Peterborough city council will be meeting as general committee on Monday (June 3).
Following a closed session at 5 p.m., council will meet in chambers at 6 p.m. for an open session.
Below is a summary of what’s on the agenda for Monday’s meeting.
Report of closed session
General committee will vote on a motion coming out of the closed session related to an appointment. Subject to approval by general committee, the recommendation will then go forward to a special city council meeting, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. following general committee. Although the nature of the motion is not yet known, registered delegations will be permitted at the special city council meeting.
Zoning by-law amendment
City staff will present a report recommending that section 6.1 of the city’s zoning by-law, which currently exempts the city and the Peterborough Utilities Commission from complying with the by-law, be amended to also specify municipal services corporations, local housing corporations, and the police services board as being exempt from the by-law.
“Having a clear public use exemption regulation in the Zoning By-law can be leveraged as municipal-led public housing continues to be a priority of all levels of government by reducing the timelines associated with land use approval,” the report states.
Section 6.1 was recently used to help the city secure construction of the affordable housing project at 681 Monaghan Road, according to the report. Because the property was owned by the city, the exemption to the zoning by-law applied and the city was able to leverage multiple levels of government funding as a “ready to build site.”
“Moving forward, it is expected that an amended Section 6.1 will provide key support to projects being advanced by the Peterborough Housing Municipal Services Corporation (PHMSC) on behalf of Peterborough Housing Corporation,” the report states.
The report does not indicate why the police services board is being included in the proposed amendment.
Presentation on Fairhaven long-term care home expansion
General committee will hear a presentation from Karl Moher and Nancy Rooney, the board chair and executive director of Fairhaven, on the plan to expand the municipal long-term care home.
In June, Fairhaven plans to submit an application to the Ontario government to increase by 128 the number of beds at its location at 881 Dutton Road in Peterborough, from 256 to 384 beds.
According to the presentation included with the agenda item, the timeframe for the expansion, from design to occupancy, would run from 2024 to 2028. The estimated capital cost of the project would be between $83 million and $92 million
Fairhaven will recommend city council support the application to the province for additional beds and, if the province approves the application, to direct the city’s chief administrative officer and chief financial officer to work with Fairhaven on the capital and operating costs of the project and bring a report back to council.
Presentation on the Peterborough Community Health Centre
General committee will hear a presentation by Christine Brander and David Jeffrey, interim co-executive directors of the Peterborough Community Health Centre.
In February, the Ontario government announced the newly established centre would receive more than $3 million in provincial funding. In April, Brander and Jeffrey were hired as co-executive directors, with the next step to secure an interim location.
While the agenda contains no details about the presentation, Brander and board chair Johnathan Bennett appeared before Peterborough County council on May 15, where they provided an update and revealed that the centre had secured a 12-month lease for a location in Peterborough Square mall.
“We want to see patients as fast as we can — we want to hire physicians, allied health, and everything we need to stand up this organization from scratch,,” Bennett said at the May 15th meeting, adding that the Peterborough Square location was “the most likely candidate to convert quickly into some appropriate clinic space and see patients quickly.”
Presentation on city’s draft 2024-2028 accessibility plan
General committee will receive a report and hear a presentation from city staff on the draft 2024-2028 accessibility plan and will be asked to approve the plan.
“The proposed Accessibility Plan priorities would be approved in principle by City Council, to set a five-year road map to address the main barriers for people with disabilities,” the report states. “The priorities are designed to help people with disabilities access basic needs such as food, housing, health care, education, employment and the outdoors.”
According to the report, the five priority areas of the plan are sidewalk infrastructure, transit system and stops, streets and intersection, park access and features, and employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
Budget increase and winning bid for renovations to City Hall for “Service Peterborough” project
City staff will present a report recommending that the capital budget for renovations to City Hall to accommodate the “Service Peterborough” project be increased by $275,000 from $625,000 to $900,000, and that the renovations contract be awarded to Etobicoke-based B.E. Construction Ltd., the lowest bidder.
Service Peterborough is an integrated, centralized customer service approach for in-person and by-phone interactions at City Hall, which city council approved in June 2023 with a capital budget of $625,000.
The city’s consulting firm of record estimated the initial construction cost of the project to be $553,000. However, seven tenders received by the city for the project had bids ranging from $661,715 (from B.E. Construction Ltd.) to almost $1.8 million, with five of the bids over $800,000.
“Several factors need to be considered for the increased cost,” the report states. “The scope of the project changed during the project development based on stakeholder input to include: the renovation of the existing reception space into a meeting room for customer service interactions, requiring removal of the vault walls; additional areas were added to the scope to provide a more comprehensive space and workflow to the existing tax office area; the phasing into four distinct periods for the construction delivery to allow for delivery of services to customers to continue with minimal disruption during the overall construction period.”
The increase of the capital budget from $625,000 to $900,000 would accommodate the winning bid of $661,715, with an additional $106,935 for contingency, furniture, and miscellaneous costs, $106,674 for consulting and project management fees, and $13,030 in building permit fees.
Other reports
Other reports to come before council include:
- A report advising council that a public meeting will be held on June 10 to present a development charges background study undertaken by the Peterborough Utilities Commission and to hear public delegations. The 44-page study recommends updating development charges “to accurately reflect the water servicing needs of new development in the City of Peterborough.”
- A report to recommend that the Development Charge Reserve Funds – 2023 Annual Report for the year ended December 31, 2023 for the City of Peterborough and Peterborough Utilities Commission be received.
- A report to establish a funding agreement with the Canadian Canoe Museum on Ashburnham Drive and to pass a by-law designating the facility as a municipal capital facility, which would except the property from taxation for municipal or school purposes.
- A report to approve the enrolment and implementation of the city into the Ministry of Transportation’s DriveON Vehicle Inspection Centre program, which combines the current Motor Vehicle Inspection Station program and the Heavy Diesel Emissions program into a single digital program. The city currently operates a Motor Vehicle Inspection Station under license with the Ministry of Transportation, and must enrol in the new program by May 31 to continue conducting mandatory motor vehicle safety inspections.
- A report to update and approve the City of Peterborough’s Asset Management Plan, which is described as “an ongoing process of making the best possible decisions regarding the construction, operation, maintenance, renewal, replacement, and disposal of assets.”
Items endorsed by general committee on June 3 will be considered by council for final approval the following Monday, when public delegations will be heard.
Council meetings are streamed live at www.peterborough.ca.
