Grey County Committee Meeting Transcript — January 12, 2026

00:00:00 Speaker 01: Tara here. Happy New Year, everyone.

00:00:05 Speaker 02: Just as a heads up before

00:00:06 Speaker 02: we get started, communications will start

00:00:10 Speaker 02: the live stream momentarily, so we're

00:00:13 Speaker 02: live, and then our first item

00:00:16 Speaker 02: of business will be to elect

00:00:18 Speaker 02: a chair and a vice chair

00:00:20 Speaker 02: for the meeting. So that's just

00:00:21 Speaker 02: a heads up before we before

00:00:24 Speaker 02: we start streaming. Happy New Year,

00:00:32 Speaker 02: everyone!

00:00:43 Speaker 02: How is my audio?

00:01:28 Speaker 03: Hi

00:01:39 Speaker 03: and happy New Year, everyone! Hello,

00:01:42 Speaker 03: we can hear you very well,

00:01:43 Speaker 03: or I can. Thanks, Katrina. Hello,

00:01:57 Speaker 02: everyone, and welcome to the first

00:02:00 Speaker 02: meeting of 2026 for the Accessibility

00:02:03 Speaker 02: Advisory Committee meeting. Just calling this

00:02:05 Speaker 02: meeting to order at two o'clock

00:02:09 Speaker 02: on January the 12th. Our first

00:02:11 Speaker 02: item of business is to elect

00:02:13 Speaker 02: a chair and a vice chair

00:02:14 Speaker 02: for 2026. So this position will

00:02:19 Speaker 02: extend to the end of this

00:02:20 Speaker 02: council term, which ends in November

00:02:22 Speaker 02: of this year. so we'll start

00:02:25 Speaker 02: off with the chair. Are there

00:02:26 Speaker 02: any nominations for chair of the

00:02:29 Speaker 02: committee, Councilor Gregg? Thank you, Tara.

00:02:34 Speaker 02: I'm happy to nominate Catherine to

00:02:38 Speaker 02: repeat as chair. Correct. Thank you

00:02:41 Speaker 02: very much. Is there anyone to

00:02:42 Speaker 02: second that nomination for Catherine Scholz

00:02:45 Speaker 02: as chair? I can do that.

00:02:50 Speaker 02: Okay. I think I saw a

00:02:51 Speaker 02: hand from Pamela as well. Thank

00:02:56 Speaker 02: you. Are there any other nominations

00:02:57 Speaker 02: for chair for twenty twenty six?

00:03:02 Speaker 02: Okay, seeing none. Is there a

00:03:03 Speaker 02: motion to close the nominations for

00:03:09 Speaker 02: chair? Christina, thank you. And Catherine,

00:03:14 Speaker 02: do you wish to have your

00:03:15 Speaker 04: name stand as chair again? Catherine,

00:03:27 Speaker 04: we will check in with you

00:03:29 Speaker 04: again. I'm not sure you're on

00:03:30 Speaker 04: mute or you're having sound issues,

00:03:32 Speaker 04: but I'm not able to hear.

00:03:36 Speaker 04: Sorry about that. Yeah, I had

00:03:37 Speaker 04: some issues at the beginning when

00:03:38 Speaker 05: I tried to get in. Anyway,

00:03:41 Speaker 05: yes, to answer your question, Tara,

00:03:45 Speaker 05: yes, I would be honored to

00:03:48 Speaker 05: continue as chair for the committee.

00:03:50 Speaker 05: Thank you very much. You are

00:03:53 Speaker 05: acclaimed as chair. Thank you. Moving

00:03:58 Speaker 05: to vice chair for the committee.

00:04:00 Speaker 05: Are there any nominations for vice

00:04:02 Speaker 05: chair for twenty twenty six? Alexa,

00:04:16 Speaker 05: turn off. Pardon? Sorry, Councillor Greg.

00:04:17 Speaker 05: I believe that was you, but

00:04:18 Speaker 05: I. didn't hear what you said.

00:04:22 Speaker 05: I think he said, "Alexa, turn

00:04:31 Speaker 05: off." Okay. Are there any nominations

00:04:33 Speaker 05: for vice chair of the committee?

00:04:35 Speaker 05: The current vice chair is Councillor

00:04:37 Speaker 05: Scott Greg. So I'd like to

00:04:41 Speaker 05: nominate Councillor Scott Greg again as

00:04:46 Speaker 05: vice chair. And vice chair, if

00:04:48 Speaker 05: you'd be willing to accept the

00:04:52 Speaker 05: position. Okay, thank you. And is

00:04:54 Speaker 05: there a seconder to nominate Councillor

00:04:56 Speaker 05: Scott Greg to the position of

00:05:06 Speaker 06: vice chair? Christina. Thank you. Any

00:05:10 Speaker 06: other nominations? Seeing none, is there

00:05:13 Speaker 06: a motion to close nominations? I

00:05:15 Speaker 06: can do that. It's Rick. Thank.

00:05:16 Speaker 06: It's Brooke. Thank you, Brooke. Councilor

00:05:18 Speaker 06: Gregg, do you wish to have

00:05:20 Speaker 06: your name stand for the position

00:05:22 Speaker 06: of vice chair? Edward, thanks for

00:05:24 Speaker 06: bearing with me. I've got some

00:05:27 Speaker 06: buffering issues going on, so I

00:05:31 Speaker 06: understood enough of what of the

00:05:32 Speaker 06: conversation. Thank you. All right, you

00:05:35 Speaker 06: are acclaimed as vice chair for

00:05:37 Speaker 06: the committee for 2026, and at

00:05:38 Speaker 06: this time, I will pass it

00:05:41 Speaker 06: over to Chair Schultz to continue

00:05:44 Speaker 07: on. Thank you. Sure. Thanks, Tara,

00:05:47 Speaker 07: and. Next, Tara, and thank you,

00:05:50 Speaker 07: everyone, for having the respect and

00:05:53 Speaker 07: faith in me to continue again

00:05:56 Speaker 07: as chair. As you know, I'm

00:05:58 Speaker 07: this committee is very important to

00:06:01 Speaker 07: me, and I'm thrilled to continue

00:06:03 Speaker 07: on as chair for you know

00:06:06 Speaker 07: from now until November. So, thank

00:06:08 Speaker 07: you very, very much. And so,

00:06:12 Speaker 07: I guess our next item on

00:06:14 Speaker 07: the agenda is declaration of interest.

