April 15 and 27, 2020
Committee of the Whole Meetings (through electronic participation): April 15, 2020: April 30, 2020: 9:00 a.m. – 12:48 p.m.; April 27, 2020: 9:00 a.m. – 1:10 p.m.
Regular Meeting of Council: April 15, 2020: 2:00 p.m. – 2:17 p.m.; April 27, 1:35 pm. – 1:46 p.m.
Mayor George Cornell, Deputy Mayor Steffen Walma, and Councillors Cindy Hastings, Tony Mintoff and Gibb Wishart present at both Committee of the Whole meetings. Four members of Council present for both Regular Meetings. Mayor Cornell absent on April 15, 2020.
Announcements:
- Visit the Township’s COVID-19 webpage at ca/coronavirus for municipal service impacts and updates.
- Tiny Connect – Sign up now at tinyconnect.ca
Financial Relief To Residents And Businesses: In the light of the global COVID-19 outbreak, Council authorized staff to extend the waiving of penalties and interest and non-sufficient funds fees on current year (2020) taxes to June 26th, 2020, from May 1, 2020 (originally March 27, 2020).
Great Lakes Waterfront Trail: Council decided to advise the Waterfront Regeneration Trust, the WRT, that it wishes to participate in the extension of the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail cycling route through the Township of Tiny. Staff was directed to work with the WRT “to identify, map and implement” the Trail’s expansion within the Township. Council additionally decided to support the County of Simcoe’s participation in the Trail which includes an annual contribution by the County of $3500 to the WRT. For its part, the Township will supply hardware and labour for the installation of Trail signage on roads that are under the Township’s jurisdiction.
The first section of the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail – from Trenton to Stoney Creek – was established in 1995. It has since grown to roughly 3000 km in length, connecting over 140 communities and First Nations along Lakes Ontario, Erie, St. Clair, Huron and Georgian Bay, as well as the Lake Huron North Channel and the St. Lawrence, Detroit and St. Clair Rivers. The trail uses existing infrastructure including local, district and provincial roads and trail routes that follow as close as reasonably possible to the shorelines of the Great Lakes.
Information about the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail is available on the WRT’s website – https://www.waterfronttrail.org/ The founding chair of WRT (and still a member of its Board of Directors) is former Toronto mayor, federal cabinet minister and resident of Tiny Township, David Crombie.
Community Library Box At Bluewater Dunes: In a letter to Council and the Public Works Department dated November 20, 2019, the Bluewater Dunes Ratepayers Association asked that a Community Library Box be installed on Township property in its area, with the expense of the box, its maintenance and contents to be borne by the association.
While researching the feasibility of these boxes, Public Works came across an organization called “Little Free Library,” which provides library boxes for purchase and tracks their location across the globe through a registration process. This process revealed that there are currently two library boxes in the Township, at 100 Tall Pines Drive and 959 Marshall Road.
To ensure the proper use and maintenance of the library box, a member of the Bluewater Dunes Ratepayers Association would be appointed as a steward responsible for registering the library with the Little Free Library at a cost of $40 plus tax. Once installed, the steward would follow the maintenance standard set out in the agreement with the Little Free Library. The township would have the right to remove the box from Township property or relocate it should issues develop. Public works estimated the cost to the Township for a Community Library Box on Township property for registration, office staff time for locates, agreement, tracking, and installation as roughly $440.
Council rejected this option, instead recommending that staff advise the Bluewater Dunes Ratepayers’ Association of the Little Free Library organization’s information.
Modifications To Tiny’s Official Plan: The Official Plan of Tiny Township was formally adopted by the Township on November 26, 2018 and submitted to the County of Simcoe, which then made modifications to the adopted OP. Township staff and MHBC Planning have worked with County Planning staff to develop a modified version of the adopted OP that complies with all applicable legislation and upper-tier planning policy. The OP, as adopted in 2018, with the agreed upon County modifications, is available in Reports of Consultants in the Committee of the Whole Agenda for April 27, 2020. Here are the main changes:
Natural Heritage System mapping (Greenlands and Environmental Protection designations) and Agricultural System mapping (Agricultural designation). These are the most refined mapping layers available within the municipality, and are used in the adopted OP. The less refined Provincial Natural Heritage System and the Provincial Agricultural System (which had been relegated to Appendices 1 and 2 in the Adopted OP) have been removed from the Adopted OP.
