Council Preview
By John Swartz
Orillia council has three meetings scheduled for Monday afternoon. First is the usual closed session which happens on committee meeting weeks. Today’s starts at 1:45 p.m. and has two items on the agenda.
One is to discuss a Hydro One land opportunity. The other is a request for authorization to submit an expression of interest to Infrastructure Ontario. What either is about is not known because closed session items rarely have accompanying documentation.
Next is a tax appeals meeting at 3:45 p.m. There is nothing earth shattering contained in the paperwork.
The Committee meeting starts at 4 p.m. and has 5 items plus an enquiry motion on the agenda.
The most significant item relates to the ability to use tents in parks and on beaches. This practice came to attention during the summer of 2020 when people were putting up tents on beaches and using them for activities the City has pubic washrooms for. Council banned tent use in parks pretty quickly.
Since then some people with legitimate reasons for using tents for shade in parks and beaches have complained about the total ban. Staff has an amendment to the Municipal Code which would permit certain sizes of tents during daylight hours. Overnight would still be banned. Height restrictions for use on beaches are included so lifeguard’s views are not affected, and tents must have at least one open side open to public view.
Despite the ban and signs posted prohibiting tent use, staff still issued 176 warnings this past summer.
Parking
Last March the Downtown Orillia Management Board asked council to allow merchants to use tokens in municipal lots. One merchant specifically asked and others are known to be in favour, yet staff say using tokens could create confusion with merchants and customers. They also say it would be redundant because the Passport system the City uses for people to pay digitally has a feature that allows merchants to cover parking fees.
The app has a several step process to do the same thing as giving a customer a token. On the other hand a token is an after the fact gesture since presumably the parking fee is already paid and the token is only good for parking, while using the app essentially refunds the amount paid. This also assumes nobody uses cash to pay for parking.
Collins Drive Boat Launch
Staff was asked for a report to repair or replace one side of the boat launch. The other side was upgraded in 2009 with a longer dock. The side in question has concrete slabs underwater which are deteriorating. Also the slope is such that many vehicles have to back further into Lake Simcoe than they would have to at the Couchiching Beach boat launch, which of course means getting water inside the vehicles.
Staff recommend replacing the ramp and some other minor components which are also deteriorating. Approvals from relevant provincial and federal ministries also need to be obtained. Staff are also asking the matter be forwarded to the 2022 budget committee.
Waterfront Redevelopment
The first sign of change for the City’s plan to redevelop waterfront lands is the demolition of the southern portion of the Front Street Plaza. Council approved a budget of $300,000 in 2019, but that amount did not account for relocation of utilities or removal of the foundation.
The new budget is $465,000. The tender went to Tri-Phase Group for $367,178. At the time of the original budget request, staff did tell council the amount did not include all costs that may occur, likely because those wouldn’t be known until a project design was chosen, and also did not include inflation considerations between the time of budget approval and tendering. Seven bids were received, but unlike other tenders, which companies and dollar amounts were` not included in the report.
Diversity Committee
In June council directed staff to report on creating a new diversity advisory committee. Staff report there already a number of strategies and programs in effect to improve diversity with how The City conducts business and has a 2022 budget request for staff training.
Staff say setting up a committee, particularly defining scope is more complicated than it looks and they need another 9 months to consult with stakeholders. Staff also say there already exists a United Nations organization specifically set up to help municipalities navigate diversity issues and policies.
In reality, setting up a committee comes with costs and without clearly defined objectives and parameters can create more headache for all concerned. Diversity is already part of council’s strategic plan and various other committees of council are already engaged in diversity issues related to their work. There is also the Governance Review Working Group report due soon, which inclusion of this point in Monday’s report suggests there are some aspects related to diversity in that report. Staff recommends if council still wants to proceed a full report could be done by the middle of next year and costs be put into the 2023 budget.
Councillor Ralph Cipolla has an enquiry motion to get a staff report about the feasibility of installing 4-way stops at Nottawasaga and Douglas Streets, and at Nottawasaga and McKenzie Streets.
The regular council meeting is a video conference and the chamber is closed to the public. The public can watch it live on Rogers TV.
(Photos by Swartz – SUNonline/Orillia)
