Owen Sound Council Meeting - Regular Meeting Transcript — January 12, 2026

00:00:23 Speaker 01: We are calling the meeting to order.

00:00:30 Speaker 01: I note that Councillor Dodd is away.

00:00:38 Speaker 01: I believe Councillor Hamley has the motions today.

00:00:41 Speaker 01: Yeah, he does.

00:00:46 Speaker 01: So at number two, calling for additional business.

00:00:50 Speaker 01: Anyone else, Councillor Farmer?

00:01:09 Speaker 02: Through the Mayor, I'd like to offer my congrats and thanks to the folks who organized the New Year's Eve event at the Julie MacArthur.

00:01:18 Speaker 02: Thanks to others.

00:01:25 Speaker 02: Seeing none, I'll have just a reminder that we have our budget presentation on Friday.

00:01:39 Speaker 02: At number three in our agenda, is there any declarations of interest?

00:01:47 Speaker 03: The general nature thereof.

00:01:50 Speaker 03: Seeing none.

00:01:52 Speaker 03: At number four, confirmation of council minutes.

00:01:56 Speaker 03: Councillor Hamley.

00:02:09 Speaker 03: Move by myself, seconded by Councillor Kepki, that the minutes of the following meetings be adopted as printed: Close session of the regular council meeting held on November twenty-fourth, twenty twenty-five;

00:02:27 Speaker 02: Special council meeting held on December fifteenth, twenty twenty-five; and regular council meeting held on December fifteenth, twenty twenty-five.

00:02:41 Speaker 01: Thank you.

00:02:45 Speaker 01: All in favor, and that is carried.

00:02:59 Speaker 01: For B, with regard to the special council meeting held on December fifteenth, Miss Calder, did you have something you want to add to that?

00:03:27 Speaker 04: Thank you, Your Worship, and thanks to Council for the valuable discussion and input with respect to the official plan update, the zoning bylaw update, and the urban design guidelines.

00:03:52 Speaker 04: Just a housekeeping note: the report will come back directly to council, and I believe the date is March twenty-three.

00:04:03 Speaker 04: Just with staff schedule, Mr. Aston's schedule.

00:04:18 Speaker 04: That's the first date when we're able to bring it back, and we'll be able to address council and public comments.

00:04:34 Speaker 04: Perfect.

00:04:37 Speaker 04: Thank you very much.

00:04:45 Speaker 04: At number five, our motion to move council into committee of the whole.

00:04:53 Speaker 04: Moved by myself.

00:05:10 Speaker 04: Seconded by Councillor Kepki, that City Council now moves into Committee of the Whole to consider: public meetings; deputations and presentations; public forum; matters arising from correspondence; reports of city staff; consent agenda; committee minutes;

00:05:36 Speaker 04: matters postponed; motions for which notice was previously given; and additional business.

00:05:46 Speaker 04: Good.

00:05:46 Speaker 04: Thanks.

00:05:47 Speaker 04: All in favor?

00:05:50 Speaker 04: And that is carried.

00:06:07 Speaker 04: At number six in the Committee of the Whole agenda, we have no public meetings.

00:06:28 Speaker 04: At number seven, we have a deputation from Ron Stag, Professor Emeritus of History, from Toronto Metropolitan University, with regard to the renaming of Ryerson Park.

00:06:49 Speaker 04: Welcome, sir.

00:06:54 Speaker 04: Thank you, Mayor Maudie, and members of council.

00:07:02 Speaker 04: I'd like to say I'm very appreciative of this opportunity.

00:07:25 Speaker 04: I'm not here to tell you you shouldn't change the name of Ryerson Park, but I am here to explain why you're doing it for the wrong reason.

00:07:55 Speaker 04: I'm a member of a group of about three hundred people called the Friends of Edison Ryerson, and we are trying to correct some of the misinformation that's been put out.

00:08:25 Speaker 04: Now I understand there are links to two YouTube videos which I created; they are available to you, which lay out in great detail the life of Edward Ryerson, some of the claims against him,

00:08:52 Speaker 04: and why they are wrong.

00:09:01 Speaker 04: This is done from his own writings and from his contemporaries.

00:09:06 Speaker 04: I'm going to simply highlight a few things.

00:09:24 Speaker 04: Until less than ten years ago, he was known as the creator of the modern education system in Ontario, and his work was copied when the western provinces opened up.

00:09:45 Speaker 04: When he came in, schools were very haphazard.

00:10:00 Speaker 04: Probably over ninety-nine percent of the schools were funded by parents.

00:10:12 Speaker 04: They had to hire the teacher, build a school, house the teacher, and feed that person, usually a man.

00:10:40 Speaker 04: The teachers were not very effective; you didn't have to have any qualifications to speak of except be able to write a sentence.

00:10:56 Speaker 04: Students didn't attend all year; they had to help on the farm.

00:11:18 Speaker 04: The schools cost quite a bit of money to run, and students took a lot of time off to help on the farms.

00:11:55 Speaker 04: So he came in and with actually three education acts after he became superintendent of education, he changed all that.

00:12:04 Speaker 04: Schools became free, paid by taxes.

00:12:10 Speaker 04: There was a school for teaching teachers in Toronto.

00:12:23 Speaker 04: There were uniform textbooks; Canadian textbooks.

00:12:44 Speaker 01: A lot of the books you've read earlier were American with American values, and eventually he also introduced compulsory attendance so that students had to be there.

00:12:59 Speaker 01: So this is why he's considered such an outstanding individual.

00:13:06 Speaker 01: What happened since?

00:13:15 Speaker 04: Well, just under ten years ago, a small group of people at Ryerson University, where I used to teach, did some rather bad research,

00:13:34 Speaker 01: and they came up with the idea that Edwardian Ryerson was responsible for residential schools.

00:13:55 Speaker 05: Another group within Ryerson who wanted to decolonize the university—i.e., to take the name of a colonizer, as people are termed in this work environment we're living in—they wanted to get rid of the name,

00:14:07 Speaker 05: and they seized on this.

00:14:26 Speaker 05: And in two thousand and eighteen, a sign was put up saying that Edwin Marsden was a chief architect of residential schools, and this is what has stuck; this is what people believe.

