County Council Highlights for March 16, 2022
Warden and County CAO Thank Staff and Residents for Pandemic Response
Warden Gary McNamara thanked Essex County residents and businesses for all they have done to get the region through two years of a global pandemic.
During Wednesday’s county council meeting, the warden and CAO Mike Galloway also praised staff for stepping up to serve residents despite the challenges posed by COVID-19.
“The county is unique in that there are so many diverse departments offering a wide array of services, from Infrastructure Services to the Solid Waste Authority, Finance, Community Services, HR, Essex-Windsor EMS and Sun Parlor Home,” Galloway said. “Each has their own responsibilities, challenges and cultures, but, despite those differences, there’s a unifying sense of purpose, a feeling of pride in doing good work, and an abiding love for this region.”
McNamara said the recent lifting of restrictions by the province, as deaths and hospitalizations due to COVID-19 decline, is creating a sense of hope but also anxiety among residents.
“We need to keep looking out for each other,” he said. “We need to respect each other’s choices about whether to continue wearing masks in public and social distancing. We need always to be kind.”
The warden encouraged residents to make sure they have received three doses of vaccine, even as the pandemic appears to be waning.
“Vaccination is a simple measure that is getting us out of the cycle of pandemic waves of hospitalizations and deaths,” he said.
Windsor Essex Ontario Health Team Working to Integrate Services
The recently formed Windsor Essex Ontario Health Team is moving forward with its plans to better integrate health services in the region.
Council received an update from co-chairs Bruce Krauter, chief of Essex-Windsor EMS, Claudia den Boer, executive lead for community mental health at Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, and Kristen Kennedy, president and CEO of Erie Shores Healthcare.
The Ontario government announced in February that it is providing up to $1.1 million to the team to integrate health-care services for patients and support the region’s ongoing response to COVID-19.
Ontario Health Teams, which are being formed across the province, bring together health-care providers to collaborate, better coordinate care and share resources. The Windsor Essex Ontario Health Team is composed of over 45 local health-care programs and service providers, including hospitals, primary care and community support providers, mental health and addictions agencies, long-term care and other social service providers.
The County of Essex supports the creation of health teams but is concerned about the possibility municipalities could be asked to cover some of the operating costs through fees and membership dues, Warden Gary McNamara wrote in a letter sent to Minister of Health Christine Elliott earlier this month.
“The municipal contribution to the community health and wellness system is significant and should not be increased to fund initiatives that fall clearly within the sphere of Provincial jurisdiction,” says the letter. “Maintaining a clear line of funding responsibility ensures for greater accountability and success tracking over time.”
Council Calls for Increased Funding for Retaining Affordable Housing
County council is joining Windsor city council in passing a resolution calling on the provincial and federal governments to increase support for housing retention policies.
Both councils want senior levels of government to create long-term, sustainable funding dedicated to increase the housing supply and promote successful tenancies through supports and supportive housing programs.
Rental of Waste Authority Land to Farm Operation Extended
Council approved the second extension of an agreement to rent 813 acres of land near the Regional Landfill to Chris Malott Farming Enterprises Inc. for $276 per acre.
The land is part of the Essex-Windsor Solid Waste Authority’s operations but is owned by the county because the authority cannot have title to property.
The authority and the county signed a five-year agreement in 2016 to rent the 10 parcels of land to Malott. The first extension, from Nov. 1, 2021, to Oct. 31, 2022, was approved in 2020. The second extension is from Nov. 1, 2022, to Oct. 31, 2023.
Malott has complied with all the terms of the agreement and invested in improving the soil condition, notes a report to council. The agreement, which earns the authority $224,388 per year, allows for one more extension.
New Policy and Procedure Governance Framework Adopted
The County of Essex is adopting a new Policy and Procedure Governance Framework that distinguishes between corporate policies that require council approval and administrative policies that don’t.
Council approved the policy framework, which states that corporate policies establish the strategic direction of the County of Essex and steer the administrative process on matters of public interest and how the county functions.
Administrative policies establish the principles and protocols for staff to execute operations with consistent standards and conventions. They are approved by the Chief Administrative Officer.
Service Accountability Agreement Extended for Sun Parlor Home
The Service Accountability Agreement for Sun Parlor Home in Leamington with Ontario Health West has been extended to March 31, 2023.
Council accepted the extension and authorized the execution of a declaration of compliance that says that, to the best if the county’s knowledge, Sun Parlor Home has fulfilled its obligation under the previous one-year agreement.
County Road 22 Corridor Project Nearing the Detailed Design Stage
Plans to widen County Road 22 in Lakeshore between East Puce Road and Belle River Road and make it safer for pedestrians and cyclists are close to the design stage.
