One-Sentence Summary

On February 11, 2026, the Owen Sound Committee Service Review Implementation Ad Hoc considered how forty-five parks managing over five thousand assets utilized dedicated staff to plant eighty-one large trees.

Whole Meeting Summary

A significant shift in cemetery demographics, where cremated remains now comprise sixty-four percent of interments, is driving substantial pressure on weekend staffing schedules and necessitating winter overtime support from park laborers. Concurrently, an extensive inventory effort geodetically referenced over twenty-five thousand trees revealed that ash species constitute twenty-one percent of the database, prompting fleet upgrades to manage hazard areas near receptors like roads and pools. To address a complex administrative backlog delaying stump removal by six months or longer, discussions highlighted the need for dedicated staff rather than contractors, particularly given seasonal constraints where Public Works focuses on snow removal. Liability concerns regarding equipment operation were addressed through confirmed training requirements for all ground personnel before deployment to mitigate risks from lingering hazards in forested zones. The strategic plan also outlines reallocating funds from emergency removals toward preventative maintenance and canopy elevation as long-term sustainability challenges beyond ash dieback emerge. These developments collectively emphasize the need for balanced resource allocation between immediate safety obligations and broader ecological stewardship within the municipal system.

Most Newsworthy Items

• Forty-five Parks Host Over Five Thousand Assets Including Eighty-one Large Trees Planted: The Service Review Project continues its third report phase by classifying parks and service levels for forty-five locations containing over 5,200 assets across horticulture, sports fields, and cemeteries like Eborac Culture and Cemetery. Staffing includes strategic leadership from a manager, cemetery supervisors acting as open spaces leads, five permanent park staff including two certified arborists based at Greenwood Cemetery who work forty-hour weeks maintaining tree health and safety. In 2025 alone, the team planted eighty-one large trees and 255 saplings through partnerships while inventorying specific hazard zones in parks like Harrison Park to identify receptors such as roads or pools within twenty meters of ravines. The digital database now tracks 25,174 unique geodetically referenced trees with attributes on size and species composition, noting that ash comprises 21% of the total population managed via Worktech tickets for pruning, trimming, removals, and planting activities.
• Restructuring Balanced Portfolios by Making the Cemetery Administrator Report Directly: The vacancy in the manager position prompted a restructuring where the cemetery administrator, formerly reporting to the park supervisor, was elevated as an acting supervisor with direct access.
• The section explains why reports were limited to senior leadership team members: The section explains why reports were limited to senior leadership team members, citing a focus on their specific needs for leadership development rather than broader municipal inclusion.
• Public Forum opened with Marion Koepke noting an empty room: Public Forum opened with Marion Koepke noting an empty room.

Meeting Recap

7 CORRESPONDENCE RECEIVED FOR WHICH DIRECTION IS REQUIRED

No correspondence exists for item seven; Marion Koepke notes only an upcoming report on Eborac culture and cemetery service levels.

8.a Report CS-26-007 from the Director of Community Services Re Service

The Service Review Project continues its classification work on forty-five parks containing over fifty-two hundred assets, with a specific focus today on Eborac culture and cemetery following the previous River District review. Marion Koepke detailed extensive inventory efforts including geodetic referencing of twenty-five thousand one hundred seventy-four trees, noting that ash species comprise twenty-one percent of this database to manage hazard areas near receptors like roads and pools. Operational recommendations prioritize fleet upgrades such as dedicated chipper trucks and stemwood lifting devices to improve safety efficiency while transitioning staff from bucket truck decorative work to core forestry duties using scissor lifts. The report highlights a significant shift in cemetery demographics where cremated remains now account for sixty-four percent of interments, driving pressure on weekend staffing schedules that often require overtime or support from park laborers during winter months when the crew is reduced.

