[1:21] Okay, welcome everyone. I'd like to call this meeting to order and we'll start

[1:25] with the land acknowledgement. >> Thank you through you, Mayor Waters. The

[1:29] lands we know today as the township of center Wellington have been home to

[1:32] indigenous people since time memorial. We acknowledge that we're on the treaty

[1:36] lands and the traditional territory of the Anesnabi and the Hodnosoni. With

[1:41] increasing encroachment by non-indigenous settlers in the township

[1:44] of center Wellington, the Anesnabi and the Hodnoni could not continue in their

[1:48] traditional lifestyles and settled instead into the villages along the

[1:51] Credit River and on the Grand River Valley. These indigenous nations uphold

[1:56] their treaty rights within our jurisdiction. Today, our township of

[2:00] center Wellington remains home to indigenous peoples from across Turtle

[2:04] Island. We're grateful to have the opportunity to share and to respect

[2:07] Mother Earth and are committed to building constructive and cooperative

[2:11] relationships with the indigenous nations.

[2:14] » Uh thank you, Councelor Evo. Uh addendums and corrections to the agenda.

[2:20] » Thank you. So through the mayor, we do have one addition today. It is item

[2:23] 10.1, which is a delegation on item 12.8, 8 telecommunications concurrence

[2:30] uh request 6983 Wellington Road 7 Nickel and it'll be from Jessica McCullik uh

[2:36] Shared Tower Inc. Sorry.

[2:46] » Uh that the Council of Township of Central Wellington amends the agenda to

[2:50] include item 10.1 delegations on item 12.8 8 telecommunication concurrence

[2:56] request uh 6983 Wellington Road 7 Nickel Jessa Jessica Mccolik Share Tower Inc.

[3:05] Do I have a mover for that? Councelor Wilton second on that councelor

[3:09] McDonald. Any further comments or questions? Seeing none, all those in

[3:12] favor? That is so moved. Okay, we'll move down to item number four,

[3:18] disclosure of bikini interest under the municipal conflict of interest act.

[3:22] Councor Wilton. >> Thank you, Mayor Waters. I would

[3:25] disclose that I have uh to declare precinary forgot my words here.

[3:30] Precinary conflict on two of the three items that will be discussed and closed.

[3:34] And the reason is because staff at MHBC provided planning advice in the past for

[3:38] both these items. >> Uh thank you for that. And uh move down

[3:43] to item uh number five, close session. Uh 5.1. in accordance with section 239

[3:50] of the municipal act uh close session. A uh the security of the property of the

[3:56] municipality or local board uh corporate or and legislative services parking. E

[4:02] litigation or potential litigation including matters before administrative

[4:06] tribunals affecting the municipality or local board, corporate or legislative

[4:10] services, parking planning OLT and planning OOLT. F uh advice that is

[4:17] subject to solister client uh privilege including communications necessary for

[4:22] that purpose. Corporate and leg legislative services, parking, planning,

[4:26] OOLT, and planning OOLT. Recommendation that the Council of Township of Center

[4:31] Wellington convene in close session in accord accordance with section 2392A

[4:37] EF of the municipal act 2001 as amended to consider a the security of the

[4:43] property of the municipality or local board corporate and legislative services

[4:48] parking. E litigation or potential litigation including matters before

[4:53] administrative tribunals affecting the municipality or local board, corporate

[4:57] and legislative services, parking uh planning OLT and planning OOLT F advice

[5:04] that is subject to solicitor client privilege including corporate necess uh

[5:09] necessary for that purpose corporate and legislative services parking planning

[5:14] and OLT and planning OLT. Okay.

[5:19] Do we have a Yep, a mover on that? Councelor Evo, second her on that.

[5:24] Councelor Adams, any further comments or questions? Seeing none, all those in

[5:28] favor? That is so moved. We are going to go into close session for approximately

[5:34] an hour, but I think it's going to be longer than an hour. It's sort of

[5:37] probably maybe closer to 6:30. Uh but um if uh if you want to go for a coffee or

[5:44] have some lunch or dinner or whatever uh we will be back in a probably about an

[5:49] hour and a half. Okay. So let's move into closed

[2:10:15] Hello folks. Uh we're reconvening back into open session. Uh apologize for the

[2:10:19] we we were doing a lot of work downstairs. So I appreciate uh you being

[2:10:23] patient with us. So uh matters arising from uh from close session. I'm going to

[2:10:29] read this. Uh council would like to provide a brief update regarding parking

[2:10:34] in central Wellington. Work is underway to manage the current parking situation.

[2:10:38] We expect to provide uh more information in short order. We appreciate the

[2:10:43] community's patience while we work through uh work to resolve the this

[2:10:48] situation.

[2:10:51] Okay. Uh public meetings to reconsider zoning amendments.

[2:10:56] Uh go down past that. Go down to uh item number nine, presentation and

[2:11:02] announcements. At this time, uh, we'd like to, uh, acknowledge, um, uh,

[2:11:07] athlete, uh, recognition, Center Wellington Riverhawks, uh, U15th Girl

[2:11:12] Lacrosse Provincial Champions. So, oh, okay, that's even better.

[2:11:20] So, uh, very excited about that. So, I'm going to I'm going to bring this up

[2:11:24] here. So, I'll just, um, please join us in congratulating the U15th Center

[2:11:29] Wellington Riverhawks.

[2:11:42] Uh, I'll just finish continue to read this. A team of 19 talented female

[2:11:46] athletes, including a core group who have played together for the past four

[2:11:50] years. After finishing the season ranked among the top five of 25 teams, the

[2:11:55] Riverhawks com competed in the U15B division at the Ontario Lacrosse

[2:12:01] Festival in Whitby from August 14th or sorry, August 4th to the 6th, 2026. They

[2:12:07] battled through the tournament, defeating Six Nations, Toronto Beaches,

[2:12:11] and Kitchener before facing Orangeville in the final. With a hard-fought win

[2:12:16] over Orangeville, the Riverhawks were crowned Ontario U 15B Division

[2:12:21] Champions. This is an outstanding achievement and a wonderful reflection

[2:12:25] of their teamwork, commitment, and dedication.

[2:12:37] So, uh,

[2:12:43] uh, is there anyone

[2:12:46] » on on your, uh, on your big, uh, tournament and, uh, would you someone

[2:12:52] like to speak to that? Come on up here, please.

[2:12:54] » Yeah.

[2:12:59] Uh, just want to say so my name is Brian Jim and I'm the head coach of the U15

[2:13:04] girls B team. Uh, I just want to thank the township and the mayor himself for

[2:13:09] inviting us here tonight to showcase uh the success of Center Wellington

[2:13:15] Lacrosse. Uh, the girls behind me here, most of them have been together for four

[2:13:20] plus years and are responsible for bringing lacrosse back. uh to the female

[2:13:27] like the female participation, not only locally, but provincewide. When

[2:13:33] we started this program four years ago, there was only four centers in the

[2:13:37] province that offered female lacrosse. And this year, I'm proud to say that

[2:13:42] we're up to 25 centers that have female lacrosse back in Ontario.

[2:13:48] Um these two girls here, they also competed

[2:13:53] in box cross for team Ontario the past summer and came home from Halifax with

[2:13:59] gold as well. So

[2:14:03] um I'd just like to introduce my captain Khloe Hall, my assistant Fiona Stevens,

[2:14:09] my other assistant McKenzie Merritt, and my daughter Belle Je.

[2:14:14] So I just want to say thank you. Thank you.

[2:14:18] Well, on behalf of council, staff, and the community, we're very proud of your

[2:14:23] achievement. Uh it is great to see uh our young athletes go out there and uh

[2:14:28] and beat the world. Uh it is I know at times it seemed like uh we're

[2:14:35] a small community, but we're extremely mighty and resourceful. So again, uh on

[2:14:40] behalf of council, staff, and the community, really appreciate and thank

[2:14:43] you for all your efforts. I will leave you with uh this um just an

[2:14:48] acknowledgement of that and in short order you'll have a a little envelope

[2:14:52] which has some money in it. So that is that is to come shortly

[2:14:56] » again. Thank you very much. And we'd like to take a picture as well.

[2:15:00] » So we'll uh where do you want to do the picture? Okay. So we'll go over here if

[2:15:05] we can bring the group and and

[2:16:21] Uh we move down to item 9.2 and uh Groves Memorial Community Hospital and

[2:16:27] Upper Grand Family Health Team uh system update and Angela Stanley and I'm not

[2:16:33] sure who else is uh here. Yes. Oh, hi. Hi, folks. uh love

[2:16:40] uh to hear all the good things that are happening at the uh at the hospital and

[2:16:45] welcome.

[2:16:51] » Thank you. That's a hard act to follow. >> Um I our presentation is in your

[2:16:56] package. I don't know. There we go. So, thank you for having us. Uh

[2:17:00] traditionally I've come before council for a hospital update, but we thought

[2:17:04] we'd do something slightly different to date and bring uh primary care along

[2:17:08] with us. One of the great things about working in this community is that you

[2:17:12] work closely with our primary care partners. And I've often said without

[2:17:15] primary care, the hospital would not succeed. So we really want to solidify

[2:17:19] the relationship that we have uh now and into the future just to promote

[2:17:24] healthcare within the within the system uh that we serve. So next slide. Oh, me.

[2:17:29] That's me. I forgot my sorry about that.

[2:17:34] Um, so this slide's familiar to you. Our population growth statistics, uh, the

[2:17:39] patients that we serve. I won't spend a lot of time on it. Hasn't fundamentally

[2:17:43] shifted much from last year. Um, what has shifted though is the the growth

[2:17:48] within our community and and the services that we're providing. Our

[2:17:52] emergency department has not changed in volume much year-over-year. Uh, what has

[2:17:56] changed though is the acuity of the patients that we're serving. So we're

[2:17:59] seeing about an extra 500 admissions every year from the hospital uh

[2:18:03] emergency department which is resulting in more laboratory tests, diagnostic

[2:18:08] imaging tests, etc. And while the population or the the visits haven't

[2:18:12] grown significantly, we're seeing more seniors and more uh patients with mental

[2:18:16] health and addictions um issues presenting to the emerge.

[2:18:22] Uh some of the accomplishments that we've had over the year is really an

[2:18:26] enhancement of our patient partner council. So we've shifted our focus at

[2:18:30] the hospital um to really focus on bringing patients into co-design systems

[2:18:34] and programs with us which is different than what we've done in the past. So

[2:18:38] we've rebranded and reinvigorated that council and they're extremely active

[2:18:42] with us at this point in time which is beneficial as we develop programs going

[2:18:46] forward. The next item I wanted to share with you

[2:18:50] and there two items that are in here that are important um and I wanted to

[2:18:54] bring forward because they're staffled initiatives. Um our dietitians, we have

[2:18:58] fantastic dietitians have introduced a malnutrition program for seniors which

[2:19:02] 45% of our patient population is a senior population and they're at risk

[2:19:07] for malnutrition in the hospital. So based on their leadership have developed

[2:19:11] this implementation of a screening tool which allows us to identify uh patients

[2:19:17] at risk for malnutrition. They get seen by a dietitian early and they get

[2:19:21] treated early. So that's beneficial.

[2:19:26] Uh we are participating in um new home care initiative through the province. A

[2:19:31] number of hospitals are doing hospital at uh hospital to home. Um it's a new

[2:19:36] initiative where we actually facilitate the discharge into home care versus

[2:19:40] using uh Ontario Health at home. Um it's another stream. It allows us a bit more

[2:19:45] to control of who we can streamline into it. It's been extremely successful. Very

[2:19:49] small volumes. we only had 32. Uh but next year or the year that we're in

[2:19:53] currently, we're up to 45 patients that we will be able to serve in this

[2:19:56] capacity.

[2:19:59] Uh we've moved into a different governance structure within the

[2:20:03] alliance. Um historically we still have two separate corporations, two separate

[2:20:07] boards, but we've moved into a common board structure where they're

[2:20:09] cross-appointed to both boards. Um why have we done that? It's been in the

[2:20:14] works for a number of years. Um but really to align with best practice from

[2:20:18] a governance perspective, it's hospital uh the hospitals are selecting uh

[2:20:23] directors based on skill and independence versus appointments. Um

[2:20:27] that's not to say that we haven't uh truly appreciated our municipal

[2:20:31] representatives and the skill that they bring. It's just a different mode of of

[2:20:35] operating under a governance um direction that complies with

[2:20:42] financials. You'll see that we presented a small surplus this year. It's

[2:20:47] artificial. Uh it's just a timing issue for one-time funding. We still are

[2:20:51] projecting a a deficit for the fiscal year that we're currently in. Um but

[2:20:55] this is just based on one-time funding.

[2:21:00] The second initiative I wanted to just chat quickly about is what we call

[2:21:04] rooted in care. So at the Groves Hospital, at the back of the hospital,

[2:21:08] there's a garden. We're planting vegetables in that garden and we're

[2:21:11] serving those vegetables to our patients and through our cafe and that's led by

[2:21:15] our staff. It's actually quite therapeutic. Staff go out and we gardens

[2:21:19] and pick vegetables. Our patients go out and we gardens and picks vegetables. Um

[2:21:23] it's a lovely thing to do, but it's also helpful for the environment and is

[2:21:26] really giving back to the earth. Uh one of the things I is important to

[2:21:32] share with this uh group is really about our recruitment efforts. We've actually

[2:21:36] the number of staff we've hired this year or last fiscal is less than

[2:21:40] previous year. That's a good news story for us. It means that we're retaining

[2:21:44] staff. They're not changing over as quickly. The number of nurses that we

[2:21:48] recruited last year were 28. The year before was 72. So that's excellent news.

[2:21:56] Physician recruitment activities. Hillary, jump up in here with me. So we

[2:22:00] recruit as a system. You will know that. We've said that before. We recruit for

[2:22:04] primary care. We recruit for specialists. We recruit for hospital

[2:22:07] care. Um and so with Hillary's support through primary care, there's been a lot

[2:22:12] of activity that's happening. The hospital provides the recruiter. The

[2:22:17] community supports recruitment activities and housing. Um and we're

[2:22:21] going to continue to do that year over year until we have a stable workforce

[2:22:24] from a physician perspective. Lots of activity happening. Primarily we're

[2:22:29] going to um recruitment fairs in Canada and the US to recruit back to our

[2:22:34] community which has been successful. These are the number of professional

[2:22:38] staff that we recruited last year. Hillary was instrumental in recruiting

[2:22:43] the geriatrician to our community which is fantastic for the aging population

[2:22:47] that we're serving. Um and really looking at uh family practice and

[2:22:51] supporting family practice primarily through locoms and for uh your

[2:22:56] information that's doctors who come in and out of practices for short periods

[2:22:59] of time. Lots of activity happening and we're quite excited about that.

[2:23:07] Some of the other activities that we're doing together is really truth and

[2:23:11] reconciliation. So we serve the same patients, we serve the same community.

[2:23:15] We're going to do the work collectively together. We have hired a consultant,

[2:23:20] her name is Katrina Graham. She's from HeartWorks, a local indigenous helper

[2:23:24] who is helping us navigate through this, looking at our smudging policies, our

[2:23:28] our land acknowledgement, all of our hiring practices, etc. And we're really

[2:23:32] doing it collectively with primary care again because we want to make sure that

[2:23:37] we're serving the same population and in the ways that we should be doing that.

[2:23:40] So, lots of activity happening with our truth and reconciliation journey.

