Grey County County Council Meeting Transcript — March 26, 2026

00:00:07 Andrea Matrosovs: Good morning, County Council.

00:00:09 Andrea Matrosovs: I would like to call to order this County Council agenda of March twenty-six, twenty twenty-six.

00:00:15 Andrea Matrosovs: At this point in time, as you are able, please rise and join us in the singing of "O Canada."

00:00:29 SPEAKER_237: O Canada, our home and native land, true patriot love in all of us command.

00:00:45 SPEAKER_238: With glowing hearts, we see thee rise, the true North, strong and free, from far and wide, O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

00:01:03 SPEAKER_238: God keep our land glorious and free.

00:01:12 SPEAKER_238: O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

00:01:21 SPEAKER_238: O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

00:01:38 Andrea Matrosovs: Thank you, Madam Clerk.

00:01:39 Andrea Matrosovs: Could you please conduct our roll call?

00:01:45 Tara Warder: Councillor Mackie.

00:01:47 Tara Warder: Councillor McKay.

00:01:48 Tara Warder: Councillor Carleton, Councillor Pringle, Councillor McQueen, Councillor Nielsen, Councillor Patterson, Councillor Dickert, Councillor Kentner, Councillor Kewney, Councillor Body, Councillor Gregg, Councillor Mill, President, Councillor Debrine, President, Warden Matrasovs, Councillor Bourdinon.

00:02:13 Tara Warder: I don't believe we are expecting today.

00:02:15 Tara Warder: Councillor Eccles, counted for.

00:02:18 Tara Warder: Councillor Hutchinson.

00:02:19 Tara Warder: We have all members in attendance today, with the exception of Councillor Bourdinon.

00:02:25 Tara Warder: Thank you, Madam Clerk.

00:02:28 Andrea Matrosovs: Let us begin by respectfully acknowledging that we are gathering on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabek Nation, the people of the three fires known as the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi nations, and further, we give thanks to the Chippewas of Saugeen and the Chippewas of Nawash, known collectively as the Saugeen Ojibwe Nation, the traditional keepers of these lands and waters since time immemorial.

00:02:54 Andrea Matrosovs: In our south lies the traditional territories of the Six Nations of the Grand River and the Haudenosaunee.

00:03:00 Andrea Matrosovs: We are dedicated to honoring Indigenous history and culture, and committed to moving forward in the spirit of truth, reconciliation, and friendship with all First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people.

00:03:17 Andrea Matrosovs: And as land acknowledgments are to be personal, I want to add on.

00:03:24 Andrea Matrosovs: I want to share with you in this past month something remarkable that I think has happened.

00:03:31 Andrea Matrosovs: First of all, I want to thank the Deputy Warden who took on the chair so that I could be absent during the previous council meeting, in order to attend two very significant First Nations events.

00:03:44 Andrea Matrosovs: I also want to thank the past, the deputy warden as past warden, for the pathway that he laid ahead of me in this chair towards truth, reconciliation, and friendship, and the understanding that those words have to have action behind them.

00:03:59 Andrea Matrosovs: So during that week, I attended the eighth fire conference down in Sarnia, hosted by the First Nations there, to learn more about how we walk together in this pathway of reconciliation.

00:04:13 Andrea Matrosovs: I learned so much and was so welcomed.

00:04:17 Andrea Matrosovs: I then spent the rest of that week here, very close to home, with the Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Network, to be able to walk there and understand the two-eyed way of seeing things, and how we have an ethical responsibility to walk together as we do, learning from each other.

00:04:40 Andrea Matrosovs: So this month, CAO Schurzler and I, this week, were invited for the very first time for Grey County to come and to present, invited by the Chippewa of Nawash Council, to come to their meeting and to talk about collaboration.

00:04:58 Andrea Matrosovs: We discussed the transit project and how we might collaborate so that both our residents of Grey County as well as our sister county, Bruce County, who was also present, and how their nation's people and their residents could be able to benefit from collaboration together.

00:05:16 Andrea Matrosovs: It was an honor to be invited there to be able to work on that, and we are excited about the steps that they have asked us to be able to do together.

00:05:27 Andrea Matrosovs: We have been doing a great job at walking through this, learning through our museum, through the work that we have been doing, walking and learning about how we can continue the invitations, continue to invite the Chippewas of Nawash and the Chippewas of Saugeen to participate in this pathway.

