Grey County Committee of the Whole Meeting Transcript — December 12, 2025

00:11:51 Speaker 02: to call to order this committee.

00:11:52 Speaker 02: The whole agenda. of December twelfth,

00:11:55 Speaker 02: twenty twenty-five. At this point in

00:11:57 Speaker 02: time, as you are able, please

00:11:58 Speaker 02: join us in the standing for

00:12:00 Speaker 02: and singing of "O Canada." O

00:12:12 Speaker 02: Canada, our home and native land,

00:12:19 Speaker 02: true patriot. love in all of

00:12:26 Speaker 02: us command. With glowing hearts, we

00:12:31 Speaker 03: see thee rise, the true North,

00:12:35 Speaker 03: strong and free. From far and

00:12:39 Speaker 03: wide, O Canada, we stand on

00:12:44 Speaker 03: guard for thee. God keep our

00:12:50 Speaker 04: land. glorious and free, O Canada!

00:12:58 Speaker 04: We stand on guard for thee,

00:13:03 Speaker 04: O Canada! We stand on guard

00:13:10 Speaker 04: for thee. Thank you. Let us

00:13:24 Speaker 04: begin by acknowledging, with respect, that

00:13:26 Speaker 04: we are gathered on the traditional

00:13:27 Speaker 04: territory of the Anishinaabeg Nation, the

00:13:30 Speaker 05: people of the Three Fires, known

00:13:33 Speaker 05: as the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi

00:13:35 Speaker 05: Nations. We give thanks to the

00:13:38 Speaker 05: Chippewas of Saugeen and the Chippewas

00:13:39 Speaker 05: of Nawash, known collectively as the

00:13:42 Speaker 05: Saugeen Ojibwe Nation, the traditional keepers

00:13:45 Speaker 05: of these lands and waters since

00:13:47 Speaker 05: time. immemorial. In our south lies

00:13:50 Speaker 05: the traditional territories of the Six

00:13:52 Speaker 05: Nations of the Grand River and

00:13:53 Speaker 05: the Haudenosaunee. We are dedicated to

00:13:57 Speaker 05: honouring Indigenous history and culture, and

00:13:59 Speaker 05: committed to moving forward in the

00:14:02 Speaker 05: spirit of truth, reconciliation, and friendship

00:14:05 Speaker 05: with all First Nations, Métis, and

00:14:09 Speaker 05: Inuit people. At this point in

00:14:15 Speaker 05: time, I would like to put

00:14:16 Speaker 05: out. a call for any declarations

00:14:17 Speaker 05: of interest for today's agenda. Seeing

00:14:20 Speaker 05: none on the screen or in

00:14:22 Speaker 05: the room, we'll move on and

00:14:25 Speaker 05: we will carry on with our

00:14:26 Speaker 05: items for direction and discussion. Before

00:14:28 Speaker 05: we table any kind of motion

00:14:30 Speaker 05: for consideration, we are going to

00:14:31 Speaker 05: keep working through the details of

00:14:33 Speaker 05: the budget, and then we will

00:14:34 Speaker 05: return to item six and start

00:14:36 Speaker 05: to sew up all of the

00:14:38 Speaker 05: various motions that we may need

00:14:39 Speaker 05: in order to be able to

00:14:41 Speaker 05: pass this budget. So, with that,

00:14:42 Speaker 05: I will welcome the CAO to.

00:14:44 Speaker 05: We'll welcome the CAO to the

00:14:47 Speaker 05: lectern to remind us where we

00:14:49 Speaker 05: are and lead us into where

00:14:53 Speaker 05: we're going today. Thank you, Ward

00:14:55 Speaker 05: Magistrates, and good morning, councillors. So,

00:14:58 Speaker 05: as the warden indicated, I'll just

00:15:00 Speaker 06: do a quick recap and what

00:15:02 Speaker 06: staff are planning to present today.

00:15:06 Speaker 06: First, we'll finish up where we

00:15:07 Speaker 06: left off with the corporate services

00:15:10 Speaker 06: budget presentation, and again, we're going

00:15:11 Speaker 06: to be using the PDF version

00:15:13 Speaker 06: of the draft budget document. Version

00:15:14 Speaker 06: of the draft budget documents. So,

00:15:16 Speaker 06: if you can reference the PDF

00:15:18 Speaker 06: page number when asking a question

00:15:20 Speaker 06: about a specific project or a

00:15:24 Speaker 06: line item, that would be much

00:15:25 Speaker 06: appreciated. Following the finishing up of

00:15:26 Speaker 06: the corporate services budget, we'll go

00:15:28 Speaker 06: into the planning community development, where

00:15:30 Speaker 06: we'll cover the planning, agriculture, and

00:15:32 Speaker 06: forestry budgets, the economic development, tourism,

00:15:35 Speaker 06: and culture, plus community transportation budgets.

00:15:37 Speaker 06: We will then move into human

00:15:40 Speaker 06: services, where we'll cover social services,

00:15:43 Speaker 06: housing, long-term care, and paramedic

00:15:45 Speaker 06: services. Following the department presentations,

00:15:48 Speaker 06: we'll review the previous recommended changes,

00:15:49 Speaker 06: including those that have already been

00:15:51 Speaker 06: approved by committee, and then receive

00:15:53 Speaker 06: any further direction from council so

00:15:55 Speaker 06: that we can bring back a

00:15:57 Speaker 06: bylaw to the January eighth meeting

00:16:00 Speaker 06: for council to approve the amended

00:16:02 Speaker 06: budget. As a quick reminder, the

00:16:04 Speaker 06: original draft budget was at six

00:16:08 Speaker 06: point six eight percent net levy

00:16:10 Speaker 06: increase, with the recommended changes and

00:16:11 Speaker 06: the changes that have already been

00:16:13 Speaker 06: approved, the percent net levy increase

00:16:15 Speaker 06: would currently sit at five point

00:16:18 Speaker 06: one seven percent. So that's a

00:16:21 Speaker 06: reduction of just over one point

00:16:25 Speaker 06: five percent potentially. To put that

00:16:26 Speaker 06: in perspective, the average single detached

00:16:28 Speaker 06: home not on water would see

00:16:30 Speaker 06: an estimated annual increase to their

00:16:32 Speaker 06: taxes of approximately sixty three dollars

00:16:35 Speaker 06: and ninety four cents per year.

00:16:37 Speaker 06: So that's just a quick recap.

00:16:39 Speaker 06: And before we go in the

00:16:41 Speaker 06: department budgets. Any questions for staff

00:16:45 Speaker 06: before we get started? Okay. Well,

00:16:46 Speaker 06: thank you for that introduction, and

00:16:49 Speaker 06: thank you for you and your

00:16:51 Speaker 06: entire staff team working so hard

00:16:52 Speaker 05: to try to find options for

00:16:53 Speaker 05: us to consider in order to

00:16:55 Speaker 05: bring that rate down. It is

00:16:56 Speaker 05: much appreciated the way that you've

00:16:58 Speaker 05: been able to lend your expertise

00:16:59 Speaker 05: so that we can consider all

00:17:01 Speaker 05: of what we can contemplate on

00:17:02 Speaker 05: the table to bring our rate

00:17:04 Speaker 05: down as much as possible. So,

00:17:06 Speaker 05: thank you very much for that

00:17:08 Speaker 05: work. So, with that, then. I

00:17:08 Speaker 05: will put it out. If there

00:17:10 Speaker 05: are any questions from any members,

00:17:13 Speaker 05: just before we get started, and

00:17:15 Speaker 05: obviously things might come to mind

00:17:17 Speaker 05: as we carry on. Okay, I'm

00:17:18 Speaker 05: not seeing hands go up in

00:17:21 Speaker 05: the room, and nor online, so

00:17:22 Speaker 05: I think we are ready to

00:17:26 Speaker 05: proceed. Thank you. Excellent, thank you.

00:17:26 Speaker 05: So now I'll turn it over

00:17:28 Speaker 05: to Mary Lou, and she will

00:17:30 Speaker 06: start where we left off under

00:17:33 Speaker 06: the corporate services with court security.

00:17:46 Speaker 06: Starts at page 79 in the

00:17:50 Speaker 06: PDF document. Thanks, Randy. Good morning,

00:17:55 Speaker 06: County Council. Feels like we were

00:17:57 Speaker 07: just here. We talked a little

00:18:00 Speaker 07: bit about court security last week,

00:18:02 Speaker 07: so the court security budget was

00:18:05 Speaker 07: new for 2025, and that's. Five

00:18:08 Speaker 07: and that's to assist Owen Sound

00:18:11 Speaker 07: with regional court costs that exceed

00:18:13 Speaker 07: the amount provided in ministry funding.

00:18:16 Speaker 07: So the 2025 budget had two

00:18:18 Speaker 07: hundred fifty thousand dollars in it.

00:18:20 Speaker 07: That was a placeholder based on

00:18:23 Speaker 07: best estimates. We know that that

00:18:26 Speaker 07: was approximately one hundred seventeen thousand

00:18:28 Speaker 07: short, and therefore we have increased

00:18:32 Speaker 07: the budget for 2026 to four

00:18:34 Speaker 07: hundred thousand dollars. And I'm happy

00:18:38 Speaker 07: to. take any questions on port

00:18:39 Speaker 07: security if you have any. Okay,

00:18:44 Speaker 08: looking around the room, any questions

00:18:46 Speaker 08: on this page? Not seen any,

00:18:56 Speaker 08: or online. So it looks like

00:18:59 Speaker 08: we're good to proceed. Thank you.

00:19:09 Speaker 08: Next is Jody with Information Services,

00:19:10 Speaker 09: page eighty-one. Okay, thank you. I

00:19:12 Speaker 10: know you've all been waiting for

00:19:13 Speaker 10: the exciting conclusion to the cliffhanger

00:19:17 Speaker 11: I left you on last week,

00:19:19 Speaker 11: so I'm going to talk about

00:19:21 Speaker 11: the information services budget. So, and

00:19:23 Speaker 11: it is on page 81 of

00:19:25 Speaker 11: the PDF. The information services budget

00:19:28 Speaker 11: is essentially the cost of running

00:19:29 Speaker 11: the network, and it is distributed

00:19:32 Speaker 11: back to the other departmental budgets

00:19:34 Speaker 11: in the form. of interfunctional costs.