[2:23:48] Okay, thank you. So, hi everyone. I'm Hillilary Blacket. I'm the executive

[2:23:52] director at the Upper Graham Family Family Health Team. And I think this was

[2:23:56] just a great opportunity to show the collaborative work that we are doing

[2:24:00] locally with our hospital. This doesn't happen everywhere. Um we're fortunate to

[2:24:04] have Angela um who is really um really values primary care in the

[2:24:09] integratedness um for patients and community members. So, I do hope to come

[2:24:14] back. I only have a couple slides um but I'd like to do a more wholesome

[2:24:17] presentation in the future to tell you more about the family health team. Um

[2:24:20] but I'm just going to provide a short overview and then an exciting

[2:24:23] announcement um about a new service that's coming to our community. So the

[2:24:27] upper family health team um we are the allied team. So uh we've have nurses,

[2:24:33] kinesiologists, um mental health therapists, social

[2:24:37] workers, um a number of al allied health team

[2:24:41] that work collaboratively with the 32 physicians in center Wellington and

[2:24:45] Arthur to support patients and provide comprehensive primary care. Um our main

[2:24:50] location is in Trailside Medical and then satellite in Arthur. uh and we

[2:24:56] provide partnership we provide strong services in partnership with many other

[2:25:01] uh services throughout the region whether it's psychiatric care through

[2:25:04] other partners and bigger centers um in G or um collaboratively locally with our

[2:25:10] local hospital. Um my exciting announcement today as we

[2:25:15] talk a little bit about primary care recruitment and probably something you

[2:25:18] hear a lot about um in the wards with the people um you're supporting is

[2:25:23] attachment to a primary care provider. I can't find a doctor. Um we've been

[2:25:28] working for a number of years to try and secure funding to to start the first

[2:25:33] nurse practitioner primary care clinic in our community. Uh and I'm pleased to

[2:25:38] share that will be opening this fall. And if I

[2:25:43] Oh, I went back. I went too far. How do I go back? Oh, I think I'm I'm stop. Um,

[2:25:50] so we have we are going to start um a uh nurse practitioner clinic that will run

[2:25:56] out of what is now the after hours clinic in Walmart. Um, so it will run

[2:26:01] during daytime hours. We're really fortunate here locally that we have

[2:26:04] essentially a turnkey solution that we can step into. The local doctors run the

[2:26:08] after hours clinic, so they were really welcoming to have us in that space. Um,

[2:26:12] we'll be connecting 1,600 patients, um, 800 each of the nurse practitioners

[2:26:17] working there. Um, we will be prioritizing patients that are currently

[2:26:20] on the healthcare connect list. So, if you have residents, um, that are

[2:26:24] contacting you asking, how do I get a primary care provider? Uh, doctor or

[2:26:29] nurse practitioner, it is through Healthcare Connect. That's where we'll

[2:26:32] be taking patients from. We're also working with our hospital um as they're

[2:26:36] seeing more newborns um at the hospital that don't have uh primary care. So they

[2:26:42] might have moved here from Milton or Scar Bro and they're having a baby and

[2:26:46] they don't have that necessary kind of follow-up that they need following

[2:26:50] birth. And so we'll be prioritizing that population as well as uh complex

[2:26:55] patients that are inatients at the hospital so that they're discharged with

[2:26:58] a primary care provider. So, this is really exciting for our community. Um,

[2:27:03] and it will be launching this fall and I was just really excited to come and

[2:27:06] share that with you today. So, thank you.

[2:27:16] » Happy to take any questions. >> Thank you. Thank you very for very much

[2:27:21] for that exciting news and overview. So, I will council McDonald

[2:27:27] » through Mayor Waters. Well, what a good news story. Thank you so much. Um, when

[2:27:32] I first came on council, I can't speak for the rest of council, but it was the

[2:27:36] initiative of council to strike a committee and help provide housing for

[2:27:41] doctors. If it's a nurse practitioner, it doesn't matter to me, but thank you

[2:27:46] for doing this, finding solutions. It really is a heartfelt good news story,

[2:27:52] and I certainly hope it makes the news tomorrow.

[2:27:55] » Thank you. answer to you, Mayor Waters. Well, I

[2:28:00] think the biggest lesson here this evening uh for me is thank you for

[2:28:04] bringing this to all of our attention. Although this is not something council

[2:28:08] is not in charge of finding doctors for our community, it's great that we are

[2:28:12] able to support you so that you can find the doctors for this community. And to

[2:28:16] hear that we're adding more options with what you have created is exactly why we

[2:28:21] did what we've or why we continue to do by sending funds to you so that you can

[2:28:25] bring more doctors in. So, thank you for bringing that to everybody's attention

[2:28:28] and good work.

[2:28:33] » Councelor Adams, >> thank you. I think um probably a little

[2:28:38] bit hidden in there was the fact of the change in the board governance and so

[2:28:42] there's three counselors that this term have been sat on the board and I

[2:28:46] definitely understand the transition to the type but I will say um there was so

[2:28:52] much information learned and sitting in those board meetings and and I'm going

[2:28:55] to miss some of that. So keep doing what you're doing in terms of getting the

[2:28:59] awareness out here and other ways in the community because there's a lot of good

[2:29:02] work being done there. And I would say I went through the emerge with my youngest

[2:29:07] last night. I was in and out in under an hour.

[2:29:10] » Like honestly every single staff person from triage to doctor everything. They

[2:29:15] were just 10 plus. Yeah. Thank you. >> Thank you for that. And I truly

[2:29:21] appreciate municipal representation. It's just a shift in how we're doing

[2:29:26] things. However, if we can continue to support the learning of counselors in

[2:29:30] terms of how hospitals are funded, how they interact, happy to do that in any

[2:29:34] way. Um, we're currently meeting regularly with uh Dan and the mayor and

[2:29:39] we'll continue to do that, but again, you know, if there's an opportunity, I'm

[2:29:43] happy to sit and chat with anyone or I can set up and lecture you about how we

[2:29:47] get funded. That may not be so fun. Um, but happy to share whatever we can just

[2:29:52] so you have that knowledge that you can take out to the community. Absolutely

[2:29:55] happy to do that. Any other questions? Uh again, thank you for

[2:30:00] coming out with your presentation, all the good news. Uh very nice to see you

[2:30:04] again tonight. Uh and appreciate you sort of holding out there and uh and and

[2:30:09] providing us this information for tonight. So, and with that, I'll read

[2:30:13] the recommendation that the council receive the presentation from Groves

[2:30:17] Memorial Community Hospital for information. Do I have a mover for that?

[2:30:21] Councelor Adams. Second on that, councelor uh Wilton. All those in favor

[2:30:26] that is so moved. Thank you. >> Thank you for your support.

[2:30:31] » So now we're going to move down to item 9.3 Monster March uh uh parade and

[2:30:38] township road closures presentation from sensational

[2:30:42] uh uh group um super person uh Barbley.

[2:30:52] Turn this on so you can hear me. Uh, thank you very much, Mayor and Council,

[2:30:57] for seeing me. You have a heavy agenda and you've had a busy afternoon already,

[2:31:01] so I don't want to take up a lot of time, but I want to throw my pitch out

[2:31:05] there from sensational Laura. So, the Monster March is something that we are

[2:31:11] asking to be considered a legacy community event. Um this comes in with

[2:31:16] regards to the potential for fees being charged uh specifically in this case for

[2:31:22] um road closure uh necessities. So we've been operating a march for 16 years now.

[2:31:32] It was started in 2010 by Julie Denny and we took over in 2015. And uh there

[2:31:38] is a lot to be said about it. It's a simple community focused event. People

[2:31:42] put on costumes. Gather, walk through downtown and have a fabulous time. And

[2:31:47] there's thousands of smiles and there's no admission charged, no cost to

[2:31:53] participate. It's the kind of community event that sort of fits right in with

[2:31:57] the rest of Monster March. And the fact that it's one of those quirky things

[2:32:01] that is part of of what we do in Center Wellington and um it's built by

[2:32:08] volunteers. Everything we do is volunteer-based and that includes uh

[2:32:14] everything about the march um parade route management, particip

[2:32:20] volunteer recruitment, setup, cleanup, barricade placement and removal, safety

[2:32:25] coordination and promotion. So, it's a nonprofit driven event for the people

[2:32:31] and for the public, for our visitors and community. So, we know how the

[2:32:35] barricades work right now. the township will drop them on the Friday uh

[2:32:40] afternoon at the various road closer designated spots. Our team of

[2:32:45] volunteers, which includes uh Lions Clubs and other people that help out

[2:32:50] with the barricades, we have four Lions Clubs helping this year, which is

[2:32:53] incredible. Um they set them up and then they take them down and put them to the

[2:32:58] side of the road at the end of the event and then they are collected on the

[2:33:01] Monday usually by public works. And believe me, we know the need for budget

[2:33:07] conservation at the township level, but we're hoping that they will understand

[2:33:13] some of what we need in terms of help and support and and the fact that we are

[2:33:20] a small nonprofit with a tiny budget for this event. And um we're hoping that

[2:33:26] what we bring to the community is broader than uh than that. and we would

[2:33:32] love to have consideration to be recognized to fit in the same category

[2:33:36] as the Santa Claus parades and the Dominion Day parade. Um so,

[2:33:43] uh we know that there's a cost there to the municipality. We understand exactly

[2:33:47] what the need is and why they have to cover off expenses where they can where

[2:33:52] and we totally get it. If you're a profit-making event with road closures

[2:33:55] and you're charging booth fees, etc., of course, you should be paying for that

[2:34:00] service. We're hoping because of what we bring to the community, the fact that we

[2:34:05] um animate the downtown with this event, people stop, they shop, they go in the

[2:34:10] the restaurants along with just plain enjoying the parade, the visitors and

[2:34:15] the community that come are all critical parts of what we do as a community. So,

[2:34:21] we're seeking that support. I do have copies of this if people would like to

[2:34:26] have something to read tonight before they go to sleep and I can share all of

[2:34:31] our salient arguments with you that way. But I don't want to hold up things any

[2:34:36] longer. We've all been waiting a long time and you have a big agenda to get

[2:34:39] through. So I'm hoping that there'll be some support for our request and I'm

[2:34:45] happy to share this. Um I don't know Tyson if you or Rachel if I can pass

[2:34:49] this along but um I won't have a whole whole lot more to say but I'll take

[2:34:53] questions. >> Uh thank you Barb. Uh comments

[2:34:57] questions. Council McDonald. >> Do you Mayor Waters? Um Barb, do you

[2:35:02] have the amount of of what we could possibly support

[2:35:06] or what would help the best? >> Well, we don't know exactly. We know

[2:35:10] that to be a dep for the road closure of 500. Um uh however if what the actual

[2:35:18] charge will be leftover residual from that if we will get a reimbursement

[2:35:26] oh sorry right now with the cost that we've had just to

[2:35:30] invest in storage for the monsters and everything else our bank accounts are

[2:35:34] pretty pretty low. So, um, we are very fortunate and I want to acknowledge that

[2:35:40] we have had the good fortune year-over-year of receiving funds

[2:35:43] through the community investment fund and some of that money um, we dedicate

[2:35:48] to our two notfor-profit community events, the Monster March and Pumpkin

[2:35:53] Day. So, we have some funds allocated for that to run the march costs about

[2:35:58] $4,500. So, we do seek sponsorship from other people and we've been very lucky

[2:36:04] in that regard. But even with those sponsorships last year, we ran a bit of

[2:36:09] a deficit for the march. So, we have some anxiety this year that an

[2:36:14] additional overhead cost will be a bit of a problem for us with the

[2:36:19] march. And um we c we operate on volunteers and a wing and a prayer and

[2:36:26] we do a very professional job but there is little money left for us in the bank.

[2:36:33] So we're hoping that there will be some acknowledgement or understanding or at

[2:36:37] least recognition of why we are asking for leg legacy rec recognition here

[2:36:41] today. So happy to answer any other questions.

[2:36:46] Council, any other comments, questions for Barb?

[2:36:50] Oh, were you gonna say something? Councelor Wilton? Oh, question for me.

[2:36:55] Yes. Okay. >> Or question for staff perhaps. So, uh it

[2:36:59] probably be Adam just if there's clarity on the legacy events that do get um the

[2:37:06] barricades for free versus the ones that don't. So, maybe just question whether

[2:37:10] how that's decided upon which events are legacy events or which are not. So, Is

[2:37:15] that okay to ask?

[2:37:22] » Okay, I see nod so I can answer. Yes. Um, so through the mayor and hi.

[2:37:27] » Um, so yeah, so we so we're in process of um we want to do a fee study in

[2:37:33] community services looking at fees for events. Council might recall we um

[2:37:37] presented on this um at the last meeting and so our hope is that you know we'll

[2:37:42] we'll get through this fee study and one of the things that will be considered

[2:37:45] through this fee study is subsidies for different types of event organizers and

[2:37:50] one of which could be community events and uh looking at you know offering a

[2:37:55] different fee structure depending on the nature of the event and the organizer.

[2:38:00] So that's something that we'll be working through. Um it'll carry over

[2:38:03] perhaps a bit into 2027. We'll be coming back to council at that time with some

[2:38:09] options uh for subsidies and some staff recommendations. So I think until we get

[2:38:14] through that study, we can't really comment too much on any type of

[2:38:18] structure uh fee structure. I can say that currently we don't have a fee

[2:38:22] structure. We don't have a list of um you know kind of uh priority. I can't

[2:38:26] remember how you worded it, but we don't have that list. We we we charge based on

[2:38:30] what's in our fees and charges by law.

[2:38:34] » Okay. Any followup to that? >> Yep.

[2:38:38] » Thank you, Adam. Uh just curious, maybe this question is for the clerk. Can we

[2:38:41] just make a motion at this point?

[2:38:46] » So, through the mayor, absolutely. If it's council's wish to go ahead and and

[2:38:50] make any kind of direction, by all means, it's council's decision.

[2:38:58] Just I'd just like to ask one clarifying question on that. So there's because of

[2:39:02] the new policy that we had implemented, there's one additional charge that you

[2:39:07] would be looking at this year that wasn't

[2:39:10] there last year and that would be the barricade charge or help me out here or

[2:39:16] closure. >> I I'm here pitching for the barricade

[2:39:19] charge for the march. Yes, we are aware that if we were to require um support

[2:39:25] from the township to transport the monsters from their storage facility to

[2:39:30] downtown, there would be a charge for that, too. And we did get some

[2:39:34] generalized information on that. It's way out of the scope of what we could

[2:39:38] afford. So, we're just going to be arranging alternates for that service.

[2:39:43] We didn't want to muddy the water tonight trying to pitch for both causes.

[2:39:48] We felt the the case for the march was genuinely legit and on its own and we

[2:39:54] just wanted to stand on that. >> Yeah. Perfect. Thank you,

[2:39:58] » Councilor Welton. >> Thank you, Mayor Waters. Then I would

[2:40:02] like to suggest a motion to wave the barricade fee for the monster march just

[2:40:05] for this one year for 2026.

[2:40:10] » Okay. Before we get that, I'll finish off all the questions here. Councelor

[2:40:13] McDonald, >> I'd be more than happy to second the

[2:40:17] motion. Um, just a quick question. Sorry. Um, so the

[2:40:23] 500 for barricades, um, I know with moving the monsters that

[2:40:28] is a cost, too. And can you clarify, does our CW hydro trucks help with that

[2:40:34] too or have they in the past? >> They they have in the past. We do have

[2:40:40] um a tree service helping us this year. Um so we haven't had a quote back from

[2:40:46] asking for CW hydro support although I suspect they would provide some but the

[2:40:52] township has helped transport the monsters in the past and they do they

[2:40:58] have indicated that they would have to charge this year for that. Um, I didn't

[2:41:02] bring that to council tonight because that's

[2:41:06] I feel like there's a big enough ask just asking for the legacy recognition

[2:41:10] of the march and the other thing is a a different type of an argument. So, we'll

[2:41:16] have to work on solving that. We would rather work with the township on on what

[2:41:21] makes sense for support and help and how we can work with them.

[2:41:27] » Uh, councelor Evo. >> Thank you through you, sir. Before I

[2:41:29] come to councelor Wilton with a clarifying question, I want to say I am

[2:41:33] acknowledging the struggles that sensational Laura is going through with

[2:41:36] our awakening having to be moved and uh you know the march that you guys do. I

[2:41:40] want to say uh just for the those that are listening who may not know, can you

[2:41:44] remind us all where the the how you raise money for and what you do with

[2:41:48] regards to bringing in food. You're not just there to look good and to have fun,

[2:41:52] but you're also there to serve our food bank. and and I'd like for you before I

[2:41:56] go to my thing for you to just take a minute to add to that please.

[2:42:00] » Uh thanks for that. I should have mentioned that up front. Sensational

[2:42:03] Laura's strongest focus is on creating events that are wonderful for the town

[2:42:08] and some events we charge for. All of the money from those events, all

[2:42:13] proceeds go to the food bank and the CW's program at the high school. And I'm

[2:42:18] happy to say that to date it's been uh since 2025 over $200,000

[2:42:23] donated to the food bank and CW's program. So yeah, we don't take lightly

[2:42:29] when we come cap in hand asking for a bit of a leg up on something that um

[2:42:35] being a nonprofit with our type of focus this one becomes really important.

[2:42:40] » Thank you Barb you. If I could get to my clarification for my colleague. Are you

[2:42:45] making a motion for this year or to turn it into her language a legacy uh not

[2:42:50] Adam's language but for going forward always and forever to remove that cost?

