HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/27/2020
General Government Committee
Agenda
Date:January 27, 2020
Time:9:30 AM
Location:Council Chambers, 2nd Floor
Municipal Administrative Centre
40 Temperance Street
Bowmanville, Ontario
Inquiries & Accommodations: For inquiries about this agenda, or to make arrangements for
accessibility accommodations for persons attending, please contact: Samantha Gray, Committee
Coordinator, at 905-623-3379, ext. 2106 or by email at sgray@clarington.net.
Alternate Format: If this information is required in an alternate format, please contact the
Accessibility Coordinator, at 905-623-3379 ext. 2131.
Audio Record: The Municipality of Clarington makes an audio record of General Government
Committee meetings. If you make a delegation or presentation at a General Government
Committee meeting, the Municipality will be audio recording you and will make the recording public
by publishing the recording on the Municipality’s website.
Noon Recess: Please be advised that, as per the Municipality of Clarington’s Procedural By-law,
this meeting will recess at 12:00 noon, for a one hour lunch break, unless otherwise determined by
the Committee.
Cell Phones: Please ensure all cell phones, mobile and other electronic devices are turned off or
placed on non-audible mode during the meeting.
Copies of Reports are available at www.clarington.net/archive
*Late Item added after the Agenda was published.
Pages
1.Call to Order
2.Land Acknowledgement Statement
3.New Business – Introduction
Members of Committee are encouraged to provide the Clerk’s Department, in
advance of the meeting, a copy of any motion the Member is intending to
introduce, (preferably electronic) such that staff could have sufficient time to
share the motion with all Members prior to the
meeting.
4.Adopt the Agenda
5.Declaration of Interest
6.Announcements
7.Adoption of Minutes of Previous Meeting
7.1 Minutes of a Regular Meeting of General Government Committee dated
January 6, 2020
5
7.2 Minutes of a Special Meeting of General Government Committee dated
January 10, 2020
24
8.Delegations
8.1 Pauline Witzke, Port Darlington Community Association, Regarding Port
Darlington Shoreline Protection
8.2 Libby Racansky, Regarding Municipal Roads and Traffic Congestion
8.3 Libby Racansky, Regarding Practical Application of New Planning to
Hancock Neighbourhood
8.4 Roman Zydownyk, Regarding 55 A/B Townline Road South, Clarington
General Government Committee Agenda
January 27, 2020
Page 2
9.Communications – Receive for Information
9.1 Minutes of the Bowmanville Business Improvement Area dated
November 12, 2019
31
9.2 Minutes of the Tyrone Community Centre dated November 20, 2019 37
10.Communications – Direction
10.1 Libby Racansky, Regarding Municipal Roads and Traffic Congestion 40
(Motion for Direction)
10.2 Libby Racansky, Regarding Practical Application of New Planning to
Hancock Neighbourhood
43
(Motion for Direction)
11.Presentations
No Presentations
12.Engineering Services Department Reports
No Reports for this section of the Agenda.
13.Operations Department Reports
No Reports for this section of the Agenda.
14.Emergency and Fire Services Department Reports
No Reports for this section of the Agenda.
15.Community Services Department Reports
15.1 CSD-002-20 Public Access Defibrillator Program – Lakeridge Health
Agreement Renewal
45
16.Municipal Clerk’s Department Reports
16.1 CLD-002-20 Appointments to Fill Vacancies on Various Boards and
Committees
59
General Government Committee Agenda
January 27, 2020
Page 3
17.Corporate Services Department Reports
17.1 COD-001-20 Co-op Request for Proposal RFP-348-2019 – Consulting
and Related Management and Administrative Services for the Supply of
Natural Gas
63
18.Finance Department Reports
No Reports for this section of the Agenda.
19.Solicitor’s Department Reports
19.1 LGL-001-20 Assumptions of Road Widenings 67
20.CAO Office Reports
20.1 CAO-003-20 Forestry Service Delivery Review 72
21.New Business – Consideration
22.Unfinished Business
22.1 Kevin Narraway, Manager of Legislative Services/Deputy Clerk, Town
the Whitby, regarding Regional Heritage Property Tax Rebate
152
[Referred from the January 13, 2020 Planning and Development
Committee meeting]
23.Confidential Reports
23.1 CAO-002-20 NRCan Zero Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program
[Distributed Under Separate Cover]
24.Adjournment
General Government Committee Agenda
January 27, 2020
Page 4
1
If this information is required in an alternate format, please contact the
Accessibility Co-ordinator at 905-623-3379 ext. 2131
General Government Committee
Minutes
Date:
Time:
Location:
January 6, 2020
9:30 AM
Council Chambers, 2nd Floor
Municipal Administrative Centre
40 Temperance Street
Bowmanville, Ontario
Present Were: Mayor A. Foster, Councillor G. Anderson, Councillor R. Hooper (left
at 11:42 AM), Councillor J. Jones, Councillor J. Neal (arrived at
11:16AM), Councillor C. Traill, Councillor M. Zwart
Staff Present: A. Allison, G. Acorn (left at 11:42 AM), R. Albright (left at 11:42 AM),
S. Brake (left at 11:42 AM), R. Maciver, M. Marano (left at 11:42
AM), T. Pinn (left at 11:42 AM), G. Weir (left at 11:42 AM),
A. Greentree, J. Gallagher, S. Gray
_____________________________________________________________________
1. Call to Order
Mayor Foster called the meeting to order at 9:30 AM.
2. Land Acknowledgement Statement
Councillor Jones lead the meeting in the Land Acknowledgement Statement.
3. New Business – Introduction
Councillor Traill asked that a new business item, regarding Street Naming, be
added to the New Business – Consideration section of the agenda.
Councillor Traill asked that a new business item, regarding a Skate Trail, be
added to the New Business – Consideration section of the agenda.
Councillor Traill asked that a new business item, regarding United Shorelines
Ontario (USO) Clarington Rally, be added to the New Business – Consideration
section of the agenda.
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General Government Committee Minutes January 6, 2020
2
4. Adopt the Agenda
Resolution # GG-001-20
Moved by Councillor Zwart
Seconded by Councillor Traill
That the Agenda for the General Government Committee meeting of January 6,
2020 be adopted as presented with the addition of a New Business Items:
Street Naming
Skate Trail
United Shorelines Ontario (USO) Clarington Rally
Carried
5. Declaration of Interest
Councillor Hooper declared an direct interest in Unfinished Business Item 22.2,
Memo from Anne Greentree, Municipal Clerk, regarding
Correspondence Item 10.1 and Item 3 of General Government Report Dated
November 4, 2019- Report CLD-023-19 Regarding Taxicab Drivers Licence
Application - Appeal.
6. Announcements
Members of Committee announced upcoming community events and matters of
community interest.
7. Adoption of Minutes of Previous Meeting
7.1 Minutes of a Regular Meeting of General Government Committee dated
November 25, 2019
Resolution # GG-002-20
Moved by Councillor Jones
Seconded by Councillor Hooper
That the minutes of the regular meeting of the General G overnment Committee
meeting held on November 25, 2019, be approved.
Carried
7.2 Minutes of a Special Meeting of General Government Committee dated
December 6, 2019
Resolution # GG-003-20
Moved by Councillor Jones
Seconded by Councillor Anderson
That the minutes of the special meeting of the General Government Committee
meeting held on December 6, 2019, be approved.
Carried
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General Government Committee Minutes January 6, 2020
3
8. Delegations
8.1 Sheila Hall, Executive Director and Bonnie Wrightman, Manager of
Business Development, Clarington Board of Trade, Regarding Unfinished
Business Item 22.3, 2019 Q3 KPI Report
Sheila Hall, Executive Director and Bonnie Wrightman, Manager of Business
Development, Clarington Board of Trade (CBOT), were present regarding
Unfinished Business Item 22.3. Ms. Hall advised the Committee that 2019 was a
prosperous year for Clarington and CBOT looks forward to working with the
business community in 2020. She noted that there are several projects that
happened in 2019 that will be completed in 2020, including Toyota and East
Penn. Ms. Hall thanked the Committee for their support and stated they were
available to answer questions.
Alter the Agenda
Resolution # GG-004-20
Moved by Councillor Traill
Seconded by Councillor Zwart
That the Agenda be altered to consider Unfinished Business Item 22.3 at this
time.
Carried
8.2 Update from the Clarington Board of Trade - 2019 Q3 KPI Report
Resolution # GG-005-20
Moved by Councillor Jones
Seconded by Councillor Hooper
That the Unfinished Business Item 22.3, regarding Update from the Claringt on
Board of Trade - 2019 Q3 KPI Report, be received with thanks.
Carried
9. Communications – Receive for Information
Resolution # GG-006-20
Moved by Councillor Anderson
Seconded by Councillor Hooper
That Communication Items 9.1 and 9.2, be received for inf ormation on consent.
Carried
9.1 Minutes of the Newcastle Business Improvement Area dated
November 14, 2019
9.2 Minutes of the Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority
dated November 21, 2019
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General Government Committee Minutes January 6, 2020
4
10. Communications – Direction
10.1 Becky Jamieson, Municipal Clerk, Township of Brock, Regarding
Announcement by the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Aligning
Provincial and Municipal Fiscal Years
Resolution # GG-007-20
Moved by Councillor Zwart
Seconded by Councillor Hooper
That the following resolution from the Township of Brock, regarding an
announcement by the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Aligning
Provincial and Municipal Fiscal Years, be endorsed by the Municipality of
Clarington:
Whereas currently the municipal fiscal year in Ontario begins on
January 1, while the Provincial fiscal year begins on April 1;
Whereas the Province has announced that they would like to align the
provincial and municipal budget years;
Whereas the Province will begin consultations on aligning the Provincial
and Municipal fiscal year in 2020;
Whereas aligning the municipal fiscal year with the Province's will
involve significant staff time and resources for all municipalities in
Ontario;
Now therefore be it resolved that the Township of Brock Council
requests that the Province ensure that their consultation and review of
the alignment of the municipal and provincial fiscal years includes a
review of the impact it will have to all municipalities in Ontario;
Further, that appropriate funding to offset any costs associated with the
change be made available to all municipalities in Ontario; and
That the Municipal Clerk circulate a copy of this resolution to Minister of
Municipal Affairs and Housing, M.P.P. Laurie Scott, AMCTO, AMO,
MFOA, and all GTA municipalities.
Carried
10.2 Kevin Narraway, Manager of Legislative Service/Deputy Clerk, Town of
Whitby, Regarding Gas Tax Funds
Resolution # GG-008-20
Moved by Councillor Zwart
Seconded by Councillor Jones
That the following resolution from the Town of Whitby, regarding Gas Tax Funds,
be endorsed by the Municipality of Clarington:
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General Government Committee Minutes January 6, 2020
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Whereas Canada has responded to the climate change emergency
through commitments to a zero carbon future;
And Whereas there are global and national shifts in reducing
greenhouse gas emissions from transportation by reducing reliance on
fossil fuel powered vehicles; and,
And Whereas the Gas Tax Funds, which are permanent and much
valued sources of funding for municipal infrastructure priorities, derives
funding from fossil-fuel taxation, the use of which will be reduced in the
coming years as dependence on them decreases.
Now therefore be it resolved:
That the Council of the Town of Whitby requests the Federal
Government and Provincial Government ensure that funding for
municipalities through their Gas Tax Funds remains sustainable to
facilitate effective service delivery and infrastructure maintenance
by having the funds supplemented through means other than the
taxation of gas and diesel;
That the Federal Government and Provincial Government consider
renaming their Gas Tax Funds to reflect more sustainable sources
of funding;
That the Federal Government and Provincial Government consider
providing a set dollar amount or an increasing percentage of
revenue to municipalities as the reliance on fossil fuels is reduced;
and,
That the Clerk be directed to circulate this resolution to the Region
of Durham, Durham Region local municipalities, MPP Lorne Coe,
MP Ryan Turnbull, AMO and FCM.
Carried
10.3 Memo from Amy Burke, Acting Manager of Special Projects, Regarding
Emerald Ash Borer Funding Assistance
Resolution # GG-009-20
Moved by Councillor Zwart
Seconded by Councillor Anderson
That the following resolution from the Clarington Agricultural Advisory
Committee, regarding Emerald Ash Borer Funding Assistance, be endorsed by
the Municipality of Clarington:
Whereas the Municipality continues to address the devastating effect of
Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) on public lands, at a significant cost, and is
working on a long-term strategy to secure the resources necessary for
the removal and replacement of EAB affected trees in rural roadside
areas;
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General Government Committee Minutes January 6, 2020
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And whereas farmers, as significant private landowners, are also
heavily impacted by the spread of EAB across the naturalized areas of
their properties;
And whereas, despite there being programs and funds to support tree
planting and replanting, there are no monies available to assist farmers
with the removal of EAB affected trees;
And whereas healthy woodlands contribute environmental, ecological,
economic and
health benefits to communities and Ontario’s agricultural system;
Therefore, be it resolved that the Council of the Municipality of
Clarington urges the Province of Ontario to renew its commitment to
address the spread of invasive species through the provision of funding
to Ontario farmers to assist with the cost of removing dead ash trees on
private farmland;
That a copy of this resolution be circulated to all Durham Region
municipalities and the Region of Durham for endorsement;
That a copy of this resolution be circulated to the Association of
Municipalities of Ontario; and
That a copy of this resolution be directed to Doug Ford, Premier of
Ontario; the Honourable John Yakabuski, Minister of Natural Resources
and Forestry; the Honourable Ernie Hardeman, Minister of Agriculture,
Food and Rural Affairs; Lindsey Park, MPP (Durham); and David
Piccini, MPP (Northumberland-Peterborough South).
Carried
10.4 Myles Brandt, President & General Manager, Canadian Tire Motorsport
Park, Regarding Flyby Approval Request
Resolution # GG-010-20
Moved by Councillor Hooper
Seconded by Councillor Traill
That the Municipality of Clarington send letters of support for a flyby by Canadian
Armed Forces aircraft as low as 500 feet, for the following events at Canadian
Tire Motorsport Park for transit, practice and shows: Castrol Victoria Day
SpeedFest - May 17, 2020, Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix - July 5, 2020,
Chevrolet Silverado 250 - September 6, 2020.
Carried
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General Government Committee Minutes January 6, 2020
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10.5 Susan Cassel, City Clerk, City of Pickering, Regarding National School Bus
Safety Week and Stop Arm Cameras
Resolution # GG-011-20
Moved by Councillor Anderson
Seconded by Councillor Zwart
That the following resolution from the City of Pickering, regarding National School
Bus Safety Week and Stop Arm Cameras, be endorsed by t he Municipality of
Clarington:
That Corr. 36-19, dated October 18, 2019, from Pierre Ranger, Chair,
Let’s Remember Adam – Stop for the School Bus, be endorsed; and
That this resolution be circulated to the Minister of Transportation,
Minister of Education, Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO),
Durham District School Board, Durham Catholic District School Board,
Conseil Scolaire Viamonde, Durham Regional Police Service, the
Region of Durham, and all Durham Region municipalities for their
consideration.
Carried
10.6 Amelia Humphries, City Clerk, City of Woodstock, Regarding Ban of Single-
Use Plastic Handled Shopping Bags
Resolution # GG-012-20
Moved by Councillor Hooper
Seconded by Councillor Traill
That Communication Item 10.6, Amelia Humphries, City Clerk, City of
Woodstock, Regarding Ban of Single-Use Plastic Handled Shopping Bags, be
received with thanks.
Carried
10.7 Betsy Puthon, Executive Assistant to Mayor Cam Guthrie, City of Guelph,
Large Urban Mayors' Caucus of Ontario, Regarding Advocacy Funding
Initiative
Resolution # GG-013-20
Moved by Councillor Zwart
Seconded by Councillor Hooper
That Council approve the $5000 contribution to LUMCO's advocacy initiative to
be paid from the Rate Stabilization Reserve Fund.
Carried
11. Presentations
No Presentations
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12. Engineering Services Department Reports
No Reports for this section of the Agenda.
Councillor Hooper chaired this portion of the meeting.
13. Operations Department Reports
13.1 OPD-001-20 Contracting Out of Snow Plow Routes
Resolution # GG-014-20
Moved by Councillor Jones
Seconded by Councillor Traill
That Report OPD-001-20, be referred to the next Regular Council Meeting dated
January 20, 2020.
Motion Lost
Resolution # GG-015-20
Moved by Mayor Foster
Seconded by Councillor Anderson
That Report OPD-001-20 be received;
That Council approve, as requested in the 2019 Capital Budget submission, the
purchase of two additional single axle combination plow trucks that are to be
90% funded through development charges; and
That staff be directed to issue a tender as soon as possible requiring that two
pieces of equipment be provided on November 1, 2020; and add additional
routes to the contract each year as existing combination snow plow trucks reach
the end of their service life and are scheduled for replacement.
Carried
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General Government Committee Minutes January 6, 2020
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Councillor Zwart chaired this portion of the meeting.
14. Emergency and Fire Services Department Reports
14.1 ESD-001-20 Automatic Aid Agreement – Oshawa Fire Services – Highway
401 Update
Resolution # GG-016-20
Moved by Councillor Hooper
Seconded by Councillor Jones
That Report ESD-001-20 be received;
That the Mayor and Clerk be authorized to execute the Automatic Aid Agreement
with Oshawa Fire Services, Attachment 1 to Report ESD-001-20; and
That all interested parties listed in Report ESD-001-20, and any delegations be
advised of Council’s decision.
Carried
Councillor Traill chaired this portion of the meeting.
15. Community Services Department Reports
15.1 CSD-001-20 2019 Community Event Sponsorship Request – Fall Intake
Missed Application
Resolution # GG-017-20
Moved by Councillor Jones
Seconded by Councillor Hooper
That Report CSD-001-20 be received;
That Council consider the Doors Open Sponsorship request; and
That the interested parties listed in Report CSD-001-20, and any delegations be
advised of Council’s decision.
Carried
Doors Open Clarington
Resolution # GG-018-20
Moved by Mayor Foster
Seconded by Councillor Hooper
That the Sponsorship Application #S20-07, from Doors Open Clarington, be
approved in the amount of $2000.00.
Carried
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General Government Committee Minutes January 6, 2020
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Councillor Jones chaired this portion of the meeting.
16. Municipal Clerk’s Department Reports
16.1 CLD-001-20 Fireworks By-law 2015-047
Resolution # GG-019-20
Moved by Mayor Foster
Seconded by Councillor Zwart
That Report CLD-001-20 be received;
That the Municipal Law Enforcement Division, Emergency & Fire Services
Department, and the Communications Division be directed to develop and
implement an education campaign to raise awareness of the issues relate d to
fireworks; and
That all interested parties listed in Report CLD-001-20 and any delegations be
advised of Council’s decision.
Carried
Mayor Foster chaired this portion of the meeting.
17. Corporate Services Department Reports
No Reports for this section of the Agenda.
18. Finance Department Reports
18.1 FND-001-20 Temporary Borrowing By-law for 2020
Resolution # GG-020-20
Moved by Councillor Zwart
Seconded by Councillor Hooper
That Report FND-001-20 be received; and
That the By-law attached to Report FND-001-20 as Attachment 1, be approved.
Carried
19. Solicitor’s Department Reports
No Reports for this section of the Agenda.
20. CAO Office Reports
No Reports for this section of the Agenda.
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21. New Business – Consideration
21.1 Deep Retrofit Program Funding
Resolution # GG-021-20
Moved by Councillor Hooper
Seconded by Councillor Anderson
Whereas the Municipality of Clarington strives to sustain our environment for
future generations and to foster a heathy community that nurtures the wellbeing
of residents to provide a high quality of life indefinitely;
Whereas the Municipality of Clarington recognizes that it has a role in reducing
the local and global environmental damages associated with the production,
transportation and use of energy;
Whereas the Municipality of Clarington recognizes the need to reduce the
greenhouse gas emissions that are contributing to climate change to minimize
the likelihood of catastrophic climate change and the damaging impacts that it
will have on humans and the environment;
Whereas the Municipality of Clarington is taking action to implement climate
change mitigation and adaptation actions that are within our control through
energy conservation and demand management planning and the development of
the Clarington Climate Action Plan;
Whereas the Municipality of Clarington recognizes the need for energy expenses
to be minimized to minimize the financial burden on residents, businesses and
the municipality; and
Whereas the Municipality of Clarington has collaborated on the devel opment of
the Durham Community Energy Plan, which promotes deep energy retrofits as a
key action to transition to a prosperous low carbon economy and ensure the
wellbeing of our community and environment;
Now therefore be it resolved that
The Council of the Municipality of Clarington encourages the Provincial
Government of Ontario and Federal Government of Canada to develop and
financially support programing that helps residents, businesses and
municipalities reduce their energy consumption and associated greenhouse gas
emissions;
That the Mayor, on behalf of Clarington Municipal Council, be directed to forward
this resolution to the Right Honorable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada,
with the request that the Federal Government dedicate funding to develop and
fund programs that assist residents, businesses and municipalities to undertake
deep energy retrofits;
That the Mayor, on behalf of Clarington Municipal Council, be directed to forward
this resolution to the Honourable Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario, with the request
that the Government of Ontario dedicate funding to develop and fund programs
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that assist residents, businesses and municipalities to undertake deep energy
retrofits;
That a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Honourable Erin O’Toole, MP
(Durham), Honourable Philip Lawrence MP (Northumberland-Peterborough
South), Lindsey Park, MPP (Durham), David Piccini, MPP (Northumberland-
Peterborough South); and
That a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Region of Durham.
Carried
Recess
Resolution # GG-022-20
Moved by Councillor Jones
Seconded by Councillor Anderson
That the Committee recess for 10 minutes.
Carried
The meeting reconvened at 10:59 AM with Mayor Foster in the Chair.
21.2 Motion arising out of the Delegation from the Clarington Board of Trade
Resolution # GG-023-20
Moved by Councillor Traill
Seconded by Councillor Zwart
That the Municipal Solicitor be directed to provide answers to the following
questions, for the March 9, 2020 General Government Committee meeting.
1. Do the Municipality of Clarington and the Regional Municipality of Durham
have the same jurisdictional powers?
2. Does the Municipality of Clarington have jurisdictional power under the
Municipal Act to provide economic development services?
3. Does the Regional Municipality of Durham have the jurisdictional power under
the Municipal Act to provide economic development services?
4. Does the Regional Municipality of Durham have the authority to delegate
jurisdictional powers to the Municipality of Clarington?
5. Does the Municipality of Clarington have the authority to delegate the
Regional Municipality of Durham’s jurisdictional power to provide economic
development services as defined in section 1(1) of the Municipal Act to the
Clarington Board of Trade?
6. Does the Municipality of Clarington have the authority to delegate to the
Clarington Board of Trade its legislative and quasi-judicial powers regarding
economic development services?
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7. Does the Municipality of Clarington have the authority to delegate its
legislative and quasi-judicial powers regarding economic development
services indirectly, via an officer or employee of the Municipality of
Clarington?
8. When the Municipality of Clarington originally passed a by-law contracting the
Clarington Board of Trade to provide economic development services, did this
action create a conflict between a by-law passed by a lower-tier municipality
and a by-law passed by its upper tier municipality? If so, would section
13.1(1) of the Municipal Act render Clarington’s by-law inoperative to the
extent that it frustrates an integral part of a system of its upper tier
municipality (i.e. the provision of economic development services)?
9. Do any municipal, provincial or federal statutes regarding conflict of interest
apply to members and to employees of the Clarington Board of Trade?
10. What mechanisms including accountability mechanisms and disciplinary
mechanisms are in place currently to regulate employees and to regulate
members of the Clarington Board of Trade?
11. Are the employees and members of the Clarington Board of Trade regulated
by the Ontario Municipal Act Part V.1 with respect to code of conduct, duty of
confidentiality, inquiries and investigations?
12. In the event it is confirmed that the Municipality of Clarington, a lower-tier
Municipality, has violated the Municipal Act by contracting economic
development services to the Clarington Board of Trade, Is there any legal
liability attaching to the Municipality of Clarington regarding same, generally
and specifically, with reference to third party actions brought against the
Municipality (i.e. for interference with ? Are there any consequences for
individual Councillors for allowing a continuance of the arrangement?
13. Would the current arrangement between the Clarington Board of Trade and
the Municipality of Clarington violate the doctrine of “good faith” in the
performance of contracts, as set forth in Bhasin and Hrynew?
14. In the event it is confirmed that the Municipality of Clarington and the
Clarington Board of Trade’s current arrangement violates the Municipal Act,
would the Durham Insurance Pool cover the costs of any third party legal
action brought against the Municipality arising out of same?
15. If the contract with the Clarington Board of Trade is not rendered inoperative
or invalid on the grounds of being ultra vires and/or void ab initio by virtue of
the delegation of powers under the Municipal Act, and specifically, the
delegation of economic development services, can Municipality of Clarington
to terminate the current Clarington Board of Trade contract and enter into an
agreement with the Region of Durham for the Region of Durham to provide
economic development services for Clarington?
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16. Can the contract between Clarington and the Region of Durham to provide
economic development services for Clarington include accountability
measures, such as benchmarks and a quarterly report to Council on
progress?
17. Is there a clause in the contract which we have signed with CBOT which
restricts CBOT from conducting any political activities?
18. If yes to above, why does CBOT host an all candidates meeting every time
we have an election?
19. Would it be considered a conflict of interest if a member of Council was a
current board member of CBOT? What about a past President of the CBOT?
That the CAO be directed to provide answers to the following questions, for the
March 9, 2020 General Government Committee meeting.
1. Over the last ten years, how much has the individual taxpayer in Clarington
paid to the Clarington Board of Trade?
2. What was the 2018 annual cost of these services (per taxpayer)?
3. What was the 2019 annual cost of these services? (per taxpayer)
4. What is the projected 2020 cost of these services? (per taxpayer)
5. Using the current financial modelling, what is the projected cost of the
Clarington Board of Trade providing the Municipality of Clarington with
economic development services over the next ten years? (per taxpayer and
globally)
Carried
21.3 Street Naming
Resolution # GG-024-20
Moved by Councillor Traill
Seconded by Councillor Anderson
Whereas the Price family has contributed significantly to Clarington, starting with
James Sydney Price who received the British War Medal and the Victory Medal
for his service in World War 1;
Whereas the Price family has been farming in Bowmanville since 1931 and
Price’s Country Market vegetable stand and farm has been a staple in east
Bowmanville for the past 30 years;
Whereas the Price family has donated vegetables, decorations, flowers and
Christmas trees to Bowmanville churches, local schools, and donated pumpkins
to the Bowmanville Veterinary Clinic for its fundraising for the Farley foundation
which helps other-abled people with payment of veterinary bills the Bowmanville
Museum the Bowmanville Legion, and sponsored Concerts in the Park;
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Whereas, with Phyllis Price having been a teacher in Clarington for thirty years,
the Price family also provided school tours to local school children to teach young
people about the importance of farming and growing local;
Now therefore be it resolved that:
1. In recognition of the contributions of the Price family, Clarington waive its
street-naming by-law to allow a new street to be named for Terry Price, with
proximity to Price’s Market being the primary consideration when selecting a
street;
2. The Price family be advised of Committee’s decision; and
3. Recognition of Terry Price and his family’s contributions be made at the
ratification of this Motion, if passed.
Carried
21.4 Skate Trail
Councillor Neal attended the meeting at 11:16 PM.
Resolution # GG-025-20
Moved by Councillor Traill
Seconded by Councillor Jones
Whereas Clarington has over twenty-one kilometres of trails and is committed to
promoting active and healthy living, and
Whereas ice skating trails are currently one of the most popular winter activities
in Ontario; and
Whereas Clarington residents have expressed a strong support for an ice skating
trail in Bowmanville;
Now therefore be it resolved that:
1. Staff investigate and report back on building and operating a one kilometre
looped ice skating trail similar to the trail located at Arrowhead Provincial Park
in the north quadrant of the former Bowmanville Zoo property, i.e. north of the
bridge over Soper Creek, with Staff considering funding options, including
having the cost of annual trail construction, operation and maintenance to be
paid or subsidized via skate trail / park user fee (i.e. $20 per vehicle);
2. Staff to investigate and report back on alternate or additional future sites for
ice skating trails, and potential skate trail connectivity; including:
a. The Soper Creek floodplain east of Hobbs Drive (parking at Soper
Creek Park and on south side of Highway 2 at Bowmanville Zoo, with
easy access to bring in Zamboni); and
b. The future Camp 30 site.