00:06:19 Speaker 07: So, does anyone have any declarations

00:06:22 Speaker 07: of interest to declare? Nobody. I

00:06:24 Speaker 07: don't see any hands up. So,

00:06:27 Speaker 07: we will move on to the

00:06:30 Speaker 07: next item, which is delegations, and

00:06:36 Speaker 07: there are no delegations on the

00:06:38 Speaker 07: agenda today. So, the next is

00:06:41 Speaker 07: the items for direction or discussion

00:06:45 Speaker 07: by this committee. So the first

00:06:50 Speaker 07: item on the agenda is report

00:06:53 Speaker 07: CS dash twenty six dash zero

00:06:58 Speaker 07: zero three, City of Owens Sound

00:06:59 Speaker 07: Urban Design Guidelines and Policy Update.

00:07:03 Speaker 07: This will be presented to us

00:07:05 Speaker 07: by Christina McLean and Sabine Robard.

00:07:08 Speaker 07: And what I will ask is,

00:07:12 Speaker 07: we'll present the motion first. So

00:07:18 Speaker 07: the motion. is as follows: that,

00:07:22 Speaker 07: in consideration of staff report CS-26-003,

00:07:25 Speaker 07: respecting the official plan and

00:07:28 Speaker 07: zoning bylaw update and urban design

00:07:32 Speaker 07: guidelines, the Grey County Joint Accessibility

00:07:35 Speaker 07: Advisory Committee review and provide input

00:07:41 Speaker 07: respecting the proposed updates. And can

00:07:45 Speaker 07: I have someone move the motion?

00:07:47 Speaker 07: Someone on the committee. I can

00:07:53 Speaker 07: do that. That's Brooke. Oh, thanks,

00:07:58 Speaker 07: Brooke. And a seconder, Christina. I

00:08:00 Speaker 07: just saw your hand was up.

00:08:03 Speaker 07: I believe she was. Oh, second

00:08:06 Speaker 07: that as well. Okay, Scott. Okay,

00:08:10 Speaker 07: thank you. And I will. hand

00:08:14 Speaker 07: this part over to Christina McLean

00:08:17 Speaker 07: and Sabine Robart. Good afternoon, committee.

00:08:18 Speaker 07: I hope everyone can hear me.

00:08:20 Speaker 07: Yes. Okay. So my name is

00:08:21 Speaker 07: Sabine Robart. I'm the Manager of

00:08:22 Speaker 07: Planning and Heritage for the City

00:08:24 Speaker 07: of Owen Sound, and I haven't

00:08:26 Speaker 08: had the opportunity to present to

00:08:29 Speaker 08: this committee. So thank you for

00:08:32 Speaker 08: having me today. I'm going to

00:08:38 Speaker 08: share my screen now, and I

00:08:44 Speaker 08: am not that familiar. with presenting

00:08:46 Speaker 08: on Zoom, so I'm hoping this

00:08:54 Speaker 08: works. That's not the screen I

00:09:03 Speaker 08: wanted. I'm sorry. Give me one

00:09:06 Speaker 08: sec. My apologies, Sabine. we can

00:09:07 Speaker 08: see Owen Sound policy update, January

00:09:08 Speaker 08: twelfth, twenty twenty six. Is that

00:09:10 Speaker 08: what you're wanting to share? I

00:09:12 Speaker 08: think we're able to see it

00:09:15 Speaker 08: properly. The PDF of the presentation.

00:09:16 Speaker 08: Okay, I think it has a

00:09:19 Speaker 08: green line around it now, so

00:09:24 Speaker 08: I think I'm sharing the right,

00:09:28 Speaker 08: the correct, all right, presentation. Okay,

00:09:30 Speaker 08: sorry about that. So, thank you,

00:09:33 Speaker 08: committee, and for the opportunity to

00:09:39 Speaker 08: present the city's policy update. including

00:09:40 Speaker 08: urban design guidelines, to this afternoon.

00:09:42 Speaker 08: The city is currently in the

00:09:47 Speaker 08: process of updating our official plan

00:09:50 Speaker 08: and zoning bylaw and preparing urban

00:09:52 Speaker 08: design guidelines. And the the background

00:09:54 Speaker 08: reports and draft documents are available

00:09:57 Speaker 08: on the city's Our City webpage,

00:10:00 Speaker 08: which is linked in the presentation.

00:10:02 Speaker 08: And if anybody's had any problems

00:10:03 Speaker 08: accessing these. documents, or would like

00:10:04 Speaker 08: to access them, please let me

00:10:05 Speaker 08: know, and I can help you

00:10:11 Speaker 08: with that. But I'm hoping that

00:10:13 Speaker 08: you were able to access them

00:10:16 Speaker 08: through the link. So, the purpose

00:10:18 Speaker 08: of the official plan amendment we

00:10:21 Speaker 08: were doing is to implement the

00:10:24 Speaker 08: recommendations resulting from the official

00:10:26 Speaker 08: plan review program, which we undertook

00:10:28 Speaker 08: in 2025. The amendment incorporates applicable

00:10:31 Speaker 08: policy from recent updates to the

00:10:33 Speaker 08: Planning Act. the provincial planning statement,

00:10:37 Speaker 08: and the County of Grey official

00:10:38 Speaker 08: plan. There have been significant provincial

00:10:40 Speaker 08: policy changes that have developed over

00:10:42 Speaker 08: the last couple of years, and

00:10:45 Speaker 08: so we're taking the opportunity to

00:10:46 Speaker 08: incorporate those into our official plan.

00:10:49 Speaker 08: The effect of the official plan

00:10:51 Speaker 08: amendment is to restructure sections within

00:10:55 Speaker 08: the official plan, revise and update

00:10:58 Speaker 08: policies associated with land uses, parkland,

00:11:03 Speaker 08: employment areas, affordable housing, and various.

00:11:05 Speaker 08: housekeeping matters within the official plan.

