Council Highlights - October 21 - Township of Ramara

Council Highlights - October 21

Remarks by the Mayor

Mayor Clarke opened the meeting by wishing everyone a happy Thanksgiving, hoping that all could enjoy time with family and friends, along with delicious food. He and the members of Council recounted various events they attended over the past month.

Mayor Clarke reported that he and Councillor Fisher attended "A Touch of Magic - A Brew HA-HA" event at the Joyland Beach Hall on Sunday from noon to 3 p.m. The event was well-attended, with Mayor Clarke and the volunteer firefighters serving tea and lunch to many attendees, with proceeds going towards the Joyland Beach Hall and the Orillia SPCA.

Mayor Clarke also joined MP Adam Chambers and MPP Jill Dunlop, along with other mayors from Simcoe North, to discuss local issues and projects. A key topic was the rising costs of OPP services. He emphasized to the leaders that Ramara is still awaiting a follow-up on the MZO application and two key grants: the Housing Enabling Water Systems Fund and the Green and Inclusive Fund.

Additionally, Mayor Clarke attended a Rural Economic Development roundtable discussion hosted by MPP Jill Dunlop, Minister Graydon Smith, and Minister Lisa Thompson. This meeting included Council members from Simcoe County, addressing the challenges and opportunities faced by businesses in rural communities.

Councillor Tuju reported that on October 17, she and other proud families, teachers, and students gathered at Twin Lakes Secondary School for their annual Thunderstars ceremony, recognizing students' academic achievements.

Councillor Fisher shared that she was busy attending various events in the Township, including "A Touch of Magic - A Brew HA-HA" alongside Mayor Clarke. She also participated in a Murder Mystery night hosted by the Friends of the Ramara Public Library at the Brechin Legion, with proceeds benefiting the Ramara Library. Lastly, she attended the Brechin Mara Legion's pig roast the previous Saturday.

Councillor Bell reported her attendance at the annual Lake Simcoe Regional Conservation Authority awards ceremony, where Landscape Ontario received the 2024 Distinguished Achievement Award for its leadership and advocacy in winter maintenance and salt use.

Councillor Bell also participated in the "Adaptive Innovation: Leading the Future" Lunch and Learn event hosted by the Orillia and Area CDC at Casino Rama on October 10. This event, in collaboration with the County of Simcoe, Lakehead University, the City of Orillia, Fuel Innovation, and the Orillia and Area Lake County, featured presentations and discussions aimed at supporting and fostering business growth.

Finally, Deputy Mayor Bell expressed gratitude to Emergency Services, specifically the Ramara Fire and Rescue Services, for their prompt response to an incident that occurred at his residence.

Remarks by the CAO

CAO Robin Dunn provided the following administration update.

Over the next week, Council will be reviewing the budget in two separate meetings. The general budget meeting will take place on Thursday, October 24, starting at 9:30 a.m. The Water and Wastewater Designated Ratepayers budget meeting will occur on Monday, October 28, also starting at 9:30 a.m.

As Halloween approaches, we want to remind the community to drive cautiously on Halloween night. Please be considerate of children in costumes who will be excitedly running from house to house. Additionally, Ramara Fire and Rescue Services will be hosting their annual haunted house at Fire Station 2, located at 85 Patricia Drive, from 6 to 8 p.m. on October 31.

Please note that the Township Administration building will be closed on Monday, November 11, in observance of Remembrance Day. Residents are reminded of various events happening across the Township, including the Brechin Mara Legion's annual Remembrance Day Service, which will start at 10:45 a.m. I encourage everyone to purchase a poppy and, at 11 a.m. on November 11, observe a two-minute moment of silence to honor fallen soldiers and those who fought for our country.

Presentations, Receiving of Petitions and Deputations

County of Simcoe – 2023 Community Settlement Strategy

Morgane Dunot, representing the County of Simcoe Local Immigration Partnership (LIP), presented information about immigration in the Township of Ramara and the wider County of Simcoe. Her presentation included statistics on immigration, language demographics, and the experiences of new arrivals in the area, highlighting the challenges immigrants face when settling in the County of Simcoe. Morgane also provided an overview of the County of Simcoe’s Local Immigration Partnership 2023 Community Settlement Strategy and action plan, discussing how this strategy impacts the Township of Ramara and offering opportunities for community participation and support. Council approved the presentation to be received as information.

