Owen Sound Council Meeting - Regular Meeting Transcript — November 10, 2025

00:00:20 Speaker 01: This is On Sound City Council, starting our regular council meeting and calling it to order.

00:00:28 Speaker 01: We note that in Owen Sound, we've marked two solemn and important occasions: National Indigenous Veterans Day on November eight this past Saturday, and Remembrance Day on November eleven tomorrow.

00:00:40 Speaker 01: These days remind us that remembrance must lead to reflection and to action, to work towards peace, reconciliation, and understanding in our communities and beyond.

00:00:50 Speaker 01: The freedoms we enjoy today come from the responsibility of upholding them with compassion, respect, and unity, and to uphold the values all veterans fought to protect, as the flags across our city fly at half-mast;

00:01:04 Speaker 01: may we take this time not only to remember, but to commit ourselves to building a more just and peaceful future.

00:01:12 Speaker 01: So, I'd ask council and staff to rise and to join me in a moment of silence, gratitude, and remembrance.

00:01:50 Speaker 01: Thank you.

00:02:00 Speaker 01: So, continuing with the agenda at number two: call for additional business.

00:02:05 Speaker 01: If anyone has any...

00:02:07 Speaker 01: Councillor Dodd.

00:02:09 Speaker 02: Thank you, Worship.

00:02:10 Speaker 02: I have two items: one regarding the Santa Claus parade this Saturday, and the Kwanzaa tree sales.

00:02:16 Speaker 02: Thank you.

00:02:16 Speaker 02: Others?

00:02:17 Speaker 01: Okay, I'll have two items: two events that I've been to, and some events coming up.

00:02:30 Speaker 01: Are there any declarations of interest?

00:02:32 Speaker 01: General nature thereof.

00:02:34 Speaker 01: Seeing no hands going up.

00:02:36 Speaker 01: Number four: confirmation of council minutes.

00:02:39 Speaker 01: Councillor Dodds.

00:02:41 Speaker 02: Thank you, Worship.

00:02:41 Speaker 02: Moved by myself, seconded by Councillor Farmer, that the minutes of the following meetings be adopted as printed: special council meeting held on October twenty-seven, 2025, and the regular council meeting held on October twenty-seven, 2025.

00:02:50 Speaker 02: All in favour.

00:02:51 Speaker 02: And that is carried.

00:02:52 Speaker 01: Number five: motion to move council into committee of the whole.

00:03:02 Speaker 02: Thank you, Worship.

00:03:02 Speaker 02: Moved by myself, seconded by Councillor Farmer, that City Council now move into the Committee of the Whole to consider public meetings, deputations and presentations, public forum, matters arising from correspondence, reports of city staff,

00:03:13 Speaker 02: consent agenda, committee minutes, matters postponed, motions for which notice was previously given, and additional business.

00:03:19 Speaker 02: And all in favour.

00:03:21 Speaker 02: And that is carried.

00:03:22 Speaker 02: So we're now in committee.

00:03:23 Speaker 01: The hall, number six on our agenda.

00:03:26 Speaker 01: We have no public meetings, but at seven a.m., we have a deputation from Brandon Downing and Sarah Cowley from the YMCA of Owen Sound.

00:03:35 Speaker 01: Bruce, welcome.

00:03:37 Speaker 01: All right.

00:03:40 Speaker 01: Thanks very much, everybody.

00:03:40 Speaker 01: Appreciate the opportunity to come and chat tonight.

00:03:44 Speaker 01: I'm Brandon Downing, manager of health, fitness, and aquatics for the YMCA of Owen Sound.

00:03:48 Speaker 01: Bruce Sable and Sound Grey...

00:03:48 Speaker 03: Bruce, with me is Sarah Cowley, our Chief Executive Officer, and we just appreciate the chance to come and chat about our impact and investment through the Julie MacArthur Regional Rec Centre.

00:04:03 Speaker 03: Perfect.

00:04:04 Speaker 03: Thanks.

00:04:06 Speaker 03: So since 2009, we've had some major financial investment.

00:04:11 Speaker 03: First and foremost, the YMCA contributed $7.39 million to the capital campaign for the Julie MacArthur Regional Rec Centre, funded through community donations and, of course,

00:04:21 Speaker 03: proceeds from the sale of our original facility on Second Avenue East in 2024.

00:04:26 Speaker 03: City Council and the YMCA Board approved a 20-year operational agreement and lease, ensuring a lasting collabouration that will continue to empower individuals, enhance community wellness, and create meaningful opportunities for future growth.

00:04:41 Speaker 03: Through this partnership, the YMCA has been able to deliver programmememes and services made possible by our shared financial commitments and resources for the JMRRC.

00:04:50 Speaker 03: Our YMCA provides vital health, recreation, education, and cultural programmememes that enrich the lives of more than 100 community members each year.

00:05:01 Speaker 03: So, in our operational partnership with the YMCA or with the City of Owen Sound, we take pride in managing our own revenue and expenditures,

00:05:10 Speaker 03: and covering the costs of the operations and capital for our 5,500 square foot health, fitness, and aquatic facility,

00:05:16 Speaker 03: as well as cost-sharing expenses related to the common areas of the Julie MacArthur Regional Rec Centre building and site.

00:05:24 Speaker 03: So some of the amenities included in our facility, which I'm sure a lot of you are familiar with, are our eight-lane, 25-metre swim pool and warm water leisure pool,

00:05:33 Speaker 03: which will be very busy this weekend.

00:05:35 Speaker 03: We have the Owen Sound Aquatic Club hosting their annual team challenge meet.

00:05:40 Speaker 03: We also have our spacious fitness centre, fitness studio, cycle studio, and free weight area; two-lane walking and running track; our multi-sport gymnasium; and then of course we have our men's and women's change rooms, boys',

00:05:53 Speaker 03: girls', and family change rooms, programmememe rooms, and our pool area, pool viewing area, and lobby seating.

00:06:00 Speaker 03: We also have our welcome desk, which is located in that shared north-south hallway.

00:06:04 Speaker 03: So a lot of times our staff do get questions from visitors from the community, and they're able to either give them the answer or provide them with the resources to find the answer.

00:06:18 Speaker 03: So some of those programmememing items that were mentioned on the last slide, they all kind of fall into three distinct hubs at our Health, Fitness, and Aquatic Centre.

00:06:27 Speaker 03: First one being fitness and recreation, so that includes our group fitness classes, recreational sports, school fitness electives, specialized training such as personal training, Rock Steady Boxing,

00:06:38 Speaker 03: which is a partnership with the Parkinson's Society of Southwestern Ontario, cardiac rehabilitation, which is a partnership with Brightshore Health Systems, and Tai Chi.

00:06:48 Speaker 03: We also have several different sports: pickleball, badminton, basketball, volleyball.

00:06:53 Speaker 03: Has seen a lot of growth this year, which is really cool to see.

00:06:56 Speaker 03: The second hub is aquatics.

00:06:58 Speaker 03: So in aquatics, we have AquaFit, swim lessons, open swim, lane swim.

00:07:05 Speaker 03: We also do Swim to Survive, which is a partnership with the Life Saving Society, which teaches school kids vital survival skills on the water.

00:07:13 Speaker 03: Our aquatic team also looks after certifications for lifeguard training, CPR, first aid; and then we also have partnerships with the Owen Sound Aquatic Club mentioned earlier and the Owen Sound Otters Special Olympics swim team.

00:07:27 Speaker 03: We were able to ratify new five-year agreements with both of those partners this past year, so it's really exciting to be able to have that partnership moving forward.

00:07:36 Speaker 03: The third hub is our youth programmememing, which includes leadership and development, our youth leadership programmememe, youth awareness workshops, and then as well as our actual programmememing for youth and children as well.

00:07:50 Speaker 03: So drop-in programmememes, our Stand-Play child-minding services, birthday party rentals, and babysitting courses.

00:08:00 Speaker 03: Digging into the actual numbers, so we have continued to see a strong comeback in our membership numbers since COVID; we're anticipating returning to our pre-COVID membership levels of 560 members this fiscal year.

00:08:13 Speaker 03: So, as of November 3rd, that includes 365 adult members, 531 teen members, 988 youth members, and then 212 of our youngest population are under three years old, for a total of 5,336.

00:08:30 Speaker 03: Historically, we've seen about 75% of our members be residents of the City of Owen Sound, and that continues today.

00:08:39 Speaker 03: So between our opening in June of 2012 and then March of 2024, the YMCA has continued to make strategic investments of over $1.5 million to keep the YMCA facility in as-new condition,

00:08:52 Speaker 03: in order to meet the high expectations of our members and to contribute to the longevity and sustainability of the building and the property owned by the City.

00:09:01 Speaker 03: One of my favourite compliments that I get is when people just cannot believe when they walk through the building, and we tell them it's a 13-year-old building.

