City Council LIVE BLOG March 16, 2015

Another week, another jam packed council meeting.

Council will hear reports on the Connecting Link design, LED street light recommendations and a presentation from Goldcorp.

Follow our live blog starting at 6:00pm.

(Keep refreshing the page as the night goes along for updates.)

First was the singing of O’Canada performed by Ireland Goddard.

The first item is development of Lot 92 on Maple Street South by Clint Chartrand.

He’s here representing his dad Roger, and they want to have water and sewer lines to be ran to a nearby fire hydrant.

The Chartrands were told that they had to front the bill of $50K.  The family says they’d pay 25% of the work being done.

It’s reported the city would gain around $4,500 a year in property taxes.

The report will come back at a later date.

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Millson Forestry Services are now up with Jenny Millson.

This is a funding opportunity to plant trees, which is aimed at planting 50 million trees on private land by 2025.

A letter states this is the first year of the program, and the “primary objective” is to create awareness.

Millson says it could be planted by this summer if passed, and equipment and cost is determined on the land being used.

It will be followed up on by city staff.

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Brendan Zuidema is up for Porcupine Gold Mines.

This is an update on PGM operations, similar to the presentation given for the Timmins Chamber of Commerce a few weeks ago.

Zuidema says their priority is to have zero fatalities.

Grzela points out how the Goldcorp operations are world-renowned for their safety.

Overall, council is positive about the presentation.

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The Schumacher Lion’s Club is holding their annual 240 Men’s Social and BBQ.  As such, they are applying to extend their liquor license to a patio license.

The event will be held May 8th.

This will come back later.

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The Theriault Fun Run Fundraiser is being organized for Sunday, April 26th, with proceeds to go towards the school’s track and field and cross-country teams to compete in Southern Ontario.

They want a 2km and 5km course that runs from Theriault High School to Willow, Theriault Blvd and back to the school.

This, again, will come back.

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Next is a resolution from the Township of Gillies on flock limits on chickens.

They want to raise the limit from 300 to 4,000 broiler birds and are looking for support from several municipalities.

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Next is a resolution from Aurora, Ontario looking for support from Ontario municipalities.

This is about Bill 52, also known as “Protection of Public Participation Act.”

A letter by FONOM states that this Bill “doesn’t actually protect public participation and in fact simply creates more work for lawyers.”

It adds that if the Bill becomes law, “individuals like the mom in rural Ontario who was sued by a massive energy company for mocking their corporate identity, while opposing a project she believed would harm her children, would still be forced to represent themselves against Bay Street lawyers or try to string together the resources to hire a lawyer to defend her.”

“In that case, the company suing her has made it clear they will seek financial damages and donate the proceeds to the United Way. The mother has since uprooted her family and left the province.”

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Now a request from Julie DeMarchi to close streets for a PRIDE Parade.

The parade would be held Saturday, June 13th at 3pm, and should last 60-90 minutes.

It would start in Hollinger Park, onto Brunette, Algonquin, down Pine Street, First Avenue, Spruce Street, Second Avenue, back onto Brunette and up to Hollinger Park.

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Onto reports, and first is Manager of Tourism Guy Lamarche with 2015 Ribfest.

They want the city to waive rental and set up/tear down associated with city-owned assets.

This includes two $5,000 tents, electrical trailer, portable generators and more.  The total for all the assets is $22,740.

A report will come back at a later date.

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The second report is a big one.  It’s a recommendation for LED street lights.

Council is looking to approve the contract to Realterm Energy for $2,329,731.

Also, council wants to approve a rebate application through the SaveONenergy program worth $383,130 and approve a financing plan for 5 years through Infrastructure Ontario.

It is an opportunity to save $405,000 a year.

Director of Public Works Luc Duval says other firms can deliver similar service, but it would risk reducing their OPA grant of $383,000.

Changing nothing, the street light budget is $627,000.  With changes, it will stay at the same price, but will have a cost structure that puts in a yearly $405,000 payment to have the entire cost paid off in 5 years.

The cost would be absorbed into the current budget.

Dubeau says a couple of the other companies that put forward proposals want to come back for presentations, perhaps to readjust their pricing and change Duval’s mind.

Black asks what it would cost for a 10-year payback option instead of five years.

This, and formal approvals will come next meeting.

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Next is cost recovery for MacLean Drive.

Duval says this would promote future growth in the area.

Full details on this is available at THIS LINK.

