The Corporation of the City of St. Catharines CITY COUNCIL AGENDA Regular, Monday, September 14, 2020 Electronic Participation, 6:00 PM
This Meeting of Regular Council will be held through Electronic Participation in accordance with Bill 187, the Municipal Emergency Act, which was passed by the Province of Ontario on March 19, 2020.
This Meeting may be viewed online at www.stcatharines.ca/youtube
Public Comments: The public may submit comments regarding agenda matters to the Office of the City Clerk by contacting [email protected] by Monday, September 14, 2020 before Noon. Comments submitted will be considered as public information and entered into public record.
Electronic Delegations: Those wishing to speak to an item on the agenda must complete the
City’s Electronic Delegation Form by Sunday, September 13, 2020 before 11:59 p.m. and attend a test session with City staff on Monday, September 14, 2020 at 10 a.m.
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 August 10, 2020, and General Committee, Minutes of August 10, 2020
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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 |
7. | Special Presentations |
8. | Resolve into General Committee Council will proceed to General Committee Agenda Item 3 - Discussion Reports |
9. | Motion to Ratify Forthwith Recommendations |
10. | Motions |
| 10.1 | Advocacy for a Relief Program for the Food and Hospitality Industry as Part of Pandemic Relief Councillor Siscoe will present the following motion:
WHEREAS the food and hospitality industry represents almost 5% of Canada's GDP; and
WHEREAS this industry employs more than 1.2 million Canadians; and
WHEREAS this industry, and restaurants in particular, were operating on margins of approximately 4% before the COVID-19 pandemic; and
WHEREAS food and hospitality businesses are recognized as entailing inherent risks as potential high spreader events, as indicated by the mandatory contact tracing protocols that other consumer-facing businesses (e.g. retail shops) do not have to undertake; and
WHEREAS restrictions on restaurants are currently severely reducing their capacity, further reducing any potential for profit and forcing many restaurants to operate at a loss; and
WHEREAS consumer confidence in indoor dining has been shown to be low, and even when restaurants open their indoor dining rooms at reduced capacity, patronage will not be sufficient to sustain the business; and
WHEREAS current regulations allowing of patios and enhanced outdoor spaces has provided some relief, but will necessarily end when cooler weather ends; and
WHEREAS some predictions have 85% of independent restaurants failing due to the COVID-19 pandemic; and
WHEREAS these business closures will not only impact the owners but also the associated employees, suppliers, farmers and landlords, as well as the surrounding properties and neighbourhoods;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that St. Catharines City Council call on the Federal and Provincial governments to create a relief stream specifically targeted at the food and hospitality industry; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this stream take the form of forgivable grants, an industry-specific wage subsidy program, long-term low-interest loans and targeted rent relief programs; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this relief stream exist until the food and hospitality industry is able to safely return to full operations.
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| 10.2 | Waiving of Fees Request - Club Roma User Agreement One-Time Fee Councillor Harris will present the following motion:
That Council waive the $526.45 fee for renewal of a lease agreement (an obligatory one-time fee as per the schedule of rates and fees) to enable Club Roma to renew its lease continue to host their non-profit children’s soccer league - which provides programming for more than 1,000 local youth.
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11. | Call for Notices of Motion |
12. | Report Requests |
13. | Agencies, Boards, Committee Reports |
| 13.1 | Minutes to Receive: Anti-Racism Advisory Committee, minutes of August 31, 2020 (draft) Equity and Inclusion Advisory Committee, minutes of August 11, 2020 and September 8, 2020 (draft) St. Catharines Heritage Advisory Committee, minutes of July 23, 2020 (draft), and August 13, 2020 (draft) Neil Peart Commemorative Task Force, minutes of August 20, 2020 (draft) Surplus Lands Development Task Force, minutes of March 13, 2020 (draft)
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| 13.2 | Board Updates from Council Representatives
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14. | Resolve into General Committee Council will proceed to General Committee Agenda Item 4 - In-Camera Session |
15. | Motion Arising from In-Camera Session |
16. | By-laws |
| 16.1 | Reading of By-laws
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17. | Adjournment |