Committee of the Whole

12:34Good afternoon. I am Councillor Carly class in standing in for Mayor Guthrie as chair of today's committee of the whole meeting

12:43And I'd like to call the meeting to order

12:45First off is there any disclosure of pecuniary interest or any general nature thereof?

12:51Seeing nothing. So right off the bat where I'm asking for a

12:56Motion to move into a closed meeting of council may I have a mover?

13:01Councillor Caton and Councillor Goller. Thank you. Is there anyone against?

13:07No, and with that we'll enter the closed session of the meeting and we'll be back here for the open meeting at 2 p.m.

13:14Good afternoon. The time is 2 p.m.

1:12:41And we are going to be getting started on the open meeting portion of committee of the whole

1:12:47My name is Carly class in I am a ward two city councillor and I'm sitting in for Mayor Cam Guthrie today

1:12:53Who has sent his regrets before we get started? I am just going to give you a closed meeting summary

1:13:01Council received two updates from staff on two items 2.3 and 2.4

1:13:07The first was the Ontario energy board generic proceeding to review natural gas model franchise agreement

1:13:13The second was the downtown community planning permitting bylaw and official plan amendment 114

1:13:19We received advice on the two items and provided direction to staff

1:13:25Now we'll proceed to O Canada if you could join me in standing for our national anthem

1:13:30Please join me for a moment of silent reflection

1:14:58And now for our indigenous territorial acknowledgement as we gather

1:15:16Let us take time to reflect on our privilege to live and work in Guelph a city built over rich indigenous histories

1:15:23We are guests here and we should reflect upon our

1:15:26Responsibility to care for this land the people who live here today and the generations to come

1:15:31If our actions today can move us towards reconciliation

1:15:35We should take pause and make those decisions with intention and gratitude

1:15:40This place we call Guelph has served as traditional lands and a place of refuge for many peoples over time

1:15:45But more specifically the Adironduranc and the Haudenosaunee

1:15:50This land is held as the treaty lands and territory with the Mississaugas of the credit First Nation

1:15:56Guelph lies directly adjacent to the Haldeman tract and is part of the long established

1:16:02Traditional hunting ground for the six nations of the Grand River

1:16:05Many First Nations Inuit and Métis people who have come from across Turtle Island call Guelph home today

1:16:11And now I'm asking my colleagues if there are any disclosures of pecuniary interest and any nature thereof and

1:16:21I'm seeing none

1:16:23So we'll move into

1:16:25Our staff recognition so thank you for everyone for being here this afternoon and I'll hand things over

1:16:33To vice chair

1:16:35Katon for our first round of recognitions

1:16:39Thank you very much chair Klassen

1:16:43I am proud to be here as vice chair of corporate services and CA office of the CAO

1:16:49Today we are proud to recognize Aaron Brittnell

1:16:52Manager of corporate performance and strategy for achieving her certified municipal officer

1:16:57CMO designation from the Association of Municipal Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario

1:17:02This is a significant professional accomplishment that reflects her commitment to excellence in municipal leadership

1:17:09In Guelph Aaron demonstrates the values of the CMO designation by bringing a steady thoughtful presence to her work

1:17:15She keeps her eye firmly on the big picture

1:17:17Focusing on the strategic long-term priorities and the outcomes that matter most for our organization and our community

1:17:25Her leadership is both strategic and deeply collaborative

1:17:29Important values recognized by the AMCTO through this designation

1:17:34Please join me in congratulating Aaron on achieving her CMO designation and in thanking her for her continued dedication to the city of Guelph

1:17:49Thank you, and then we'll have some opportunities to do photos at the end

1:17:54But i'm going to hand things over to you a chair downer

1:17:57Thank you. So first we got three but first today we're proud to recognize Edna Escalara

1:18:04Do you want to raise your hand so we all know we are okay?

1:18:07Our Guelph Wellington paramedic service scheduler on becoming a canadian citizen on january the 19th

1:18:142026 Edna was born in mexico and spent 11 years working

1:18:18for an airline never imagining that life would one day bring her to canada in

1:18:2415 she found her canadian soulmate

1:18:26A moment that changed everything

1:18:29On july 1st 2017. She arrived in canada

1:18:33fittingly welcomed by fireworks

1:18:36From her very first days here Edna gave back with humility and gratitude

1:18:40Supporting others as a caregiver gardener and cleaner before continuing her journey with the city of Guelph first in recreation

1:18:48Then as a vital part of our paramedic service in logistics and now as a paramedic service

1:18:54scheduler her path to citizenship took eight years

1:18:58And came with real sacrifices including a time away from family and friends

1:19:03Throughout that journey. She has embraced. She was embraced by a community that helped her feel a true sense of belonging

1:19:10Though not born here Edna chose canada with her whole heart and today she stands proudly as a canadian

1:19:18Edna we are incredibly fortunate to have you on our team and congratulations on this

1:19:24meaningful and well-deserved milestone

1:19:34Okay, the next one is the sustainable wadalu regions

1:19:382025 partner of the year award which the city of guelph has received

1:19:43For a collaboration on climate and sustainability work that is driving change in guelph

1:19:48SWR is a not-for-profit that works through with local organizations in wadalu region guelph and wellington

1:19:54Perth county and oxford county to turn sustainability

1:19:58Interest into action by supporting businesses and community scale actions become environmentally and economically sustainable and strong

1:20:07sustainable wadalu region announced the award on

1:20:10April 29th at the 2026 evening of

1:20:14recognition event held at the ken ceiling wadalu region museum in kitchens

1:20:19The partner of the rear a year award recognizes an organization that went above and beyond in their support and participation

1:20:28in SWR on sustainability efforts

1:20:31The award recognizes our strong partnership with the non-profit organization

1:20:36Two of the programs we collaborated on included a new

1:20:41Cooperative program for organics collection to help business divert food waste

1:20:46From landfill led by solid waste resources

1:20:49And the industrial commercial and institutional climate stock take led by energy and climate change team

1:20:56Which brought organizations to share ideas on how to reduce emissions and work together on climate solutions

1:21:02It's just so important that we talk about these successful stories

1:21:06Here at council council. Congratulations to teacher joe joseph brian hoyan karry biel jordan

1:21:14divock

1:21:15And heather connell on this well-deserved recognition

1:21:19We're proud of what this partnership was has achieved and excited for how it continues to strengthen wealth sustainability culture

1:21:27And deliver real value to the businesses we serve and last but not least danna evans. Would you give us a wave?

1:21:42This award does not surprise me

1:21:45It is my pleasure to congratulate danna evans as the recipient of the girl guides of canada, ontario council bronz merit award

1:21:53The bronz merit award is one of girl guides of canada's distinguished adult member

1:21:59Recognitions presented to volunteers who's dedicated service goes well beyond the basic expectations of their role

1:22:07It honors individuals who consistently give their time energy leadership and talents to guiding

1:22:13In ways that stand out among their peers enriching the experiences of girls fellow volunteers and organizations

1:22:21Danna has been a volunteer with girl guides for the last 20 years

1:22:25And was awarded the bronz merit award for countless hours of volunteer service

1:22:30Unwavering dedication and genuine care for others

1:22:33Making a lasting impact on the lives of many girls and young women

1:22:38Then it upholds the girl guides of canada's standards and values by stepping into action when needed

1:22:45Using her voice to advocate for youth and adult members

1:22:49The administrative community leader with girl guides said danna is a leader the youth look up to and believe in

1:22:55Her determination to get things done management skills and passion for building confidence in youth makes danna very deserving of the bronz

1:23:04of merit award

1:23:06We are glad to support danna's outstanding dedication in her work and volunteer life

1:23:10And this shows a remarkable difference danna continues to make in the lives of youth

1:23:15In guiding and to the community of wealth

1:23:17Congratulations danna

1:23:29Thank you. We'll do the photos after we've just got one more. I'm handing things over to our

1:23:35cao

1:23:36Tara baker to present the cao awards of excellence and after that time we'll do the photos. Thanks councillor Downer

1:23:44Thanks so much. It's again, uh, really an honor to be here and to share the finalists of our annual recognition program

1:23:52In april we hosted the cao awards of excellence ceremony to recognize and celebrate employees and teams who go above and beyond and demonstrating our corporate values

1:24:02And excellence in public service. We've had this recognition program for a number of years

1:24:07However, we have never shared the stories of our award winners with council, which we're changing today

1:24:13The cao awards are special because they are led by peer nomination

1:24:18We had an astounding 84 nominations this year a 38 increase from 2025

1:24:24Demonstrating the growing culture of collaboration and appreciation our staff have of each other

1:24:30So let's start

1:24:33With our individual awards of excellence for the five service values

1:24:40So first up we have viva batista a supervisor of the it service desk

1:24:45Viva was recognized for her contributions to the value of integrity through honest leadership

1:24:51Strong accountability and her commitment to service and team support

1:24:58Next up we have bruce abry a zoning inspector in the building services team

1:25:03Bruce was recognized for his contributions to the value of service through his steady respectful approach to a variety of property

1:25:11standard safety matters and his long-standing deep commitment to the community

1:25:18Daniel waters a trails technologist in our parks team

1:25:22Was also recognized for his contributions to the value of service

1:25:27Through his work on improving how residents access and experience the city's trail network

1:25:35on the value of wellness

1:25:38rebecca thaler the

1:25:40Commander in our guelph-hullington paramedic services was recognized

1:25:44through for her compassionate support of our paramedics and her work on building peer support networks and recovery focus

1:25:51well-being programs for our first responders

1:25:58Greg

1:26:01Statue kibich

1:26:02Is a current maintenance officer in our solid waste team and greg was recognized for his contributions to the value of learning

1:26:10Demonstrated by his positive attitude towards changing legislation and technology

1:26:15His approach to mentorship and sharing knowledge and his ability to foster a culture of continuous improvement with his team

1:26:25The recognition for the value of inclusion this year was awarded to a team

1:26:30Acknowledging the contributions of many individuals that come together voluntarily as our welcome workplace team

1:26:36They have gone above and beyond to create a workplace where employees feel welcome valued and engaged

1:26:42Through their delivery of a number of activities seminars and celebrations through the year

1:26:48Moving on now our teamwork awards for innovative excellence. We have two finalists this year

1:26:54First up is our team

1:26:57That's recognized for innovation and teamwork by delivering a complex project under tight timelines

1:27:03Our south guelph business development project team improved coordination across many departments

1:27:10Used a clear risk-based approach and focused on practical solutions

1:27:15Their work helped speed up decisions while maintaining standards and strengthening how we support growth

1:27:22i'm not going to read all the names, but this was a

1:27:25Really special project for us from a jobs

1:27:28growth perspective

1:27:33the teamwork award

1:27:35The second teamwork award was

1:27:38Awarded to our kind of extended i'll say extended road safety team

1:27:42This team was recognized for their contributions to service and collaboration during a really difficult year for road safety and guelph

1:27:50They worked closely with the community shared clear and transparent information and delivered timely safety improvements

1:27:57Their approach balanced data policy and empathy while also creating new ways for residents to take part in decisions

1:28:07And our final award category is our employee leadership award for individuals who embody all of our corporate values

1:28:14And who have demonstrated the significant impact during the year this year. We awarded two awards

1:28:20First to jennifer charles our city solicitor jennifer was recognized for her approach to leadership that fosters a culture of trust

1:28:28Collaboration and accountability. She consistently ensures that diverse perspectives are heard valued and reflected in decision making

1:28:36She brings a solutions oriented approach to every challenge often seeking clarity on the objective at hand to keep everyone focused and productive

1:28:44Jennifer is a widely respected leader for how she approaches her work truly demonstrating community service excellence