00:11:07 Speaker 08: The zoning bylaw update. The purpose

00:11:10 Speaker 08: of the zoning bylaw amendment is

00:11:12 Speaker 08: to implement the recommendations again from

00:11:14 Speaker 08: the 2025 policy review, including amendments

00:11:16 Speaker 08: to the City of Oceanside official

00:11:18 Speaker 08: plan through the official plan amendment

00:11:20 Speaker 08: number 14, as I just described

00:11:22 Speaker 08: in the previous slide. The effect

00:11:24 Speaker 08: of the application is to

00:11:26 Speaker 08: revise and update various sections of

00:11:29 Speaker 08: the zoning bylaw, including definitions, general

00:11:31 Speaker 08: provisions, use and development standards for

00:11:37 Speaker 08: various zones, and the general format,

00:11:38 Speaker 08: zone structure, and schedules. The urban

00:11:41 Speaker 08: design guidelines, which is what we're

00:11:43 Speaker 08: here to discuss today, the urban

00:11:45 Speaker 08: design policies, as laid out in

00:11:46 Speaker 08: Section Eight of the city's official

00:11:49 Speaker 08: plan, set out a broad vision

00:11:53 Speaker 08: for the built environment and provide

00:11:56 Speaker 08: criteria for evaluating development proposals.

00:11:59 Speaker 08: The proposed urban design guide. Urban

00:12:01 Speaker 08: design guidelines implement those policies by

00:12:03 Speaker 08: providing more detailed and council-approved guidance

00:12:07 Speaker 08: to shape future development. The directions

00:12:09 Speaker 08: are intended to assist city staff,

00:12:12 Speaker 08: property owners, businesses, developers, and the

00:12:18 Speaker 08: public in achieving a high-quality

00:12:21 Speaker 08: built environment that reflects the city's

00:12:23 Speaker 08: long-term vision. So, the city's urban

00:12:25 Speaker 08: design guidelines establishes urban design standards

00:12:28 Speaker 08: for the development. and redevelopment of

00:12:31 Speaker 08: areas or properties within the

00:12:34 Speaker 08: city. This will be particularly important

00:12:36 Speaker 08: in redevelopment and intensification of existing

00:12:39 Speaker 08: neighbors neighborhoods. The urban design guidelines

00:12:41 Speaker 08: will apply citywide through the following

00:12:45 Speaker 08: key focus areas: so, general guidelines

00:12:46 Speaker 08: for land uses, including residential, commercial,

00:12:51 Speaker 08: industrial, and gateways, and notes of

00:12:53 Speaker 08: which the city has a number.

00:12:55 Speaker 08: Infill development and public spaces. The

00:12:58 Speaker 08: urban design guidelines are intended to

00:13:00 Speaker 08: serve as an additional resource for

00:13:03 Speaker 08: city staff to assess development applications,

00:13:06 Speaker 08: and to help both staff and

00:13:08 Speaker 08: applicants engage in meaningful discussion about

00:13:11 Speaker 08: urban design and heritage conservation based

00:13:13 Speaker 08: on a shared understanding of

00:13:15 Speaker 08: good urban design and clear expectations.

00:13:18 Speaker 08: The directions may also serve

00:13:20 Speaker 08: as a resource for property

00:13:23 Speaker 08: owners considering renovations or redevelopment that

00:13:25 Speaker 08: do not require a development application.

00:13:28 Speaker 08: Require development application by illustrating best

00:13:33 Speaker 08: design practices. The directions are intended

00:13:37 Speaker 08: to help educate, inform, and

00:13:40 Speaker 08: inspire both public and private investment

00:13:43 Speaker 08: in the city. The urban design

00:13:46 Speaker 08: guidelines emphasize universal and age-friendly design

00:13:50 Speaker 08: principles. Accessibility is integrated across multiple

00:13:53 Speaker 08: sections with a focus on barrier-free

00:13:54 Speaker 08: access, inclusive public spaces, parking. and

00:13:55 Speaker 08: circulation, amenities areas, wayfinding and signage,

00:13:58 Speaker 08: and universal design in building. And

00:14:01 Speaker 08: I'm going to go into each

00:14:03 Speaker 08: one of these quickly now. So,

00:14:07 Speaker 08: in regards to barrier-free access, the

00:14:10 Speaker 08: urban design guidelines call for all

00:14:13 Speaker 08: public spaces and pedestrian routes to

00:14:15 Speaker 08: be universally accessible. Site plans require

00:14:17 Speaker 08: direct, well-lit, and barrier-free walkways from

00:14:20 Speaker 08: parking areas, transit stops, and sidewalks

00:14:26 Speaker 08: to building entrances, and accessible. entrances

00:14:29 Speaker 08: for ground floor units in multiple

00:14:33 Speaker 08: residential developments are encouraged. Inclusive public

00:14:36 Speaker 08: spaces should be should

00:14:38 Speaker 08: support a variety of ages, abilities,

00:14:40 Speaker 08: and backgrounds. And the incorporation

00:14:43 Speaker 08: of crime prevention through environment sorry

00:14:46 Speaker 08: environmental design principles, including lighting and

00:14:47 Speaker 08: sightlines for safety, is encouraged. Seating

00:14:49 Speaker 08: options, shade structures. and weather protection

00:14:54 Speaker 08: for comfort are some of the

00:14:58 Speaker 08: features that should be included in

00:15:00 Speaker 08: the design of public spaces. Parking

00:15:03 Speaker 08: and circulation. The guidelines call for

00:15:06 Speaker 08: accessible parking spaces with clear pedestrian

00:15:10 Speaker 08: connections to entrances, designated pedestrian walkways

00:15:14 Speaker 08: in large parking areas using distinct

00:15:17 Speaker 08: pavers and landscaping. In regards to

00:15:20 Speaker 08: amenity areas, the guidelines recommend The

00:15:22 Speaker 08: guidelines require that outdoor amenity

00:15:24 Speaker 08: areas be safe, barrier-free, and directly

00:15:28 Speaker 08: accessible from main entrances, and that

00:15:33 Speaker 08: a variety of spaces, including communal

00:15:37 Speaker 08: areas, rooftop terraces, private balconies, for

00:15:39 Speaker 08: example, be included to accommodate different

00:15:42 Speaker 08: needs. Wayfinding and signage: the guidelines

00:15:44 Speaker 08: require that clear, legible signage be

00:15:50 Speaker 08: integrated within the building design, and

00:15:52 Speaker 08: that wayfinding aids for orientation in

00:15:54 Speaker 08: public spaces and employment areas

00:15:57 Speaker 08: be also included. In regards to

00:15:59 Speaker 08: universal design, there's an emphasis on

00:16:04 Speaker 08: age-friendly design and minimizing physical barriers.

