THE REGIONAL MUNICIPALITY

OF

OTTAWA-CARLETON

COUNCIL MINUTES

 

 

The Council of the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton met at Haydon Hall, Regional Headquarters, 111 Lisgar Street, Ottawa on Wednesday, 11 March, 1998 at 1:30 p.m.

The meeting was called to order at 1:40p.m. and opened with the singing of the National Anthem, sung by Voices au Naturel, from the Henry Larsen Elemenatry School Choir.

The Regional Chair, Robert Chiarelli, presided and lead council in prayer.

ALL MEMBERS WERE PRESENT EXCEPT COUNCILLOR D. HOLMES.

IN MEMORIUM

The Regional Chair, Robert Chiarelli noted with regret the death of Bradley Matheson, mother of Councillor Diane Holmes, who passed away on Friday 6 March, 1998.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Regional Chair, Robert Chiarelli, advised members of Council as part of his commitment in his Inaugural Address, two Task Force Groups will be established to consult, research and report its recommendations to committee and Council. The first task force will deal with Health Care Issues and will be headed up by Councillors Alex Munter and Madeleine Meilleur. The second group will focus on Green Spaces Policies/Natural Environment Areas and will be lead by Councillors Peter Hume and Robert van de Ham.

CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES

The minutes of the Regular Council meeting of 25 February, 1998 were confirmed.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST ARISING FROM PRIOR MEETINGS OF COUNCIL AND COMMITTEES

No declarations of interest were filed.

COMMUNICATIONS

1. William A. Farlinger, President and CEO, of Ontario Hydro, extending his personal thanks to the Regional Chair Robert Chiarelli in appreciation for support received during the ice storm. He stated that the success was due to the tremendous cooperation they received from all levels of government, other utilities, and the Canadian Forces, which allowed them to restore work in days that normally would have taken them weeks or months.

2. The following news releases from the Association of the Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) entitled:

3. City of Kanata advising that they adopted the following Resolution:

"That Council request the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton to provide full funding for the Ottawa-Carleton Wildlife Centre public hotline service."

 

4. News Release from Ontario’s Education and Training Minister Dave Johnson, announcing a start-up of new district school boards to develop innovative ways of doing business through a transition program. Ontario will provide a total of $215 million in the next two years to help district school boards meet restructuring and start-up costs and increase their administrative efficiency. The funds will also help offset start-up costs for the new French languages district school boards. Background information was provided with the news release for more information.

5. Janet Stavinga, Mayor, Township of Goulbourn, requesting Council support for the Motion for an addendum to the ESR for Munster Hamlet Wastewater Treatment System Expansion/Upgrade. She further requests that Council consider the merits of a third party independent review of the proposed engineered solutions, rather than delegating this to Delta Engineering Limited.

NOTE: Item 2 of Corporate Services and Economic Development Committee Report No. 4 on today’s Agenda, refers.

6. Proclamation issued by the RMOC in support of Solidarité Outaouais Solidarity.

 

* COMMUNICATIONS HELD ON FILE WITH THE REGIONAL CLERK.

 

REGRETS

The following members of Council advising that they will be absent from Council and Committee meetings during the dates indicated:

Councillor G. Hunter March 16 - 20

Councillor W. Byrne March 16 - 20

Councillor D. Holmes March 11

MOTION TO INTRODUCE COMMITTEE REPORTS

MOTION NO.67

Moved by Councillor W. Byrne

Seconded by Councillor R. van den Ham

RESOLVED THAT Community Services Committee Report No. 3;

Corporate Services and Economic Development Committee Report No. 4; Corporate Services and Economic Development /Ottawa-Carleton Regional Transit Commission Joint Report No. 2 and Transportation Committee Report No. 4 be received and

considered and that the rules of procedure be suspended in order that Council may receive and consider Community Services Committee Report No. 4.

"CARRIED"

 

(COMMITTEE REPORTS BEGIN ON PAGE.......)

