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By Sylene Argent, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Essex Free Press

Staff for the Town of Essex will provide Council with a written update regarding the Essex Sport Fields project during the 2026 Town of Essex budget deliberations, which will take place in late fall.

Councillor Kim Verbeek first presented this matter at the June 16 regular Council Meeting as a Notice of Motion, and Council supported it at the July 7 meeting.

What drove Verbeek to introduce this motion to Council came from concerns she heard from the local soccer community. She said rumours were circulating that soccer players would be without somewhere to play in Essex Centre, as the Hanlan Street extension was going to start long before the Essex Sports Fields, located on Batten Side Road on the south-side of Highway 3, were ready to be in use.

“I think there will be wholesome discussion in a few months when we get a full report,” Verbeek said, adding an update to Council on this matter would be helpful.

Jake Morassut, Director of Community Services, said in the foreseeable future there is nothing that would interfere with use on the current fields.

The Town has taken steps recently to provide a water line to the developing Essex Sports Fields to help allow the specialty grass to grow, which did not take last year. Relying on Mother Nature to provide a sufficient water source in the form of rain, he added, was tough to rely on.

The Town of Essex is anticipating a soft opening of the Essex Sports Fields next year, where both the current and new fields will be in use, so the Sports Fields are not over used in its early stages.

He added that because the Town was recently made aware it was unsuccessful in getting a grant to help support the development of the Essex Sports Fields, he is working on a long-term funding model. That will be presented to Council around 2026 Budget deliberations.

Councillor Katie McGuire-Blais believes what sparked the aforementioned rumours was that concrete barriers were put up next to the existing soccer fields. She asked Town staff why they were placed there.

Director of Infrastructure Services, Kevin Girard, explained the concrete barriers were put up because the road between the soccer complex and Holy Name Catholic Elementary School is not a public road, built as a construction access for the Woodview Subdivision. At the request of the school and the Town’s Public Works Department, the concrete barriers were put in place to limit risk of liability and injury.

When they were put in place, Girard said there was a lot of ice, posing potential risks of students and parents slipping and falling, so the decision was made to block the road off.

McGuire-Blais asked Verbeek to clarify what she wanted in this report because “when we say ‘can we get a report,’ it doesn’t quite give us what we are looking for.”

Verbeek would like the report to lay out a timeline, and clarify each piece associated with the future facility as they will need to be addressed in future budgets in looking at what the Town can afford without counting on grants. If the Town receives grants in the future, that could potentially speed up the project.

“I think the community has got this grand picture, and they are just like ‘when is this going to happen,’” Verbeek said.

The Essex Sports Fields will be completed, but it will be over a great deal of time, one piece at a time.

Councillor Joe Garon said there is already a plan in place in that there is a need to have the new soccer fields across Highway 3, the Capital Roads Plan has the Hanlan Extension scheduled tentatively in 2028. He believes baseball will follow there.

The difficulty from administration’s end is knowing how aggressive Council wants to be in its approach on the matter, Morassut added. He noted a 10-15-year plan could be created, or a funding model could come back to have everything done in a year or two.

He said they will do their best to come up with a plan believed to be reasonable. When it is presented, Council feedback will be sought as to how the funding model and timeline should look.

Mayor Sherry Bondy thanked Verbeek for bringing the matter forward, noting it is key, heading into budget time, what projects are going to cost. This will also help outline the tax increase that could impact residents, if anyone provides grief on the slower approach.

In garnering public feedback at budget time previously, the majority of responding residents have noted roads is the top priority. That makes it difficult to justify spending millions of dollars on recreation.

“People assume the Town has lots of money, but when you are sitting here, we understand that there are a lot of priorities and not a lot of money,” Bondy added.

The report, she continued, will be helpful in showing what amenities planned for the park will cost. Then, the Town can go after naming rights, which will help save taxpayer dollars. It will also help to outline information for when the Town finds another grant for which it could apply.

By Sylene Argent, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Essex Free Press

Council for the Town of Essex supported Mayor Sherry Bondy in directing Town administration to draft a letter to the Windsor Essex County Health Unit, asking when and why they shut down County beaches and measures the municipality can take to avoid beach closures this summer and in the future.

