um, housing select

[2:31:25] committee. And prior to all the different committees we had

[2:31:29] around this topic since the beginning. It's been a long

[2:31:32] haul. And we've known all along what we need. The

[2:31:36] one thing, the most important thing is an X on

[2:31:39] that map. We need a spot. We need the land.

[2:31:43] So this is what we're looking for. A formal commitment

[2:31:46] with this motion. It's a good motion. I appreciate everyone's,

[2:31:51] um, work on this over the years. I want to

[2:31:54] thank the, um, housing select committee members that are here

[2:31:57] tonight. Some are online. Also, um, Affordable Housing Lincoln who

[2:32:03] started to come to our meetings and really, really did

[2:32:06] some great advocacy out in the community. And it shows

[2:32:09] by the number of people that are here tonight that

[2:32:12] they support it. So I will be supporting this motion

[2:32:15] and I would like to, um, call for a recorded

[2:32:18] vote when that happens. Thank you very much. Thank you

[2:32:21] everyone for being here tonight. Thank you Councillor Timmers and

[2:32:26] Deputy Mayor Reimer, Chair Turn. Thank you Mayor Houston. Thank

[2:32:30] you to Councillor Patrice. Even Councillor Timurus for bringing this

[2:32:33] motion forward. It is thorough and it's complete. And I

[2:32:37] support it. Um. Our purchase of BDSS has never been

[2:32:43] about being a landlords or builders. I don't remember. It's

[2:32:45] ever talking about that and are bringing it up in

[2:32:47] discussion. It's always been about taking control, showing leadership and

[2:32:51] exploring opportunities for a piece of property. Uh, like BDSS.

[2:32:56] This is something that's going to shape and affect our

[2:32:58] downtown beamsville for generations. Um, and so many decisions we

[2:33:03] make, I think we forget. It's not about the residents,

[2:33:06] not only about the residents of today. But 30 years,

[2:33:09] 40 years from now. In 20 years, they're going to

[2:33:11] look back and say, you bought this piece of property

[2:33:13] for what. It's the same as the discussion we have

[2:33:15] with Councillor Foster, both the prices going up. That cost

[2:33:19] of that property that we purchased to do all these

[2:33:22] things or these opportunities, the potential to all these things,

[2:33:25] I think is minimal. Um, I do have one question

[2:33:28] and I'm not sure if it's too early to ask

[2:33:30] this in relationship to this motion. Um, two director brooder.

[2:33:36] It's a two early to talk about a secondary plan.

[2:33:39] Is that something that we need to. Work alongside of

[2:33:42] this? Not asking at all this to be part of

[2:33:44] the motion. That's not my point. But just maybe throwing

[2:33:47] it out there. Do we not need that in order

[2:33:48] to have other, you know, like the, like commenting and

[2:33:52] things like other input on this type of thing? Or

[2:33:54] is that, or is that too early for that type

[2:33:56] of conversation through you, Mayor Easton. Go ahead, Mr. Brooder.

[2:34:02] Thank you, Mayor East. And through you to the Councillor,

[2:34:04] I don't think it's too early to bring it up.

[2:34:07] But the way I see it is I think that

[2:34:08] the next step and, you know, that's what we kind

[2:34:10] of outlined in our previous presentation. I think we have

[2:34:13] to go the eel route first. And the reason I

[2:34:16] say that is I think we have to establish from

[2:34:18] a broad level. Um, you know, what do we really

[2:34:21] want to see out of this particular site? Obviously one

[2:34:24] of the things we want to see is what's being

[2:34:25] talked about a little bit tonight. I think from there,

[2:34:27] then you go into working once you've got maybe an

[2:34:31] organisation or maybe a group of organisations that you're going

[2:34:33] to be working with on the site or what have

[2:34:35] you. Then from there, you can kind of work hand

[2:34:37] in hand to make sure you develop a policy framework

[2:34:39] that works. Obviously with public consultation being a key component,

[2:34:43] I think of the second, it's a different situation, but

[2:34:45] the secondary plan we did for prudims, for example, you

[2:34:48] know, we worked very closely with the developer team to

[2:34:50] try to come up with something that was a suitable

[2:34:53] for, you know, public benefit and for members of the

[2:34:56] community, but also in line with, uh, what was realistic

[2:35:00] for the site according to the developer. So I could

[2:35:02] see a similar process here. And a follow up, if

[2:35:06] I may, Mayor said, and, and Matt, just along those

[2:35:10] same lines then, once, let's say this EOI looking had

[2:35:12] the UI is finished and completed. And we have with

[2:35:16] the, with the land use then, you know, like as

[2:35:18] far as. Practical areas of what we're going to use

[2:35:24] or potentially use the piece of property for, then that

[2:35:26] would incorporate into our secondary plan. Does that make sense?