Forty-five Parks Host Over Five Thousand Assets Including Eighty-one Large Trees Planted

The Service Review Project continues its third report phase by classifying parks and service levels for forty-five locations containing over 5,200 assets across horticulture, sports fields, and cemeteries like Eborac Culture and Cemetery. Staffing includes strategic leadership from a manager, cemetery supervisors acting as open spaces leads, five permanent park staff including two certified arborists based at Greenwood Cemetery who work forty-hour weeks maintaining tree health and safety. In 2025 alone, the team planted eighty-one large trees and 255 saplings through partnerships while inventorying specific hazard zones in parks like Harrison Park to identify receptors such as roads or pools within twenty meters of ravines. The digital database now tracks 25,174 unique geodetically referenced trees with attributes on size and species composition, noting that ash comprises 21% of the total population managed via Worktech tickets for pruning, trimming, removals, and planting activities.

Transitioning to Pearl Work Order System for Arboriculture Efficiencies While Addressing Forestry

The transition to the Pearl Work Order System is anticipated to generate efficiencies and time savings for arboriculture admin support. To balance workloads without budget changes, responsibilities regarding timesheets are shifting to a Community Services Assistant role while creating customer-facing capacity within existing positions. Operational constraints in forestry crews limit duty of care due to insufficient staffing when one member is absent; consequently, the City Manager’s report suggests utilizing cemetery staff during winter months and restricting bucket truck usage for non-forestry tasks like banner installation. Greenwood Cemetery operations face pressure from shifting trends toward cremation (64% increase) and weekend internments (37%), requiring overtime support in summer and reliance on park staff in winter. Strategic initiatives include upgrading the Stone Orchard software platform to digitize records, reviewing fees to reflect service costs during holidays, and training backup personnel to reduce administrative burdens.

Digital Timesheet Implementation Seasonal Grass Crew Integration Winter Support Trials and Proposed

The report outlines a transition from paper to digital timesheets aimed at reducing administrative time consumption by approximately eighty percent through direct employee entry into the system. Staffing models are being adjusted, including utilizing seasonal crews for grass maintenance on specific days and allowing cemetery staff to provide third-ground support during low-interment winter weeks to balance workloads. Operational changes include modifying reporting structures to reduce role strain and proposing amendments to the cemetery bylaw to limit weekend internments primarily to cultural or religious reasons while charging a fee for Saturday services due to higher staffing costs.

Restructuring Balanced Portfolios by Making the Cemetery Administrator Report Directly

The vacancy in the manager position prompted a restructuring where the cemetery administrator, formerly reporting to the park supervisor, was elevated as an acting supervisor with direct access.

8.b Report CR-26-011 from the Manager of Human Resources Re Update

The section clarifies operational distinctions between Parks and Cemetery, noting the transition of Festival equipment to a shared storage bay once fully relocated. A significant backlog in stump removal is identified as stemming from a complex seven-to-eight-step administrative process that often delays completion by six months or longer; addressing this requires adding dedicated staff rather than just contractors. The discussion highlights seasonal constraints where Public Works focuses on snow removal, necessitating Cemetery support for year-round tree and stump management to resolve resident Speaker 01 hazards. While the 20-meter buffer zone rules apply strictly near roadways in areas like Harrison Park, broader forested zones may retain stumps for soil retention if hazardous conditions are absent. The report also addresses liability concerns regarding unlicensed ground personnel by confirming that all staff receive specific training on equipment and chainsaw operation before deployment. Finally, the conversation shifts to long-term sustainability challenges beyond ash dieback, such as beech disease, while outlining a strategy to reallocate funds from emergency removals toward preventative maintenance, planting, and canopy elevation once high-priority clearing contracts are managed.

9 MATTERS POSTPONED

The section explains why reports were limited to senior leadership team members, citing a focus on their specific needs for leadership development rather than broader municipal inclusion.

13 NOTICES OF MOTION

No notices of motion were presented; the meeting concluded at 9:55 after confirming no correspondence or additional business.

Links

Read full transcript: https://helpos.ca/transcripts/owen-sound/committee-service-review-implementation-ad-hoc/2026-02-11

Agenda page: https://helpos.ca/agendas/owen-sound/committee-service-review-implementation-ad-hoc/2026-02-11

Official meeting page: https://pub-owensound.escribemeetings.com/MeetingsCalendarView.aspx/Meeting?Id=a852f8e2-307d-4fde-91b8-1d1e7dc68b99

Original video: https://video.isilive.ca/owensound/New Encoder_SR_2026-02-11-09-01.mp4