The Corporation of the City of St. Catharines
GENERAL COMMITTEE MINUTES
Monday, October 24, 2016
Present: | Mayor Walter Sendzik Councillors Sandie Bellows, Mike Britton, Mark Elliott, N. Carlos Garcia, Matt Harris (left at 10:14 p.m.), David A. Haywood, Joseph Kushner, Bill Phillips, Mathew Siscoe, Sal Sorrento, Jennifer Stevens, and Bruce Williamson |
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Officials Present: | Dan Carnegie, Chief Administrative Officer Shelley Chemnitz, Commissioner of Corporate Services Bryan Shynal, Commissioner of Operations Jeanette Pillitteri, Director of Corporate Support Services Brian York, Director of Economic Development and Government Relations Kristine Douglas, Director of Financial Management Services David Wood, Director of Fire and Emergency Management Services Nicole Auty, Director of Legal and Clerks Services/City Solicitor Phil Cristi, Acting Director of Parks, Recreation and Culture Services Jim Riddell, Director of Planning and Building Services Dan Dillon, Director of Transportation and Environmental Services Bonnie Nistico-Dunk, City Clerk Deanna Haine, Council and Committee Coordinator |
Mayor Sendzik was in the chair and called the meeting to order in Council Chambers at 9:00 p.m. |
1. | Call for Reports to be Brought Forward from Consent |
Item 4.2, Sub-item 1 - Resolution, Association of Municipalities Ontario - Closing Municipal Fiscal Gap (Mayor Sendzik advised this item would be brought forward at the next meeting)
2. | Motion to Move Reports on Consent |
That Council approve the Consent Agenda, save and except those items brought forward for discussion. FORTHWITH
Yeas:Councillors Harris, Haywood, Kushner, Phillips, Siscoe, Sorrento, Stevens, Williamson, Bellows, Britton, Elliott, Garcia, and Mayor Sendzik
Nays:
Carried
3. | Discussion Reports |
Follow this link to view General Committee Agenda reports of October 24, 2016
(Note: The order in which the items were discussed was not the same as listed in the agenda and commenced with Item 3.3)
3.1. | Financial Management Services, Director 2017 Schedule of Rates and Fees Recommendations (At the meeting of October 3, 2016, Council set the Public Meeting for October 24, 2016) |
That Council approve the 2017 Schedule of Rates and Fees in the attached appendices as recommended by the Budget Standing Committee; and
That annual rate and fee increases be set at a minimum, at the rate of inflation (core CPI), which is 2.1% for 2017; and
That the City Clerk be directed to maintain the list of Rates and Fees for public inspection in the Legal Services and Clerks department; and
Further, that the City Solicitor be directed to prepare the necessary by-laws. FORTHWITH
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Moved By: Councillor Garcia
Seconded By: Councillor Bellows
That the time is nearing 10:30 p.m. and Council has outstanding business, Council move to go beyond the curfew of 10:30 p.m. to complete the business at hand. FORTHWITH
Carried
Councillor Haywood requested the following be voted on separately
That annual rate and fee increases be set at a minimum, at the rate of inflation (core CPI), which is 2.1% for 2017.
Yeas:Councillors Haywood, Kushner, Phillips, Siscoe, Sorrento, Stevens, Bellows, Britton, Elliott, Garcia, and Mayor Sendzik
Nays:Councillor Williamson
Carried
Council now voted on the remainder of the motion
Yeas:Councillors Siscoe, Sorrento, Britton, Elliott, Garcia, Kushner, Phillips, and Mayor Sendzik
Nays:Councillors Stevens, Williamson, Bellows, and Haywood
Carried
Councillor Harris left the meeting and was not present to vote on this matter
Council moved on to Item 3.5
3.2. | Planning and Building Services, Planning Services Application for Draft Plan of Condominium (Vacant Land) for Mixed-Use Development, 300 Fourth Avenue; Owner: 2109075 Ontario Inc., o/a Al Haywood (Referred by Council following the Public Meeting, September 26, 2016, for consideration by General Committee at the meeting of October 24, 2016) |
Councillor Williamson was not present for the public meeting held on September 26, 2016, therefore, did not participate in the discussion of nor the vote for this item
That approval be granted for a draft plan of vacant land condominium for the lands described as Pt. Lot 23 Con. 5, designated as Parts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 13 on 30R-14294, municipally known as 300 Fourth Avenue, as illustrated on Appendix 3 of this report, subject to the Conditions of Draft Plan of Condominium Approval, as outlined in Appendix 4 of this report; and
That the Notice of Decision required by the Planning Act, R.S.O. 1990, c.P. 13, as amended, be processed by staff; and
That after notice of Council’s decision has been given, the Clerk be authorized to endorse the plan as “Draft Approved” on the day after the appeal period has expired, in accordance with the Planning Act, provided that no appeals have been lodged; and
That upon expiration of the appeal period, staff be directed to forward any appeals to the Ontario Municipal Board for consideration and final decision; and
Further, that the Clerk be directed to make all necessary notifications. FORTHWITH
Yeas:Councillors Kushner, Phillips, Siscoe, Sorrento, Stevens, Bellows, Britton, Elliott, Garcia, Haywood, and Mayor Sendzik
Nays:
Carried
Council moved on to Item 3.4
3.3. | Planning and Building Services, Planning Services Coordinated Review of Provincial Land Use Plans: City comments on Draft Amendments to the Greenbelt Plan, Places to Grow (Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe) and the Niagara Escarpment Plan (NOTE: All appendices for this report have been linked in the Agenda) |
Preceding discussion of the report, Bruce Bellows, Planner for Planning and Building Services, provided Council with an overview of the City's comments, draft amendments and recommendations to the Province regarding the coordinated review of the Provincial Land Use Plans. Mr. Bellows answered Council's questions.