[2:35:30] Or is that along the. Mr. Bruder? Yeah. Um, Drew

[2:35:33] Mayor Easton. Yeah. Generally speaking, I think that's correct. Obviously

[2:35:36] when you get into that developing the actual land use

[2:35:38] policies that tie in with the EOI. Yeah. There's going

[2:35:40] to be some further refinement. You know, what happens or

[2:35:43] what submitted at the AOI stage? Is that going to

[2:35:45] be the final product? Maybe not completely, but it informs

[2:35:48] the next step, which is a little bit more detailed

[2:35:50] oriented when it comes to a secondary plan or a

[2:35:53] master plan or something like that for the site. Okay.

[2:35:56] Thank you, Dr. Reeder. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you very

[2:35:58] much. There's no other speakers. I have a question of

[2:36:04] the CAO. This has to do with speak up Lincoln

[2:36:09] on a number of occasions tonight. There were, I think,

[2:36:13] very laudable efforts by Council to ensure and yourself to

[2:36:18] ensure that there's accurate information. Could we post, or maybe

[2:36:24] we have, I didn't check in the last few days.

[2:36:27] Could we post accurate information on speak up Lincoln in

[2:36:33] regard to the way these questions are being asked in

[2:36:37] some of the suppositions that are being made? Where do

[2:36:41] we stand with that? I think we need some, uh,

[2:36:44] we need a consistent communication access for the public. Mr.

[2:36:51] C. A. PO. To you, Madam Mayor. Um, yeah, I

[2:36:54] think the simple answer is yes. I think we can

[2:36:56] find a, it may be simpler way. Um, and maybe

[2:37:00] it's not just speak up Lincoln in terms of how

[2:37:02] we communicate this to make sure that some of those

[2:37:04] clarifications are made and captured appropriately. So. Okay. All right.

[2:37:09] And I'm just, I'm assuming that that would include providing,

[2:37:14] uh, relevant correspondence to the select committee so that they

[2:37:18] have that consistent information as well. Okay. Well, thank you

[2:37:22] very much councillors. Great questions and good discussion. And, um,

[2:37:28] I'm very, very pleased to see this motion coming forward.

[2:37:31] So the motion has been read. Madam Clerk, I would

[2:37:34] ask you, uh, open the vote. And it has been

[2:37:36] requested to be recorded. P. That's been noted. And that

[2:37:41] will show up. Thank you. And I will. Open the

[2:37:50] vote. Yes.

[2:38:02] I will close that boat. And you will see on

[2:38:06] the screen that that, uh, carries unanimously and that will

[2:38:09] be noted in the minutes. Thank you. Thank you very

[2:38:12] much, Madam Clerk. The next item on the agenda is

[2:38:16] the reports of municipal officers. And I have Mayor's report

[2:38:20] to present this evening. And, um, I would begin by

[2:38:28] saying, good evening to everyone who is listening or is

[2:38:32] in the gallery. I'm sorry. Um, as I begin my

[2:38:39] Mayor's report this evening, I first want to congratulate all

[2:38:43] of the students across Lincoln who have completed another school

[2:38:47] year. And especially those who celebrated a graduation. It is

[2:38:52] an exciting time in your lives. With new opportunities ahead

[2:38:57] and probably a little uncertainty as well. We wish each

[2:39:01] of you every success in whatever path you choose. And

[2:39:04] wherever that path may take you. I also want to

[2:39:07] acknowledge our teacher's school staff and families. These milestones don't

[2:39:12] happen with photograph deal of support along the way. And

[2:39:16] thank you for everything you do for the young people

[2:39:19] of Lincoln. The July 21st storm was discussed in some

[2:39:26] detailed this evening. However, I want to also put on

[2:39:33] record that this was an extraordinary amount of rain and

[2:39:37] wind in a very short period of time. And different

[2:39:40] parts of our community experienced it in different ways. For

[2:39:44] some families, the impacts were significant, including the flooding of

[2:39:48] homes and properties. And I know how upsetting and stressful

[2:39:52] that can be. To everyone who has affected, please know

[2:39:55] that you have been very much on the minds of

[2:39:59] all staff, all councillors. And we want to, and we

[2:40:05] hope that as the days go by, and you're provided

[2:40:09] and access the support that's available, that it eases your

[2:40:13] minds as well. I want to sincerely thank our town

[2:40:17] staff, fire department and the Nigeria region, emergency responders, and