00:05:46 Andrea Matrosovs: But it was a first for us to be able to be formally invited to their council, to be able to discuss collaboration at their invitation, and that doesn't just happen spontaneously.

00:05:58 Andrea Matrosovs: It's going to be generations of walking, truth, and reconciliation and friendship.

00:06:03 Andrea Matrosovs: But I am so pleased by the work that we've been doing together to say that we can add to this in the spirit of truth, reconciliation, friendship, and collaboration with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people.

00:06:18 Andrea Matrosovs: So thank you.

00:06:19 Andrea Matrosovs: It was a pleasure to be able to be moved, not just by the words that we say each and every council meeting, which have deep and profound meaning to me when I speak them, but to be able, on my own pathway to understanding, be able to see how much more we can do together.

00:06:40 Andrea Matrosovs: So with that, I would like to move on to the adoption of the minutes.

00:06:45 Andrea Matrosovs: It's recommended that the minutes of County Council meeting and the committee of the whole meeting, dated March twelfth, twenty twenty six, and the resolutions contained therein, be adopted as presented.

00:06:55 Andrea Matrosovs: May I ask for a mover and a seconder?

00:06:58 Andrea Matrosovs: Moved by Councillor Dickert, seconded by Councillor McKay.

00:07:01 Andrea Matrosovs: Any discussion?

00:07:04 Andrea Matrosovs: All those in favor?

00:07:06 Andrea Matrosovs: And that motion is carried.

00:07:08 Andrea Matrosovs: Next, we have.

00:07:10 Andrea Matrosovs: It is recommended that the long-term care committee of management meetings dated March 19, 2026, that the long-term care committee committee of long-term care committee of management meeting minutes dated March 19 be adopted as presented, and the following resolutions contained therein be endorsed, and they have been listed and posted.

00:07:29 Andrea Matrosovs: There are ten different items that are in front of you today.

00:07:33 Andrea Matrosovs: I'll ask for a mover and a seconder.

00:07:35 Andrea Matrosovs: Moved by Councillor Kewney, seconded by Councillor Hutchinson.

00:07:38 Andrea Matrosovs: It's now on the floor for discussion.

00:07:40 Andrea Matrosovs: Welcome, Director Cornell.

00:07:41 Andrea Matrosovs: Thank you, Warden Matrasovs, and good morning, County Council.

00:07:46 Jennifer Cornell: As the Warden has indicated, Council is asked to receive for information the long-term care committee of management updates and endorse the related recommendations.

00:08:00 Jennifer Cornell: Operations across the three long-term care homes remains stable, with continued progress on quality, workforce development, and capital priorities.

00:08:10 Jennifer Cornell: Key highlights from the meeting and the discussions include successful implementation of the inter-rye assessment system, completion of annual influenza vaccination campaigns, and advancement of the dementia care programming across all three homes.

00:08:26 Jennifer Cornell: And I know it's been discussed at the horseshoe before, but I can't waste an opportunity to discuss it again.

00:08:35 Jennifer Cornell: So I'd like to highlight a significant event that happened in early March, with an announcement, an echo announcement, and a visit to Lee Manor.

00:08:46 Jennifer Cornell: MPP Vickers, Parliamentary Assistant Don Gallagher Murphy, she's a Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Long-Term Care, the Deputy Warden, and others.

00:08:56 Jennifer Cornell: The deputy warden and others attended Lee Manor to announce and celebrate Lee Manor being one of the 17 homes in the province to receive the improving dementia care funding.

00:09:04 Jennifer Cornell: And all month there have been extensive training and education happening.

00:09:13 Jennifer Cornell: Over 245 team members are doing a number of different training, including everyone is attending a full day education at Sydenham.

00:09:24 Jennifer Cornell: So I'll be leaving shortly after council to go over and participate in that.

00:09:31 Jennifer Cornell: The I think it's the seventh of eight full day training days.

00:09:36 Jennifer Cornell: And something that PA Gallagher Murphy mentioned in her comments was something that was really important that I somehow missed in the original announcements.

00:09:49 Jennifer Cornell: So there were over 175 proposals submitted, and Lee Manor was selected as one of 17 to receive the funding.

00:09:58 Jennifer Cornell: Of those 17, there are five emotion-based models of care that are being funded with that money.

00:10:05 Jennifer Cornell: So 17 homes are doing one of five models.

00:10:09 Jennifer Cornell: A number of them are implementing Butterfly, the Butterfly model, which is a trademarked emotion-based model of care.