00:19:38 Speaker 11: Overall, this budget is increasing by

00:19:41 Speaker 11: $102,000. Plus, we're showing an increase

00:19:41 Speaker 11: of an additional $45,000. But those

00:19:44 Speaker 11: are costs that have been in

00:19:45 Speaker 11: the budgets historically. They've been in

00:19:47 Speaker 11: other budgets. They're internet costs that

00:19:49 Speaker 11: are just moving into the IS

00:19:53 Speaker 11: budget. So, not new, just redistributed

00:19:54 Speaker 11: for that $45,000. The areas where

00:19:57 Speaker 11: we're seeing the increase, we are

00:19:59 Speaker 11: seeing a $5,000 increase in the

00:20:01 Speaker 11: software that we're using for. door

00:20:02 Speaker 11: access control at Bob Systems, we

00:20:05 Speaker 11: use the same we use the

00:20:06 Speaker 11: same software, the same system across

00:20:08 Speaker 11: multiple sites, and we've been expanding.

00:20:11 Speaker 11: So, with the increase of new

00:20:13 Speaker 11: attic space, the new depot that's

00:20:14 Speaker 11: going to come online in Eaton,

00:20:18 Speaker 11: we'll be paying a little bit

00:20:20 Speaker 11: more just for managing more sites.

00:20:23 Speaker 11: We are also including a $10,000

00:20:24 Speaker 11: increase in our IT service management

00:20:26 Speaker 11: software. So that's the software that

00:20:28 Speaker 11: we use for handling tickets or

00:20:31 Speaker 11: help desk. requests, as well as

00:20:35 Speaker 11: our basically our IT asset inventory,

00:20:38 Speaker 11: our knowledge base, and making the

00:20:40 Speaker 11: IT department run in as close

00:20:42 Speaker 11: as we can to a framework

00:20:44 Speaker 11: in terms of IT management. So

00:20:46 Speaker 11: we're expanding that basically to include

00:20:48 Speaker 11: other departments, so that can be

00:20:50 Speaker 11: more of a corporate services help

00:20:52 Speaker 11: desk and not just strictly IT.

00:20:55 Speaker 11: So we already have comms and

00:20:57 Speaker 11: records management and website requests. in

00:21:01 Speaker 11: that software, and we will be

00:21:04 Speaker 11: including potentially including HR next year.

00:21:06 Speaker 11: We are seeing some increases that

00:21:11 Speaker 11: are just inflationary for our applications

00:21:12 Speaker 11: like Adobe and Microsoft. So the

00:21:14 Speaker 11: big project that's driving some increases

00:21:16 Speaker 11: here is our server hardware, which

00:21:18 Speaker 11: I did speak about in terms

00:21:20 Speaker 11: of the capital budget. So we've

00:21:21 Speaker 11: always had hardware that we purchase

00:21:23 Speaker 11: from Dell on site, and we

00:21:25 Speaker 11: are planning on using hardware. as

00:21:28 Speaker 11: a service or hosted hardware next

00:21:30 Speaker 11: year. Regardless of which way we

00:21:32 Speaker 11: we go, the cost would be

00:21:35 Speaker 11: really comparable. They are higher than

00:21:36 Speaker 11: than we were planning last year,

00:21:38 Speaker 11: but just based on where everything

00:21:39 Speaker 11: is going, if we had stayed

00:21:44 Speaker 11: on premise, those costs would be

00:21:46 Speaker 11: higher as well. So that last

00:21:48 Speaker 11: year we were planning one hundred

00:21:49 Speaker 11: twenty two thousand as a reserve

00:21:50 Speaker 11: contribution, and this year we're showing

00:21:53 Speaker 11: that as a line item for

00:21:56 Speaker 11: one hundred seventy five thousand dollars

00:21:58 Speaker 11: a year. Seventy-five thousand dollars a

00:22:01 Speaker 11: year. That also includes reducing what

00:22:04 Speaker 11: we're currently doing now for backups,

00:22:06 Speaker 11: which is in Microsoft's cloud. It

00:22:08 Speaker 11: includes reducing our software line by

00:22:11 Speaker 11: eighteen thousand because that software would

00:22:12 Speaker 11: come with the new service. Plus,

00:22:14 Speaker 11: there is an additional six thousand

00:22:18 Speaker 11: in software that we use specifically

00:22:20 Speaker 11: for those data centres and long-term

00:22:22 Speaker 11: care that we wouldn't need anymore.

00:22:24 Speaker 11: The other item that increased significantly

00:22:26 Speaker 11: is our switches. and again, switches

00:22:28 Speaker 11: are a capital project, but the

00:22:31 Speaker 11: user contributions flow through this budget,

00:22:33 Speaker 11: along with just a couple other

00:22:35 Speaker 11: capital projects, and that is increasing

00:22:38 Speaker 11: by thirty-two thousand a year. The

00:22:39 Speaker 11: only other addition that we have

00:22:42 Speaker 11: in that budget is six thousand

00:22:45 Speaker 11: dollars in professional services that we

00:22:46 Speaker 11: would use to switch from our

00:22:51 Speaker 11: on-premise server hardware to that cloud-based

00:22:52 Speaker 11: service, and that is the highlights

00:22:55 Speaker 11: of the IS budget. Okay, thank

00:22:58 Speaker 11: you very much. So with that,

00:23:00 Speaker 11: I will look for questions. We'll

00:23:05 Speaker 11: go to the Deputy Warden. Thank

00:23:06 Speaker 11: you, Madam Warden. Thank you, Jody,

00:23:10 Speaker 11: for the high-level summary. Do most

00:23:12 Speaker 11: staff working in this building and

00:23:15 Speaker 12: other buildings still have a hardwired

00:23:17 Speaker 12: phone? And and the reason I

00:23:24 Speaker 12: ask is, is it needed in

00:23:26 Speaker 12: in this pervasive cell phone atmosphere?

00:23:27 Speaker 12: Do we still need hard? We

00:23:29 Speaker 12: still need hardwired phones, please. Thank

00:23:31 Speaker 12: you, and through you, Madam Warden.

00:23:33 Speaker 11: No, most of our staff are

00:23:34 Speaker 11: no longer using hardwired phones. We

00:23:35 Speaker 11: have switched to Teams phones, so

00:23:37 Speaker 11: it's a soft phone. It just

00:23:38 Speaker 11: runs through the computer. You can

00:23:40 Speaker 11: take it just like if you've

00:23:41 Speaker 11: attended council virtually. It can work

00:23:44 Speaker 11: the same way, either as a

00:23:45 Speaker 11: video call or a voice call.

00:23:48 Speaker 11: You can also use the app

00:23:50 Speaker 11: on your phone. We do have

00:23:51 Speaker 11: hardwired phones for those few positions

00:23:52 Speaker 11: that take far more. calls, so

00:23:53 Speaker 11: housing, social services, front desk staff.

00:23:55 Speaker 11: If they are taking a lot

00:23:56 Speaker 11: of calls, then they can use

00:23:59 Speaker 11: that phone by phone, just because

00:24:04 Speaker 11: it is easier to kind of

00:24:09 Speaker 11: tune out the noise, continue using

00:24:12 Speaker 11: the computer to input data from

00:24:15 Speaker 13: residents, and those things. Okay. Any

00:24:20 Speaker 13: other questions? Not seeing any. Okay.

00:24:21 Speaker 13: And thank you very much. And

00:24:24 Speaker 13: we're on to Director Shaw and.

00:24:27 Speaker 13: Property, page eighty-four. For people following

00:24:29 Speaker 14: along, thank you, Madam Morden, and

00:24:30 Speaker 14: good morning, Council. The County Property

00:24:32 Speaker 14: Summary or County Property Budget includes

00:24:35 Speaker 14: the Administration Building and also what

00:24:38 Speaker 14: we refer to as the Morrison

00:24:40 Speaker 14: Building next door. There's an increase

00:24:41 Speaker 14: of thirty-eight thousand three hundred dollars.

00:24:43 Speaker 14: It is an increase. It consists

00:24:46 Speaker 14: of primarily due to contracted services

00:24:48 Speaker 14: in the maintenance of this building.

00:24:52 Speaker 14: So, looking at things such as

00:24:53 Speaker 14: elevator and generator maintenance, heating and

00:24:56 Speaker 14: cooling. There's also an inflationary increase

00:24:57 Speaker 14: in there for insurance and utilities.

00:24:59 Speaker 14: The capital budget has an increase

00:25:00 Speaker 14: of nine thousand eight hundred, and

00:25:02 Speaker 14: that is a couple of projects

00:25:04 Speaker 14: that will be happening. There is

00:25:07 Speaker 14: six thousand dollars for the replacement

00:25:09 Speaker 14: of the fire alarm panel at

00:25:12 Speaker 14: the Morrison Building, thirty-seven thousand six

00:25:13 Speaker 14: hundred for carpet and flooring replacement,

00:25:15 Speaker 14: and we have an increase to

00:25:20 Speaker 14: our reserve for future capital replacement.

00:25:25 Speaker 14: at this building of nine thousand

00:25:30 Speaker 14: eight hundred, I'd be happy to

00:25:33 Speaker 14: take any questions. Okay, any questions

00:25:37 Speaker 15: on property? Not seeing any here.

00:25:47 Speaker 15: No, thank you very much. And

00:25:50 Speaker 15: Director Spicer, you're going to present

00:25:52 Speaker 15: test page ninety-three, provincial offences, page

00:25:54 Speaker 07: ninety-three. Everyone. Thank you, Madam Warden.

00:25:56 Speaker 07: So the Provincial Offences Budget. So

00:25:59 Speaker 07: Grey County operates Provincial Offences on

00:26:01 Speaker 07: behalf of Bruce and Grey Counties,

00:26:03 Speaker 07: and we share the expenses and

00:26:06 Speaker 07: a net revenue based on population.

