Council Highlights from the January 24, 2022 Meeting

Batter up: get ready, cricket is coming to Clarington

Staff in Public Works have been directed by Council to install a cricket pitch overlay on the municipal soccer field located at Rickard Neighbourhood Park in Newcastle. Staff are also investigating a partnership with a local Courtice school to create a cricket pitch overlay on one of the existing sports fields. The overlay is essentially artificial, magnetized turf that can be placed over an existing field to simulate the central part of the pitch – the portion located between the sets of wickets. It is a provisional field, which can be changed. This will ensure that the field has a variety of uses and will also test the popularity of the sport in the community before building a dedicated pitch.  

For more information, read report PWD-001-20 Clarington Cricket Pitch.

Planning for the future recreation needs in Clarington

Clarington Council is making plans for the future of recreation facilities in the Municipality. Staff have been directed to explore the cost of building a new recreation facility in South Bowmanville equipped with a twin pad arena and swimming pool. After reviewing a potential expansion to Garnet B. Rickard Recreation Complex, Council is now considering a new complex in South Bowmanville, building around the current Bowmanville Indoor Soccer Facility. After taking an in-depth look at the Rickard Complex, the challenge of demolition, removal and relocation of existing fields proved to be too much. Staff will look at the cost of the twin pad arena and swimming pool in South Bowmanville and bring a comprehensive response back for Council deliberation during the 2022 Budget.

Staff also recommend replacing both the arena floors at the Orono Arena and Community Centre and the Newcastle Memorial Arena. These arena floors have been in service for over 40 years and require major renovation and upgrades. This would include replacing the in-floor refrigeration systems at the cost of $6,402,000, which has been referred to the 2022 Budget. This proposed renovation would extend the lifespan of both facilities 10 to 15 years. This work would help with the community-wide ice needs until Council approves the planned future expansion of the Diane Hamre Recreation Complex as outlined in the Municipal facility strategy. The proposed future expansion includes the installation of a twin pad arena in Newcastle.

Both of these issues have been referred to the Special General Government Committee Budget meeting on January 31, 2022. The meeting is open to the public, and you can watch the live stream.

For more information on the new recreation facility, read item 8.3.1 from the Council meeting minutes.

For more information on the arena floor replacement, read report CSD-002-22.

COVID-19 relief: Clarington defers tax payments for 60 days without penalty or interest for qualifying taxpayers

To ease the financial burden of the fifth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic on residents, the Municipality of Clarington is once again implementing a 60-day deferral of taxes without interest and penalties for qualifying taxpayers.

The 2022 COVID-19 Tax Deferral Program has been approved for the first six months of the year and revives the program initially approved in 2021. It allows qualifying taxpayers, including business owners, to fill out an application requesting to defer their tax payments without interest and penalties for two months. For those that qualify, the February 17 instalment will be deferred to April 18, 2022, while the April 21 instalment will be deferred to June 20, 2022.

Clarington has also re-activated the COVID-19 Monthly Pre-Authorized Payment (PAP) plan to assist property owners who have been financially impacted by the ongoing pandemic. The PAP program provides property owners with payment flexibility by allowing taxpayers to spread their taxes over equal monthly payments.

Residents who wish to defer their tax payment or join the PAP program can fill out the online application forms at www.clarington.net/FinancialSupport. For more information on these programs or to determine your monthly PAP amount, contact Taxation Services at 905-623-3379 ext. 2650 or tax@clarington.net.

Read report FSD-002-22 for more information.

Council approves a development charge grant for up to a million dollars under the Courtice Main Street Community Improvement Plan

Council has approved an application for a development charge grant of up to a million dollars under its existing Courtice Main Street Community Improvement Plan (CIP). This is the first application of its kind under the CIP that was approved and instituted in 2016 to support the vision established for the Courtice Main Street Secondary Plan. The applicant, Monde Development Group, is proposing to develop a six-storey residential condo building located at 1607 Highway 2 in Courtice. The proposed development will include 89 units and 95 underground parking spaces. The application meets all five criteria outlined in the CIP performance evaluation framework, including building design and construction, pedestrian environment and active transportation, green/open spaces and trail access, housing choice, accessibility and affordability and sustainable development. The grant money will be given to the applicant once all construction is finished and the Municipality determines that the project meets all aspects of the CIP agreement.

The Courtice Main Street CIP was developed to provide incentives for higher density, mixed-use development projects that provide more housing opportunities and affordability in the Municipality.

For more information, read report PDS-003-22.

Electrifying Clarington’s municipal fleet: Council approves a five-year plan

Clarington is looking to transition its fleet of light-duty vehicles to zero-emissions electric vehicles as part of a strategy to minimize our impact on the environment. The approved five-year Electric Vehicle Action Plan (EVAP) provides a guide to electrify Clarington’s current 25 fleet vehicles and build an additional 60 electric vehicle charging stations on municipal properties for both staff and public use. For now, this plan only speaks to electrifying Clarington’s light vehicles, including trucks and corporate cars. By implementing this plan, Clarington will be reducing our greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and contributing to a healthier environment. Currently, our fleet vehicles are responsible for around 13.8 per cent of Municipal GHG emissions; region-wide transportation is responsible for around 47 per cent of emissions.

This plan to electrify our fleet is a key action identified in Clarington’s overall Corporate Climate Action Plan that outlines 115 actions the Municipality can take to reduce our corporate GHG emissions and minimize our environmental footprint.

Read report PDS-001-22 for more information.

The next Council Meeting is on Monday, February 14, 2022.