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16
3. Staff to report back on whether ice resurfacing equipment can be borrowed
from existing facilities or if specialized equipment needs to be purchased (i.e.
a Zamboni attachment for a tractor; water truck); and
4. Staff be invited to seek input from other Municipalities which operate ice
skating trails; and
5. Staff to report back to Committee by July, 2020 with recommendations for
inclusion in the 2021 budget.
Carried
21.5 United Shorelines Ontario (USO) Clarington Rally
Resolution # GG-026-20
Moved by Councillor Traill
Seconded by Councillor Jones
That the information regarding the date and location of the United Shorelines
Ontario (USO) Clarington rally, in protest of the International Joint Commission’s
(IJC) Plan 2014, be referred to the Communications Division to be placed on
Clarington’s website as well as preparation of a media advisory, when the
information becomes available.
Carried
22. Unfinished Business
22.1 Report COD-023-19 - Miscellaneous Catch Basin and Maintenance Hole
Repairs
Resolution # GG-027-20
Moved by Councillor Anderson
Seconded by Councillor Hooper
That Report COD-023-19 be received;
That Coco Paving Inc. having satisfactorily completed the initial one year term as
approved in Resolution #C-047-19 (Attachment #1), with an annual bid in the
amount of $133,032.00 (Net HST Rebate) being the lowest compliant bidder
meeting all terms, conditions and specifications of Tender CL2018-33 be
awarded the contract for a second one year term, as required by the Operations
Department;
That pending satisfactory performance and the Operations Department
confirmation following an internal work assessment the Purchasing Manager, in
consultation with the Director of Operations, be given the authority to extend the
contract for this service for up to two additional one year terms;
That the funds required for this project in the amount of $139,683.00 (Net HST
Rebate) which includes the construction cost of $133,032.00 (Net HST Rebate)
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General Government Committee Minutes January 6, 2020
17
and contingency cost of $6,651.00 (Net HST Rebate) be funded by the
Municipality as follows:
Description Account Number Amount
Catch Basin/Sewer Mntnc 100-36-380-10245-7163 77,000
Engineering Pavement Rehab 110-32-330-83212-7401 62,683
That all interested parties listed in Report COD-023-19, and any delegations be
advised of Council’s decision.
Yes (5): Mayor Foster, Councillor Anderson, Councillor Hooper, Councillor Traill, and
Councillor Zwart
No (2): Councillor Jones, and Councillor Neal
Carried (5 to 2)
Recess
Resolution # GG-028-20
Moved by Councillor Traill
Seconded by Councillor Neal
That the Committee recess for 10 minutes.
Carried
The meeting reconvened at 11:30 AM with Mayor Foster in the Chair.
The foregoing resolution #GG-027-20 was then put to a recorded vote and
carried.
22.2 Memo from Anne Greentree, Municipal Clerk, regarding Correspondence
Item 10.1 and Item 3 of General Government Report Dated November 4,
2019- Report CLD‑023-19 Regarding Taxicab Drivers Licence Application -
Appeal
Councillor Hooper declared an indirect interest in Memo from Anne Greentree,
Municipal Clerk, regarding Correspondence Item 10.1 and Item 3 of General
Government Report Dated November 4, 2019- Report CLD‑023-19 Regarding
Taxicab Drivers Licence Application - Appeal, as the applicant is a former
employee of his personal business. Councillor Hooper left the meeting.
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General Government Committee Minutes January 6, 2020
18
Closed Session
Resolution # GG-029-20
Moved by Councillor Zwart
Seconded by Councillor Jones
That, in accordance with Section 239 (2) of the Municipal Act, 2001, as
amended, the meeting be closed for the purpose of discussing a matter that
deals with personal matters about an identifiable individual, including municipal
or local board employees.
Carried
Rise and Report
The meeting resumed in open session at 11:59 AM.
Mayor Foster advised that one item was discussed in “closed” session in
accordance with Section 239(2) of the Municipal Act, 2001 and one resolution
was passed on a procedural matter.
Suspend the Rules
Resolution # GG-030-20
Moved by Councillor Neal
Seconded by Councillor Jones
That the Rules of Procedure be suspended to extend the meeting for an
additional 5 minutes.
Carried
Resolution # GG-031-20
Moved by Councillor Neal
Seconded by Councillor Jones
That Confidential Report CLD-023-19 be received;
That the application for a taxi driver licence, submitted by Sandra MacDonald, be
denied; and
That all interested parties listed in Report CLD-023-19 and any delegations be
advised of Council’s decision.
Carried
22.3 Update from the Clarington Board of Trade - 2019 Q3 KPI Report
Unfinished Business Item 22.3 was considered earlier in the meeting during the
delegation portion of the agenda.
23. Confidential Reports
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General Government Committee Minutes January 6, 2020
19
24. Adjournment
Resolution # GG-032-20
Moved by Councillor Traill
Seconded by Councillor Zwart
That the meeting adjourn at 12:03 PM.
Carried
________________________________ ________________________________
Mayor Deputy Clerk
Page 23
1
If this information is required in an alternate format, please contact the
Accessibility Co-ordinator at 905-623-3379 ext. 2131
Special General Government Committee
Minutes
Date:
Time:
Location:
January 10, 2020
9:30 AM
Council Chambers, 2nd Floor
Municipal Administrative Centre
40 Temperance Street
Bowmanville, Ontario
Present Were: Mayor A. Foster, Councillor G. Anderson,
Councillor R. Hooper, Councillor J. Jones, Councillor J. Neal,
Councillor C. Traill, Councillor M. Zwart
Staff Present: A. Allison, G. Acorn, T. Pinn, A. Greentree, J. Gallagher,
S. Gray
_____________________________________________________________________
1. Call to Order
Mayor Foster called the meeting to order at 9:30 AM.
2. Land Acknowledgement Statement
Councillor Neal led the meeting in the Land Acknowledgment Statement.
3. Declaration of Interest
There were no disclosures of interest stated at this meeting.
4. Delegations
4.1 Linda Kent, Library Director, Clarington Public Library and Steven Cooke,
Chair, Clarington Public Library Board, Regarding the 2020 Operating and
Capital Budget
Linda Kent, Library Director, Clarington Public Library and Steven Cooke, Chair,
Clarington Public Library Board were present regarding the 2020 Operating and
Capital Budget. They made a verbal presentation to accompany an electronic
presentation. Mr. Cooke stated that the Library Board now includes oversight of
the Clarington Museums & Archives. He reviewed their 2020 municipal budget
request of $3,515,599.00 which includes a 2% increase. Mr. Cooke advised the
Committee that they are requesting capital funding of $291,765.00. He noted
that the Library has maintained their capital request for Collections Materials and
decreased their capital request for Technology by $10,000.00. Mr. Cooke stated
that, in 2020, the Library and Museum are respectfully requesting $50,000 to
support a joint Strategic Plan. He explained that the Library’s Strategic Plan was
written 10 years ago and was postponed in 2019 pending the potential merger
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Special General Government Committee Minutes January 10, 2020
2
with the museum. Mr. Cooke noted that neighbouring, and other comparably-
sized libraries in the Greater Toronto Area, have a median cost per capita for
libraries of $45.37 and Clarington’s Public Library’s cost per capital was the
lowest at $34.85 per person. He provided the Committee with an overview of the
programs offered by the Clarington Public Library. Mr. Cooke stated that the
Library’s Bowmanville Branch Accessibility renovation is well underway and they
are looking forward to removing barriers thus creating a more welcoming space
for everyone in our community. He provided the Committee with an overview of
the Museum's programs and accomplishments. Mr. Cooke concluded by
thanking the Committee and offered to answer any questions.
Suspend
Resolution # GG-033-20
Moved by Councillor Neal
Seconded by Councillor Traill
That the rules of procedure be suspended to allow the Delegation of Linda Kent,
Library Director, Clarington Public Library and Steven Cooke, Chair, Clarington
Public Library Board, to be asked questions from the Committee.
Carried
Resolution # GG-034-20
Moved by Councillor Hooper
Seconded by Councillor Traill
That the delegation of Linda Kent, Library Director, Clarington Public Library and
Steven Cooke, Chair, Clarington Public Library Board, Regarding the 2020
Operating and Capital Budget, be received with thanks
Carried
4.2 Angie Darlison, Executive Director, Bowmanville Older Adult Association,
Regarding the 2020 Operating and Capital Budget
Angie Darlison, Executive Director, and David Penne y, Vice President,
Bowmanville Older Adult Association (BOAA) were present regarding the 2020
Operating and Capital Budget. They made a verbal presentation to accompany
an electronic presentation. Ms. Darlison advised the Committee that the BOAA
had a very successful 2019 but need the financial contribution to sustain their
level of services and the facility. She highlighted the BOAA's mission and vision
statements and their core values. Ms. Darlison provided an overview of
membership by location, age and gender and the amount of volunteers and
hours logged. She stated that they have 307 registered volunteers, who logged
23,879 hours. Ms. Darlison provided an update on the programs offered in 2019.
She noted that they have participated in many community events, increased
community partnerships, and increased advertising and marketing. She
explained that the Association’s 2020 strategic priorities include: our people, our
activities, our community, our organization, our image. She requested that the
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Special General Government Committee Minutes January 10, 2020
3
Members of Committee support their $312,936.00 budget request so that the
BOAA can continue to provide quality services to the members of the community.
Ms. Darlison answered questions from the Committee.
Resolution # GG-035-20
Moved by Councillor Neal
Seconded by Councillor Zwart
That the delegation of Angie Darlison, Executive Director, and David Penney,
Vice President, Bowmanville Older Adult Association, be received with thanks.
Carried
4.3 Veronica Breen, Coordinator, Clarington Youth Centres (John Howard
Society), regarding the 2020 Operating and Capital Budget
Veronica Breen, Coordinator, and Patti Harrington, Finance Manager, Clarington
Youth Centres (John Howard Society), was present regarding the 2020
Operating and Capital Budget. She made a verbal presentation to accompany
an electronic presentation. Ms. Breen advised the Committee that 2019 was a
record year for Clarington Youth Centres and highlighted various memorable
events of 2019. She advised the Committee that, after the successful six month
pilot phases at the two new centres, The Loft in Courtice and NYC in Newcastle,
the funding was provided to move into a more permanent program model to meet
the Clarington Community’s ongoing need for youth friendly programming and
spaces for youth to connect and feel accepted. She noted that the ongoing
operation and expansion of the Clarington Youth Centres would not be possible
without their valued supporters, donors, and sponsors. Ms. Breen highlighted
some of the supporters that contributed to the success of their events over this
past year. She reviewed a slideshow of photos of various events and
partnerships. Ms. Breen provided an overview of all three Clarington Youth
Centres including, the number of visits, number of clients, age breakdown and
average visits per day. She explained that the values of the Clarington Youth
Centres and the importance of the Clarington Youth Centres provide youth with
more opportunities to learn, develop, connect with their community, and
empower youth to get involved. Ms. Breen reviewed their 2020 municipal budget
request of $331,226.00 and provided an overview of the budget request between
the three Youth Centres. She explained that the budget request increase for the
Firehouse Youth Centre is to increase operating hours, solidify the staffing model
and to meet the need of the local youth. She concluded by thanking members of
Committee and offered to answer any questions.
Councillor Neal left the meeting at 10:17 am.
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Special General Government Committee Minutes January 10, 2020
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Resolution # GG-036-20
Moved by Councillor Hooper
Seconded by Councillor Jones
That the delegation of Veronica Breen, Coordinator, and Patti Harrington,
Finance Manager, Clarington Youth Centres (John Howard Society), be
received with thanks.
Carried
4.4 Dionne Powlenzuk, Executive Director, Visual Arts Centre of Clarington,
Regarding the 2020 Operating and Capital Budget
Dionne Powlenzuk, Executive Director, Mary-Anne Slemon, President, and Joel
Yelle, Visual Arts Centre of Clarington (VAC) were present regarding the 2020
Operating and Capital Budget. They made a verbal presentation to accompany
an electronic presentation. Ms. Powlenzuk advised the Committee that the VAC
is requesting $219,366.00 from the Municipality of Clarington, and noted that this
is an increase of 2% from the 2019 request, and consisten t with previous years'
requests. Ms. Powlenzuk explained that, in 2019, they changed the scheduling
around each exhibition, to provide a better experience for their visitors, the
community and the artists who show in their space. She provided the Committee
with an overview of the VAC’s accomplishments, community events, and
partnerships in 2019. Ms. Powlenzuk highlighted the upcoming exhibits
scheduled for 2020. She advised the Committee that the VAC has been
recognized by the Ontario Arts Council (OAC) and received two grants from the
Young Canada Works - Building Careers in Heritage program, allowing them to
hire two recently graduated students to work for six months as paid interns and
the VAC benefited significantly from this program. Ms. Powlenzuk explained
that, as the community in Clarington grows, the organization continues to benefit
from this growth and they are seeing an increase in membership and enrollment,
and more requests for programs, workshops and events.
Councillor Neal joined the meeting at 10:24 am.
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Special General Government Committee Minutes January 10, 2020
5
Suspend the Rules
Resolution # GG-037-20
Moved by Councillor Traill
Seconded by Councillor Neal
That the Rules of Procedure be suspended to allow the delegation of Dionne
Powlenzuk, Executive Director, Mary-Anne Slemon, President, and Joel Yelle,
Visual Arts Centre of Clarington (VAC), to be extended for an additional two
minutes.
Carried
She noted that the VAC is dedicated to providing high quality programs and
opportunities for our membership and to the community. Ms. Powlenzuk
concluded by reviewing their 2020 municipal budget request. She thanked the
Committee and answered questions from the Committee.
Resolution # GG-038-20
Moved by Councillor Traill
Seconded by Councillor Anderson
That the delegation of Dionne Powlenzuk, Executive Director, Mary-Anne
Slemon, President, and John Clausen, Treasurer, Visual Arts Centre of
Clarington (VAC), be received with thanks.
Carried
4.5 Deb Kalogris, Manager, Home Support – Clarington, Community Care
Durham, and James Meloche, Executive Director, Community Care
Durham Regarding the 2020 Operating and Capital Budget
Deb Kalogris, Manager, Home Support – Clarington, Community Care Durham,
and James Meloche, Executive Director, Community Care Durham (CCD) were
present regarding the 2020 Operating and Capital Budget. They made a verbal
presentation to accompany an electronic presentation. Mr. Meloche explained
that CCD is a registered charitable organization and has been in Durham Region
and in Clarington serving the community for over 40 years. He provided an
overview of the services they provide. Ms. Kalogris stated that, in 2017-2018,
1,900 volunteers and 300 staff provided services to 11,261 clients across
Durham Region. She noted that in Clarington 475 volunteers and staff provided
services to over 1900 clients. Ms. Kalogris advised the Committee that their
services will continue to be in demand as the population ages. She explained
that volunteers are an essential part of CCD, and displayed pictures of various
events/services they provide support to. Ms. Kalogris stated that, with the support
of the Municipality of Clarington, it will assist in the promotion of CCD services,
recruiting, training and retaining volunteers, and help to meet the growing
demand in Clarington for their services and help people age at home.
Councillor Traill left the meeting at 11:05 am.
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Special General Government Committee Minutes January 10, 2020
6
Suspend the Rules
Resolution # GG-039-20
Moved by Councillor Traill
Seconded by Councillor Neal
That the delegation of Deb Kalogris, Manager, Home Support – Clarington,
Community Care Durham, and James Meloche, Executive Director, Client
Services, Community Care Durham (CCD), be extended for an additional two
minutes.
Carried
Ms. Kalogris concluded by thanking members of Committee and offered to
answer any questions.
Resolution # GG-040-20
Moved by Councillor Hooper
Seconded by Councillor Jones
That the delegation of Deb Kalogris, Manager, Home Support – Clarington,
Community Care Durham, and Sally Barrie, Director, Client Services, Community
Care Durham (CCD), be received with thanks.
Carried
5. 2020 Budget - External Agency Submissions
Resolution # GG-041-20
Moved by Councillor Neal
Seconded by Councillor Anderson
That the 2020 Budget - External Agency Submissions, be referred to the 2020
Budget deliberations on February 24, 2020.
Carried
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Special General Government Committee Minutes January 10, 2020
7
6. Adjournment
Resolution # GG-042-20
Moved by Councillor Zwart
Seconded by Councillor Jones
That the meeting adjourn at 11:10 AM.
Carried
________________________________ ________________________________
Mayor Deputy Clerk
Page 30
Historic Downtown Bowmanville Business Centre (BIA)
Board of Management Meeting Minutes
Tuesday November 12, 2019; 6:30pm
Clarington Meeting Room 1-C
Present: Edgar Lucas, Chair
Laura Holmes, Secretary
Gerri Lucas, Treasurer
Justin Barry
Ron Hooper (6:30-6:55pm only)
Morgan James
Absent: Carrie Hooper
Cathy Holmes
Delegations Present: Jamie Nowe, Digital Services Squad Member for Digital Main Street Program
The meeting was called to order by the Chair.
1. Presentation by Delegations
Jamie Nowe – Digital Main Street Program
Jamie is employed with the grant money received from the OBIAA on behalf of the Bowmanville
BIA (and other area BIAs) by Teresa Shaver the Executive Director of the Business Advisory
Centre of Durham. His employment with Ms. Shaver and the Digital Main Street (DMS) program
extends until March 31, 2020. Jamie is also employed with webmarketingpro in Ajax.
Jamie is responsible for the DMS program in the following BIAs: Ajax, Pickering Village, Port
Perry, Orono, Newcastle, Bowmanville and Oshawa. There is another employee responsible for
Whitby and possibly other areas but Jamie did not know which ones.
Jamie provided a recap on how the program works. Businesses sign up with DMS. A digital
assessment is then completed. There are 8 hours of required online training videos that involve
short multiple choice quizzes. There is no limit on the number of times quizzes can be
attempted. Businesses then complete the grant proposal to apply for the $2500. Jamie is
available to assist throughout the process. If a business does not want to apply for the grant,
they can still access the training videos and request digital assistance from Jamie.
Jamie provided a list of 41 businesses that he had made contact with. Only 2 businesses had
applied and been awarded the grant. His last contact blitz was in July 2019. Of the 41, 5 were
not Bowmanville BIA members and should not have been provided services. A further 2 have
since left the BIA and 1 has changed ownership. With the significant turnover of businesses in
the Bowmanville BIA another blitz is necessary.
Jamie’s experience during the July blitz was that most business owners were not present when
he visited and instead he had to leave information with an employee. He received almost no
follow-up from owners, but admittedly did not make a second attempt to connect with those
businesses. He also heard from business owners that they were too busy to watch the required
Page 31
Historic Downtown Bowmanville 2 November 2019
Business Centre (BIA)
training videos and complete the application. There were others who felt the grant application
was daunting.
The application deadline for businesses to apply for the $2500 grant is December 31, 2019. As
of the end of summer, only approximately 30% of the grant monies had been awarded. Grant
processing time was approximately 2-3 weeks from submission, but this time is expected to
increase as the deadline approaches.
Grants administered by the OBIAA cease on December 31, 2019, but the educational aspects
such as the training materials and videos continue to be available until the end of March 2020.
Jamie will also be available to assist businesses until the end of March 2020. He also took this
opportunity to encourage businesses to reach out to the Business Advisory Centre of Durham, as
resources to assist business owners are available.
Jamie played a short video about the DMS program.
Jamie was provided with an updated Bowmanville BIA member list and asked to please make
contact with all listed businesses.
Jamie was also asked to provide information that the BIA could send via email to all members
about the program.
Departure of Councillor Hooper.
2. Adoption of Minutes
Moved by G. Lucas, seconded by M. James
THAT the minutes of the meeting of October 8, 2019 be approved as circulated.
CARRIED
3. Business Arising from Previous Minutes
(a) Winter Street Banners
Review of design proofs and quotes from Flags Unlimited and James Printing.
Moved by J. Barry, seconded by G. Lucas
THAT a design revision be requested from James Printing.
CARRIED
(b) Installation of Winter Decorations for Street Lamp Posts
Quote presented from James Printing and Signs for installation of new permanent brackets
and decorations.
Moved by L. Holmes, seconded by J. Barry
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Historic Downtown Bowmanville 3 November 2019
Business Centre (BIA)
THAT the quote be accepted and James Printing proceed with installation.
CARRIED
(c) Towing from Service Ontario Parking Lot
No feedback about towing was received following Applefest. This is attributed to large
warning signage at the Service Ontario parking lot entrance placed by the BIA, the additional
event parking provided at 45 Raines Avenue, social media and website campaigns
advertising free event parking, and community word of mouth/social media warnings. Bob’s
Towing also placed a warning on its social media about risk of towing if parking in private
lots that his business is under contract with.
(d) Digital Main Street Program
The program administered by the OBIAA is nearing its end.
Moved by J. Barry, seconded by M. James
THAT feedback on the program be provided to the OBIAA.
CARRIED
4. Correspondence
Correspondence was received from
i. June Gallagher, Deputy Clerk Municipality of Clarington, regarding council resolution
#GG-454-19
ii. June Gallagher, Deputy Clerk Municipality of Clarington, regarding council resolution
#GG-470-19
iii. Trevor Pinn, Deputy Treasurer Municipality of Clarington, regarding request for
preliminary 2020 budget submission
iv. Lindsay Dickson, Municipal Law Enforcement Clerk Municipality of Clarington, regarding
follow-up to 82 King St W complaint (via email)
v. Tracey Pettigrew, owner of Romancing The Home, regarding her concerns about the
Ladies Night Out scheduled at Garnet B. Rickard for November 8 (via email)
Moved by M. James, seconded by G. Lucas
THAT the correspondence items 4. ii, 4.iv., and 4.v. be received for information.
THAT a letter of response be issued on items 4.i. and 4.iii.
CARRIED
5. Treasurer’s Report
The Treasurer presented the following:
i. Financial spreadsheet provided
ii. $81 469 in current account with many invoices outstanding
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Historic Downtown Bowmanville 4 November 2019
Business Centre (BIA)
iii. Edward Jones Investments are closed
Moved by L. Holmes, seconded by J. Barry
THAT the Treasurer’s Report be adopted as presented.
CARRIED
6. Directors’ Reports
(a) Council Liaison – R. Hooper:
(Prior to departure) Reported that the next meeting about the Bowmanville East
Development will take place in the new year.
(b) Events – C. Holmes:
No report.
(c) Membership Relations – J. Barry:
Reported that The Bees Knees changed ownership, Petit Nordique is expanding into a
second location, Soper Creek Yarn has moved, Little Buck and Endivine Grill have not
announced opening dates, renovation work continues at the former Shooters Billiards
location.
(d) Streetscape – G. Lucas:
Reported that Van Belle Flowers delivered the winter hanging baskets today. Rekkers
Garden will deliver winter planters. Remembrance day and summer street banners will be
removed.
(e) Communications – M. James:
Reported no issues. Main communications have been related to Girls Night Out
participation.
(f) Website – L. Holmes:
Reported that the Instagram page now has over 1000 followers. Updates have been made
to the website event pages for Girls Night Out and Moonlight Magic. Nerivon hours of work
included in our 2019 hosting plan have been met/exceeded. Any additional work that
Nerivon is asked to perform in 2019 will result in extra fees. Information about website
upgrades will be provided in new business.
(g) Media Relations – C. Hooper:
No Report.
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Historic Downtown Bowmanville 5 November 2019
Business Centre (BIA)
7. New Business
(a) Nerivon – Website Upgrades
A series of quotes provided by Nerivon were presented. The BIA website is running on an
outdated platform and each time the server updates the BIA website is disabled and
knocked offline which requires a re-set by Nerivon. At minimum, the BIA website needs
upgraded to the new platform to avoid these issues. It may also be advisable to update the
look and features of the BIA website at the same time. Redesign will require a commitment
from the board to guide the changes and new directions and the contributions of time will
be significant.
Further discussion is deferred until 2020.
(b) Business Map
A suggestion for a business map of downtown Bowmanville was seen on social media. A
map would be helpful for visitors and new residents. With the seemingly rapid turnover of
businesses, concerns were raised that maps would quickly become outdated and updates to
maps would be a significant time commitment for the individual responsible.
An option may be to place a permanent structure at a location in the downtown that allows
for secure access. A printed map could then be swapped as necessary.
With a website upgrade, it may be possible to have a digital map of downtown linked back
to a business directory on the BIA website. Updates to a digital map would still be onerous
but in contrast to a printed map it would not be obsolete when a business changes.
Development of an app is also a possibility.
Further discussion is deferred until 2020.
(c) Joint Meeting with Newcastle and Orono BIAs
The BIAs of Newcastle and Orono have proposed a joint meeting of BIAs and request
potential dates of availability, preferably before the end of 2019.
Moved by M. James, seconded by L. Holmes
THAT the Executive Board is willing to participate in a joint meeting and potential dates will
be determined and shared with Newcastle and Orono representatives.
CARRIED
8. Date of Next Meeting
The next meeting of the Board of Management is scheduled to be held on Tuesday January 14,
2020 commencing at 6:30pm in Clarington Meeting Room 1-C.
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Historic Downtown Bowmanville 6 November 2019
Business Centre (BIA)
9. Adjournment
Moved by G. Lucas, seconded by L. Holmes
THAT the meeting adjourn.
CARRIED
The meeting adjourned at 8:41pm.
Page 36
Tyrone Community Centre Minutes
Wednesday November 20th, 2019 Meeting
7:00 – 9:00
Attendance: Larry Quinney, Lyndsay Luckhardt, Dave Taylor, Joy Vaneyk, Danielle Carroll,
Marlene Raby, Craig Raby, Alivina Hare, Greg Carroll, Paul Rowan, Janet Bell, Marlene Craig,
Steve Hutchinson, Kyle Young, Cecile Bowers, Dianne Woodley, Justin Vachon
Regrets: Corrine VandeGrootheveen, Corinna Traill, Dani McCarthy
Welcome
Approval of agenda – approved by Dave, seconded by Cecile
Approval of minutes from October – motioned by Joy to approve minutes, seconded by Marlene
Committee Reports
• Chair – Danielle – new furnace is ready to be installed. Hall will be converted over to propane. Girl’s
night out was a success and well attended. All that participated seemed to have fun. 24 vendors were
here. All the maintenance work orders have been submitted. The message board has arrived. Just pending
confirmation from Municipality on who is installing, us or them. Water fountain has also arrived and
pending a plumber to install.
• Vice Chair – Joy – will cover more during New and Old business
• Treasurer – Steve – provided the hall financials. Our current balance is $19008.34. Discussion was had in
regards to transferring money into our savings account to earn interest. Steve made a motion to place
$15,000 into the savings account, seconded by Kyle. All in favor. Carried. Motioned made by Alvina to
allow Joy and Dianne to set up a benevolent bank account and be signing authorities. Seconded by Cecile.
All in favor. Carried. Board will be provided account summaries during meetings. This goes back to
discussion had in February when t-shirts were first brought to the board in the hopes to raise monies for a
benevolent fund. Steve has agreed to stay on until Febr uary, will help train anyone coming into the
position.
• Rental Coordinator – Marlene – 1 event in November, all other rentals were community events. There is
a work shop being held on Nov 30th from 11-3. December is a little busier. Tractor parade is Dec 4th, Kids
movie night/dance on Dec 6th, 30+ dance on Dec 7th. Youth dance on Dec 13th, Breakfast with Santa Dec
14th. No back to back rentals that require help cleaning.
• Maintenance – Larry – will be looking into propane costs and negotiating for price. It was mentioned
that work requests will need to be submitted until ladders can be brought back as we do not have enough
to hold ladder training sessions.
• Grounds and Building Up Keep – Kyle – received an email that lights have been fixed. Someone was in
to look at rodent problems. Not sure what fixes were done. Will look into what exactly was completed
and done. The snow shield has not been completed as of yet. Danielle will place another work order for
that. Will put the “C” back on the building. The glass on the fire extinguisher was replaced.
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• 30+ Dance – Dave – 157 attended the last dance. Last December the attendance was low so not thinking
this years will be any higher. Joy mentioned that a girl from the Ladies Night is willing to come and
decorate for the dance.
• Shirts – Dianne – mentioned above in Treasurer report about bank account. Another order will be going
in soon.
