Barrie City Council Highlights

City of Barrie Council: Meeting Highlights – April & May 2024

Subject: RE: This week @ Council: Ward 10 Highlights (April 10th)

Morning,

General committee meeting is taking place tomorrow at 7pm. Only a couple of items to note specifically for ward 10:

– Presentation to be made re. the waste collection changes launching May 1st (attached)

– THE KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS FOR COUNCIL’S 2022-2026 STRATEGIC PLAN has been deferred to the next Finance and Responsible Governance Committee meeting

– Pedestrian crossing analysis on Hurst Drive (I emailed this out last week so please provide any comments before tomorrow evening).

Thanks all!

Bryn

Subject: RE: This week @ Council: Ward 10 Highlights (April 17th)

Hi all,

City council meeting scheduled for Wednesday. Should be a fairly quick meeting as we’re only approving what was discussed at last weeks General Committee meeting.  I expect we’ll get approval for $150,000 to be considered as part of the 2025 capital budget for the design and construction of a pedestrian crossing at Hurst Drive and Manor Gate. Based on your input, resident feedback and the online poll, this should be seen as positive news:)

The town hall for wards 9 & 10 is confirmed for May 7th from 6-8pm at the Surface Water Treatment Plant (20 Royal Parkside Dr). Ill be posting online shortly but please help spread the word. We have representatives from Barrie Police, Fire and staff from development services, traffic services & waste management to provide brief updates on items relevant to our two wards.

And finally, make sure to register for Spring Clean (Register now for Spring into Clean | City of Barrie) taking place on April 20th and 21st.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Bryn

Subject: RE: This week @ Council: Ward 10 Highlights (April 24th)

Hope you had a great weekend!

Sorry I missed the update last week, the meeting was bumped up to Tuesday instead of our Wednesday time slot and I was crunched for time. Last week was General Committee and this week is Council so we will be giving final approval to everything raised last week – which means there’s still time for your input😊

Nothing raised specific for ward 10, but a couple of city-wide items that may interest you:

  1. Free Transit for Seniors & Specialized riders – staff requested to investigate the cost of offering additional free transit options for seniors and the costs of discounts or free transit options for specialized transit riders; and that staff report back to Council (I believe this worthwhile to investigate)
  1. Kempenfest Support:
  • City of Barrie continue their in-kind support for Kempenfest in 2024 at a service level consistent with previous years including, valued at approximately $22,000.
  • Kempenfest Board be requested to seek fundraising sponsorship to support their funding request in the amount of $15,000 in shuttle bus service and $10,000 for the Family Side Stage and should they be unsuccessful, that up to $25,000 be allocated from the Tourism Reserve to support these services – but they must demonstrate fundraising efforts to Council before any of these dollars are allocated
  • Up to $25,000 be allocated from the Tourism Reserve to retain a consultant to assess the overall economic impact of Kempenfest and a financial and governance review to determine opportunities for operational and financial sustainability

(I agree with above approach, I think its very important for us to conduct the sustainability review)

  1. Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment Management – requested that the City enter into an agreement with a third-party turn-key service provider for the replacement and upgrade of the current downtown Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE)

(there was a lot of debate on this, but I agree with the staff recommendation to outsource this to a 3rd party with the appropriate expertise as this does not fall within city core services)

  1. Administrative Penalty System – an Administrative Penalty System be implemented for Automated Speed Enforcement matters. This approach will deal with tickets issued using the new camera systems as well as municipal bylaws such as parking. For those wishing to fight a ticket, a municipally operated AP program removes these minor charges from the Provincial Offences Court stream to a system that is fair, effective, and efficient. (we may get some negative reactions here but I believe this process makes sense as Provincial Offences Courts continue to remain backlogged and this would give municipalities the discretion to resolve tickets and is anticipated to provide a more effective, automated, standalone system, without the need to rely upon the availability of judicial officers. Currently processing charges through the courts cost an average of $55.00 per charge; the cost for processing charges incurred by the taxpayer can be reduced by administering an Administrative Penalty Program to approximately $17.00 per charge.)

