Two policies adopted, more speeding tickets issued among council issues

By Ron Giofu

Town council approved the Electronic Monitoring of Employees Policy during its June 26 regular meeting. According to a report from human resources manager Donna King, the policy is to ensure the town’s compliance with Bill 88, also known as the Working for Workers Act, 2022. That act resulted in amendments to the Employment Standards Act (2000).

“The amendment requires that beginning in 2023, employers that employ 25 or more employees on January 1 of any year must have a written policy in place beginning before March 1 of that year. The implementation of this policy will ensure the Town’s obligation to disclose how and in what circumstances the employer may electronically monitor employees and the purposes for which information obtained through the monitoring activities may be used by the employer.”

King stated in her report the intent of the policy is “to establish guidelines for the town’s practices and procedures relating to the electronic monitoring of employees.”

“Electronic monitoring is defined as use of technological, electronic, or digital means to track, observe, or monitor an individual’s actions or activities and can include both passive or active approaches including but not limited to security cameras and surveillance equipment, door locks and swipe card activity, email and VPN activity, recording devices, social media activity and other corporate assets (vehicles, tablets, desktops) etc.,” King wrote in her report. “The implementation of the Policy will provide clarity to employees regarding what activities are subject to electronic monitoring, for what purposes the monitoring occurs and how the information collected may be used. The Policy also ensure that all employees understand the intent and applicability of monitoring to their roles.”

Councillor Diane Pouget wanted to know if the town was in non-compliance of the Act due to the March 1 date being passed, with CAO Valerie Critchley stating while the town was technically non-compliant, “we wanted to get the policy correct and get the right one for Amherstburg. That’s why we took our time to get the best policy for Amherstburg and get it to (council) as quickly as we could past that time.”

Pouget also asked what the union feedback was to the policy. King stated there was a labour-management meeting earlier that day and she advised the union they would table the policy before council. According to King, the union had been educating its members on the policy “and there’s been no pushback.”

Pat Thrasher Park resurfacing

A new playground surface is coming to Pat Thrasher Park.

The park, located at 68 Knobb Hill Dr. in the Kingsbridge subdivision, will get its new surface from New World Park solutions with it costing $155,578 plus HST. Director of parks, facilities, recreation and culture Heidi Baillargeon said the town only received one tender for the project and it came in approximately $13,000 above what was designated in the 2023 capital budget. The shortfall will come from the parks reserve.

Councillor Don McArthur asked if the $13,000 was coming from the general parks reserve or from funding that was encumbered for that park. He wanted to know if the existing money the developer left for parks improvements was still whole, with director of corporate services/CFO Tracy Prince stating “the reserve you had already agreed to - $147,000 including $15,000 from the AODA reserve – this is in addition to that.”

Councillor Peter Courtney wanted to know what the warranty is and how long the surface would last. Baillargeon said there is a ten-year warranty on the product. Pouget wanted to know the timeframe to complete the project, with Baillargeon stating it depends on the vendor and when they are available.

Special event approval

Town council approved two more special events this year. Formally approved by council were the Super Santa Run/Walk Nov. 18 and the Server Shuffle Aug. 12.

Allaire said she might be assisting in the Super Santa Run/Walk and declared a conflict of interest.

Speeding tickets

Deputy Mayor Chris Gibb noted a rise in Highway Traffic Act tickets in Amherstburg. He said the number of tickets in 2022 averaged 180 per month. For the first three months of 2023, there was an average of 498 tickets per month.

Staff Sgt. Brian Caffarena of the Windsor Police Service – Amherstburg Detachment stated he started in town last October and the number of tickets written started to increase around then.

“There has been some change. We definitely are enforcing more,” said Caffarena.

Gibb said it was “fantastic” to hear there was more enforcement. While tickets are not the only deterrent to speeding, he believed it is “one of the strongest tools we have because it targets people who are constant violators. It doesn’t inconvenience everyone.”

Gibb added he heard a lot about speeding while campaigning in last year’s municipal election.

“The Amherstburg Detachment is on the prowl so drive safe,” said Gibb.

Belle Vue EOI

Regarding the town issuing an Expression of Interest (EOI) for interested developers to refurbish Belle Vue and its associated lands, Chris Gibb wanted to address a motion from the economic development committee that they review the EOIs that pass the initial evaluations. Gibb wanted to ensure that all EOIs be sent to town council as well.

Deputy CAO/director of development services Melissa Osborne said the motion means the committee will provide recommendations and/or thoughts and everything would be passed along to council. Osborne added the EOI offered a walk-thru and said at the June 26 meeting there were six proponents scheduled to walk the site. A virtual walk-thru will also be made available for interested developers and the public.

“It’s good that this is finally moving,” said Mayor Michael Prue, of the Belle Vue redevelopment.

Canada Day 2023

Canada Day celebrations were well attended again this year with rain only impacting a small portion of the day. After the run concluded earlier in the morning, action ramped back up again in the afternoon with events in Toddy Jones Park. The Adam Butcher Band and Buck Twenty performed in the evening at King’s Navy Yard Park prior to the always popular fireworks.