[2:42:57] » Thank you, Mayor Waters. Thank you, Councelor Eway. Uh I was going to

[2:43:00] suggest just for this year and let the next conversation happen through when

[2:43:04] the fees and studies that Adam mentioned happens. So that could be a more

[2:43:08] wholesome discussion at that point. >> Great. Thanks.

[2:43:11] » Yes. So I'm clear on the $500. Is that correct? Okay.

[2:43:16] » Whatever. >> Yep. Yep.

[2:43:18] » Okay. More. Okay. >> Yep. Um and then I just going to look

[2:43:22] for uh Oh, sorry. Councelor Jefferson. Yep.

[2:43:25] » Thanks. Um my question is clarification maybe to

[2:43:30] Adam, maybe to Dan, but um with the $500 deposit for the road just before so that

[2:43:34] we know what it applies to and like what it covers and then is it reimbursed back

[2:43:39] if it's not utilized like just clarification around that?

[2:43:46] » Yes. Thanks, Councelor Jefferson. So through the mayor. So it's so it's a

[2:43:50] deposit $500 deposit and we're charging you know the the staff time required to

[2:43:55] drop off those barricades I understand pick them up. So it's kind of a you know

[2:43:59] the the charge ultimately depends on the staff time that was needed to um to you

[2:44:05] know support the event.

[2:44:11] » Thank you mayor. Um and so then say staff time is like couple hours

[2:44:17] it back after. Thank you. >> That's correct.

[2:44:24] » Okay. So I'm looking to council. Is that something we're all wishing uh here that

[2:44:30] uh for for this year and then we'll look at it uh more wholesomely uh for uh next

[2:44:36] term of council. Okay. >> Okay. Well, I think there's also you've

[2:44:40] put one you've you've put it forward, have you not? And I thought you'd second

[2:44:44] that. Yep. >> Can we just read?

[2:44:47] » Okay. I always have a clerk. It keeps me on the straight and narrow here.

[2:44:52] » Thank you. So, through the mayor, um, if I can just read it out for clarification

[2:44:55] for everybody's benefit, uh, that the motion would read that council receives

[2:44:58] the presentation from the sensational group and that council exempting the

[2:45:03] exempts the monster march from road closure fees for 2026. So,

[2:45:08] it's been moved and seconded. Just want to make sure we're all on the same page.

[2:45:12] » So, is there any further comments or questions?

[2:45:16] Oh, yes. Go ahead, Council Jefferson. >> Thank you, Mayor. I think this is

[2:45:19] something good that we should be supporting this year just because of the

[2:45:22] impact with the construction at the green space. I think that's a huge

[2:45:26] location for your main opening event and I think we really need to take that into

[2:45:31] consideration as well. So, just to do that for this year, I totally support.

[2:45:35] Thank you. >> Okay. Any further comments or questions

[2:45:38] from council? All in favor? That is so moved.

[2:45:44] » Thank you.

[2:45:49] » Thanks, Barb.

[2:45:54] » Move down. Sorry. We're going to move down to item 9.4,

[2:45:59] data centers and future development in central Wellington. Presentation by

[2:46:03] Courtney Pamela.

[2:46:11] Uh, welcome Courtney.

[2:46:18] » Uh, I don't really know what you guys are capable of and not capable of, like

[2:46:22] what's your your jurisdiction, but um, I was wondering if you could lobby for the

[2:46:28] pause and maybe indefinite um, ban of building of data centers in Center

[2:46:33] Wellington. Um, so, uh, I'm just kind of curious of

[2:46:39] is that within your capability, you think, cuz I know Missaga and Oakville

[2:46:43] put a one-year ban, uh, for at least like kind of research regarding its

[2:46:47] impact on the town. Yeah. Okay. Um, so yeah, uh, I know I've read our official

[2:46:55] plan and we're focused on growth yet also, um, kind of like the maintenance

[2:46:59] of the current characteristics that makes the county what it is.

[2:47:03] So, um I'd just like to ask like uh to what end are we trying to bring people

[2:47:09] up? Um that would uh be accomplished by adding a data center. Um and to which

[2:47:16] level exactly are we trying to bring people up? Um

[2:47:20] so regarding the growth for Center Wellington, um I I started researching

[2:47:27] this because uh I noticed that there was smoke in the air those uh few days that

[2:47:31] we were having like it was the severity was 10. I'm not sure of what scale or

[2:47:36] anything, but it was just severe uh smoke in the air. um according to like

[2:47:41] our weather warnings on our phones and stuff, but uh you could just tell a

[2:47:45] notable difference from the wildfires. So I started researching wildfires and

[2:47:51] um like obviously climate change is contributing to it greatly. Um and the

[2:47:56] data centers the uh thousands of servers in just one data center will have to be

[2:48:02] uh replenished every 3 to 5 years. So they produce a great amount of CO2

[2:48:07] emissions just in the manufacturing and shipping of all the materials. Um but

[2:48:13] for the operation of the data center, I know many people are worried about the

[2:48:16] you know liters of water um the hydro uh like the electric demand of them that

[2:48:24] could possibly produce um like a kind of like citywide like blackout or something

[2:48:29] that people are worried about. Um but yeah, my my issue is just more so the uh

[2:48:36] rapid um either rapid um CO2 emissions or rapid change to culture or rapid

[2:48:44] change to I guess uh like land use. So that's kind of the overarching um

[2:48:53] concern is just rapid change that we can't keep up with and plan along with.

[2:48:59] um not so much I think that like human survival will be accomplished with a 1

[2:49:05] to2°ree um climate increase. It's just whether or not we want to live in a

[2:49:10] desert or we want to live among forests. Um so anyway, uh humans are responsible

[2:49:15] for about half of all wildfires. Um so like cigarette butts, um lighting

[2:49:21] campfires, uh lightning is responsible for approximately the other half. Yet

[2:49:25] lightning is 81% of the area burned. Um it's due to lightning uh because it uh

[2:49:31] is in more remote areas and uh if active lightning storms are happening, they uh

[2:49:37] don't really want to send firefighters out because it's high risk. So um yeah,

[2:49:42] 81% of land is burned by uh responsible for uh lightning is responsible for it.

[2:49:49] And um basically

[2:49:53] both lightning and humancaused fires require a dry forest environment to

[2:49:58] propagate. Um long-term national trends in both

[2:50:02] area burned and number of large fires uh over 200 hectic he hectares um have

[2:50:08] increased since 1959 but uh from my data it's like beyond 1959 like 1900s I was

[2:50:14] seeing back um so diggra degra degradation of wetlands and their

[2:50:21] biodiversity worldwide has led to a greater occurrence of water wildfires.

[2:50:26] um restoring wet lands would maintain the water table closer to the surface,

[2:50:31] keeping water in the landscape and preventing extreme fires. Um it's uh the

[2:50:37] wildfire is increasing in regions that we haven't historically seen as much

[2:50:42] burning. So uh that includes the Arctic tundra and parts of Atlantic Canada. Uh

[2:50:48] fire season is beginning and ending earlier and later. um emissions from

[2:50:53] large wildfires are fueling hotter and drier conditions. So the CO2 emissions

[2:50:58] of the wildfires are contributing to climate change as well. Um

[2:51:04] so that will just reinforce a positive feedback loop. Uh climate uh climate

[2:51:10] change is transforming Canada's fire regime because of uh drought,

[2:51:14] precipitation patterns, vegetation being dried out, and wind patterns changing as

[2:51:19] well. Um, extreme weather events are becoming more and more record-breaking.

[2:51:24] Um, again, we set up our civilization based on weather patterns. So, to change

[2:51:29] them is to change what our civilization um will

[2:51:36] will be daytoday. So, we're going to be responding to disasters rather than

[2:51:41] accomplishing e economic growth if that's the long-term goal.

[2:51:46] Um so projections suggest that by the year 2100 um can Canada's fire season

[2:51:53] may lengthen by more than a month in certain forest regions. So, you know,

[2:51:57] think of your kids' kids. Um, the lacrosse girls kids, you know, their

[2:52:03] grandkids, um, in Canada, wildfires have been measured using traditional meth

[2:52:08] methods like GPS and sketch mapping. And those methods have, um, been estimated

[2:52:14] to be approximately 40% um, inaccurate. So they uh estimated

[2:52:20] that those systems would create u like a they would

[2:52:28] so we have satellite imaging now and um the area burned is estimated to be

[2:52:36] uh 40% inaccurate as in like if in 1900 we use GPS to track the area burned it

[2:52:43] is likely 40% um like they assume that it was 40%

[2:52:50] longer larger. So that means that um the trends that we see where now now the

[2:52:56] area burned is much larger. It means that the like 1900s to 1950s what we

[2:53:04] estimate is like the lower end of that trajectory is actually way lower. So

[2:53:08] that means the change is way way more drastic by 40%. Um so any data that you

[2:53:15] see of this upward trend you can assume that it's probably 40% worse. Um

[2:53:24] so uh as for prescribed fires um they don't seem to have much impact on

[2:53:30] trajectory as climate change does. In fact I don't see a pattern in trajectory

[2:53:33] at all. Um so that like uh mitigating risk isn't uh a matter of burning the

[2:53:40] dried land that is contributing to the propagation of fires. It's more so

[2:53:45] preventing the dried land through um like wide leaf uh sorry broadleaf uh

[2:53:51] like planting or by reducing CO2 emissions to try to uh bring down the

[2:53:58] earth's temperature and not drastically change it from day to day um like these

[2:54:04] severe weather events. So

[2:54:08] um as for the data center uh there was a study a study that aimed

[2:54:14] to assess the combined impact of human activities and natural events on carbon

[2:54:18] in Canada's boreal forests. Um in Alberta it was over 25 28 years and 25%

[2:54:24] of the study area disturbances. So the largest disturbance was caused by

[2:54:29] wildfires and the energy sector. the energy sector being the biggest

[2:54:33] contributor to carbon emissions. Um

[2:54:41] so Senator Wellington like ideas beyond um just preventing

[2:54:46] data centers would be like researching tourism's impact on carbon emissions

[2:54:50] because we have uh you know hundreds of cars coming here every single week. Um,

[2:54:57] we could investigate the material waste, fuel

[2:55:01] emissions, and construction that goes along with tourism. Uh, we could lobby

[2:55:06] for the ban of cigarette additives, specifically the ones that help them

[2:55:09] remain lit. So that way, um, it's less likely that they're remained lit when

[2:55:13] they're tossed and they are less likely to create some sort of fire event. Um,

[2:55:19] and we could also lobby for the ban of disposable items such as to-go cups.

[2:55:27] I've heard that that's within your ability, but um I know that's hard

[2:55:32] to advocate for. >> Courtney, you and you have given you

[2:55:38] lots of time here. So, obviously you're talking about uh data centers and you're

[2:55:43] sort of gone on to other things which are all very important. I know they're

[2:55:47] all connected, but if you could just wrap up, uh that would be helpful for

[2:55:50] us. Thank you. >> Yeah. Um so energy import versus export,

[2:55:56] we're uh we have like um net exports that actually gain money for the nation.

[2:56:02] Um because we rely heavily on hydro and nuclear and uh I guess data centers they

[2:56:10] have a a varying demand of energy and if we were to shift I guess like uh their

[2:56:17] proposal is that you could have the data centers have their own energy um like

[2:56:24] instead of relying on hydro that's public they could have their own private

[2:56:27] energy but you would then haveed

[2:56:32] very carefully so that they're not contributing secretly to any sort of

[2:56:36] damage to the town. And then you would also be losing out if um

[2:56:42] I guess if they were to not meet their energy demands themselves, then a

[2:56:48] promised um sort of like financial gain wouldn't be met. and if they were to

[2:56:53] continue to, you know, help us uh scale up our hydro and nuclear needs um by

[2:56:59] promising to pay for any excess over what is normally the like city's use of

[2:57:04] hydronuclear. Um yeah, they could they could help us

[2:57:08] build up basically our energy needs, but if they don't, then we risk losing all

[2:57:13] of the gains that we get from exporting energy when we have a surplus. We're

[2:57:18] less likely to have a surplus with their demands.

[2:57:21] Thank you, Courtney. >> Yeah, thank you. Sorry.

[2:57:23] » And then what you could do, it' be helpful if uh you've put all those words

[2:57:28] together and you have I I don't know if uh you're reading from a a statement. If

[2:57:33] you could send that to us and then we would have your words and that would be

[2:57:38] uh kept as part of the record if you do that for us.

[2:57:41] » Yeah, sounds good. Thank you. Okay.

[2:57:47] So, I'm going to read this uh that the council received the presentation from

[2:57:51] Courtney uh Pamela regarding data centers and future development in Center

[2:57:55] Wellington for information. Do I have a mover for that? Council Katic second on

[2:58:01] that. Councelor Evoy. Any further comments or questions? Uh seeing none,

[2:58:05] all those in favor? That's that's so moved. Thank you.

[2:58:09] » Is that time? >> It is that witching hour time. I have to

[2:58:13] read this. Uh that the council of township with center Wellington and

[2:58:16] extends uh the council meeting for one for 1 hour. Do I have a mover for that?

[2:58:21] Councelor Welton. Second councelor Adams. Any further comments or

[2:58:25] questions? Uh all those in favor? So move.

[2:58:31] Okay. >> Okay. So item number 9.5 2026 emergency

[2:58:38] management report and presentation Wellington County. And we're gonna

[2:58:42] welcome uh Linda Dixon, emergency manager uh for the county. Welcome,

[2:58:47] Linda. >> Thank you. Thank you, Mayor Waters and

[2:58:52] members of council. I appreciate it. And uh I will be I will be brief. I look at

[2:58:57] this as like a staff report. So um what's before you is uh our annual

[2:59:02] report. We do it every year. It's just kind of a summary of how we have com the

[2:59:06] township has completed all the requirements under the emergency

[2:59:09] management and civil protection act for 2026.

[2:59:13] And I'll just briefly highlight a few areas for you. Um everything that's

[2:59:18] outlined are those things that are in legislation that the township is

[2:59:21] required to do. So the program they you're required to have a program

[2:59:24] committee. We they met on March 18th and you do have a copy of their minutes um

[2:59:30] in your report. We reviewed the hazard identification and risk assessment and

[2:59:34] as you can see in that there is a plan this year to undergo a major review of

[2:59:38] the hazard identification and risk assessment for the township and then

[2:59:42] that will be brought forward in 2027. Uh we reviewed the emergency management

[2:59:47] plan. There's no changes proposed this year. Um I did submit a report just for

[2:59:53] information back at the beginning of the year. the province bill 25 or bill yes

[3:00:00] uh was passed given royal ascent in um December of 25 bill 25 and um that bill

[3:00:07] most of it has come into force in effect but the uh parts that are um with

[3:00:12] respect to municipalities they are still not in full force in effect. So at this

[3:00:18] time we have put together a a draft amendment but we won't be proceeding

[3:00:23] with that until such time as the the bill comes into full force in effect and

[3:00:27] then that will be brought forward to the committee and then forward to council as

[3:00:31] needed to to look at changes to the plan. The one thing that was

[3:00:34] incorporated though is that the province is now instead of using emergency

[3:00:38] response plans, they're using emergency management plans and we've changed that

[3:00:42] throughout the the emergency emergency management plan. Training requirements

[3:00:47] for the township were met on um June 16th. We also have a number of other

[3:00:52] training opportunities for both uh members of the control group and staff

[3:00:56] available and those are highlighted in the report. The township held their

[3:01:00] emergency management exercise on June 16th. It was a combination emergency

[3:01:05] management and IT exercise. Um staff on IT and emergency management along with a

[3:01:11] consultant put that together. I think it was a very wellreceived and and a very

[3:01:16] good exercise. Just a couple of notes from emergency management side. You'll

[3:01:22] see that it kind of ties back to the hazard identification and risk

[3:01:25] assessment review. Um there was a note about cyber attacks and then um more

[3:01:31] training needs for staff were highlighted.

[3:01:34] Public education is a part of our programs. We have attended two events so

[3:01:39] far. The Lions home show in May 26th, 27th, 28th, the township's open house on

[3:01:46] May 28th. And we also was at the time I wrote the report, it wasn't confirmed,

[3:01:51] but we will be attending the uh Center Wellington new resident um event on

[3:01:55] October 6th. And then there's also a number of other ways we we meet that

[3:02:01] requirement laid out in the in the report. The final one is critical

[3:02:05] infrastructure. We maintain that on our the

[3:02:09] common operating picture and we're working with staff currently to update

[3:02:13] that. And that is the conclusion of the requirements for 2026 and how they've

[3:02:18] been met. So if there's any questions, I'd be happy to address them.

