Guelph City Council approve the Outside Water Use By-law (2026) – 21216 provided as Attachment-1 of this report. That Guelph City Council repeal the existing Outside…

5:34:42So before we get started, I would like to just take a moment

5:34:46to reflect on our role as responsible stewards

5:34:49of our community's water resources

5:34:51and thank staff for bringing this bylaw update forward to us.

5:34:56Before we get started on everything else,

5:35:00we've got a presentation from Heather Yates.

5:35:02So Heather, welcome to the podium.

5:35:05Thank you and good evening Chair class

5:35:12and members of City Council.

5:35:13My name is Heather Yates.

5:35:14I'm the manager of compliance, programs and performance

5:35:17in environmental services.

5:35:19It's my pleasure to present the details of the update

5:35:22to the outside water use bylaw.

5:35:24City of Guelph has long been an early adopter

5:35:32and lead in municipal water demand.

5:35:34As a groundwater based community, with finite supply,

5:35:37Guelph's success in managing seasonal water demand

5:35:40has assisted in securing water servicing capacity

5:35:43and ensuring compliance with our permitted water takings.

5:35:46With support from GEI Consultants Canada,

5:35:49staff initiated a review of the 2014 outside water use bylaw.

5:35:54This was to ensure alignment with updated regulation,

5:35:57policies and environmental protection since 2014.

5:36:00Most notably an update on our local water use bylaw

5:36:03and update on our local water bylaws

5:36:05for sewer use bylaw and water bylaw,

5:36:08as well as our source water protection

5:36:10and water quantity policies.

5:36:12We also needed to assess fee structure

5:36:14and enforcement practices to verify present day needs.

5:36:19We wanted to consider feedback of community members,

5:36:22including some of the feedback received

5:36:24on ease of use of the current structure

5:36:27and evaluate some of the comparator practices

5:36:29that exist since 2014,

5:36:31as well as our water changes in water using patterns

5:36:35since that time.

5:36:41You're likely familiar with the image you see before you.

5:36:44These are our current program levels

5:36:45associated with the outside water use bylaw.

5:36:48For context of the update,

5:36:50I'd like to describe the current bylaws program

5:36:52and how staff use data to support changes in the levels.

5:36:57Staff monitor and analyze several conditions

5:37:00that determine whether more cautious water use

5:37:02is required or appropriate.

5:37:04These conditions include temperature

5:37:06and quantity of rain,

5:37:08surface water body levels provided

5:37:09by the Grand River Conservation Authority,

5:37:13and overall tracking of water production.

5:37:15Water production is that of the amount

5:37:18of water water services pumps,

5:37:20treats and distributes in total

5:37:21to the drinking water system per day.

5:37:24Based on these factors,

5:37:25staff produce a weekly condition report

5:37:28indicating what level of outside water use is appropriate,

5:37:32protecting the supply within the parameters

5:37:35of our permits to take water.

5:37:38When a combination of factors are met or exceeded,

5:37:41staff make the data-driven decision

5:37:43to elevate or de-escalate a level.

5:37:46The levels have predetermined outside water

5:37:47using activities that are permitted or constrained

5:37:50based on the severity of local water conditions.

5:37:53Staff use our various communication channels,

5:37:56including the city's webpage, social,

5:37:58and the city's infamous roadside signs

5:38:00to inform residents and businesses

5:38:02of any changes to the level.

5:38:08As mentioned, data-driven decision-making

5:38:10is fundamental to the outside water use by-law

5:38:12and subsequent program.

5:38:14What you see before you contains a lot of information.

5:38:17For ease and for your focus,

5:38:18I'd like to describe the elements that this graph depicts.

5:38:22The graph is a retrospective of 2025.

5:38:25This is the most recent year that the city elevated

5:38:27and de-escalated outside water use levels.

5:38:30The levels are depicted by the blue,

5:38:32yellow, and red background shading over periods of time.

5:38:37Daily precipitation is plotted

5:38:38at the bottom of the graph, solid and blue,

5:38:40emphasizing peaks and valleys of rain

5:38:43received during those periods.

5:38:45At the top of the graph, solid and black,

5:38:47you'll see total production of water treated

5:38:50and pumped to the system,

5:38:51which emphasizes the peaks and valleys

5:38:53of total system demand.

5:38:56In total, what this graph displays

5:38:57is a call and response in cutting peak demand

5:38:59by the community when a level change occurs.

5:39:02Based on public program recognition,

5:39:04residents and businesses adjust their use patterns,

5:39:07and this is reflected in demand response.

5:39:12We see community action to level change,

5:39:14paired with increased precipitation experience

5:39:16during that time,

5:39:18and resulting reduction in overall demand.

5:39:21But more so, peak demand is tempered throughout the season.

5:39:29Through the review, several strengths

5:39:31of the present by-law were noted.

5:39:34Flexibility with using levels provided many opportunities

5:39:37to engage the community in conversation

5:39:40around outdoor water using levels

5:39:41and reinforcing messaging.

5:39:43Prompt response from the community

5:39:45using our suite of communication tools

5:39:47and achieving the necessary reductions and demands.

5:39:50Employing an education first approach,

5:39:52keeping by-law and residents aware of drivers

5:39:54for necessity of compliance,

5:39:57and permitting individuals to water to maintain plant health

5:40:00and establish new seed and sod,

5:40:03minimizing the impact to customers

5:40:05and businesses who also offer these services.

5:40:12We also experienced some great feedback

5:40:14on the challenges and the opportunities

5:40:16that exist to improve the by-law.

5:40:18There's some confusion on differences

5:40:20between level zero blue and level one yellow.

5:40:24These replicate each other,

5:40:26and there was confusion on how they were executed.

5:40:30There was no standard season for residents

5:40:32to determine when the by-law is actually active.

5:40:35Our data is limited to gross water demand

5:40:38that's the treated and distributed production data.

5:40:42Real-time data from each customer sector is delayed

5:40:44as it's obtained through our water billing meters

5:40:46and then thusly processed through billing and Zinc collections.

5:40:50There's also been limited enforcement to date.

5:40:53Program and administration investments

5:40:55and potential abuse of permitting processes

5:40:58suggested collecting supporting documentation

5:41:00for rationale of permits to address repeat asks

5:41:03in season or every year.

5:41:09The culmination of our review has resulted

5:41:11in a simplified by-law and the program structure

5:41:14which is summarized in the next couple of slides.

5:41:17Instead of three, pardon me, instead of three levels,

5:41:21which with corresponding actions,

5:41:23the updated by-law reflects only two levels,

5:41:26standard and elevated restrictions

5:41:29to assist in clarity of message.

5:41:31We have maintained the status quo

5:41:33of municipal address days linked

5:41:35to odd and even days of the calendar

5:41:38that some activities may be permitted or restricted to

5:41:41for the use of outside water.

