Owen Sound Committee - Operations Meeting Transcript — September 18, 2025

00:00:20 Speaker 01: At this time, we'll call the meeting of the Operations Committee to order.

00:00:26 Speaker 01: Tonight, we do not have members.

00:00:29 Speaker 01: We do not have Member Krohn or Member Hawkins joining, and we do have Member Kukreja online.

00:00:35 Speaker 01: The rest of us are in the gallery here.

00:00:38 Speaker 01: First item before us then is call for additional business.

00:00:42 Speaker 01: Are there any items of additional business?

00:00:47 Speaker 01: Okay, I see Member Kukreja shaking her head.

00:00:49 Speaker 01: I'll just have a brief update and a couple capital items that the city has got going since our last meeting, which was in June.

00:00:59 Speaker 01: Item three is declaration of interest, and not seeing any to be declared at this time.

00:01:06 Speaker 01: Item four is confirmation of the minutes of the meeting held on June 26th.

00:01:12 Speaker 01: These were approved by council without any comment or question.

00:01:17 Speaker 01: So I'm just looking for a motion to receive and then approve.

00:01:20 Speaker 01: But I should just mention there was at that meeting we had some language about a draft water management bylaw, and if I could just go to the director at the forthcoming council meeting,

00:01:35 Speaker 01: staff just finished that water management bylaw, and they just made a little bit language change.

00:01:42 Speaker 01: So I'll just let Lara inform committee on the finished product.

00:01:48 Speaker 01: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

00:01:50 Speaker 01: Yes.

00:01:50 Speaker 02: So just to loop back to the committee, when the bylaw was finally passed or adopted by council, what we had done was we removed the procedural components of the policy components of the bylaw out,

00:02:10 Speaker 02: so that it was more of an administrative policy, and then that stays separate from the bylaw.

00:02:18 Speaker 02: So we now have two documents: one being the bylaw that informs the public of what they can and can't do, and the other being the administrative,

00:02:31 Speaker 02: essentially directions for staff on how we administer that bylaw.

00:02:37 Speaker 02: So that was the primary change.

00:02:39 Speaker 02: There was also another change that, based on the comments that we received at committee,

00:02:46 Speaker 02: to work in some leeway to make a decision on whether or not somebody could be eligible for relief for the leak forgiveness.

00:03:03 Speaker 02: Yes, I apologize so that that was also added back in with fairly strict checks and balances.

00:03:15 Speaker 01: Were there any questions to those minutes or do I have a mover?

00:03:21 Speaker 01: to receive.

00:03:24 Speaker 01: Member, join is so moved.

00:03:25 Speaker 01: Okay, and all those in favour of receipt, that's carried unanimously.

00:03:32 Speaker 01: Thank you, thank you, Lara, for that update on that item.

00:03:36 Speaker 01: Next item, we do have a deputation from David Adams scheduled.

00:03:40 Speaker 01: However, David is not here at this time yet, and we have a second presentation this evening, which is an update regarding the water treatment plant filter improvement.

00:03:52 Speaker 01: So I see Bryce nodding.

00:03:54 Speaker 01: So I will pass the microphone off to Bryce this time.

00:03:57 Speaker 01: Welcome, Bryce.

00:03:59 Speaker 01: Thank you.

00:04:02 Speaker 01: Sorry.

00:04:03 Speaker 03: Yes, and this presentation I think was requested by a member of the committee just to provide for information as to the status of the water treatment plant filter upgrade.

00:04:17 Speaker 03: So I'm just going to go through a couple slides here, show you some pictures of some of the progress, and highlight some of the history of it.

00:04:25 Speaker 03: And if there's any other questions at the end, feel free to ask.

00:04:29 Speaker 03: So let's jump into it here.

00:04:32 Speaker 03: So the background of the project: the City of Owen Sound R.H. Neath Water Treatment Plant utilises direct filtration,

00:04:40 Speaker 03: which means there is no sedimentation or removal of particulate or organic matter between the coagulation process and the filtration process.

00:04:49 Speaker 03: This system is generally well suited for low turbidity source water like Georgian Bay, but can result in heavier filter loading at times of higher turbidity during spring thaw periods, wet weather,

00:05:02 Speaker 03: or when source water becomes laden with sediment from land upstream, particularly around the Kenny Drain.