00:16:05 Speaker 08: For example, multiple pedestrian entrances at

00:16:07 Speaker 08: street level for multi-tenant developments. It's

00:16:09 Speaker 08: important to note that in addition

00:16:11 Speaker 08: to the urban design guidelines,

00:16:14 Speaker 08: city planning staff will continue to

00:16:15 Speaker 08: apply the AODA checklist for. AOTA

00:16:18 Speaker 08: checklist for the design of public

00:16:19 Speaker 08: spaces standards, accessibility standards for

00:16:22 Speaker 08: the built environment to all site

00:16:25 Speaker 08: plan approval applications to ensure that

00:16:29 Speaker 08: site plans conform to the Accessibility

00:16:35 Speaker 08: for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, and

00:16:37 Speaker 08: the committee receives a summary of

00:16:39 Speaker 08: our site plans as they are

00:16:40 Speaker 08: completed. Finally, planning staff will provide

00:16:43 Speaker 08: these urban design guidelines to developers

00:16:45 Speaker 08: through the pre consultation. Developers through

00:16:50 Speaker 08: the preconsultations that processes that we

00:16:56 Speaker 08: do with each developer, and we

00:16:58 Speaker 08: work with the developers to implement

00:17:00 Speaker 08: the guidelines through the site plan

00:17:04 Speaker 08: approval process. Sorry. In regards to

00:17:05 Speaker 08: next steps, after we receive sort

00:17:08 Speaker 08: of comments from the committee, we

00:17:11 Speaker 08: will take the MHPC has been

00:17:13 Speaker 08: hired by the city to complete

00:17:18 Speaker 08: the process for us. They will

00:17:20 Speaker 08: provide. a recommendation report, which is

00:17:22 Speaker 08: anticipated in March 2026, followed by

00:17:30 Speaker 08: the amending bylaws in April of

00:17:37 Speaker 08: 2026. Thank you for your attention,

00:17:43 Speaker 08: and I'd be happy to answer

00:17:44 Speaker 09: any questions or comments. Thank you,

00:17:48 Speaker 09: Sabine. Does anyone have any comments

00:17:51 Speaker 09: for Sabine? Are any questions, Ursi?

00:17:52 Speaker 09: Yes, Kathy. Hi there. Thanks. That

00:17:57 Speaker 09: was a really good presentation, and

00:17:59 Speaker 09: I, I planning is very intricate,

00:18:05 Speaker 09: and it was tricky to go

00:18:08 Speaker 09: through the documents because they're very

00:18:10 Speaker 09: explicit. But I do have one

00:18:13 Speaker 09: question about EV charging stations, because

00:18:16 Speaker 08: they're. fairly new on the foreground,

00:18:21 Speaker 08: and some I've seen have been

00:18:22 Speaker 08: accessible, and some haven't, and I

00:18:24 Speaker 08: wondered if consideration has been given

00:18:28 Speaker 08: to that, and if so, what?

00:18:32 Speaker 08: Thank you for that comment. Actually,

00:18:34 Speaker 08: that's a very great comment that

00:18:37 Speaker 08: I'll definitely take back to MHBC.

00:18:39 Speaker 08: So you're right; EV charging stations

00:18:42 Speaker 08: will make their first appearance. to

00:18:44 Speaker 08: say, in our zoning bylaw with

00:18:49 Speaker 08: this sort of amendment. So we

00:18:52 Speaker 08: will require that a certain percent

00:18:56 Speaker 08: percentage of the required parking be

00:18:57 Speaker 08: in the form of EV charging

00:19:00 Speaker 08: parking stations. At this point, we

00:19:03 Speaker 08: don't have any accessible design for

00:19:07 Speaker 08: that, but that's something that I'll

00:19:09 Speaker 08: take back to the to the

00:19:12 Speaker 08: consultant and we'll look to. see

00:19:14 Speaker 08: if there's any accessible design standards

00:19:18 Speaker 08: that have been developed for EV

00:19:22 Speaker 09: parking stations by either other jurisdictions

00:19:23 Speaker 09: within Ontario or by AODA, so

00:19:26 Speaker 09: that we can include those as

00:19:28 Speaker 09: required in our in our policy

00:19:29 Speaker 09: update. Okay, thank you, Sabine, and

00:19:32 Speaker 09: also through you, Chair. I do

00:19:34 Speaker 09: have a couple of of examples

00:19:36 Speaker 09: that people have sent me, so

00:19:39 Speaker 09: I can. forward those along to

00:19:41 Speaker 09: you, and I think it's more

00:19:45 Speaker 09: like not that the charging station

00:19:48 Speaker 09: be in an accessible parking spot,

00:19:50 Speaker 09: but more that having to do

00:19:54 Speaker 05: with the cement curbs and things

00:19:57 Speaker 05: that provide an obstacle. So I'm

00:20:00 Speaker 05: happy to send that to you.

00:20:07 Speaker 05: Thank you so much, much appreciated.

00:20:10 Speaker 05: Yeah, my pleasure. Okay, thank you,

00:20:14 Speaker 05: Kathy. Anyone else have any? comments

00:20:18 Speaker 05: or questions for Sabina? No. Okay,

00:20:23 Speaker 05: thank you, Sabina. We appreciate your

00:20:27 Speaker 05: presentation. Thank you, committee. Yes. Thank

00:20:29 Speaker 05: you very much for your time.

00:20:32 Speaker 05: And I will ask the committee

00:20:39 Speaker 05: to go back to the motion,

00:20:41 Speaker 04: and if we. I'm gonna, we're

00:20:51 Speaker 04: not gonna repeat the motion. But

00:20:57 Speaker 04: as the motion was presented, all

00:21:08 Speaker 04: in favor. Is everyone in favor

00:21:11 Speaker 05: of the motion, Brooke? Yes. Ray.

00:21:13 Speaker 05: The audio now and mute. Yes.

00:21:14 Speaker 05: Okay, Andrew. Yes, Christina. Yes. Okay.

00:21:19 Speaker 05: Thanks, Christina. And all right. So,

00:21:22 Speaker 05: all in favor of the motion?