5:41:44To provide flexibility for all sorts of different lifestyles,

5:41:47we've proposed part of modified watering windows

5:41:51moving from seven to nine a.m. and seven to nine p.m.

5:41:54to instead a total of four hours per day

5:41:57between the hours of midnight at nine a.m.

5:41:59and five p.m. to 11.59 p.m.

5:42:03This does not impact the amount or duration

5:42:06of watering permitted per day.

5:42:08In the present by-law, it's just more accommodating.

5:42:11Further, water-using activity restrictions

5:42:13fluctuate between standard and elevated levels.

5:42:17In standard level, that promotes a cautious use of water,

5:42:21customers are permitted to water their lawns

5:42:23during municipal address days

5:42:25within the defined hours mentioned,

5:42:27while other outdoor water-using activities

5:42:29have no restrictions applied.

5:42:32In an elevated level requiring reduction in use,

5:42:35lawn watering is no longer permitted,

5:42:38and this is consistent with the present level two, red.

5:42:42Nor are public education or demonstrations

5:42:45that use water outdoors.

5:42:47Watering of ornamental gardens during municipal address days

5:42:50within the specified hours are permitted.

5:42:53In both cases between elevated or standard,

5:42:57food growing and tree care are not restricted.

5:43:00Neither are sprinklers for recreation,

5:43:02as these are often used for cooling purposes.

5:43:09The conditions for level change

5:43:11have been maintained and added to.

5:43:14The by-law has maintained tracking

5:43:15against climatic normals,

5:43:17and also maintained monitoring and tracking

5:43:19of surface water, the Aramosa River flows,

5:43:22which is stipulated by the city's permit to take water.

5:43:25This is also a primary driver

5:43:27for the Grand River's Low Water Response Program.

5:43:30The condition of tracking overall water demand

5:43:34against available supply is new to our by-law,

5:43:37but as mentioned had previously been

5:43:39an internal condition tracked and considered

5:43:40for several years.

5:43:43In all circumstances, level change to elevated status

5:43:46may occur as required to manage the water supply,

5:43:49and meeting demand reductions where required

5:43:51as part of the community emergency response contingency.

5:43:59Administrative changes have been included

5:44:01to address feedback and consider costs going forward.

5:44:05For example, the formal timing

5:44:06of the outside water use by-law

5:44:08has defined dates now, as proposed,

5:44:11April 1st to October 31st.

5:44:14Further, we've visited the costs of permits.

5:44:16They have nominally been increased

5:44:18from $10 per watering permit to $15 per permit.

5:44:22This amount has not been adjusted since 2014.

5:44:26The proposed also has the ability to request proof of purchase

5:44:29to accompany applications for watering permits

5:44:32to deter frequent applications for the same location.

5:44:35This is consistent with other municipalities.

5:44:43Throughout the process, staff engaged in pop-up events,

5:44:46leaned on Have Your Say,

5:44:47and previous research completed to support by-law updates.

5:44:52The final draft by-law was posted for comment

5:44:54and consideration on Have Your Say.

5:44:57Further, staff brought the proposed

5:44:58to two advisory committees of council

5:45:00and obtained endorsement from Planning, Environment,

5:45:03and Water Advisory Committee,

5:45:05and the Economic Development and Tourism Advisory Committee.

5:45:08With approval, staff's next steps are

5:45:11finalizing a public outreach and education plan

5:45:13with strategic communication and community engagement.

5:45:17This is going to include revised

5:45:18outside water use community signage,

5:45:21considering the recommendations of extending signage

5:45:23to growth nodes in the city.

5:45:26Continue with the education-first approach in 2026

5:45:29for advising community of change

5:45:31and leveraging many touchpoints

5:45:33across the community for information sharing.

5:45:36We'll also be completing our ongoing program,

5:45:39Impact Monitoring, measuring the changes

5:45:42the impact of the by-law have,

5:45:44ease of understanding within our community,

5:45:46and an absence of real-time consumption data,

5:45:49evaluate ongoing impact and overall water demand

5:45:52through peak season.

5:45:58Finally, what you have before you are the two resolutions

5:46:01staff have put forward for council's approval

5:46:03later this month to enact the by-law.

5:46:14With that, I thank you for your time and consideration,

5:46:16and through Chair Kloss,

5:46:17and I'm prepared to answer any questions that you may have.

5:46:20Thank you very much, Heather, for the presentation.

5:46:24I have seen some hands start to go up.

5:46:26So I had Councillor Allt put his hand out.

5:46:28I'm gonna look at the screen because I often look in person.

5:46:33Okay, Councillor Roussdale, Councillor Goller.

5:46:37Starting with you, Councillor Allt.

5:46:40Thank you very much, Chair Kloss.

5:46:42Before we go any further,

5:46:43would you like me to put the motion on the floor?

5:46:45Yes, please, thank you.

5:46:47Councillor Allt, and seconded by Councillor Buicitel.

5:46:50Thank you, the recommendations are on the floor.

5:46:51And thank you very much for the presentation.

5:46:54I appreciate everything you've said,

5:46:56and I'm concerned about next steps.

5:47:00We have a rain barrel program,

5:47:03but the rain barrel program at this point

5:47:05is essentially finished for the year.

5:47:08Should we reconsider by motion now extending that program,

5:47:13given that we have a fairly good idea

5:47:14that this is gonna be a long, dry summer?

5:47:19Through you, Chair Klosson.

5:47:21Our rain barrel program is funded

5:47:23through our stormwater utility for the purpose.

5:47:26We've been running a rain barrel program for several years

5:47:28and in partnership with them

5:47:29from water and wastewater as well.

5:47:33Rain barrels have been actively used within the city,

5:47:36and at this time I think that there is,

5:47:41we have a great program in place as it currently exists.

5:47:45Can I think to add to that, Mr. Gaiman?

5:47:49Yeah, through the Chair, if I may.

5:47:52Councillor Allt, I'm speaking off the top

5:47:53and I had to hear a little bit,

5:47:54but there's also a limited number of rain barrels available

5:47:57each year just within the sort of funding envelope

5:48:00of that stormwater funded program.

5:48:02And so I don't think that there's a concern

5:48:05from the program's team.

5:48:06I have not had that flag to mean in any way, shape, or form.

5:48:10Just a comment on that.

5:48:11I appreciate that perhaps it is a little too late,

5:48:14just as a takeaway, perhaps we should increase

5:48:17the number of rain barrels for next year and ongoing.

5:48:21If in fact we are facing a significant challenge,

5:48:24which I actually think we are.

5:48:27And I'm just looking at weather trends around the world

5:48:30and particularly coming from the west, where Vancouver,

5:48:33the great wet Vancouver has been experiencing

5:48:36a five month drought.

