Guelph City Council approve the Water and Wastewater Servicing Allocation Policy attached as Attachment-1 to this report. That Guelph City Council delegate authority for the administration…

3:04:59Hi, Susan, the clerks have said that you are in the meeting,

3:05:02but you might have to unmute for us, star six.

3:05:12Can you hear me now?

3:05:14Yeah, you're coming through really clear.

3:05:16Thank you for joining us and you know the drill.

3:05:19So I'll turn it over to you.

3:05:21You can start whenever you're ready.

3:05:24Okay, I'm just sprinting back to my computer.

3:05:31May I go through and members of council?

3:05:33I would like to speak in support of the proposed use

3:05:36of water and wastewater allocation policy.

3:05:40It's been profoundly disturbing as a citizen

3:05:42to have seen the Florida government roll out

3:05:45the red carpet for developers.

3:05:47Board has reduced development fees,

3:05:49eliminated heritage protections,

3:05:52weakened environmental laws, opened up protected lands,

3:05:56reduced parkland dedication

3:05:57and eliminated parking minimums.

3:06:00And if I'm not mistaken, the timeline for staff

3:06:03to respond to applications before a developer

3:06:05can drag the city to the OLT

3:06:07because supposedly in action has been shortened.

3:06:11And what have we received in return?

3:06:13In the midst of a housing crisis,

3:06:15Ontario is experiencing the lowest housing starts

3:06:17in a decade.

3:06:20The city provides water and wastewater servicing

3:06:22to support development.

3:06:24This should not be exploited or speculation.

3:06:28If a given developer is not willing to move ahead

3:06:30with development for whatever reason,

3:06:32that servicing allocation should be liberated

3:06:35and allocated elsewhere.

3:06:37It was astounding to read in Guelph today

3:06:40that some of the approvals and draft approvals

3:06:42have been languishing since 1987, almost 40 years.

3:06:49This is not quote development,

3:06:51this is speculation, pure and simple.

3:06:54Instead of the use it or lose it,

3:06:56bylaw this policy could also be nicknamed

3:06:58a dog in the manger policy.

3:07:01If developers can drag us to the Ontario Land Tribunal

3:07:03and bypass democratic planning processes

3:07:06for what they deem to be lack of timely action from staff,

3:07:10then I think it is only fair to reclaim

3:07:12water and wastewater servicing capacity

3:07:15if a given developer failed to act in a timely way.

3:07:19I understand that the policy will involve

3:07:21yearly reporting on our water and wastewater capacity.

3:07:25In the interest of transparency,

3:07:26I would also like to see annual reporting,

3:07:28both to council, the public and stakeholders,

3:07:31of the number of extensions thought by whom

3:07:34and how many are declined or granted.

3:07:38It makes sense to delegate this authority to a deputy CAO,

3:07:41but authority should go hand in hand with accountability

3:07:45and there needs to be transparency

3:07:47for everyone in this matter.

3:07:49I appreciate that this policy report is clear

3:07:52about the finite nature of our water and wastewater capacity.

3:07:56The requirement to raise a slag

3:07:58if we are within 10% of using up that capacity is important.

3:08:02Going forward, I think we need to have a community conversation

3:08:05about what we want this city to look like

3:08:08when we reach the limits of our water budget.

3:08:11Water and wastewater infrastructure is tremendously expensive

3:08:15and 25% of the costs are subsidized by citizens via our taxes

3:08:19and water and wastewater fees.

3:08:22Do we really want to be sprawling onto green seals

3:08:25while intensification of sites within the built up area

3:08:28have not yet been fully realized?

3:08:31Is first come first served

3:08:32really the way we want to run things?

3:08:34Or is there another process which will be more economical

3:08:38and better serve the needs of future citizens?

3:08:41I'd really like to see a high level consideration

3:08:43and discussion of this situation in the next couple of years.

3:08:47Thank you.

3:08:49Thank you, Susan.

3:08:50We appreciate you and thanks for waiting around

3:08:52for your opportunity to delegate.

3:08:53Any follow up at all?

3:08:56Councillor Clausson has one.

3:08:57Susan to stay on the line, okay?

3:08:59Yes, thank you through you, Mr. Mayor.

3:09:01To Susan, I just had a question.

3:09:05I just wanted to go back and have you repeat

3:09:10the part about the reporting transparency.

3:09:12So my understanding is that we will be getting

3:09:14annual reports, but could you go to the piece

3:09:17around the expectation around the negotiation with the DCAO?

3:09:23I just wanted to hear what those items were again.

3:09:27Yeah.

3:09:28So my understanding from reading the report,

3:09:31if I was correct, is that staff will be reporting yearly

3:09:35on what the water and wastewater capacity

3:09:39will be currently is to council.

3:09:41So they'll be reviewing it and reporting on that.

3:09:44But in terms of the specific policy,

3:09:47I would like to see annual reporting to council.

3:09:50So who asked for an extension?

3:09:54Did they get it?

3:09:56How many extensions have been given in a particular year?

3:10:01How many extensions have been declined?

