Below is a summary of key items discussed at the Municipality of Port Hope Council and Committee of the Whole Meetings held on Tuesday, December 6, 2022. The agendas and staff reports are available on the Agendas and Minutes page of our website.
Council Meeting:
The following are highlights from the Council Meeting.
Council presents certificate of recognition
Council presented local dance studio Jennifer’s Jazz It Up with a certificate of recognition to congratulate them on participating in the 2022 Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade in New York City.
Letter regarding Bill 23
Mayor Hankivsky wrote a letter to Premier Doug Ford to express deep concern regarding Bill 23. To learn more, read our media release.
Appointments to the Protective Services Department
Council formally appointed, by By-law, Jeff Ogden as Fire Chief of the Municipality of Port Hope and formally appointed Jason Williams as Community Emergency Management Coordinator (CEMC), Emergency Management Program Committee (EMPC) Chair, and Municipal Emergency Control Group Director.
Recently, there have been vacancies within the Building Services Division in the positions of Chief Building Official and Building Officials (Inspectors). While these vacancies exist, the Municipality is required by the Ontario Building Code Act to appoint a Chief Building Official and inspectors as necessary for the enforcement of the Act. To fulfil this requirement, three temporary staff have been contracted to act as the Chief, Deputy and Building Official (Inspector) for the Municipality of Port Hope. As a result, the following appointments were made:
Temporary contracted staff appointed:
- Chief Building Official - Gerald Moore
- Deputy Chief Building Official - Devon Staley
- Building Official / Municipal Law Enforcement Officer - Jacquie Hill-Bower
Permanent fulltime staff appointed:
- Building Official / Municipal Law Enforcement Officer - Owen Richardson
- Deputy Fire Chief, Prevention - Adam McCurdy Deputy McCurdy requires the appointment as a Municipal Law Enforcement Officer and Building Official for the purposes of enforcement of the Ontario Fire Code and applicable Acts and Regulations
- Deputy Chief Building Official – David Abramczuk effective December 12, 2022
Municipal By-law Enforcement officers – new and renewal appointments:
- Jeff Ogden
- Adam McCurdy
- Jacqueline Hill-Bower
- Pamela Hohner
- Samantha Taylor
- Owen Richardson
- David Abramczuk
Plumbing Inspection Agreement with Northumberland County
Council authorized a By-law to enter into an agreement with Northumberland County to carry out plumbing inspections in the Municipality of Port Hope. The agreement now places enforcement of the Plumbing Regulations of the Building Code and enforcement of the Building Code Act as it relates to Part 7 of the Building Code within the municipality to Northumberland County.
This agreement also provides the sharing of costs incurred in the inspections and enforcement of the Building Code Act related to plumbing. The Municipality of Port Hope Building Services Division will continue to collect fees associated with the issuance of permits, which would include plumbing permits and will reimburse Northumberland County on a quarterly basis.
For more information on this agreement, read our Media Release.
Process for appointing the Deputy Mayor
The procedure to select the Deputy Mayor indicates that an appointment is to be made within three months of the inaugural meeting of Council. Council deferred consideration of the appointment to a later date and directed staff to bring a report forward on December 20, 2022, identifying options for rotating appointments to the Deputy Mayor position and any subsequent procedural by-law changes necessary.
Appointing Council representatives to Advisory Boards and Committees
Council appointed the following:
- Ganaraska Region Conservation Board of Directors – Consideration of this item was deferred to the next meeting of Council on December 20, 2022.
- Mayor Olena Hankivsky and Councillor Les Andrews – Police Services Board
- Councillor Vicki Mink – Library Board
Council further directed Mayor Hankivsky to bring forth a resolution identifying and recommending council member appointments to all other advisory committees for consideration on December 20, 2022.
Standing Committee Appointments
Council authorized a By-law to appoint the following Members of Council as Chairs/Portfolio Leads of the Standing Committees outlined in the Procedural By-law:
- Corporate Services Committee: Councillor Vicki Mink
- Finance Committee: Councillor Les Andrews
- Planning and Development Committee: Councillor Todd Attridge
- Parks, Recreation, and Culture Committee: Councillor Adam Pearson
- Works and Engineering Committee: Councillor Claire Holloway Wadhwani
- Protective Services Committee: Councillor Chris Collins
Committee of the Whole:
The following are highlights from the Committee of the Whole Meeting.