00:26:08 Speaker 07: So Grey gets fifty-eight point three

00:26:09 Speaker 07: five percent, and Bruce gets

00:26:12 Speaker 07: forty-one point six five percent. So

00:26:15 Speaker 07: the budget continues to provide a

00:26:18 Speaker 07: revenue source to the county. and

00:26:20 Speaker 07: includes a net departmental operating requirement,

00:26:22 Speaker 07: so positive versus an expense of

00:26:24 Speaker 07: one hundred and seven thousand one

00:26:26 Speaker 07: hundred, compared to ninety one thousand

00:26:29 Speaker 07: six hundred in twenty twenty five.

00:26:32 Speaker 07: So we're showing an increase in

00:26:33 Speaker 07: fifteen thousand five hundred in net

00:26:37 Speaker 07: revenue. Now, note as our expenses

00:26:38 Speaker 07: go up, there isn't necessarily a

00:26:40 Speaker 07: correlation in revenue, so we don't

00:26:43 Speaker 07: have the ability to control the

00:26:44 Speaker 07: fines, nor. do we have the

00:26:45 Speaker 07: ability to control when people pay

00:26:47 Speaker 07: a fine. And it came up,

00:26:50 Speaker 07: and I believe it was at

00:26:52 Speaker 07: budget and finance. There was a

00:26:54 Speaker 07: question about how revenue is recorded.

00:26:57 Speaker 07: So, is the outstanding tickets on

00:27:00 Speaker 07: our books as an accounts receivable?

00:27:01 Speaker 07: And the answer is no. So,

00:27:03 Speaker 07: the province maintains the accounts receivable,

00:27:08 Speaker 07: and we only record on our

00:27:10 Speaker 07: books what is actually paid in

00:27:13 Speaker 07: the year. So, it's the one

00:27:14 Speaker 07: exception that accountants. probably we're we're

00:27:16 Speaker 07: not in. It's an exception to

00:27:18 Speaker 07: the rule that we always accrue

00:27:21 Speaker 07: our revenue, but you can you

00:27:25 Speaker 07: can't accrue what you don't know,

00:27:27 Speaker 07: and so it's an accepted accounting

00:27:29 Speaker 07: practice that the revenue is only

00:27:31 Speaker 07: recorded as it is received. So,

00:27:32 Speaker 07: and speaking to Amanda Kokas, who

00:27:35 Speaker 07: was unable to be be here

00:27:36 Speaker 07: today, ticket revenue we're projecting to

00:27:37 Speaker 07: increase by a hundred thousand dollars

00:27:40 Speaker 07: in twenty twenty six to two

00:27:43 Speaker 07: point one million. as more fines

00:27:46 Speaker 07: are being paid and more cases

00:27:48 Speaker 07: are being processed in court, and

00:27:52 Speaker 07: we're seeing more court days, which

00:27:53 Speaker 07: is a benefit, but it also

00:27:57 Speaker 07: increases our expenditures. We're also seeing

00:28:01 Speaker 07: an increase in costs for requests

00:28:03 Speaker 07: for interpreters, and I'm happy to

00:28:06 Speaker 07: take any questions if you have

00:28:08 Speaker 07: any. Okay, looking around the room,

00:28:10 Speaker 07: any questions? Not seeing any. We

00:28:18 Speaker 15: do. not have any questions for

00:28:21 Speaker 15: you. Thank you. However, don't go

00:28:22 Speaker 15: any further, go anywhere because you're

00:28:24 Speaker 15: next up for tax and other,

00:28:27 Speaker 07: on page ninety-seven. Thank you. So

00:28:29 Speaker 07: this budget provides a net levy

00:28:31 Speaker 07: reduction of one million five hundred

00:28:34 Speaker 07: eighteen thousand five hundred dollars, which

00:28:36 Speaker 07: is an increase of three hundred

00:28:40 Speaker 07: eighty-seven thousand eight hundred dollars compared

00:28:42 Speaker 07: to the twenty twenty. To the

00:28:45 Speaker 07: 2025 budget, and the primary reason

00:28:49 Speaker 07: for that is we've increased the

00:28:51 Speaker 07: supplemental tax revenue by 260,700 based

00:28:53 Speaker 07: on what we're seeing in recent

00:28:56 Speaker 07: years, and decreased the expense for

00:29:02 Speaker 07: tax write-offs by 127,000. And so

00:29:05 Speaker 07: we've made a note that write-offs

00:29:15 Speaker 07: have been budgeted based on 2025

00:29:16 Speaker 07: year-end projections, and and now analysing

00:29:21 Speaker 07: 2017 to 2023. and we've estimated

00:29:26 Speaker 07: the supplementary taxation based on MPA's

00:29:28 Speaker 13: preliminary new assessment forecast report. Okay,

00:29:31 Speaker 13: that's a lot to take in.

00:29:33 Speaker 13: So, questions there? Okay, no questions

00:29:35 Speaker 13: at the moment. Director Spicer, and

00:29:41 Speaker 13: with that, we will look at.

00:29:44 Speaker 13: WSIB and weekly indemnity, and that

00:29:47 Speaker 13: is pages ninety nine to one

00:29:50 Speaker 16: hundred and two, presented by Director

00:29:52 Speaker 16: Mural. Good morning, members of council,

00:29:54 Speaker 16: and through you, Madam Morden, the

00:29:59 Speaker 16: WSIB and weekly indemnity budget is

00:30:03 Speaker 16: remaining static for twenty twenty six

00:30:05 Speaker 16: and twenty twenty seven. It is

00:30:08 Speaker 16: based on a average that we

00:30:11 Speaker 16: do of the past. three years'

00:30:17 Speaker 16: experience rating of injuries among our

00:30:19 Speaker 16: staff. We are scheduled to employer

00:30:23 Speaker 16: for WSIB, and the weekly indemnity

00:30:28 Speaker 16: and short-term disability is for our

00:30:32 Speaker 16: long-term care and paramedic divisions that

00:30:33 Speaker 16: we self-insure. I'm happy to take

00:30:37 Speaker 17: any questions if you have some.

00:30:38 Speaker 17: Any questions on that? No, no

00:30:42 Speaker 17: questions for you. Thank you. Well,

00:30:44 Speaker 17: Director Spicer, I think you're back

00:30:49 Speaker 17: at the lectern again. But after

00:30:51 Speaker 17: that, Director Taylor is going to

00:30:52 Speaker 17: give you a break. Health unit,

00:30:54 Speaker 17: healthcare, and education. Pages one hundred

00:30:55 Speaker 17: three to one hundred five. Let's

00:30:57 Speaker 17: try and make things easier at

00:31:01 Speaker 17: budget and finance. We grouped everything

00:31:03 Speaker 07: I was speaking to together and.

00:31:05 Speaker 07: it it did create some confusion.

00:31:06 Speaker 07: So we went back to the

00:31:08 Speaker 07: order of operations in the the

00:31:11 Speaker 07: document. So for public health, it

00:31:13 Speaker 07: requires a net levy requirement of

00:31:14 Speaker 07: one million seven hundred forty three

00:31:17 Speaker 07: dollars four hundred dollars, which is

00:31:19 Speaker 07: an increase of twenty five thousand.

00:31:20 Speaker 07: We've included in this budget a

00:31:23 Speaker 07: sixty thousand one hundred dollar transfer

00:31:26 Speaker 07: from the Safe Restart Reserve to

00:31:29 Speaker 07: offset part of the contribution. So

00:31:31 Speaker 07: if that hadn't been done, you'd

00:31:32 Speaker 07: be looking at an eighty five

00:31:35 Speaker 07: thousand one Eighty-five thousand one hundred

00:31:37 Speaker 07: dollar increase in this budget. So,

00:31:41 Speaker 07: Gray Count. So, Graver's Public Health

00:31:43 Speaker 07: presented its twenty-five budget, twenty twenty-five

00:31:46 Speaker 07: budget to the Board of Health

00:31:49 Speaker 07: in April twenty twenty-five. That approved

00:31:50 Speaker 07: a one percent increase to the

00:31:52 Speaker 07: cost-shared mandatory programmemes. We've anticipated a

00:31:53 Speaker 07: similar increase in twenty twenty-six. We've

00:32:00 Speaker 07: had some very preliminary conversations with

00:32:04 Speaker 07: our counterparts in Finance at the

00:32:06 Speaker 07: Health Unit, but however, they won't

00:32:08 Speaker 05: be passing a budget. until well

00:32:11 Speaker 05: after ours, so that's our best

00:32:12 Speaker 05: estimate for our public health. Okay,

00:32:15 Speaker 05: so with that, any questions? Not

00:32:16 Speaker 05: really much to deliberate there. That

00:32:23 Speaker 05: it is what it is. So,

00:32:27 Speaker 05: thank you. All right. So then,

00:32:30 Speaker 05: in that case, then with no

00:32:32 Speaker 07: further questions for you, Director Spicer,

00:32:35 Speaker 07: do you want to keep talking

00:32:39 Speaker 07: about the other items next? Okay.

