Regular Council Highlights – August 26, 2025

Kawartha Lakes – The following are highlights from the Regular Council Meeting on August 26, 2025.

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

The Regular Council minutes from July 22, 2025 were received and adopted.

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International Drug Overdose Awareness Day

International Drug Overdose Awareness Day will be recognized with a flag raising at City Hall on Friday August 29 at 1pm. The lights at City Hall will be purple in recognition of this important day. International Drug Overdose Awareness Day (August 31) is a global day of action that brings people together to help end overdoses, reduce stigma, and acknowledge the grief felt by families and friends who have lost loved ones.

Mayor Elmslie's update from the Association of Municipalities of Ontario Conference

This year’s Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) Conference was an important opportunity to advocate for the needs of Kawartha Lakes directly with provincial leaders. I met with Associate Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Rob Smith, to press for funding programs that will help municipalities like ours achieve housing targets beyond 2025. I was pleased to hear Premier Ford announce an additional $1.6 billion in the Housing Enabling Infrastructure Fund, bringing the program’s total to $2.4 billion, which will support communities across Ontario in meeting their housing commitments.

I also met with John Jordan, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health, to stress the importance of approving the Kawartha North Family Health Team’s $2.4 million capital funding application. Their presence as the anchor tenant in the new Summit Wellness Centre in Coboconk will ensure that residents in northern Kawartha Lakes have access to the primary care services they need. Alongside Haliburton County, I also met with Education Minister Paul Calandra to advocate for rural child care policy changes. With 1,465 children on the waitlist and an average four-year wait for a licensed space, we need real solutions to make it easier for providers to expand. Improving child care in our community not only supports families but also helps us recruit and retain healthcare professionals who are so vital to our region.

I was joined at the conference by Councillors Warren, Richardson, Joyce, and Deputy Mayor McDonald. Together, we had the chance to learn from other municipalities, share the best practices we’ve developed here in Kawartha Lakes, and bring back new ideas that will help us continue to build strong, thriving communities.

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Long Term Financial Plan Presentation

Council received a presentation from Sara Beukeboom, Director of Corporate Services, and Adam Found, Manager of Corporate Assets, on the updates to the City’s Long-Term Financial Plan. The Plan has several operational components, including workforce, debt and reserve strategies and a Capital Forecast that includes all major investments to be made until 2051. The report was received as printed.Read full release.

More information is available in the Long Term Financial Plan presentation.

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Strategic Plan Update

Council received a presentation on the progress to date on the City’s Strategic Plan 2024-2027. Highlights aligned with the City’s four strategic priorities included: Of a total 190 initiatives, 40% are complete, 55% are in progress and 5% on track to begin next year. Staff and Council continue to work together to deliver on the mission of delivering the highest standard of municipal service and upholding our commitment towards a sustainable future for all. Read the report.

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Physician Return of Service Funding Request

Council authorized that payment of $100,000 to the Kawartha Lakes Health Care Initiative (KLHCI) be authorized from the Primary Care Recruitment and Retention Reserve to support one Doctor Return of Service agreement. The request was received as printed.

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Bobcaygeon Community Centre Capital Project

Council approved the award of tender for a pre-approved Capital project for renovations to the Bobcaygeon Community Centre in the amount of $512,000. The facility renovation project will include:

• Renovated dressing rooms with improved accessibility.
• Refreshed lobby and fully accessible main-level washrooms.
• New entrance canopy.
• Replacement of arena seating and hall lighting.

More details are available in the full report.

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Kawartha Lakes Paramedic Service has approved its 2026 Response Time Performance Plan, setting goals for how quickly paramedics and first responders reach residents in emergencies. Despite rising 911 calls, the service is exceeding some benchmarks, reaching cardiac arrest patients within 6 minutes nearly 40% of the time, above the 25% target. Four new full-time paramedics, expanded coverage in Lindsay, and hospital partnership programs are helping improve response times.

Read the report.

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Memorandums

Councillor Richardson brought the memorandum regarding Elect Respect to Council. Council supports the Elect Respect pledge and committed to:

• Treating others with respect in all spaces—public, private, and online
• Rejecting and calling out harassment, abuse, and personal attacks
• Focusing debate on ideas and policies, not personal attacks
• Helping to build a supportive culture where people of all backgrounds feel safe to run for and hold office
• Calling on relevant authorities to ensure the protection of elected officials who face abuse or threats
• Modelling integrity and respect by holding one another to the highest standards of conduct

The memorandum was received as printed.

Councillor Richardson brought the memorandum regarding a Traffic Calming Request on Glengarry Road along Bethany Park to Council. Staff are to complete a traffic calming warrant on Glengarry Road, along Bethany Park, and report back to Council with the findings of the warrant.

Councillor Richardson brought the memorandum regarding the Pulverization of Drum Road West to Council. Staff are to report back to Council by October 21, 2025 with options, recommendations and budget implications for the pulverization of Drum Road West.

Councillor Richardson brought the memorandum regarding Firefighter Certifications to Council. The memo recommends that the Office of the Fire Marshall and the Ministry of the Solicitor General be requested to consider the following recommendations:

• Defer full implementation of the certification regulation for communities that rely heavily on volunteer firefighters, such as rural municipalities;
• Provide exemptions or alternative compliance pathways tailored to the needs and limitations of small and/or remote fire services, especially those serviced by volunteers; and
• Increase funding and training supports for municipalities outside major urban centres.

The memorandum was received as printed.

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Next Council meeting

Council will return for the Committee of the Whole meeting on September 9, 2025 at 10:30 am.

Public attendance in Council Chambers is welcome. Regular and Committee of the Whole meetings will be broadcast live on the City’s YouTube Channel and on Cogeco cable television.

Please note that you can watch recordings of the City of Kawartha Lakes Regular Council Meetings on Cable Cable channel 26 and Rogers Ignite channel 548 at 1pm on the Sunday that follows the Tuesday meeting.

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