L’Orignal, Ontario May 10, 2017 REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE To the Warden and Members of Council, United Counties of Prescott and Russell The Committee of the Whole met in L’Orignal at 9:00 a.m. on May 10, 2017. Were present: Gary J. Barton, Jeanne Charlebois, Guy Desjardins, Fernand Dicaire, Robert Kirby, Conrad Lamadeleine, Pierre Leroux and François St- Amour, Council Members. Stéphane P. Parisien, Marc Clermont, Pierre Gauthier, Louise Lalonde, Carole Lavigne, Julie Ménard-Brault and Louis Prévost, Department Heads; and Justin Bromberg. Were absent: Michel Chrétien, Anne Comtois Lalonde, and Andrée Latreille, Clerk. The Warden invited the Mayors and staff to observe one minute of silence in memory of Dr. Michael Markowski who will be sadly missed. He was the doctor of several residents at the Prescott and Russell Residence since the last 5 years. The report is presented as follows: 1. Meeting with the Mohawk Council of Kanesatake The Warden advised that due to flooding in the Kanesatake area, the Mohawk Council has requested that the meeting with Council be postponed to a later date. 2. Mileage Claim Reimbursement for attending social activities such as dinners, banquets, golf, etc. and Increase of the $4,000 allowance for conferences The Mayor of Clarence-Rockland requested reimbursement for mileage to attend dinners or social events on behalf of the United Counties of Prescott and Russell. In addition, given the numerous conferences held this year, he inquired about the increase in the allocation of members for conferences. According to the Council's policy, only the Warden can claim mileage for social events or activities. Recently, however, tables are bought for various social events and interested members are invited to attend. The CAO added that the $4,000 allowance has not been increased for several years. After much deliberation, THE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED that the Conference Allowance be increased to $6,000 in the 2018 Budget but that the mileage reimbursement policy remain unchanged. 3. EOWC Project for Improving Cellular Services in Eastern Ontario The Warden discussed the recurring issue of cellular network gaps in Eastern Ontario, which are prominent and can become problematic during emergencies. This has been the case this week with the flooding in Prescott and Russell. The Chief Administrative Officer provided the background of the Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN) broadband project and its success in acquiring funding from the federal and provincial governments as well as the private sector. He noted there are many problematic sectors in the cellular network within Prescott and Russell. As many as 23 municipal partners could participate in this project, at a total cost of $14 million. The UCPR’s share would be between $440,000 and $619,000, depending on whether a public safety component was included in the cellular network upgrade. The Mayor of Russell noted that technology is changing rapidly and that Prescott and Russell cannot afford to fall behind in terms of economic development and business. The CAO also noted that internet speeds could increase because of improved LTE coverage. Members expressed support for the project, and encouraged the separated cities in Eastern Ontario to pay their share, in addition to the Counties. THE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED that Council support the EORN Cellular Network Improvement Project and that the Administration bring forward a resolution for support at an upcoming meeting. Committee of the Whole - 2 - L’Orignal, Ontario May 10, 2017 4. Site selection for the next Pacte de l’amitié Meeting The Chief Administrative Officer explained that the Mayor of Alfred and Plantagenet has offered the municipal marina in Lefaivre as the site for the upcoming Pacte d’amitié meeting with the MRC d’Argenteuil and MRC de Papineau, to be held on August 31. The Mayor suggested that the event be combined with other activities being held at that time, including Bike Fest in Hawkesbury. THE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED that the Lefaivre marina be selected as the site of the next Pacte de l’amitié meeting. 5. Amending Agreement between the MTO and the UCPR for Carefor The Chief Administrative Officer noted that due to the local success of the Community Transportation Pilot Grant Program, the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) extended an additional $50,000 in funding to the UCPR to allow Carefor to continue providing non- urgent transportation in the region. This is in addition to the $100,000 received to date from the Ministry. THE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED that a By-law be adopted to approve the additional funding and the Amending Agreement between the MTO and the UCPR. 6. Proposed Fire Dispatch Agreement The Chief Administrative Officer discussed the process of compiling the proposed fire dispatch agreement. He explained that in year 1, the UCPR would act as a broker on dispatch service costs for six municipalities, being Champlain, East Hawkesbury, The Nation, Alfred and Plantagenet, Russell, and Casselman. Those