New Business
• Proposal to make the cleaning a 2.5 hour job each cleaning time that way it will be easier to bill. Some
days might only take 1 hour and some a little longer. But it should all work out in the end. Discussion was
had, agreement was made that a set rate for cleaning after events would be put in place. Motion made by
Steve for flat rate for after event cleaning. Seconded by Craig. All in favor.
• Other events in the works or of interest – Kyle mentioned maybe having a Yuk Yuk night. Also possibly
having a Family event on Family Day weekend. More information and discussion will be had.
• Janet Bell Saving Money for products and supplies. – gave a little history to her background and the
company that she works for. Provided some feed back on some money saving areas for cleaning and janitorial
supplies like toilet paper and paper towels. Suggested and spoke about Sysco and the products that could be
purchased from them.
• Municipality Updates and Insurance – Danielle – All rentals need to provide special event insurance or
obtain it through the Municapality. This brought up lots of discussion around the table. Joy is looking into this
more and will communicate with Corrina.
Old Business
• Message Board – handled in Danielle’s report above.
• Water Fountain – handled in Danielle’s report above.
• Flyers to be handed out for all events. Please post anywhere let’s get people out to our little village and
get some more interest in what we do!
• Breakfast with Santa – What is the plan? Shopping
Joy will cover this, activities (Danielle),
set up 5-6:30pm on Friday (5 people
Paul, Marlene R, Danielle, Greg, Craig,
cooking (5 people)
Alvina, Marlene R, Greg,
Gord,
clean up (6 people)
Joy, Marlene, Greg, Craig,
Face Painting – Cecile, Laurie
• Girls Night Out – How did it go? – Mentioned in above report by Danielle
• Board Dinner – What and Where – discussion was had and it was decided that they would see about
booking an Italian caterer that was here for a wedding. Danielle will contact them and book.
• Ice Rink – updates – Danielle will contact Corrina to see where this is
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• Snow plowing – discussion was had and all quotes were presented at board table. It was decided that
we would use quote #1. Joy will contact them to let them know.
• Decorate for Christmas - All
• Other – All
Adjournment motion made at 9:25 by Dave and seconded by Larry.
NEXT MEETING Wednesday January 15th, 2020 7:00 pm
Page 39
STOP TRYING TO SOLVE TRAFFIC AND START BUILDING GREAT PLACES
Many studies are proving that congestion can be stopped by REMOVING CAR LANES, RESTRICTING
VEHICLES, IMPROVING TRANSIT, NOT EXTENDING ROADS OR NOT ADDING LANES. These are the only
ways how to reduce or eliminate congestion.
December 5, 2019 by Fanny Tremblay-Racicot
1. COSTS:
The environmental, social and economic costs associated with traffic congestion are real and affect the
health, quality of life and wallet of all taxpayers and citizens on a daily basis.
The consequences of road congestion are generally measured in terms of additional travel time, and
with the associated costs of vehicle use, such as fuel, depreciation and maintenance.
2. INCREASE IN GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS
Road congestion also increases the air pollution produced by the combustion of fossil fuels, leading to
an increase in respiratory problems, premature deaths and several types of cancer, especially for
neighboring populations, which are often disadvantaged.
Gasoline and diesel vehicles also emit carbon dioxide, a powerful greenhouse gas responsible for
global warming. In Canada, the entire transportation sector is the second largest source of greenhouse
gases emissions , accounting for 28 percent of total emissions.
Although greenhouse gas emissions from road congestion are not systematically inventoried, they are
often used to justify new road projects. But why does congestion persist, despite government
interventions to reduce it?
3.BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME MYTH
The government response to congestion problems has generally been to build new roads or widen
existing ones. However, this measure is ineffective because increasing capacity only increases vehicle
use.
4. ADDING ROADS DOES NOT IMPROVE THE ECONOMY
Although road infrastructure creates employment during its construction, most studies have not found
a link between increased road capacity and economic activity. Indeed, it is rather a displacement of
economic activity across the same metropolitan region that is observed.
5. INCRESING PUBLIC TRANSIT IS NOT ENOUGH TO REDUCE CONGESTION
In fact, if the objective is to reduce car traffic, the only effective method on the supply management
Page 40
side is reduction in road capacity, because the law of road congestion also works in the opposite
direction: what we refer to as "reduced demand." In addition to reducing travel demand, lane removal
and traffic restriction also have measurable and documented social, environmental and economic
benefits.
6. ECOFISCAL MEASURES
First, the imposition of eco-tax measures, such as the gas tax and the parking tax, can help reduce
vehicle use.
Eco-taxation also encourages motorists to use public and active modes of transport, provided that
these choices are available to them.
Teleworking, flexible working hours, parking management and so-called smart growth policies also
reduce travel distances and the need or willingness to travel by car. These measures have positive
consequences on public health, urban quality of life, land values, local consumption, etc.
The most effective planning choices are not always the most popular. To get them accepted, decision-
makers must act at the right time, use technical expertise, conduct pilot projects, find allies,
compensate for inconveniences and work with the various levels of government.
https://m.techxplore.com/news/2019-12-car-lanes-restrict-vehicles-
transit.html?fbclid=IwAR2_Jw0Gehotw-ifOj-41X4qyZzew1nipcX6uoa6MTV2M7s-aEadh3lk9Aw
IT IS UP TO OUR COUNCIL TO START A NEW WAY OF PLANNING. OUR WORKS DEPARTMENT ALREADY
HELPED US WITH THE HWY 418 FLOODING AND I BELIEVE THAT THEY WOULD HAPPILY ACCEPT NEW
WAYS OF HOW TO PLAN OUR COMMUNITY'S FUTURE.
http://plannersweb.com/2013/09/wide-neighborhood-street-part-2/
https://theovercast.ca/urban-form-why -narrow-streets-make-better-places/
STOP TRYING TO SOLVE TRAFFIC AND START BUILDING GREAT PLACES by
Lara Fishbane, Joseph W. Kane, and Adie TomerWednesday, March 20, 2019
Our congested commutes are the result of decisions that stretch back decades, to when Americans
began to build their communities around cars. These decisions create unsafe and ecological
destructive communities. The irony of the LOS system is that it hasn’t solved congestion at all. In fact,
it’s just the opposite: LOS keeps making traffic worse.
Wide or new roads encourage high speeds, making corridors unsafe, and simply unpleasant,
environment for pedestrians and bike riders while reducing overall quality of place.
Using actual and synthetic measures of travel activity, we can better understand how decades of
roadway growth influenced people’s travel demands today.
Page 41
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2019/03/20/stop-trying-to-solve-traffic-and-start-
building-great-places/
WIDER, STRAIGHTER, FASTER ROADS AREN’T ALWAYS SAFER by
PIPPA BRASHEAR, OCT 25, 2011
Wider, faster, treeless roads not only ruin our public places, they kill people. Taking highway standards
and applying them to urban and suburban streets, and even county roads, costs us thousands of lives
every year.
We have solid evidence of what works and what doesn’t.
https://www.pps.org/article/wider-straighter-faster-roads-arent-always-safer
WHY ROAD-WIDENING DOESN'T WORK… And What Does by
Feb 14, 2017 | Urban design
A 1998 study of 60 cases worldwide showed that when a road is closed or its capacity reduced an
average of 20% of traffic disappears. The study found instances where 60% of the traffic disappeared.
No longer can road widening be justified as a congestion-easing tool.
http://plazaperspective.com/road-widening/
Page 42
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF NEW PLANNING TO HANCOCK NEIGHBOURHOOD
After recent flooding in Courtice, we respectfully requesting our Council to pass
the bylaw that would protect people’s lives:
Current and previous development should be reviewed to assess the
sustainability of the area and safety of residents. The extensions and widening of future
or existing roads should not be considered. These would only add to more impermeable
surfaces that would cause even more flooding.
In order to pass this bylaw, with more precipitation as a result of climate change,
these items must be considered:
1.Sensitivity of Courtice’s aquifer that is underlain by clay that holds the
water and groundwater flow coming from NE to SW
2.The areas stripped of vegetation must be replanted at suitable areas as
much as possible within the subdivision
3.Limit grading and protect the remains wooded, thickets, meadow areas that
hold the water in place, not allowing subdivisions to become flooded.
4.Limit ditching and diversion of water to SWM
5.Install sufficient culvert and maintain flows to allow wildlife to cross the
roads by creating eco-passages (speed bumps - ex.-Athol St., Oshawa)
6.Create bank on the south side of tributary that is crossing Hancock Rd.
within the Trolleybus land to avoid flooding of properties not owned by this
developer (south, Tabb, etc.); divert the tributary to south land owned by
the Trolleybus crossing Nash Rd., so that it could enter the Black Creek.
7.Do not extend or widen roads
8.Use ‘trenchless technology’ for culverts, sewer/water pipes.
'Trenchless technology' (not culverts or huge pipes) making construction easy on
everyone, as per the Region, this should be applied, especially in Courtice as well:
Last year, a tunnel boring machine was used at Baseline Road and Courtice Road
in the Municipality of Clarington to dig an 817 metre long tunnel for sanitary sewer
services to planned development areas. The project was completed in partnership with
Ward & Burke Construction Ltd. This type of trenchless technology involves
underground construction work that requires fewer trenches or no continuous trenches
and is being used by the Region to install utilities such as water…
Clarington Council passed an interim control bylaw to undertake a review of the
existing older neighbourhood, in order to identify elements of neighbourhood character
and to develop regulations and implementation tools to preserve the existing
neighbourhood character. The study area covers three neighbours in central
Bowmanville; around Scugog/Third streets; Wellington/Concession streets and
Queen/Ontario/Duke streets.
Courtice should not be treated different than Bowmanville. Its sensitivity is found
nowhere else. Special bylaw is needed here.
1
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I hope that our Works Department is aware now of open Hwy 418 and danger to
travellers on Hancock Rd., south of Nash,where the bridge over Black Creek is damaged.
All developers of Hancock, Trolleybus, Headgate and Courtice Heights should contribute
to repair of this Road and bridge since the residents from their subdivision will use this
Road. Public funds should not be used.
2
Page 44
Staff Report
If this information is required in an alternate accessible format, please contact the Accessibility
Coordinator at 905-623-3379 ext. 2131.
Report To: General Government Committee
Date of Meeting: January 27, 2020 Report Number: CSD-002-20
Submitted By: George Acorn, Acting Director of Community Services
Reviewed By: Andrew C. Allison, CAO Resolution#:
File Number: By-law Number:
Report Subject: Public Access Defibrillator Program – Lakeridge Health Agreement
Renewal
Recommendations:
1. That Report CSD-002-20 be received;
2. That Council authorize the Mayor and Clerk to sign the Agreement provided by the
Central East Prehospital Care Program (CEPCP), on behalf of Lakeridge Health;
and
3. That Central East Prehospital Care Program be advised of action taken.
Page 45
Municipality of Clarington Page 2
Report CSD-002-20
1. Background
1.1 The Municipality has been involved with the Cardiac Safe Community Public Access
Defibrillator Program, coordinated by the Central East Prehospital Care Program
(CEPCP) since 2005. The program began with the installation of our first automatic
external defibrillator (AED) unit at Courtice Community Complex that year.
1.2 In November 2012 Council approved the expansion of the defibrillator program to be
offered to all hall boards and other non-municipally operated buildings. Funding for the
additional AED units and program support was added to the operating budget in 2013
and has been administered by the Operations Department.
1.3 There are 28 AED units identified in the current agreement. An additional unit was
added at the Beech Centre part way through the term of this agreement . There are now
29 AED units under the new agreement.
1.4 The current agreement is scheduled to expire on March 31, 2020.
2. Proposal
2.1 By continuing to work with CEPCP under this agreement it is ensured that the
Municipality and the Public Access Defibrillator (PAD) responders are working under the
oversight of the CEPCP of Lakeridge Health when providing defibrillation to a victim of
sudden cardiac arrest.
2.2 The agreement includes medical oversight, annual certification training, biomedical
servicing of all AED units, and ongoing staff support of the program.
2.3 The agreement (Attachment 1) includes all AED locations. The Operations Department
will continue to administer the AED units located in board operated community halls and
buildings. The Community Services Department will continue to administer the AED
units located in municipally operated indoor recreation facilities.
2.4 The term of this agreement is for three years, effective April 1, 2020 and expiring on
March 31, 2023.
Report Overview
This report recommends approval of the renewal agreement with Central East Prehospital
Care Program for the Public Access Defibrillator program in municipal facilities and
buildings.
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Municipality of Clarington Page 3
Report CSD-002-20
3. Financial Considerations
3.1 The Program Fees listed in the attached agreement are consistent with the previous
agreement with no increase in fees. The required funds for the applicable fees have
been budgeted for in the appropriate department’s operating budgets.
4. Concurrence
4.1 This report has been reviewed by the Acting Director of Operations who concurs with
the recommendations.
5. Conclusion
5.1 It is respectfully recommended that Council approve the renewal of this agreement and
the Municipality continues to partner with CEPCP for the provision of medically
appropriate care for our citizens and our visitors.
Staff Contact: George Acorn, Acting Director of Community Services, 905-623-3379 ext. 2502
or gacorn@clarington.net.
Attachments:
Attachment 1 – Semi Automatic External Defibrillation Agreement
The following interested parties will be notified of Council's decision:
Sarah Vanderzee, Manager Office Operations, Central East Prehospital Care Program
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Semi Automatic External
Defibrillation Agreement
For the Cardiac Safe
Community Public Access
Defibrillation Program for Durham Region
BETWEEN
Lakeridge Health
(“The Hospital”)
and
The Municipality of Clarington
Agreement
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April 2020 - March 2023 Page 2 of 253
Principle Statement
This agreement between the above parties will ensure that the The Municipality of Clarington
and Public Access Defibrillation (PAD) responders are working under the oversight of the
Central East Prehospital Care Program (CEPCP) of Lakeridge Health when providing semi
automated external defibrillation (SAED) to a victim of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). It also
provides for the provision of medically current training services in SAED & CPR to those PAD
Responders by and under the direction of the CEPCP Medical Advisory Board Physicians.
These conjoint efforts are focused on the provision of medically appropriate care for the citizens
in our community.
THEREFORE in consideration of the mutual covenants contained herein and subject to the
terms and conditions hereinafter set forth the parties hereto agree to participate in the Central
East Prehospital Care Program Cardiac Safe Community PAD Program in accordance with the
terms outlined in the Agreement.
I. Program Components and Recommendations
(a) The following items will be components of program maintenance:
Provision of medical oversight by the Central East Prehospital Care Program (CEPCP) for
the Cardiac Safe Community Program for Durham Region.
Provision of initial certification training and evaluation for SAED for PAD responders.
Provision of recertification evaluation for SAED.
Provision of C.P.R. recertification evaluation and training of the PAD responder employees
as required.
Development and provision of in-house reviews of SAED.
Provision of Biomedical Engineering by the Lakeridge Health Biomedical Engineering
Program, once per year or after each use, to ensure that the SAEDs are maintained
according to the manufacturer's standards, including biomedical direction for the
replacement of batteries and pads when mandated by the manufacturer or the Biomedical
Department.
Method design for the collection of patient care outcome data by the CEPCP to provide the
basis for ongoing patient care quality assurance programs.
A Site Coordinator’s Meeting will be organized by CEPCP on an annual basis to review the
program’s goals, outcomes, and patient care protocols. Additional meetings between The
Municipality of Clarington and the CEPCP will be held at the request of either party.
Availability of the CEPCP staff and physician to consult on and review issues and
procedures as required.
Dedication of a designated CEPCP PAD Coordinator as a prime contact for the PAD site.
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CEPCP medical and logistical support for the development of Conjoint Public Access
Defibrillation Programs in our Community.
The CEPCP will provide instructors (Paramedics and Firefighters) to deliver SAED training,
using the principles of Adult Learning. The scope of this training will include, but is not
limited to the content of the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundations CPR & SAED
recommendations. All curriculum content and instructor training and qualifications will be
approved by the Central East Prehospital Care Program Medical Advisory Board Physicians.
To identify placement of such SAED throughout the site to ensure time to defibrillation can
be achieved in 3-5 minutes or less from time of recognition of cardiac arrest;
(b) The following items are recommendations of program maintenance:
To recommend the SAED be placed in an Emergency Response Case that will audibly and
visually (flashing red light) alert staff that the emergency response case door has been
opened. When the SAED is removed from the Emergency Response Case, a call is
automatically made to the alarm company who in turn will notify 911 to activate emergency
services (Fire Service and Emergency Medical Service).
To establish an action plan in the case of an emergency and AED use.
To maintain quality assurance by establishing a collaborative environment between the
rescuers, CEPCP, Fire Service, and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Paramedics
through training, feed-back, group sharing of knowledge and learning from experience, and
to establish a follow-up support system for rescuers post-SAED use (ie. critical incident
stress intervention).
II. Agreement Criteria for PAD Program
It is clearly understood and agreed to by both parties that medical consultation to the PAD
Responder for the purpose of SAED is provided under the following conditions:
A. Consultation with respect to the Cardiac Safe Community PAD program is provided under
the auspices of the CEPCP Medical Advisory Board Physicians.
B. Consultation is available when the PAD responder is acting in the best interest of a SCA
victim. This may include the utilization of a SAED in another PAD site. Anyone who has
been taught PAD under our program can assist citizen responders in the use of a PAD
response. The audio and text prompts from the SAED must be followed exactly.
C. Non-trained responders who use the SAED in good faith and voluntarily are protected from
liability by the Chase McEachern Act (Heart Defibrillator Civil Liability), 2007, S.O. 2007,
c. 10, Sch. N (Appendix B) and the Good Samaritan Act, 2001 S.O. 2001, CHAPTER 2
(Appendix C).
III. Training Development Academic Goals and Standards
A. All training materials and lesson plans in the initial and on-going program
development process will be scrutinized by qualified adult educators. “Qualified Adult
Educators” for the purpose of this agreement are prehospital care professionals with
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practice qualifications of at least the Advanced Care Paramedic Level and with
formal certification in adult education from a recognized community college or
university.
B. All learning objectives and learning outcomes for this program will be approved by a
physician who is qualified as a specialist in Emergency Medicine and has experience
providing medical direction in the field of out-of-hospital Emergency Care.
IV. Agreement Term
This Agreement is for a term of three years, effective April 1, 2020, and expiring on March 31st,
2023, or as terminated pursuant to Section VII: Dispute Resolution.
V. Program Fees and Services Provided
A. Fees:
1. Initial Site setup, including site assessment, signage, initial Biomed visit and PAD
awareness session is a one time fee of $600.00.
2. Annual training and certification of providers is at a fee of $750.00 for a class size
between 7 – 12 participants. Class duration will be 6 ½ – 7 hours which includes all
breaks. Classes must be cancelled no less than 2 business days prior to the scheduled
session, otherwise the usual charge applies.
3. Program Support is an annual fee of $1,000.00 for the initial unit at a site. Additional
units at the same location require an annual fee of $450.00 per unit.
HST is not included in the above fees. Program fees will be subject to review and increase on
renewal of this contract.
For PAD Responders requiring remedial continuing education from the CEPCP PAD
Coordinator or the CEPCP Physician over and above the instruction detailed the CEPCP and
the RMDSS will negotiate a fee for that service at that time.
B. Invoicing:
Training costs will be invoiced on a per course basis.
Program and Biomedical Engineering support costs will be invoiced quarterly starting in April of
each year. The number of sites to be billed is determined by the site list contained in Appendix
A. Sites that become active during the year will be billed when they become a live site. The
initial setup fee will apply in full and the support fees will be calculated on a prorated basis,
based on the number of whole months the site will be active in that calendar year.
C. Services:
1. Emergency Action Plan Development:
- site assessment to determine the number of SAED’s required
- direct best placement for access to SAED
- medical emergency response plan implementation (site specific)
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2. CPR Education Review (Canadian Heart & Stroke Foundation Guidelines):
- placing 911 call (role of police, fire, and ambulance)
- risk factors of heart disease
- recognition of heart attack
- choking emergencies
- patient assessment
- one and two person adult CPR
3. Defibrillation Training:
- SAED shock & nonshockable protocols
- scenarios (based on Emergency Action Plan)
- trouble shooting
- SAED weekly, monthly, and after use checks
- communication/documentation
4. PAD awareness session for Non-targeted Responders
- concept of rapid defibrillation/medical direction of defibrillation
- medical legal liabilities and issues
- questions and concerns
5. Physician/Physician Review and Oversight of:
- program design
- operational critique for every event
6. Newsletter for Targeted Responder (continuing educational topics for medical
emergencies)
7. Quality Assurance and Risk Management:
- identify and provide ongoing training for site coordinators
- daily, monthly, and after use checks
- Emergency Action Plan Audit
- Begin development of local on-site coordinators to enhance initial certification
process for new employees
8. Six month reviews (site visits) to:
- Ensure weekly and monthly checks are being completed
- Ensure adequate signage is placed to direct persons to the AED
- continue development of local on-site coordinators
9. Office Administration:
- maintenance of certification records
- updates of protocol changes
- clinical co-ordinator dedicated to Targeted Responder Program
- Program representative on call 24/7 to respond to any issues/concerns or post-
SCA events
10.Critical Incident Stress management services.
- demobilization education is provided for the Site Co-ordinator and staff that will be
called in to talk with PAD responders following a SCA
- when Targeted Responder personnel are involved in an event, the Cardiac Safe
Community Program will ensure incident debriefings are facilitated
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LH/The Municipality of Clarington Agreement
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- the Cardiac Safe Community Program is affiliated with and supports the Durham
Region Critical Incident Stress Management Team Services
11.Biomedical Engineering Support and Operational Risk Management
- check SAED once a year
- change SAED battery as required
- change SAED pads as required
- ensure SAED meets operational needs
- certification of machine safety and operation
VI. Mutual Indemnification Clause
The Hospital agrees to indemnify and save the The Municipality of Clarington harmless from all
loss, cost, expense, judgment or damage on account of injury to persons including death or
damage to property, in any way caused by the negligence of the hospital, its servants, agents or
employees related to or arising out of programs or other matters to which this agreement
pertains, together with all legal expenses and costs incurred by the The Municipality of
Clarington in defending any legal action pertaining to the above.
The The Municipality of Clarington agrees to indemnify and save the Hospital harmless from all
loss, cost, expense, judgment or damage on account of injury to persons including death or
damage to property, in any way caused by the negligence of the The Municipality of Clarington,
its servants, agents, or employees related to or arising out of programs or other matters to
which this agreement pertains, together with all legal expenses and costs incurred by the
Hospital in defending any legal action pertaining to the above.
VII. Dispute Resolution
If either party is dissatisfied with the performance of the other party, the dissatisfied party may
give written notice of the dissatisfaction to the other party and shall provide the other party with
thirty (30) days within which to rectify the matter of dissatisfaction.
Where the matter is not corrected to the satisfaction of the party giving notice within the thirty
(30) day period, the dissatisfied party may terminate this Agreement by giving the other party
ninety (90) days written notice of the party's intention to terminate the Agreement. The ninety
(90) day period of notice shall commence five (5) business days after the notice has been
mailed to the other party or twenty-four (24) hours following delivery of the notice by hand or by
facsimile transmission.
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VIII. Review of Agreement
The parties mutually agree that this Agreement will be reviewed, prior to the end of its term, by
Lakeridge Health and the The Municipality of Clarington. Any such renewal shall be based
upon such terms and conditions, including any or all of the provisions of this Agreement, as may
be mutually agreed to by the parties.
The parties have caused this Agreement to be executed by their authorized representatives.
The Municipality of Clarington Print Date
Representative
Lakeridge Health Print Date
Vice Presient Finance
and Information Management
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Appendix A
to Semi Automatic External Defibrillation Agreement
between Lakeridge Health and The Municipality of Clarington
April 1, 2020 to March 31, 2023
This appendix maintains a complete list of all sites covered under this Agreement and will be
updated when sites become active or are deactivated.
Date of current Appendix A: November 28, 2019
The Municipality of Clarington Site Locations
Address AED Unit / Type AED Serial # BioMed #
120 Liberty Street South,Bowmanville CR+ 43019129 804486
2226 Golf Course Road, Newcastle, ON CR+ 45529861 805094
26 Beech Ave., Bowmanville, L1C 3A2 CR+ 41899916 804390
26 Beech Ave., Bowmanville, L1C 3A2 G3 4397960 803999
26 Beech Ave., Bowmanville, L1C 3A2 CR+ 45800313 805208
40 Temperance Street,Bowmanville,L1C 3A6 CR+ 41899924 804450
132 Church Street,Bowmanville,ON CR+ 41610234 804391
5360 Old Scugog Road, Hampton, ON CR+ 45530053 805093
2320 Taunton Road, Hampton, L0B 1J0 CR+ 41899917 804451
2503 Con Rd. 8, Haydon, ON CR+ 42149184 804445
6742 Regional Rd 18, Kendall CR+ 41899925 804393
20 King Ave West, Newcastle, L1B 1H1 CR+ 41899915 804392
103 Caroline Street West, Newcastle, L1B 1H1 CR+ 41992471 804478
21 Church Street, Newtonville, ON, L0A 1J0 CR+ 42098646 804424
2 Princess Street, Orono, L0B 1M0 CR+ 41992459 804850
3585 Taunton Road,Orono,L0B 1M0 CR+ 41671451 804449
5315 Main Street, Orono, ON L0B 1M0 CR+ 42241140 804474
178 Darlington Clark Townline Road CR+ 41899923 804453
62 Temperance Street, Bowmanville, ON CR+ 41899922 804452
1964 Concession Rd 6, Hampton, ON L0B 1J0 CR+ 41227493 804322
1595 Prestonvale Road, Bowmanville, L1E 2P2 G3 4390766 803995
2716 Concession Road 7,Bowmanville,L1C 3K6 CR+ 42149185 804454
143 Simpson Ave, Bowmanville, ON CR+ 41671450 804430
49 Liberty Street, Bowmanville G3 4378809 804314
2375 Baseline Road, Bowmanville, L1C 3K3 G3 4369478 803997
2950 Courtice Road, Courtice, L1E 2H8 G3 4369864 803996
2276 Taunton Road, Hampton G3 4378809 804314
2440 Hwy # 2 Bowmanville, L1C 1K5 G3 4389100 803998
1780 Rudell Road, Newcastle, G3 4378757 804315
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Appendix B
Chase McEachern Act (Heart Defibrillator Civil Liability), 2007, S.O. 2007, c. 10, Sch. N
Citation: Chase McEachern Act (Heart Defibrillator Civil Liability), 2007,
S.O. 2007, c. 10, Sch. N
Information about this
text:
Consolidation: No Amendments.
URL: http://www.canlii.org/on/laws/sta/2007c.10sch.n/20070717/whole.
html
Version downloaded by CanLII on 2007-07-17
Chase McEachern Act (Heart Defibrillator Civil Liability), 2007
S.O. 2007, CHAPTER 10
Schedule N
Definitions
1. In this Act,
“defibrillator” means an automated external medical heart monitor and defibrillator that is
capable of,
(a) recognizing the presence or absence of ventricular fibrillation or rapid
ventricular tachycardia,
(b) determining, without intervention by an operator, whether defibrillation should
be performed,
(c) automatically charging and requesting delivery of an electrical impulse to an
individual’s heart as medically required, and
(d) satisfying any other criteria that may be prescribed by regulation;
(“défibrillateur”)
“emergency” means a situation during which the behaviour of an individual reasonably leads
another individual to believe that the first individual is experiencing a life-threatening event that
requires the provision of immediate care to assist the heart or other cardiopulmonary functioning
of that person; (“situation d’urgence”)
“health care professional” means,
(a) a member of a College of a health profession set out in Schedule 1 to the Regulated
Health Professions Act, 1991,
(b) such other persons or classes of persons as may be prescribed. (“professionnel de la
santé”) 2007, c. 10, Sched. N, s. 1.
Protection from civil liability, user of defibrillator
2. (1) Despite the rules of common law, a person described in subsection (2) who, in good
faith, voluntarily and without reasonable expectation of compensation or reward uses a
defibrillator on a person experiencing an emergency is not liable for damages that result from
the person’s negligence in acting or failing to act while using the defibrillator, unless it is
established that the damages were caused by the gross negligence of the person. 2007, c. 10,
Sched. N, s. 2 (1).
Persons covered
(2) Subsection (1) applies to,
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April 2020 - March 2023 Page 10 of 253
(a) a health care professional, if the health care professional does not use the
defibrillator at a hospital or other place having appropriate health care facilities and
equipment for the purpose of defibrillation; and
(b) an individual, other than a health care professional described in clause (a), who uses
a defibrillator at the immediate scene of an emergency. 2007, c. 10, Sched. N, s. 2
(2).
