Council Updates
Council met on Wednesday, September 20th – Committee of the Whole (CoW) and Regular Meeting of Council. The Mayor, Deputy Mayor and three Councillors were in attendance at all meetings.
Committee of the Whole – September 20th, 2023
Open Deputation
Jennifer Heresholtzer reported that her complaints to Granicus about advertising STRs are not being recorded. By-law staff indicated that there were only 10 bad offenders that are now being addressed through the courts.
Tiny 2024 Budget Survey Results
Council received the Budget Survey Results as information with no discussion taking place. The full survey and summary report can be found at
A few highlights:
Question #6: Below are Council and Staff budget priorities for 2024. Out of these items, what are the three most important ones to you?
397 responses:
• Short-term Rental Management and enforcement 35% (2023-42%)
• Beach access, delineation and public beach spaces 31% (2023-41%)
• Road improvements 45% (2023-38%)
• Roads/Ditch Maintenance 26% (2023-24%)
Question #7: Long-term planning is vital for the Township of Tiny. What are the three most important items you want Council to focus on investing in long-term (5-10 years)?
390 responses
• Investment in Road infrastructure, bridges and drainage 65% (2023-51%)
• Public Lands Management including shoreline, public beach access & delineation 43% (2023- 41%)
• Investment in trails, beaches and parks 34% (2023-50%)
• Asset Management and Financial Planning 35% (2023-N/A)
Procedure By-law
When Council goes into closed session in the middle of a Council meeting, attendees are required to vacate the chamber. An amendment to the Township’s Procedure Bylaw related to the Closed Session meetings would eliminate the need of the public to leave an already convened open session due to the need to go into closed session. This would apply to the Regular Meeting of Council agenda as this is where such a disruption in public attendance occurs related to closed session.
The Regular Meeting of Council will now commence at 4 p.m. (or another designated time as deemed appropriate to meet in Closed Session as required) prior to Council meeting in Open Session at 5:30 p.m. This provides a maximum of 90 minutes for Council to consider any closed session items on the Regular Meeting of Council agenda. If it is deemed the maximum amount of time in closed session is not required, the closed session could convene at 4:30 p.m. or alternatively 5:00 p.m. However, Open Session shall commence at 5:30 p.m.
Although the intent was to address the public disruption aspect, Councillor Walma took the opportunity to reopen the issue of electronic attendance at special meetings and recommended an amendment to have these excluded from the three missed meeting repercussions. Although Councillor Brunelle objected to this being raised at the last minute and without notice, the amendment was approved removing special meetings from consideration.
Audited Financial Statement
The audited financial statements for 2022 were presented by the Townships new auditor, Rebecca MacDonald, Pahapill and Associates Professional Corporation: https://tinyurl.com/ytscy6v4
There were no questions of the auditor nor discussions by Council on addressing the infrastructure deficit. The Mayor did indicate that they were planning significant infrastructure spending in the coming years to which the auditor responded that they have $5M. to work with.
The Township had a surplus of $2,401,368 compared to $1,032,643 in 2021. There was no explanation of why the Township budgets for a surplus.
Excessive Water Charges
At the previous CoW meeting, Council received a request from Mr. & Mrs. La Rose for forgiveness of a water bill in the amount of $3,021.64. Council determined that staff needed to develop a policy to address such issues and that in the current situation the residents be charged 50% of the overage on a one-time basis.
Use of Wyebridge Community Centre
Council discussed the use of the Wyebridge Community Centre and a request to waive fees by a group of senior ladies. The result was a decision to charge $12.50 plus insurance per use.
Speed Signs and Bike Lanes – LASHA Letter to Council
A letter from LASHA commended Council on swift action taken to reduce the maximum speed limit along Tiny Beaches Road North between Concessions 15 and 18, pave over 80% of the same area, and install bike/pedestrian lined walkway areas.
LASHA remains concerned about vehicle parking in the bike/pedestrian lined pathways, and says it was led to believe these pathways would be marked and no parking indicated. The letter was forwarded to Public Works for consideration.
New Municipal Building – LASHA Letter to Council
A letter from LASHA expressed concern over the large tax increase announced, the prioritizing of the Municipal Building project over other pressing infrastructure deficits and the apparent disregard of resident’s preferences/recommendations as gathered through a series of surveys. There was no discussion on the correspondence and Council motioned that the letter be received as information.