00:32:43 Speaker 07: Yes, thank you. So we have

00:32:46 Speaker 07: healthcare and education, and everyone's aware

00:32:49 Speaker 07: that we have a contribution that

00:32:51 Speaker 07: we're making to Bright Shores that

00:32:53 Speaker 07: began in 2023. So allocating 200,000

00:32:55 Speaker 07: annually from 2023 to 2027. We

00:32:57 Speaker 07: did have a higher contribution previously

00:32:59 Speaker 07: to the healthcare funding reserve. and

00:33:00 Speaker 07: that had been reduced in the

00:33:03 Speaker 07: past to two hundred nine thousand

00:33:06 Speaker 07: five hundred. At budget and finance

00:33:07 Speaker 07: in September, they recommended that that

00:33:10 Speaker 07: contribution be reduced to two hundred

00:33:13 Speaker 07: thousand dollars. So that's where it

00:33:15 Speaker 07: sits right now. And currently, the

00:33:17 Speaker 07: only request that we are funding

00:33:20 Speaker 07: is that contribution to Bright Shores,

00:33:24 Speaker 07: which is a five-year, one million

00:33:27 Speaker 07: dollar commitment, and that will be

00:33:32 Speaker 07: fully funded in the twenty twenty-seven

00:33:34 Speaker 07: budget. So currently, this. budget has

00:33:35 Speaker 07: a two hundred thousand dollar annual

00:33:35 Speaker 07: contribution to reserve, and to strengthen

00:33:39 Speaker 07: local health initiatives. And the healthcare

00:33:41 Speaker 07: funding policy, as it was written,

00:33:43 Speaker 07: asks that if there are requests

00:33:46 Speaker 07: that they come to the county,

00:33:51 Speaker 07: and they're not going to each

00:33:56 Speaker 07: of our member municipalities because you

00:33:57 Speaker 07: are funding the request through the

00:34:04 Speaker 07: county, and that it's for capital

00:34:06 Speaker 07: infrastructure or equipment. and with that,

00:34:08 Speaker 07: I'm happy to take any questions.

00:34:17 Speaker 07: Okay, any questions there? Not seeing

00:34:18 Speaker 07: any. Looks like we are good

00:34:20 Speaker 02: to proceed. Thank you. Okay, so

00:34:24 Speaker 02: we'll now move on to planning

00:34:29 Speaker 02: and community development, and it is

00:34:30 Speaker 02: going. The section begins on page

00:34:32 Speaker 02: 106. And we're not even anywhere

00:34:34 Speaker 02: close to break, so you have

00:34:35 Speaker 02: all the time you need, Director

00:34:36 Speaker 02: Taylor. Great. Well, thank you, Madam

00:34:37 Speaker 02: Morden, and members of council. And

00:34:40 Speaker 02: good morning to all. Yeah, seeing

00:34:42 Speaker 18: how efficient all my colleagues have

00:34:44 Speaker 18: been with their with their presentations

00:34:46 Speaker 18: this morning, I feel like I

00:34:47 Speaker 18: might have written a little too

00:34:48 Speaker 18: much, but I appreciate the extra

00:34:50 Speaker 18: hours. So just. before we get

00:34:51 Speaker 18: started, I would, as I always

00:34:53 Speaker 18: like to thank the the wonderful

00:34:55 Speaker 18: work and support we get from

00:34:56 Speaker 18: our finance staff. There's a lot

00:34:58 Speaker 18: of hands that go into preparing

00:35:00 Speaker 18: a budget, even a budget that's

00:35:01 Speaker 18: on on the smaller side, like

00:35:03 Speaker 18: planning. But do so appreciate all

00:35:04 Speaker 18: the help from finance staff and

00:35:06 Speaker 18: all the help from senior management

00:35:07 Speaker 18: in terms of asking those questions

00:35:08 Speaker 18: and and and getting to the

00:35:10 Speaker 18: stage where we are today. So

00:35:12 Speaker 18: with respect to planning, we are

00:35:13 Speaker 18: divided into three broad functions, and

00:35:15 Speaker 18: I thought if it pleases the

00:35:16 Speaker 18: board and council, we'll go through

00:35:17 Speaker 18: each of these functions and and

00:35:20 Speaker 18: maybe have a brief break. for

00:35:23 Speaker 18: questions in between. With respect to

00:35:25 Speaker 18: the first function, as the warden

00:35:26 Speaker 18: noted, this is starting on page

00:35:27 Speaker 18: one twelve of the PDF, and

00:35:30 Speaker 18: this is dealing with our planning

00:35:31 Speaker 18: and civic addressing function that that

00:35:34 Speaker 18: we fulfil in this regard. And

00:35:35 Speaker 18: just harkening back to Sue's presentation

00:35:37 Speaker 18: from a week ago, I just

00:35:40 Speaker 18: want to make it abundantly clear

00:35:41 Speaker 18: that this budget, this draft twenty

00:35:42 Speaker 18: six budget, and the twenty seven

00:35:44 Speaker 18: budget projection does not include anything

00:35:46 Speaker 18: to do with the hybrid or

00:35:47 Speaker 18: centralized planning services. We're still working

00:35:50 Speaker 18: with those. interested municipalities to prepare

00:35:52 Speaker 18: costing on that, and that will

00:35:53 Speaker 18: come forward as a separate report

00:35:55 Speaker 18: at some point in the new

00:35:58 Speaker 18: year, with with some options for

00:35:59 Speaker 18: for county and municipal councils to

00:36:01 Speaker 18: consider in that regard. With respect

00:36:02 Speaker 18: to the planning budget, it's largely

00:36:05 Speaker 18: a status quo budget, if I

00:36:07 Speaker 18: can say that. There is a

00:36:09 Speaker 18: projected increase of seventy three thousand

00:36:10 Speaker 18: dollars. That increase is driven by

00:36:12 Speaker 18: a few different factors. First and

00:36:13 Speaker 18: foremost, and if you think back

00:36:17 Speaker 18: to Liz's presentation from yesterday afternoon,

00:36:19 Speaker 18: we are projecting to see a

00:36:21 Speaker 18: slowdown for twenty. six and twenty

00:36:22 Speaker 18: seven in terms of growth numbers,

00:36:24 Speaker 18: and Grey is not unique in

00:36:27 Speaker 18: that we're seeing that all across

00:36:30 Speaker 18: the province. So that that anticipated

00:36:31 Speaker 18: lesser revenue in that regard, we're

00:36:33 Speaker 18: projecting at thirty five thousand dollars,

00:36:34 Speaker 18: with respect to some of the

00:36:35 Speaker 18: other drivers of the the seventy

00:36:37 Speaker 18: three thousand dollar projected increase, the

00:36:40 Speaker 18: the non union step increases and

00:36:41 Speaker 18: and the COLA for planning. Planning

00:36:42 Speaker 18: is entirely a non union department.

00:36:44 Speaker 18: We have a lot of staff

00:36:46 Speaker 18: members that aren't quite at the

00:36:48 Speaker 18: top of their band yet. so

00:36:50 Speaker 18: that's coming in at approximately forty-five

00:36:52 Speaker 18: thousand dollars. In potential good news,

00:36:54 Speaker 18: we are projecting. I should talk

00:36:55 Speaker 18: on when I say this. We

00:36:57 Speaker 18: are projecting less in in legal

00:37:00 Speaker 18: fees needed next year. We're projecting

00:37:02 Speaker 18: less less time before the Ontario

00:37:05 Speaker 18: Land Tribunal, so we're thankful to

00:37:09 Speaker 18: have that time to be working

00:37:11 Speaker 18: on other projects in that regard.

00:37:12 Speaker 18: We are proposing a very slight

00:37:15 Speaker 18: increase in our training and and

00:37:18 Speaker 18: conferences budget of of fourteen hundred

00:37:21 Speaker 18: dollars, and associated small increase in

00:37:23 Speaker 18: our travel and expenses of of

00:37:24 Speaker 18: twenty-seven hundred dollars. Of twenty seven

00:37:26 Speaker 18: hundred dollars. With respect to civic

00:37:29 Speaker 18: addressing, again, it's it's very much

00:37:30 Speaker 18: a status quo. There is approximately

00:37:32 Speaker 18: a four thousand dollar increase, and

00:37:34 Speaker 18: and that's based on primarily the

00:37:36 Speaker 18: purchase services, which are tied to

00:37:39 Speaker 18: our our population numbers. And and

00:37:41 Speaker 18: so those services we get assessed

00:37:42 Speaker 18: each year based on our population.

00:37:43 Speaker 18: So as our population grows, those

00:37:46 Speaker 18: costs also increase. With respect to

00:37:47 Speaker 18: capital, most of our capital is

00:37:49 Speaker 18: is funded through reserves. Some of

00:37:51 Speaker 18: it's our studies reserve, our development

00:37:53 Speaker 18: charges reserves. We are projecting a

00:37:56 Speaker 18: net levy for capital of twenty

00:37:58 Speaker 18: four thousand seven hundred dollars. Just

00:37:59 Speaker 18: as a bit of a refresher,

00:38:01 Speaker 18: in terms of the major capital

00:38:04 Speaker 18: projects for twenty six, we are

00:38:06 Speaker 18: looking at one hundred and thirty

00:38:09 Speaker 18: thousand dollars from one time funding

00:38:11 Speaker 18: to support some of the studies

00:38:13 Speaker 18: needed on those potential surplus land

00:38:15 Speaker 18: sites in both Durham and and

00:38:17 Speaker 18: Markdale. In that regard, and and

00:38:19 Speaker 18: that was taken through a report

00:38:22 Speaker 18: that Liz brought to Council in

00:38:25 Speaker 18: September of this. year, we're undergoing

00:38:27 Speaker 18: our development charges review and background

00:38:28 Speaker 18: study review. Based on the pre-approval

00:38:30 Speaker 18: from from earlier this year, that

00:38:31 Speaker 18: project is actually out in RFP

00:38:35 Speaker 18: right now, and that's sixty-six thousand

00:38:39 Speaker 18: dollars and three hundred. And then

00:38:44 Speaker 18: we're looking at some regular implementation

00:38:47 Speaker 18: dollars for our housing action plan,

00:38:49 Speaker 18: our age-friendly community strategy, and and

00:38:52 Speaker 18: implementing the the archaeological management plan.

00:38:53 Speaker 18: So at a high level, that's

00:38:57 Speaker 19: what we have for planning and

00:38:59 Speaker 19: civic address. Have for planning and

00:39:01 Speaker 19: civic addressing, but through the warden,

00:39:09 Speaker 19: certainly happy to take any questions

00:39:10 Speaker 19: on those pieces. Okay. Any questions

00:39:12 Speaker 20: thus far? See no hands up.

