Town of Essex Council meeting notes for Monday, June 2, 2025

by Sylene Argent, Local Journalism Initiative

Walnut Street detailed design

postponed a second time

Council for the Town of Essex voted to again postpone making a decision on the detailed design for the Walnut Street reconstruction during the June 2 meeting.

  This was the second time Council voted to postpone making a decision on the matter, with the same outcome taking place at the May 20 meeting. 

Previously, it was explained that through the 2022 Capital Budget, Walnut Street South in Harrow is currently being designed for reconstruction. This will make improvements to the road and watermains.

  Since this project is a Council-driven project, and based on recent delegations to Council regarding parking and driveway issues as it relates to semi-trucks making deliveries to Sanford and Son Supermarket, the Infrastructure Services Department wanted to solicit Council’s direction for the road design for Walnut Street.

  David McBeth, Manager of Capital Works and Asset Management, presented three options.

• Option 1: Keep Walnut Street with a rural section, no curbs, conduct a full depth mill and pave, and construct a consistent granular shoulder for parking on the east-side of the road. This would cost an estimated $2.4M.

• Option 2: Urbanize the road section, including a full reconstruction of the roadway from the granular base up, in order to install the concrete curbs. The roadway width would be kept the same way it is currently, which is six-meters. Parking would be eliminated. The estimated cost is $2.8M.

• Option 3: Urbanized the road section, with a full reconstruction and road-width of 7.9meters. This section would allow parking on the east-side, but would require relocating existing hydro poles on that side of the road. The estimated cost is $3.2M.

  Administration recommended Option 1, which would allow the project to proceed based on the current five-year capital plan and possibly sooner, depending on the cost-estimate for final construction cost from the engineer.

  The anticipated completion date for all three options is 2028, based on the Town’s five-year road’s plan. Unless, Council directed it to be done earlier for Option 1.

  All options are financially feasible, pending on approval from Council at budget time, McBeth noted. The existing detailed design budget has around $160,000 remaining, so any change order required by the consultant to do the work should be within the budget, McBeth said.

   McBeth added the location of the sidewalk would be determined during the detailed design phase of the project. The Town is also working with the Harrow Fair Board to get that fence pushed back on the west-side 1.5m to assist with winter control.

  Deputy Mayor Rob Shepley asked if the fence would be moved for all three options, or just Option 3. McBeth noted if – during the detailed design phase – the sidewalk is best to go on the west-side it would be preferred to move the fence.

  Shepley was willing to support Option 1. Walnut Street is not the greatest road in terms of condition, but it is also not the worst. He was good with whatever decision Council made on how to move forward on the matter.

  In answering Councillor Rodney Hammond’s question on if the Town has been in contact with the Harrow Fair Board, McBeth noted a meeting between the Town and the Board has taken place. The Town is still waiting on a response from the Board regarding the fence. He wanted the road to be prioritized to be completed.

  Councillor Katie McGuire-Blais received emails from residents in favour of all three options. In this decision, she does not think Council will make everyone happy. As she was torn on the matter, she was thinking of following Hammond’s lead as the Ward 4 Council rep.

  Her own opinion was to go with Option 3 in bringing the road up to the Town’s standard. She didn’t understand the reasoning of moving ahead with a cheaper option.

  Director of Infrastructure, Kevin Girard, noted as this was a Council-driven project, administration wanted to provide options. He understood Council wanted to prioritize the road, but warned, with the detailed design still needing to be completed, the earliest it could be completed would be 2027.

  Mayor Sherry Bondy also heard split feedback from the community, and wondered if more time should be given for public feedback.

  Back in 2014-2015, this project was admin-driven, Bondy explained. At the time, it was on the Town’s Roads Plan, and she told residents it was coming, based on that.

  In the motion to move forward with Option 1, the motion failed in a three-way tie.

  McGuire-Blais then moved to postpone the decision until the July 7 meeting, giving Council a few more weeks to get more public feedback. That passed.