00:14:43 Speaker 05: In fact, it's not true.

00:14:51 Speaker 05: The Truth and Reconciliation Commission did not say anything about him being an architect.

00:15:07 Speaker 01: And when Ryerson University struck a task force to look at Edwin Ryerson's legacy, they found out: one, he was a friend to Indigenous people; and two,

00:15:26 Speaker 01: they couldn't find any evidence that he was behind residential schools.

00:15:46 Speaker 01: What he was behind was a curriculum for schools that the government, through the Indian Department I think it was called, were setting up for Indigenous people.

00:16:06 Speaker 01: In 1846 there had been a big meeting with most of the tribes in southern Ontario; they met with the government.

00:16:29 Speaker 06: The government wanted to get them out of the way of settlement so they suggested they go to a few central places to live, and in return the government would offer them education in farming.

00:16:43 Speaker 06: Well, Indigenous people said, "No, we will not move."

00:16:52 Speaker 06: But overwhelmingly, they said, "We do want to have an education."

00:17:04 Speaker 06: Indigenous people at that time were about a little under one percent of the population.

00:17:21 Speaker 06: They saw what was coming, and they wanted to adjust to modern times.

00:17:35 Speaker 07: So the government asked Edson Morrison: "Please, can you give us an idea of what these people would study?"

00:17:48 Speaker 07: This is the only way he was involved with these schools.

00:18:00 Speaker 07: But he basically said they should have education same as in the regular school system; they should have some religious studies, and they should spend a lot of time studying farming.

00:18:17 Speaker 07: And this was what he believed, and [he] believe[d] it would save them from effectively disappearing.

00:18:25 Speaker 07: So this is where it all comes from.

00:18:38 Speaker 07: In the legacy report that came out of Ryerson, they couldn't find any evidence of him being responsible for residential schools.

00:18:48 Speaker 07: So they said: "Okay, we'll prove that he denigrated Indigenous people."

00:19:02 Speaker 07: So they took what he wrote in a little letter explaining what the curriculum was supposed to be, and they twisted it around to show that in fact he was putting them down,

00:19:15 Speaker 07: and it's not true at all.

00:19:25 Speaker 08: They purposely or unintentionally distorted what he said and made it look like he was saying these people were inferior,

00:19:42 Speaker 08: and that simply reinforced what had been said on the sign up at Ryerson or Toronto Metropolitan University as it's known.

00:19:55 Speaker 08: So this is where it all comes from.

00:20:04 Speaker 08: But he didn't say these things.

00:20:09 Speaker 08: What he said was: "Here's what people need.

00:20:20 Speaker 08: They need the same academic education as you'd get in regular schools, and they need to learn farming."

00:20:36 Speaker 08: And this was what he believed would make them, as one of the government officials said, equal to their white brethren.

00:20:54 Speaker 08: So this is why we're arguing against the reputation that Ryerson has developed; there's a lot more information in the videos if you watch them.

00:21:15 Speaker 08: I'm really urging you, whether or not you choose to change the name, to recognize that Ryerson was in fact one.

00:21:33 Speaker 08: In fact, what was originally said about him, not what was said about him later.

00:21:40 Speaker 08: Questions?

00:21:44 Speaker 07: Any questions?

00:21:50 Speaker 07: I'm seeing no questions coming up in the room at this time.

00:21:57 Speaker 07: Yeah, no hands are going up.

00:22:04 Speaker 08: We thank you for your information.

00:22:17 Speaker 08: The committee minutes will be coming up in a few minutes, and there'll be a discussion around them at that time.

00:22:31 Speaker 07: I believe when we consider them, and we do.

00:22:37 Speaker 07: Thank you for your information.

00:22:42 Speaker 07: We're in the middle of a meeting.

00:22:49 Speaker 08: I'd love to have a chat with you, but we can't.

00:23:02 Speaker 08: So thank you again for reaching out to us, providing this information, and sharing it with us.

00:23:09 Speaker 08: Thank you.

00:23:16 Speaker 09: Thank you for having me there.

00:23:20 Speaker 07: Please watch the videos.

00:23:21 Speaker 07: Good.

00:23:22 Speaker 07: Thanks.

00:23:25 Speaker 07: At number eight on our agenda is public forum.

00:23:33 Speaker 07: I don't see anyone running to the microphone at the moment.

00:23:46 Speaker 07: At number nine, we have no correspondence items being presented for consideration.

00:24:01 Speaker 07: At number ten, we have a verbal report from Deputy Mayor Greig with regard to Grey County Council.

00:24:19 Speaker 07: Thank you, Mayor Boddy, and I can report that Grey County Council met online last week with a very late agenda.

00:24:35 Speaker 07: Council dissolved the Budget and Finance Committee, so I will not be serving on that for the forthcoming year.

00:24:54 Speaker 07: I did gloss over last meeting in my notes that I am the Council Representative on the Accessibility Committee, and actually, if I ad lib, we had our first meeting of 2026,

00:25:18 Speaker 07: and I'll represent as the Vice Chair, assisting Chair Schultz, who does a terrific job on the committee as well, and actually, I should note there was little question from committee today.

00:25:36 Speaker 07: Staff from the city presented the official plan, zoning bylaw, and urban design guidelines for consideration by the committee, and it was received that report.

00:25:55 Speaker 07: So, just for council's interest, and currently there is a survey accessible at grey.ca to participate in the Bruce-Dufferin-Grey-Wellington Regional Transit Study being completed in collaboration with Sauguen Mobility and Regional Transit.

00:26:32 Speaker 05: As councillors, you should recall being circulated to participate in one of two dates in January to learn more about the potential transit framework.

00:26:46 Speaker 05: Welcome any questions and ask for council's endorsement of the verbal report.

00:26:50 Speaker 05: Any questions?

00:26:52 Speaker 05: Seeing none.

00:27:01 Speaker 05: Just before we move to bring the vote, I'm at Grey County, sitting chairing the Shared Services Ad hoc Committee.

00:27:19 Speaker 07: One of the things that came up in the meeting in December was we had a presentation, and I should have been better prepared for this.