00:39:13 Speaker 20: Oh, there's one, deputy warden. Thank

00:39:15 Speaker 20: you, Madam Warden, and thank you,

00:39:17 Speaker 20: Scott, for that. The thirty thousand

00:39:19 Speaker 20: in 2026 aid in the implementation

00:39:22 Speaker 18: of the housing action plan. Can

00:39:24 Speaker 18: you just expand that a little

00:39:25 Speaker 18: bit? Literally. What aid to implement?

00:39:28 Speaker 18: Do you need the thirty thousand

00:39:30 Speaker 18: for? Please. Yeah, through the warden.

00:39:32 Speaker 18: So this money, and and we've

00:39:35 Speaker 18: had it had a version of

00:39:38 Speaker 18: this in the budget the past

00:39:39 Speaker 18: two years, and and haven't come

00:39:41 Speaker 18: close to spending that total dollars.

00:39:43 Speaker 18: It's to to aid in the

00:39:44 Speaker 18: implementation of the the housing action

00:39:45 Speaker 18: plan. So in some cases, it

00:39:47 Speaker 18: could be looking at money for

00:39:49 Speaker 18: additional data sources. in past years

00:39:53 Speaker 18: it was looked at. Some money

00:39:54 Speaker 18: was spent with respect to the

00:39:57 Speaker 18: engineering costs and and other associated

00:40:00 Speaker 18: professional fees with respect to understanding

00:40:02 Speaker 18: what we would need on those

00:40:03 Speaker 18: surplus land sites. This year, now

00:40:05 Speaker 18: that we've we've spent those dollars

00:40:08 Speaker 18: on engineering, we know what we

00:40:09 Speaker 18: need, and and that's that separate

00:40:11 Speaker 18: line item of the hundred and

00:40:13 Speaker 18: thirty to get into that. And

00:40:16 Speaker 18: then it's also looking at any

00:40:17 Speaker 18: public facing materials. So if we're

00:40:22 Speaker 18: doing more in terms of like

00:40:24 Speaker 18: an additional residential unit guide or

00:40:27 Speaker 21: things like that to to develop

00:40:29 Speaker 21: those those materials. So as I

00:40:32 Speaker 21: said, I think we've had twenty

00:40:34 Speaker 21: five and thirty in the past

00:40:36 Speaker 22: few years. We haven't we haven't

00:40:39 Speaker 22: come close to spending those dollars

00:40:43 Speaker 22: just yet, but it is it

00:40:44 Speaker 22: is meant to give some flexibility

00:40:47 Speaker 22: to implementing the various action items

00:40:48 Speaker 22: in the in the housing action

00:40:50 Speaker 22: plan. Okay. Any further questions? We'll

00:40:54 Speaker 22: go to Councillor Greg. Mr. Greg,

00:40:58 Speaker 22: thanks. And you mentioned civic addressing,

00:40:59 Speaker 22: and it's somewhat of a the

00:41:01 Speaker 18: needs are driven because of growth.

00:41:04 Speaker 18: I anticipate I know the answer

00:41:05 Speaker 18: already, and you're not able to

00:41:08 Speaker 18: slide funding from development charges horizontally

00:41:10 Speaker 18: to fund that. But what's the

00:41:13 Speaker 18: correlation to you know we're undertaking

00:41:15 Speaker 18: a new DC update, and if

00:41:18 Speaker 18: the need is driven by growth,

00:41:19 Speaker 18: as you just explained, is that

00:41:21 Speaker 18: something that we can pursue? funding

00:41:23 Speaker 18: with development charges. That's a good

00:41:26 Speaker 18: through you, Madam Morton. That's a

00:41:28 Speaker 18: good question. Thank you for that,

00:41:30 Speaker 18: Councillor Greg. It's something we could

00:41:31 Speaker 18: certainly explore once we have a

00:41:33 Speaker 18: consultant on the development charges background

00:41:35 Speaker 18: study. The the civic addressing piece

00:41:40 Speaker 18: is is supporting the civic addressing

00:41:47 Speaker 18: and and the nine one one.

00:41:48 Speaker 18: So the purchased services are from

00:41:52 Speaker 18: from the Island Sound Police Dispatch

00:41:54 Speaker 18: in that regard, and they are

00:41:56 Speaker 18: funding per capita. We could we

00:41:59 Speaker 18: could investigate with the the DC

00:42:01 Speaker 18: consultant whether there is any opportunity

00:42:02 Speaker 18: there. But it's yeah, it's it's

00:42:05 Speaker 18: based on that per population number.

00:42:07 Speaker 18: And you're right, as the population

00:42:08 Speaker 18: continues to grow, there is a

00:42:11 Speaker 18: slight growth related increase there each

00:42:14 Speaker 18: year. But we can look into

00:42:17 Speaker 18: that further. Okay. Anything further? No.

00:42:18 Speaker 18: Okay. That. No more questions

00:42:22 Speaker 18: for for that section. Okay, great.

00:42:24 Speaker 18: Thank you, Madam Warden. So next

00:42:26 Speaker 18: up, we have our agriculture section,

00:42:28 Speaker 18: and this is starting on page

00:42:30 Speaker 18: 126 of the PDF. And and

00:42:32 Speaker 18: just as a sort of preface

00:42:34 Speaker 18: to both the agriculture and the

00:42:35 Speaker 18: the forestry and trail side of

00:42:38 Speaker 18: things, components of both the agricultural

00:42:39 Speaker 18: budget and the forestry and trails

00:42:41 Speaker 18: budget are under contract services to

00:42:44 Speaker 18: to Grace Apple Conservation Authority, as

00:42:46 Speaker 18: we talked about yesterday with respect.

00:42:47 Speaker 18: to the proposed changes to the

00:42:49 Speaker 18: conservation authorities' structures across Ontario, we

00:42:51 Speaker 18: have just recently renewed that agreement

00:42:52 Speaker 18: with Gray Sable for one year.

00:42:55 Speaker 18: We aren't, we haven't entered into

00:42:58 Speaker 18: a multi-year renewal at this stage,

00:43:00 Speaker 18: based on the uncertainty in that

00:43:03 Speaker 18: regard. So, more specifically, with respect

00:43:04 Speaker 18: to agriculture, which is on page

00:43:06 Speaker 18: one twenty-six, the services that Gray

00:43:08 Speaker 18: Sable provides in that regard are

00:43:11 Speaker 18: with respect to the forest management

00:43:12 Speaker 18: bylaw enforcement. So that is under

00:43:14 Speaker 18: the agriculture budget. not under the

00:43:16 Speaker 18: forestry and trails budget. With respect

00:43:18 Speaker 18: to some of the other costs

00:43:20 Speaker 18: in the agriculture budget, we have

00:43:22 Speaker 18: our beavers and coyotes bounties in

00:43:24 Speaker 18: that regard, and then we have

00:43:27 Speaker 18: the contributions that that the county

00:43:29 Speaker 18: makes to both agricultural services and

00:43:31 Speaker 18: 4-H. So overall, this budget is,

00:43:33 Speaker 18: as again, very much a status

00:43:35 Speaker 18: quo, and and the increase is

00:43:38 Speaker 18: projected at five thousand one hundred

00:43:39 Speaker 18: dollars. At this stage, we are

00:43:43 Speaker 18: projecting to keep both the beaver

00:43:44 Speaker 18: and coyote bounties in at fifty.

00:43:45 Speaker 18: Bounties in at fifteen thousand dollars

00:43:48 Speaker 18: each. I will say, and again,

00:43:50 Speaker 18: maybe not gone woods so far

00:43:51 Speaker 18: in twenty twenty-five. The claims for

00:43:52 Speaker 18: for each of the beavers and

00:43:54 Speaker 18: coyotes are down from previous years.

00:43:56 Speaker 18: We are continuing to to look

00:43:57 Speaker 18: into what's appropriate with respect to

00:43:59 Speaker 18: bylaw updates and and hope to

00:44:03 Speaker 18: bring something to council in the

00:44:05 Speaker 18: new year in that regard. And

00:44:06 Speaker 18: and again, beyond that, it's largely

00:44:07 Speaker 18: status quo. There is no capital

00:44:09 Speaker 18: component to our agricultural budget, and

00:44:10 Speaker 18: the one. A cultural budget, and

00:44:11 Speaker 18: the one final thing I'll say

00:44:13 Speaker 18: is, as part of the the

00:44:15 Speaker 18: forest management bylaw review, we're also

00:44:16 Speaker 18: looking at the potential for increased

00:44:19 Speaker 18: revenue in that regard. So again,

00:44:28 Speaker 18: that's something we'll come back to

00:44:29 Speaker 18: council in the new year. But

00:44:30 Speaker 18: we are assessing our fees for

00:44:32 Speaker 18: what we call the the minor

00:44:33 Speaker 18: exemption applications, and whether or not

00:44:35 Speaker 18: there's any additional revenue sources through

00:44:38 Speaker 18: that bylaw, which could help recoup

00:44:40 Speaker 18: the cost that we pay to

00:44:41 Speaker 18: Gray Sable of those enforcement services

00:44:45 Speaker 18: in that regard. So maybe just

00:44:47 Speaker 18: pause there before we go get

00:44:49 Speaker 18: on to forestry and trails, and

00:44:51 Speaker 18: and take. any questions through the

00:44:52 Speaker 18: warden if there are any. Okay,

00:44:53 Speaker 18: thank you. So just before we

00:44:56 Speaker 18: go to forestry and trails, any

00:45:00 Speaker 18: questions on the ag portion? No,

00:45:03 Speaker 18: no questions. Okay, great. And with

00:45:05 Speaker 18: that, we'll move on to forestry

00:45:05 Speaker 18: and trails. And and the summary

00:45:06 Speaker 18: is on page one hundred twenty

00:45:08 Speaker 18: six of the PDF, and and

00:45:10 Speaker 18: forestry and trails more specifically is

00:45:13 Speaker 18: is at page one hundred thirty

00:45:15 Speaker 18: of the PDF. So with Yep.

