City Council LIVE BLOG June 29, 2015

Some hot ticket items return to council tonight.

Council will hear updates on the core services review, the Waste water Plant project, and the audit to the very same waste water plant.

Traffic reviews, the Ward system and much more are also on the docket.

Follow it all on our council live blog starting at 6:00pm.

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

First is Dubeau asking to put the hiring freeze item back on the agenda.  Dubeau, Bamford, Grzela and Wawrzaszek vote for it, and everyone else votes against it and does not get added on.

The next item is zoning amendment for 23 Father Costello Drive.

Jim Kelly, under Barry H. Martin, wants to zone the area as residential to build a two-storey, four unit apartment building.

This is the first meeting, where people are allowed to come forward to voice their concerns or their approval of the idea.

No public members came forward, but Rinaldo is speaking on it, as a resident of Schumacher.

She wants to know where this area is headed on a big-picture perspective from city planning.  She raises concerns with parking, among other things.

“Schumacher is an area in transition,” says Cindy Welsh of city planning.

She says staff will look to council for direction.  Rinaldo asks about the parking, and Black says staff will come back with a report in the future, which will include their idea for parking.

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Next is a zoning amendment on Reg Pope Blvd.

Essentially, the land has a deck on it in a backyard, and the applicant, Derek Vogl, is looking to buy the land to make things nice and legal.

Peter Jacklund, of 86 Mascioli Blvd, is up to raise a concern, saying if this is allowed, how is this going to stop people from building on land before purchasing in the future.

He says there isn’t much green space any more.

Jacklund says allowing this will teach kids that it’s okay to cheat, and why should the city reward them?

Lionel Bonhomme is now up, and says his wife has interest in a nearby property.

He is now giving a history of land purchasing in the area.

The land itself wasn’t rezoned, and says the “rubber stamp” of a re-zoning is a moot point..

Bonhomme says he looks forward to the report from city planning on this.

Dubeau says he wants to review the history, and Bonhomme says it will be provided to council.

Derek Vogl, the applicant, is in the building.  Campbell asks if he was aware the deck was built illegally.

Vogl says at the time, he built it because he was informed that there would be no issues and the land would get re-zoned.

Rinaldo asks if he felt uncomfortable about it.  Vogl says he didn’t start building until it looked like the sale of land was going to go through.

Vogl says the city sold 20 feet of land to his neighbour, and when Bonhomme put a complaint in, he put the project on hold.

Orson Credafil is up and asks if it is passed, if he’s able to get the same opportunity.  Black says this will go back to staff in the report.

Rinaldo points out that if council passes this, it by no means is an opening for people to start building on property not owned by them.

Campbell asks why we’re at this stage, and what is the alternative.  Black says all the information on this will be in the report, and this is merely a public meeting for residents to come forward.

Bamford says the by-law came to council in August on this very same property and he voted against it.  He says he will be voting against this as well when it comes to it, as it will send a bad message.

Dubeau says we’re kind of going backwards, as the city sold the land before re-zoning it.

Black says they will wait for the report for all the recommendations.  Bonhomme wants to see if he can have a copy of the planning report.

City CAO Joe Torlone says Bonhomme won’t have an opportunity, as the next stage is meant for council to talk about the issue.  Bonhomme says he’s putting in a deputation, and council decides to vote in favour to give Bonhomme a copy and allow him to come back to council to further discuss the issue.

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Now to a zoning amendment for Daniel and Claudette Gagnon.

This is to create an 80-unit campground near German Township.

They are in the building.

Daniel says the traffic study is on its way, and understands the land goes through a water and sewer system.  He says they won’t be providing water, and campers would bring their own.

It is an old scout camp.

Bamford says the issue is trying to protect mineral resources, but is in favour of this idea.  He says it’s a great opportunity for the economy.

Nighthawk Timber owner Dave Stringer says he is in favour, as long as it doesn’t infringe on his property.

He says he would like to work with them, and get a legal agreement.

Bonhomme is still in the room, and has a question.  He wants to know if the planning department notified the mining rights holdings.

Welsh says it’s a mineral extraction area, and the only notification needs to go to anyone within 120 metres.

This will come back.

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Oscar Poloni is back with KPMG on the core services review.

He says they are about halfway through, and wants to update where they are.

He says they are on time, and on budget.

Poloni says it looks more than likely they will come forward with the complete report in August.

There have been 24 meetings to date.

Consultations with seven stakeholders, and analysed 14 different operational and financial items like overtime, legal fees, transit usage and usage of buildings.

He says there is a need to improve communication between departments.

An example is the cemetery rents backhoes to dig graves, even though the city owns some themselves.

He says there are also collaboration issues between places like the bus depots in Timmins and South Porcupine.

Poloni says there are also issues with things being done multiple times, citing mechanical work.

