Council and Committee of the Whole Meetings

That the agenda of the April 23, 2024 meeting of Council and Committee of the Whole be adopted as circulated.

That Council now move into closed session to consider:  A Proposed or Pending Acquisition or Disposition of Land - Request to lease a portion of land owned by the Township pursuant to Section 239 (c) of the Municipal Act.

That the report from the Corporate Services, Strategy and Innovation Department, April 23, 2024 re: Scope of Work for the Ward Boundary Review Request for Proposal, be received; Staff be directed to undertake a Request for Proposal to retain an independent consultant to conduct a ward boundary and Council composition review in accordance with the scope of work described in this report; and That, in accordance with the approved 2024 Budget, this project is to be funded through a transfer from the Working Funds Reserve.

That the report from the Corporate Services, Strategy and Innovation Department, April 23, 2024 re: Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 623's Application for Renewable Energy Benefit Fund, be received; That Council refer the application to the Community Grant Committee to consider in the next round of intake; and That the applicant be advised to seek three quotes for the equipment and services to support their application. Motion is

That the report from the Corporate Services, Strategy and Innovation Department, April 23, 2024 re: Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 623's Application for Renewable Energy Benefit Fund, be received; and that That Council approve the grant request from the Renewable Energy Benefit Fund in the amount of $20,000 on the receipt of three quotes from the Legion.

That the report from the Corporate Services, Strategy and Innovation Department, dated April 23, 2024 re: Request for funding and in-kind services and Community Grant Policy Update, be received; That Council approve the grant request from Amherst Island Community Medical Clinic in the amount of $586; That Council approve in-kind services request from "We Play for Tyler" for the free use of the Willie Pratt Ball Fields, from Friday, July 12 to Sunday, July 14 in the amount of $1,131.24; That the $586 grant and the $1,131.24 in-kind service grant be funded from the Mayor's discretionary fund; and That the second intake period in 2024 for community grants through the Renewable Energy Benefit Fund Policy or any future Community Grant Policy be shifted to open on May 15, 2024 and close on June 12, 2024.

That the report from the Community and Customer Services Department, Public Transportation Division, dated April 23, 2024 re: 2023 MTO Ferry Subsidy Petition, be received; and That Council authorize the attached petition.

That the report from the Community and Customer Services Department, Recreation and Facilities Division dated April 23, 2024 re: June Recreation and Parks Month, be received; and That Council proclaim June 2024 Recreation and Parks Month throughout the Township; That Council direct staff to: Highlight and promote June as Recreation and Parks Month throughout the Township; Organize a June Recreation and Parks Kick Off Event; and Coordinate Council’s participation in the SEOPRA Mayoral Challenge.

WHEREAS the Accessibility for Ontarians With Disabilities Act (AODA) is ground-breaking legislation, created to help people with disabilities fully participate in society, bring them to the table in crafting regulations, and build mechanisms to enforce standards; WHEREAS Rich Donovan, an expert in accessibility issues, was appointed as the Independent Reviewer of the Act in 2022, and in his 2023 legislative review declared a crisis as a necessary catalyst to get Ontario back on track for accessibility; WHEREAS at least 2.9 million Ontarians currently live with a disability, representing at least 22% of the consumer base and the workforce, but due to barriers, Ontarians with disabilities are too often falling short of their full potential; WHEREAS the AODA aims to develop, implement and enforce standards related to goods, services, accommodation, employment and buildings before January 1, 2025, and municipalities, as the level of government closest to the people are at the front lines, developing, implementing and enforcing these standards without meaningful guidance on its implementation and/or enforcement by the Province; WHEREAS people with disabilities and advocates note the slow pace of current and previous Ontario governments in implementing the AODA and there are growing concerns there will be no renewed push to keep accessibility issues at the forefront after 2025; WHEREAS Loyalist Township is dedicated and committed to creating a welcoming environment so that all peop

WHEREAS the mission of Public Health Ontario (PHO) is to "enable informed decisions and get actions that protect and promote health and contribute to reducing health inequities," there are grave concerns that the closure of six community-based PHO labs will increase health inequities, especially for rural communities; and WHEREAS combined these labs collect and process thousands of water samples and time sensitive medical tests each day; and WHEREAS there are grave concerns about the integrity of samples being compromised if travel time is increased by centralizing all tests to a few locations; and WHEREAS these labs already process overflow tests and samples when labs such as Toronto and Ottawa cannot keep up to demand and many scaled up to meet demand during the COVID-19 pandemic; and WHEREAS frequent drinking water testing services is vital for Ontarians who draw their water from private drinking water systems (i.e. wells) and protecting groundwater quality and quantity is a shared responsibility; and NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT as stewards of care for the Safe Drinking Water Act, 2022, Council of Loyalist Township urges the provincial government to take caution against acting on the recommendations stated in the aforementioned audit report. AND FURTHER THAT this motion be circulated to Honourable Sylivia Jones, Minister of Health, Shelby Kramp-Neuman MP of Hastings-Lennox and Addington, Ric Bresee MPP of Hastings-Lennox and Addington and all Ontario Municipalities,

WHEREAS Loyalist Township is in need of $4,375,000 in funding to complete the Peak Flow Equalization and Headworks Upgrades at the Amherstview Water Pollution Control Plant in 2024, which is critical in the ongoing development of new homes in Loyalist Township; AND WHEREAS the Township cannot afford to increase Water or Sewer rates to fund all of this infrastructure; AND WHEREAS increased Debt to build the project will just increase costs to Water and Sewer rates, or increased costs to developers; AND WHEREAS Loyalist Township is currently experiencing a housing crisis from all citizens; AND WHEREAS Peak Flow Equalization and Headworks Upgrades at the Amherstview Water Pollution Control Plant are projected to accommodate 1889 new residential units to be completed, 607 which are shovel ready; AND WHEREAS Loyalist Township is not currently eligible for funding under the Provincial Building Faster Fund as its population is below the threshold; AND WHEREAS Loyalist Township is submitting an application to the provincial Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund which has only $825M available in funding of which the province would only fund up to 73% to a maximum of $35M for one project; AND WHEREAS additional funding has not been allocated from the Federal Government to enhance the Housing-Enabling Water Systems Funding; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT Loyalist Township calls on the Federal Government to re-evaluate their lack of funding for municipalities with a population less than

That all items, except 14.1 and 14.2 in the Consent Agenda dated April 23, 2024 be approved as presented and that the necessary action be taken.

That By-law 2024-53 a by-law to amend By-law 2022-006 be enacted and passed.

That By-law 2024-55 to confirm the proceedings of Council of Loyalist Township be enacted and passed and that the Mayor and Clerk be authorized to sign and seal.

That the meeting now adjourn at 6:52 p.m.