 Essex in top ten of each qualifying category through Lifesaving Society – Ontario Awards

-Proclaims June is Recreation and Parks Month-

The Town of Essex’s Community Services Recreation and Culture Division fared well in the 2024 Lifesaving Society Affiliate Recognition Award – Ontario Branch program.

  Cynthia Cakebread, Manager of Recreation and Culture, told Essex Council at the June 2 meeting that the Town of Essex program was recognized in the top ten of each of the categories that it qualified under.

  That included earning first place in the R. Bredin Staples Cup, which is awarded to the municipal affiliate with the largest leadership training program per capita, and second place in the Scarborough Cup, which is awarded to the municipal affiliate with the largest lifesaving/leadership program in a community with a population between 10,000 and 50,000.

  In addition, Essex earned fifth place in the Arnold H. Morphy Cup, awarded to the affiliate with a single facility with the largest lifesaving/leadership program, and sixth place in the John E. McCutcheon Bowl, awarded to the single-facility affiliate with the largest first aid program.

  Essex, Cakebread explained, is around the 84th largest municipality in Ontario, but is in the top forty of all providers of the Lifesaving Society in the province.

  “We are one-ninth the size of Windsor, but we run a program approximately half the size. We run a larger program than 15 municipalities that were bigger than us,” Cakebread added.

  This year, Essex lost the Scarborough Cup, but the municipality that won it, Whitchurch-Stouffville, is 136 residents from moving up into the next category.

  There are three municipalities in Essex County that appear in the top 10 for the Scarborough Cup, she added. “There is no other area in Ontario with more than one municipality,” she said.

  “It is always surprising when we win these awards, given our size,” Cakebread said.

  Essex was also recognized through the Lifesaving Society’s annual report for having hosted the Ontario Lifeguard Championships in February.

  Cakebread also pointed out that Essex’s Assistant Manager of Aquatics, Sarah Newton, was a big contributor to a lunch and learn webinar session on staffing retention and development. She was also recognized for going down to Ghana to host service provisions and provide certification to its residents. She will return to spearhead another round of certifications in the future.

  Councillor Rodney Hammond noted Cakebread and her crew over at the recreation centre do an amazing job, and thanked them for their efforts. Councillor Kim Verbeek also thanked the team for its work.

  Mayor Sherry Bondy always hears accolades regarding the Town’s programing, and encourages everyone to keep up the great work.

  Essex Council received Recreation and Culture’s report titled “Lifesaving Society Affiliate Recognition” and further received the Lifesaving Society Annual Report Affiliate Recognition 2024 for Council and public information.

  In addition, Council proclaimed June is Recreation and Parks Month in the Town of Essex, as recreation enhances quality of life, balanced living, and lifelong learning.

  There are a number of free programs available through the month as part of June is Recreation and Parks Month of which residents can take advantage.

 Essex adopts new Sponsorship

and Naming Rights Policy

Essex Council approved a new Sponsorships and Naming Rights Policy during the June 2 meeting.

  This new policy will replace the former Naming Rights Policy – Municipal Parks and Facilities, which was adopted in 2010.

  Nelson Silveira, Manager of Economic Development, explained updating the former policy was something identified in Council’s 2023-2027 Strategic Plan.  

“What we are looking at doing is really formalizing how we manage the sponsorship and naming rights program for the Town, including our assets and events we put on as a corporation,” Silveira said.

  The policy includes assets, like arenas, playgrounds, and fields, for naming right opportunities, in addition to sponsorships for Town programs and events.

  It does not include facilities like Town Hall of Fire Halls that are mainly used for staff.

  This will allow the Town to have a consistent approach to how these agreements are made, Silviera said.

  The next steps, as outlined in the report, is for administration to look at different partnering opportunities with community organizations or businesses looking to sponsor town assets.

  Annual oversight of those agreements is also important, Silveira noted.

  Any agreement over $130,000 in value for the term of the agreement would go before Council for approval, he added. Agreements beneath that threshold would be approved by the CAO, in consultation with the Mayor and Deputy Mayor.

  In answering Councillor Rodney Hammond’s question on where sponsorship or naming right funding would be put towards, Silveira noted it would depend on the sponsorship. Typically, it would go towards operational costs if funding was for a program. Naming right funding would go towards that asset’s capital costs.

