Blog

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

A Lake Crest Beach resident of Colchester who developed a pickleball court on town property – without permission to do so – will have to remove it at own expense.

At the July 21 meeting, Essex Council unanimously voted to have Town administration ask Lake Crest Beach homeowners to immediately stop using the pickleball court constructed on Town property, abutting Lake Crest Court, and that they remove the pickleball court and restore the property to the Town’s satisfaction.

That will need to be done within 30-days, at their cost, under the supervision of the Town’s Infrastructure Department.

Mayor Sherry Bondy made the motion, while also offering apologies for having to do so, after Council returned from having to retreat into a closed session meeting to further discuss the matter.

Kathryn Hengl and Rob Dimenna appeared as delegations to speak on behalf of Lake Crest Beach homeowners.

Hengl said Lake Crest Beach Road is a private beach road with 23 properties, all of which front along the water. Each property owns a piece of the road in front of their property. At one of the ends of Lake Crest Court, there is a town-owned land lot, which she said the Essex Region Conservation Authority reforested around 12-years ago through the planting of around 7000 trees.

Around those trees, there was a grass portion that runs along the road. That is where Hengl said Dimenna installed a pickleball court.

Hengl said the only access to the Town Property and the pickleball court is through two private roads.

“We have a very vibrant and active community among our residents, and as such the pickleball court was a very welcome addition,” Hengl said. “The court is used by many of the residents, both children and adults alike. It has become a great source of activity for our beach community, and many residents have taken up the sport since the spring.”

The pickleball court has become a significant tool for socializing and health for the community, she said.

“We would very much like to continue it,” Hengl said.

“We acknowledge that we did not follow the proper channels in having this court installed, but we are here tonight seeking your approval in principle to retain the pickleball court, subject to whatever terms and conditions that are required to address your concerns,” Hengl commented.

She said they were interested in preparing a formalized agreement that would allow them to keep the court.

When Dimenna built the pickleball court, he said there was nothing malicious about it. He said he has a great group of neighbours who had talked about pickleball, and he chose to put it in.

In answering Councillor Brad Allard’s question on if Dimenna had thought of any other places the court could have been installed, he said there were no other areas it would have fit on the beach.

Dimenna said the neighbours have been taking care of the piece of property for years.

David McBeth, Manager of Capital Works and Asset Management, explained the pickleball court was constructed over top of the Town’s sanitary trunk main, which feeds into the sanitary treatment plant, and the watermain that services all of the residents there.

The construction of this pickleball court never would have been given approval from the Town in that location because of the underground infrastructure, McBeth noted. He added there are various areas the pickleball court could have been added to on private property.

McBeth added this property will be the expansion lands for the Town’s sewer treatment plant. While access to that will not be coming directly off of Lake Crest Road, there will be additional potential infrastructure and expansion there.

Joe Malandruccolo, Director of Legal and legislative services, believes legally there are grave concerns in allowing something like this. Firstly, it would set a bad precedent for Council. There are also insurance concerns, and there are many things the Town does from a safety perspective that would have to try to be installed at this pickleball court.

In addition, in order to enter into a lease agreement with the parties, the parties would have to be determined. It would be hard to enter an agreement with a group of individuals. Residents moving, for instance, could impact that.

The Town, Malandruccolo added, would also need assurance the court could be demolished if it did need to access the underground infrastructure. That would require a deposit – likely between $10,000 to $15,000 – from the tenants.

“It would be a very, very complicated legal relationship with a group of residents to allow something that was done without Town permission,” he said.

Malandruccolo added the Town does not know how the court was created. There could be issues with drainage or other matters that may not have been inspected or done that would have through the Town.

Councillor Joe Garon spoke of how Council likely would not have allowed anything to be built on town property by private individuals. Pickleball seems to bring people together. This one was put in the wrong spot.

The main concern Councillor Rodney Hammond had was the potential negative impact it could have on the possible future sewer system.

Deputy Mayor Rob Shepley said what the residents put up was nice, and he struggled with the fact they did not approach the Town first. He said he met with the Town’s Legal Department to see if there were options. There were so many problems posed, he could not come to a solution that he could propose that would work.

Dimena said the court is located behind his property and would be willing to be the sole leaser. He wanted to find a solution.

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

Administration for the County of Essex was directed to incorporate the findings of the 2025 Asset Management Plan (AMP) into the 2026 Budget preparation process to continue to address the shortfall in replacement costs, County Council unanimously voted during the June 18 meeting.

The AMP details the need to increase the capital program by just over $1M in 2026 to keep place with inflation and begin narrowing the existing spending gap. Funding will be dealt with at budget time.