00:10:17 Jennifer Cornell: A number of them are implementing Eden Alternative and Dimensionality, and the other two models are Grey County Color Your Way as a model of care, and Durham Region has a similar homegrown model of care that's been endorsed by the province.

00:10:35 Jennifer Cornell: Just to really highlight that Grey County Long Term Care is leading the way in emotion-based model of care, motion-based model of care, and has been for over a decade, and it's a huge acknowledgement of the work that the teams and all of the staff are doing in all three of our homes to be recognized in that way by the province as an official model of care.

00:10:57 Jennifer Cornell: So that's pretty exciting.

00:10:59 Jennifer Cornell: Thank you.

00:11:04 Jennifer Cornell: As part of the home's ongoing accreditation journey, the annual reports have been completed and reflect the significant work and many achievements of the long-term care department throughout 2025.

00:11:17 Jennifer Cornell: I encourage everyone to seek out those reports.

00:11:21 Jennifer Cornell: They're embedded in the reports.

00:11:24 Jennifer Cornell: They're also featured on the long-term care pages of our website, and they highlight staff leadership, quality improvement, and continued commitment to resident-centered care.

00:11:33 Jennifer Cornell: And we all live in a very fast-paced environment these days.

00:11:38 Jennifer Cornell: I don't think it.

00:11:40 Jennifer Cornell: We thought it was fast before the pandemic, and then it got really fast, and it just hasn't slowed down.

00:11:45 Jennifer Cornell: So it's good to take a minute and reflect on what's happened in the year prior before we just move on to the next project and the next achievement.

00:11:55 Jennifer Cornell: So I encourage you to go and have a look at that.

00:11:58 Jennifer Cornell: Several capital and infrastructure items were advanced to support resident safety and care quality, including approval to proceed with a request for proposal for a nurse call system replacement at Grey Gables and Lee Manor, funded through reprioritized 2026 capital projects.

00:12:17 Jennifer Cornell: Construction of the new Rockwood Terrace continues to progress toward key milestones, supporting future service delivery needs, and that's a very high level summary of those ten items.

00:12:28 Andrea Matrosovs: And I'm happy to take any questions if there are any.

00:12:34 Andrea Matrosovs: Okay, thank you.

00:12:35 Andrea Matrosovs: Yes, there may be some questions because there was quite a lot to cover.

00:12:38 Andrea Matrosovs: But I do appreciate you sharing that great news, and it's amazing to think that one of the made in Grey practices that we have is something that might be utilized and might be uplifted and shared across the province because of the great work that's happening here.

00:12:53 Andrea Matrosovs: So indeed, that is something to celebrate.

00:12:56 Andrea Matrosovs: With that, are there any questions from committee from council members?

00:13:01 Andrea Matrosovs: We'll go to Councillor Greg.

00:13:07 Hillary Thurston: Thank you for the opportunity.

00:13:08 Hillary Thurston: One easy question: You note the nurse call replacement for Grey Gables.

00:13:13 Hillary Thurston: I presume it's a scalable system.

00:13:15 Hillary Thurston: Should, in the next three to five, seven years, Grey Gables be expanded, that we would not hit any roadblocks.

00:13:24 Jennifer Cornell: Thank you, through you, Warden and Matrosov.

00:13:27 Jennifer Cornell: Good question.

00:13:28 Jennifer Cornell: The intention originally has been to have a similar system to the Rockwood Terrace system, and you'll see that kind of embedded in the report.

00:13:40 Jennifer Cornell: So we're hoping to be able to achieve that.

00:13:42 Jennifer Cornell: We may not be able to achieve that through the same vendor, depending on how things shake out with the RFP.

00:13:50 Jennifer Cornell: Those systems are scalable, and I'll maybe look to Jody if there's any more kind of specific details.

00:13:56 Jennifer Cornell: I would suggest that in seven years we might be starting to look at either expanding the system that's in place to new technology.

00:14:05 Jennifer Cornell: Technology is changing so fast.

00:14:07 Jennifer Cornell: But three to five years, it would be expandable, and probably by seven or ten, we're looking at the systems broadly to see if they still meet the needs based on what new technology exists.

00:14:21 Andrea Matrosovs: Okay, I'll just look online, look around the room.

00:14:24 Andrea Matrosovs: I don't see any further hands up, so we have it moved and seconded.

00:14:28 Andrea Matrosovs: We've had a chance to hear from Director Cornell, so I'll call the question.