[3:02:23] » Thank you, Linda. Comments, questions from council

[3:02:26] » as usual. Very efficient and right to the point and I appreciate your report.

[3:02:32] » Thank you. >> Thank you. Um, I'll read this. A

[3:02:35] recommendation the council center uh center Wellington council receive

[3:02:39] emergency management report EM 2026-01 dated August 28, 2026 regarding the

[3:02:48] status of the uh township emergency management uh program for 2026 and that

[3:02:54] the township of central Wellington council accepts the annual status report

[3:02:58] of the township emergency management program for 20 2026. Do have a mover for

[3:03:03] that. Councelor Evo, a secondary to that. Councelor McDonald. Any further

[3:03:08] comments or questions? Seeing none, all those in favor? So move. Thank you

[3:03:12] again.

[3:03:18] » Yep. Uh item 9.6, nothing to report from the mayor's county council report. Uh

[3:03:24] and now look to council uh if there's any updates from uh council in terms of

[3:03:29] committees. Uh councelor Wilton. Thank you, Mayor Waters. Just a short update

[3:03:34] on the Fergus BIA. Uh, since we last met, I think they've had their fiber

[3:03:37] festival and the medieval festival, which were both very successful. Uh,

[3:03:41] they bring a lot of people to the downtown core in Fergus, and uh,

[3:03:45] everyone really enjoys them, and I'm always impressed by how many volunteers

[3:03:49] uh, put their work in and how many people get involved. So, like to thank

[3:03:52] the Fergus BIA for that. There's also been the ongoing weekly uh, Twilight at

[3:03:57] Templan uh, which has been very successful this year. I've been to a

[3:04:00] few. And thank you, Kim, Jeff, Councelor Jefferson, for all your work you put

[3:04:04] into that and your volunteer team there as well. Um, but it's really livens up

[3:04:08] downtown Fergus on Wednesday evenings, which is great. So, everything going

[3:04:12] well with the Fergus BIA. >> Thank you. Any other councelor McDonald?

[3:04:19] » Um, yes. On August 10th, uh the seniors committee had a at their regular board

[3:04:25] meeting and uh and they discussed uh the funding that we received from the

[3:04:30] province to the Victoria Senior Center. That was a nice announcement. Mayor

[3:04:34] Waters and myself were there for that announcement. And a big shout out to uh

[3:04:39] the administrator there at the Victoria Center, uh Katherine. She does an

[3:04:43] outstanding job keeping everything organized. and uh she did receive

[3:04:47] recognition from Minister Cho. Um uh outcome from the meeting is

[3:04:54] membership is still up, the bus trips sell out and um I guess uh looking

[3:05:02] forward to probably spending that money somewhere in the future. That's it.

[3:05:08] » Any other council input in terms of committees? Yes, Councelor Adams.

[3:05:13] » Thank you. Maybe just again what we've heard earlier, but just for a record for

[3:05:17] the for the minutes. Um so, uh we no longer will have appointees on the

[3:05:23] Groves board. Um we currently had three elected

[3:05:28] um positions counselor Wilton, councelor Jefferson,

[3:05:33] and myself. And um yeah, with the appeal of the Groves Act and their their

[3:05:40] passing at the AGM um those appointments are no longer there. So no further

[3:05:44] updates will be coming from that from that. Thank you in this in this way.

[3:05:50] » Thank you, Councelor Adams, Councelor Jefferson.

[3:05:53] » Thank you, Mayor Waters. Just in regards to the Allora BIA, we had the regular

[3:05:57] meeting last week. A lot of things were covered. They're planning for their late

[3:06:01] night shopping and their monster month working with Barb and Sensational Laura.

[3:06:06] Um, and then they also struck a committee for doing their budget for

[3:06:11] 2027. So, we're looking for anybody that has events or anything that they're

[3:06:15] wanting to delegate to the BIA for funding. If they could do that now, that

[3:06:19] would be great. Thanks. >> Any other input from council as it

[3:06:24] relates to committees or activities? Okay. Thank you very much. Uh, I'll move

[3:06:29] down or hold on, I'll just temporarate one. This is the condition of a

[3:06:33] delegation. >> Oh, here we go. Uh, delegation on item

[3:06:37] 12.8, telecommunication concurrence requests, uh, 6983 Wellington Road, 7

[3:06:45] Nickel, Jessica Mccullik, uh, the shared tower and is, uh, online. Okay. Hi, how

[3:06:52] are you? >> I'm good. I didn't know if I had missed

[3:06:55] this this evening, so I'm here. Um, good evening, Mr. Mayor and members of

[3:07:00] council. My name is Jessica McCulla, and I'm here this evening on behalf of Share

[3:07:05] Tower to speak to our proposal for a telecommunications antenna development

[3:07:10] at 6983 Wellington Road 7 in Center Wellington, and respectfully requests

[3:07:16] that council provide us with a letter of concurrence. So, I'm usually the one

[3:07:21] behind the scenes often listening in and supporting our exceptional municipal

[3:07:24] team while they're up here doing the heavy lifting. So, I ask that you please

[3:07:28] bear with me this evening as I flex my public speaking muscle and do my best to

[3:07:33] represent the team. Shared Tower is a carrierneutral

[3:07:38] telecommunications infrastructure development company. We build and own

[3:07:42] communication infrastructure across Canada. We work with Canada's major

[3:07:47] telecommunication carriers to develop and provide the infrastructure they need

[3:07:52] to expand and improve wireless coverage in communities across the country. So,

[3:07:58] we are not a carrier ourselves. Focusing in on our application this

[3:08:02] evening, we are proposing a satellite telecommunications antenna installation

[3:08:07] that will help provide high-speed internet access to users in more rural

[3:08:12] communities where traditional high-speed internet may not be readily available.

[3:08:18] Unlike traditional internet, which comes through a cable or fiber line, satellite

[3:08:23] internet connects customers to the internet through satellites in space.

[3:08:28] The ground station or satellite communication antenna installation is

[3:08:33] essentially the connection between those satellites and the internet that's here

[3:08:37] on Earth. It receives information from the satellite and connects it to the

[3:08:41] broader internet. This evening, Share Tower is proposing a 60 m by 30 me

[3:08:47] compound that will contain communication antennas that are approximately 2.7 m in

[3:08:52] height for a satellite communications network provider. This type of service

[3:08:57] is growing and helps augment existing telecommunications technologies by

[3:09:02] filling coverage gaps particularly in underserviced and rural areas. It also

[3:09:07] provides users with an additional connectivity option beyond the

[3:09:11] traditional large carriers that we all know. Telecommunications infrastructure

[3:09:16] is a little bit different from many of the applications you may typically see

[3:09:19] come through the municipality. It operate it operates sorry within its own

[3:09:24] little unique world and is a federally regulated industry regulated by

[3:09:29] innovation science and economic development Canada which we know as I is

[3:09:33] which was formerly known as industry Canada

[3:09:37] tower has completed our land use consultation with the township of center

[3:09:41] Wellington and following staff's review for a proposal they have determined that

[3:09:46] there are no outstanding land use or planning items

[3:09:50] while some municipan Munipalities have developed their own local consultation

[3:09:54] process for telecommunication infrastructure. In the absence of such

[3:09:58] protocols, the default ISAD process was followed here. Center Wellington does

[3:10:03] not have their own established telecommunications protocol. Under the

[3:10:08] default ISAD process, public notice is required to be mailed directly to nearby

[3:10:13] property owners within the prescribed notification radius. In this case,

[3:10:18] because the antennas measure approximately 2.7 m in height, the

[3:10:23] notification radius did not extend beyond the subject property and

[3:10:27] therefore no public notification was required.

[3:10:31] ISAD also only requires newspaper notification for antenna systems that

[3:10:36] are 30 m in height or greater. They do not require notices to be posted online

[3:10:41] or on any municipal websites. Therefore, we have completed all of the applicable

[3:10:46] land use authority consultation requirements and this has also confirmed

[3:10:51] this was also confirmed by municipal staff in their staff report. This

[3:10:56] evening, Shared Tower is seeking a letter of concurrence for the proposed

[3:11:00] telecommunications antenna system at 6983 Wellington Road 7 Township of

[3:11:06] Center Wellington. The letter of concurrence simply recognizes that we

[3:11:10] have completed the required land use consultation process under the

[3:11:14] applicable ISAD protocol. Thank you, Mr. Mayor and Council for the opportunity to

[3:11:18] speak to you about the proposal this evening. I'm happy to answer any

[3:11:22] questions that may come up. >> Uh thank you, Jessica. Uh comments,

[3:11:27] questions? Uh Councelor McDonald to you, Mayor Waters. Um thank you,

[3:11:32] Jessica, for coming and explaining your position with the tower. Um, I believe

[3:11:37] it's a couple years ago we approved two towers

[3:11:40] » uh under regulation from the federal government. Well, I appreciate that you

[3:11:44] didn't do you didn't consult with neighbors because of the height. I

[3:11:48] always believe and in working, you know, with

[3:11:52] developers, they always reach out to me and we'll say, um,

[3:11:58] you know, how can I reach out to the community? Have your own public meeting.

[3:12:02] You don't have to just wait for the act to tell you. You can have your own. And

[3:12:07] I really would have appreciated. Um, so this is the negative of this tower. I

[3:12:12] would have appreciated you reaching out to the neighbors. Um, and I'm not really

[3:12:17] seeing whose property this belongs to and they're clearly on board with it and

[3:12:22] they want to use their property for this. Um, so I appreciate that because

[3:12:27] that is a resident uh where I serve. Um, but I do wish you you had reached out to

[3:12:35] the neighboring communities because this is going to go up and I know I'll get an

[3:12:39] email. >> Thank you for your comments.

[3:12:44] » Uh, any other >> council? Okay, I'm going to again thank

[3:12:50] you Jessica. I'm going to read the resolution that the uh that the council

[3:12:54] of township of center Wellington receives delegation on item 12.8 8

[3:12:59] telecommunication uh concurrence request uh 6983 Wellington Road 7 Nickel uh

[3:13:06] Jessica Mccullik Shared Tower Inc. for information. Do I have a mover for that?

[3:13:11] Councelor Wilton second on that. Um Councelor Katock, any further comments

[3:13:17] or questions? Uh seeing none, all those in favor? That's so moved. Okay. So now

[3:13:22] we'll move down to >> consent items.

[3:13:26] » Yep. >> I'm sorry, Mr. Mr. Mayor.

[3:13:29] » Yes. >> As I'm typically not the one speaking,

[3:13:31] does that mean that we did get concurrent?

[3:13:35] » Yes. >> Not on the not on the um we're not quite

[3:13:40] done yet. So >> Okay. Okay. Sorry.

[3:13:43] » Thank you. >> Consent.

[3:13:46] » Okay. Consent uh uh Okay. Consent agenda items are considered routine in nature

[3:13:52] and unvoted on collectively. However, any member of council may request one or

[3:13:58] more items be removed from consent agenda item for sep separate action. So,

[3:14:03] um I'll read the um uh where's the okay?

[3:14:10] » Okay. uh that the minutes of regular council meeting held on July 13, 2026

[3:14:15] and the minutes of special council meeting held on July 30th, 2026 be

[3:14:21] approved and circulated and that the minutes of Heritage Center Wellington

[3:14:26] advisory committee meeting held on July 7th, 2020 26 be received for information

[3:14:32] and that council of town oh sorry >> and operating results. Yes.

[3:14:37] uh capital project status 2026 quarterly procurement report and toll booth uh

[3:14:45] Bellwood Lions uh and land acquisition update uh 350

[3:14:51] St. Andrew Street West Fergus. >> Does anybody want any pulled?

[3:14:55] » Yep. >> We're good.

[3:14:56] » Any pled questions, comments? Nope. Okay. And that the Council of Township

[3:15:02] of Center Wellington approves consent agenda items 11.1 through 11.6. six. Uh,

[3:15:08] do have a mover on that, Councelor Wilton. A second her on that. Councelor

[3:15:11] McDonald. Any further comments or questions? Seeing none, all those in

[3:15:14] favor? That is so moved. Okay. So, we'll move down to item uh 12.1 Firemaster uh

[3:15:22] plan update and a report from Jason Ben, our fire chief. Oh, it came through the

[3:15:29] door. Holy cow.

[3:15:34] » I was waiting for the music. Careful, what you asked for.

[3:15:40] » Good evening, Mr. Mayor, members of council, staff, and public. I'm pleased

[3:15:45] to present the updated Center Wellington Fire Rescue Fire Master Plan, which

[3:15:48] provides a strategic mo road map for the next 10 years. This plan is about

[3:15:53] ensuring that our fire service continues to evolve with the community and that we

[3:15:58] prepare for the risks and challenges ahead.

[3:16:01] Senator Wellington, as you are well aware, is going to grow and exceed

[3:16:05] 58,000 individuals by 201. That growth will replace increasing or

[3:16:11] will place increasing pressures, excuse me, on the emergency response staffing,

[3:16:17] facilities, prevention services, and infrastructure. And at the same time, we

[3:16:22] are seeing changing demographics, increasing development intensities, and

[3:16:27] evolving expectations around emergency response.

[3:16:31] This plan confirms that Center Wellington is providing an effective and

[3:16:35] professional and valued service to our community. We have a strong leadership

[3:16:41] commitment to firefighters, positive organizational culture that we are

[3:16:47] working on each and every day and a strong relationship with council and

[3:16:51] township administration. The plan is not about changing

[3:16:55] everything we do. It's about identifying where we need to be to strengthen our

[3:16:59] capacities to maintain the level of service in the future.

[3:17:04] Some of the key priorities are strengthening the fire prevention and

[3:17:07] community risk reduction, supporting firefighter recruitment,

[3:17:11] retention and development, enhancing leadership and succession planning,

[3:17:17] improving technology and records management,

[3:17:20] continuing to monitor emergency response and performances,

[3:17:24] planning for our future station and infrastructure requirements as well.

[3:17:29] One or one of the more significant recommendations is a phase transition

[3:17:34] towards enhanced daytime staffing, ultimately adding approximately six

[3:17:38] full-time firefighters over a 10-year planning period.

[3:17:43] This is intended to support reliable daytime emergency response while

[3:17:48] continuing to recognize the important role of our paid on call firefighters

[3:17:53] play in Center Wellington. The plan also identifies the need for a

[3:17:58] new fire station in the northeast Fergus corner, future training opportunities

[3:18:04] and long-term considerations of relocating the existing fire station as

[3:18:08] developments development continues to the south. These are long-term planning

[3:18:13] considerations and we need to be evaluated

[3:18:17] through future capital planning and budget processes.

[3:18:22] financial approach at at present is importantly the council is not being

[3:18:25] asked to approve all these investments tonight. The master plan provides a

[3:18:30] strategic direction individual recommendations

[3:18:33] while return through the appropriate annual budget and capital planning

[3:18:37] processes for council's consideration. Uh ultimately the master fire master

[3:18:43] plan is about being proactive rather than reactive. It gives council and the

[3:18:48] township a clear evidence-based roadmap to manage growth,

[3:18:53] address emerging risks, ensure CWFR remains capable of providing

[3:18:58] a high level of service to our community of what they expect each and every day.

[3:19:04] We are bringing forward the plan tonight today at council's for in information

[3:19:08] and comments with staff planning to return in September seeking council's

[3:19:13] endorsement. Thank you to council, township

[3:19:17] administration, Tom Mulv, our firefighters, and anyone else who's

[3:19:23] contributed in developing this plan, and especially Bayer Integrated Solutions

[3:19:28] Incorporated. At this time, I would like to ask Tim

[3:19:32] Beckett, a consultant from Bayer Integrated Solutions to attend the

[3:19:36] podium and present the master plan to you.

[3:19:44] Okay. Perfect. >> Well, good evening, Mr. Mayor, members

[3:19:48] of council. Um, good to see you in person. Uh, I think I had an opportunity

[3:19:53] to talk to each and every one of you. Um,

[3:19:57] this is an opportunity for us to present the uh the master plan. And as the chief

[3:20:02] said, it's about uh protecting a growing community through a fire service that

[3:20:07] remains safe, reliable, and sustainable.

[3:20:13] Uh with me on the line is Isaac Commodante and Dave Speed. Uh both were

[3:20:20] integral parts of uh putting this plan together.

