At the Feb. 16 Burlington Council meeting, numerous recommendations were approved from the February cycle of committee meetings. Below are some of the highlights split up by committee.
Click this link to go through the full post-meeting minutes for all recommendations that were approved at the Feb. 16 Regular Council meeting: Post-Meeting Minutes – Regular Meeting of Council_Feb16_2021; and the Feb. 3 Special Meeting of Council: Post-Meeting Minutes – CSSRA_Feb03_2021.
Minutes from the Corporate Services, Strategy, Risk and Accountability (CSSRA) Committee, Environment, Infrastructure and Community Services (EICS) Committee, and Community Planning, Regulation & Mobility (CPRM) Committee meetings can be found under the “Related Links” header at the end of this post.
HIGHLIGHTS:
CPRM COMMITTEE (Feb. 2)
• RESPONSE TO STAFF DIRECTION – MERIDIAN BRICK ALDERSHOT — Community Planning Department report.
Recommendation:
Receive and file community planning report PL-04-21 providing a response to staff direction SD-32-19 regarding the Meridian Brick Aldershot Quarry.
Carried unanimously by Council.
- Staff report: PL-04-21 – Response to Staff Direction – Meridian Brick – Aldershot Quarry
- Appendix: PL-04-21 – Appendix A – Site Plan Map
MAYOR MEED WARD’S TAKE:
I appreciate the summary details we’ve received from staff as it’s really helpful to have it collected in one place. I look forward to getting more information from staff regarding tree replacement plan.
• MERIDIAN BRICK / ALDERSHOT QUARRY — Mayor’s Office report.
Recommendation:
Approve the Terms of Reference for the creation of the Aldershot Quarry Community Liaison Committee detailed in Appendix C to Mayor’s office report MO-02-21; and
Receive and file Appendices A and B to Mayor’s office report MO-02-21.
Carried unanimously by Council.
- Mayor’s Office report: MO-02-21 Meridian Quarry
- Appendices:
MAYOR MEED WARD’S TAKE:
Ward 1 Counc. Kelvin Galbraith has been great to work with on this file as he’s fully dedicated to communicating with the Meridian Brick quarry and our residents and constituents. The idea for the Aldershot Quarry Community Liaison Committee came from one of our City of Burlington staff members committed to keeping the lines of communication open with the public and quarry operation. Meridian Brick has been wonderfully responsive to this, and they continue to work with us. This has been all well-received and a great mechanism and model to keep communications open. I am looking forward to our first meeting as a committee.
• FEASIBILITY OF A CITY-WIDE HEALTH PROTECTION BYLAW — Motion by Mayor Marianne Meed Ward.
Recommendation:
Direct the Executive Director of Legal Services to undertake a detailed review of the feasibility of a city-wide health protection bylaw to be funded from the contingency reserve fund and report back by Q2 2021.
Carried unanimously by Council.
MAYOR MEED WARD’S TAKE:
This isn’t to enact a bylaw — it’s the very early stages — but simply to have staff come back to us with what it would look like, what the scope would be, etc., as one way we can protect the health of our community.
CSSRA COMMITTEE (Feb. 3)
• SERVICE REDESIGN INTERIM MODIFICATIONS & RESUMPTIONS — City Manager’s Office report.
Recommendation:
Direct the City Manager to proceed with implementing the interim service delivery program recommendations as contained in the appendices attached to city manager’s office report CM-03-21 outlining the framework for ranking facilities to support regional COVID vaccination centres, measures for supporting provincial COVID restrictions at city assets, both from recreation, community and culture and providing interim service delivery modifications approved by the Burlington Leadership Team, Emergency Control Group and/or service leads for parking by-law enforcement – transportation; and
Direct the Chief Financial Officer to track and monitor the financial implications of the above service delivery program changes in the ongoing COVID-19 financial impact reporting to Council.
Carried unanimously by Council.
- City Manager’s Office report: CM-03-21 Service re-design interim modifications and resumptions
- Appendices:
MAYOR MEED WARD’S TAKE:
I’m supportive of all of these interim modifications, particularly the Park Ambassadors piece — this is a customer service strategy. Park ambassadors were critical at Lowville and Beachway parks during the summer to answer questions and help folks enjoy our amenities. But it has to be supplemented with bylaw staff. Now, in wintertime, the ambassadors would be able to answer questions from folks at these gathering sites directly and help clarify the provincial regulations so that when people go out to enjoy our amenities, they have a more positive experience than a negative one.
EICS COMMITTEE (Feb. 4)
• ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING UPDATE & ANALYSIS — Environment, Infrastructure and Community Services Department Report
Recommendation:
Receive and file environment, infrastructure and community services report EICS-01-21 providing electric vehicle charging update and analysis; and
Direct the Executive Director of Environment, Infrastructure and Community Services to develop a policy to guide the expansion, upper level government or external funding, operation and maintenance of electric vehicle charging infrastructure on city property.
Carried unanimously by Council.
- Staff report: EICS-01-21 Electric Vehicle Charging Update and Analysis
MAYOR MEED WARD’S TAKE:
I’m really appreciative of the work and data that staff has provided in this report. It is eye opening to see the increased usage and associated costs. In the grand scheme of things of what we pay for parking in the city, it’s a drop in the bucket. We don’t want, at the same time, to incentivize and de-incentivize the use of electric vehicles. I do not wish to charge individual users for electricity service. We need to think of this as an investment in green transit.
RELATED LINKS:
- Post-Meeting Minutes – Community Planning, Regulation and Mobility Committee_Feb02_2021
- Post-Meeting Minutes – CSSRA_Feb03_2021
- Post-Meeting Minutes – Special Meeting of Council_Feb03_2021
- Post-Meeting Minutes – EICS_Feb04_2021
- Post-Meeting Minutes – Regular Meeting of Council_Feb16_2021
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*Posted by John Bkila, Mayor’s Media and Digital Communications Specialist