00:14:31 Andrea Matrosovs: All those in favor?

00:14:33 Andrea Matrosovs: And that motion is carried.

00:14:35 Andrea Matrosovs: Thank you.

00:14:40 Andrea Matrosovs: And we do not have any closed matter meetings nor reports.

00:14:43 Andrea Matrosovs: We can move to the bylaws.

00:14:44 Andrea Matrosovs: It's recommended that bylaws 52-74-26, 52-75-26, and 52-76-26 be introduced and taken as read a first, second, and third time.

00:14:55 Andrea Matrosovs: Finally passed, signed by the warden and the clerk, sealed with the seal of the corporation, and engrossed into the bylaw book.

00:15:02 Andrea Matrosovs: The first one is bylaw 52-74-26, a bylaw to approve and authorize the expropriation of a portion of land.

00:15:11 Andrea Matrosovs: Of a portion of lands within the municipality of Grey Highlands, County of Grey.

00:15:13 Andrea Matrosovs: Next is 52-75-26, a bylaw to authorize the disposition of certain lands in the City of Owen Sound, as described in Schedule A, Lot 50, and 52-76-26, a bylaw to confirm all actions and proceedings of the Council.

00:15:29 Andrea Matrosovs: May I ask for a mover and a seconder?

00:15:32 Andrea Matrosovs: I've got a move by Councillor Body, seconded by Councillor Patterson.

00:15:36 Andrea Matrosovs: Any discussion?

00:15:38 Andrea Matrosovs: All those in favor?

00:15:39 Andrea Matrosovs: And that motion is carried.

00:15:42 Andrea Matrosovs: News and celebrations.

00:15:45 Andrea Matrosovs: I believe we are going to.

00:15:48 Andrea Matrosovs: Okay, we'll start with Director Myers.

00:15:51 Andrea Matrosovs: Did you want to begin, and then I'll move it out to the Council?

00:16:00 Savanna Myers: Thank you so much.

00:16:03 Savanna Myers: Good morning.

00:16:04 Savanna Myers: County Council.

00:16:05 Savanna Myers: I have two items to share with you this morning.

00:16:08 Savanna Myers: The first is great news around the team great MOU.

00:16:12 Savanna Myers: As of last Wednesday, I am happy to report that we have endorsement from all nine member municipalities.

00:16:17 Savanna Myers: So our thanks to you.

00:16:19 Savanna Myers: Staff are already excited to get working on it.

00:16:22 Savanna Myers: We've got templates and work plans and everything underway now, so that we can begin documenting and tracking and reporting on the progress that we make together jointly through this shared collaborative framework.

00:16:31 Savanna Myers: So thank you to all in that first quarter to have approval from all nine.

00:16:35 Savanna Myers: It was phenomenal.

00:16:37 Savanna Myers: And the second good news that we have is that the Cruise and Connect networking event is coming back.

00:16:43 Savanna Myers: So that is where we take over the Chichimeon for a night.

00:16:45 Savanna Myers: April 23rd is the date that we have tickets went on sale yesterday.

00:16:49 Savanna Myers: So we encourage any of your staff, any of your businesses, community leaders.

00:16:54 Savanna Myers: It is a great networking opportunity where you really can't leave because you're on a boat going for a lovely tour, and we have networking opportunities.

00:17:02 Savanna Myers: We have lots of refreshments.

00:17:05 Savanna Myers: All of the staff are really there to make sure that everybody feels welcome, engaged, and gets to know a new face throughout the course of the night.

00:17:11 Savanna Myers: So, information is now online.

00:17:14 Savanna Myers: It's on social media.

00:17:15 Savanna Myers: Tickets are available, and they're already starting to sell quickly, which is great.

00:17:17 Savanna Myers: We sell out every year. 350 is our capacity on the Chichimán on the 23rd of April.

00:17:23 Savanna Myers: So, thank you so much.

00:17:27 Andrea Matrosovs: Excellent, and indeed, in addition to being very fruitful to be there for the networking and the workshops that are actually being presented right there on the boat, it's also a lot of fun.

00:17:36 Paul Mcqueen: So, yes, we'll go to Councillor McQueen.

00:17:42 Paul Mcqueen: Just a question: Can you give us a bit more?

00:17:44 Paul Mcqueen: Is there cost to it, or is it just sign up, or is there details on it?

00:17:47 Paul Mcqueen: I've never been on it.

00:17:49 Paul Mcqueen: Excellent.