The 2025 AMP does carry real budget implications for 2026 and beyond, Melissa Ryan, Director of Financial Services/Treasurer, explained to County Council, adding this document was more complex than those of previous years, due to provincial requirements. It needs to be adopted by July 1.

It was completed in house.

The scope of the 2025 AMP includes all County corporate assets, core and non-core, that were in service as of December 31, 2023, Heidi McLeod, Deputy Treasurer, explained. It also includes proposed levels of service and the impact projected growth will have on County-owned assets.

She added that the condition assessments were updated as of 2023, however, replacement costs reflect current pricing.

The County’s total replacement cost is $1.2B, up $84M over the 2024 plan. Around 50% of that being the County Road network, followed by 26% for bridges and culverts, 6% for Sun Parlour Home, 6% for Emergency Medical Services, 3% Infrastructure and Planning, 3%, General Government, 3% Essex Windsor Solid Waste Authority, 2% stormwater network, and 1% for the Essex County Library.

Overall, the majority of the County’s assets are considered in good shape, at 34.2%, and 29.8% are considered in very good shape. 27.9% are rated fair, while 58% are poor and 2.3% are very poor.

Very good and good conditioned assets accounted for 64%, which decreased from 2024 of 70.5%. McLeod noted building condition assessments were completed in 2024, which provided much better and accurate information.

In terms of annual requirements, McLeod explained the County should be spending, or setting aside in reserves for future replacement of assets, $58.5M. Actual annual expenditure is $25.4M with an additional $2.3Minreservecontributions,leavinga$30Mdeficit.That means the current expenditure rate is 43.4%, which is higher than the 41% investment rate in 2024.

The County’s current capital asset backlog – costs denoting the replacement value of assets that have reached the end of their useful life as of the conclusion of 2023, but have yet to undergo rehabilitation or replacement – is just over $5M. It was just over $11M last year. Thanks to the boost of funding received in the last few years, administration has been able to chip away at that backlog.

In looking at core assets, there is a slight decline in the average condition. 27% were in very good, 3% were in good, 32% were in fair, 6% were in poor, and 2% were in very poor condition.

“We need to continue to ensure spending keeps pace with inflation,” McLeod said, adding administration plans to focus on lifecycle activities to ensure the most efficient and effective timing of rehabilitation strategies. Staff will also continue efforts to replace backlog assets, so they are maintained before reaching critical points.

Non-core assets have a slight increase in condition. 39% were in very good, 37% in good, 15% in fair, 6% in poor, and 3% were in very poor condition.

McLeod noted administration will continue to refine its long-term capital replacement plan, will pursue regular building assessments, and review timing of procurement strategies to mitigate risks associated with supply chain delays and ensure a fair and competitive process so the County gets its best value for its taxpayer dollars.

The target reinvestment rate is 4.85% – based on the annual requirement divided by the total replacement cost of the $1.2B in assets. The County’s actual reinvestment rate – based on actual expenditures divided the $1.2B in assets – is 2.11%.

As per provincial requirements, the County looked at three proposed levels of service: status quo (maintaining spending at current levels), inflationary (continue spending in line with inflation), and progressive (increase spending to increase levels of service to work towards closing the spending gap).

Based on County Council feedback in December, McLeod heard the desire to maintain a reasonable level of service.

“The plan is to pursue an inflationary approach, which will help us meet that objective,” McLeod said. The proposed approach includes a 5% increase in the road network, based on the Ontario Asphalt Pavement Council’s inflationary calculations; a 5% increase in spending on bridges and culverts, to prevent future backlog and mitigate higher inflation rates; a one-time increase of $75,000 for Sun Parlour Home, followed by inflationary increases to address aging assets; and increases to EMS.

A chart provided shows an increase of $1M in 2026. That will increase each year to over $1.5M in 2035.

In terms of supporting population growth over the next ten-years, McLeod outlined estimated capital expenditures. The biggest being for roads, with $430M, followed by $10M for EMS (not including a new head-quarters) needed over the next decade.

Deputy Mayor Rob Shepley asked if any consideration was given to the proposed County Development Charges (DC), and if it is approved if the AMP will be adjusted at that time? As the DC policy is still in progress, admin was unsure of quantifying the value that would be received through that. Should a DC program be adopted, that could be built into future updates, McLeod replied.

