County Council Highlights for Feb. 16, 2022

Council Welcomes New Member and Honours Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

Essex County council honoured Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee by standing while God Save the Queen was played at the end of Wednesday’s regular meeting.

“The Queen sets an example for all of us by honouring and supporting those who share her sense of duty and commitment to others,” Warden Gary McNamara said at the start of the meeting.

The warden also welcomed Town of Essex Deputy Mayor Steve Bjorkman, who was sworn in as a member of council last week.

McNamara thanked police for clearing a blockade that prevented traffic from crossing the Ambassador Bridge for almost a week. He also commended Essex-Windsor EMS for being prepared to assist.

The warden credited the tireless efforts of frontline workers and responsible actions of those who have been vaccinated for allowing the province to lift some pandemic restrictions.

Community Engagement Part of Next Steps in the New Hospital Project

The team planning for the new Windsor/Essex Acute Care Hospital Project is preparing for virtual public consultations over the coming month.

County council received an update Wednesday from project director Paul Landry, communications and community engagement manager Allison Johnson, director of clinical services planning Dr. Andrew Petrakos, director of support services planning Jeff Geml and Windsor Regional Hospital president and CEO David Musyj.

The new hospital project is now in Stage 2 of the provincial process required for funding approval. This involves the creation of a functional program and block schematic plans. The functional program document will describe in detail the future hospital’s services, activity volumes, staffing levels, new technologies and space requirements. Then a team of architects and engineers will incorporate that information into drawings that show how all the rooms, departments and services can be organized in the new hospital building.

The goal is to submit the block schematic diagrams to the Ontario Ministry of Health in the spring of 2023 and progress through the remaining stages of the project in time to begin construction in June 2026 and complete it by June 2030. A site on the corner of County Road 42 and Concession 9 in Windsor was selected during Stage 1.

The Project Management Office has started a monthly newsletter to keep the public updated and plans to launch an engagement platform at the end of February. Eleven virtual town hall meetings will be held March 21 to April 6 to provide information about programs and services at the hospital, as well as answer questions from the public. Another round of virtual town hall meetings is planned for the fall.

More information is available at windsorhospitals.ca.

County Backing City’s Request for Extension of Rent Supplement Funding

County council is joining Windsor city council in calling for the federal and Ontario governments to extend funding for programs that subsidize housing.

The end of federally and provincially-funded rent supplement and housing allowance programs over the next three years will affect approximately 500 Windsor and Essex County residents.

If there is no new long-term program introduced to replace the funding, the expiry of the current programs “has the potential to increase affordable housing demand, evictions, and homelessness,” says a report presented to city council in January. The city administers social housing programs for the region.

There is a waiting list of over 5,000 households for social and affordable housing in Windsor-Essex and the demand for affordable rental housing exceeds the supply in all municipalities.

County councillors also asked administration to engage the City of Windsor in discussions about Community Homelessness Prevention Initiative funding and how that money is allocated across the region.

County Official Plan Review Underway

A comprehensive review of the County of Essex Official Plan is underway, with public consultations expected to begin before June.

Rebecca Belanger, manager of planning services, presented a report updating county council on the review.

The Official Plan Review is titled One Land, One Climate, One Future, Together. It will set out goals and policies that will serve as a road map for the county to responsibly manage growth and change over the next 30 years.

“These new policies will take advantage of our regional attributes and strengths, and will ‘chart a path forward’ that is forward thinking, flexible and able to successfully navigate the many opportunities, challenges and issues that lie ahead,” says the report.

The first phase of the review, which will conclude in June, will result in a discussion paper and technical report. During Phase 2, a consulting firm will be hired to prepare additional reports and studies. In Phase 3, a draft new Official Plan will be completed and presented to county council by the end of 2023.

Three advisory groups will be established to provide input and feedback throughout the review process:

1. A Technical Planning Advisory Committee comprised of one senior planning staff member from each of the seven local municipalities, and the County of Essex manager of planning and manager of Transportation Planning and Development;
2. A Community Stakeholder Advisory Group comprised of representatives from key business, community and non-profit sectors; and
3. A Youth Advisory Group comprised of up to two student representatives from each secondary school in Essex County.

County residents, Indigenous groups, businesses and other key stakeholders will be encouraged to be involved throughout the review process, says Belanger’s report.

It is estimated the Official Plan review will cost $530,000, with the money already set aside in a reserve fund.

New Housing with Supports Service Provider Contracted in Stoney Point

Council has approved an agreement with Assisted Living Southwestern Ontario to provide subsidized housing with supports care through a program in Stoney Point.

Under the agreement, the county will subsidize 20 spaces at the Chez-Nous Collaborative Supportive Housing Program, a congregate living facility that provides housing with supports to individuals 25 years and older.

The county’s Housing with Supports program assists residents who require financial assistance, residential care and help with daily living activities. It does this by establishing agreements with service providers.

Assisted Living Southwestern Ontario is a well-established service provider in Windsor and Essex County, says a report to council by Jeanie Diamond-Francis, manager of community services.

At Chez-Nous, residents will be encouraged to set goals and will receive support and guidance to meet their goals. Staff will receive training in how to assist individuals with mental health and addictions issues. The program will aim to house county residents who are currently experiencing chronic homelessness.

Tender Awarded for Paving Recycling and Rehabilitation

Coco Paving Inc. has been awarded the contract to recycle and rehabilitate pavement on 18 kilometres of county roads.

The contract for $1.83 million plus HST includes $247,385 for pavement rehabilitation on North Malden Road in the Town of Essex, which is subject to approval by Essex town council.

The process Coco Paving will use is called “cold in-place recycling with expanded asphalt mix.” The existing pavement is ground up, mixed with fresh asphalt cement and spread back on the road.

Two of the rehabilitation projects on County Road 50 include the creation of paved shoulders.

Table 1 - 2022 Cold In-Place Recycling and Expanded Asphalt Mix Projects

Council to Discuss Options for Intersection of County Roads 20 and 23

Kingsville Deputy Mayor Gord Queen introduced a Notice of Motion that will see county council discuss at its next meeting potential improvements to the intersection of County Roads 23 and 18 in Kingsville.

The motion to be discussed urges county council to seek “expert advice and guidance” from the Department of Infrastructure Services and Planning on the “the best options” for improving safety at that intersection, including the potential for a controlled intersection.

County to Explore Possibility of Housing Pods on Sun Parlor Home Property

County council passed a motion introduced by Leamington Mayor Hilda MacDonald to have administration consult with Ontario’s Ministry of Long-Term Care and explore the possibility of constructing a small number of modular housing pods on the Sun Parlor Home property in Leamington.

“We’ve been trying to find some solution to our homelessness problem that has been highlighted by the pandemic,” said MacDonald. “We need to find a solution and we can’t accept that we don’t want it in our backyard.”