Growth Management. In 2019, the province modified its policies surrounding settlement area expansions. Minor adjustments can now occur without a Municipal Comprehensive Review. Density targets have been removed (since the Township has no fully serviced settlement areas). Major settlement area boundary expansion can only occur as part of a Municipal Comprehensive Review. Tiny Township’s settlement areas are defined in the Growth Plan as rural settlements. Policies have been added that permit employment land conversions outside of a Municipal Comprehensive review.
Shoreline Designation. Bed Breakfasts are now a permitted use in the Shoreline Designation but only if there is a site-specific Zoning By-law Amendment.
Second Units. The Planning Act now permits two second units per lot, including one in an accessory building. In Tiny two second units are now permitted in the Rural, Agricultural, Greenlands, Country Residential and Settlement Area designations, but NOT Shoreline.
Renewable Energy: Changes have been made to the adopted OP to reflect the Provincial repeal of the Green Energy Act. However, Section D.14.1 of the adopted OP still stands: it states that “the Township is not a willing host for industrial wind turbines.”
Community Benefits By-law and Settlement Area Mapping. These are still in process.
Mineral Aggregate Resources II Mapping. The map in Appendix 3 reveals that the County has substantially expanded the amount of land designated Mineral Aggregate Resources II in several areas of the township.
Appeal of the County’s OP Greenland Designation: Many discrepancies been Tiny’s and the County’s OPs were resolved through the 2019 Growth Plan conformity exercise. All natural heritage features (significant woodlands, significant valleylands, ANSIs, etc.) constitute the Township’s Greenland designation. The County identified some additional minor additional lands to be designated as Greenland. See Appendix 5.
Sewage System Reinspection Program: In 2019, Tatham Engineering Inc inspected the north east quadrant of the Township, completing 1490 inspections. 269 of these revealed deficiencies and more will be found once all septic tank reports have been submitted. These are the most numerous deficiencies:
- 71 root intrusions into the leaching bed area
- 62 septic tanks needed to be replaced
- 32 instances of vehicles parking or driving on the septic tank or leaching bed
- 26 needed information on the sewage system from the resident
- 13 had eavestroughs or sump pumps draining onto the septic tank or leaching bed
- 12 had a structure or patio on top of the leaching bed
- 12 had an outdoor sink or shower drain discharging onto the ground
- 9 had a septic tank or leaching be near a lake
Outstanding issues from the programs in 2018, 2017, and 2016 go through a series of stages. Continuing problems are dealt with in the Ontario Court of Justice.
In 2020, inspections, which are typically done every 6 years, will be done in the north west quadrant of the township, excluding Thunder Beach. (Note that the 468 properties within the municipal well head protection areas are inspected every 5 years.)
Phragmites Control: Lynn Short, Professor of Faculty of Applied Science and Technology, Humber College, spoke about her Phragmites Research at Wymbolwood Beach. The four-year project has come to an end because high water has modified the beach area where the research was taking place. Her report about her research is now part of the record at the Ontario Invasive Plant Council and at the SSEA and will be posted on the Township’s website.
By-Law Enforcement Related to Covid-19 Provincial Orders: The Province of Ontario issued a Declaration of Emergency on March 17, 2020. Ten days later, it gave by-law officers, province-wide, the authority to enforce the various emergency orders. Since then, according Steve Harvey, Tiny’s Chief Municipal Law Enforcement Officer, half of his department’s activity has concerned the rules restricting park use. Only walk through use of parks (including Tiny’s five beach parks) is permitted (no sitting, swimming, paddle-boarding). Benches and equipment are taped off. Social distancing is required. Gatherings of more than five people are not permitted. At the last meeting in April, he reported that compliance in Tiny has been very good — but not perfect.
Jackson Park was closed when this report was discussed in April and the boat ramp was buried in sand. When cleared in May, only emergency services were allowed to use it, however as of the time of writing (May 22), the boat launch has been re-opened.
Financial Implications Related To Covid-19 Pandemic: During the last April Committee of the Whole Meeting, Treasurer Doug Taylor announced that on May 25, he would present an extended report focussing on cash flow, given the many negative and positive impacts of the pandemic. He envisions a “what if” or a “sensitivity analysis” involving several scenarios. He intends to raise concerns and suggest options and solutions.
Council’s Meeting Schedule Under Emergency Declaration: Council will meet every third week starting May 25, 2020 for the duration.