5:48:38So just something to take away.

5:48:40But that relates to something else as well.

5:48:42And I was wondering if I could get remarks

5:48:44on the gray water, rain water systems

5:48:47that I know that some engineers in Guelph

5:48:49are trying to promote and that is at this point

5:48:51operative in 10C for example.

5:48:55Can we have some comments on that

5:48:57and the efficacy of that for the future?

5:49:00And through planning actually as well.

5:49:03Absolutely, through you chair.

5:49:05We have, the City of Guelph has actively partnered

5:49:07with a number of our water conservation efficiency

5:49:10and optimization programs with members of the community,

5:49:13including 10C's project.

5:49:16There is a great opportunity that exists.

5:49:20It also benefits our storm water friends and colleagues

5:49:23as well.

5:49:24So we have, yes, we continue to offer rebates

5:49:27both for gray water reuse and rain water harvesting

5:49:31through the other water efficiency and conservation

5:49:33programs outside of this bylaw.

5:49:35And thank you.

5:49:36I might have to ask somebody else,

5:49:38perhaps Mr. Gaiman or Ms. Walke as well,

5:49:41because I think there's a planning aspect of this as well.

5:49:44And I know that there have been challenges,

5:49:46but in talking to one engineer, he

5:49:48said that the economy of scale relates to developments that

5:49:55are larger than just one house.

5:49:57Do we have any contingency for promoting gray water

5:50:02or rain water systems as a component of planning?

5:50:08Through the chair to council, also certainly

5:50:10do have things like low impact development standards.

5:50:13We do things through the building code

5:50:14where we can encourage gray water use.

5:50:17But I would just say with respect

5:50:18to sort of the scope of the OW UP that's in front of you here,

5:50:24we're really not focused on that particular aspect

5:50:26as this bylaw update is in front of council.

5:50:29And I appreciate that.

5:50:31But I'm trying to sneak in something

5:50:32that is much longer term and is incredibly

5:50:37significant to what we're talking about here.

5:50:39So I might be sneaky, but there's method in my madness.

5:50:45Thank you, Councillor Allt.

5:50:46Maybe that's something that you can continue offline

5:50:48with staff.

5:50:50Sneakily, of course.

5:50:51Sneaky, sneaky, sneaky, sneaky.

5:50:54Next on my speaker's list is Councillor Busebchelt, please.

5:50:58Thank you very much.

5:50:59And thank you for the report and the presentation.

5:51:01I'm award four.

5:51:03So language is a huge barrier for many of the families

5:51:07in my area.

5:51:08And so my question is in your report on page nine,

5:51:12sorry, page five at the bottom, thank you for moving

5:51:14to a two system from the three because it was,

5:51:18even for myself, confusing.

5:51:21But I have a question.

5:51:21When I look back to your presentation

5:51:24and the image of bylaw review strengths,

5:51:27and you've got the image of outside water use and number one,

5:51:31I'm trying to visualize because in your report,

5:51:35I'm hoping you're not going to say on the sign

5:51:37a standard restricted program that what I'm looking

5:51:41for is reassurance about plain language,

5:51:44which is a readability of about a grade seven level,

5:51:47recognizing that in my community,

5:51:49when often things go home, it's the kids that will engage

5:51:53with the parents to read that.

5:51:55So infographics, readability, plain language.

5:51:58Can you talk a little bit more about your plan there?

5:52:00Because when I read the report, I thought,

5:52:02you know, a standard restricted program

5:52:05and elevated restricted program,

5:52:07that's a lot to comprehend.

5:52:11Through you, chair, I appreciate the question,

5:52:13Councillor Busuttil, absolutely.

5:52:16We will be maintaining language

5:52:18that is consistent with the bylaw.

5:52:19We'll also offer things such as flagging of use.

5:52:22So for level one, which will be a water drop still,

5:52:27it will say standard.

5:52:29It will also offer a prompt of cautious use

5:52:32and a water drop too, that will say elevated.

5:52:36And it will talk to reduce use.

5:52:38We will be using other infographics

5:52:40and other mechanisms in which to encourage

5:52:42and change behavior and influence.

5:52:45And I may be so bold as to say we've had a lot of success

5:52:48also introducing a number of the concepts

5:52:51for our watering program,

5:52:53and specifically for outside water use bylaw

5:52:55through New Canadian Outreach Initiatives.

5:52:59So these are all factors that will factor

5:53:02into the communications plan that we're currently building.

5:53:05Thank you.

5:53:06Thank you, just a follow-up, if I may.

5:53:07So then in that image, that's in your slide presentation

5:53:11with the number one and the drop.

5:53:14Would the infographics at the bottom,

5:53:17the person watering and so on,

5:53:20would that be consistent with image number two

5:53:22with an X perhaps on some of the images

5:53:25to make infographics clear?

5:53:29Through you, chair.

5:53:30This is information that we will,

5:53:32this is, I appreciate your comment,

5:53:34and it is, we will take that away

5:53:35and speak with our strategic communications team on that

5:53:39for how we're communicating that.

5:53:41Right now we do have infographics

5:53:43that are associated with our outside water use bylaw signs.

5:53:46Thank you for that feedback.

5:53:48Again, another supplemental, if I man.

5:53:50Just recently in the neighborhood,

5:53:52just to illustrate the difficulty with language,

5:53:56no parking, no stopping.

5:54:00I have a video of someone driving down the multi-use path

5:54:04because it's a service road.

5:54:05So we start in making our bylaws and our communication

5:54:10with the assumption that we're all in the same place

5:54:12and we all understand language,

5:54:14but that's not the case.

5:54:16I did have one question about the elevated

5:54:18in the presentation, again, in the community.

5:54:22When it says for elevated, using water for public education

5:54:26or demonstrations not permitted.

5:54:28So when the Guelph Fire Department comes out

5:54:31for hot summer nights to Margaret Green Park and says,

5:54:34well, we're not sure if we can do this or not.

5:54:37Can you provide some clarity there?

5:54:39Through you, Chair.

5:54:40Absolutely.

5:54:42The city also practices and aligns

5:54:44with the intention of the bylaw as well.

5:54:47In the past, we have had the experience

5:54:49that hot summer nights are unfortunately impacted

5:54:52because of the use of water and are foregone

5:54:56for those events because of the impact of reducing use

5:54:59in those periods of time where peak demand is much higher.

5:55:03So that is a good example of something

5:55:05that would be impacted during an elevated level.

5:55:09So just so I'm clear, sprinklers are all right,

5:55:11but the fire department engaging kids

5:55:14and the fire truck and stuff not okay,

5:55:16it would be canceled, is that correct?

5:55:18The activity of itself is the cooling mechanism

5:55:24using yard sprinklers and the educational benefit.

