Owen Sound Council Meeting - Regular Meeting Transcript — October 27, 2025

00:00:34 Speaker 01: So I'll call the meeting to order.

00:00:36 Speaker 01: Call for additional business.

00:00:40 Speaker 01: Councillor Farmer.

00:00:42 Speaker 02: Thank you, Mr. Mayor.

00:00:43 Speaker 02: I'd like to extend congratulations to the folks who organised and participated in the Trick-or-Treat Trail this past weekend.

00:00:53 Speaker 02: Thank you, Deputy Mayor Greig.

00:00:55 Speaker 03: I have an item regarding the recent Diwali Festival here in Owen Sound, and yesterday's twenty-fifth annual honouring our local veterans event.

00:01:06 Speaker 03: Thanks.

00:01:08 Speaker 04: I don't think I'm going to have anything, but we...

00:01:10 Speaker 04: I'll reserve saying I might have one.

00:01:14 Speaker 04: Are there any declarations of interest?

00:01:17 Speaker 04: Seeing no hands going up, confirmation of the minutes.

00:01:21 Speaker 04: I think Councillor Middlebrooks has the motions.

00:01:25 Speaker 05: Moved by myself that the minutes of the following meetings be adopted as printed: number one, the closed session of the regular council meeting held on September 8, 2025, and number two,

00:01:35 Speaker 05: regular council meeting held on October 6, 2025.

00:01:38 Speaker 05: All in favour?

00:01:40 Speaker 05: And those are carried.

00:01:44 Speaker 05: Is that both?

00:01:46 Speaker 05: Did both?

00:01:48 Speaker 05: Motion to move council into committee of the whole.

00:01:53 Speaker 05: Moved by myself, seconded by Councillor Dodd, that City Council now move into Committee of the Whole to consider public meetings, deputations and presentations, public forum matters arising from correspondence, reports of City staff, consent agenda,

00:02:06 Speaker 05: committee minutes, matters postponed, motions for which notice was previously given, and additional business.

00:02:12 Speaker 05: Thank you.

00:02:12 Speaker 05: All in favour?

00:02:14 Speaker 01: That is carried.

00:02:14 Speaker 01: So we are now in Committee of the Whole.

00:02:17 Speaker 01: At number six, we have no public meetings.

00:02:20 Speaker 01: At number seven, we have a presentation from Mr. Simmonds with regard to the City Manager's update.

00:02:28 Speaker 06: Thank you, Mayor and Council.

00:02:29 Speaker 06: Glad to bring the monthly update to you.

00:02:31 Speaker 06: Going to begin as always with the highlights.

00:02:33 Speaker 06: We welcomed the Honourable Edith Dumont, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, and the HMCS Margaret Brooke to Owen Sound, and we're very thankful to the Royal Canadian Navy for including Owen Sound amongst their port stops.

00:02:46 Speaker 06: I know it was really well attended by the community.

00:02:48 Speaker 06: A lot of people got out to get on the boat, as did Council and staff members; it was absolutely amazing.

00:02:54 Speaker 06: The Tom Thomson Gallery celebrated the opening of two new exhibitions: emerging artist Bianca Nam opening alongside Nam's exhibition is Convergence, the Tom's juried exhibition dedicated to contemporary artwork with a focus on environmental themes.

00:03:09 Speaker 06: And again, both of those are now at the Tom, and I encourage everyone to go take a look at those.

00:03:16 Speaker 06: The construction of Own Heights and Comeret Playground is scheduled for delivery and starting construction in mid-November; we hosted the community open house.

00:03:24 Speaker 06: I would report that we had lower attendance than what we had wanted, but it was a great turnout by community stakeholders.

00:03:31 Speaker 06: We had quite a few more than last year.

00:03:33 Speaker 06: We had tables set up with staff from all the various divisions, expecting people to come out and ask questions and see what's going on at the city.

00:03:41 Speaker 06: But again, it was a really well organised, well run event.

00:03:44 Speaker 06: Although we would have liked to have a few more people come out, the second phase of the River District video cameras were installed and are now operational, bringing the total cameras to nineteen,

00:03:53 Speaker 06: and those are up.

00:03:54 Speaker 06: And I have three additional highlights before I move on.

00:03:56 Speaker 06: Just over the past weekend, as Councillor Farmer had noted, we had the Trick-or-Treat Trail here in the River District with more than five hundred children participating.

00:04:05 Speaker 06: So that was a great, great thing.

00:04:06 Speaker 06: We had movie night also here at the steps of City Hall, and it was well attended.

00:04:11 Speaker 06: And then this past weekend, we've talked a lot about the Bayshore with the new boards and glass and all the renovations.

00:04:16 Speaker 06: This past week, this past weekend was the first turn at the Bayshore for going from a concert on a Saturday night, going back to hockey on Sunday morning to host a tournament,

00:04:25 Speaker 06: and the staff and our manager there said the glass coming out and going back in went in very efficiently, very quickly.

00:04:32 Speaker 06: Everything worked just perfectly.

00:04:33 Speaker 06: So they had a super big concert on Saturday night.

00:04:37 Speaker 06: They were hosting the hockey tournament first thing in the morning, and everything went really smoothly.

00:04:40 Speaker 06: So it's just good to report back how when you expect things to happen, and they sometimes work out that way.

00:04:48 Speaker 06: Going through the committees for November, our Corporate Services Committee meets next on November sixth.

00:04:53 Speaker 06: We have the two thousand and twenty-four draft audited financial statements being presented, and also an update on our reserve policy.

00:05:01 Speaker 06: Our Operations Committee meeting November twentieth.

00:05:03 Speaker 06: We have Ninth Avenue Capital Project update.

00:05:06 Speaker 06: We also have a item that's deferred from October, a Blue Box non-eligible sources report, talking about financing and costs with Blue Box since the province has taken over recycling,

00:05:16 Speaker 06: and what's being deemed as eligible sources and ineligible, and who picks up those costs.

00:05:22 Speaker 06: Community Services Committee, November nineteenth.

00:05:25 Speaker 06: We have design and location of commemorative forest monuments.

00:05:28 Speaker 06: Report on that.

00:05:29 Speaker 06: We have a wrap up report on the Derby camping on our year one pilot, and that's the Salmon Spectacular camping, and the two thousand and twenty-six drone show potential.

00:05:40 Speaker 06: In case you missed it, I like to put in here the media advisories that have been issued since our last meeting over the past month.

00:05:45 Speaker 06: I won't go over all of these, but one place to go find all the information: owensound.ca/news.

00:05:50 Speaker 06: There were 21 different media advisories that have gone out, not including public notices and other factual information like that.

00:06:01 Speaker 06: And then here's a little poster for getting involved.

00:06:04 Speaker 06: It's that time where our clerks are looking for volunteers to help make a difference.

00:06:09 Speaker 06: Communities not built in the comment section on social media.

00:06:12 Speaker 06: Owen Sound needs your voice and ideas to serve our incredible city, and we're looking for new committee members to meet new people, learn new skills, make a positive impact here in Owen Sound.

00:06:23 Speaker 06: On the right-hand side, it talks about how you can apply for that.

00:06:27 Speaker 06: And if you go to the city's website, there's a dedicated page with all of this information.

00:06:31 Speaker 06: You can also email the clerks at owensound.ca and scan the QR code off the website.

00:06:36 Speaker 06: But you can find those forms to fill out and think about joining a committee here at the city.

00:06:42 Speaker 06: Canada Post strike.

00:06:43 Speaker 06: So again, our corporate services team wanted me to remind everybody that due to the labour disruption, I know that they're back servicing some mail on certain days.

00:06:52 Speaker 06: But we're advising property owners to consider alternate payment arrangements for water and wastewater bills to avoid penalties and or late charges.

00:06:59 Speaker 06: And it's a good time to plug our new virtual city hall.

00:07:03 Speaker 06: Virtual city hall.

00:07:04 Speaker 06: You can view your property tax and water, wastewater bills online.

00:07:07 Speaker 06: You can make payments via credit card.

00:07:09 Speaker 06: Set up preauthorised payments.

00:07:11 Speaker 06: Change your billing preferences to paperless, and order tax and water certificates, and so much more.

00:07:16 Speaker 06: Again, that's through our virtual city hall.

00:07:20 Speaker 06: Things to do: Palette to Palette.

00:07:22 Speaker 06: Tom Thompson Art Gallery this weekend has its annual fundraiser.

00:07:25 Speaker 06: It's seventy-five dollars per ticket.

00:07:27 Speaker 06: There are some tickets remaining.

00:07:29 Speaker 06: I've been speaking with the director, chief curator, and the director there.

00:07:33 Speaker 06: It looks to be like it's going to be an incredible evening.

00:07:35 Speaker 06: The group of seven tasting sessions.

00:07:35 Speaker 06: Group of seven tasting stations, live music, exclusive vault tours, art sale, and silent auction.

00:07:42 Speaker 06: It's all taking place at the gallery this year, and it's this coming Saturday, November first, and then tomorrow morning, morning live with CBC News across Canada.

00:07:51 Speaker 06: We're going to have four hours of Owen Sound on the national stage with our own Heather Hesketh and CBC reporting live outside.

00:08:00 Speaker 06: You've seen the setup probably coming into City Hall today from six to ten a.m., and we invite everybody to come down to the plaza that sits at the corner of Eighth and Second,

00:08:09 Speaker 06: join in the festivities, be on the live broadcast.

00:08:11 Speaker 06: I think they're going to be looking to do a little cheer for the Blue Jays towards the 9:45 mark or so,

00:08:18 Speaker 06: and maybe join in a little rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" for with Owen Sound, maybe twist into it.

00:08:23 Speaker 06: So I invite those to come out for that.

00:08:26 Speaker 06: And as always, please stay connected with the city.

00:08:28 Speaker 06: And there's multiple ways to do that. owensound.ca is our city's main website.

00:08:33 Speaker 06: OurCity.OwenSound.ca is our engagement platform where you can find surveys, and then owensound.ca/report-a-concern.

00:08:38 Speaker 06: If you see things that need attention, please take a moment.

00:08:43 Speaker 06: You can do it straight from your phone.

00:08:45 Speaker 06: It takes about sixty seconds.

00:08:46 Speaker 06: You can upload a photo if needed, and that goes right to the proper department for somebody to activate and work on whatever the issue might be.

00:08:55 Speaker 06: And then the two other websites, owensoundriverdistrict.ca and owensoundtourism.ca, both of those are a wealth of information for things going on in and around the city, so with that, good.

00:09:07 Speaker 06: Thank you.

00:09:09 Speaker 04: Not seeing any questions coming your way.

00:09:12 Speaker 04: Good.

00:09:13 Speaker 04: Thank you.

00:09:14 Speaker 04: At number eight, we're going to public forum.

00:09:18 Speaker 04: I'm going to go to Ms. Bloomfield.

00:09:22 Speaker 07: Through your worship, no comments for public forum have been submitted electronically.

00:09:26 Speaker 07: If anyone present wishes to speak, please begin by stating your name and the municipality in which you reside.

00:09:31 Speaker 07: Each speaker is limited to a maximum of three minutes, and the total time allotted for public forum is 15 minutes.

00:09:38 Speaker 07: The mayor may curtail comments that are repetitive or end any presentation for disorderly conduct.

00:09:44 Speaker 07: The mayor will respond to comments where appropriate, and council members will not enter into discussion or debate during this time.

00:09:51 Speaker 01: Thank you.

00:09:52 Speaker 01: So, if there's anyone that wishes to make a comment under public forum, we ask you to state your name and the municipality that you reside in.

00:10:00 Speaker 01: Go ahead.

00:10:03 Speaker 01: Hi, it's me again.

00:10:05 Speaker 01: Yep.

00:10:08 Speaker 01: Mayor and Council, it's great to be here finally and see what we hope will be a new beginning for our city.

00:10:15 Speaker 01: I just have a few comments.

00:10:17 Speaker 01: Good evening.

00:10:18 Speaker 01: My name's Pat Kelly.

00:10:19 Speaker 08: I live downtown, about a ten-minute walk from here.

00:10:23 Speaker 08: I got neighbours on this committee, close to the people and the places that inspire.

00:10:28 Speaker 08: That inspired me to volunteer for Vision Two Thousand and Fifty.

00:10:32 Speaker 08: For two years, hundreds, maybe thousands of residents took part in that process.

00:10:37 Speaker 08: Students, newcomers, small business owners, downtown elders from Saugeen First Nations, and at least two of the people that are living on our streets.

00:10:46 Speaker 08: And I just spoke to them before I came in here.

00:10:48 Speaker 08: They took part.

00:10:50 Speaker 08: I walked with Kevin McNab from the paramedics as he introduced us to people who were living in the streets, and surveyed them along with Jay.

00:11:01 Speaker 08: She was asking questions, so it was remarkable.

00:11:04 Speaker 08: And we offered practical, realistic ideas.

00:11:07 Speaker 08: We asked for washrooms, public washrooms, but really clean, good places to be, visible accountability, a city we're proud to call home.

00:11:17 Speaker 08: So tonight's omnibus motion is one chance to make those ideas real, to move from talk to action, to move and just three days ago,

00:11:26 Speaker 08: the city issued a notice that surprised me and a lot of people—a notice of a special meeting for official plan amendment number 14,

00:11:36 Speaker 08: a document that will shape every policy and parcel for years to come.

00:11:40 Speaker 08: So I have three questions, which should be pretty easy.

00:11:44 Speaker 08: First, will the omnibus motion and the official plan amendment both carry forward the resident-led priorities for Vision 2050, including housing, health, parks?

00:11:52 Speaker 08: Housing, health partnerships, safety, inclusion, downtown—without watering them down.

00:11:59 Speaker 08: Second, will the city commit to releasing a redlined comparison of the current proposed official plan language so residents can see exactly what's changing November twentieth or before November twenty-fourth?

00:12:16 Speaker 08: And third, will the next phase of public engagement truly be accessible?

00:12:22 Speaker 08: Don't lock the front doors again.

00:12:24 Speaker 08: That stage could have gone in the backyard, where my car's parked, in the disability parking lot right now.

00:12:30 Speaker 08: Had CBC been back there, everybody would have been fine coming in the front door.

00:12:36 Speaker 08: So I think you have to tell us why.

00:12:39 Speaker 08: Not just because you needed the sign.

00:12:42 Speaker 08: It means public meetings scheduled when working people and caregivers and people like me can attend.

00:12:46 Speaker 08: Or, wait a minute, I'm always here, so that doesn't matter.

00:12:50 Speaker 08: Online options for those with mobility or health barriers, and a front entrance that's open to the public, symbolically and literally.

00:13:00 Speaker 08: Residents showed up for Vision 2050 in good faith.

00:13:03 Speaker 08: We simply ask the city today to show the same respect in return, and we know you do.

00:13:10 Speaker 08: You love the city as much as we do.

00:13:17 Speaker 08: Transparency, inclusion, follow-through: reporting, public washrooms, and wraparound care for the people on our streets.

00:13:24 Speaker 08: We can do it.

00:13:29 Speaker 08: Thank you for your time.

00:13:31 Speaker 08: Good, thank you.

00:13:32 Speaker 08: Go, Jase.

00:13:35 Speaker 09: Is there anyone else that wishes to speak?

00:13:38 Speaker 09: Go ahead.

00:13:39 Speaker 09: I'll get you to state just a second.

00:13:41 Speaker 09: State your name and where you reside.

00:13:42 Speaker 09: There we go.

00:13:48 Speaker 09: My name is Paul Scribe, and I live in Kemble.

00:13:50 Speaker 09: But today, I'm here on behalf of the Owen Sound Field Naturalists.