00:05:10 Speaker 03: Heavy filter loading requires increased backwashing to maintain water quality, increases production downtime.

00:05:18 Speaker 03: Therefore, we use a lot of our reserve water because we need to use treated water for the backwash process, or else you would contaminate the filter beds.

00:05:27 Speaker 03: So you're using water you already produce to backwash the filters.

00:05:32 Speaker 03: So it's important that you use as little water as possible.

00:05:37 Speaker 03: So why was the upgrade needed?

00:05:38 Speaker 03: The current backwash process was without air scour, which was not achieving optimal media separation, so filter run times were shorter.

00:05:50 Speaker 03: Basically, the water was being forced back through the filter with water only, and it wasn't creating enough agitation or separation of the filter media to meet optimal cleaning of the filter.

00:06:03 Speaker 03: Backwash processes without air scour require significantly more water, depleting storage, increasing treatment costs.

00:06:10 Speaker 03: I spoke to the previous slide there; yeah, air scour does reduce significantly the amount of water required for backwash.

00:06:17 Speaker 03: The current underdrain system was not compatible with air scour or advanced filter media, making it possible to retrofit for future taste and odor control measures.

00:06:32 Speaker 03: So just meaning that the new filter underdrains require less space and are far more effective.

00:06:41 Speaker 03: So we can use optimal filter media or advanced filter media, which is like your granulated activated carbon, to help with taste and odor controls.

00:06:53 Speaker 03: Times in late summer and when we have warmer water temperatures or algae blooms, we could potentially experience taste and odor issues.

00:07:02 Speaker 03: And these filters, these filter underdrains are better suited to accept that media.

00:07:09 Speaker 03: Many filter components were at the end of the useful life cycle, so just the general age of the filter was due for replacement anyway.

00:07:17 Speaker 03: Replacement, anyways, and many of the components, along with like the membrane inside the filter clear wells, needed to be inspected and need to be replaced.

00:07:31 Speaker 03: There were some concrete replacements or concrete repairs that needed to be done as well.

00:07:37 Speaker 03: Climate change impacts have resulted in more high turbidity events and warmer source water temperatures, increasing the prevalence of sediment and organic matter in our source water.

00:07:49 Speaker 03: So yeah, just those extreme weather events that we're seeing more often are creating increased demand on our filters.

00:07:58 Speaker 03: Right, so it's you know, climate change does affect our ability to filter this water through direct filtration, so this filter upgrade and filter backwash process should aid in that.

00:08:15 Speaker 03: Back to the climate change and resiliency.

00:08:16 Speaker 03: Climate change is an increased frequency of high intensity wet weather events, results in source water quality changes, including more frequent and longer duration turbidity events.

00:08:28 Speaker 03: The addition of air scour provides faster, more effective, efficient backwashes to conserve water supply.

00:08:35 Speaker 03: Warm source water temperatures and nutrient loading add to the potential for increased, more frequent algae blooms that can cause excessive filter loading and taste and odor concerns.

00:08:45 Speaker 03: New underdrains are once again better equipped to handle advanced filter media and technologies.

00:08:51 Speaker 03: So the progress to date is significant.

00:08:54 Speaker 03: Work has been completed to date, and bulk of the heavy electrical mechanical work is behind us.

00:09:00 Speaker 03: So we had to do a lot of the work in order to commission the first filter, which is underway, and then subsequent filters.

00:09:10 Speaker 03: Since that process is already in place, the piping is installed, the programmememememememing is installed.

00:09:16 Speaker 03: Should be relatively simple.

00:09:17 Speaker 03: It should be replacing the underdrains, adding the filter media, commissioning the filters.

00:09:22 Speaker 03: So to date, we have the backwash blowers installed.

00:09:26 Speaker 03: Process piping is majority of it is complete.

00:09:30 Speaker 03: Each fact ductwork has been installed.

00:09:31 Speaker 03: Electrical filter one under drain installation and concrete repairs have been completed.

00:09:37 Speaker 03: Automation and programmememememememing is being finalized, so we can do filter one commissioning.

00:09:45 Speaker 03: Instrumentation, including new UV reactors and turbidity metres, are in place.

00:09:52 Speaker 03: All of them haven't been commissioned because they'll be commissioned with subsequent filters.