Shepley also asked if the mega hospital funding that is baked into the County tax levy would be carried on after the County fulfills its requirement and if it would be put over to the AMP at that time. CAO Sandra Zwiers noted at the culmination of the hospital funding contribution, the recommendation made by County admin previously was to take that tax levy and divert it over to either the AMP and/or the expansion program. Administratively, it still makes sense, she added. Those funds at that time can be shifted, without increasing the tax rate for that.

It is difficult to say when the County would make that pivot, Zwiers said in answering LaSalle Mayor Crystal Meloche’s question on an estimated timeline. She noted the original intention for the $100M hospital contribution was to have a full accumulation of the funds, with using a reserve balance, then paying off the remainder with debt, with the levy to fund the servicing of the debt.

In answering Lakeshore Mayor Tracey Bailey’s question on how much the County is putting into the hospital reserve annually, Ryan noted it was just over $7M in 2025 annually. That is supposed to increase, based on the original funding plan.

Essex Mayor Sherry Bondy pointed out the Essex County Library is looking to do the inflationary approach, but noticed the vehicle fleet is in red. She was unsure of the level of risk of that. She wondered if that is something the Essex County Library Board has to deal with, or if it is dealt with administratively at the County.

If needed, she hoped County staff could meet with the Library Board, which Zwiers noted was possible.

McLeod noted the last library vehicle in the red is to be replaced within the next few years. The inflationary numbers for libraries in the document are for inflationary costs of books.

In responding to Kingsville Mayor Dennis Rogers’s question on if this was looking at a blanketed inflationary approach for everything, or if County Council could be more strategic in priorities, McLeod noted inflationary increases are only recommended for roads, bridges, and culverts, EMS, and Sun Parlour Home. Funding on the Civic Centre or other assets, where the County is already at a good level of service, the plan is to stay at the current level of funding.

Tecumseh Mayor Gary McNamara said the County should look at a full strategic life cycling plan for all its assets. He believes they need to look at how to balance debt with taxation over the course of a period of time to ensure those assets can be replaced in the future. He believes this document is a great start.

Lakeshore Deputy Mayor Kirk Walstedt ensured the $1M the AMP details is needed to increase the capital program in 2026 will be dealt with at budget time.

County administration will provide an update on the AMP annually, and will present a fully updated AMP every five-years.

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

Gordon Orr, Chief Executive Officer of Tourism Windsor-Essex Pelee Island (TWEPI), told County Council at its June 4 meeting he recently completed the county-wide tour where he visited each of the seven local municipalities regarding the possible implementation of a Municipal Accommodation Tax (MAT).

Essex Free Press files note Orr presented the idea to Town of Essex Council at its May 5 meeting. Essex Council directed Administration to bring a report to Council considering adopting the proposed Municipal Accommodation Tax. Orr asked all municipalities to respond to the request prior to August 31, 2025.

The purpose of implementing a MAT is to directly benefit the municipality and to support local tourism growth and development, while providing municipalities with another revenue source to do so, Orr noted.

“Overall, we received supportive comments and answered some really good questions,” Orr said. When looking at all of Essex County, Orr estimated the MAT could bring in around $42M in revenue, which would work out to $1.7M-$2.5M per municipality.

“It’s a new revenue stream that does not come at a cost to your residents,” he said. The MAT would be applied by hotels and possibly short-term rentals. 50% of the funds would go to TWEPI, with the remainder sticking with the municipality. This revenue stream, Orr noted, would not impact the annual funds it receives from the County of Essex.

Essex Free Press files noted that during 2025 Budget deliberations, TWEPI received $782,000 from the County of Essex as its annual contribution. It also receives funds from the City of Windsor.

Amherstburg Mayor Michael Prue asked if TWEPI anticipates American visitors to the region would increase or decrease this summer, in the wake of US tariffs.

“We are cautiously optimistic,” Orr said, adding tourism hinges on the economy. If individuals are cautious of spending, they will hang onto their dollars or perhaps take smaller trips.

He is thinking it will be an all-right year, as hotel accommodations have remained steady year-over-year.

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

The Town of LaSalle is calling upon the Provincial government and Ministry of Health to establish a grant system similar to the Northern Health Travel Grant program in Windsor-Essex County.

The idea is to provide support to the regional residents who need to travel long distances for specialized medical services or procedures at ministry funded healthcare facilities.

LaSalle sent its stance via a letter to all municipalities looking for support, in addition to Premier Doug Ford, MPP Anthony Leardi, MPP Andrew Dowie, and Minister of Health and Deputy Premier, Sylvia Jones. The County of Essex will also send a letter of support to the Minister of Health, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), and local MPPs.

