Council Meeting

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Revised November 22nd, 2024 Council Agenda, be approved.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Minutes of the Regular Meeting of Council held on October 18th, 2024, be approved.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Minutes of the Committee of the Whole Meeting held on October 19th, 2024, be approved.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Minutes of the Special Meeting of Council held on October 24th, 2024, be approved.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Council receives the November 2024 Council Directions Report, as distributed.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Council receives the November 2024 Revised Council Correspondence listing.

WHEREAS Councillor Rick Zanussi has faithfully served as a Councillor for Ward 4 of the Township of The Archipelago for three decades, having been first sworn in on December 10th, 1994; and WHEREAS Councillor Zanussi has successfully participated in 9 municipal elections, 6 through election by the residents and 3 by acclamation, demonstrating his consistent dedication and commitment to the community; and WHEREAS throughout his tenure, Councillor Zanussi has provided invaluable leadership by serving on numerous committees, boards, and task forces, including but not limited to the Waste Management Committee, the Massasauga Park Study Group, the Citizens Task Force on Education; Water Access Task Force, the Holiday Cove Marina Task Force; and WHEREAS Councillor Zanussi has most notably contributed over 26 years of service to the Parry Sound District Social Services Administration Board (DSSAB), most of those years as Chair, where his insight and commitment to public service have made a lasting impact on the area. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the Township of The Archipelago extends its sincere appreciation and commendation to Councillor Rick Zanussi for his 30 years of dedicated public service and leadership, and for his tireless effort to enhance the quality of life for all residents of Ward 4, the Township of The Archipelago, and beyond; and FURTHER THAT this resolution be recorded in the official minutes of this Council meeting and that a copy of this motio

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Finance Report 2024-09 Municipal Insurance & Risk Management Services be received as information; and FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED that the Chief Financial Officer be authorized to execute the necessary documents with Intact Public Entities Inc. for the 2025 Insurance Program in the amount of $108,630 plus applicable taxes.

WHEREAS ML Consulting was retained to assess the competitive pay market; the current pay practice (percentile target) in an evolving pay market; update pay equity compliance; and, develop proposed job rates for implementation in 2024. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Council receive the final report ‘Township of The Archipelago 2024 Compensation Review Confidential Summary Report’ prepared by ML Consulting; direct staff to proceed with the implementation of the 65 th percentile; adopt the salary grid framework for implementation retroactive to January 1, 2024; and, adopt the practice of undertaking a periodic pay market review of all positions on a 3-4 year cycle

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Council hereby directs staff to amend the Georgian Cliffs Memorial Park Cemetery Advisory Committee’s Terms of Reference to include three citizen members, with one representative each from Ward 1, Ward 2, and Ward 3; and FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED that Council direct staff to begin the recruitment process for a citizen representative from Ward 2.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Township of The Archipelago Council hereby supports the Township of Stirling-Rawdon’s August 6, 2024 resolution requesting that the Province update the Public Sector Disclosure Act to reflect the current inflation rates and that the Act be further updated so that the inflation rate is applied each year. FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED this resolution be forwarded to the Honourable Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario, the Honourable Paul Calandra, Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing; and Parry Sound-Muskoka MPP, Graydon Smith.

WHEREAS official statistics from the Government of Ontario confirm that rural roads are inherently more dangerous than other roads; and WHEREAS despite only having 17% of the population, 55% of the road fatalities occur on rural roads; 2 AND WHEREAS, rural, northern, and remote municipalities are fiscally strained by maintaining extensive road networks on a smaller tax base; and WHEREAS preventing crashes reduces the burden on Ontario’s already strained rural strained health care system; and WHEREAS roadway collisions and associated lawsuits are significant factors in runaway municipal insurance premiums. Preventing crashes can have a significant impact in improving municipal risk profiles. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Township of The Archipelago requests that the Government of Ontario take action to implement the rural road safety program that Good Roads has committed to lead. It will allow Ontario's rural municipalities to make the critical investments needed to reduce the high number of people being killed and seriously injured on Ontario’s rural roads; and FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to Premier Doug Ford, Hon. Prabmeet Sarkaria, Minister of Transportation, Hon. Kinga Surma, Minister of Infrastructure, Hon. Rob Flack, Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Lisa Thompson, Minister of Rural Affairs, Hon. Trevor Jones, Associate Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Response, and Hon. Sylvia Jones, Minister of Health, and Good Roads.

