Media Release - May 24th,2023 Council Meeting Highlights

For immediate release

May 24, 2023

Here are the highlights from the Lanark County Council meeting held May 24, 2023.

Lanark Lodge Strategic Plan Adopted: Council has adopted the 2023-2028 Lanark Lodge Strategic Plan. In a presentation to the community services committee of the whole earlier this month, Director of Long-Term Care Carey Duncan provided an overview of the process in 2022 and early 2023 undertaken by People Minded Business that led to the finalized plan.

Duncan explained local, regional, provincial and international trends were identified, and key stakeholder groups were consulted. “In total, 174 stakeholders were engaged, including residents, team members, county councillors and community partners,” she said. “During these discussions, a clear understanding of the internal and external environment with which Lanark Lodge currently operates emerged, as did central messages and themes about what matters most to stakeholders in the present and looking ahead to the future.”

Trends such as elections, legislation, inflation, market growth, the health human resource crisis, resident acuity levels, equality, diversity, inclusion, demography and long-term impacts of COVID-19 were considered, along with assets and numerous considerations or challenges.

Three key strategic priorities were identified:

1. Centre of excellence and learning, with goals focused on residents, the team and the facility.
2. Inclusion and belonging – ensuring individuality is respected and all voices are heard and valued.
3. Working better together: Collaborating and partnering for the well-being of residents, employees and long-term care.

The Lodge’s mission, vision and values statements were also revisited to ensure they align with the new strategic directions and accurately reflect values championed by the Lodge.

“Execution of the strategic priorities and implementation plan will require investment over the next five years and will be captured under the annual budget preparation and through funding from the Ministry of Long-Term Care,” Duncan said. “We are confident the Lanark Lodge 2023-2028 strategic plan will ensure continued, outstanding care for our residents.”

A link to the full document can be found here: https://lanarkcounty.civicweb.net/FileStorage/5391B63F04FD4A37BD2D4CCF842CD143-LL-06- 2023%20Attachment%20B.pdf. For more information, contact Carey Duncan, Director of Long-Term Care, at 1-888-9-LANARK, ext. 7101.

Municipal Tools to Support Affordable Housing Updated: Council has received the Municipal Tools to Support Affordable Housing Update document, which was presented by Director of Social Services Emily Hollington at the community services committee meeting earlier this month. 

Hollington provided background and explained the updated document takes new census information into account. The process began in 2021 with a series of special committee meetings to gain a better understanding of the housing and homelessness situation in the county and existing programs and services. The resulting study made recommendations to the county and local municipalities to strengthen planning and municipal tools that encourage development of affordable housing, which is a goal outlined in the 10-Year Housing and Homelessness Plan.

SHS Consulting analysed needs, opportunities, barriers and trends and created a toolkit for municipalities. The results of the study were approved in April 2022, but it has been updated to include the latest census data.

Gaps identified in the study included a need for a more diverse housing supply in Lanark County, a wider range of affordable rental housing options and an adequate supply of affordable housing to support economic growth and community well-being. Goals were set to address these gaps. The report recommended actions pertaining to policy and regulations, funding, partnerships and awareness and advocacy.

Several actions are to be considered in the county’s official plan update, including:

• Developing an affordable housing incentive to encourage the development of affordable rental housing (Affordable Housing Capital Grant program launched in 2023)
• Facilitating partnerships among non-profit and for-profit residential developers and community agencies (28 rent-geared-to-income units are underway with partners)
• Developing a county-wide rental housing database (available now on county website)
• Convening a Yes In My Back Yard (YIMBY) team for awareness and advocacy (campaign held in 2022 and another planned this year)
• An awareness campaign with community agencies on how residents and housing partners can contribute to the development of a more diverse housing supply (six public information sessions held so far with a larger session planned this year)
• Develop and share an annual housing report care (shared annually in June)
• Advocate to federal government for increased funding (AMO homelessness proclamation passed this year).

Hollington said next steps include policy considerations for the county’s official plan update, continued implementation of the report’s recommendations and the annual report card to be released in June. A link to the full final report can be found here: https://lanarkcounty.civicweb.net/FileStorage/CA5C1AD6677E4D309DD4F3A2030EF22A Municipal%20Tools%20to%20Support%20Affordable%20Housing%20Repo.pdf. For more information, contact Emily Hollington, Director of Social Services, at 1-888-9-LANARK, ext. 2101.

Support for 7 in 7 Housing Plan: Council received a presentation regarding the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (EOWC) Regional Housing Plan called “7 in 7.” The report was presented by EOWC Chair Peter Emon and Hastings County CAO Jim Pine at the corporate services committee meeting earlier this month. The EOWC consists of wardens and CAOs from 13 regions spanning Kawartha Lakes to the Quebec border, excluding the City of Ottawa.

The “7 in 7” project seeks to address the issue of a lack of affordable community housing rental units across the region, noting approximately 12,000 to 14,000 units are needed to clear wait lists in its jurisdiction, and the average wait time for community housing “is almost five years across all unit types, and as high as 10 years for some units.”