00:45:17 Speaker 18: So with restrictive forestry and

00:45:20 Speaker 18: trails for for 2026, again, it

00:45:22 Speaker 18: is sort of a status quo

00:45:24 Speaker 18: budget, although there is a projected

00:45:26 Speaker 18: increase of 125 thousand dollars, and

00:45:27 Speaker 18: I'll get to what makes up

00:45:28 Speaker 18: that increase in just a sec.

00:45:30 Speaker 18: But when I say status quo

00:45:32 Speaker 18: budget, I mean we're focusing on

00:45:34 Speaker 18: maintaining and in some cases rehabilitating

00:45:36 Speaker 18: the the trails and and the

00:45:38 Speaker 18: forestry properties we have in that

00:45:40 Speaker 18: regard. So when I say trails,

00:45:43 Speaker 18: I mean both the trails in

00:45:44 Speaker 18: the forest and the CB rail.

00:45:47 Speaker 18: And the CP Rail Trail, with

00:45:49 Speaker 18: respect to the CP Rail Trail

00:45:51 Speaker 18: in in both twenty twenty five

00:45:52 Speaker 18: and and going into twenty twenty

00:45:54 Speaker 18: six and beyond, we've had a

00:45:57 Speaker 18: wonderful partnership with Transitation Services. And

00:45:59 Speaker 18: previously, we'd always been able, lucky

00:46:01 Speaker 18: enough, to use their services for

00:46:03 Speaker 18: helping maintain the bridges and the

00:46:04 Speaker 18: culverts on the CP Rail Trail.

00:46:07 Speaker 18: So Bob Cherry and the Bridge

00:46:10 Speaker 18: Crew in that regard have been

00:46:11 Speaker 18: very helpful. But we've been working

00:46:12 Speaker 18: with Pat's team on other elements

00:46:14 Speaker 18: where where their knowledge and equipment

00:46:17 Speaker 18: can can assist. in that regard,

00:46:18 Speaker 18: and and so that includes repairs

00:46:20 Speaker 18: on the CP Rail Trail, grading

00:46:23 Speaker 18: to maintain the the surface that

00:46:24 Speaker 18: we have, and so through

00:46:26 Speaker 18: those partnerships, it has resulted in

00:46:29 Speaker 18: savings, and and again, just been

00:46:30 Speaker 18: been wonderful partners to work with.

00:46:32 Speaker 18: So getting back to that one

00:46:35 Speaker 18: hundred twenty five thousand dollar proposed

00:46:36 Speaker 18: increase, although that's a that's a

00:46:37 Speaker 18: large number, this isn't entirely new

00:46:41 Speaker 18: work, and and so what's making

00:46:42 Speaker 18: up this increase in part is

00:46:44 Speaker 18: because in in the past we

00:46:46 Speaker 18: funded that buckthorn removal. through a

00:46:48 Speaker 18: mixture of levy and reserves, and

00:46:50 Speaker 18: so this would be the first

00:46:52 Speaker 18: year if if we go with

00:46:54 Speaker 18: what's in the draft budget, that

00:46:55 Speaker 18: would be funded entirely through through

00:46:56 Speaker 18: levy. So that alone is a

00:46:58 Speaker 18: thirty nine thousand dollars increase that

00:47:01 Speaker 18: we'd previously funded through reserves in

00:47:03 Speaker 18: that regard. Similar with respect to

00:47:05 Speaker 18: some of the trail rehabilitation, previously

00:47:08 Speaker 18: we'd funded twenty five thousand of

00:47:09 Speaker 18: that through through reserves. In in

00:47:11 Speaker 18: the draft budget, right now it

00:47:13 Speaker 18: is proposed to come entirely through

00:47:15 Speaker 18: levy in that regard. we are

00:47:17 Speaker 18: we were at the time when

00:47:19 Speaker 18: this budget was written also anticipating

00:47:20 Speaker 18: less revenue with respect to the

00:47:22 Speaker 18: forest tenders in our own county

00:47:24 Speaker 18: forest properties. What you see in

00:47:25 Speaker 18: the draft budget is is thirty

00:47:27 Speaker 18: three thousand dollars less in revenue,

00:47:30 Speaker 18: but I'm pleased to say, and

00:47:33 Speaker 18: I believe Sue or Randy highlighted

00:47:36 Speaker 18: in their presentation last week, that

00:47:38 Speaker 18: we have gotten the results from

00:47:41 Speaker 18: those tenders now, and they were

00:47:43 Speaker 18: fourteen thousand higher than we thought.

00:47:46 Speaker 18: So that thirteen thirty three thousand

00:47:48 Speaker 18: is is subtracted by. fourteen in

00:47:50 Speaker 18: that regard. With respect to other

00:47:51 Speaker 18: things, Grace Sobel is looking at

00:47:53 Speaker 18: hiring a summer student this year

00:47:54 Speaker 18: to assist with the work in

00:47:56 Speaker 18: the forested trails. We're also looking

00:47:58 Speaker 18: at continuing to only plow

00:48:00 Speaker 18: one parking lot in the winter.

00:48:03 Speaker 18: We had good discussions on that

00:48:05 Speaker 18: earlier this year, so we would

00:48:06 Speaker 18: continue to plow the Calipor lot,

00:48:08 Speaker 18: but the other lots along the

00:48:10 Speaker 18: CPRL trail in the county force

00:48:12 Speaker 18: would be closed for the winter.

00:48:12 Speaker 18: And then finally, we're also looking

00:48:13 Speaker 18: at discontinuing. the county's membership with

00:48:17 Speaker 18: FSC, so that would be approximately

00:48:20 Speaker 18: a seventy-eight hundred dollars savings each

00:48:21 Speaker 18: year. With respect to capital, we

00:48:24 Speaker 18: will have our regular maintenance work

00:48:26 Speaker 18: on the the bridges and culverts.

00:48:28 Speaker 18: We've got again our projected twenty-five

00:48:36 Speaker 18: thousand dollars in land survey work

00:48:38 Speaker 18: on the CP rail trail to

00:48:42 Speaker 18: bring those remaining sections of the

00:48:43 Speaker 18: trail into land titles, and then

00:48:46 Speaker 18: we're also partnering with Transportation Services

00:48:48 Speaker 18: on a bridge and culvert assessment

00:48:51 Speaker 18: of which planning is. Of which

00:48:52 Speaker 18: planning's contribution is projected at at

00:48:55 Speaker 18: sixteen thousand, and so with that

00:48:56 Speaker 18: we're also projecting one hundred and

00:48:58 Speaker 18: sixteen thousand seven hundred dollars going

00:49:00 Speaker 18: back into reserves to to fund

00:49:02 Speaker 18: these future projects in that regard.

00:49:04 Speaker 18: So with that, that's what I

00:49:07 Speaker 18: have for Forster and Trails. But

00:49:09 Speaker 18: again, happy to take any questions.

00:49:12 Speaker 18: Okay, we'll go to the W.

00:49:14 Speaker 18: Warden first. Thank you, Madam Warden.

00:49:15 Speaker 18: Thank you, Scott, for that. Do

00:49:17 Speaker 18: we account anywhere in the budget

00:49:21 Speaker 18: for work in kind from various

00:49:22 Speaker 18: groups, volunteers, in the community? Through

00:49:24 Speaker 18: you, Madam Warden, in in our

00:49:27 Speaker 18: county budget, we don't, we don't.

00:49:30 Speaker 18: We trying to think how I

00:49:32 Speaker 18: split this. We we we certainly

00:49:34 Speaker 18: have some volunteer work being done.

00:49:35 Speaker 18: There's an individual in Owen Sound

00:49:38 Speaker 18: that that regularly removes dog strangling

00:49:39 Speaker 18: vine from a section of the

00:49:41 Speaker 18: CP Rail Trail in Owen Sound,

00:49:42 Speaker 18: and then we also have work

00:49:43 Speaker 18: that's done. by some of the

00:49:45 Speaker 18: clubs that that have agreements with

00:49:46 Speaker 18: the county. So I'm thinking the

00:49:48 Speaker 18: Snowmobile Club, the Ontario Federation of

00:49:49 Speaker 18: Trail Riders, and the the ATV

00:49:52 Speaker 18: clubs, with respect to work that

00:49:53 Speaker 18: they do on on the county's

00:49:56 Speaker 18: forestry or force and and CP

00:49:58 Speaker 18: Rail Trail in that regard. And

00:49:59 Speaker 18: so in some cases, with respect

00:50:02 Speaker 18: to the ATV club, in the

00:50:05 Speaker 18: past, council may recall they they

00:50:07 Speaker 18: gave a ten thousand dollar donation

00:50:08 Speaker 18: to the county last year. In

00:50:11 Speaker 18: other cases, their In other cases,

00:50:16 Speaker 18: they're performing regular maintenance projects along

00:50:20 Speaker 18: the trail that we're not necessarily

00:50:26 Speaker 18: accounting for. So, the Snowmobile Club

00:50:28 Speaker 18: just recently has been doing some

00:50:29 Speaker 15: brushing along the side of the

00:50:30 Speaker 15: CP Rail Trail. So, something we

00:50:32 Speaker 15: could look into further and and

00:50:33 Speaker 15: try to maybe quantify that. But

00:50:36 Speaker 15: at this stage, I don't have

00:50:38 Speaker 15: a great number to say it's

00:50:40 Speaker 15: x number of thousands of dollars.

00:50:44 Speaker 15: But we we are sure appreciative

00:50:46 Speaker 15: of the work that they're doing.

00:50:48 Speaker 15: One of the other initiatives that

00:50:50 Speaker 15: we're looking into is is the

00:50:52 Speaker 23: ability to have almost like a

00:50:53 Speaker 23: an adopted trail kind of programme,

00:50:54 Speaker 23: similar to to what transportation does

00:50:56 Speaker 23: on their roads, whereby you might

00:50:59 Speaker 23: have volunteers going in and helping

00:51:02 Speaker 23: maintain and and and clean those

00:51:03 Speaker 23: trails within very prescribed boundaries. We're

00:51:06 Speaker 23: not looking for people to go

00:51:10 Speaker 23: chainsaws or anything else, but there's

00:51:14 Speaker 23: there's opportunities we're looking at there.

