The Corporation of the City of St. Catharines

CITY COUNCIL AGENDA

Regular, Monday, January 27, 2020 

Council Chambers, City Hall, 6:30 PM

His Worship Mayor Walter Sendzik takes the Chair and opens the meeting

1.

Mayor's Report

2.

Adoption of the Agendas

3.

Declarations of Interest

4.

Adoption of the Minutes (Council and General Committee)

4.1

Regular Meeting of Council, Minutes of January 13, 2020

4.2

General Committee, Minutes of January 13, 2020

5.

Resolve into General Committee

Council will proceed to General Committee Agenda Item 1 - Motion to Move Reports on Consent

6.

Public Meetings Pursuant to Planning Act and Public Notice By-Law

There are none.

7.

Special Presentations

7.1

Built for Zero Home Team for Niagara

Lisa Bell, Coordinated Access Program Analyst, Niagara Region and Lori Beech, Executive Director, Bethlehem Housing and Support Services

8.

Resolve into General Committee

Council will proceed to General Committee Agenda Item 3 - Discussion Reports

9.

Motion Arising from In-Camera Session

10.

Motion to Ratify Forthwith Recommendations

11.

Motions

11.1

Public Process of Naming the Lakeside Pavilion

Mayor Sendzik will present the following motion:

WHEREAS with the untimely passing of Neil Peart, drummer and lyricist for the band Rush, many people in the community and beyond the City have expressed interest in creating a lasting legacy for Neil in St. Catharines; and

WHEREAS Neil spent his formative years in Port Dalhousie, even working at the Midway in Lakeside Park in the summers, and attended elementary and high school in the City; and

WHEREAS Neil went on to become one of - if not the best – drummer in the world, and was a key part in the success of Rush. He is a member of the Order of Canada, and in 2013 was inducted with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; and

WHEREAS one of Rush’s most popular songs was written about Lakeside Park, and its lyrics evoke a time and place that is etched in the memories of many people who have experienced Lakeside Park in the summer;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Council direct City Staff to commence the public process of naming the Lakeside Pavilion and include Neil Peart as a potential name for consideration, including the ongoing Engage STC public consultation; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that staff consult with the Peart family and the band’s representatives regarding any naming, memorials, events and concerts in Neil’s honour or Lakeside Park; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that any further requests to honour Neil Peart in St. Catharines (including memorials, events and concerts) be included in a report to Council as part of the naming process upon completion of the public consultation. FORTHWITH

11.2

GM Lands Clean-Up

(Delegations by the following individuals will precede discussion of the motion:

         Jack Profijt

         Don Sawyer

         Susan Rosebrugh

         Glenn Brooks

         Dennis Van Meer

         Peter Russell

         Taras Sakac

         Sabrina Spencer)

Councillor Porter will present the following motion:

WHEREAS residents living around the former GM lands have expressed serious concerns on the state of the GM lands, including property standards and unknown environmental hazards; and

WHEREAS the City of St. Catharines has taken steps to prosecute the current landowner over alleged infractions under the Building Code and Fire Code Act, but these court proceedings may take months to resolve and will not guarantee immediate action on issues on the site;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the City of St. Catharines allocate $125,000 from the Civic Project Fund to create a GM-lands specific budget to:

         Immediately hire an external legal firm to advise Council and staff on the bylaws and provincial legislation, as well as legal precedents and case law, that would allow for cleanup and demolition of a privately-owned industrial site by the city and the mechanisms available of recouping costs from the current landowner through liens and other tools to ensure taxpayers are protected;

         Contact the Canadian Brownfield Network and ask for an expert to provide a presentation to Council and the public on best practices for brownfield management and remediation for municipalities;

         Engage a security company on a month-to-month contract to keep people out of the site;

         Request an inspection and repair of the fencing on the site that was put up under a previous Emergency Order under the Building Code Act and in a manner that would allow the city to recover costs;

         Cover the cost of registration of two Councillors, staff, and a member of the City’s Green Advisory Committee to attend the Canadian Brownfield Network conference in June 2020 in Toronto, and to report back to Council on current best practices, technology, financial tools, programs, and funding for brownfield redevelopment; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that staff contact the Ministry of the Environment for records and a report on how and when conditions on the site are monitored by their agency; and to request water testing and air quality testing near residential neighbourhoods to be completed within the next month.

11.3

Field Allocation Policy

Councillor Siscoe will present the following motion:

WHEREAS the City is currently creating a Field Allocation policy but it will not be ready for the 2020 season;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that PRCS staff follow the general principles of the Ice Allocation policy (which gives priority to youth organizations) when allocating fields for the 2020 season.

11.4

Graffiti in St. Catharines

Councillor Garcia will present the following motion:

WHEREAS graffiti is a serious problem in the City which detracts from the City's image, can impact the value of affected properties and is costly to clean up; and

WHEREAS there appears to be a significant recent increase in graffiti and we notice additional properties with Tags and other forms of graffiti on almost a daily basis; and

WHEREAS even when the guilty parties are caught they usually just get a minor penalty or a "slap in the wrist" when they appear in court;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that staff be directed to include in their report coming to Council in February specific recommendations on every additional action the City can take right away to better control the problem; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we immediately contact the Niagara Regional Police to request better enforcement and vigilance and, also contact the  Ministry of the Attorney General requesting that they consider more severe penalties to deter graffiti and, that our MPP, Regional Council and all Niagara Municipalities be sent a copy of this motion. FORTHWITH

12.

Call for Notices of Motion

13.

Report Requests

14.

By-laws

14.1

Reading of By-Laws

By-Law List

15.

Agencies, Boards, Committee Reports

15.1

Minutes to Receive:

         Downtown Parking Study Task Force, minutes of September 30, 2019

         Public Art Advisory Committee, minutes of November 12, 2019 (draft)

         Green Advisory Committee, minutes of December 18, 2019 (draft)

         Arts and Culture Advisory Committee, minutes of January 7, 2020

         Environmental Sustainability Committee, minutes of January 8, 2020 (draft)

         Heritage Advisory Committee, minutes of January 9, 2020 (draft)

         Social Sustainability Committee, minutes of January 16, 2020 (draft)

16.

Adjournment