00:27:41 Speaker 01: On physician recruitment, but it's about increasing physician-patient connections, and there's an entire plan that's being worked on in Grey-Bruce.

00:27:55 Speaker 01: It's a very good plan, and we'll be participating at the county level on that, moving that forward.

00:28:15 Speaker 08: So, with that, I will call unless that raises any questions, I'll call the question on Scott's presentation.

00:28:23 Speaker 08: All in favor?

00:28:25 Speaker 08: It is carried.

00:28:30 Speaker 08: Thanks.

00:28:32 Speaker 08: At the consent agenda, I guess to Ms. Bloomfield.

00:28:46 Speaker 08: Through your worship, on the consent agenda this evening are minutes for receipt from the Grey-Bruce Poverty Task Force, Grey-Sable Conservation Authority, and Owen Sound Police Board.

00:29:12 Speaker 01: Business licenses were issued to Safe Towing at 2075 Sixteenth Avenue East; Diamond Baseball and Fitness relocated to 625 Sixth Street East; and Horizon Therapy Center relocated to 954 First Ave West, Unit Two.

00:29:39 Speaker 10: Final approval was issued for an illumination request for Safe & Sound, Grey-Bruce Coldest Night of the Year, and the last item on the consent agenda is the information package.

00:29:52 Speaker 10: A full listing is available at 11F.

00:29:57 Speaker 10: Good, thank you, Councillor Hamley.

00:30:12 Speaker 10: Move by myself that in consideration of the items listed on the January 12, 2026, consent agenda, City Council receives items 11A to 11F.

00:30:25 Speaker 10: And all in favor?

00:30:27 Speaker 10: That is carried.

00:30:31 Speaker 10: A note at eleven a: Minutes of the Grey-Bruce Poverty Task Force.

00:30:38 Speaker 10: Councillor Hamley, anything to report?

00:30:44 Speaker 10: Yeah, there's nothing substantive to update council on.

00:30:49 Speaker 10: Thanks.

00:30:54 Speaker 10: At b: Grey-Sable Conservation Authority, November twenty-six.

00:30:59 Speaker 10: No, Councillor Farmer.

00:31:09 Speaker 10: Through the mayor, I would like to pick up on something from the poverty task force minutes before I present GSEA notes.

00:31:27 Speaker 10: The minutes included a note about the recent United Way report mapping pathways to homelessness or housing after folks come out of incarceration.

00:31:39 Speaker 10: And we hear a lot of community frustration about the visibility of homelessness.

00:31:58 Speaker 10: But the report also clearly outlines how the processes of our justice system are making it more likely for people to be homeless and vulnerable following incarceration, whether or not they've been convicted of a crime.

00:32:24 Speaker 10: And at least one of the recommendations I mentioned in those minutes is specific to municipal jurisdiction and highlighting the importance of transportation.

00:32:37 Speaker 10: So I'm wondering, either for Councillor Hamley or staff,

00:32:55 Speaker 10: what role there might be for the city to participate in that kind of conversation or to advocate for solutions to the problems caused by the gaps in those discharge pathways.

00:33:14 Speaker 10: Thank you, Councillor Hamley.

00:33:25 Speaker 10: Yeah, we actually have a meeting on Friday, so I'll maybe give you a call in, and I'll be able to relay that.

00:33:39 Speaker 10: Okay, so at eleven b is Grey-Sable Conservation Authority.

00:33:43 Speaker 10: That's also me.

00:33:57 Speaker 10: So through the mayor from the November meeting, the most remarkable or relevant items were a decision not to allow a servicing easement through the Peace Marsh Nature Preserve;

00:34:16 Speaker 10: discussion of the changes to the Conservation Authorities Act as we discussed in detail here in December.

00:34:30 Speaker 10: As a result of those changes, the board paused a committee review that was underway.

00:34:45 Speaker 02: We also received a budget status update projecting a small surplus for 2025 resulting from wage savings, increased parking revenue, non-budgeted grants, and forestry revenue.

00:34:57 Speaker 02: And we also discussed priorities for the draft 2026 budget and updated the forestry fees.

00:35:07 Speaker 02: Happy to answer any and all questions.

00:35:15 Speaker 02: Seeing no hands going up at eleven c: We have Owen Sound Police Services Board; I believe Councillor Merton.

00:35:24 Speaker 02: Through you, Mayor.

00:35:38 Speaker 02: In addition to the minutes of the November twenty-seven, two thousand and twenty-five Owen Sound Police Services Board meeting included in the regular council agenda, I wish to highlight the following items.

00:35:59 Speaker 07: The board formally recognized Sergeant Josh Burney for receiving the Ontario Medal for Police Bravery.

00:36:14 Speaker 07: Sergeant Burney demonstrated exceptional courage and professionalism during a 2023 incident in which he safeguarded civilians and arrested two armed suspects.

00:36:27 Speaker 09: Chief Ambrose reported that the draft 2026 budget has been revised.

00:36:43 Speaker 09: This will be submitted to City Council for approval.

00:37:00 Speaker 05: Originally, it was at a $749 increase, but since the November meeting, the figure has been adjusted based on known actuals to $723.

00:37:19 Speaker 05: The board asked the police chief and the board chair if any additional budget reductions could be made while still maintaining adequate and effective policing in Owen Sound;

00:37:33 Speaker 05: Chief Ambrose clarified that given the current estimated expenses and information available,

00:37:55 Speaker 05: the budget request was the lowest possible amount in order to maintain an appropriate staff complement and to provide a more visible police presence in the downtown River District as voiced and requested by citizens and

00:38:10 Speaker 05: business owners.

00:38:19 Speaker 05: The board has reviewed the city facility condition assessment and acknowledged with gratitude the action of the city to address the mold issue.

00:38:38 Speaker 05: The board approved that an Owen Sound Police Services Board Facility Review Committee be established relating to the possibility of a new police service facility.

00:38:56 Speaker 05: Based on new legislative requirements under the Community Safety and Policing Act, increased training needs, and potential liability concerns,

00:39:18 Speaker 05: Citizens on Patrol membership voted to retire the unit with no future affiliation with the Owen Sound Police Services effective November 18, 2025; they will be formally recognized December 8, 2025.

