United Counties of Leeds and Grenville Committee of the Whole Minutes Tuesday, March 3, 2020 9:00 a.m. Council Chambers 25 Central Avenue West, Brockville, Ontario Members Present: Corinna Smith-Gatcke, Chair Pat Sayeau, Warden, Roger Haley, Arie Hoogenboom, Robin Jones, Doug Malanka, Herb Scott, Doug Struthers Staff Present: Andy Brown, Chief Administrative Officer Arup Mukherjee, Director of Public Works Alison Tutak, Director of Community and Social Services Jeff Carss, Manager of Paramedic Service Pat Huffman, Treasurer Tracy Jordan, Interim Administrator, Maple View Lodge Cherie Mills, Manager of Planning Services Colleen Hickey, Manager of Human Resources Geoff McVey, Forest Manager Lesley Todd, Clerk Andrea Bolton, Deputy Clerk (Recording Secretary) Others Present: Kyle Johnston, Officer Cadet, Brockville Rifles Primary Reserve Infantry Unit JoAnn Bell, Cycling Without Age Dianne Dillon, Cycling Without Age Wayne Lowrie, Recorder and Times 1. Call to Order The Chair called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. Ms. Smith-Gatcke offered regrets on behalf of Ms. Peckford. Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes March 3, 2020 2. Adoption of the Agenda Resolution No. CW-028-2020 Moved by Herb Scott Seconded by Roger Haley THAT the Agenda for the March 3, 2020 meeting of the Committee of the Whole be adopted as circulated. CARRIED 3. Disclosure of Pecuniary Interest and General Nature Thereof - Nil 4. Adoption of the Minutes of the Previous Meeting 4.1 Meeting Minutes Dated February 4, 2020 Resolution No. CW-029-2020 Moved by Doug Struthers Seconded by Roger Haley THAT the Minutes of the Committee of the Whole meeting held on February 4, 2020 be adopted as circulated. CARRIED 5. Delegations/Presentations 5.1 Kyle Johnston, Officer Cadet, Brockville Rifles Primary Reserve Infantry Unit, Brockville - New Attractions and Recruiting Plan Officer Cadet Johnston noted the Brockville Rifles is a Primary Reserve Infantry Unit in the Canadian Armed Forces. In addition to his role as an Infantry Officer during training, he is also the Unit’s Attraction Officer and works alongside the Unit’s Recruiting Officer to raise the profile of the Unit with the ultimate goal of increasing recruiting numbers. Officer Cadet Johnston explained Reserve Units across the country, including Brockville, have seen a decline in recruiting numbers particularly since the end of Canada’s participation in the war in Afghanistan. He has been tasked with designing and undertaking a comprehensive Unit Attraction Plan. 2 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes March 3, 2020 Officer Cadet Johnston noted there is a lack of understanding of what members of the Canadian Armed Forces and Reservists do. He noted Reserve Units augment the strength of regular Force numbers in the Army, Navy, and Air Force. He explained Reserve Units cover the full range of skill sets including, but are not limited to, supply, finance, logistics, electronic warfare, and intelligence and occupy positions such as the Infantry. He noted Reservists undertake the same training as the regular Force, following which the members are required to train at their home units part time and have the opportunity to pursue full time positions within the Armed Forces, including deployments overseas. Officer Cadet Johnston stated the Brockville Rifles have a long history of service abroad and members take part in domestic operations including disaster relief efforts, such as the flooding in eastern Ontario in the past few years. He noted despite all of this, the public is often unaware of opportunities to serve. He noted the Attraction Plan is designed to change this, with the first phase consultation and drafting, which will last until the end of March. During the consultation phase, he will be speaking with key leaders and influencers within the community to get feedback and make connections within the communities. They will also identify, create, and plan for opportunities and events within their area of responsibility. The events will highlight the work the infantry does and partner with organizations who may produce the type of recruits they are looking for. The organizations may include private businesses, fire departments, and the paramedic service. Officer Cadet Johnston noted the Unit currently sits at 50% strength and as a result there are plenty of jobs available. He stressed they are open for business and are hiring. The ongoing conversation they wish to have with community leaders is how to best get that message out to the community. He explained typically, their recruiting profile has attracted younger soldiers, however; they are now seeing people in the 30 plus range. In addition to high school students, they are seeking recruits of varying backgrounds, education, ages, and skill sets. They are primarily looking for infantry soldiers and for officer candidates with a university degree, but there are positions available in administration, including human resources and financial services. At a minimum, they are looking for Canadian citizens ages 16 to 53 with a certain number of high school credits. Officer Cadet Johnston concluded that as soldiers progress through their careers, there are opportunities for leadership, career training, and full time employment. Citizen soldiers who work in the Brockville Rifles work and live in the community. 