5:55:29We've had a lot of success in partnering

5:55:31with our fire services and offering alternative mechanisms

5:55:34in which to engage with youth and community members

5:55:38instead of having fire truck use the water at that time.

5:55:43Okay, I will follow up.

5:55:44Thank you very much.

5:55:48Thank you for your questions, Councillor Busetel.

5:55:50Councillor Goller, please.

5:55:53Thank you, and through you, Chair Klassen.

5:55:55Thank you so much for the report and the updated bylaw.

5:55:58I think it is much clearer now.

5:56:00I do note that on the website for the current restrictions,

5:56:05it says that the fines are between 150 and 550.

5:56:09But when I look at the new bylaw on page 13015,

5:56:13it tells me that the fines are no more than 10,000

5:56:16and second offense no more than 25,000 for individuals

5:56:20or 50 and 100,000 for corporations.

5:56:23Could you tell me what the actual fine would be

5:56:25for a household that is on watering not on the right day?

5:56:28Absolutely.

5:56:29Through you, Chair Klassen, thank you, Councillor Goller.

5:56:32Presently, the bylaw is structured to only be able

5:56:36to use enforcement of a part three court summons

5:56:40for any infraction.

5:56:42So that also speaks to the challenges

5:56:44that we've had in enforcement.

5:56:46And so education has been repeated by bylaw.

5:56:49What we are proposing right now is that while the new bylaw

5:56:52continues that court summons as is required

5:56:54through the municipal act, we are working right now

5:56:56with legal in order to add to the enforcement ability

5:57:03for our bylaw team to look at part one for ticketing.

5:57:07Ticketing would be structured based on other municipal

5:57:11comparators in this field as well.

5:57:13And we're just collecting that information at this time.

5:57:15It's worth noting that in 2026,

5:57:17we are not anticipating a ticketable offense

5:57:21at this point in time.

5:57:22And it's going to be education first for our community

5:57:24to ensure that they're aware of the changes

5:57:26that are occurring within the bylaw.

5:57:28Okay, I appreciate that.

5:57:30So the provision there for a $10,000 fine

5:57:35would only be used in like a very egregious.

5:57:37Absolutely.

5:57:38Terrible, okay.

5:57:39Pardon me.

5:57:40Okay, thank you very much.

5:57:40Thank you.

5:57:41Thank you, Chair.

5:57:42Thank you, Councillor Goller.

5:57:43That's all for my list of questions from Councillors.

5:57:48Is there an, oh, Councillor Bustill,

5:57:49we're coming back to you.

5:57:51Sorry, I've been mulling this over.

5:57:53The whole, I'm going to go back to the hot summer nights,

5:57:56Westwood Road, it took a number of years for us

5:57:58to get the truck to even come out to Margaret Green Park.

5:58:01And so this is an equity question

5:58:03and I'll send you an email as well.

5:58:07The permit here, and I understand the volume and so on,

5:58:10but to have the privilege of having a sprinkler

5:58:12and a front lawn is not equitable across the city.

5:58:15And so for the kids that live in all those high rises

5:58:18on Westwood Road, and yes, finally,

5:58:20thank you to the mayor, you know,

5:58:21it took 18 years to get a splash pad

5:58:23and a crossing path and so on.

5:58:28Oh, staff, staff, staff and the mayor.

5:58:31Really appreciate that.

5:58:32However, I'm just asking about equitable here.

5:58:36When I look at this, I have a front lawn.

5:58:38I can have a sprinkler.

5:58:39Great.

5:58:41You know, I'm very concerned about that.

5:58:43So I'm going to send a follow up

5:58:45if you can take that away,

5:58:46that equity lens of opportunities there

5:58:50because the kids were devastated

5:58:53when that event was canceled.

5:58:55It's a huge community event.

5:58:58That only happens once a year if they're lucky.

5:58:59So just if you can keep that in mind,

5:59:01it's more than just getting wet.

5:59:03It's that whole public education and everything else.

5:59:06Thank you.

5:59:07Sorry, through Chair Kloss.

5:59:08And if I can just jump in speaking

5:59:09from the fire service point of view on that.

5:59:12So I'll look into it,

5:59:14to my recollection, we've never canceled the event.

5:59:16We always do our hot summer nights

5:59:18as a public education program.

5:59:20The focus of hot summer nights though

5:59:21is about fire prevention and public education.

5:59:24The water component is if we can do it, we do it,

5:59:28but we can't always.

5:59:29And certainly the water use restrictions fire trucks

5:59:31put out a huge volume of water

5:59:33compared to what a residential sprinkler would be.

5:59:36But we've made really concerted effort in recent years

5:59:39to make sure that we are hitting

5:59:40every one of the wards with that program.

5:59:42But the focus of that hot summer nights program

5:59:44is fire prevention and education.

5:59:47The use of water is sort of a bonus activity.

5:59:51And the other thing that we do always make sure

5:59:53that we're clear on publicly is that if we ever do,

5:59:55sometimes we just have to pull the fire trucks

5:59:57because they are active service vehicles.

5:59:59So that's the only other reason

6:00:01that we sometimes have had to stop that activity

6:00:04is because they are in service vehicles.

6:00:12Councillor Boussatel, does that satisfy your question?

6:00:14Yeah, I'll follow up offline as well

6:00:16with the correspondence

6:00:18and how we were able to get it to Margaret Green Park.

6:00:20That was not on the list.

6:00:23Thank you.

6:00:24Just looking, are there any comments

6:00:26from my council colleagues?

6:00:29Looking around and I'm seeing none.

6:00:32So again, it's me.

6:00:35I don't have questions.

6:00:37I just want to go back to the first page

6:00:39of the staff report and read something,

6:00:42which is the outside water use bylaw

6:00:44has demonstrated its effectiveness

6:00:46in balancing outdoor water needs

6:00:48and reducing demand when restriction levels change.

6:00:51Since 2003, peak demand, the highest day of water use

6:00:55per year has not exceeded 65,000 cubic meters in a day,

6:01:00cubic meters in a day,

6:01:01while population has continued to grow.

6:01:03And I quickly looked up the population growth,

6:01:05which has gone from about 110,000 to 143,000.

6:01:09So I think that the work that you're doing is working.

6:01:13The public education is working

6:01:15and we're seeing that reflected in the numbers.

6:01:17And so I really appreciate the updates

6:01:19that continue to tweak and to improve our water usage,

6:01:26our outdoor water usage and make the program better.

6:01:28So thank you to staff for your report.

6:01:32And I think Guelph is a very water conscious community.

6:01:36And I think that this report reflects that.

6:01:39So thank you.

6:01:40And with that, I'm going to call the vote.

6:01:42Is anybody against the recommendations?