00:21:23 Speaker 05: So the motion is passed. I

00:21:26 Speaker 05: finally got off mute. Oh, great.

00:21:31 Speaker 05: Okay. Thanks, Ray. Thank you for

00:21:36 Speaker 05: the update. Okay. We will move

00:21:39 Speaker 05: on to the next item. on

00:21:45 Speaker 05: the agenda. That item is report,

00:21:49 Speaker 05: sorry, item number CSR-JAAC-04-26 site plan

00:21:52 Speaker 05: agreement for the handover early on

00:21:54 Speaker 05: build, and that will be presented

00:22:03 Speaker 05: by Amory Shaw, Director of Community

00:22:05 Speaker 05: Services, and I will present

00:22:08 Speaker 05: the motion that report. CSR-JAAC-04-26 on

00:22:11 Speaker 05: the redevelopment of the Hanover Early

00:22:14 Speaker 05: On Child and Family Center be

00:22:19 Speaker 05: received, and that the Gray County

00:22:27 Speaker 05: Joint Accessibility Advisory Committee provide review

00:22:28 Speaker 05: and comment on the proposed design.

00:22:34 Speaker 05: Can I have someone move the

00:22:40 Speaker 05: motion, please? Pamela, thank you, and

00:22:43 Speaker 05: a seconder. Andrew. You have your

00:22:46 Speaker 05: hand up. I'm assuming that that's

00:22:50 Speaker 10: seconding the motion. Okay. Pardon, Andrew.

00:22:53 Speaker 10: Yes. Okay. Thank you. All right.

00:22:54 Speaker 10: I will hand this over to

00:22:57 Speaker 10: Amarie Shaw, Director of Community Services.

00:23:02 Speaker 10: Good. afternoon, everyone, and thank you

00:23:06 Speaker 10: for allowing me to present. I

00:23:09 Speaker 10: am going to try and share

00:23:13 Speaker 10: my screen right now. And Marie

00:23:16 Speaker 10: started screen share. Perfect. So we

00:23:19 Speaker 10: are endeavoring to redevelop our Hanover

00:23:21 Speaker 10: Early On that is located in

00:23:23 Speaker 10: Hanover. It is not a childcare

00:23:25 Speaker 10: center; it is a family resource

00:23:27 Speaker 10: center. It provides programs for families

00:23:30 Speaker 10: and children from children from birth

00:23:31 Speaker 10: to six years of age. Parents

00:23:35 Speaker 10: and caregivers come to the center

00:23:37 Speaker 10: and they learn play. They meet

00:23:40 Speaker 10: with people and they can get

00:23:44 Speaker 10: advice from our early childhood professionals.

00:23:46 Speaker 10: It offers various programs on a

00:23:46 Speaker 10: from Monday to Friday and every

00:23:48 Speaker 10: other Saturday. It's drop-in programs. Some

00:23:51 Speaker 10: do may have a sign-up ahead

00:23:55 Speaker 10: of time depending on what it

00:23:58 Speaker 10: is. but the majority of the

00:24:00 Speaker 10: programs are sign in. It's a

00:24:02 Speaker 10: very interactive programs, and parents, and

00:24:04 Speaker 10: it promotes responsive adult child relationships.

00:24:06 Speaker 10: So the existing center that we

00:24:08 Speaker 10: have right now is located at

00:24:12 Speaker 10: five one five ninth Street in

00:24:14 Speaker 10: Hanover. It's a very well attended

00:24:17 Speaker 10: early on. One of our probably

00:24:20 Speaker 10: the best well attended in in

00:24:22 Speaker 10: in the county. In twenty twenty

00:24:24 Speaker 10: three, we had twenty five hundred.

00:24:26 Speaker 10: twenty five hundred visits that were

00:24:29 Speaker 10: made, and the only problem with

00:24:32 Speaker 10: it is it's lacking its aging

00:24:36 Speaker 10: infrastructure. It does have limited parking.

00:24:39 Speaker 10: It has a lack of accessibility,

00:24:42 Speaker 10: and it's not meeting our operating

00:24:45 Speaker 10: needs right now. So we have

00:24:48 Speaker 10: proposed to buy some land, which

00:24:52 Speaker 10: we have done, and build a

00:24:54 Speaker 10: more accessible and modern early on.

00:24:55 Speaker 10: so we did hire JPM Architectural

00:24:58 Speaker 10: Inc. They're out of Kingardon, and

00:25:01 Speaker 10: we've been working with them since

00:25:04 Speaker 10: August to come up with a

00:25:06 Speaker 10: design for a new early on

00:25:08 Speaker 10: building. It does have a number

00:25:11 Speaker 10: of accessible features. The building is

00:25:14 Speaker 10: all one level. It has accessible

00:25:17 Speaker 10: parking. There is no step to

00:25:21 Speaker 10: exit into the play area from

00:25:23 Speaker 10: the building. It has accessible. It

00:25:25 Speaker 10: has accept accessible entrance, large entry

00:25:28 Speaker 10: with storage for strollers, seats, and

00:25:30 Speaker 10: coats, wide hallways, large open play

00:25:31 Speaker 10: activity rooms, barrier-free washroom. One washroom

00:25:32 Speaker 10: does have a change table, and

00:25:35 Speaker 10: it does have adjustable lighting. And

00:25:37 Speaker 10: I will just give you an

00:25:39 Speaker 10: example of what it looks like.

00:25:41 Speaker 10: So, if you're looking at the

00:25:43 Speaker 10: right-hand side, if you're heading in

00:25:44 Speaker 10: the vestibule area, you'll note on

00:25:50 Speaker 10: the left side there is a

00:25:52 Speaker 10: very large area there for. storage.

00:25:54 Speaker 10: That's not just storage. That's storage

00:25:58 Speaker 10: of people coming in. So for

00:26:00 Speaker 10: their coats, any backpacks, any strollers,

00:26:02 Speaker 10: anything like that could be stored

00:26:04 Speaker 10: there. As I said before, the

00:26:07 Speaker 10: corridors are wide, and the play

00:26:11 Speaker 10: area has no obstacles or anything

00:26:13 Speaker 10: in that. Any of the storage

00:26:15 Speaker 10: and whatnot are are attached to

00:26:17 Speaker 10: the wall and on the side.