1:28:54and finally

1:28:56Our second

1:28:58Individual award was awarded to swatty data from the uh, who's a transit route supervisor

1:29:04Swatty was recognized for her contributions to leadership through her strong service focused calm approach to the daily operations

1:29:11And responsive support for both staff and customers

1:29:15Swatty leads by example showing that leadership is defined by actions

1:29:19She is widely respected by her peers

1:29:22operators and management alike and her positive influence strengthens the entire transit team

1:29:27And so together these recipients reflect the meaning of our corporate values and culture of innovative excellence here at the city

1:29:34Their work strengthens our organization supports our community and sets a strong example for our guelph team

1:29:40And I just want to once again congratulate all of them and thank

1:29:44Everyone and all the nominees for their commitment to excellence in public service. Thank you

1:29:58Thank you for the presentation and congratulations to all of the award recipients

1:30:03We'll just take a few moments

1:30:05To take any photos for those of you who are here and would like to take the photos with our

1:30:10Vice chair and chair

1:34:13Thank you

1:34:14To everyone

1:34:16And thank you for your hard work for the city of guelph

1:34:19I know that all of council is deeply appreciative of of it all

1:34:24Moving along we're going to item

1:34:28Six point one which is a presentation from our city clerk dilly-mack man

1:34:33He's going to be giving us a service profile of the clerk's office, which I think is

1:34:38exceptionally feeling fitting because we're heading into an election

1:34:42But there's also a lot of work that the clerks do that we don't see so I'm looking forward to your presentation

1:34:51Thanks so much councillor classon and good afternoon. Madam chair members of council and the public watching

1:34:57Thanks for the opportunity to present today on the work of the city clerk's office

1:35:01I'm going to be walking you through who we are what we do how we support the city's strategic plan and our budget

1:35:07And I'm going to touch on some key challenges facing the department as well

1:35:14The city clerk's office is a small but dedicated team that works behind the scenes to keep local government in guelph running smoothly

1:35:21Our staff bring expertise in governance meeting management records and information management access and privacy and election administration

1:35:29For our size the breadth of what we're responsible for is significant

1:35:34And most actually all but one member of the clerk's office who is on vacation have joined me in person today

1:35:39We have folks at the center horseshoe who you'll be familiar with

1:35:42We have folks in the broadcast room and we have the remainder of the team behind me in council chambers

1:35:53As a small team we're organized into two divisions legislative services primarily support city council and advisory committees of council

1:36:00That's the team that you see regularly in council chambers or at advisory committee meetings

1:36:05While the information privacy and elections team manages the city's access program

1:36:09That's fois the corporate record keeping function privacy and election administration

1:36:14We also provide internal support for city staff in the mayor and council office

1:36:22At its core the clerk's office exists to maintain the effectiveness of guelph's government's governance systems

1:36:28Our mission is to preserve and enhance local democracy through transparency and accountability

1:36:32And we approach every decision we make through that lens

1:36:36The city clerk is a statutory role appointed by city council

1:36:40One of only four roles that city council must appoint alongside the treasurer chief building official and the fire chief

1:36:47The province assigns the clerk several functions that are exercised independently of council the mayor and the broader city administration

1:36:54The most visible of those is election administration, but there are many others

1:36:58Under mfIPPA for example council has delegated the role of the head of the municipality to the city clerk

1:37:04So decisions about access and privacy are made independently by my office

1:37:08In fact, the city clerk is referenced more than 300 times across more than 80 pieces of provincial legislation

1:37:14Everything from the municipal act to the planning act the line fences act development charges act and beyond

1:37:20It's a role with a wide range of statutory obligations

1:37:26These five core service objectives capture close to the full scope of what we do in the clerk's office

1:37:32First and most visibly we ensure free and fair municipal and school board elections

1:37:36Our responsibility we take seriously as stewards of golf's local democracy

1:37:40And of course we're gearing up to deliver a municipal election this fall

1:37:45And the elections are not just a city clerk's office

1:37:48task

1:37:48They are a whole city effort nearly every single department

1:37:52Perhaps every single department in the city is needed in order for us to support a successful election

1:37:57We also work to keep government open transparent and accountable

1:38:01Which means continually improving how council and its committees function. So decision making stays effective efficient and accessible

1:38:08We also ensure the city's records and information are properly managed retained and preserved

1:38:13That work is less visible than some of the other work we do

1:38:16But you can't be a transparent government if your records aren't safeguarded and available to the public

1:38:21And that's an area under real capacity pressure pressure and I'll come back to that in later slides

1:38:26Finally we bring a democratic governance lens to all corporate decision making because the clerk's office serves the whole organization and community

1:38:33Not just city council

1:38:37Turning to the strategic plan our office leads directly on several initiatives under the foundations theme

1:38:43Under priority three lead with accountability

1:38:45We review the ongoing effectiveness of council and advisory committee processes through twice per term governance reviews

1:38:52We also have one kpi

1:38:54It's the share of meetings running more than 30 minutes past the staff forecasted time

1:38:58That's got a target of 25 percent which we hit in 2025 and we'll hopefully get below in 2026

1:39:04We also meet regularly with committee of the whole chairs and vice chairs to talk about meeting effectiveness and efficiency

1:39:12Also noted in the city strategic plan was work to redesign advisory committees of council

1:39:16council approved the advisory committee governance framework in

1:39:192023 and the redesign committees are now meeting engagement and attendance have improved noticeably

1:39:25In a review of those existing seven committees will come to council in 2027

1:39:32The strategic plan also includes implementing the city's record and information management strategy the rim strategy

1:39:39That strategy was a five-year plan. It's now 11 years old

1:39:43It was unfunded until 2026 and hasn't been meaningfully implemented today

1:39:47However, that is beginning to change with 2026 capital funding

1:39:51We're starting work to implement a corporate electronic document management system

1:39:55That will save staff and the public time speed up many city processes

1:39:59And give us quicker access to records for foi requests and legal proceedings

1:40:04Given the scope and scale of the city's records and information management systems that project will take several years

1:40:11The delay in implementing the rim strategy reflects broader funding constraints

1:40:15affecting gulf's access privacy and records functions

1:40:18The team handling foi's corporate privacy corporate records and elections is just two people

1:40:24And that capacity has not grown the size of that team has not grown in a decade

1:40:29With foi and routine disclosure volumes rising every year

1:40:33We've had to make the choice to prioritize access over privacy and records

1:40:38That means we no longer do things like conduct proactive privacy impact assessments or offer records training and support to city staff

1:40:45That keeps us meeting our amphipa obligations, but admittedly at the expense of other important work

1:40:51We've chosen to prioritize access not just because it's legislated

1:40:54But because we believe that transparency must be a priority at a time when public trust in government is declining

1:41:00And even more so in an era of rapid technological change and misinformation

1:41:07The clerk's office also supports the city's corporate value of integrity

1:41:10We oversee the city's accountability and transparency programs the integrity commissioner closed media investigator lobbyist registry and

1:41:17Star freedom of information requests the council gift registry and more

1:41:21Those programs exist so the public can have confidence in how their local government operates

1:41:25Integrity is not just a value we talk about it's built into the statutory responsibilities the clerk's office team carries out every day

1:41:34These are some of the additional accountability and transparency programs the clerk's office is responsible for

1:41:39Individually they may seem small, but together they form the backbone of the city's transparency framework

1:41:45And they're all managed by the team in the city clerk's office

1:41:50We also deliver a range of statutory services assigned by the province the committee of adjustment is one i'll highlight

1:41:55It plays a growing role in housing creation by processing minor variants and consent applications that move development and housing creation

1:42:03Forward in gulf. We also handle all of gulf's death registrations

1:42:07Olt appeal processing and privacy impact assessments as i mentioned earlier election administration is a major responsibility

1:42:14And records retention and management is another area where there are significant statutory

1:42:19obligations

1:42:23i'm going to spend a moment on

1:42:26key challenges and opportunities facing the team and the department at large

1:42:30On challenges i've already mentioned that resourcing for access privacy and records is a concern

1:42:36The demand has kept growing over the last 10 years and our capacity is stretched

1:42:40Earlier this year the province announced a variety of changes to ontario's freedom of information and access laws

1:42:47Those changes coming into effect in 2027 will make privacy impact assessments

1:42:51mandatory whenever the city collects personal information from residents

1:42:56And without investment the clerk's office will not be able to meet that requirement next year

1:43:01At the same time as the province moves to require privacy impact assessments

1:43:05They are amending the statutory foi response time from 30 calendar days to 45 business days

1:43:11I know that this council and all of us in the clerk's office wants to increase transparency and local government not decrease it

1:43:18I don't want to take more time to respond to fois. I'd like to take less

1:43:22I don't want to redact and withhold and exempt more information. I want to redact withhold and exempt less

1:43:28Unfortunately without additional resources

1:43:32We will start regularly missing those statutory timelines in 2027 if not sooner

1:43:37Beyond resourcing concerns

1:43:39We're also seen rising incivility and the spread of miss and disinformation a broader loss of trust in public institutions

1:43:45and continuing legislative uncertainty

1:43:48On the opportunity side technology offers real potential for us to increase access

1:43:53transparency and to build public trust and we're always looking for ways to modernize how we serve the public

1:43:59and council

1:44:02Now on to the 2026 budget the expenses of the clerk's office in

1:44:062026 total roughly 3.3 million dollars

1:44:09Because this is an election year our budget is about 1 million dollars higher than usual. That's the large purchase services chunk

1:44:16You can see in orange

1:44:18On the screen in front of you that same chunk also covers integrity commissioner closed media investigator

1:44:23And software fees for things like e-scribe

1:44:26The largest share of our budget however in any year about 1.7 million dollars goes to salary wages and benefits

1:44:32That reflects the fact that we're a service delivery office and our people are our primary resource

1:44:36The pink wedge is the annual transfer to the election reserve which funds future elections and by elections

1:44:44On the revenue side the clerk's office is tax supported. We receive just under 2 million dollars in property taxes a year

1:44:50We also raise more than 400 000 dollars largely from committee of adjustment fees

1:44:55But also marriage licenses marriage ceremonies and commissionings to put that in perspective the 2 million dollar cost to taxpayers represents about

1:45:030.8 percent of the city's tax supported

1:45:05budget

1:45:07For members of the public watching I do want to note that job applications for the 2026 municipal election open today

1:45:14We've got a higher about 600 people to staff election day alone

1:45:17It's a great opportunity for folks looking to give back to their community

1:45:20Earn a couple of bucks in the process for any election related details including staffing members of the public can go to

1:45:26gulf.ca

1:45:27vote

1:45:28Otherwise that concludes my presentation and i'm happy to answer any questions

1:45:33Thank you very much for the presentation and for the enthusiastic and supportive clerk's office who are here today

1:45:40Um and apologies for the extension of meetings that are beyond your control

1:45:47I have uh, I have questions from councillor Caton and councillor Allt and I think that's all for now

1:45:55Thank you through the chair

1:45:57First off

1:45:58Thank you so much for all the work you do

1:46:00this would be chaos without you and your team and

1:46:05I personally feel that you've helped so much throughout this term

1:46:09And I was wondering if you could speak to what the requirements are for the jobs for the people who are looking to

1:46:15apply for those

1:46:17voting positions

1:46:20Yeah, through you madam chair for folks working to 2020 folks looking to work the 2026 election

1:46:26There's a variety of roles available. So I would say all all skill levels as far as technical literacy and that kind of thing can be

1:46:32Accommodated but because it is increasingly a tech enabled election. We need folks who have basic

1:46:38computer skills able to use a laptop to strike folks off the list

1:46:42Who generally can be at a voting location for a full 12 plus hour day?