6:01:47I'm seeing none.

6:01:48So that passes unanimously.

6:01:51Thank you to everyone.

6:01:53Excuse me, Chair Klassen,

6:01:55I just want to confirm because Councillor Gibson

6:01:57doesn't have his video on if he is intending to vote.

6:02:01I'm here, thank you.

6:02:02I am in favor and my comments are,

6:02:04it's rare that we see a bylaw with so much public buy-in,

6:02:07but it is a refreshing note for our community.

6:02:09We are collectively focused on water conservation

6:02:12and I appreciate this bylaw very much, I'm in support.

6:02:16Thank you, Councillor Gibson.

6:02:19All right, we're going to move on to the next item

6:02:22on the IDE agenda.

6:02:24Thank you to staff.

6:02:25We'll just talk while everyone moves over.

6:02:29We have the advancing energy equity in Guelph report.

6:02:34We have staff Brian Hohen, Tio Joseph,

6:02:39and then members of Guelph Lab, Laura Tozer, Sam Laban,

6:02:44Daria Taran who will be presenting to us this evening.

6:02:49Before we get started, I just want to thank everyone

6:02:51who has contributed to this work,

6:02:53the Guelph Energy Equity Coalition,

6:02:56the Guelph Energy Equity Community Working Group

6:02:59and the full project team from Guelph Labs

6:03:02and all the staff who are involved

6:03:04with the Guelph Labs work.

6:03:06I had a meeting a few months ago to learn a little bit more

6:03:09about Guelph Labs and the work that you were doing

6:03:11and this was still in progress.

6:03:13So I'm really looking forward to the presentation

6:03:15this evening and the discussion that will follow.

6:03:17So I'll hand things over to you, Brian.

6:03:27Okay, good afternoon.

6:03:30My name is Brian Hohen and I manage the city

6:03:32of Guelph's energy and climate change team.

6:03:36I'm happy to share the floor with my colleague, Tio Joseph.

6:03:40Dr. Laura Tozer from the University of Toronto,

6:03:43Dr. Daria Tarhan from the University of Guelph

6:03:46and Sam Laban from the Guelph Lab.

6:03:50They will be presenting further

6:03:51on the advancing energy equity and Guelph initiative.

6:03:57Last year, we presented the community call

6:04:00to climate action, which is the guiding document

6:04:03for collective action to reduce community emissions in Guelph

6:04:07from buildings, households, workplaces,

6:04:11waste and transportation and to work together

6:04:15to move towards our community race zero targets.

6:04:20That said, equity must always be considered

6:04:24as we work towards our energy and climate goals.

6:04:29As we developed the Guelph Greener Homes Program,

6:04:32this thinking was employed.

6:04:34In parallel to the zero interest loan stream,

6:04:37we were one of the first municipalities

6:04:39to develop a dedicated low income household grant program

6:04:43that covers the cost of heat pumps for those that qualify.

6:04:48This way, more community members could overcome

6:04:52financial barriers and take action to reduce emissions.

6:04:58Guelph is also part of the global covenant of mayors

6:05:01for climate and energy.

6:05:03As part of the membership, cities are to report

6:05:06on reducing local emissions and adapting

6:05:09to climate change.

6:05:11In 2023, the global covenant of mayors added

6:05:15the energy access and poverty pillar to the framework.

6:05:19This addition helped frame the investigation

6:05:22into energy inequity and led to this engagement

6:05:25with Guelph lab and the research team.

6:05:28And with that, I'll pass it over to Dr. Tozer.

6:05:34Oh, sorry.

6:05:35Dr. Tarran.

6:05:40Hello members of council.

6:05:42Thank you so much, Brian.

6:05:44Dear members of council,

6:05:46we're in the midst of a transition as a society

6:05:50in terms of our climate, our energy systems,

6:05:53and how we relate to them as communities and policymakers.

6:05:58And some groups are impacted more disproportionately

6:06:01than others by climate change and our energy systems.

6:06:04And here's where the need for justice comes in.

6:06:07So the city of Guelph is the, for the slides.

6:06:13Sorry, first time.

6:06:22And the city of Guelph is already working

6:06:25on advancing just energy transitions.

6:06:28And this action plan on advancing energy equity specifically

6:06:32is part of these broader efforts.

6:06:35Guelph, in fact, is amongst the early adopters

6:06:38of addressing energy inequity.

6:06:40Another example of such a city is the city of Calgary,

6:06:43who enacted a energy equity action plan as well.

6:06:47At its core, energy equity isn't only about the cost of energy

6:06:52or everyone being able to adequately heat

6:06:55and cool their homes, which it is.

6:06:59But it's also about health.

6:07:01For example, people with respiratory illnesses

6:07:03who are disproportionately impacted by heat waves.

6:07:07It's about dignity and belonging,

6:07:09things like being able to host others at their home

6:07:13and feeling safe and comfortable at home.

6:07:18Climate change, unfortunately,

6:07:19is increasing the challenge of meeting energy equity.

6:07:24Hotter summers and longer heat waves are already here.

6:07:28By 2050, the number of days over 30 degrees Celsius

6:07:32is expected to quadruple.

6:07:36This action plan addresses energy inequity

6:07:38in two key ways.

6:07:39First, it identifies which communities and households

6:07:43in Guelph are most affected.

6:07:45And second, it outlines practical steps

6:07:49the city and community partners can take to support them.

6:07:53And as you can see, as you could have seen,

6:07:55I think I passed a slide there,

6:08:00but the primary focus of it is those Guelph residents

6:08:04with high energy burden,

6:08:06which means they spend a lot on energy costs

6:08:08relative to income.

6:08:11So now I want to talk to you about the participatory process

6:08:14through which we collectively developed

6:08:16this energy equity action plan.

6:08:20So we developed this plan through

6:08:21community and community engaged scholarship approach,

6:08:26where key community members and actors

6:08:28help identify and frame the issues,

6:08:31as well as collectively develop solutions to these issues.

6:08:35And this approach aims at increasing responsiveness

6:08:38to community needs and visions and the success of uptake.

6:08:44So on our end, the project team comprised of city staff,

6:08:49researchers, including myself,

6:08:50from the University of Guelph,

6:08:52and Dr. Laura Tozer from University of Toronto,

6:08:56as well as support from the Guelph Lab.

6:09:01Meanwhile, while this is the project team,

6:09:03there was also, as mentioned,

6:09:04through the community engaged scholarship approach,

6:09:06there was very important roles for community members in Guelph,

6:09:10through two key groups of community engagement.

6:09:16The first of them is what we call

6:09:19the Guelph Energy Equity Coalition,

6:09:22which brought together representatives

6:09:25from 11 local organizations concerned by energy and equity.