3 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes March 3, 2020 They learn the values that define the Canadian Armed Forces; those values are integrity, loyalty, and courage. Officer Cadet Johnston thanked the Committee for their time, noting he looks forward to how they might work together to fill the ranks of the Brockville Rifles with citizens from their respective communities. Mr. Struthers provided some history on the Brockville Rifles, noting a gentleman in his community, Victor Sutherland, knows a great deal about the history of the Rifles and could help with speaking and recruiting engagements. Mr. Struthers also suggested legions would be a good point of contact for recruitment. Mr. Hoogenboom found the delegation to be an informative and suggested sending this information out to the local municipalities, who may in turn put it on their agendas and share it with the public. Warden Sayeau noted when he was in high school, it was mandatory to be a Cadet and he presently has a son serving in the navy. He is a booster for the Cadet movement at the high school in Prescott, asked if they go to high schools to talk to the students, and if there is a way this Committee could help with that. Officer Cadet Johnston stated the Recruiting Officer goes into the high schools and encourages enrollment; that will continue to be a portion of their recruiting profile. He noted any contacts the Committee members have would also be welcome. He noted part of the challenge in the past with those types of new recruits is the high turn over of recruits to the regular Force, which is a great thing for the Canadian Armed Forces as a whole, but a challenge with retention of the soldiers and officers. That is part of the reason they are trying to broaden their horizon to the 30 plus age group. Mr. Haley asked what the number is regarding the Brockville Rifles being at 50% capacity as his Council has mentioned the use of the Brockville Rifles as assistance with sand bagging during flooding. Officer Cadet Johnston noted he could not speak to the exact number, but he can get back to Mr. Haley. Assisting with flooding and disaster relief is part of the training in order to deploy the Rifles domestically. The organization of that would fall to the Department of National Defence and local law enforcement agencies. He concluded they have been deployed in the past and are ready to do so again. Ms. Smith-Gatcke thanked him for his presentation. Officer Cadet Johnston left the meeting at 9:21 a.m. 4 Committee of the Whole Meeting Minutes March 3, 2020 5.2 JoAnn Bell, Cycling Without Age, Brockville - Requesting a Donation Towards the Purchase of a Trishaw in the Community, Specifically for Seniors with Mobility Issues Ms. Bell introduced Dianne Dillon, also of Cycling Without Age. Ms. Bell reported Cycling Without Age, Brockville is an innovative program that helps seniors and those less able to stay active in their community. The program lets them get out in the fresh air, enjoy their scenic community, and experience life beyond their residence or care centre. The program, which began in 2012, has expanded to 42 countries with thousands of volunteers and thousands of trishaws. Ms. Bell shared a video with the Committee which showed trishaws in use in and around Brockville. She noted when people can no longer get out and participate in outdoor activities it can lead to isolation, a serious threat to health and well- being. Ms. Bell stated isolation can lead to depression and cognitive decline. Community and Primary Health Care (CPHC) was the recipient of Cycling Without Age’s first project funded by in-kind and monetary donations. Ms. Bell stated the next project is to raise funds to provide rides at no cost to seniors and people with mobility issues. She noted the volunteer pilots of the trishaws provided over 200 rides in 2019 with the oldest passenger bring 101 and the youngest just eight. She noted 100% of donations go to the programs. Ms. Bell stated they are asking the Counties to donate to the next project to ensure people at Maple View Lodge and St. Lawrence Lodge may be included in the program. The total cost of the project is in excess of $10,000. Any donations over $1,000 are recognized on the bike. Ms. Bell concluded she is honoured to have played a role in the growth of this program in Canada and thanked the Committee for the opportunity to speak to them.