00:09:57 Speaker 03: So just some pictures here, so you guys can see the kind of magnitude of this project.

00:10:02 Speaker 03: So this is backwash air scour blower.

00:10:05 Speaker 03: So these are the blowers that supply the air underneath to the underdrains that create that media separation for the backwash process.

00:10:14 Speaker 03: As you can see, they're quite large,

00:10:16 Speaker 03: and this was some of the challenges in the beginning of even getting these into the building and moving all that large ductwork and supply piping around that is like 18-inch diametre pipe.

00:10:28 Speaker 03: So it's fairly significant size.

00:10:31 Speaker 03: It moves a lot of air.

00:10:34 Speaker 03: And here's just another picture of large process piping.

00:10:37 Speaker 03: This is going over our flocculation tanks, so this is between the coagulation and before it goes on the filter.

00:10:45 Speaker 03: But this is just a large supply pipe.

00:10:49 Speaker 03: This is just some of the HVAC ductwork that for increased ventilation and airflow within the building.

00:10:55 Speaker 03: Flow within the building.

00:10:58 Speaker 03: Process electrical, so there's a lot of it electrical.

00:11:01 Speaker 03: These are the VFDs for the new backwash pump motors, so it allows those pumps to operate on different frequencies and increase and decrease flow rates, so you can dial in for energy efficiency.

00:11:18 Speaker 03: This is just a picture going into filter one underdrain, so this is looking above, down at the bottom, like the black squares, there are the filter underdrains,

00:11:29 Speaker 03: and over top is the water that the effluent or the airflow, where the process water comes out.

00:11:38 Speaker 03: So comes out over the top, and that's where the wastewater would also go.

00:11:43 Speaker 03: So when you're doing a backwash, come up and over those weirs.

00:11:47 Speaker 03: So this project is not unlike many retrofit or process upgrade projects at an aging facility and utilising existing footprint.

00:11:59 Speaker 03: Some of the challenges we have worked through and are anticipating moving forward include was the blower fitment and installation, which I mentioned they were very large and difficult to get in.

00:12:10 Speaker 03: HVAC rerouting, so yeah, much of that HVAC needed to be rerouted on site, and a lot of it was kind of they have a plan in place,

00:12:23 Speaker 03: but they don't understand all the intricacies and the designs until they get on site and have to re-route around all the existing stuff.

00:12:31 Speaker 03: So there there was a lot of we'll say discussion around that.

00:12:39 Speaker 03: Sorry, TSSAs.

00:12:42 Speaker 03: We've had some approvals for or some we'll say regulatory approvals required and amendments to some of the TSSA and the gas process piping.

00:12:53 Speaker 03: That's there's been some back and forth with that.

00:12:56 Speaker 03: That's caused some minor delays.

00:12:58 Speaker 03: Backwash pump motor performance.

00:13:01 Speaker 03: We're currently using the existing backwash pumps.

00:13:05 Speaker 03: We have different sorry, backwash pumps.

00:13:07 Speaker 03: The motors were new, but the pumps were existing.

00:13:11 Speaker 03: So we've had some challenges getting the new pumps to meet the performance that we require to get the flows for the new filters, but we had that resolved now.

00:13:22 Speaker 03: Ultrasonic flow metre accuracy and performance.

00:13:25 Speaker 03: So we currently use an ultrasonic strap-on flow metre to measure the flow velocity and volume to supply the filter backwash.

00:13:36 Speaker 03: It's not the greatest technology, but we were able to find an alternative and a way for filter commissioning.

00:13:44 Speaker 03: So in the future, we'll be looking to replace those with made.

00:13:46 Speaker 03: To replace those with magnetic flow metres, but we do have an alternative to at least get these commissioned at this time.

00:13:53 Speaker 03: Availability of qualified construction site inspectors.

00:13:57 Speaker 03: So this was resolved earlier in the project, and that's what there was a change order that came back in early in the project for RVA to supply full-time construction site inspection.

00:14:09 Speaker 03: It was a challenge with regards geographically and also knowing what the work staffing challenges are you know across the province to find qualified people.

00:14:22 Speaker 03: So our alternative for full time inspection versus not really having any inspection at all, and that was what we're just highlighting here is that it was difficult to find that,

00:14:33 Speaker 03: but we do have full time site inspection now.