Delegation – PHAI update
Mark Hughey, General Manager, Historic Waste Program Management Office, from the Canadian Nuclear Laboratories provided a quarterly update regarding the PHAI Port Hope Project. Council received the presentation for information.
Delegation – Northumberland Sleeping Cabin Initiative
Jenny Whyte and Shane Watson provided a delegation regarding the Northumberland Sleeping Cabin Initiative. Council received this presentation for information and referred the matter to staff requesting a report to be prepared with respect to the options identified during the delegation.
Port Hope Archives appointed as Official Archivist
Staff provided a report outlining the historical partnership between the Port Hope Archives (PHA) and the Municipality. Representatives from PHA have been in discussion with municipal staff regarding their operating model and have suggested an extension of current terms for one year rather than a longer term as they consider options. At this point in time, details related to the options being considered by the PHA are confidential in nature and subject to their own decision-making processes as led by their Board.
A By-law will be presented to Council at a later date to amend the current lease agreement through to 2023.
Procedural By-law review
The Municipal Act requires every municipality to pass a Procedure By-law for governing the calling, place, and proceedings of meetings. A comprehensive review of this has not been completed since 2015.
Council supported staff’s recommendation to a comprehensive review of the Procedural By-law incorporating feedback from members of Council and public engagement. A resolution will be presented to Council at a later date.
Notice of Motion – United Nation’s Declaration
Mayor Hankivsky put forth a Notice of Motion regarding the United Nation’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
The motion will be automatically forwarded to the December 20, 2022 Council meeting in accordance with the Procedural By-law.
Prescribed Fees for Service
Staff provided a report outlining the findings from the annual review of the Prescribed Fees for Service and recommend changes that should be implemented for the upcoming year.
A By-law will be presented to Council to approve the Prescribed Fees for Services schedules effective January 1, 2023.
Borrowing By-law
Staff provided a report regarding the implementation of a short-term borrowing By-law. This will enable the Municipality to borrow up to $13 million in the short-term should the need arise, however staff will only be setting up a $6.5 million short-term borrowing facility with the Municipal financial institution initially, as the need to borrow a greater amount in the short term is unlikely.
A short-term borrowing By-law is required to ensure that ongoing operating funds are available to meet the budgeting requirements. The Borrowing By-law has been a standard practice of the past years.
A By-law will be presented to Council at a later date to authorize.
Zoning By-law Application – 143 Walton Street
Staff provided a Zoning By-law Application report that seeks to rezone the subject lands to permit the conversion of the ground floor area to a residential use and to recognize the existing reduced interior side yard and lot frontage on Pine Street South.
A By-law will be presented to Council at a future meeting to rezone the subject lands to a site-specific ‘COM3(135)’ Zone.
Impacts of Bill 23
Staff presented a report regarding the impacts of Bill 23 – More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022. This report outlined several of the implications that the Bill will have on the future of Port Hope’s development. Council received this report for information.
65 Ward Street Heritage Permit
Staff provided a report regarding the history of 65 Ward Street. A Heritage Permit for the demolition of the extra buildings and structures on the property was approved by Council on February 15, 2022. This permit was granted under the conditions of a development agreement between the Municipality and Southbridge.
The agreement expired without planning approval and the proposed development on the property will not be moving forward as envisioned. Since the approved heritage permit was for demolition subject to a specific plan that is not proceeding, the outstanding heritage permit is to be repealed and will be presented to Council at their next meeting.
Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority (GRCA) 2023 preliminary budget
Staff presented a report that outlines the draft GRCA budget. This will be considered in the 2023 Budget deliberations to take place in January 2023.
Notice of Motion – Climate Change Declaration
Mayor Hankivsky put forth a Notice of Motion regarding a Climate Change Declaration.
This motion will be automatically forwarded to the December 20, 2022, Council meeting in accordance with the Procedural By-law.
Minutes and video recordings
Meeting minutes will be available pending approval at the next Council meeting on Tuesday, December 20, 2022, at which point they will become the official record of the meeting.
Recordings of the December 6, 2022, Council and Committee of the Whole meetings are available at porthope.ca/council.
2022-12-08
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