[3:20:24] So what is a master fire plan? Um it's a long range decision framework. It

[3:20:29] connects today's risks and service capabilities with projected growth,

[3:20:34] changing demand, legislation, fiscal responsibility,

[3:20:38] and it's not about fixed spending schedule as the chief talked about. It's

[3:20:43] really a roadmap that allows future discussions to be made using fact-based

[3:20:48] evidence. Our process uh we examine the full

[3:20:54] service. We looked at uh governance, staffing, prevention, public education,

[3:20:59] your training right through uh through your facilities, apparatus, and

[3:21:04] emergency management. We assessed how the services are currently being

[3:21:08] delivered, what capacity or potential gaps may exist, and how station

[3:21:12] apparatus deployment could evolve. The test applied throughout the plan was

[3:21:18] straightforward. Is the service effective against local

[3:21:21] risk? efficient in its use of resources, compliant with legislative intent, and

[3:21:28] resilient enough to adapt to the changing Center Wellington growth.

[3:21:36] The plan itself is grounded in the community risk assessment, one that it's

[3:21:40] proincially legislated. It looks at nine different mandatory

[3:21:46] profiles um that you can see on the map there and

[3:21:51] or sorry on the screen and really it's about um the important findings uh of

[3:21:58] that CRA integrating into uh where your services

[3:22:03] are most needed. Along with the CRA, we did community and

[3:22:08] fire station uh tours. We did targeted interviews with a number of key staff

[3:22:13] and with each and every one of the council members here. We did an online

[3:22:18] survey with uh firefighters and we did an industrial peer comparative analysis.

[3:22:27] The center the central principle is risk informed service delivery. As we talked

[3:22:33] about, the CRA is that piece that looks at um where you should guide your goals,

[3:22:40] your service level, work plans and capital decisions.

[3:22:44] As as growth and risk change, this needs to be continued to be evaluated and you

[3:22:50] need to change as well. The central planning principle is

[3:22:55] informed uh is is risk informed service delivery. you know, it guides um

[3:23:02] everything through the three lines of defense.

[3:23:05] It looks at the whole aspect of um education first, prevention second, and

[3:23:12] emergency response when everything else fails.

[3:23:17] The objective therefore is not growth for its uh on its own. It's a balance

[3:23:22] that directs resources to demonstrated a risk, maintains operational readiness,

[3:23:28] supports firefighter safety, and maintains a fiscally sustainable

[3:23:34] long-term plan. It's about how do you balance public safety with your fiscal

[3:23:39] responsibility as council. We looked at uh seven different program

[3:23:44] areas that define throughout here. We established uh 33 observations through

[3:23:51] 38 key recommendations. Um we looked at suggested time frames.

[3:23:57] They reflect urgency, organizational capacity, growth dependency, and future

[3:24:02] budget decisions. Again, council retains control over implementation through

[3:24:07] annual priorities and approvals and through the budget process.

[3:24:13] Um you've got the uh you've got the uh piece of the plan uh that was provided

[3:24:20] to you. Just quickly, you know, when we look at administration, the immediate uh

[3:24:24] priority uh is clearly governance, looking at setting uh established

[3:24:30] benchmarks for the fire service to uh align to.

[3:24:34] When we look at um public education and uh inspections, prevention and

[3:24:40] inspections, it's it's about a you know looking at a more um risk community risk

[3:24:47] reduction through strong programming, being systematic through a targeted uh

[3:24:52] public education program and a proactive uh code enforcement. So you're getting

[3:24:58] out there proactively into buildings for inspection purposes. Um,

[3:25:05] we also suggest that you look at an additional firerevention/public

[3:25:09] education officer uh as you continue to grow and put these programs through its

[3:25:14] pace. From an emergency response aspect, it's

[3:25:19] really about monitoring service demand. It uh it looks at uh you know

[3:25:24] operational readiness and define service boundaries. The priorities include mult

[3:25:30] um you know looking at how you deal with multi-residentidential demands that

[3:25:33] you're going to see with the growth coming, a review of your tiered medical

[3:25:37] response, making sure you're going to the right calls uh on a on an annual

[3:25:40] basis. Um you've got partners uh that you're completing with the uh battery

[3:25:45] energy storage. Uh you've got that program in place. Carry on with that. Uh

[3:25:50] good work there. And then it's really about digitizing uh all all your pieces

[3:25:55] so that you have a good data management program.

[3:25:58] the emergency comm community uh sorry training uh training and professional

[3:26:03] development. One of the key pieces there is uh looking at in u making sure that

[3:26:08] you're meeting the required certificate uh certification and the service

[3:26:13] complexity of the calls you're going to um looking at a feasibility review for a

[3:26:19] live fire training center. one that could service the region and not just

[3:26:22] for fire, but look at a number of thirdparty partners that you could have

[3:26:26] out there, whether it be EMS, whether it be hydro, whether it be others that want

[3:26:31] to involve in there and share the cost of that as well as uh county uh other uh

[3:26:37] county fire departments. Um, and then we uh have identified the

[3:26:42] need for a dedicated uh training officer aligned with you continuing to utilize

[3:26:47] your uh part-time staff um as well. Uh emergency communications being done with

[3:26:55] uh G Fire Department right now. Um collaborate with G. uh look at an

[3:27:00] updated uh um uh schedule with them um so that you're you're formalizing

[3:27:07] measurable expectations on what they're going to provide you within the within

[3:27:10] the agreement. This will then allow you to measure because that call taking

[3:27:15] process is all part of your total response getting there quickly. If

[3:27:18] they're not meeting certain needs, um then you know you've got it all written

[3:27:23] down. So that's what we're suggesting is make sure you have a written agreement

[3:27:26] with them in that aspect. your capital assets. Uh conducting a functional

[3:27:32] building assessment on both fire stations. Um you know looking at safety

[3:27:36] codes, compliance um you know decontamination, apparatus movement,

[3:27:41] storage, training and future staffing needs. Um the Fergus station again we'll

[3:27:46] have to look at shorter term pieces if you do uh align with uh replacing that

[3:27:51] station further south as we're going to talk about in just right now.

[3:27:58] So what we did was we did conduct a uh a location uh station location you know as

[3:28:03] your community builds out as the growth uh continues to happen uh uh plan for

[3:28:09] the the south we looked at a three-station model one that uh

[3:28:13] identifies a third uh future station up in the uh the north fergus area and this

[3:28:20] looks at a a window of 12 to 60 months and the reason why it's a 12 to 60 month

[3:28:25] range is It takes planning. Now the best time to start planning is today and then

[3:28:30] uh working out the the the time that it takes to build that station. Also

[3:28:36] looking at taking the existing Fergus station and re relocating it uh further

[3:28:42] south. Um then that allows that new development that's occurring there. It

[3:28:47] provides you and we've l we looked at this uh through a lens of not just your

[3:28:52] issues today and not your issues in 10 years but what are your issues going to

[3:28:57] look like in 50 years from now when you need full-time staff your growth is

[3:29:02] where it's at. Um you know pieces like that and that's this is the model that

[3:29:06] we think will best serve the community as we see it right now.

[3:29:12] And the last little piece here is looking at the uh phased hybrid staffing

[3:29:17] transition that the chief talked about. And this is really uh looking at um how

[3:29:22] you transition. Your volunteers play a a very important role and should continue

[3:29:28] to play an important role in this community. But as call volumes increase,

[3:29:34] as those as as the reliability of your volunteers decreases,

[3:29:38] um then you've got to start to look at how do you augment full-time staff into

[3:29:43] that. We've established a five-phase uh program for you. Um starting out at uh

[3:29:48] from 72 months from now. Um that said, um you know, growth growth needs change,

[3:29:54] your volunteer reliability may change. This needs to be looked at on an annual

[3:29:58] basis and adjusted accordingly. you might not need it in 72 months. You

[3:30:03] might need it in 36 months or you might need it uh out in 84 months from now.

[3:30:08] So, uh opportunity exists there. Uh just to wrap up, um you know, this is all

[3:30:15] about uh uh the strategic value of the plan is that it connects governance,

[3:30:21] risk reduction, operational readiness, people and assets in one long-term plan.

[3:30:27] Um it protects the strength of the paid on call model that I know was very

[3:30:31] important to everybody uh while preparing for that composite transition

[3:30:36] and investment is demonstrated through need fiscal capacity and measurable

[3:30:42] outcomes. So it's not here's your plan, this is how much it's going to cost you,

[3:30:46] you must do it. It's about be giving you that flexibility in the road map to to

[3:30:51] move forward. So Mr. Mayor, that's uh that concludes our presentation. I'm

[3:30:56] happy to take any questions that you might have.

[3:30:58] » Uh, thank Yes. Thank you for your presentation and I'll look to council

[3:31:02] for comments or questions. Councelor Wilton.

[3:31:05] » Thank you, Mayor Waters. Thank you for the presentation. It's great and the

[3:31:09] plan looks very solid. I'm just curious if you could comment on equipment um as

[3:31:14] we're starting to grow taller in terms of our buildings. Just curious if we

[3:31:18] currently have equipment to handle that or if that was factored into the uh

[3:31:22] capital assets part of your strategy. Thank you.

[3:31:25] » So through you, Mr. Mayor, we we did look at uh the whole aspect of apparatus

[3:31:30] and um your apparatus is pretty well aligned um for for the needs of the

[3:31:34] community. I mean, you're going you're you're going up, but you're not going up

[3:31:37] drastically. Um a lot of it is is less about equipment and more about tactics

[3:31:43] on how your firefighters operate that. The one thing that uh we we did uh

[3:31:47] observe is that you do have funding for a a replacement vehicle coming up and

[3:31:52] we're we in the in the report recommend that you look at a mini pumper um

[3:31:57] capabilities of providing uh quick response. Um it'll integrate into a

[3:32:01] full-time staff that transitional model very well but not meant to augment

[3:32:07] bigger apparatus in your fleet uh either. So it's about it's about that

[3:32:11] balanced approach.

[3:32:15] McDonald. >> Um, so thank you for taking us through

[3:32:19] the process. I really enjoyed my interview. Uh, because I feel you

[3:32:24] captured quite a bit of it. Um, here in Allora, we're different. We're unique.

[3:32:30] We have a gorge. Contrary to what people think, everyone comes from all over the

[3:32:35] world to see the gorge. And uh, we've had some major fires.

[3:32:40] We've had some major incidents in the gorge. I can't thank our volunteer

[3:32:43] firemen enough for keeping our community safe. Um

[3:32:49] how is this plan going to help that where the gorge is concerned? What do

[3:32:55] you see the benefits? >> So the uh through you Mr. Mayor. Um the

[3:32:59] the benefits that we've identified in the plan is around um starting with the

[3:33:06] data the you know making sure that you have proper data collection so that you

[3:33:10] can utilize that data to help build plans. The second piece the plan talks

[3:33:15] about the training the whole aspect about ensuring that you you have the

[3:33:20] appropriate training um to meet the needs within the community but not

[3:33:26] training on everything. We've identified a recommendation that says look beyond

[3:33:31] your area for those low acuity calls such as, you know, big hazmat incidents,

[3:33:37] uh, confined space, uh, trench rescue type calls. Utilize surrounding fire

[3:33:42] departments so that your people aren't having to train on that and understand

[3:33:45] that for calls that they may never ever go on. Focus on the gorge, you know,

[3:33:50] focus on that rescue type training. you're doing a our our review indicated

[3:33:55] that this is a very strong department when it comes to that asset. Um, and you

[3:34:01] should be sharing that asset around as well. Look outside your community to who

[3:34:05] else could actually utilize that and work a a contract up with them as well

[3:34:11] so that if they need something, you can you can gain some uh some funding back

[3:34:16] uh through through an agreement that way. So,

[3:34:20] Any further comments or questions? Um I was

[3:34:25] going to ask on the um I noticed that uh on your on the hirers and the full-time

[3:34:31] uh you're talking sort of I'm looking way out uh 180 months or was somewhere

[3:34:37] around there and you're talking about 20. Is that based strictly on

[3:34:41] population? Is that based on or what is it a combination? because obviously uh

[3:34:47] uh we do have some full-times and uh is that sort of where the marketplace is

[3:34:52] going or maybe you can explain that a little bit better.

[3:34:54] » Yes. So Mr. Mr. Mayor, what we what we looked at was we we didn't look at an

[3:34:58] isolation of just growth alone. Um uh we looked at you know that potential risk.

[3:35:03] We looked at, you know, that aspect of where we start to see the call volume

[3:35:09] increasing. We're able to predict that out to a a reasonable number. Um, it it

[3:35:15] it'll it'll adjust uh you know, as as each year goes along. Um but also then

[3:35:21] we look at the reliability or the uh capability of the volunteers that

[3:35:28] continue to respond to that number of calls and and that's where we started to

[3:35:33] build in the aspect of uh along with your growth um saying okay you start off

[3:35:39] with a daytime staff it relieves some of the pressure on smaller calls. are still

[3:35:43] calling the volunteers out for the big goals and then as you transition out and

[3:35:48] we didn't want to stop at 120 months on a on a plan that could you you know we

[3:35:53] were able to predict out 184 months. Um, and what that did does is then walk you

[3:35:59] through so that you have a full-time crew uh 24/7 here all the time to

[3:36:04] respond, but still relying on your composite model of the volunteers uh or

[3:36:10] part-time firefighters to be coming in and and and doing what they do best.

[3:36:15] So, it's a combination. Council, any more further comments or

[3:36:21] questions? Councelor Adams, >> thank you. Thanks for all your work. Um

[3:36:27] there's a lot of information here. Um just looking to confirm like the next

[3:36:31] steps today. We're just receiving that for information and then does that go up

[3:36:35] then for like notice or consultation with the public to comment and

[3:36:42] yeah if you could just guide us through the next steps.

[3:36:44] » Yep. I can take that one. So yeah, thanks Councelor Adams. So through the

[3:36:46] mayor. Um so this is for information right now. Um the draft report has been

[3:36:52] posted on the township's website and so we do welcome comments from council or

[3:36:57] members of the public on the report and then we plan to come back at the uh

[3:37:01] September the late September meeting of council uh seeking council's um approval

[3:37:07] of the report and recommendations. Um at that time we're still not you know we're

[3:37:12] like these items that have been recommended will be programming them

[3:37:15] through future budgets. though council still not necessarily approving the

[3:37:18] budgets at that time um but approving the report recommendations.

[3:37:24] » Council Kratic, >> thank you. And through you, do we have

[3:37:28] the data or rough numbers for the amount of calls that are going out outside the

[3:37:32] municipality to places like Mapleton or G Aramosa and like how that was factored

[3:37:38] into your staffing needs? >> Yes. At at present through you, Mr.

[3:37:42] mayor. Uh at present we've had uh 16 calls to the Elma area which is a mutual

[3:37:47] aid agreement or an automatic agreement uh with the township of Mapleton uh to

[3:37:52] do so. We have uh many neighboring municipalities that we provide mutual

[3:37:56] aid to on a constant basis. I don't have those numbers here right for you this

[3:38:01] evening, but we do go out of our area to help on several occasions as well. And

[3:38:06] then with the new tech agreement um we foresee uh going out of the area as well

[3:38:11] while maintaining our service here. >> Follow up.

[3:38:15] » Does their growth factor into your staffing evaluation though?

[3:38:23] » So e even though you're responding outside the growth uh or those numbers

[3:38:28] aren't that significant uh in comparison to the the number of calls internal into

[3:38:34] Center Wellington. So it was factored in but it was negligible in terms of the

[3:38:40] the the the results. It didn't make a difference.

[3:38:45] Councelor Adams, >> thank you. Just another question in and

[3:38:50] I know it's pretty far out the 10 year for the relocated Fergus station. Is

[3:38:55] there like when you we look at the map and there like it's just is that just a

[3:39:00] general location right now or is that a very specific location that it's pointed

[3:39:03] to on the map right now because we're also going to be doing

[3:39:07] some work on there in terms of like the roundabout and like the gateway and

[3:39:10] stuff and it seems to be like plucked right in there. So I'm just kind of

[3:39:13] curious if that's a specific location or general there through you Mr. Mayor.

[3:39:17] Yeah, we're going to put the fire station right in the middle of the

[3:39:19] roundabout. You go anywhere. No.

[3:39:25] Yeah. Um, so that that is a a more of a general location. Um, you know, it can

[3:39:30] it can shift it can shift either way. It up north, south, east, west. Not a lot.