Reimbursement of expenses
(3) Reasonable reimbursement that a person receives for expenses that the person
reasonably incurs in using a defibrillator shall be deemed not to be compensation or reward for
the purpose of subsection (1). 2007, c. 10, Sched. N, s. 2 (3).
Protection from civil liability, owner or operator of premises
3. (1) Despite the Occupiers’ Liability Act and the rules of common law, any person who
owns or occupies premises where a defibrillator is made available for use and who acts in good
faith with respect to the availability or use of the defibrillator is exempt from civil liability for any
harm or damage that may occur from the use of the defibrillator. 2007, c. 10, Sched. N, s. 3 (1).
Exception
(2) Subsection (1) does not exempt the person who owns or occupies the premises where a
defibrillator is made available for use from civil liability if,
(a) that person acts with gross negligence with respect to making the defibrillator
available;
(b) that person fails to properly maintain the defibrillator; or
(c) the premises where the defibrillator is made available for use is a hospital or other
premises used primarily for the purpose of providing health care to individuals. 2007,
c. 10, Sched. N, s. 3 (2).
Regulations
4. The Lieutenant Governor in Council may make regulations,
(a) prescribing criteria for the purpose of the definition of “defibrillator” in section 1;
(b) prescribing persons or classes of persons for the purposes of the definition of “health
care professional” in section 1;
(c) governing standards for the proper maintenance of defibrillators;
(d) respecting any matter necessary or advisable to carry out effectively the purposes of
this Act. 2007, c. 10, Sched. N, s. 4.
Applies to the Crown
5. This Act applies to the Crown and any agency of the Crown. 2007, c. 10, Sched. N, s. 5.
6. Omitted (provides for coming into force of provisions of this Act). 2007, c. 10, Sched. N,
s. 6.
7. Omitted (enacts short title of this Act). 2007, c. 10, Sched. N, s. 7.
Reference:
Chase McEachern Act (Heart Defibrillator Civil Liability), 2007, S.O. 2007, c. 10, Sch. N;
http://www.canlii.org/on/laws/sta/2007c.10sch.n/20070717/whole.html.
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Appendix C
Good Samaritan Act, 2001, S.O. 2001, CHAPTER 2
No amendments.
Definition
1. In this Act, “health care professional” means a member of a College of a health
profession set out in Schedule 1 to the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991. 2001,
c. 2, s. 1.Protection from liability
2. (1) Despite the rules of common law, a person described in subsection (2) who
voluntarily and without reasonable expectation of compensation or reward provides the
services described in that subsection is not liable for damages that result from the
person’s negligence in acting or failing to act while providing the services, unless it is
established that the damages were caused by the gross negligence of the person. 2001,
c. 2, s. 2 (1).
Persons covered
(2) Subsection (1) applies to,
a. a health care professional who provides emergency health care services or first
aid assistance to a person who is ill, injured or unconscious as a result of an
accident or other emergency, if the health care professional does not provide the
services or assistance at a hospital or other place having appropriate health care
facilities and equipment for that purpose; and
b. an individual, other than a health care professional described in clause (a), who
provides emergency first aid assistance to a person who is ill, injured or
unconscious as a result of an accident or other emergency, if the individual
provides the assistance at the immediate scene of the accident or emergency.
2001, c. 2, s. 2 (2).
Reimbursement of expenses
(3) Reasonable reimbursement that a person receives for expenses that the person
reasonably incurs in providing the services described in subsection (2) shall be deemed
not to be compensation or reward for the purpose of subsection (1). 2001, c. 2, s. 2 (3).
3. Omitted (provides for coming into force of provisions of this Act). 2001, c. 2, s. 3.
4. Omitted (enacts short title of this Act). 2001, c. 2, s. 4.
Reference:
Good Samaritan Act, 2001, S.O. 2001, CHAPTER 2; http://www.e-
laws.gov.on.ca/html/statutes/english/elaws_statutes_01g02_e.htm
Page 58
Staff Report
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Coordinator at 905-623-3379 ext. 2131.
Report To: General Government Committee
Date of Meeting: January 27, 2020 Report Number: CLD-002-20
Submitted By: Anne Greentree, Municipal Clerk
Reviewed By: Andrew C. Allison, CAO Resolution#:
File Number: By-law Number:
Report Subject: Appointments to Fill Vacancies on Various Boards and Committees
Recommendations:
1. That Report CLD-002-20 be received;
2. That the Committee consider the applications for appointments to the various boards
and committees, and that the vote be conducted to appoint the citizen and Council
representatives to the various boards and committees, in accordance with the
Appointment to Boards and Committees Policy;
3. That the Municipal Clerk's Department be authorized to continue to adver tise for the
remaining vacancies on the Newcastle Arena Board and the Livestock Valuers;
4. That the resignation of Kenneth Illechukwu, from the Diversity Advisory Committee,
be received; and
5. That all interested parties listed in Report CLD-002-20 and any delegations be
advised of Council’s decision.
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Municipality of Clarington Page 2
Report CLD-002-20
1. Background
1.1 Vacancies to several committees and boards were considered at the General
Government Committee of January 7, 2019 arising out of Report CLD-024-19, where
direction was given to advertise for the outstanding vacancies.
1.2 Accordingly, the Municipal Clerk’s Department placed an advertisement in the local
papers to fill the vacancies to various committees and boards. In addition, the
advertisement was placed on the Municipality’s website, www.clarington.net.
2. Newcastle Arena Board
Background Information
2.1 The Newcastle Arena Board is a volunteer Municipal Service Board established by the
Municipality of Clarington Council in accordance with the provisions of the Municipal Act,
2001, as amended.
2.2 The goal of the Newcastle Arena Board is to operate the Newcastle Memorial Arena.
Committee members are ultimately responsible to the Municipality of Clarington Council
and are bound by By-law 2008-037, establishing the Newcastle Arena Board.
2.3 The Terms of Reference states that the composition of the Board shall be comprised of
nine persons, two of whom shall be members of Council.
Current Situation
2.4 Currently, the Board has five members appointed. Therefore, the Committee may
appoint two members to the Newcastle Arena Board.
2.5 No applications were received in response to the advertisement.
Report Overview
This report is intended to provide background information regarding vacancies on various
boards and committees to assist in the appointment process.
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Report CLD-002-20
3. Diversity Advisory Committee
Background
3.1 The purpose of the Diversity Advisory Committee is to provide advice, comments and
recommendations on issues affecting diversity in our community in an effort to foster
awareness, reduce barriers, promote inclusion and engage our residents.
3.2 The Committee is comprised of seven members, including two youth (ages 16 to 24
years) and one Council Representative.
3.3 Dorothy Koziorz was appointed as a youth member to the Diversity Advisory Committee
in 2018 for a term ending in in December 31, 2022 or until a successo r is appointed. The
Municipal Clerk’s Department received notification of Dorothy’s resignation in September ,
2019.
3.4 Kenneth Illechukwu was appointed to the Diversity Advisory Committee in 2018 for a term
ending in in December 31, 2020 or until a successor is appointed. The Municipal Clerk’s
Department received notification of Kenneth’s resignation in October, 2019.
3.5 The following individuals have put forward an application for consideration:
• Alexander Guevara
• Sajida Kadri (Youth)
Monica Kendal
Meera MacDonald
Udana Muldoon
Catherine Vivian
Current Situation
3.6 Currently, the Committee may appoint two members to the Diversity Advisory Committee,
one of which must be a youth member.
4. Livestock Valuers
Background
4.1 The Municipality is responsible for claims where wildlife have killed or injured livestock or
poultry. The Valuer is responsible for investigating claims and determine the type of
predator that is responsible.
4.2 Council appoints two Livestock Valuers to investigate livestock claims.
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Report CLD-002-20
4.3 Milton Dakin was appointed as a Livestock Valuer in January, 2019 for a term ending in in
December 31, 2022 or until a successor is appointed. The Municipal Clerk’s Department
received notification of Milton Dakin’s resignation in September, 2019.
Current Situation
4.4 Currently, the Committee may appoint one Livestock Valuer.
4.5 No applications were received in response to the advertisement.
5. Concurrence
Not Applicable.
6. Conclusion
It is respectfully recommended that the Municipal Clerk's Department be authorized to
continue to advertise for the remaining vacancies on the Newcastle Arena Board and
the Livestock Valuers.
Staff Contact: Michelle Chambers, Administrative Assistant, 905-623-3379 ext. 2101 or
mchambers@clarington.net.
Attachments:
Attachment 1 - Confidential Applications (Distributed Separately)
Interested Parties:
The following interested parties will be notified of Council's decision:
All Applicants
All Board/Committee Appointment Contacts
Page 62
Staff Report
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Report To: General Government Committee
Date of Meeting: January 27, 2020 Report Number: COD-001-20
Submitted By: Marie Marano, Director of Corporate Services
Reviewed By: Andrew C. Allison, CAO Resolution#:
File Number: By-law Number:
Report Subject: Co-op Request for Proposal RFP-348-2019 – Consulting and Related
Management and Administrative Services for the Supply of Natural Gas
Recommendations:
1. That Report COD-001-20 be received;
2. That the Co-op RFP submission received from Blackstone Energy Services Inc.,
Toronto, for the provision of consulting and related services for the supply of natural
gas and to act as an agent of the Municipality of Clarington to execute direct
purchase agreements (subject to the approval of the Corporate Service’s
Department) for a term of three years for an estimated annual fee of $12,690.00 per
year (excluding HST), based on the current number of accounts and subject to
change over the contract term be accepted;
3. That pending satisfactory performance, the Purchasing Manager be given the
authority to extend the contract for up to two additional one-year terms; and
4. That all interested parties listed in Report COD-001-20 and any delegations be
advised of Council’s decision.
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Municipality of Clarington Page 2
Report COD-001-20
1. Background
1.1 The current agreements for these services expired on November 30, 2019. The Region
of Durham and the Municipality of Clarington have for a number of years used a co-
operative approach to obtain proposals and secure a qualified natural gas consultant to
purchase natural gas.
1.2 Using a competitive process, the Region of Durham being the host agency and the
Municipality of Clarington developed a cooperative Request for Proposal (RFP).
1.3 RFP-348-2019 was issued by the Region of Durham Supply and Services Section and
advertised on their website on August 7, 2019. The RFP closed on September 4, 2019.
1.4 The Region of Durham awarded a contract to Blackstone in late November as the
Region and the Municipality’s portion are awarded independent of each other .
2. Analysis
2.1 Proposals were received from the following four companies:
Local Authority Services (LAS).
Blackstone Energy Services Inc.
ECNG Energy Group.
Jupiter Energy Advisors Inc.
2.2 The four proposals received were reviewed and determined to be compliant with the
RFP submission requirements. Representatives from the two participating agencies
evaluated and scored each of the proposals based on the following criter ia and then met
to discuss and achieve a consensus on the ranking of each respondent based on the
established criteria:
Understanding of the RFP requirements;
Company background, qualifications and experience;
Report Overview
To request approval for the award of Co-op Request for Proposal RFP-348-2019 for the
provision of consulting and related management and administrative services for the supply of
natural gas.
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Report COD-001-20
Team experience and qualification;
Methodology and management plan;
Financial conditions, capacity and integrity;
Proposed fees;
Client reference feedback (Short-listed respondents only); and
Respondent interviews.
2.3 The RFP document stipulated that only the two top scoring respondents would be
shortlisted and be allowed to participate in the interview process.
2.4 The following two companies met the established threshold and were shortlisted:
Blackstone Energy Services Inc.
Jupiter Energy Advisors Inc.
2.5 Scores were compiled with the proposal from Blackstone Energy Services Inc.,
receiving the highest score overall based on the requirements of this RFP. Blackstone
Energy Services Inc. provided the most comprehensive propo sal that offered the lowest
fees and addressed the following key requirements:
Value added services including market intelligence and analysis, monitoring of
pricing benchmarks and forward price forecasting;
Enbridge account administration services including consumption forecasting,
invoice management, monitoring of gas balances and variances and assessment
of alternative volume rate plan options;
As the Municipality’s agent, reviewing and providing recommendations with
respect to direct purchase agreements with approved suppliers in accordance
with the Municipality’s Hedging Agreement; and
Providing financial reports to verify transactions, price reconciliation and
inventory balances.
2.6 Blackstone Energy Service Inc.’s proposed fees for the Municipality of Clarington for the
current twenty-two active accounts is $12,690.00 per year and will be held firm for the
entire contract term including optional years.
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Report COD-001-20
2.7 Blackstone Energy Services Inc. is presently performing these services acceptably for
the Municipality of Clarington and the Region.
3. Comment
3.1 Due to the volatile nature of natural gas commodity pricing, it is not possible to forecast
with accuracy the impact of natural gas pricing on the 2020 budget. However, based on
current commodity pricing, market conditions and future supply forecasts it is likely that
natural gas prices will increase or fluctuate. The impact of price escalations for future
years may be minimized through fixed price/volume purchases of natural gas. The
Municipality may lock in all or a portion of the total natural gas requirements under this
type of agreement. Opportunities for fixed price/volume purchases will be monitored on
an ongoing basis by the consultant.
4. Concurrence
This report has been reviewed by the following Directors who concur with the
recommendations:
Trevor Pinn, Director of Finance/Treasurer
Steve Brake, Acting Director of Operations
George Acorn, Acting Director of Community Services
5. Conclusion
This report sets out the proposal evaluation results and recommendation for an award
of contract to Blackstone Energy Services Inc. Toronto, for the provision of consulting
and related management and administrative services for the supply of natural gas.
Staff Contact: David Ferguson, Purchasing Manager, 905-623-3379 ext. 2209 or
dferguson@clarington.net.
Attachments:
Not Applicable
List of Interested Parties available from Department.
Page 66
Staff Report
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Report To: General Government Committee
Date of Meeting: January 27, 2020 Report Number: LGL-001-20
Submitted By: Rob Maciver, Municipal Solicitor
Reviewed By: Andrew C. Allison, CAO Resolution#:
File Number: L4000-05-02 By-law Number:
Report Subject: Assumptions of Road Widenings
Recommendations:
1. That Report LGL-001-20 be received; and
2. That the draft By-law attached to Report LGL-001-20, as Attachment 1, be enacted.
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Municipality of Clarington Page 2
Report LGL-001-20
1. Background
1.1 Over the past 12 months, various road widenings have been transferred to the
Municipality as a condition of the development approval process. As a routine practice,
the Municipality is required to dedicate these parcels as public highway.
1.2 In the case of a road reserve, a dedication by-law is required to establish legal access.
1.3 A draft by-law to dedicate these parcels is provided as Attachment 1.
2. Conclusion
The draft by-law found at Attachment 1 is provided to Council for enactment. Once
enacted, the Municipal Solicitor will deposit the by-law with the Land Registry Office.
Staff Contact: Joanne Barchard, Law Clerk, 905-623-3379 ext 2014 or jbarchard@clarington.
net.
Attachments:
Attachment 1 – By-law to Establish certain Lands as Public Highways
There are no interested parties to be notified of Council's decision.
Report Overview
Road widenings and/or road reserves are frequently transferred to the Municipality as a
requirement of the development approval process. A by-law is required to dedicate these
parcels as public highways.
Page 68
Attachment 1 to Report LGL-001-20
THE CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTON
BY-LAW 2020-
Being a by-law to establish
certain lands as public highways
WHEREAS the lands set out in the attached Schedule “A” have been conveyed to The
Corporation of the Municipality of Clarington for road widening purposes.
NOW THEREFORE the Council of The Corporation of the Municipality of Clarington
hereby enacts as follows:
1. The lands shown in Schedule “A” are hereby dedicated and assumed as public
highways;
2. This by-law shall come into effect on the date of passage.
BY-LAW passed this day of February, 2020.
___________________________
Adrian Foster, Mayor
___________________________
C. Anne Greentree, Municipal Clerk
Page 69
Attachment 1 to Report LGL-001-20
SCHEDULE “A”
Firstly
Pt Lot 31, Con 2 (Darlington)
Part 1, 40R-29823
Municipality of Clarington
Regional Municipality of Durham
Secondly
Block 22, Plan 40M-2367
Municipality of Clarington
Regional Municipality of Durham
Thirdly
Part of Lot 30, Con 3
Part 9 on 40R-25845
Municipality of Clarington
Regional Municipality of Durham
Fourthly
Part of Lot 67, R.C.P. 713
and Part of Block 79, Plan 10M-781
Parts 1, 2, 3 and 4 on 40R-16332
Municipality of Clarington
Regional Municipality of Durham
Fifthly
Pt Lot 3 and 4, Blk 8, Hanning Plan
Part 3 on 40R-30503
Municipality of Clarington
Regional Municipality of Durham
Sixthly
Pt Lot 7, Blk 5, Hanning Plan
Part 1 and 4, 40R-30512
Municipality of Clarington
Regional Municipality of Durham
Page 70
Attachment 1 to Report LGL-001-20
Seventhly
Pt Lot 8, Blk 5, Hanning Plan
Pt Lot 9, Blk 5, Hanning Plan
Part 3, 40R-30512
Municipality of Clarington
Regional Municipality of Durham
Eightly
Pt Lot 2, Blk 8, Hanning Plan
Parts 1 and 2, 40R-30503
Municipality of Clarington
Regional Municipality of Durham
Ninthly
Part Block 79, 10M-781
Pts 4 & 5, 40R-29839
Municipality of Clarington
Regional Municipality of Durham
Tenthly
Blocks 35 and 36, Plan 40M-1684
Municipality of Clarington
Regional Municipality of Durham
Eleventhly
Pt Lot 8, Blk 5, Pt Lot 9, Blk 5
Part 2, 40R-30512
Municipality of Clarington
Regional Municipality of Durham
Page 71
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Report To: General Government Committee
Date of Meeting: January 27, 2020 Report Number: CAO-003-20
Submitted By: Catherine Carr, Manager of Internal Audit
Reviewed By: Andrew C. Allison, CAO Resolution#:
File Number: By-law Number:
Report Subject: Forestry Service Delivery Review
Recommendations:
1. That Report CAO-003-20 be received;
2. That Council endorse the recommendations of the Forestry Service Delivery Review;
3. That the recommendation to conduct a customer service and work order process
review be initiated immediately by staff; and
4. That the other recommendations set out in the consultant’s Service Delivery Review
of Forestry Services be prioritized to enhance Forestry services.
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Municipality of Clarington Page 2
Report CAO-003-20
1. Background
1.1 Council approved a formal process to review Municipal services as presented in Report
CAO-002-17. The Audit Committee chose Forestry Services as the third Municipal
service to be reviewed.
1.2 The service delivery review methodology approved by Council in 2017 included 10
questions to be answered as part of the review. Through a Request for Proposal (RFP)
process, WSCS Consulting Services (Tammy Carruthers) was selected to undertake the
review. WSCS has extensive municipal experience and has completed the two previous
service delivery reviews.
1.3 A steering committee was formed to coordinate the service delivery review process. The
steering committee members were the Director of Operations (retired), Manager of
Operations (now Acting Director of Operations), Parks Supervisor, one of the Parks Lead
Hands (Arborist) and the Manager of Internal Audit. The process required a significant
amount of resources including staff in the Operations Department as well as
consultations with other departments, external stakeholders and members of Council.
Much of the work for this service delivery review was do ne during the same time period
as the Organizational Structure Review.
1.4 WSCS Consulting made 14 recommendations for service delivery improvements. Some
of the recommendations overlap into other areas of work within the Operations
Department.
2. Recommendations
Work Order and Customer Service Review
2.1 Recommendations 1 and 2 discuss the need for a business process review of customer
service and work orders throughout the Operations Department. Staff have been working
at improving processes and have implemented some changes. However, a wide-range
review would be very beneficial. This requires time and resources. The consultant has
recommended an investment of $70,000 consulting fees including business process
Report Overview
Through Report CAO-002-17, Council approved a service delivery review approach.
Services to be reviewed are chosen by the Audit Committee based on a set of criteria
defined in the report. This Report presents the results of the independent review of Forestry
Services and recommended actions to improve this service delivery.
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Report CAO-003-20
review and development of policies, procedures and training. Rather than using outside
consultants, a team of employees can be formed to undertake the recommended
business process review as part of a Green Belt certification exercise under the
Municipality’s Lean Sigma Six program. The recommended business process review for
work orders is an ideal fit for this program. The team will work with the Operations
Department to develop service improvements. This project has been scheduled to start
in early February 2020.
2.2 There will be a cost to integrate the outside field work with the software and the use of
hardware such as tablets. Some of this hardware has been included in past budgets.
This process improvement would greatly reduce the administrat ive time, cost and data
quality once implemented. To maximize these efficiencies , it is imperative to conduct the
business process review noted in 2.1.
2.3 Currently, the Operations Department uses the software CityWide Works. The Finance
Department uses the Tangible Capital Asset module of CityWide. The benefit of this
software is that it can link work done on Municipal assets. The Municipality is also
looking at replacing the current software used by multiple departments namely
Engineering, Operations, Planning and Clerk’s (By-law Enforcement) with a possibility of
expanding use for as a Customer Response Management system. If the Operations
Department were to adapt to the new software in the future, the work done on business
process review would only increase the success of the implementation of new or existing
software.
2.4 From a customer service view, it is recommended that a customer portal be developed to
allow for online requests, tracking and satisfaction surveys. (Recommendation 4)
Additionally, the tree replacement process allowing residents to select a species of tree
should be discontinued as it is an administrative burden that is shown to be largely
ineffective. Municipal staff have the expertise to choose the appropriate tree for the
location based on local conditions and species diversity in the area.
2.5 By capturing the relevant data from the forestry program, there is an opportunity to
develop meaningful performance standards and indicators o n service delivery.
(Recommendation 3)
Staffing and Contracting Services
2.6 The Forestry Service delivery review showcases the need for a dedicated Forestry
Service team. This is discussed in Recommendations 5 and 6. It is recommended that a
Lead Hand (Arborist) be renamed the Forestry Coordinator and that a dedicated forestry
team be developed. Currently there is one lead hand who is an Arborist who reports to
the Parks Supervisor. The Operations Department has been working at improving this
service to deal with the work order backlog. It is recommended that Operations evaluate
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Report CAO-003-20
their staff complement and consider training and adding or allocating additional positions
to the Forestry service. (Recommendations 5 and 6)
2.7 The service delivery review also addresses contracting out. As noted in the review, it is
suggested that the Municipality continue with the model of combining in -house and
contracting to delivery forestry services. There are improvements noted in the contracted
service delivery such as tracking and updating work orders, evaluating vendor
performance, and working with Purchasing to follow through with contractor evaluations.
(Recommendations 7, 8 and11)
Policy and Other Work
2.8 There are several other recommendations that should be considered. Some of the
coordination of these recommendations may be better facilitate d with the proposed
department structure in the Organizational Structure Review. The creation of the Public
Works Department would combine the skills and knowledge of the staff in the existing
Operations and Engineering Departments.
2.9 The Operations Department has been conducting an inventory of dead trees in some
rural areas to document the scope of the issue in the rural areas. At present, Operations
staff have logged 1500 dead trees west of Bowmanville Avenue. Without adequate
resourcing either in-house or with funding for contractors, the rural tree issues will
continue to be a problem for many years. A comprehensive tree survey of the entire
Municipality is needed. Once established, there should be a process to maintain the
inventory. (Recommendation 9)
2.10 As well, it is recommended that the Tree Preservation By-law #97-35 be updated with
respect to language, references and fees. Council did discuss the challenges on
monitoring trees on private properties in reports OPD-011-17 and CLD-013-16. These
discussions resulted in the Urban Tree Strategy being developed. The Region is
currently concluding the review on their Tree By-law.
2.11 As noted in Recommendation 13, the commitment to the Urban Forest Strategy should
be determined and a work plan developed. Again, this may be better supported with the
creation of a Public Works Department.
2.12 The consultant noted several potential agencies and programs that may be explored to
improve forestry services and the tree canopy. With the proposed department
reorganization, this should be clearly assigned within the appropriate division.
(Recommendations 5 and 14)
2.13 Recommendation 10, an equipment rate study should be investigated in 2020 in
preparation for the 2021 budget as there could be budget implications from the rate
study. This can be done in partnership with Operations and Finance staff.
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Municipality of Clarington Page 5
Report CAO-003-20
3. Concurrence
This report has been reviewed by the Acting Director of Operations who concurs with
the recommendations.
4. Conclusion
Operations staff have made some progress recently but are burdened by the backlog of
forestry work orders. There are improvements with respect to customer service and
work orders that will benefit processes throughout the Operations department. The
Lean Sigma Six program offers an opportunity to do a review of the work order process
with Municipal staff.
The potential creation of the Public Works Department offers some opportunities to
enhance collaborative work for Forestry Services such as the Tree Preservation By-law
and a work plan for the Urban Forest Strategy.
Key to the success in the Forestry Services is establishing a dedicated Forestry team
headed by a Forestry Coordinator. The Forestry Services team should be focused on
forestry issues year-round.
It is respectfully recommended that Council endorse the recommendations in the
Forestry Service Delivery Review.
Staff Contact: Catherine Carr, Manager of Internal Audit, 905-623-3379 ext. 2606
ccarr@clarington.net
Attachments:
Attachment 1 – Forestry Service Delivery Review
There are no interested parties to be notified of Council's decision.
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Clarington Forestry Service Delivery Review
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Table of Contents
Executive Summary ......................................................................................................................................... 4
Project Objective .......................................................................................................................................... 11
Project Scope ................................................................................................................................................ 13
Background ................................................................................................................................................... 19
Forestry Organizational and Regulatory Context ........................................................................................... 22
Environmental Benefits ................................................................................................................................. 26
Clarington Forestry Organizational Structure ................................................................................................ 28
Operating Budget 2019 Summary & Comments............................................................................................ 30
Clarington Forestry Services’ Achievements .................................................................................................. 32
Forestry Work Processes and Staffing ........................................................................................................... 32
Contractor Procurement and Performance ................................................................................................... 33
Clarington Forestry Service Profile ................................................................................................................ 34
Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) ......................................................................... 51
Benchmarking – Why Compare to Other Communities? ............................................................................... 54
Key Observations & Best Practices Common to the Benchmarked Municipalities ......................................... 54
Key Findings and Opportunities for Improvement ........................................................................................ 60
Forestry Services requests are not customer focused ................................................................................... 64
Equipment Rates and work order processes do not capture true costs ......................................................... 69
Procurement and Contractor Management is time consuming and challenging ........................................... 69
Bylaws are outdated ..................................................................................................................................... 70
Urban Forest Strategy needs to be coupled with a workplan to succeed. ..................................................... 72
Conclusion .................................................................................................................................................... 73
Acknowledgement ........................................................................................................................................ 73
Appendix A: Stakeholder Interviews ............................................................................................................. 74
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Clarington Forestry Service Delivery
Review
THE NEED FOR GREEN
Executive Summary
The Municipality of Clarington (the Municipality) is a
vibrant community located at the eastern edge of the
Greater Toronto Area (GTA), one of eight
municipalities in Durham Region. Clarington is a large
municipality, covering an area of approximately 612
square kilometres, with four urban centres and 13
hamlets.
With Lake Ontario to the south, Oak Ridges Moraine
and Ganaraska Region to the North, Clarington is rich
with forests and vegetation. Its natural surroundings,
forests and tree-laden urban streets, make Clarington
attractive for residents and visitors alike. Being at the
eastern edge of the GTA with the proximity to the
401/407, make Clarington prime for ongoing
population growth. But this growth creates a host of
environmental challenges, from stormwater runoff to
the urban heat island effect. Protecting and growing
trees and other natural resources will become
increasingly difficult as the climate changes and more
subdivisions are developed.
Trees provide a host of ecosystem services and their
canopies provide habitat for wildlife. The transpiration
process reduces summer temperatures and research
shows that trees can even improve social cohesion
and reduce crime. A healthy and robust tree canopy is
crucial to the sustainability and livability of our urban
areas.
In recent years, Ontario has taken steps to protect the
tree canopy through climate change strategies and
regulatory changes. For instance, in 2019, changes to
the Municipal Act required municipalities to adopt
and maintain a policy with respect to “the manner in
which the municipality will protect and enhance the
tree canopy and natural vegetation in the
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Clarington Forestry Service Delivery Review
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municipality.” The Planning Act and asset
management planning regulations require
municipalities to consider climate change adaption in
long term plans.1
To some extent, Clarington has recognized the
importance of growing and maintaining the tree
canopy through its official plan requirements, and the
Stewardship Program which includes the very
successful Trees for Rural Roads Program.