00:09:08 Speaker 03: So it says a lot about the impact those investments are having.

00:09:13 Speaker 03: Following facility assessment by the engineering firm Amoresco, we've now moved into the Asset Planner software, which is being implemented to track preventive maintenance and to keep our capital planning evergreen.

00:09:27 Speaker 03: In the last fiscal year, from April 1st, 2024, to March 31st, 2025, we invested over $113,000 in capital expenditures and repairs for the YMCA portion of the JMRRC.

00:09:41 Speaker 03: So some of those investments are listed here.

00:09:44 Speaker 03: One of the big ones that we were able to receive a Trillium grant for, which we were very thankful for, was the heat exchanger in the leisure pool.

00:09:51 Speaker 03: So that was a $17,300 investment, which not only makes the pool more comfortable and warm for swim lessons and for our therapy pool times, for our aqua motion classes,

00:10:08 Speaker 03: but it just lends to further efficiency of our energy usage as well.

00:10:14 Speaker 03: So there's some other pieces there that we've invested in too.

00:10:18 Speaker 03: Our YMCA financial assistance programmememe.

00:10:20 Speaker 03: This is what really sets us apart as a health, fitness, and aquatics facility compared to other commercial gyms.

00:10:28 Speaker 03: Through our partnership with the City of Owen Sound, more people in our community are able to benefit from the vital programmememes and supports that we spoke about earlier, which leads to promoting inclusion, empowerment,

00:10:40 Speaker 03: and a stronger sense of belonging for everyone.

00:10:43 Speaker 03: Our financial assistance programmememe offers more than just entry to fitness facilities; it provides the resources individuals and families need to stay active, healthy, and engaged in their community.

00:10:54 Speaker 03: The partnership ensures that all community members can enjoy full access to the YMCA programmememes and services without creating additional financial burden for the City.

00:11:03 Speaker 03: So this is just a snapshot of some of that financial assistance and charitable community impact.

00:11:08 Speaker 03: So in last fiscal year, we had 418 donors contribute over $76,000 to our financial assistance programmememe, which led to 1,210 people receiving assistance to be able to access our programmememing.

00:11:25 Speaker 03: To the tune of $187,000 is what was distributed over the year.

00:11:32 Speaker 03: As far as our economic and community impact go, we're now employing over 300 staff.

00:11:38 Speaker 03: So we've seen great bounce back in staffing since COVID.

00:11:42 Speaker 03: This has strengthened local capacity in delivering high-quality programmememes.

00:11:48 Speaker 03: We also support working parents through our licenced child care programmememes in Owen Sound and surrounding communities.

00:11:54 Speaker 03: This helps to maintain our workforce participation and drives the economy forward.

00:11:58 Speaker 03: We also offer employment services that prepare job seekers and connect employers with skilled residents to fill job vacancies.

00:12:07 Speaker 03: As we talked about earlier, we provide health, fitness, and aquatics programmememes that promote wellness, social interaction, and safe community spaces outside of home and work.

00:12:15 Speaker 03: And we remove financial barriers to those programmememes and services with the Strong Communities Fund, ensuring everyone can participate.

00:12:24 Speaker 03: We're continuing our investment in the River District as well.

00:12:27 Speaker 03: We now have over 75 staff working at the former Sun Times building, which we call our Aces Plus building.

00:12:33 Speaker 03: It's the home to our association services, community initiatives, employment services, and settlement and language services.

00:12:41 Speaker 03: So this building is now fully accessible, freshly renovated by our partners at JP Commercial Contracting,

00:12:46 Speaker 03: which allows Owen Sound residents to access vital supports from employment and settlement services to youth programmememes and justice and diversion initiatives, helping individuals build stability, connection, and a stronger future in our community.

00:13:03 Speaker 03: So, what's next?

00:13:05 Speaker 03: 2025, 2026, and beyond.

00:13:06 Speaker 03: What's on the horizon?

00:13:07 Speaker 03: A collabourative committee of the City of Owen Sound and the YMCA partners will be struck to focus on the completion of the health, fitness, and aquatic green space project,

00:13:17 Speaker 03: which will include an accessible playscape and shelter.

00:13:20 Speaker 03: That's at the north end of the property, past the parking lot.

00:13:24 Speaker 03: Additional donors are required to fulfil this vision.

00:13:27 Speaker 03: We are in the process of $60,000 of capital investments so far this year, and then planning is underway for fiscal year 2027-2028,

00:13:39 Speaker 03: where we'll be undergoing significant improvements that will require significant funds and potentially long—and potentially longer closures.

00:13:48 Speaker 03: We typically have a one-week closure each August, September, but just with the scope and breadth of these projects, we might be looking at a more extensive closure.

00:13:59 Speaker 03: We're talking about gym floor replacement for a quarter of a million dollars, replacing all the flooring on the second floor as well as in the change rooms, pool filters and accessories,

00:14:09 Speaker 03: and men's change room shower rebuild and retiling.

00:14:15 Speaker 03: So, I just wanted to thank you again for the opportunity to come.

00:14:18 Speaker 03: We just really appreciate the partnership that we have with the City of Owen Sound.

00:14:22 Speaker 03: I know I personally appreciate the opportunity to work with the members of the Joint Operations Management Committee.

00:14:28 Speaker 03: So Pam, who's here tonight, as well as Ryan Gowan and Brady Carbert, we really appreciate their collabouration, their communication, and we're very grateful to be able to be here tonight.

00:14:40 Speaker 03: That's great.

00:14:41 Speaker 03: Thank you very much.

00:14:41 Speaker 03: Questions?

00:14:43 Speaker 03: So I've got a couple.

00:14:46 Speaker 04: The swim meet is a really big swim meet, as I understand, because it was a really fast pool when it was built.

00:14:51 Speaker 04: I forget who told me that, but I understand there's a lot of people like to come and race in that because then they can qualify for bigger races or up the food chain.

00:15:03 Speaker 03: Yeah, yeah, it may have been Tom Rice that was bragging about that.

00:15:10 Speaker 03: Yeah, it's a fast pool.

00:15:12 Speaker 03: We've been thrilled at the growth of the Owen Sound Aquatics Club, just because that in turn helps to provide us with lifeguards as they age out of the programmememe and become lifeguards for us.

00:15:22 Speaker 03: Yeah, it's been a great partnership with them, and we've certainly been told that it is one of the preferred pools to swim in in Ontario.

00:15:31 Speaker 01: Second question: I think you were bringing in Georgian College students to work on the boiler systems and all those types of things,

00:15:40 Speaker 01: which is just another cross to the community that helps young people train and get better.

00:15:46 Speaker 01: Is that still happening?

00:15:50 Speaker 01: We did have one co-op student this past term who was working with us.

00:15:54 Speaker 05: We were able to accommodate their placement, but it was cancelled last minute with another organisation,

00:15:57 Speaker 05: and their instructor did tell us that they felt our systems were complicated enough to be able to meet the needs of that student.

00:16:04 Speaker 05: So yeah, it was great, and he's also an employee of ours in the aquatics programmememe as well.

00:16:08 Speaker 05: So it worked out very nicely.

00:16:11 Speaker 01: And my last question: You know, a lawyer should never ask a question he doesn't know the answer to.

00:16:16 Speaker 01: So I hope this doesn't blow up.

00:16:18 Speaker 01: But one of your slides there had members, adults, teen, youth.

00:16:27 Speaker 01: That isn't necessarily the number of teen and youth that are involved in programmememes, correct?

00:16:33 Speaker 01: That's just the ones that would hold a card.

00:16:35 Speaker 01: There's still other kids that would be coming, enjoying programmememes that would be much more vast.

00:16:41 Speaker 01: Yeah, that's right.

00:16:42 Speaker 03: Those are our active members, but we have countless day pass holders that are day pass users that will come in for basketball or just to swim with their friends.

00:16:51 Speaker 03: We have partnerships with OSDSS where they'll bring their gym classes in to access programmememing.

00:16:57 Speaker 03: Yeah, so there's definitely a much wider number of students that are using our facility.

00:17:03 Speaker 05: We also, this is the first year in memory that we're providing swim lessons seven days a week; we've been able to get our staffing back up to provide swim lessons seven days a week.

00:17:12 Speaker 05: So there are non-members who are also paying for swim lessons for their children.

00:17:17 Speaker 04: I recall a couple of years ago that families came in from West Saugeen Shores,

00:17:20 Speaker 04: two or three mothers that put their kids into hockey school next door while they went to the Y and did things.

00:17:26 Speaker 04: And it's just the economic spinoff.

00:17:29 Speaker 04: But beyond that, in my memory, I recall when the swim club was up at the Bay Motor Hotel, and the first Y was built with Dr. Hauk's effort, and how it grew,

00:17:44 Speaker 04: and how it was such an important thing.