[3:39:36] Cuz the more you shift it, the more your your boxes will will will shift. Um, but

[3:39:42] if you you know, if you were to shift it 500 meters one way or the other, um,

[3:39:46] it's not going to it's not going to make a difference that that big of a

[3:39:50] difference in the overall response plan. Any

[3:39:55] other comments or questions from council? Well, thank you chief and for

[3:39:58] and folks for your presentation and I'll read the recommendation uh that the

[3:40:03] council township of center Wellington receives report number CS 2020 uh

[3:40:08] 2026-30 fire master plan update for information.

[3:40:13] Do I have a mover on that? Councelor Evoy second on that. Councelor

[3:40:18] Jefferson, any further comments or questions? Seeing none, all those in

[3:40:21] favor? That is so moved. Thanks again. Appreciate your time. Okay. So, we'll

[3:40:26] move down to item uh 12.2, restricted acts, the lame lame duck period reminder

[3:40:32] and notice of upcoming update. And uh we have Natalie who's going to come and

[3:40:38] speak to this. Welcome.

[3:40:46] » Members of council. I'm here today to provide an update regarding the

[3:40:49] restricted acts period, also commonly known as the lame duck period. Following

[3:40:54] the close of nominations on August 21st, 2026,

[3:40:59] um staff have reviewed the filed candidates and have determined whether

[3:41:04] three quarters um of the current council could possibly be elected for the 2026

[3:41:09] to 2030 term of office. Based on that review as well as the conclusion of the

[3:41:14] certification process conducted today, August 20 24th, 2026, it has been

[3:41:20] determined that fewer than 3/4s of the township's current council could

[3:41:25] possibly return. As a result, the restricted acts provisions under section

[3:41:29] 275 of the municipal act are now in effect. This specific restrictions can

[3:41:35] be found in the report provided to you today. Um, and this period will be in

[3:41:39] effect until the end of the 2022 to 2026 council term on November 14th, 2026.

[3:41:46] This update is provided solely for information purposes and no action is

[3:41:49] required as of this moment. Um, so I'd like to thank you for your time and if

[3:41:53] you have any questions, I'd be happy to take them now.

[3:41:56] » Thank you. Uh, comments, questions? Thank you very much for your

[3:42:02] presentation. I will read the recommendation that the council of the

[3:42:05] township of central Wellington receives report Kora 2026-33

[3:42:10] restricted acts the lame duck period reminder and notice of upcoming update

[3:42:15] for information. Do we have a mover for that? Councelor Welton second on that

[3:42:18] councelor Kratic. Any further comments or questions? Seeing none all those in

[3:42:23] favor that's so moved. Thank you. Uh move down to uh item 12.3 vendor of

[3:42:28] record. Um Gaseous Chlorine.

[3:42:36] » Really waiting for this one.

[3:42:42] » Uh through you, mayor. This report seeks council's approval to designate Brenech

[3:42:46] Canada, Inc. as the vendor of record for the supply and delivery of chlorine gas

[3:42:51] used in the township's drinking water treatment system process. Uh chlorine

[3:42:56] gas is a critical component of the disinfection process and is essential in

[3:43:01] production and maintenance of safe drinking water. Staff have completed

[3:43:05] review of both available suppliers as well as procurements completed by other

[3:43:09] municipalities.

[3:43:14] Through these reviews, it was evident that Brent is consistently the

[3:43:17] successful supplier. It was determined that other vendors may offer chlorine

[3:43:21] gas. However, it is sourced through Brent and resold at a higher cost.

[3:43:27] Designating Brent as a vendor of record will provide a reliable and efficient

[3:43:31] procurement process for this essential chemical while remaining consistent with

[3:43:34] the township's purchasing bylaw and procurement policy. Staff recommend

[3:43:39] approval of the vendor of record designation to ensure uninterrupted

[3:43:43] access to this critical treatment chemical and support the ongoing

[3:43:47] delivery and of safe drinking water services for our community. I'm happy to

[3:43:52] address any questions council may have. >> Thank you Dino. Comments, questions?

[3:43:59] I think you handle it very well. So I'm going to read the recommendation that

[3:44:03] the council township of central Wellington authorized use of RENG Canada

[3:44:08] Inc. as the vendor of record for supply and delivery of chlorine gas for the

[3:44:12] purpose of drinking water disinfection. Uh do I have a mover on that? Uh

[3:44:18] councelor McDonald uh second her on that. Councelor uh Wilton any further

[3:44:23] comments or questions? Seeing none all those in favor that's so move. I think

[3:44:28] we're going to do is take a five minute five minute break just for everyone just

[3:44:32] to stretch their legs and then we'll be back shortly.

[3:54:40] I have to read this that the council township of center Wellington extends

[3:54:44] the council meet for one hour do have a mover on that council katic councelor

[3:54:49] Adams any further comments questions all in favor so moved okay so we'll move

[3:54:54] down to uh item 12.4 4 municipal water waterworks bylaw 2006-080

[3:55:04] uh amendment report and uh we welcome Dino back again.

[3:55:11] » Good evening. Thanks again through you mayor. This report recommends amendments

[3:55:15] to the municipal waterworks bylaw 206080 to address outdated provisions and

[3:55:20] references. Uh the proposed changes modernize references to our fees and

[3:55:24] charges bylaw, strengthens our current practice of requiring new development to

[3:55:29] connect to municipal services where available and prohibits the installation

[3:55:32] of new private water wells on new development fronted by municipal water

[3:55:36] main. The amendments would also require existing private wells to be properly

[3:55:40] decommissioned within two years of connecting to the municipal water

[3:55:44] system. This will help protect our groundwater and support long-term

[3:55:47] sustainability of the township's drinking water infrastructure.

[3:55:51] These amendments also improve the township's ability to administer and

[3:55:54] enforce the bylaw by introducing an updated inspection powers as well as

[3:55:59] enhanced compliance tools. These measures include the ability to issue

[3:56:03] orders, require corrective action, recover costs associated with

[3:56:07] non-compliance, and registered leans where necessary.

[3:56:11] In addition, a number of housekeeping changes were also included to correct

[3:56:15] outdated references, improve clarity, and address typographical errors

[3:56:20] identified through internal and external reviews. Staff believe that these

[3:56:24] targeted updates will strengthen the township's ability to manage and protect

[3:56:28] its municipal drinking water system until a comprehensive bylaw amendment or

[3:56:32] update, I should say, is brought forward in 2027 and recommend that council

[3:56:36] approve this amended bylaw.

[3:56:40] Thank you for that comments, questions. Councelor McDonald

[3:56:44] » through you, Mayor Waters. Um, so with this update, um, it aligns with best

[3:56:48] practices out of Walkerton Center. All of those suggestions that we always got.

[3:56:54] » Yeah, great question through you, Mayor. Absolutely. This is consistent with our

[3:56:58] safe drinking water act and um the um standard duty of care. Yes.

[3:57:05] » That councelor Adams. Thank you. Um, thanks for the report. I

[3:57:10] I see that obviously a refresh was needed. We do have a couple of large

[3:57:15] projects happening um running through like existing um

[3:57:20] neighborhoods. Colin, we've spoken a lot of time about G Street and Allora Street

[3:57:26] and um the new infrastructure going through there. So, for that project in

[3:57:30] particular, I'm just trying to figure out if this bylaw would change anything

[3:57:34] of the communication to date. I think at from my um knowledge is that when that

[3:57:42] infrastructure project starts happening, which is likely next year, um the the

[3:57:46] residents along that would have a an option to either um connect or not

[3:57:54] connect. Is that correct? >> Yeah. Yes. Again, great question through

[3:57:59] you, Mayor and Colin. Feel free to jump in. Um that is correct. Uh the option is

[3:58:05] there. This is not an intent to force anybody to connect to new service. This

[3:58:11] is for uh for example infill development where municipal water services are

[3:58:16] available. Our practice has always been that you connect to those services, not

[3:58:20] drill a new well and install a new septic system. Um so that has been our

[3:58:25] practice. We are now putting it into bylaw.

[3:58:28] » Perfect. Thank you. Thanks so much. >> Uh any other further comments or

[3:58:33] questions for Dino? Okay. Uh, thank you, Dino. I'll read the recommendation that

[3:58:37] the council of township of center Wellington authorize the mayor clerk to

[3:58:41] sign a bylaw to amend bylaw6080.

[3:58:46] Uh, I do have a mover for that. Councelor McDonald, second on that,

[3:58:49] councelor Welton. Any further comments or questions? Seeing none, all those in

[3:58:53] favor? That's so moved. Thank you. Uh we'll move down to item 12.5 designation

[3:58:59] uh bylaw two uh 250 GRA Street East Fergus. And I see Deanna up here to

[3:59:07] speak to that. Welcome.

[3:59:12] » Thank you. Uh good evening, Mayor Waters and members of council. Uh there are

[3:59:17] three fairly routine heritage related reports this evening, so I'll try to

[3:59:21] keep it brief. Um this report is the designation bylaw for the property at

[3:59:25] 250 Gapraas Street East in Fergus. No objections were received for the notice

[3:59:30] of intention to designate and as such the bylaw is being brought forward for

[3:59:34] council's consideration and I'm here to answer any questions.

[3:59:38] » Thank you. Comment question from council. Okay. I'll read the

[3:59:43] recommendation that the council of township of center Wellington confirms

[3:59:46] the intention to designate property municipally known as 2550 Gafra Street

[3:59:52] East Fergus in the township of center Wellington as a property of cultural

[3:59:56] heritage value andor interest pursuant to section 29 part 4 of the Ontario

[4:00:01] Heritage Act and that the corresponding bylaws be given three readings. Do I

[4:00:05] have a mover on that? Councelor Welton second her on that. Councelor Kratock,

[4:00:09] any further comments or questions? Seeing none, all those in favor that is

[4:00:13] so move. We'll move down to item 12.6 and we have Diana there to speak to this

[4:00:22] through you. Uh this report is regarding the heritage designation VA for 8076

[4:00:27] Wellington Road 19 Westafra. Similar to the first report, no objections were

[4:00:32] received and I'm happy to answer any questions.

[4:00:36] » Council comments or questions pertaining to this uh recommendation? Okay. So that

[4:00:42] reads that the council of township of center Wellington confirms the intention

[4:00:46] to designate the property municipally known as 80076 Wellington road 19 west

[4:00:52] fra in the township of center Wellington as a property of cultural heritage value

[4:00:56] andor interest pursuant to section 29 part 4 of the Ontario heritage act and

[4:01:02] that the corresponding bylaw be given three readings. Do I have a mover on

[4:01:06] that? Council McDonald. Second her on that.

[4:01:11] Councelor Jefferson. Any further comments or questions? Seeing none, all

[4:01:15] those in favor? That's so moved. And we'll move down to the last one. Uh 12.7

[4:01:22] heritage designation recommendation 195 Queen Street West Fergus.

[4:01:28] » Thank you through you. Uh this report is regarding the property at 195 Queen

[4:01:32] Street West in Fergus. The owners of the property have requested designation

[4:01:36] under the Ontario Heritage Act. Uh staff and Heritage Center Wellington have

[4:01:41] evaluated the property and then found that it meets at least two criteria

[4:01:45] required under Ontario regulation 906 and therefore merits designation. A

[4:01:51] statement of cultural heritage value or interest is attached to the report for

[4:01:54] council's consideration and happy to answer any questions. Again,

[4:01:59] » thank you again. Comments, questions from council. Seeing none, I'll read the

[4:02:02] recommendation that the council of Township Center Wellington states uh a

[4:02:07] notice of intention to designate the property municipally known as 195 Queen

[4:02:12] Street West Fergus under section 29 part 4 of the Ontario Heritage Act. Do have a

[4:02:17] mover on that. Councelor Wilton. Second on that, Councelor McDonald. Any further

[4:02:22] comments or questions? Seeing none, all those in favor? That's so move. Thank

[4:02:26] you. So, we'll now move down to 12.8 8 telecommunication concurrence uh

[4:02:32] request. Um and uh I see Brett uh who's moving to Lrand. Uh could you speak

[4:02:39] please speak to this? Thank you. >> Thank you. Mayor Waters through you. Um

[4:02:44] this is the subject of the delegation that council heard say um a

[4:02:51] telecommunication tower request. We've dealt with a number of these over the

[4:02:56] years. if they follow the municipal protocol when they get to the end of

[4:02:59] that process, council has the option to either provide concurrence or not to

[4:03:04] provide concurrence. And even if you uh don't provide concurrence, it's still

[4:03:11] the federal government's uh jurisdiction at the end. Um for what it's worth, when

[4:03:18] this application came forward, we reviewed it internally. It was

[4:03:21] circulated to all department heads. Nobody had any objection. It's on a

[4:03:25] county road. Um, it's at the very far, the map isn't super clear, but it's

[4:03:30] right at the far north end of the township, almost in Elma. It's like the

[4:03:36] last property before Elma. Um, 7 m tall. So, that's barely eight, a

[4:03:42] little over 8 ft. Um, so there would be no requirement for circulation and we

[4:03:48] would treat it like a site plan in which there is no public circulation of a of a

[4:03:53] site plan application. Um, it is on a county road. We circulated to the county

[4:03:58] of Wellington. County of Wellington uh staff had some comments for and

[4:04:03] questions for shared networks. Um, and those were resolved through the back and

[4:04:09] forth. and uh but they need a county entrance permit is really the only um

[4:04:15] other issue. So we're we see no reason not to grant uh concurrence.

[4:04:21] » Comments questions. Councelor McDonald >> to you. Mayor Waters, is this going to

[4:04:27] be near the other business irrigation business that we approved on county?

[4:04:34] » It's not on the same property, but it's not far from it. Any

[4:04:42] other comments or Yes, councelor Wilton. >> Thank you, Mayor Waters, and thank you

[4:04:46] for the presentation. And I would just be uh suggesting that we go with option

[4:04:49] one and to provide the concurrence. Thank you.

[4:04:53] » Any other comments or questions? Uh so is that sort of the general consensus uh

[4:04:58] from okay then I will uh I will read option one that of township by the way

[4:05:05] thanks Brad that the council township of center Wellington provides municipal

[4:05:09] occurrence uh concurrence for the proposed terrestrial telecommunication

[4:05:13] antenna system by shared tower inc 6983 Wellington road 7 nickel township of

[4:05:20] central Wellington and that the managing director of planning and development be

[4:05:24] authorized to prepare necessary concurrence letter. Do I have a mover

[4:05:28] for that? Councelor Wilton. Secondary on that. Councelor Evoy. Any further

[4:05:32] comments or questions? Seeing none, all all those in favor that is. So move. And

[4:05:36] if Jessica, you're still there, you got your concurrence. So

[4:05:42] um >> so now we move down to uh item 12.9

[4:05:47] process to form uh uh community development working uh groups for 207 or

[4:05:54] 20 27 initiatives rather and oh hi are you

[4:06:01] happy to see you >> it's a long night for you guys

[4:06:06] all right through you mayor this report is about establishing a consistent

[4:06:10] community-based process for reviewing applications and submissions for several

[4:06:15] community services programs uh that will be delivered in 2027. For the past three

[4:06:20] years, members of the healthy communities advisory committee and the

[4:06:23] diversity, equity, and inclusion advisory committee have supported staff

[4:06:26] by reviewing and scoring community investment fund applications. Although

[4:06:31] those committees are no longer active, their terms of reference allows members

[4:06:35] to continue this work through November 14th, 2026. A number of former committee

[4:06:41] members have indicated that they're willing to continue contributing their

[4:06:45] time and expertise. Staff are therefore proposing to bring these volunteers

[4:06:49] together into one community development working group. The group would review

[4:06:53] and score applications for three programs. The community investment fund,

[4:06:57] the new inclusive community program, and the Fergus Grand Theater co-presenting

[4:07:02] pilot program. This approach maintains continuity with process used

[4:07:07] successfully over the past three years while also allowing us to leverage the

[4:07:12] experience of the volunteers across several community development

[4:07:14] initiatives. The working group will provide scores and feedback to staff. It

[4:07:19] will not make funding or program decisions. Staff will use the results

[4:07:23] along with the established program criteria to develop recommendations

[4:07:28] through the appropriate approval process. There is one additional

[4:07:32] component to the recommendation before council today uh for the arts, culture,

[4:07:36] festivals and event stream of the community investment fund. Staff

[4:07:39] proposed that one member of the board of the economic development and tourism

[4:07:44] municipal service corporation who is not a staff member or an elected official

[4:07:48] would participate in the review. This will provide an additional sector

[4:07:52] specific perspective for applications related to arts, culture, festival and

[4:07:57] events while maintaining the broader community-based evaluation process and

[4:08:02] that board member would only participate in reviewing applications under that

[4:08:06] stream. Thank you. >> Thank you. Comments, questions?

