Committee of the Whole Highlights - October 8, 2024

Kawartha Lakes – The following are highlights of the Committee of the Whole meeting on October 8, 2024.  

The meeting can be viewed in full on the City’s YouTube channel.  

All recommendations made at Committee of the Whole will return to Regular Council for review and/or adoption on October 22, 2024. 

National Disability Employment Awareness Month 

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), a time to recognize the importance of equal employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities. This month, we celebrate the contributions of workers with disabilities and encourage businesses and the community to foster an inclusive workforce. 

“This is a time for staff, businesses and residents to recognize the importance of having equal employment opportunities for all workers including those with disabilities. It’s a time to reflect on our policies to ensure that they foster inclusivity and remove barriers and it’s a time to acknowledge the contributions of staff with disabilities whose perspectives are valued and celebrated here. A truly inclusive workplace has no limitations on what can be achieved,” said Mayor Doug Elmslie.  

To mark the occasion, we’ll be lighting City Hall up in blue lights on October 17, 2024 for the fifth annual Light it Up for NDEAM! campaign. 

Paramedic Headquarters and Fleet Centre Update 

James Smith, Manager of Building and Property, and Paramedic Chief Sara Johnston, along with Ryan Stitt and Brandon Bortoluzzi of Salter Pilon Architecture provided Council with an introduction presentation on the plan to build a new Paramedic Headquarters and Fleet Centre in Lindsay. 

The new Paramedic Headquarters and Fleet Centre is a critical infrastructure project designed to address the rapidly increasing demand for emergency medical services in the municipality. As our population continues to grow, the facility will ensure timely and efficient paramedic care for our residents. The municipality recently negotiated a lease agreement with the Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB). If approved by Council and the Ministry of Education, the new facility will share the same property as the Lindsay Adult and Alternative Education Centre on 230 Angeline Street South. The new headquarters will centralize paramedic services and support future growth while consolidating some of our existing paramedic service locations into one modern, central hub. The facilities being considered for consolidation are: 

The consolidation of these facilities will not affect paramedic response times in northern Kawartha Lakes. The response stations in the north will remain operational and will be addressed in the future according to the Paramedic Service Master Plan. Except for the response stations in Lindsay, the locations being considered for consolidation are administrative, training, and fleet/equipment storage facilities. 

The overall investment in the new headquarters is estimated to be $50 million with funding coming from the municipality, the province, and development charges. The costs will be spread out with $7 million already committed to the project through the 2024 capital budget, and $21.5 million coming from each of the 2025 and 2026 capital budgets. We anticipate the construction beginning in spring 2025.    

Read the Paramedic Headquarters and Fleet Centre Update report.  

View the preliminary concept designs for the building.  

Photo Caption: The above image is an early concept design rendering of what the new paramedics service headquarters could look like. It is subject to change as the design is finalized.

Automated Speed Enforcement Presentation 

In November 2023, staff were asked to provide Council with a report that shows what it would cost to start a stand-alone speed board program in Kawartha Lakes. In addition to the standard traffic calming warrant process, the speed board program would allow for the installation of a set number of speed boards in the municipality each year.  

The report outlines that current staff levels can support the installation of permanent electronic speed boards at four to six locations per year at a cost of approximately $25,000 per year for six signs with no increase to operating budgets. If approved, the report recommends starting the program in 2026. 

The report also provided Council with an update on recent changes to automated speed enforcement (ASE) legislation. The changes allow municipalities to conduct an ASE program through an administrative monetary penalty (AMP) system. Starting an ASE program in Kawartha Lakes would allow speed infractions to be treated in a similar way to parking tickets. The report recommended issuing a callout for an Expression of Interest to vendors that offer AMP systems to gain more information about how they work and what it would cost to establish in Kawartha Lakes.         

View the Automated Speed Enforcement Update report.  

Mandatory Connection By-Law amendments proposed 

A report was received that reviewed how to align the City’s Official Plan urban settlement areas and the City’s requirement to service those areas as defined in the Mandatory Connection By-Law (By-Law 2014-255, A By-Law To Require Owners of Buildings To Connect Such Buildings To Drinking Water Systems and/or Wastewater Collection Systems in The City of Kawartha Lakes). The report noted that there are now 151 properties subject to the By-law. Staff recommend that the inventory of mandatory connect properties be those properties that fall within the revised urban settlement boundaries and are not currently connected to City water and/or wastewater systems. This would result in 63 properties being removed from the Mandatory Connect Program, resulting in a $17,000 revenue reduction. Changes would be in effect in January 2025 if adopted at the next Regular Council meeting. 

Phase Two of the review would take place in the first half of 2025 and will involve reviewing any properties that fall within the urban settlement boundary areas that may have recently become eligible for service by municipal water/wastewater systems. 

Review the report 

Review the proposed By-law amendments 

Provincial Planning Statement, 2024 – Information Report  

On August 20, 2024, Ontario released the final version of the Provincial Planning Statement (PPS), which will go into effect on October 20, 2024. This new PPS aims to promote residential development and create complete communities, meaning that all planning decisions by local authorities, including city Councils, must align with its guidelines. The updated statement emphasizes the provincial goal of building 1.5 million homes by 2031. 

The new PPS replaces both the 2020 Provincial Policy Statement and the 2019 Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, consolidating them into one document. While it introduces several changes, not all previous policies have been included.  

View Appendix B – Summary of Changes to Provincial Planning Statement, 2024 for a table summarizing the changes.