00:17:46 Speaker 04: That's just a drop in the bucket to the importance of the Y in the community now, with all the services that are provided not only at the Julie MacArthur Rec Centre, but downtown,

00:17:56 Speaker 04: all the programmememes.

00:17:57 Speaker 04: So we really appreciate what the Y does in our community, Greenbrier's community, and we recognize that and long-term planning.

00:18:08 Speaker 04: So there might be other questions, John.

00:18:12 Speaker 06: Thank you, through the Mayor.

00:18:13 Speaker 06: The supplementary report mentions the partner days, where four times a year residents of the City of Owen Sound, because we are your partners, get to come and access the facility for free.

00:18:25 Speaker 06: I don't know if this is a question for folks from the wire, for city staff, but how do we cross-promote that?

00:18:31 Speaker 06: Like, how do we spread the word?

00:18:32 Speaker 06: What's the engagement like with those partner days, and how do we let everybody know that if they've never walked through the doors because they were afraid of cost,

00:18:41 Speaker 06: that there's four times a year when they can fall in love for free.

00:18:45 Speaker 06: I love that.

00:18:46 Speaker 03: Yeah, that's a great question, John.

00:18:47 Speaker 03: So our team, our marketing communications team, they create assets for promotion, and then I pass those assets to Carly McArthur, and she puts it on the City website.

00:18:59 Speaker 03: The City will also share our social media posts to make sure that people are in the know.

00:19:05 Speaker 03: We just had a partner day this past Sunday, and it was one of our busiest ones in recent memory.

00:19:09 Speaker 03: In fact, typically Sundays are a little bit slower for us in the afternoon, but we actually had on staff our lifeguards that day because there were so many folks from the community coming in,

00:19:21 Speaker 03: which we love to show off our why.

00:19:22 Speaker 03: So, really glad that people are taking advantage of that day.

00:19:28 Speaker 03: Good.

00:19:28 Speaker 03: Anyone else?

00:19:30 Speaker 03: Oh, go ahead.

00:19:32 Speaker 03: Through you, Mayor.

00:19:35 Speaker 07: I also want to congratulate you on the outreach you do in the community through planning for healthy communities.

00:19:44 Speaker 07: Sarah, I have the pleasure of participating on the planning committee for Healthy Communities along with Public Health,

00:19:52 Speaker 07: and I think that outreach and that forward-looking initiative on how do we keep our communities healthy and how do we inform and educate is also an amazing outreach that you offer,

00:20:04 Speaker 07: and I certainly appreciate you doing that as well.

00:20:07 Speaker 07: Thank you.

00:20:10 Speaker 04: So, with that, thank you for presenting to tonight.

00:20:12 Speaker 04: We look forward; some of us look forward to you presenting again in a year's time, and the relationship keeps going.

00:20:19 Speaker 04: Thank you.

00:20:23 Speaker 04: So, next on our agenda is number eight: Public Forums.

00:20:25 Speaker 04: I'll pass it.

00:20:26 Speaker 04: Public Forum.

00:20:26 Speaker 04: So I'll pass it over to Ms. Bloomfield.

00:20:30 Speaker 08: Through your Worship, no comments for public forum have been submitted electronically.

00:20:34 Speaker 08: If anyone present wishes to speak, please begin by stating your name and the municipality in which you reside.

00:20:41 Speaker 08: Each speaker is limited to a maximum of three minutes.

00:20:44 Speaker 08: The total time allotted for public forum is fifteen minutes.

00:20:47 Speaker 08: The Mayor may curtail comments that are repetitive or end any presentation for disorderly conduct.

00:20:53 Speaker 08: The Mayor will respond to comments where appropriate.

00:20:56 Speaker 08: Council members will not enter into discussion or debate.

00:21:05 Speaker 08: My name is Marie Beach.

00:21:07 Speaker 09: I live at 1084 Avenue West, Owen Sound.

00:21:12 Speaker 09: I propose the following be said by a decree of council to put Owen Sound on the map as tomorrow is Remembrance Day.

00:21:21 Speaker 09: The following: Remember today, the following is appropriate to save us from global warming, which could cause war,

00:21:29 Speaker 09: and it will put money in your pocket or bank or credit union if you work or if you want or you can spend it or do with it what you think best,

00:21:42 Speaker 09: and not wait for war to happen to stimulate the economy.

00:21:47 Speaker 09: On Wednesday, remember write down or record in an app what you paid out that day.

00:21:54 Speaker 09: That night, put it in a budget recording book or leave it on the app.

00:21:58 Speaker 09: Then forget about it.

00:22:00 Speaker 09: Don't worry and sleep well.

00:22:02 Speaker 09: I hope you get a good night's sleep.

00:22:05 Speaker 09: I pray things work out for the best.

00:22:07 Speaker 09: Do this for each day of the month.

00:22:10 Speaker 09: At the end of the month, look back and see how much you wasted that month or did not need that month.

00:22:17 Speaker 09: And this above all: to thine own self be true.

00:22:21 Speaker 09: Be honest to yourself about what you did not need or wasted, to a T. Next month, don't spend what you wasted or did not need.

00:22:33 Speaker 09: Put half of what you saved in your pocket or bank or credit union, or spend it, or do with it what you think best.

00:22:41 Speaker 09: Give the other half to stopping global warming.

00:22:44 Speaker 09: An example of that could be the David Suzuki Foundation or a small or large purchase to stop global warming, or save up for one of the things that stop global warming.

00:22:59 Speaker 09: Do this month after month, inclusively giving to yourself the same amount you saved the previous month or months, and keeping and keep giving the amount you saved the previous months,

00:23:13 Speaker 09: and keep giving the amount to save the people of the earth from global warming, month after month after month, keep giving the same amount you gave to yourself.

00:23:26 Speaker 09: In the month after month, it will all add up.

00:23:30 Speaker 09: I hope that is clear to you.

00:23:33 Speaker 09: You are now doing something about global war, about global warming, and saving us from war, which could cause nuclear arms used, which could end all life on earth for humanity.

00:23:50 Speaker 09: You are spending and putting money in your pocket, or bank, or credit union, or doing as what you think best.

00:23:57 Speaker 09: Good luck and God bless everyone.

00:24:00 Speaker 09: If you have children, you might be a good idea to tell them if they do drugs or alcohol, they will be grounded for six months.

00:24:09 Speaker 09: Most know not to smoke cigarettes or vape, but let them know they're loved.

00:24:15 Speaker 09: Why?

00:24:16 Speaker 09: Because you love them.

00:24:18 Speaker 09: What is the meaning of life for me?

00:24:20 Speaker 09: I hope you and I hope you have it.

00:24:23 Speaker 09: It's love your neighbour as yourself.

00:24:26 Speaker 09: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

00:24:29 Speaker 09: Treat others as you'd like to be treated.

00:24:32 Speaker 09: You may have to ask, How do you want to be treated?

00:24:36 Speaker 09: You may have to tell others how you would like to be treated.

00:24:40 Speaker 09: Live and let live, and forgive.

00:24:43 Speaker 09: Thank you for your time and listening, Megwitch.

00:24:46 Speaker 09: Thank you, Murray.

00:24:48 Speaker 01: Just about on time, so perfect.

00:24:50 Speaker 01: Thank you.

00:24:51 Speaker 01: I'm not seeing anyone else in the room, so I assume there's no others.

00:24:57 Speaker 01: At number nine, Mayor agenda, we have no correspondence items being presented for consideration.

00:25:05 Speaker 01: At ten a, it is noted for Deputy Mayor Greig to give an update in Grey County Council, but we haven't had any council meetings since our last meeting, so nothing to give there.

00:25:17 Speaker 01: So down to the consent agenda at number eleven, Ms. Bloomfield.

00:25:22 Speaker 01: Thank you, Your Worship.

00:25:24 Speaker 08: On the consent agenda this evening is a report on an extension request for a draft plan of subdivision for Telfer Creek,

00:25:31 Speaker 08: and a report on a temporary loan of artifacts to Grey Roots Museum and Archives.

00:25:35 Speaker 08: There are minutes for receipt from the Library Board, Grey Valley Conservation Authority, and the Police Board.

00:25:40 Speaker 08: Business licences were issued to Baby's Way Boutique at 277 10th Street East, River Tech Source at 149 8th Street East.

00:25:49 Speaker 08: There is a new owner of the Esso at 1510 9th Ave East.

00:25:52 Speaker 08: There's also a new owner of Stack Pancake and Breakfast House at 1660 20th Ave East.

00:25:58 Speaker 08: Crumbless is a home-based business at 452 13th Street West, and Hawker Pedler licences were issued for the Paranormal Cirque at Heritage Place Mall and Michelle Boyce to operate Beyond Snapshots Action Photography.