6:09:29This included utilities, governments,

6:09:32and community organizations working in poverty alleviation,

6:09:35frontline community service delivery, and sustainability.

6:09:39This group met four times in total.

6:09:43The second key group is the Guelph Energy Equity

6:09:47Community Working Group.

6:09:49And this group was made up of nine Guelph residents

6:09:52with lived expertise relevant to energy equity.

6:09:59Importantly, the community working group,

6:10:02so the expertise of people who are day-to-day

6:10:05dealing with energy and equities

6:10:06and trying to advance energy equity,

6:10:09bookended the entire project.

6:10:10The first meeting was of the community group,

6:10:12so they were able to set the priorities and principles

6:10:16that is going to guide this research.

6:10:19And the last meeting of the final energy equity action plan

6:10:22was reviewed by these members.

6:10:25Glad to report that nine out of nine

6:10:27of the community working group members

6:10:29supported this action plan that's in front of you today.

6:10:33And we also did engaged in public engagement

6:10:37at four community spaces, including community voices,

6:10:41food uniting neighbors, a Hope House Market,

6:10:44and the North End Harvest Market.

6:10:47I will now pass it to my colleague, Dr. Laura Tozer,

6:10:50who will speak about how we come to understand energy

6:10:53and equity in general and in the specific context of it.

6:10:56Thank you.

6:11:11Okay, thank you, Council Members.

6:11:13So there's a few different ways that we can think

6:11:15about understanding energy equity.

6:11:18And this is an area of research for me.

6:11:19I research energy equity, retrofit programs

6:11:24for homes here in Canada and local climate action.

6:11:27Well, so we can think about energy equity here in Guelph

6:11:30in a few different ways.

6:11:31We can think about it through stories,

6:11:33through definitions, and through statistics.

6:11:35So I'm gonna go through the action plan itself

6:11:37in a minute, but first I want to share a little bit

6:11:41about what we learned together in this process

6:11:43about the picture of energy inequity

6:11:44as it exists here in Guelph now.

6:11:47So when we think about the energy stories that we have,

6:11:56here in Guelph, our working group residents

6:11:58with lived experience of energy inequity edited

6:12:01a series of research backed qualitative stories

6:12:03to make sure that they reflected life in Guelph.

6:12:06They felt strongly that these stories included in the plan

6:12:09help everyone to understand who needs these actions

6:12:13and what their challenges are.

6:12:15The stories show experiences of people with lived experience

6:12:18whether that's low parents, seniors, folks with disabilities,

6:12:21racialized people, newcomers, renters, folks

6:12:25who disproportionately experience

6:12:26energy and equity impacts.

6:12:30Energy inequity is often defined as not being able

6:12:32to afford or access the energy needed to support well-being

6:12:36or staying healthy at home.

6:12:38It exists here in Guelph, exists all across Canada.

6:12:40Research shows that.

6:12:42People carefully ration their energy use

6:12:45in ways that means that they're living

6:12:47in unsafe temperatures at home.

6:12:49So we know that people keep the heat low

6:12:53or stay in one room or can't stay at home when it's warm.

6:12:57And the impacts of this are not just about the cost

6:13:02but it's also a health impact and a social connection impact.

6:13:05Research shows that it can make cardiovascular diseases

6:13:08worse, for example, these coping mechanisms

6:13:10and not having adequate temperatures at home.

6:13:13And it drives isolation, not wanting to have friends

6:13:16and families to your home as you heard.

6:13:18So this is what we mean when we're saying energy

6:13:20and equity as part of this plan.

6:13:23We can also look at the statistics

6:13:24for energy and equity in Guelph.

6:13:26We calculated that 4,550 households struggled

6:13:31with high energy costs.

6:13:33So that works out to about one in 10 households

6:13:35across the city, but it's concentrated

6:13:37in particular neighborhoods.

6:13:38In some neighborhoods, four out of 10 households

6:13:42were experiencing energy and equity.

6:13:45Another thing I want to note is that we got the data

6:13:47to do this calculation from the census

6:13:49where people put in their energy costs.

6:13:52But many people have their energy costs included

6:13:55in their rent and their housing so they can't separate it out,

6:13:59which means they're not captured in this number

6:14:00of 4,550 households.

6:14:03So we calculated just over 12,000 renter households

6:14:08that are also unable to access and attain material needs

6:14:11related to housing, food, clothing, and education

6:14:14using some different sources of data.

6:14:16And these are also households who are vulnerable

6:14:18to energy poverty who aren't included in that first number.

6:14:21So let me talk a little bit now about the action plan itself,

6:14:24what we came to collectively through this process

6:14:27of working with all these folks.

6:14:29The overarching goal of the plan is to help households

6:14:34that are struggling because of energy and equity,

6:14:37including people with the lowest incomes

6:14:38and the highest energy burdens.

6:14:42This is, as you remember, that was related

6:14:43to the energy costs and the other impacts that they're facing.

6:14:46So there's four large areas, categories of actions

6:14:49that are in the plan.

6:14:51The first two relate to the underlying housing conditions.

6:14:54So this is about addressing things like leaky windows

6:14:57and doors, inadequate insulation,

6:14:59or an inefficient heating and cooling system

6:15:02because these are one of the main drivers

6:15:04of energy and equity experiences.

6:15:07We need home energy upgrades to advance energy equity

6:15:11and better serve most marginalized residents

6:15:14to address some of these drivers.

6:15:16And what we heard, what you'll see in some of these

6:15:18action areas is both more home upgrade programs,

6:15:22additional ones, serving more purposes,

6:15:24reaching more households.

6:15:25But you'll also see that we talked a lot about

6:15:27and we have actions in there about better support

6:15:32so that people can better access existing programs

6:15:35because there are a couple of offered as well.

6:15:37Because the uptake is low even for the existing programs,

6:15:40they're difficult to navigate.

6:15:42People don't know that they're eligible.

6:15:45So the first two program areas are about navigation

6:15:48and about expansion.

6:15:51The under strengthening navigation and outreach,

6:15:54the first major action was to develop

6:15:56what we're calling an energy coaching program.

6:15:59And this is a recommendation for the city of Guelph

6:16:02to convene and collaborate with community partners,

6:16:04other levels of government and utilities

6:16:06to develop the program that works directly

6:16:09with households in Guelph, helping them to navigate

6:16:12existing home energy retrofit programs

6:16:14offered by many different players.

6:16:16There's also a lot of opportunity to improve outreach,

6:16:18things like in more languages, targeted outreach efforts

6:16:24to particular neighborhoods and communities,

6:16:25that kind of thing.

6:16:27There are also actions about expanding

6:16:30home energy retrofit programs.

6:16:32So this is about offering more programs

6:16:34or reaching more households.