However, the last Tree Preservation By-law was passed
in 1997, back when the Municipality had a population
of less than 70,000 people. Recent interest has been
expressed regarding the desire to protect trees
through additional bylaws on private property.
However, these appeals have been rejected due to the
cost and management. The challenge is that the
Municipality does not have any mechanism to protect
trees until a development application is filed. Durham
Region is in the process of reviewing its tree
protection bylaw and some changes are forthcoming.
1 O. Reg 588/17 Asset Management Planning Regulation
2 Arboriculture & Urban Forestry – Scientific Journal of the International
Society of Arboriculture, Volume 44, No. 4, July 2018 – Resident
Despite pleas from some residents, in Clarington, only
small woodlots are protected through by-law and
development applications.
Research shows that private by-laws have some
success but the most important outcome is the
increased awareness of the importance of trees.
Enforcement is challenging and expensive.2
Following some interest from Council, the
Municipality developed the Urban Forest Strategy
which outlined strategic objectives into six groups:
• Tree Inventory and Assessment;
• Management of Municipal Forests;
• Level of Service;
• Customer Service / Service Delivery;
• Tree Protection and Management; and
• Forest Health and Pest Management.
While the strategy was formulated through
consultations with staff from Operations, Planning and
Engineering and endorsed by Council in 2018, it was
not “financed” and no detailed work plan created.
Consequently, even though the goals are impressive
Knowledge and Support for Private Tree Bylaws in the Greater Toronto
Area.
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Clarington Forestry Service Delivery Review
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and likely action is required, the strategy is not guiding
the work in Operations.
Part of the challenge is that the Emerald Ash Borer
(EAB) infestation has required significant attention and
investment to the tune of $3 million over 5 years. This
has impacted all other “less critical” forestry requests
which may impact the health of the remaining trees
and/or result in dissatisfied customers.3 The EAB
issue exists in parks and rural areas as well, but the
Municipality has only begun to tackle that issue. If the
infestation in the urban areas is any indication, the
workload and financial impact for the rural areas is
likely exponentially higher.
In order to tackle the EAB crisis along with the
ongoing tree maintenance responsibilities, the
Municipality utilizes a combined service delivery
model of in-house and contracted services. While
typically, the contracted services have been
approximately $300,000 (52%) of the forestry budget,
the EAB infestation and concerns with mounting
workload has pushed that number up to 70% or
$730,000 in 2019. It is important to note that every
year since 2014, the Forestry Services has been over
budget.4 While the variances have been significant,
3 2018 Clarington’s Urban Forest Strategy
there is not enough data to determine the root cause.
The volume of work hours and associated costing is
not tracked. This makes it difficult to determine the
degree to which outsourcing would be more effective
or efficient.
The workload volumes have been tracked for some
time but with more vigour since 2017 when
Operations implement a customer service request and
work order module. This shows that 50% of the
forestry work orders created for customer
requests/complaints since 2017 are yet to be
completed. With only one arborist and no dedicated
forestry work crews, the likelihood of responding to
these requests in a timely manner is not feasible. At
September 2019, outstanding work orders totaled
2,167 with an average aging of 254 days (over 8
months). At a conservative estimate, this represents
about $350,000 or 4 full time equivalents. With every
passing day, more requests are received and existing
work orders become older. Customers become
increasingly frustrated and dissatisfied with services.
Of the outstanding work orders, 7% are at the second
or third request for service. There are currently no
service standards for forestry service response times.
4 Operations Forest 2014-2019 Report provided by Clarington’s
financial system
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Clarington Forestry Service Delivery Review
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Customers do not have the ability to file or track
service requests by type online as seen in other
municipalities. So it is incumbent on Operations staff
to manually enter the data into CityWide based upon
telephone or email contact. Updates are provided by
follow up telephone calls, only adding to staff time
who consequently, must deal with the irate
customers. Reviewing the data also revealed that
there were many errors, omissions and
inconsistencies. In some cases, the location was
missing or the type of request was unclear. Staff must
then contact the customer to gain better
understanding of the issues. This also makes it difficult
to undertake analysis or plan the work effectively.
The volume of work and fact that the Municipality is
aware of the issues through recording of service
requests raise concerns about the potential liability
that this may pose. This is particularly true for
situations where trees/branches may cause damage.
As new EAB and other types of infestations are
identified, it is possible that the numbers and issues
may increase if no plan is developed.
Some of the delays in completing work orders can be
attributed to the Municipality ’s practice surrounding
tree replanting and requests for the types of trees.
This manual process requires the resident to contact
the Municipality to indicate their choice of seven
possible trees. While this seems to be a nice service,
record keeping is challenging and residents are slow to
respond, or not at all. Operations staff must collect
and monitor this information and follow up. Most
municipalities, including Oshawa simply determine
the type of tree to be planted based upon the best
choice for soil conditions and location.
In the recently released Clarington Organizational
Structure Review, the consultants recommended that
Clarington look at the “Possible Outsourcing of
Forestry” and that “there is currently some Forestry
expertise within the Engineering department,
however, this function should fall under Operations
and may be required to scale to meet experience and
service level expectations. In order to scale Forestry
operations efficiently while maintaining service levels
across other areas, outsourcing should be a
consideration.”
It is true that Forestry “services” are delivered in a
“piece meal” fashion between Planning, Engineering
and Operations with no clear accountability or
responsibilities.
While we agree that outsourcing forestry is an option,
we are of the opinion that the entire service cannot
be outsourced. We are of the opinion that Clarington
should consider a review of outsourcing other
operations such as winter control, which is much more
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Clarington Forestry Service Delivery Review
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common and effective than forestry operations.
However, this was not in scope for this review but it is
difficult to assess forestry on its own. Even in the City
of Brantford with a population of 97,000, where the
entire forestry service is outsourced, City staff are
responsible for managing the contract. 2019 budget
indicated that the plan was to bring the service in
house with 10 additional staff and over $ 1.3 million.5
A review of the outsourced service indicated
dissatisfaction with quality and response time.
Forestry is so intertwined with other plans and
legislative requirements as well as its impact on the
health and beauty of the Municipality, that contracted
services can best be utilized for project work that can
be monitored through effective contract
management.
In order to improve contract performance, the
Municipality must have a clear plan of its desired
achievement, indicators and reliable vendors to carry
out the work. To date, the Municipality has been
challenged with contractor performance and spends
considerable amount of time managing the work of
contractors.
5 https://www.brantford.ca/en/living-
here/resources/Documents/2019-Operating-Budget-Estimates.pdf Item
20 and 23
Current Clarington contracts state that the
Municipality will inspect the completed work to
confirm satisfactory performance prior to payment.
This seems to be overly onerous and partially defeats
the purpose of contracting out the work. However, if
the performance evaluation information is gathered
and analyzed, it will provide the Municipality and
Purchasing with the appropriate information for
assessing vendor qualifications and eligibility. Without
clear evidence of vendor issues, it is very difficult, if
not impossible, to prevent poor performing vendors
from bidding on tenders.
Outsourcing decisions must also be accompanied with
good, reliable cost data. This is not available in
Clarington. Labour, materials and equipment costs
per job are not captured. Equipment rates are not
updated. In analyzing the costs for Forestry, we not
only reviewed the financial reports, we reviewed the
processes to capture this information.
We found that the processes utilized by the
Municipality are outdated and time consuming. When
onsite, work planning was undertaken in the morning
when staff reported to the location. Because the
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Clarington Forestry Service Delivery Review
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Municipality does not have “crews” assigned to the
Lead Hand, work is not planned beyond one day and is
based upon the crew onsite that day. In other words,
staff work is reactive and the Lead Hands cannot plan
beyond the day as they are unsure who will be at
work. Further, even though some staff have gained
forestry skills, the lack of continuity makes it very
difficult for the Municipality to train the staff in
forestry which is a different skill set from other
Operation’s roles.
In terms of the Lead Hand, the Municipality advertised
and hired an arborist who has extensive experience
with a large municipality. However, due to the
structure, the Lead Hand is required to do a variety of
non-forestry work. Given this specialty, it is likely not
the most efficient or effective utilization of the skill
set.
Payroll and cost allocation processes are outdated and
inefficient. Spreadsheets are completed by the lead
hand for all the parks staff on their behalf with
assignment of time and equipment to general ledger
job accounts, not work orders. These are then re-
entered by administrative staff for payroll purposes
which not only represents duplication of effort, the
6 https://www.oakville.ca/residents/forest-health-ambassadors.html
chance of error is high. Work order costs and time are
crucial to determine standard costs which will assist in
for work planning and resource allocation.
In terms of workload, even though much of this work
is performed on the Municipality’s right of way,
customers perceive this to be on their property.
Complaints will continue to be launched with the
Municipality. Consequently, Operations staff are
charged with following up on these complaints.
Unfortunately, the data collected to date does not
sufficiently capture the time or cost to undertake
inspections and/or deal with complaints.
While outsourcing the service in its entirety is likely
not the best option, there are many opportunities for
better service through volunteers and private-public
partnerships particularly in areas for increased tree
health, canopy growth and inventory collection.
Examples include Oakville’s, Forest Health
Ambassador Program and PLANT. Here, volunteers
are trained to undertaken assessments and encourage
planting6. Tree inventory volunteers in Wisconsin and
Florida are also successful. Tree Canada, Partners in
Planting programs, Municipal Natural Asset Initiative
funding would augment the Trees for Rural Roads
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Clarington Forestry Service Delivery Review
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Program. These types of programs could be led by
other partners such as the Conservation Authorities,
the Region or private sector and would assist the
Municipality to achieve some of its goals.
Of course, volunteer programs and public-private
partnerships are only successful with performance,
workload management and oversight, even more
difficult than outsourced contractors.
The most significant recommendation from this report
includes the full implementation of work order
management and time/equipment attribution. This
will allow management to fully understand the
workload and better able to determine the
appropriate mix of contracted services and in house
work. Early in 2019, Operations made some
organizational changes, including a “Contracts
Specialist” with Operations who would be responsible
for tendering and vendor management/evaluation.
The role was unclear in terms of forestry services but
it would make sense to develop contract management
skills in a few key personnel and ensure that they work
with procurement to create a roster of reliable
forestry service providers.
The scope of this review was difficult. Separating
forestry service from the other Operations
department services is challenging. This diversity of
services challenge management and workload
planning. Clarington is not unique in this regard.
Many of the benchmarked municipalities have similar
organizations. The organizational review highlighted
the challenges Clarington faces. We are encouraged
that changes may be made including our
recommendations to improve work management,
regardless of the organizational structure.
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Clarington Forestry Service Delivery Review
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Project Objective
This review was intended to provide an objective view
of services, explore opportunities for alternatives and
make recommendations for improvements. The key
focus is to determine if the Municipality has
opportunities to:
a. improve service and outcomes;
b. meet new or increased demand from
customers for services;
c. improve service delivery mechanisms and
processes;
d. maintain existing service levels in the face of
competing priorities or decreasing revenues;
e. reduce costs; and/or improve revenues.
The approach that Clarington chose to utilize was
outlined in the guide to service delivery reviews
released by the Ontario Municipal Affairs and Housing.
The guide suggests that 10 key questions should be
addressed in SDRs as shown in as follows:
1. Do we really need to continue to be in the
business/service?
2. What do citizens expect of the service and what
outcomes does council want for the service?
3. How does current performance compare to
expected performance?
4. Do the activities logically lead to the expected
outcomes?
5. How is demand for the service being managed?
6. What are the full costs and benefits of the
service?
7. How can benefits and outputs of the service be
increased?
8. How can the number and cost of inputs be
decreased?
9. What are the alternative ways of delivering the
service?
10. How can a service change best be managed,
implemented and communicated?
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Clarington Forestry Service Delivery Review
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Figure 1:Service Delivery Review - 10 Questions
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Project Scope
1. Project Initiation: Met with Clarington’s SDR
Forestry Services Steering Committee to clarify
expectations, refine lines of inquiry, and
develop a subsequent work program for the
engagement.
2. Steering Committee: Facilitated focus group
session for SWOT, opportunity identification.
Individual interviews with members of the
Steering Committee were also undertaken.
3. Council Consultations: All councillors were
provided the option to meet with the
consultants. Three interviews were
undertaken.
4. Senior Management Consultations: All senior
management involved in forestry were
interviewed.
5. Staff Consultations: Interviewed all Forestry
staff as well as administrative support.
Performed observations and facilitated focus
group sessions. Subject matter experts from
Engineering, Planning, Climate Change,
Communications, Clerk’s Office, By-law and
Finance were also interviewed.
6. External Stakeholder Consultations:
Interviewed Conservation Authority staff as
well as community leaders involved in forestry.
7. Environmental Scan: Reviewed relevant
documentation; benchmarked Municipality
services against comparators to identify
opportunities for improved efficiencies and
effectiveness.
8. Review of Current Service Delivery Model:
Developed an inventory of services and
processes provided by Forestry Services.
9. Opportunity Identification: Identified potential
opportunities to achieve the most efficient and
operationally effective approach to service
delivery and address the 10 key questions.
10. Final Report & Presentation: Developed and
presented an interim report to the Steering
Committee with key findings. Final report with
recommendations on the Municipality’s service
delivery model scheduled for January 2020.
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Methodology
Our methodology shown in Figure 2:project
methodology included:
1. Project Initiation
2. Document Review.
3. Financial and Operational Performance Analysis
and Data Collection.
4. Analysis of Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities and Threats (SWOT).
5. Consultations including focus groups,
interviews and observations.
6. Benchmarking and data analysis.
7. Evaluation of the Current Services.
8. Development of Interim and Final Reports.
Project
Initiation
First
Principles
Meeting
Consultation
Analysis of
Municipal
Service Plans
Financial and
Operational
Performance
Analysis
Project Update
& Presentation
External
Analysis
Benchmarking
& Best
Practices –
Service Level
Baseline
Analyze/
Compare
Current State
to Best
Practice –
Develop
Opportunties
Develop Final
Recommendations
and Validation
Prepare Draft and
Final Report,
Recommendations,
Presentation,
Roadmap
Project
Update
& Input
Project
Update
& Input
Project
Update
& Input
Evaluate
Current As is
Services and
Business
Processes
Presentation
of Interim
Report
Working
Session -
Priorities
Document
Review
External Consultation
SWOT Analysis
Technology
Review and
Research
FIGURE 2:PROJECT METHODOLOGY
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Clarington Forestry Service Delivery Review
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This work was undertaken over a five-month
period commencing August 2019. The
opportunities and recommendations are expected
to be presented to the Committee in January
2020. Figure 3: Project Timeline shows the timing
of each activity. In summary, staff and
management consultations took place in
September and October 2019. A “Day in the Life”
was undertaken with forestry staff whereby we
observed their work management, planning and
daily work. Draft report was provided in
December following the release of the
Organization Structure Review. Council report is
expected in January 2020 if required.
Figure 3: Project Timeline
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Clarington Forestry Service Delivery Review
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Opportunities and Recommendations
There are 14 recommendations/opportunities that
arise from the service delivery review for
consideration:
Recommendation 1: Undertake a business
process review of customer service
requests/work orders within Operations
with the view to collect time and
equipment cost s at source. This will
require a complete transformation of the
business from the Lead Hand entering data
to staff responsibility through
mobile/internet access. This is what is
done in many other municipalities. An
estimated investment of $7 0 ,000 is
required to make this happen including
consult ing services, implementation ,
procedural development and training
deliver y. Additional mobile devices may
be required but an assessment of current
hardware and new requirements should be
undertaken in conce rt with other
corporate projects.
Recommendation 2: As part of the
process transformation, create C itywide
work order series based upon type
including, at minimum contractor
inspections/complaints, tree replacements.
Error proofing mechanisms should be put
in place to ensure data is clean and
consistent. Look at limited tree
replacement choices for cus tomers.
Recommendation 3 : Clarington Forestry
Services should develop performance
standards in measurements, collection and
reporting including work order response
rates and contractor performance. Service
levels should be developed, tracked and
advertised.
Recommendation 4 : Clarington should
create an online request system,
integrated with CityWi de (or the corporate
service request system) to allow customers
to submit and track forestry requests in
real time .
Recommendation 5 : Transform the
position of Lead Hand to Forestry
Coordinator who will be responsible for
managing forestry work with int ernal staff
and contractors. This position should also
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Clarington Forestry Service Delivery Review
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be responsible to develop private -public or
volunteer partnerships for tree
assessments and inventory.
Recommendation 6 : Assign one position,
at minimum, to the Forestry Coordinator,
as a permanent forestry positio n to assist
in eliminating the backlog of service
requests and support the Urban forest
strategy. Additional training in forestry
practices should be provided to more staff
with the skills to support the Lead
Hand/Forestry Coordinator.
R ecommendation 7 : Contractor
requirements should include tracking and
updates to work orders and tree inventory.
Satisfaction surveys should be added to
the customer portal so that the
municipality can monitor the quality and
responsiveness.
Recommendation 8 : Following the
implementation a full work order
management system with time and
equipment tracking and vendor
performance, revisit the degree of
outsourcing in forestry.
Recommendation 9 : Deve lop a plan to
collect tree inventory including application
for funding.
R ecommendation 10: Undertake an
equipment rate study to update rates
immediately and on a regular cycle (eg.
every 3 -4 years). Ensure that equipment
rates are charged to work orders as they
are utilized as part of Recommendation 1.
Recommendation 1 1 : As part of a
procurement review, Forestry staff should
work with Purchasing to develop a
contractor evaluation system/process. All
contracts should be tracked in a new work
order type in CityWide that includes
criteria for contractors. Consider moving
to a reporting requirement rather than
inspect ing all work of contractors .
P erformance standards should be put in
place and monitored .
Recommendation 1 2 : Update /expand the
Tree Preservation Bylaw #97 -35 including
fees.
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Clarington Forestry Service Delivery Review
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Recommendation 1 3 : C larington should
determine the commitment to Urban
F orest S trategy and ensure a workplan,
with internal and external resources are
assigned. This should form a policy as
required by the Municipal Act.
Recommendation 1 4 : As part of the
strategy, C larington Forestry Services
should work with the inter -agency working
group s uch as Durham Region, Clarington’s
Climate Change Coordinator, Conservation
Authorities and Community Groups to
build additional volunteer opportunities
(eg. Forest Ambassador Pro gram) and/or
pursue grants (eg. Trees Canada).
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Clarington Forestry Service Delivery Review
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Background
Situated on beautiful Lake Ontario, the Municipality of
Clarington (the Municipality) is a lower-tier
municipality at the eastern most point in Durham
Region which has picturesque harbours at the eastern
border of the GTA. The municipality has a mix of
urban and rural and is large (611.40 square
7 2016 Census, Statistics Canada
8Highway 407 extension could bring new markets but also
big risk for businesses
kilometres) which provides an abundance of natural
Forestry assets.
The Municipality prides itself with the “small
Municipality feel” but in fact, the Municipality is not
“small” in relative terms to most municipalities in
Ontario. It represents 0.684% of the province’s
population and there are 386 (93%) lower/single tier
municipalities in Ontario that are smaller. However, its
population of 92,0137 has experienced significant
growth at 8.8% since 2011. This is well above Durham
Region’s (the Region) growth rate of 6.2% and the
4.6% growth rate across Ontario. This growth has
been primarily along the 401 and the rural areas
remain “relatively” intact with exception to the area
surrounding the 407 expansion. This expansion has
been met with both positive and negative attention. 8
In terms of forestry, it is this development that most
concerns arborists and environmental scientists alike.
9
As shown in Figure 4, Clarington is a key contributor to
the 50 million trees Forest Ontario project. Its lush
Second phase of Ontario Highway 407 expansion opens
east of Toronto
9 https://www.greenblue.com/na/trees-in-hardscape-structural-
stability-vs-rootable-soil/
Figure 4: Map of Clarington – 5 Million Tree Project from
Forests Ontario
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Clarington Forestry Service Delivery Review
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agricultural land makes for great growing conditions.
The Trees for Rural Roads program has been very
successful. Since 2012, more than 5,800 saplings have
been planted with $160,000 investment since the
inception of the program.10
Clarington covers 61,350 hectares with mapped
forested areas on both private and public land totaling
17,975 hectares, or 29.3% of the total land area when
forest and forest swamp areas are combined as shown
in Figure 5.11
The unique Oak Ridges Moraine12 and Ganaraska
Forest to the north are two of the largest contiguous
forests in southern Ontario. The ecologically diverse
moraine provides varied landforms on the moraine
with woodlands, wetlands, watercourses, kettle lakes
and bogs, have provided an environment suitable for
significant flora and fauna communities to develop
and thrive. The Ganaraska provides large woodlands
that are particularly valuable for conserving
biodiversity. Both areas provide protection for plants
and wildlife in addition to the protection of the
headwater recharge areas of the river watershed.13
10 2019 Clarington Stewardship Annual Report : Report PSD-055-19,
December 2, 2019
11 Clarington Urban Forest Strategy 2018.
12 Ecology of the Oak Ridges Moraine - Wikipedia
13 https://www.ganaraskaforestcentre.ca/wp-
content/uploads/2017/10/GFMP-2018-2038-September-2017.pdf
Figure 5: Major Habitat Types and Land Uses - Source
Urban Forest Strategy
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Clarington Forestry Service Delivery Review
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The key focus of the SDR is to determine if the
Municipality has opportunities to:
a. Improve service and outcomes;
b. Meet new or increased demand from
customers for services;
c. Improve service delivery mechanisms and
processes;
d. Maintain existing service levels in the face of
competing priorities or decreasing revenues;
e. Reduce costs; and/or
f. Improve revenues particularly from grants.
Our review revealed that the Municipality needs to
look at the degree to which it feels that tree canopy is
important to its overall vision. Even if the Municipality
determines that it can outsource more of the services,
it needs to improve Forestry Service planning through
dedicated resources and customer relationship
management.
There are also opportunities for interdepartmental
cooperation as identified in the Organizational
Structure Review that will provide better synergies
and improve opportunities for forestry management
and the overall health of the community. If the
recommendations are adopted, duplication of effort
and improved long-term urban forest management
would be a positive outcome.
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Forestry Organizational and
Regulatory Context
Figure 6 provides an overview of the landscape of
organizations involved in forestry in the municipal
context.
Figure 6: Forestry Organizational Context
There is no one specific organization or legislation that
requires a municipality to provide forestry services.
The level and types of services are generally a matter
of community choice and municipal direction.
However, research shows there is general desire to
protect the tree canopy and address climate change
impacts. As municipalities, like Clarington, become
more urbanized, more attention that forestry is
evident. Legislation has been introduced to force the
issue of climate change and worldwide organizations
are promoting the benefits of trees.
In the case of municipalities, we see a wide array of
levels of service ranging from mostly outsourced
(Town of Caledon) to fully funded urban forestry
teams (Toronto, Oakville). The trend towards in house
expertise and forestry roles is evident in large urban
centres. Brantford, for example, experimented with
fully outsourced forestry services, only to find quality
and response issues.
Below is a summary of the key organizations from
national to local in Clarington.
National Organizations
Tree Canada is a charity dedicated to planting and
nurturing trees. They engage communities,
governments, corporations and individuals in the
pursuit of a greener and healthier living environment
for Canadians. The programs have resulted in more
than 82 million trees, greened more than 660
schoolyards, helped restore places hit by natural
disasters and brought together urban forestry experts
greening cities all across Canada.
Tree Canada
Forests Ontario
Conservation Authorities (CLOCA, GRCA)
Durham Region Forestry
Clarington Forestry
Community Partners/Not For Profits
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Canadian Urban Forest Network (CUFN), affiliated
with Tree Canada is the largest network of urban
forestry practitioners, experts and educators in
Canada. While Clarington may not specifically
connect with Tree Canada, this may be an additional
avenue to look for tree planting partnerships.
The Municipal Natural Assets Initiative (MNAI)
provides scientific, economic and municipal expertise
to support and guide local governments in identifying,
valuing and accounting for natural assets in their
financial planning and asset management programs,
and in developing leading-edge, sustainable and
climate resilient infrastructure. Funding programs are
available to assist local governments with asset
management strategies.
Provincial Organizations
Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry manages
the provinces Crown forests which makes up 91% of
all forests in Ontario.
Forests Ontario is dedicated to making Ontario’s
forests greener. Their primarily focus on tree planting
initiatives, extensive education programs and decades
of community outreach have resulted in millions of
trees being planted each year. Partnerships and
planting programs are intended to increase forest
cover, restore forests impacted by natural occurrences
and improve forest conditions in Ontario and across
Canada. The 50 million tree project has been quite
successful.
Provincial Legislati on
Forests are managed through a combination of
planning and legislation. There is provincial legislation
such as The Crown Forest Sustainability Act which
describes forest sustainability and regulates the
protection and sustainable use of Ontario’s forested
lands. Environmental Assessments, Planning Act
Applications, and Environmental Impact Studies
provide municipalities with the ability to make specific
requirements.
The Forestry Act applies to forests on private land and
provides municipalities with the ability to pass bylaws
for acquiring forests as follows:
“11 (1) The council of a municipality may pass by-laws,
(a) for acquiring by purchase, lease or otherwise, land
for forestry purposes;
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(b) for declaring land that is owned by the
municipality to be required by the municipality for
forestry purposes;
(c) for planting and protecting trees on any land
acquired for or declared to be required for forestry
purposes;
(d) for the management of any land acquired for or
declared to be required for forestry purposes and the
sale or other disposition of the trees thereon;
(e) for issuing debentures, without the assent of the
electors, for the purpose of purchasing land for
forestry purposes to an amount not exceeding the
amount prescribed by the Minister to be owing at any
one time;
(f) for entering into agreements for the management
of any land acquired for or declared to be required for
forestry purposes;
(g) for leasing, selling or otherwise disposing of any
land acquired for or declared to be required for
forestry purposes.”
Conservation Authorities
There are some natural heritage features such as
significant wetlands and significant coastal wetlands
where development and site alteration are not
permitted. Typically, these policies are enforced by
Conservation Authorities in concert with the local
Ministry of Natural Resources staff. In addition, the
Conservation Authorities administer Ontario’s
Regulation of Development, Interference with
Wetlands and Alteration to Shorelines and
Watercourses.
Clarington’s area is served by two Conservation
Authorities, each with a different focus but both with
the mandate to preserve the tree canopy. Of late,
preservation has been the desired approach as
opposed to replacement.
Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority (CLOCA)
CLOCA owns just over 2700 hectares of land across its
jurisdiction. Conservation lands have been acquired,
protected, and restored in an effort to support
CLOCA's primary mandate, which includes the
protection, management, and restoration of the
watershed’s important natural resources.
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Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority (GRCA)
The watersheds of the GRCA covers an area of 361
square miles from Wilmot Creek in Clarington to east
of Cobourg from the south shore of Rice Lake down to
Lake Ontario. This area includes seven municipalities
in whole or in part: Township of Cavan-Monaghan,
Town of Cobourg, Township of Alnwick-Haldimand,
Township of Hamilton, Municipality of Port Hope, City
of Kawartha Lakes and the Municipality of Clarington.
The Ganaraska Forest is at a pivotal moment in its
history. The largest block of continuous forest in
Southern Ontario, it is a huge expanse of 11,000 acres
that represents one of the most successful
conservation projects ever undertaken in central
Canada.
GRCA is a partner with Clarington I delivering the
Trees for Rural Roads program.
Local Organizations
Several local organizations volunteer their time to
protect the natural environment and tree canopy.
Valleys 2000, Old Bowmanville Neighbourhood
Association, Samuel Wilmot Nature Area Committee
are but a few that contribute to tree preservation and
planting. Of course, tree planting programs all involve
volunteers.
Regional and Local Governments
Durham Region and the Municipality of Clarington
both have roles to play in the protection, preservation
and growth of the tree canopy and forestry services,
urban and rural. Some of these roles are created
through plans and regulations while others are
matters of community choice. In addition, the
Municipal Act allows for by-laws to be put in place to
protect trees. Durham Region’s Tree By-law regulates
woodlots over 1 hectare and Clarington’s Tree By-law.
To fully understand tree preservation, provincial
legislation must be considered collectively with
Clarington’s and Durham’s Tree By-law.