He adds there’s an issue with the way the landfill works.  He says in the winter, Timmins is the only landfill open on Sunday’s in comparison to North Bay, Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie.

He also points out that the tipping fee can easily be abused, as people can load 125kg, bring it, go home, load another 125kg and go back, and so on.

He adds the city is reluctant to charge for services.

Poloni cites the frozen water main issue.  He says the first time, a resident isn’t charged whatsoever.

He also makes mention of what should be done to manage capital.

He says not to get into a one-for-one situation, where they’re building a new fire station to replace an old one, when they can combine some of the stations around town.

Another mention of collaboration and communication.

Next is to follow through on analysis.  He says there have been recommendations put out there, but things haven’t been done.

He says if they plan not to do anything following the core services review, he’ll stop billing now.

Poloni goes to information dissemination, and says taxpayers need a better understanding where their tax dollars are going.

Poloni says there is a morale issue in the city.  He says poor morale leads to higher costs from people calling in sick, to people going into overtime.

He says the Golden Manor is also worth looking at.

He says per household, the Manor costs $139.10, compared to the next closest city North Bay.  The same figure for Casselhome costs residents down there just over $105.

He says they can divest to a not-for-profit or a for-profit organization.

Poloni adds the cost for nursing and personal care is $122.99, compared to $94 and $98 for comparators.

He says this can be done, but some service would need to be cut.

Poloni says they can even look at shared services, like laundry, which is available at TDH.

It is quite comprehensive.  Poloni says they can also look at cost recoveries, by eliminating their building inspection and Tourism Timmins departments from the municipal levy, and get them to run on

He says it would be wise to increase the number of permits, and the fees on existing permits.

He says Tourism Timmins does exceptional work.

He adds a destination marketing fee can be put in, as there is value in it.  This could be done through the hotels in town.

In terms of by-law enforcement, he received three tickets.

“I swear your officers are following me now,” Poloni said with a laugh.

He says there’s an opportunity to try out a person for six months on new initiatives, like people shovelling snow onto the street.

There’s also an issue with setting up for special events, taking the whole maintenance department away to do one thing.

Other strategies being looked at include leasing instead of buying equipment, sharing resources, eliminating duplicate processes and more.

He says there’s a number of parks not being used, and suggests to sell it to a developer.

Poloni says to look at the airport, as he understands Timmins is the only one that runs their airport in the north as a municipal department.

Nothing on today’s report will necessarily be in the final report.

Poloni says in the meetings, some remained quiet and some weren’t afraid to talk in front of their boss.  He says there’s been excellent cooperation thus far.

Dubeau says there’s been good feedback from staff and residents.  He says people are excited for this, and asks for Poloni to expand on exceeding services.

Poloni cites transit routes, and how some areas could be looked at and re-organized to save money.  He adds the landfill is another example.

Dubeau asks is the city collecting nearly what they could, and Poloni says no.

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Next up is Chamber of Commerce President Al Thorne, to deliver his outgoing speech.

He says he will be handing the Presidency to Kurt Bigeau at the end of September.

He says while they don’t always agree, the Chamber’s collaboration with the city is always in the effort to make Timmins a great place to work, live and play.

Thorne says the monthly meetings have been great opportunities to discuss items of note.

He says he’s pleased to see action on several items the Chamber suggested during the budget deliberations, from holding the line on spending and the successful pursuit to get Connecting Link funding.

Thorne says the only thing not pursued is the Timmins 2020 Strategic Reports that have little to no action seen, but can be looked at after the core services review is complete.

He says thanks for the time, energy and passion throughout his Chamber year.

Dubeau says it’s important that the Chamber was allowed to present four times this year.  Black adds he’s glad only one of those times was for the budget.

Doody adds the Gillies Lake Promenade will open up in a couple of weeks, thanks to the partnership with Wintergreen and the Chamber.

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Next is an update on the Mattagami Waste Water Plant.

Pat Seguin says it’s up to date, and on budget.

The construction is at 90% complete, and the plant should be done and operational by September.

The raw sewage pumping station is about 90% complete, and commissioning of the pumps should happen in July.

Their full report can be found HERE.

The cost spent to date is $64.7 million, and is projected to finish at a cost of $80.1-million.

Campbell is delving into the process thus far, and asking about the consultation schedule.

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Deloitte LLP is now here for the audit to the waste water plant.

They want to look at areas of cost recoveries, and the processes in the project itself, in terms of looking for improvements in future projects.

Campbell asks what effect the fact that the project is almost over will have on the audit.

Deloitte says they haven’t seen any cost reports as of yet.

Dubeau asks for a timeline.

The proposal was to have the work completed by November.

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Now to reports, and the first is the replacement of the water main on Algonquin.

The water main in question is between Fogg Street and Avenue Road.  This main is about 80 years old.