3:10:03And who is asking for them?

3:10:05So are we gonna see people who are getting extensions

3:10:10every three years over and over again?

3:10:13Are people applying for extensions?

3:10:15Are they being declined?

3:10:16Are they being granted?

3:10:17I would just like to see that set out in annual reporting

3:10:21so that council can see it,

3:10:22so that members of public can see it.

3:10:24So the CEO is making the decision,

3:10:27but there's transparency around what decisions were made

3:10:30and who it impacts.

3:10:33Perfect, thank you.

3:10:34And I'll be asking that to staff as well, thank you.

3:10:38Great, thanks so much.

3:10:40And that's it, thank you again, Susan.

3:10:44Thanks.

3:10:46Okay, it's back to us staff before any questions.

3:10:51Sorry, it's back to us council.

3:10:53Is can I have a mover of the motions

3:10:56from committee of the whole please?

3:10:58Yeah, Hauser and Gibson, thank you.

3:11:02And just before we go to questions or comments,

3:11:12well, I thought we already had an annual report

3:11:15that comes forward for delegated authority,

3:11:18but I maybe not with that level of detail,

3:11:21but councillor Clauss,

3:11:22and I'm gonna move the question over to you.

3:11:23You go ahead, you take the floor.

3:11:26Thank you through you, Mr. Mayor.

3:11:29Yes, my understanding is that there will be an annual report.

3:11:32I just wanted to clarify the delegates' request

3:11:36with regard to who asked, extensions given,

3:11:39and who was declined.

3:11:40Will that level of detail be provided

3:11:42within the annual reporting?

3:11:46Through the mayor to councillor Clauss,

3:11:48and so right now the annual reporting

3:11:51is planned to be through the Seas Growth Management

3:11:53and Affordable Housing Monitoring Report,

3:11:55and so that's how we intend to report back,

3:11:57and the initial thinking from city staff

3:12:00is around analysis of the capacity in the system.

3:12:04Over the course of time, as this policy becomes in effect,

3:12:07you get to sort of years four and five and beyond.

3:12:10That's when things like exemptions may kick in,

3:12:13and so we certainly do view those future reports

3:12:16as having sections that outline sort of

3:12:18where certain files may be, is anyone exempted,

3:12:21has there been an extension, and those kinds of things,

3:12:23and so I do expect that to be in future reports,

3:12:26but you may not see that in initial reports.

3:12:29Thank you for that clarification.

3:12:31So if I'm understanding correctly,

3:12:33when capacity becomes more of an issue,

3:12:35we'll be looking at this level of detail in the future.

3:12:40Through the mayor, that's correct.

3:12:41Okay, thank you.

3:12:43And can I make a quick comment?

3:12:46I just wanted to sort of just reiterate

3:12:50what was said at the Committee of the Whole.

3:12:52Thank you to staff for this body of work

3:12:54and for bringing forward this very timely

3:12:57water allocation policy.

3:12:58I think that it's essential that we're looking

3:13:01at our resources, and within the report itself,

3:13:04it really talks about how water is a finite resource,

3:13:07and it is a very precious resource

3:13:09that we must hold onto and protect as strongly

3:13:15as we can.

3:13:16I anecdotally was at the West End Wreck Center on Sunday,

3:13:21taking my son swimming, and there were children's drawings

3:13:24on the wall illustrating how important water is.

3:13:29So talking about what would happen

3:13:31if you didn't have water for a day,

3:13:33what would that look like for you?

3:13:35And I felt like it was so important

3:13:38to look at those kids' drawings and already see

3:13:40that they're valuing such an important system

3:13:43that we have here in Guelph,

3:13:44because we know that a day without water

3:13:47is extremely challenging to even imagine.

3:13:49So having an allocation policy like this

3:13:52is, well, we might not need it exactly in this moment

3:13:55when we get to it in 10, 20 years.

3:13:58I think it's gonna be absolutely essential

3:14:01because we are in the business of protecting

3:14:03and supplying water to our populations.

3:14:05We are not in the business of land speculation.

3:14:08So thank you for this work, and thank you to staff,

3:14:12and I'll be happy to support the policy.

3:14:17Great, thanks, Councillor Klossin.

3:14:19With that, I think I can call the vote.

3:14:21Oh, no, sorry, Councillor Caton,

3:14:22did you wanna jump in quickly?

3:14:23Go ahead.

3:14:24Sorry, through you, Mr. Mayor, real fast.

3:14:27I just also wanted to thank staff.

3:14:28I know that we had a water issue on Victoria recently,

3:14:32and just as Councillor Klossin said,

3:14:35when you have a day without water,

3:14:36we've got all of this infrastructure,

3:14:38so many needs that are surrounding this.

3:14:40I think that this is really important,

3:14:42and I really appreciate all the work that you've done.

3:14:45Thanks.

3:14:47Great.

3:14:49Lots of heads nodding in agreement.

3:14:50I will say the word ditto,

3:14:53and I will look to call the vote as anybody against.

3:15:00Nobody, so yeah, this is great work.