[4:08:13] » Yes, you sir. Thank you. I think uh this organizes a lot of things. This helps

[4:08:19] make a lot of things a lot flow a lot easier and uh I'm grateful that we're

[4:08:23] putting a system behind this an organized system and I think it'll serve

[4:08:26] us all very well. >> Any other comments or questions for

[4:08:31] Kristen? Thank you Kristen for your report. I'll read the recommendation

[4:08:35] that the council township of center Wellington receives report number

[4:08:38] CS2026-21

[4:08:41] process uh to form a community development working groups for 2027 and

[4:08:46] initiatives and that the additional member additional member of the uh board

[4:08:51] of economic development and tourism municipal services corporation who is

[4:08:55] not a staff or elected official be invited to particip participate in the

[4:09:00] community development working group when applications under the arts, culture,

[4:09:04] festivals, and events stream of the uh community investment fund are being

[4:09:08] reviewed and scored. Do we have a mover for that? Councelor Katic. Secondary on

[4:09:13] that, councelor Evoy. Any further comments or questions? Seeing none, all

[4:09:17] those in favor? That is so moved. Thank you for that. We'll move down to item 12

[4:09:22] uh 12.10, community planning permit system. And uh I see Emma. Hi, Emma.

[4:09:29] Welcome. Mayor Waters, members of council,

[4:09:34] public, and staff, wonderful to see you all this evening despite the later hour.

[4:09:38] So, the report before you provides an update and additional information

[4:09:42] regarding the proposed community planning permit system project,

[4:09:46] otherwise known as CPPS project, and seeks council authorization and

[4:09:50] direction to proceed with the procurement process. It is important to

[4:09:54] note that we're not seeking implementation or approval of a CP at

[4:09:59] this time. This recommendation is to allow for procurement to be initiated

[4:10:04] and to seek direction on what the preferred procurement approach entails.

[4:10:10] The project is proposed to proceed in two distinct phases. The first phase

[4:10:15] being a CPPS study. This will focus on public education, public and partner

[4:10:21] engagement, uh technical analysis, and an assessment of whether a CP is an

[4:10:27] appropriate tool within the township. Staff are recommending proceeding with a

[4:10:31] procurement in alignment with option one, which allows for one RFP for the

[4:10:36] full CPPS project with a mandatory council decision point following the

[4:10:41] completion of the phase 1 CPS study. Staff are recommending this approach

[4:10:45] because it allows for project continuity, administrative, and cost

[4:10:50] efficiencies while also preserving council's authority to direct whether

[4:10:54] any future phase 2 or implementation work should proceed. Thank you very much

[4:10:59] for your time. I welcome any questions or comments that you might have.

[4:11:02] » Thank you, Emma. Uh comments, questions. Councelor Wilton.

[4:11:06] » Thank you, Mayor Waters. Thank you, Emma. Appreciate your report. Uh and I

[4:11:10] really appreciate that staff kind of reworked the RFP process to put in that

[4:11:14] mandatory checkpoint for um council approval before we move to full

[4:11:18] implementation. So, I like the way uh you've approached that. So, I appreciate

[4:11:22] Thank you. And yeah, I'd be comfortable with moving forward with option one

[4:11:26] tonight. So look forward to how it all unfolds.

[4:11:31] » Councelor M. >> Mayor Waters, thank you for bringing

[4:11:35] this forward. Um I especially want to outline because there's members in my

[4:11:40] area definitely waiting for it. Actually across Center Wellington um about the

[4:11:44] cultural heritage landscapes um legislation changes. We didn't continue

[4:11:50] pursuing that and this will have eyes on that again. So I noticed um it will look

[4:11:56] at the cultural heritage landscape study and inventory. So thank you.

[4:12:01] » Any other comments or questions? Councelor Eoy.

[4:12:04] » Sure. I'm just going to reiterate what my colleague said. Thanks Emma. I

[4:12:07] absolutely go with option one. And I think uh maintaining a stronger voice uh

[4:12:12] that includes council is super important at this level.

[4:12:16] » Any other comments or questions? Uh again, I want to thank staff uh for

[4:12:21] reworking this and I know council had been waiting for this and I think this

[4:12:24] is a really good thing for our community. So I'll read the uh Thanks

[4:12:28] again, Emma. I read the recommendation that the council of the township of

[4:12:31] central Wellington receive staff report PLN 2026-34

[4:12:36] titled community planning permit system CPPS project update and initiation and

[4:12:42] that the council township of center Wellington authorized and direct staff

[4:12:46] to issue requests for proposal for the community planning permit system project

[4:12:51] uh uh substantially in accordance with option one as outlined in this report.

[4:12:56] Do I have a mover for that? Councelor Wilton. Second on that, Councelor

[4:13:00] McDonald. Any further comments or questions? Seeing none, all those in

[4:13:04] favor. Thank you. Thank you. Um, and you're staying right there. So, item

[4:13:10] 12.11, affordable housing initiative, uh, 350 St. Andrew Street, uh, West

[4:13:16] Fergus. >> Wonderful. Thank you. So, the second

[4:13:20] report before you this evening relates to the township's affordable housing

[4:13:24] initiative on the subject property 350 St. Andrew Street West in Fergus.

[4:13:29] Following the township's successful acquisition of the subject lands, staff

[4:13:33] are seeking council authorization and direction to proceed with an RFP to

[4:13:38] obtain a qualified proponent to develop, operate, and manage affordable rental

[4:13:43] housing on the site. The RFP is intended to maintain flexibility around land

[4:13:49] arrangements, project design, and other project feasibility components to allow

[4:13:54] for the optimal public benefit and outcome of the site. Um the it is also

[4:14:00] intended to build on existing approvals and prior pre-development work that has

[4:14:04] been completed for the site to leverage those that are also available. Staff are

[4:14:09] also seeking authorization and direction to commence discussions with adjacent

[4:14:14] property owners uh about site functionality, access, parking,

[4:14:19] connectivity, and other ways that we can enhance community outcomes. Following

[4:14:24] the RFP process, staff would return to council with a report outlining the

[4:14:28] recommended successful proponent, the land arrangement, affordability

[4:14:32] commitments, and any other implementation requirements.

[4:14:37] No final disposition, lease or transfer of township owned land is being

[4:14:41] considered through tonight's report. Thank you very much again for your time

[4:14:44] and consideration. Welcome any questions or comments that you might have.

[4:14:48] » Thank you, Emma. Comments, questions. Councelor Eo, sir, just wow. Um, I'm so

[4:14:54] excited about this and I know I speak for all of us and I just want to

[4:14:56] reiterate one of the lines within affordable renting housing may also

[4:15:00] support older adults, many of whom lived on fixed incomes. we often forget this

[4:15:04] demographic and I am thrilled that we're moving forward and I hope that we are

[4:15:09] setting an example across the county. So, thanks for your hard work on this.

[4:15:13] » Thank you, Councelor Evo. Uh, councelor Adams

[4:15:18] » through you. Uh, Emma, I just wanted to say great report. Um, you're not just

[4:15:22] bringing forward um, you know, like the actions and the decisions that we're

[4:15:26] making tonight, but you provided a really good background of like the need

[4:15:29] for this. So, I just encourage everyone um there's a lot of talk about this that

[4:15:34] has caught a lot of people's attention, but there's a lot of really good

[4:15:37] information and background and context in this report. It's really well done.

[4:15:40] Thank you. >> Uh Council Wilton,

[4:15:45] » thank you, Mayor Waters. Thank you, Emma, for the report. Don't need to

[4:15:48] repeat what they've said, but I also wanted to give a plug for the housing

[4:15:51] action plan that kind of dovetailes with this in a in a way. And I think there's

[4:15:56] a survey out right now. So, I really hope that anybody listening or watching

[4:15:59] this meeting um looks for that. And there's also a lot of really great

[4:16:02] information on that website around the housing action plan, which I think

[4:16:05] you've probably been doing a lot of that work. So, appreciate that. And it's it's

[4:16:09] really important that we look at this all kind of holistically. So, thank you,

[4:16:12] Emma, for your work. >> Council McDonald

[4:16:16] through you, Mayor Waters. Thank you for the fullsome report. This is a good news

[4:16:20] story as soon as it was on the agenda. I I think I know I had a little inner

[4:16:26] yahoo. Um it it really is I'm I'm very very proud

[4:16:32] of this council. It's been a pleasure sitting with them because this is what

[4:16:36] we were after and it's so pleasure pleasurable to see it come to light and

[4:16:43] a lot of hard work and I'm proud of us. >> Any other comments or questions from

[4:16:48] council? Uh I ju I would also like to um thank uh County of Wellington because we

[4:16:55] obviously work with those folks there and we are doing this particular program

[4:16:59] but I also know throughout the county there are doing other programs which are

[4:17:03] which if you have a chance to take a look at them and all of this in the end

[4:17:08] is to help support uh our folks in our community and provide variety of housing

[4:17:13] and that's something that we should be all celebrate and really at the end of

[4:17:16] the day it's about work working together and when we work together we can come up

[4:17:20] with some good conclusions. So this is a very exciting thanks again for bringing

[4:17:25] this forward and uh I'll read the recommendation that the council of

[4:17:29] township of center Wellington uh received a report titled affordable

[4:17:33] housing initiative 350 St. Andrew Street West Fergus and that the council of

[4:17:38] township of center Wellington authorized and direct staff to initiate discussions

[4:17:42] with adjacent property owners to explore opportunities that may support or

[4:17:46] enhance the future development of 350's St. Andrew Street West Fergus and that

[4:17:52] council and the township of center Wellington authorize and direct staff to

[4:17:55] proceed with the issuance of uh request for proposal for the disposition of a

[4:18:00] long-term lease development and management of 350 St. Andrew Street West

[4:18:05] Fergus uh sustain uh substantially in accordance with the parameters outlined

[4:18:11] and report subject to any minor revisions satisfactory to the chief

[4:18:16] administration officer in consulted in consultation with legal advice. Do I

[4:18:22] have a mover for that? Councelor Wilton. Second on that councelor Kratic. Any

[4:18:26] further comments or questions? Seeing none, all those Oh yes, go ahead.

[4:18:30] » Just a quick comment to give a shout out to the rest of the planning department

[4:18:33] too. Mariana and Brett and others. I think it's been a group effort. So,

[4:18:37] appreciate all the work. >> Thank you for that comment. All those in

[4:18:42] favor. So, move. Thank you. Uh, now we move down to item 12.12.

[4:18:48] Garch shore farmhouse change of use assessment. And Casey, welcome.

[4:18:58] » Yeah. Uh, good evening, Mayor and Council. Staff are pleased to bring

[4:19:02] forward this information report as a follow-up to council's direction report

[4:19:05] CS2026-12 to assess the requirements of potential

[4:19:09] change of use use of the Gshore farmhouse to office space. Uh the

[4:19:13] assessment was concluded included a structural building code mechanical and

[4:19:16] electrical reviews as well as a high level cost estimate to identify the work

[4:19:20] that would be required to do so. The complete assessment confirms a feasible

[4:19:24] path forward a high level cost estimate of around $90,000.

[4:19:28] Staff are encouraged by the result and believe that it represents a practical

[4:19:31] and value valuable use of the township own asset

[4:19:36] indicating both the parks and the buildings and properties division in

[4:19:39] close proximity the new operations center and the green houses would

[4:19:42] provide an operational benefit including improved coordination reduced travel

[4:19:46] greater integration with the related services. Uh this report is for

[4:19:49] information only. No recommendations, approvals or budget decisions are being

[4:19:52] requested at this time. uh staff will continue to advance the work and we'll

[4:19:57] bring any funding requests forward through the 2027 budget process. So just

[4:20:01] happy to answer any questions that you guys would have.

[4:20:03] » Comments or questions for Casey? >> Oh,

[4:20:08] yes. Councelor Jefferson. >> Thank you, Mayor Waters. I was just

[4:20:13] wondering, I had a question. Um, it's in regards to the basement that there's a

[4:20:16] rubble wall down there and it's recommending that we do like a

[4:20:20] repointing of it and then it's going to be an ongoing annual expense to have it

[4:20:25] maintained. Um, why would it not be looked at to be encased or fully

[4:20:29] encased? >> Yeah, I think through you uh obviously

[4:20:32] it's a recommendation we would look at what would the best option be to do the

[4:20:36] whole foundation at a future capital project. these the costs that were kind

[4:20:40] of indicated here were the internal life safety mechanical electric. So so that's

[4:20:45] a future capital project that we'd bring forward um but would be looked at at an

[4:20:49] area where reduce the amount of maintenance that would be required with

[4:20:52] it as well. >> Okay. Any other comments or questions

[4:20:57] for Casey? Okay. I'll read the recommendation that the council township

[4:21:01] of central Wellington receives report CS 2026-27

[4:21:06] guardshore farmhouse change of use assessment for information. Do I have a

[4:21:10] mover for that? Councelor Evo a seconder on that

[4:21:15] councelor McDonald. Any other comments or question? Seeing none, all those in

[4:21:20] favor that is so moved. Uh we'll move down to item 12.13.

[4:21:26] uh reciprocal use agreement with the upper grand District School Board.

[4:21:32] Hello, Adam. >> Okay. Hello, Mayor Waters. Thank you.

[4:21:35] One more. Um so, uh before you is a proposed agreement with the Upper Grand

[4:21:39] District School Board referred to as a reciprocal use agreement, which provides

[4:21:43] a framework for the shared use of township and board facilities. Uh

[4:21:47] highlights of the agreement include use of township facilities by Upper Grand

[4:21:50] District School Board students during non-prime township hours. That's from

[4:21:55] Monday to Friday from 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at no cost. Uh

[4:22:00] schoolboard facilities by the township, including um the Center Wellington

[4:22:04] District High School, uh Grand River Public School, and the Allora Public

[4:22:08] School um at no cost to the township during non-school hours. The agreement

[4:22:13] creates new opportunities for township programs such as pickle ball, which

[4:22:17] everybody's very excited about these days, uh, at three school sites and

[4:22:21] ensures that school programs have more equitable access to township facilities.

[4:22:25] Uh, staff are seeking delegated authority for the managing director of

[4:22:28] community services to make minor amendments to the agreement as required

[4:22:32] and to execute the finalized agreement which is scheduled to commence in

[4:22:36] September, this September. Uh, thank you and happy to answer any questions or

[4:22:40] comments you have at this time. Uh, thank you, Adam. Uh, councelor

[4:22:44] McDonald. >> Through you, Mayor Waters. Well, you're

[4:22:49] speaking my language about pickle ball. Um, so, uh, will the school board allow

[4:22:54] you to tape pickle ball down on the floor like for the summer or is that

[4:23:01] going to be a maintenance going going forward?

[4:23:06] » Yeah, thanks, Councelor McDonald. So, through the mayor. So part of the

[4:23:08] agreement allows us to make what we call enhancements to these sites. Um if we

[4:23:13] wanted to, for example, put down either temporary paint or permanent paint to

[4:23:17] accommodate those types of programs, we have the framework within the agreement

[4:23:20] to do that. It's understood that would be at the township's cost to do so and

[4:23:24] the agree the school board would have to agree to it. But that's something we

[4:23:27] have discussed and we want that flexibility. There is a desire I think

[4:23:31] at the board to um allow us to enhance some of their facilities so that we can

[4:23:37] offer different programs. >> Councelor Evoy,

[4:23:41] » thank you through you, sir. I'm going to look to our CIO first of all with deep

[4:23:46] gratitude. I remember having this conversation several years ago with um

[4:23:51] outgoing now outgoing director Peter Sran and incoming director Brent

[4:23:56] McDonald who are working together with our team to do exactly what we keep

[4:24:01] talking about as a council finding ways to work together to use existing

[4:24:05] services and make it work for everybody. This to me is exactly what community

[4:24:11] looks like. So kudos to you, kudos to the uh the directors, outgoing and

[4:24:16] incoming directors at Upper Grand and to the staff for making this happen. This

[4:24:20] is great news. >> Okay. Uh Councelor Adams,

[4:24:26] » agreed. I echo my colleagues comments. Thank you to you all. Um great

[4:24:31] partnership. I know in the past, you know, the Upper Grand District School

[4:24:35] Board has cited that they've had to like shut down some of the programs that were

[4:24:39] happening outside of their facilities due to costs. Has there been talks

[4:24:44] that you know we may see like a return of some of those that may have shut

[4:24:48] down? Like have they talked about the impact to them?