00:13:53 Speaker 10: Good evening, Mayor and Council.

00:13:57 Speaker 10: This is with regards to the recommendations from Community Services Committee in Item Twelve C on your agenda.

00:14:06 Speaker 10: We're urging Council to support the committee recommendation to officially oppose the province's Bill 5, particularly the section that dismantles the Endangered Species Act.

00:14:17 Speaker 10: Bill 5 replaces a system built on science with one built on convenience.

00:14:23 Speaker 10: It takes authority away from the independent committee of experts and hands it to the government of the day.

00:14:29 Speaker 10: To me, that seems a little bit like having politicians decide on which bridges are safe instead of the engineers.

00:14:37 Speaker 10: It simply doesn't make sense and endangers both our environment and the credibility of a province that values evidence-based policy.

00:14:47 Speaker 10: Equally troubling is the proposed redefinition of habitat.

00:14:52 Speaker 10: Under the new law, habitat means only the immediate dwelling—a nest, den, or burrow—instead of the landscape that supports and sustains animals' entire life cycle.

00:15:04 Speaker 10: That's like solving Ontario's housing crisis by giving every unhoused person a pillow.

00:15:11 Speaker 10: It might sound like action, but it does nothing to address the real need for shelter, space, and safety.

00:15:18 Speaker 10: These changes don't just threaten the charismatic species we all love to watch: our unique black bear population, the barn swallows, or the monarch butterfly,

00:15:25 Speaker 10: but they threaten the keystone species that sustain our rural way of life, the pollinators that keep our orchards and fields productive, and the plants that prevent erosion along our farms and roadsides.

00:15:39 Speaker 10: Removing the legal recognition of special concern species, like the hart's-tongue fern or the American bumblebee, means that we'll only act when it's already too late.

00:15:52 Speaker 10: Here, no one sounds.

00:15:53 Speaker 10: We understand the importance of balance.

00:15:55 Speaker 10: As field naturalists, we support responsible development and recognize the need to reduce unnecessary red tape.

00:16:05 Speaker 10: But we also know that there are better, smarter ways to achieve growth.

00:16:09 Speaker 10: Things that Owen Sound has already endorsed, like encouraging densification within existing urban areas rather than expanding into habitats that makes the region a remarkable place to live.

00:16:22 Speaker 10: Bill 5 is not balanced; it's a step backwards.

00:16:25 Speaker 10: It sacrifices long-term environmental health for short-term expediency.

00:16:30 Speaker 10: And as anyone who works the land or studies nature knows, once a species disappears, no amount of legislation can bring it back.

00:16:37 Speaker 10: On behalf of the Owen Sound Field Naturalists, I'd ask Council to stand with other municipalities across Ontario in formally opposing Bill 5,

00:16:47 Speaker 10: and calling on the province to preserve the integrity of the Endangered Species Act.

00:16:51 Speaker 10: Thank you.

00:16:53 Speaker 10: Thank you.

00:16:55 Speaker 04: And was there anyone else that wished to speak this morning or tonight?

00:17:01 Speaker 04: Okay, I'm not seeing anyone else.

00:17:03 Speaker 04: Go to the microphone.

00:17:05 Speaker 04: So I'll move on to number nine, which is correspondence received, and we don't have any correspondence received in this part.

00:17:16 Speaker 04: Report from City Staff, Mr. Simmonds, at 10 a.m.

00:17:19 Speaker 04: With regard to River District public washroom infrastructure and operational assessment.

00:17:25 Speaker 06: Thank you, Mayor, and through you to Council.

00:17:27 Speaker 06: Pleased to bring this report to you this evening on public washroom infrastructure and operational assessments.

00:17:35 Speaker 06: High highlights from the report speak to automated self-cleaning public washrooms.

00:17:39 Speaker 06: They do offer advanced hygiene and convenience, but require careful consideration of cost, maintenance, and user experience.

00:17:46 Speaker 06: Public washrooms are highlighted in the River District Action Plan as important for meeting strategic goals related to downtown appeal and public health.

00:17:55 Speaker 06: Most people, through our survey, support adding a public washroom in the River District, but success depends on careful planning for safety, cleanliness, and ongoing management.

00:18:04 Speaker 06: Providing a public washroom in the River District is a practical step that supports Owen Sound's Vision Two Thousand and Fifty by making downtown more accessible, inclusive, and welcoming for everyone.

00:18:14 Speaker 06: And the recommendation to renovate the Farmers Market washroom, as I will get to in this presentation and in the report, balances community needs and practical realities,

00:18:23 Speaker 06: using capital reserves and non-taxation revenue for annual operating costs.

00:18:29 Speaker 06: To begin with, and this won't be a full verbatim of the report.

00:18:34 Speaker 06: I should let Council know.

00:18:35 Speaker 06: But to begin with, we did launch a survey.

00:18:37 Speaker 06: We had a public survey that was live essentially for about 10 days, and it received 555 responses from residents, business owners, and visitors.

00:18:46 Speaker 06: And the survey results and stakeholder feedback have shaped the recommendations that we have this evening.

00:18:52 Speaker 06: A few of the highlights out of the survey: community support for a public washroom response of yes, or 59 percent; no, 30 percent; and maybe at 10 percent.

00:19:04 Speaker 06: We talk about top concerns about public washroom implementation.

00:19:08 Speaker 06: The top concerns being cleanliness, misuse of space, vandalism, safety, maintenance, and then just the general category of other.

00:19:17 Speaker 06: But the first, the cleanliness, misuse of space, vandalism, and safety, and maintenance seem to be overwhelmingly brought forward in that response.

00:19:28 Speaker 06: Perceived benefits of a public washroom: received benefits of a public washroom that go to support for events and festivals here in the River District, improved visitor experiences, more inclusive and accessible public space,

00:19:40 Speaker 06: increased foot traffic for businesses, and then there were a few that said there would be no significant benefit.

00:19:47 Speaker 06: Washroom type preferences: we really looked at a couple different options, but self-cleaning automated units had the highest response rate.

00:19:54 Speaker 06: A traditional facility was second.

00:19:57 Speaker 06: Portable units were third, and then again, no preference by a few people.

00:20:03 Speaker 06: With the existing facilities, I wanted to highlight that in the River District itself.

00:20:07 Speaker 06: I know there's been a lot of conversation about well, are there any washrooms available?

00:20:12 Speaker 06: So, the existing facilities in this area of downtown, most of them have limited hours or access, but there are available public washrooms in City Hall, the Owen Sound Transit Terminal, the Owen Sound Police Building,

00:20:22 Speaker 06: the Tom Thomson Gallery, and the Owen Sound Thompson Gallery in the Owen Sound North Grey Union Public Library.

00:20:29 Speaker 06: And then in the survey itself, we asked those responding if they were a business: do they offer washrooms to the general public?

00:20:35 Speaker 06: Now we had 26 businesses say they do offer public washroom access.

00:20:40 Speaker 06: That's not all the businesses in the downtown, but there are those that decided to answer that question.

00:20:44 Speaker 06: Of the 26 businesses, 13 said they offer to anyone that might ask, and 13 responded saying they offer to customers of the store.

00:20:53 Speaker 06: So that comprises the 26.

00:20:56 Speaker 06: Seasonal porta potties have been discontinued by the city due to misuse and vandalism.

00:21:01 Speaker 06: Not as much our call, but by the contractor that does the porta potties that we bring in for special events or for longer-term uses, came to the city and said we can't supply them anymore.

00:21:11 Speaker 06: They did supply us with some very graphic images.

00:21:14 Speaker 06: I have not put those in our presentation tonight, but I can tell you that they are very disturbing of the amount of stuff that was going on in the porta potty.

00:21:23 Speaker 06: I'd also make note that Safe and Sound, a social provider that here in the downtown area provides 24/7 washroom availability on a seasonality basis.

00:21:34 Speaker 06: So November 1st through April 1st, the remainder of the year, the other half a year, they have washrooms available for their opening hours from about eight or nine a.m. to three p.m. in the afternoon.

00:21:46 Speaker 06: They are looking at some operational changes that they might be moving to an operational model that could supply a 24/7 washroom, but they're still working out some of those operational details.

00:21:58 Speaker 06: The options considered for this report were to look at renovating the Farmers Market washroom, which is recommended; a mobile self-cleaning unit; a permanent self-cleaning facility;

00:22:11 Speaker 06: and then a status quo option with just no change at all.

00:22:14 Speaker 06: And when staff are looking at this, when we really started to drill down into it, there are two main components when we're looking at any sort of asset: we have capital and operating.

00:22:25 Speaker 06: And from a capital perspective, the cost to provide an additional public washroom here in the River District ranged from $75,000, which would be the renovation of the Farmers Market,

00:22:36 Speaker 06: to upwards of $450,000 for a standalone self-cleaning unit being installed.

00:22:40 Speaker 06: I know that's quite a range, and there are quite a few options in all of that.

00:22:44 Speaker 06: Self-cleaning units could be as little as $230,000, approximately, but range more when you get into the plumbing and the engineering and everything that goes with it.

00:22:54 Speaker 06: They start to tend to creep up in cost to more of that $400,000 dollar price range.

00:22:58 Speaker 06: From the operating perspective, the annual cost, the budget requirement would range from $12,000 to $40,000. $12,000 being on the lower end for the Farmers Market renovation. $40,000 getting more into the self-cleaning units,

00:23:11 Speaker 06: which have technology issues and other things that go with it.

00:23:15 Speaker 06: So yes, they're self-cleaning.

00:23:16 Speaker 06: They're great from that perspective, but there's a lot of other operational elements that go to it.

00:23:20 Speaker 06: Any model you decide to move forward with has an operational aspect to it.

00:23:27 Speaker 06: As I mentioned, the options considered.

00:23:28 Speaker 06: This is just a picture and an illustration of a permanent self-cleaning unit.

00:23:33 Speaker 06: You can see it's quite attractive on the outside.

00:23:36 Speaker 06: You can place them nearly about anywhere.

00:23:39 Speaker 06: The insides are very basic.

00:23:40 Speaker 06: They're tried.

00:23:41 Speaker 06: They're designed to be as vandal-proof as possible.

00:23:46 Speaker 06: The commode, the floor, and the sink areas self-wash after each use.

00:23:52 Speaker 06: Some units and some manufacturers you can design how often you want it to self-clean; also so it may not be after every use, it could be after every fifth use, tenth use, once a day,

00:24:02 Speaker 06: but you can work that into that cycle with the technology that's available.

00:24:08 Speaker 06: Mobile units: this is one by a company that I mentioned in the report, NIU.

00:24:14 Speaker 06: It's a picture of what an inside could look like.

00:24:16 Speaker 06: These units are also designed as when you purchase them.

00:24:20 Speaker 06: So this is just an example of one.

00:24:22 Speaker 06: The unit here has steps up into it, but they're all on self-leveling and hydraulic units that lower down to the ground, making them accessible for people that need accessibility.

00:24:33 Speaker 06: But this particular picture that I have shows it raised.

00:24:37 Speaker 06: And then the Owen Sound Farmers Market that I generally think we're all aware of is across from City Hall.

00:24:44 Speaker 06: It's located there.

00:24:45 Speaker 06: It's the green door on the right-hand side of the left picture, and a quick picture of what the interior of that washroom currently looks like.

00:24:54 Speaker 06: The washroom itself, from a physical perspective, is approximately 12 feet by 10 feet wide, so it's a sizable amount of space,

00:25:02 Speaker 06: which is equal to or greater than the mobile units and the self-cleaning units that we looked at.

00:25:07 Speaker 06: We also, within the survey, asked people if they wanted to drop a location pin on a map to say where, if we were going to have a public washroom,

00:25:16 Speaker 06: where in the River District would you like that?

00:25:18 Speaker 06: To see that, of the 555 responses, we had about 85 or 88 people drop a pin on the map.

00:25:24 Speaker 06: A majority of those were right here around City Hall in the Farmers Market.

00:25:28 Speaker 06: Thus, it made for us a more logical conclusion to put forward the renovation of the Farmers Market as an option.

00:25:35 Speaker 06: Other options that we considered also, but didn't move forward with, it was mentioned quite often: the Portland LOO model and its limitations.

00:25:42 Speaker 06: It's not really a four-season use.

00:25:44 Speaker 06: It's not built for four seasons.

00:25:47 Speaker 06: It requires similar operational support and infrastructure as other models, and didn't really, in our opinion, offer significant advantage.

00:25:53 Speaker 06: Although it is great for Portland and great for other cities that can accommodate it, so nothing negative to say about that.

00:25:59 Speaker 06: It just didn't fit what we needed here in Owen Sound, in our opinion.

00:26:03 Speaker 06: And then also what came up at a meeting that was hosted at the Harmony Centre by Miss Graves was a business incentive concept,

00:26:11 Speaker 06: and we explored offering credits where you would explore offering credits to local businesses to operate public washrooms.

00:26:18 Speaker 06: We thought the creativity of that idea is great, but ultimately not as viable for us.

00:26:23 Speaker 06: Key challenges we identified were no solution for after-hours access, and that seemed to be coming forward a lot with people wanting a public washroom.

00:26:32 Speaker 06: It was that access aspect to it, because here at City Hall and other public washrooms, they're available during business hours,

00:26:38 Speaker 06: but it's sort of that 4:30 to 10 o'clock or 4:30 p.m. and later in the afternoon without that access.

00:26:45 Speaker 06: So again, a lot of businesses in the downtown close between 5 and 6.

00:26:50 Speaker 06: Some restaurants stay open later, but the majority of the River District businesses close about the same time as normal business hours.

00:26:56 Speaker 06: So access was an issue.

00:26:57 Speaker 06: Additional insurance and legal agreements would be needed, and then accessibility compliance likely would be insufficient compared to a municipal standard or doing a renovation here at the Farmers Market.

00:27:08 Speaker 06: The recommended path forward, as laid out in the report, is to renovate the Farmers Market washroom.

00:27:14 Speaker 06: A capital cost is expected of $75,000, with annual operating costs of $12,000 to $15,000.

00:27:20 Speaker 06: We're suggesting that that annual operating cost be funded by the city's portion of the municipal accommodation tax and not property taxes.

00:27:29 Speaker 06: We're suggesting operating hours of 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

00:27:33 Speaker 06: This option balances in our mind cost, accessibility, and community preference.

00:27:38 Speaker 06: Design and management will prioritize safety, cleanliness, and accessibility.

00:27:42 Speaker 06: Ongoing monitoring and annual reporting to Council.

00:27:44 Speaker 06: I think that's important because if Council moves forward with this tonight, we do feel it though from an accountability perspective that we should be reporting back on how many times did we hope none,

00:27:57 Speaker 06: but how many times did that washroom have to be closed down for misuse or vandalism?

00:28:00 Speaker 06: How much additional operating went into it for misuse or vandalism, or how many times was it used just by people needing a washroom?

00:28:07 Speaker 06: So if we can capture as much data as possible, I think it's important to create that sort of full circle as Council makes decisions.

00:28:14 Speaker 06: And we do believe it supports the Owen Sound Vision Two Thousand and Fifty through accessibility, inclusion, and downtown revitalization, and advances climate action goals through, you know, in that upgrade with efficient fixtures, low-flow items,

00:28:27 Speaker 06: and sustainable design.

00:28:29 Speaker 06: With that, I'll leave the recommendation on the screen and open the floor to questions.

00:28:36 Speaker 06: Thank you, Councillor Kukreja.

00:28:40 Speaker 11: Thank you, through your chair.

00:28:41 Speaker 11: I think this was a much-awaited report.

00:28:43 Speaker 11: Thank you to the City Manager for presenting it in a format that covers almost all options.