00:26:15 Speaker 08: Short-term rental licences were issued for 269 Fifth Street East, 301 Fifth Street East, 302 Ave East, 645 Tenth Street East, and 550 Third Street West.

00:26:27 Speaker 08: A City Hall illumination request was issued for World Prematurity Day, and the last item on the consent agenda is the information package.

00:26:33 Speaker 08: A full listing is available at 11I.

00:26:35 Speaker 08: Good.

00:26:37 Speaker 04: Thank you.

00:26:37 Speaker 04: Is there anything in there that anyone wants to vote on separately, Councillor Farmer?

00:26:44 Speaker 06: Through the Mayor, I'd appreciate pulling 11A so we can talk about that before we vote.

00:26:52 Speaker 06: Okay, so you've got the motion, so you're moving everything but 11A for now.

00:26:58 Speaker 06: Thank you, Worship.

00:26:59 Speaker 06: Moved for myself.

00:27:00 Speaker 02: Then, in consideration of the items listed on the November tenth, twenty twenty-five consent agenda, City Council receives items 11B to 11I and approves recommendations contained in items 11B.

00:27:11 Speaker 01: And all in favour.

00:27:14 Speaker 01: That is carried.

00:27:14 Speaker 01: Before I come back to 11A, I note at 11C that there are minutes from the North Grey Union Public Library Board, but they go back to May 22 and June 26.

00:27:25 Speaker 01: Anything to report?

00:27:28 Speaker 10: Just briefly, Your Worship, the minutes of the 22nd cover a review of the membership statistics and activities taking place, along with transfer of funds from Bruce Power account to the Pollinator Garden Reserve account.

00:27:43 Speaker 10: The June twenty-sixth, the minutes again covered the review of the membership statistics and activities taking place over the summer,

00:27:51 Speaker 10: along with details regarding funding of the Adult Learning Centre and approval of an emergency response plan for the library.

00:27:59 Speaker 10: With respect to what's upcoming, I refer you to the calendar of events on the library website.

00:28:05 Speaker 10: You will find activities and events, along with notification of the last book sale of the year on November twenty and twenty-first.

00:28:13 Speaker 01: Is there a reason why we're going back almost six months?

00:28:17 Speaker 01: Was there not a meeting in July, August, September that would have approved the minutes from prior that they could come here sooner?

00:28:26 Speaker 10: When I was at the last meeting, I asked why the minutes had not come to council earlier, and they were surprised that they hadn't.

00:28:35 Speaker 10: They had sent them through, so I don't know if they were stacked up here or what was happening.

00:28:41 Speaker 10: So I'm not sure.

00:28:43 Speaker 04: Brian, have you ever had minutes stacked up here?

00:28:46 Speaker 04: She's indicating no. I think they could be more timely.

00:28:53 Speaker 04: Deputy Mayor Greig, and a thing from Grace Alba Conservation Authority on September twenty-fourth.

00:29:01 Speaker 06: By your leave, I'll speak to the Conservation Authority minutes.

00:29:05 Speaker 06: So the meeting in September, the biggest thing was a review of the subcommittee structures.

00:29:10 Speaker 06: That work is ongoing as the Conservation Authority looks at how to best continue our relationships with external advisory groups and also manage time and efficiencies there.

00:29:22 Speaker 06: I will note that the Graceable Foundation is wrapping up its activities this year.

00:29:27 Speaker 06: That organisation has done incredible work for a long time, connecting with the community, raising awareness, raising funds, and some of that funding has gone specifically to support things like the Malcolm Kerr Award,

00:29:41 Speaker 06: which was awarded again this year for the last time, an annual bursary for secondary students moving off to study at the post-secondary level in environmental sciences of some sort.

00:29:52 Speaker 06: I think it was two years ago now that that award went to someone who was headed to Madagascar to do field work as a biologist, and so it's done great work,

00:30:02 Speaker 06: and they've also been instrumental in providing funding to scale up the outreach and education work that's been going on for the last couple of seasons, years really at Graceable.

00:30:15 Speaker 06: So their efforts are much appreciated and will be missed.

00:30:19 Speaker 06: Those were the substantial things, as well as minor changes to procurement policy thresholds and things like that.

00:30:27 Speaker 01: Good, thank you, Councillor Merton.

00:30:29 Speaker 01: On Sound Police Services from September twenty-fourth.

00:30:33 Speaker 01: Through you, Mayor.

00:30:35 Speaker 07: There was quite a bit of information included in our agenda package.

00:30:38 Speaker 07: I've tried to streamline this to the best of my ability.

00:30:42 Speaker 07: So, in addition to the minutes, I wish to highlight the following items.

00:30:48 Speaker 07: Grey Bruce Public Health reported a significant decrease in opioid-related incidents in 2025 compared to previous years.

00:30:58 Speaker 07: In April to June of 2025, Grey Bruce Public Health reported 16 suspected opioid-related overdoses, which is a 70% decrease from the previous year.

00:31:11 Speaker 07: There were three suspected opioid-related fatalities during the same period, marking a 62.5% decrease.

00:31:23 Speaker 07: In January to June of this year, there were 31 suspected overdoses, which is a 69% decrease from the previous year's time, and four fatalities, which is a 75% decrease.

00:31:37 Speaker 07: Mental health-related incidents have seen a rise in wait times for hospital transfers during the summer months, requiring police resources, prompting discussions with hospital staff to address and mitigate future issues.

00:31:52 Speaker 07: Statistics Canada has released the 2024 police-reported crime statistics, indicating a decline in crime rates.

00:32:01 Speaker 07: In Owen Sound, the police-reported crime statistics trend in 2024 compared to 2023 indicates that the total crime severity index decreased by 19 percent.

00:32:17 Speaker 07: Owen Sound does remain above the average of other Ontario municipal police services, with a total CSI above 100.

00:32:25 Speaker 07: Significant changes in trends and violent and non-violent crime rates in 2024 in Owen Sound include violent crime incidents increased by 5% in 2024.

00:32:37 Speaker 07: Increases in violent offences include assault, which is up 4%, uttering threats up 10%, and criminal harassment up 37%.

00:32:46 Speaker 07: Criminal harassment up thirty-seven percent.

00:32:49 Speaker 07: Property crime volume declined by twelve percent, and non-violent crime incidents were noted as 1,087 property crimes, and 933 other criminal code offences.

00:33:07 Speaker 07: There have been improvements in clearing rates and crime resolutions for both violent and non-violent crimes.

00:33:15 Speaker 07: Owen Sound's clearance rates are among the highest compared to other municipal police services in Ontario.

00:33:22 Speaker 07: Violent clearance rate increased to 90% in 2024 from 70% the year prior, and non-violent clearance rates improved to 51% from 44% in 2023.

00:33:37 Speaker 07: Owen Sound crime rate and workload indicators, compared with other municipalities, indicate that Owen Sound recorded the highest total crime rate in 2024, more than double the rate from 10 years ago, 2014.

00:33:53 Speaker 07: On average, each officer at Owen Sound Police Service handled 65 criminal offences in 2024, which is significantly higher than the Ontario average of 26 and Canada's average of 31.

00:34:09 Speaker 07: The volume of criminal code violations reported to the Owen Sound Police Service in two thousand and twenty-four was a four percent increase from two thousand and twenty-three.

00:34:19 Speaker 07: The broad or exempted police record check and fee was reviewed, and this is a newly developed record check, only available to those who may care for or provide a service to a child or youth,

00:34:32 Speaker 07: under the Child, Youth and Family Services Act of two thousand and seventeen, or the Intercountry Adoption Act.

00:34:41 Speaker 07: It provides the most comprehensive disclosure of police-held records permitted under the law, with a fee established to ensure responsible cost recovery, align with provincial benchmarks, and support the delivery of high-quality and compliant record checks.

00:34:59 Speaker 07: The Owen Sound Police Service is implementing a new reporting application to enhance data quality and streamline data entry for police officers and management.

00:35:10 Speaker 07: And finally, the board received a report regarding community safety and policing initiatives, identifying the role of police in addressing various issues,

00:35:20 Speaker 07: and the need for ongoing collabouration with the community partners to enhance community safety initiatives.

00:35:27 Speaker 07: Thank you.

00:35:29 Speaker 07: Thank you.

00:35:34 Speaker 04: So, if I can go back.

00:35:39 Speaker 04: Go ahead.

00:35:41 Speaker 06: Thank you, through the Mayor.

00:35:41 Speaker 06: I've got a couple of questions about some of the material included in the OSPS board package.

00:35:48 Speaker 06: For more information and to flag for folks, there's to start with the language about the increase in requirements for armed officers to be present at court for court security.