The EOWC is proposing taking a regional leadership role to deliver 7,000 new affordable community rental units over seven years, and to incent an additional 21,000 attainable units from private and non-profit sectors. They noted Ontario aims to build 1.5 million homes by 2031, and affordable community rental housing must be included. The EOWC would seek investment from member municipalities, the federal and provincial governments and partners. An estimated $3.1 billion invested is expected to generate three times that amount in economic activity. For Lanark County, this translates into an investment of $149 million and 336 units over seven years.

Emon and Pine emphasized that public-private partnerships are key to the plan. “The EOWC has a history of delivering on time and on budget. The plan would draw from experience and successes of the Eastern Ontario Regional Network procurement model and the Eastern Ontario Leadership Council skills ad markets knowledge.” A regional business case will be completed this summer to cover the project’s full scope. Over the next few months, the EOWC will seek senior government support and initiate Indigenous consultations and discussion with private and non-profit sectors, with an aim to launch a zone pilot project and prepare requests for proposals by Winter 2024.

For more information, contact Kurt Greaves, CAO, at 1-888-9-LANARK, ext. 1101.

Support for Stop-Arm Camera Resolution: Council has agreed to support a resolution urging the provincial government to require all school buses to have stop-arm cameras installed and paid for by the province for the start of the 2023-2024 school year and to underwrite the costs for the implementation and ongoing annual costs for Administrative Monetary Penalties (AMP) in small and rural municipalities.

The resolution highlights the large number of students that travel in school vehicles daily in Ontario, adding the Ministry of Transportation’s statistics show the rate of vehicles blowing by stopped school buses is more than 30,000 times every day. The province passed the Safer School Zones Act in 2017, which authorized the use of automated school bus stop-arm camera system to detect incidents when vehicles failed to stop when a school bus is stopped and the stop-arm in extended.

The Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) made a submission to the province in 2019 supporting the use of the AMP program for the collection of fine revenues for stop-arm and other infractions, such as automated speed enforcement technologies in school and community safety zones. The resolution notes police resources cannot be spread any thinner to enforce Highway Traffic Act offences throughout municipalities and costs of establishing the AMP program are substantial and may be out of reach for small municipalities.

The resolution is to be circulated to Premier Doug Ford, Attorney General Doug Downey, Minister of Education Stephen Lecce, provincial opposition parties, the AMO and all municipalities in Ontario. For more information, contact Jasmin Ralph, Clerk, at 1-888-9-LANARK, ext. 1502.

Support for Strengthening Codes of Conduct: Council has passed a motion that supports the call of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) for the provincial government to introduce legislation to strengthen municipal Codes of Conduct and compliance with them in consultation with municipal governments.

The motion highlights increasing incidents of disrespectful behaviour and workplace harassment occurring amongst members of municipal councils, as well as the serious and negative effects this has on the people involved and the public perception of local government. “Municipal Codes of Conduct are helpful tools to set expectations of council member behaviour,” it says, adding: “Municipal governments do not have the necessary tools to adequately enforce compliance with municipal Codes of Conduct.”

The resolution asks for legislation to encompass AMO’s recommendations, including:

• Updating municipal Codes of Conduct to account for workplace safety and harassment
• Creating a flexible administrative penalty regime, adapted to the local economic and financial circumstances of municipalities across Ontario
• Increasing training of municipal Integrity Commissioners to enhance consistency of investigations and recommendations across the province
• Allowing municipalities to apply to a member of the judiciary to remove a sitting member if recommended through the report of a municipal Integrity Commissioner
• Prohibit a member so removed from sitting for election in the term of removal and the subsequent term of office.

For more information, contact Jasmin Ralph, Clerk, at 1-888-9-LANARK, ext. 1502.

Support for First Responders: Council passed a motion to support legislative measures to help protect first responders from violence, particularly those found in Bill C-321: An Act to Amend the Criminal Code.

The private members bill received first reading on March 9, 2023 and seeks an amendment of the Criminal Code to require courts to consider an assault against a health-care professional or a first responder to be an aggravating circumstance for the purpose of sentencing.

In its letter of support, council notes “paramedics and other first responders provide an essential and valuable service in our community and often subject to increased levels of violence due to the nature of their jobs. It is essential that all levels of government unite to demonstrate the importance of the safety and well-being of all first responders.”

The letter is to be circulated to Minister of Justice and Attorney General David Lametti, all Ontario municipalities and the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. For more information, contact Jasmin Ralph, Clerk, at 1-888-9-LANARK, ext. 1502.

Upcoming Meetings: County Council, Wednesday, June 7, 5 p.m.; Community Services, June 7 (following County Council); Corporate Services, June 7 (following Community Services). County Council, Wednesday, June 21, 5 p.m.; Public Works, June 21 (following County Council); Economic Development, June 21 (following Public Works). Watch for details about public access to meetings on agendas and through online notifications. For more information, contact 1-888-9-LANARK, ext. 1502. Like "LanarkCounty1" on Facebook and follow "@LanarkCounty1" on Twitter!