LaSalle Mayor Crystal Meloche explained a resident brought this matter to her attention, who has to travel outside of the region to receive medical care for their child. After conducting some research, they learned of the Northern Health Travel Grant program, which she explained can assist anyone who has to travel more than 100km for medical care with costs in that region.

Meloche said, in looking at seeing the number of families traveling up the 401 for medical care, she would like to see the program expanded. She hoped the County would support approaching the province about the initiative, as well.

“Here in Windsor-Essex, even though we are not rural like the northern areas, our residents are still having to travel distances, and it is a very big burden on them when they are trying to deal with the health of their little ones,” Meloche said. “Hopefully, we can get someone at the upper-levels to listen to us and realize the need is this way as well.”

Essex Mayor Sherry Bondy noted Town of Essex Council also supported LaSalle in its request. She spoke of how the County has sent an invitation to the local MPPs to attend a County Council meeting, and would like this issue discussed at that time. She sees this as a real issue.

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

Essex County Council approved a Housing Needs Assessment, in addition to receiving an update on the Regional Affordable Housing Strategy during the June 4 meeting.

County Administration has been working on developing a regional affordable housing strategy in partnership with the City of Windsor since the summer of 2021, David Sundin, Director of Legislative and Legal Services, explained.

SHS Consulting has been retained to complete that strategy.

One of the deliverables through this process was the creation of a Housing Needs Assessment. Sundin noted it is important to have such a document in place, as certain federal funding and opportunities require one.

Bahar Shadpour, Senior Manager of Housing Policy and Research for SHS Consulting, presented the Housing Needs Assessment, which provides a foundation for understanding of housing pressures in the County and will inform future directions for policy, investments, and planning.

Essentially, a Housing Needs Assessment is a tool for County Council and the community to use to understand who needs housing, what kind of housing is needed, and how much, Shadpour said.

A Housing Needs Assessment provides a systematic and quantified analysis of housing needs in the community, linking the housing supply with the need for housing. It uses census and market data, as well as insights from residents and stakeholders.

Key research questions asked include where does the greatest housing need exist in the community, how can a meaningful housing target be set, how can progress be measured to support the right kind of housing for all residents and how much housing is needed and at what size and price point.

The County “Must act quickly to meet the existing and future housing needs of its current and future populations,” Shadpour said of the high-level findings of the report.

Several key priorities are outlined in the report, she added, include increasing the supply of purpose-built rentals in the County. She said there is not enough rental housing in the community.

Another priority is ensuring housing is available across all income levels.

Current housing cost for households and future needs
“Almost 9000 households are spending more than 30% of their income on housing,” Shadpour said, adding that offering a broader mix of housing sizes and forms is needed as the existing stock is dominated by single-detached homes “that are not affordable to any moderate and low-income household.”

Through projections SHS Consulting completed through this study, Shadpour said it is estimated over 15,000 new units will be needed over the next decade, including a significant number of affordable and deeply affordable units.

During the forming of the Housing Needs Assessment, Matt Pipe, Manager of Housing Policy & Research, said SHS looked at three categories for housing indicators: housing demand, housing supply, and housing affordability.

This was applied at the county and local municipal level.

Eight emerging trends were identified through the Housing Needs Assessment. They included:

· Sustained population growth and aging population: The County’s population has grown and is anticipated to continue to grow according to projections, and the population is also steadily aging.

· Diversifying housing sizes and gradual shifts in tenure: One-person households remain most prominent, and renting has become more common. Two people and at least four people are the fastest growing.

· Continued migration to the region anticipated with economic growth: Windsor-Essex has long been a hub of migration from other areas of the province or internationally. That has continued over the years, impacting the economic vitality in housing conditions.

· Gaps in the supply of non-market housing: has left many low-income households with little options. Growing pressures for affordable housing has stressed the existing, insufficient stock.

· Historically homogenous housing stock: existing housing is mostly large, single-detached dwellings, which may limit choice for small households, seniors, and renters.

· Emerging growth in higher-density and rental development: Over the past few years, local municipalities have shifted to higher-density developments, and new housing has included apartments and rowhouses.

· Affordability challenges affecting low- and middle-income homesteads: While the County may remain more affordable than other parts of the province, housing costs have been rising significantly in recent years, creating unique housing pressures for the community. Low and moderate income earners, renters, lone parent families, and one person households face disproportionate housing challenges.

· Homeownership has become out of reach: This is true for many in the County, as prices to purchase a home continue to climb. Prices for newly constructed homes have increased to a price point that is only affordable for some of the top 10% incomes in the county.