WHEREAS municipalities face growing infrastructure needs, including roads, bridges, public transit, water systems, and other critical services, which are essential to community well-being and economic development; and WHEREAS the current sources of municipal revenue, including property taxes and user fees, are insufficient to meet these increasing demands for infrastructure investment; and WHEREAS the Province of Ontario currently collects the Land Transfer Tax (LTT) on property transactions in municipalities across the province, generating significant revenue that is not directly shared with municipalities; WHEREAS the Federal Government collects the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on property transactions, a portion of which could be directed to municipalities to address local infrastructure needs; and WHEREAS redistributing a portion of the Provincial Land Transfer Tax and GST to municipalities would provide a predictable and sustainable source of funding for local infrastructure projects without creating a new tax burden on residents or homebuyers; and WHEREAS a redistribution of a portion of the existing Land Transfer Tax and GST would allow municipalities to better plan and invest in long-term infrastructure initiatives, supporting local economic growth and improving the quality of life for residents. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Township of The Archipelago Council formally requests the Provincial Government to consider redistributing a portion of the Land Transfe

WHEREAS FORBES Bros Inc., the agent working on behalf of Rogers Communication, submitted correspondence with respect to the proposed erection of a communications tower to be located on Private property [PIN 521910617] along Blackstone-Crane Lake Road, specifically at location : Latitude 45.226477° Longitude -79.898798°, situated on property locally known as 455 Blackstone-Crane Lake Road, in the Township of The Archipelago; and WHEREAS the proposal is for a 60-metre, guyed, telecommunication tower and fenced ground-level compound to house the tower base and associated equipment; and WHEREAS FORBES Bros Inc. has requested a Letter of Concurrence with respect to the proposed structure. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Council hereby authorizes staff to provide a Letter of Concurrence to FORBES Bros Inc. and Rogers Communication for the proposed telecommunication structure.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Council direct staff to amend the Tarriff of Fees for Planning Applications (By-law No.17-11) in accordance with staff’s recommendation and include on a future Council agenda and provide notification to the public of the intent to increase the fees.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Council hereby receive the 2025 Preliminary Budget report; and FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED that Council direct staff to move forward with the 2025 budget guidelines as presented.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Council review, within the 2025 Capital Budget, a proposal to work with the West Parry Sound Museum to digitize and historically preserve the Pointe Au Baril Lighthouse information and artifacts; and FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED that procurement of services to remove interior wall and ceiling finishes, as well as exterior caulking, be planned by the Township without interfering with the aid to navigation.

WHEREAS a deputation was presented to Council by the Skerryvore Ratepayer Association for the request of community improvement fixtures; and WHEREAS upon staff review, a bench at Moonlight Court and Leaside Drive may be appropriate, while a bench at Lookout Lane is not appropriate. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Council agree to consider within the 2025 Budget the installation of two benches for the Skerryvore community at Moonlight Court, and Leaside Drive.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that Council hereby approves the expenditure of $1500 to explore the acquisition of a Hydro One Property on Blackstone Lake for water access purposes.

That By-law 2024-43 , being a By-law to Appoint Liam Thompson as the Community Fire Safety Officer, be read and finally passed on the 22nd day of November, 2024.

That By-law 2024-44 , being a By-law to Authorize the execution of a Memorandum of Understanding – Land Use Permission for the Six Star Snow Riders Snowmobile Club use of municipally owned property within Ward 5 and Ward 6, for a term of three years, be read and finally passed on the 22nd day of November, 2024.

That By-law 2024-45 , being a By-law to Confirm the Proceedings of the Regular Meeting of Council Held on November 22nd, 2024, be read and finally passed on the 22nd day of November, 2024.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Regular Meeting of Council held on November 22nd, 2024 be adjourned at 12:13 p.m.