00:51:16 Speaker 23: Okay, thank you. Any further questions?

00:51:20 Speaker 23: No, I do not see any

00:51:23 Speaker 23: hands. Thank you. Okay, so at

00:51:25 Speaker 23: this point in time, I'm going

00:51:27 Speaker 23: to call up Director Myers, and

00:51:28 Speaker 23: we're going to begin on page

00:51:30 Speaker 23: one thirty-seven with economic development, and

00:51:32 Speaker 23: then work our way down through

00:51:35 Speaker 23: the various sections. It's going to

00:51:37 Speaker 23: be live, Director Myers, for the

00:51:38 Speaker 23: next five sections. So, welcome. Thank

00:51:38 Speaker 23: you very much, and good morning,

00:51:41 Speaker 23: County Council. As I mentioned, I

00:51:44 Speaker 23: am starting on page one

00:51:46 Speaker 23: thirty-seven, and I've got on

00:51:48 Speaker 23: the top of. my page here

00:51:49 Speaker 23: Kara exclamation exclamation because I just

00:51:51 Speaker 23: want to do a

00:51:54 Speaker 23: shout out to Kara. She is

00:51:56 Speaker 23: our financial analyst and has

00:51:58 Speaker 23: been phenomenal in helping us prepare

00:52:01 Speaker 23: this budget today. So economic development,

00:52:03 Speaker 23: tourism, and culture budget as

00:52:06 Speaker 23: a whole for operating and capital

00:52:08 Speaker 23: in 2026 requires a levy of

00:52:10 Speaker 23: 3.896 million compared to 3.593 million

00:52:13 Speaker 23: in 2025, which is an increase

00:52:14 Speaker 23: of 303 thousand across operating and

00:52:16 Speaker 23: capital. the 2026 budget continues the

00:52:19 Speaker 23: focus on the priorities identified through

00:52:21 Speaker 23: the Economic Development, Tourism, and Culture

00:52:24 Speaker 23: Master Plan that sets the departmental

00:52:26 Speaker 23: vision for the next 10 years

00:52:29 Speaker 23: in pursuit of the corporate strategic

00:52:32 Speaker 23: goal: building communities for the future.

00:52:35 Speaker 23: In 2026, we move to the

00:52:36 Speaker 23: theme market, and that comes to

00:52:38 Speaker 23: the fore, building on the work

00:52:41 Speaker 23: of the prior two-year themes being

00:52:43 Speaker 23: foundation and study. In addition to

00:52:45 Speaker 23: sustaining relevant operations, this budget reflects

00:52:47 Speaker 23: improvements realized through the department. Improvements

00:52:49 Speaker 23: realized through the departmental lean training

00:52:51 Speaker 23: that we've undergone in the last

00:52:52 Speaker 23: year, including a streamlined organisational structure,

00:52:54 Speaker 23: consolidation of purchasing practices across the

00:52:56 Speaker 23: department, and software efficiencies to reprioritize

00:52:58 Speaker 23: staff resources. The budget also includes

00:53:00 Speaker 23: merit increases and cost of living

00:53:01 Speaker 23: increases, alongside several computer replacements and

00:53:03 Speaker 23: licensing for staff. We also continue

00:53:05 Speaker 23: to prioritize professional development and the

00:53:06 Speaker 23: continuation of lean training, so that

00:53:08 Speaker 23: we can ensure the EDTC team

00:53:11 Speaker 23: continues to acquire the expertise. and

00:53:13 Speaker 23: seek further efficiencies by determining highest

00:53:14 Speaker 23: and best value of all resources,

00:53:16 Speaker 23: whether it is cash or people.

00:53:18 Speaker 23: Additionally, through the transition in 2025,

00:53:19 Speaker 23: Community Transit Initiative is now formally

00:53:22 Speaker 23: merged into the EDC TC Department

00:53:25 Speaker 23: from the Office of the Cao.

00:53:27 Speaker 23: So, the Economic Development, Tourism,

00:53:29 Speaker 23: and Culture Portfolio it includes budgets

00:53:32 Speaker 23: for Economic Development and Tourism, Sydenham

00:53:33 Speaker 23: Campus, Gray Roots Museum and Archives,

00:53:36 Speaker 23: and Community Transportation. So before I

00:53:37 Speaker 23: move into the departmental areas, there's

00:53:38 Speaker 23: just two things that were raised

00:53:41 Speaker 23: seeking clarification during budget and finance

00:53:43 Speaker 23: that I thought that I would

00:53:44 Speaker 23: make note now. And the first

00:53:47 Speaker 23: is that while you're seeing the

00:53:49 Speaker 23: budget in particular areas and departmental

00:53:50 Speaker 23: focus, when we develop this

00:53:52 Speaker 23: budget, we look at it as

00:53:55 Speaker 23: a whole. It's right across EDTC.

00:53:56 Speaker 23: This is part of those lean

00:53:58 Speaker 23: improvements that I spoke about, so

00:54:00 Speaker 23: that we can consider opportunities for

00:54:02 Speaker 23: consolidation of purchasing across to be

00:54:04 Speaker 23: able to reduce expenses in the

00:54:06 Speaker 23: department. So. advertising is a great

00:54:08 Speaker 23: example that we'll see in the

00:54:10 Speaker 23: first section. By consolidating the planning

00:54:13 Speaker 23: and purchasing across our department, we've

00:54:15 Speaker 23: been able to reduce those expenses.

00:54:17 Speaker 23: It's also part of the prioritization

00:54:19 Speaker 23: each year based on master plan

00:54:20 Speaker 23: progression. So, we're either prioritizing new

00:54:22 Speaker 23: items, deprioritizing items that no longer

00:54:24 Speaker 23: need to have the same focus,

00:54:25 Speaker 23: or maintaining more appropriate. So, all

00:54:26 Speaker 23: this to say that when we're

00:54:27 Speaker 23: looking at this budget, we're moving

00:54:30 Speaker 23: and changing within the department focus

00:54:32 Speaker 23: areas and right across. department focus

00:54:34 Speaker 23: areas to present what you have

00:54:36 Speaker 23: here today. The second is that

00:54:38 Speaker 23: we're assessing and building each

00:54:41 Speaker 23: budget line every year to ensure

00:54:43 Speaker 23: that this budget accurately reflects the

00:54:45 Speaker 23: strategic priorities and goals of

00:54:48 Speaker 23: the department. So many budget lines

00:54:50 Speaker 23: are fixed, such as IS

00:54:53 Speaker 23: cost, computer purchases, salary and benefits,

00:54:55 Speaker 23: or they're outside of our scope

00:54:57 Speaker 23: of control, like utilities and insurance.

00:54:59 Speaker 23: So through the initial or through

00:55:01 Speaker 23: this assessment process, we also run

00:55:02 Speaker 23: a cost benefit analysis when we

00:55:04 Speaker 23: are doing proposed. We are doing

00:55:07 Speaker 23: proposals for new or different things,

00:55:09 Speaker 23: and that cost-benefit analysis considers the

00:55:13 Speaker 23: staff capacity that we have in

00:55:15 Speaker 23: the department. It considers the cost

00:55:17 Speaker 23: of the staff time to do

00:55:18 Speaker 23: given projects versus the cost of

00:55:20 Speaker 23: the project or technology that we're

00:55:22 Speaker 23: looking to adopt, and then what

00:55:24 Speaker 23: is that end value at the

00:55:25 Speaker 23: end of the day for our

00:55:27 Speaker 23: clients and for our partners. So,

00:55:28 Speaker 23: looking at economic development and tourism

00:55:30 Speaker 23: as our first budget, this has

00:55:31 Speaker 23: been intentionally developed to support the

00:55:32 Speaker 23: market theme of master plan year

00:55:34 Speaker 23: three implementation. It prioritizes county and

00:55:36 Speaker 23: municipal access to Enveronics data. It

00:55:37 Speaker 23: enables the next phase of regional

00:55:38 Speaker 23: investment readiness feasibility studies and supports

00:55:40 Speaker 23: targeted regional marketing for tourism and

00:55:42 Speaker 23: investments, including continuing production of the

00:55:44 Speaker 23: Gather campaign. And here you will

00:55:47 Speaker 23: see we have prioritized Year Three

00:55:48 Speaker 23: Gather enhancements by reducing other budget

00:55:50 Speaker 23: lines. So where you see that

00:55:51 Speaker 23: fifty thousand dollars increase, I have

00:55:54 Speaker 23: taken dollars from other lines to

00:55:55 Speaker 23: make that possible. In terms of

00:55:56 Speaker 23: the economic development and tourism capital,

00:55:57 Speaker 23: there are two main projects in

00:55:59 Speaker 23: this year's budget: ten thousand dollars

00:56:01 Speaker 23: to complete the necessary updates for

00:56:04 Speaker 23: Visit Gray website that is being

00:56:08 Speaker 23: carried forward from twenty twenty five

00:56:12 Speaker 23: and funded through reserve, and then

00:56:17 Speaker 23: sixty thousand nine hundred for the

00:56:20 Speaker 23: replacement of the tourism vehicle. The

00:56:21 Speaker 23: time has come. We have pushed

00:56:23 Speaker 23: it down the road for several

00:56:28 Speaker 23: years. We cannot keep pushing it.