That Council advise the Province of the following matters with respect to the draft amendments to the Greenbelt Plan, Places to Grow (Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe) and the Niagara Escarpment Plan that is currently being considered as part of the 2015 Coordinated Provincial Review.
a) That the minimum lot size requirement for farm parcels in Niagara be evaluated and appropriate viable farm parcel size requirements be established based on a Niagara perspective.
b) That Natural Heritage policies provide greater flexibility in implementation and support for alternative measures and reduced buffer requirements to protect and integrate natural heritage with agricultural practices.
c) That Natural Area and Heritage mapping be reviewed to ensure consistent application and interpretation with other provincial and agency mapping, to enable policy reliance on local ground tested mapping, and to ensure mechanisms are in place to update mapping on a continuous basis in response to the ever changing dynamics and evolution of natural features and hazard lands.
d) That criteria or special policy be established in support of re-purposing non-agricultural uses in the Specialty Crop Area to permit alternative agricultural and non-agricultural uses.
e) That the concept of the Agriculture Support Network (ASN) be further defined and broadened, and establish within, policies and implementation criteria to enable better connectivity and integration of urban uses and service models to support the agricultural community and economy in the Specialty Crop Area, including the re-purposing of existing non-agricultural uses for alternative non-agricultural uses; and
Consideration be given for defined special policy areas to recognize the prevalence of existing non-agricultural uses within existing corridors and nodes, and support expansion of alternative non-agricultural uses and operations within, where it can be satisfactorily demonstrated that impact on agricultural lands and existing agricultural uses are minimized.
f) That a minor boundary adjustment be approved for lands at 349 St. Paul Street West, as identified in (Link provided for Appendix 8), to exclude all of the property from within the Greenbelt Plan boundary.
g) That the Province prepare guidelines to assist local municipalities in the implementation of Agriculture Impact Assessments (AIA)
a) That implementation guidelines be established to provide consistent methodology and metrics for the measurement of people and jobs density.
b) That policies be established to support greater flexibility in planning of employment land designations, in a manner to recognize the changing nature of employment, provide for more diverse application of land use permissions, and the integration of employment lands to support complete communities.
c) That the Built Boundary established in the P2G be realigned to exclude Greenfield lands already developed or with existing planning approvals in order to better reflect current development patterns and the applicability of the new Greenfield density standard.
d) That the Province defer any consideration of any additions, deletions or changes to the Greenbelt Plan boundary and the Urban Area boundary (with the exception of Recommendation 1.f)) that impact lands within the City of St. Catharines until the Region of Niagara Municipal Comprehensive Review of the Regional Official Plan is completed. The Region’s Municipal Comprehensive Review will confirm a Regional growth strategy for both jobs and population which will determine the capability of the current Urban Area to accommodate future growth. Any additions or removal of lands from the Greenbelt Plan boundary, as part of the Provincial review, may prematurely impact the City’s Urban Area Boundary; and
That the Province allow municipalities to request changes to Greenbelt Plan designations and boundary, and the Urban Area boundary, at the conclusion of the Region of Niagara Municipal Comprehensive Review provided the Municipal Comprehensive Review is completed in accordance with the Provincial Policy Statement (2014), the Places to Grow (Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe), and meets the goals and objectives of all other applicable Provincial land use plans.
e) That the prohibition to consider changes to GB boundaries and Settlement Area (Urban Area) boundaries outside of a Provincial land use plan review be removed.
a) That through the CPR, the Province open the Niagara Escarpment Planning and Development Act (RSO 1990) for review and amendment to remove Development Control within local municipal Urban Area boundaries, and transfer planning authority for uses permitted in the NEP to local municipalities.
b) That ‘Escarpment Natural Area’ and ‘Escarpment Urban Area ‘designations within the City’s Urban Area, be reviewed to determine a defensible boundary between the two designations.
c) That prohibition to consider changes to NEP land use designations to permit urban uses outside of a10 year review be removed.