00:39:34 Speaker 05: I welcome any questions to these comments.

00:39:39 Speaker 05: Questions, Councillor Farmer?

00:39:43 Speaker 05: Thank you through the mayor, a couple of questions.

00:39:55 Speaker 05: First, regarding that new police station committee: are we at the point of having more information about timelines, work plans, or the scope of that work?

00:40:10 Speaker 05: At the moment, this is moving forward.

00:40:22 Speaker 05: This was just the first concept; moving forward, we recognize it will take several years to even go through an assessment and determination on membership regarding who will participate.

00:40:37 Speaker 05: So, early days.

00:40:46 Speaker 05: I don't have additional information to provide, but it will be in future meeting reports.

00:40:53 Speaker 05: Go ahead.

00:40:56 Speaker 05: And through the Mayor again.

00:41:01 Speaker 05: Thank you.

00:41:06 Speaker 05: Yeah, sounds like a long project.

00:41:23 Speaker 05: Question on another topic: Do we know whether the newly assigned armed court officers doing court security are being accounted for in the court security transfer payment agreements,

00:41:40 Speaker 07: or are those additional wages being paid solely by OSPS and Owen Sound?

00:41:56 Speaker 07: Through me at the moment, my understanding—and I stand to be corrected—is that currently it's coming through the Owen Sound Police Services budget.

00:42:13 Speaker 05: There may be some adjustment should funding become available, but at the moment, those costs are being absorbed by the police services budget.

00:42:27 Speaker 05: Okay, and number eleven: correspondence, council.

00:42:31 Speaker 05: Number eleven: correspondence, Councillor Farmer.

00:42:36 Speaker 05: I think you've got something there.

00:42:40 Speaker 05: Yeah, thank you.

00:42:58 Speaker 05: Through the Mayor: so in the correspondence package, among a variety of things we received from AMO,

00:43:14 Speaker 05: there was a specific request from municipalities to support the work they're doing to raise concerns about changes to OMR's governance.

00:43:35 Speaker 05: So the Ontario Municipal Employee Retirement Savings Plan; as part of Bill 68, the province is changing how representation for that governance is happening,

00:43:58 Speaker 05: and that has raised concerns regarding the ability of municipal employees and folks paying into—and relying on—the plan to participate in it.

00:44:20 Speaker 05: And I would like—I'm going to move—that we respond to the request and information package by moving a motion same as laid out in the request, which says:

00:44:44 Speaker 09: "Whereas the Ontario Municipal Employee Retirement System pension fund serves over 1,000 employers and over half a million employees and retirees from diverse groups, including municipal governments, school boards, libraries, police and fire departments,

00:45:19 Speaker 11: children's aid societies, and electricity distribution companies; and whereas the longstanding jointly sponsored governance model with two corporate boards has provided stability, accountability, and fairness for both plan members and employers for more than two decades;

00:45:47 Speaker 11: and whereas the Government of Ontario has passed legislative changes to OMER's governance structure through Bill 68;

00:46:03 Speaker 11: and whereas these changes would replace the current OMER sponsors corporation with a new Sponsors Council that would lose its corporate status and independent resources;

00:46:28 Speaker 07: and whereas the proposed model could allow pension decisions affecting municipal employers and employees to be made without meaningful municipal oversight, increasing financial risk for municipalities and local taxpayers;

00:46:52 Speaker 07: and whereas municipalities are already under significant financial strain and cannot absorb additional pension costs without consequences for property taxes or local services:

00:47:22 Speaker 11: therefore be it resolved that OWSA does not support the legislative changes to the OMER's Act contained in Bill 68, and requests that the Government of Ontario consider the advisability of proceeding with these changes.

00:47:38 Speaker 11: Further,

00:47:56 Speaker 11: be it resolved that OWSA Council supports the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) in calling on the Government of Ontario to maintain the current OMER governance model with two corporate boards as the structure that

00:48:14 Speaker 11: would best deliver on the long-term interests of municipalities,

00:48:18 Speaker 11: taxpayers, and employees."

00:48:30 Speaker 01: Be it further resolved that the resolution be circulated to the Hon. Rob Flack, Minister of Housing, Municipal Affairs; the Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy, Minister of Finance; Paul Vickers; and AMO.

00:48:52 Speaker 01: Councillor Hamley: just to be safe, Your Worship, I'm going to declare a pecuniary interest as I work for the Government of Ontario.

00:49:01 Speaker 01: Okay, the motion's there.

00:49:04 Speaker 07: It's before you.

00:49:06 Speaker 07: Any further discussion?

00:49:08 Speaker 07: Deputy Mayor Greig?

00:49:18 Speaker 07: I would just say that at the moment, I'm going to vote against it because I would appreciate more time to explore the whys behind such an initiative.

00:49:37 Speaker 07: And right now I'm just being asked to support something because it was email correspondence.

00:49:55 Speaker 07: So I could support it perhaps if this had been sent to the Corporate Services Committee, maybe as correspondence, and then the committee—consisting of public members and elected officials—could discuss it.

00:50:16 Speaker 01: But placed before me at the moment, I can't support the motion.

00:50:21 Speaker 01: Thanks.

00:50:22 Speaker 01: Anyone else?

00:50:25 Speaker 01: Sure; you're the last one.

00:50:40 Speaker 01: Through the Mayor: if that's the preference, and if folks haven't had a chance to dig into that, then I'd be happy to withdraw the motion and move that this letter be sent to Corporate Services,

00:51:02 Speaker 01: if that is a more comfortable way to stoke this conversation.

00:51:09 Speaker 01: I'm seeing general nods through the Mayor.

00:51:27 Speaker 12: I formally withdraw my motion and move that this piece of correspondence be forwarded to the Corporate Services Committee for consideration on the next agenda.

00:51:43 Speaker 12: Are you going to be looking for a report too then, or now?

00:51:59 Speaker 12: Just more time to think about it.

00:52:03 Speaker 12: Okay.

00:52:04 Speaker 01: So it's been withdrawn.

00:52:09 Speaker 01: No, the motion is now to send it to the Committee.