 

COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMITTEE REPORT NO. 3

 

1. REQUEST FOR LEGISLATION GOVERNING USE OF PESTICIDES

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS

 

That Council approve:

1. The continued administrative support by the Health department for the Health Dangers of Urban Use of Pesticides Working group;

2. A request to the Province of Ontario to amend the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton Act to enable the enactment of by-laws regulating the use of pesticides;

3. That should province-wide legislation that appropriately addresses the pesticide issue be enacted, the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton request for special legislation would become redundant.

"CARRIED"

 

2. EVALUATION AND COMMUNITY MONITORING: ONTARIO WORKS

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

 

That Council receive this report for information.

"RECEIVED"

 

3. Redistribution of subsidized child care spaces

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS

That Council approve the following parameters for the current redistribution of subsidized spaces. The following priorities are to be used to redistribute spaces. Available spaces will be allocated to agencies that:

1. Face closure due to economic viability because of a demonstrated lack of full fee payers in the community they serve;

2. Were affected by the provincial redesign of Children’s Integration Services and therefore lost four subsidized spaces to this redesign;

3. Serve exclusively low income parents or other disadvantaged groups such as young single parents, or have been impacted by changing demographic needs in their community;

4. Serve francophone parents in low-income communities;

5. Are for-profit centres that have not previously been allocated many subsidized spaces but have a high need in the communities they serve;

6. Serve low income aboriginal parents;

Priority will be given to agencies that fit one or more of these criteria.

MOTION NO. 68

Moved by Councillor R. Cantin

Seconded by Councillor M. Bellemare

RESOLVED THAT Item 3 of Community Services Committee Report No. 3 - Redistribution of subsidized Child Care Spaces;

BE DEFERRED until legislation is enacted to change the long established practice in Ottawa-Carleton;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the current 165 subsidized spaces which are "floating" remain so until legislation is modified by Queen’s Park.

 

MOTION NO. 69

Moved by Councillor A. Munter

Seconded by Councillor A. Loney

RESOLVED THAT Motion No. 68 by Councillors Cantin and Bellemare, be referred to the Community Services Committee for consideration.


At the request of the Mover and Seconder and with the consent of Council, Motion No. 69 was ‘WITHDRAWN".

Motion No. 68 was then put to Council and "LOST" on a division of 11 nays to 7 yeas as follows:

NAYS: Councillors Doucet, McGoldrick-Larsen, Hume, Loney, Meilleur, van den Ham, Davis, Munter, Byrne, Legendre and `Chair Chiarelli....11

YEAS Councillors Beamish, Stewart, Kreling, Bellemare, Hunter, Hill,and Cantin....7

Item 3 of Community Services Committee Report No. 3 was then put to Council and "CARRIED" with Councillors Beamish, Bellemare and Cantin dissenting.

COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMITTEE REPORT NO. 4

 

1. OTTAWA NEIGHBOURHOOD SERVICES

 

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS, AS AMENDED

 

That Regional Council approve a repayable grant of $75,000 to the Ottawa Neighbourhood Services subject to the following conditions:

1. That the Neighbourhood Services enter into a contractual agreement with the RMOC to repay the grant;

2. That the Neighbourhood Services provide quarterly financial performance statements to the Region and that these be provided to Regional Councillors;

3. That this loan be secured by an attachment to the equity in the building at 987 Wellington Street, and;

4. That the $75,000 be a pre-commitment from the 1998 "Provision For Unforeseen".

 

"CARRIED" with Councillors Doucet and Hunter dissenting.

2. APPOINTMENT OF REGIONAL COUNCILLORS TO SOCIAL HOUSING WORKING GROUP

 

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION, AS AMENDED

That Council approve the appointments of Councillor Byrne, Councillor Holmes, Councillor Hume and Councillor Munter to the Social Housing Working Group.