Council received an update on the County Road 22 Corridor Study, a joint project with the Municipality of Lakeshore, from Jerry Behl, the county’s manager of transportation planning and development.
The final report is available online until April 15 for further public input. It was produced following public consultations that began in December 2020 and builds on previous work, including an environmental assessment done in 2006.
It concludes that the preferred solution is to widen the County Road 22 right-of-way from 20 metres to almost 30 metres to include a centre turning lane and cycle tracks on both sides of the road, as well as a multi-use trail along the south side and a sidewalk along the north.
The project will involve closing access from eight local streets onto County Road 22. Area residents have expressed concerns the closures will increase traffic and speeding in neighbourhoods. Lakeshore is planning to collect data on traffic volumes and speeds to see if they change after the road closures. Traffic calming measures will be installed if warranted.
Lakeshore Council is requesting that the County of Essex look at including right-hand turn lanes in the eastbound lanes at Emery Drive, Renaud Line, Willow Wood Drive, Rourke Line and Grandview Boulevard.
The county will issue a request for proposals to complete the detailed design of the enhancements to County Road 22 after April 15. If the proposed implementation plan is followed, preparatory work would take place from 2022 to 2024 and construction would start in 2025 and be completed in 2027.
County Indicates all Municipalities to Participate in Regional Organic Waste Program
County council is informing the Essex-Windsor Solid Waste Authority (EWSWA) that all seven municipalities will participate in a regional solution for collecting and processing organic waste.
A report to council says county administration fully supports a regional source separated organics program because:
- It is the environmentally right thing to do;
- It aligns with regional community energy plan goals;
- It will ensure compliance with provincial regulations as county municipalities continue to grow in population and density;
- It provides a sound business case for transferring governance of waste collection contracts from the local level to the regional level; and
- It will maximize the potential for cost savings and operational efficiencies for the waste collection and disposal system if contracts are managed as a centralized solution by the EWSWA.
EWSWA’s Food and Organic Waste Management Oversight Committee is preparing to issue a request for proposals for a short-term solution for collecting and processing source separated organics from Windsor and any other municipalities choosing to participate. The contract with the successful proponent would be for five years, with the option to extend it.
A solution is necessary because Ontario’s Food and Organic Waste Policy Statement requires Windsor, Amherstburg, LaSalle, Leamington and Tecumseh to start diverting a percentage of their organic waste from the Regional Landfill by 2025. It is also expected that the province will ban all organics from landfills in the future.
Amherstburg, Lakeshore, LaSalle, Leamington and Tecumseh councils have indicated they support a regional approach to food and organic waste management. Kingsville council voted against participation and Essex council has yet to discuss the issue.
County to Take Ownership of High Priority Community Health-care Vehicle
A vehicle that will be used for high-priority health care in hard hit neighbourhoods of Windsor and Essex County will be looked after by Essex-Windsor EMS.
Council agreed the county should take ownership of the vehicle, which is being purchased with provincial funding for the High Priority Community Program. The Canadian Mental Health Association – Windsor-Essex County Branch is the agency which receives the funding for the mobile clinics, which are staffed by Essex-Windsor EMS and other local health agencies.
The mobile clinics have been effective in providing testing, vaccination, health care and supports to some of the region’s most vulnerable populations during the COVID-19 pandemic, says a report by EMS Chief Bruce Krauter. This included staffing vaccination centres in Kingsville and Leamington, testing at agri-food facilities, and providing care in congregate care settings and homeless shelters.
The province has approved the purchase of the mobile clinic, which will make it easier to serve vulnerable communities in all locations. While the county will own the vehicle, a memorandum of understanding is expected to confirm it will not have to cover any of the costs.
Regional Cooperation Proposed to Keep Isolation and Recovery Centre Operating
The county has approached the City of Windsor to work on a collaborative solution to keep the isolation and recovery centre for temporary foreign agricultural workers operating.
The city, which has operated the centre throughout the pandemic, has given notice that it won’t staff it after June 30. Over 19 months, the centre provided accommodation and support to more than 1,000 agricultural workers.
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit has indicated the centre is still needed.
“While county municipalities cannot shoulder this burden alone, we stand ready to assist as the city works to transition the delivery of this vital program to another body,” CAO Mike Galloway states in a Feb. 28 letter to Windsor CAO Jason Reynar.
Galloway’s letter proposes a solution to continue the centre be worked on by the county, city, Leamington, Kingsville, the health unit, Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and Erie Shores Healthcare.
Leamington Mayor Hilda MacDonald gave notice on March 2 that she wanted county council to discuss which local government should apply for continued federal funding for the isolation and recovery centre.
Council deferred making any decision pending a full report on a proposed solution that will be brought to county council April 6.