00:28:49 Speaker 11: I'm happy to move this recommendation with a few pointers because the reason for that is that, the option one that is included in the report, having a washroom at the Farmers' Market.

00:29:02 Speaker 11: I think it is one of the most commonly used areas by tourism, as well as tourists and folks who like to walk the downtown on an average basis.

00:29:13 Speaker 11: And it's financially viable; like the cost as compared to...

00:29:17 Speaker 11: And we've been at the AAMO conference and studying the market and speaking to the vendors for almost two years.

00:29:23 Speaker 11: So this is the most cost-effective way that the report is being projected.

00:29:27 Speaker 11: Budgets being projected, I'm glad that we have the accountability and transparency piece that it comes back to Council every year,

00:29:34 Speaker 11: so that we can analyse where it is and what it needs to keep it viable.

00:29:40 Speaker 11: But at the same time, I'm hoping that it would include, as there were concerns in the survey about vandalism and misuse, I'm hoping that those factors are accounted for with adequate lighting,

00:29:53 Speaker 11: maybe having a camera somewhere with... all respects to privacy of the individuals who use it, having a coin system, right?

00:30:02 Speaker 11: Where like, if someone is using it, like the washroom gives, like the proper signage that if you are there for more than ten or twenty minutes, the door is going to be open.

00:30:12 Speaker 11: So anything like that, right?

00:30:13 Speaker 11: So keeping that aspect in mind, and so that we are covering that vandalism and aspects that the respondents in the survey have put forward.

00:30:23 Speaker 11: So I'm happy to move the recommendation.

00:30:26 Speaker 11: Thank you, Councillor Koepke.

00:30:30 Speaker 12: Thank you, Your Worship.

00:30:30 Speaker 12: My question to the City Manager is: Can you explain what the renovations would entail, and how you would be covering cleanliness, safety, and accessibility?

00:30:43 Speaker 06: Through your Mayor to Councillor Koepke, the initial design we have...

00:30:49 Speaker 06: We'd have a lot of questions, and we have some great partners actually here in the city.

00:30:52 Speaker 06: We've...

00:30:54 Speaker 06: We've informally met with OSHaRE through another community meeting, and OSHaRE has renovated their washrooms and redone their washrooms, and they were very open to saying we'll share our design, our materials,

00:31:05 Speaker 06: and other things that they've used to combat vandalism and misuse, etc. We also have the ability to look at what some of these self-cleaning manufacturers are using and these mobile units.

00:31:17 Speaker 06: So it's going to be a whole host of questions, and that's why we wanted to... again, if Council approves this, to move forward with it this year, so we can get those questions asked.

00:31:27 Speaker 06: We'd be looking at design with redoing the fixtures inside, the flooring, the lighting, as Councillor Krajac spoke about.

00:31:36 Speaker 06: For AODA, the door and accessibility are issues.

00:31:39 Speaker 06: We'd also be looking to build in a water filling station that would be accessible from the outside of the washroom.

00:31:47 Speaker 06: Also, it's an important feature that I know Council and others have been asking for, so that would be... in there.

00:31:51 Speaker 06: But we'll be looking at the materials we can incorporate inside that building that will limit, hopefully, as much misuse.

00:32:00 Speaker 06: Hopefully, limit the misuse and vandalism as possible.

00:32:05 Speaker 12: And can you tell me how you would stop someone from using it as a home overnight or?

00:32:15 Speaker 06: Through you, Mayor, to Councillor Koepke.

00:32:18 Speaker 06: That's the idea with the option.

00:32:18 Speaker 06: That's the idea with the operating hours.

00:32:20 Speaker 06: That's why we're suggesting only till 10 p.m.

00:32:22 Speaker 06: It does fall in with a seasonality approach with our park staff that close washrooms in parks and such.

00:32:28 Speaker 06: So we'd look at refining the operational model to fit in.

00:32:31 Speaker 06: So at 10 p.m. or right around there, that washroom would be locked overnight.

00:32:35 Speaker 06: So, and it will be checked in before it's locked up and stuff.

00:32:41 Speaker 13: Councillor Farmer, thank you, through the Mayor.

00:32:45 Speaker 02: I'm curious: is the vision to maintain a single occupancy space there, or given the footprint, is it possible to expand the number of units within that footprint?

00:33:00 Speaker 06: Through the Mayor, Councillor Farmer, the vision is to keep it as a single-use space.

00:33:10 Speaker 02: And separate question through the Mayor: Is there anything that prevents us from expanding the hours of that washroom now on an interim basis, while we finalize the plans for the capital upgrades?

00:33:26 Speaker 06: I think right now, through you, Mayor, to Councillor Farmer, expanding the use of it right now,

00:33:31 Speaker 06: we don't have the operational staff in place or any way to sort of watch over or clean or do any of the operational aspects with it.

00:33:40 Speaker 06: It is lacking a few upgrades that should be done to it now.

00:33:47 Speaker 06: I know we open it Saturday mornings for the market, but that's a very limited use number of hours.

00:33:52 Speaker 06: But again, outside of those market use hours, we don't really have any way to oversee it from an operational perspective.

00:34:02 Speaker 02: Through the Mayor, I just want to say I really support this recommendation.

00:34:04 Speaker 02: It seems like a good balance in responding to a clear community desire and need, and happy to see staff's work on a motion that came just last month.

00:34:15 Speaker 02: Thanks.

00:34:16 Speaker 02: Go ahead, Councillor Merton.

00:34:22 Speaker 02: Through you, Mayor.

00:34:26 Speaker 14: Thank you, staff.

00:34:27 Speaker 14: This has been a long time coming forward, and I really appreciate it coming to the table for conversation.

00:34:35 Speaker 14: Realistically, based on the experiences of others who have put a public washroom in place...

00:34:41 Speaker 14: Washerman Place.

00:34:43 Speaker 14: There will be growing challenges.

00:34:46 Speaker 14: Certainly, attending the public meeting or the meeting that Lee Greaves had brought us together to discuss, there was no doubt.

00:34:57 Speaker 14: The experiences of Colleen Trask, Seaman, and O'Shea will provide us with the knowledge and skills, and bringing the experts to the location to provide the advice was a critical step for her.

00:35:13 Speaker 14: She also assured us that we may not get it right the first time, or the second time, or the third time, and that's not an unanticipated result.

00:35:27 Speaker 14: So success has to be measured in moving this forward, making the changes as we learn, and giving everyone the grace to make mistakes.

00:35:40 Speaker 14: I think it's really important that we recognize as a community we know there's a need.

00:35:45 Speaker 14: We're moving forward.

00:35:47 Speaker 14: I want to thank Lee Greaves, thank Colleen Trask Seaman, and thank the staff for their willingness to put this on the table.

00:35:56 Speaker 14: I do believe it might be helpful to have an interim six-month report once it's up.

00:36:00 Speaker 14: Just even a verbal update on how is it going, what are the challenges that you've met, and what do we need to do to support this?

00:36:10 Speaker 14: The other concern I have, though, is about the cut-off time at 10 o'clock.

00:36:17 Speaker 14: Realistically, again, we know that we have unhoused people in our community, and if any of us can imagine at 2 o'clock in the morning lying in our beds, needing to go to the bathroom,

00:36:31 Speaker 14: and there we have a washroom, but there are many who are around us in our encampments and other places, who do not have that choice?

00:36:42 Speaker 14: I think when we talk about dignity and respecting the human rights of everyone, that taking this into consideration and being willing to consider a change in that 10 o'clock time, even as a pilot,

00:36:59 Speaker 14: helps to restore that approach to the human right of accessibility.

00:37:05 Speaker 14: What would we do at two o'clock in the morning if we couldn't get to a bathroom?

00:37:10 Speaker 14: So again, I want to thank everyone for the efforts to date.

00:37:15 Speaker 14: Let's give each other the grace to move this forward with the potential ups and downs and bumps, and recognize that this is a time when the city has listened.

00:37:28 Speaker 14: Thank you.

00:37:31 Speaker 14: Anyone else?

00:37:31 Speaker 14: Again.

00:37:32 Speaker 14: Anyone else?

00:37:33 Speaker 14: Go ahead, Councillor Hamley.

00:37:35 Speaker 15: I just had a question on option one, the operating cost, twelve to fifteen thousand dollars, and I think in the report it said that someone was checking it and cleaning it twice a day.

00:37:48 Speaker 15: I have a hard time imagining that that's only going to be twelve to fifteen thousand dollars.

00:37:53 Speaker 15: So I'm really curious how we got there on the operating cost.

00:37:59 Speaker 06: Through you, Mayor, to Councillor Hamley, the operating cost estimate is currently based on trying to use our seasonal staff that are cleaning washrooms in the summer,

00:38:09 Speaker 06: so that takes care of sort of the summer months.

00:38:12 Speaker 06: In the winter months, been talking with our Manager of Corporate Services who oversees facilities.

00:38:18 Speaker 06: We're working out some of the details on what that might look like, staff involved in cleaning it during the off-season time.

00:38:26 Speaker 06: But we felt as though when you look at contracts that we use contractors for cleaning washrooms and the cost they bill us right now, so whether it's through a contractor or city staff,

00:38:38 Speaker 06: we feel as though those numbers would align with that total.

00:38:48 Speaker 06: Thank you, Chair.

00:38:49 Speaker 05: Thank you for the report.

00:38:50 Speaker 05: I'm a little disappointed that we can't fit in one of the beautiful self-cleaning washrooms that we've seen at AMO the last couple of years, because I really feel like that is a good option.

00:39:01 Speaker 05: But staring at a big budgetary number right now, I know that we don't have the ability to fund that right now.

00:39:11 Speaker 05: I do worry about putting seventy-five thousand dollars into this washroom across the road at City Hall, the library, and the Tom Thomson Art Gallery that are open during the day.

00:56:55 Speaker 04: Okay, we will call the meeting back to order.

00:56:56 Speaker 04: I understand there's been an interruption with the cable link, fibre link.

00:57:06 Speaker 04: Brady might have to back up just a little bit, a couple paragraphs, because I don't know what was missed.

00:57:11 Speaker 04: Thanks.

00:57:13 Speaker 16: Thank you.

00:57:14 Speaker 16: Yes, I will just go back to Ontario Regulation 588/17 timelines.

00:57:19 Speaker 16: In 2019, the city approved a strategic asset management policy.

00:57:23 Speaker 16: Back then, it was required for that policy to be updated every five years.

00:57:28 Speaker 16: We pushed that back one year because the province pushed all the other deadlines back one year to also align with our 2025 Asset Management Plan that's here tonight.

00:57:37 Speaker 16: So we are looking to approve our updated Asset or Strategic Asset Management Policy tonight.

00:57:42 Speaker 16: I'll speak to it in a few minutes, but there were no significant changes other than formatting to match the city's current policy template.

00:57:50 Speaker 16: In July 2022, the city approved its Asset Management Plan for core assets.

00:57:55 Speaker 16: Council knows what those are, but if those at home are watching, it's roads, water, wastewater, stormwater, and bridges.

00:58:02 Speaker 16: In 2024, the city approved its Asset Management Plan for non-core assets.

00:58:06 Speaker 16: So that was anything that basically was not included in the 2022 plan, including facilities, arenas, fire services, information technology, parks and open spaces, and non-core road assets.

00:58:20 Speaker 16: Then, in July of this year, we took a report to the Corporate Services Committee to seek approval for the 2025 Asset Management Plan, which updated the 2022 financials for replacement costs,

00:58:32 Speaker 16: and to incorporate the 2024 Non-Core Asset Management Plan to wrap it up into one document.

00:58:38 Speaker 16: That one document now has all of the city's assets that we are aware of and are able to track recorded into a plan.

00:58:46 Speaker 16: The replacement costs for the assets that are in this combined plan are one point six three billion dollars.

00:58:53 Speaker 16: So it's a significant amount of assets that we manage here at the city.

00:58:58 Speaker 16: The annual funding gap for managing those assets is thirty-eight million dollars, which is a number that, while it is significantly larger than our capital programmemememe,

00:59:10 Speaker 16: I don't think there's a municipality anywhere in Ontario that has a zero-dollar funding gap.

00:59:15 Speaker 16: So we're all in this together.

00:59:17 Speaker 16: The other key component of the 2025 plan was that the city had to review its current levels of service.

00:59:24 Speaker 16: Those were included in the 2022 and 2024 plans, as well as adopt desired levels of service to take us into the future.

00:59:32 Speaker 16: As I said, we were very early in the maturity process, and Council participated in the session on June 2nd with Hemson Consulting on adopting levels of service.

00:59:41 Speaker 16: We took the feedback from that session and decided that our future levels of service for the time being will match our current levels of service.

00:59:47 Speaker 16: So I wasn't coming tonight to propose any significant changes to the plan, and I'll speak to that in a couple minutes as to why.

00:59:56 Speaker 16: The key part about these levels of service is choosing the financially sustainable levels of service and maintaining, rehabilitating, and replacing assets to meet that level of service is the most cost-effective manner,

01:00:07 Speaker 16: and is not only crucial for the fiscal health of the community, but it's also the core of asset management.

01:00:12 Speaker 16: The development of a programmemememe that includes items mentioned above will take time for the city to complete, and will involve participation from Council, staff, and the public.

01:00:21 Speaker 16: The big thing tonight is once we approve this plan, we will be checking the box that we have a 2025 Asset Management Plan, which will allow us to continue to apply for grant opportunities,

01:00:32 Speaker 16: and receive our Canada Community Building Fund funding as well as our Ontario Community Infrastructure Funding.

01:00:40 Speaker 16: We know this is far from a perfect document, but it is something that we have met the requirements of the legislation to date,

01:00:45 Speaker 16: and we can confidently say that when we're applying this towards grants in the work.

01:00:51 Speaker 16: The next step of this is taking this from compliance to performance or operationalizing this, and taking the bits and pieces, the way of the reports,

01:01:00 Speaker 16: and diving into those on a smaller scale over the next couple of years.

01:01:05 Speaker 16: The plans are broken down into report cards for the different asset classes, so that staff can then take one of those report cards, work on it, work on getting feedback from industry standards, other municipalities,

01:01:18 Speaker 16: the public, and Council, and go through those over the next couple of years, so that we can fine-tune this.

01:01:23 Speaker 16: The benefit of us creating and working on our own Asset Management Plan versus consulting is that this allows us that flexibility to continue to update the plan.

01:01:32 Speaker 16: So, as much as we're approving it today, and the legislation says it can sit on itself for five years, that is not our intention.

01:01:39 Speaker 16: We're going to continue to update this because we know as we collect data and we start to apply condition, rather than just relying on age, this is going to help us.

01:01:49 Speaker 16: I think, well, hopefully lessen that thirty-eight million dollar gap.

01:01:53 Speaker 16: Because rather than just saying, "Oh, that asset is twenty-five years old and has a twenty-five year lifespan,

01:01:58 Speaker 16: it needs to be replaced," we see in some assets like our bridges where we have third-party inspections and they identify a component of that bridge needing to be replaced in six to ten years.

01:02:08 Speaker 16: And then we do another inspection two years later and it's still saying, "You know what?

01:02:11 Speaker 16: We can get another six to ten years out of it."

01:02:13 Speaker 16: They come back the third time, we can get six to ten years out of it because it's not deteriorating like a model that somebody has created somewhere,

01:02:21 Speaker 16: or we have done something from a maintenance standpoint, or the environment around it has resulted in it not deteriorating quite as quick.

01:02:28 Speaker 16: So by us spending time collecting that condition data and continuing to update that, this will actually help us strive towards those future levels of service.

01:02:39 Speaker 16: The back in July, we also told the committee that we would seek public input on the draft plan.