They want to award the construction to Mascioli Construction for $192,245 plus HST.

This is a priority, to make sure there is no service interruption this upcoming winter.

They are wanting to do a relining, which is saving the city around $100,000.

The lifespan for relining is around 50 years.

Black says he’s not comfortable going to the new technology because he’s also looking at the cost to replace the asphalt, and the fact that they recently looked at removing additives to get lifespan of asphalt to go longer.

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Next is the purchase of a snow blower.

This would be from J.A. Larue Inc. for just over $122,000.  This is down from $155,000 with a three-month rebate.

This will come back.

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Next is a service agreement with Roger Chartrand for Maple Street.

This is to allow the extension of water and sewer to service a future home.

The city will assume 50% of the work.

This will come back.

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Request for recycled asphalt from Hollinger Golf Course.

This is to have their pathways paved, and want to use pavement that was removed from re-construction projects in the past.

The city has stockpiled this asphalt over the years.

The pile can be manufactured and laid down at about $60/tonne, as opposed to $185/tonne.

Owner Dr. Tony Kos says this is a great way to promote environmental awareness as well.

Doody says this is a great project, and a great way to partner with a community partner and member.

Campbell says it’s a great asphalt, but is curious how the pavement will turn into hot mix asphalt and Black says there is a mobile plant.

This will come back.

——————

Now to the Spring Bear Hunt.

Black says he wants to see the hunt continue through the review, and wants the hunt in place permanently for a number of reasons.

The report says the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters is a successful wildlife management tool, that minimalizes encounters.

It also says over $40-million was pumped into the Ontario economy, the majority of it in the north.

Council votes unanimously to get this sent to the Premier for consideration.

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Next is putting red light cameras on Algonquin.

This is to designate the city as authorized to start an enforcement program.

It is voted unanimously.

(Side Note: I saw two people run a red twice in the last three days, and one was on the way to this very council meeting.)

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Now to the timeline to get line painting in town.

All highways, Connecting Link be completed by June 1st, and all other major roadways done by June 15th.

Last week, it was discussed that the Mayor talked with several visitors, who voiced their displeasure and disgust that there were no lines on the road.

Dubeau asks to have this rejected, as the workers know their timelines but Black disagrees.

Bamford says there was a problem last year, because it rained so much and lines didn’t even get in.

Marks says he doesn’t want to waste any more time, and would like to see this job done once and done right.

Doody says he’d like to see this resolution withdrawn as well, and get engineering to say a date that works for them.

Black says he doesn’t mind losing on this one, but with the amount of people who have voiced their opinions, he still supports his resolution.

Dubeau says he doesn’t believe Black’s position, and believes it’s completely disrespectful to their efforts for safety.

Black’s motion is defeated by a council vote.

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The ward system is next.

This would be to get staff to look at four options:

• What is in effect now with 5 wards and 8 councillors
• Four Wards with two councillors each
• Eight Wards with eight councillors
• Voting for eight councillors at-large
• Hybrid system for at large and wards (four wards with one councillor; four at-large councillors)

Rinaldo says she’s gotten plenty of emails to have this looked at.

Bamford is concerned this will create a life of its own because a lot of people are strongly for differing views.

He says elections at-large makes no sense, as it wouldn’t be financially viable for anyone to run.  He adds it borders on undemocratic.

“In a city that’s so large and so diverse,” he says.

Bamford says if people would put that time and effort into the whole city, people may as well just run for Mayor.

He will not be voting to look at this further.

Grzela says a report will not do any harm.

“I think it’s important to look at the options out there,” he added.

Dubeau agrees with Bamford, but would like to look at this at the very least.  He wants to eliminate the hybrid and election at-large options.

Rinaldo says we have three and a half years, and says there might even be options not even out there yet.  She suggests looking to the Chamber to ask them for options as well.

Black says he’d support a general report.

Campbell says he’s never heard from anyone about changing the system.  Bamford says him either.

Vote to Dubeau’s amendment.

Bamford, Dubeau, Campbell, Doody and Wawrzaszek voted in favour of Dubeau’s amendment, so no at-large and no hybrid option.

The next vote is on sending the report itself.  The report will go through, with Bamford and Campbell voting against it.

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Next is a sidewalk to Walmart.

The vote is to include the costs of the project, which would extend the sidewalk from Shirley Street to the Walmart location in the 2016 budget.

Bamford says they have to look at priorities, adding he has seen about 20 people walk from the Square to Walmart.

He would like to see money put into the side streets that are dilapidated.

He says putting this on the budget now gives it a priority it doesn’t deserve.  He says delay it until the budget time in 2016, and match it with the rest of the needs.

Campbell agrees, saying he hasn’t seen many people walking out that way either.