d) That re-designation of lands at 590 Glendale Avenue from ‘Escarpment Protection Area’ to ‘Urban Area’ be considered through the Region of Niagara Municipal Comprehensive Review of the Region of Niagara Official Plan.
e) That the request for an urban area designation in the Niagara Escarpment Plan for 590 Glendale Avenue is supported subject to the Region’s Municipal Comprehensive Review process and site-specific studies to the satisfaction of the City.
a) That consistent application of definitions, permissions and applicable regulations be implemented for uses that are permitted by both Plans where plan area boundaries overlap, and specifically in the GB Specialty Crop Area.
a) That the Province prepare and make available companion guidelines to support implementation of land use policies commensurate with the timing of formal approval of new Provincial land use plans.
a) That greater clarity and direction be given in Provincial land use plans to climate change policies, and to establish guidelines in support of best practices and methodologies to implement and monitor climate change directives.
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Moved By: Councillor Sorrento
That staff be directed to fully analyze the specific requests for inclusion within the Urban Area of the City of St. Catharines as outlined in this report as part of the evaluation during the Municipal Comprehensive Review and subsequent City Official Plan update in compliance with criteria set out in the Provincial Plan Policy.
Yeas:Councillors Sorrento, Bellows, Britton, Harris, Siscoe, and Mayor Sendzik
Nays:Councillors Stevens, Williamson, Elliott, Garcia, Haywood, Kushner, and Phillips
Amendment Lost
Councillor Williamson requested the following (Section 3 of Niagara Escarpment Plan, Item (e)) be voted on separately
That the request for an urban area designation in the Niagara Escarpment Plan for 590 Glendale Avenue is supported subject to the Region’s Municipal Comprehensive Review process and site-specific studies to the satisfaction of the City.
Yeas:Councillors Siscoe, Sorrento, Bellows, Britton, Harris, Haywood, and Mayor Sendzik
Nays:Councillors Stevens, Williamson, Elliott, Garcia, Kushner, and Phillips
Carried
Council then voted on the main motion
Yeas:Councillors Phillips, Siscoe, Sorrento, Stevens, Williamson, Bellows, Britton, Elliott, Garcia, Harris, Haywood, Kushner, and Mayor Sendzik
Nays:
Carried
Council moved on to Item 3.1
3.4. | Operations, Commissioner Buchanan Greenhouse - Community Use Feasibility (Deferred by General Committee, September 26, 2016, Item 4.2) |
That Council refer the report back to staff for an assessment regarding the cost and feasibility of bringing the greenhouses at the Buchanan House and Malcolmson Eco Park sites up to date.
Motion to Refer Carried
Council moved on to Item 5
3.5. | Transportation and Environmental Services, Engineering and Construction Clean Water and Wastewater Fund (CWWF) |
Moved By: Councillor Williamson
Yeas:Councillors Williamson, Bellows, Britton, Elliott, Garcia, Haywood, Kushner, Phillips, Siscoe, Sorrento, Stevens, and Mayor Sendzik
Nays:
Carried
Council moved on to Item 3.2
4. | Consent Reports |
Follow this link to view General Committee Agenda reports of October 24, 2016
4.1. | Transportation and Environmental Services, Administration Ontario Disaster Relief Assistance Program - Program Close-out |
That Council receive the report for information purposes. FORTHWITH
Approved on Consent
4.2. | Legal and Clerks Services, Office of City Clerk Council Correspondence |
Note: Sub-item 1 will be brought forward for discussion at the meeting of November 7, 2016 (see Item 1, Call for Reports to be Brought Forward)
That Council receive and file the items listed within the report; and
That Council receive and file additional correspondence distributed for the meeting held October 24, 2016, which is available upon request, and includes: (i) an executive summary from the St. Lawrence Seaway Corporation regarding their request for a resolution of municipal support for the IESO's Feed-in Tariff 5.0 Program; and (ii) a letter from MPP Ernie Hardeman regarding local government week. FORTHWITH
Approved on Consent
5. | Report Requests and Directions for Staff |
Directions have been noted and will be provided to the appropriate members of staff.
5.1. | Sunday Service for Paratransit Program |
That Council direct staff to prepare a report outlining present Sunday service for the Paratransit program, as far as availability, costs, and cost to increase service as it now stands.
Carried
6. | In-Camera Session (General Committee) |
Council met In-Camera for the following purposes:
• a proposed or pending acquisition or disposition of land by the municipality or local board, Realty File No. 16-025, Realty File No. 16-028, and Realty File No. 14-181
• labour relations and employee negotiations (item added during adoption of agendas)
That this meeting of the General Committee recess and reconvene In-Camera.
Carried
General Committee recessed to the In-Camera session at 10:41 p.m.
7. | Adjournment |
There being no further items of business, General Committee adjourned at 11:07 p.m. and City Council reconvened.
Certified Correct:Confirmed by:
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Council CoordinatorMayor