00:26:20 Speaker 10: We do have a barrier-free washroom,

00:26:21 Speaker 10: which is available open for everyone,

00:26:23 Speaker 10: and then we also have a

00:26:25 Speaker 10: washroom just off side play activity

00:26:28 Speaker 10: activity room number one that has

00:26:31 Speaker 10: a change table in it. You'll

00:26:33 Speaker 10: note at the top of the

00:26:35 Speaker 10: screen there is a covered yard,

00:26:38 Speaker 10: and there is an accessible entry

00:26:40 Speaker 10: in and out to the covered

00:26:43 Speaker 10: yard. And then I can also

00:26:46 Speaker 10: show you a little bit of

00:26:49 Speaker 10: the design on the outside of

00:26:52 Speaker 10: the building. we are looking at

00:26:55 Speaker 10: accessible parking up front. There are

00:26:56 Speaker 10: wide two double doors into the

00:27:05 Speaker 10: building, and lots of space and

00:27:07 Speaker 10: access around it. So, I would

00:27:10 Speaker 10: be happy to answer any questions

00:27:13 Speaker 10: and open for any suggestions.

00:27:28 Speaker 05: I'd

00:27:31 Speaker 05: love to hear your feedback. Yes,

00:27:34 Speaker 11: Pamela. Yes, I was just. wondering

00:27:43 Speaker 11: what the entranceway doors are. Is

00:27:45 Speaker 11: there an automatic door, or? Yes,

00:27:48 Speaker 11: it will be automatic door. Any

00:27:52 Speaker 11: other questions or comments for Anne

00:27:57 Speaker 09: Marie from the committee? No. Yeah,

00:28:02 Speaker 09: I think the design of the

00:28:06 Speaker 09: of the building is is points

00:28:09 Speaker 09: out a lot of the accessibility

00:28:14 Speaker 09: features. Oh, and Kathy. Thanks. I

00:28:17 Speaker 09: couldn't find my button. Tan. The

00:28:21 Speaker 09: only thing that I. wanted to

00:28:25 Speaker 09: add, because it it's an excellent

00:28:28 Speaker 09: report and really great floor plan

00:28:32 Speaker 09: and presentation. We do receive a

00:28:33 Speaker 09: lot of communication about barrier free

00:28:36 Speaker 09: washrooms and accessible washrooms, and just

00:28:38 Speaker 09: a note to make sure that

00:28:41 Speaker 09: where the handrails get placed makes

00:28:42 Speaker 09: sense. because I have had a

00:28:46 Speaker 05: lot of other projects where that's

00:28:48 Speaker 05: been something that hasn't actually been

00:28:53 Speaker 05: done in the best way. So

00:28:55 Speaker 05: just ahead of doing anything, just

00:28:56 Speaker 05: to throw that out there. Great,

00:28:58 Speaker 05: thanks, Kathy. I'll make notes. Yes,

00:29:01 Speaker 05: thanks, Kathy and Pam. Pam, thank

00:29:05 Speaker 12: thank you. And through the chair,

00:29:07 Speaker 12: just a couple of notes, Anne

00:29:10 Speaker 12: Marie. And there's likely a more

00:29:12 Speaker 12: detailed site plan. This one looks

00:29:15 Speaker 12: a little bit a. This one

00:29:17 Speaker 12: looks a little bit illustrative, but

00:29:20 Speaker 12: on the edge of the barrier-free

00:29:22 Speaker 12: parking space closest to the building,

00:29:23 Speaker 12: it looks like there's a double-lined

00:29:28 Speaker 12: curb, which sometimes means a barrier,

00:29:31 Speaker 12: like a barrier curb. So you'll,

00:29:32 Speaker 12: you maybe just want to check

00:29:35 Speaker 12: that you're not creating a barrier

00:29:37 Speaker 12: to your front entrance. And it

00:29:40 Speaker 12: looks like you have a really

00:29:42 Speaker 12: great accessible front entrance. and mentioned

00:29:45 Speaker 12: automatic doors, and I just wondered.

00:29:47 Speaker 12: There's it looks like there's two

00:29:48 Speaker 12: maybe bollards. If that curb is

00:29:50 Speaker 12: a drop curb along the front

00:29:52 Speaker 12: building entrance, it looks like there's

00:29:54 Speaker 12: two bollards. Just making sure that

00:29:57 Speaker 12: you have again 1.5 meters around

00:29:59 Speaker 12: that bollard so that you're not

00:30:03 Speaker 12: creating sort of a pinch point.

00:30:04 Speaker 12: But it's I can't read the

00:30:05 Speaker 12: dimensions on the plan, so it

00:30:09 Speaker 12: may be just fine. And then

00:30:12 Speaker 12: just I wonder about. whether you

00:30:15 Speaker 12: might need a like a tactile

00:30:16 Speaker 12: walking surface indicator right at that

00:30:18 Speaker 12: front entrance, but it's something you

00:30:20 Speaker 12: could maybe check with the architect

00:30:22 Speaker 12: on. Excellent, thanks, Pam. I'll take

00:30:24 Speaker 12: those back. You're welcome. Yeah, good

00:30:27 Speaker 13: point, Pam. And one of the

00:30:30 Speaker 13: things that I was going to

00:30:34 Speaker 13: just mention, sort of in the

00:30:36 Speaker 13: long lines of what Kathy Nuno

00:30:39 Speaker 13: has said, one of the things

00:30:42 Speaker 13: that I find that gets missed.

00:30:44 Speaker 13: quite often in accessible washrooms is

00:30:47 Speaker 13: making sure that the pipes under

00:30:49 Speaker 13: the sink are wrapped, or they've

00:30:52 Speaker 13: got some kind of insulation around

00:30:54 Speaker 13: them. That is really important. I

00:30:55 Speaker 13: see so many brand new buildings,

00:30:57 Speaker 13: and I you know look walk

00:31:01 Speaker 13: into the accessible washroom, and that

00:31:04 Speaker 13: there we are. The pipes are

00:31:06 Speaker 13: exposed, and it's it's extremely important

00:31:08 Speaker 13: that those are. covered. I know

00:31:11 Speaker 13: it's a very small detail when

00:31:13 Speaker 13: you're looking at a build, but

00:31:16 Speaker 13: it is something that under the

00:31:18 Speaker 13: AODA we do have to have

00:31:27 Speaker 13: some concern around. Perfect. Thank you.

