council

A light grey 2 story office building with a Canadian flag flying in front of it against a blue sky. There is a sign in front of the building saying Port Hope Community Health Centre and Northumberland Community Care, 99 Toronto Road.

Port Hope walk-in medical clinic a step closer to re-opening

February 20, 2024 by Jeff Gard

Port Hope council will be asked Tuesday night to support and endorse the re-opening of a walk-in medical clinic, which the community and surrounding area has been without since 2020.

The motion comes from Mayor Olena Hankivsky, who says she has been working with councillor Les Andrews on bringing back a clinic since the start of the current council term.

Funding partners include the Port Hope and District Health Care Foundation, the Port Hope Rotary Club and the Town of Cobourg as well as the pharmacy at the location at 99 Toronto Road. The clinic would be open Mondays, Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Northumberland County has agreed to serve as the nominal lessee for the space, with actual rental paid by the clinic, Mayor Hankivsky says.

There are currently 4,000 un-rostered patients in Northumberland County.

A two story red brick historic building with two flag poles in front .

Deputations replace question period at Port Hope council meetings

February 16, 2024 by Jeff Gard

Port Hope Mayor Olena Hankivsky says community engagement with council and staff remains strong despite a change to question period at council meetings.

Question period was always held at the end of the meetings, which is still the case for committee-of-the-whole meetings where items are up for discussion and voted on, but not confirmed until the next regular meeting.

Deputations have replaced question period at regular council meetings and occur early on the agenda before final decisions are made. Citizens wishing to make a deputation to council must register up to a day in advance of the meeting.

Mayor Hankivsky explained the change in an interview with CFWN.

A woman with light brown hair tied back looks at the camera. There is a red and white flag over her shoulder in the background.

Port Hope mayor says budget challenges are similar to other municipalities

February 15, 2024 by Jeff Gard

Faced with challenges, especially related to infrastructure costs in the coming years, Port Hope council recently passed its 2024 budget with a 6.9 per cent increase.

Mayor Olena Hankivsky told CFWN the financial pinch Port Hope is feeling is similar to other municipalities across the province. She said it was imperative that council keep the increase as low as possible this year while recognizing projects need to be funded and it’s not possible to move forward with small increases.

The total municipal levy of $28 million translates to an estimated $305 increase to the property tax bill for the typical homeowner based on MPAC‘s assessed property value. The final budget documents are available on Port Hope’s municipal website.

A man in a dark suit and light blue tie smiles at the camera.

Port Hope councillor resigns following Justice of the Peace appointment

January 31, 2024 by Jeff Gard

Port Hope council will declare the seat of Chris Collins vacant at its Feb. 13 meeting.

Collins, a Ward 2 rural representative and chair of the protective services portfolio, resigned as a councillor after being appointed a Justice of the Peace by the province. The Justices of the Peace Act requires him to terminate other employment and abstain from engaging in any political activities upon appointment.

Council has 60 days after declaring the seat vacant either to appoint an individual to fill the vacancy or pass a bylaw to declare a by-election.

CFWN spoke to Port Hope Mayor Olena Hankivsky about Collins’ resignation.

A blue and green and white Cobourg transit graphic. There is writing on the left hand side and an illustration of a bus on the right hand side.

Fixed bus route trial proposed for Cobourg transit in draft 2024 budget

January 3, 2024 by Jeff Gard

A fixed bus route has been proposed by Town of Cobourg staff for a one-year trial in the draft 2024 budget.

The bus route would operate from Monday to Friday, with approximately 16 stops per hour in high pedestrian generating locations.

Cobourg’s transit currently runs on an on-demand system with users required to book in advance for a specific time and pick-up and drop-off locations.

Coun. Adam Bureau, who twice this year unsuccessfully brought forward motions for a fixed route in conjunction with the on-demand service, says he will once again advocate for it during budget negotiations. Cobourg residents can provide input and feedback on the proposed 2024 budget until Jan. 5 at noon. Visit engagecobourg.ca for the budget survey.

CFWN’s attempts to reach town staff were unsuccessful.

Pride decorations sit on a fence. Trees and a model train sit in the background, with the Palmerston water tower in the distance.

Minto Pride Committee considering more permanent local pride decorations a steppingstone

September 21, 2023 by Riley Gillespie-Wilson

The Minto Pride Committee had what they call a “big win” at a council meeting earlier this week.

More “permanent” pride decorations were approved locally, much to the delight of committee chair Brayden Scott. Fundraising and social media support will aid Scott and his volunteer committee in funding the flags to be put up at the entrances and exits of the town from May to September.

Scott says this proactive move from Minto council is refreshing to see this week, given the protests taking place regarding gender and sexual orientation in Guelph and across the country. He added that council’s opposition of putting in rainbow crosswalks in Wellington North was a disappointing result given the success of the Harriston pride crossing.