00:52:13 Speaker 01: Any further discussion?

00:52:16 Speaker 01: Seeing none, all in favor?

00:52:17 Speaker 01: That's carried.

00:52:18 Speaker 01: Good.

00:52:18 Speaker 01: Thanks.

00:52:20 Speaker 01: Anything else in there?

00:52:23 Speaker 01: No. Good.

00:52:25 Speaker 01: Councillor Merton.

00:52:41 Speaker 01: With your forbearance, I would like to provide an add-on bit of information in response to Councillor Farmer's question, because I have heard further information regarding the funding for the court security officer.

00:53:00 Speaker 01: For accuracy of the information, may I have two minutes just to provide an update?

00:53:06 Speaker 02: Yes.

00:53:07 Speaker 02: Thank you.

01:05:40 Speaker 02: The armed court officer will be included in the provincial court security costs, and a portion of the costs will be recoverable through the grant funding stream.

01:05:42 Speaker 02: The provincial court security funds do not cover the entire costs across the province, so only a portion will be recovered.

01:05:42 Speaker 02: The outstanding amount for the officer will be recovered through the agreement with the County for providing court security,

01:05:42 Speaker 02: and the difference between the provincial costs and the grant amount is a combination of funding sources for that.

01:05:42 Speaker 02: Thank you, Mayor.

01:05:43 Speaker 01: And I believe the County has a delegation on Monday at Rama on this topic.

01:05:44 Speaker 01: I think.

01:05:45 Speaker 01: Yeah.

01:05:45 Speaker 01: Good.

01:05:46 Speaker 01: Thank you.

01:05:46 Speaker 01: Number twelve: Committee minutes with recommendations for approval from Councillor Koepke.

01:05:46 Speaker 01: Minutes of Community Services Committee meeting held on December seventeenth, twenty-two hundred and twenty-five.

01:05:46 Speaker 01: Thank you, Your Worship.

01:05:47 Speaker 01: Members received a report on recommendations from the working group regarding the renaming of Ryerson Park.

01:05:49 Speaker 01: Historically, the park was called Boyd Street Park, and in 1988, the area was later named Ryerson School Playground, which informally was shortened to Ryerson Park, as identified on the sign at the park,

01:05:49 Speaker 01: which was removed.

01:05:49 Speaker 01: It was determined by the working group that the park was not, in fact, named after Egerton Ryerson, but rather for its proximity to Ryerson Public School.

01:05:50 Speaker 01: The working group's recommendation is based on careful historical research, policy compliance, and reflects the City's commitment to community engagement, cultural awareness, and responsible decision making.

01:05:51 Speaker 01: And is as follows: ratify the working group's recommendation to rename Ryerson Park; direct the process to rename the park, proceed in accordance with Policy CS 087;

01:05:51 Speaker 01: initiate the next phase of the process by February two thousand and twenty-six.

01:05:51 Speaker 01: Direct staff to prioritize a name with a locational reference.

01:05:52 Speaker 01: Direct staff to install a plaque or marker at the park to educate visitors about its history and previous names, ensuring transparency and public awareness.

01:05:52 Speaker 01: And dissolve the working group having successfully completed its mandate as set out in Policy CS 087.

01:05:53 Speaker 01: Committee recommended approval of executing an agreement with Josh Harris regarding the installation of a sports equipment sanitizer vending machine at the Julie MacArthur Regional Rec Center in a currently vacant space for an annual lease

01:05:54 Speaker 01: fee.

01:05:55 Speaker 01: Servicing the machine will be the sole responsibility of the operator, and the City will not assume any responsibility for damage, loss, or customer service inquiries.

01:05:55 Speaker 01: This is a low risk, no cost method of providing a service to users.

01:05:55 Speaker 01: Members recommended approval of a request from the former Better Pool Committee to plant a commemorative tree in memory of John Douglas Seaman, a leader in fundraising for a new pool in Owen Sound.

01:05:56 Speaker 01: A suitable shade tree is proposed to be planted at the Julie McCarthy Regional Rec Center at a location along the pedestrian walkway between 10th Street East and the building.

01:05:57 Speaker 01: The cost of the tree and commemorative plaque will be covered by the requesters.

01:05:57 Speaker 01: Committee reviewed an updated report regarding the end-of-year events for two thousand and twenty-five.

01:05:57 Speaker 01: Among other events identified in the report, it was noted that 24 free live concerts and five movie nights throughout the year were cumulatively with a cumulative attendance estimated at 8,500 people.

01:05:58 Speaker 01: It is being recommended that any year-end event surplus be moved to the Event's revenue.

01:05:58 Speaker 01: With respect to the TD Harbour Nights concerts held at the Community Waterfront Heritage Centre, it is being recommended that the relocation of the historical lifeboat beside the train, which was previously scheduled to be relocated,

01:05:59 Speaker 01: take place to allow for additional seating for the popular Sunday evening performances.

01:05:59 Speaker 01: Members received a report regarding options for concession sales at the Julie MacArthur Regional Rec Center; several options were presented for the future use of the concession space.

01:05:59 Speaker 01: It is being recommended that staff be directed to issue a request for proposal for a concession operator at the center,

01:05:59 Speaker 01: and that staff include additional points for nonprofit collectors or nonprofits into the assessment of an RFP.

01:06:00 Speaker 01: Committee recommended including a turf floor partnership at the Harry Lum Lebacher Community Center with junior and minor lacrosse, and that the lacrosse turf project be included on the City's Canada Help page,

01:06:01 Speaker 01: with communications being issued respecting the ability for public donations toward this project, and that staff bring forward a bylaw to authorize the execution of an agreement for the turf floor partnership,

01:06:02 Speaker 01: subject to approval of this project being included in the two thousand and twenty-six to two thousand and thirty multi-year capital plan.

01:06:02 Speaker 01: The November two thousand and twenty-five development update highlighted construction values of just under four million, with 19 permits being issued and just under ten thousand dollars in building permit fees being collected.

01:06:02 Speaker 01: Forty-eight building inspections were conducted in November two thousand and twenty-five.

01:06:03 Speaker 01: In addition, a permit was issued to Community Living Owen Sound and District for a new three-story, ten-unit supportive housing project on the east side.

