Regular Kawartha Lakes Council highlights

(From City of Kawartha Lakes) Special Olympics Ontario Trials Mayor Doug Elmslie began the meeting by acknowledging that Special Olympics Ontario is hosting their 2024 Provincial Spring Games from May 23 to May 26 in Waterloo. Teagan McDonald, daughter of Deputy Mayor Charlie McDonald, is representing our local Lindsay Lightningbolts Swim Club at the event. “Teagan, we are proud to have you represent Kawartha Lakes at the event and we wish you all the best this week!” said Mayor Elmslie. Paramedic Service Week 2024 Kawartha Lakes Paramedic Service Chief Sara Johnston shared that May 19 to May 25 is Paramedic Service Week. This year’s theme is “Help us, help you”, which emphasizes how community members can best support Paramedics and all emergency services in the event of an emergency. Here are some examples of how you can help: Have visible and well-lit house numbers Make sure your driveways and sidewalks are clear of snow and debris Know the best time to call 911 “On behalf of the entire organization, I want to sincerely thank our dedicated team of Primary and Advanced Care Paramedics. We have over 110 staff that respond to about 14,000 calls a year for service and they’re certainly a pivotal part of the health and safety of our community. Thank you to all our Paramedics and happy Paramedic Service Week,” said Chief Johnston. Recognition of Years of Service Milestones With May being Employee Appreciation Month at the City of Kawartha Lakes, Mayor Elmslie invited CAO Ron Taylor to recognize and acknowledge the dedicated commitment of several long-term employees at the municipality. “Congratulations to all our long-standing employees, I thank you, and the rest of our staff for your ongoing contributions to the community. I always look forward to this time of year to catch up with departments and recognize dedicated staff that have been with us for a long time,” said CAO Taylor, “I encourage staff to reach out to your colleagues, take a second and really recognize all that you do collectively for the community.” Integrity Commissioner Annual Report Council passed a motion to receive the correspondence from Charles A. Harnick, of ADR Chambers, regarding the City of Kawartha Lakes Integrity Commissioner Annual report for the Operating Period of February 28, 2023, to February 27, 2024. The Integrity Commissioner received two complaints regarding the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act. One complaint was dismissed with no breach, and the other was closed at the request of the complainant. View the correspondence from the Integrity Commissioner Office . Growth Management Strategy Update Consultants Jamie Cook and Shaila Taku, from Watson & Associates Economists Ltd., presented an update to the Growth Management Strategy, including the background and project schedule for June 2021 to Fall 2024. The project team has completed Phase 1 and is starting Phase 2, which includes urban expansion options and strategic recommendations. They presented long-term population and housing growth, as well as employee forecast scenarios. The high growth scenario estimates a total population of 130,000 in Kawartha Lakes by 2051, which is a 1.6% growth rate per year. The consultant’s housing forecast shows an average of 720 new houses annually, for 21,600 new units total from 2021 to 2051. They expect to see a shift to more medium and high-density housing due to demographic changes and pressures on affordability. The team believes this forecast will keep us on track to accomplish our Housing Pledge goals. The consultants provided an overview of Community Area Land Needs Scenarios, where Option 3 is recommended. Their analysis shows that in a high growth scenario, there is a surplus of land in Lindsay and Omemee to accommodate expected growth, including lands subject to MZOs. However, there is a deficit of land in Fenelon Falls and Bobcaygeon, where urban boundary expansions will be required to accommodate growth. They spoke about Lindsay’s growth analysis, phasing strategy and employment land needs in more detail. Watch the full presentation on the municipality’s YouTube channel .

Committee of the Whole – May 7, 2024

All recommendations from Committee of the Whole were adopted as printed in the minutes save and except for Items 9.3.8, 9.3.9, and 9.3.10:

Item 9.3.10 - Programming losses at Fleming College in Lindsay

A resolution will be forwarded from Council to various Provincial and Federal Ministries and Representatives, encouraging both the Provincial and Federal Governments to invest in and provide support for Fleming College Frost Campus. Their support is needed to maintain and expand local academic programming and community workforce development.

Planning Advisory Committee – May 8, 2024

All recommendations from the Planning Advisory Committee were adopted as printed in the minutes .

Southview Estates Drainage Update

At the March 19, 2024 Council Meeting, staff were directed to review the requirements for an additional drain on the walkway in Southview Estates. Staff reported back to Council with the Southview Estate Drainage report . The decision was deferred to the next Council meeting to provide the Councillor with time to discuss the different options with the property owners.

