FoTTSA Report on Tiny Council Meeting December 15, 2021

Regular Meeting of Council: December 15, 2021: 9:00 a.m. – 11:02 a.m.  and 12:03 p.m. – 2:37 p.m.          

Budget Meeting: December 15, 2021: 11:02 a.m. – 12:03 p.m. and 2:56 p.m. – 4:52 p.m.

Attendance: Mayor George Cornell, Deputy Mayor Steffen Walma and Councillors John Bryant, Cindy Hastings and Gibb Wishart were present. Deputy Mayor Walma was absent for part of the day.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

  • Transportation Master Plan – Public input on the final TMP which was presented on November 24, 2021, will be received until January 28, 2022. Comments can be provided to tinytmp@stantec.com
  • Visit the Township’s COVID-19 webpage at www.tiny.ca/coronavirus for municipal service impacts and updates
  • Tiny Connect – Sign up now at tinyconnect.ca

MOVEMBER CAMPAIGN RESULTS: In November, Tiny’s firefighters raised $65,660 for men’s health. Tiny’s was the top team in Canada and globally. Samantha (Sam) Barnett, the Team Captain, was the top individual Canadian Female and Canadian Firefighter.

YEARS OF SERVICE AWARDS: Those who have served on township staff for 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 years were thanked, and their service was recognized. The longest serving (25 years) was Dave Smith in the Public Works Department.

AUDITED 2020 FINANCIAL STATEMENTS: The Township’s auditors (Baker Tilly Canada) were of the “unqualified audit opinion” that the Township’s “financial statements are free from material misstatement”. However, they did note that the asset / consumption ratio (land, buildings, equipment, vehicles, and infrastructure) has been slowly moving in the wrong direction (2016 53.3%, 2017 54.8%, 2019 55.5%, 2020 56.2%). They also noted that the unrestricted deficit is growing and the reserves/reserve fund ratio as a percentage of operating expenses is not favourable compared to the provincial average.

VOTING METHOD FOR THIS FALL’S MUNICIPAL ELECTION: Deputy Mayor Walma, a supporter of electronic voting, asked that this issue be revisited. Electronic voting saves paper and is less expensive than voting by mail. Neighbouring municipalities have all moved to electronic voting. The deciding factor was connectivity since many households in Tiny are still not connected to the internet. That being the case, the vote in favour of Vote by Mail was 4 to 1 against, Deputy Mayor Walma being the sole supporter of electronic voting. Mayor Cornell observed that the connectivity issue should be resolved in time for the 2026 municipal election.

REPORT RE SARJEANT WAVERLY PIT NO. 2 OWRA S53 ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE APPLICATION: R.J. Burnside’s peer review of the Sarjeant Company’s Environmental Compliance Application to the Ministry of the Environment concerns Sarjeant’s closed loop aggregate wash plant (sorting and screening which is facilitated by passing water and aggregate through a series of screens and agitators), two source ponds and a series of lined sedimentation ponds. Sarjeant had applied to the Ministry for a Permit to Take Water (1,641,600 liters per day for up to 180 days per year) in February 2021 for Pit 2 and for a similar second Permit for its Pit 1.

Burnside raised many concerns about the application, including lack of information about: “future locations of the wash plant and associated ponds,” frequency of excavation of settled material from the silt ponds, a water quality sampling program. In addition to these broad issues, Burnside listed 12 items that should be provided.

In the ensuing discussion, Councillor Hastings emphasized that the township is a commenting agency only: power resides with the Ontario government. Members of Council asked Burnside to strengthen its statements of concern about initial leakage from the settlement ponds, to include a recommendation that geo-synthetic liners be used, and that the integrity of the liners be monitored regularly.

BUSK TILL DUSK: This popular Balm Beach program is to receive the usual financial support.

SPECIAL COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE BUDGET MEETING: This was focused on the capital budget for 2022.

Noting the repeated presence of grant money in the budget, Councillor Bryant asked how staff went about attracting grants. He was told that all members of staff keep an eye out for potential grants, senior staff looking for significant grants.  Bonita Desroches (Director of Recreation) was mentioned as being particularly assiduous in tracking down grant programs and applying for them effectively. Mayor Cornell noted that in the period he has served on Council (2014 to the present) there has been a steady increase in the grant money attracted by the township.

There is to be a final budget meeting in January.