01:06:03 Speaker 01: A permit application was received for interior renovations to the Metro Grocery Store in the River District.

01:06:04 Speaker 01: That concludes my summary of the minutes of the Community Services Committee meeting held on December seventeenth, two thousand and twenty-five, and I move approval of the minutes and the recommendations contained therein.

01:06:04 Speaker 01: And thank you.

01:06:05 Speaker 01: Comments.

01:06:06 Speaker 01: Councillor Hamley.

01:06:07 Speaker 01: Thank you, Your Worship.

01:06:07 Speaker 01: I just wanted to, in light of the deputation that we had, I just wanted to kind of speak to the recommendation that...

01:06:07 Speaker 01: So I was on the ad hoc committee along with Councillor Koepke and Councillor Farmer.

01:06:07 Speaker 01: The presenter kind of stated that we were trying to rewrite the history on Egerton Ryerson,

01:06:08 Speaker 01: and I just wanted to be very clear that like the work of the Committee and the report presented to Community Services does not speak to the legacy of Egerton Ryerson.

01:06:08 Speaker 01: We did review the Toronto Metropolitan University report, but that's really as far as we dug into that portion of the question.

01:06:08 Speaker 01: The one thing that we all agreed on, and the reason for the recommendation, is that Ryerson himself had no historical connection to Owen Sound other than the name of the previous school.

01:06:08 Speaker 01: So that's why, for my position, that's why I'm making the recommendation or part of making the recommendation along with the ad hoc Committee.

01:06:09 Speaker 01: So just wanted to put that on the table in light of the deputation that we just had.

01:06:09 Speaker 01: Councillor Farmer, thank you through the Mayor to add a postscript to that, just to underscore that per the research of the Committee and staff...

01:06:10 Speaker 01: The official name on record is Ryerson Public School Playground, and one way or another, we agreed that that name doesn't make sense right now.

01:06:10 Speaker 01: And as we were just considering renaming or not, the decision was, as the report lays out, we should update that.

01:06:13 Speaker 01: Anyone else?

01:06:13 Speaker 01: Call the question.

01:06:14 Speaker 01: All in favor?

01:06:14 Speaker 01: That's carried, so that approves the minutes.

01:06:14 Speaker 01: There is a Harrison connection; don't sound, but it has been lost unless you read the right 1867 book.

01:06:15 Speaker 01: Next is: Minutes of the Operations Committee meeting held on December 18th, 2025.

01:06:15 Speaker 01: Thank you, Mayor Boddy.

01:06:15 Speaker 01: At the December operations committee meeting, a deputation was heard from a resident noting the importance of recognizing ongoing needs and work to improve pedestrian signal infrastructure.

01:06:15 Speaker 01: The committee recommends to council that we adopt updates to the traffic bylaw which are necessitated and respond to the city assuming responsibility for new streets located northwest of a commercial entity on Highway 26 at

01:06:16 Speaker 01: the eastern city limits,

01:06:16 Speaker 01: as well as enhancing some sightline issues on the street south of the Bayshore Arena entrances.

01:06:18 Speaker 01: Approximate signage costs are $6,500 and covered within the existing signage budget, projected to produce a slight year-end surplus, inclusive of this expense.

01:06:19 Speaker 01: The committee was supportive of minor timing changes to Owen Sound Transit.

01:06:19 Speaker 01: There are some current delays challenging the ability to maintain the 30-minute loop; incorporating a 45-minute run at 12:30 p.m., subsequent route starts at quarter past the hour and quarter to the hour,

01:06:19 Speaker 01: and a second 45-minute run at 3:15, placing the 30-minute service loops again at the top of the hour at 4 p.m.

01:06:19 Speaker 01: Staff recommend a six-month trial to evaluate the change, and it will not start until February 1 to allow communication updates to users, website, and transit app mapping needs.

01:06:20 Speaker 01: And this is probably the largest part of the meeting: speaks to the installation of new water meters.

01:06:20 Speaker 01: The committee is recommending to council that we approve amendments in the fees and charges bylaw to support the installation of the new water meters.

01:06:20 Speaker 01: The flat rate water charge and water-related fee include a billing rate for outstanding manual meter accounts based on prior year's average monthly consumption,

01:06:21 Speaker 01: an administrative fee of $150 per billing cycle (so that equates to $50 per month) for accounts that have refused fused meter installation;

01:06:21 Speaker 01: a revised billing methodology for all water accounts that have not yet been converted to the new automated meters, based on historical actual consumption;

01:06:21 Speaker 01: and a policy effective July 1st of this year requiring property owners who previously refused installation and later elect to convert to cover the full cost of installation.

01:06:22 Speaker 01: Direct staff to provide notice of amendments to the fees and charges bylaws required by the Notice Bylaw: direct staff to provide registered letters to confirm refusal status for accounts currently identified as refusals;

01:06:22 Speaker 01: approve the application of the administration fee beginning with cycles with billing dates after March 1st of this year for confirmed refusal accounts.

01:06:22 Speaker 01: Direct staff to bring forward a bylaw to amend the Water Management Bylaw to prohibit the creation of new water accounts without the installation of a new meter or the existing meter being inspected and approved

01:06:23 Speaker 01: by staff,

01:06:23 Speaker 01: and direct staff to bring forward an additional report to committee on the updated number of outstanding meter replacements and refusals in late 2026.

01:06:23 Speaker 01: Inside the report, it identified that 366 water accounts remained outstanding at year-end in 2025.

01:06:23 Speaker 01: The city no longer contracts to read meters manually, so reads will not be available for ongoing billing purposes.

01:06:24 Speaker 01: The administration fee for refusal accounts is intended to recover real costs associated with noncompliance and exception handling, not to penalize compliant or constrained property owners.

01:06:24 Speaker 01: And that collectively, these measures support fair cost recovery, operational efficiency, and completion of the meter replacement program.

01:06:24 Speaker 01: And just before I welcome any questions, I would say: I think we had a fairly robust discussion on this report at committee, and certainly I think around the table,

01:06:24 Speaker 01: we were fully unanimous that the general rate user taxpayer shouldn't be subsidizing the costs of this service on an ongoing basis for individuals or businesses or companies that are not compliant,

01:06:24 Speaker 01: and allowing the city to install the new infrastructure.

