What Happened at Council – July 10

.At the Municipal Council Meeting of July 10th, Council had a number of items on their agenda. After approving the schedule of meetings and agenda, council approved the waiver of fees for Bumps, Babies, and Beyond which will be held on Saturday, September 8th at the MMCC. Over 30 exhibitors have already registered for this event. Council approved donations to both the Woodland Masonic Lodge and the William G. Rose Golf Tournaments.

An adjustment to the water and sewer rates will be made in favour of the newly opened Outdoorsman Motel (formerly known as the Sportsmans Motel). Originally the motel had 37 rooms, but at this time only 17 are in operation (the remainder are being renovated). The charges from April 20th to December 31st will be rebated by 40.4%.

Council supported a request by the Kenny Family to install a wooden cross at the Woodland Cemetery. The cross must be no longer than the footprint of a headstone, and the cross must be maintained and be aesthetically appealing.

Reports by Alex Patterson, Cory Stainthorpe, Jason Morrison, and CAO Chris Wray were accepted by Council. They had been presented at the previous meeting of Council. In discussing these reports, Mayor Rody asked if there were plans to mitigate the dust along lower Government Road. Cory Stainthorpe explained that he was short staffed this week, but that it was planned for the next week. Councillor Chiasson asked Alex Patterson about the webcam at the mouth of the Michipicoten River. Alex explained that there are connectivity issues at that site and that they are working to find a solution.

There will be changes to the community – the tenders for the Wawa Waterfront (Phase 1), and the Water & Sewer Reconstruction Project for Toronto Avenue has been approved.

Council expressed their concerns regarding the cancellation of the Wood Heat Program.

A request by Nancy Donald for help in watering the corner planters (gardens) along Broadway Avenue resulted in a discussion of municipal employees time and priorities. Summertime is always difficult for scheduling due to holiday taking and ‘capacity’. Alex expressed his concerns on behalf of his staff, “it’s a little bit here, and a little bit there, an little bit here, and the next thing you know staff cannot get their normal jobs done because we’re working on all these things”. He stressed, “It is certainly something that we want to support in the community, and we would like to work closer with the Beautification Committee  in the future when they do these sorts of projects so that we can tell them very clearly right off the bat what we can help with and what we can’t. I would really like to work with the committee, because they  are a great, dedicated group of volunteers who really do a lot of great work for our community.” Alex explained that the challenge is to help them without neglecting other priorities. There are corner gardens, planter boxes, and hanging baskets to be watered, weeded, tended along Broadway Avenue. The dry season has meant that plants need to be watered more frequently. Mayor Rody expressed his thougthts that he hoped the businesses would adopt the planters, etc close to their business, and help maintain them (water, weed, deadhead) after they are planted. Working together can acheive the goal of helping our downtown looking presentable. In the end, Council decided to send a letter, Ron explained “municipal staff will continue to do the flower boxes but not those particular gardens. In the planning for next spring, that we will talk about it.”

Council read and passed the following by-laws:

By-Law No. 3129-18 – to confirm the proceedings of Council at its meeting held on the 10th day of July, 2018.

By-Law No. 3130-18 – to enter into a Tenancy Agreement with Ms. Vicki Imbeault respecting the lease of a Residential Apartment situated at 96 Broadway Avenue, Upper Floor, Wawa, Ontario.

By-Law No. 3131-18 – to authorize The Corporation of the Municipality of Wawa to enter into an Agreement with Emma Desgagne for the lease of office space at 96 Broadway Avenue, Lower Floor, for a dental hygienist clinic.

By-Law No. 3133-18 – to authorize The Corporation of the Municipality of Wawa to enter into an Agreement with Carol-Anne Robinson for the lease of the centre portion of 96 Broadway Avenue, Lower Floor, for a physiotherapy clinic for the years 2018 and 2019.

By-Law No. 3134-18 – to authorize The Corporation of the Municipality of Wawa to enter into an Agreement with the Wawa Food Bank for the lease of a portion of the west end of 96 Broadway Avenue, Lower Floor for a food bank.

By-Law No. 3135-18 – to authorize The Corporation of the Municipality of Wawa to enter into an Agreement with the Economic Development Corporation of Wawa for the lease of the east end of 96 Broadway Avenue, Lower Floor for Economic Development Offices.

By-Law No. 3136-18 – to authorize the Municipality of Wawa to enter into an agreement with the Association of Municipalities of Ontario for funding under the Ontario’s Main Street Revitalization Initiative.

By-Law No. 3137-18 – to enter into an agreement with Lloyd’s of Wawa Ltd. for the provision of providing a public passenger transportation service for The Corporation of the Municipality of Wawa for the year 2019.

Council then went into an in camera session:

1. Legal Issue (1 Item): Insurance Claim – advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege, including communications necessary for that purpose (Municipal Act, c.25, s.239 (2) (f))
2. Personal Issue (4 Items) – personal matters about an identifiable individual, including municipal or local board employees (Municipal Act, c.25, s.239 (b))
   1. Tax Matter
   2. Shared Water Connections
   3. Sewage Receiving Station
   4. Reduction of Water & Sewer Charges
3. Legal Issue (1 Item): Michipicoten Non-Profit Housing Corporation – litigation or potential litigation, including matters before administrative tribunals, affecting the municipality or local board (Municipal Act, c.25, s.239 (2) (c))

Council returned to the regular meeting and approved by resolution, the appointment of Maury O’Neill, Pat Tait and Jayne Griffith to the Michipicoten Non-Profit Housing Corporation Board of Directors.