As always, I welcome any thought or feedback on above before Wednesdays meeting! Also a reminder that the Ward 9/10 Townhall is one week away on Monday May 8th from 6-8pm. Hope to see you all there!

Bryn

Subject: RE: This week @ Council: Ward 10 Highlights (May 8th)

Hi all,

We have a busy Wednesday night ahead! See below updates, both city wide and specific to Ward 10 that I think may interest you:

Theatre By The Bay

  • They have requested a loan of $68k to help offset a deficit that accumulated during covid. In order for them to apply provincially for ongoing stable funding, they have to clear this deficit.
  • The city is offering to provide the $68K up front with repayment taking place over the next 4 years from the Art grant they generally receive each year from the city.
  • I am supportive of this motion as I met with Theatre By The Bay to discuss the sustainability plan going forward and am confident/hopeful that this is a one time request and they provide significant community benefit.

Community Project Fund Request

  • Similar to our opportunity to utilize 20K for community projects, Councillor, S. Morales is submitting a request to install an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) at Painswick Park as part of his Ward 10 Community Project fund
  • I expect this will pass and is a good addition for the park😊

Community Safety and Well Being Plan Committee

  • In May of 2021, the City of Barrie’s 2021 to 2024 Community Safety and Well-being Plan: Our Shared Plan for a Safer Barrie, was approved by the former Council. The Plan has four areas of focus that cover 15 action items.
  • O. Reg 414/23 requires Barrie City Council to review and if appropriate, revise its Community Safety and Well-being Plan by July 1, 2025. Subsequent reviews and revisions must be completed within every four years thereafter.
  • The motion on Wednesday proposes that a Community Safety and Well-being Plan Committee be established to review the City of Barrie’s 2021 to 2024 Community Safety and Well-being Plan and provide advice to City Council on any potential revisions to the Plan as well as reporting on the status of the Plan. A draft Terms of Reference for the Committee has also been prepared for consideration.
  • I have questions about this, as I was unaware this plan even existed. I’m not sure the level of impact or success the current plan has had, and although I understand this will be the intent of the new committee, I find it concerning that a plan has been in place since 2021 with very little (to no) oversight or report back. This needs to change going forward with key metrics and monitoring on a regular basis.

WATERFRONT (ALLANDALE STATION PARK) MULTI-USE SPORTS FIELD AND SEA CADETS PARADE GROUND

  • Recall that back in October staff were directed to develop a plan, in consultation with the Sea Cadets and the Navy League of Canada, to relocate the Navy cadets to a new building east of Military Heritage Park (Southshore Centre) including a parade ground and multi-use outdoor space. They were also directed to develop a waterfront tree capital project with the objective of planting 1,000 trees along the waterfront over the next 10 years.
  • The recommended motion includes that funding in the amount of $4,622,777.00 be approved for the implementation of the “Premium Synthetic Turf Multi-Use Sports Field Concept” with half of the funding sourced from the Tax Capital Reserve and half of the funding sourced from the Cash-in-Lieu Parkland Reserve
  • A design concept has been provided – take a look and see what you think! Field dimensions are suitable for lacrosse, football, rugby, soccer, and a premium multi-use field (+ cadet parading).
  • I have attached the concept for your review (please note that all of the items in this email are available for you to review on the city legistar: City of Barrie – Calendar (legistar.com). This multi-use field concept could generate a lot of discussion so please pass along any comments.

SEA CADETS RELOCATION TO SOUTHSHORE

  • As previously communicated, staff were instructed to investigate the relocation of the sea cadets to the southshore centre. Two options have been presented – Option A- a new stand alone building beside Southshore OR Option B – an addition to the current southshore
  • After meeting with partners (Barrie Canoe & Kayak Club (BCKC), Barrie Rowing Club (BRC), the Rotary Club of Barrie, and the Rotary Club of Barrie Huronia) and based on cost, option B is being recommended. This entails a 600sq meter addition. The addition would extend approximately 13 metres towards Kempenfelt Bay and approximately 47 metres across the rear of the Southshore Community Centre
  • I would agree this seems like the preferred approach as theres benefit to all stakeholders involved and from a cost perspective, but interested in your thoughts!