As the matter was minor and urgent in nature, Bondy was able to raise it under New Business during the July 7 meeting, instead of having to go through the Notice of Motion process, which would have delayed a decision two-weeks, when the next regular Council meeting is scheduled to take place.

This is a matter about which Bondy believes a conversation needs to be had.

She would like to ask the Health Unit what its methodology is in terms of determining when a beach should be closed, and if its reps know how the Town of Essex could prevent future closures.

“I know we have only had one warning on our beach this summer,” but she wanted to start dialogue with the Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA) and Source Water Protection in seeing what the municipality can do to prevent closures at its Colchester Beach.

That can look into seeing if fishflies, goose droppings, or sanitary septic systems that are hot tapping into the lake are the issue.

“We worked so hard to bring people down to our beach,” she said. For example, last summer family members of hers from out-of-town rented rooms to stay in the area and the beach ended-up being closed.

“It is kind of a kick in the gut when you can’t use the beach,” she said.

Councillor Jason Matyi thanked Bondy for bringing this matter forward.

“Our water protection is kind of lacking right now,” he said, noting conversations used to be held freely with the neighbours to the south about source water protection. “To get more eyes looking at it, to get the Health Unit involved to find out if there are things we can do to help at the municipal-level, I think this is a great conversation to have. I am really looking forward to the information we are going to get back from this.”

By Pam Wright, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Chatham Voice

Leaders at the forefront of Chatham-Kent’s accessibility movement have been recognized by the C-K Accessibility Advisory Committee.

The annual awards, presented at council, acknowledged three individuals for their efforts.

Rachel Guerin was presented with the Sheila Lindsey Powers Accessibility Advocate Award. According to a municipal media release, Guerin has a “proven track record of advocacy” through the Children’s Treatment Centre of Chatham-Kent, including creating workshops on becoming an effective advocate, something she strives to teach others while acting as an advocate herself.

The Sid Ebare Perseverance Award was presented to Benjamin Guerin for standing out as a person who perseveres beyond their limitations to participate in community life.

Guerin has overcome multiple types of personal challenges while continuing to fight for accessibility in C-K, initiating a barrier-free garden, advocated for curb cuts, inclusive sports and more.

A third award went to Wanda Bell of Mrs. Bell’s Tea Room. Bell was presented with the Dr. Veronica Vaughn Accessible Business Award, recognizing the “significant” efforts she has made to ensure her new location was renovated to be barrier-free and welcome to all.

Upgrades at the Grand Avenue site in Chatham include a ramp, accessible washrooms and ample space allowing for mobility.

Accessibility Advisory Committee Council member Alysson Storey said presenting the awards is a highlight of her council experience.

“We have a wealth of individuals and business owners who work every day to make Chatham-Kent more inclusive, accessible and welcoming to all,” Storey said.  “It’s a highlight of every council year for me to recognize and celebrate people like Ben, Rachel and Wanda making our community a better place. I’m deeply thankful for their work, and I hope their examples continue to inspire others to do the same.”

The opening of nominations for the 2026 Accessibility Advisory Committee Awards will be announced in early 2026.

Accessibility Advisory Committee meetings are held monthly from September to June and are open to the public.

For more information, contact Storey at Alysson.Storey@chatham-kent.ca or 519-350-5689.

By Sylene Argent, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Essex Free Press

Essex County Council approved the 2024County of Essex Consolidated Financial Statements, in addition to the 2024 Sun Parlor Home Residents’ Trust Fund Statements, during the June 18 meeting.

Last year, the County of Essex ended up with a surplus of just over $561,000, which went into the Rate Stabilization Reserve.

The 2024 County of Essex Consolidated Financial Statement report provides a snapshot of the County’s financial position as of the end of December 2024, Melissa Ryan, Director of Financial Services/Treasurer, explained. That includes the Essex County Library system and its 50% share of the Essex Windsor Solid Waste Authority (EWSWA).

KPMG LLP, Ryan explained, provided the County of Essex with a clean (unqualified) audit.

“This means our statements are accurate and follow Public and County sector standards,” Ryan said, adding no concerns were raised with internal controls, fraud, or financial reporting. “So, everything is in good shape.”

In 2024, the County adopted three new accounting standards. Those changes, however, had no material impact on the County’s financial results, Ryan added.