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Next is the preliminary design for the Connecting Link.

Duval wants the contract to go to AECOM for $380,024.  Bids went as high as over $1-million

AECOM would collect data and make recommendations to improve traffic flow, add bike lanes, improve bus stop configurations where possible and recommend other additional improvements/upgrades.

Replacing the road itself could be around $60-70 million, and including infrastructure could top it over the $100-million mark.

Bamford is worried about the design of the bike lanes, and a way to distinguish it from the roads for truckers to notice.

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Next is a site plan control agreement for the Hollinger Project.

This is to develop the former Hollinger Mine site to extend a completion date of the land use plan to December 31st, 2015, final landscape plan by end of 2017.

This is due to unexpected delays, operational challenges and bad weather conditions.

Council agreed to this during Zuidema’s presentation earlier.

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Deeming by-laws on 316 Haileybury Crescent/Carlos Avenue, and addresses at Rea Street, Belanger Avenue and Preston Street.  This will come back.

Direct sale of land at two addresses at Leclair Avenue will come back.

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Court security, council remuneration and unaudited 2014 financial report will come back for formal approval.

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Next is to put a four-way stop at Rae Street and Columbus Avenue.

Council seems to be in favour of this, and this will come back next week.

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Dubeau is up on response of fire department in Wards 2 and 4.

Council will go in-camera following the meeting to further discuss this.

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Black wants a report by the end of August, to see what service land is available in the city.

This will come in a future report.

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Black now up on development charges.

He wants a report on something that was brought up last year.

Black is concerned the city isn’t getting all costs recovered.

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Black now talking about his meetings at OGRA, mentioning how it was encouraging to hear the government admit taking away Connecting Link funding was a mistake.

He also mentions the waste water plant construction, and the government admits they played a role in the decision to build.  Black hopes to get some feedback in the future on this.

Black also mentions trucks that use the Connecting Link road, and wants a plan to get trucks off those roads.

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Campbell wants an external audit on the Mattagami Wastewater Plant.

He says this could be beneficial, and we can learn from it.

Campbell would like to hire KPMG for this audit.

Rinaldo says she sees the value in it, but wonders the cost.

Black mentions there was curiosity over social media and in the community during the election campaign why there was a $20M+ overage.

He supports this, but has no ill will over how the process has gone.

Dubeau is also in support of this.

Doody asks if the audit would be done immediately, or after the project is done.

He is now reading off former Mayor Tom Laughren’s speech in October, going over the timelines that began the process.

Doody says nobody stood up to ask Laughren any questions at the end of the meeting.

He is in favour of doing the audit, adding this whole project came about because of Walkerton.

City CAO Joe Torlone wants to have a timeline on this audit, as they are still in the midst of approving the budget as well.

“We need to get the budget done,” he said, adding who council wants to lead the project from the city’s perspective.

Black adds there needs to be a focus on the budget at this time.

He says there is a budget meeting tomorrow night, and council will have to look at cuts, as he isn’t comfortable passing a 4.5% overall increase.

Campbell says the audit isn’t cast in stone, and council can talk it out.

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Next is a three-way stop on Fourth Avenue and Vipond Road in Schumacher.

There are issues of people speeding on Vipond, and drivers crashing onto their property and parked vehicles.

This is outlined in a letter sent by a resident living on the aforementioned corner.

He wants to have this sent to Engineering for a review.

Black supports the motion, and wants a report from the police about the corner as well.

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Campbell with another report, this time for parking signs at Schumacher Post Office.

This would be to install 15 minute signs.

Council passes a motion.

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Rinaldo up with frozen water lines.

She wants to have a committee established to ease the difficulty, and establish a standard of care for people that are effected by frozen pipes.

The general message around council and staff is how water is a basic necessity in 2015.

“We have to do better,” said Marks, adding his support and wanting to be on the committee being thought of.

Black says he’ll organize a meeting, and will look to plan out something this summer to implement for the future.

Dubeau would like to see something done short-term, though he believes looking long-term is a great idea.

He says it’s not a unique situation, as cities far and wide are experiencing this so calling a state-of-emergency isn’t the way to go.

Dubeau says he didn’t want the message to be that he wants a state-of-emergency declared.

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Next is correspondence on Communities in Bloom Ontario.  No questions being asked on it.

Other city concerns, power dam program and LED roadway lighting had no feedback and council is in-camera.

Otherwise known as council is adjourned!