Regular Council Meeting Highlights – May 19, 2026

Kawartha Lakes – The following are highlights from the Regular Council Meeting on May 19, 2026.

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

The Regular Council minutes from April 21, 2026 were received and adopted. The minutes from the Special Council Meeting on May 5, 2026 were received and adopted.

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Committee of the Whole – May 5, 2026

The Minutes of the Committee of the Whole Meeting of May 5, 2026 were received and adopted as printed.

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Planning Advisory Committee – May 6, 2026

All recommendations from the Planning Advisory Committee were adopted as printed in the minutes.

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Recognition of Years of Service

In honour of the 25th anniversary of Kawartha Lakes as a municipality, employees with 25 or more years of service were recognized at Council. Mayor Elmslie and CAO Taylor gave congratulations and thanks to the 109 employees who have been employees of City of Kawartha Lakes for 25-plus years. Many of these employees served as township or town employees for many years as well.

Paramedic Services Week

Chief Sara Johnston thanked her team in recognition of Paramedic Services Week. She gifted each member of Council a pair of custom socks, part of the Community Paramedic team’s initiative with Sock Rocket. For each pair of custom socks purchased, three pairs of sports socks are donated to agencies in Kawartha Lakes providing clothing to those in need.

Read about Paramedic Services Week on our website.

Correspondence

9.1 Regional Consolidation of Conservation Authorities

The correspondence from Mark Majchrowski, Chief Administrative Officer of Kawartha Conservation, regarding the Regional Consolidation of Conservation Authorities, was received. The letter was referred to staff for review and a report back about the impact the changes proposed in it will have on the City of Kawartha Lakes.

Consent Matters

13.1.1 Physician Return of Service (ROS) and After-Hours Clinic Funding Update

The City of Kawartha Lakes plans to provide $300,000 to the Kawartha Lakes Health Care Initiative (KLHCI) to help bring three new family doctors to the area. These doctors signed agreements promising to work in the community for several years. Dr. Jim Osoba Ebhomien will open a family practice in Lindsay in 2026, and Dr. Dennis Owusu Darkwa and Dr. Joana Loretta Sarfo joined the Kawartha North Family Health Team in 2026. The funding comes from the City’s reserve for recruiting and keeping doctors.

The report also thanks the KL Family Health Organization (FHO) for helping patients who do not have a family doctor. From 2023 to 2026, the clinic offered extra after-hours care and helped more than 9,000 patients during the City-funded period. This service gave people another option besides going to the emergency room. Since new health care programs are now being added locally, the clinic will return to mainly serving its own patients.

Read the full report, or watch Council’s discussion.

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13-1-3 Manorview and Victoria Place DWS Well Replacement

The City needs to replace damaged water wells in both the Manorview and the Victoria Place Drinking Water Systems (DWS).

At Manorview DWS, one of the two wells has stopped working because it was damaged and is producing dirty water with sand. This means the system now depends on just one well. Several wells have problems at Victoria Place DWS, including clay contamination and poor water quality. One well is doing most of the work right now.

Due to the well replacements, the project will cost more than the money originally set aside. The City plans to use an extra $201,737 from its Water Infrastructure Renewal Reserve fund to cover the difference. City staff recommend approving the project, so that these communities continue to have safe and reliable drinking water. Council received and moved the report as printed.

Read the full report, or watch Council’s discussion.

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13-1-5 Traffic Study and Servicing Capacity Review Fees

The report recommends adding new fees for reviewing traffic studies and water/wastewater servicing capacity requests in the City of Kawartha Lakes.

These reviews help developers and property owners determine whether their projects are feasible before submitting full development applications. Applicants could submit a basic proposal early in the process to find out if existing water and wastewater systems can support their project, before spending significant money on detailed studies.

Currently, the City covers the cost of these early reviews through the Engineering and Corporate Assets budget. With the growing number and size of development proposals, staff believe applicants should help cover the cost of providing these services.

The new fees would be added to the City’s Consolidated Fees By-Law (2018-238). Staff say this would create a fairer system by having development-related costs paid more directly by applicants through a nominal fee, rather than being paid by taxpayers. Council passed the report as printed.

Read the full report, or watch Council’s discussion.

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Petitions

A petition to request the installation of new playground equipment at Kawartha Park, Lindsay was received. The first page of the electronic petition can be found on our website. A complete copy of the petition with 21 signatures is available at the Clerk's Office upon request. The petition was referred to staff for review.

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Next Council Meeting

Council will return for Committee of the Whole on June 2, 2026 at 1pm.

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 Xfinity channel 548 at 1pm on the Sunday that follows the Tuesday meeting.

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