1:46:46But otherwise we're looking for community members. We will happily provide all of the training you need

1:46:51It is not something with a sort of high bar as far as formal requirements

1:46:56Thank you very much

1:46:58Councillor Allt please. Thank you very much chair classon

1:47:02Um two

1:47:04Interesting points came up on your presentation. I don't know whether you are able to expand upon

1:47:09But I do want to deal with the misinformation and disinformation

1:47:13versus public trust first as there there is a there are renowned

1:47:20Efforts to provide misinformation on city council and also I'll be quite blunt in some cases character

1:47:27assassination as well of staff or council members

1:47:30How uh, can we address that because much of it comes in social media?

1:47:34And I think it's tremendously difficult for any organization or person to address

1:47:40Yeah, I don't through you madam chair

1:47:42I don't want to sit here and pretend I can solve that that problem counselor

1:47:45All these are obviously big problems that are happening at a societal level. I think we look to what we can control

1:47:51So our behavior as city staff the behavior of counselors our behavior in this room the standards that we hold members of the public to

1:47:58In this room at community engagement events

1:48:00We can definitely set the example for positive behavior that we want to see

1:48:04We can have codes of conduct for members of council and staff that are robust and hold us accountable to those standards

1:48:10Ultimately for members of the public

1:48:13Um, obviously we don't have those particular mechanisms, but I think a very good start is modeling

1:48:17Modeling good behavior. I think this council has done that with the elect respect pledge and the general way you conduct yourself at all at all

1:48:23Your meetings and thank you very much for identifying the codes of conduct

1:48:29apply to staff and to

1:48:31to council and and

1:48:34The inverse unfortunately is that the public is not

1:48:39Affected by those at all. So I appreciate you saying that there's a great deal of difficulty something that there I'm wondering

1:48:46I think that there is

1:48:49a reasonable

1:48:51Capacity for us to deal with closed meeting transparency and this is being a bugbear that's come up many times

1:48:58In order to reduce freedom of information. Do you have any?

1:49:02Suggestions as to how we might be able to

1:49:06To deal with this in a fashion that that protects the integrity of whatever is being discussed

1:49:11But provides some clarity to the public about what has been discussed

1:49:16Sure through you madam chair

1:49:18Two comments councillor. I think the first is that council has asked the city clerk's office to review all of our closed

1:49:23Meeting procedures as part of a governance review coming early in the next term of council

1:49:27So I don't want to presuppose that work and it's not work that we've started substantially at this point

1:49:32Um, but I will say that we do work very hard in the clerk's office

1:49:36With the support of the executive team and others in the organization to have as few closed meetings as possible

1:49:41To have as little information going to closed as possible

1:49:45And I acknowledge that that's not always work that the public is going to know or see

1:49:49But there's a great number of reports and content that could go into closed

1:49:53Which we proactively choose not to bring into closed

1:49:56So I think that's a practice we ought to continue and as part of that governance review

1:50:00We'll definitely consider other ways that we might be able to make closed information public

1:50:04Perhaps at a future date after a meeting when the the risk to the municipality or whatever that information is becoming public is less

1:50:11Thank you very much and thank you for a great presentation

1:50:15Thank you. Councillor Goller, please

1:50:18Thank you and through your chair class and thank you so much for for all the work that the team does

1:50:25When you spoke about maybe not being able to meet the legislative requirements or freedom of information

1:50:30Maybe this year and into next year. Uh, that's maybe a preview of a staff request coming in in the next budget. Is that

1:50:40Through you, mr. Mayor or through you madam chair

1:50:43To councillor Goller

1:50:45The budget is prepared annually by the mayor

1:50:48That's the that's the reality of the of the system we work in

1:50:51So I think as the as the general manager of the city clerk's office. Do I need staff to help process fois?

1:50:56Absolutely, I do. Okay. And if you could help me understand there is a fee recovery system

1:51:02That that is only partial, uh, you know, the five dollars plus. What is it seven fifty? Uh for 15 minutes

1:51:08To what amount

1:51:11Do the gulf taxpayers subsidize the cost of the freedom of information request?

1:51:15And I don't know if that's something that you know off the top of your head or a ballpark figure

1:51:19Yeah, I don't have any specific figures

1:51:21I can tell you the amount that we're recouping in dollars versus staff time is very low

1:51:26It's low enough that I would describe it as as negligible from a cost recovery standpoint

1:51:31Um, which I think honestly is the right thing. I think providing access is about

1:51:36The principle that we value open government and we don't want to put significant financial barriers in the in the way of that

1:51:42But no to answer your question. It's quite small. Okay. I appreciate that. Thank you. Thank you chair

1:51:47counselor Gibson, please

1:51:50Thank you through your chair claustin. Um, thank you dillon. That was a great presentation and I will say no disrespect to the other

1:51:57Departments in the city, but yours is the most responsive

1:52:00It was very quick. If you ask the request of clerks, you are getting response very quickly

1:52:05um on the information disinformation, I think it's all

1:52:09Like it's um on all of us on council to continue calling it out when we hear it and calling it out when we see it and not encouraging

1:52:16the spread of it

1:52:17um that being said I I did make a comment

1:52:20Our question when I filed my nomination papers just recently that I wanted to ask about specifically the count the

1:52:26clerk's role in um voter verification

1:52:30and clerk's role in um

1:52:32scrutineers

1:52:33So the idea and there's some communications in the community that I I want to make sure we address

1:52:39Properly and this would be a good form to do it. I'm sorry. I'm just bringing this on dillon

1:52:43scrutineers are allowed

1:52:44In the polling stations. Is that correct and they're and they can be there on behalf of any of the candidates

1:52:50Through you madam chair to councillor Gibson. Yeah, that's correct. Absolutely scrutineers or candidates can appoint scrutineers

1:52:56And they can attend not just any polling location, but anywhere where we're counting ballots

1:53:00So counting mail-in ballots at city hall

1:53:03Special voting locations at long-term care homes. These are all opportunities where scrutineers can participate

1:53:08Obviously, there are still rules surrounding the conduct of scrutineers the behavior of scrutineers at locations

1:53:13But generally speaking they can attend

1:53:16And watch and review and object to practices at any polling location

1:53:21Okay, great. Thank you. And I again my motivation for asking these questions because I have heard

1:53:26You know, there's I wouldn't call them conspiracies, but there's concerns in the community

1:53:29I won't make sure we're having this question answered now

1:53:32Um on the on the issue of voter verification

1:53:36Uh, what is the clerk's capacity to verify a voter that's not on the voters list?

1:53:43Through you madam chair to councillor Gibson

1:53:46We administer elections in guelph like any other municipality in ontario based on the municipal elections act

1:53:51So the rules set by the province those rules provide a list of acceptable

1:53:55ID which is used to then add yourself to the voters list or make amendments to the voters list

1:54:02That is not a photo ID requirement. It is not a requirement to prove citizenship

1:54:07There's a requirement for name and address. I don't have the list in front of me, but I will say it is expansive

1:54:13so think about things like

1:54:14uh a mortgage a lease

1:54:17A utility bill something of that nature most most people perhaps not all but most people if you're walking around with a phone in your

1:54:22Pocket could produce something on your phone that would enable you to to vote on election day

1:54:29Great, thank you. And this is far less an issue of the clerks to solve and more of elections

1:54:35ontario, but

1:54:37If someone of a member of the public was to come in

1:54:40Without proof of citizenship and simply in simply state. I here's my here's uh some IG and I have an address and

1:54:47I'm valid to vote the clerks would not be able to determine in that moment

1:54:52Whether the person was valid to vote, correct?

1:54:56Three madam three madam chair the short answer to that question is yes proof of citizenship is not a requirement to vote

1:55:03But being a citizen is a requirement. So if somebody in the situation you just described

1:55:09Cast a ballot knowing that they are not a canadian they have committed a crime. Thank you. So if there is

1:55:16I'm just gonna say if there is any evidence of this type of thing going on

1:55:19Please by all means forward it to to me go out vote to gulf.ca

1:55:23Obviously, we want to make sure that the folks voting are all eligible voters

1:55:27At the same time we also want to make voting easy and for most people that involves showing

1:55:33License a utility bill on your phone going in and casting your ballot and we're looking to get your in and out of there

1:55:38You know in the two to three minute range if we can

1:55:41Adding layers on to that would certainly add complexity and time to that process for the public

1:55:46I very much appreciate your answer you answered my second question before I even asked it. So thank you clerks

1:55:51I I think the public hearing that answer from you

1:55:55Is as much in return as we can possibly ask

1:55:58I am not claiming in this moment that there's any great fraudulent activity happening in our community

1:56:02But I think it is very important voters to understand and recognize

1:56:06The importance of being honest and truthful when they come to the polling station. Thank you

1:56:13All right follow up from councillor Allt

1:56:16Thank you councillor gibson's question. I think it's just twig me on something. Do we have any information on on what?

1:56:25What's the percentage of voter fraud that we're facing?

1:56:28Is it point 1.2? 10 percent 20 percent? We have any idea at all?

1:56:35I do not have any numbers in front of me to give you any sort of official accounting

1:56:40What I think I can reasonably say

1:56:42Is I am not aware of any election fraud taking place in guelph as part of the 2022 the most recent municipal election

1:56:50Thank you. That's a great assurance

1:56:55Thank you to my council colleagues for your questions and thank you again

1:56:59to dylan our city clerk for the great presentation

1:57:02And I'll just give one more final plug that if you want to work for our

1:57:07municipal elections go to guelph.ca slash vote and apply

1:57:12And I also I'm just going to invite my council colleagues to share that with your networks

1:57:16And with that, thank you very much and we're going to move on to the next item and there's no vote to be had it was a

1:57:22It was a staff profile so we don't have a motion on the floor

1:57:27Moving into the service areas. I'm going to switch into my role as

1:57:33chair of infrastructure development and environment

1:57:36And we have item 8.1 on consent before us

1:57:41Which is an a policy update to the corporate asset management plan to meet the requirements of oreg

1:57:495588 17

1:57:52I haven't heard from any of my colleagues that they'd like to pull this item

1:57:56So i'm going to ask for a mover and a seconder

1:57:58counselor goller and counselor richardson

1:58:01and

1:58:03Are there any questions for I don't they know wait, sorry nobody's going to pull it

1:58:07So we're not going to questions. I'm just going to ask is is anybody against that motion

1:58:13No, so all counselors are in favor

1:58:17and I'll move on to item point

1:58:22Our next item for discussion is audit. So i'm going to invite my council colleague

1:58:28Councillor goller whose chair of audit to take the chair and then after that, um, I will I'll just say now

1:58:35Right after that, I'll invite vice chair

1:58:37katin to step into

1:58:40The chair seat to discuss item 14

1:59:20Thank you for that

1:59:22Chair classon. I appreciate you handing the reins over

1:59:26Now we are looking at

1:59:28item 11.1 the 2026 enterprise risk management, the risk register update

1:59:35And to kick us off. I'm going to turn things over to our deputy CAO mr. O'Brien to introduce the topic

1:59:44Thank you so much chair goller and good afternoon to our community members that are in attendance and

1:59:48members of council and staff that are also in attendance

1:59:51Really happy to introduce this year's enterprise risk management update report

1:59:55actually coming off the heels of mr. McMahon's presentation in terms of

1:59:59Accountability and transparency. I think this is a really good example of us living that sort of model and approach

2:00:06To some of the things that mr. McMahon teased out

2:00:08So this is the second annual update to council regarding this topic

2:00:11And it reflects our continued effort to mature erm as we call it enterprise risk management as a practical

2:00:18Organization wide discipline that supports better decision making stronger oversight and more resilient municipal service delivery at its core

2:00:25ERM helps the city understand uncertainty in our operating environment

2:00:30And evaluates the impacts of that uncertainty in relations to council's objectives staff objectives and the goals of the community that we are working towards