   In answering Councillor Katie McGuire-Blais’s question if the Town has a list of assets that could be available to be named – from benches to community rooms – and what the costs would be, Silveira noted administration is currently working on a sponsorship package that would identify opportunities for naming rights for assets and events.

  The Town is currently not looking to change the name of any thing; opportunities are being pursued for future buildings or current ones that do not have a name.

  Council will be updated on the details of that package, Silveira added. The policy he put before Council identified what wouldn’t be open for sponsorship.

  “My only concern is what are we naming and how much are we putting a price tag on it for,” McGuire-Blais said, adding she believed Council should have a say on that if it falls below the $130,000 threshold on bigger items.

  CAO Kate Giurissevich noted the $130,000 threshold was selected as it is the same amount in the Town’s Procurement By-Law that would trigger the need to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP). The number was selected to not inundate Council with smaller requests. That figure is certainly up for discussion.

  Within the document, Town administration recommends if it will be a material revenue source, it would go to RFP. Then it would be publicly posted and Council would be aware of the process.

  In terms of what costs will be, Silveira noted every facility will be different and it will depend on negotiations with community groups or businesses.

  The policy was not intended to leave Council out of the decision-making; it was meant to set parameters on having to go to Council with every request.

  Councillor Kim Verbeek noted this policy is new, and believed Council should be part of the vetting process and suggested reports can come to Council noting what assets have applicants for naming rights.  

  Mayor Sherry Bondy was happy to see the policy come before Council as it has been on the to-do list for a while. This is an alternative funding source that could buffer tax increases in the future.

 Essex to apply to Health and Safety Water Stream fund for Harrow Pumping Station upgrades

Council for the Town of Essex directed Administration to make an application to the Health and Safety Water Stream fund for the design and construction of upgrades to the Harrow Raw Sewage Pumping Station.

  In doing so, the post-budget approval of $115,000 for the Harrow Lagoon Pumping Station Upgrades capital project was approved to be funded fully from the Development Charges Reserve, if the application is successful in garnering a grant.

  Director of Infrastructure Services, Kevin Girard, explained the Health and Safety Water Stream is a $175M provincial funding opportunity through the Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program. Municipalities and First Nations are able to apply to it to build, expand, or rehabilitate aging water, wastewater, stormwater, flood, and erosion infrastructure.

  He added projects under this fund will help preserve the current housing supply and protect communities during extreme weather events, such as the one experienced locally in August of 2023.

  In the 2025 Budget, Essex Council approved $290,000 for pump upgrades to the Harrow Raw Sewage Pumping Station.

  “This project was initiated to address additional sewage capacity needs for the redevelopment of the Harrow High School property, as well as providing additional wet weather capacity in the Harrow Sanitary Collection System,” Girard said.

  After working with the contractor, however, he noted it was discovered the pumps could not be upgraded to an adequate size for both matters without significant electrical upgrades.

   The report to Council adds successful projects through this fund will be cost-shared between the applicants and the province. The province would fund a maximum of 73% (up to $30M) of eligible project costs, and the applicant would be required to fund all the remaining project costs.

  With this funding opportunity, the Town can apply for the necessary pumping station upgrades for an additional $115,000 above the $290,000 already set aside for the project. That would bring the total cost for the Town to $405,000 to accommodate future growth and reduce the risk of basement flooding in Harrow, assuming the maximum allowable amount is granted.

  In consultation with the engineer of record on the sanitary system and the engineer who completed the modelling analysis of the Harrow Sanitary Collection System, Stantec Consulting, the estimated cost of the necessary upgrades to the Harrow Raw Sewage Pumping Station is approximately $1,500,000 including engineering design and contingency, the Report to Council details.

  Mayor Sherry Bondy hopes Essex will be successful in getting this grant.

  In answering Councillor Kate McGuire-Blais’s question on budgeting if successful, Girard noted admin anticipates it will come out of the 2026 Budget as that is the aim to start the work. The intention would be to complete the construction over the 2026 and 2027 budget years.