00:31:29 Speaker 13: Wanted to point that out. And

00:31:30 Speaker 13: Christina has a comment or question.

00:31:31 Speaker 13: So thank you. Can you just

00:31:32 Speaker 13: zoom in on the bathroom, the

00:31:35 Speaker 13: accessible bathroom, for a second? Hey.

00:31:37 Speaker 13: Anne Marie, at the top of

00:31:39 Speaker 13: the screen, there where it says

00:31:43 Speaker 13: page three of six, just to

00:31:44 Speaker 13: the left, there's a plus and

00:31:47 Speaker 13: minus. You can click the plus,

00:31:50 Speaker 13: and it should zoom in there.

00:31:53 Speaker 13: Yeah, I don't have plus three

00:31:55 Speaker 13: of six on mine anymore because

00:31:57 Speaker 13: I'm sharing. Okay. Let me try.

00:31:58 Speaker 13: There we go. Here we go.

00:32:00 Speaker 13: There we go. So the barrier-free

00:32:01 Speaker 13: washroom, Christina. Yeah, I was. just

00:32:03 Speaker 13: looking. So, ironically enough, about two

00:32:04 Speaker 13: weeks ago, I was in a

00:32:08 Speaker 13: hospital and I ended up in

00:32:09 Speaker 13: a bathroom, which they were like,

00:32:11 Speaker 13: "Oh, this is the wheelchair accessible

00:32:12 Speaker 13: one." And I was like, "Oh,

00:32:14 Speaker 13: a the hand dryer is too

00:32:18 Speaker 13: high on the wall. B, you

00:32:21 Speaker 13: know, the garbage is a is

00:32:24 Speaker 13: a panel in the wall, which

00:32:26 Speaker 13: is not reachable. And then you

00:32:26 Speaker 13: just look at the people who

00:32:28 Speaker 13: like they have the option of

00:32:30 Speaker 13: hand dryer and and or paper."

00:32:32 Speaker 13: or they put the garbage can

00:32:33 Speaker 13: right underneath the gar, like underneath

00:32:35 Speaker 13: the hand dryer. And so I

00:32:36 Speaker 13: wasn't sure if that was actually

00:32:39 Speaker 13: on there, which it doesn't look

00:32:41 Speaker 13: like it is, and that's fine.

00:32:42 Speaker 13: But I was just out of

00:32:43 Speaker 13: curiosity because then you kind of

00:32:45 Speaker 13: just wonder where some of those

00:32:47 Speaker 13: things are going to end up

00:32:48 Speaker 13: and aren't really actually accessible at

00:32:51 Speaker 13: all. So I just wasn't sure

00:32:52 Speaker 13: if it was on there because

00:32:54 Speaker 13: I was trying to look, but

00:32:54 Speaker 13: glasses were not quite that good.

00:32:56 Speaker 13: But those are future things for

00:33:00 Speaker 13: people to. look at because I

00:33:02 Speaker 13: know even in the town where

00:33:04 Speaker 13: I live, there's a few places

00:33:05 Speaker 13: where you go and the hand

00:33:07 Speaker 13: dryer is way too high. Like

00:33:08 Speaker 13: someone in a wheelchair can't they

00:33:11 Speaker 13: can't hold their hands up that

00:33:13 Speaker 13: high. Or and it is also

00:33:16 Speaker 13: a kids' washroom, right? So I

00:33:19 Speaker 13: have seen places where they have

00:33:20 Speaker 13: two hand dryers. So they have

00:33:26 Speaker 13: one that's higher and one that's

00:33:29 Speaker 13: lower for kids. Those kind of

00:33:32 Speaker 14: things. And then watching the placement

00:33:34 Speaker 14: of the garbage can. Just little

00:33:38 Speaker 14: simple things. Awesome, thank you very

00:33:43 Speaker 14: much. I'll take those back. Yeah,

00:33:46 Speaker 14: good point, Christina. Anyone else have

00:33:52 Speaker 10: any comments or questions for Anne

00:33:54 Speaker 10: Marie? Yes, I assume that you're

00:33:56 Speaker 10: talking the pipes under the sink

00:33:58 Speaker 10: in regard to hot water and

00:33:59 Speaker 10: burning. Could those water pipes not

00:34:01 Speaker 10: be right in the wall rather

00:34:04 Speaker 10: than under the sink. And I

00:34:05 Speaker 10: don't think on the drawing here

00:34:07 Speaker 10: we have them labeled as to

00:34:13 Speaker 10: where they are. I think it

00:34:16 Speaker 05: was just a suggestion that if

00:34:22 Speaker 05: they are exposed, that we definitely

00:34:23 Speaker 05: should have them wrapped. But yes,

00:34:27 Speaker 05: I would agree. I would prefer

00:34:30 Speaker 05: them in the wall too. Comment,

00:34:31 Speaker 05: right? Anyone else? have any comments

00:34:34 Speaker 05: or questions for Anne Marie? No.

00:34:36 Speaker 05: Okay. Thank you, Anne Marie, for

00:34:46 Speaker 05: presenting to the committee today. Greatly

00:34:47 Speaker 05: appreciate it. Thank you very much.

00:34:51 Speaker 05: Okay. Thank you. I'm now going

00:34:52 Speaker 05: to move to the approval of

00:34:55 Speaker 05: the motion, and all in favor

00:34:57 Speaker 05: of the motion as presented. Yes.