01:02:46 Speaker 16: We posted it to our city site.

01:02:49 Speaker 16: There were a couple hiccups with how it was presented, but with support from our Communications team, we were able to post and extend it a little while longer on the site to solicit feedback.

01:03:00 Speaker 16: But we still only received one comment from the public, wanting the data in the plan to be more detailed and provide scenarios and things like that.

01:03:08 Speaker 16: And I think that's all stuff that we are going to strive towards.

01:03:11 Speaker 16: But was not something that was required at this point,

01:03:14 Speaker 16: and not something that we are ready as a group to really start to put those scenarios in place until we dive deeper into some of these asset classes.

01:03:23 Speaker 16: As I said, the other part of the package was in 2019.

01:03:26 Speaker 16: The strategic asset management policy was reviewed and updated this year.

01:03:30 Speaker 16: It's very just little words, more so about the governance, adding in job titles that were now in place rather than 2019, and putting into the new format.

01:03:40 Speaker 16: That's always simply done to the strategic asset management policy, and it's something that we will continue to work with staff to evolve as we operationalize our asset management programmemememe.

01:03:52 Speaker 16: As I said, we are just continuing to move forward with this.

01:03:55 Speaker 16: We have a team here at the city.

01:03:56 Speaker 16: We have a strong Asset Management departmental users.

01:04:00 Speaker 16: We're willing to embrace this, and the next step is for staff to start integrating this document and the concept of Asset Management Plan into many other of our documents.

01:04:10 Speaker 16: We have Official Plan updates.

01:04:11 Speaker 16: We have Strategic Plan updates.

01:04:13 Speaker 16: We have Master Plans.

01:04:14 Speaker 16: We have inspections.

01:04:16 Speaker 16: We need to make sure that the items that are contained within the strategic asset management policy about our thought processes and our governance are included in those.

01:04:25 Speaker 16: We see many times that the master plans get labelled as wish lists by the community, or they get excited seeing something down the line.

01:04:32 Speaker 16: How are we going to combine those future needs with our current needs?

01:04:37 Speaker 16: And I think we saw that tonight with the conversation about a washroom.

01:04:40 Speaker 16: And we had an opportunity to add another asset, or we had an opportunity to rehabilitate an existing asset.

01:04:46 Speaker 16: We are choosing to rehabilitate an existing asset because, as much as if we spent the four hundred fifty thousand dollars on a new asset,

01:04:53 Speaker 16: I'm still coming in the next couple of years and asking for money to update the other one.

01:04:57 Speaker 16: So we're going to try and leverage what we have in order to also accommodate increased or new levels of service.

01:05:06 Speaker 16: With the financial implications, as I said, the annual average funding deficit is thirty-eight point two million dollars.

01:05:13 Speaker 16: That includes our water and wastewater assets.

01:05:14 Speaker 16: If you take the water and wastewater out, I think that gets that tax-supported deficit down to about eleven million dollars.

01:05:24 Speaker 16: But even looking at that, that is probably still about a thirty percent tax increase if we were to eliminate this deficit in year one.

01:05:32 Speaker 16: And I'm not sure anybody has the appetite to move forward with that, nor are we recommending anything like that.

01:05:36 Speaker 16: But just to put it in perspective, this is how a lot of municipalities are also reporting their annual funding deficits as they're giving the kind of here's our options:

01:05:45 Speaker 16: the do nothing or fund it entirely.

01:05:50 Speaker 16: The next step will just be, as I said,

01:05:52 Speaker 16: to continue to integrate that funding gap and also look at it from our operating budget standpoint and our levels of services that we provide through the operations budget to make sure that we are doing

01:06:01 Speaker 16: those non-capital treatments on these assets at the right time,

01:06:04 Speaker 16: or making sure things are cleaned and washed, so that they don't deteriorate quicker than they need to.

01:06:11 Speaker 16: So, with that, the plan is to seek approval to adopt the 2025 Asset Management Plan, the 2025 Strategic Asset Management Policy,

01:06:21 Speaker 16: and you'll see us a lot more over the next couple of years as we dive into this and operationalize it.

01:06:27 Speaker 09: Good, thank you, Council.

01:06:29 Speaker 09: Where do you want to start?

01:06:32 Speaker 09: Go ahead.

01:06:34 Speaker 17: Well, I'm just going to move the recommendation.

01:06:36 Speaker 17: I do have one quick question for Brady before I just have a small little summary of comments.

01:06:44 Speaker 17: You mentioned about not expanding the asset footprint, basically in the last report.

01:06:50 Speaker 17: You know, we're going to refurbish an existing asset, so we create a capital budget for seventy-five thousand dollars, twelve thousand dollars a year, and a year in operating costs.

01:07:02 Speaker 17: What did we just do to the Asset Management Plan?

01:07:05 Speaker 17: Did it go up or did it go down?

01:07:11 Speaker 16: To the Deputy Mayor, through you, your Worship.

01:07:15 Speaker 16: That would be the rehabilitation of that washroom would be in the plan.

01:07:21 Speaker 16: We did a building condition assessment on that.

01:07:22 Speaker 16: I'm not sure because it's so componentized down to the fixtures, the walls, and things like that.

01:07:29 Speaker 16: I imagine the replacement cost for all of those would be close to the seventy-five thousand dollars.

01:07:34 Speaker 16: So we're just moving it up potentially quicker than what some of those assets would have need to be replaced.

01:07:38 Speaker 16: So from a capital standpoint, I don't think we made a significant change.

01:07:42 Speaker 16: The change would be the twelve thousand dollars in the operating budget to reflect the adjusted level of service because we've increased the level of service than what currently exists.

01:07:53 Speaker 17: Okay, thanks for that, and I totally agree.

01:07:55 Speaker 17: Of four hundred and forty-four municipalities in the province.

01:07:58 Speaker 17: We're probably not the best.

01:07:59 Speaker 17: We're probably not the worst, and everybody has a funding gap.

01:08:04 Speaker 17: And I look at just the hard assets that were 1,100 million in 2022 and went to 1,300 million just in three years.

01:08:12 Speaker 17: So it went up 18.18.

01:08:18 Speaker 17: The community doesn't have enough tax dollars, even if you want to try to tax the snot out of them and take all that money from them.

01:08:25 Speaker 17: Everyone would scatter.

01:08:26 Speaker 17: You'd be left with a small little base of willing people to assume even more services.

01:08:33 Speaker 17: So there's not a big enough pot of money.

01:08:36 Speaker 17: And I'm glad you point out the you know, I'm the first one to say master plans are often wish lists.

01:08:43 Speaker 17: We have a tremendous load of assets that are in need of replacement and refurbishment in front of us already.

01:08:52 Speaker 17: When I came onto Council, there was a water tower that was asked for, so we still haven't built it.

01:08:57 Speaker 17: But it was on a Master Plan.

01:08:59 Speaker 17: So Councils now and moving forward, a long time,

01:09:03 Speaker 17: we'll have to work very diligently to be able to bring that funding gap down and bring it down at a level that's tolerable or palatable to the community taxpayer.

01:09:17 Speaker 17: Thanks, Brady.

01:09:19 Speaker 17: So, thank you.

01:09:19 Speaker 17: Said tax the daylights was that the word.

01:09:20 Speaker 17: Is that the word?

01:09:22 Speaker 17: Others, John.

01:09:25 Speaker 02: Thank you, Mr. Mayor.

01:09:25 Speaker 02: A couple of clarifying questions, just for process, and then a couple of specific questions about aspects of the plan.

01:09:32 Speaker 02: I think someone might engaging with this just in passing, or only with the news about tonight's meeting, rather than following this whole process, might think that we're planning to spend money that we don't have.

01:09:43 Speaker 02: Picking up on the Deputy Mayor's point, possibly,

01:09:46 Speaker 02: could staff clarify whether the total unfunded amount funded amount outlined in the Asset Management Plan includes also all the things identified in Master Plans and unfunded projects in the multi-year capital plan,

01:09:59 Speaker 02: or is it more scoped than that?

01:10:04 Speaker 16: To Councillor Farmer, through your Worship, the asset management plan at this stage only focuses on the assets the City currently owns and maintains.

01:10:13 Speaker 16: So we have not incorporated the expansion activities into this.

01:10:18 Speaker 16: Similarly, we haven't incorporated the development charge type projects into this as well.

01:10:22 Speaker 16: It's something that wasn't necessarily legislated because we are a population under twenty-five thousand for the development charges.

01:10:28 Speaker 16: But we know that we are getting up towards that number, and it's something that we will factor into the expansion activities moving forward.

01:10:37 Speaker 02: Through the financial implications section of the report, highlights that Oceanside will need to include future consideration towards service level of service reductions and the potential divestiture of certain assets.

01:10:50 Speaker 02: I'm wondering, since it also lays out that the current strategy is to maintain current levels of service until a more robust and data-driven framework can be established.

01:11:02 Speaker 02: Is it possible to give a description of the proposed timeline or process for those conversations and decisions about level of service, possible reductions, divestments?

01:11:11 Speaker 02: What happens now?

01:11:15 Speaker 16: Through Councillor Farmer, through your Worship, we haven't said anything necessarily in stone.

01:11:20 Speaker 16: But I think, as I said, we were going to deal with this kind of report card to report card.

01:11:24 Speaker 16: I think the logical next step would be to look at the non-core assets first as we go through those report cards.

01:11:30 Speaker 16: Only because they generally don't have the legislated assets like water, wastewater, roads.

01:11:35 Speaker 16: They're very legislated.

01:11:37 Speaker 16: They're very community driven.

01:11:38 Speaker 16: That almost every property is connected to those.

01:11:41 Speaker 16: The non-core ones would be the area that we would look at.

01:11:45 Speaker 16: An example that we've talked about recently, and will be built into hopefully my two thousand and twenty-six work plan would be looking at our facilities.

01:11:52 Speaker 16: We've done one round of facility condition assessments.

01:11:55 Speaker 16: I'm trying to get a second round completed here shortly,

01:11:59 Speaker 16: or through the winter months to look at the facilities and then bring that report card back and start to look at some metrics on that and seeing what does the City need to have from

01:12:08 Speaker 16: a facility standpoint,

01:12:09 Speaker 16: footprint wise, capacity wise, services that are provided by the City through those.

01:12:14 Speaker 16: I think that would be a logical next step for us to kind of dip our feet into the water for this process.

01:12:22 Speaker 02: The plan highlights the increased burden on assets resulting from growth and says, with more people using stuff, they might deteriorate more quickly.

01:12:30 Speaker 02: I didn't see a forecast of the additional revenue that we expect from developments of various kinds coming online.

01:12:36 Speaker 02: Is that considered yet in the process, or is that down the road?

01:12:40 Speaker 02: Now that we've checked the legislative box.

01:12:43 Speaker 16: To Councillor Farmer, through your Worship, that would be down the road, particularly on those core assets, and once we look at the development charges,

01:12:50 Speaker 16: trying to forecast the revenues as well as the operating expenses to go with that growth.

01:12:58 Speaker 02: To some specific elements, the stormwater network is listed as having a replacement value of more than two hundred and fifty-two million, and an annual deficit for funding of four point one million.

01:13:09 Speaker 02: In our budget meetings from last year, stormwater infrastructure was identified as having the potential of benefiting from a stormwater rate, so that the properties that generate the most stormwater flow,

01:13:19 Speaker 02: big places with paved surfaces and big flat roofs, can cover the cost of that more than what is currently borne by the residential tax base.

01:13:29 Speaker 02: Is that process still on the table, off the table?

01:13:32 Speaker 02: Where are we at for stormwater that way?

01:13:35 Speaker 16: To Council Farmer, through your Worship, yes, that was.

01:13:39 Speaker 16: Discussed last year.

01:13:40 Speaker 16: The City is currently almost finalizing a stormwater management master plan that will help identify the operational and capital needs for our existing system.

01:13:50 Speaker 16: That's a very important document to have completed, so that we can get an understanding of the financial needs.

01:13:56 Speaker 16: And then a recommendation could be to look towards a model like that if it was a way to generate revenue going forward.

01:14:01 Speaker 16: But we need to make sure that this project is completed first, rather than establishing rates on an existing plan that we don't necessarily have, and I can let the Director, Public Works and Engineering,

01:14:11 Speaker 16: comment on when that plan might be completed.

01:14:21 Speaker 18: Through your Worship, I don't actually have a specific timeline.

01:14:27 Speaker 18: It is very close.

01:14:29 Speaker 18: I think we're just fine-tuning some of our weather models to, yeah, we're just in the refining process.

01:14:40 Speaker 02: Thank you, through the Mayor.

01:14:42 Speaker 02: So, non-core road assets include street signals,

01:14:45 Speaker 02: and there's evidence that critically assessing the function of signalized intersections and replacing potentially unnecessary signals with all-way stops is an effective way to both increase safety and lower the capital asset base.

01:15:00 Speaker 02: As the County is downloading roads to the City, is there a way for us to consider that kind of revision?

01:15:03 Speaker 02: Us to consider that kind of revisioning in the near future, or maybe in—I think it's 2027—that we have the Transportation Master Plan coming.

01:15:11 Speaker 02: How do we include ideas like that into the process?

01:15:14 Speaker 16: To Councillor Farmer, through your Worship, I think you answered your own question there by suggesting that that would be something included in the Transportation Master Plan update.

01:15:24 Speaker 16: Those are the types of things that the consultants at that time will be soliciting feedback on, and we'll be able to take their industry knowledge and see if it would be applicable towards Owen Sound.

01:15:34 Speaker 16: And as I said, I think that is in 2027 or 2028.

01:15:39 Speaker 16: Councillor Merton, through you, Mayor.

01:15:42 Speaker 14: First of all, Brady, thank you.

01:15:44 Speaker 14: There's been a lot of work done to get us to this point from yourself and all the staff.

01:15:49 Speaker 14: So it's great to have this updated plan.

01:15:53 Speaker 14: You've also done the facilities conditions assessment.

01:15:57 Speaker 14: So what I am looking for at this stage: we've planned, we've got assessments; we're now going to have report cards on report cards.

01:16:07 Speaker 14: What I'm looking for are recommendations from the staff.

01:16:12 Speaker 14: What can you bring forward to us to advise us on what facilities are still necessary to have?

01:16:19 Speaker 14: What can come off the list?

01:16:22 Speaker 14: I see potential to narrow that gap in a fairly short time frame.

01:16:28 Speaker 14: We keep saying "in the future," but we've seen the change in the value of the assets tremendously over a period of time.

01:16:37 Speaker 14: So as you move forward, the report card you bring back, will there be a recommendation report attached to it?

01:16:47 Speaker 16: To Councillor Merton, through your Worship, I think the buildings that you would want to reference.

01:16:53 Speaker 16: I know we've talked about this in the past, and it's come up at many Council meetings.

01:16:57 Speaker 16: A year ago, I would say we had 29 buildings, but I really wasn't sure how to evaluate City Hall versus our wastewater treatment plant versus a baseball diamond washroom.

01:17:08 Speaker 16: The way that we have structured our asset management plan by putting the buildings into the services that they support will allow us to bring that more comprehensive plan to you in the future.

01:17:18 Speaker 16: So we will take a look at our corporate facilities, and when you look at the corporate facilities, that includes the City Hall buildings,

01:17:24 Speaker 16: but it'll also include the buildings that the City leases out to third parties—the ones that may not necessarily provide services.

01:17:30 Speaker 16: So I think if we dove into that report card first, as maybe a trial to see here's what we can look at; here are some options.

01:17:38 Speaker 16: I think that would meet what you're looking for, but also not pit some of the buildings that are difficult against each other.