01:06:25 Speaker 01: So I think there was certainly unanimous consent on that.

01:06:25 Speaker 01: I welcome any questions and ask for council's approval of the committee recommendations.

01:06:25 Speaker 01: Thank you, Councillor Farmer.

01:06:25 Speaker 01: Thank you through the mayor.

01:06:26 Speaker 01: Follow-up question about the delegation: I'm always excited when a member of the public comes forward with thoughtful ideas.

01:06:26 Speaker 01: It was unclear to me whether there were opportunities to respond to some of the specific ideas or suggestions/problem intersections outlined in that deputation prior to the 2027 update of the transportation master plan,

01:06:26 Speaker 01: and I was hoping to hear from either the chair or staff if there are opportunities to take any moves this year rather than next year or the year after that.

01:06:27 Speaker 01: I can take a stab at this before deflecting it to the director, but every time we touch our existing infrastructure for reconstruction purposes, we are bringing it up to the new AODA current standard.

01:06:27 Speaker 01: And even though the county foots the bill in this past year, I'm going to use what's commonly known as the Legion intersection as an example.

01:06:27 Speaker 01: But I think that project was somewhere north of $500,000 and primarily consisted of just replacing dated and malfunctioning pedestrian signals and vehicle detection infrastructure.

01:06:27 Speaker 01: So it is very expensive to undertake on an ad hoc basis.

01:06:28 Speaker 01: So we certainly incorporate all improvements every time we are touching road networks.

01:06:28 Speaker 01: For example, last year Sixth Street and Ninth Avenue East, another good example.

01:06:29 Speaker 01: There were some photos which were indicated in the presentation, and one that stands out is at 10th Street and Third Avenue East; might call it the KFC corner.

01:06:29 Speaker 01: There is pedestrian crossing infrastructure there that, in no way, shape, or form, comes even remotely close to being user friendly or conforming to new standards,

01:06:29 Speaker 01: and that's a good example of the type of infrastructure improvements that occur when we're able to locate those resources to do such.

01:06:29 Speaker 01: There was one particular intersection noted that just wasn't activating as a default pedestrian crossing signal.

01:06:29 Speaker 01: How prevalent those are across the city?

01:06:29 Speaker 01: I might just allow the director to speak a little further on what kind of changes can be made to them.

01:06:30 Speaker 01: But these are items too that see constant damage.

01:06:30 Speaker 01: Some of the control mechanisms get damaged and get harder to replace with various components.

01:06:31 Speaker 01: I know over the years, I've seen staff on site; 10th Street Bridge stands out constantly getting damaged and consistently being harder and harder to locate replacement equipment for it.

01:06:31 Speaker 01: So I'll just perhaps pass to the director for any further comments.

01:06:31 Speaker 01: Ms. Widdifield, anything to add?

01:06:32 Speaker 01: I noticed that you showed about five minutes to go in your Zoom meeting so you may disappear on us.

01:06:33 Speaker 01: But go ahead.

01:06:33 Speaker 01: Thank you, Your Worship.

01:06:33 Speaker 01: Actually, the Deputy Mayor summed it up quite well: every time we touch a project,

01:06:33 Speaker 01: we reassess whether it meets the purpose of our overall networks and address ground-level issues like fixing any width or other kind of geometry issues that may be required for active transportation and pedestrian routes.

01:06:33 Speaker 01: As far as traffic signals, yes, we have a wide assortment of different equipment throughout the city, and as we're replacing components in one,

01:06:34 Speaker 01: we're swapping out components in another when possible to extract as much life as possible from them.

01:06:34 Speaker 01: And we do have a small amount of money in our annual budget—in the capital budget—that is for replacing the entire system at a particular intersection annually.

01:06:34 Speaker 01: So that's where we try to focus, and then what we can salvage out of each individual intersection as we've replaced them; we sort of beg, borrow, and steal,

01:06:34 Speaker 01: moving those parts to any other replacement needs where we can.

01:06:34 Speaker 01: Good questions, Councilor Farmer.

01:06:35 Speaker 01: Thank you through the Mayor for follow-up.

01:06:35 Speaker 01: Totally understand that if we're changing capital equipment, that's a much bigger ticket item.

01:06:35 Speaker 01: My interpretation or recollection is that there were some questions about timing specifically,

01:06:35 Speaker 01: and we also received another email back in late 2025 highlighting the problem of big buttons—so not assuming that there's always a pedestrian there—and providing walk signals with changed timing or programming at those intersections equally

01:06:36 Speaker 01: prohibitive;

01:06:36 Speaker 01: or is that something that can be a more cost-effective stopgap measure as we wait for money to replace full capital infrastructure sometime in the future?

01:06:37 Speaker 01: For Laura, yeah.

01:06:37 Speaker 01: So three Worship...

01:06:37 Speaker 01: It depends on whether our current equipment is compatible with being coated that way, but that's what we're going to try to do if possible.

01:06:37 Speaker 01: It's a little bit of an unraveling sweater situation because it potentially has repercussions throughout the network; but if they're isolated intersections that we can fix and set up that way, then we will.

01:06:38 Speaker 01: First, the first job I think is to make sure that we've got relatively accurate traffic counts, even if not at the citywide level.

01:06:38 Speaker 01: We can do some spot checks with our purchased equipment and see what we can do.

01:06:38 Speaker 01: But like I mentioned, I think during the committee meeting, we ordered a large quantity of replacement parts several months ago, and they haven't been installed yet.

01:06:39 Speaker 01: My assumption is that there are significant lead times in getting deliveries of new equipment, even if we have money to pay for it.

01:06:39 Speaker 01: So there...

01:06:40 Speaker 06: We're doing our best.

01:06:40 Speaker 06: Okay, good.

01:06:41 Speaker 06: So can I call the question?

01:06:41 Speaker 06: Not seeing any other questions, so I will call the question all in favor, and that is carried.

01:06:42 Speaker 06: So at number 13 on our agenda, we have no postponed matters; [number] 14, we have no motions for which notice was previously given; [number] 15, discussion of additional business.