2:00:38It collectively gives council and staff a structured way to identify

2:00:42Assess prioritize and respond to risks that could affect our ability to deliver city services and council's priorities as I mentioned

2:00:49It plays a role in planning for and supporting service delivery

2:00:53Safeguarding public resources and meeting the expectations of the community

2:00:57What's important to note with the erm is it's not about seeking to fully eliminate risk

2:01:03Um, in some cases the city is not responsible positioned or resourced to completely mitigate risk or eliminate risk

2:01:11Rather it is about ensuring we take risks knowingly

2:01:14We manage them appropriately and we have clear visibility into the issues that could affect strategy

2:01:19operations projects finances reputation

2:01:23compliance and service continuity

2:01:25ERM also helps connect risk information across the organization

2:01:29So instead of viewing risks in isolation it allows council and senior leadership to see common themes

2:01:34Emerging pressures and interdependencies across departments. This strengthens planning resource allocation

2:01:40internal controls and accountability

2:01:43For council the important piece here is the strategic benefit of is that erm provides a view of the organization's readiness

2:01:50And resilience it supports again as I spoke to and and sort of some of the the salient points that mr. McMahon teased out

2:01:57It supports transparency informed governance and confidence

2:02:02That risks are being actively monitored and managed in support of the city's goals

2:02:07Today's report provides an update on the progress made over the past year

2:02:10The continued development of our risk management practices and and the next steps as we further embed erm

2:02:17Into the way the city plans decides and delivers services

2:02:20And so with that i'm happy to turn it over to mr. Jelastic so he can highlight a few key aspects covered in the report and the risk register

2:02:27Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Robryan

2:02:38And good afternoon council

2:02:41Today I am presenting the annual update to the city's enterprise risk management or erm risk register

2:02:48The purpose of our erm program is to support better decision making across the organization by identifying assessing and responding to risks

2:02:56That could impact the city's strategic objective services finances

2:03:00regulatory obligations and public trust

2:03:03The program provides a consistent approach to risk management across all departments and helps ensure that risk considerations

2:03:10Are incorporated into planning budgeting and operational decisions

2:03:16This is the second annual update since council received the city's erm framework and policy in 2024

2:03:22And the first enterprise risk register in 2025

2:03:26Over the past year a cross-functional risk management working group

2:03:30Reviewed and reassessed the city's key enterprise risks updated mitigation

2:03:34Measures and identified opportunities for further risk treatment

2:03:39One new risk category was added this year that being civic environment and health and safety

2:03:45The overall conclusion is that the city's highest rated risks remain largely unchanged and are consistent

2:03:54With challenges being experienced by municipalities across ontario

2:03:58While several risk scores risk score high on our risk assessment matrix

2:04:03They remain manageable due to the extensive controls planning processes and mitigation measures already in place

2:04:10The highest rated risk continues to be economic uncertainty with a score of 25

2:04:15This reflects the potential for reduced revenues inflationary pressures

2:04:20Rising costs and broader economic volatility that could affect service delivery staffing and capital projects

2:04:28To mitigate this risk the city continues to pursue pursue government advocacy

2:04:33explore new revenue opportunities

2:04:35Strengthen budget monitoring rebuild contingency reserves and advance economic development initiatives

2:04:42The second highest risk is aging infrastructure scoring 20

2:04:46As our community continues to grow maintaining and renewing critical infrastructure remains a significant challenge

2:04:53Key mitigation efforts include ongoing asset management improvements

2:04:57strategic capital investment planning

2:04:59implementation of modern asset management technology and consideration of innovative funding approaches

2:05:05There are three additional risks from the next year of enterprise risks. I want to highlight

2:05:11First being strategic relationships stakes holders and right holders, which recognizes the importance

2:05:17of maintaining strong relationships with community partners indigenous communities and development stakeholders

2:05:24cybersecurity

2:05:26reflecting the increase in complexity of protecting municipal systems data and services from cyber threats

2:05:33And lastly changes to government legislation and funding

2:05:36Recognizing the impact provincial and federal decisions can have on municipal operations and priorities

2:05:42Each of these risks is being actively managed through targeted strategies such as stakeholder engagement enhanced cybersecurity

2:05:50investments advocacy efforts

2:05:52monitoring of legislative changes and ongoing staff and council education

2:05:56A notable addition this year is the new risk category civic environment and health and safety

2:06:03This risk reflects growing concerns regarding deteriorating public

2:06:07civility threats and inappropriate conduct

2:06:11directed toward staff

2:06:13or elected officials

2:06:15Mitigation measures include security reviews de-escalation training incident response procedures

2:06:22psychological safety supports and coordination with policing and security partners

2:06:28From a financial perspective the ERM program supports long-term financial sustainability

2:06:33by helping the city

2:06:35identify emerging risks early and integrate risk considerations into budget planning and capital investment decisions

2:06:42The report also highlights the importance of maintaining strong contingency reserves to improve resilience and respond to unforeseen events

2:06:50Councils continued commitment to rebuilding reserves remains an important mitigation strategy

2:06:56Looking ahead management will continue integrating risk management into departmental business planning and operational risk assessments

2:07:03The enterprise risk register will continue to be reviewed with senior leadership throughout the year

2:07:07With a formal update brought back to council annually

2:07:11In closing the 2026 risk register

2:07:14risk register demonstrates that the city has developed a mature and structured approach to identifying and managing risk

2:07:20While significant external pressures remain the organization is actively monitoring their risks

2:07:25And has numerous controls and mitigation strategies in place to support continued service delivery

2:07:30financial sustainability and achievement of council's strategic priorities

2:07:35Thank you very much, and I'd be pleased to answer any questions you might have

2:07:39Thank you very much for that presentation. Mr. Jalasek. I really appreciate all the work that your team is doing on this

2:07:44I look to my council colleagues

2:07:47Excellent, so we'll start with councillor old and then councillor run and then councillor downer. Thank you very much chair Goller

2:07:56Mr. Jalasek, I appreciate the presentation and the warnings that you've provided us

2:08:00I might have either see a

2:08:04O Baker or our treasurer

2:08:07Mizzow Dwyer also asked these the issue of aging infrastructure has been a concern of mine for 12 years and we have

2:08:14Continually reduced what we've been putting into aging infrastructure

2:08:20so with that

2:08:22I read as a subtext that

2:08:25Because we have aging infrastructure

2:08:27There is a need perhaps to enhance budget. Maybe I could ask you to

2:08:32Perhaps start with that and perhaps ask the treasurer and ceo to respond as well

2:08:40Through the through chair Goller to councillor Allt

2:08:42Uh, yeah, absolutely. Um

2:08:46I think this is an area that is continuing to require attention. Um, but one that certainly is not mismanaged

2:08:53The city's asset asset management program capital forecasting investment prioritization process and technology improvements are all

2:09:00Intended to proactively address infrastructure renewal needs. Um

2:09:05The risk reading really reflects the magnitude of the city's infrastructure portfolio and the growth pressures that we're seeing

2:09:13So do you want to provide some more insight?

2:09:16Sure. And so through chair Goller to councillor Allt

2:09:20um

2:09:21Over the last several years

2:09:23council and or through the budget process

2:09:25Infrastructure renewal funding has continued to increase

2:09:29Just not as fast as the expenditures and the inflationary impacts in that program have increased and so that um

2:09:38Funding gap has continued to grow and as you've seen through successive asset management plan updates that uh,

2:09:45That infrastructure renewal gap

2:09:47Has increased in the backlog of assets requiring renewal and so we've continued to

2:09:53highlight that risk and prioritize

2:09:56the capital funding um using that prioritization criteria

2:10:00Toward the highest priority needs and we'll continue to refine that and make recommendations year after year

2:10:06We also

2:10:08Will be back to you through the 20 to 31 strategic plan and multi-year budget cycle with recommendations

2:10:15and information

2:10:17related to increasing that capital transfer

2:10:21Thank you. Um, I don't miss bakers. Is there anything you wish to add to that or maybe you've mr. Gayman

2:10:27Yeah, I was going to ask mr. Gayman if you just wanted to to talk a little bit about the asset management and the new dashboard and

2:10:33And uh transparency on some of that that asset management information. That's just recently gone public

2:10:40So through the uh chair to councillor Allt and thank you for the question

2:10:43It's always a great opportunity to plug our asset management work

2:10:46I do think you know by and large the city has worked to advance its maturity and asset management

2:10:51We've come a long way from the infancy of that program

2:10:54Nearly a decade ago at this point in time the city has a substantial

2:10:58Um

2:10:59asset portfolio up in the seven billion dollar range as as council is aware and we're working really hard to best manage those things

2:11:05And that's what you're seeing reflected in the report here as those mitigation strategies go into it

2:11:10But as you know, there is a backlog and we are working

2:11:13Very diligently to make sure we're making the right prioritization decisions

2:11:17And the way that we're doing that is through maturity of our data set and the ongoing work throughout the departments at the city

2:11:22To really make sure that the information that goes into that program

2:11:26Is helping us make the best decisions possible and to miss baker's point now. We have created an online dashboard

2:11:31That's recently been released that data is

2:11:34um, uh public

2:11:36Publicly available data set now and we'll continue to leverage that and grow it over the course of time

2:11:40We're modernizing our tools there as well as we make

2:11:43As many integrated decisions as possible. Where can we work on life cycle improvements? Where can we make things last longer?

2:11:49Maybe without full

2:11:51Habilitation or full reconstruction of things and so that's the type of work we're doing to help best management at this risk

2:11:58And thank you very much. Just uh, because it is uh, germane to this

2:12:03We are in a position where we are being encouraged to uh,

2:12:07develop brownfields and to uh, continue to to build up and out

2:12:13Uh, I was wondering if anybody could please comment on the the capacity that we

2:12:18Have and what are the limitations on the possibilities of uh, of addressing some of our brownfield and other concerns if we don't do this

2:12:29So through the chair, maybe I'll start and if others want to jump in but the city does have a containment site program of work

2:12:35And there's a city-owned um brownfields to to use your language council are all and so we have a team that is working

2:12:41Um in a sort of systematic way to help minimize and reduce the risk and then create the opportunities for those

2:12:48Properties to come back to useful beneficial

2:12:51life and so that's the opportunity in the future where

2:12:54Maybe you can get back to building something and manage the risks from an environmental perspective that

2:13:00May still remain on a site or perhaps the full cleanup is is part of the strategy

2:13:04And it would be case by case in terms of how we do that

2:13:07We've been working to reduce the city's containment site liability

2:13:11for the better part of 10 years here in terms of

2:13:14Sort of what's reported through our finance team and the the p-sab reporting and

2:13:18Accounting liabilities and so we do do all of that work

2:13:21Our in our 200 Beverly site is a great example of the found street parking laws another example

2:13:27The baker library is a final example of the types of things that are

2:13:30Happening of the city that do move to that productive use and that's just one way that we are managing

2:13:35Sort of that overall environmental risk as well as just sort of how we would do that work through each of our individual

2:13:42Infrastructure projects water resource projects those types of things

2:13:46And thank you very much for that

2:13:48To switch gears. I've got a couple of gears here that I'm switching to

2:13:52Reference was made mr. Jelacic to budget planning and contingency reserves, I believe

2:13:58And I don't know whether it's you or whether it's

2:14:01Treasure or Dwyer or a cao baker that can respond to this can we publicly

2:14:07state

2:14:08What the status of our reserves are and what the how significant are the concerns?

