Regular Council highlights – June 25, 2024

The following are highlights from the regular Council meeting on June 25, 2024. The meeting can be viewed in full on the municipality’s YouTube channel. Regular Council minutes from May 21, 2024 were received and adopted.

2023 Environmental Hero Awards

The Kawartha Lakes Environmental Advisory Committee (KLEAC) recognizes individuals and businesses living in Kawartha Lakes who have shown a commitment to improving the wellness of the environment.

The Environmental Hero Awards are a chance for residents to nominate environmental change-makers in Kawartha Lakes and bring attention to the amazing work they’re doing to help the environment in our community.

For 2023, there were three winners of the Environmental Business Hero award, four winners of the Environmental Hero award and three winners of the Environmental Student Heroes award.

View the 2023 Environmental Hero Award recipients.

After-Hours Care Presentation

Andrew Veale from the Kawartha Lakes Health Care Initiative started his presentation by summarizing challenges facing primary healthcare in Kawartha Lakes, including recruitment and retention of Family Physicians. Veale asked Council to provide funding support for the after-hours clinic as a first step to supporting recruitment and retention. This funding would decrease the financial burden put on physicians to keep this clinic running. Having a sustainable model for after-hours care means fewer patients will be turned away.

A motion was passed that $216,000 from the special reserve for primary healthcare be released to the Kawartha Lakes Health Care Initiative to fund the Lindsay based After Hours Clinic (AHC) for the rest of 2024. An additional $40,000 will be released to the Kawartha North Family Health Team to offset AHC operating costs. The Kawartha Lakes Health Care Initiative has been asked to report back to Council by end of the year on how the funds were used, resulting service enhancements, provincial funding efforts and future year funding requests.

2023 Audited Financial Statement Presentation

Carolyn Daynes, Treasurer, presented the highlights of the auditor’s report to Council. Staff calculations of the 2023 Surplus were supported by the auditor, at $3.2 million.

Council approved that the surplus be applied as below:

• $150,000 donation to the Kawartha Art Gallery
• $28,000 donation to the Kawartha Lakes Community Foundation $100,000 donation to the Kawartha Lakes Healthcare Initiative (KLHCI)
• $100,000 be transferred to the new Environment Disaster Recovery Reserve
• $1.1 million be transferred to the Asset Management Reserve committed to Victoria Manor lifecycle extension capital improvements
• $500,000 to the new Primary Care Recruitment and Retention Reserve
• $1.2 million transferred to the General Tax Stabilization Reserve

Committee of the Whole – June 4, 2024

All recommendations from Committee of the Whole were adopted as printed in the minutes save and except for Items 10.3.2, 10.3.4, 10.3.6, 10.3.10, 10.3.13, 10.3.15, 10.3.17, and 10.3.18:

Item 10.3.2 – Advocacy for a Go Transit bus link in Lindsay

CAO Ron Taylor provided Council with an update on what Kawartha Lakes has been doing behind the scenes when it comes to regional transit matters in the municipality.

The CAO confirmed that the municipality has been active on all fronts, not just in political advocacy but in the planning phase of the province’s transportation plan as a municipality located within the Greater Golden Horseshoe. The planning work has been ongoing for over 20 years, but it is ramping up in our area.. We have staff on various provincial working groups, the Mayor has met directly with ministry staff and we’ve made submissions to their planning process.

Kawartha Lakes is going to the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) conference later this year to make a deputation for the Ministry of Transportation on regional transit connections, specifically with GO Transit. Taylor is optimistic that we will have a positive regional transit announcement for the municipality sometime this year.

Item 10.3.6 – Intimate Partner Violence within the City of Kawartha Lakes

The presentation was received as printed and Council unanimously passed the following resolution:

That the City of Kawartha Lakes officially declare intimate partner violence an epidemic as per Recommendation One in the Culleton, Kuzyk and Warmerdam (CKW) Inquest, that the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) and AMO declare gender-based violence and intimate partner violence an epidemic, that the provincial and federal governments enact the additional 85 recommendations from the CKW Inquest which provides a road map to preventing intimate partner violence from escalating to femicide, that the federal government starts this enactment by adding the word “femicide” as a term to the Criminal Code of Canada, that the provincial and federal governments provide the necessary support to municipalities and their emergency and social services to meaningfully address the gender-based violence and intimate partner violence epidemic and that a copy of this resolution be sent to the Honourable Premier of Ontario Doug Ford, the Right Honourable Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau, Member of Parliament Jamie Schmale, Member of Provincial Parliament Laurie Scott and the Ministry of the Attorney General.

