Dr. Mark D. Black

process.

Bill

109 And 23

Leading up to the January 31 Regular Council Meeting, City staff provided Council with the Bill 109 and 23 – Legislative Changes Council Report. The report was extracted by Councillor Warren. The Councillor expressed several concerns with Bill 109 and 23 including the severe environmental and financial impacts for the municipality. A resolution will be brought forward by the Councillor at a future meeting.

Lindsay-Ops Landfill Update

The Contract Administration for Phase 3 of Lindsay-Ops Landfill Cells 4 and 5 Council Report seeks authorization for City staff to retain WSP Canada Inc. to provide contract administration services for the project. The new cells will be built in the existing landfill footprint. Did you know?

Kawartha Lakes adopts the Missing Children app called MCSC rescu’ Council authorized the City’s participation in advocacy and communications, in partnership with the Missing Children Society of Canada, Kawartha Lakes Police Service and Kawartha Lakes OPP, to expand the use of the app locally in order to help find and return home missing children. You can download the MCSC rescu’ app today through Google Play or the Apple App Store.

Livestock predation

All by-laws were passed, including the appointment of new livestock predation investigators and fence viewers for the next four years.

Petitions

Two petitions were received. The first, referencing road resurfacing, was received and forwarded to staff for consideration. The second petition, in relation to Short Term Rentals, was received and forwarded to the Municipal Law Enforcement and Licensing Office for inclusion in the report coming back to council this Spring. This report will also include results from the Short Term Rental Survey, available on the Jump In engagement platform until February 15. View the request for resurfacing of Coldstream Road and Greywood Road petition.

Next Council meeting

Council will return with Committee of the Whole on February 7, 2023 at 1pm.

You can see agendas and minutes at the City’s website – www.kawarthalakes.ca.

Ckl Budget Presentations

Over two days of Council meetings, January 17 and 26, Council heard presentations and asked questions of the ten department heads and senior financial staff at the City. The presentations covered highlights of the departments’ achievements in 2022 and the major themes affecting the 2023 budget.

CAO Ron Taylor introduced the pressures on this year’s budget: maintaining affordability amid rising inflation, the labour market and staffing constraints, supply chain delays and shortages and maintaining aging infrastructure across the City’s vast collection of facilities and fleet.

Taylor noted, “I’m quite pleased that although we were facing double digit pressures with this postpandemic budget, we are coming in at a proposed 3 percent increase, meeting Council’s target. The year ahead looks to continued recovery from the pandemic with a focus on enhancing the customer experience. Aging infrastructure continues to be a focus and we are maximizing lifecycle extension while reducing the overall footprint of City assets to meet our community’s needs.”

Mayor and Council’s priorities over the next year will include a proactive pandemic response, responding to building and facilities needs and maintaining strong public health partnerships. This includes support for the new Community Care campus and the Ross Memorial Hospital capital campaign. Taking the pulse on public expectation with respect to accessing services and the evolving needs of the community will be top of mind.

Mayor Elmslie commented, “Prior decisions to weather the storm have put us in good stead. We’ve been able to avoid the double digit increases that could have been the reality for this budget. I encourage the new Council to continue along this path. We are in an enviable position compared to our counterparts in Eastern Ontario. Many municipalities are facing six to eight percent increases. Together we will create tools to ensure our financial health over the long term, such as a debt review and reserve strategy. We heard from staff the many accomplishments that have been made over the last year, and we look forward to a year of catching up on the projects needed to serve the community into the future.”

You can watch recordings of the Council meetings in full on YouTube.

Upcoming Budget Meetings

On February 14 and 28, tune in or attend the budget deliberations. See our budget page for details on the schedule: www.kawarthalakes.ca/budget.

Ckl Council Represents At Roma

The 2023 Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) Conference, held in Toronto from January 22 to 24, drew a record of more than 1,500 participants from across rural Ontario. Kawartha Lakes was represented by Mayor Elmslie and Councillors Joyce, Perry and Smeaton.

Kawartha Lakes led a delegation with Associate Minister Cho of the Ministry of Transportation. The agenda focused on two requests:

The City requested Go Transit service between Lindsay and the Oshawa GO Station for rush hour, off peak and evenings daily. Additional connections to and from the City of Peterborough to meet community demand were also recommended. The expense of implementing a basic GO Transit service is a minimal cost with many benefits such as reducing the carbon footprint, relieving traffic congestion and supporting residents, students, visitors and workers in Kawartha Lakes with a reliable and affordable transportation option.

To enable residents, visitors and heavy truck

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“At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them.”