2:14:17Through the chair our last budget update

2:14:21Was

2:14:22In may on the year end reserves and debt reporting and you're going to test my memory. I'll have to look the exact number

2:14:30But what I can say is the city's tax-supported contingency reserves are well below their target balance

2:14:37and council has

2:14:39prioritized rebuilding those reserves through

2:14:42The last two budget confirmation processes with by to

2:14:47Put any year-end surplus in those reserves to start to rebuild them

2:14:51However, those surpluses have not materialized. So we have not been able to make progress on that

2:14:57and through the 2026 budget confirmation process

2:15:01council endorsed a recommendation to bring back a strategy through the next multi-year budget cycle

2:15:09for consideration

2:15:10To rebuild those contingency reserve balances

2:15:14Thank you, and I don't know whether this is germane again

2:15:18or whether either miss baker or

2:15:20Ms. Odore can even answer but if I recollect

2:15:23We are well behind in our approvals for developments this year

2:15:28From where we've been in the past and that this has an impact because the money's just not coming in for

2:15:35Essentially development charges and so on and so is that correct?

2:15:40Through the chair, so the approval for development is maybe a bit of a different question

2:15:46That I would defer to DCA O. Gaiman, but what I could say tell you is that the first quarter of this year

2:15:53Building permits for units and for non residential were very low

2:15:58And our development charge collections were well below the forecast

2:16:02That has ticked up a little bit in the second quarter and we'll have a better more comprehensive update through our q2 budget monitoring report

2:16:10We're still behind our forecast for this year

2:16:14As of the end of may I don't have a june update

2:16:18At hand to give

2:16:20Okay, thank you very much. I might ask you later for any specific numbers that you can give us

2:16:25Last point that I have really is one that I just want confirmation. Mr. Jelasi

2:16:29You made reference to cyber security and other levels of government

2:16:33I presume that those are more elusive to address in terms of risk management

2:16:39I don't know how we deal with other levels of government giving that it would seem that

2:16:44Our expectations could change every day. Am I correct?

2:16:52Through the chair to you, uh, councillor Allt. Uh, yeah, absolutely. I mean, I think we have against some robust practices here where we

2:16:58advocate for the need for these fundings and also we have

2:17:03Departments and people responsible for making sure that we're fully capitalizing on any funding opportunities that are in place

2:17:09So I think from that perspective again from a risk perspective

2:17:13Feel like we have the right strategies in place to mitigate that risk and try to

2:17:18As steven said we can't eliminate it, but we can sort of understand it and make sure that we have

2:17:23The right sort of strategic initiatives and plans in place to take advantage of that

2:17:29Yeah, some of those external funding opportunities, you know, we we don't know the world that's going to happen in the future

2:17:34But we have to be ready to react to and we have to be ready to have proactive plans in place to do that

2:17:38And I feel like

2:17:40as a

2:17:41Sort of independent risk evaluator, I feel like we're doing that internally to make sure we have that as well as we have the risk treatment

2:17:48Sort of initiatives that were mentioned in the report to try and help us to

2:17:52Stay on top of that and make sure that we're

2:17:54I presume that that

2:17:56Also is for cyber security as well. We because it changes just so fluid

2:18:01Yeah, absolutely. And again, I think the one of the strengths of our it department is that they are

2:18:06Aware of of these types of risks and they're trying to stay on top of it and you're absolutely right

2:18:10It's a it's a concern for every organization, but I think again through

2:18:15I believe we have a number of investments planned in the cyber area that are going to help to

2:18:19Again, bring that risk to a to a more controlled level, which is the the hope and intent of risk management practices

2:18:26Thank you very much. I don't have any further questions if you need a mover

2:18:29move

2:18:32Thank you for that and so we'll be moved by um councilorals

2:18:35Sanctuary by councillor Klassen and we'll go now to councillor Caton. Go ahead

2:18:42Thank you through you mr. Chair

2:18:44Um, I really appreciate having the government grants listed as a high risk

2:18:50it's one of those things where it's both a benefit and a risk depending on the day and

2:18:55I was wondering if you could expand a little bit about grants because I think there's a misconception that

2:19:01um

2:19:02Once you get a grant you're good to go, but I know that there's a lot of stipulations and specifics that we have to

2:19:08Um meet in order to maintain a grant

2:19:12Sometimes they come in installments grants are not like a free-for-all where like here you go have some money

2:19:18Um, and I was just wondering if you could talk a little bit more about

2:19:22How those are risks?

2:19:27Through the chair to councillor Caton. Uh, I don't know if anybody else wants to assist with with that question. I don't

2:19:32Yeah, if you don't mind. Yeah, thank you. So, uh, thanks and to you councillor Caton

2:19:38um, yeah, I would say that over the past

2:19:41I I want to say three years now. We've really invested internally in terms of our process

2:19:47um

2:19:48regarding

2:19:50grant applications

2:19:52Understanding what's ahead. What are the commitments we're making?

2:19:55um by

2:19:58By pursuing a grant opportunity to your point. There are sometimes

2:20:02Embedded commitments that that can actually add more cost to the administration and into the organization

2:20:09And so all of those things are are evaluated through we have a joint team between a number of well

2:20:17corporate departments, but then

2:20:19depending on the

2:20:21What the grant is the subject matter expert in the in the department?

2:20:25For that any that particular grant for example

2:20:28um, and so, uh, there's a lot of work that goes into that just to make sure that we're picking the right opportunities and we're

2:20:35We're prioritizing our kind of limited staff resources to the highest benefit of the the best grant opportunities that that

2:20:44Forg wealth and so um, and then usually

2:20:48After we submit then there's a process of evaluation and we work really closely with upper levels of government on

2:20:57understanding the commitments more and and uh, and then understanding the transfer payment agreement that ultimately if we're selected

2:21:04Then there's a there's an actual agreement process as well

2:21:07and then

2:21:08What comes from that depending on how long the project if the grant is a project based grant for example

2:21:15It could be many years of reporting requirements

2:21:18um, and not just financial reporting sometimes there are environmental reporting that comes with those grants

2:21:24and and and other maybe social or other kind of reporting requirements and so

2:21:31The the grant itself the access or the receipt of the money is usually

2:21:36happens

2:21:37in advance of a long runway of reporting that then happens over time and so

2:21:44Between the finance team our intergovernmental team

2:21:48Those are the kind of the primary teams that that manage that over the life of the grant

2:21:52I can add one more comment to chair Goller and to councillor kate's question

2:21:56Let me get another big piece for us from the risk readiness and the risk sort of posture

2:22:02In and around grants is that you know, I don't need to tell council that that the model financially for the municipality is such that

2:22:09significant portion driven by property tax

2:22:12um

2:22:13Mizzou Dwyer talked about the changing world of development charges and has been for some time with council grants represent another stream of revenue through which the city can access

2:22:22But those are very the risk

2:22:24Contemplations around that are linked to for example the the longevity of those grant programs

2:22:29How long are they going to be in place? Are they subject to changes in senior levels of government?

2:22:34um, and and will they change with sort of the socio-economic climate that the province or the or the or the country finds itself in or even globally

2:22:42We find ourselves and and so they they lack the ability I think for us to be really strong in the predictability of those things

2:22:49There are some grant streams that have stood good test of time

2:22:53But there are others that that ebb and flow with

2:22:56What's happening again socio economically? So that's the risk challenge

2:23:01And that's why we we we categorize it as a risk because we've got a monitor for that and do our best as miss baker said to sort of

2:23:07Leverage the expertise we have in advocacy

2:23:10Leverage the expertise we have in subject matter experts that have connectivity and with senior levels of government to be able to predict

2:23:16And hopefully sort of hypothesize when and how those grant programs will shift and change

2:23:22Thanks. I'm in software in my other life and I

2:23:27Much to my sugar in

2:23:28Everybody's moving to the subscription model because it's easier to plan when you know you have a

2:23:33Dedicated amount of money coming in every month. And so

2:23:36This is my urging to the government to please do that instead. Thank you

2:23:42Thank you, councillor kateson going over to councillor downer

2:23:46Thank you through you chair Goller

2:23:49um

2:23:50I don't see it here. I see it sort of later as a risk in the community safety and well-being plan but

2:23:57our relationship

2:24:00One of the biggest

2:24:02Impacts on the budget in this past cycle was has been

2:24:07From the county from the social services

2:24:10And I don't see that identified here. I mean we could put it under

2:24:14you know

2:24:16strategic relations stakeholders and but I don't see it listed

2:24:20um as something that identified and

2:24:24Is and it's not as it's not our particular service, but it certainly impacts us and the sort of the housing and

2:24:32homelessness and mental health and addictions file has certainly been a risk to the city

2:24:37um

2:24:39over the last number of years

2:24:41And

2:24:43And as has seems to be increasing for us

2:24:48So I don't know if this is the place like I said

2:24:50I see it later in the agenda and it's in another thing, but it's not identified in in this particular document

2:24:58Yeah, so uh through chair Goller to councillor downer. I we

2:25:03Item number three id risk number three the strategic relationships

2:25:07Stakeholders and rights holders was an all-encompassing. Um, it's we did not name particular partners or

2:25:16Relationships because I think they're actually quite vast

2:25:19They all have a bit of risk attached to them in different ways and so but this is the category that we had um had

2:25:27had that concerned part of uh of this uh

2:25:32This risk description and uh and the measures that are identified there

2:25:40Thank you for that. Uh councillor downer. I appreciate it. Uh, seeing no further comments

2:25:46I wanted to thank you so much for the work that you're doing. Uh, mr. Jelsik and your team and

2:25:52We'll move we'll move the vote anyone against

2:25:56the report recommendation

2:25:59Seeing none it passes unanimously. Thank you very much

2:26:04And now we're going to move on on our agenda next up. It's uh item

2:26:1114 so I will turn this over and

2:26:14Make it the chair

2:26:57The point of order point of privilege, uh, madam chair

2:27:01Um question that I have to ask of clerks

2:27:04I moved the motion, but then I had to go powder my nose and so I didn't vote can I either be

2:27:11Uh, could it be recorded that I was in favor or should I remove my

2:27:17Moving of the motion

2:27:21Through you madam chair to to councillor old

2:27:24I don't think there's any rule that says if you move in second you must be present for the vote

2:27:29I think you can move in second in some cases hours go by it's reasonable a mover or seconder may have left

2:27:34Thank you. Thank you. And

2:27:40That's it's a good reminder for me to say that I I'm not a madam chair

2:27:45I if you would like to use a prefix for me

2:27:47I use mix as in sir mix a lot imagine me in one of his fur coats

2:27:52And then that'll help. All right

2:27:56it is

2:27:58401

2:27:59And this is the corporate services and office of the c a o portion of the meeting

2:28:05We have two items on the agenda for today. First up is

2:28:09Item 14 one the finance policy updates and there's a staff presentation by justin way

2:28:16deputy treasurer manager and dylan prince the senior final analyst both from the finance department

2:28:24Good afternoon vice chair Caton and members of council

2:28:26The items before you for approval today are part of the city's long-term financial framework

2:28:31Which includes several key policies that help guide the financial sustainability of the city

2:28:36I'll be providing an overview of why this update is happening now

2:28:39Why it matters and then passing over to dylan prince who will walk through by policy what's changing

2:28:44How it's important for council as well as a quick snapshot of what we're working on next

2:28:50So some context on why we're doing this now

2:28:53From the timeline you can see on the rights

2:28:55The policies in our long-term financial framework have been developed developed over several years

2:28:59The focus on those years was getting these policies in place to build out the framework

2:29:03And that work has really built a strong foundation for the city's long-term financial sustainability structure

2:29:09However, the the fact that they're developed over time also means that there's overlapping inconsistencies that have naturally occurred

2:29:15For example, some terminology is no longer used and some processes didn't reference between policies properly

2:29:21And more importantly, several of these policies are simply out of date

2:29:25Legislation has changed and updates are needed

2:29:28So staff in collaboration with craig dire advisory services have completed a comprehensive