01:17:45 Speaker 16: Because if you're basing something on attendance, well, a seasonal washer might not be there versus the water plant.

01:17:50 Speaker 16: There's very little that we can do with that facility other than to make sure that we maintain it.

01:17:55 Speaker 16: So I think in 2026, you'll see some movement on what you're looking for,

01:17:59 Speaker 16: and it'll be a good exercise on working with the public and Council on a portfolio that might have some opportunities for changes.

01:18:10 Speaker 16: Okay.

01:18:10 Speaker 16: Anyone else?

01:18:11 Speaker 04: No. I'll call the question.

01:18:12 Speaker 04: Oh, is that a question?

01:18:13 Speaker 04: Is that yet?

01:18:14 Speaker 17: Go ahead.

01:18:15 Speaker 17: Just quickly and further to Councillor Merton, I think one of the things not to lose sight of is the importance of growth, because literally for every $200,000 of weighted assessment,

01:18:26 Speaker 17: you're going to see about $2,800 go on the tax roll.

01:18:28 Speaker 17: It's just vital to this community to continue to pursue and mine that growth to be able to support a lot of these facilities because these are hard assets.

01:18:38 Speaker 17: Water and wastewater—you can't just mothball your water plant.

01:18:43 Speaker 17: So there's capacity there, and that's what we're seeing now is some of the fruits of that labour in the last several years, and hopefully it continues because at the end of the day,

01:18:52 Speaker 17: it's that assessment that is critical to meeting some of that future need.

01:18:57 Speaker 17: Okay, now call the question.

01:18:59 Speaker 17: All in favour?

01:19:00 Speaker 04: That's carried.

01:19:01 Speaker 04: Thanks, Brady.

01:19:02 Speaker 04: Thanks, Kate.

01:19:04 Speaker 04: You know, when I first started here, there wasn't any asset management plan, and I know it's certainly something that would probably partly came out of Walkerton water inquiry, starting with water,

01:19:16 Speaker 04: and we've added it to other assets.

01:19:20 Speaker 04: It gives Council and future Councillors the ability to look at things in a dollar value and have a good inventory and everything,

01:19:29 Speaker 04: and it's pretty important and I think it's a major step that has happened in the last few years.

01:19:34 Speaker 04: So thank you.

01:19:36 Speaker 04: I think you're on to the next report too, aren't you?

01:19:38 Speaker 04: Go ahead.

01:19:42 Speaker 16: Thank you, Worship.

01:19:43 Speaker 16: This is the report regarding the establishment of a Fire Hall renovation and expansion ad hoc committee.

01:19:49 Speaker 16: The report is a little bit unique in nature in that it doesn't have a direct recommendation from staff.

01:19:55 Speaker 16: We've outlined two recommendations or two options for Council.

01:19:58 Speaker 16: Option one being the established amended committee, and option two being information sharing and connecting this to regular project updates through the City's project management team.

01:20:12 Speaker 16: The 2026 to 2030 multi-year capital plan includes the renovation and expansion of the existing fire station.

01:20:21 Speaker 16: Staff have brought an update report to Council back in June regarding this project and confirming a dollar figure that would be included in the 2026 to 2030 plan.

01:20:32 Speaker 16: And while Council endorsed the recommendations of the plan at that time, they also requested or approved a resolution requesting a report on the establishment of an ad hoc committee to support the project.

01:20:45 Speaker 16: I believe that this was based on a similar committee being utilised for the renovation of City Hall in the mid-2016 to 2018 range.

01:20:56 Speaker 16: That recommendation was taken back by staff and reviewed in compliance with the Board and Committee Bylaw.

01:21:06 Speaker 16: We have raised concern that the Bylaw states that Council may only establish an ad hoc committee where at least five criteria are met.

01:21:15 Speaker 16: I'm not going to read the criteria; I think those are included in the report.

01:21:18 Speaker 16: But it is staff's opinion that the establishment of this committee doesn't match the Board and Committee Bylaw.

01:21:30 Speaker 16: However, staff—or sorry, the Council—does have the ability to waive that requirement in order to establish this committee.

01:21:35 Speaker 16: And as such, staff have drafted the terms and reference for Council consideration.

01:21:42 Speaker 16: If Council wishes to proceed with that option, the Clerk would be able to share, or I can do it, a proposed resolution or updated amended one,

01:21:52 Speaker 16: and as well as then we would also follow the nomination procedure for three members of Council to be elected and appointed to an ad hoc committee to do that election tonight,

01:22:04 Speaker 16: and then follow up with a Bylaw for the next meeting, understanding that the establishment of this committee isn't in compliance with the Board and Committee Bylaw.

01:22:15 Speaker 16: Staff are also providing a second option: being regular project management updates.

01:22:20 Speaker 16: Staff recognize that this is a significant expense.

01:22:23 Speaker 16: This project, being in that $5 million dollar range, it's a significant facility expense.

01:22:28 Speaker 16: It's not necessarily though a big capital project expense.

01:22:32 Speaker 16: We're spending at least that kind of number on Ninth Avenue this year.

01:22:35 Speaker 16: We've spent similar numbers on Alpha Street and the downtown revitalization projects in the last couple of years,

01:22:41 Speaker 16: so we know that we do have capabilities here with staff that we maybe didn't have in the past, or we have project management tools and software to support efficient project management.

01:22:50 Speaker 16: And if Council wishes to pursue this option, we would bring regular updates back to the committee, appropriate standing committee on the status of this project.

01:23:00 Speaker 16: So during the design process, a lot of that work isn't necessarily on a month-to-month basis.

01:23:06 Speaker 16: So we would look at something at bi-monthly or quarterly reports—monthly or quarterly reports—but then once construction started,

01:23:10 Speaker 16: we would bring monthly reports similar to what the Director of Public Works and Engineering did with those two large projects last year.

01:23:16 Speaker 16: So the Council can continue to see the project schedule, budget adherence, potential changes to the scope and/or the budget, what's coming up over the next month, and other important stakeholder feedback.

01:23:28 Speaker 16: In addition to this, I will be taking on the role of project manager, but I'm not going to do this project by myself.

01:23:35 Speaker 16: We're going to have an inter-disciplinary project team that will support me on this project, including the Fire Chief, our facilities project coordinator.

01:23:45 Speaker 16: Early in this process, we've already engaged Planning and Building staff to work through a lot of those approvals.

01:23:50 Speaker 16: So it's not kind of this project's not going to sit on one person's desk throughout.

01:23:54 Speaker 16: We're going to make sure that we're looking at it with multiple levels, and it's obviously going to be supported by our senior leadership team as well.

01:24:00 Speaker 16: For both of these options, there are no direct financial implications.

01:24:03 Speaker 16: It is not requiring any addition to the budget.

01:24:08 Speaker 16: However, we do want to point out that adding an additional ad hoc committee will add about twenty hours of staff time over the course of a month.

01:24:16 Speaker 16: Or each time that one of these meetings is held between the executive and committee support coordinator, myself, and then the leadership team to review the reports.

01:24:24 Speaker 16: So it's just something that the number of meetings multiplied by twenty does add on some additional hours that do take us away from actually delivering on the capital projects and other kind of managerial responsibilities.

01:24:37 Speaker 16: So, with that, I will—I'm happy to take any questions.

01:24:42 Speaker 14: Councillor Merton, through you, Mayor, I would like to move the recommendation as presented that we proceed with option two.

01:24:56 Speaker 14: Option two being the project management approach.

01:25:02 Speaker 14: Okay.

01:25:03 Speaker 14: Councillor Koepke.

01:25:04 Speaker 12: Thank you, Your Worship.

01:25:05 Speaker 12: Through you, can you identify for me the criteria that does not fit within this committee?

01:25:19 Speaker 16: To Councillor Koepke, through you, Your Worship, I think I'll read through them.

01:25:24 Speaker 16: I know that we didn't mark yes or no on the report, so I'll read through these first, and then if we want to have any questions,

01:25:33 Speaker 16: if Councillor Koepke has kind of opinions on some of those, I think we could review it as the committee to determine that.

01:25:40 Speaker 16: The first one is the subject matter is of significant importance to the city.

01:25:44 Speaker 16: The next one is the mandate and report structure can be clearly articulated.

01:25:49 Speaker 16: The mandate will align with the City strategic plan or other plans or guiding documents.

01:25:54 Speaker 16: The establishment of the committee would significantly help to streamline discussion and decision making.

01:25:59 Speaker 16: The committee would handle tasks or work that the staff do not perform.

01:26:02 Speaker 16: The committee would require citizen voices or external stakeholder expertise to develop the subject matter, or the subject matter is multidisciplinary or multi-departmental.

01:26:11 Speaker 16: So I know kind of the three ones that we quickly caught off where the establishment would significantly help streamline the discussion.

01:26:20 Speaker 16: That would be D. So so in this case, a lot of work has gone into this project already with the preliminary design and things like that.

01:26:30 Speaker 16: Council has reviewed it as a group twice, so we feel comfortable with moving forward with the conceptual plan.

01:26:35 Speaker 16: We know it's not the final design, but we have the conceptual design, the space needs analysis, and we have a budget established to move forward on.

01:26:43 Speaker 16: So, kind of opening up those conversations again would slow the project down, and we do know that there is a sense of urgency to move forward with this project.

01:26:52 Speaker 16: As recently as this morning, I was talking to our building maintenance coordinator about some heating issues going on in the bathroom.

01:26:59 Speaker 16: He's asking me what should I do?

01:27:00 Speaker 16: Are we going to replace the furnace, or are we constructing this sometime soon?

01:27:03 Speaker 16: And I said, we may have to spend the money to replace the furnace because even at this pace,

01:27:08 Speaker 16: we're still looking at kind of a year and a half to two years away from being fully built out.

01:27:14 Speaker 16: So we do need to get moving forward on the project.

01:27:18 Speaker 16: The other item was E. The committee would handle tasks or work that staff do not perform.

01:27:23 Speaker 16: Committee members or staff can't be involved in the procurement process.

01:27:28 Speaker 16: They can't be the project managers.

01:27:31 Speaker 16: We feel that feedback has already kind of been provided, or we've provided the opportunity for feedback to council through a couple meetings.

01:27:38 Speaker 16: The public had an opportunity to comment on those.

01:27:41 Speaker 16: We know that people aren't necessarily happy with the price tag, but it just comes with the level of service of having a fire department.

01:27:47 Speaker 16: We need to make sure that we have a suitable facility to support that.

01:27:51 Speaker 16: So that also knocks off item F about additional feedback and external stakeholders.

01:27:57 Speaker 16: We retained an architectural firm to work with us on that project to do the pre-design study and to move forward.

01:28:04 Speaker 16: So we've kind of solicited that external third-party feedback with somebody that was familiar with fire station construction, and we've been through our standing committee,

01:28:15 Speaker 16: the Corporate Services Committee reviewed this prior to it going to council as well.

01:28:19 Speaker 16: Some of the discretionary ones are just the subject matter is significant importance to the city.

01:28:24 Speaker 16: I think, as I said, yes, the price tag is significant to the city,

01:28:28 Speaker 16: but we have had many other expensive projects over the last couple of years that we have been delegated the authority of staff to proceed with,

01:28:36 Speaker 16: and we think we've done a pretty decent job at completing the projects on time and on budget.

01:28:43 Speaker 16: And then just with the other ones, the report structure, like we have an interdisciplinary team, we have a project manager internally and project coordinating staff that we maybe haven't had on projects in the past,

01:28:53 Speaker 16: so we do have a structure that can administer this project as well.

01:28:57 Speaker 16: So we feel confident that we can deliver this project for council, following a similar process to our other infrastructure replacement projects.

01:29:07 Speaker 16: Anyone else comments?

01:29:08 Speaker 17: Go ahead.

01:29:09 Speaker 17: Question from the City Manager: In November, you plan on bringing forward a report that's going to evaluate the current committee structures or compositions.

01:29:20 Speaker 17: When I started, we had a bylaw committee, we had a finance committee, we had a fire committee.

01:29:25 Speaker 17: When I saw this report, I kind of wondered.

01:29:28 Speaker 17: I'm a little intrigued as to what might be in your report.

01:29:31 Speaker 17: Are you considering some different scenarios in that?

01:29:36 Speaker 17: I don't want to preempt anything with a decision tonight.

01:29:38 Speaker 17: With where, if I'm not convinced our current composition and structures are perfect.

01:29:47 Speaker 17: So I just don't want us to make a decision tonight that could be made in a month.

01:29:53 Speaker 17: Because, what if returning to a fire committee that we used to have, that meets three or four times a year, is the most opportune structure to have?

01:30:08 Speaker 06: Thank you, Mayor.

01:30:08 Speaker 06: To Deputy Mayor Greig, without revealing the movie trailer too much, no, we wouldn't be going.

01:30:15 Speaker 06: Currently, staff are not looking at going back to that level of committee, where there's committees for, as you said, fire, and you know municipalities can have a committee to look at flags if they want.

01:30:26 Speaker 06: But we're not looking at that much detail.

01:30:34 Speaker 04: So when we redid this building, we had a committee of Brian, Jim, and you.

01:30:42 Speaker 04: Was I on that?

01:30:43 Speaker 04: Was it four of us?

01:30:43 Speaker 04: Support us, and sometimes things come quickly,

01:30:49 Speaker 04: and you need to call a meeting in two days to make a decision and find support and run things past anything that would come through a committee would come to council as far as reports

01:30:58 Speaker 04: come,

01:30:59 Speaker 04: like they always do.

01:31:00 Speaker 04: So that's the only other thing.

01:31:04 Speaker 04: This is specifically a building committee, not necessarily you know it's not you're not setting up a fire committee that's going to make all the decisions.

01:31:12 Speaker 04: We're leaving that to our chief.

01:31:13 Speaker 04: It's just the building renovations.

01:31:17 Speaker 04: So I don't—I don't know what anyone.

01:31:18 Speaker 04: Go ahead.

01:31:20 Speaker 12: Some of the things that I remember were of significant importance on the committee were the contingencies and the change orders and the committee reviewing all of those things.

01:31:32 Speaker 12: Bruce is coming back to council.

01:31:35 Speaker 12: You started it, so Rock.

01:31:40 Speaker 15: Yeah, I—I don't support the motion.

01:31:41 Speaker 15: I think like the report mentions, the Alpha Street reconstruction and the Downtown River Precinct.

01:31:47 Speaker 15: I view this project more like City Hall than than than those projects.

01:31:52 Speaker 15: Right.

01:31:52 Speaker 15: I think I think we're going to have to answer for whatever this building looks like at the end of the day.

01:31:58 Speaker 15: And so I think we should have a little more to do with this project than we do others.

01:32:05 Speaker 04: So one more question, Brady.

01:32:07 Speaker 04: What's the timespan here?

01:32:10 Speaker 04: How much?

01:32:11 Speaker 04: When's it going to start?

01:32:12 Speaker 04: When's it going to end?

01:32:16 Speaker 16: Thank you, Your Worship.

01:32:18 Speaker 16: If the committee were to start, we were looking at a January start date.

01:32:22 Speaker 16: By the time, yeah, January two thousand and twenty-six, the project will definitely go past this term of council and into the next term.

01:32:31 Speaker 16: I'm thinking probably design, construction.

01:32:34 Speaker 16: We would be looking eighteen, twenty-four months.

01:32:38 Speaker 16: Thank you.

01:32:39 Speaker 16: Okay, Carol, go ahead.

01:32:41 Speaker 14: Through your worship, the continuity of the input was a concern, which we're heading into an election year, and the staff would be the people who are continuously working on this project.

01:32:56 Speaker 14: But those faces at a committee may or may not be the same.