While it’s promising to see visual representations like these for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, Scott says there’s still work to be done in creating a dialogue.

“It’s beyond it just being a pride crosswalk, it’s the intentions behind it, it’s the commitments that you’re making as a community to propel and excel this work forward,” Scott explained.

“The visual representation is one thing, the conversation and the education that comes along with it is a whole other piece as well, so absolutely, just important to not this work and why we need to propel it forward,” he added.

Though the committee is going to work hard to raise funds, Scott says he’s hoping to see council pull their weight financially. That goes beyond just the installation of the decorations.

He added he’s hoping this initiative will unite members of the community, and that they’ll recognize the importance and scope of this type of representation. This is promising, and, in Scott’s eyes, the more permanent decorations could become a theme throughout the region.

“We’re hoping it encourages other nearby communities like Wellington County and Mount Forest. We’ve seen some proposals not get passed there,” Scott stated.

“We’re hoping that by Minto taking a prominent stand, absolutely that it encourages other communities to do the same,” he added.

A “steppingstone” for Minto, Scott says he’d like to see more decorations than just the planned flags at the entrances and exits to town.

A firefighter holds an extinguisher, red in colour, while wearing thick yellow gloves and orang clothes.

Mapleton’s fire plan features suggestion to gauge single-station effectiveness

September 15, 2023 by Riley Gillespie-Wilson

The Fire Master Plan was presented to Mapleton council for endorsement after being worked on since December.

16 categories were highlighted by at least one recommendation each. Recommendations included a more focused training for deputy chiefs and fire chiefs as well as increased aerial coverage.

Another one of the 60 recommendations was to perform an in-depth study on the impacts and advantages of operating from a single fire station.

Also listed was the idea of incorporating diesel exhaust extraction systems into the Drayton and Moorefield fire stations.

Richard Boyes, president of consultant Emergency Services Strategy and Solutions, says what he calls a roadmap for the township will be thoroughly reviewed in years to come.

“This is a document that cannot go on the shelf. It’ll be up to the fire chief to review and address it annually, look at the recommendations and ensure that council is informed at any given time as to what the needs of the fire department are,” Boyes stated.

He added those closest to the issues involved were consulted during the process of constructing the plan.

“We did all the interviews, and more importantly at the start, we did a staff survey of the firefighters, and it’s anonymous, but it gave us a really good idea of what’s the heartbeat of the fire department like?” Boyes said.

“How does it work? What’s going on? As all surveys go, there are comments written in, both pro and con, but it helped guide us as we moved through the process,” he added.

Considered to work hand-in-hand with the plan, the Community Risk Assessment was also completed enroute to this green light from council. No immediate action will be taken by council on any of the recommendations. That being said, the document will serve as a guide for council in Mapleton for the next ten years.

Boyes reiterated “if we don’t educate the public, we’re never going to get ahead of fire deaths.”

New resources to help keep an eye on functioning smoke alarms in resident homes was a recommendation, too, for a plan that will span into 2033.

Chalk in rainbow colours lay dormant leaving streaks of colour behind.

Wellington North decides against rainbow crosswalk

September 14, 2023 by Riley Gillespie-Wilson

Following a March delegation asking for a rainbow crosswalk in Wellington North, the idea was discussed and dismissed by council this week. Staff stated there were concerns with finding a proper location, or the right level of upkeep to maintain one.

Rosie Krul spoke at the March meeting, hoping the crosswalk would bring more exposure to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community in Wellington North.

But council were led to believe the new traffic crossings coming to Mount Forest would be overly dense areas traffic wise to permit the crosswalk. Council referenced several other cities in which the rainbow crosswalk was painted at a slower-paced area.

Beyond that, Coun. Steve McCabe was the one to bring up maintenance concerns.

“It just gets, literally, driven over and worn out and salted and scratched. If there’s a better way – I’m obviously in favour of the crosswalks, but I don’t know aside from safety paint on them…There’s got to be a better way to recognize groups that are looking for some recognition,” McCabe said.

While these were popular concerns throughout council, Coun. Penny Renken ventured the concept itself wasn’t required in an already welcoming community.

“I believe in our growth plan. We have it mentioned that we have a place for everyone,” Renken stated.

“I don’t think it’s really necessary to have a symbol for one part of our community when it’s already mentioned in there that we do have a place for everybody and everyone is welcome,” she added.

Flags and banners were more acceptable to council’s visions. They stated they’d wait until the Transportation Association of Canada (TAC) Non-Standard Pavement Markings for Crosswalks Study has been complete before they proceed with the idea of a rainbow crosswalk.