County Council Highlights - September 12, 2023
On Tuesday, September 12th, Warden Ed Ketchabaw, alongside representatives from Childcan, an organization that supports families dealing with childhood cancer, raised the Childhood Cancer Awareness flag in front of the Heritage Centre. Dave Jenkins, a member of the Childcan organization, is a community member who lost his daughter Maggie to cancer. Dave works tirelessly to increase awareness about childhood cancer.
By raising this flag, the County hopes to provide awareness about an organization that helps families and children with childhood cancer deal with this disease’s emotional and financial tolls.
The County of Elgin Homes (Bobier Villa, Elgin Manor and Terrace Lodge) have an agreement with CareRx Pharmacy for the provision of pharmacy services, with an end date of September 30, 2023.
A request for proposal (RFP) was issued on June 12, 2023, and the evaluation process is being followed and is anticipated to be completed in September 2023. Elgin County Council approved extending the current service agreement with CareRx Pharmacy to January 29, 2024, to support the completion of the RFP process.
The County of Elgin Homes (Elgin Manor and Terrace Lodge) currently prepare meals for the VON Meals on Wheels program. This program has an agreement with an end date of September 30, 2023.
Elgin County Council approved a new Meal Supply Agreement from October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2025. This new agreement will see a minimal increase year over year based on current and forecasted labour, food and packaging costs.
As a member of the South West Ontario Health Team (SW OHT), Elgin County has been invited to work together with neighbouring Ontario Health Teams on a proposal to recruit international physicians. Many Elgin County residents struggle to secure a family physician.
Elgin County Council approved a cost-effective proposal to increase the pool of physicians available to address the need.
Stantec Consulting Ltd. was hired by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) to improve Highway 3 from Highway 4 to Centennial Avenue in St. Thomas. This project aims to enhance the highway corridor, which affects County roads and nearby communities.
A Study Design Report (SDR) was presented during a Public Information Centre (PIC) on August 17th, 2023, and is open for public review and comment until September 15th.
Peter Dutchak, Acting Director of Engineering Services, provided Council with an overview of the SDR and staff’s comments on preliminary design options for Council’s review and input.
He noted that County staff, along with representatives from the Township of Southwold and the Municipality of Central Elgin, have unanimously agreed on their response to the MTO, which can be found in the “Environmental Assessment – Highway 3 and 4 Widening and Talbotville Bypass” Council Report.
The meeting scheduled for November 28, 2023, marks the end of the one-year term for the position of Warden. The Annual Warden’s Election will be held on Tuesday, December 5, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. The meeting will resume on Wednesday, December 6, 2023, at 9:00 a.m.
The Terrace Lodge Redevelopment Project is currently in Phase 2. During this phase, residual dust of Amosite, a friable dust, has been discovered throughout the facility on the suspended ceiling tile grids. Schouten Environmental Inc. has been chosen to carry out the Terrace Lodge Asbestos abatement at a total cost of $113,350.00, excluding H.S.T.
Following the Ministry of Labour Orders received in relation to Asbestos-related work at Terrace Lodge, HR Policy 8.60 ‘Asbestos in Buildings’ was recently reviewed. The Ministry found the policy to be insufficient. Therefore, extensive training has been scheduled for all maintenance staff, management team members within the facilities, and JHSC members associated with the Lodge.
In accordance with Section 17 of the Planning Act, the Council of the County of Elgin, as “Approval Authority,” is required to make a decision on the adopted amendments and redline revisions in which Council may approve, modify or refuse to approve. County Council approved the following planning matters:
- The Council of the Town of Aylmer has adopted an amendment to their official plan, called Official Plan Amendment Number 24 (OPA No. 24), which alters the land use designation of certain lands. The amendment changes the designation from ‘Low-Density Residential’ to ‘Medium Density Residential’ to allow the use of the lands for multi-family homes, specifically townhouses.
- The Creek’s Edge Subdivision located in the Municipality of West Elgin has proposed a modification to their draft plan of subdivision. The proposed redline revision will involve altering the size of the stormwater management block and making minor adjustments to road locations and lot sizing. The number of lots will remain unchanged, and the revisions will uphold the original two (2) subdivision concepts.
