This week, Tecumseh Town Council begins at 7pm.  The link to watch the meeting will be able to be found here.  The full agenda can be found here.

Delegations this week will include:
1. Joyce Zuk, Executive Director of Family Services Windsor-Essex and Elizabeth Strutt-MacLeod, Coordinator/Professor, School of Community Studies, St. Clair College Re: Proposed One-Year Pilot Project with Community Meditation Windsor Essex and Tecumseh

2. Bill Marra, Vice President External Affairs and Executive Director of Changing Lives Together Foundation, Hôtel Dieu Grace Healthcare
Re: Cardiac Wellness and Pulmonary Rehab Satellite Facility

Communications - For Information
1. Town of Lakeshore dated June 4, 2020 Re: Reconsideration of Permanent Closing of Local Newspapers.  Lakeshore supports the recent Tecumseh motion asking Postmedia to reconsider the elimination of local print news service.

2. Town of Amherstburg dated June 26, 2020  Re: Permanent Closure of Weekly Newspapers Owned by Postmedia Network Inc.  Amherstburg supports the recent Tecumseh motion asking Postmedia to reconsider the elimination of local print news service.

3. Township of Lake of Bays dated June 17, 2020 Re: Letter of Support for High Speed Internet Connectivity in Rural Ontario.  Lake of Bays supports senior government investment in broadband internet to support offering of the service to rural communities.

4. Municipality of Mississippi Mills dated June 19, 2020.  Re: Support for Rural Broadband.  Mississippi Mills supports senior government investment in broadband internet to support offering of the service to rural communities.

5. Municipality of West Elgin dated June 26, 2020 Re: Affordable Access to Broadband.  West Elgin supports senior government investment in broadband internet to support offering of private service to persons of all economic backgrounds.

6. Town of Renfrew dated June 23, 2020 Re: COVID-19 Pandemic affect on Economic Development, Employment and Small Business in Ontario.  Renfrew requests that the Provincial Government be encouraged to quickly process the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program grants to assist in maintaining local economic activity.

7. Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing dated July 7, 2020.  Re: COVID-19 Economic Recovery Act.  The Province advises of its intent to pass the noted Act which:

- Enables municipal councils and local boards to meet electronically on a permanent basis and allow municipal councils to decide if they wish to have proxy voting for their members.

- Finalizes the community benefits charges framework, which will for the first time allow for these charges to be used to develop new libraries.

- Enhances the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing’s existing zoning order authority to provide more certainty when fast tracking the development of transit oriented communities.

- Makes it faster to update and harmonize the Building Code

- Permanently establishes the office of the Provincial Land and Development Facilitator to help solve complex land use issues. 

8. City of Sarnia dated June 24, 2020 Re: Long Term Care Homes in Ontario.  Sarnia calls on the Province to implement the following:

1. increasing hours for all part-time and casual labour
2. inspect privately operated long term care homes to ensure they are being properly run, and that funds are being used for the benefit of the residents and not the huge profitability of the operators, and
3. to end the neglect and unacceptable conditions being experienced, each day, by our vulnerable seniors.

9. CARP Windsor Essex Chapter 7 dated June 24, 2020 Re: COVID-19 and Long Term Care Homes.  CARP requests the participation of their Ottawa Chapter on the pending provincial Independent Commission regarding Long Term Care.

10. Town of Amherstburg dated June 25, 2020 Re: Spread of COVID-19 in our Farm Worker Population.  Amherstburg advises of support for portions of a recent resolution by Essex Town Council regarding addressing issues in the migrant worker community.  However, Amherstburg did not endorse the Essex request to impose manadatory COVID-19 testing on workers.

11.  Town of Essex dated July 3, 2020 Re: COVID-19 Financial Relief for Municipalities.  Essex requests that MPP Taras Natyshak read aloud in the legislature a request that the Ontario Government to provide immediate relief and/or financial support in order to assist with the additional financial burdens that Municipalities all across Ontario have had to bear and will continue to bear as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

12. Town of Amherstburg dated June 26, 2020 Re: Universal Basic Income.  Amherstburg supports the City of Kitchener request to have the Provincial and Federal governments collaborate with respect to introducing a universal basic income program for all residents.

13. Municipality of West Elgin dated June 26, 2020 Re: Universal Basic Income.  West Elgin supports the Grey Highlands request to have the Provincial and Federal governments collaborate with respect to introducing a universal basic income program for all residents.

14. Township of Puslinch dated July 7, 2020 Re: Aggregate Resource Properties.  Puslinch calls upon the Province to work with the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation to address the assessment issue so that aggregate resource properties are assessed for their industrial value.

15. Ontario Energy Board dated June 30, 2020 Re: Notice of Hearing and Procedural Order No. 1 - Enbridge Gas Inc. - Windsor Pipeline Replacement Project.  Essex County and Enbridge Gas are in a dispute regarding the construction of a 22.9 km segment of pipeline along County Road 46. The contested issues include the depth of cover of certain segments of the replacement pipeline and removal of certain segments of the existing pipeline in lieu of abandonment in place.  

16. County of Essex, dated June 24, 2020 Re: Notice of Decision regarding Official Plan Amendment No. 15 - 12300 County Road 42 - Bashi.  Essex County has approved to re-designate the subject 0.66 hectare (1.63 acre) parcel of land located on the northeast corner of the County Road 42/Lesperance intersection (12300 County Road 42) from “Neighbourhood Commercial” to “Medium Density Residential” and to introduce a new site-specific policy to facilitate the development of the lands for four, six-unit, three-storey dwellings and establish a total lot density of 36 units per hectare.

17. Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks dated July 8, 2020 Re: Environmental Assessment Modernization.  The Province advises of proposed updates to the Environmental Assessment process including the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment, and invites comment.

Committee Minutes include: 
1. Town on Tecumseh Business Improvement Area - May 13, 2020 and June 10, 2020This item has attachments.

Reports include:
1. Chief Administrative Officer
a. CAO-2020-03 2019 Strategic Plan Report.  Administration supplies a comprehensive summary of the strategic efforts made by the Town over the 2019 calendar year.

b. CAO-2020-04 Town Hall Reopening.  Administration advises of the intent to reopen Town Hall for services.  From July 20 forward, Town Hall and Arena Customer Service areas are proposed to be reopened to the public for in-person, drop-in traffic during the hours of 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday – Friday while Town Hall is proposed to be opened to the Public for scheduled in-person appointments, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday – Friday.  Limited in-person meetings in board rooms and offices would resume when safe physical distancing (2 metres) protocol can be observed.  On September 11, the Town would re-evaluate open hours for public in-person, drop-in traffic and the screening method.  Until September 30th, Town Hall staff occupancy would remain at approximately 50% to allow extra space for building renovation to be completed.

c. CAO-2020-05 Rural Economic Development Program Funding.  Tecumseh was successful in securing funds from the Province's Rural Economic Development program under the Economic Diversification and Competitiveness Stream to modernize and streamline the Building Department’s Permitting system through digitization.  The project will include digitizing files, providing opportunities for online applications and having hardware (iPads) for Town Inspectors to reduce the time it takes to process applications and permits. The project is expected to reduce red tape, better coordinate permit approvals and provide efficiencies in the entire permitting process.

2. Corporate Services & Clerk
a. CS-2020-19 Council Meetings 2021.  Administration recommends that Regular Council Meeting dates be cancelled on Tuesday, August 24, 2021 and Tuesday, December 28, 2021.  In addition, Town Hall would remain closed from Friday, December 24, 2021, until Monday, January 3, 2022.

b. CS-2020-22 Dog Control Services.  Administration recommends that the Agreement regarding dog control services with Phillip A. Byrne be renewed for an additional two years from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2022.

3. Financial Services
a. FS-2020-07 2019 Year-End Variance Report.  For the 2019 fiscal year, Administration is reporting a total surplus of $913,981.

4. Parks & Recreation Services
a. PRS-2020-17 Hôtel Dieu Grace Healthcare Letter of Intent Tecumseh Sportsplex Capital Contribution.  Administration recommends that Council authorize the execution of the Letter of Intent between Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare and The Town of Tecumseh to construct a Cardiac Wellness and Pulmonary Rehab Satellite Facility.  The facility would be paid for entirely by Hôtel Dieu Grace Healthcare and there would be an operational agreement.

5. Planning & Building Services
a. PBS-2020-21 D19 3455NTR, Zoning By-law Amendment, 3435 North Talbot Road.  Administration recommends the scheduling of a public meeting for the application submitted by 470698 Ontario Ltd. (Dalla Bona Construction) to rezone a 1.0 hectare (2.4 acre) property situated on the south side of North Talbot Road, approximately 40 metres (130 feet) east of its intersection with Hennin Drive (3455 North Talbot Road), from “Industrial Zone (M1)” to a site-specific “Business Park Zone (BP)” in order to permit the addition of general/business offices, professional offices, a union hall, restaurants, craft industries/specialty workshops and retail sales as permitted uses, and establish site-specific yard/lot requirements, be authorized, once Council formally approves the holding of virtual public meetings.

b. PBS-2020-22 Community Mediation Windsor-Essex, 1 Year Pilot Program with Town of Tecumseh.  Administration recommends that Council authorize entering into a One-Year Pilot Community Mediation Program with Community Mediation Windsor-Essex in order to assist Town residents in resolving neighbourhood conflicts/disagreements, and further that the use of Town facilities to host the mediation sessions at no cost to the users, be approved.

c. PBS-2020-23 Suspension of Sign By-law 2018-33 Regulations Governing Temporary Signs During COVID-19 Emergency.  Administration advises that through delegation of authority, a moratorium was enacted to waive provisions of By-law No. 2018-33 (“the Sign By-law”):
1. the requisite $50.00 permit application fee;
2. the display period time limits (i.e. one 60-day period or two 30-day periods); and
3. the three-sign maximum at any given time for a multiple-tenant property (i.e. a commercial plaza). 

d. PBS-2020-24 Housekeeping Amendment to limit Permitted uses on Agricultural zoned lands in Hamlet Development Designation.  Administration recommends the scheduling of a public meeting in accordance with The Planning Act, for a proposed housekeeping zoning by-law amendment to the Sandwich South Zoning By-law 85-18 to limit the permitted agricultural uses on lands zoned Agricultural Zone (A) within settlement areas as delineated in the Sandwich South Official Plan, be authorized, once Council formally approves the holding of virtual public meetings.

In addition I have put forward a motion for Administration to review warrants for enacting a Community Safety Zone at Arrowhead Park.

For questions on these or other municipal matters, please contact me at 226-773-1910 or andrew@andrewdowie.ca