"CARRIED"

 

3. Appointments: Ottawa-Carleton Housing Board

 

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION, AS AMENDED

That Council approve the appointment of five Regional Councillors to the Ottawa-Carleton Housing Board, and that Council be canvassed to identify candidates on 11 March 1998.

 

 

MOTION NO. 70

Moved by Councillor A. Munter

Seconded by Councillor M. McGoldrick-Larsen

RESOLVED THAT the following members of Council be appointed to the Ottawa-Carleton Housing Board ( Item 3 of Community Services Committee Report No. 4, refers): Councillors Wendy Byrne, Linda Davis, Clive Doucet, Betty Hill, and Diane Holmes.

"CARRIED"

 

CORPORATE SERVICES AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

REPORT NO. 4

 

1. SUPPLY OF TRAFFIC SIGNAL LAMPS -

TENDER 0285-32-T1/98: CONTRACT AWARD

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

That Council approve the award of Tender 0285-32-T1/98, Supply of Traffic Signal Lamps to:
    1. Omnitek Sales, Ottawa, Ontario, in the amount of $57,835.80
    2. Duro-Test Canada Inc., Rexdale, Ontario, in the amount of $16,780.80

for a total contract provision of $74,616.60.

"CARRIED"

  1. MUNSTER HAMLET WASTEWATER TREATMENT SYSTEM: STATUS REPORT

 

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS, AS AMENDED

 

WHEREAS serious questions have been raised about the misrepresentation of Delta Engineering’s original proposal in the Environmental Study Report; and

WHEREAS the community of Munster Hamlet and the Township of Goulbourn are not satisfied with the preferred alternative solution approved by Regional Council; and

WHEREAS Delta Engineering has submitted a proposal that will replace the preferred alternative with an effective combination of proven, highly compatible systems that will improve the level of wastewater treatment (from secondary to tertiary or higher); and

WHEREAS Delta Engineering is prepared to guarantee that the compliance schedule set by the Ministry of the Environment is met; and

WHEREAS Delta Engineering is prepared to guarantee its price which will save Regional taxpayers an estimated $2.2 million;

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED THAT the advertisement of the tender call be delayed until further direction by Council; and

FURTHER THAT, staff be directed to enter into an agreement with Delta Engineering of Ottawa, to prepare an Addendum to the Munster Wastewater Treatment Plant ESR, that properly and accurately reflects the Delta Snowfluent combination Intermittent Filtration proposal as an alternative to Spray Irrigation, for submission to the RMOC and appropriate authorities; and

FURTHER THAT, Delta Engineering be directed to carry out this work in a timely fashion so that the project will not be delayed in any way; and

FURTHER THAT, regional staff meet with staff from the MOE to attempt to obtain a revised voluntary compliance program; and

FURTHER THAT any other proponents of wastewater treatment facilities who can meet the requirements of improving the level of treatment; can guarantee to meet the compliance schedule; and can guarantee its price, be allowed to submit a proposal for the treatment of wastewater for the Munster Hamlet lagoon system.

 

MOTION NO. 71

Moved by Councillor W. Stewart

Seconded by Councillor G. Hunter

RESOLVED THAT the last operative clause of the committee recommendation contained in item 2 of Corporate Services and Economic Development Committee Report No. 4 - Munster Hamlet Wastewater Treatment System be amended to read:

"Further that any other proponents of wastewater treatment facilities who qualify under the requirements of the existing environmental study report in particular

" zero direct discharge", - and can meet the requirements of improving the level of treatment; can guarantee to meet the compliance schedule; and can guarantee its price, be allowed to submit a proposal for the treatment of wastewater for the Munster Hamlet Lagoon System.