00:14:36 Speaker 03: Original design decisions including clear well access, so we're still working through that one, and more to come on that, but we seem to have some solutions as well for that.

00:14:48 Speaker 03: Limited redundancy for backwash pumps, so these were just some initial design challenges and some of the assumptions that were made way back in the design phase.

00:14:57 Speaker 03: That we realized that we were going to have challenges, but they still come up from time to time.

00:15:06 Speaker 03: Lack of in-house professional project management support.

00:15:08 Speaker 03: So I just wanted to highlight here that you know we know that this is challenging across the organisation with our reliance on external third-party consultant as our project management experts because a lot of times

00:15:23 Speaker 03: we are not project managers and we have like myself and the superintendents who are trying to provide the project management support we don't usually speak their technical language and some of the engineering practices and

00:15:40 Speaker 03: things that they discuss are you know outside of our area of expertise.

00:15:46 Speaker 03: We're primarily operations, right?

00:15:49 Speaker 03: We treat and pump the water day to day, so we rely heavily on the external consultant to provide that, right?

00:16:00 Speaker 03: Which is challenging from time to time.

00:16:02 Speaker 03: We have had significant amount of staff over time with the extended work hours.

00:16:07 Speaker 03: We're providing the contractor to work till 7:00 p.m. at night, so most nights we're seeing an operator stay on site because we have to have somebody to monitor the facility.

00:16:18 Speaker 03: Operating in reduced capacity during weather events, and this is going to be a challenge going into the winter and into the fall.

00:16:26 Speaker 03: We get into late October, early November.

00:16:27 Speaker 03: We usually get some heavy rains, right?

00:16:29 Speaker 03: And we're down one filter, and potentially at certain points in this project, we will be down two filters, and that leaves us with two filters, and leads us.

00:16:41 Speaker 03: If we have a significant weather event at that time, we will probably be manning the facility for twenty-four hours straight.

00:16:49 Speaker 03: Right, we won't.

00:16:51 Speaker 03: We won't really have much of an option.

00:16:53 Speaker 03: So, just highlighting that.

00:16:56 Speaker 03: Yeah, there is still some risk as we move forward, but we think we have some good plans in place to reduce that.

00:17:04 Speaker 03: Current status and schedule.

00:17:05 Speaker 03: We're currently testing and reviewing backwash pump operations and flow measuring devices.

00:17:10 Speaker 03: Like I said, the flow metre to ensure the system can achieve the proper flow rates for underdrain and filter commissioning.

00:17:18 Speaker 03: The first filter should be commissioned in the next couple weeks.

00:17:20 Speaker 03: The most recent schedule shows the completion targeted for now April of 2026.

00:17:27 Speaker 03: As we get through the other filters, our consultant is currently reviewing the contractor's most recent schedule adjustment, and we should have comments back this week with regards to that.

00:17:40 Speaker 03: So, thank you.

00:17:42 Speaker 03: And if there's any other questions, I'd be happy to answer them.

00:17:49 Speaker 01: Thank you very much, Bryce, for that update on the project.

00:17:53 Speaker 01: Are there any questions from committee members?

00:17:54 Speaker 01: I'll go to Member Dwyer first.

00:17:58 Speaker 04: Thank you.

00:17:59 Speaker 04: Through the chair, I was just curious about the backwash.

00:18:03 Speaker 04: What does the backwash look like?

00:18:06 Speaker 04: Is it almost clear water?

00:18:08 Speaker 04: Is it muddy, or is it you know thick and opaque, soupy?

00:18:13 Speaker 04: And where does it get discharged?

00:18:19 Speaker 03: Sure.

00:18:19 Speaker 03: So thanks through your chair.

00:18:21 Speaker 03: So the backwash is we have really good source water quality, right?

00:18:26 Speaker 03: So we're not we don't expect a lot of turbidity.

00:18:29 Speaker 03: It's not like we are pulling from a river or something like that.

00:18:33 Speaker 03: Or areas of higher turbidity.

00:18:35 Speaker 03: So it is relatively clear.

00:18:36 Speaker 03: It is relatively clean.

00:18:39 Speaker 03: The flocculation process is primarily done with aluminum sulfate or alum, and it clumps the particles together.

