Regular Council Highlights - April 22, 2025

Kawartha Lakes – The following are highlights from the Regular Council Meeting on April 22, 2025.  

The meeting can be viewed in full on our YouTube Channel.

The Regular Council minutes from March 18, 2025 were received and adopted.

Introduction to new Ward 5 Councillor Mark Doble

Ward 5 By-Election winner Mark Doble was sworn in as our new Ward 5 Councillor. 

Councillor Doble completed his Oath of Office at the meeting and had the following to say about joining Kawartha Lakes’ Council,

“I asked if I could use my Dad’s Bible when I swore this oath. Some of you will know or know of John Doble. He was a municipal Clerk/Treasurer of Mariposa Township in the 1970s and 1980s. Prior to that, he was a municipal Councillor and Deputy Reeve in the Township of Brock in Sunderland. From age five or six, I’ve been around municipal life and municipal work, and it always fascinated me. My Dad taught me that public service is a responsibility, public service is important, and public service is a privilege. Accordingly, I want to express my sincere gratitude to the electors in Ward 5 for allowing me this privilege to be your Councillor. I also want to tell you that I am looking forward to working with what I consider to be an excellent team of Council and Mayor for the best interests of the City of Kawartha Lakes. Thank you very much.”

Read the full news release for more. 

Children’s Services Service Plan 2025 to 2029 

The Children’s Services Service Plan 2025 to 2029 for Kawartha Lakes and the County of Haliburton was presented to Council. The plan outlines strategic priorities to ensure affordable, accessible, high-quality, inclusive, and responsive early learning and childcare for families across the region. 

Key priorities over the next five years include:

• Expanding licensed childcare (centre and home-based)
• Supporting children with specific needs
• Strengthening the early years workforce
• Enhancing EarlyON Child and Family Centre services

Four strategic themes emerged from community input:

• Workforce: Focuses on building a strong early years workforce through recruitment, retention, fair pay, and ongoing professional development. The goal is to foster a community of early learning professionals who feel respected, empowered, and supported.
• Operations: Aims to modernize the early years system by implementing provincial changes and new technologies in a way that works for local providers, while staying responsive to the needs of families and children.
• System Navigation: Commits to improving how families access childcare and early years services, with a focus on inclusivity and making the system easier to understand and use.
• Leadership: Positions Children’s Services as advocates and system leaders, working with all levels of government and community partners. Through research and planning, they aim to improve outcomes for children and families across the region.

Continued collaboration with families, providers, and stakeholders will ensure the system evolves to meet local needs.  

The report was received as printed. Read the Kawartha Lakes Early Years and Child Care Service Plan 2025 to 2029. 

Committee of the Whole – April 8, 2025 

All recommendations from the Committee of the Whole meeting were adopted as printed in the minutes, save and except for Items 9.3.3, 9.3.4, 9.3.6, 9.3.7, 9.3.14, 9.3.16, 9.3.17 and 9.3.23. 

Item 9.3.3 - Road Conditions on Mustang Drive 

The deputation was received as printed and it passed.   

Item 9.3.4 - Parking Fine and Signage Recommendations in Downtown Lindsay 

Board Chair of the Lindsay Downtown BIA (LDBIA) Wesley Found’s deputation addressing recent changes to parking fines in Downtown Lindsay was received. A motion was put forward that the LDBIA’s proposed fine adjustment be used for the next five years. A follow-up motion for the updated parking signage in downtown Lindsay to be installed in 2025 was also brought forward. The motions passed.  

Item 9.3.6 - Request to purchase the road allowance adjacent to 15 Potts Shore Road, Fenelon 

The deputation was received as printed and passed. 

Item 9.3.7 - Road Conditions on Four Points Road 

The deputation was received as printed and passed. 

Item 9.3.14 - Kawartha Lakes Fire Rescue Service 2024 Annual Report 

The Kawartha Lakes Fire Rescue Service 2024 Annual Report was moved as printed and passed.

Item 9.3.16 - Encampment Response Update 

Motion to add three suggestions: 

The amended motion failed. The original motion in the report was passed as printed. 

Item 9.3.17 - Renoviction and Rental Protections 

In the report, Staff recommended not approving the Rental Protection By-Laws after they found that the province’s Residential Tenancies Act, 2006 already provides tenants with protections. A local by-law that duplicates the provincial regulations could add needless local bureaucracy that increases costs for taxpayers. Moreover, the additional costs associated with compliance to a local by-law could discourage landlords from making necessary renovations or repairs to aging rental stock, which would negatively affect the rental supply. The report was moved as printed and it passed.  

For more information read the Rental Protection By-Laws – Preventing Renovictions and Conversion of Rental Housing to Non-Rental Use report. 

Joint Advisory Committee Recommendation for the Canada Ontario Housing Benefit Program Review 

At the January 28, 2025 Council meeting, a deputation requested a review of priority groups for the Canada-Ontario Housing Benefit (COHB), specifically suggesting the inclusion of persons with disabilities. Council referred this request to staff and the Joint Advisory Committee for Housing and Social Services. 

The Committee reviewed the matter on February 19, 2025, and recommended that the current priority groups remain unchanged for the remainder of the COHB program, as they continue to meet local needs—particularly with growing demand from unsheltered individuals. The Committee also recommended that a joint letter from the Mayor of Kawartha Lakes and the Warden of Haliburton County be sent to provincial ministers, advocating for increased affordable housing funding for small municipalities to better support diverse community needs, including those with complex needs. 

The report was received as printed and a follow-up motion was made for Staff to respond to the three questions asked by Council and report back by the end of June.  

Read the Joint Advisory Committee Recommendation for the Canada Ontario Housing Benefit Program Review. 

Petitions 

A petition regarding a request to pause the funding for the Somerville Concession 3 Environmental Assessment and Bridge Design was received and referred to staff for a return report. The first page of the petition can be found here. A complete copy of the petition with 33 signatures is available at the Clerk's Office upon request. The petition was referred to staff for review and consideration.

A petition regarding a request for the resurfacing of Slalom Drive and Hillview Drive, Bethany was received and referred to staff for a return report. The first page of the petition can be found here. A complete copy of the petition with 53 signatures is available at the Clerk's Office upon request. The petition was referred to staff for review and consideration in the roads program.

A petition regarding the opposition to the installation of sidewalks through the reconstruction of Pottinger Street, Lindsay was received and referred to staff for a return report. The first page of the petition can be found here. A complete copy of the petition with 28 signatures is available at the Clerk's Office upon request. The petition was referred to staff for review and report back by June.

Memorandums
Mayor Elmslie brought the Memorandum Regarding Councillor Appointments to Council. New Ward 5 Councillor Mark Doble was appointed to the following Boards and Committees, replacing former Ward 5 Councillor Eric Smeaton: