County Council Highlights for July 19, 2023

Essex County Turns 231 and Conservation Authority Celebrates 50 Years

Essex County is 231 years old, a milestone that is important to reflect on as it plans for the future, Warden Hilda MacDonald said in her opening to remarks to council Wednesday.

Essex County was created on July 16, 1792, when Upper Canada was divided into 19 counties. Long before the county existed, the Indigenous Peoples honoured in its land acknowledgement statement lived and worked on the land, the warden noted. The Europeans, who began arriving and settling in Essex County decades before confederation, included former French soldiers, former slaves and immigrants from around the world.

“We are still making history, and we want to make sure our future is as vibrant and prosperous as our past,” MacDonald said. “We are in the process of developing Essex County’s first strategic plan – a roadmap that will help us navigate the years ahead. We look forward to receiving input from residents and community stakeholders in the months to come.”

MacDonald welcomed Sandra Zwiers to her first meeting as Chief Administrative Officer for the County of Essex.

“You have been a fantastic leader for our Financial Services team over the past five years, and we know you are bringing the same expertise and dedication to your new role,” said MacDonald. “Council is looking forward to tackling the opportunities and challenges ahead with you at the helm of a great staff.”

The warden also congratulated the Essex Region Conservation Authority on celebrating 50 years and thanked staff members for their passion and dedication.

“The conservation authority has been a vital partner over the last half century in conserving our natural heritage, restoring our natural areas, and developing and managing natural resources in our watersheds,” the warden said.

Service Agreements with Residential Homes Updated

Council approved updated language for service agreements with 10 residential service providers in Essex County.

They provide permanent housing, limited support and 24-hour supervision to eligible low-income residents with special needs. The fees are covered by provincial funding programs. Because of changes to the funding programs and per diem rates, the wording of service agreements and program standards set by the county had to be updated.

While the bulk of the funding for residential services homes in Essex County comes from the province’s Homelessness Prevention Program, the county also contributes a portion.

Cost of County’s Comprehensive Insurance Drops Slightly

The County of Essex was able to renew its comprehensive insurance program for $51,000 less than it paid the previous year.

Municipal insurance costs were creeping up over the past four years but now appear to be softening, says a report to council. Essex County’s premium for the year starting June 30, 2023, is $1,059,582 plus taxes.

County Backs United Way ProsperUs Initiative with More Funding

Council approved providing $50,000 to the ProsperUs Cradle to Career Strategy overseen by United Way Windsor-Essex.

ProsperUs is a cross-sector, collective impact partnership comprised of non-profit, government, health care, education, labour, business, and inspired community members and residents with a shared vision of a prosperous Windsor-Essex County where every young person has the opportunity and support to succeed from cradle to career. After an extensive review of community data, it is focusing its efforts on West Windsor, downtown Windsor and Leamington – where children face more barriers to success than their peers in other neighbourhoods.

County Taking Steps Toward Participating in Community Improvement Plans

An amendment to the County of Essex Official Plan that will allow it to participate in tax grants offered by local municipalities to attract industrial and commercial development is being prepared for public review.

Council approved moving forward with the process following requests from Tecumseh and Amherstburg, which have implemented community improvement plans. Local municipalities can only offer tax grants for their portion of property taxes – roughly 50 per cent of the typical tax bill in Essex County. The other half is for county and education taxes.

Essex County must amend its Official Plan as a first step toward being able to support community improvement plans in local municipalities with a matching tax grant, says a report to council by Rebecca Belanger, manager, planning services.

“The benefit of the County’s participation in providing matching tax grant funding will position the County and local municipalities at a level playing field with single tier municipalities, including the City of Windsor, and play a significant role in increasing the range of large-scale industrial development and job creation in the County,” says the report. “As a region with primarily residential assessment, programs that encourage growth in other tax classes help to diversify our assessment base and strengthen our ability to weather economic challenges.”

If the Official Plan amendment is approved, the county will develop a program guide setting out the details of how it will participate in the tax grants.

Agreement Allows School Drain Under County Road

The County of Essex is allowing the Conseil Scolaire Catholique Providence to build a private drain under County Road 42 for a school property in St. Joachim. County council has approved a servicing and encroachment agreement with the school board for the Saint-Ambroise School property.

Agreement Lets Telus Expand High-Speed Internet Service

Council has approved a road user agreement with Telus so that it can complete a multi-year project to expand high-speed internet service in Essex County. Telus was awarded the contract for the project by the non-profit, municipally led Southwestern Integrated Fibre Technology in 2020. It will require access to the right of ways along various county roads to install fibre optic cable for broadband internet services.

Council to Consider By-law for County to Take Responsibility for Waste Collection

Essex County Council could decide as early as August whether to take over responsibility for waste collection from local municipalities.

Council received an update on the process in a report by County Solicitor David Sundin and the proposed by-law required to make the change. The by-law is expected to be on council county’s agenda for Aug. 16.

The update presented Wednesday includes a summary of recommendations made by EXP Services, which has hired by the Essex-Windsor Solid Waste Authority (EWSWA) to conduct a review of waste collection. The report recommends EWSWA collect waste for the entire Essex-Windsor region. Under the proposed plan for the county to take over responsibility for waste collection, EWSWA would administer and run the program.