2:29:33Review for several of our policies covering budget debt reserves and user fees

2:29:38The updates in front of you today are our results of that review where we've consolidated updated and streamlined the policy framework

2:29:47So taking a step back, uh, these policies are important for the city as they support three foundational principles

2:29:53sustainability vulnerability and flexibility

2:29:56Sustainable financial practices as guided by our policies help the city maintain services infrastructure and financial commitments

2:30:03Needed to meet future current and future community needs without shifting an unfair cost burden to future generations

2:30:10Compromising service quality or risking fiscal instability

2:30:13One good example of this is the city has been able to provide a balanced 10-year capital plan over the past two budget confirmations

2:30:19All while communicating the tradeoffs and risks with respect to asset management plan

2:30:24infrastructure to support growth and development and comprehensive

2:30:27service delivery plans

2:30:29Moving down to the green vulnerability is the city's preparedness to respond to the unexpected

2:30:35Our policies need to provide the framework for ensuring that when something unplanned happens

2:30:39We can respond in an effective and timely manner

2:30:42The city has a robust understanding of risk the enterprise risk management program as well as numerous

2:30:47mitigation strategies in place for those identified risks

2:30:51However, not everything can be foreseen or eliminated and sound financial policies provide the foundation for the city to be well positioned

2:30:58to respond when necessary

2:31:00Thirdly the city's ability to pursue opportunities or phase in new impacts over multiple years is why flexibility in financial planning is so important

2:31:08The landscape that minis municipalities operate in is frequently changing and the availability of contingency reserves provides a necessary flexibility

2:31:16To mean to manage effectively in this dynamic environments

2:31:21Moreover the long-term financial framework policies guide how the city plans for service delivery in a financially sustainable way

2:31:29limiting vulnerability, but also creating space for flexibility

2:31:33Clarity around how budgets are prepared amended and adopted helps council in the community

2:31:37See how decisions are made which creates a shared understanding of the financial practices at the city

2:31:43Our policies around capital financing provides clear criteria against which performance is measured

2:31:48Through target balances policy thresholds and guidelines

2:31:51A clear set of financial principles and policies help municipalities live within their means over the long term

2:31:57By setting thresholds or boundaries we avoid putting ourselves in a position

2:32:00Where we are over leveraged and also protecting future generations from undue burden

2:32:05The policies that address risk i.e. the investment debt management and reserve and reserve fund policy

2:32:10Helps shield us from unexpected surprises such as economic downturns revenue shortfalls or natural disasters

2:32:20So jumping back in here's the outcome of our policy work to date

2:32:24In the before box on the left the first four policies budget

2:32:27Revenue budgeting budget monitoring and year and surplus allocation has been consolidated into two

2:32:33First a significantly restructured and comprehensive budget policy and secondly a new user fees rate and charges policy

2:32:41Through this exercise

2:32:42We've also brought revisions to the debt management

2:32:44As well as the reserve and reserve fund policies with updates to ensure cohesiveness and modernization

2:32:51In addition to the policy level framework staff maintain internal procedure documents below the governance level

2:32:56For administration and guidance and we're working on updates to those documents ahead of the 2027 budget confirmation

2:33:02I'll now pass it over to dylan who will walk us through an overview of key changes and updates for each policy before you today

2:33:19As I walk through each of the policies i'll focus on what the most impactful changes were

2:33:23And the implications of these changes so starting with the budget policy

2:33:27This establishes the principles processes and responsibilities

2:33:31Governing the development approval monitoring and amendment of the city's operating and capital budgets

2:33:37This policy has the most substantive updates with several changes worth noting

2:33:43It's now a comprehensive policy that addresses budgeting budget monitoring and the year end surplus and deficit allocation within one policy

2:33:50Where previously this was covered over multiple policies

2:33:53First and probably most important the policy has been updated to align with the strong mayor legislation

2:33:59This legislation was introduced after the previous budget policy was approved and therefore needed to be added to the updated policy

2:34:07The update uh the update defines the mayor's role in setting budget direction and proposing the budget and council's role in proposing amendments and overriding

2:34:16overriding vetoes if needed

2:34:19Second the policy continues to support the four-year multi-year budget, which is aligned with the strategic plan

2:34:24This includes an annual budget confirmation to revisit assumptions and respond to new risks

2:34:30As part of the policy update, we've added staff authority for the year following the municipal election for in-term spending to avoid potential service gaps

2:34:38Which proactively manages risks from a delayed budget approval

2:34:42Additionally a new section of the policy gives staff guidance on how to develop the budget for the final year of the multi-year budget

2:34:48While the municipal election is taking place

2:34:51It seems to balance between the staff time needed to develop the budget materials with maintaining space for the newly elected mayor

2:34:58To make adjustments through their proposed budget after the after the election

2:35:03and lastly

2:35:04Lastly we've clarified the thresholds and mechanisms for minor and and administrative adjustments

2:35:10Versus a material adjustment

2:35:12This helps balance between efficient processes and ensuring council oversight for any material financial or scope change

2:35:24our user fee

2:35:26Our user fees rates and charges policy is a new standalone policy

2:35:31Previously

2:35:32Previously guidance for on user fees was provided through the former revenue budgeting policy, which is being repealed through this

2:35:39policy update

2:35:41This policy sets out clear criteria for when a fee should be used and how we determine the right level of cost recovery

2:35:47The most impactful policy change that council can now authorize annual indexing of fees through the user fee by-law based on

2:35:54applicable measures such as consumer price index

2:35:57That means routine inflationary adjustments don't need to come back to council every year, which creates more predictability for the public

2:36:04Staff-led fee reviews will continue to occur at the start of each multi-year budget cycle for many of the fees

2:36:10From time to time comprehensive fee studies occur outside the budget process for more complex services

2:36:16Which allows for greater public engagement?

2:36:19The changes resulting from these fee studies will then be incorporated into the next budget update

2:36:27Now moving on to the debt management policy

2:36:30This guides how we allocate our future debt and to what extent

2:36:34It also guides what financing instruments are available to us and helps maintain a sound financial position

2:36:39Which protects a favorable credit rating for the city

2:36:43The key takeaway here is what's not changing in our policy, which is our overall debt servicing cost limit remaining at 10% of own source revenue

2:36:51This measure share this measures the share of city revenue that's being consumed by previously approved

2:36:58projects and this policy limit continues to balance between preserving borrowing costs or

2:37:04preserving borrowing capacity and managing debt servicing costs to maintain

2:37:08Budget flexibility with promoting the principle of intergenerational equity by spreading costs into the future period where the assets will be consumed

2:37:17What is new in this policy is more specific guidelines within the overall 10% limit

2:37:22Which breaks down debt servicing costs by the type of revenue that supports it

2:37:26This includes property tax supported debt

2:37:29rate supported debt and dc supported debt

2:37:32These sub guidelines provide additional visibility into debt servicing capacity, which will help identify and communicate risk

2:37:40related to the debt strategy

2:37:42There are also a few administrative updates included in this policy

2:37:46Like permitting sinking funds as a financing option

2:37:50Authorizing the treasurer to appoint a fiscal agent for debenture issuances and updating the eligible purposes for which debt can be issued

2:38:00Finally on to the reserve and reserve fund policy

2:38:03This policy establishes guidelines and controls for the creation use and management of all the cities reserve and reserve funds

2:38:10Much of the existing reserve and reserve fund policy remains fundamentally the same

2:38:14The updated policy provides additional details regarding roles and responsibilities of council the treasurer

2:38:21executive team and the local boards in alignment with our current practices

2:38:26Additionally, this update provides greater alignment with the budget policy specifically for amendments to the budget

2:38:32This allows for consistent authority between amendments to the budget in the budget policy and the use of reserve and reserve funds

2:38:38in in this policy

2:38:40Lastly, we reviewed the individual terms of the reserve and reserve funds found in appendix b

2:38:46We updated some of the terms to be more consistent with each other

2:38:50Stemming from this review. We are we are proposing to close

2:38:54Four existing reserves three are consolidations into other reserves and are on the slide before you

2:39:00The balance of the health care spending for fire folds into the accumulated sick leave for fire

2:39:05The downtown improvement reserve folds into the reason redevelopment incentive reserve

2:39:10And the public art reserve folds into the service enhancement reserve

2:39:13The fourth is just a closure for the public transit fund

2:39:17With its balance being used to offset 2026 operating expenses since this grant has now been closed

2:39:28looking ahead

2:39:30To upcoming policy updates included in today's agenda as a separate item is an administrative update to the asset management policy

2:39:37This update was legislatively required. However, asset management and finance staff have identified the need for a more comprehensive review of this policy

2:39:45To enhance the alignment to the other long-term financial framework policies

2:39:50In the future recognizing that the the critical role that the asset management

2:39:55policy plays in long-term financial sustainability of the city

2:39:59The city's investment policy was last updated in 2021 and it will be the next long-term financial framework policy that is reviewed and updated

2:40:07And finally the repeal of the existing letter of credit by-law will be on the july 21st city city council agenda for approval

2:40:15This by-law will be replaced

2:40:17This by-law will be replaced with an updated securities policy that will be approved under the CAO's delegated authority and incorporates

2:40:25updated legislative requirements for development securities to include charity bonds

2:40:35And with that we're happy to answer your questions about these policy updates. Thanks

2:40:44So we have a motion to put on the floor

2:40:48So councillor alts we have a seconder

2:40:51Councillor hauser can you read that out for us out loud for accessibility please councillor Allt

2:41:04motion alt

2:41:06moved by alt seconded hauser financial policy updates

2:41:102026-357

2:41:12One that the updated budget policy included as attachment one to report 2026 357

2:41:19financial policy updates be approved

2:41:21Two that the updated user fees and charges policy included as attachment two to the report

2:41:282026 357

2:41:30Finance policy updates be approved

2:41:32Three that the existing budget monitoring policy revenue budgeting policy here and operating surplus allocation policy be repealed

2:41:43Four that the updated debt management policy included as attachment three to report

2:41:502026-357

2:41:52Finance policy updates be approved five that the updated reserves and reserve fund policy included as attachment four to report

2:42:022026-357

2:42:05Financial policies update be approved and I don't think there's anything after that

2:42:11Thank you

2:42:13Thank you so much. Are there any questions?