6:16:35And there are recommendations for both city led

6:16:39home energy retrofit programs, applying to funding

6:16:42to expand city of Guelph led home energy retrofit programs,

6:16:46as well as for programs that are led by utilities,

6:16:50city of Guelph can advocate for program designs

6:16:52that serve these households in Guelph

6:16:54that are experiencing energy and equity.

6:16:58The other two areas in the program

6:17:00are about addressing energy and equity for renters

6:17:03and monitoring and reporting.

6:17:05So for renters, as I mentioned,

6:17:07renters were a particular area of focus

6:17:10that came up during the creation of the action plan.

6:17:13Renters are disproportionately affected

6:17:16by energy and equity.

6:17:17We know this from research we've done,

6:17:20not here in Guelph, but much more broadly.

6:17:22And renters are poorly served

6:17:24by many of the existing energy equity programs.

6:17:27A lot of them are focused on homeowners

6:17:29living in their home.

6:17:31And so that's the reason that there's this particular

6:17:34emphasis in the action plan to highlight

6:17:37the opportunities to make sure that renters

6:17:39are benefiting from energy interventions as well.

6:17:42And so the two main actions here are to support

6:17:45the adoption of the rental renovation by-law

6:17:48that's currently under development

6:17:49to protect tenants from displacement

6:17:51and unintended consequences of building upgrades

6:17:54when they're taking place.

6:17:56And also for the city of Guelph to explore

6:17:59how to adopt a maximum temperature by-law

6:18:01to protect rental tenants from dangerous indoor heating,

6:18:05much the way they're protected in the winter

6:18:08from having to have heat provided in the winter as well.

6:18:11And the final action area is on expanding monitoring

6:18:14and reporting so that this can become

6:18:15an ongoing part of operations for the city of Guelph.

6:18:18Both external reporting to the community and beyond,

6:18:23but also increasing the internal decision-making

6:18:26mechanisms for staff and policymakers

6:18:29to help to understand local energy use

6:18:31and equity challenges.

6:18:32So for example, the energy costs

6:18:34faced by different neighborhoods.

6:18:36And with that, I'll hand it back over to Brian

6:18:38to take us into the next steps.

6:18:46Great, thank you.

6:18:47Oh, excited there.

6:18:55Okay, so having a seat at the table

6:18:57and taking part in the discussions

6:18:58with community organizations and Guelph residents,

6:19:01a lot was gained from the different perspectives.

6:19:05The Energy Equity Action Plan identified

6:19:07that the city of Guelph has a member of the community,

6:19:10has a key role to play in advancing items

6:19:13of the action plan.

6:19:15However, it shouldn't do things in isolation

6:19:18and should work with community organizations

6:19:20by leveraging the expertise and trust they have established.

6:19:26There is shared interest from all groups

6:19:28in addressing this issue.

6:19:30Moving from defining energy and equity in Guelph

6:19:33and identifying actions,

6:19:35we'll move to implementation planning and design

6:19:38where this knowledge is to be incorporated.

6:19:41And finally, and what was previously stated,

6:19:44as we move forward, progress on the actions

6:19:47should be tracked and reported.

6:19:50And so with that, I'm gonna close the presentation

6:19:53and open it up for questions.

6:19:56Thank you for the presentation.

6:19:59We have one delegate before we go to questions.

6:20:02We have Evan Ferrari of Emerge Guelph.

6:20:05I saw you come in, hi Evan.

6:20:08And Evan was also, I hope this isn't in your delegation,

6:20:12but Evan, you were also one of the members

6:20:15of the Guelph Energy Equity Coalition.

6:20:18So thank you for your participation in that group.

6:20:22And whenever you're ready, the floor is yours.

6:20:27Thank you, thank you, Madam Chair.

6:20:30I'm gonna go off script here for a second

6:20:32and just say that I've never been involved

6:20:35with a planning process that the city has gone through

6:20:40in the 35 or more than 40 years that I've been in the city

6:20:44that was done so unbelievably well as this.

6:20:46I'm honestly in awe of, I played a very small role in this

6:20:51and I considered that really privileged.

6:20:55I'm speaking today in strong support

6:20:57of the Guelph Energy Equity Action Plan.

6:21:00First, I would like to thank Laura Tozers, Sam Laban,

6:21:03Darian Turan, and Craig Johnson for their excellent work.

6:21:06They produced a plan that is thoughtful, practical,

6:21:08evidence-based, and rooted in the realities of our community.

6:21:12What makes this report especially valuable

6:21:15is the process through which it was developed.

6:21:18The authors brought together the Guelph Energy Equity Group,

6:21:22and I'm afraid I'm repeating some of what Laura said here,

6:21:25and those are the individuals with lived experience.

6:21:29And also the project team, obviously,

6:21:32the project team of staff

6:21:34and the Guelph Energy Equity Coalition

6:21:37frontline organizations of which we were proud to be members.

6:21:41Too often policies are developed about people

6:21:43rather than with people.

6:21:46The project took a different approach.

6:21:47Residents facing high costs, housing challenges,

6:21:50disability, poverty, and other barriers

6:21:53helped shape the solutions.

6:21:55The report reminds us that energy inequity

6:21:57is not an abstract concept.

6:22:00It is the senior deciding whether they can afford

6:22:02to heat their home.

6:22:04The person with a disability who depends on electricity

6:22:07to power essential medical equipment,

6:22:09the newcomer family struggling to balance housing costs,

6:22:12employment challenges, and energy bills,

6:22:15and the single parent trying to keep their children safe

6:22:18and comfortable in a poorly insulated apartment.

6:22:22Climate change is making these challenges worse.

6:22:24More frequent heat waves, extreme weather,

6:22:26and rising energy costs will place additional pressure

6:22:30on households that are already struggling.

6:22:35Those least responsible for climate change

6:22:38are the most vulnerable to its impact.

6:22:42This is why this action plan matters.

6:22:44Its recommendations are practical and achievable.

6:22:47The proposed energy coaching program

6:22:49would help residents navigate existing programs in supports.

6:22:53This has been a consistent hurdle in the past.

6:22:57When you're worrying about putting food on the table,

6:23:00how on earth do you make sense of your energy bills

6:23:03at the same time and whether you can pay them or not?

6:23:06Expanded retrofit programs would improve the comfort,

6:23:09efficiency, and affordability of homes.

6:23:12Measures to protect renters would help ensure

6:23:16vulnerable residents are not left behind

6:23:18during energy transition.

6:23:20However, a plan alone will not reduce energy inequity.

6:23:25A report sitting on a shelf will not lower utility bills,

6:23:30protect a senior during a heat wave,

6:23:32help a family living in an inefficient home.

6:23:35Implementation requires commitment, resources, and funding.

6:23:41We can't wait.

