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MINUTES - General Committee - 20210907 1 Town of Aurora General Committee Meeting Report Date: Time: Location: Tuesday, September 7, 2021 7:00 p.m. Council Chambers, Aurora Town Hall Council Members: Mayor Tom Mrakas (Chair) Councillor Wendy Gaertner* Councillor John Gallo Councillor Rachel Gilliland Councillor Sandra Humfryes Councillor Michael Thompson Members Absent: Councillor Harold Kim Other Attendees: Doug Nadorozny, Chief Administrative Officer* Robin McDougall, Director of Community Services* Techa van Leeuwen, Director of Corporate Services* Rachel Wainwright-van Kessel, Director of Finance David Waters, Director of Planning and Development Services* Eliza Bennett, Acting Manager, Corporate Communications* Anca Mihail, Manager of Engineering and Capital Delivery* Sara Tienkamp, Manager of Parks and Fleet* Patricia De Sario, Town Solicitor* Michael de Rond, Town Clerk Samantha Yew, Deputy Town Clerk Linda Bottos, Council/Committee Coordinator Ishita Soneji, Council/Committee Coordinator *Attended electronically _____________________________________________________________________ Land Acknowledgement Mayor Mrakas acknowledged that the meeting took place on the traditional territory of the Wendat, the Haudenosaunee, and the Anishinaabe peoples whose presence here 2 continues to this day. He further noted that Aurora is part of the treaty lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit and the Williams Treaties First Nations and thanked them for sharing the land. 1. Procedural Notes This meeting was held in person and electronically as per Section 19. i) of the Town's Procedure By-law No. 6228-19, as amended, due to the COVID-19 situation. The Mayor called the meeting to order at 7 p.m. 2. Approval of the Agenda General Committee approved the revised agenda as circulated by Legislative Services. 3. Declarations of Pecuniary Interest and General Nature Thereof There were no declarations of pecuniary interest under the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. M.50. 4. Community Presentations 4.1 John Marshman, Vice President, Capital, Facilities and Business Development, and Tyler Chalk, Vice President, Strategy, Analytics and Communications, Southlake Regional Health Centre; Re: Southlake Regional Health Centre's Master Plan Update John Marshman presented an update on Southlake’s Master Plan including Southlake's role in Ontario's healthcare system, outdated infrastructure challenges, community growth, hospital utilization, redevelopment vision, and community engagement. General Committee received the presentation for information. 5. Delegations 5.1 Christine Chevrier, Resident; Re: Item 8.2 - PDS21-091 - Request for a Parking By-law Amendment on Benville Crescent 3 Christine Chevrier provided clarification regarding the parking issue on Benville Crescent. She stated there was no longer an issue and that the proposed parking restrictions are not necessary nor desired by the residents. General Committee received and referred the comments of the delegation to Item 8.2. 6. Consent Agenda 6.1 Memorandum from Councillor Gaertner; Re: Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority Board Meeting Highlights of June 25, 2021 General Committee recommends: 1. That the memorandum regarding Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority Board Meeting Highlights of June 25, 2021, be received for information. Carried 7. Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes 7.1 Mayor's Golf Classic Funds Committee Meeting Minutes of July 20, 2021 General Committee recommends: 1. That the Mayor's Golf Classic Funds Committee meeting minutes of July 20, 2021, be received for information. Carried 8. Consideration of Items Requiring Discussion (Regular Agenda) General Committee consented to consider items in the following order: 8.2, 8.1, 8.3, 8.4, and 8.5. 8.1 CS21-067 - Proposed Noise By-law Update General Committee recommends: 1. That Report No. CS21-067 be received; and 4 2. That the proposed Noise By-law be brought forward to a future Council meeting for enactment, repealing and replacing the current Noise By- law No. 4787-06.P. Carried 8.2 PDS21-091 - Request for a Parking By-law Amendment on Benville Crescent General Committee recommends: 1. That Report No. PDS21-091 be received; and 2. That staff monitor the on-street parking activity on Benville Crescent around Evans Park, survey the residents, and report back to a future General Committee meeting with the results and recommendations before the end of 2021. Carried as amended 8.3 PDS21-098 - Incorporating a Climate Lens in Town Governance and Operations General Committee recommends: 1. That Report No. PDS21-098 be received; and 2. That climate change considerations be incorporated into staff reports starting in January 2022; and 3. That climate change considerations be incorporated as part of the 2023 budget approval process. Carried 8.4 PDS21-083 - Assessment of a Proposed Sidewalk on Metcalfe Street Between Aurora Town Square and Town Park General Committee recommends: 1. That Report No. PDS21-083 be received; and 2. That the Town not proceed with the construction of a new sidewalk on the north side of Metcalfe