In addition to the surplus last year, the County’s total reserves increased to $316.4M, a $24.1M increase from the prior year.

“The positive change in reserve balances is a function of timing in infrastructure expansion work, including roadways, facilities and active transportation, as well as the continued commitment to managing the County’s capital assets and the funding of the New Windsor-Essex Hospital System,” Ryan detailed in her Report to County Council.“

We are in a strong position, in terms of sustainability, flexibility, and vulnerability,” Ryan added. “We have more than enough assets to cover our liabilities, our debt is low – less than 9% of total revenue, our debt service is less than 1% of revenue, which is very manageable, and we are not overly reliant on outside funding.”

Only 22% of the County’s revenue comes from government transfers from the federal and provincial levels.

The County does have a few long-term commitments, including the $100M to the future regional acute care hospital. At the end of 2024, $51M was already set aside in reserve for this. By the end of this year, it is anticipated to be around $60M.

The County also has a $2M commitment to Erie Shores HealthCare, $200,000 annually over the course of a decade, beginning in 2024. The County also has a $960,000 commitment to The Bridge in Leamington, which accounts for $48,000 a year for 20-years, beginning in 2023.

“The 2024 Financial Statements show the County continues to be on solid financial footing. Thanks to careful financial planning, healthy reserve levels, low debt, and transparent accounting, we are in a strong position for the long-term” Ryan said.

In answering LaSalle Deputy Mayor Mike Akpata’s question on if she had any concerns County Council needs to be aware of, Ryan said neither she or KPMG had any concerns, which is always a good thing.

By Sylene Argent, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Essex Free Press

Since all seven local municipalities, which make up Essex County, have lakefront or waterfront, Essex Mayor Sherry Bondy wondered if it would be possible to raise a flag to recognize the upcoming National Drowning Prevention Week, which takes place July 20-26.

She brought the matter forward during the June 18 County of Essex Council meeting, having got the idea during this year’s recent installment of the Greg Horoky Colchester Walleye Fishing Derby. At this event, members of the County of Essex Emergency Team were onsite, providing information about drowning prevention to those interested.

“I’m hoping we can start working on getting some more information out there,” Bondy said.

As Bondy informed County staff about bringing this up under new business during the meeting beforehand, County CAO Sandra Zwiers was able to connect with Dan Metcalfe, Emergency Measures Coordinator, about efforts with which the County of Essex is involved. That includes raising awareness and educating the public about the risk regarding the “beautiful lakefront we have surrounding all sides of Essex County.”

Metcalfe confirmed the County’s primary role is to promote drowning prevention and raise awareness of the issue across the region. The County of Essex works closely with a number of partners to do so, including local police, fire, EMS, Canadian Navy, Coast Guard and Auxiliary, Windsor Port Authority, and others.

That includes promoting water safety and preventing injuries in the water.

The County of Essex is also a member of the Great Lakes Water Safety Consortium, and leads the Windsor-Essex County Drowning Prevention and Water Safety Coalition.

One of Essex-Windsor EMS’s paramedics, Teresa Coulter, hosted a drowning prevention workshop earlier in the year, primarily for paramedics. However, the invitation to attend was extended to individuals at the seven local municipalities who may have a need to learn about that training. Participation included members for Essex, LaSalle, Tecumseh, Windsor, and from St. Clair College Aquatics.

“It was really good to see that knowledge being spread among a number of our first responders, whether it is police, fire, or ambulance, but also to raise awareness around this critical issue,” Zwiers said.

Because of Essex County’s location to water, there are unfortunately a number of drownings each year in the region.

Zwiers noted the County does not have a flag to raise on the matter, but does intend to conduct a social media campaign to align with National Drowning Prevention Week.

Last year, the County did promote drowning prevention on its social media. This year, the intention is to double down on that messaging.

By Sylene Argent, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Essex Free Press

With help from the County of Essex, the Essex County Library Board will work with all seven local municipalities to get agreements of service in place.

Those agreements will lay out the level of service benchmarks, heating and cooling agreements, health and safety expectations, or any other requirements the Essex County Library Board and/or the municipality in which it serves sees fit.

The Essex County Library Board unanimously passed that resolution at the Wednesday, June 25 meeting, where two board members were absent.

