Council Highlights from the October 26 and November 2, 2020 Meetings

Council Highlights October 26 – Combined highlights including special meeting

Clarington Council supports Home Hardware privately-initiated request for a Minister's Zoning Order

Clarington Council voted in support of a request made by Bowmanville Home Hardware for a Minister's Zoning Order (MZO) that, if approved by the minister, would change the existing zoning at 2423 Rundle Road, allowing the company to build a building supply centre in that location. An MZO is a rarely used planning tool that allows the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing to zone land without public consultation, circumventing the plans for the area and planning approvals process. Council voted to support the MZO request, provided Bowmanville Home Hardware completes typical site-specific studies to look at how the potential business expansion will impact the immediate area. Council has also asked that the Province consider reviewing the lands south of Highway 2, between Highway 418 and Maple Grove Road, to determine which lands will be available for development or potential inclusion in the Greenbelt. As part of its support for the MZO, Council is also asking that Home Hardware commit 25 per cent of its current property in Bowmanville, when it is redeveloped, to affordable housing for low-income families.

To view Council's resolution, see the minutes from the October 26 Special Council Meeting.

Council Highlights November 2

Clarington further delays sale of fire hall in Newcastle Village

Since 2016, Clarington Council has delayed the sale of the old fire hall in Newcastle Village, allowing for transit continuity for residents. GO Transit uses the site as a rest area and a place where the large double-decker bus can turn around safely. Clarington staff are working with Durham Region Transit on a plan to provide appropriate transit service levels to Newcastle and the surrounding area. The plan will be based on population growth and ridership. Staff have been directed to report back to Council in fall 2021 on the progress of the discussions and the plan for transit, at which point Council will revisit the sale of the fire hall property.

For more information, read report PWD-002-20.

Clarington Council seeks advice from the agricultural industry on allowing backyard chickens

Following a petition from a local Bowmanville group, Clucks for Clarington, to amend the current Exotic Animal By-law and allow backyard chickens, Council is seeking advice from the agricultural industry. Council has referred the issue to its Agricultural Advisory Committee and the local egg industry to weigh in on this issue. Residents advocating to amend the By-law to allow backyard chickens say it will lead to a more sustainable lifestyle, address potential food shortages, and allow for food security for families during the pandemic. Those opposed say that the smell, noise, bio-waste and potential for disease spread should stop Council from amending the by-law.

For more information and discussion surrounding backyard chickens, read the minutes from the October 19 General Government Committee Meeting.

Waste reduction and recycling in Clarington

The Municipality of Clarington has taken some significant steps toward eliminating single-use plastics in facilities by implementing further waste reduction measures well ahead of the Federal ban on single-use plastics, which takes effect at the end of 2021. Council received an updated report on some of the key initiatives undertaken to accomplish those goals. Staff at the Municipal Administrative Centre (Town Hall) and other municipal facilities that host events and meetings have eliminated single-use plastics where other alternatives are available. Single-use creamers, stir sticks, and cups have been eliminated. Staff are encouraged to pack boomerang lunches, where all single-use plastics are taken home. At Town Hall, staff have also implemented multi-stream waste bins that include plastics and containers, fibres and organics. This has helped reduce the number of recyclables that end up in the garbage. Additional water fountains have been installed and staff are encouraged to bring reusable containers to fill up at work. Staff also completed a waste audit at both Diane Hamre Recreation Complex and Courtice Community Complex, which resulted in a 60 per cent reduction of waste and recyclables at the facilities.

Future initiatives are planned to implement some of these waste reduction techniques at all facilities and community halls. Waste audits will be completed at the remaining facilities to identify other potential reduction initiatives. Staff hope to introduce multi-stream waste bins across the Municipality to reduce the number of recyclables that end up in the garbage.

For more information on Clarington's waste reduction efforts, read report CSD-010-20.

Council approves new Community Funding Program

Clarington Council has approved a new transparent Community Funding Program to assist community groups and organizations on projects that have a community impact. The new program is a consolidation of the pre-existing Community Grant and Community Event Sponsorship Programs. Staff developed the new Grant Funding Program after hours of research into best practices, as well as interviews with community organizations and Mayor and Council, to determine some of the issues associated with the existing programs.

The new Grant Funding Program was developed to ensure that Municipal funds are allocated in meaningful, equitable and measurable ways, ensuring maximum community impact. The new program clearly outlines the purpose, eligibility criteria, the administration and approval process, application procedures, and scoring criteria for eligible projects. A new scoring evaluation system has been put in place to judge each project on its merits. Applicants will also receive feedback crucial to the process to help improve any future funding applications. The new Community Funding Program has several funding streams for eligible projects:

• Start-up, provides one-time start-up funding related to the development of a new group, initiative or event;
• Growth, provides funding related to organizations and/or event organizers who make a commitment to sustainable expansion or growth;
• In-kind, refers to services currently offered by municipal staff to support the non-profit community, such as consultation, promotion of services or events and more.

The new program also lists requirements that the community organizations must meet to qualify for funding. It also prioritizes funding to support projects that have a more significant community impact and further the goals set out in the following list of community priorities:

• Connected, building strong social connections, an active community encouraging social and civic engagement;
• Environment, making contributions to an environmentally sustainable community;
• Inclusive, creating an accessible community where people feel welcome, and they belong; celebrating diversity;
• Innovation, support and showcase unique project ideas; previously untested or pilot projects; research a new concept.

All applications under the new grant funding program will undergo a review by the funding review panel, comprised of municipal staff and selected community representatives. The review panel will ultimately make recommendations on funding for eligible projects for approval by Clarington's Chief Administrative Officer. Staff will report back to Council annually with the details on the funding provided to the community agencies.

To learn more about the Grant Funding Program, read report CSD-009-20.

Clarington Council amends its Property Standards By-law to include nuisance lighting

Clarington Council unanimously voted to amend its Property Standards By-law preventing residential exterior lights from shining directly into a neighbour's home or property. The by-law amendment is modelled after a clause the Town of Ajax uses. While lighting concerns are not the source of many by-law complaints, this new amendment ensures that residents will not be bothered by nuisance lighting pointing directly at a property and causing a potential issue.

To learn more about the by-law amendment, read report LGS-001-20.

Clarington details municipal response to COVID-19 and potential financial impacts

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted our community and forced governments to adjust and respond to the ongoing public health crisis. The Municipality of Clarington has taken proactive measures from the beginning of the pandemic emergency in March and continues to take appropriate action as needed in response. Clarington staff have provided Council with a detailed breakdown highlighting municipal action taken to respond to the pandemic from March until September. To safeguard public health and prevent virus transmission, Clarington shut its buildings and facilities to the public before the Province mandated a closure. While Clarington programs and facilities were closed, most Municipal services were still being offered in a different way. Financially, Clarington has incurred more than $1.4 million in unforeseen costs associated with implementing pandemic-related safety measures. The money was spent to implement cleaning protocols, purchase PPE, improve information technology to pivot and offer more online services, and cover the costs of refunds to residents for cancelled programs and services.

For more information on Clarington's pandemic response, read report CAO-020-20. To read about the financial impacts of COVID-19, read report FND-035-20.

The next Council Meeting is November 23, 2020. View the Council Meeting Calendar.