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Environmental Benefits
Clarington’s Urban Forest Strategy as well as
thousands of documents articulate the benefits of
trees. Some of the highlights include:
1. Public Health and Social Benefits
Clean Air: Trees produce oxygen, intercept airborne
particulates, and reduce smog, enhancing a
community’s respiratory health.
Access to trees, green spaces and parks promotes
greater physical activity, and reduces stress, while
improving the quality of life in urban areas. Studies
show that urban vegetation slows heartbeats, lowers
blood pressure, and relaxes brain wave patterns.
2. Environmental Benefits
Climate change: Trees sequester carbon (CO2),
reducing the overall concentration of greenhouse
gases in the atmosphere.
Energy conservation: Trees are natural air
conditioners. The evaporation from a single tree can
produce the cooling effect of ten room-size,
residential air conditioners operating 20 hours a day.
Tree windbreaks can reduce residential heating costs
10-15%; while shading and evaporative cooling from
trees can cut residential air-conditioning costs 20-
50%.
Water filtration and retention: Urban forests
promote beneficial water quality and reduce storm
water management costs.
Wildlife habitat: Trees provide important habitats for
numerous bird, insect and animal species.
3. Economic Benefits
Communities and business districts with healthy tree-
cover attract new residents, industry, and commercial
activity. Some findings show that:
• Homes landscaped with trees sell more quickly and
are worth 5% to 15% more than homes without
trees.
• Where the entire street is tree-lined, homes may
be worth 25% more.
• Trees enhance economic stability by attracting
businesses; people linger and shop longer when
trees are present.
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• Where a canopy of trees exists, apartments and
offices rent more quickly and have a higher
occupancy rate; workers report more productivity
and less absenteeism.
4. Tree Benefit “Fun Facts”:
• Trees provide inviting and cool areas for recreation
and relaxation such as playgrounds and parks.
• Trees create a tapestry of color and interesting
form that changes throughout the year.
• The color green is calming and relieves eye strain.
• Trees screen unattractive views and soften the
harsh outline of masonry, metal, asphalt, steel and
glass.
• People walk and jog more on shaded streets, which
encourages interaction with neighbors and
improves the sense of community.
• Trees absorb and block sound, reducing noise
pollution by as much as 40 percent.14
14 https://canopy.org/tree-info/benefits-of-trees/
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Clarington Forestry Organizational
Structure
At the time of review, Clarington Forestry Services
were the responsibility of the Operations Department.
Recent retirements have provided management with
opportunities to review the forestry service and
workload. In 2019, an arborist with extensive
experience in the municipal forestry sector, was hired
as a Lead Hand, reporting to the Supervisor, Parks and
Cemeteries. The organizational structure was also
realigned to improve service as shown in Figure 7.
In order to coordinate contractor performance, a new
Supervisor, responsible for contracts was created.
Forestry contract management continued to rest with
the Lead Hand. Forestry services in not mentioned in
the structure nor are crews assigned to Lead Hands.
Lead Hands are reassigned during winter months to
handle winter control operations. Any forestry work is
delayed over the winter months unless emergency
operations are required.
Workload management is very problematic. We
observed that each day, Lead Hands determine what
work is needed and staff are assigned at that time.
With no “crews”, there is no defined workplan. This
means that priorities change daily. Consequently, any
non-urgent work is not planned. In Forestry Services,
this means that the work orders are not being
addressed in a timely manner. The Lead Hand
arborist, being the only staff with this skillset, is
completely responsible for the mounting customer
requests with no staff support. As discussed in this
next section, this is not sustainable.
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Figure 7: Operations Organizational
Structure 2019
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Operating Budget 2019 Summary &
Comments
Figure 8 illustrates that contracted services are
becoming a larger percentage of the total expenses
for Forestry Services. A contribution of $11.36 per
capita annually based on the Municipality’s population
of 92,013 (as compared to Brantford at $14.2 per
capita).
We noted that budgeted salaries and wages for 2019
were significantly lower than 2018 actual results. This
may be due to the plan to outsource more work.
It is important to note that the amount of work and
expense has been significantly under-estimated since
2014. As shown in Figure 9, Forestry Services have
been over budget every year. In 2014, this amounted
to 99% variance. While this may have been due to
allocation issues, it only changed slightly. Every year
saw large variances indicating that the amount of
work was not well known or planned.
EXPENSE CATEGORY Total 2019 Budget Total 2018 Actuals Total 2017 Actuals Total 2016 Actuals Total 2015 Actuals Total 2014 Actuals
CONTRACTED SERVICES 730,000$ 216,941$ 332,668$ 344,265$ 349,450$ 409,286$
FLEET ALLOCAITON 75,000$ 82,132$ 79,279$ 82,691$ 56,525$ 68,679$
SALARIES & BENEFITS FT 240,000$ 319,325$ 230,776$ 229,147$ 177,395$ 179,967$
Grand Total 1,045,000$ 618,398$ 642,723$ 656,103$ 583,370$ 657,932$
EXPENSE CATEGORY % of 2019 Budget % of 2018 Actuals % of 2017 Actuals % of 2016 Actuals % of 2015 Actuals % of 2014 Actuals
CONTRACTED SERVICES 69.86%35.08%51.76%52.47%59.90%62.21%
FLEET ALLOCAITON 7.18%13.28%12.33%12.60%9.69%10.44%
SALARIES & BENEFITS FT 22.97%51.64%35.91%34.93%30.41%27.35%
Figure 8:Clarington Forestry Operating Budgets and Results 2014-2019 (BUDGET)
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Figure 9: Clarington Forestry Budget Variances 2014-2018
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Clarington Forestry Services’
Achievements
Clarington Forestry Services has gone through a
significant period of change and uncertainty, including
the reorganization of the Operations department and
outsourced services. The Forestry Services saw recent
supervision and staffing changes that showed that the
service had some long outstanding issues. It has only
been recently with the recruitment of new staff that
Operations has witnessed the customer service
challenges and increasing workload. Management has
recognized that contract management is time
consuming, challenging and requires a special skill set.
Hence, the changes to the organization included the
centralization of this function. In time, perhaps
management of forestry contracts can be handled by
that new Supervisor position but the Organizational
Review may affect the structure.
Other accomplishments in the forestry area include
the following:
✓ Urban Forest Strategy
✓ Climate Change Coordinator
✓ Work Order/Request Management
Implementation
✓ Trees for Rural Roads
✓ Support for Community Programs and
Volunteers (Valleys 2000, Samuel Wilmot
Nature Area)
✓ Mill Street Trail
✓ Emerald Ash Borer tree removal/replacement
program is near completion
✓ Tree inventory – commencement of tree
information gathering and EAB assessment in
parks
Forestry Work Processes and Staffing
The Manager of Operations and recently hired Lead
Hand/arborist have taken the lead to develop work
management with new software and changing
business practices. However, long standing manual,
time consuming processes remain and customer
service is suffering. Work planning is reactive and not
scheduled. Labour, materials and equipment usage
are not tracked against work orders, but rather non-
integrated outdated spreadsheets which are re-
entered for payroll purposes.
Customer service requests are taken by
telephone/email and entered by administrative staff
as opposed to customer initiation online. Customers
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have no access to updates on requests without staff
interaction.
Consequently, the true cost of work undertaken by
staff is not known and cannot be easily comparable to
outsourced services. Further, the time to complete
these antiquated processes is taking valuable time
away from customer services and the results are
dissatisfaction and a lack of capacity to respond.
Contractor Procurement and
Performance
Clarington Forestry Services has a combined service
model of in-house and outsourced services as shown
in Figure 8.
Contractors are procured utilizing public tenders as
well as a source of standing offers for equipment and
emergency services. In the tenders reviewed during
this project, we noted that each tree or area was
identified in a table as well as a location. Operations
staff put the tenders together and review the results
upon receipt. Following contract award, the vendor
must indicate when work is to be undertaken.
Tenders indicate that an inspection from municipal
staff is required before payment is released. Any
issues with contractors generally surface from resident
complaints and are registered in the work order
management system.
Managing contractors, procurement and the results is
very time consuming. No mechanisms are in place to
capture customer satisfaction of the work completed
by contractors. However, anecdotal evidence
indicates quality and timeliness issues.
Staff indicated that a significant effort is involved and
many complaints are received. However, the current
work order system does not necessarily track the
contractor or the time taken to undertake these
inspections. In terms of performance, we noted that
the tenders do not have specific evaluation criteria to
which the vendor may be assessed.
Concern was expressed over the available number of
forestry contractors in the area. The contractors that
perform quality work are very busy. Finding and
retaining local suppliers of trees is also a challenge.
Nurseries are finding that they cannot provide the
supply at competitive rates.
Therefore, there must be a balance between contract
provisions, performance and monitoring. All this to
say is that Forestry Services staff spend a significant
amount of time and effort managing contracts
without sufficient resources or processes.
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Clarington Forestry Service Profile
Forestry Services in Clarington are similar to those in
many municipalities. While much of the services
focus on managing the urban forest, its vast rural
landscape and protection of the trees outside of the
urban areas is also important. The Forestry Services
can be summarized in the following categories:
1. Municipal Urban Forest Management
Managing the urban forest involves development of a
strategy and management plan which outlines the
Municipality’s plan for the future. It includes analysis
of non-native species and mapping of encroachments
and education program for residents. As mentioned
above, in 2018, Clarington developed an Urban Forest
Strategy which was adopted by Council in principle.
This strategy, developed in house, was designed to
preserve the tree canopy. At the time, there was
some discussion concerning the imposition of a
private tree bylaw which some municipalities have put
in place. As a joint report, Planning, Engineering and
Operations provided Council with some principles and
intended actions.
Table 1 provides a summary of the strategic objectives
and findings. The action items are also summarized.
However, one will note that no specific staff or
department were assigned responsibility for results.
Timelines were not identified nor were associated
costs allocated. The next significant step that was
recommended in the report was the development of
an Urban Forest Management Plan which would
incorporate most of the action items discussed below.
However, no additional work has been undertaken
since the acceptance of the report. This may be due,
in part, to the fact that forestry responsibilities are
shared with several departments with no specific lead.
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Table 1: Urban Forest Strategy - Key Objectives and Action Items
Strategic
Objective
Category
Strategic Objective
Description
Objective Action Items
3.1 Tree
Inventory and
Assessment
3.1.1 Tree Inventory
and Forest Canopy
Assessment
Regular updates to the street tree inventory
should continue and resources should be
directed to complete an inventory of the
individual trees in parks and open space areas.
Staff will investigate partnership
opportunities with interest groups, schools,
conservation authorities, and private land
owners to collect information on the quantity
and quality of trees and forests on private
land through the use of satellite imagery,
volunteer data collection and other data
acquisition opportunities.
3.1 Tree Inventory
and Assessment
3.1.2 Street and Park
Tree Diversity
Objectives
Diversification of the tree species within parks
and on boulevards provides a healthier, more
robust tree inventory that is less prone to serious
pest issues (i.e. insects and diseases). The long-
term goal is to have all street tree species occupy
less than 10% of the overall total tree inventory.
Staff has been diversifying the street tree
inventory over the last decade
3.1 Tree
Inventory and
Assessment
3.1.3 Age Class
Distribution
Objectives
A diverse age distribution of trees within parks
and on boulevards reduces issues of peak year
declines due to natural mortality. Due to the
large proportion of young trees as a result of
subdivision expansion, there will be a future
issue with natural mortality and decline as
these trees become mature within the same
decade
An analysis and future projection of growth,
planting and management as part of an
Urban Forest Management Plan is
recommended to identify strategies to
develop a more diverse-aged tree inventory
over the long-term.
3.2
Management of
Municipal
Forests
3.2.1 Forest
Succession Plans
An Urban Forest Management Plan would
include objectives and individual forest
succession plans for municipal owned forest in
parks and open space areas. Specifically, many
Private tree plantings also contribute to the
urban forest. In new subdivisions, developers
are required to provide new home owners
with vouchers for an additional tree beyond
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Strategic
Objective
Category
Strategic Objective
Description
Objective Action Items
forested areas, such as valleylands require
management to ensure the long-term
sustainability of these lands.
the street trees that are planted as part of
the public realm.
3.2
Management of
Municipal
Forests
3.2.2 Non-native
invasive species
management
Non-native species are becoming more
common in natural areas within the
Municipality. Dog-strangling vine, garlic
mustard, etc. are serious problems that will
impact long term sustainability of forested
lands. The Ontario Invasive Species Plant
Council has a mapping tool on its website that
members of the public can use to report an
invasive species sighting
Staff will continue to investigate
partnerships, provincial and federal funding
opportunities to identify, map and address
the problem caused by non-native invasive
species.
3.2
Management of
Municipal
Forests
3.2.3 Mapping of
encroachments and
education program
for residents
Encroachments by adjacent landowners into
municipal forests and valleylands result in the
destruction and/or degradation of natural
areas. They also act as a point source of non-
native invasive species, and can have long-
lasting impacts to natural areas.
Subdivision developers in Clarington are
required to provide education materials to
new residents on the impacts of
encroachments on the natural environment.
Staff will investigate additional methods of
providing information to existing residents
who live adjacent to natural areas.
3.3 Level of
Service
3.3.1 Inspection
Program
A systematic tree inspection program
following the International Society of
Arboriculture (ISA) standards is a best practice
for all tree maintenance programs.
Identification of tree issues early with follow-
up maintenance can increase the lifespan of a
tree, significantly reduce risk of damage
caused by tree structural failures, and reduce
A regular system of inspection and reporting
would be developed for municipal street and
park trees as part of a comprehensive Urban
Forest Management Plan.
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Strategic
Objective
Category
Strategic Objective
Description
Objective Action Items
the long-term costs of management of tree
inventories.
3.3 Level of
Service
3.3.2 Maintenance
(Pruning) Cycle
Regular pruning of trees increases their health,
longevity and significantly reduce risk of
damage caused by tree structural failures. It
also acts to reduce the number of service
requests made by residents to report tree
problems that would not exist if the tree had
been pruned regularly.
Staff will review the pruning program
towards the goal of achieving a regular
maintenance cycle of 7-10 years.
3.4 Customer
Service / Service
Delivery
3.4.1 Response
Protocols
Currently no specific performance measures.
This process will be reviewed with the goal of
reducing the timeline between receiving
service requests and final closing of the service
request.
Staff will review the current process for
receiving service requests through to the
completion of the tasks and tracking of work.
3.4 Customer
Service / Service
Delivery
3.4.2 Public
Education and
Information
Availability
Educating community partners on the value of
native species and the dangers of invasive
species could result in less long-term impact
on natural areas. Clarington’s website and
social media could be a good avenue to
provide information to the public. Trees on
private properties provide benefits to
Clarington as a whole without any additional
investment from the municipality.
A comprehensive review and update of the
Urban Forestry information on the website
needs to be completed. Create public
education opportunities on the benefits of
protecting and managing trees on private
property.
3.5 Tree
Protection and
Management
3.5.1 Private Tree
By-law
Tree by-laws regulating injury to and
destruction of trees on private property is one
tool that some municipalities in Ontario have
implemented to try and ensure that trees
Staff do not recommend that Clarington
introduce a Private Tree By-law at this time.
Future updates to the Urban Forest Strategy
and Tree By-Laws will reassess the need for a
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Strategic
Objective
Category
Strategic Objective
Description
Objective Action Items
considered significant in a municipality are not
removed without good reason. However, such
by-laws can evoke strong sentiment among
some members of the community who feel
that their private property rights are being
infringed upon.
Private Tree By-law as our urban areas
mature.
3.5 Tree
Protection and
Management
3.5.2 Review
Clarington’s Tree By-
law
Bylaw was enacted in 1997. Staff will plan regular reviews to the existing
Tree By-law on a 5-year cycle to ensure that
changes to legislation, organization and
relevance are kept up-to-date and
compliment the Region’s By-law which
applies to woodland areas over 1.0 hectare.
3.5 Tree
Protection and
Management
3.5.3 Formalize the
review process for
capital projects with
tree impacts.
Municipal construction programs do not have
formal program to protect trees.
Staff will review the process in place for
capital projects and recommend any changes
necessary to ensure the protection of trees
on Municipal construction projects.
3.5 Tree
Protection and
Management
3.5.4 Increase
Oversight
Correct implementation of Tree Protection
measures is the best practice for providing
tree protection. Training and any other tools
or resources that are made available for
inspectors will increase the successful
implementation of tree protection standards
and practices.
Staff will research available training courses
to provide the knowledge to inspection staff
that is critical in ensuring that tree protection
is implemented on construction sites.
3.6 Forest
Health and Pest
Management
3.6.1
Implementation of a
Pest Preparedness
Program
New pests, or changes to existing pests will
result in the need to develop a Pest
Preparedness Program to ensure Clarington
stays ahead of impending issues.
Staff will monitor current and future forest
pests (insects and diseases) that may have an
impact on the urban forest.
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Strategic
Objective
Category
Strategic Objective
Description
Objective Action Items
3.6 Forest
Health and Pest
Management
3.6.2 Emerald Ash
Borer Program
EAB continue to be found outside of urban
areas.
Staff will continue to address the impacts of
emerald ash borer on our inventory of ash
trees. The program will be reviewed and
adjusted to ensure the most efficient and up-
to-date information is used in decision
making.
3.6 Forest
Health and Pest
Management
3.6.3 Assessment of
the Watering
Program/Policy for
newly planted trees
The majority of street trees in Clarington are
planted by the developers of subdivisions.
Staff will review and update the watering
program for newly planted street trees to
ensure trees are properly cared for in the
critical establishment phase of tree planting.
Staff will investigate making Gator Bags, or
similar slow release watering systems, a
requirement for new street tree planting
projects.
3.6 Forest
Health and Pest
Management
3.6.4 Identification
and planning for
future forest health
issues and climate
change
Trees have a significant lifespan and staff must
make decisions today that will affect future
generations. For example, the choice of tree
species and location in a park or on a
boulevard can have affects for several decades
into the future.
Staff will monitor and stay current on
research and information available related to
future forest health issues, including climate
change
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In summary, the Urban Forest Strategy set out some
key objectives and action items. However, no
particular department, staff member or team was
identified to undertake these initiatives. Since 2018,
very little progress towards these goals has been
made. This is mostly due to the lack of funding to
support the plan and no responsibility/accountability.
As identified in the Organizational Structure Review,
forestry is shared between Planning, Engineering and
Operations which results no direction. In order to
meet the requirements of the changes to the
Municipal Act, the municipality must adopt a policy to
protect/enhance the tree canopy. If this strategy is
intended to meet this requirement, it should formalize
the policy and commitment.
2. Tree Inventory and Assessment
A tree inventory is the physical count of the trees,
their species, size, age and condition. Part of being
able to manage the tree canopy, plan the forestry
work over time, is to understand the population of
possible tree issues and develop a preventative
maintenance program. Tree asset management is no
different any other asset. The Municipality must
collect the assets, assess their condition and
determine the level of service that the asset is
intended to provide.
The asset management plan should include a
financing strategy for lifecycle management activities,
such as pruning and replacement. The only difference
between tree assets and infrastructure assets is that
the O.Reg 588/17 is that trees are living. No specific
requirement in the regulation points to natural assets
but there are good reasons for doing so.
The Municipal Natural Assets Initiative provides
compelling reasons to manage the natural assets as
follows:
• Natural assets such as aquifers, forests, streams,
riparian areas and foreshores can provide
municipalities with vital services equivalent to
those from many engineered assets.
• Emerging evidence shows that identifying,
measuring and managing natural assets as part
of an overall asset management strategy can
save capital and operating costs and reduce
risk.
• Local governments are finding that natural
assets are resilient and adaptable to climate
change. With effective monitoring,
maintenance and rehabilitation now, natural
assets can provide service and add value for
decades in ways that many engineered assets
cannot match.
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Clarington Forestry Service Delivery Review
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•
In some communities, development cost
charges may be able to support the
rehabilitation of natural assets.
• There are external funding sources to support the
maintenance/rehabilitation of municipal
natural assets.
• Some natural assets serve multiple purposes. For
example, parks may reduce flooding risks as
well as provide recreational benefits and can be
managed to maximize several objectives. 15
15 https://mnai.ca/about/
Staff indicated that it does not have an accurate or
complete tree inventory. Ideally, the inventory would
be updated as work orders are completed utilizing
GPS. However, the process is not currently in place.
The most recent street tree inventory was completed
in 2012. Since then the inventory has grown from
approximately 18,000 trees to over 21,000 trees as a
result of new subdivision development. The inventory
has not been updated with these new trees and does
not include any trees outside the urban areas.
Maple is the predominant street tree (44%), with
Lindens (14%) being the next most common genus of
street tree Figure 10. In 2012 Ash represented 13.5%
of Clarington street trees but the effects of Emerald
Ash Borer have drastically reduced their numbers and
ash are no longer planted on Clarington streets.
Figure 10: 2012 Tree Inventory - Source: Urban Forest
Strategy
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Forestry Staff have been updating the inventory in a
spreadsheet for the tree replacements as a result of
the Emerald Ash Borer but there is no comprehensive
inventory that can assist in overall tree management
plan.
A tree inventory is not only about the number and
types of trees but the size and condition information
are important indicators of age and expected
remaining life. In order to implement good
arboriculture practices, the Municipality first need to
know the population, type and condition of the trees.
This inventory could be updated through the use of
students or interns.
3. Tree Replanting Programs
Tree replanting is related to inventory in that
Clarington attempts to replace or increase the tree
canopy through a variety of programs. These include:
• Annual street tree replacement program to
remove and replace dead street trees in
assumed subdivisions.
• Emerald Ash Borer have resulted in the removal
of over 2,300 street trees over the past 5 years
from municipal boulevards.
• Approximately 4,500 trees have been planted on
municipal properties as part of community
planting programs implemented with funding
from outside sources such as Highway of Hero’s
Tribute Program, Evergreen, The Carbon
Farmer, OPG/Scouts Canada, and others.
• Trees for Rural Roads program has resulted in
the planting of 5,000 trees along rural roads.
In terms of the tree -replanting program, there have
been delays due to the Municipality’s practice and
policy. Currently, when a tree has been scheduled for
removal, a paper form is left with the resident who
must contact the Operations Department to indicate
Figure 11: 2012 Tree Inventory Based Upon Size -
Source: Urban Forest Strategy
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which of the seven trees they would like planted on
their property. The form indicates that it could take
“up to 2 years before stumps are removed and trees
are replaced on our current annual budget
allocation”.
While this seems to be a service that some residents
appreciate, record keeping is challenging and
residents are slow to respond, or not at all.
Operations staff must collect and monitor this
information as opposed to developing a plan for the
types of trees that will best suit the neighbourhood in
terms of variety and likely to survive based upon soil
conditions/location. The process adds complexity,
time and cost. It is also possible that, because of
volume, that the Municipality may not get the best
prices by having such large selection.
The other challenge is that, because it is a paper
process, it is unknown how many forms are given out
or lost. This means that Municipal staff may have to
follow up with the homeowner several times before a
choice is made. Most municipalities, including Oshawa
simply determines the tree to be planted based upon
their expert opinion on the best tree for the location.
Additionally, there does not seem to be a documented
process to ensure that the trees that are planted in all
of these programs are updated in the tree inventory.
4. Managing Forest Health and Pest Control
Forest health and pest control has been the primary
focus of Clarington’s forestry services over the past 5
years. Unfortunately, most of North America has
been dealing with the effects of the Emerald Ash
Borer Beetle infestation. Over 8 billion ash trees have
been affected.
In 2013, Clarington identified that 2,466 trees were
infested, 242 of which were destroyed by the ice
storm that year. Since then, the tree removals have
been done through a combination of contracted and
in-house staff.
As identified in a report to Council in January 2019,
the program cost to date was as follows:
Wages $1,037,135
Equipment 390,472
Contract services 1,367,011
Total $2,794,619
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Additional one-time funding was approved in 2019 of
$267,860 to remove the remaining 1,363 infected
trees in the urban areas.16
In 2019, staff commenced collecting the inventory of
the number and size of ash trees that are located
within Municipal woodlands, parks or rural roadways.
The cost to remove these infected trees is still
unknown but likely larger than the amount already
spent. Needless to say, the EAB impact is not only
large in terms of cost, time and tree removal but
affects Clarington’s goal to maintain its tree canopy.
The Municipality continues to replace these trees
through replanting efforts.
5. Tree Maintenance
Maintaining trees is very important for their
sustainability. Like any other asset, preventative
maintenance should be undertaken on trees so that
they will live their useful lives. Similar to humans,
trees need regular pruning which increase their
health, longevity and significantly reduce risk of
damage caused by tree structural failures.
16 OPD-001-19 Update on the Replacement of Emerald Ash Borer (EAB)
Infected Trees, January 7, 2019
Systematic tree inspection program is recommended
by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA)
standards as a best practice for all tree maintenance
programs. Identification of tree issues early with
follow-up maintenance can increase the lifespan of a
tree, significantly reduce risk of damage caused by
tree structural failures, and reduce the long-term
costs of management of tree inventories.
Unfortunately, Clarington’s Forestry Services are
primarily reactive with respect to pruning. Ideally, a
cycle of inspections and pruning would be developed
and planned. Inspections are being done, specifically
for EAB and when a customer request presents the
need.
Clarington’s Purchasing Department provided the
tenders issued and awarded from 2015 onward which
shows that the work for EAB removal and stump
grinding represented the majority of contracted work
and the average cost (excluding staff time) is $166 per
tree (Table 2). It is unknown how many trees are
pruned by staff and contracted pruning only impacted
648 trees or 3% of the known 21,000 tree inventory.
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Best practice indicates trees should be pruned every 7
years17 representing $609,000 (21,000 x $29). As
reiterated in the Urban Forest Strategy, research
indicates that if the average lifespan of a street tree
can be increased by even 10 years, it would reduce
the annual tree planting program costs by
approximately 20%. Ongoing maintenance
significantly reduces the number of service requests
made each year. In addition, a more structurally
sound tree is less likely to be damaged in a storm, or
cause damage to Municipal and private property
(decreasing Municipal liability).
Table 2:2015-2019 Tender Results
Tender by Type of
Work
Number
of Trees
Total
Cost
Cost per
Tree
EAB 1,284 $207,055 $161
Stump
Grinding/Removal
1,561 $197,806 $127
Tree Pruning 648 $18,719 $29
Tree Removal/
General
Maintenance
602 $165,761 $275
Tree
Supply/Delivery
370 $153,563 $415
Grand Total 4,465 $742,904 $166
Consequently, the Municipality should be allocating
$87,000 per year for pruning once it has created a
regular pruning schedule. However, there is likely a
significant backlog of pruning that has not been
undertaken that must first be dealt with.
17 International Society of Arboriculture Ontario (ISAO) recommends
minimum and “Best Management Practices”
Figure 12: 2015-19 Tender Results - Percentage of Work
by Type
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6. Customer Service
Responding and addressing customer requests and
complaints is currently the key focus for the Forestry
staff. The process involves calls by customers on a
variety of issues including notification of fallen trees,
pruning requests or outstanding replanting. Staff
enter the information into the CityWide Service
Request module which generates a work order for
staff. These work orders get forwarded to the Lead
Hand via email. Updates are provided upon return
calls or contact with the customer. Online service
requests or updates are not available as seen in many
municipalities.
From these requests, a work order is generated and
staff are assigned to complete the work. This
currently is sent to the Lead Hand.
According to the Urban Forest Strategy, 2015-2017
work order numbers were as follows:
• 2015-935 work orders
• 2016-1047 work orders
• 2017-1175 work orders
In late June 2017, the Operations Department
implemented CityWide Service Requests which is used
to log customer requests and complaints. Figure 13
illustrates that since implementation to September 19,
2019 that Forestry Services has received 4,090
requests. In 2017, assuming 1,175 total work orders,
the average number of work orders per month is 140
or 1684 per year. However, it should be noted that
the trend is increasing (185 per month in 2019).
It is important to note that, of the 4,090 work orders
received, 53% are outstanding and of these 62% have
not been started. This represents a significant
workload and also indicates levels of satisfaction with
the service. 207 work orders have had customers
called in with second and third requests over this
period. In fact, the workload is not completely
accurate as staff indicated that outstanding work
orders from their prior system, WorkTech were not
transferred to the new system therefore, it is not clear
how many are outstanding. That is, the status of the
2,474 work orders from 2015 to June 2017 is not
known and currently not tracked in CityWide.
