Below is a summary of key items discussed at the Municipality of Port Hope Council and Committee of the Whole Meetings held on Tuesday, November 2, 2021. The agendas and staff reports are available on the Agendas and Minutes page of our website. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this meeting was held electronically via video conference.
Council Meeting:
The following are highlights from the Council Meeting.
New Communications Policy
Council approved the new Communications Policy for the Municipality. This policy informs the ways in which communications is conducted by the Municipality of Port Hope to build trust with our community and stakeholders and enhance our reputation as an accountable and transparent organization.
Committee of the Whole:
The following are highlights from the Committee of the Whole Meeting.
Delegation – PHAI Port Hope Project quarterly 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.
Delegation – Northumberland Federation of Agriculture
Ben Currelly and Resi Walk from the Northumberland Federation of Agriculture (NFA) provided a presentation outlining agricultural issues for local farmers.
2022 Council and Committee of the Whole schedule
Staff provided a report proposing the 2022 schedule for Council and Committee of the whole meetings.
A resolution will be presented to Council for their consideration at the November 16, Council meeting.
Third Quarter (Q3) financial report
Staff provided a report to Council that details a preliminary review of actual to budget for Q3 2021. In the first nine months, the departments are relatively consistent with the year-to-date operating budget with some variances due to the timing of revenue receipts and related expenses.
MPS organizational update
Staff provided a report outlining the history of MPS and the proposed revision to the organizational structure. Recognizing the complexity and the fluidity of the project, several lessons have been learned since 2014 (when the current organizational structure was developed), resulting in opportunities to increase efficiencies.
To improve coordination and collaboration between the Municipality of Port Hope and the PHAI, a revised organizational structure is being proposed. This revision will integrate the MPS staff into the Works and Engineering department for the technical review of remediation designs for municipal property. An engineering-oriented management position is intended to be created to facilitate the technical review, which will allow for a significant reduction in contracted services through the Peer Review Team (a team of external consultants regularly engaged to assist with project review).
This report was received as information and a revised By-law to formally disband MPS and amend the policies will be brought back to Committee to formally approve.
PHAI tree removal/replanting process changes
Committee considered a report requesting a change (the addition of Schedule V) to the PHAI tree removal/replacing process. The Municipal Tree Planting and Protection Policy currently provides standards and planting guidelines to ensure viability of new plantings. The PHAI is currently exempt from the approved Tree Policy. However, the PHAI continues to observe this Policy in its survey work and restoration designs. The addition of Schedule V aligns with the current process being followed and does not change any clean up criteria or consideration of what trees are removed.
This matter was referred back to staff to provide more information at a later date.
Minutes and video recordings
Meeting minutes will be available pending approval at the next Council meeting on Tuesday, November 16, 2021, at which point they will become the official record of the meeting.
Recordings of the November 2, 2021, Council and Committee of the Whole meetings will be available at porthope.ca/council.
2021-11-04
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