Street, between Victoria Street and Wells Street. Carried 5 8.5 FIN21-035 - 2021 Year End Surplus/Deficit Management By-law and Reserve Management Adjustments General Committee recommends: 1. That Report No. FIN21-035 be received; and 2. That the 2021 yearend surplus/deficit management by-law to manage the operating budget surplus or deficit through the use of reserves, as detailed in this report, be brought forward to a future Council meeting for approval; and 3. That the deletion of the six reserves identified in this report as no longer being required be approved; and 4. That the Treasurer be delegated the authority to delete reserves that are no longer required; and 5. That the Treasurer report to Council annually on reserves that have been added or deleted. Carried as amended 9. Notices of Motion 9.1 Mayor Mrakas; Re: LDD Moth Infestation Whereas areas of the Town of Aurora are experiencing an infestation of the caterpillar stage of the of Lymantria dispar dispar, commonly known as LDD moths; and Whereas, according to the LSRCA, the LDD moth is “an invasive insect (that) goes through cycles in which the population increases for several years and then declines”. This year is predicted to be an outbreak year, based on observations and monitoring in 2020 and through the winter of 2021; and Whereas the LDD moth population tends to peak every 10 years, and each outbreak can last a few years; and Whereas we are currently in year two of a boom; and Whereas the LDD moth can have serious, negative impacts on the forest canopy, defoliating a significant volume of trees during an infestation; and 6 Whereas healthy trees can generally survive, back-to-back years of LDD moth feeding can weaken a tree, making it susceptible to disease and damage from other insects and even death for some trees; and Whereas the Town has provided information for residents on how to protect the trees on their property and was the first municipality in York Region to provide burlap wraps to homeowners; 1. Now Therefore Be It Hereby Resolved That staff review and report back on all options to control the LDD moth infestation and manage future years of this cycle, including: burlap banding, removal of eggs, pheromone traps in areas with moderate to severe infestation, and consider targeted spraying of BTK (Bacterium Spray Treatment) within the appropriate timeframe in all severely infested areas of public lands and Town trees within the Town’s right of way on severely infested streets; and 2. Be It Further Resolved That the Town of Aurora adopt the same practice as neighbouring municipalities, taking a “good neighbour” approach and spraying buffer strips on the borders of publicly owned Town of Aurora lands and private lands where there is known to be a severe infestation of LDD moths. 10. Regional Report None. 11. New Business Councillor Gaertner referred to the previous Closed Session item vote and stated for the record that she could not support the motion as she does not believe it would be in the best interest of the adjoining neighbourhood. Councillor Gilliland inquired about the current situation for General Committee chair rotation and the potential process to replace Councillor Kim if he is elected as Member of Parliament for Newmarket-Aurora, and the Mayor provided clarification. 7 12. Public Service Announcements Councillor Humfryes extended a reminder about the Aurora Farmers' Market and Artisans Fair held each Saturday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Town Park, and thanked Town staff for their support. Councillor Humfryes expressed appreciation to the Rotary Club and Town staff for their efforts at Aurora's Ribfest. Councillor Gilliland expressed appreciation to the Aurora Cultural Centre for their efforts on the "Aurora Pops Up!" outdoor performing arts festival and encouraged all to check the programming at auroraculturalcentre.ca/aurora-pops-up. Councillor Gilliland announced that the Aurora Black Community inauguration celebration will be held on Sunday, September 12, 2021, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Town Park. Councillor Gaertner expressed appreciation to Town staff for their efforts during the storm on Saturday evening. Councillor Gaertner expressed appreciation to Lorris Herenda and Yellow Brick House for their excellent work during the COVID-19 pandemic, noting their community support and that fundraising is crucial. Councillor Gaertner noted that the Jewish high holiday Rosh Hashanah began last night, and she relayed a part of the prayer and message of the holiday. Mayor Mrakas remarked on his recent meeting with Hon. Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, regarding the Bloomington lands. He further noted their visit to Yellow Brick House, along with MPP Michael Parsa, which received approximately $150,000 from a social services relief fund to help renovate the facility. Mayor Mrakas announced that Aurora's annual Multicultural Festival will be held on Saturday, September 11, 2021, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Town Park, and more information can be found at aurora.ca/multiculturalfestival. 13. Closed Session None. 8 14. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 9:13 p.m.