Vice Chairperson of the Essex County Library Board, Sherry Bondy, who also serves as the Mayor for the Town of Essex, presented this resolution.

Locally, the Essex County Library is overseen by a Board of the County of Essex. It has 14 branches in all seven municipalities. Through this system, the local municipalities provide the building, and the Library Board operates its service out of the space. Not all library systems operate this way.

Bondy sees it as a landlord/tenant relationship. Just as there would be rules and guidelines around responsibilities in those agreements, she sees the collaboration between municipalities and the Library Board similarity.

“It has been lacking,” she said of agreements.

This also helps members of the public understand it is not the Library Board being the bad guy if services have to be pulled from a branch.

Bondy noted there have been issues with air quality at the temporary Stoney Point location dating back to 2023.

Back in May, the Municipality of Lakeshore announced it was investigating the cause of air quality issues at the temporary facility, a 24-foot by 40-foot mobile unit owned by the municipality. At that time, it was closed to the public and library staff.

Information from Lakeshore noted the closure follows a previous closure in 2024, when Lakeshore received complaints of eye and throat irritation from library staff and visitors. Additional testing suggested that the issue was caused by the HVAC unit’s air exchange system, which was fixed in January 2025.

In addition, the Essex County Library system had to close the Amherstburg Branch last week, due to the extreme heat.

Knowing that “got me digging deeper into [it],” Bondy said of agreements.

She explained “it is up to the local municipalities to have a safe environment to offer library services.”

With those issues in mind, Bondy began thinking about what could be done to ensure the roles of the Library Board and municipalities were black and white. “How can we prevent something like this from happening again in the future and how can we define everyone’s roles and responsibilities, so that we can have a great level of customer service?”

Putting together said agreements would just lay out the responsibilities in ensuring everyone is fulfilling their responsibilities.

In addition, the agreements will define who is responsible for maintaining sidewalks leading up to the library branches, who salts ice, and at what level of service.

“This way, we can look at all levels of service, and actually have it in writing, [to see if] we need to increase the level of service, or if we are satisfied with the current level of service.”

Bondy found it surprising such agreements were not already in place.

“I just never really would have fathomed that this wasn’t in place, because everybody has to be accountable, and there just wasn’t that accountability,” Bondy added.

She continued that if there are issues with another branch in the future, with agreements in place, changes can happen immediately, so the service can get back in place faster.

She believes it will take some time for the terms to be drafted for consideration. It is timely, however, as the Cottam Branch, for instance, will soon get its new space in a new shared facility. An agreement could even spell out how much library space is required, so that is known before municipalities build new, when that time comes.

“I like to fix things,” Bondy said of moving this file forward. She said it is the job of board members and Councillors to identify and fix issues, where there is a policy lacking.

By Sylene Argent, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Essex Free Press

Last week, the County of Essex hosted three Public Information Centres (PICs) to connect with residents – and gather feedback – as the Transportation Master Plan is updated.

One such event was held at the McGregor Community Centre last Wednesday evening.

Last week’s open house-style events were the second round of PICs hosted as part of this process.

It is a strategic document that will provide guidance for how people will move about the County over the next 30-years, Alvaro Almuina, Vice President of Municipal Transportation Planning for R.J. Burnside and Associates Ltd, said. He is the consultant Project Manager on the Transportation Master Plan.

That will take into account the growth that is anticipated to happen in the County.

Through the recently adopted County Official Plan, growth is expected to increase headed towards 2051.

The Growth Management Report projects the current 199,100 population of the County could rise to between 268,100 – 315,000 individuals. In addition, the current 71,000 households could increase to between 101,2000-124,200, and the current 72,300 jobs could increase to between 107,900-124,200.

He called the Transportation Master Plan a strategic and dynamic document that will be completed by the end of the year. It is also a “live” document, that will be updated over time as things change across the County.

The goal of updating the Transportation Master Plan is to ensure safety and efficiency of the movement of people and goods among communities and significant destinations within the County; facilitate strategic planning for transportation infrastructure improvements and enhancements, considering future growth and evolving needs; and to identify interventions required to accommodate expected growth, while managing the road network effectively, information from the County highlights.