Rural Zoning By-Law Consolidation Report

By-law 2024-113, also known as the Rural Zoning By-Law, was passed. For more information on the project and the full notice with appeal process details, please view the Rural Zoning By-Law Consolidation news release .

Petitions

A petition regarding a request for Speed Limit Reduction on Fleetwood Road from Highway 35 to Ski Hill Road was received and referred to staff for action by the Regular Council meeting on July 23, 2024. The first page of the petition can be found here . A complete copy of the petition with 45 signatures is available at the Clerk's Office upon request.

Memorandums

Deputy Mayor McDonald brought the Memorandum Regarding a Garbage Bin for the Lindsay Downtown Business Improvement Area to Council. The Lindsay BIA have asked the municipality to place a garbage bin in Municipal Parking Lot 13 to help mitigate waste strewn on the ground. The BIA will manage removing the waste and the municipality will waive the annual license fee. The motion was to move as printed and it passed.

Next Council meeting

Council will return for a Committee of the Whole meeting on June 4, 2024 at a special early start time at 11am.

Public attendance in Council Chambers is welcome. Regular and Committee of the Whole meetings will be broadcast live on the City’s YouTube Channel and on Cogeco cable television.

Please note that you can watch recordings of the City of Kawartha Lakes Regular Council Meetings on Cable Cable channel 26 and Rogers Ignite channel 548 at 1 pm on the Sunday that follows the Tuesday meeting.

1 Comment

Joan Abernethy May 24, 2024

Re. Programming losses at Fleming College in Lindsay 1) The resolution Council voted unanimously to forward to various Provincial and Federal Ministries and Representatives is nought but a display of virtue. It will not change Fleming's decision or Canada's. 2) Fleming cut the programs due to "several funding shortfalls including a new federal cap on international students" (Global News) because of the impact on housing. Canada - including Kawartha Lakes - has insufficient housing to adequately shelter both foreign students and domestic residents, so some foreign students (and local residents) have been living in substandard conditions, in homeless shelters, or on the streets. Thirty per cent of the student population at Fleming’s three campuses comes from outside Canada. That is a significant number. 3) At the same time as Canada cut funding to our academies to ease the pressure on Canada's housing industry, federal investigations into foreign interference in elections and into foreign funding for pro-Palestine protests at colleges and universities across Canada have exposed evidence that suggests considerable foreign influence in Canada, including in the student activist community. A growing number of Canadians want to deport antisemitic foreign students because antisemitic attacks have risen in Canada by 300% since October 7, 2023. Jews on campuses across Canada have reported antisemitic incidents of hate speech, harassment and physical assault. Beth Israel Synagogue in Peterborough has had to hire private security to protect every gathering of its small, mostly liberal congregation from credible threats communicated to them by police. Some Jews in our community have packed their bags in case they need to leave quickly, due to the hatred expressed against them for what is happening in the middle east. 4) Although Council initially responded to the October 7, 2023 attack on our democratic ally, Israel, by lighting up City Hall in blue, it has, since then, repeatedly refused to put on record (to include in correspondence in Council minutes) letters from B'nai Brith Canada asking for a Kawartha Lakes resolution to urge all governments in Canada to denounce the unprovoked attacks on our democratic ally Israel and on innocent civilians by the terrorist group Hamas, and to affirm the right of Canada's democratic ally, Israel, to respond and defend itself, a position consistent with Canada's own. 5) Mayor Elmslie refused a further request by an associate of B'nai Brith Canada to make a public proclamation that May is Jewish Heritage month. 6) Clerk Cathie Ritche has repeatedly said the decisions to not apprise the public of the resolution requests from B'nai Brith Canada were made because they fall outside Council's jurisdiction. Fair enough. But so does the resolution Council unanimously voted to make for the Fleming student unionists to ask Canada to reverse its decision to fund foreign students. 6) It is laudable that Council wants to support the Fleming College student unionists who made the deputation to ask Council to lobby Canada and Ontario on their behalf. But Council's unanimous support of Deputy Mayor McDonald's motion to grant the students' request was a mistake. In my view, Council could have appropriately praised the student unionists for being active in local politics at the same time as it refused their request and exercised its duty to educate and to lead. It could have explained to them how granting their request might impact residents struggling to stay sheltered in our community. It could have explained to them how important it is for Council to be consistent in its application of jurisdictional restrictions. It could have pointed out to them there are and will be other opportunities for education and how important it is to remain flexible and resilient in these times of great trial and rapid change. It could even have explained to the students how important both optics and integrity are to local politics and how important it is to communicate to all residents of Kawartha Lakes that Council cares about their well being and our collective future.

Regular Kawartha Lakes Council highlights

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