2:42:19Amazing. Oh, we've got councillor busetel

2:42:23Yes, thank you. Um in your presentation you talked about the external agencies and boards

2:42:29I had to search to find the the specific section

2:42:33About it's in the responsibilities. I was curious why it's just public library and well police services and not

2:42:40As my colleague and I have chatted about

2:42:44social services as well

2:42:47And some of the other

2:42:48External agencies and boards and it's on page. I have to find it page nine of 38

2:42:54In the attachment for

2:43:08through the chair

2:43:09The reasoning the reasoning there is that the reserve and reserve funds that we have are for

2:43:15Um

2:43:16The gulf police services and the gulf public library and we don't have reserve and reserve funds for the other local boards or shared services

2:43:26And so that doesn't sorry through through the chair so that doesn't extend to um housing

2:43:33Reserves that may be directed to

2:43:36social services for housing

2:43:39Kind of initiatives. Can you just clarify that? That's why I was a little bit surprised

2:43:45Sure through chair Caton

2:43:48The

2:43:49We do have a social housing reserve

2:43:51We use that reserve for the purposes of capital that

2:43:55Transitions or carries over from year to year

2:43:58So capital spending that's included in the budget

2:44:01From the county gets included in our operating budget and at the end of the year any

2:44:07Unspent capital gets put the funding gets put in that reserve because it will come out in the next year

2:44:12And so that way we make sure that we have the money

2:44:15When we get the bill from the county for that capital and could you just help me understand clearly where

2:44:21Where your references I was just scrambling to find in that attachment

2:44:27Thank you. It's under the heading of roles and responsibilities city council the treasure

2:44:33And then executive team gulf police services and gulf public library shall and it's on page nine

2:44:40Uh attachment for reserve and reserve fund

2:44:46So and I and it kind of links into and my colleague counselor down or raised it in the previous presentation as well

2:44:53I too wondered about risk

2:44:56An external kind of funding not particular to any agency

2:45:00But you know transparency and the risk in the overall budget because the public doesn't separate the city from

2:45:07They just look at the big number

2:45:09So I was trying to put the two together and ask that same question around

2:45:14The accountability and the other values that we have in our budget process. So that's why I'm asking it

2:45:21specifically about gulf police and the gulf public library shall and how does it translate into

2:45:27Specifically around housing and social services

2:45:30So thank you. Okay. Thank you. I I have more clarity on your question through chair Caton

2:45:35The so the reason why there's specific

2:45:39guidance for gulf police and gulf public library is because those two organizations have

2:45:45Specific capital and contingency reserves under the managed under the city's reserve and reserve fund policy

2:45:52And the other organizations do not and so we still plan for and support those

2:45:59Other that manage the budget risk through those organizations through the city's other suite of reserves

2:46:05And so as you'll recall through the multi-year budget

2:46:08We've phased in significant increases for social housing using the tax operating contingency reserve

2:46:15So those are specific requirements that kind of govern or that govern how

2:46:20The gulf police and gulf public library board reserves will be managed

2:46:25Those specific reserve funds

2:46:29Through the chair. Thank you. Thank you. Councillor busito. Any further questions?

2:46:37Seeing none, I'll call the question

2:46:41Anybody against?

2:46:45That's no one so unanimous. Thank you very much

2:46:49And we're going to move on to item 14.2

2:46:54the

2:46:552026 to 2029

2:46:5712 community safety and well-being plan

2:47:00and this will be presented by

2:47:03uh, Steven

2:47:05Schmeid or schmied

2:47:06Which someone can confirm that one for me

2:47:12stephen schmeid. Thank you so much

2:47:14advisor of corporate and community strategic initiatives and erin britnell

2:47:18manager of

2:47:20corporate performance and strategy

2:47:39Okay, so good afternoon chair Caton and members of council

2:47:42I'm here today to present the proposed 2026 to 2029

2:47:47community safety and well-being plan

2:47:49For councils adoption. So under ontario's community safety and policing act

2:47:54The city is required to adopt a community safety and well-being plan and updated every four years

2:48:01endorsed by the plan's community advisory table and shaped by more than 40 community organizations and agencies

2:48:08This plan is a community driven city supported framework for identifying and collectively addressing priority risks to safety and well-being and golf

2:48:20So to guide the plan's update across sector community advisory table provided direction and guidance throughout the process

2:48:27This advisory table was co-chaired by jody sales

2:48:30general manager of strategic initiatives and intergovernmental services who sends her regrets today

2:48:35And deputy chief and your goody from gulf police service who we have here today

2:48:41Through their collective leadership the advisory table who are listed on the screen

2:48:45Helped shape the plan that reflects shared priorities and local realities related to community safety and well-being

2:48:52I would like to thank the members of the table for their time support and expertise in putting this all together

2:48:57And now I would invite stefan schmiedt

2:49:00Corporate and community strategic initiatives advisor to speak about the update process and the plan's priority risk areas

2:49:14Thank you, erin and good afternoon council

2:49:17The plan presented today was updated through a three phase process

2:49:22Guided by the provincial community safety and well-being planning framework

2:49:27The first phase focused on updating the priority risk areas using public data

2:49:32Merging trends and input from city staff advisory committees of council and the community organizations and agencies

2:49:40The second phase aligned shared outcomes actions and measures for each priority risk area in collaboration with community organizations

2:49:48And agencies who work directly with people experiencing these risks

2:49:54It's important to note that there is no dedicated provincial funding available to implement community safety and well-being plans

2:50:01Therefore, we took an approach that aligned shared priorities to better focus our collective resources

2:50:07Our aim being to support ongoing community level work that addresses these priority risks

2:50:13The third phase focused on drafting the updated plan

2:50:22Through the process six priority risk areas were identified

2:50:26The plan organizes these into two categories

2:50:30The first three risks shown in blue

2:50:33Are long-standing system level risks that a root causes to other risks

2:50:38The remaining three priority risks shown in green

2:50:42Are increasingly challenging risks that require coordinated community response

2:50:48We recognize through the development process that individuals families and communities often experience more than one risk at the same time

2:50:56Which can compound their impact

2:51:00Beginning with the identified system level risks. We will briefly outline each priority risk area in the plan

2:51:07Highlight what gulf is experiencing

2:51:09And share a summary of community level actions

2:51:17So the first priority risk area is discrimination systemic inequity and hate

2:51:21This includes unfair treatment harmful systems or actions based on identity that undermine safety belonging trust

2:51:29or physical or mental well-being

2:51:32Not all residents experience the same degree of safety belonging or access to opportunity

2:51:37In a 2022 survey by the gulf wellington local immigration partnership

2:51:42nine in ten indigenous and seven in ten immigrants invisible minorities reported experiencing discrimination in the last three years

2:51:51To improve community safety and well-being the plan focuses on promoting equity and anti-racism

2:51:57Across communities and organizations strengthening trust improving awareness and supporting collaborative community led solutions

2:52:07The second priority risk is early adversity

2:52:10Early adversity refers to stressful or potentially traumatic experiences before age 18 that without adequate support

2:52:18Can increase the risk of safety and well-being challenges later in life

2:52:22Local data and community input highlight continued strain on child and family support systems due to rising demand

2:52:30In 2024 2025 family and children services of gulf and wellington county received

2:52:363478 new referrals and initiated

2:52:411325 new investigations

2:52:43A 2 percent increase from the previous year

2:52:47To help prevent and reduce early adversity the plan emphasizes early intervention

2:52:52Fostering community resilience and supportive relationships

2:52:56And improving coordination across services for children youth and families

2:53:03The third priority risk is income insecurity

2:53:06Income insecurity means not having sufficient or stable income to meet basic needs such as housing food

2:53:13fuel transportation and other costs of living

2:53:17In 2024 the ontario works caseload

2:53:20rose to 2095 cases across gulf and wellington county

2:53:251 above pre-pandemic levels with more than 3420 individuals

2:53:30Requiring their support to meet their basic needs

2:53:34In response to this risk the plan focuses on poverty reduction promoting decent work and livable incomes

2:53:41community wealth building and improving collaboration

2:53:44Let's move on to the next set of risks identified as increasingly challenging and requiring community or requiring coordinated response

2:53:58Gender-based violence and exploitation is the fourth priority risk

2:54:02This includes intimate partner violence sexual violence human trafficking and other forms of abuse or control

2:54:09Community organizations are seeing growing demand for crisis and safety supports

2:54:13In 2024 gulf wellington women in crisis responded to 2447 crisis line calls

2:54:21and served 1188 women and 69 children

2:54:27The plan focuses on strengthening trauma informed services improving coordination

2:54:32Making it easier for people to get help and using community input to strengthen services

2:54:41The fifth priority risk is homelessness and affordable housing

2:54:45This includes challenges finding maintaining or paying for safe and stable housing

2:54:51Gualtas continuing to experience rising shelter use chronic homelessness and affordability pressures

2:54:56in 2023 across gulf and welling wellington county

2:55:01726 people used emergency shelters for more than 40 000 shelter nights

2:55:06An increase of about 40 compared to 2022

2:55:11Aligned to ongoing work by the city county and community partners the plan emphasized continued homelessness prevention

2:55:18affordable housing development housing focus supports

2:55:22low barrier emergence responses and community collaboration

2:55:29Mental health and or substance youth health challenges is the last priority risk area

2:55:34This includes emotional psychological and substance related challenges that affect daily life relationships health or safety

2:55:41Demand for mental health and substance youth health support remains high with long wait times for care and ongoing harms from drug poisonings

2:55:51In 2025 here 247 reported that 3138 people were waiting for mental health or addictions care across the gulf and pus lunch area

2:56:03Community level action in the plan focuses on reducing stigma improving access to care

2:56:09Supporting harm reduction strengthening system integration and coordinating responses across sectors

2:56:17Together these three or these six priority risk areas represent complex and significant community risks

2:56:24That require collaboration coordinated action

2:56:27and sustained support across sectors and services

2:56:31And with that i'll now invite erin to speak about the next steps for the plan

2:56:40Thanks, stefan

2:56:41So following council's adoption. We will publish the updated community safety and well-being plan on golf dot ca

2:56:46Which meets our requirement under the legislation for the update and we'll also send notice to the ministry of the attorney general

2:56:54In order to help facilitate continued collaboration in this area

2:56:57We are going to convene the community advisory table twice a year so that we can share updates review progress

2:57:05Monitor emerging issues and strengthen our relationships with the community partners

2:57:10We look forward to mobilizing the plan with the advisory table and working together with community partners to support and improve community

2:57:16Safety and well-being in gulf. So thank you for your time and we are happy to answer any questions

2:57:24Thank you. So i'm guessing you're

2:57:27Moving the motion and second motion. Okay, so we'll take councillor Klassen for this one and then

2:57:33Councillor alts a second. Can you please read the recommendation?

2:57:38Thank you. Excuse me that the 2026 2029 community

2:57:49Safety and well-being plan as included in attachment one to report 2026 277 dated july 7 2026 be adopted

2:57:58Thank you. And so councillor alts you had a question

2:58:01Yes, thank you. I actually have a number of questions. I'm just getting people's. I'm just getting the names down

2:58:07Ah

2:58:08Councillor Goller and anyone else have questions

2:58:12All right. Thank you. Thank you very much

2:58:15chair chair cate

2:58:19I have I really appreciate the presentation and I appreciate that

2:58:23That deputy chief goody is here as well because it's to him. I wish to ask a question

2:58:29and it it certainly relates to

2:58:31Uh next steps and just because I sit on the police board. I was wondering if you could outline

2:58:38what the the place of the gulf police services is

2:58:44in

2:58:45Addressing next steps. I appreciate everything we've done with regards to gender-based violence and and domestic violence, but

2:58:53Clearly there's more and clearly there are expectations in the public as well. Yeah, absolutely. Good question

2:58:59Um

2:59:00So as we started the beginning of this, this is a collaborative approach

2:59:03As you can see all the priorities that were listed

2:59:06Within this plan cannot be solved by one individual person, right or one individual organization

2:59:12So it's a collaborative. So the community advisory table

2:59:15Will remain together will continue to work on this and the police will continue to have a seat at that table and advice

2:59:21If you look at the priorities that are listed within this plan, they're actually very similar to a lot of number of priorities

2:59:27Defiliated to other social agencies across the city as well

2:59:30And I think there's already a lot of great work being done in these areas

2:59:34It's really a matter of highlighting that great work and sharing the story of the work that's being done

2:59:39But as a police organization

2:59:41The the actions we take towards the specific priorities in this plan will be shared with that community advisory table to be reported on

2:59:51And thank you because one of the the the issues that comes up quite often is people

2:59:56Often are requesting

2:59:58From me as a counselor not as a member of the police board that

3:00:02That I get the police involved to whatever the issue is make it better

3:00:06I was wondering if you could respond to the specific position of the police in in addressing what's in this particular document

3:00:13It's clearly the police can't make everything better

3:00:16No, but the police can also facilitate to work with other organizations in our city to make it better

3:00:21So I go back to if anybody wants to make it better when something happens call the police

3:00:26Right one thing we can do is help facilitate to other social services other organizations to help solve the problem in that moment

3:00:32In the bigger picture

3:00:34We'll continue to sit on advisory tables in other boards in other areas so that we can work together

3:00:40Bring forward the data that we have to help support the problems that have been initiated and action on those as we as we can

3:00:46Uh, thank you very much. Uh deputy chief goody and I do have a quick comment afterward

3:00:53But I would like to acknowledge that this is the first time deputy chief goody has been in front of us

3:00:58Uh, I think you've been in the position now a month couple months now. Yes. There you go. Yeah, we're starting to get great. Anyway

3:01:05Anyway, thank you very very much

3:01:07And with with regards to the report. I think it's very important that we have identified that uh early

3:01:12Um

3:01:13experiences in life are

3:01:16Significant and that we should not

3:01:18ever miss that

3:01:20Formative years are significant in creating a situation where those that that do experience alienation and possibly even

3:01:29Violence at some point

3:01:31Really do at at later points in life often become those that act out in similar ways. So I appreciate everything that's being done on this

3:01:40Thank you. Councillor Arlott. Councillor Klassen

3:01:43Yes, thank you, uh chair. I think I've got one for staff which is

3:01:50So I appreciate that this is part of a legislative mandate under the

3:01:54Ontario policing act and I also just want to acknowledge all of the work and all of the agencies and all of the people who go into

3:02:02supporting our community safety within the city of gualafay

3:02:06I'm deeply grateful for all of the work that's being done and to see it in this type of report is is

3:02:11is meaningful

3:02:13um, I do have a question with regard to how the

3:02:16It goes to the province after this and the attorney general's office

3:02:19But are there any insights to how the province uses these reports?