01:33:01 Speaker 14: So my concern would be on that particular aspect and how it might impact this initiative moving forward.

01:33:10 Speaker 14: So, if it wasn't moving into an election year, it might be a slightly different perspective.

01:33:20 Speaker 02: Councillor Farmer, through the mayor, I'll speak in favour of the motion.

01:33:24 Speaker 02: I think that we hear a lot about overburdening staff time and hours with meetings, and we've seen this project through a number of budget cycles through multi-year capital planning.

01:33:34 Speaker 02: Your capital planning, we've seen the like at our current committee structure level reports coming through to change scope and with those recommendations,

01:33:45 Speaker 02: and we always have the ability to call emergency meetings of council if we need to.

01:33:52 Speaker 02: I don't see, especially in an election year,

01:33:56 Speaker 02: a need for that increased level of oversight and increased level of staff and time to prepare for meetings and let us add another rubber stamp before council makes final decisions.

01:34:08 Speaker 02: In any case, okay.

01:34:11 Speaker 02: So I'm going to call the question.

01:34:12 Speaker 02: All in favour of Carol's no. Sorry, no, no, no, no. This is a council meeting.

01:34:18 Speaker 02: This is for council to have the discussion.

01:34:20 Speaker 02: Thank you.

01:34:21 Speaker 04: I'm going to call the question.

01:34:24 Speaker 04: All in favour.

01:34:26 Speaker 04: One, two, three, four, five.

01:34:27 Speaker 04: So that carries six.

01:34:29 Speaker 04: That carries.

01:34:39 Speaker 04: Okay.

01:34:39 Speaker 04: Anything else with that report?

01:34:40 Speaker 04: No. Next, I think is the update from Grey County Council from Deputy Mayor Greig.

01:34:51 Speaker 17: Thank you, and through you, Mayor Boddy.

01:34:52 Speaker 17: Going to keep my water close by because we've had two county meetings since the last council meeting.

01:34:58 Speaker 17: County Council recently endorsed a motion supporting municipal.

01:35:00 Speaker 17: Endorsed a motion supporting municipalities' abilities to utilise automated speed enforcement, and that local MPPs support this position.

01:35:07 Speaker 17: Opposing the legislation, the motion is being circulated to Grey County municipalities.

01:35:12 Speaker 17: County Council has awarded a tender for the construction of a new ambulance base in Feversham, as well as a new ambulance base in Dundalk.

01:35:19 Speaker 17: The new base in Dundalk will be replacing the current facility, which is leased and located within the Southgate Fire Hall.

01:35:24 Speaker 17: However, required now by the municipality due to community growth, County Council received a report outlining some service expansion resulting from additional funding supporting the SOS programmemememe.

01:35:36 Speaker 17: The four hundred thirty-two thousand dollars funded by the federal government will support work to March two thousand twenty-six.

01:35:43 Speaker 17: One hundred eighty-eight thousand dollars will fund four staff undertaking the social navigator role.

01:35:48 Speaker 17: The social navigator role is responsive to concerns from the business community in Owen Sound.

01:35:53 Speaker 17: It will provide seven-day-a-week support downtown, responding to folks in need addressing disposal of needles and other issues,

01:36:02 Speaker 17: the programmemememe is being led by Safe and Sound and will incorporate a phone-based response service for downtown concerns.

01:36:08 Speaker 17: The funding also includes ninety-four thousand dollars for materials, including waterproof footwear, clothing, sleeping bags, tents, supplies, and equipment.

01:36:17 Speaker 17: As well, one hundred and fifty thousand dollars is allocated toward the creation of space within Safe and Sound to support clients.

01:36:25 Speaker 17: County staff are investigating utilising development charges to support healthcare initiatives, as well.

01:36:30 Speaker 17: Staff will look to implement shared training opportunities where possible, create a library of HR policies for use by member municipalities to inform policy development, and to bring back a report on a framework for secondments,

01:36:43 Speaker 17: mentoring, and job shadowing between county municipalities.

01:36:47 Speaker 17: These actions are all from the most recent joint municipal services committee meeting.

01:36:53 Speaker 17: The county signed an MOU with Bruce County, which after five years, the county being the lead for the Grey Bruce Local Immigration Partnership,

01:37:00 Speaker 17: it will be Bruce County as the programmemememe lead for the next three years, and the county will prepare a draft memorandum of understanding with the Town of the Blue Mountains,

01:37:08 Speaker 17: delegating planning approval authorities to the town, and the community is invited to join a forum hosted virtually by Bruce and Grey Counties on homelessness and coordinated access to supports on November twelfth.

01:37:21 Speaker 17: The forum is free from six thirty to eight p.m.

01:37:22 Speaker 17: From 6:30 to 8:00 p.m., however, attendees must register in advance prior to October 31st to participate in learning more about prevention supports and early intervention services, emergency shelter programmemememes and crisis response,

01:37:37 Speaker 17: encampment outreach and community safety approaches, transitional and supportive housing options, and coordinated access and the by-name list facilitated by the Community Safety and Wellbeing Planning Initiative.

01:37:51 Speaker 17: A direct registration link and further information can be accessed at grey.ca.

01:37:55 Speaker 17: I welcome any questions and ask council's endorsement of the verbal report.

01:38:01 Speaker 17: Thank you.

01:38:01 Speaker 17: Any questions?

01:38:03 Speaker 04: Seeing none, I'll call the question.

01:38:05 Speaker 04: All in favour?

01:38:06 Speaker 04: That is carried.

01:38:08 Speaker 04: So we're down to number eleven on the consent agenda.

01:38:10 Speaker 07: So, Ms. Bloomfield, through your worship, on the consent agenda this evening is a report on a shared building services agreement with Meaford and a report on an.

01:38:20 Speaker 07: encroachment agreement for a bus shelter at 1,183 Sixteenth Street East.

01:38:26 Speaker 07: Business licences were issued to Precision Tailoring and Alterations at 1071 Second Ave East, Owen Sound Taxi at 18A 945 Third Ave East, Doctor Care ND and Associates has relocated to 102 1717 Second Ave East,

01:38:41 Speaker 07: and Hawker Pedler licences were issued to T Two Green and Owen Sound Minor Hockey.

01:38:46 Speaker 07: Final approval was given for the following flag flying requests: Royal Canadian Legion for the annual Poppy Campaign, Zonta of Owen Sound for International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and P flag outside.

01:38:59 Speaker 07: Sorry, P flag Owen Sound for Trans Day of Remembrance.

01:39:03 Speaker 07: The last item on the consent agenda is the information package.

01:39:06 Speaker 07: A full listing is available at 11E.

01:39:11 Speaker 07: Go ahead.

01:39:13 Speaker 05: Moved by myself that, in consideration of the items listed on the October 27, 2025 consent agenda, City Council receives items 11A to 11E, and 2 approves the recommendations contained in items 11A and 11B.

01:39:27 Speaker 05: All in favour?

01:39:31 Speaker 05: That's carried.

01:39:32 Speaker 05: Go ahead.

01:39:34 Speaker 19: Through the Mayor, I'd speak to an item in the correspondence, if appropriate, now or in a minute.

01:39:40 Speaker 19: Thank you.

01:39:40 Speaker 19: So I just want to draw attention to item 8 in the correspondence package, a motion shared by the Town of Plimpton, Wyoming, which highlights the impact of the provincial legislation on fees, conservation authority fees,

01:39:54 Speaker 19: which has been in place for a number of years now.

01:39:55 Speaker 19: The Grey Sauble Conservation Authority was in a fortunate position of just having updated our fees immediately before that freeze.

01:40:04 Speaker 19: But the impact, as highlighted by Plimpton, Wyoming, across the province, is that rather than being able to update fees, even just at an inflationary ratio, because those fees have been frozen,

01:40:18 Speaker 19: the cost of that work is now, by necessity, being shifted back to municipal levy, and that's, I don't think, good policy if we want growth to pay for growth,

01:40:30 Speaker 19: and it's an issue that I think more people should be aware of.

01:40:32 Speaker 19: Again, we're in a fortunate position, but that won't last forever as our ability to cover the costs of those departments in this watershed with the appropriate fees is reduced with the rise of inflation.

01:40:48 Speaker 19: Thank you.

01:40:50 Speaker 19: Anyone else?

01:40:50 Speaker 19: Anything else?

01:40:52 Speaker 19: Okay.

01:40:54 Speaker 01: Number 12.

01:40:55 Speaker 01: The committee minutes with recommendations for approval starting at 12A, which is minutes of the Tom Thomson Art Gallery Advisory Committee meeting held on September 24.

01:41:06 Speaker 17: Okay.

01:41:06 Speaker 17: Thanks, Mayor.

01:41:07 Speaker 17: And earlier tonight, the City Manager stole some of my thunder from these paragraphs.

01:41:11 Speaker 17: So a little bit of repetition.

01:41:14 Speaker 17: A committee had a presentation regarding summer highlights and upcoming programmemememes.

01:41:18 Speaker 17: These include Gallery Night at the Movies on November 10 and December 8, 2025-2026; passes on sale now online or at the Tom.

01:41:27 Speaker 17: Second presentation also highlighted fundraising and events, which included Palette to Plate, the 2026 calendar campaign, the Supporter Circle membership, a possible donor stewardship programmemememe, as well as leveraging donor software, which can enhance donation intentions.

01:41:43 Speaker 17: The committee received a September update, which notes the gallery is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., after summer hours being completed.

01:41:52 Speaker 17: Further to attendance numbers outlined in the Manager's last update, the gallery welcomed 198 people in the spring and summer opening receptions. 87 attended the artist talks in conjunction with the exhibitions.

01:42:05 Speaker 17: Local artist Bianca Artemis Nam, where the willows weep and orchids dream, as well as the return of Convergence, opened October 18th, and I should say, Councillor Merton and myself.

01:42:17 Speaker 17: Anyone else make that on Saturday afternoon?

01:42:20 Speaker 17: It was well attended, and a lot of energy, particularly expressed from the young artist Ms. Nam.

01:42:30 Speaker 17: She was just overjoyed and so enthusiastic.

01:42:34 Speaker 17: It was amazing.

01:42:36 Speaker 17: Now I've lost my place after going sideways there.

01:42:40 Speaker 17: Presented every two years, Convergence offers artists the opportunity to exhibit in a professional gallery.

01:42:48 Speaker 17: The gallery received just under 300 submissions from 194 artists, as well all the Calamity shows until early 2026.

01:42:58 Speaker 17: The gallery had the loading dock door capital project replaced late August, and in closing, more details regarding Palette to Plate are that it will be this Saturday, November 1st,

01:43:08 Speaker 17: from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the gallery.

01:43:11 Speaker 17: Tickets are $75 to celebrate Canadian art, food, and drinks in support of the gallery.

01:43:16 Speaker 17: And further information can be accessed at tomthompson.org.

01:43:21 Speaker 17: I ask for Council's adoption of the committee minutes.

01:43:25 Speaker 17: Thank you.

01:43:25 Speaker 17: Any questions?

01:43:27 Speaker 04: Seeing none.

01:43:28 Speaker 04: Call the question on favour.

01:43:30 Speaker 04: That is carried.

01:43:30 Speaker 04: Thank you.

01:43:32 Speaker 04: Next at 12B, minutes of Corporate Services Committee from August 9, 2025.

01:43:36 Speaker 04: Thank you.

01:43:39 Speaker 05: Through your Worship, the Corporate Services Committee meeting met October 9.

01:43:46 Speaker 05: We had a report 8A1 from the Communications Advisor regarding external communication strategy project plan.

01:43:53 Speaker 05: This report outlined the creation of an external communication strategy that will guide how the municipality shares information with residents, businesses, community groups, media, and other stakeholders.

01:44:03 Speaker 05: A public engagement survey, I believe, is still live on our City website for people to engage on this topic.

01:44:12 Speaker 05: And in-person engagement was also done at the City's open house last week to inform staff.

01:44:18 Speaker 05: And the strategy is intended to help improve trust, provide consistency, and increase staff effectiveness.

01:44:24 Speaker 05: And the report was received for information purposes.

01:44:27 Speaker 05: At 8B1, we had a report from the Manager of Information Technology regarding electronic signature policy.

01:44:34 Speaker 05: The report outlined the need for an electronic signature policy to improve the City's ability to provide timely, efficient, and accessible services.

01:44:41 Speaker 05: Having this ability to sign electronically will streamline approvals, reduce delays, and decrease staff time to allow more focus on service delivery.

01:44:50 Speaker 05: Most municipalities across Ontario have adopted this policy since 2020.

01:44:55 Speaker 05: There is no direct significant cost anticipated, as the City will leverage existing software platform capabilities.

01:45:03 Speaker 05: The recommendation contained is that, in consideration of the staff report CR25-129 respecting electronic signature policy AF011,

01:45:13 Speaker 05: the committee recommends Council direct staff to bring forward a bylaw to adopt electronic signatures policy as presented in the report, and that recommendation carried.

01:45:23 Speaker 05: At 8C1, there was a report from the Director of Corporate Services regarding the 2025 T2.

01:45:27 Speaker 05: The 2025 T2 financial update.

01:45:30 Speaker 05: The director informed committee that the City is forecasting a modest year-end surplus of $650,000, largely due to one-time revenues and staff gapping.

01:45:39 Speaker 05: We had a WSIB rebate of $570,000, wage-related gapping of $180,000, penalty and interest on taxes of $566,000, as well as a preliminary indication from Police Services of an anticipated surplus of $250,000.

01:45:57 Speaker 05: All contributing to the positive financial position.

01:46:00 Speaker 05: Winter control costs and the extended spring recovery were over budget by almost $700,000.

01:46:06 Speaker 05: The director also said that the tax base health is showing early signs of stress, and that report was received for information purposes.

01:46:14 Speaker 05: At 8D1, we had a report from Human Resources specialists on joining the Coalition of Inclusive Municipalities.

01:46:22 Speaker 05: In 2021, City Council approved a strategic plan refresh that prioritized and recognized the investment in the City's DEI inclusion, and in May 2023,

01:46:32 Speaker 05: Council approved a DEI inclusion strategy. 121 cities in Canada are members of this coalition, and it works to advance various initiatives around inclusion.

01:46:43 Speaker 05: The City will work collabouratively to enhance policies, and there was a declaration attached to the report, declaring Owen Sound's agreement to join the coalition and endorsing joined the coalition,

01:46:53 Speaker 05: endorsing the common commitments and its agreement to develop or adapt its own unique plan of action accordingly, and the committee recommended that City Council endorse the resolution, attach the report, and was carried by committee.

01:47:07 Speaker 05: At 8D2, we had a report from Manager of Human Resources regarding pay and compensation update.

01:47:12 Speaker 05: The report was a follow-up to a service review project related to HR market reviews that requested the report to clarify the City's obligations regarding internal equity, external equity, and pay equity,

01:47:24 Speaker 05: and the report was received for information.

01:47:28 Speaker 05: 8D3, we had a report from the HR specialist on Human Resources metrics.

01:47:33 Speaker 05: The report highlighted data from 2024 in comparison to previous years, comparing HR metrics used to track statistics in relation to recruitment and retention efforts at the City.

01:47:44 Speaker 05: There have been an increase in retirement since 2024.

01:47:51 Speaker 05: Applications have increased 186% from 2019 to 2024, but declined offers have also rose, indicating a misalignment between candidate expectations.

01:47:59 Speaker 05: HR will continue to expand the list of tracked metrics to identify challenges and support workforce development.

01:48:05 Speaker 05: That report was also received for information.

01:48:08 Speaker 05: And at 8D4, we had a report from Manager of Human Resources regarding an update on safety in Council chambers.