A table outlining unaffordability SHS presented, based on a Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporations (CMHC) rental survey, noted that while a one-bedroom home may be considered affordable for some low-income households for rental, most municipalities have reported zero percent vacancy for these units in 2024, meaning access is very limited.

Other unit sizes are considered affordable for half of renters in the county, according to prices in the primary rental market (one bedroom $874 to three bedrooms $1650+). Prices seen in the secondary private market would be more expensive.

“Purchasing a home in the County of Essex is considered unaffordable for all households outside of those considered high-income,” Pipe said, adding even for those considered high-income, new housing supply is not considered affordable. Only some of the top 10% of the high-income households can afford new constructed homes in the county on average.

A data table provided notes that only high-income households with an income greater than $115,065 can afford resale homes of $645,800, and even this bracket cannot afford a new home averaged at $1,096,647.

Housing challenges to address
Pipe outlined the housing challenges to address include: the need for more purposeful rental housing, more affordable housing for a range of incomes, more diverse housing forms to match evolving household structures, more community housing, and greater support for those experiencing housing instability.

Knowing each of the seven local municipalities have unique housing needs, SHS created profiles for each to identify their greatest housing pressures and to support local planning and decision-making.

Needs for the Town of Essex specifically include the need for more purpose-built rental, diverse housing options, and community housing. The latter was a need highlighted for every municipality in the County of Essex.

SHS also created new housing benchmarks for the County and each local municipality that are anticipated to be needed by 2035. That was based on local population projections, and factoring in historical and emerging household trends.

Population projections

The data shows the County currently has 71,520 dwellings and 878 community units. That is projected to grow to 85,780 by 2035, showing a need of 17,360 homes. Home ownership is projected to be at 85%.

For the Town of Essex specifically, it noted there are currently 8,395 units (85% owned by owner), with 161 community units. It is projected to need to grow to 9,510 by 2035.

County Council comments

Essex Mayor Sherry Bondy said the information was interesting and was glad the County was starting to dig into the matter.

She asked if information from the City of Windsor and the Service Manager was collected to see how accurate the waitlist is for geared-to-income renters.

Bondy sits on the CMHC board and has asked for that data. She was previously told in 2024 there were around 9500 people on the waitlist for geared-to-income housing, and only 36 people got units. She wondered if that information was included in SHS’s data.

Shadpour noted that is the number SHS had for the Windsor-Essex region and would consider that for future, more regional studies. For the County, they used actual numbers for the County.

With the senior population growing at a faster rate, Amherstburg Mayor Michael Prue asked if it would be better to concentrate on senior housing or single-person housing, rather than multiple bedroom units. Doing so would be a win-win situation, he was told by SHS.

Tecumseh Mayor Gary McNamara spoke of how the region gets a lot of folks from the GTA who sold their home at a huge profit to move to this area, which artificially inflates the cost of homes in Windsor-Essex.

“It basically excludes a lot of the entry market and young folks that are here,” he said. “That creates a bit of, certainly, an issue for us.”

When looking to create density, McNamara noted there is a “not in my back yard” response, because of the single-family homes that have been predominant for the past few decades in the region.

“This Housing Needs Assessment is really here for the County to have evidence to understand what is needed, and the greatest need, and what the projections are in the future. So, that you can use this as data to be able to then create policy, see what your local municipal priorities are, and your resourcing in terms of what the next steps would be, that are right for your local communities,” Shadpour said, responding to a list of challenges McNamara outlined, including how to incentivize upper-levels of government to help with funding.

“And, really take this as a tool to then be able to make those very important decisions… in terms of building actual strategies that are long-term,” she added.

Kingsville Mayor Dennis Rogers commented that local municipal Councillors are being asked to make decisions with local tax dollars and their residents may not benefit from it. He said there has to be a program of stay in your own community when it comes to community housing.

In answering Tecumseh Deputy Mayor/Deputy County Warden, Joe Bachetti’s, question on what has caused the housing crisis in the past three-to-four years, SHS noted it is a complex issue. Its genesis started during the pandemic that disrupted supply chains, while Canada was facing constant population growth internally and through immigration. That caused the housing supply to fall behind the demand which pushed up prices.

In addition, when there were restrictions on movement due to COVID, individuals started to look at remote communities from larger urban centres with their big dollars to find more affordable accommodations, which drove up prices locally. People also found the ability to afford day-to-day costs challenging, which had some look into renting, where there was little supply.

Bachetti added he recently went to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Conference, where immigration numbers to Canada were discussed.

