by Sylene Argent
Council declares two properties as surplus
At a closed meeting on Monday, Council gave direction to declare 127 Nottingham Drive as surplus to the municipality in open session. It further directed Administration to provide the required public notice and bring back to Council a by-law to sell the property by public tender.
Council also declared the 200’x 25’ portion on the northwest extent of 0 Bell Avenue as surplus to the needs of the municipality, and further directed Administration to provide the required public notice and bring back to Council a by-law to sell the property by way of private sale.
Essex receives 2021 Lifesaving Society Affiliate Recognition Awards
Although 2021 was a challenging year for the Community Services Department for the Town of Essex, it received several awards through the Lifesaving Society’s (LSS) annual recognition program.
For the 11th time since 2008, Essex won first 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; and first place in the R. Bredin Staples Cup – awarded to the municipal affiliate with the largest leadership training program per capita – for the fifth time since 2009.
Essex also earned third place in the Arnold H. Morphy Cup category, awarded to the affiliate with a single facility with the largest lifesaving/leadership program, and fifth in the John E. McCutcheon Bowl category, which is awarded to the single-facility affiliate with the largest first aid program. The Town of Essex was the only municipal affiliate to appear in the top 10.
The Town of Essex was the 13th largest affiliate program provider in the Province of Ontario based on the overall point system, the report highlights.
“I think a key highlight of this report is the size of the program we were able to run,” Essex’s Manager of Recreation and Culture, Cynthia Cakebread, said, adding staff worked to return participants to the building safely during the pandemic and excelled at offering blended learning opportunities when participants could not be in-person.
LSS is a national organization whose provincial branch is composed of over 700 individuals, affiliated municipalities, private businesses, schools and clubs, and is regarded as the leader in the delivery of water safety and leadership throughout Canada and around the world, the Report to Council notes.
The Town of Essex Community Services, as an affiliate of the Lifesaving Society, offers a variety of programs including Learn to Swim, Lifesaving Certifications, First Aid, Automatic External Defibrillation, and a number of specialty certifications.
Essex Mayor Richard Meloche said the Town has always had a great team, and Council is proud of the recreation staff.
“You guys put a lot of effort into this and we are very proud of that fact,” he said.
The Town will celebrate the annual “June is Recreation & Parks Month.” As part of that, a number of free programs will be offered, due to a ParticipACTION grant.
Council received the report.
Procedural By-Law, Electronic Participation in Meetings discussed
Essex Council gave two readings to By-law 2159, to provide Rules of Procedure for the Conduct of Meetings of the Municipal Council and its Committees and Boards.
This will give Administration time to make a Council-directed adjustment to the recommended amendments. Staff will return to Council, with the amendment made, for final approval at a future Council meeting.
The Report to Council notes this matter reflects updated proposed amendments to the Procedural By-law relating to the holding of Council Meetings and electronic participation as a result of the Town terminating the Declaration of Emergency for COVID on May 2, 2022.
At its May 2, 2022 Regular Meeting Council directed the Clerk to return to Council with
proposed amendments to the current Procedural By-Law, reflective of the discussions that took place.
Some of the proposed amendments include that when there is not a declared emergency, a Council member may participate in a regular or special meeting electronically, if there is a personal emergency preventing that person from participating in-person, if the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, in consultation with the CAO or Clerk, make that determination. In addition, no more than three Council members may participate in the same meeting electronically. A Council member participating in a regular or special meeting can vote, but will not count as quorum.
Any or all Council members would be able to participate electronically in any closed or emergency meetings of Council.
Delegations can participate in-person or electronically.
In addition, where and when feasible, all regular and special meetings shall be live streamed or made available electronically for public viewing.
Those participating in committee meetings or local boards must do so in-person, unless there is a declared emergency.
Deputy Mayor Steve Bjorkman believed Council members participating electronically in special or regular meetings should count as part of quorum. Councillor Morley Bowman said if there is a scenario where quorum could not be met, and three members of Council were participating electronically, that a motion could be held to allow one or more of those individuals to count as quorum.
Councillor Chris Vander Doelen said members want to be in the room for meetings, but there could be instances where a few Councillors may need to participate online.
Councillor Kim Verbeek also believed all members should count as quorum, whether they were participating electronically or in-person.
Councillor Sherry Bondy wanted to ensure live streaming continued for regular and special meetings, and made that a motion.
Bowman put forward a motion to approve the amendments as is, including the quorum requirement, and that if quorum will not be met, that Council can pass a resolution to allow the members of Council participating online to be counted as part of quorum. Motion passed.
Extension of Draft Plan Approved for Phase 3 of the Woodview Estates
Council approved a three-year extension of the draft Plan of Subdivision for the undeveloped portion of the Woodview Estates Subdivision, until July 24, 2025, and further directed Administration to notify the Manager of Planning Services for the County of Essex, of the Town’s support for the extension of draft plan approval.
The Report to Council notes the extension is required and warranted due to stormwater management issues, which have recently been resolved with the Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA) and the Town of Essex.
It adds that draft approved subdivisions contain conditions that must be met before final approval can be obtained and a Plan of Subdivision can be registered.
Redline Revisions request for Phase 3 of the Woodview Estates approved
Council approved the requested redline revisions to the draft Plan of Subdivision for Phase
3 of the Woodview Estates Residential Subdivision, subject to the conditions of draft plan approval.
The conditions include that an easement be registered over the temporary stormwater
management facility (SWMF), in favour of the Town of Essex for the purposes of maintenance and operation of the temporary SWMF; and that the owner acknowledges the temporary SWMF may be considered permanent if the pond becomes a habitat for wildlife or if for any reason, the expansion of the Woodview SWMF as per the Town of Essex “Improvements to Essex Ward 1 Southwest Storm Sewer System –Phases 1 & 2 Class EA Report (Stantec, 2021)” is not feasible or permitted by regulatory agencies/stakeholders.
In addition, the Manager of Planning Services for the County of Essex will be advised of Council’s resolution.
The Report to Council notes the requested redline revisions are required because of the redesign and approval of a new SWM.
Essex Council Notes for May 16 will be continued in the May 26 edition of the Essex Free Press.