The first round of public consultations took place a year ago, which had residents highlight concerns about transportation and growth.

Some of the feedback heard then included the need to address traffic congestion on County roads, implement traffic calming measures, reduce speed limits and the need of car dependency, increase inter-municipality connectivity, improve traffic management in school zones, and improve infrastructure, such as potholes, narrow lanes, and paved shoulders, information provided at the open house notes.

Almuina added Essex County is a farming community, and he heard how farming equipment is typically used on roads at a slower speed, and the need to accommodate both types of users safely.

That feedback was coupled with research with how the County will grow, the type of growth, and what is happening in communities.

In addition, residents have voiced the desire for the County to increase frequency and reliability of the transit service, expand its route, increase accessibility options, adding stops at key destinations, provide transit for students, offer improved costs, and have requested service to underserviced areas.

In putting all that together, Almuina said opportunities were seen for road improvements, such as widening of some roads.

“We have to recognize, in this community, we need to move goods,” he said. That includes products from the agricultural and manufacturing sectors. The community is also focused on active transportation, which also needs to be considered. The County needs to ensure the facilities and network is available to users. There also needs to be transit routing, so residents are provided options.

Three alternatives were presented at the open house, which Almuina said are feasible and viable for the 2051 scenario.

“At the end of the day [we are] trying to find some balance and some equity in the system, so that not everything is about cars and not everything is about cycling,” Almuina said, noting everyone has different mobility needs.

“We have come up with what we feel is our preferred scenario for 2051, but we are not locking it in yet. We want to hear from you,” Almuina said to those who attended the McGregor-based open house.

Almuina said they will use the feedback heard at the second round of public open houses, and return in the fall with a final plan. At that point, a third PIC will be held, where the preferred alternative, or vision, will be presented. After gathering additional feedback, the report will be finalized, then presented to County Council for consideration for adoption.

Once adopted, a phase-in strategy can be used, where the County can chip away at the recommendations over time.

Essex Free Press files note a Report to County Council presented in November of 2024 outlined that as part of the 2024 budget, $225,300 from the Rate Stabilization Reserve was approved to update the County’s most recent Transportation Master Plan. The previous document was adopted in 2005, which was completed in partnership with the City of Windsor. The idea was to develop a comprehensive Regional Transportation Master Plan for the region with recommended policies and an implementation strategy until 2021.

For more information about this project, log onto https://www.countyofessex.ca/resident-services/county-roads/transportationmasterplan/

By Pam Wright, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Chatham Voice

It appears that communication isn’t flowing properly between the Chatham-Kent Public Utilities Commission and C-K’s executive management team.

As part of a presentation to C-K council on the municipality’s future water needs, it was pointed out that better information sharing is needed between the two groups.

According to Municipal VU Consulting president Jim Harnum, the organizational relationship between the Municipality of Chatham-Kent and the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) was “inhibiting co-ordinated decision-making.”

“The existing master plan does not adequately address C-K’s current and future needs, as stated by the senior staff at C-K,” the report said. “It lacks a comprehensive framework for integrating financial constraints, growth demands, and infrastructure lifecycle management. Additionally, the plan does not sufficiently explore several alternative servicing options, missing opportunities to optimize costs, operational efficiency, and construction staging to minimize service disruptions.”

The presentation also included a report by C-K chief financial officer Gord Quinton. One of the recommendations from Quinton is to create a special group project in the engineering division called Facilitating Linear Opportunities Within Chatham-Kent (FLOW-CK) to fast-track and develop water and waste water projects.

“Chatham-Kent’s municipal administration and the Public Utilities Commission have often operated independently and lacked a unified strategy for planning and delivering services like land use, engineering, and infrastructure investment,” Quinton’s report stated. “This separation has resulted in inefficiencies, missed collaboration opportunities, and inconsistent communication. The future growth of Chatham-Kent and the financial realities require a unified plan moving forward.”

According to Quinton’s report, the Municipality of Chatham-Kent is in the process of updating its official plan to guide development and infrastructure investment over the next 25 years. The official plan update will help to ensure the municipality can accommodate both residential and employment growth.

An important focus of the study is ensuring Chatham-Kent remains competitive in the Highway 401 business corridor by strengthening its supply of strategically located employment areas.