COMMUNITY SAFETY ZONE (CSZ) – PRINCE WILLIAM WAY, MAPLEVIEW DRIVE EAST (WARD 10)

  • The Community Safety Zone Policy state that CSZs are to be installed adjacent to all schools up to 250 metres beyond the school property.
  • This motion is to implement a CSZ and signage adjacent to Maple Ridge Secondary School to aligns with the Community Safety Zone Policy
  • The costs associated with amending the Community Safety Zone By-law along Prince William Way, and Mapleview Drive East is approximately $2,000.00 which can be accommodated in the 2024 Operating Budget.
  • I support the recommended amendments as it provides safe operations for all road users on both Prince William Way and Mapleview Drive East. My only question is why this wasn’t done sooner as the school has been open for a number of years now.

Affordability Committee – just giving you a heads up that there is 1 item pertaining to ward 10 development on the Affordability Committee agenda this week:

  • APPLICATIONS FOR ZONING BY-LAW AMENDMENT AND RED-LINE REVISION TO DRAFT PLAN OF SUBDIVISION – 750 LOCKHART ROAD (WARD 10)
    • The intent of this application is for the development of seventy-five (75) street townhouse units and a six (6) storey multi-residential building containing approximately seventy-five (75) units.
    • I don’t forsee any issues with this but as a reminder any person may attend the meeting and make representation or present submission respecting this matter. If anyone wishes to make a written submission, please email or mail written comments to cityclerks@barrie.ca or City Hall, 70 Collier Street, PO Box 400, Barrie, ON L4M 4T5 (attention: City Clerk). Written comments must be received by Monday, May 6, 2024 by 12:00 p.m.
    • The complete submission package is posted on the Development Projects webpage on the City’s website under Ward 10 – 750 Lockhart Road at www.barrie.ca/Development Projects.

Lots of information this week so please let me know if you want to discuss further! Happy to chat anytime,

Bryn

Subject: RE: This week @ Council: Ward 10 Highlights (May 15th)

Hi all,

Will be a full house at this week’s council meeting – we have 17 public deputations concerning motion 24-G-111 regarding the Waterfront (Allandale Station Park) Multi-Use Sports Field and Sea Cadets Parade Ground (Ward 8). From what I can see they seem to be evenly split between for and against the proposal.

It looks like a number of items from last week will be given final approval with no issues:

  • Theatre by the Bay $68k loan
  • Community Project Fund for AED installation at Painswick Park
  • Community Safety Well Being Plan – establishing a committee to review and revise
  • Community Safety Zone Signage adjacent to Maple Ridge Secondary School and on PPW

This leaves us with the two items of significance:

  • Sea Cadet relocation to the Southshore
    • Majority of feedback I have received is in favour of this move. I also met with canoe/kayak and rowing club yesterday (as the current tenants of southshore) and they also are supportive of cadets sharing space with them and the renovation that would ensue. Their only request is that they want to be fully engaged and consulted in the design process. It is hoped all clubs would benefit from this move.
  • Multi-purpose sports field and cadet parade ground
    • This is the more contentious item on the agenda
    • I have been actively posting all information on facebook neighborhood groups to gauge feedback. While I respect all viewpoints on this matter, there does seem to be some misinformation out there. I’ve posted below some key facts/information but feel free to ask any further questions. Those opposed are extremely passionate and have some valid concerns. It will be a very interesting discussion!!