01:48:16 Speaker 05: This report was brought forward after Council raised concerns about safety of staff with respect to the conduct of public in Council chambers dating back to October 7, 2024.

01:48:26 Speaker 05: HR staff have conducted a risk assessment with input from clerks and facilities divisions, identifying all known risks, determining the likelihood and consequences of those risks, and identifying existing controls and recommending additional controls where necessary.

01:48:43 Speaker 05: Risks included things such as large crowds, public encounters, interruptions, visitors, interruptions, physical altercations or threats, emergency evacuation, and stress or strain on the public environment.

01:48:54 Speaker 05: The report also recommended to be received for information purposes.

01:48:58 Speaker 05: However, there was a $1,300 line item in the financial implications section of the report to install physical barriers such as bollards and ropes in the chamber to separate the clerks from the public seating area.

01:49:11 Speaker 05: It would serve as a visual cue to the public, Council.

01:49:15 Speaker 05: Cue to the public, Councillor Dodd moved the recommendation to receive the report, and an amendment was proposed by Deputy Mayor Greig to direct staff to remove the $1,300 for the Ballard system from the budget,

01:49:29 Speaker 05: which was carried.

01:49:30 Speaker 05: The main motion was then put to committee that, in consideration of staff report CR25-118 respecting safety in Council chambers, that the Corporate Services Committee recommend City Council receive the report for information purposes,

01:49:43 Speaker 05: and to direct staff to remove the $1,300 for the Ballard system from the budget, and that motion carried.

01:49:49 Speaker 05: I've been asked by a member of Council to pull this report for further discussion and a separate vote.

01:49:55 Speaker 05: So at this time, I'll move receipt of the minutes of the Corporate Services Committee meeting of October 9, 2025, and all the recommendations contained within, save and accept report 8D4.

01:50:04 Speaker 01: For clarity, that was 8D4, which in words is the Manager of Human Resources update on safety in Council chambers.

01:50:16 Speaker 01: So we're voting, and everything but any discussion.

01:50:19 Speaker 01: Seeing none, I can call the question.

01:50:20 Speaker 01: On favour, that is carried.

01:50:22 Speaker 01: Now, if I can come back to that.

01:50:25 Speaker 05: So then, at this time, I will move receipt of report 8D4 and the recommendation contained within.

01:50:30 Speaker 05: Thank you, Councillor Merton.

01:50:34 Speaker 14: Through you, Mayor, I'd like to offer a bit of background to this issue around safety in Council chambers.

01:50:44 Speaker 14: In 2024, I sent a letter to Mayor and City staff requesting a review of Council chambers safety and security.

01:50:54 Speaker 14: I was advised that there was an evacuation plan and a safety plan, and procedure on their work plan.

01:51:00 Speaker 14: It would be in draft and completed by 2024.

01:51:05 Speaker 14: I also, at that time, communicated through the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, their Healthy Democracy Project, identifying concerns for the safety of municipally elected politicians, and also our civic staff.

01:51:23 Speaker 14: This year, another Councillor around our table, Deputy Mayor Greig, also identified a need to have this issue looked at.

01:51:33 Speaker 14: My suggestion at this point in time, and my concern, is that the risk assessment tool and plan does have some gaps in information capture and engagement with our key stakeholders.

01:51:46 Speaker 14: Police Services responsible for the safety of all of us are current with the trends, the incidents, and the actions taken by other municipalities and other police services.

01:51:58 Speaker 14: They advised me that they were not consulted during this process.

01:52:02 Speaker 14: As a Councillor who raised this concern and spoke to the staff in 2024.

01:52:05 Speaker 14: Staff in 2024.

01:52:08 Speaker 14: Even though I had offered additional input and certainly provided the information, I was not contacted to be able to provide that information during this evaluation process.

01:52:20 Speaker 14: I had spoken to staff in 2024 to provide some of my concerns in the background to these concerns.

01:52:29 Speaker 14: So, basically, the comprehensiveness is a bit of a concern to me.

01:52:34 Speaker 14: I appreciate that it was looked at.

01:52:36 Speaker 14: It's an important issue for everyone here and in our community.

01:52:41 Speaker 14: As I stated in my original correspondence, if there ever is a time when we need to apply better safe than sorry, this is it.

01:52:52 Speaker 14: In the report before us, staff have identified a low-cost, easy-to-implement solution to address low to medium-risk issues based on their risk assessment, so it came from staff based on their tool.

01:53:10 Speaker 14: During this Council term, on at least two occasions, individuals have come forward during meetings to the desk area of clerks or the railing in front of Council, and on one of those incidents,

01:53:24 Speaker 14: it occurred more than one time.

01:53:27 Speaker 14: They were unannounced; staff were not prepared.

01:53:31 Speaker 14: We are being asked for staff who have identified that other municipalities are initiating changes relating to safety,

01:53:39 Speaker 14: and they are asking us out of over a $34 million budget for $1,300 to purchase bollards to place in front of the staff area and their area of work.

01:53:54 Speaker 14: One of our pillars is safe city.

01:53:57 Speaker 14: We also indicate in our correspondence that staff are our most valuable resource.

01:54:04 Speaker 14: This investment is one way to place action behind that intent and our value statement.

01:54:11 Speaker 14: And I respectfully request, since it is a strong mayor's budget this year, that we reconsider and place $1,300 into the budget to address the issue of staff safety.

01:54:25 Speaker 14: Thank you.

01:54:27 Speaker 14: Any further discussion?

01:54:32 Speaker 14: Councillor Farmer.

01:54:34 Speaker 19: Thank you, through the Mayor.

01:54:36 Speaker 19: I do appreciate the background from Councillor Merton.

01:54:40 Speaker 19: We—I won't support the motion on the floor.

01:54:43 Speaker 19: We just approved a strategic plan where one of the themes is fostering mutually beneficial and respectful relationships,

01:54:50 Speaker 19: and I don't think that putting money towards creating barriers that make this space less welcoming supports that goal.

01:54:58 Speaker 19: I also don't think that if someone did want to hurt staff or counsel, that bollards and a rope would prevent that in any way.

01:55:09 Speaker 19: And I think a much better use of that funding would be something like us more clearly communicating expectations and meeting choreography and providing counsel with more training in nonviolent communication and de-escalation techniques,

01:55:25 Speaker 19: especially maybe in the next orientation session for the next council, but for the sake of something symbolic, that I think also sends the message that we view the public as a risk,

01:55:39 Speaker 19: that also does not actually prevent access to anything.

01:55:42 Speaker 19: I don't think this is a good use of money.

01:55:48 Speaker 17: Deputy Mayor Greig Adams, hand up.

01:55:50 Speaker 17: Quickly, since I moved the amendment to remove the funding at the committee meeting, I largely agree with everything Councillor Farmer just spoke to.

01:55:58 Speaker 17: I don't like the optics of placing any obstructions between the public and council, and hopefully we don't have the problem again.

01:56:08 Speaker 17: The last person that was here was in the chambers when the item was spoken to, and they haven't been back to create the same issue, and I hope that it's resolved itself.

01:56:20 Speaker 17: Not that that's just being complacent and not caring.

01:56:25 Speaker 17: I hope that the item was recognized that night, and their behaviour was realized as out of line and not something that should be occurring in here.

01:56:35 Speaker 17: So, thanks.

01:56:39 Speaker 04: Not seeing any other hands go up.

01:56:42 Speaker 04: I will call the question.

01:56:43 Speaker 04: All in favour?

01:56:45 Speaker 04: Sorry.

01:56:48 Speaker 04: Sorry.

01:56:48 Speaker 04: Can I ask for clarification on the motion on the floor?

01:56:50 Speaker 02: It strikes me that I might have misunderstood whether the motion was, as presented in the original agenda, versus Councillor Merton asking for that to be included in the budget.

01:57:04 Speaker 02: I want to make sure I know what I'm voting for.

01:57:08 Speaker 02: That's always important, Dave.

01:57:10 Speaker 02: I thought it was clear.

01:57:11 Speaker 02: I thought you moved it as is.

01:57:13 Speaker 02: Yeah.

01:57:14 Speaker 02: Yeah.

01:57:17 Speaker 04: And Ms. Field points out that it is on the screen for your review if you want to see it.

01:57:23 Speaker 04: So I'm going to call the question.

01:57:24 Speaker 04: All in favour?

01:57:26 Speaker 04: And opposed?

01:57:27 Speaker 04: Two.

01:57:28 Speaker 04: So that's carried.

01:57:30 Speaker 04: Next, minutes of the Operations Committee, October 16th.

01:57:38 Speaker 04: And this was a very light agenda.

01:57:40 Speaker 17: However, there's a report coming back in November, so I have detailed it pretty good because of the implications for the city.

01:57:48 Speaker 17: The council should be aware.

01:57:50 Speaker 17: Committee heard a deputation from Joan Harris regarding transit rate expansion into Harrison Park.

01:57:55 Speaker 17: No further direction from committee resulted from the deputation seeking improved access.

01:58:00 Speaker 17: Committee tabled a report to the November meeting for more information regarding post Blue Box transition for non-eligible sources.

01:58:07 Speaker 17: As council is aware, responsibility for the residential Blue Box programmemememe transfers fully from municipalities to producers in 2026.

01:58:15 Speaker 17: But non-eligible sources remain a municipal responsibility.

01:58:20 Speaker 17: The city's current contract with Miller Waste ends in December, and maintaining these services could cost $120,000 annually, about double the cost in 2025.

01:58:31 Speaker 17: Eligible 2026 sources include residential homes, residential units, mixed-use buildings, public spaces, and households in campgrounds and trailer parks of a permanent nature.

01:58:43 Speaker 17: The city has 253 non-eligible.

01:58:45 Speaker 17: Fifty-three non-eligible sources, including industrial or commercial properties, not-for-profit organisations, municipal buildings, daycares, places of worship, and campgrounds of temporary stays.

01:58:56 Speaker 17: Municipalities across Ontario had expressed concerns regarding the exclusion from the new PRO producer responsibility framework.

01:59:04 Speaker 17: And while hopeful of changes, we were informed at the start of October that PROs will not collect these sources.

01:59:10 Speaker 17: Municipalities can choose to take on the financial responsibility, or it will be up to the non-eligible source to manage their own recycling.

01:59:19 Speaker 17: For the River District, maintaining separate collection days of Blue Box and cardboard is estimated to cost about $75,000 per year.

01:59:26 Speaker 17: Further information for committee in the report is the difficulty in identifying eligible and non-eligible sources in the downtown.

01:59:34 Speaker 17: Potential options such as specific bag tags for non-eligible sources, challenges for city staff managing disposal of materials left at curb, the consideration of a special levy for downtown property owners to cover waste disposal costs,

01:59:48 Speaker 17: and proposed bylaw enforcement resource additions for 2026 to assist in bylaw compliance.

01:59:56 Speaker 17: And I put that is a lot of verbiage without any recommendations from the meeting for council.

02:00:01 Speaker 17: But I welcome any questions and ask for council's approval of the committee minutes.

02:00:05 Speaker 17: That being that that report's tabled to come back to the November meeting for more information.

02:00:10 Speaker 17: So, is anyone?

02:00:13 Speaker 17: Councillor Palmer, has a question?

02:00:15 Speaker 02: Through the Mayor, so in watching the meeting, there was discussion about the specific challenges of the River District and low compliance rates.

02:00:21 Speaker 02: And the City Manager brought up that staff have approached landlords to increase encouragement for tenants to change behaviour.

02:00:28 Speaker 02: In previous conversations on this issue, I brought up my understanding that for multi-residential rentals, it is the landlord's responsibility to provide tenants with appropriate waste management containers and processes,

02:00:40 Speaker 02: and when I think of larger apartment buildings, even in the River District, many do have dumpsters.

02:00:45 Speaker 02: Do we know how many landlords are currently meeting that legislated obligation, and is staff doing anything to work with landlords, especially in the River District,

02:00:53 Speaker 02: to make sure that they're fulfiling that responsibility to provide storage and disposal per OREG 5/17/06 section 45?

02:01:03 Speaker 04: Does anyone in staff have an answer?

02:01:05 Speaker 04: Oh, do you want to take it?

02:01:08 Speaker 17: Just to give you some preamble before pitching it to the director, because we're leading into the Blue Jays game a little bit, so I thought I'd throw a pitch in there.

02:01:17 Speaker 17: Commentary about bylaw compliance is speaking more so to the waste management, and this is why I want to go over this report a little more in depth,

02:01:25 Speaker 17: just to be able to recognize the carve-out of recycling from the waste management component, because the waste management is not acutely part of the producer responsibility framework.

02:01:37 Speaker 17: So that I'll lead with, and then let the director add on in terms of unit size and different municipal comparators.

02:01:48 Speaker 18: Thank you, through your Worship.

02:01:50 Speaker 18: I'm not sure if I'll be able to answer everything that you've asked, but I can try to at least give you some context.

02:01:58 Speaker 18: I don't—I don't have the exact number of units.

02:02:01 Speaker 18: Cost-wise, it's about half of our total in eligibles that we have in the entire city, in the downtown.

02:02:10 Speaker 18: As far as you used a term, legislated requirement.

02:02:16 Speaker 18: I don't know if I would necessarily go that far because a lot of what's in the downtown has sort of been—it's evolved over a long period of time.

02:02:25 Speaker 18: So even if the apartments have more than six units, they may be getting bagged pick-up in the downtown because that's the level of service that over time has developed,

02:02:36 Speaker 18: and there may only be certain ones that offer dumpsters, because for that particular property it's more convenient, or they have more nuisance garbage.

02:02:44 Speaker 18: For example, a restaurant is in the building.

02:02:47 Speaker 18: For example, so it's really a mixed bag in the downtown.

02:02:53 Speaker 18: We have tried both plans of attack through the property owners and managers, as well as directly with the tenants.

02:03:01 Speaker 18: Our best hope is to get by attacking it from both ends,

02:03:08 Speaker 18: is to get as many people on board with you know what ultimately becomes our proposed solution for this at the end of the day.

02:03:19 Speaker 18: And the report that was presented at the committee meeting did suggest a couple of different options, ranging from the city absorbing the cost, absolving ourselves of this of the service completely,

02:03:34 Speaker 18: and then some form of recuperating the cost, and then a couple of different ideas of what that might look like.

02:03:41 Speaker 18: So that's the part that we're going to be investigating a little bit further and developing further for the November meeting.

02:03:49 Speaker 18: When we come back, we hope to have a bit more of a concrete example of what we're proposing would be the best solution for Owen Sound, but it's really across the board.

02:04:03 Speaker 18: Every municipality is dealing with it differently.

02:04:05 Speaker 18: It's—it's really an unfortunate situation, I think, that it's being thrust upon us.

02:04:18 Speaker 01: Yeah, so I'm just calling the question on the Operations Committee.

02:04:22 Speaker 01: So all in favour, that's carried.

02:04:25 Speaker 01: I looked at CSC twice and skipped one of them.

02:04:29 Speaker 01: So if we can go back up to what's that?

02:04:32 Speaker 01: Twelve C Community Services Committee, Marion.

02:04:37 Speaker 12: Thank you, Your Worship.

02:04:39 Speaker 12: Community Services Committee for October 15, 2025.

02:04:43 Speaker 12: Members received a report regarding the summer recreation programmemememes 2025 wrap-up, which highlighted partnerships with instructors to offer weekly camps for youth ages six to thirteen, and provided affordable recreation opportunities.

02:04:58 Speaker 12: Staff continue to strive to provide opportunities for the younger demographics to encourage children and youth to be active and healthy.

02:05:08 Speaker 12: And these options continue to be the most popular.

02:05:11 Speaker 12: Staff boasted about the popularity of online registration.