"LOST" on a division of 13 nays to 5 yeas as follows:

NAYS: Councillors Doucet, McGoldrick-Larsen, Hume, Loney,

Meilleur, van den Ham , Davis, Munter, Bellemare, Byrne, Hill,

Legendre, and Chair Chiarelli....13

YEAS: Councillors Beamish, Stewart, Kreling, Hunter, and Cantin....5

 

 

MOTION NO. 72

Moved by Councillor B. Hill

Seconded by Councillor A. Munter

RESOLVED THAT the second operative paragraph of the recommendation of Corporate Services and Economic Development Committee Report No. 4, Item 2 be deleted and the following inserted in its place:

"FURTHER THAT staff be directed to enter into an agreement, to be awarded by the Chief Administrative Officer, with a qualified independent consultant to prepare an addendum to the Munster Wastewater Treatment Plant ESR, that properly and accurately reflects the Delta Snowfluent combination Intermittent Filtration proposal as an alternative to Spray Irrigation, as well as any other proposal that meets the requirements outlined in the final paragraph of the Committee recommendation, for submission to the RMOC and appropriate authorities."

"CARRIED" on a division of 15 yeas to 3 nays as follows:

YEAS: Councillors Doucet, McGoldrick-Larsen, Hume, Beamish,

Loney, Meilleur, Kreling, Davis, Munter, Bellemare, Byrne,

Hunter, Hill, Cantin, and Legendre....15

NAYS: Councillors Stewart, van den Ham, and Chair Chiarelli....3

 

 

MOTION NO. 73

Moved by Councillor J. Legendre

Seconded by Councillor L. Davis

RESOLVED THAT Item 2 of Corporate Services and Economic Development Committee Report No. 4 be further amended by deleting the third operative clause.

"CARRIED"

 

 

3. 1998 DRAFT ESTIMATES- RESPONSES TO

INCREASED TAXATION REQUIREMENTS

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS, AS AMENDED

    1. That Regional Council request the Police Services Board to submit to Regional Council a budget which requires no tax increases.

    2. That the Regional Chair explore with the Chair of the Police Services Board that the Police Budget review be conducted through a joint meeting of the Police Services Board and Corporate Services and Economic Development Committee.

    3. That the Police Services Board be requested to critically review and reduce the capital program to minimize the requirement to issue new debt.

    4. That Council direct

a) That the Budget Review Board of Management Committee identify alternatives to reduce expenditures totaling $4.5 million as stated in the report.

b) That the Budget Review Board identify a menu of alternatives for additional expenditure reductions to offset the impact of Provincial downloading. This menu of alternative expenditure reductions to include service level decreases and/or program eliminations due to the non revenue-neutral scenario inherited from the Province as a result of new program responsibilities.

c) That the Chair and the C.A.O. continue to communicate to the Provincial Government the magnitude and urgency of this situation on behalf of all Ottawa-Carleton taxpayers.

 

 

d) That the C.A.O. review with the City of Ottawa, possibilities for savings by sharing or other re-arrangement of services similar to the current contract arrangements with the City of Ottawa for Regional Road maintenance, provision by the Region of supply, short-term investments and survey services to the City of Ottawa.

"CARRIED"

4. 1998 PROPERTY TAXATION ISSUES

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS

 

That Council approve the following:

    1. The retention of tax ratio setting responsibility at the upper tier;
    2. That Recommendation 2 be deferred pending receipt of the final transition ratios from the Province of Ontario.
    3. The establishment of an ad hoc Committee of Council to be known as the Property Tax Policy Committee.
    4. The development of a public information program to provide residents of Ottawa-Carleton with information concerning changes in the property tax system effective in 1998.

"CARRIED"

 

5. PROPERTY ACQUISITION: EXPROPRIATION: REGIONAL ROAD 49 (MARCH ROAD) RECONSTRUCTION

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS

That Council:
    1. Approve the application for authorization to expropriate the lands in question.

2. Approve the enactment of an expropriation by-law in the Regional standard form to expropriate the land and to formally authorize:
      1. registering the plan of expropriation;
      2. serving Notices of Expropriation and Possession;
      3. paying Offers of Compensation (see Schedule A) and,
      4. making application to a District Court Judge under Sections 39 and 40 of the Expropriations Act for early or other possession in cases where such action is required to permit construction to proceed.