According to Canada.ca, the federal government aims to welcome 395,000 permanent residents this year (a 21% decrease from 2024), 305,900 new students (a 10% decrease), and 367,750 new temporary workers (a 16% decrease). Bachetti spoke of how pre-COVID the number was in the 200,000 range.

He believes the federal government needs to be lobbied. He believes there will be programs and modular homes coming for single-family dwellings to make it more affordable. He is keeping fingers crossed to do that.

When it comes to investments, “those are my tax dollars. At the end of the day, you are asking me to tax for a problem that the federal government has – and again, for a lack of a better word – they caused this housing crisis. So, we got to work hand-in-hand. Yes, we will come to the table, but we also have to be realistic [about] who caused this housing crisis,” Bachetti continued.

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

Essex Mayor Sherry Bondy and Deputy Mayor Rob Shepley put themselves in the hot seat on Monday night, as the duo invited area residents to participate in an open mic night inside the Shaheen Community Room at the Essex Centre Sports Complex.

The open forum event gave residents an opportunity to weigh-in on any municipal matters they wanted, whether it was to ask questions, provide feedback, or forward concerns.

Councillors Kim Verbeek, Jason Matyi, Joe Garon, and Katie McGuire-Blais were also in attendance to help answer questions and gather feedback provided. So too was Essex’s new CAO Kate Giurissevich.

Amongst the topics discussed during the open mic night involved parking in Colchester, using town recreational facilities to their fullest potential in terms of programming and rentals, the importance of protecting the environment on public and residential lands and the need to ask the Province to repeal Bill 5.

Other concerns included potential standing water issues at certain development sites and concerns about future parking in the area, and how even small amounts of rain cover the sidewalk adjacent to Essex Public School.

Residents also applauded the new wayfinding signage, asked if the Town will host a municipal service open house like Kingsville recently did, voiced concern with overgrown weeds at the entrance of the ERCA trail, asked about plans for the former Harrow High School facility if it does not sell, and how the Town builds its reserves.

The local decision-makers were also asked if the Town will issue a residential satisfaction survey, for which Mayor Bondy believes the next Term of Council would be ideal to do so with a third-party conducting it.

Concerns with parking on Medora Avenue and Harvey Street, where vehicles end up getting parked any which way and can end up blocking sidewalks, was also mentioned. There are no lines to direct parking. Councillor McGuire-Blais noted the issue is the Town’s By-Law enforcement needs to be more proactive and start ticketing. Bondy added the Town underwent an organization review, where one of the improvements identified could be moving the By-Law Department under the Legal and Legislative Department, and she believes that will help.

Bondy and Giurissevich expressed the importance of using the Town’s online Report a Problem tool for many of the concerns brought up during the Open Mic Night. This online tool is currently being upgraded, giving residents who enter an issue the ability to track their file. It will also be more user-friendly.

In providing an update on the Essex Sport Fields, which the Town is in the process of developing, Giurissevich noted the Town recently learned it was denied a grant it applied for. So, staff will continue presenting phased-in approaches at budget time. The Town will continue to apply for grants in the meantime.

She also spoke of how the Town recently approved a Naming Rights and Sponsorship Policy, which will help in the process of garnering that type of revenue for this facility. Councillor Verbeek will have a Notice of Motion in the near future on the Essex Sport Fields regarding looking at a solid plan moving forward if the Town has to move ahead without grant funding.

Bondy noted that when the Town collects public feedback on budgeting, there is overwhelming support from residents to put dollars into roads, so it is hard to take money out of road funding to move recreational programming along faster. One resident wondered if residents were concerned about one particular road, and that was why the results weighted heavily to that service.

Councillor Garon added a lot of money has to be put into roads ongoing to ensure the Town doesn’t have to upgrade many at once.

Garon noted the Town is looking at a partnership with the Pickleball Barn development planned to share space at the Essex Sports Fields. An issue is getting power and water to the site. That all takes money. He believes the fields will be utilized starting next year. The Town has had trouble getting the grass growing without water at the site.

One concern involved getting on an agenda to speak as a delegate, and the possibility of getting turned down due to time if the topic is not already on the agenda. The Town issues meeting agendas on Thursday afternoons for the meeting the following Monday, which is a small window to register to speak on a matter included.

Giurissevich said the Clerk’s department is reviewing the Procedural By-Law to look at this matter. She added the Town does not want to issue meeting agendas too early as staff want to ensure information is as current as possible. Councillor Matyi will have a Notice of Motion coming to Council on this in the near future.

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

Essex Council approved a new Sponsorships and Naming Rights Policy during the June 2 meeting.

This new policy will replace the former Naming Rights Policy – Municipal Parks and Facilities, which was adopted in 2010.

