Council business jam packed last week

by Brandon Mayer

The Municipality of North Grenville Council met three times on three consecutive nights last week, filling the week up with an unusually large amount of business. Part of this was owing to the fact that the community grant presentations were heard by Council, as they are at this time of year annually. In total, Council spent many hours meeting last week over the course of the three meetings. The first of the three meetings took place on February 7, covering what would be considered “routine” business. A presentation was heard on Wear Red Day, and by-law amendments and other operational system may increase Green representation in parliament, but we do not advocate for this out of narrow self interest. There is a significant disconnect between our elected MPPs and those they are supposed to represent, and widespread disillusionment with politics in general as was evidenced by the shockingly low turnout seen in our last provincial election.

Ontario needs electoral reform. First past the post has long outlived its usefulness. We need an electoral system that reflects how votes are cast across the province, that ensures all positions are represented, and that fosters collaboration rather than partisanship. Proportional representation would increase public engagement with politics as people felt that their vote truly mattered. Support for electoral reform is widespread across the political spectrum, as evidenced by polling commissioned by Fair Vote Canada with 76% of responders to a national poll supporting a Citizens’ Assembly on electoral reform, including 69% of Conservative voters.

Under first past the post, over half the votes cast in the 2022 election did not count for electing a representative, whereas in Denmark less than one in 20 votes was wasted. Support electoral reform to ensure that every vote truly counts.

Municipal Office Hours

The Municipal office is open to the public Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Visit our events calendar to find out what’s happening in the community: www.northgrenville.ca/events-calendar.

Upcoming Meetings

Council Meetings

Please see the Council agenda for further details on how to participate in Council meetings. All Council meetings will be live streamed on YouTube at: youtube.com/user/NorthGrenville/ featured and on the Municipality’s website at: northgrenville.ca/govern/governance/agendasand-minutes.

To make a deputation in relation to an item on the agenda, please provide your comments no later than two hours prior to the start of the meeting to clerk@northgrenville.on.ca.

Council agendas are available at: northgrenville.ca/govern/governance/agendas-and-minutes.

• Tuesday, February 21, 2023 at 6:30 p.m. (Open Session)

• Wednesday, February 22, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. (Closed Session)

• Monday, February 27, 2023 at 4:00 p.m. (Closed Session)

• Tuesday, March 7, 2023 at 6:30 p.m. (Open Session)

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Community members are invited to a community engagement session and to complete a survey to assist in the creation of the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Strategy. The session will be Wednesday, March 1 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 pm. at Catered Affairs located at 820 Heritage Drive, Kemptville Campus. Those who wish to attend the session or take the survey can visit www.northgrenville.ca/equity or phone 613-258-9569 ext. 177. The survey is available until March 15 at 4:00 p.m. Hard copies of the survey are available at the North Grenville Municipal Centre, North Grenville Public Library, Community Living, Youth Centre, and Seniors’ Community Services. If you require accommodations or transportation in order to attend the session, please phone 613-258-9569 ext. 177 or e-mail vision@northgrenville.on.ca.

Volunteer And Employment Opportunities

Summer Student Opportunities – Parks, Recreation and Culture

The Department of Parks, Recreation and Culture is currently accepting applications for various full and part-time spring/summer student positions. For a full list of available positions and information on how to apply, please visit www.northgrenville.ca/careers. Please submit applications to hr@northgrenville.on.ca by 4:00 p.m. Friday, March 10, 2023

Engineering Co-op Student

The Municipality of North Grenville is seeking to fill three full-time positions of Engineering Co-op Student. Interested applicants may submit a cover letter and resume outlining qualifications in confidence to Human Resources by 4:00 p.m. Friday, March 17, 2023. Visit www.northgrenville. ca/careers for details and more information on how to apply.

285 business were discussed. Of note is that Council directed staff to develop a policy that grants Council members up to $500 from the Council budget for a legal consultation when they are the subject of an Integrity Commissioner complaint, and up to $5,000 for lawyer fees if they are found to not have been in contravention of the Code of Ethical Conduct.

Also of note is that Karen Dunlop was appointed as a Deputy Clerk for the Municipality.

The community grant presentations are a yearly staple in North Grenville. Presentations were heard at a meeting on February 8 from the Kemptville Minor Football Club, the North Grenville Arts Guild, the Sweetheart Brunch, the

Kemptville Street Piano Concert Series, Beyond the Label, the Workshop Dance Studio Local CPR/ AED Certifications, the North Grenville Male Choir, Kemptville Oktoberfest Annual Community Tourist Event, Kemptville Community Gardeners, Kemptville Winter Trail, the Eastern Ontario Quilt Documentation Project, and O’Farrell Financial Services.

The presentations were varied in what they asked for and the reasons for seeking grant money. For example, when Jean LeClair presented on behalf of the Sweetheart Brunch, he asked not for cash, but for a fee waiver for the rental of the municipal facility for the event. Some requests came from established local groups, www.NorthGrenville.ca

Building: 613-258-9569 x130 Fax: 613-258-1441

Fire Services Info: 613-258-9569 x201 Fax: 613-258-1031

By-Law Services: email: bylawinquiries@northgrenville.on.ca

613-258-9569 x211

Police Administration: 613-258-3441 and others were for startup ideas. Unlike last year, the Community Grant Presentations concluded in a single meeting.

The following day, on February 9, an equally important meeting took place which primarily focused on the Municipality’s 2023 draft budget after a closed session regarding land negotiations. The draft budget was presented by Femi Ogunrinde, the Municipality’s Chief Financial Officer.

Some highlights from various departments on municipal spending in 2022 were presented, as well as the goals for the 2023 budget. These goals include

Animal Control: 613-862-9002 continuing service improvement, continuing modernization, and improving planning. In order to balance the proposed 2023 budget, a tax increase of 3.87% would be required. Due to a proposed tax increase by the upper tier Counties Council as well, the effective increase would actually be 5.39%. This would result in a tax increase of about $245 for the year for an average local household.

As this is only a draft budget, all tenets of the budget will have to be formally considered before Council passes the budget. The full slideshow presentation with all of the actual draft budget numbers can be accessed through the Municipality’s website.

After the busy week last week, Council met only once this week, which is more typical. Council meetings take place on a predetermined schedule, with video recordings of each meeting being posted on the Municipality of North Grenville YouTube Channel. Visit https://www.youtube. com/user/NorthGrenville to watch.