00:35:00 Speaker 05: Yes. Yes. Thank you, everyone. Thank

00:35:04 Speaker 05: you very much. The motion is

00:35:08 Speaker 05: carried. All right. So we'll now

00:35:12 Speaker 05: move on to the next item

00:35:14 Speaker 05: on the agenda, which is the

00:35:17 Speaker 05: Gray Highlands Progress Report by Jackie

00:35:21 Speaker 05: Groves, the HR Manager, and I

00:35:22 Speaker 05: will present the motion that the

00:35:26 Speaker 05: 2025 Gray Highlands Accessibility Progress Report

00:35:29 Speaker 05: be. received for information, and can

00:35:32 Speaker 15: I get a mover? I'll move

00:35:36 Speaker 15: that. Okay, thanks, Ray, and the

00:35:41 Speaker 15: seconder, Pamela. Oh, I think Pamela

00:35:44 Speaker 15: had her hand up first. Okay,

00:35:48 Speaker 15: Pamela. All right, and I will

00:35:53 Speaker 15: now hand this over to Jackie

00:35:56 Speaker 15: Groves. Thank you so much. I

00:36:00 Speaker 15: think a standard report, basically outlining

00:36:02 Speaker 15: what. sort of progress we have

00:36:05 Speaker 15: made in the year 2025? Items

00:36:07 Speaker 15: that we have been looking at,

00:36:15 Speaker 05: working towards, and planning as part

00:36:19 Speaker 05: of our multi-year accessibility plan from

00:36:22 Speaker 05: 2023 to 2027. This is just

00:36:29 Speaker 05: one of our periodic updates to

00:36:32 Speaker 05: the committee, with some of the

00:36:34 Speaker 05: items that you would have seen

00:36:38 Speaker 05: throughout the year as. well. So,

00:36:42 Speaker 05: thank you, Jackie. And does anyone

00:36:45 Speaker 05: have any comments or questions for

00:36:48 Speaker 05: Jackie with regards to the report?

00:36:51 Speaker 05: No, nothing from the committee members.

00:36:53 Speaker 05: Okay, Jackie. I thank you very

00:36:59 Speaker 05: much for your update. Thank you.

00:37:01 Speaker 05: Report. Yeah, it's very well written.

00:37:04 Speaker 09: Thank you. Okay, we'll move on

00:37:05 Speaker 09: to the next item. It's correspondence,

00:37:08 Speaker 09: which there is no correspondence to

00:37:10 Speaker 09: report. And under item number seven,

00:37:13 Speaker 09: other business, funding opportunity links, and

00:37:17 Speaker 09: I believe this could be Kathy

00:37:19 Speaker 09: Nuno. Yeah, I think Chair Schultz,

00:37:24 Speaker 09: that's you're right. Chair Schultz,

00:37:27 Speaker 09: you're right on the money. Yes,

00:37:31 Speaker 09: thank you. Speaking about money, there's

00:37:33 Speaker 09: money to be had. So, this

00:37:37 Speaker 09: is probably most interest to the

00:37:40 Speaker 09: municipal members. There's a few funding

00:37:44 Speaker 09: things that are available.

00:37:46 Speaker 09: The Rick Hansen Foundation funding. It

00:37:51 Speaker 09: says for schools, municipalities, community

00:37:54 Speaker 09: groups, or non-profits. The application deadline

00:37:58 Speaker 09: is March 15th. There's 40 grants.

00:38:01 Speaker 09: available for up to $40,000, and

00:38:04 Speaker 09: you can do things like accessible

00:38:06 Speaker 09: play spaces, improved parking and exterior

00:38:10 Speaker 09: access, interior accessibility improvements for community

00:38:14 Speaker 09: facilities and workspaces, elevators and lifts,

00:38:18 Speaker 09: accessible washrooms and showers, accessible kitchens,

00:38:21 Speaker 09: cafeterias and eating spaces, emergency response

00:38:23 Speaker 09: and safety improvements, and improved. And

00:38:25 Speaker 09: improvements to park trails and marine

00:38:27 Speaker 09: access. So I think there's some

00:38:32 Speaker 09: good opportunity here, just to you

00:38:35 Speaker 09: know ramp up, so to speak,

00:38:39 Speaker 09: our removal of barriers everywhere. The

00:38:41 Speaker 09: next one is the Ontario Trillium

00:38:44 Speaker 09: Foundation capital grant, and that deadline

00:38:49 Speaker 09: is March 4th. It seems to

00:38:50 Speaker 09: be a bit more of a

00:38:54 Speaker 09: robust application process. There are like

00:38:58 Speaker 09: pre-meetings and things like that to

00:39:02 Speaker 09: have in order to figure out

00:39:04 Speaker 09: how you're going to submit

00:39:07 Speaker 09: your application to improve physical

00:39:11 Speaker 09: spaces for community use, and that

00:39:13 Speaker 09: that is ten thousand to two

00:39:15 Speaker 09: hundred thousand. So I mean, there's

00:39:17 Speaker 09: some good opportunity there. And the

00:39:19 Speaker 09: last one is really more. of

00:39:23 Speaker 07: a collaborative project, so probably less

00:39:27 Speaker 07: opportunity. But it's an Ontario Trillium

00:39:30 Speaker 07: Foundation, Ontario Trillium Foundation Youth Opportunities

00:39:32 Speaker 07: Fund, to support collaborative projects led

00:39:35 Speaker 07: by youth and families to improve

00:39:37 Speaker 07: the well-being of communities. So good

00:39:41 Speaker 07: luck to everybody. I hope you

00:39:45 Speaker 07: apply, and I hope you're successful.

00:39:47 Speaker 07: Thank you, Kathy. Great information and

00:39:49 Speaker 07: good resources. too. Okay, so the

00:39:51 Speaker 07: next item is the next meeting

00:39:54 Speaker 07: date will be April the second

00:40:00 Speaker 07: at two p.m. And if anyone

00:40:04 Speaker 07: has no other questions or comments

00:40:07 Speaker 07: to make, I would then propose

00:40:10 Speaker 07: adjournment. Do we need a motion

00:40:13 Speaker 07: to adjourn, Kathy? Yes. Okay. I

00:40:14 Speaker 07: always forget that one. I can

00:40:16 Speaker 07: do that one. Okay. Thanks, Brooke.

00:40:18 Speaker 07: Thank you for moving it and

00:40:20 Speaker 07: assigning. Thank you for moving it,

00:40:24 Speaker 07: and a seconder. Sure. Ray, Ray,

00:40:25 Speaker 07: or Christine. Sure. All right. Thanks,

00:40:28 Speaker 07: Christine. Anyway, and all in favor

00:40:32 Speaker 07: of adjourning the meeting? Yes. Okay.

00:40:36 Speaker 07: Thank you very much, and it was great to see everyone again. And I had said it earlier, but not everybody was on the meeting. Happy New Year to everybody. Happy twenty twenty six. 2026. Yes, let's hope it's a great year. It's gonna be. It will be. Yes. What do you say? Good, good, positive attitude, right? All right. Thanks, everyone. See you later.