Rinaldo says people take their life into their own hands walking alongside Riverside.  She says she has no problem installing it into the budget, and then looking at it then.

She really wants to see budget deliberations start in September.

Marks says he supports this, adding there is a huge safety issue.

He says there is two dollar stores, a Walmart, a Giant Tiger and a hotel.  That hotel holds hockey teams that use this path all the time.

Dubeau says he’ll vote for it, as does Doody.

Bamford says we’re setting a dangerous precedent by adding things to the budget early.

All vote in favour except for Campbell and Bamford.

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Next is the Lord’s Prayer.

This is to have legislation to give Timmins the choice to choose.

Bamford says he’d support this, as the prayer they had before was non-denominational.

He says there has to be a balance of rights between minorities and the silent majority.

“We’re so focused on not offending anyone,” he adds.

He says if this is sent out, it needs to lose the title “Lord’s Prayer,” which council agrees with.

Rinaldo and Grzela votes against sending this one out, everyone else votes in favour so it will be sent to Prime Minister Harper, MP Charlie Angus, FONOM and NEOMA.

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Now to a flagpole park.

This is to install six flagpoles each displaying separately, our National and Provincial flags, our municipal flag, the Franco-Ontarian flag, potentially a First Nation’s flag, as well as special occasion flags, within a designed area outside of City Hall.

Both the Canadian and provincial flag poles to have superior heights to the other flags, and night time lighting for the flags.

Torlone says he’s been emailed by a number of cultural groups, wanting their flag involved as well.

Black says there have already been talks around First Nations groups, asking who has territorial rights to fly their flag in Timmins.

The Franco-Ontarian flag is designated by the province.

Bamford is deferring this for now, when there’s more reaction from the community.

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Next is a request for the Ride for Memories.

This is to get a Timmins Police escort for the event, which is on Saturday, July 11th at 3:00pm.

It is approved.

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Now to establish a committee for Bannerman Park.

These people are organizing the Summer Concert Series at the park this summer.

Ron and Lucille Moisan, Lesley Ann Humphrey, Barry Beauchamp, Carol Brunet, Kees Stryland, Paula and Jim Hoggett, Kelly Dewar, Ilona Corri, Mike Frost, Judy Desantis, Andree Pajunen and Mary Gardner.

It is approved.

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By-law time!

Service agreement with Roger Chartrand for Maple Street is approved.

Agreement to Mascioli Construction to re-construct Algonquin Boulevard water main is approved.  Deferring third and final reading is approved, so this isn’t fully approved as of yet.

Purchase of a snow blower is approved.  Wawrzaszek voted against this.

Agreement with Health Quality Ontario with Dr. Julie Auger and the Golden Manor is approved.

Encroachment by-law at 205 Third Avenue is approved.

Establish and regulate a fire department policy in Timmins, while repealing a by-law is approved.

Replacement of IT Storage infrastructure is approved.

Reducing the speed limit on Lakeshore Road from 50km to 40km is approved.

Domestic animal manure in garbage by-law is up.

Rinaldo says the public should know what to do with their manure.

Black says this hay, straw or animal excrement is included, not for domestic animals.

There was an issue with full bags of animal waste, where workers were getting sprayed.

Dubeau wants to defer this so a report can come back.  It is carried and this will come back.

Encroachment by-law on 33 Father Costello Drive is approved.

Agreement with the Hollinger Golf Club is approved.

Dr. Kos is still here for this, what a trooper!

——————

Other matters start with Mayor Black on a municipal referendum.

Last week, Campbell asked Black to come back with a list of referendums done.  Black says he had a page and a half filled in 30 minutes.

View that document HERE.

Campbell says he appreciates the research, but we shouldn’t start to govern with referendums.

Black says a number of items could go up, including the Ward system.

Bamford says usually there are good ideas to have referendums, but they can also be used as cop outs for politicians.

“We were elected to make tough decisions,” he said, adding he doesn’t want to go to the voters on the Ward system.

This will come back.

—————

Dubeau is up to discuss claims made by residents for the Timmins Police Service.

He wants to know if the officers were interviewed on the subject, which was the accusations made by former Councillor Gary Scripnick at the Chief Gauthier hearings.

Black says there is a proper procedure to file complaints.

Dubeau asks for an investigation to be done, adding the comments made that the officer involved was rude to Scripnick.

Black says if the Chief wants to investigate anyone in his force, it’s up to him and it wouldn’t be right for council to vote on it.

Dubeau says these officers should get their day, as these were serious accusations.  Black says it’s part of the agreed statement of facts, that’s a public document and the officer hasn’t voiced his disagreement.

He says there’s a right place and a right time, and the officer won’t get his day if there isn’t any formal complaint submitted.

Dubeau wants to have this brought to the Chief for discussion.

Dubeau votes in favour, while the rest vote against it.

and council is adjourned!