[2:40:23] everyone who worked through difficult conditions to respond to calls

[2:40:27] flooded roads overwhelmed systems and residents who needed help. There

[2:40:33] will always be lessons from events like this. We will

[2:40:36] continue to look at our infrastructure, how our systems performed,

[2:40:41] what we can reasonably do to make Lincoln more resilient

[2:40:45] as these extreme weather events become something communities everywhere are

[2:40:50] dealing with more frequently. So please continue to report your

[2:40:54] individual circumstances and make use of the information and supports

[2:40:59] that have been made available. I think, as you've all

[2:41:03] heard tonight, all of Council was heavily involved and certainly

[2:41:09] many, many of the staff. On October the 26th, we

[2:41:14] will be having our next municipal election. And the clerks

[2:41:20] department has been very busy preparing the systems that will

[2:41:23] be needed to ensure that everyone who is eligible to

[2:41:26] vote has that opportunity. The nomination period open may one,

[2:41:31] and we are beginning to see candidates come forward from

[2:41:34] mayor and the six Councillor Positions. And I'm very happy

[2:41:38] to see some of those potential councillors sitting with us

[2:41:45] this evening. I encourage residents to become engaged and learn

[2:41:49] about the candidates and most importantly to vote. Local government

[2:41:55] touches our lives every day, often in ways people don't

[2:41:58] immediately recognise and you're participation matters. Several weeks ago, I

[2:42:04] announced that after 12 years as mayor, I will not

[2:42:07] be seeking re - election. Together with my earlier six

[2:42:11] years as award - one councillor, it has been an

[2:42:15] extraordinary privilege to have served this community for 18 years.

[2:42:20] Since making that announcement, I have received many very kind

[2:42:23] messages, conversations, and acknowledgments. Some have brought back incredible memories

[2:42:29] that I thought that I had forgotten. I'm sincerely grateful

[2:42:33] for them and for the support and consideration that has

[2:42:36] been extended to me and to my family over many

[2:42:39] years. There will be another time for me to say

[2:42:43] more about that journey. I'm sure we still have work

[2:42:45] to do if tonight's meeting is any indication. In a

[2:42:52] mode of looking back and forward recently, CAO Microcopolis provided

[2:42:57] Council with an update on the progress made against our

[2:43:00] work plan. And staff have also prepared a broader review

[2:43:04] covering this entire 2022 to 2026 term. This is something

[2:43:12] that we take very, very seriously. And when you look

[2:43:16] at everything together, Lincoln has much to be proud of.

[2:43:20] The approach we have taken has really been quite simple.

[2:43:24] Listen to the community, establish priorities. Build a strategic plan

[2:43:30] and work plan around those priorities. And most importantly, get

[2:43:35] on with delivering it. That has resulted in significant investments

[2:43:41] in roads, water, and wastewater infrastructure, parks, recreation, libraries, economic

[2:43:46] development, housing, community services, and many other areas. It is

[2:43:52] also allowed us to think differently about some of the

[2:43:54] opportunities before us and to take on projects that perhaps

[2:43:59] a municipality of our size would not traditionally have trachen

[2:44:03] on BDSS is certainly one of those opportunities. None of

[2:44:08] this happens because of one person. It happens because council

[2:44:13] establishes direction, professional staff execute that direction. Residents participate and

[2:44:19] our partners work with us. And I particularly want to

[2:44:23] acknowledge the tremendous support that Lincoln has received from other

[2:44:27] levels of government and our many partners. MPPSEM Ustrehoff MPD

[2:44:33] Nellison Regional Councillor Rob Foster, regional CAO Ron Trip and

[2:44:38] Regional Staff, along with many ministers, agencies, community organisations and

[2:44:44] others have worked with Lincoln over the years. We deliberately

[2:44:49] built a strong government relations program because of municipality, our

[2:44:55] size cannot accomplish everything on its own. Those relationships have

[2:45:01] resulted in millions of dollars of investment in Lincoln, and

[2:45:05] more importantly, projects and services that have made a difference

[2:45:09] in people's lives. The collaboration has been one of the

[2:45:14] great strengths of Lincoln. In the matter of a changing

[2:45:20] environment, there is something else I have been thinking about

[2:45:24] a great deal, particularly as we enter another municipal election.