"CARRIED"

 

 

6. ICE STORM RELIEF AND APPRECIATION DAY - "HEROES AND HORSES EVENT" - GRANT REQUEST

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS, AS AMENDED

That Council:

1. Approve the Region’s participation as a joint partner with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food (Ontario) in the "Heroes and Horses Event", to recognize local heroes of the ice storm and to raise funds for the Ice Storm Relief Committee;

2. Approve a $10,000 loan request to co-ordinate the Applause Parade of Ice Storm Heroes, conditional upon the establishment of appropriate financial controls.

"CARRIED"

7. MISSISSIPPI VALLEY CONSERVATION AUTHORITY - R.M.O.C. APPOINTMENT

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS

That Council approve:

    1. The nomination of Mr. Neil Williamson for appointment to the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority to complete the term to expire on 31 December 1998.
    2. The nomination of Mr. James MacAulay as an alternate candidate for appointment to the Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority in the event a vacancy becomes available.

"CARRIED"


CORPORATE SERVICES AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT and OTTAWA-CARLETON REGIONAL TRANSIT COMMISSION JOINT REPORT NO. 2

 

OC TRANSPO STRUCTURAL RELATIONSHIP AND

ADMINISTRATIVE INTEGRATION WITH THE R.M.O.C.

JOINT COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS

That Council approve the following:

    1. That the RMOC and OC Transpo proceed immediately with the integration of administrative functions and the streamlining of operations with a view to enhancing broad service and reducing costs.

    2. That the RMOC and OC Transpo establish a Transition Team, as set out in this report, to implement the administrative integration and streamlining process;

    3. That, as part of this transition to improve the accountability and control by Regional Councillors in public transit matters, the membership of the Transit Commission be increased from nine Regional Councillors to all members of Regional Council.
    4. That the former Transit Commission become the Transit Committee to report to Regional Council, sitting as the OC Transpo Commission, in the same manner as all other Standing Committees of Council.

5. That the membership of the Transition Team be amended by replacing the Transit Commission’s Manager of Human Resources with the Chair of the Transit Committee, Councillor A. Loney

"CARRIED" with councillors Hunter and Meilleur dissenting.

 

TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE REPORT NO. 4

 

1. TRAFFIC AND PARKING BY-LAW - CONTROLLED-ACCESS ROADS/HOV LANES

That Council approve:

1. That the Traffic and Parking By-law No. 1 of 1996 be amended to;

(a) establish the new regulations for controlled-access roads and HOV lanes, as described in the report;

(b) designate;

(ii) Regional Road 174 (former Highway 17) between Highway 417 and Regional Road 57 (Trim Road);

as a controlled-access road;

(c) amend Section 73 by adding the phrase "motor assisted bicycle" immediately following the word "bicycle";

(d) amend Schedule XXVIII to prohibit bicycles, motor assisted bicycles and animals on the section of Regional Road 174 designated as a controlled-access road;

(e) amend Schedule XVIIID to prohibit pedestrians on the section of Regional Road 174 designated as a controlled-access road, and;

(f) amend Section 1 by deleting the phrase "Section 36 of the Public Transportation and Highway Improvement Act or" from the definition of "controlled-access road";

2. That the Environment and Transportation Commissioner be delegated the authority to establish HOV lanes and controlled-access roads, as required, subject to Council approved and Departmental policies, and in accordance with the provisions of the Traffic and Parking By-law No. 1 of 1996, as amended.

3. That Section 1, Definition 19(a) be amended to read: "high occupancy vehicle or HOV means a motor vehicle carrying three or more persons including the driver.

4. That a letter be sent to the National Capital Commission requesting their acceptance of Motion 3, above.

"CARRIED"

2. CLOSING AND SALE OF PART OF INNES ROAD - INQUIRY TC-3-98

That Council receive this report for information.

