Council Highlights – March 11 Regular Meeting of Council
Motions Coming Out of Closed Session
Council acknowledges the requirements of By-law 2259-2008, being the settlement between the Corporation of the County of Prince Edward and Hydro One Networks Inc.
Staff will finalize an Agreement of Purchase and Sale, as per the by-law, with the intention of utilizing the property for municipal operations and staff accommodation.
Announcements
Councillor Grosso expressed his sincere apologies to Amy Bodman and Sandra Dowds for his comments made at the March 5 Planning and Development Committee meeting.
Councillor Braney provided a notice of motion, in accordance with Part 5.11 of the Procedural By-law, seeking Council support for an external 360-degree audit to review the culture at Shire Hall that will report directly to Council.
Deputations
Paul Allen addressed Council regarding Council’s Code of Conduct and Conflicts of Interest. Click here to view the deputation.
Comments from the Audience
Five members of the audience provided comments regarding agenda item 11.1, Presentation & Report from Stantec regarding the Picton Settlement Area Master Transportation Plan Amendment. Concerns were expressed from the speakers about receiving notice of possible expropriation of lands.
Items on the Agenda
Presentation and report from Stantec regarding the Picton Settlement Area Master Transportation Plan Amendment
Council endorsed the Picton Settlement Area Master Transportation Plan Amendment. The recommended new roadway construction for County Road 22 extension will be removed from the Picton Transportation Master Plan Amendment. Click here to read the full presentation.
Prince Edward County Chamber of Commerce Municipal Funding Request
Council directed the Mayor and Clerk to enter into a one-year Service Agreement at a value of $50,000 with the Prince Edward Chamber of Commerce.
Staff will utilize funds from the Tax Rate Stabilization Reserve to fund the agreement.
Staff will bring a draft business support grant policy to Council in Q4 of 2025 ahead of the 2026 budget deliberations. Click here to read the full staff report.
Childcare Task Team Terms of Reference
Councillors Nieman and Engelsdorfer were appointed to sit on the Childcare Task Team.
Council endorsed the Task Team’s Terms of Reference. Click here to read the full staff report.
Resolution from Councillor Braney seeking Council support for an external service delivery review of the Planning Department
An external service delivery review will be conducted of the Planning and Development department to focus on organizational structure and processes.
The purpose of the review will be to identify changes that will support improved service delivery.
The CAO will engage an external firm to complete the review and will report back to Council. Click here to view the full resolution.
Resolution from Councillor St-Jean seeking Council support for a request to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation regarding its funding formulae, policies and scoring criteria
The Corporation of the County of Prince Edward requests:
- That the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation immediately amend it’s funding formulae, policies and scoring criteria to be inclusive of locally generated rental market data in determining median market rents and vacancy rates which accurately reflect the realities in rural municipalities;
- That the CMHC Enhanced Apartment Construction Loan Program be amended to recognize Prince Edward County as a community within a market area in need of equitable funding consideration;
- That the Municipality, the Prince Edward County Affordable Housing Corporation and affordable housing developers be provided with the rationale behind the scoring applied to funding applications; and
- That a senior-level representative be invited to provide a presentation addressing concerns and inequities in the CMHC affordable housing funding programs and policies at the April 8, 2025 meeting of Council.
- Mayor Steve Ferguson will write a letter of support of this resolution to be forwarded to relevant individuals.
Click here to read the full resolution.
Report of the Office of the Integrity Commissioner, Aird & Berlis LLP, regarding Code of Conduct Complaints and Municipal Conflict of Interest Applications
Council received the report for information. Click here to read the report.
Councillor resignations from Advisory Committees and Working Groups
Councillor Grosso resigned from the Built & Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee. The reappointment of a Councillor to the Committee will be held at a later Council meeting.
The Wellington Town Hall Expression of Interest (EOI) Working Group Terms of Reference will be amended to reduce Council member composition from two Councillors to one Councillor.
Committee of the Whole Highlights – March 13
Presentations
Councillor Kate MacNaughton, Chair, and Angus Ross, Vice Chair of the Environmental Advisory Committee presented the Environmental Advisory Committee’s 2024 Annual Report.
Items on the Agenda
Evaluation of Pits and Quarries
Council directed staff to undertake the process for declaring the parcel of municipal land identified as Milford Pit, Chapmans Cresent, as surplus. Staff will report back on options for divestment or internal use.
Staff will complete rehabilitation on the Cherry Valley Pit, Crowe Pit and the Sophiasburgh Quarry. Staff will relinquish the aggregate extraction licenses on each of these sites.
Staff will explore the use of these locations as excess soils receiving sites if these sites are retained following a review of the municipality’s operational needs. Staff will provide costing for this option in the 2026 budget. Click here to read the staff report.
Staff Accommodation to Surplus and Maximize Municipal Properties
Council declared the parcel of Municipal land identified as the Former Hillier Firehall (65/70 Station Road) as surplus land to the needs of the Municipality for the purpose of divestiture, retaining the portion that is Jack Taylor Park in accordance with the County’s Sale or Disposition of Land Policy.
Staff will explore options for Jack Taylor Park and Hillier Town Hall water use.
Staff will bring back a report to consider Picton Town Hall as a possible shared space for community and staff use and would support the continued use of the adjacent parking lot for the Picton Farmers’ Market.
The $154,000 of unspent funds in the approved 2024 Operating Budget for physical properties accommodation work will be carried forward and allocated to the 2025 Operating Budget to support renovations to the Bloomfield Fire Hall as a jointly used space for the Fire Department and By-law Services Department. Click here to read the full staff report.
The next Regular Meeting of Council will be held on Tuesday, March 25 at 7 pm at Shire Hall, 332 Main Street, Picton. The next Committee of the Whole will be held on Thursday, March 27 at 1 pm at Shire Hall, 332 Main Street, Picton.
This summary is not a complete record of the proceedings of the meetings. For the official record, please refer to the minutes in the next Council agenda. A video of this meeting is available on The County’s YouTube Channel.