00:18:47 Speaker 03: So usually during the initial, we'll say the first half of the backwash, it's relatively cloudy.

00:18:55 Speaker 03: I wouldn't say dirty, and then that clears up over time.

00:18:59 Speaker 03: And then once you've filtered that initial, you've got to run it for a further period of time to allow the filter to ripen.

00:19:10 Speaker 03: So before you put it back online,

00:19:12 Speaker 03: you would be running that clean water or clear water to waste until you're hitting your turbidity set points or ensuring that the filter is operating appropriately and all the filter media has settled and restabilized

00:19:28 Speaker 03: based on your filter media material.

00:19:30 Speaker 03: But it is relatively clean.

00:19:32 Speaker 03: Of times of high turbidity, it can get dirty, but I wouldn't say not like chocolate milk kind of thing.

00:19:39 Speaker 03: We're not dealing with that level of turbidity here, but it is challenging without there being that sedimentation process between most advanced conventional water treatment plants or chemical assisted filtration plants do have a sedimentation component.

00:19:56 Speaker 03: Have a sedimentation component between that to keep that load off your filter bed,

00:20:02 Speaker 03: and then the backwash water it goes to a holding tank and is dewatered as in like supernating off the top of it is pumped out to the sanitary and then it is treated and put

00:20:14 Speaker 03: back into the bay.

00:20:15 Speaker 03: But we do have like a sludge at the bottom of that that's into like a slope sump that we have cleaned out periodically.

00:20:23 Speaker 03: We have jets installed in that tank to agitate it once again, so we can get more the stuff that can loosen up and be treated again.

00:20:34 Speaker 03: But we are scheduled to actually clean that tank out this year too, for the first time in some time.

00:20:42 Speaker 03: And the only reason that is being cleaned out, or we notice that it needs to be cleaned out, is because we had one of the sludge pumps fail,

00:20:48 Speaker 03: and in order to get that pump back in, we realized it needed to be cleaned.

00:20:51 Speaker 03: So hopefully that answers your question.

00:20:57 Speaker 03: Thanks, Bob.

00:20:58 Speaker 03: Any further questions?

00:20:59 Speaker 01: I don't see you on the screen, Suneet.

00:21:04 Speaker 01: Maybe have you turn your audio on and just identify whether you've got a question or not.

00:21:15 Speaker 01: I'll take that as there's no question.

00:21:17 Speaker 01: Okay.

00:21:18 Speaker 01: Thank you very much for that update, Bryce.

00:21:20 Speaker 01: It's been a huge project that's going on out there.

00:21:24 Speaker 01: I remember this term of council.

00:21:26 Speaker 01: I think at the start of the term of council, yeah, beforehand we even started planning and we had a tour, and it was illustrated to council what the plans were,

00:21:38 Speaker 01: what was about to be undertaken, and that's maybe three years ago now when we had that tour.

00:21:45 Speaker 01: I did have one question.

00:21:46 Speaker 01: I guess it triggers my memory in page six.

00:21:51 Speaker 01: I do remember as part of the tour, there was some comment about creating the access.

00:22:00 Speaker 01: I think to the clear wells.

00:22:02 Speaker 01: The photo here in page six is that the concrete that was cut out because it was heavily obstructed by piping that was in place at the time,

00:22:12 Speaker 01: and the plan was to create an access in behind the piping.

00:22:19 Speaker 01: Is that okay?

00:22:21 Speaker 01: I think I'll put it back to you there for to inform you better.

00:22:27 Speaker 03: No, sorry.

00:22:27 Speaker 03: Um, that was the blower there that we were looking at.

00:22:31 Speaker 03: Um, I don't have a picture of, but I can circulate that.

00:22:34 Speaker 03: Um, definitely.

00:22:35 Speaker 03: Um, but no, that's down below the filter and the access below to the clear well.

00:22:41 Speaker 03: Um, and it is one that it will come in to effect when we need to commission filter two and filter three.

00:22:48 Speaker 03: Uh, but currently the only access to that clear well is through a pipe.

00:22:54 Speaker 03: So, in order to be able to regularly maintain, inspect, and clean that, that was the reason behind adding that access.

00:23:02 Speaker 03: But no, there's still some challenges and some discussions being had about that work.