01:06:42 Speaker 06: Through the Mayor, I made it with the kids up to Julian Carther for the afternoon of New Year's Eve and just wanted to express my thanks to staff and sponsors for putting on that event.

01:06:44 Speaker 06: It's so fun to see so many folks being really excited; I heard at least one family say that was their New Year's Eve and there weren't plans other than that.

01:06:45 Speaker 06: And to see kids using all of that facility, running around with balloon animals and face paint, it's a really nice, very welcoming thing, and I'm grateful for it.

01:06:45 Speaker 06: So I thought I would express that.

01:06:45 Speaker 06: Thank you.

01:06:46 Speaker 06: It's just me.

01:06:47 Speaker 06: Otherwise... so we are here Monday in this room as Council for budget presentation; the Mayor's Budget Friday.

01:06:47 Speaker 06: What did I say?

01:06:48 Speaker 06: Thursday.

01:06:48 Speaker 06: Monday.

01:06:49 Speaker 06: Monday in my head.

01:06:49 Speaker 06: This Friday at 9:00 a.m. in the council chambers for the presentation of the mayor's budget.

01:06:49 Speaker 06: Of course, we all know this is the first time it's been a mayor's budget under strong mayor powers, and it's all kind of different than we've ever done it before.

01:06:50 Speaker 06: Hopefully, it's perfected in the coming years.

01:06:50 Speaker 06: That's at nine a.m.

01:06:51 Speaker 06: And other than that, over to you, Brock.

01:06:51 Speaker 06: Motion that the committee rise and report.

01:06:51 Speaker 06: Moved by myself, that the committee of the whole rise and report.

01:06:52 Speaker 06: All in favor.

01:06:52 Speaker 06: That is carried as number seventeen.

01:06:52 Speaker 06: Motion to adopt proceedings in committee of the whole.

01:06:52 Speaker 06: Moved by myself, seconded by Councillor Koepke, 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,

01:06:53 Speaker 06: committee minutes, matters postponed, motions for which notice was previously given, and additional business be confirmed by this council.

01:06:53 Speaker 06: All in favor.

01:06:53 Speaker 06: That is carried as number eighteen.

01:06:53 Speaker 06: In the formal session, notices of motion, Councillor Merton.

01:06:53 Speaker 06: Through you, Mayor, I hereby give notice that I will move or cause to be moved a motion at the next regular council meeting, supported by Councillor Kukreja.

01:06:54 Speaker 06: Whereas awards and municipalities recognize the individuals, groups, or businesses for their significant contributions and impact to the community,

01:06:54 Speaker 06: and whereas these community recognition awards acknowledge contributions which have represented the municipality positively in areas of arts, philanthropy, economic and business development, education, entertainment, and athletics.

01:06:55 Speaker 06: Now, therefore, be it resolved that City Council directs staff to bring forward a report in two thousand and twenty-six,

01:06:55 Speaker 06: prior to the consideration of the two thousand and twenty-seven award recognition nomination and selection process regarding potential components of a community ambassador award.

01:06:55 Speaker 06: Thank you.

01:06:55 Speaker 06: Any other notices?

01:06:57 Speaker 06: Seeing none.

01:06:57 Speaker 06: We're about to move into the closed session, but just before we do that, I'd like to note that if you're watching this meeting on Rogers Cable TV or the Rogers TV website,

01:06:57 Speaker 06: 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.

01:06:58 Speaker 06: If you'd like to view the remainder of the open session, you can watch the live stream on the city council's and committee's website at www.Owen Sound.ca/meetings.

01:06:59 Speaker 06: The video recording of the meeting will also be posted on this website following the meeting.

01:06:59 Speaker 06: So, over to Councillor Hamley.

01:07:00 Speaker 06: Move by myself, seconded by Councillor Koepke, that City Council now move into closed session to consider minutes of the closed session of the regular council.

01:07:00 Speaker 06: meeting held on December fifteenth, two thousand and twenty-five.

01:07:00 Speaker 06: One matter regarding litigation or potential litigation, including matters before administrative tribunals affecting the municipality, respecting a city claim, and one matter regarding personal matters about identifiable individuals, respecting an appointment to a city committee.

01:07:01 Speaker 06: And all in favor?

01:07:01 Speaker 06: That's carried.

01:07:01 Speaker 06: So it'll take us a minute to switch over.

01:07:02 Speaker 06: There we go.

01:07:02 Speaker 06: It is now six thirty-five p.m.

01:07:02 Speaker 06: City Council is returning to the open session.

01:07:02 Speaker 06: During the closed session, City Council reviewed minutes of the closed session of the regular council meeting held on February.

01:07:03 Speaker 06: Sorry, wow, held on December fifteenth, two thousand and twenty-five.

01:07:03 Speaker 06: Discussed one matter regarding litigation or potential litigation, including matters before administrative tribunals affecting the municipality, respecting a city claim, and direction was provided to staff.

01:07:03 Speaker 06: And we discussed one matter regarding personal matters about identifiable individuals, respecting an appointment to a city committee, and direction was provided to staff.

01:07:04 Speaker 06: So, at twenty-one, we have the list of bylaws, Ms. Bloomfield.

01:07:05 Speaker 06: Through your worship, the bylaws listed for approval on tonight's agenda include the confirmatory bylaw, a bylaw to amend the fees and charges, bylaw to amend fees for short-term rentals in C one zones,

01:07:05 Speaker 06: a bylaw to adopt the use of municipal resources for elections policy, Bylaw to provide for an interim levy for the year two thousand and twenty-six for all property classes,

01:07:05 Speaker 06: and a Bylaw Tax Execution Agreement with Circular Materials Ontario respecting eligible community recycling calendars.

01:07:06 Speaker 06: Thank you, Councillor Hamley. Moved by myself, seconded by Councillor Koepke, that Bylaw numbers two thousand and twenty-six zero zero one through to and including two thousand and twenty-six zero zero five be passed and enacted. All in favor. That is carried. So that completes our business of this meeting for tonight. It is six thirty-seven. We're adjourned. Thanks, everybody.