Nelson Silveira, Manager of Economic Development, explained updating the former policy was something identified in Council’s 2023-2027 Strategic Plan.

“What we are looking at doing is really formalizing how we manage the sponsorship and naming rights program for the Town, including our assets and events we put on as a corporation,” Silveira said.

The policy includes assets, like arenas, playgrounds, and fields, for naming right opportunities, in addition to sponsorships for Town programs and events.

It does not include facilities like Town Hall of Fire Halls that are mainly used for staff.

This will allow the Town to have a consistent approach to how these agreements are made, Silviera said.

The next steps, as outlined in the report, is for administration to look at different partnering opportunities with community organizations or businesses looking to sponsor town assets.

Annual oversight of those agreements is also important, Silveira noted. Any agreement over $130,000 in value for the term of the agreement would go before Council for approval, he added. Agreements beneath that threshold would be approved by the CAO, in consultation with the Mayor and Deputy Mayor.

In answering Councillor Rodney Hammond’s question on where sponsorship or naming right funding would be put towards, Silveira noted it would depend on the sponsorship. Typically, it would go towards operational costs if funding was for a program. Naming right funding would go towards that asset’s capital costs.

In answering Councillor Katie McGuire-Blais’s question if the Town has a list of assets that could be available to be named – from benches to community rooms – and what the costs would be, Silveira noted administration is currently working on a sponsorship package that would identify opportunities for naming rights for assets and events.

The Town is currently not looking to change the name of any thing; opportunities are being pursued for future buildings or current ones that do not have a name.

Council will be updated on the details of that package, Silveira added. The policy he put before Council identified what wouldn’t be open for sponsorship.

“My only concern is what are we naming and how much are we putting a price tag on it for,” McGuire-Blais said, adding she believed Council should have a say on that if it falls below the $130,000 threshold on bigger items.

CAO Kate Giurissevich noted the $130,000 threshold was selected as it is the same amount in the Town’s Procurement By-Law that would trigger the need to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP). The number was selected to not inundate Council with smaller requests. That figure is certainly up for discussion.

Within the document, Town administration recommends if it will be a material revenue source, it would go to RFP. Then it would be publicly posted and Council would be aware of the process.

In terms of what costs will be, Silveira noted every facility will be different and it will depend on negotiations with community groups or businesses.

The policy was not intended to leave Council out of the decision-making; it was meant to set parameters on having to go to Council with every request.

Councillor Kim Verbeek noted this policy is new, and believed Council should be part of the vetting process and suggested reports can come to Council noting what assets have applicants for naming rights.

Mayor Sherry Bondy was happy to see the policy come before Council as it has been on the to-do list for a while. This is an alternative funding source that could buffer tax increases in the future.

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

Council for the Town of Essex voted to again postpone making a decision on the detailed design for the Walnut Street reconstruction during the June 2 meeting.

This was the second time Council voted to postpone making a decision on the matter, with the same outcome taking place at the May 20 meeting.

Previously, it was explained that through the 2022 Capital Budget, Walnut Street South in Harrow is currently being designed for reconstruction. This will make improvements to the road and watermains.

Since this project is a Council-driven project, and based on recent delegations to Council regarding parking and driveway issues as it relates to semi-trucks making deliveries to Sanford and Son Supermarket, the Infrastructure Services Department wanted to solicit Council’s direction for the road design for Walnut Street.

David McBeth, Manager of Capital Works and Asset Management, presented three options:

• Option 1: Keep Walnut Street with a rural section, no curbs, conduct a full depth mill and pave, and construct a consistent granular shoulder for parking on the east-side of the road. This would cost an estimated $2.4M.

• Option 2: Urbanize the road section, including a full reconstruction of the roadway from the granular base up, in order to install the concrete curbs. The roadway width would be kept the same way it is currently, which is six-meters. Parking would be eliminated. The estimated cost is $2.8M.

• Option 3: Urbanized the road section, with a full reconstruction and road-width of 7.9meters. This section would allow parking on the east-side, but would require relocating existing hydro poles on that side of the road. The estimated cost is $3.2M.

Administration recommended Option 1, which would allow the project to proceed based on the current five-year capital plan and possibility sooner, depending on the cost-estimate for final construction cost from the engineer.

The anticipated completion date for all three options is 2028, based on the Town’s five-year road’s plan. Unless, Council directed it to be done earlier for Option 1.

All options are financially feasible, pending on approval from Council at budget time, McBeth noted. The existing detailed design budget has around $160,000 remaining, so any change order required by the consultant to do the work should be within the budget, McBeth said.