00:23:09 Speaker 01: I can understand it because it looked difficult when we were having the tour.

00:23:13 Speaker 01: I see the other councillors nodding.

00:23:15 Speaker 01: It so thank you very much to staff for how you've been pushing along in this project.

00:23:20 Speaker 01: I think from a rough dollar costing, it's kind of half the cost of like Ninth Avenue and Sixth Street.

00:23:27 Speaker 01: That whole reconstruction project, this is I think literally from memory, like just north of three million dollars, of work that's going on there.

00:23:36 Speaker 01: So yeah, it's a big job, and thanks for the update here tonight on where it stands.

00:23:44 Speaker 01: So item six is public forum.

00:23:48 Speaker 01: And we have no members of the public here asking a question of committee this evening.

00:23:54 Speaker 01: We have no correspondence items being presented under item seven.

00:24:00 Speaker 01: So we are in the reports from staff, and the first one is to Heidi regarding an amending agreement regarding automotive material stewardship.

00:24:14 Speaker 01: Through you, Mr. Chair.

00:24:15 Speaker 05: Thank you.

00:24:17 Speaker 05: So, in 2024, the City entered into an amending agreement with AMS Automotive Materials Stewardship to collect used oil filters, empty oil containers, and antifreeze.

00:24:29 Speaker 05: So, currently, after a household hazardous waste event, we arrange for staff to arrange for somebody to pick those up, and there's no cost to the City for that.

00:24:41 Speaker 05: So, beginning in 2026, we have an opportunity to get $500 from AMS per event that we host, where we collect those items, even if we collect no material at all.

00:24:58 Speaker 05: The condition is that we're required to maintain at least the same number of depots and events that were operated in the two previous years, which we will be.

00:25:09 Speaker 05: And this amending agreement is in place until December 31st, 2030, and it will automatically renew for another five years unless it's terminated earlier.

00:25:20 Speaker 05: Thanks.

00:25:22 Speaker 01: Thank you, Heidi.

00:25:23 Speaker 01: And are there any questions to that?

00:25:25 Speaker 01: I'll go to Councillor Hamley, then Member Anderson next.

00:25:32 Speaker 06: Five years is awfully long for one of these contracts.

00:25:37 Speaker 06: What was the reason for the five years?

00:25:42 Speaker 05: Well, this is a standard agreement with all other municipalities, but the agreements that we have in place with the producers currently, with Product Care as well as AMS, they seem to extend annually,

00:25:58 Speaker 05: unless something comes up.

00:26:03 Speaker 05: Like so, in this situation, there is an amending agreement, and it appears that each year we're getting another amending agreement for whatever reason.

00:26:11 Speaker 05: It could be like, well next year, it looks good because we will have an increase to our revenue, but I can look into that.

00:26:22 Speaker 05: But it seems the current agreements run annually, and then they continue on until either we terminate the agreement or the producer terminates the agreement.

00:26:42 Speaker 05: Member Anderson, go ahead.

00:26:49 Speaker 07: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

00:26:49 Speaker 07: I'm curious how do you mention the four thousand dollars that will be distributed among the other participants in the programmememememememe,

00:26:56 Speaker 07: but I was curious in terms of how much it costs the City when we have those days for the unwanted recyclables, wanted recyclables from our industrial resources,

00:27:09 Speaker 07: and how much it costs staff to be there, how much it costs the City versus the amount of money that we get out of the four thousand.

00:27:15 Speaker 07: Because you said it's spread between the other municipalities that participate.

00:27:22 Speaker 07: Thank you, Mr. Chair.

00:27:24 Speaker 05: Thank you for the question, Member Anderson.

00:27:26 Speaker 05: So currently, Owen Sound participation rate is it would probably be about forty percent.

00:27:34 Speaker 05: I'd have to get back to you on the actual costs for the event to have staff at the event, as well as the cost for the contractor to collect the material.

00:27:52 Speaker 05: Unfortunately, I don't have that with me today.

00:27:58 Speaker 01: I would just note that when we estimate, when we establish those partnership agreements, there's an administrative fee that is collected from each partnering municipality.

00:28:09 Speaker 01: Already, did you want to comment on that, Heidi?

00:28:13 Speaker 05: Yes, I can say each municipality does pay.