00:36:05 Speaker 06: The reports make it clear that that places further pressure on staffing levels for frontline folks in Owen Sound, and that directive has come after a police shooting at a court in a flying First Nation,

00:36:23 Speaker 06: where the court was being run in a youth centre that had no metal detectors, no wands, none of the security apparatus that is present at the Grey County courthouse,

00:36:35 Speaker 06: but the language around this directive is unclear to me, and I'm hoping to hear from our representatives some more clarity.

00:36:44 Speaker 06: The reports from the chief suggest that the preexisting legislation supersedes the directive that's come down.

00:36:54 Speaker 06: Can you tell us more about whether the directive that's being referenced here is anticipated to be mandatory or is currently mandatory?

00:37:04 Speaker 06: The difference between must and shall or may is perpetually confusing for me, and I'd like to hear more about that conversation.

00:37:13 Speaker 06: It sounds like a cost driver.

00:37:19 Speaker 07: Your Worship, currently, and you are correct.

00:37:24 Speaker 07: It is a potential cost driver.

00:37:28 Speaker 07: The board chair and our chief of police are working through the guidelines and translating into how that will fit with what our current requirements need to be, and certainly at the moment,

00:37:44 Speaker 07: because it has been directed, they have had to have an armed officer for security as they work through more specific requirements.

00:37:57 Speaker 07: So I do know that this is moving forward.

00:38:01 Speaker 07: For further conversation will be brought forward to the board, and also any budgetary implications will need to be addressed through the board and then brought forward, obviously, to the Mayor to be presented with.

00:38:16 Speaker 07: So it's definitely an unfortunate incident.

00:38:21 Speaker 07: It has certainly created changes, and those changes are unfolding certainly.

00:38:30 Speaker 07: And by all means, happy to bring back any further information as it unfolds.

00:38:37 Speaker 07: As we move forward, both Councillor Capkey and I sit, and we're going to be tag-teaming one month, or one meeting.

00:38:44 Speaker 07: I will do the minutes, and the other, Councillor Capkey will.

00:38:48 Speaker 07: So whichever one of us is able to bring forward that information, but certainly, we were advised that in the interim, that we have.

00:38:57 Speaker 07: That we had to change how our staffing is, so.

00:39:04 Speaker 06: Through the Mayor, this strikes me as another example of the province increasing the administrative burden and the staffing burden for policing,

00:39:15 Speaker 06: while not providing municipalities like ours additional funding to cover the clear and intentional increase in costs that's being downloaded onto municipalities in a way that I don't think reflects the reality of the Great Grey

00:39:34 Speaker 06: County experience,

00:39:35 Speaker 06: and I'm curious whether in the past there's been an opportunity for like joint advocacy between police boards and the city with our MPP to say we need support in not downloading these costs onto the

00:39:53 Speaker 06: municipal taxpayers of Owen Sound and Grey County,

00:39:56 Speaker 06: thanks to our county court security funding partnership.

00:39:58 Speaker 06: But what are the avenues for advocacy here, either through intergovernment, like the government relations work, or the board and city structures?

00:40:08 Speaker 06: Because it's not sustainable for us to continually absorb on this tax base the implications of provincial changes to policing requirements.

00:40:18 Speaker 06: What can we do?

00:40:20 Speaker 06: I'll go to Mr. Simmonds for that.

00:40:21 Speaker 11: Through your Mayor, to Councillor Farmer, we agree about the sustainability and funding on items that are downloaded to the municipal police service through our Service Review Project.

00:40:35 Speaker 11: Looking at court security costs, there is an action item in there for ongoing continued advocacy on this behalf because we know that those costs will be going up.

00:40:45 Speaker 11: So it's laid out in that we would continue from a municipal and a police service board, or through the Police Service Chief, I should say, continued advocacy to the Solicitor General's Office.

00:40:59 Speaker 04: And it was raised with the Deputy Solicitor General when we were at AMO this summer.

00:41:05 Speaker 06: Thank you.

00:41:06 Speaker 06: I appreciate that.

00:41:06 Speaker 06: And Roma's coming up, so maybe we get to talk about this new layer as well.

00:41:10 Speaker 06: I'm also curious about the inclusion of a letter from the Solicitor General to Sue Saint-Marie, and also an article from the Peterborough Examiner.

00:41:22 Speaker 06: About the... yeah, I guess I'm confused about the inclusion of the article from the Peterborough Examiner.

00:41:29 Speaker 06: The St. Stephen's/St. Marie letter is the Solicitor General saying that Sioux Saint-Marie was denied an opportunity for an OPP costing.

00:41:36 Speaker 06: The Peterborough Examiner article lays out that their Chief of Police told counsel not to think about an OPP costing because Sioux Saint-Marie got told no,

00:41:48 Speaker 06: and the rest of the article lays out that the proposed budget increase for them went like well above ten percent.

00:41:56 Speaker 06: What was the conversation like at the police board meeting around the inclusion of this article?

00:42:01 Speaker 06: The intention of that is unclear to me in a package like that.

00:42:08 Speaker 06: Go ahead.

00:42:12 Speaker 07: The board was advised that other communities, other municipalities had explored or wanted to explore the option of OPP pricing,

00:42:25 Speaker 07: and it was important for the board to be aware that that request had been turned down.

00:42:33 Speaker 07: So it was for our information, and we have advocated in the past through AMO around the importance of costing being shared equally.

00:42:45 Speaker 07: You know, for OPP and municipalities.

00:42:48 Speaker 07: So,

00:42:49 Speaker 07: it was for board information to make to help us be aware that other communities were looking for OPP pricing and were refused the opportunity to get that pricing for them to even move forward with

00:43:04 Speaker 07: any decision-making about servicing.

00:43:06 Speaker 07: That was my understanding from the conversation.

00:43:12 Speaker 06: Through the Mayor and more experienced Councillors can...

00:43:14 Speaker 06: maybe fill me in on this.

00:43:16 Speaker 06: Is it the police board's responsibility to request, or to like explore pricing for other policing models, or would that be a council decision?

00:43:30 Speaker 06: As the cost of policing is clearly going up across the province, we've been talking about this for more than a year.

00:43:39 Speaker 06: I would be interested in more information about why an article like this was included in the package,

00:43:47 Speaker 06: and I don't know if that would be in the form of a like a letter to the police to the Chair of the Police Board for some clarity.

00:43:55 Speaker 06: But I'm...

00:43:58 Speaker 06: I don't know what this is communicating.

00:44:00 Speaker 06: I would just appreciate that clarity because certainly for a community like Owen Sound that explored OPP costing was it one term ago, two terms ago?

00:44:13 Speaker 06: In the land before time, in 2017, 2018, nearing clearly, the demands on policing are going up.

00:44:22 Speaker 06: The complexity of policing in Ontario was going up, and those costs are being downloaded.

00:44:29 Speaker 06: And small and medium-sized police services are not seeing action come from active advocacy from with or with the Solicitor General.

00:44:39 Speaker 06: So...

00:44:39 Speaker 06: I appreciate some clarity from the Police Chair/Board.

00:44:45 Speaker 06: I don't know if that's a letter.

00:44:45 Speaker 06: If that's...

00:44:46 Speaker 06: I should just send John Thompson an email.

00:44:49 Speaker 04: I think once again, our roles on Council, their roles on the police board, and they're supposed to be arm's length.

00:44:56 Speaker 04: So, you know, in a sense, they can discuss whatever they want.

00:44:59 Speaker 04: If you've got a discussion, you know, a question as John Farmer, then contact John Thompson.

00:45:06 Speaker 04: I think is the best way to go about it.

00:45:09 Speaker 04: I'm not sure we can do it from this table.

00:45:13 Speaker 04: Good for now.

00:45:14 Speaker 04: Okay, so go back to 11A, Councillor Dodd.

00:45:19 Speaker 04: If you want to move that, and then we can have the discussion.

00:45:23 Speaker 02: Thank you, Worship.

00:45:24 Speaker 02: I would move that we receive items 11A and approve the recommendations contained in item 11A.

00:45:30 Speaker 02: Thank you.

00:45:31 Speaker 02: So you had questions?

00:45:32 Speaker 06: Yeah.

00:45:33 Speaker 06: Through the Mayor to staff, it seems like... my understanding is this development, since changing hands, the new owner has been moving through the planning and approval process,

00:45:46 Speaker 06: and that this kind of approval is a regular process to extend the administrative timeline without timing out and having to reset.

00:45:55 Speaker 06: But I'm curious about why we normally have these kinds of timelines to begin with, and I interpreted this as an extension,

00:46:05 Speaker 06: recommended extension from what was previously a three-year kind of extension guideline to five years.

00:46:10 Speaker 06: Around why the expansion in that timeline.

00:46:15 Speaker 06: Just some more background information on why we have these guardrails to begin with.

00:46:25 Speaker 12: Sorry, through your Worship, the Planning Act provides the legislative authority both to approve a plan or subdivision with conditions.