McBeth added the location of the sidewalk would be determined during the detailed design phase of the project. The Town is also working with the Harrow Fair Board to get that fence pushed back on the west-side 1.5m to assist with winter control.

Deputy Mayor Rob Shepley asked if the fence would be moved for all three options, or just Option 3. McBeth noted if – during the detailed design phase – the sidewalk is best to go on the west-side it would be preferred to move the fence.

Shepley was willing to support Option 1. Walnut Street is not the greatest road in terms of condition, but it is also not the worst. He was good with whatever decision Council made on how to move forward on the matter.

In answering Councillor Rodney Hammond’s question on if the Town has been in contact with the Harrow Fair Board, McBeth noted a meeting between the Town and the Board has taken place. The Town is still waiting on a response from the Board regarding the fence. He wanted the road to be prioritized to be completed

.Councillor Katie McGuire-Blais received emails from residents in favour of all three options. In this decision, she does not think Council will make everyone happy. As she was torn on the matter, she was thinking of following Hammond’s lead as the Ward 4 Council rep.

Her own opinion was to go with Option 3 in bringing the road up to the Town’s standard. She didn’t understand the reasoning of moving ahead with a cheaper option.

Director of Infrastructure, Kevin Girard, noted as this was a Council-driven project, administration wanted to provide options. He understood Council wanted to prioritize the road, but warned, with the detailed design still needing to be completed, the earliest it could be completed would be 2027.

Mayor Sherry Bondy also heard split feedback from the community, and wondered if more time should be given for public feedback.

Back in 2014-2015, this project was admin-driven, Bondy explained. At the time, it was on the Town’s Roads Plan, and she told residents it was coming, based on that.

In the motion to move forward with Option 1, the motion failed in a three-way tie.

McGuire-Blais then moved to postpone the decision until the July 7 meeting, giving Council a few more weeks to get more public feedback. That passed.

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

The Town of Essex’s Community Services Recreation and Culture Division fared well in the 2024 Lifesaving Society Affiliate Recognition Award – Ontario Branch program.

Cynthia Cakebread, Manager of Recreation and Culture, told Essex Council at the June 2 meeting that the Town of Essex program was recognized in the top ten of each of the categories that it qualified under.

That included earning first place in the R. Bredin Staples Cup, which is awarded to the municipal affiliate with the largest leadership training program per capita, and second place in the Scarborough Cup, which is awarded to the municipal affiliate with the largest lifesaving/leadership program in a community with a population between 10,000 and 50,000.

In addition, Essex earned fifth place in the Arnold H. Morphy Cup, awarded to the affiliate with a single facility with the largest lifesaving/leadership program, and sixth place in the John E. McCutcheon Bowl, awarded to the single-facility affiliate with the largest first aid program.

Essex, Cakebread explained, is around the 84th largest municipality in Ontario, but is in the top forty of all providers of the Lifesaving Society in the province.

“We are one-ninth the size of Windsor, but we run a program approximately half the size. We run a larger program than 15 municipalities that were bigger than us,” Cakebread added. This year, Essex lost the Scarborough Cup, but the municipality that won it, Whitchurch-Stouffville, is 136 residents from moving up into the next category.

There are three municipalities in Essex County that appear in the top 10 for the Scarborough Cup, she added. “There is no other area in Ontario with more than one municipality,” she said.

“It is always surprising when we win these awards, given our size,” Cakebread said. Essex was also recognized through the Lifesaving Society’s annual report for having hosted the Ontario Lifeguard Championships in February.

Cakebread also pointed out that Essex’s Assistant Manager of Aquatics, Sarah Newton, was a big contributor to a lunch and learn webinar session on staffing retention and development. She was also recognized for going down to Ghana to host service provisions and provide certification to its residents. She will return to spearhead another round of certifications in the future.

Councillor Rodney Hammond noted Cakebread and her crew over at the recreation centre do an amazing job, and thanked them for their efforts. Councillor Kim Verbeek also thanked the team for its work.

Mayor Sherry Bondy always hears accolades regarding the Town’s programing, and encourages everyone to keep up the great work.

Essex Council received Recreation and Culture’s report titled “Lifesaving Society Affiliate Recognition” and further received the Lifesaving Society Annual Report Affiliate Recognition 2024 for Council and public information.

In addition, Council proclaimed June is Recreation and Parks Month in the Town of Essex, as recreation enhances quality of life, balanced living, and lifelong learning.

There are a number of free programs available through the month as part of June is Recreation and Parks Month of which residents can take advantage.