View Presentation

Listen to Presentation

Good Doctors Quarterly Update

Leo Liao, Managing Director of Good Doctors, reported that from December 1, 2021, to the present, a total of 17,566 in-clinic patients have utilized Good Doctors’ services. Notably, 42% of these clients are over the age of 60. An infographic highlights the top 10 patient visits by hometown (postal code), with Brechin, Beaverton, Orillia, Washago, and Woodville being the leading locations from which patients are traveling. Due to the success of the Good Doctors program, Leo announced that a new location in Beaverton is set to open by the end of 2024. Council approved the Good Doctors Quarterly presentation as information.

View Good Doctors Quarterly Update

Items Requiring Immediate Attention of Council

LSRCA Characterization Study

The Lagoon City Parks and Waterways Commission received Don Goodyear of the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority’s (LSRCA) Characterization Study proposal and recommended sending it to the 2025 Budget deliberations.

The Characterization study investigates water quality, sediment nutrients, and aquatic plant biomass at six sites within Lagoon City to document and confirm anecdotal evidence, identify potential nutrient sources for the canals, and help develop a management strategy. Council approved receiving the LSRCA Characterization Study as information.

View Proposal

Recreation Master Plan Additional Open house Quote

At the October 7 Committee of the Whole, the Committee requested an estimate of the costs associated with holding five additional open houses for the Recreation Master Plan to gather further community input, as the data provided showed little community participation in the survey and open houses. The financial impact of holding five additional public open houses for the Recreation Master Plan is estimated at $10,500, based on the cost breakdown provided by Planscape. This includes $1,500 for materials, $7,500 for Planscape staff attendance, and $1,500 for preparing the comment summaries. In addition to these costs, there would also be expenses related to additional expenses, additional township staff hours required to support the events, and potential facility rental fees if township owned spaces are unavailable for hosting the open houses. Council approved receiving the report as an information and requested an additional staff report to outline more opportunities for engagement.

Ramara Council/COW 20025 Meeting Schedule

Council approved to adopt the Ramara Council/COW 2025 Meeting Schedule.

Upcoming Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund

The second intake window has opened up for submissions to the HEWSF grant, all municipalities that own water, wastewater and stormwater infrastructure that did not apply, or were not selected in the first application intake, are eligible to apply under the second intake. The deadline to apply is 4:59 p.m. on November 1, 2024.

Staff are recommending applying to upgrade the headworks for the Lagoon City Wastewater Treatment plant, a piece of equipment that ensures grit, rags and detritus debris are removed before the treatment process. If the proposed developments begin to take place, the town will be ready for the next phases of expansion for the water and wastewater facilities with the Lagoon City area. Council approved for staff to apply for the Housing Enabling Water Systems Fund (HEWSF) for the Lagoon City Sewage Treatment Plant upgrades to support growth for potential developments in the Brechin and Lagoon City Area.

Correspondence from Dana Hancock, parent of Uptergrove Public School regarding Makers Market Fundraiser

Council received a request from a parent of Uptergrove Public School regarding renting the Ramara Centre at no cost for their Makers Market Fundraiser in November 2024. Council approved the request.

County Council Update

The highlights from the October 11 County Council meetings are now available.

View October 11 County Highlights

Announcements and inquiries – Members of Council

Small Business Week

Small Business Week will take place from October 20 to 26, 2024. In partnership with the Ramara Chamber of Commerce, the Ramara Experience is excited to launch the 2024 "Shop With Us Ramara" initiative to support local businesses in Ramara. This campaign officially begins on October 21 and includes prizes for both participating sellers and shoppers. Residents and visitors are encouraged to explore the diverse range of goods and services offered by Ramara's vibrant business community. For more information about the campaign, visit www.ramaraexperience.com.

Ramara Township Library Watch Party

Celebrate Ontario Public Library Week from October 20 to October 26! To mark the occasion, Ramara Township Pubic Library is launching two short and special videos on October 22 between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Join them for a watch party at the library, where they will be showing both videos on the big screen and enjoy some popcorn!

Haunted House on Fairgrounds Road

Deputy Mayor Bell reminded the community that on October 31 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. he will have his annual Haunted House located at 2161 Fairgrounds Road in Washago.

Bills and Bylaws

Council passed the following Bylaws:

Reminders

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For More Information

For more details on any of these items, see the full meeting Agenda or view the meeting on the Township of Ramara's YouTube Channel.

The Meeting highlights are prepared to give residents a timely update on decisions of Council. The Council Meeting Minutes are the official record of the meeting.