County Council Highlights for Aug. 16, 2023

Warden Praises Road Maintenance Crews and Thanks Departing HR Director

Warden Hilda MacDonald congratulated road maintenance crews for the County of Essex and local municipalities for their teamwork and execution of a one-day training exercise.

“Hats off to all the volunteers, including some retirees, who made the (Essex County Municipal Supervisors Association) Safety Truck Roadeo a huge success,” MacDonald said in her opening remarks at Wednesday’s Essex County Council meeting.

The ‘roadeo’ was held at the Essex County roads maintenance yard in Amherstburg on Aug. 1. The warden thanked the event committee members from the County of Essex, Town of Kingsville and Town of Essex for organizing a “fun, smoothly run and educational experience.”

MacDonald also thanked departing County of Essex Human Resources Director Kristie Cronin for her service. Cronin has accepted the position of Deputy Minister of Human Resources for the Government of Nunavut.

“Kristie has been a valuable and capable member of the senior leadership team,” the warden said. “She has energized staff and enhanced the Human Resources department while navigating some challenging times. We wish her well as her career takes her from Canada’s sun parlor to its most northern territory.”

Council Declares Intimate Partner Violence an Epidemic

Council declared Intimate Partner Violence an epidemic in the region following a presentation by members of the Violence Against Women Coordinating Committee Windsor-Essex.

The committee is comprised of community-based organizations that work together to provide a coordinated response for women experiencing violence and their children. Declaring intimate partner violence an epidemic is a first step in addressing the issue, as recommended last year in a report that came out of a coroner’s inquest into the deaths of two women in Renfrew County, the committee said in a letter to council.

Since October 2021, four women have been killed by current or former intimate partners in Windsor-Essex, the committee noted. Hiatus House, the local provider of domestic violence services for women, received 2,357 crisis calls in 2022 and, along with other agencies, provided shelter to 1,234 women and children, says a pamphlet prepared by the committee.

County on Track to Post a Surplus in 2023

It is projected the Corporation of the County of Essex will end 2023 with a net surplus of approximately $387,290, says a report to council.

As of the end of July, the operating surplus was projected to be $748,740, while capital projects were expected to be $361,450 over budget, says the report by Heidi McLeod, manager, accounting-administration and deputy treasurer. The report notes that significant changes in costs for social services, social housing, emergency medical services, Sun Parlor Home, infrastructure services and outstanding wage settlements could affect the final numbers.

Centralized Procurement Process Showing Benefits

The centralized procurement process adopted by the County of Essex in late 2021 is already producing benefits, says a report to council about changes made to date and plans for the future.

Prior to the centralized system, each department took care of making its own purchases and followed its own processes. Now, there is a dedicated procurement services group in the Financial Services department that handles procuring all products and services for the County of Essex, including Essex-Windsor EMS, Sun Parlor Home, the Essex County Library and the Essex-Windsor Solid Waste Authority.

The procurement services group has taken a long-term strategic approach that considers both current and future needs, says the report to council. By standardizing procurement processes it is aiming to provide a consistent message to the market, reduce corporate risk and streamline the work involved. It is also working with local municipalities to form a regional procurement group, which will assist in getting better prices from vendors.

Federal Grant to Assist in Adding Paved Shoulders on County Road 50

Essex County Council has authorized the execution of a memorandum of understanding with the Town of Essex that will allow for federal funding to cover part of the cost of adding paved shoulders to County Road 50.

The town has been awarded a Federal Active Transportation Fund grant for the construction of paved shoulders along County Road 50 between County Road 41 and Dahinda Drive. The grant will cover the town’s 60 per cent share of the project, which the county will execute as part of the expansion of the County Wide Active Transportation System.

The total estimated cost of the project, which includes rehabilitation of the road, is $5 million. The county will pay 40 per cent of the paved shoulder portion, which is expected to cost $3.8 million. Construction will start this year and be completed over the next two years, says a report to council.

Storm Water Pond Proposed for Civic Centre Property

Council has agreed in principle to construction by the Town of Essex of a storm water management pond on the Essex County Civic Centre property.

County Administration will continue to work with the town on legal agreements and the final design of the pond, which would be located southeast of the Civic Centre. The proposed pond is one of the measures the Essex is undertaking to improve storm water drainage in the town centre. The county’s primary concern is that the pond will be regularly maintained by the town, says a report to council.

EMS Chief Signals the Need for Additional Paramedics in 2024

Based on the trend to date, Essex-Windsor EMS will respond to more calls in 2023 than in any previous year, says a report to council by Chief Bruce Krauter.

The total number of calls is expected to reach 68,113, the bulk of which are for the most serious cases. Krauter’s report urges Essex County Council to consider increasing paramedic resources and support services in 2024. It recommends refreshing the service’s 10-year master plan and notes that a stand-alone EMS station in Kingsville is nearing completion while funds have been set aside in the county’s 2023 Budget for land to build a new LaSalle station.

“The future industrial development in the region, the expected completion of the international crossing, and the ongoing residential development in local municipalities will continue to contribute to the increased (calls for ambulance service) into the future,” says the chief’s report.

It also notes that hospitals and the rest of the health-care system are strained to meet demand. Ambulance offload delays and hospital capacity restraints are challenges across Canada, it says, noting that Essex-Windsor EMS and local hospitals have implemented multiple measures to try to ease the pressure.

However, there continue to be significant periods when there are two or fewer Essex-Windsor EMS ambulances available (Code Red) and others when no ambulances are available (Code Black), Krauter’s report says. In July, there were no ambulances available for 184 minutes and two or fewer for 296 minutes. During these periods, Essex-Windsor EMS focuses on the highest priority calls and relies on partner EMS services and other first responders to fill the gaps.

County to Pursue Next Generation 911 Service for Six Municipalities

The County of Essex will contract with Bell Canada for next generation 911 service on behalf of local municipalities, except for the Town of Amherstburg.

Bell has given notice that the current 911 network will be decommissioned by March 4, 2025. The county is currently responsible for the contract with Bell and an agreement with the OPP to provide dispatch service to local municipalities – except for Amherstburg, which is covered by the Windsor Police Service.

The OPP, Windsor Police and other interested primary public safety answering point services will be invited to submit proposals to provide dispatch services for the six municipalities, says a report to council. All costs will be charged back to the local municipalities.

Council Passes By-law Allowing County to Take Over Waste Collection

Council has passed a by-law authorizing the County of Essex to take over responsibility for waste collection and delivery from local municipalities. At least four of the seven local municipalities – with at least 50 per cent of the electors in the county – must pass resolutions supporting the move for it to go ahead.

New provincial requirements to divert organic waste from landfills led to a proposal that Essex County take responsibility for local waste collection, with the Essex-Windsor Solid Waste Authority administering the service. The cost of waste collection and delivery is currently paid by local municipalities from tax revenues. The cost would continue to be borne by local taxpayers, but it is anticipated regionalizing and standardizing the service will save money, says a report to council.

Under the proposed new system, the waste collection levy rate could be a separate item on municipal tax bills, along with the local municipal levy rate, county levy rate and education rate, says the report. How waste collection costs will be divided between the municipalities is yet to be decided. A formula incorporating the tax base of the municipality and the amount of waste collected is being considered.