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Number of Work Orders Status
Year Completed In Progress Not Started Scheduled Second Request Third Request Update Grand Total
2017 527 96 13 13 10 11 13 683
2018 868 221 582 36 45 25 25 1,802
2019 528 108 751 140 41 13 24 1,605
Grand Total 1,923 425 1,346 189 96 49 62 4,090
Figure 13: Forestry Work Orders by Status June 28, 2017-September 19, 2019 - Source Citywide
Figure 14: 2017-2019 Work Orders by Month and Status
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Of particular interest is the time of year in which the
requests are received. As illustrated in Figure 14, the
number of work orders received in winter months is
increasing. This would indicate that the operating
model whereby forestry staff are assigned to winter
control will only exasperate the growing problem.
On average, it takes 101 days to complete a service
request as shown in Figure 15. The average age of the
outstanding work overs was 233 days (over 7
months). Therefore, the time to resolve complaints
appears to be increasing.
We are of the opinion that these outstanding work
orders represent a liability to the Municipality, both in
terms of risk as well as cost. First and foremost, if the
Municipality is aware of a problem and does not
address it resulting in an accident or property
damage, it may be subject to challenges.
The outstanding work most certainly represents a
liability in terms of cost. Some of the work orders
may be completed with little effort but at minimum
each work order would require some attention. As
we do not have historical information representing
the cost for Municipal staff to complete each type of
work order, we can only make some assumptions.
Based upon the tender results, the minimum cost of a
work order is as follows: $29 (pruning), $415 for the
purchase of a tree. On average the outsourced cost
was $166 excluding any staff time.
Therefore, as shown in Figure 16, a very conservative
estimate of the cost of the work orders outstanding at
September 19, 2019 approximately $350,000 (or
approximately 4.5 full time equivalents (at $75,000
annual salary). This does not include the internal
costs of administration or the hidden cost of
dissatisfied customers as they wait for service.
Status
Average of Days to
Complete, Update or
Aging
Completed 101
In Progress 229
Not Started 243
Scheduled 154
Second Request 271
Third Request 200
Update 251
Average 173
Figure 15: Average Aging - Work Orders Created June
2017- September 2019
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7. Tree Protection and Management
Planning Act and Official Plan
For projects proceeding under a Planning Act
application, there is a rigorous process for the
determination of natural heritage area protection and
tree preservation. A tree preservation plan is often a
requirement for a complete application and it is
prepared in accordance with the Environmental
Impact Studies.
Clarington’s Official Plan provides good protection of
the natural heritage system and its ecological integrity.
However, the Official Plan is not an enforcement tool
but it is the only scenario where the Municipality can
prevent the removal of trees on private property.
The Municipal Act
The Municipal Act grants the authority to upper and
lower tier municipalities to enact a by-law to prohibit
or regulate the destruction or injuring of trees and
requires the Municipality to have regard to good
forestry practices as defined in the Forestry Act.
An upper tier municipality’s authority governs
woodlands as defined in the Forestry Act that are one
hectare or more in area.
New legislative requirements effective March 1, 2019,
require the Municipality to establish a policy on “the
manner in which the Municipality will protect and
enhance the tree canopy and natural vegetation in the
municipality”.
Days/Aging
0-90 181-365 366-730 91-180 730+Unknown
Total
Number of
Work orders
Total Sum of
Estimated
cost
Status
Number of
Work orders
Sum of
Estimated
cost
Number of
Work orders
Sum of
Estimated
cost
Number of
Work orders
Sum of
Estimated
cost
Number of
Work orders
Sum of
Estimated
cost
Number of
Work orders
Sum of
Estimated
cost
Number of
Work orders
Completed 1,164 203 102 318 18 118 1,923
In Progress 112 $18,032 100 $16,100 92 $14,812 112 $18,032 9 $1,449 425 $68,425
Not Started 281 $45,241 632 $101,752 275 $44,275 148 $23,828 10 $1,610 1,346 $216,706
Scheduled 103 $16,583 13 $2,093 20 $3,220 45 $7,245 8 $1,288 189 $30,429
Second Request 28 $4,508 10 $1,610 31 $4,991 21 $3,381 6 $966 96 $15,456
Third Request 19 $3,059 4 $644 14 $2,254 12 $1,932 49 $7,889
Update 20 $3,220 7 $1,127 18 $2,898 14 $2,254 3 $483 62 $9,982
Grand Total 1,727 $90,643 969 $123,326 552 $72,450 670 $56,672 54 $5,796 118 4,090 $348,887
Figure 16: Work Orders by Aging Bucket and Estimated Cost
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Durham Region Tree By-law
The Durham Region Trees By-law came into force on
June 27, 2012, replacing an earlier by-law. The
Regional Tree By-Law reflects the Region’s
commitment to protect forested areas and the natural
environment.
The Regional Tree By-law applies to woodlands within
the Region that are 1 hectare (2.5 acres) in size and
greater. It does not apply to areas less than one
hectare. In 2019, the Region undertook consultations
with the view to update this by-law. Some proposed
changes include updated fees and additional clear-
cutting provisions.
The Region has two types of permits: Good Forestry
Management Practices Permit ($50) and a Clear-Cut
Permit ($100 plus public notice advertising costs).
Clarington Tree By-law
Clarington’s Tree By-law 97-35 is twenty years old and
applies to woodlands having an area equal to 0.2
hectare or greater but less than 1 hectare south of
Taunton Road. The upper tier (Durham Region) Tree
By-law applies to areas in excess of 1 hectare.
Clarington’s size restriction was set in 1997 when the
By-law was enacted. The By-law’s purpose was to
protect woodlands not private trees.
Approximately 1,200 woodlots are covered by the
bylaw with a permit fee of $25.
Recent discussions regarding Clarington’s Tree Bylaw
have surfaced regarding the regulation of private
trees. Many municipalities have private tree bylaws
which have seen only moderate success and its
success is predicated on the amount of knowledge
and support from citizens. The significant cost of
implementation surrounds education and
enforcement. Clarington Council has discussed private
tree bylaws on occasion, particularly when there is an
outcry from communities when an old, beautiful tree
is being removed on private property. This is a
challenge for the Municipality as there is no
mechanism to handle these complaints unless the
property is subject to a development application.
Consequently, it would seem that a private tree by-law
is not feasible from a resource standpoint, particularly
given the fact that Forestry Services cannot handle its
current workload. Public - private partnerships could
serve to increase the knowledge of the importance of
trees and look for additional stewardship projects to
protect the tree canopy.
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Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities
and Threats (SWOT)
SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and
Threats) analysis identifies strengths and weaknesses
within an organization, in this case the Forestry
Services within the Operations Department, and
outside opportunities and threats. The analysis pairs
external threats with internal weaknesses to highlight
the potential opportunities and the threats that could
impede on its success.
We undertook a SWOT session with Clarington staff
responsible for forestry including, the Director and
Manager of Operations and Manager of Internal
Audit. Our interviews with stakeholders served to
augment the SWOT results. Staff indicated that the
biggest weakness was the lack of work management
and the biggest threat was the ever-increasing
workload without sufficient resources. Contractor
management has only added to the workload due to
quality and timeliness concerns.
Improving Performance, Identifying Opportunities
The SWOT analysis provides the Municipality with
actions that should be considered to focus on the
Forestry Service and provide new opportunities that
could be explored. The analysis in this report pairs the
internal strengths with the external opportunities.
• Strengths: characteristics of the organization,
or project team that give it an advantage over
others.
• Weaknesses (or Limitations): are characteristics
that place the team at a disadvantage relative
to others
• Opportunities: external chances to improve
performance
• Threats: external elements in the environment
that could cause trouble for the municipality or
project
Forestry services have many strengths that will help
them succeed. In particular, the recent addition of a
trained arborist, new leadership and organizational
structure. Council support and commitment for the
EAB program illustrates the desire to protect the tree
canopy.
Service Request/work order systems are being
implemented and will serve the staff and customers
when fully operational. However, a key weakness is
the lack of trained forestry resources to handle the
volume or manage the work. While Council support is
evident for EAB, there is a lack of understanding of all
of the issues. This may be primarily due to the fact
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that the Municipality does not adequately track the
impact of the workload on resources. In particular,
time, materials and equipment are not tracked against
the work orders and processes are not in place to
make that happen.
Technology provide opportunities to improve business
processes but investment in training, mobile
applications is needed to leverage new functionality.
The movement of forestry staff to snow plowing
pushes workload accumulating over the winter
months. This may result in a loss of key personnel.
Contractors can provide opportunities for workload
management but also identified as a threat, given the
number of qualified vendors. Specific skillsets and
resources are required to manage contractor
performance and respond to customer concerns.
Local nurseries are unable to provide tree supplies.
Recent tenders resulted in significant change orders.
A lack of complete tree inventory also creates
challenges as there is no easy mechanism to capture
threats to the species. As the climate changes and
new invasive species are introduced into the area,
workload will continue to be threatened as well as the
environment.
Customer choice of tree when removals has occurred
is appreciated by some but adds to workload and time
to replace trees. Staff must track and follow up on
paper-based process of tree requests.
Partnerships and volunteers provide opportunities for
education and expanding and protecting the tree
canopy. However, every initiative requires resources
and a plan in order to bring these opportunities to life
and keep them active.
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Benchmarking – Why Compare to Other Communities?
For the purposes of the project, comparator communities
were selected as municipal comparators based on
population size and growth over the past five years.
As well, we looked at municipalities that have an
established Urban Forestry service to give Clarington
some ideas for the future as it grows. While we are not
suggesting that Clarington create a separate unit that is
seen in municipalities such as Toronto, Windsor, Oakville,
Aurora, we did gain some insight on opportunities from
these municipalities.
The primary purpose of benchmarking and
comparative analysis is to understand the
performance of comparator municipalities and to
identify opportunities to change how the
Municipality’s organization is aligned to deliver
municipal services. We looked at communities
with Forestry operations similar and dissimilar to
provide information on service delivery models.
It is imperative to understand that comparators must be
taken as information and not an indicator of
effectiveness. Forestry services are unique to each
municipality in terms of the current state and location as
well as climate issues. Each model has its advantages and
disadvantages.
Key Observations & Best Practices
Common to the Benchmarked
Municipalities
Service Delivery
Urban forest management in Ontario is generally
conducted using the model of joint municipal and
contracted service provision. This model is applied in
cities such as Brantford, Windsor, Hamilton,
Burlington, Oakville, Mississauga, London, Toronto,
Pickering, Oshawa and Ajax. The key variable is the
relative distribution of specific operations between
contractors and staff. In most examples, municipal staff
and contractors share the tasks of routine
maintenance such as pruning and tree removals.
Planting is often conducted as part of capital projects,
with additional infill planting undertaken by the
municipality or contractors by tender or volunteer
program.
Below are several case studies which highlight
municipalities operating under both common service
delivery models.
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City of Brantford - Contracted Service Delivery –
Moving to In House Delivery Model
Brantford was one of few municipalities which
contracted out the entirety of their urban forest
maintenance requirements for a period of time.
However, in 201918, a study recommended bringing
this in house due to quality and customer service
concerns. The report indicated that “Currently tree
planting operations are contracted annually via a
tender process and awarded to the landscape
contractor with the most competitive bid. Over the
last few years issues relating to quality control,
competency, adherence to specifications and timely
delivery have become problematic resulting in delays,
resident frustration and issues with tree health and
loss”.
The City's staff was comprised of one urban forestry
coordinator and one technician, who supervised the
maintenance or inspection of approximately 60,000
trees on a relatively short five-year pruning cycle, as
well as the annual establishment of approximately 900
trees.
18 In- House Forestry Operation establishment. At the June 2018 meeting
of the Major Service Contract Task Force Study Group,
Staff were directed to refer an option for an In-house Forestry
Operational Division ±Tree Maintenance Services to the 2019
The total change to an in-house service resulted in an
additional 10 full time equivalents and $1.3 million.
This included the addition of 2 Arborists, 2 grounds
people in the “In-house Forestry Operations” plus 1
supervisor, 1 Lead Hand and 3 grounds people in the
“in-house Tree Planting Operations”.
Town of Oakville, ON - Combined Service Delivery
Oakville's urban forest is managed by the Town's Parks
and Open Spaces Department, a division of the
Community Services Commission. The municipally-
owned urban forest includes street trees, woodlots,
parks, natural ravines and valleys. The Forestry service
section is comprised of various activities that include
forestry administration, large tree care, municipal tree
protection, forest stewardship and health, and cost-
recovery activities that Forestry Services provides to
external customers. Such services currently include
utility line clearing for Oakville Hydro and street tree
maintenance along Regional roads for Halton Region.
Estimates process for consideration (CPREC 2018-039).
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The Forestry services section is comprised of 30.4 full-
time equivalent staff, with a gross budget of $4.2
million for 2019.
The Urban Forest Strategic Management Plan is a 20-
year plan that sets out the steps necessary to achieve
short medium long-term goals for the urban forest
within the framework of the town’s official plan. The
20-year period (2008-2027) is supported by a series of
four management plans of five-year duration. Annual
operating plans complement the five-year plan. The
principle of adaptive management permits flexible
tree operations by town staff that responds to changes
in the environment, the community and the direction
of town policy.
The Town of Oakville and its partners used cutting
edge technology to identify, catalogue and map public
(town-owned trees) in Oakville, including ash trees, to
create a tree inventory.
But the tree inventory is based on data collected in
2009 as well as projections created by mathematical
models, and therefore it may not be 100 per cent
accurate.
The public tree inventory is online with a red or yellow
circle around them. An “x” indicates the tree is dead or
dying and will be removed for public safety.
City of London, ON - Combined Service Delivery
London's forestry operations are managed by the
Transportation and Roadside Operation Group of the
Environmental and Engineering Services Department.
City Trees in the inventory is represented by green dots
on CityMap online.
The group manages over 170,000 street, park and
woodlot trees. The majority of pruning and removal
services are carried out by municipal staff, but
approximately 25% of services, including maintenance
and consulting, are carried out by contractors.
Forestry operations are carried out by a staff of 27.5,
with a budget of $4.5 million in 2019 + $2.2 million in
capital expenditures.
City of Mississauga, ON - Combined Service Delivery
Mississauga's urban forest is managed by the Parks
and Forestry Unit which consists of 35 full time
equivalents. In 2019, the City spend $7.8 million for
capital including $188,000 to update the tree
inventory. New tree planting amounted to $777,000.
The contracted services specifically for forestry was
not evident but total for parks only represented 10% of
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the budget. Therefore, it would appear that the
majority of forestry services are completed in house.
Forestry Fees and Charges include Street Tree Planting
and Forestry Inspection services among others.19
Staff carries out routine maintenance, as well as
emergency pruning and removals of City-owned trees.
The City also relies on contractors to carry out
proactive maintenance including block pruning and
risk mitigation. Mississauga's annual combined urban
forestry budget is approximately $9 million.
A number of municipalities permit residents, at their
own expense, to hire contractors to conduct
maintenance on city-owned trees. In the City of
Toronto, for example, an "Agreement for Contractors
to Perform Arboricultural Services on Municipality
Owned Street Trees" enables a property owner to
contract standard tree maintenance work to a
municipality approved tree service company. This
option is made available in the event that the property
owner wishes to expedite a request for standard tree
maintenance and to avoid waiting for municipal
Forestry crews to conduct the required work. Similar
19
http://www7.mississauga.ca/documents/Parks/forestry/2019_Feesand
Charges_web.pdf
programs exist in cities such as Winnipeg, MB and New
York, NY, among others. Typically, this is regulated
through a basic permitting process, and contractors
must meet specific criteria in order to obtain approval
to conduct works.
Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa and Pickering – These Durham
municipalities provide forestry services in a combined
service delivery model with ranges of 30-50%
contracted services. Urban forestry plans or strategies
have been undertaken and are being enhanced each
year. All municipalities have an EAB program and have
been undertaking tree inventories.
Pruning Practices
Many municipalities inspect and maintain street trees
in a scheduled, cyclical manner. This is termed "grid",
"block" or "cyclical" pruning. There are many
variations to a cyclical pruning approach; some
municipalities distribute annual pruning activities
across the whole land area, pruning a portion of every
neighbourhood each year (e.g., Vancouver), while
others maintain trees in one or two areas of their
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jurisdiction in a given year and move elsewhere in the
next phase of the cycle.
Pruning schedules enable staff and contractors to
cover more of the land area and enables better
inspection of the urban forest as a whole. However,
that crew will return to the same general area every
year, whereas utilizing the latter approach, they would
not return again until a new cycle begins five years
later.
Generally, trees are visually inspected during the
course of cyclical pruning for signs of declining health
and risk. Some municipalities have effective means of
electronically tracking the results of such inspections,
while for others this remains a shortfall.
Tree Protection
Many municipalities have developed comprehensive
tree protection specifications for implementation
during construction near trees. Leading examples
include:
· City of Burlington, ON -Spec No. SS12 - Tree
Protection and Preservation
· City of Toronto, ON - Tree Protection Policy and
Specifications for Construction near Trees
· Regional Municipality of York, ON - Street Tree
Preservation and Planting Design Guidelines
· Town of Markham, ON - Trees for Tomorrow
Streetscape Manual
· Town of Oakville, ON - Tree Protection and
Preservation Guidelines for Site Plan Applications
· Town of Richmond Hill, ON - Tree Preservation
By-Law No. 41-07 Fact Sheet No. 5 - Guidelines for
Asset Inventory and Request Management
A few municipalities have integrated, or are beginning
to integrate, urban forest management into digitized,
enterprise-wide physical asset management systems.
As asset management for tangible capital assets
expand, this will become more common. Some
examples include the City of Burlington, Town of
Oakville, City of London who have also allowed access
by the public through GIS and Open Data. Maintaining
the inventory is one part but it can also assist with
pruning cycles, condition and risk assessments of
trees.
Some municipalities allow for online service requests,
but few are specific for forestry issues. Not all have
the ability to receive updates or track progress online.
Further, some such as Pickering, Mississauga and do
not isolate the type of request for forestry. In this
regard, Oshawa would be considered to be a leader as
it has its own area for tree requests by type and
customers can log in and track the progress as shown
in Figure 17.
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FIGURE 17: SERVICE OSHAWA ONLINE - TREES
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Key Findings and Opportunities for
Improvement
The review of Clarington’s Forestry services,
benchmarking, analysis of workload and performance
as well as financial results indicates that there most of
the opportunities for improvement can be categorized
into the following key opportunities:
i. Work Order Processes
ii. Organization
iii. Customer Relationship Management
iv. Performance Measures
v. Equipment and Rates
vi. Bylaw Updates;
vii. Strategy and Partnerships
Figure 18: Key Improvement Opportunities
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Forestry Services Work Management Practices are
Reactive
Process walkthroughs and data analysis revealed that
Forestry Services are primarily reactive and little time
is spent work planning.
An illustration of reactive response is illustrated by the
EAB infestation. If the Municipality was proactive with
a forest management program, it would have been
able to better respond when the EAB was discovered.
Clarington and most North American municipalities
were taken by surprise when this was discovered and
had to respond to eradicate the issue. Because
municipalities did not have a risk management plan in
place, it had to react and reallocate its already scarce
resources to this program.
A forest management plan which includes a program
to collect the tree inventory, undertake condition
assessments and inspections would have alerted the
municipality to the issue earlier and allow the
municipality to better plan. Clarington did, however,
proactively assess their urban trees as the infestation
moved east and was able to complete the tree
removals ahead of schedule in 2019.
Unfortunately, it illustrates that “emergencies” make
things happen. This is no different than any other
asset management approach. It is not until something
“bad” happens before action occurs. Often this results
in higher costs because all municipalities are
contracting the work out to a limited number of
vendors. Vendors are aware of this and it makes it
difficult to ensure quality and keep cost down.
Clarington’s EAB program has the attention of Council.
The investment is significant: $3 million dollars over 5
years. This has impacted all other “less critical”
forestry requests which may impact the health of the
remaining trees and/or result in dissatisfied customers.
Of concern is the fact that the municipality has yet to
tackle the EAB issue in rural areas. If the infestation in
the urban areas is any indication, the workload and
financial impact for the rural areas is likely
exponentially higher. We understand that the
Municipality is just beginning to undertake the
inventory outside the urban areas.
Clarington’s contracted services for forestry typically
are $300k (or 52%) of the forestry budget. The EAB
infestation and concerns with mounting workload has
pushed that number up to $730,000 (or 70% in 2019)
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It is important to note that every year since 2014, the
forestry services has been over budget.20 It is unclear
the reasoning for the variances but does provide an
indication that the amount of work and raising prices.
However, the costs are not tracked effectively or in
total against the work orders. So, the true costs by
type of work is not known. Standard costs are
imperative to develop workplans and assign resources
over the long term.
As the focus on EAB has resulted in significant cost, it
also adds work for Clarington’s limited staff to manage
contractors and quality. This has been a challenge and,
over time, the backlog of work grows.
As of September 2019, 50% of the forestry work orders
created for customer requests/complaints since 2017
were not completed. 2,167 work orders were
outstanding with an average aging of 254 days. At a
conservative estimate this represents about $350,000
or 4 full time equivalents. With every passing day,
these work orders become older and customers more
frustrated and dissatisfied with services. Of the
outstanding work orders, 7% are at the second or third
20 Operations Forest 2014-2019 Report provided by Clarington’s
financial system
request for service. There are currently no service
standards for forestry service response times.
We are also concerned with the potential liability that
this backlog may pose, particularly for situations
where trees/branches may cause damage. As new EAB
infestations are identified, numbers and issues may
increase if no plan is developed.
Some of the delays can be attributed to the
Municipality’s practice surrounding tree replanting and
requests for the types of trees. This process is manual
whereby a paper request is left with the resident who
must contact the Operations Department to indicate
their choice of seven possible trees. While this seems
to be a customer service appreciated by some, record
keeping is challenging, residents are slow to respond,
or not at all. This is not only adding workload for staff,
it is delaying the replacement of the tree canopy. Most
municipalities, including Oshawa simply determines
the tree to be planted based upon professional
assessment of the soil and tree type that will best
survive as well as variety on the street.
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Work planning processes are not in place. When
onsite, we noted that every work order is forwarded
via email to the Lead Hand who must determine the
priorities. Because the municipality does not have
“crews” assigned to the Lead Hand, work is not
planned beyond one day and is based upon the crew
onsite that day. In other words, staff work is reactive
and the Lead Hands cannot out beyond the day as they
are unsure who will be at work. Further, even though
some staff have gained forestry skills, the lack of
continuity makes it very difficult for the Municipality to
train the staff in forestry which is a different skill set
from other Operation’s roles.
Payroll and cost allocation are entered into
spreadsheets by the lead hand for all the parks staff on
their behalf. These are then re-entered by
administrative staff for payroll purposes which not
only represents duplication of effort, the chance of
error is high. Time and equipment are not entered
against work orders in CityWide, the asset, work
management and citizen request system used by
Operations. Therefore, there is no mechanism to
determine the cost for delivering the various services.
We also noted that there the equipment rates charged
to jobs are very outdated. Updated equipment rates
are critical for outsourcing vs. in house analysis.
We are of the opinion that a business process review
and redesign is needed whereby all the processes are
mapped and non-value-added activities are eliminated
so that the staff will have the capacity to meet the
workload requirements. While the implementation of
work orders was a good first step, the detailed
processes need to be assessed, documented to ensure
that all work order types and criticality is set up.
Training of staff in CityWide and a move to mobile
applications will allow for better work planning and
costing.
Recommendation 1: Undert ake a business
process review of customer service
requests/work orders within Operations
with the view to collect time and
equipment costs at source. This will
require a complete transformation of the
business from the Lead Hand entering data
to staff res ponsibility through
mobile/internet access. This is what is
done in many other municipalities. An
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estimated investment of $70,000 is
required to make this happen including
consulting services, implementation,
procedural development and training
delivery. Additional mobile devices may be
required but an assessment of current
hardware and new requirements should be
undertaken in concert with other corporate
projects.
Recommendation 2: As part of the process
transformation, create Citywide work order
series based upon type including, at
minimum contractor
i nspections/complaints, tree replacements.
Error proofing mechanisms should be put
in place to ensure data is clean and
consistent. Look at limited tree
replacement choices.
Forestry Services requests are not customer focused
Service Requests are created by Operations staff when
customers call with a forestry issue. Customers do not
have the ability to submit or track service requests by
type online as seen in other municipalities, such as
Oshawa Online.
We also noted that there are no service standards in
terms of response time or expectations based upon
criticality of the issue. customers must call in to get
updates of the status of their request which adds time
and dissatisfaction. If an estimate of the time to
respond is established and tracked, customer
expectations can be managed. However, it means that
municipal staff must become more diligent in updating
progress on the request. This likely can only be
achieved with improved service and access to the
Service Request system.
Performance measures including contractor service
levels should be included in CityWide with additional
fields as required.
Recommendation 3 : Clarington Forestry
Services should develop performance
standards in measurements, collection and
reporting including work order response
rates and contractor performance. Service
levels should be developed, tracked and
advertised.
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R ecommendation 4 : The Municipality of
Clarington should create an online request
system, integrated with CityWide (or the
corp orate service request system) to allow
customers to submit and track forestry
requests in real time .
Clarington Forestry Services needs trained dedicated
resources
In the recently released Clarington Organizational
Structure Review, the consultants recommended that
Clarington look at the “Possible Outsourcing of
Forestry” and that “there is currently some Forestry
expertise within the Engineering department,
however, this function should fall under Operations
and may be required to scale to meet experience and
service level expectations. In order to scale Forestry
operations efficiently while maintaining service levels
across other areas, outsourcing should be a
consideration.”
It is true that forestry “services” are delivered in a
“piece meal” fashion between Planning, Engineering
and Operations with no clear accountability or
responsibilities. Even within Operations, there are no
specific staff responsible for forestry operations, with
the exception of one lead hand/arborist. Forestry
work is undertaken by the same staff that are assigned
to winter control and parks maintenance. No “crews”
are in place in order to develop and deliver on the
Urban forest strategy or forestry operations.
Consequently, the work is reactive and continues to
build.
While we agree that outsourcing forestry is an option,
we are of the opinion that the entire service cannot be
outsourced at this time. Other municipalities have had
limited success in complete outsourcing (eg. Brantford)
primarily due to quality and response concerns.
Forestry is so intertwined with other plans, legislative
requirements and its impact on the health and beauty
of the municipality, that contracted services can best
be utilized for project work that can be monitored
through effective contract management.
Forestry is a specialized area that requires expertise to
identify what needs to be done and when the best
time to do that work. It is true this type of assessment
could also be outsourced but it is unclear that it would
be more affordable or effective. Given the limited
number of contractors in this area, other operational
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services, such as winter control, may offer better
opportunities for outsourcing.
We believe that, given the current backlog of work
that Clarington needs to dedicate the Lead
Hand/Arborist to forestry services. In order to solidify
this role, we believe that the position should be
changed to a Forestry Coordinator who will be
responsible only for forestry services. This position
should manage workload and contractor performance.
At least one dedicated staff member who is sufficiently
trained, preferable a Certified Arborist who will
perform forestry services.
In order to reduce the amount of work over the long
term, contractors could be utilized on a vendor of
record basis. As mentioned, some municipalities have
a list of “approved” vendors to deal with certain types
of work (eg. pruning). We believe that this may be an
option but it must include requirements that the
customer enters the service request on the online
customer portal, and an assignment process to the
approved vendors. The contractor would then update
the work order and the tree inventory as part of the
process. Satisfaction surveys should be added to the
customer portal so that the municipality can monitor
the quality and responsiveness.
Recommendation 5 : Transform the position
of Lead Hand to Forestry Coordinator who
will be responsible for managing forestry
work with internal staff and contractors.
This position should also be responsible to
develop private -public or volunteer
partnerships for tree assessments and
inventory.
Recommendation 6 : Assign one position,
at minimum, to the Forestry Coordinator,
as a permanent forestry position to assist
in eliminating the backlog of service
requests and support the Urban forest
strategy. Additional training in forestry
practices should be provided to more staff
with the skills to support the Lead
Hand/Forestry Coordinator.
R ecommendation 7 : Contractor
requirements should include tracking and
updates to work orders and tree inventory.
Satisfaction surveys should be added to the
customer portal so that the municipality
can monitor the quality and
responsiveness.