6:23:44Council has also the opportunity to create

6:23:46a sustainable long-term funding source when the city,

6:23:51and I'm being extremely hopeful here,

6:23:53when the city is successful in changing,

6:23:56charging Enbridge for the use of publicly owned rights of way,

6:23:59Guelph could receive an estimated four to $8 million annually.

6:24:03Those revenues could help energy and secure households

6:24:06for their utility bills, while also expanding grants

6:24:10and financing programs that reduce energy costs

6:24:13through energy efficiency, electrification, renewables,

6:24:17and energy storage improvements.

6:24:20I urge council to not only endorse this plan,

6:24:24but to fully fund it, fund its implementation,

6:24:27and begin identifying long-term revenue sources

6:24:30that can sustain this work.

6:24:32Investing in energy equity is an investment

6:24:34in public health, climate resilience,

6:24:38housing affordability, and dignity, above all dignity.

6:24:43Residents have told us what they need.

6:24:45Front-line organizations have identified the barriers.

6:24:48The researchers have provided the evidence.

6:24:51The question before council

6:24:53is no longer whether energy inequity exists,

6:24:56or whether action is needed.

6:24:58The question is whether we're prepared to act

6:25:01on what we know now.

6:25:02Thank you, Madam Chair.

6:25:05Thank you very much for your delegation.

6:25:07And thank you for giving our staff

6:25:13and Guelph Lab their flowers on this.

6:25:15I absolutely agree with you.

6:25:17I think it's a very well-done report.

6:25:19So sometimes we need to hear that from the public too.

6:25:22So I just wanna say thank you for that.

6:25:24With that, I'm going to ask my colleagues

6:25:26if there are questions.

6:25:26Councillor Bruce, you're up.

6:25:30Thank you very much.

6:25:31I too was very excited with this report.

6:25:33I sent a message to Caitlin at our office

6:25:37and said, do I have any hard copies

6:25:38that I can share with some other people?

6:25:41Thank you for this.

6:25:42When I think about the action plan,

6:25:44there's two parts to this.

6:25:46One is the technical side,

6:25:47the knowledge of if you did this, it would reduce this.

6:25:51And the other is the connection to the community,

6:25:54the invitation to those pockets

6:25:56where you can make the greater impact.

6:25:58When you think of how this might roll out,

6:26:01for me, I'm thinking local,

6:26:05connected some of the people that I know

6:26:06that were on the advisory committee

6:26:08that have that into the community

6:26:10and can have that conversation with them,

6:26:13build that trust and so on.

6:26:15How do you see something like this happening?

6:26:16Is it funding for an outside organization

6:26:19that's doing like project porch light,

6:26:21knocking on doors and handing out,

6:26:23you remember porch lights kind of thing?

6:26:26Or is it more of a community development model?

6:26:30I think there are an awful lot of not-for-profit groups

6:26:33that are servicing those that are suffering

6:26:38from energy and equity that know how to work

6:26:41with them directly.

6:26:42What's missing from that component,

6:26:44this is my opinion and obviously you're gonna ask

6:26:47the others about it as well,

6:26:48but what's missing from that is that technical expertise.

6:26:53In the work that we do at Emerge,

6:26:54we deal with a lot of people

6:26:56that can afford to do this type of work.

6:26:58And they're lost at trying to do some of this stuff.

6:27:01So when you're dealing with other challenges in your life

6:27:05and you don't have a trusted technical support

6:27:09that works in conjunction with those social services groups,

6:27:16I think that's a piece that's really needed

6:27:19and in the report, the reference to energy coaching,

6:27:24and specifically in the report,

6:27:26it states that that should be someone

6:27:27that has training as a certified energy advisor

6:27:33through NRCan, Natural Resources Canada.

6:27:35So you want that technical expertise,

6:27:37but you've also got that technical expertise,

6:27:40isn't necessarily, I'm not criticizing them,

6:27:44but they're not necessarily the best people

6:27:46at communicating sometimes,

6:27:47that they're quite passionate about what they're doing.

6:27:49And I think having that liaison with social services groups

6:27:53is critical to be able to make this as successful as possible.

6:27:59Thank you.

6:28:02Thank you for your delegation.

6:28:04Thank you, Evan.

6:28:05Thank you for being here this evening.

6:28:07I'm going to bring things back to us on the council side.

6:28:10So I know that Mayor Guthrie had asked

6:28:14to put the recommendation on the floor.

6:28:17And I saw Councillor Bousetel's hand go up first.

6:28:21I'm sorry, Councillor Caron, I saw you too.

6:28:23But thank you for everyone for putting their hands up

6:28:26to put these on the floor, because I think it's merited.

6:28:28Councillor, oh gosh, I'm so sorry.

6:28:32Mayor Guthrie.

6:28:34I don't care.

6:28:36You were first on my speaking list,

6:28:37and who else?

6:28:39Councillor Caron and Councillor Caiten as well.

6:28:42I see Caiten as well there, yeah.

6:28:43I just wasn't, I didn't get there yet.

6:28:45So thank you.

6:28:46And Councillor Bousetel.

6:28:48Okay, thank you and through you, Madam Chair.

6:28:52So I just wanted to quickly ask a few questions,

6:28:54maybe through you to Brian,

6:28:56and it is around the Guelph-Greener Homes Initiative.

6:29:00I was wondering if you could give an update.

6:29:02I know that we had a certain amount of money

6:29:05that was going to be going to these retrofits,

6:29:07and then we created that secondary sort of program,

6:29:10which you discussed at the microphone here for us,

6:29:13around financing, or not financing, funds,

6:29:16that would go directly to the very people

6:29:19that were talking about in this report.

6:29:21Can you give us just an update on how that's going?

6:29:27Through you, Chair, to Mayor Guthrie.

6:29:30So yeah, so we are approaching the end of year three

6:29:35of the four-year program with FCM.

6:29:39So the amount of funding for the low-end side of things

6:29:43was about $13.75 million,

6:29:47shared contribution between FCM and the city.

6:29:51So we're about fully subscribed on that side of things.

6:29:53However, there is a lot of work that still has to happen

6:29:56as people are doing their construction and whatnot.

6:29:58So as we get more cost certainty,

6:30:01as the budgets or the funding requests come in

6:30:04and they become actual costs,

6:30:06we'll get better ideas of that.

6:30:08So there may be some money that kind of frees up

6:30:11and then playing with some time,

6:30:12but as it stands, we're fully subscribed on that side.

6:30:16In terms of, as I mentioned at the opening remarks,

6:30:20there is the grant portion,

6:30:22the low income or the income eligible grant portion.

6:30:25So we are also fully subscribed to that.

6:30:27So putting that into dollars,

6:30:30we've allotted $1.3 million for that program.

6:30:36I'll say observations-wise,

6:30:39as we were kind of seeing through the work