02:05:16 Speaker 12: Excuse me.

02:05:18 Speaker 12: Excuse me.

02:05:18 Speaker 12: And the survey offered to all participants, which identified complimentary remarks of all programmemememes and instructors.

02:05:27 Speaker 12: It was noted that staff continued to work with instructors to make improvements to the city's summer programmemememe offerings.

02:05:35 Speaker 12: Members approved the external relations and investment attraction plan provided by staff, which will advance the city's strategic priorities and foster economic growth in investing in key relationships, capacity building, and opportunities to generate initiatives.

02:05:53 Speaker 12: The four sectors to be prioritized for investment readiness and attraction initiative include: one, clean energy to advance regional sector cluster development as members of the Clean Energy Frontier and Southwestern Ontario Isotope Coalition; two,

02:06:10 Speaker 12: healthcare and life sciences, which support the expansion of rural access to nuclear medicine by fostering strategic partnerships that build local capacity in research, education, training, and treatment capacities; three, advanced manufacturing,

02:06:28 Speaker 12: which promotes labour market readiness and leverages skilled trades training and apprenticeships to support current and future industrial developments; and four, marine innovation,

02:06:41 Speaker 12: which supports Georgian College's delivery of industry-driven training and certification as Central Canada's Marine Centre of Excellence and promotes sustainable economic development through the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence initiatives.

02:06:57 Speaker 12: Initial action items have been grouped into three phases of strategic focus to establish a strong foundation of growth.

02:07:06 Speaker 12: Being Focus One: building relationships to establish and strengthen relationships with key stakeholders through network opportunities, proactive outreach, and ongoing engagement, and initiatives by developing a coordinated plan to attract and retain residents,

02:07:26 Speaker 12: identify key partners to foster growth and prosperity, and strengthen relationships with Indigenous communities.

02:07:33 Speaker 12: Focus Two is to build capacity to foster growth and unlock resources with strategic investments in capacity building initiatives, research, and skills development,

02:07:45 Speaker 12: with a specific interest in facilitating innovation by developing data-informed practices to support growth, initiate a strategy to attract employers and skilled workers, and invest in community development initiatives.

02:08:01 Speaker 12: Focus Three is to build opportunities that will leverage regional, national, and international partnerships to amplify regional strength and attract new investments in future focus sectors.

02:08:13 Speaker 12: Advance cluster development of priorities.

02:08:14 Speaker 12: Development of priority sectors and become a champion for innovation and stewardship.

02:08:22 Speaker 12: Members received a report respecting Bill 5, Protect Ontario by Unleashing Our Economy Act 2025, which received royal assent on June 5, 2025.

02:08:32 Speaker 12: The provincial objectives with this bill are to protect Ontario's economy from the impact of existing and threatening tariffs on Canada's goods by accelerating the delivery of critical mineral and energy projects across Ontario.

02:08:50 Speaker 12: Bill 5 enacts measures and repeals several statutes that govern the planning, approval, and delivery of infrastructure projects in Ontario through ten separate schedules and modifies the Endangered Species Act and the Ontario Heritage Act,

02:09:08 Speaker 12: among others, and creates the Species Conservation Act, which is to be enacted at a future date, and enact the Special Economic Zones Act, 2025.

02:09:21 Speaker 12: Bill 5 has been the subject of significant scrutiny and criticism, including that the legislation will weaken environmental protections, reduce oversight of mining and development projects, and limit opportunities for First Nations consultation and consent.

02:09:38 Speaker 12: Members included in their motion that the city join with neighbouring municipalities and oppose the reduction of environmental and cultural heritage protections outlined in Bill 5, that override the rule of law, affect provincial accountability,

02:09:54 Speaker 12: and nullify municipal planning authorities.

02:09:56 Speaker 12: And the city urges the province to support housing and infrastructure developments in ways that align with sound environmental planning and wildlife protection, and empower municipalities with appropriate planning tools.

02:10:12 Speaker 12: Notice of the city's resolution will be forwarded to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Minister of Environment, Conservation and Parks, Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism,

02:10:25 Speaker 12: and the Premier and the Bruce Grey Owen Sound MPP.

02:10:29 Speaker 12: Members were provided with the September 2025 development update, which highlighted construction values of just under $1.5 million, with $5 million, with thirty-one building permits being issued and eighty-nine building inspections taking place.

02:10:44 Speaker 12: Year to date, showed that three hundred sixty-five thousand five hundred eighty-four dollars have been collected in development charges, and twenty-four affordable housing units have been approved.

02:10:57 Speaker 12: Members reviewed a site plan for 175 Sixteenth Avenue East, which is a proposed six-story, one-hundred-and-twenty-room hotel with exterior surface parking stalls, one vehicular entrance, site landscaping, and full municipal servicing.

02:11:14 Speaker 12: That concludes my summary of the October 15, 2025, Community Services meeting, and I move approval of the recommendations contained within the minutes.

02:11:24 Speaker 12: Thank you.

02:11:25 Speaker 12: Any questions?

02:11:26 Speaker 12: Go ahead.

02:11:28 Speaker 17: Not that I'm going to vote against the motion, but I do have a question, Councillor Chair Capkey.

02:11:33 Speaker 17: You mentioned in there that they override the rule of law, and I'm just wondering, how do they override the rule of law?

02:11:42 Speaker 17: Because the province sets the laws, they write the laws.

02:11:46 Speaker 17: Just make me more aware of something there that was in the minutes.

02:11:51 Speaker 17: I'm not familiar with.

02:11:54 Speaker 12: I'm sorry, but I'll have to defer to the director on this comment that was made at the meeting.

02:12:02 Speaker 20: Through your Worship, the motion was brought forward by a member of the committee and reflects the motion passed by some other community.

02:12:12 Speaker 20: So I'm unable to answer your question this evening.

02:12:15 Speaker 20: I'm sorry.

02:12:20 Speaker 02: Councillor Farmer, thank you.

02:12:22 Speaker 02: Through the Mayor, just for context at the meeting, I think that particular part of the discussion revolved around the special economic zones,

02:12:29 Speaker 02: where other regulatory legislation and planning authorities and even employment standards do not apply there, as well.

02:12:40 Speaker 02: I think we discussed very briefly that Saan had also expressed concern about this for the way that obligations to consult with First Nations are absent from the legislation on its first blush,

02:12:54 Speaker 02: and those were the natures of the concerns for carving out specific places, especially without municipal support or request, where the legislation that otherwise makes sure that people are working safely,

02:13:08 Speaker 02: environmental needs are scientifically based and responded to, and that duties to consult are followed through with.

02:13:17 Speaker 02: That by creating bubbles where it's just magically those don't apply, that was, to my recollection, the nature of those concerns.

02:13:27 Speaker 02: But the semantic point of hey, if they make the law.

02:13:29 Speaker 02: I'm going to call the question.

02:13:30 Speaker 02: All in favour?

02:13:31 Speaker 01: That is carried.

02:13:31 Speaker 01: So that gets us through Twelve and the committee minutes.

02:13:40 Speaker 01: I think I didn't miss any this time.

02:13:42 Speaker 01: No. At number thirteen, we have no matters that are postponed.

02:13:47 Speaker 01: Number fourteen, we have no motions for which notice was previously given.

02:13:53 Speaker 01: Number fifteen, discussion of additional business.

02:13:56 Speaker 01: Councillor Farmer.

02:13:58 Speaker 02: Thank you, through the Mayor.

02:13:59 Speaker 02: I just wanted to take a minute to thank staff and all the participating businesses from the River District for the event on Saturday.

02:14:05 Speaker 02: I attended with an astronaut and an alien and had a great time.

02:14:10 Speaker 02: And it's so nice to see the downtown full of families and people of all generations.

02:14:15 Speaker 02: Which is, events like that give so much back to the community, and I think prove to folks that downtown is a great place to be.

02:14:22 Speaker 02: I would argue, even when you're not dressing up, but it was a lot of fun, and I know the businesses went through a lot of candy.

02:14:30 Speaker 02: So, thanks for sweetening our Saturdays.

02:14:34 Speaker 17: Thank you, Deputy Mayor Greig.

02:14:37 Speaker 17: A couple items.

02:14:38 Speaker 17: Attending on your behalf, Mayor Boddy, I had the privilege of attending the Diwali Festival of Culture this past Saturday night.

02:14:45 Speaker 17: It was held at the Sidnam Building on Eight Street.

02:14:49 Speaker 17: Actually, a member of our attendance was also there that night to see some great singing and dance.

02:14:53 Speaker 17: Singing and dancing and dining, great colours, great costumes, and Councillor Kukreja also has done a lot of hard work behind the scenes.

02:15:04 Speaker 17: Because one of my questions was, please raise your hand in the air if you live in Owen Sound,

02:15:10 Speaker 17: and I was trying to assess how many people I spend the evening convincing that this is where they want to move to, and just about all the hands went in the air.

02:15:18 Speaker 17: So, Councillor Kukreja had already done all the heavy lifting, moving already pretty much the whole entire audience to our great community.

02:15:27 Speaker 17: So congratulations, and hopefully it was a great night for everyone involved.

02:15:31 Speaker 17: And thanks for your work, Councillor.

02:15:34 Speaker 17: The next day, I was joined by Councillor Koepke at the 25th and 25th annual Honouring Our Local Veterans event at the Legion.

02:15:42 Speaker 17: Thank you to Glory and the board members Morgan and colleagues for their work organising and presenting another great event yesterday.

02:15:50 Speaker 17: These plaques of the honourees will circulate the Bayshore MPP Alex Ruff's office, the YMCA, and the library in the forthcoming weeks and probably a couple months.

02:16:04 Speaker 17: And I'd also just like to note that currently showing at the Billy Bishop Museum, it was spoken to yesterday, but it's timely at this time of year.

02:16:13 Speaker 17: It is Unbroken, and Unbroken is an exhibit that celebrates the lives, experiences, and contributions of Indigenous veterans from Grand Traverse Counties, from time immemorial to today.

02:16:25 Speaker 17: This exhibit traces the lives of veterans from the Sauganish Ojibwe Nation, highlighting their courage, resilience, and sacrifice.

02:16:32 Speaker 17: It explores the stories of local veterans that have unfolded over the last past two centuries, from those who fought alongside Tecumseh during the War of 1812 to those who served during the World Wars,

02:16:43 Speaker 17: Korean War, and peacekeeping missions.

02:16:46 Speaker 17: So, there's a lot more to learn about this exhibit.

02:16:49 Speaker 17: This exhibition at the Billy Bishop Museum, and I think it's showing till early 2026.

02:16:53 Speaker 17: So certainly invite the community to get out at any time and visit the Billy Bishop Museum, but also get in and take in that exhibition.

02:17:06 Speaker 01: Good, thank you.

02:17:07 Speaker 01: I start off by wishing our Laura a happy birthday.

02:17:14 Speaker 01: We're not going to sing to you because it could get ugly.

02:17:18 Speaker 01: We thank your husband for getting that cake,

02:17:20 Speaker 01: and I guess he got a discount on it because it said "Happy Retirement," and that scared a lot of us because we hope you're around for lots more birthdays,

02:17:30 Speaker 01: and you know that it's that it wasn't just retirement sprung on us.

02:17:34 Speaker 01: But happy birthday!

02:17:35 Speaker 01: It was fun.

02:17:40 Speaker 01: We Canadians tend to be pretty proud of other Canadians that have achievements.

02:17:47 Speaker 01: We all remember, probably we all remember that goal that Crosby scored in Vancouver in the overtime.

02:17:55 Speaker 01: We're all pretty proud when Carter George was winning games of the World Juniors last year.

02:18:01 Speaker 01: Tennis, Mabulko, Andreskou; they're Canadians.

02:18:07 Speaker 01: It's pretty cool.

02:18:09 Speaker 01: The biggest Terry Fox, Shania Twain, Anne Murray, Drake, Bieber—I don't own any of their albums, but it's pretty cool to be Canadian.

02:18:20 Speaker 01: And when they were on top of the world, it's pretty cool to say you come from a town where Topson comes from, Bishop comes from, Bethune comes from.

02:18:29 Speaker 01: Agnes McPhail went to high school, and then to have somebody that grew up here and be on top of the world for so many years in morning news and broadcasting service.

02:18:43 Speaker 01: Heather Hiscox is pretty special.

02:18:47 Speaker 01: The fact that she's just Canadian, and there's probably a lot of Canadians looking in tomorrow and looking at her career, thinking that's pretty special.

02:18:55 Speaker 01: But to be an Owen Sounder, and to have the kid from the neighbourhood, missing Canada, all the accomplishments she had, Ontario Scholar back when it wasn't easy.

02:19:06 Speaker 01: We hope everybody will come out to the steps at City Hall tomorrow morning at six o'clock in the morning and celebrate Heather's great achievements as an Ontarian and as a Canadian.

02:19:17 Speaker 01: So the broadcast starts at six, ends at ten.

02:19:20 Speaker 01: It'll be in the front steps of City Hall.

02:19:22 Speaker 01: Lots going on.

02:19:24 Speaker 01: Full broadcast.

02:19:25 Speaker 01: It's going to be so great.

02:19:27 Speaker 01: And I really encourage everyone to get up at the hour that I have to get up at to come down and join us.

02:19:32 Speaker 01: I think it's pretty special and a rare opportunity to celebrate a very successful Canadian and Owen Sounder.

02:19:47 Speaker 01: So with that, I think we're through the additional business.

02:19:51 Speaker 01: Motion to move into committee of the whole.

02:19:54 Speaker 21: Moved by myself that the committee of the whole rise and report.

02:19:58 Speaker 21: All in favour.

02:19:59 Speaker 21: That is carried.

02:20:09 Speaker 01: We're back in formal session.

02:20:12 Speaker 01: Motion to adopt proceedings in committee of the whole.

02:20:16 Speaker 05: Moved by myself, seconded by Councillor Dodd, that the action taken in committee of the whole in considering public meetings, deputations and presentations, public forum matters arising from correspondence, reports of city staff, consent agenda,

02:20:29 Speaker 05: committee minutes, matters postponed, motions for which notice was previously given, and additional business be confirmed by this council.

02:20:36 Speaker 05: All in favour.

02:20:38 Speaker 05: That is carried.

02:20:40 Speaker 01: At number 18, are there any notices of motion?

02:20:45 Speaker 01: Looking at council, seeing none.

02:20:49 Speaker 01: Number 19, motion to move into the close session.

02:20:52 Speaker 01: We don't have a close session tonight, so we can skip that.

02:20:56 Speaker 01: We don't have to report out of it.

02:20:57 Speaker 01: Bylaws, Miss Bloomfield.

02:21:01 Speaker 07: Through your worship, the bylaws listed for approval on tonight's agenda include the confirmatory bylaw, a bilateral agreement with the County of Grey for funding related to court security costs,

02:21:11 Speaker 07: a bilateral agreement with the Festival of Northern Lights respecting city support for the festival from two thousand and twenty-five to two thousand and twenty-nine, and a bilateral agreement with Meaford for building services support.

02:21:23 Speaker 07: Thank you.

02:21:24 Speaker 07: Go ahead.

02:21:25 Speaker 05: Moved by myself, seconded by Councillor Dodd, that bylaws numbered two thousand and twenty-five one hundred and seventeen through two thousand and twenty-five one hundred and twenty be passed.

02:21:34 Speaker 05: and enacted.

02:21:36 Speaker 05: And all in favour.

02:21:38 Speaker 01: And that is carried.

02:21:39 Speaker 01: So that completes our business for tonight.

02:21:41 Speaker 01: It is seven fifty-three.

02:21:44 Speaker 01: We're adjourned.