00:56:33 Speaker 23: Our maintenance costs and the time

00:56:34 Speaker 24: that it is in the shop

00:56:35 Speaker 24: is far outweighing now. So fifty

00:56:37 Speaker 24: thousand of that would come. So

00:56:40 Speaker 24: 50,000 of that would come from

00:56:43 Speaker 24: the reserve that we have been

00:56:47 Speaker 24: saving towards, and 10 would be

00:56:52 Speaker 24: from the proceeds of the disposal

00:56:55 Speaker 24: of the vehicle themselves. And just

00:57:00 Speaker 22: a reminder from previous conversations: all

00:57:03 Speaker 22: of the capital levy contributions that

00:57:05 Speaker 22: we see, that's all going into

00:57:07 Speaker 22: those reserve contributions. Every project that

00:57:10 Speaker 22: we have right across our department

00:57:18 Speaker 22: is funded from reserve. So if

00:57:21 Speaker 22: you want, I can stop at

00:57:22 Speaker 22: that one before I head into

00:57:24 Speaker 22: the next, in case there's any

00:57:27 Speaker 22: questions. Yes, let's do that. So

00:57:30 Speaker 22: any questions for this part of

00:57:33 Speaker 25: the section? We'll go to. Councillor

00:57:34 Speaker 25: Greg. Thank you. And my question

00:57:36 Speaker 25: is on. See the page. I

00:57:37 Speaker 25: have to scroll. Well, it's on

00:57:40 Speaker 25: professional and consulting fees. Sixty-four one

00:57:42 Speaker 25: hundred two is the line item.

00:57:43 Speaker 25: In the PDF, it's page one

00:57:45 Speaker 25: forty-four. Often, professional and consulting fees

00:57:48 Speaker 25: oscillate up and down. I guess,

00:57:49 Speaker 25: depending on capital projects and so

00:57:52 Speaker 25: forth. When you have to go

00:57:54 Speaker 25: to an external consultant for specific

00:58:01 Speaker 25: jobs, it's a bit more of

00:58:08 Speaker 25: a continuum of twenty thousand, twenty

00:58:10 Speaker 25: thousand five hundred every year. I'm

00:58:12 Speaker 25: just wondering, is there conversation that

00:58:16 Speaker 22: should be had about the services

00:58:19 Speaker 22: we're activating to go externally instead

00:58:21 Speaker 22: of? internal resources being used, and

00:58:26 Speaker 22: that professional consulting fee being more

00:58:29 Speaker 22: of a one-off periodically when we're

00:58:32 Speaker 22: undertaking specific jobs, as opposed to

00:58:37 Speaker 22: an annual consistent expense. Sure, through

00:58:41 Speaker 22: you, Madam Warden. So that line

00:58:43 Speaker 22: that you're looking at, the twenty

00:58:46 Speaker 22: thousand five hundred for twenty twenty-six,

00:58:48 Speaker 22: that is the Think Compass agreement

00:58:50 Speaker 23: that we have. They are providing.

00:58:51 Speaker 23: incredible fee for service. This is

00:58:53 Speaker 23: nowhere near touching the surface of

00:58:55 Speaker 23: what we should be paying for

00:58:57 Speaker 23: them. We do not have the

00:59:01 Speaker 23: in-house expertise or staffing following the

00:59:03 Speaker 23: last couple of budget rounds to

00:59:04 Speaker 23: be able to do this work

00:59:05 Speaker 23: internally. So instead of having a

00:59:07 Speaker 23: dedicated staff to do investment attraction

00:59:09 Speaker 23: permanently, this is a way that

00:59:10 Speaker 23: we're able to get some of

00:59:12 Speaker 23: those services to continue the work

00:59:13 Speaker 23: that we're doing across the region.

00:59:15 Speaker 23: Is there a fellow councillor here?

00:59:16 Speaker 23: Well, I guess that would lead

00:59:18 Speaker 23: me to the next question: is

00:59:20 Speaker 23: to, I understand our purchasing thresholds,

00:59:24 Speaker 23: but are there this? These are

00:59:25 Speaker 23: purchased services using public dollars. Do

00:59:31 Speaker 23: you undertake a um, uh, bid

00:59:33 Speaker 23: an open bidding? process every three

00:59:34 Speaker 15: years, or you just referred to

00:59:38 Speaker 15: a single entity, and and that

00:59:39 Speaker 15: probably invokes the follow up question.

00:59:42 Speaker 15: Perfect through you, Madam Warden. When

00:59:43 Speaker 15: we originally brought Thing Compass on,

00:59:45 Speaker 23: that was through a single source

00:59:46 Speaker 23: approval through all of our purchasing

00:59:47 Speaker 23: policies. So with Mike Elguire and

00:59:50 Speaker 23: with the CIO and the Treasurer,

00:59:52 Speaker 23: the purchasing policy now twenty thousand

00:59:53 Speaker 23: dollars. and under enables me the

00:59:55 Speaker 23: ability as the director to determine

00:59:57 Speaker 23: who we may hire for what

00:59:59 Speaker 23: project. So it's within

01:00:01 Speaker 23: the threshold that five hundred dollars

01:00:03 Speaker 23: accounts for the tax that we

01:00:04 Speaker 23: don't get back. To go out

01:00:07 Speaker 23: to market and ask for this

01:00:08 Speaker 23: type of service anywhere else, we

01:00:10 Speaker 23: will start at six digits. We

01:00:12 Speaker 23: know that for a fact. That

01:00:14 Speaker 23: is what it is kind of

01:00:17 Speaker 23: everywhere else. So we've been very

01:00:19 Speaker 23: very fortunate to have this level

01:00:21 Speaker 23: of service for this cost for

01:00:23 Speaker 23: this many years. And I imagine

01:00:25 Speaker 23: there's value in the continuity as

01:00:29 Speaker 23: well. Okay, not seeing any further

01:00:30 Speaker 23: hands. Looks like we are ready

01:00:32 Speaker 23: to proceed to the next section.

01:00:33 Speaker 23: Thank you very much. So we

01:00:35 Speaker 23: are heading on to Sydney campus

01:00:37 Speaker 23: then, and Sydney, it is really

01:00:38 Speaker 23: achieving all of those goals that

01:00:39 Speaker 23: we set out in that original

01:00:41 Speaker 23: business plan, and to realize that

01:00:44 Speaker 23: the business plan that was written

01:00:46 Speaker 23: before a pandemic and coming through

01:00:48 Speaker 23: is still as valuable today. as

01:00:50 Speaker 23: it was when we first

01:00:53 Speaker 23: introduced the concept. Is really something,

01:00:55 Speaker 23: so we're very very proud of

01:00:57 Speaker 23: that, and it continues to support

01:00:59 Speaker 23: crucial workforce development, entrepreneurship, and innovation

01:01:01 Speaker 23: in the region, including that targeted

01:01:04 Speaker 23: growth of Georgian College's skilled trades

01:01:06 Speaker 23: and apprenticeship programme. In the budget,

01:01:08 Speaker 23: you will see anticipated revenues of

01:01:11 Speaker 23: one hundred fifty-seven thousand nine hundred

01:01:13 Speaker 23: in tenant revenues, as well as

01:01:16 Speaker 23: interfunctional rent from Children's Services for

01:01:21 Speaker 23: fourteen thousand seven hundred. Eighty thousand

01:01:22 Speaker 23: dollars of that revenue is transferred

01:01:24 Speaker 23: every year in. Transferred every year

01:01:28 Speaker 23: into reserve to help fund those

01:01:31 Speaker 23: capital projects, while the remaining offsets

01:01:33 Speaker 23: operating expenses, including cleaning, the property

01:01:35 Speaker 23: taxes. We do want to note

01:01:37 Speaker 23: where that used to come into

01:01:38 Speaker 23: the tenant revenue. It has now

01:01:39 Speaker 23: been reassigned to the appropriate line,

01:01:42 Speaker 23: so that's why you're seeing a

01:01:43 Speaker 23: decrease in the tenant revenues in

01:01:45 Speaker 23: this budget. It's not because they're

01:01:49 Speaker 23: going down; it's because we've actually

01:01:50 Speaker 23: budgeted to the proper line in

01:01:52 Speaker 23: 2026 going forward. Where you are

01:01:53 Speaker 17: seeing increase is cost of snow

01:01:54 Speaker 17: removal. Snow is not lessening for

01:01:55 Speaker 17: us, unfortunately. Waste removal and cleaning

01:01:59 Speaker 17: supplies, and this is because the

01:02:01 Speaker 17: building is busy. In September, we

01:02:04 Speaker 17: had over four thousand people through.

01:02:05 Speaker 17: We're tracking constantly, and every room

01:02:07 Speaker 23: is full. The rentals are unbelievable,

01:02:09 Speaker 23: so it is going very, very

01:02:11 Speaker 23: well. In terms of the capital

01:02:13 Speaker 23: cost, there is a project for

01:02:15 Speaker 23: HVAC replacement. This started in 2024

01:02:19 Speaker 23: with some rooftops. We're continuing. We

01:02:20 Speaker 23: have 21 independent. interior units that

01:02:22 Speaker 23: need to be refreshed, as well

01:02:23 Speaker 23: as a couple more RTU units.

01:02:24 Speaker 23: So, given the consideration of all

01:02:26 Speaker 23: potential possibilities and knowing how limited

01:02:28 Speaker 23: the space is in those ceilings,

01:02:30 Speaker 23: it has taken almost all year

01:02:31 Speaker 23: to figure out what does that

01:02:32 Speaker 23: next approach look like. So, we

01:02:34 Speaker 23: won't be ready to actually do

01:02:35 Speaker 23: the projects until next year. So,

01:02:37 Speaker 23: that is what you see there.

01:02:38 Speaker 23: Again, funded from reserved, not a

01:02:40 Speaker 23: levy impact. We'll stop there for

01:02:43 Speaker 23: Stidham. Thank you. And did you

01:02:44 Speaker 23: want to talk about the Business

01:02:46 Speaker 23: Enterprise Centre as well, briefly? So

01:02:47 Speaker 23: why don't you do that, and

01:02:48 Speaker 23: then I'll collect any questions for

01:02:50 Speaker 23: either one. Excellent. Thank you. The

01:02:51 Speaker 23: Business Enterprise Centre. This is one

01:02:55 Speaker 23: of fifty-four centres across the province

01:02:57 Speaker 26: that we run with the province,

01:03:03 Speaker 26: and it supports business startup, expansion,

01:03:04 Speaker 26: and succession planning, leading directly to

01:03:10 Speaker 26: job creation across the region. So

01:03:12 Speaker 26: the programme is anticipated to receive

01:03:14 Speaker 26: provincial funding of one hundred eighty-one.

01:03:16 Speaker 25: Funding of 181,826 through