 Essex Council voices concern

with Bill 5 - Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act

When receiving correspondences, Essex Council received one from three municipalities regarding Bill 5, Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act. They urged the province to either reject, pause, or remove the elements in Bill 5 that would reduce current environmental protections, reduce protections for species at risk, and reduce legal protection from bad faith actors in special economic zones.

  Director of Planning Services, Lori Chadwick, explained Bill 5 has not received Royal Assent yet, and has received two readings.

  It was intended to amend various acts to encourage economic development for critical mineral and resource development. What has been discovered, she explained, are acts proposed to be amended where the Minister will have oversight and override certain pieces of legislature and the process municipalities would have to approve these types of developments.

  Chadwick said it is unclear where the Special Economic Zones will be, or what the criteria will be.

  Councillor Kim Verbeek had concerns with the speed this Bill is being pushed through legislation. She hoped Essex would support the three municipalities and also write its own letter.

  Councillor Jason Matyi also voiced concerns in what he saw as potential overreach as outlined in the Bill.

Councillor Katie McGuire-Blais believes the reason the Bill is being pushed so fast is in response to what is happening with US trade, and that they are trying to make mineral and raw material trade between provinces easier.

The question is what is the right thing to do, she asked, believing more legislation like this may come at municipalities.

  McGuire-Blais sees the purpose of the Bill and why people are against it, but did not know if she was against it at this time.  

  Mayor Sherry Bondy was opposed to the Bill as she believes the environment needs to be protected. More public consultation on that matter is needed.

Flag request for

Windsor-Essex Pride Festival approved

Council approved the request from St. Paul's Anglican Church for the flag to be flown at Town Hall on August 6, 2025, in support of Windsor-Essex Pride Festival in the Town of Essex.

 2026 Budget Initiation Memo

Council received the 2026 Budget Initiation Memo for information.

  CAO Kate Giurissevich explained this year’s memo has a slight change, due to the Strong Mayor Powers. That has the Mayor delegate her authority of the budget preparation over to administration. Essex Mayor Sherry Bondy has done that.

  2026 Budget Deliberations are tentatively scheduled to occur in December. Council will be able to submit desired projects during a specific timeframe. The resident engagement platform will be used again this year, which will be launched around July.  

 NoM: report to come on heritage groups service

levels leasing Town facilities

At the May 20 Council meeting, Mayor Sherry Bondy put forward a Notice of Motion that Council direct Administration to provide a report, prior to 2026 Budget deliberations, on the levels of service provided by all heritage groups that lease space at Town of Essex facilities, including but not limited to their revenues and expenses, governance structures, and facility needs.

  CAO Kate Giurissevich explained a revamp of the Council grant program was completed this year, where funds were cut. Council held organizations to a higher standard in making sure they were meeting reporting requirements and spending taxpayer dollars in accordance with the policy.

  Through that, the information provided to the Town by each organization was different. She thought it would be valuable for Council to see where the Town is putting taxpayer dollars, and ensuring the organizations are accountable, and that the money is fairly dispersed, as well, Giurissevich said.    

  Council moved this at the June 2 meeting.

 Notice of Motion to be considered at the June 16 meeting

Councillor Kim Verbeek will ask Council to consider directing administration to return with a report on the impact and opportunities to the Town of Essex resulting from the proposed County of Essex Development Charges policy, once a formal implementation plan has been presented by the County.  

  Balloon release ban added to by-law to prohibiting the dumping or disposing of garbage

Essex Council gave third and final reading to a By-Law amending By-Law 455 that prohibits the dumping or disposing of garbage, refuse, or domestic or industrial waste of any kind on property within the Town of Essex.

  At the May 20 meeting, Council provisionally adopted the By-Law amendment to include a ban on the release of balloons into the air. An exemption includes if such balloons are natural biodegradable balloons with nothing attached, like strings or ribbons.  

The amendment will be made to the By-Law that prohibits the dumping or disposing of garbage, refuse, or domestic or industrial waste of any kind on property within the Town of Essex.