County Council Highlights for Feb. 2, 2022

Warden Praises Good Things Happening in the County

Essex County municipalities are to be commended for passing responsible 2022 budgets and moving forward with plans to make the region a better place to live, work and play, says Warden Gary McNamara.

In his opening remarks at Wednesday’s county council meeting, he highlighted significant steps being taken in each of the seven municipalities that show the region is progressing despite the pandemic.

“Everywhere, we are seeing the demand for housing skyrocket. This is creating some pressures, but it is also a sign that our region is coming into its own,” McNamara said.

The warden wished a happy lunar new year to those celebrating it and encouraged residents to honour Black History Month in February by taking part in events organized by local groups and organizations. Details about Windsor-Essex Black History Month activities can be found on the Amherstburg Freedom Museum website.

McNamara began his remarks by urging residents to be patient and to stay positive after Ontario lifted some pandemic restrictions Monday.

“Focus on your mental and physical health. Reach out to those who are struggling. If you are struggling, reach out for help. Know that you are not alone, marginalized or forgotten,” he said. “We can have different opinions or feelings, and still be united in the fight to end this pandemic.”

Acting Medical Officer of Health Provides Update on the Pandemic

COVID-19 continues to remain “a challenge” in Windsor-Essex and officials will need to closely monitor the impact of this week’s reopening of the economy, Acting Medical Officer of Health Dr. Shanker Nesathurai told Essex County Council Wednesday night.

Nesathurai said there is still the “senseless burden of disease” among unvaccinated people who fall seriously ill or succumb to the disease in “the prime of their life” and encouraged every resident of Windsor and Essex County to get vaccinated.

“If they can’t do it for themselves, do it for their families and their children,” he said. “We need to get vaccination rates higher.”

Nesathurai said the community needed to learn to live with COVID-19 the way it had learned to live with HIV. He said dealing with it on an ongoing basis would require a “suite of approaches” and that the new normal would likely involve continued masking, inconveniences when it comes to travel and the reality that dining indoors presents a certain level or risk.

“If it was going away, it would have gone away by now,” he said.

Nesathurai said he was opposed to closing schools again and that it would require an “extraordinary set of circumstances.” He added he was proud of the health unit for its motion calling on the province to add COVID-19 vaccines to the list of vaccinations that are compulsory under the Immunization of School Pupils Act.

“It’s an important step that the province could take to improve vaccination rates overall,” he said.

Warden Gary McNamara thanked Nesathurai, health unit CEO Nicole Dupuis and health unit employees for their courage, strength, resolve and “herculean” efforts throughout the pandemic.

CWATS Network and Projects Expanding in 2022

Projects planned for 2022 will expand the County Wide Active Transportation System (CWATS) by almost 18 km.

Since the CWATS Master Plan was adopted in 2012, approximately 427 km of cycle tracks, bike lanes, multi-use trails, paved shoulders and signed bike routes have been created in Essex County, says report to council by active transportation coordinator Diana Radulescu.

The county’s 2022 Budget allocates $4.8 million to CWATS initiatives, including $2.8 million for 15.8 km of new paved shoulders and $1.45 million for infrastructure projects identified by the CWATS Committee that will expand the network by another 1.9 km.

The infrastructure projects recommended by the committee and approved by council for 2022 are:

• A 0.2-km multi-use path on County Road 20 in Leamington between Cherry Lane and Regatta Drive for which the county will contribute $21,600 and Leamington $32,400.
• A 1.2-km stretch of paved shoulders on County Road 2 in Lakeshore from Moison Creek West to Stuart Lane for which the county will contribute $179,238 and Lakeshore $265,857.
• A 0.5-km stretch of paved shoulders on County Road 34 in Kingsville from County Road 18 to Highway 3 for which the county will cover the full cost, estimated to be $150,000.
• An allocation of $500,000 to the Essex Region Conservation Authority’s acquisition of the former CASO rail corridor that has been turned into a trail running north and south between Leamington and Lakeshore.
• An allocation of $302,905 that can be put toward additional projects Essex County municipalities apply to build in 2022.

Paved shoulder projects, which align with the county’s 2022 road rehabilitation program and are paid for by the county, are shown in the table below.

Also being added in 2022 is a plan to conduct an Agricultural Workers Active Transportation Needs Assessment in partnership with the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit. The survey will be delivered to workers this spring and the assessment completed in the fall.

The CWATS Master Plan is being updated and the final draft is expected to be completed in 2022 and be available for public consultation before it is presented to county council and municipal councils for approval.

The plan “is more than a proposed network of on and off-road pedestrian and cycling facilities; it has been the guiding document to recommend, promote and accommodate safe walking and cycling, create connected communities and recognize and promote the economic, health and quality of life benefits that active transportation offers,” notes Radulescu’s report.

Tender Awarded for Replacement of Bridge over Cedar Creek Branch

Front Construction Industries Inc. has been awarded the contract to replace a bridge over the south branch of Cedar Creek.

The company’s bid of $1,282,700 plus HST was the lowest of six submitted for the project.

Replacing the bridge on County Road 23 at the boundary between Essex and Kingsville is expected to take 22 weeks.

Agreement Smooths the Way for Expansion of High-Speed Internet

Council has approved a road user agreement with Cogeco Connexion Inc. allowing it to install high-speed fibre optic cable along county roads.

Cogeco was awarded a contract to install the cable in late 2020 by Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology (SWIFT), a non-profit, municipally-led broadband expansion project created to improve internet connectivity in underserved communities and rural areas across Southwestern Ontario.

Under the contract, Cogeco will expand high-speed internet to households and business across Essex County by laying cable along municipal roadways, including County Roads 8, 14, 18, 31, 33, 34, and 37 in Leamington, County Roads 18, 23, 29, and 31 in Kingsville, and County Roads 11, 12, 15, 18, 20, 23, and 50 in Essex.