[4:24:52] » Yeah, thanks Councelor Adams. So through the mayor. So that didn't come up in our

[4:24:56] conversations with them, but we have heard kind of through the grapevine that

[4:25:00] that for the hockey learn to play hockey program for example kind of became cost

[4:25:04] prohibitive >> for um some uh students or the class.

[4:25:08] So, we're hopeful that this could help in that regard and that they're they

[4:25:11] will have access to ice during non-prime time hours at no cost.

[4:25:16] » Thank you, Council Wilton. >> Thank you, Mayor Waters. Uh, thank you,

[4:25:21] Adam, and echo all my colleagues comments. I'm just curious why it's only

[4:25:24] the three schools. Is was there a specific reason for that or could that

[4:25:28] be expanded in the future? Thank you. >> Yeah, thanks Councelor Wilton through

[4:25:32] the mayor. Very good question. So, we wanted to we're kind of calling this a

[4:25:36] bit of a pilot or a soft launch. Um, and so I think it could be expanded in the

[4:25:41] future. We wanted to start with three sites, you know, the high school site,

[4:25:44] obviously the kind of the largest amenities, and then we wanted to have a

[4:25:47] school site in Fergus and in Allora. But I think there is definitely an

[4:25:51] opportunity if um this goes well to expand that to include more upper grand

[4:25:56] sites in the future. and councelor Ree. Sorry,

[4:26:01] » just one last question through you. As much as I love as we all know, uh, and

[4:26:05] appreciate upper grand, are we also looking at the Wellington Catholic as a

[4:26:08] potential partner? And are there any other options that we can look at as

[4:26:12] potential partners going forward? >> Yeah, thanks Councelor Revo through the

[4:26:16] mayor. So, we have not had those types I have not had those types of

[4:26:20] conversations yet with the Catholic school board. We would certainly be

[4:26:23] interested in in having a similar agreement with the Catholic school board

[4:26:28] and um you know I think that's something um we could pursue in the future. We now

[4:26:33] have a great template for an agreement and maybe we can use that to uh work

[4:26:36] with other groups that have facilities.

[4:26:41] » Uh any other comments or questions? Uh thank you for for your comments and uh

[4:26:46] good questions. Uh I'll read the uh and thank you Adam. I'll read the

[4:26:49] recommendation that the council of township of center Wellington receives

[4:26:53] report number CSU uh 20226-29 and that the uh council authorized the

[4:27:01] managing director of community service to make minor amendments as directed by

[4:27:05] legal council and the township insurer to draft a reciprocal use agreement

[4:27:10] included as a attachment to report number CS 2026-29

[4:27:16] and that uh once all the minor amendments ments have been uh finalized.

[4:27:20] Council authorized the managing director of community service to execute a final

[4:27:24] reciprocal use agreement with Upper Grand District School Board. Do I have a

[4:27:29] mover for that? Councelor Adams. Seconded on that, Councelor Wilton. Any

[4:27:33] further comments or questions? Seeing none, all those in favor? That is so

[4:27:37] moved. Thank you. Uh we move down to >> bylaws. Bylaws. Bylaws.

[4:27:45] Okay. It's usually one of our favorite times of the evening because it means

[4:27:49] that we're wrapping up. So anyways, um Oh, yeah. Well, yes, but we're getting

[4:27:56] there. Anyways, so uh uh bylaws uh 2026 uh- 62 a bylaw to authorize an fund uh

[4:28:05] raise fundraising activities and the form of soliciting

[4:28:09] by a toll booth on Wellington Road 26 in Belwood. Next, 2026 uh-63, a bylaw to

[4:28:18] amend the township municipal waterworks bylaw. Bylaw number 206-080.

[4:28:25] Next, 2026-64, a bylaw to designate the lands at 250

[4:28:31] GRA Street East to be of cultural heritage value or interests. Next,

[4:28:36] 2026-65, a bylaw to designate the lands at 80076

[4:28:43] Wellington Road 19 to be of cultural heritage value or interests.

[4:28:47] Recommendation that bylaws 2026-62 through and 2026-65

[4:28:54] be read a first, second, and third time and pass signed by the mayor and clerk

[4:28:59] and corporate seal of fix. Do I have a mover for that? Councelor Adams second

[4:29:04] on that. Councelor Evo, any further comments or questions? Seeing none.

[4:29:08] Okay. All those in favor? Thank you for that. So moved. Notice of motions. And

[4:29:14] then uh uh motions where noticed have been given. So councelor Wilton.

[4:29:21] » Thank you, Mayor Waters. I'll just read my motion. Um

[4:29:25] all right. Given the rapid growth of AI dri driven systems, cloud computing and

[4:29:29] digital infrastructure has accelerated the development of new and large-scale

[4:29:33] data centers to meet industry defined needs and the fact that the province of

[4:29:37] Ontario has not yet established a provincial regulatory framework for AI

[4:29:42] data center industry. There is cause to exercise caution regarding the

[4:29:45] introduction of data centers within the township of center Wellington.

[4:29:50] A therefore, the council of the township of center Wellington directs staff to

[4:29:54] undertake a review and study costing no more than a review and study costing no

[4:29:59] more than $49,999 of staff time of the township's land use

[4:30:04] planning policies in relation to artificial intelligence AI data centers

[4:30:09] pursuant to section 38 of the planning act applicable to all zones where the

[4:30:13] use is permitted in the township of central Wellington, including but not

[4:30:16] limited to its official plans and zoning bylaw and any required changes to the

[4:30:20] township's land use planning policies, mapping, and regulatory framework with

[4:30:25] consideration of but not limited to the following.

[4:30:29] One, existing official plan policies and zoning bylaw permissions and

[4:30:32] regulations. Two, energy use and the impacts to power grids. Three, water use

[4:30:37] and the impacts to long-term drinking water quality and quantity. And four,

[4:30:42] noise and light pollution impacts. B, that staff be directed to report back

[4:30:47] to council on the items listed above in A in Q3 of 2027.

[4:30:52] And C, that staff be directed to prepare for council's consideration at the

[4:30:56] council meeting on September 28th, 2026, an interim control bylaw under section

[4:31:01] 38 of the planning act prohibiting prohibiting the use of AI data centers

[4:31:06] within the study area described in a above. Thank you.

[4:31:11] » Thank you, councelor Wilton. Um, so we could do this one of two. You could

[4:31:15] either uh push that as forward as your motion and you be the first on that and

[4:31:19] then we'd look for a seconder or we could just open it up for questions

[4:31:22] first. So what would council like to do? So I'll put it on the table. Okay. So

[4:31:29] moved by councelor Wilton who would second on that. Councelor Jefferson.

[4:31:32] Okay. Opportunity for questions, comments. Council McDonald.

[4:31:37] » Uh through you, Mayor Waters. This might be to the clerk. I had a resident reach

[4:31:41] out with more than 1,700 signatures um in a petition similar to the one that

[4:31:48] came forward to me uh when we were deciding cannabis. Someone went door to

[4:31:52] door and got 500 signatures. So, I take the petition seriously. Um

[4:31:58] she indicated to me that she couldn't come as a delegate yet we had another

[4:32:02] delegate and and would come in September. Can you clarify that for me?

[4:32:07] Sorry, clerk. Yeah, absolutely. So, through the mayor,

[4:32:10] a couple things. I'm also aware of the the conversation that we had with that.

[4:32:13] Uh, two things I'll address kind of just like the petition piece. Uh, one thing

[4:32:17] about our procedure bylaw is it does not address petitions. Uh, so it's something

[4:32:20] that we're going to be looking at. Um, I have kind of labored this point with my

[4:32:24] staff, but clean it up uh for for next term. Uh, so it's something that we're

[4:32:29] going to address, but I I have assured the uh the individual um that we'll be

[4:32:33] looking at placing that petition on the agenda. Uh because it's my understanding

[4:32:37] that it did go to council and the mayor. Uh I have not seen it myself, but after

[4:32:42] reviewing it and and and receiving it, I have assured that individual that we

[4:32:45] will place it onto the uh the agenda so the public has uh the availability to

[4:32:50] see said petition as well. Uh so I'll go on the the petition uh next next council

[4:32:56] meeting. Uh with respect to uh delegations, we had a delegation on a

[4:33:01] report that came to council. Um our procedure bylaw, again, if you look at

[4:33:05] the uh the 2021 version and the 2025, the language is a little bit off. And so

[4:33:11] my advisement to everybody just to keep it consistent across the board was that

[4:33:16] this will come forward if it does get a mover and a seconder. Uh there's the

[4:33:20] potential that a report would come forward at the September 28th, 2026

[4:33:24] meeting. And at such time I advised everybody who did reach out to myself uh

[4:33:29] to potentially bring their name forward as a delegation at that meeting. Um

[4:33:33] complete uh open and transparency and and that is what I support. But I do

[4:33:37] think uh that there is an opportunity again, dare I say it, clean up a little

[4:33:41] bit of the procedure bylaw in the next term of council. And now that I'm here,

[4:33:45] I look forward to doing that. >> I appreciate that. Thank you.

[4:33:52] » Comments or questions? uh pertaining. Yes, go ahead. Councelor Wel.

[4:33:57] » Thank you, Mayor Waters. I do have a question for staff if I'm allowed. Thank

[4:34:01] you. Uh so my question will be for Brett. Uh just in the motion I had put

[4:34:07] in brackets that the um study would be all time and I just wanted to double

[4:34:12] check that you think you have the um the expertise in house to do that on staff

[4:34:18] time. Thank you. Um certainly when it comes to the

[4:34:23] planning policy side of it we do. I think uh where we may require some

[4:34:30] external help is with the hydro water usage

[4:34:35] um noise uh those kind of things that we normally

[4:34:39] would rely on external peer reviewers to review a development application. So

[4:34:43] certainly I think you know we don't have the full

[4:34:48] capability to look at every issue that's included in this motion.

[4:34:54] » Thank you Brett. And with that in mind I'd be open to striking the of staff

[4:34:59] time. I think that would be a friendly amendment that'd be easy enough to do.

[4:35:04] Striking the of staff time only to give staff a little flexibility to bring in

[4:35:08] expertise as required. Councelor

[4:35:19] Eway >> through you. Thank you. And I also look

[4:35:22] to staff at large for a couple of questions. One is 50,000 then going to

[4:35:26] be enough to do what we're studying. And my bigger question is where are we

[4:35:30] planning or how are we planning? This is very new to us and it's new across the

[4:35:34] province and it's being fought across the province. Where are we planning on

[4:35:39] looking to get the expert advice that we're looking for to make sure that it's

[4:35:43] not slanted or that it's not uh coming to us in a way that won't serve us? Like

[4:35:49] what's our plan for that? How do how are we can you just give us a little update

[4:35:52] on how we're planning on doing this?

[4:35:57] » Well, council hasn't passed the motion yet, so we don't have a plan. That's my

[4:36:02] answer.

[4:36:05] » Councelor Adams. >> Thank you. just to comment. I think this

[4:36:09] is something that you know all municipalities across America are

[4:36:14] talking about right now or wider and like it has been happening a lot in you

[4:36:19] know particularly the neighbor to the south. Um but we're in another situation

[4:36:25] here where municipalities are, you know, feeling these pressures and we haven't

[4:36:30] yet received full regulations um from the province and and the and the

[4:36:38] feds. So I know there's lots of talk and stuff about there. So hopefully the this

[4:36:42] gives like the time the time staff needs to kind of go through all of that since

[4:36:48] these are pressures that are um and applications that are our township is

[4:36:53] seeing today. >> Uh councelor Eoy

[4:36:57] » may I ask through sir to councelor Wilton who proposed the motion. Um, a

[4:37:02] lot of questions are coming to us. What happens after a year? Uh, and I'm

[4:37:06] wondering if you'd like to address that with regards to

[4:37:10] assuming that we have all the information that we need by one year.

[4:37:14] This is a grave concern to all of us, including our residents, but certainly

[4:37:17] all of us at the table, and I know that's why you brought it as a motion.

[4:37:20] So, I'm wondering what you're thinking next.

[4:37:24] » Thank you, Councelor Eway. Um, a year from now may be very different around

[4:37:27] this table. So, it would really be up to the new council. I think what this does

[4:37:31] is give a pause for the new incoming council and for staff to make sure we

[4:37:36] have clear understanding as councelor Adams mentioned. So I think what happens

[4:37:40] a year from now will be up to the new council. Thank you.

[4:37:45] » Any further comments or questions uh that way? Councelor McDonald.

[4:37:50] » To you, Mayor Waters. It just what you said there triggered something. So we go

[4:37:55] ahead and put this in place. Could someone take us to a tribunal or will

[4:37:59] that be based on application process only?

[4:38:04] » Uh council passes an interim control bylaw. It can be appealed um to the

[4:38:09] Ontario land tribunal. Um it used to be that it could only be passed or appealed

[4:38:17] on an extension of a bylaw, but the planning act has been changed and so

[4:38:21] it's it can be appealed when it's passed.

[4:38:25] Any other comments or questions from council? Councelor Adams.

[4:38:32] » Just a comment that I think it's fair to say that not all data centers are the

[4:38:36] same and you know I think it's time for us to all just kind of get educated on

[4:38:43] the topic because these things aren't going away and there's just like in many

[4:38:47] things good actors and bad actors and we want to make sure who we're bringing

[4:38:51] into our community are the good actors.

[4:38:55] So, I'm in support of moving this along. >> Any other comments or questions that

[4:39:02] way? Um, I agree with what Councelor Adams has said on this. Um, obviously a

[4:39:08] lot of communities not only in Ontario and throughout North America are dealing

[4:39:11] with this. Um, it's uh, you know, the use of water,

[4:39:17] electricity, noise, all that type of thing. I think we need to educate

[4:39:21] ourselves on this and I think this is part of good planning and uh and not

[4:39:26] every data center is like every data center but we need to we need to uh be

[4:39:30] looking at this because uh this is going to be part of the new norm in terms of

[4:39:34] uh of these usage and uh and where are they going to be located because they're

[4:39:39] going to be a lot a lot of times it'll be specific to area or areas resources

[4:39:43] as well. So obviously it's important for our community because we're a well-based

[4:39:49] community in terms of our water usage and uh and we need to be able to support

[4:39:53] our community that way uh with water as well as electricity. I know a province

[4:39:59] has made some overtures of what that electricity use is. So, I'll be curious

[4:40:03] to see what they come out and uh and it's interesting. We're we're sort of in

[4:40:08] some of these communities, we're we're sort of ahead of the province in that

[4:40:11] way in terms of wanting to look at this, but it needs to be looked at and uh and

[4:40:16] it is priority our reality as uh we all have these. So we got to figure out how

[4:40:22] how we're going to do uh you know sort of move forward and uh with the use of

[4:40:27] data and and so our understanding will help us make good decisions. So uh any

[4:40:34] other comments or questions? Okay. Um, oh, uh, we had a first and seconder. So,

[4:40:40] um, yes, >> I ask for a recorded vote.

[4:40:45] » Sure.

[4:40:49] » All right.

[4:41:01] So through the mirror, I'll go through uh the council members and ask for a yay

[4:41:06] or nay on this uh initiative here. So the resolution is as forward as is

[4:41:11] presented there. Um councelor Wilton, >> yay.

[4:41:17] » Councelor Kratic, >> yay.

[4:41:20] » Councelor McDonald, >> yay.

[4:41:22] » Councelor Jefferson, >> yay. Councor Eboy.

[4:41:26] » Yay. >> Councelor Adams.

[4:41:29] » Yay. >> Waters.

[4:41:32] » Yay.

[4:41:40] Uh, thank you for that. Uh, we'll now move down to item 16, confirmatory

[4:41:45] bylaw. A bylaw to confirm the actions of council. Recommendation that bylaw

[4:41:49] 2026-66 to confirm the proceedings of council at

[4:41:53] its meeting held August 24th, 2026 be introduced a first, second, and third

[4:41:58] time and passed and open council. Do I have a person for the ask Dennis? Thank

[4:42:04] you. Uh second on that, councelor Lisa. Okay.

[4:42:14] All those in favor that is so moved. Okay, adjournment. Who would like to

[4:42:18] adjurnn? Councelor Adams. Second on that. Councelor Jefferson. All those in

[4:42:24] favor. That is so moved. Thanks again. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank

[4:42:28] you staff. Thank you everyone.

Council - 24 Aug 2026

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