"RECEIVED"

 

 

MOTION TO ADOPT COMMITTEE REPORTS

MOTION NO. 74

Moved by Councillor A. Loney

Swconded by Councillor W. Byrne

RESOLVED THAT the Community Services Committee Report Nos. 3 and 4; Corporate Services and Economic Development Committee Report No. 4; Corporate Services and Economic Development /Ottawa-Carleton Regional Transit Commission Joint Report No. 2; and Transportation Committee Report No. 4 be received and adopted, as amended by Motion Nos. 70, 72 and 73.

"CARRIED" with dissents as recorded on various items.

MOTION TO INTRODUCE BY-LAWS

MOTION NO. 75

Moved by Councillor M. McGoldrick-Larsen

Seconded by Councillor A. Munter

RESOLVED THAT the following By-laws be enacted and passed.

By-law 19 of 1998 to expropriate land for the purpose of the reconstruction of March Road (Regional Road 49) from Solandt Road to Klondike Road.

By-law 20 of 1998 to approve Area Municipality by-laws regulating traffic and parking on local streets as follows:

City of Gloucester 4 of 1998

22 of 1998

Township of Goulbourn 91-97

City of Nepean 007-98

City of Ottawa 38-98

"CARRIED"

By-laws enacted and passed.

MOTIONS (OF WHICH NOTICE HAS BEEN PREVIOUSLY GIVEN)

MOTION NO. 76

Moved by Councillor P. Hume

Seconded by Councillor A. Munter

WHEREAS all local municipalities and the region agreed in 1997 on the process for implementing changes to local government, namely the triple-majority outlined by the province (a majority of municipalities representing a majority of the population plus the majority of Regional Councillors) and, failing that local consensus, the appointment of a Commissioner by Queen's Park to resolve the issue; and

WHEREAS the Citizens’ Panel has been working on a solution to the governance issue, based on the above process; and

WHEREAS MPP Garry Guzzo's private member's bill tabled in June 1997 would have put in place the process needed for the Citizens’ Panel to do its work, but died on the order paper when the Ontario Legislature session ended; and

WHEREAS the draft Municipal Act released in February 1998 includes the necessary restructuring provisions, but specifically excludes any regional municipality or part of a regional municipality from using those provisions; and

WHEREAS there is little point in spending public money on this process and little point in the volunteers of the Citizens’ Panel investing their time and energy in it, if the provincial government has no intention of bringing this matter to a definitive close; and

WHEREAS there is local consensus that the ongoing uncertainty about the future of governance undermines municipalities' ability to plan for the future and deal with issues like downloading and is also poisoning relationships between municipal governments, impeding their ability to work co-operatively together;

WHEREAS the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing has previously stated his verbal commitment to the restructuring process, but has failed to bring in the legislation required to make this commitment real.

BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED THAT Regional Council requests a written commitment from the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, by April 17, 1998 that:

It is the intention of the Government of Ontario to extend the provisions of section 25.2(2) of the Municipal Act, as amended, to the Region of Ottawa-Carleton in the spring legislative session to ensure there is a way to implement the Citizens’ Panel's recommendation.

In the event that local agreement is not reached, the Minister commits to the appointment of a Commissioner with the authority to impose a final solution to the governance issue before the close of 1998.

FURTHER THAT this resolution be circulated to the 11 area municipalities for endorsement.

"CARRIED" with Councillors Hunter and Legendre dissenting.

 

CONFIRMATION BY-LAW

MOTION NO. 77

Moved by Councillor L. Davis

Seconded by Councillor J. Legendre

RESOLVED THAT by-law 21 of 1998 to confirm the proceedings of Council be enacted and passed.

"CARRIED"

By-law enacted and passed.

 

ADJOURNMENT

Council adjourned at 4:42 p.m.

 

CLERK CHAIR