[2:45:29] And that is the way that residents receive information and

[2:45:33] how it has changed dramatically during my time in public

[2:45:37] life. Traditional local media is much smaller than it once

[2:45:42] was. Social media has filled some of that space, but

[2:45:47] it is also created in an environment where information moves

[2:45:51] very quickly and often without the context or editorial oversight

[2:45:56] that once existed. We've talked a little bit about some

[2:46:01] of that tonight. How information can get off the track.

[2:46:07] How information could go from something that is very right

[2:46:11] to a whole lot of questions about things that have

[2:46:13] no fact base. As a municipality, we've worked very hard

[2:46:18] to communicate regularly and openly to our residents through Council

[2:46:22] meetings, staff reports, newsletter, speak up Lincoln, social media, public

[2:46:28] meetings, business communications, our new podcast, and many other channels.

[2:46:35] There's probably more information available about the work of the

[2:46:38] town today than at any other point during my time

[2:46:42] in office. That doesn't mean we always get a perfect.

[2:46:46] We don't. But the commitment to communicating openly, consistently and

[2:46:51] providing the facts has been very deliberate. Election campaigns can

[2:46:57] sometimes make this more difficult. Candidates for all naturally have

[2:47:01] different ideas and opinions. That is democracy, and it should

[2:47:05] be encouraged. But during elections, the law can also be

[2:47:09] said about decisions that have been made sometimes without the

[2:47:13] history, financial information, or the full context behind those decisions.

[2:47:19] As many of you who are watching this meeting tonight,

[2:47:22] will no one understand we have spent a great deal

[2:47:25] of time in this one meeting. Ensuring that some of

[2:47:29] those things, if not all of them, were covered as

[2:47:33] we worked our way through the agenda. My advice to

[2:47:37] council, staff, and those seeking public office is that we

[2:47:41] always take the higher road. Don't get drawn into every

[2:47:46] comment or criticism. Provide the facts. Explain the decisions. Correct

[2:47:52] misinformation when it is important to do so, and then

[2:47:56] continue doing the work. Residents deserve to understand not only

[2:48:01] what council decided, but why it was decided what alternatives

[2:48:06] were considered what it costs and what the consequences would

[2:48:10] have been if we chose a different path. We won't

[2:48:14] always agree. We aren't supposed to. And public service isn't

[2:48:19] about winning every argument. At the end of the day,

[2:48:23] we need to remember why we are here in the

[2:48:26] first place. It is because of a commitment to service

[2:48:29] and a belief that we can contribute something to the

[2:48:32] community we call home. That applies whether you are the

[2:48:36] mayor, a councillor, or someone putting their name forward for

[2:48:40] the very first time. Take the higher road, respect the

[2:48:45] institution, and remember that the community is bigger than anyone

[2:48:49] election or any one of us. That is that, in

[2:48:54] my opinion, is what public service should always be about.

[2:48:59] On the matter of leadership, many of you have heard

[2:49:03] me speak over the years about leadership around this horseshoe.

[2:49:07] Good councils need different perspectives. Different experiences and people who

[2:49:12] aren't afraid to challenge each other. Without that mixture of

[2:49:17] representation, our review of the community can become very narrow.

[2:49:21] My own approach to public service has always had started

[2:49:25] with empathy. Trying to put yourself in somebody else's shoes,

[2:49:31] understanding their circumstances, and then working toward a better outcome.

[2:49:37] Perhaps some of this comes from my background in healthcare.

[2:49:41] You learn to look at the whole system. You begin

[2:49:45] to understand how the pieces connect and think about the

[2:49:49] impact of decisions before and after they are made. Not

[2:49:53] just come up with quick solutions, throw it at the

[2:49:56] wall, and then wait and see what happens. That can

[2:50:00] be a very, very painful process for anybody that's impacted

[2:50:04] by that kind of decision - making. Municipal government isn't

[2:50:09] different than health care. Rhoads connect to growth. Growth connects

[2:50:13] to water and wastewater. Housing connects to economic development, recreation

[2:50:19] connects to health. Libraries connect to education and community. And

[2:50:24] all of it connects back to the quality of life

[2:50:27] people experience every day. So when you are having a

[2:50:31] conversation about what to take out of the budget, I

[2:50:36] can tell you that every decision positive or not positive

[2:50:41] has a major impact on somebody somewhere. And so that

[2:50:45] puts another layer of difficulty on all decisions that you

[2:50:49] will make if you sit around this table in the

[2:50:52] future. Our job, however, is to understand these connections. And

[2:50:57] whenever possible, to leave the community better than we found

[2:51:01] it. So as the next council, as Lincoln in the

[2:51:08] next council start turning the page for the next chapter.