00:28:16 Speaker 05: It's almost sixteen hundred dollars just to participate in the event, and then we charge each municipality sixty dollars per vehicle that comes to the event.

00:28:30 Speaker 05: Okay.

00:28:30 Speaker 05: Anything further, Member Anderson?

00:28:32 Speaker 01: You're good.

00:28:34 Speaker 01: I'm not seeing any further questions to be asked, so I'll just read the motion or the recommendation that, in consideration of staff report, actually I should read it on the big screen.

00:28:45 Speaker 01: It's a lot easier for me to read.

00:28:48 Speaker 01: Respecting staff report 0 OP 25-035 respecting Automotive Materials Stewardship Incorporated amending agreement,

00:28:54 Speaker 01: the Operations Committee recommends that City Council direct staff to bring forward a bylaw to authorise the Mayor and Clerk to execute the amending agreement with Automotive Materials Stewardship Incorporated for the collection of used oil

00:29:05 Speaker 01: filters,

00:29:06 Speaker 01: empty oil containers, and used antifreeze, as outlined in the report.

00:29:10 Speaker 01: Would you be willing to move that, Councillor Kukreja?

00:29:16 Speaker 01: To you, Chair.

00:29:17 Speaker 01: Yes, I would move the recommendation as it is.

00:29:20 Speaker 01: Okay.

00:29:21 Speaker 01: Thank you.

00:29:21 Speaker 01: It's on the floor.

00:29:22 Speaker 01: Any further questions?

00:29:24 Speaker 01: Not seeing any.

00:29:25 Speaker 01: All those in favour?

00:29:27 Speaker 01: Carried unanimously.

00:29:28 Speaker 01: Thank you, thank you, Heidi.

00:29:31 Speaker 01: We've got no further reports in the agenda this evening, so we are quickly down to item nine.

00:29:38 Speaker 01: There's no matters postponed.

00:29:40 Speaker 01: Item ten.

00:29:40 Speaker 01: There are no motions for which notice was previously given.

00:29:43 Speaker 01: We've got two items of correspondence, so I would entertain just a motion to receive those.

00:29:49 Speaker 01: First, Councillor Merton has moved to receive.

00:29:52 Speaker 01: Are there any questions from Committee regarding either those items?

00:29:58 Speaker 01: Not seeing any, all those in favour of receipt, that's carried.

00:30:03 Speaker 01: Thank you.

00:30:04 Speaker 01: And discussion of additional business.

00:30:06 Speaker 01: There's no items, but I would just highlight for Committee, since we had our last meeting in June, Council did award tenders for fairly large reconstruction projects on Thirty-Second Street East,

00:30:23 Speaker 01: and 16th Avenue north of 17th Street to 20th Street.

00:30:31 Speaker 01: I think, from memory, one of those came in with some pleasant news, under budget, and the other one came in somewhat comparably, just over budget.

00:30:41 Speaker 01: But I think those projects have just recently started, as well as the road resurfacing project.

00:30:50 Speaker 01: It's all a lot of that shovelling has been done, stripping the old pavement off.

00:30:56 Speaker 01: So, if you're talking to individuals around the City, I think you can certainly comment on how much work is going on through the autumn season.

00:31:08 Speaker 01: Here is certainly still a lot of work for anyone that's driven through Sixth Street and Ninth Avenue East.

00:31:15 Speaker 01: That project is full steam ahead, and lots of flagging and delays still going on, and we'll be going on for a while.

00:31:23 Speaker 01: So a lot, a lot of work being done in the City.

00:31:26 Speaker 01: Did you have anything you wanted to add there, Lara?

00:31:28 Speaker 01: That I might have missed.

00:31:29 Speaker 01: Just Council awarded those tenders in July, and things are all started there now.

00:31:38 Speaker 01: You're good.

00:31:38 Speaker 01: Okay.

00:31:39 Speaker 01: Any questions from Committee?

00:31:41 Speaker 01: Not seeing any.

00:31:42 Speaker 01: And with that, we are into item thirteen.

00:31:47 Speaker 01: Notices of motion.

00:31:50 Speaker 01: Not seeing any.

00:31:51 Speaker 01: Item fourteen is adjournment.

00:31:52 Speaker 01: So we are adjourned at six o'clock two.

00:31:55 Speaker 01: Thank you very much, everyone.