County Council Highlights for June 7, 2023

Essex County Council held two public meetings on Wednesday. The first was a special meeting at which members of council and the public provided input about what they would like to see included in the new County of Essex Official Plan. The second was a special regular meeting of council to award a contract for a road project.

Input Provided for Official Plan Review

Warden Hilda MacDonald opened the statutory public meeting about the new Official Plan by noting that it was one of several opportunities for providing input.

Eight delegations made presentations before county council on Wednesday evening. Members of the public can also submit feedback by email and post. Contact and background information are available on the Official Plan Review web page.

“The updated Official Plan will set out a long-term vision for how land and resources in Essex County will be managed for the next 30 years. During that time, it is projected the county’s population will grow by 70,000 residents,” MacDonald said. “This will have a huge impact on our economy, land use and services. We want to ensure we have an Official Plan in place to guide that tremendous growth in positive ways – so Essex County will continue to be a great place to live, work and play.”

Planning staff and consultants are gathering input from the province, local area municipalities, Indigenous communities, county council, conservation authorities, the public and other stakeholders, says a report by Rebecca Belanger, Manager, Planning Services. The public meeting was part of the second of three phases of the Official Plan review.

Tender Awarded for Rehabilitation of Bridge over River Canard

Front Construction Industries Inc. has been awarded the contract to rehabilitate a bridge over River Canard on County Road 11 for $1.45 million plus applicable taxes.

Essex County council awarded the contract during a special regular meeting Wednesday after reviewing a report summarizing the project and the bids to do the work by four qualified contractors. The Front Construction Industries Inc. bid was for the lowest price.

The project includes a complete replacement of the bridge deck, barrier walls and guiderail system. As well, the waterproofing layer and asphalt wearing surface will be replaced. New steel girders will be put in the abutment walls, bearing seats and wingwalls.