Further Background

  • The Barrie Sea Cadets and Navy League are currently located downtown, I’m sure you have seen their building beside the public docks and spirit catcher. They have a 100-year lease agreement with the City of Barrie (signed long before my time!). There are 23 years left on their current lease that the city must honor.
  • Unfortunately, their current building is now inadequate from a safety perspective and considering their programming and camps serve 100’s of youth, it needs to be dealt with. The option is to renovate the current space or find them a new location. Based on cost and the opportunity to better utilize the current location (such as a waterfront restaurant, etc), finding them a new location is the preferred approach.
  • Do to the nature of the Sea Cadet programs, including sailing and seamanship serving youth between 12-18, there is a need for waterfront access. The search of finding them a new home has actually been in discussion for well over a decade by many previous councils, staff have looked at all options including Tyndale Park, Barrie Yacht club and Southshore.
  • The Sea Cadets & Navy League also need the ability to conduct ceremonial parades. They do this twice a week, and currently utilize a number of facilities (churches, armoury, etc) when space is available and split their members up due to space limitations. The size requirement requested for parade grounds is roughly 2/3 the size of a regular soccer field.
  • Last June 2023 a petition with 2000 signatures was brought forward that requested staff to investigate relocating the cadets and developing a multi-purpose field that could accommodate both cadet parading and youth sport. As a result of this, Council instructed staff to look at options that would allow the use of the parade grounds by other youth in the community so that it was not limited to the Cadets and bring forward a design concept.
  • From a cost perspective, staff have recommended leveraging a current asset as opposed to building net new for the cadet relocation. An expansion on the backside of the Southshore could also benefit the Canoe/Kayak club and rowing club as they see growing demand as well. (There doesn’t seem to be much push back on this).
  • Staff recommendation also identified a concept for a multi-purpose field that could be utilized by youth soccer, lacrosse, football and rugby clubs along with cadet parading. (this is where the are lots of opinions😊). This is situated to the East of the Southshore. A funding request for $4,622,777.00 – 30% from Developmental Charges, 20% from tax reserve and 50% from cash in lieu parkland reserve is part of the motion.

A few things to note about the mulit-pupose field:

  • In consultation with urban forestry this area is not deemed critical forest habitat. The field was deliberately kept out of the mature red oak upland forest area to the east. It is situated on the narrowest portion of woodland that has the lowest stocking density of trees, highest amount of poison ivy. Any impacted area will be compensated fully onsite through exological offsetting – a terrestrial ecologist will act as lead on that.
  • The park is designated as Open Space in the city’s zoning by-law, it’s been subject to many redevelopment plans with far more significant footprint and impact than this community scale youth sport field.
  • The walking trails will not be impacted or displaced.
  • As for parking (34 additional spots), it is based on the city’s parks best practice. As it’s a community level facility (not a stadium), it is not expected to dramatically increase traffic flows in the area.
  • The waterfront master plan includes planting an additional 1000 trees along the waterfront.
  • No plans currently for the existing cadet building. I imagine there will be some good public consultation as this is prime waterfront in the downtown core.
  • The field is not paving the way for future development, or high rises, or an expansive stadium
  • The field is not intended for use by elitist athletes only nor does council want it be closed to the public

I completely understand that our waterfront is our gem. It is one of the reasons I choose to live in this city. So any change to the waterfront needs to be heavily considered and approached cautiously.  The motion states that “the multi-use sports field concept be approved to guide the panning, design and construction of the multi-use sports field.” Staff still need to consult with Lake Simcoe conservation, conduct archeological assessments and environmental impact studies. This would be part of the next steps of investigation if approved Wednesday night.

I appreciate all viewpoints on this, but I especially appreciate the turnout of youth at our last council meeting in support of this proposal. I want to make sure we get this right and will continue to keep a close eye on each and every step of this discussion. As always, please reach out if you want to discuss further. I’m happy to chat and listen to your perspective anytime. This is a tough one, with equally important opinions on each side!

Subject: RE: This week @ Council: Ward 10 Highlights (May 29th)

Hi all,

As there was no meeting last week due to the holiday Monday, we are back at it this Wednesday with a full agenda. A couple of worthy items to bring to your attention:

  1. Adult School Crossing Guard Program:
  • The recommended motion from staff is for General Committee to receive the report for information purposes (and no action be taken)
  • The alternative is that General Committee could direct staff to implement an Adult School Crossing Guard program for the identified nine (9) locations at an approximate cost of $350,000 – $400,000.
  • Note that none of the 9 locations identified are in ward 10.

Would  be interested in your thoughts on this. I’ve done a bit of research on crossing guard programs and pros/cons compared to other (more effective) road safety measures. I think from a parent perspective this is worthwhile to pursue though, regardless of any strong evidence or data showing benefit. Should be an interesting dialogue.