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Recommendation 8: Following t he
implementation a full work order
management system with time and
equipment tracking and vendor
performance, revisit the degree of
outsourcing in forestry.
Tree Inventory and Planting present more
opportunities for outsourcing
Outsourcing has been successful in increasing the tree
canopy and gathering the tree inventory through the
use of volunteers, private-public partnerships, not for
profits and contractors. While these must be
developed, we see them as an opportunity. An
example includes the Forest Health Ambassador
Programs and PLANT in Oakville, where volunteers are
trained to undertaken assessments, encourage
planting21, tree inventory volunteers in Wisconsin and
Florida which increases the knowledge of the tree
canopy and the health. Tree Canada and the Partners
in Planting programs are also great ways to access
additional funding for community-based tree
21 https://www.oakville.ca/residents/forest-health-ambassadors.html
initiatives in urban areas. This will augment the Trees
for Rural Roads Program. These types of programs
could be led by other partners such as the
Conservation Authorities, the Region or private sector
and would assist the municipality achieve some of its
goals.
Clarington has made great strides with the Urban
forest strategy. Given the wide-ranging benefits of
the urban tree canopy, it is important that begin to
recognize that trees in parks, boulevards and in all-
natural areas are critical components of our
infrastructure that need to be managed
appropriately and responsibly.
An up-to-date inventory of the urban tree canopy
will help the municipality make informed decisions
with respect to tree maintenance, forestry
planning and management programs. Without
that, outsourcing maintenance is not possible.
Inventory data can help to identify species
diversity and distribution, percentage of canopy
cover, size/class distribution, etc.
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An understanding of the tree canopy will help
guide Clarington’s planning and decision-making
process.
Data related to the urban tree canopy will also
allow Clarington to respond proactively to
infestations like E.A.B., prioritize areas for
replanting and focus maintenance activities.
Staff indicated that the tree inventory has not
been updated since completed in 2012. It has
relied upon labour intensive and time-consuming
methods of on the ground field work and data
management. And yet, much of the work is
performed by contractors. It would make sense to
have the contractors update the tree inventory as
the work is completed.
Clarington could consider making an application to
the Municipal Natural Assets Initiative Project 22 to
assist in the funding of the tree inventory
collection.
Many municipalities and Forest Managers are
utilizing technologies such as aerial imagery as a
method of gathering inventory data to help map,
22 https://mnai.ca/media/2019/07/SP_MNAI_Report5_June2019.pdf
analyze and quantify the tree canopy. Jurisdictions,
such as the City of Vaughan and Peterborough,
have utilized aerial imagery technology to provide
detailed information about their tree canopy. The
information gathered helps to make informed
decisions regarding the management of the urban
forest. This method of data collection drastically
reduces the amount of fieldwork needed to obtain
an accurate tree inventory which is often very time
consuming, labour intensive and results tend to be
less accurate.
The City of Vaughan is finalizing their street tree
inventory and is working towards mapping of trees
in natural areas. Based on Vaughan’s assessment
of three types of data collection, they found that
the cost to undertake aerial imagery was $0.80 to
$1.50 per street tree compared to $2.75 to $5.00
per tree for on-ground fieldwork and greater than
$9.00 for LiDAR (light detection and ranging).
Aerial imagery has an estimated 85 to 95 percent
accuracy, which is considered acceptable.
We are of the opinion that Clarington needs to
invest in developing the tree inventory and explore
funding opportunities.
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R ecommendation 9 : Develop a plan to
collect tree inventory including application
for funding.
Equipment Rates and work order processes do not
capture true costs
Equipment rates have not been updated in some time
and do not reflect true cost of the work. Currently,
equipment usage is entered in a spreadsheet by the
Lead Hands, not employees, which is charged to a
general ledger, but not the “job” or work order.
Therefore, costs are not attributable to the work and
the municipality does not know how much each job
costs. Consequently, the municipality is not able to
develop standard costs for evaluation of outsourcing
versus in house resources.
R ecommendation 10: Undertake an
equipment rate study to update rates
immediately and on a regular cycle (eg.
every 3 -4 years). Ensure that equipment
rates are charged to work orders as they
are utilized as part of Recommendation 1.
Procurement and Contractor Management is time
consuming and challenging
The success of outsourcing or public-private
partnerships rests with the effectiveness of scope,
contract and performance management.
Consultations revealed that Forestry staff spend a
significant amount of time managing contractor quality
and response time issues. Unfortunately, this time
was not tracked nor were the specific issues so the
comments are anecdotal.
Prior to the review, Operations was undergoing some
organizational changes, including a “contracts
specialist” with Operations who would be responsible
for tendering and vendor management/evaluation.
The role was unclear in terms of forestry services but it
would make sense to develop contract management
skills in a few key personnel and ensure that they work
with procurement to create a roster of reliable forestry
service providers.
In order to do that, the municipality must have a clear
plan of its desired achievement, performance
indicators and reliable vendors to carry out the work.
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To date, the municipality has been challenged with
contractor performance and spends considerable
amount of time managing the work of contractors.
Currently all contracts currently state that the
municipality will inspect the completed work to
confirm satisfactory performance prior to payment.
This, seems to be overly onerous and partially defeats
the purpose of contracting out the work. However, if
the performance evaluation information is gathered
and analyzed, it will provide the municipality and
purchasing with the appropriate information for
assessing vendor qualifications and eligibility. Without
clear evidence of vendor issues, it is very difficult, if
not impossible, to prevent vendors from bidding on
tenders.
Recommendation 11: As part of a
procurement review, Forestry staff should
work with Purchasing to develop a
contractor evaluation system/process. All
contracts should be tracked in a new work
order type in CityWide that includes
criteria for contractors. Consider moving
to a reporting requirement rather than
inspecting all work of contractors.
Performance standards should be put in
place and monitored.
Bylaws are outdated
Clarington’s Tree Protection Bylaw 97-35 was passed in
1997 and has not been updated since then. Wording
and fees are outdated and should be updated as part
of a consultation process, perhaps in line with Durham
Region’s changes.
In 2019, Durham Region launched a review of its bylaw
with the view to make the following changes, among
others:
• To be consistent with Provincial policies and to
conform to provincial plans and regulations, the
definition for “Sensitive Natural Areas”;
• Distinguish between settlement areas and rural
areas for the purposes of Clear Cutting;
• Updated fees and fines for clear cutting
applications, but require more time to review
and process are proposed to increase: $500 for
a minor clear-cutting permit (i.e. to clear cut an
area between 0.25 and 2.5 acres); $1,000 for a
major clear cutting application (i.e. to clear cut
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an area greater than 2.5 acres and where
Regional Council approval is required). 23
While there has been some pressure to look at a
Private Tree Bylaw as passed several municipalities (eg.
Toronto, Oakville, Niagara on the Lake), the success of
these has been mixed.24 In particular, the research
shows that the effectiveness is directly attributable to
knowledge and support of citizens. Therefore,
Clarington would have to invest in communication as
well as resources to make this happen.
It would seem that until Clarington has addressed the
Urban Forest Strategy outcome and get to a stable
operation, adding a private tree by-law is premature
and likely not sustainable. Further, since Clarington
does not currently record time and cost against work
orders and equipment charges, it would be prudent to
implement private tree bylaws or fees without
knowing the fee that would make it cost recoverable.
23 https://www.durham.ca/en/doing-
business/resources/Documents/PlanningandDevelopment/2019-P-5-
Region-of-Durham-Draft-Woodland-Conservation-and-Management-By-
law---Accessible.pdf
Recommendation 1 2 : Update the Tree
Preservation Bylaw #97 -35 including fees.
Tree Planting Programs are excellent and more
Volunteer programs are needed
Clarington has had much success with its tree planting
programs (eg. Trees for Rural Roads) and volunteer
support (eg Samuel Wilmot Nature Area, Valleys 2000).
But more can be done, particularly in assisting with
expanding and protecting the tree canopy as well as
tree inventory. An example includes the Town of
Oakville’s who engages residents to help monitor
neighbourhood street trees for invasive insects,
disease and other issues related to forest health. The
Forest Health Ambassador program runs through the
summer months and Ambassadors can survey as many
or as few trees as they like at any time that is
convenient for them.
24 https://www.isa-arbor.com/Credentials/Types-of-Credentials/ISA-
Certified-Arborist-Municipal-Specialist/Tree-Ordinance-Guidelines
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Other tree planting programs offer funding and
support that can expand the tree canopy. 25
The Municipal Nature Assets Initiative provides
scientific, economic and municipal expertise to
support and guide local governments in identifying,
valuing and accounting for natural assets in their
financial planning and asset management programs
and developing leading-edge, sustainable and climate
resilient infrastructure.
Urban Forest Strategy needs to be coupled with a
workplan to succeed.
The Urban Forest Strategy was developed by
Clarington staff in Engineering, Planning and
Operations and accepted by Council in principle. The
document articulated the current state of Clarington’s
urban forests and priorities. However, it was not
supported by a workplan or specific resources. One
key recommendation was the development of a Forest
Management Plan but it was not brought forward to
Council after the election. This Strategy should be
reviewed with the view to determine which priorities
are to be acted upon and identify the responsibilities,
accountabilities and funding.
25 https://treecanada.ca/plant-with-us/apply-for-a-grant/
Following the determination of priorities, Clarington
should explore how its partnerships and other inter-
agency working groups can contribute to the tree
canopy and other tree maintenance/health programs
Recommendation 1 3 : Clarington should
determine the commitment to Urban forest
strategy and ensure a workplan, with
internal and external resources are
assigned. This should form a policy as
required by the Municipal Act.
Recommendation 14: Clarington Forestry
Services should work with the inter -agency
working group such as Durham Region,
Clarington’s Climate Change Coordinator,
Conservation Authorities and Community
Groups to build additional volunteer
opportunities (eg. Forest Ambassador
Program) and/or pursue grants (eg. Tr ees
Canada).
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Conclusion
In conclusion, Clarington Forestry Services is in a state of chaos. Its workload is unmanaged and represents risk for the
organization. The EAB program has been the entire focus over the last five years and has consumed most of the resources.
Customers are often required to follow-up and “complain” regarding quality of work and response time. Processes are not in
place to handle this workload and the current operation is simply not sustainable. As the municipality grows, it will just become
more challenging. Outsourcing can help but only with additional resources to manage the relationships and performance.
Recent changes may provide an opportunity to change processes and management practices. We hope that will happen and that
our recommendations are helpful to make that change. The fact that the staff developed an Urban Forest Strategy in house is
admirable but nothing will happen without a workplan with dedicated resources.
Acknowledgement
We wish to express appreciation to the staff, management, the Steering Committee, stakeholders for their participation,
cooperation and assistance throughout the project.
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Appendix A: Stakeholder Interviews
Name Organization Role
Fred Horvath Clarington Director, Operations
Stephen Brake Clarington Manager, Operations
Ken Mercer Clarington Supervisor, Parks & Cemeteries
Andrew Jackman Clarington Lead Hand, Operations (Arborist)
Catherine Carr Clarington Manager, Internal Audit
Ron Hooper Clarington Councillor - Forestry Liaison
Corinna Traill Clarington Councillor
Adrian Foster Clarington Mayor
CAO - Andy Allison Clarington CAO
Clerk - Anne Greentree Clarington Clerk
Faye Langmaid Clarington A/Director Planning
Trevor Pinn Clarington Treasurer
Peter Windolf Clarington Parks Development
Doron Hoge Clarington Climate Change Resp Coord
Basia Radomski Clarington Communications
David Ferguson Clarington Purchasing Manager
Becky Rogers Clarington Senior Buyer
Christina Bruno Clarington Clerk 2 - Citywide
Clint Peters Clarington Supervisor
Teresa Mason Clarington Municipal Bylaw Officer
Pam Lancaster Ganaraska Region Conservation Authority Stewardship Technician
Patricia Lowe Central Lake Ontario Conservation Authority Director, Community Engagement
Bill Humber Old Bowmanville Neighbourhood Association & Valleys 2000 president / past president
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Summary of Interviews with Stakeholders and Council
Key comments of interviewees included:
• Most felt that Clarington Forestry services are required and important.
• Council was of the opinion that more work could be outsourced while staff and management were concerned about
contractor availability.
• Managing contractor performance is very challenging.
• Work is reactive. No time to plan.
• Lack of trained staff in Forestry services.
• Some were unaware of the role of forestry in the Municipality.
• Need better communication between the stakeholders and Council
• Integration between the various Forestry organizations and Municipal departments is needed.
• Competing demands make it difficult for Clarington Forestry to move forward.
• Workload is increasing and overwhelming.
• New work order system will be very helpful.
• There is a need for increased resources and work planning. Seasonal nature of the service means the only skilled staff are
pulled off for winter controls.
• Prior supervisor in Forestry did not communicate the workload issues.
• Many positive programs such as Trees for Rural Roads.
• Urban forest strategy was developed in house but no resources.
• Private tree bylaw issues continue to be raised – no protection without a development application.
• Bylaw are not extended to private lands.
• EAB program is taking all the resources.
• Tree replacement program is challenging both in terms of time and supply.
• Concerns expressed over the tree canopy protection with growth and climate change, invasive species.
• Forestry pruning cycles are not in place.
• Tree inventory is incomplete
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Town of WhitbyOffice of the Town Clerk^ 575 Rossland Road East, Whitby, ON L1N 2M8www.whitby.caNovember 29, 2019Via Email:Ralph Walton, Regional ClerkRegion of Durhamclerks@durham.caRe: Regional Heritage Property Tax RebatePlease be advised that at a meeting held on November 25, 2019, the Council of theTown ofWhitby adopted the following as Resolution # 323-19:1. That the Region of Durham be requested to support heritage preservation byadopting a by-law to provide a Regional property tax rebate for designatedheritage properties, including those properties within heritage consen/ationdistricts; and,2. That a copy of this resolution be sent to area municipalities in the Region ofDurham.Should you require further information, please do not hesitate to contact thePlanning and Development pepartment at 905.430.4306.Kevin NarrawayManager of Legislative Services/Deputy ClerkCopy: K. Nix, Commissioner of Corporate Services/TreasurerR. Saunders, Commissioner of Planning and DevelopmentN. Cooper, Director of Legislative and Information services, Town ofAjax -Nicole.cooper(a)ajax.caB. Jamieson, Township of Brock - biamieson@townshipofbrock.caA. Greentree, Municipal Clerk, Municipality of Clarington - clerks(3>clarington.netPage 152
M. Medeiros, City Clerk, City of Oshawa - mmedeiros@oshawa.caS. Cassel, City Clerk, City of Pickering - clerks(%pickerinq.caJ. Newman, Municipal Clerk, Township of Scugog - jnewman(a)scugoci.caD. Leroux, Clerk, Township of Uxbridge - dleroux@town.uxbridge.on.caPage 153
Presentations
and Handouts
Spring 2020 is coming!Pauline Witzke, ChairPort Darlington Community Association subcommittee on Shoreline Protection.
Spring 2019 waves
Spring 2019 water uprush
Where we were July 2019Cleaning up sandbags and plastic sheeting installed in AprilCelebrating the following motion from Clarington Council:The Municipality of Clarington, in concert with CLOCA, through the CAO’s Office, the Mayor’s Office and the Engineering Department, shall enter into urgent negotiations with Votorantim, other government agencies and the Provincial and Federal Governments, to explore all funding options for implementation of the Baird Report Option 3 or other effective engineering solution to the starvation and erosion at Cedar Crest Beach Road;
So where are we now?Once the shipping season ended after Christmas, efforts were made to increase outflows through the Moses-Saunders dam. There has been a setback due to the big winter storm on January 11.Water level of Lake Ontario is higher than January of 2019.The community has attended meetings in September and November where neither municipal staff nor CLOCA staff have answered the questions asked by Clarington Council and the CLOCA Board of Directors regarding the impact of the St. Marys pier on shoreline erosion.
Now what?In 3 months, residents will be facing more erosion from wave energy on Lake Ontario.No progress has been communicated to the residents from the urgent negotiations that were committed in Council’s motion – are we really looking at another year where no physical barrier to the waves is going to be there? This will be our fourthspring since bringing the issue of shoreline erosion in Port Darlington, and the risk to homeowners, to the attention of Council.Last spring one family had to relocate due to foundation damage to their house caused by erosion. They are still not back in their house.
Please help us!
STOP TRYING TO SOLVE TRAFFIC AND START
BUILDING GREAT PLACES INSTEAD
OLD STYLE OF REDUCING CONGESTION DOES
NOT WORK
HOW TO SOLVE CONGESTION
•Many studies are proving that congestion can be stopped by
removing car lanes, restricting vehicles, improving transit, not
extending roads or not adding lanes. These are the only ways to
reduce or eliminate congestion.
1. COSTS OF CONGESTION
•The environmental, social and economic costs associated with traffic
congestion are real and affect the health, quality of life and wallet of
all taxpayers on a daily basis.
•The consequences of road congestion are generally measured in
terms of additional travel time, and with the associated costs of
vehicle use, such as fuel, depreciation and maintenance.
2. INCREASE IN GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS
•Road congestion also increases the air pollution, leading to an
increase in respiratory problems, premature death and several types
of cancer, especially for neighbouring populations to highways.
•In Canada, the entire transportation sector is the second largest
source of greenhouse gasses emissions, accounting for 28 percent of
total emissions.
•These emissions from congestion are not systematically inventoried,
they are often used to justify new road projects. But why does
congestion persist, despite government interventions to reduce it?
3. BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME
•The government response to congestion problems has generally been
to build new roads or widen the existing ones. However, this measure
is ineffective because increasing capacity only increases vehicle use.
4. ADDING ROADS DOES NOT IMPROVE THE ECONOMY
•Although road infrastructure creates employment during its
construction, most studies have not found a link between increased
road capacity and economic activity. Indeed, it is rather a
displacement of economic activity across the same metropolitan
region that is observed.
OUR COUNCIL MUST BE THE LEADER IN NEW WAYS
OF PLANNING
•Our Works Departments are already helping us to reduce flooding from the Hwy 418, etc. and I believe that they would accept the new ways of how to plan our neighbourhoods and our community future. The most effective planning choices are not always popular.
•Our congested communities are the results of decisions that stretch back decades when our communities began to be build around cars. These decisions create unsafe, and simply unpleasant environment for pedestrians and bike riders while reducing overall quality of place and ecological destructive communities. Using actual and synthetic measures of travel quality, we can better understand how decades of roadway growth influenced people’s travel demand today.
•Wider, straighter, faster roads aren’t always safer. Wider, faster, treeless roads not only ruin our public places, they kill people. Taking highway standards and applying them to urban and country streets costs us thousands of lives every year. We have solid evidence of what works and what doesn’t.
5. INCREASING PUBLIC TRANSIT IS NOT ENOUGH TO
REDUCE CONGESTION
•In fact, if the objective is to reduce car traffic, the only effective method on the supply management side is reduction in road capacity, because the law of road congestion also works in opposite direction: what we refer to as “reduced demand”. In addition to reducing travel demand, lane removal and traffic restriction also have measurable and documented social, environmental and economic benefits. 6. ECOFISCAL MEASURES
•First, the imposition of eco-tax measures, such as the gas tax and parking tax, can help reduce vehicle use.
•Use of public and active modes of transport, provided that these choices are available to them.
•Teleworking, flexible working hours, parking management also reduce travel distances and the need or willingness to travel by car. These measures have positive consequences on public health, urban quality of life, land values, local consumption, etc.
7. WHY ROAD-WIDENING DOSN’T WORK AND WHAT
DOES
•Studies worldwide showed that when a road is closed or its capacity reduced, an average of 20 to 60 % of traffic disappears. No longer can road widening be justified as a congestion-easing tool.
8. HOW TO ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE
•There is so much of CO2 in the atmosphere that planting trees alone can no longer save us. Humans emit 30-40 billion tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere each year. If we keep it up, it will ultimately devastate our way of life.
•If planting trees alone is not going to help, we should definitely not be cutting any down, but there are plans to do so. Adaptation to climate change helps, but it is not enough as well.
For all the reasons mentioned previously, here is an
example of new planning using Hancock
Neighbourhood:
•keep the Hancock and Nash Rds. of the same width (keep the offset with 4 way stop, speed bums to slow
down traffic); keep N. as type C arterial; do not extend G.R. to eliminate flooding; construct crescent at T’s
dev. for affordable housing for seniors; estate homes to match s. and n. units; protect the natural areas and
tributary-diverted to south of N. to eliminate flooding and create trails
Presented by: Roman Zydownyk
(with contribution from impacted neighbours)
Presentation to Clarington General
Government Committee
Re: Concerns related to construction at 55A and
55B Townline Road South
2
Our Position:
We are formally notifying you that as residents living
in the surrounding area of the subject property, we
strongly oppose the nature and type of buildings
constructed.
Presentation to Clarington General Government Committee
January 27, 2020
3
Summary of Our Concerns:
There is a zoning compliance issue. The neighbourhood is
zoned as R1 –single-family dwellings.
Our contention is that the buildings, as constructed, are
triplexes and represent a Rl-18 zoning, contrary to current
zoning. It is also our contention that these buildings have been
deliberately constructed to be occupied as triplex units, in
direct violation of Municipal bylaws.
NO new approvals should be provided for any variance to
legitimize the buildings constructed on these properties and
condone this builder’s behaviour.
Presentation to Clarington General Government Committee
January 27, 2020
4
Summary of Our Concerns:
Among the issues noted in this presentation, there is the major
concern of water drainage and flooding of properties abutting
55A/B, including 75 & 81 Kingswood Drive, the two
properties backing on to the subject properties.
These concerns are related to anticipated drainage and water
runoff resulting from significant changes made to the
topography of the properties.
The builder should be directed to address all issues raised by
the residents.
Presentation to Clarington General Government Committee
January 27, 2020
Background:
In 2013, Jean & Marcel Provenzano sought approval to sever a lot
and demolish the existing building at 55 Townline Road South,
Courtice.
On February 5, 2013 residents Roman and Eva Zydownyk of 75
Kingswood Drive, Courtice wrote to the Regional Municipality of
Durham identifying the following issues and concerns related to any
subsequent construction or use of the property. Specifically:
Any subsequent construction on these premises should be in keeping
with the original use of the existing property. That is single-family
homes;
Existing trees on the property, providing shade and quality of use,
should not be removed;
The issue of grading and associated water runoff / flooding into the two
adjacent properties backing on to 55 Townline.
5 Presentation to Clarington General Government Committee
January 27, 2020
Background: (cont’d…)
The request to sever and demolish was approved by the Region
of Durham.
Prior to building in 2019, Clarington approved a variance for
the spacing between the buildings to be reduced. This variance
was related to the construction of single-family dwellings.
No neighbours objected to this as it was the only variance
sought.
6 Presentation to Clarington General Government Committee
January 27, 2020
Before
7 Presentation to Clarington General Government Committee
January 27, 2020
It is evident that the buildings constructed have significantly altered
the nature and use of abutting properties.
After
Presentation to Clarington Council –
September 24, 2007
8
Summary of Issues
1.Zoning Compliance
2.Parking
3.Drainage and Snow Removal
4.Lighting
5.Garbage Management
9 Presentation to Clarington General Government Committee
January 27, 2020
Zoning Compliance
Our contention is that the buildings represent a Rl-18 zoning for a
triplex, contrary to the current designation. A triplex is defined in
Clarington Zoning By-Laws (page 12-9 section 12.4.18):
“A triplex shall mean a building that is divided vertically and
or horizontally into three separate dwellings each of which has
an independent entrance either directly from outside or
through a common vestibule”.
These buildings appear to meet that definition by having the
separate entrances as well as three gas meters, three electric
meters, three furnaces, three air conditioning units, and three
mailboxes. It is clear they have been built to be divided
horizontally into three separate dwellings and therefore should be
defined as such.
10 Presentation to Clarington General Government Committee
January 27, 2020
Zoning Compliance: (cont’d…)
The building department / bylaw enforcement office has advised that
given the current zoning, the builder could construct a separate
apartment for a duplex within each building with the appropriate
construction and paperwork permits. When the plans were submitted
for approval, we understood they were for single-family residences.
The plans did not indicate either duplex or triplex units on the
property and we are not aware of any changes to this designation.
What is the point of a single-family designation if you can build
whatever you want and then apply for rezoning?
Any decision to approve a new request for variance would make a
mockery of Municipal planning and negatively impact the
neighbourhood and quality of life of its residents.
11 Presentation to Clarington General Government Committee
January 27, 2020
Parking
A potential parking lot at the back, side or front of these
properties. There are significant concerns regarding
appropriate parking for up to six separate units in these
buildings and a likelihood of at a minimum, 6 vehicles
(potentially more) not including visitors. Where are they
going to park?
No overnight street parking is allowed during the winter
months. Neighbours on Townline and on Kingswood Drive
already have a difficult time entering Townline Road as it is a
very busy street. Restricted sight lines and increased traffic
make it dangerous at times.
12 Presentation to Clarington General Government Committee
January 27, 2020
Drainage & Snow Removal
The concern regarding property grading, drainage, snow removal and
associated water runoff and flooding. No drainage solution has yet been
constructed to ensure that ground water does not flow into the back yards of
81 and 75 Kingswood Drive. Drainage issues will be exacerbated by the
fact the builder has cut down the trees which helped prevent erosion and
were a natural method to soak up rainwater.
13 Presentation to Clarington General Government Committee
January 27, 2020
•Residents have
witnessed a snow
removal truck pushing
snow off the property
across Townline to the
opposite boulevard.
•Once the back yard is
paved, it is only a matter
of time before this back-
yard area is used for
dumping snow.
Currant Drainage Problems
14 Presentation to Clarington General Government Committee
January 27, 2020
Currant Drainage Problems: (cont’d…)
15 Presentation to Clarington General Government Committee
January 27, 2020
Lighting
The property owner has installed spotlights on the back walls of the
two buildings which shine constantly from approximately 5 PM to
10:30 PM each evening. The owners of 81 & 75 Kingswood are
directly impacted by this continuous lighting and have requested the
property owner to install lights with motion detection. The property
owner has refused to do so.
In an email dated Dec 24, 2019 the property owner indicated the
following:
“From my experience living behind a neighbour with a motion
sensor light and the problems it causes throughout the entire
night, i have chosen to put the back lights on a timer. The lights
will turn on at 5:30pm and turn off at 10:00pm during the winter
months and 9:00-10:30 during the summer months.”
16 Presentation to Clarington General Government Committee
January 27, 2020
Lighting (cont’d…)
Unfortunately, the lights at 55 A do not follow this schedule and at times,
have been are continuously lit -24/7
17 Presentation to Clarington General Government Committee
January 27, 2020
Garbage Management
During the demolition of the structure at 55 Townline, a sizeable rat burrow
was disturbed. Residents in the vicinity are now dealing with rats on their
properties. As single family dwelling owners with garages, residents tend to
keep their garbage in their garages prior to collection. Some property
owners have built sheds to accommodate garbage & recycling bins.
18
•The top floor of 55B Townline has had a tenant
since December 2019. Compost, garbage and
blue bins are now placed outdoors at the back
of the property.
•In order to prevent the attraction of rats, we ask
that the builder be required to house the
containers inside or build an outdoor shed to
enclose them.
Presentation to Clarington General Government Committee
January 27, 2020
Conclusion:
We are not anti-development. We request Council to ensure the
builder complies with municipal bylaws and does not circumvent
those laws by seeking retroactive approvals for flagrant violations.
We thank you for the support provided to date.
We request Council to ensure the builder works with the property
owners in the neighbourhood to address all concerns raised in this
presentation.
We would like the builder to adhere to the same rules of construction
that all builders in Clarington must follow. Variances to bylaws
should not be provided in instances where there has been a flagrant
disregard for the bylaws of the Municipality. Approvals for
variances to bylaws should not condone this type of behaviour.
19 Presentation to Clarington General Government Committee
January 27, 2020
Conclusion: (cont’d…)
Residents should not be placed in a position where they are required
to police builder compliance with municipal bylaws.
When a building permit has been issued to construct a single family
dwelling that was designed to operate as one unit there is a
reasonable assumption that the Municipal inspectors charged with
ensuring compliance to that bylaw would have noticed these
significant violations at some point earlier in construction.
It is clear to the residents that these two buildings were deliberately
constructed to be something other than single family dwellings
designed to operate as one unit and this builder should not be
allowed to operate anything other than that.
20 Presentation to Clarington General Government Committee
January 27, 2020