00:46:35 Speaker 12: Historically, the City inherited when it took over planning approvals from the Province of Ontario, and they were delegated to the City in the late 90s.

00:46:49 Speaker 12: Subdivisions were part of that.

00:46:51 Speaker 12: Traditionally, subdivisions didn't have approval lapse dates, so there's some old subdivisions around that have conditions that are quite dated.

00:47:02 Speaker 12: So as a more current practice, we have lapsing provisions in those approvals.

00:47:08 Speaker 12: It ensures that the City, our agency partners, Conservation Authority, that these approvals don't go on indefinitely.

00:47:20 Speaker 12: That you know, create some incentive for the developer to move forward.

00:47:24 Speaker 12: But it also is a bit of a reflection of the legislative context more broadly that is in effect at that time.

00:47:31 Speaker 12: So things like requirements around archaeological records of site condition over time, those thresholds may change.

00:47:40 Speaker 12: So having the opportunity to say, "Hey, have we captured everything here, or do we want to amend a condition?"

00:47:48 Speaker 12: So we know that this developer is moving through a process.

00:47:52 Speaker 12: I sent Council a note today outlining that they'd undertaken a pre-consultation around a red line.

00:47:58 Speaker 12: They've added some additional property to the subdivision.

00:48:02 Speaker 12: Staff didn't have any concerns that the requirements and the conditions need to be updated in any way, and recommend approval of the extension.

00:48:17 Speaker 06: And through the Mayor again, what's the benefit in extending, if I've interpreted that correctly, from what was previously a three-year window to a five-year window for this particular development?

00:48:28 Speaker 06: And I'll have more particular development, and I'll have one other question after that.

00:48:33 Speaker 12: I understand my interpretation: they've asked for a three-year extension for the first phase to November of 2028, so it would be three.

00:48:52 Speaker 06: Thank you.

00:48:52 Speaker 06: I'll confess to having finished my reading with a six- or three-year-old on my lap, which might have crossed some of my numbers.

00:48:59 Speaker 06: The last question I had: knowing that we don't get to play with site plan approvals, but in the past we fielded questions from, or I guess subdivision site plans.

00:49:08 Speaker 06: In the past, we fielded questions from residents who complained about snow removal in developments that incorporated dead ends or the kind of bulb-type cluster of houses around a final circular termination of a street.

00:49:26 Speaker 06: I noticed some of those in here as well.

00:49:29 Speaker 06: If we know that those have caused difficulty in snow clearance and road maintenance, and that they're not best practice, do staff still have the authority to comment on things like that,

00:49:46 Speaker 06: or is it just site by site for however many units they can carve in?

00:49:55 Speaker 12: Through your Worship, this does include an extension of 20th from 8th Street North to the existing terminus.

00:50:05 Speaker 12: It does also have a P-loop.

00:50:07 Speaker 12: I don't know if I would say that it's not best practice.

00:50:13 Speaker 12: The cul-de-sac shape at the bottom end ensures that those lots fronting onto the street will have frontage.

00:50:20 Speaker 12: It does have one dead-end P-loop, but in terms of efficiency of using property, there's a bit of a trade-off.

00:50:29 Speaker 12: So I don't think there's a reduction in the local road width.

00:50:33 Speaker 12: So there should be room to maneuver and move snow in those spaces.

00:50:39 Speaker 12: So this was approved previously with the input of Public Works and Engineering and the public.

00:50:51 Speaker 04: I think probably, John.

00:50:53 Speaker 04: With this just being an extension of the agreement, we wouldn't go back in and start getting into the nitty-gritty of what the planning is.

00:51:01 Speaker 04: We do several of these at Grey County a year.

00:51:04 Speaker 04: Most of them are in the Town of Blue, because as you know, we do our own planning within the City of Owen Sound.

00:51:09 Speaker 04: Everyone else, most of their planning is done at Grey County, so these aren't unusual.

00:51:16 Speaker 04: You don't want a builder or developer to have to go back to scratch, start all over, and maybe less so.

00:51:25 Speaker 04: You don't want them having to go through it, but you don't want our staff having to go through it and do it all over again and start the process and start the clock running,

00:51:33 Speaker 04: etc. So, with that, I'll call the question.

00:51:36 Speaker 04: All in favour?

00:51:37 Speaker 04: So that is carried.

00:51:42 Speaker 04: At 12, we have no committee minutes for recommendation for approval.

00:51:48 Speaker 04: Number 13: We have no postponed matters.

00:51:51 Speaker 04: At number 14, we have no motions for which notice was previously given.

00:51:57 Speaker 04: And at 15, we have discussion of additional business starting with Councillor Dodd.

00:52:03 Speaker 04: Thank you, Worship.

00:52:04 Speaker 02: As we know, tomorrow is Remembrance Day.

00:52:07 Speaker 02: So after we get past our day of remembrance, we get to start thinking about something else that's coming up in the next 45 or so days afterwards.

00:52:16 Speaker 02: But you don't even have to wait that long, because starting on this Friday, November 14th, Christmas trees come on sale.

00:52:24 Speaker 02: The Kiwanis Club of Owen Sound starts our 75th anniversary for Christmas tree sales.

00:52:30 Speaker 02: The funds that are accumulated from those sales obviously come back into the community, and that is located back into the location up by the bowling alley up on the west side of town.

00:52:41 Speaker 02: Hours: four to seven on Monday to Friday, ten to five on Saturday, and twelve to four on Sunday.

00:52:47 Speaker 02: I've already asked Mayor Boddy to come out on a Saturday.

00:52:49 Speaker 02: Hopefully, it's not raining or a blizzard this year, so you can help lug some Christmas trees.

00:52:55 Speaker 02: But yes, so that's where we start off: the Kiwanis Club of Owen Sound starts their 75th year of tree sales starting this Friday.

00:53:03 Speaker 02: We all know then there's always something special that happens the day after.

00:53:08 Speaker 02: You know, I don't—I don't want my son to not know this yet, but Santa will be in town.

00:53:13 Speaker 02: Hopefully, as long as he can make it to the end of that parade, he hasn't missed it yet, which is good.

00:53:21 Speaker 02: It's the 80th year of the Owen Sound Santa Claus Parade put on by the Quonset Club of Owen Sound, and I think it's a pretty big year for that.

00:53:31 Speaker 02: Starts at five o'clock p.m. on this, the 15th, this Saturday.

00:53:36 Speaker 02: Obviously, rolls right into the Festival of Northern Lights, and I think it's gonna be a really special time this week.

00:53:40 Speaker 02: And I think it's gonna be a really special time this weekend.

00:53:42 Speaker 02: So, any of those individuals who are around town, stop by the Christmas tree lot first, get in the spirit, and then pop up to the Santa Claus Parade on the Saturday.

00:53:53 Speaker 02: Thank you, Worship.

00:53:58 Speaker 02: This is the eightieth.

00:54:00 Speaker 02: How old is Santa?

00:54:02 Speaker 02: Twenty-five.

00:54:03 Speaker 02: Twenty.

00:54:05 Speaker 02: Thirty-something.

00:54:08 Speaker 01: I've got a couple of items here.

00:54:10 Speaker 01: First of all, Tuesday, October 28th, we were really blessed and honoured to have welcome Heather Hiscock home as she broadcast CBC Mornings live.

00:54:21 Speaker 01: It was really cool.

00:54:22 Speaker 01: In fact, at six o'clock in the morning, it was really cold.

00:54:26 Speaker 01: It's pretty neat to see the production, and we're very grateful to Heather and her CBC team to think of us and to come here as a great showcase for our community right across the nation.

00:54:39 Speaker 01: If you go to YouTube and look up CBC Canada Mornings Live, you can see the broadcast of it again.

00:54:46 Speaker 01: And there's just some great pieces on Owen Sound.

00:54:50 Speaker 01: We wish Heather luck with her future endeavors, whatever they may lead and whatever they're going to be.

00:54:55 Speaker 01: We know it's going to be special.

00:54:59 Speaker 01: This past Saturday, October 15th, I did it again.

00:55:02 Speaker 01: November 8th, I attended the Kitchenuhmayukoskwa'hihkwihtagong Reconciliation Garden in Winnipeg to mark Indigenous Veterans Day, which is a national day of remembrance.

00:55:13 Speaker 01: On that day, Warrant Officer Larry Eugene Underhill and Captain Jason Mervin were honoured during the ceremony with the Aboriginal Veterans Millennium Medal ceremony, which is pretty special.

00:55:29 Speaker 01: Both of them have had careers in the Canadian Armed Forces.

00:55:35 Speaker 01: More than 12,000 Indigenous people served in the Canadian Armed Forces in the First, Second World Wars, and the Korean War.

00:55:42 Speaker 01: Many brought valuable traditional skills to the battlefield: scouting, trackers, snipers, whose knowledge of the land made them invaluable in combat.