00:17:50 Paul Mcqueen: Sorry.

00:17:50 Paul Mcqueen: Yes.

00:17:50 Paul Mcqueen: Good question.

00:17:53 Savanna Myers: So I'm sorry.

00:17:53 Savanna Myers: Yes, good question.

00:17:54 Savanna Myers: Tickets are forty dollars, so it is a cost recovery model that we do.

00:17:56 Savanna Myers: There's lots of advertising out and about, but you can go on the website and you will see all the information that is there.

00:18:02 Savanna Myers: And tickets are sold through Eventbrite, so it's a good user system.

00:18:07 Savanna Myers: And the time boarding is at six thirty.

00:18:10 Savanna Myers: We depart at seven, not seven o' one.

00:18:13 Savanna Myers: They are very clear with us about timing.

00:18:15 Savanna Myers: It is seven o'clock, and it's about a two and a half hour cruise.

00:18:17 Savanna Myers: So we go out and then come back, and it's just a great night all around, live music as well.

00:18:26 Andrea Matrosovs: And my official job is to join the warden of Bruce County to greet everybody on board and make sure they're all up that plank by the time it's seven o'clock.

00:18:36 Andrea Matrosovs: Okay, so other news and celebrations.

00:18:38 Andrea Matrosovs: We'll go to Councilor McKay.

00:18:45 Terry Mckay: Yeah, those that are attending Good Roads this year, just follow a bit more on what the board and spoke on earlier.

00:18:53 Terry Mckay: You'll notice a difference after a hundred and some years that Good Roads has been going.

00:19:00 Terry Mckay: It has been decided that Indigenous needs some voice at the table, so we put it out there to First Nations.

00:19:11 Terry Mckay: They've nominated two Indigenous representatives to be directors on Good Roads.

00:19:18 Terry Mckay: So when we parade up front on Monday or Tuesday, I think it's Tuesday, you will see some changes there.

00:19:27 Terry Mckay: So we look forward to that, and I think it's a great idea to get some ideas from the First Nations people to give their thoughts on what Good Roads is all about, so we look forward to that.

00:19:40 Terry Mckay: So thank you very much.

00:19:43 Andrea Matrosovs: Excellent.

00:19:44 Andrea Matrosovs: I do look forward to attending and seeing that change.

00:19:49 Andrea Matrosovs: Other news and celebrations from communities.

00:19:51 Andrea Matrosovs: We'll go to Councilor Body.

00:19:54 Ian Boddy: Thank you, on behalf of the city, we want to thank George and Bluffs and Meepford and their residents who are on sound water for their cooperation during our precautionary boil water advisory a couple weeks ago.

00:20:06 SPEAKER_020: We're quite happy to get through that.

00:20:12 Andrea Matrosovs: Thank you for that, and indeed it was very professionally handled.

00:20:16 Andrea Matrosovs: Both your city staff, our county staff, where they could join in, and the community organizations.

00:20:22 Andrea Matrosovs: It was phenomenal to see how quickly it all came together in order to be able to support.

00:20:26 Andrea Matrosovs: So great leadership there, and other news and celebrations.

00:20:32 Andrea Matrosovs: We'll go to Councillor Kentner.

00:20:34 Andrea Matrosovs: I may be a bit premature here.

00:20:36 Ross Kentner: I don't have a lot of information, but what I can tell you is there is a parade and ceremony at the Fourth Canadian Division Training Centre tomorrow, and after that event, the range will come under a new name and a more prominent role in the Canadian Forces.

00:20:56 Ross Kentner: So all part of what's happening as far as NATO, and I think that there's a strong contingent of councillors and staff from the municipality of Mayfield have been invited, and I believe it's going to be a major turning point and further development of the range.

00:21:18 Ross Kentner: Thank you.

00:21:21 Andrea Matrosovs: Thank you.

00:21:22 Andrea Matrosovs: Just look online, and I'll look around the room.

00:21:26 Andrea Matrosovs: Okay, I don't see any further hands.

00:21:28 Andrea Matrosovs: So at this point in time, we'll look for a motion to adjourn.

00:21:32 Andrea Matrosovs: Got it moved by Councillor Nielsen and seconded by Councillor Dobrin.

00:21:35 Andrea Matrosovs: All those in favor?

00:21:37 Andrea Matrosovs: And that is carried.

00:21:39 Andrea Matrosovs: I'll give a moment for technology to turn over.