  1. 2023 Budget & Business Plan Year End Report:
  • This report describes the 2023 year-end financial results that includes a Tax Rate supported operating surplus of $3.7 million, Water Rate operating surplus of $587 thousand, Wastewater Rate operating surplus of $194 thousand, and Parking Rate operating surplus of $786 thousand.
  • The report also identified Key Division Service Delivery Initiatives (KDSDI’s) at December 31, 2023

This report does a good job of identifying key performance measures against targets for those that are interested.

  1. Development Charge Credit Agreement – Hewitt’s Creek Secondary Plan (Ward 10)
  • Project 1540 is in the 2024 Capital Plan, starting with the predesign phase in 2029. Construction is anticipated to begin in 2033.
  • Project 1540 comprises a New Wastewater Pump Station and twinned Forcemains in the Hewitts Secondary Plan Area south of Mapleview Drive and west of the 20th Sideroad.
  • Dorsay Development has requested that the City advance the completion of the Design Project from its planned completion in order to facilitate the early completion of Project 1540, which will permit the development of various lands within the Hewitt’s Creek Secondary Plan Area.
  • In exchange for the City’s agreement to advance the Design Project, the City requires Dorsay to up-front the costs of the Design Project, in exchange for Development Charge Credits in accordance with the terms of the DC Credit Agreement.

I don’t expect any issues with this arrangement as this is an integral piece to moving the project forward in a more timely manner.

  1. Adjudication Processes – Recreation/Sport Community Grant & Bright Futures Barrie Grant
  • Staff are recommending that the composition of the adjudication panel for these two grants be amended to replace the current adjudication panel (staff) composition with the five members of the Infrastructure and Community Investment Committee and the Safety Committee (in other words staff adjudicators will be replaced by council representatives)
  • Based on some concerns in the past, it is hoped that Council members’ knowledge of the needs and wants of residents within the City of Barrie could be better utilized to match the indicators with the intended outcomes contained with applicants’ funding requests.

I worry that this is getting into city operations somewhat, but I respect that the review of applications and awarding of funding would require a meeting that is open to the public. I think this level of transparency could be a good thing and would support a more consistent/standardized evaluation process, but I’d like to see more community representation and involvement.

Not on the agenda, but issues I want to highlight:

  1. Yard Waste – yes I know we all have concerns! A few things to be mindful of:
  • The reality is the City’s previous service level exceeded that of many other municipalities.  Biweekly or less frequent collection of yard waste is the case for a number of municipalities across the province including the City of Toronto, County of Simcoe, City of London (every five weeks), City of Kingston (two weeks annually), City of Guelph, Region of Waterloo, Durham Region, and Halton Region.
  • Trends also show the dramatic increase in contract costs – ranging from 30% to 150% increases.
  • The change in yard waste scheduling was not something we looked at lightly, but we did have to review industry standards, legislative changes and cost impacts. Not what any of us want to hear though considering the taxes we pay, but it is the reality.

All that said, I’m working with staff on options that are available to us. I believe I can put forward a motion to have half the city picked up Monday-Wednesday and the other half Wednesday-Friday so bags aren’t out all week. Reverting to weekly pick up is a tougher argument based on cost increases + industry standards so I don’t think is an option. I will keep you updated as we continue to assess and obtain feedback.

  1. Concerns from Residents of Mapleview drive east- Urban north homes (ward 10)
  • You might have heard the heartbreaking news last week re. a 23month year old boy being struck and killed by a recycling truck. As you can imagine, the family and neighborhood are in shock and grieving.
  • The incident occurred in a ward 10 where the current development is in receivership. As a result of the former developer going bankrupt there have been issues with stagnant construction and safety concerns but the city has not yet assumed the site.
  • I have escalated the safety items with staff at this point to see what options might be available to the city to improve conditions through the receivership process – such as speed bumps,  speed signs, lighting, curbs/sidewalks, etc. The City does hold securities that can be used towards completing site works in cases where the project is not completed by the developer.

As always, send me your thoughts/questions/concerns on any items you wish😊

Have  a great week,

Bryn

Related Posts