Item 10.3.10 – Active Transportation Plan

The presentation by Brandon Quigley, of CIMA+, regarding Kawartha Moves: The Active Transportation Master Plan was received. Council has requested that staff review and report back before December 31, 2024 to provide further details on the establishment of an Active Transportation Committee and/or Task Force.

Item 10.3.13 – Request for All-Way Stop

A motion was made that the All-Way Stop for the intersections of William Street North and Colborne Street West and William Street North and Elgin Street in Lindsay be installed by the end of September 2024 to avoid any potential scheduling conflicts with the future Colborne Street bridge construction project. The motion passed.

Item 10.3.17 – Council Expense Policy

The recommendations from the memorandum received at the last Committee of the Whole meeting regarding the Council Expense Policy were amended to request that the one-time spend for security cameras be included in the Computer Systems Policy, as opposed to the Council Expense Policy. The motion with the amended recommendation was passed.

Planning Advisory Committee – June 5, 2024

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

2024 Economic Development Fund recipients announced

The recipients of the newly established 2024 Economic Development Fund were announced at the meeting. This fund, totaling $360,000 from the 2024 Operating Budget, aims to foster stronger partnerships between the municipality and local organizations to enhance economic vibrancy.

Specific amounts were allocated to programs such as the Cultural Facilities Operational Support Grant, Local Economic Development Support Grant, and Summer Tourism Experience Grant, reflecting a commitment to supporting diverse initiatives that contribute to the municipality’s economic growth and community well-being.

For a full list of Economic Development Fund recipients, view the news release.

Green Municipal Fund Agreement

Council endorsed the Cultural Centre Feasibility Study in 2022, and allocated $100,000 in 2023 to initiate phase two of the project, which included site exploration, selection and feasibility analysis. In November 2023, staff applied to the Green Municipal Fund through the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, which would match Council’s existing contribution.

The funding application was approved, giving the project team access to $100,000 to model, assess and analyze the net-zero construction and operation of a cultural centre in Kawartha Lakes.

Housing and Homelessness Plan 2023 Annual Progress Report

An update on the Housing and Homelessness Plan (HHP) was presented at the Regular Council Meeting on June 25. As the plan approaches the halfway mark of the 10-year plan in 2024, a report was presented to Council to reflect back on the progress made over 2023 and future plans. The report was received by Council, stay tuned for more information in a separate news release.

Victoria Manor – Service Management Contract Extension

Council approved a one-year extension of the current Victoria Manor Service Management Contract with Sienna Senior Living Services.

The current management contract was first established in 2012, and has been extended since then without review, adjustments and re-negotiations. This one-year extension will give staff time to re-negotiate a new service management contract, which will align with current needs, accountabilities and the care modelling required at Victoria Manor. This re-negotiation is supported by the Facility Master Plan for Victoria Manor received by Council in November 2023.

Petitions 

A petition regarding a request to resurface Laird Drive was received and referred to staff for consideration in the 2025 budget process later this year. The first page of the petition can be found here. A complete copy of the petition with 38 signatures is available at the Clerk’s Office upon request.

A petition regarding a request for the repaving of Wychwood Crescent in Fenelon Falls was received and referred to staff for consideration in the 2025 budget process later this year. The first page of the petition can be found here. A complete copy of the petition with 165 signatures is available at the Clerk’s Office upon request.

A petition regarding a request for the installation of a sewer system on Wychwood Crescent in Fenelon Falls was received and referred to staff for consideration in the 2025 budget process later this year. The first page of the petition can be found here. A complete copy of the petition with 135 signatures is available at the Clerk’s Office upon request.

Next Council meeting

Council will return for a Regular Council meeting on July 23, 2024 at 1:00 p.m.

Please note a reduced Council meeting schedule in July and August, with the next Committee of the Whole set for September 10, 2024.