3:02:22I noted in your presentation that you said there's no funding available for these plans and we know that some of the

3:02:28The you know organizations within the report do receive funding

3:02:31So I'm just curious about what happens with this with these these reports

3:02:35I'm assuming other communities have to do them all of communities have to do them

3:02:38So what happens and I know that this isn't the first one that we've done so over time

3:02:43Have have they changed the framework? Have they provided us with any guidance or advice or support so on and so forth?

3:02:49That's the kind of response i'm looking for

3:02:53Through chair Caton to councillor Klassen

3:02:55We don't have a full detailed assessment of how the province is using it. They have provided

3:03:01a more detailed framework since the initial

3:03:04Requirement that was for municipalities to complete this when we did this four years ago. There's a lot more

3:03:10Rigor to who needs to be around the table the types of actions we need to take

3:03:14They do provide us with certain areas that we need to explore as we go through which funnel up into our priority areas

3:03:22We have had some outreach from

3:03:25Provincial staff looking for us to to speak to our experience and we've we've offered

3:03:31You know if councils adopted it to move forward that we would speak to them about our experience working through this and where we can

3:03:37Look for for further opportunities to to engage where we could use more assistance all those type of things but

3:03:44Other than that we don't have a clear sense from the province about where where they're pulling the data from once we post it on the website

3:03:51Interesting thank you for that answer

3:03:56Thank you councillor Klassen councillor

3:03:59Thank you and through you chair Caton to to staff and to all the agencies. Thank you for the work that you've done with this

3:04:06I

3:04:08Had a question about the gender-based violence and exploitation. I think with some of the the other

3:04:13items that you mentioned, you know, if we if we see

3:04:16We have surveys for the discrimination. So we want to see the surveys. So there's less discrimination and for the

3:04:23Arrow early advice adversity. We also have surveys and that that are being done and we get feedback

3:04:30but I think with

3:04:31gender-based violence, it's something that is you know

3:04:35Being drawn out that has been hidden. So so we actually expect we expect to see more of this in the future as we put more resources

3:04:42into trafficking and domestic violence

3:04:45and and you know

3:04:47What at what point do we know that it's gotten better because I feel that if we hear less of it, it doesn't mean that it's it's getting better

3:04:56Through the chair to councillor Goller. We had a great discussion at this exact topic around the advisory

3:05:02Committee table because we know that if there's more awareness sometimes that means actually

3:05:07Increase numbers because it's being reported more

3:05:10and then at the certain point

3:05:12The data is only as good as the data that we have and some of these areas one of the the overall

3:05:17recommendations we had through this process was that we need better data

3:05:21Across the board to be able to make some more data-driven decisions in many of these areas including

3:05:26We know that much of gender-based violence doesn't go reported and I think through

3:05:31Our friends at gulf police. They they have talked about this in different presentations

3:05:36I don't know. I've heard them around this table talk about the the gaps in some of that data and

3:05:41So I don't know if I have an answer in terms of the specifics of when we'll see at that turn

3:05:45But we do know that at least if it's being reported things can be dealt with we can look for different actions

3:05:50And then through that advisory table we can continue to look at the data and see if there's other actions

3:05:54We can take as a community to reduce the impacts of that risk

3:05:59Yeah, I really appreciate that and I really appreciate that we're talking about this more

3:06:04I think it's very important the other item I wanted to

3:06:07Ask through you chair Caton is about homelessness with the issue of say the mental health and addictions

3:06:14We we know how many people are on a wait list to get those supports

3:06:18Um and and presumably we would have

3:06:20Resolved the problem once that wait list is is is met and we have enough services to accommodate people

3:06:26Requiring supports with mental health and addictions

3:06:29But but with housing do we have an idea of how many affordable houses?

3:06:34And i'm i'm talking to the city of guelph portion because we're now, you know, we monitor

3:06:40affordable housing that that has been built

3:06:42Uh and affordable rentals do we have a target for how many?

3:06:46affordable rentals we would need in the city of guelph to

3:06:50Have addressed the issue of homelessness as much as we can as a municipality

3:06:58Through councillor Goller, I'd have to check with our with staff in our housing team to see if we have any data

3:07:04On that, but I don't have it top of hand here with this plan

3:07:08Okay, okay

3:07:09No, I appreciate that and and perhaps if I could make a request for for the next update of this plan

3:07:14Which would be 20 29? I believe

3:07:17If we could have some of those

3:07:19Indicators of you know, what we're striving towards. I think it would be helpful even if it's aspirational

3:07:24You know, we have a parkland target that we know we we cannot afford to meet at this point

3:07:28But it's what we would like to have as a community if we had a target for how many

3:07:35Social community houses units we have and how many affordable rental units we had in the city

3:07:40I think that would help us know where we're driving towards

3:07:44But uh, thank you. Thank you chair

3:07:46Thank you councillor Goller councillor Busuttil

3:07:49Thank you and through the chair

3:07:52Um, very similar to my colleague councillor Goller and to councillor claus and

3:07:58No funding no money, you know, just magic and goodwill

3:08:03So I'm gonna my first question is about the agencies around the table. Uh, are they as part of this process adopting the plan?

3:08:11Uh and incorporating, uh, you know, you've got uh, how we monitor pro progress and those kinds

3:08:17Are they taking this to their governance board to their boards to also adopt the plan?

3:08:24Through the chair to councillor Busuttil

3:08:27It will depend on the agency how they choose to bring it back

3:08:30We council itself is the only organization that's mandated to adopt the plan

3:08:36I will say all the members around the advisory committee were very supportive and very enthusiastic about the recommendations and

3:08:43Looking at their strategic plans and how they can bring this back to their organizations

3:08:48Once it's published on the website

3:08:50But I don't know if that's through motions of their board or just to bring it back as information

3:08:54But they were enthusiastic to to be on board to help move this forward

3:08:59I guess i'm trying to through the chair trying to get at more than good intentions and

3:09:05And into operations of some of this and similar to my colleague councillor Goller, you know

3:09:11And you you reference better data indicators and so on when I look at things like how we create change

3:09:18How we monitor progress, you know with alongside, you know councillor Goller. We sit on public health

3:09:24We know a lot of these reports and is there going to be

3:09:30How to create change in the community level is is there going to be like a

3:09:35You know, I don't want to do a wellington county. I'm looking at you know planning table, but

3:09:41You know shared language data all those kinds of things and they're with no resources

3:09:46You know, I don't want to

3:09:48Speak ill of this but how with no resources and all the planning that needs to be done

3:09:53How do you create change with all those players in the community?

3:10:00uh through the

3:10:02chair Caton uh to councillor busatel

3:10:05It's a good question and I think we

3:10:07We want to work as an advisory table to continue to have these conversations

3:10:12So one of the things we didn't do four years ago is continue to meet with the organizations

3:10:16So having this twice annual meeting is an important

3:10:21Uh an important piece that we can move forward. Um the other piece I think is

3:10:28around the

3:10:32The agencies so I think um

3:10:35One of the the options could be if if council was interested

3:10:39There's an opportunity for a motion for the agencies to adopt this and move forward

3:10:44But I will say the actions that are in in the plan itself were brought forward from the agencies because there are things

3:10:50They're already invested in and they're working in and we did this on purpose because we knew there wasn't a budget to add a whole bunch of new

3:10:57opportunities

3:10:59Was to focus in on the things that they're already doing and how we can add

3:11:04Supports add awareness and add feedback to that

3:11:10That

3:11:11That is the best we can do without the resources to try to move some of this action forward is to continue the conversation

3:11:16Make sure we're sharing the data as it comes forward and connecting with the organizations

3:11:24I'm not sure if that answered your question or not

3:11:26I guess you know

3:11:27From my background in school boards and so on edis all that information graduation rates and so on in order to create a

3:11:35A report i'm thinking at the end of this

3:11:38How are you reporting back to us and to the community saying?

3:11:42We collectively around the table are making progress on this and it's it's hard for me to think about how you're going to do that

3:11:50With no resources to consolidate

3:11:53and pull this together, but

3:11:55I guess that's just a comment and and and not a

3:11:59question

3:12:00And through chair Caton to just to clarify we we do report in four years to the

3:12:05Province but our plan is to look at this every year to see how we're doing against those indicators

3:12:10Are we moving things forward and provide data to move to move that forward as part of our our annual reporting that we're doing as a city?

3:12:19anyway

3:12:22Thank you. Councillor busal

3:12:24And councillor all you had a comment

3:12:27No, you're good. Okay, so I'll do my comment

3:12:31I I'm

3:12:33Optimistic for this the fact that we've got two times of a year that we're going to be

3:12:38Coming together as a table as opposed to just having us set it and forget it which is what is legislated to do

3:12:44I'm I think that's a really good move. I appreciate that

3:12:47and

3:12:48I just wanted to echo the

3:12:51deputy

3:12:52police chief that we

3:12:55As much as you can and as much as you feel comfortable if something happens, please report it

3:13:00I have personally had it as much as you can have a good experience when you have to report something to the police

3:13:06I've had a great experience with the equity division

3:13:09I think we've got a great team locally and you can always bring somebody with you

3:13:13If you're nervous about going to the police you can bring a buddy. That's totally fine

3:13:18so

3:13:19Please get out there do that and it's unfortunate that we still need to do these kinds of reports

3:13:25But I appreciate that we've got such a large group that are working together towards it

3:13:30and

3:13:33To move the recommendation

3:13:37Sorry

3:13:38Oh, we're going to move. Sorry

3:13:40We're going to vote

3:13:41anybody against

3:13:46Seeing none

3:13:47That's unanimous. Thank you very much

3:13:50And

3:13:53Councillor Caton since you're in the in the chair, would you

3:13:57Consider calling adjournment as well. Yes. I was just wondering if anybody had any announcements first

3:14:05I was going to wish everybody a happy disability pride month

3:14:09Because that is the day with the button

3:14:12And thank you very much and I'd like to

3:14:15Move for adjournment. We'd like to take that

3:14:18Councillor Richardson, Councillor Klassen

3:14:21anyone against

3:14:23Thank you very much. Have a great day