[2:51:15] I believe the next council will inherit a municipality with

[2:51:19] a very strong foundation. There will be difficult decisions ahead.

[2:51:24] Housing, infrastructure, growth, affordability, climate resilience, financial sustainability among them.

[2:51:33] Those decisions will require thoughtful leadership, good information. And the

[2:51:38] willingness to sometimes look beyond the immediate issue to what

[2:51:42] is best for Lincoln 10 and 20 years from now.

[2:51:46] There are also cause to delaying decisions. We know this.

[2:51:50] We have experienced this within the last two to three

[2:51:53] years. Infrastructure does not become less expensive by waiting. And

[2:51:59] sometimes the greater risk is doing nothing. That is why

[2:52:03] our official plan, asset management plan, master plans and long

[2:52:08] - term financial planning are so important. They provide the

[2:52:12] roadmap that allows councils to make decisions based on evidence

[2:52:16] rather than simply the issue of the day. And I

[2:52:20] want to acknowledge that. Pending some business that may come

[2:52:24] forward in September tonight may in fact be our final

[2:52:27] regular Council meeting of this term. And if that's the

[2:52:31] case, I don't want this meeting to end without saying

[2:52:34] thank you. To my colleagues on council, all the councils

[2:52:39] from 2014, I thank you all. We've not always agreed,

[2:52:45] nor should we. But we have shared the responsibility of

[2:52:48] making decisions for this community sometimes very difficult ones. And

[2:52:53] I am very proud and you all should be very

[2:52:56] proud of what we have accomplished together. I also want

[2:53:01] to especially recognise CAO Mike and all of our senior

[2:53:06] staff, the senior leadership team, many of who have supporting

[2:53:11] roles with the mayor's office. The amount of work that

[2:53:15] happens behind the scenes is sometimes difficult for the people

[2:53:18] to see. For the public to see. These are people

[2:53:23] who have worked through emergencies, just like you had this

[2:53:26] past week. I wish you could have seen how the

[2:53:29] independently organised themselves in this building to ensure that calls

[2:53:34] were taken that information was accurate, that people that walked

[2:53:39] in unannounced were greeted and supported. It was really something

[2:53:45] to behold. They are dealing with significant growth. The challenge

[2:53:50] is significant. Changing legislation. I think the province is speaking

[2:53:56] to us more in a month than sometimes they would

[2:54:03] in a year. Financial pressures and some very ambitious projects,

[2:54:09] including the hospital. They have given counsel professional advice, sometimes

[2:54:16] advice we may not have wanted to hear and then

[2:54:19] carried out the direction of council. To Mike, in the

[2:54:23] entire senior team and really to all town staff, everyone,

[2:54:27] thank you. I have tremendous respect for the professionalism for

[2:54:31] the trades, for the commitment that you bring to Lincoln

[2:54:34] every day. I have watched, as you have counsel, Lincoln

[2:54:39] change considerably in the PAST 12 years. It has grown

[2:54:43] up. It needed to. We are in a very good

[2:54:47] place at this time. We have built infrastructure, strengthened our

[2:54:52] finances, expanded recreation and community services invested in our downtowns,

[2:54:58] built relationships with other governments, and taken on projects that

[2:55:02] at one time might have seemed beyond the reach of

[2:55:05] a municipality our size. And we did this keeping the

[2:55:09] youth of our community and the seniors of our community

[2:55:13] and the families of our community Top of mine. None

[2:55:18] of that belongs to one mayor. One council, or one

[2:55:22] CAO. It has been a team effort. I am proud

[2:55:26] of the culture we have built between Council and staff.

[2:55:31] For anyone new protected. Council should ask questions. Challenge assumptions,

[2:55:41] establish the direction of the municipality and then allow our

[2:55:45] professional staff to do the jobs we hired them to

[2:55:48] do. They're here because of your strategic initiatives. Treat them

[2:55:55] with respect. And defend their professional role. A healthy organisational

[2:56:02] culture takes years to build and can be damaged very

[2:56:05] quickly. And there are hefty costs that go along with

[2:56:09] that. For those who will sit around this horseshoe in

[2:56:13] the future, my advice is fairly simple. Think beyond the

[2:56:17] next meeting. Listen carefully, particularly to people whose experience is