00:55:53 Speaker 01: Closer to home, I went up and had a visit with Acting Chief Greg Nedjwan on Friday up at Neehawshingam.

00:56:03 Speaker 01: At Naishingaming, he's showing me a plaque of the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation and their history.

00:56:11 Speaker 01: At the top of it was Chief Naishingaming, and other ancestors of the community that fought in the War of 1812.

00:56:20 Speaker 01: Next, there are 57 residents from Nawash who fought in the First World War.

00:56:27 Speaker 01: It doubled to 104 in the Second World War, and I lost count, but at least a dozen that were in Korea.

00:56:33 Speaker 01: Since then, there's been a remarkable number who have continued to serve our country and continue to serve.

00:56:44 Speaker 01: Nawash and the Potawatomi, Ojibwe and Odawa.

00:56:56 Speaker 01: Thank you.

00:56:56 Speaker 01: We're involved in the French-English Wars of the fur trading wars, the 1750s, followed by the Pontiac War around Fort Detroit in the 1760s, and every one of these battles, including 1812, helped shape our nation.

00:57:21 Speaker 01: So, Indigenous Veterans Day is a reminder that honouring Indigenous veterans isn't about separation from Canada's story, but about completing it.

00:57:30 Speaker 01: Before the creation of Indigenous Veterans Day, Indigenous veterans were often excluded from Remembrance Day ceremonies, and we thank the Canadian Legion Branch Six, the officers of the Fourth Canadian Training Centre,

00:57:45 Speaker 01: the Canadian Veteran Freedom Riders Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol from Graham Bruce Island Sound; all were there and participated, as were a lot of community members, so we thank them all for participating.

00:58:03 Speaker 01: Of course, tomorrow being the 11th day of the 11th month at 11 o'clock, we will have the Remembrance Ceremony at the Cenotaph.

00:58:11 Speaker 01: Thank you, Pam, for your leadership and staff for cleaning up the Cenotaph.

00:58:19 Speaker 01: It had been stained over the years from just use and water, etc., and it's been cleaned up and looks really good.

00:58:25 Speaker 01: And we'll be ready for tomorrow.

00:58:28 Speaker 01: And we hope everyone is able to come out and brave the weather and think of those veterans that came before us.

00:58:36 Speaker 01: This Saturday, before we get to the Santa Claus Parade, Hockey Day in Owen Sound includes the Waterloo Warriors women's hockey game at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre at 2 p.m.

00:58:46 Speaker 01: The Waterloo Warriors women's team got to the finals of the Nationals last year and hosted it.

00:58:53 Speaker 01: We'll host it again this year.

00:58:56 Speaker 01: And then, of course, you mentioned the Santa Claus Parade being the eightieth.

00:59:00 Speaker 01: Finally, the City is looking for volunteers to fill several public vacancies on the Community Services Committee, Corporate Services Committee, Operations Committee, and the Tom Thomson Art Gallery Advisory Committee.

00:59:14 Speaker 01: Owen Sound needs your voices and ideas to serve our incredible city.

00:59:19 Speaker 01: This is a great opportunity to meet new people, learn new skills, and make a positive impact in your community.

00:59:25 Speaker 01: The application period has been extended to Monday, November 17th.

00:59:30 Speaker 01: More information can be found on the City's website at Owen Sound.ca/communityvacancies, or you can contact the Clerk's Department at clerks@Owen Sound.ca.

00:59:40 Speaker 01: Go ahead.

00:59:48 Speaker 02: Thank you, Worship.

00:59:48 Speaker 02: It seems like we're doing some back and forth here because as you were talking, it triggered something else really special happening today.

00:59:53 Speaker 02: We got Christmas trees.

00:59:54 Speaker 02: We got a Santa Claus.

00:59:55 Speaker 02: We got Hockey Fest.

00:59:56 Speaker 02: We also have the River District's Holiday Magic event going on starting on Saturday, as well as Josh Olnik's Six Shot Ball Hockey tournament that's happening downtown as well from 6:30 to 9 p.m.

01:00:11 Speaker 02: So as you were speaking, I'm saying, wait a second.

01:00:14 Speaker 02: Wait.

01:00:14 Speaker 02: There's more.

01:00:15 Speaker 02: There's more.

01:00:16 Speaker 02: So absolutely, there's a lot of things going on this weekend for the community.

01:00:22 Speaker 02: Great, thanks for coming, Maddie and John.

01:00:25 Speaker 13: Through the Mayor, I had hoped to speak to a few things in correspondence, but our momentum was such that we carried through.

01:00:32 Speaker 13: Would it be appropriate to jump back to the correspondence package?

01:00:36 Speaker 13: I wanted to highlight a couple of the items of correspondence from AMO.

01:00:42 Speaker 13: So a number of those items highlight moves by the Province that limit public input on legislation and reach into municipal jurisdiction.

01:00:50 Speaker 13: I think Ontario is too big of a province to have a one-size-fits-all solution to most of our challenges, and the only way that we can actually address them, I think,

01:00:58 Speaker 13: is through actual partnership between levels of government, which does not, to me, look like unilateral decision-making.

01:01:04 Speaker 13: I'll highlight here the correspondence connected to Bill 60's prohibition of municipalities from changing lane uses if they would remove a lane of vehicular traffic for bike lanes or anything else.

01:01:15 Speaker 13: A definition's pending.

01:01:17 Speaker 13: Municipalities and residents know the traffic flow patterns of our communities best.

01:01:21 Speaker 13: We have a vision for the community that we want to create, and that vision, in Owen Sound and many other places, includes multimodal transportation.

01:01:28 Speaker 13: And I think this kind of legislation limits our ability to make our communities better and to define what better is for ourselves.

01:01:35 Speaker 13: The same goes for the sudden change to the use of automated speed enforcement cameras, which I'll note Grey County also commented on.

01:01:42 Speaker 13: Both AMO's letter and the correspondence from Brampton in our package highlight that speed cameras can be effective tools in reducing speed and increasing safety, especially in school zones,

01:01:52 Speaker 13: and to have the Province suddenly prohibit them entirely instead of working to fine-tune the parametres of their use, I think is a waste of taxpayer dollars on multiple levels.

01:02:01 Speaker 13: First, for all the municipalities that invested in automated speed enforcement infrastructure, and second, for all the municipalities dealing with increased policing costs, as we've already discussed,

01:02:12 Speaker 13: it makes no sense to mandate that our municipalities must use very high-priced human beings to enforce traffic laws when an automated system can be effective, and I think it's just bad policy.

01:02:25 Speaker 13: And that we should keep naming when bad policy happens, so that we don't get to the point of thinking it's normal,

01:02:31 Speaker 13: even if it's exhausting or feels redundant to name it every time that a Provincial change reaches over to impact.

01:02:40 Speaker 13: In this case, like the speed cameras and lane use on roads, but in the rest of our ten-year planning, authorities and who we can partner with for reports and things like that.

01:02:53 Speaker 13: I think if we're not defending the importance of local input and jurisdiction and digging our heels in to try to protect it as we slide increasingly towards concentrations of power in places other than our

01:03:06 Speaker 13: municipalities,

01:03:07 Speaker 13: then I think we're in trouble.

01:03:09 Speaker 13: Please stand by for a reprisal of this rant when the official correspondence about the proposal of creating a new bureaucratic level to oversee Conservation Authorities comes through our agenda at some point here in the

01:03:20 Speaker 13: future;

01:03:21 Speaker 13: that was just a rant.

01:03:22 Speaker 13: But I'd also like to specifically speak to Item 9, which is correspondence from the Niagara Region.

01:03:28 Speaker 13: They declared a series of states of emergency, naming major issues including homelessness and mental health emergencies, as well as the opioid crisis.

01:03:38 Speaker 13: Their most recent correspondence here identifies that these, all of these challenges need systemic and collabourative approaches across government ministries and sectors,

01:03:49 Speaker 13: and that they're beyond the scope of any individual municipality or region to address on our own.

01:03:55 Speaker 13: That perspective is supported by the nature of our Community Safety and Well-being Planning Tables and like a bunch of AMO advocacy.

01:04:04 Speaker 13: And with that in mind, I would move that we support the motion as laid out in the correspondence from the Niagara Region,

01:04:14 Speaker 13: specifically advocating that the Province support a coordinated approach between the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing and the Ministry of Children,

01:04:23 Speaker 13: Community and Social Services to address ongoing challenges related to mental health, homelessness, and the opioid crisis,

01:04:30 Speaker 13: and that we also support that claim in advocating for Provincial funding to address identified gaps in programmememes and services contributing to the state of emergency, including affordable housing, supportive housing, addictions treatment,

01:04:43 Speaker 13: and mental health supports for vulnerable populations.

