Date: December 19, 2023
Location: Council Chambers, 7 Broadway Street West, Paris, ON
Present: Mayor Bailey, Councillors Kyle, MacAlpine, Howes, Oakley, Bell, Peirce, Miller, Chambers, Coleman, and Garneau
Agenda
- Approval of Agenda
- Delegation – Will Bouma, Member of Provincial Parliament for Brantford-Brant
- Delegation – Norman Proctor, Scott Luke, Kenneth Leitch – Warlords Hockey – Ice Time
- Delegation – Andrea Bowden – Highland Estates – Petition to Repair and Reopen the Cleaver Bridge to Vehicle Traffic
- Delegation – Duncan Ross, JS Esposito, Mike Grupstra – Brant Cycling Club – North of the Nith Trail Network and Nature Park
- Adoption of Minutes from Previous Meetings
- Consent Items to be Received
- City of Brantford – Social Services Budget Approval
- County of Brant Public Library Board Meeting Minutes – September 27, 2023
- Ad Hoc Grants Committee Report – December 4, 2023
- Administration and Operations Committee Report – December 5, 2023
- Planning and Development Committee Report – December 12, 2023
- Other Business
- In Camera Session
- By-laws
Votes at a Glance
Full Minutes
2. Approval of Agenda
Council approved the agenda for the December 19, 2023 meeting, with an addition noting that Will Bouma, Member of Provincial Parliament for Brantford-Brant, would provide an update from the Province as agenda item 4.1.
Ad Hoc Grants Committee report of December 4, 2023 be approved, including Community Grants Program partnership with Brant Community Foundation
4.1a. Delegation – Will Bouma, Member of Provincial Parliament for Brantford-Brant
Will Bouma, MPP for Brantford-Brant, presented an update on Provincial funding initiatives that benefited the County of Brant over the past year. He confirmed ongoing discussions with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing regarding the County's Official Plan and outlined some future Provincial initiatives.
4.1b. Delegation – Norman Proctor, Scott Luke, Kenneth Leitch – Warlords Hockey – Ice Time
Representatives of the Warlords Hockey club, which plays in the Ontario Recreational Hockey League, presented to Council about a shortage of available ice time. They noted the club had to turn away three teams due to limited ice availability, largely because Hockey Canada receives most of the allocated ice time, and requested that additional ice time be made available to support local recreational hockey.
Administration and Operations Committee report of December 5, 2023 be approved, including proclamations, interim tax levy, drain maintenance, accessibility plan, IPV action plan, subdivision fee
4.2. Delegation – Andrea Bowden – Highland Estates – Petition to Repair and Reopen the Cleaver Bridge to Vehicle Traffic
Andrea Bowden presented a petition signed by 124 Highland Estates residents requesting the County repair and reopen the Cleaver Street Bridge as soon as possible. She raised concerns about restricted emergency vehicle access, safety issues on alternative roads, illegal dumping near the closed bridge, and environmental impacts. Staff confirmed that the bridge is one of 13 under consideration for potential closure in the Transportation Master Plan, and that public consultation on technical recommendations is planned for 2024.
Planning and Development Committee report of December 12, 2023 be approved, including site plan control by-law update and civic addressing policy
4.3. Delegation – Duncan Ross, JS Esposito, Mike Grupstra – Brant Cycling Club – North of the Nith Trail Network and Nature Park
Representatives of the Brant Cycling Club provided an update on their 2021 proposal to develop a single-track trail network and nature park on an under-utilized piece of County land north of the Nith River. The club indicated they do not need funding but require access to the land, and estimated the first phase — including a parking lot and trails — would cost approximately $500,000, with the full network ideally spanning 30 to 50 kilometres.
Staff be directed to finalize the disposition of land described as a Lane, between Spruce Street and Brydges Street, Plan 492, Paris
5. Adoption of Minutes from Previous Meetings
Council approved the minutes from the Special Council meeting of November 28, the regular Council meeting of November 28, and the Special Council meeting of November 30, 2023.
7.2. Consent Items to be Received
Council received a package of informational items including minutes and correspondence from various bodies such as the County of Brant Police Services Board, the City of Brantford on housing and social services matters, the Long Point Region Conservation Authority, the Grand River Conservation Authority, and the Paris BIA. Two items were separated for additional discussion before being received.
7.2.5. City of Brantford – Social Services Budget Approval
Council discussed the City of Brantford's Social Services Budget Approval, including a potential $25 million cost associated with the Mayor's taskforce initiatives. It was noted that the County has a commitment to provide 150 housing units but has limited County-owned land available. The Chief Administrative Officer noted that a proposed co-op housing project in St. George could fulfill approximately half of that commitment if it proceeds.
7.2.9. County of Brant Public Library Board Meeting Minutes – September 27, 2023
Council received the Public Library Board minutes from September 27, 2023. It was confirmed that any 2023 budget surplus from the library would be directed toward the construction of the new library building.
8.1. Ad Hoc Grants Committee Report – December 4, 2023
Council approved recommendations from the Ad Hoc Grants Committee to partner with the Brant Community Foundation to deliver the County's Community Grants Program beginning in 2024. The County will allocate 0.5% of its overall operating budget to the program, which includes ongoing pre-approved grants, annual grant awards, and administrative costs. Staff were authorized to finalize the partnership agreement and refine the grant application forms and scoring criteria.
8.2. Administration and Operations Committee Report – December 5, 2023
Council approved a wide-ranging committee report covering committee leadership appointments, a full-year calendar of community proclamations and flag-raising events for 2024, an interim tax levy by-law, updates to the municipal drain maintenance billing process, approval of the Multi-Year Accessibility Plan, an action plan framework for addressing Intimate Partner Violence and Gender-Based Violence, and a new $5,000 Subdivision Registration Clearance Package Submission fee. The Community Safety and Well-Being Advisory Committee was also formally discontinued having achieved its mandate.
8.3. Planning and Development Committee Report – December 12, 2023
Council approved recommendations from the Planning and Development Committee including the appointment of Councillor MacAlpine as Chair and Councillor Howes as Vice Chair for 2024. Council also endorsed an updated site plan control framework and directed staff to prepare a new site plan control by-law, and approved an updated Municipal Civic Addressing Policy with a new by-law to follow.
12. Other Business
Council acknowledged the departure of Jyoti Zuidema, the County Solicitor and Corporate Counsel, with thanks from both the CAO and Mayor on behalf of Council. Councillor Chambers also requested that the County provide clear communications to residents about the closure of the Cleaver Street Bridge.
13. In Camera Session
Council met in a closed (in camera) session to discuss potential litigation related to an Ontario Land Tribunal appeal and a semi-annual litigation chart, a proposed land disposition involving a lane between Spruce Street and Brydges Street in Paris, and negotiation instructions related to the Joint Services Committee. Following the closed session, Council voted to direct staff to finalize the sale of the lane between Spruce Street and Brydges Street in Paris.
14. By-laws
Council passed nine by-laws through three readings, covering regulation of swimming pool enclosures and fences on private land, appointment of a Municipal Law Enforcement Officer, an interim tax levy, collection of municipal drain maintenance costs, an update to the fees and charges by-law, a new site plan control by-law, a new civic addressing policy by-law, and the standard confirmatory by-law for the proceedings of the meeting.
This post was automatically generated by BrantVotes from the official County of Brant council minutes. Always refer to the official minutes for authoritative records.