costs will then be redistributed to those municipalities, according to the County levy. In years 2 and 3, the UCPR will finance the dispatch service costs of all eight municipalities, including Hawkesbury and Clarence-Rockland. The UCPR’s lawyers have reviewed the agreements for both the UCPR and the Town of Hawkesbury. Furthermore, to avoid any conflict of interest, this law firm will not act as legal counsel for any of these municipalities in the case of a disagreement. The CAO invited questions and comments from members. During discussion, several members proposed changes to the wording in the agreement. The CAO offered a second presentation in two weeks, after which Council could adopt this agreement. He would then begin work on the communications portion of the fire dispatch service. THE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED that the Chief Administrative Officer provide a revised Agreement with some of the members’ suggested changes at the next Council meeting for Council’s adoption. 7. Delegations at the 2017 AMO Conference The Chief Administrative Officer recalled that the Ministry of Municipal Affairs has invited municipalities to apply for delegations at the AMO Conference in August. After discussion, THE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED that the following subjects be submitted as delegation requests on behalf of the UCPR: • Provincial funding for public housing – Ministry of Housing • Review of the Hawkesbury flood plains – Ministry of Natural Resources • Basic Income Pilot Project – Ministry of Housing (in addition to a letter) • Highway 17/174 Environmental Assessment – Ministry of the Environment • End-of-operating agreements for non-profit housing corporations – Ministry of Housing 8. Glengarry-Prescott-Russell Day The Chief Administrative Officer recalled that Glengarry-Prescott-Russell Day is being held next Tuesday, May 16 on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. A meeting agenda will be distributed to members this week. Ministerial meetings are scheduled in the morning and a cocktail reception featuring our local products will be held from 3 to 6 p.m. 9. SNC Retirement Party The Chief Administrative Officer recalled that South Nation Conservation is hosting a retirement party this Friday for General Manager Dennis O’Grady. He encouraged members to attend. The UCPR will provide a gift on behalf of the eight municipalities. Committee of the Whole - 3 - L’Orignal, Ontario May 10, 2017 10. Donation to the Canadian Red Cross The Chief Administrative Officer noted that the Canadian Red Cross has launched a fundraising campaign and the UCPR is examining the possibility of local donations being spent within Prescott and Russell. He inquired as to whether Council wished to make a donation, as it did during the Fort McMurray forest fires. It was suggested to inquire with the Red Cross if our donation will remain in Prescott-Russell. THE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED that each local municipality investigate with the Red Cross and that the matter be discussed again in two weeks’ time. 11. Entranceway By-law The Director of Public Works explained that at the last meeting of both the Public Works and Forestry and Planning Committees, discussions were held pertaining to the Entranceway By-law and more particularly the distance between each of them and its impact on land division. Both committees recommended that this issue be brought at the Committee of the Whole due to the impact on all municipalities. THE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED that the Director revise the By-law in order for a new policy to be reva luated and reconsidered by the Committee of the Whole. 12. School Road Crossing At the Mayor of Russell’s request, the Director of Public Works shared an example of a school crossing wanted by the Town of Russell on County Road Number 3 in the village of Russell. The municipality wants the UCPR to install signs at the center of the roadway with the mention “Yield for School Children" similar to the one for pedestrians. The department does not recommend to proceed with the installation since there is no formal provision to the law allowing us to install this signage. Although this crossing aims to reduce the speed of vehicles as they narrow the lanes, the latter can give a false feeling of security. Moreover, the law would not help us in case of prosecution. He then stated that it was now up to Council to decide whether to proceed with the installation of these signs and that the costs associated with these will be charged to the local municipality. The mayor of Alfred and Plantagenet also mentioned fearing for the safety of schoolchildren because of large trucks speeding through the village of Alfred. A discussion ensued on the need to re-evaluate this issue. THE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED that the Director complete the necessary procedures in order to comply with the Mayor of Russell’s request. 13. Long Term Planning for Water and Wastewater Plant At the request of the Public Works Committee and given the involvement of all municipalities, this matter was submitted to the Committee of the Whole.