[2:56:22] maybe different from your own. Understand the costs and risks

[2:56:27] of acting, but also understand the cost and risks of

[2:56:30] not acting. Leave your ego outside this building. Remember why

[2:56:36] you are sitting here. You are elected. Now you need

[2:56:40] to sit in the chair and learn about the job

[2:56:43] and be respectful of it. Because there will be many

[2:56:46] assumptions that you will come with that will not apply

[2:56:49] at all. You may be quite surprised. Remember that it

[2:56:55] isn't about any one of us. It is about leaving

[2:56:58] Lincoln a little better than we found it. I'm equally

[2:57:04] grateful. To the residents who have challenged us encouraged us

[2:57:09] participated and trusted us along the way. But if this

[2:57:13] is our last meeting around the horseshoe, I simply want

[2:57:18] to say thank you. Thank you to council. Thank you,

[2:57:21] Mike. And our senior staff. Thank you to every employee.

[2:57:27] Thank you to our community partners and other levels of

[2:57:31] government who have worked alongside us. Thank you to my

[2:57:33] family. Who have shared me with this community for a

[2:57:37] very long time. And most importantly, thank you to the

[2:57:41] people of Lincoln for giving me the extraordinary privilege of

[2:57:45] serving this community. We still have a few months left.

[2:57:49] And there is still work to do. So as we

[2:57:52] always have, let's get on with it. Thank you.

[2:58:17] Thank. You very much. I have a

[2:58:27] motion moved by Councillor Mickelik, seconded by Councillor Renema. That

[2:58:31] Council receive and file for information the following Mayor's Report.

[2:58:36] Madam Clerk, would you please open the vote. Lotus open,

[2:58:39] Madam Mayor.

[2:58:49] Cancer Timurs. That's. Okay. Thank you. I'll close that vote

[2:58:57] that carries, Madam Mayor. Thank you. The motion is carried.

[2:59:00] Item number 17 is confidential matters. We have none this

[2:59:04] evening. However, we do have two bylaws for consideration today.

[2:59:11] Do members have any questions on the Bibles.

[2:59:22] I see none. I have a motion move by Councillor

[2:59:26] Brunet. Second of I Council Russell. That leave be given

[2:59:29] to approve the following bylaws. 2026 - 41, a bylaw

[2:59:34] to establish lands legally described as one part of LOT

[2:59:39] 21 broken front concession, Clinton, designated as parts 1 and

[2:59:45] 2 on plan 30R - 16477. ST and TWR -

[2:59:53] 0612677. Lincoln. And two, part of LOT 21, broken front

[3:00:00] concession, Clinton, designated as parts 3, 4, 5, and 6

[3:00:05] on plan 30R - 16473. ST and TWR0612677.

[3:00:15] Lincoln, as part of a public highway under the jurisdiction

[3:00:19] of a corporation of the Town of Lincoln known as

[3:00:22] Blzard Drive. Bylaw 2026 - 42, a by - allowed

[3:00:27] to authorize the conveyance part of the Road Alan's Between

[3:00:30] concession 1 and concession 2 Louth. Designated as part 1

[3:00:37] on plan 30R - 15292 in the Town of Lincoln

[3:00:42] Municipality of Niagara. Madam Clerk, would you please open the

[3:00:46] vote. Vote is now open. I'll close that boat and

[3:00:55] that carries Madame Mayor. Thank you. The motion is carried.

[3:01:00] We will now confirm the proceedings of the Council meeting,

[3:01:04] and I have a motion move by Councillor Timmer, seconded

[3:01:06] by Councillor Pachiriva that leave be given to introduce by

[3:01:10] - law number 2026 - 43. A bilaud to confirm

[3:01:14] the proceedings of Council at its meeting held Monday, July

[3:01:17] the 27th, 2026, being read of first, second, and third

[3:01:21] time that bylaw number 2026 - 43 being acted and

[3:01:26] passed, and that the Mayor and Clerk sign and sealed

[3:01:29] the bed said bylaw. Madam Clerk, would you please open

[3:01:31] the vote. PONOOT OPEN.

[3:01:41] That carries. Thank you. The motion is carried. I have

[3:01:45] a motion move by Councillor Reimer, seconded by Councillor Murray.

[3:01:49] If the Council meeting on July the 27th, 2026, be

[3:01:53] adjourned at 2100 hours, I think, on the dot. And

[3:02:01] so we will ask the clerk to open the vote.

[3:02:06] Vote is open. And. I will close that boat, and

[3:02:13] that carries, thanks. All right, thank you everyone. This concludes

[3:02:18] our Council meeting for this evening.

Council Meeting

Agenda

Transcript