01:04:46 Speaker 13: And I think we should send that to the Premier, our own MPP, the Ministers involved, the Region of Niagara that sent it to us, the Community Safety and Well-being Plan Advisory Table, and AMO.

01:05:02 Speaker 14: Okay, Councillor Brock.

01:05:06 Speaker 14: I think, just out of an abundance of caution, I'm going to declare a pecuniary interest as I work for the Government of Ontario.

01:05:14 Speaker 14: Thank you, Councillor Merton.

01:05:30 Speaker 07: Through your Worship, just wanted to get a bit more clarification about what you're specifically asking for, because I know we have representation on the Community Safety and Well-being Plan,

01:05:45 Speaker 07: and would it be appropriate to take what you've suggested and this correspondence to that group, requesting that support, because there are so many partners that sit around that table,

01:06:01 Speaker 07: and I'm wondering if you know the impact would be amplified by all of those partners participating and having a conversation, because there may be additional things from that group that could augment this particular correspondence.

01:06:20 Speaker 07: And I'm wondering if it's possible to even have that come back to us after a conversation to be able to say this is what this larger group feels would be helpful for our residents and

01:06:35 Speaker 07: our communities,

01:06:36 Speaker 07: based on our experiences.

01:06:39 Speaker 07: So, just a question.

01:06:43 Speaker 04: Through the Mayor, just in response to that: Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services, Housing.

01:07:00 Speaker 04: Those things are all administered through Grey County.

01:07:04 Speaker 04: Should it be coming back to this table to discuss?

01:07:08 Speaker 04: You know my position on it, but go back to you, Councillor Farmer.

01:07:15 Speaker 13: Through the mayor, I respect the suggestion.

01:07:16 Speaker 13: The idea that our partners at those tables would also have input is why I would like to send a copy of, ideally, our support for this motion, this correspondence, and this perspective,

01:07:28 Speaker 13: to that table as well, but I think that we get to speak for Owen Sound,

01:07:32 Speaker 13: and that this is an opportunity to add another voice to the chorus of municipalities and residents asking the province to work more effectively across their own silos,

01:07:44 Speaker 13: because the siloed approach to the challenges that we're facing is clearly not working.

01:07:50 Speaker 13: And as Niagara has recognized, we need them to work better together in their programmememes, so that we, our communities, can be better.

01:08:07 Speaker 10: Councillor Koepke, just a question: Is Niagara a regional government, which is an equivalent to our county level?

01:08:15 Speaker 10: Is that not correct?

01:08:17 Speaker 10: Thanks.

01:08:20 Speaker 01: You know, Amol and everybody are doing lots of lobbying on this.

01:08:28 Speaker 01: All John's asked me to do is to send another letter supporting saying we want to fund identified gaps.

01:08:34 Speaker 01: Really, is the core down to the province to fund, and all of us want the province to fund more.

01:08:41 Speaker 01: So this seems pretty simple to me.

01:08:44 Speaker 01: But anyway, anyone else have comments?

01:08:49 Speaker 01: Okay, I'm going to call the question on favour.

01:08:51 Speaker 01: So that's carried.

01:08:52 Speaker 01: Good.

01:08:52 Speaker 01: Is that covered up?

01:08:53 Speaker 01: Good.

01:08:53 Speaker 01: Does that cover off everything?

01:08:54 Speaker 01: Yeah.

01:08:54 Speaker 01: Okay.

01:08:59 Speaker 01: So, Councillor Dodd, Councillor Hamley, number sixteen, motion that the committee, the whole rise.

01:09:10 Speaker 01: Thank you, Worship.

01:09:11 Speaker 01: Moved by myself that the committee of the whole rise and report.

01:09:14 Speaker 01: And all in favour?

01:09:16 Speaker 01: That is carried.

01:09:17 Speaker 01: Back in formal session, motion to adopt proceedings in committee of the whole.

01:09:22 Speaker 01: Thank you, Worship.

01:09:23 Speaker 02: Moved by myself, seconded by Councillor Farmer, 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,

01:09:33 Speaker 02: committee minutes, matters postponed, motions for which notice was previously given, and additional business be confirmed by this Council.

01:09:39 Speaker 02: All in favour?

01:09:41 Speaker 01: That is carried.

01:09:42 Speaker 01: Are there any notices of motion?

01:09:45 Speaker 01: Okay, I do have one, so I want to pass the gavel to Deputy Mayor Greig to take chair.

01:09:54 Speaker 15: Thank you, Mayor Boddy.

01:09:54 Speaker 15: At this time, I'll pass it back to you to speak to and introduce a notice of motion.

01:09:59 Speaker 15: Good.

01:09:59 Speaker 01: Thank you.

01:10:00 Speaker 01: I introduce a notice of motion, moved by myself, and I believe will be seconded by Councillor Dodd, to be considered at the Owen Sound Regular Council meeting on November twenty-fourth, two thousand and twenty-five.

01:10:11 Speaker 01: I give notice that I will move that the City of Owen Sound name the Volunteer of the Year Award after distinguished city community builder Jan Chamberlain.

01:10:20 Speaker 01: Thanks.

01:10:22 Speaker 01: And Councillor Dodd, you'll second that.

01:10:25 Speaker 01: Yes, I'll second.

01:10:27 Speaker 16: Okay, thank you.

01:10:28 Speaker 16: And that will be at the next council meeting.

01:10:31 Speaker 16: And at this time, we'll pass it back to Mayor Boddy.

01:10:34 Speaker 16: Good, thank you.

01:10:35 Speaker 01: Now we have a motion to move into closed session.

01:10:43 Speaker 01: Just before we move into closed session, I would like to note that if you're watching, like to note that if you are watching this meeting on Rogers Cable TV or the Rogers TV website,

01:10:52 Speaker 01: their feed will not reconnect to this meeting when we return to the open session to report out of the closed session and review the bylaws.

01:11:00 Speaker 01: If you'd like to view the remainder of the open session, you can watch live stream on City Councils and Committees web page at www.Owen Sound.ca/meetings.

01:11:08 Speaker 01: The video recording of the meeting will also be posted on this web page following the meeting.

01:11:18 Speaker 01: So, Councillor Dodd.

01:11:20 Speaker 02: Thank you, Your Worship.

01:11:21 Speaker 02: Moved by myself, seconded by Councillor Farmer, that City Council now move into closed session to consider minutes of the closed session of the regular council meeting held on October six, two thousand and twenty-five;

01:11:31 Speaker 02: minutes of the closed session of the special council meeting held on October twenty-seven, two thousand and twenty-five; and finally,

01:11:35 Speaker 02: one matter regarding personal matters about an identifiable individual and advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege, including communications necessary for the purpose respecting land on Twenty-Eighth Avenue East.

01:11:48 Speaker 02: Thank you.

01:11:48 Speaker 02: All in favour?

01:11:50 Speaker 01: That is carried.

01:11:51 Speaker 01: So we'll take a minute to roll into closed session.

01:26:55 Speaker 01: Okay.

01:26:55 Speaker 01: So looking at number twenty on our agenda, we're reporting at a closed session.

01:27:01 Speaker 01: It is now six fifty-seven, and City Council is returning to the open session.

01:27:06 Speaker 01: During the closed session, City Council reviewed minutes of the closed session of the regular council meeting held on October six, two thousand and twenty-five;

01:27:13 Speaker 01: reviewed minutes of the closed session of the special council meeting held on October twenty-seven, two thousand and twenty-five; and discussed one matter regarding personal matters about an identifiable individual,

01:27:25 Speaker 01: advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege, including communications necessary for that purpose, respecting land on Twenty-Eighth Avenue East, and no direction was provided.

01:27:38 Speaker 01: So, number twenty-one, Ms. Bloomfield, bylaws.

01:27:41 Speaker 08: Through your Worship, the bylaws listed for approval on tonight's agenda include the confirmatory bylaw, a bylaw to adopt the city's comprehensive 2025 asset management plan, a bylaw to adopt an asset management policy,

01:27:54 Speaker 08: a bylaw to adopt an electronic signature policy, and a bylaw to execute an encroachment agreement with Skyline Retail Real Estate Holdings respecting a bus shelter at 1183 16th Street East.

01:28:06 Speaker 08: Thank you, Councillor Dodd.

01:28:09 Speaker 02: Thank you, Worship.

01:28:09 Speaker 02: Moved by myself, seconded by Councillor Farmer, that the bylaw numbers 2025-121 through to and including 2025-125 be passed and enacted.

01:28:18 Speaker 02: And call the question.

01:28:20 Speaker 02: All in favour?

01:28:21 Speaker 01: That is carried.

01:28:23 Speaker 01: That completes our business for tonight.

01:28:24 Speaker 01: It is 6:58.

01:28:26 Speaker 01: We're adjourned.