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HomeMy WebLinkAboutFND-028-20Clarington 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: Joint Committees Date of Meeting: September 14, 2020 Report Number: FND-028-20 Submitted By: Trevor Pinn, Director of Finance/Treasurer Reviewed By: File Number: Andrew C. Allison, CAO Report Subject: BILD COVID19 Recommendations Recommendations: 1. That Report FND-028-20 be received; and Resolution#: JC-124-20 By-law Number: 2. That all interested parties listed in Report FND-028-20 and any delegations be advised of Council's decision. Municipality of Clarington Report FND-028-20 Report Overview Page 2 The COVID-19 pandemic has had a lasting impact on the residents and economy of Ontario and Clarington. As we are now looking forward to the recovery stage, stakeholders are preparing their recommendations for what steps should and could be taken to successfully recover the economy. Council received a submission from a group of building industry and land development associations and referred the submission to staff for comment. While it is recognized that all levels of government have a role to play in the recovery of the economy, several of the recommendations could have long-term impacts on the Municipality if implemented. The following report outlines the impacts of the recommendations as they relate to the Municipality. 1. Background 1.1 At the Council meeting of July 6, 2020, Council referred correspondence item 10.3 from the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD), Ontario Home Builders' Association (OHBA) and the Canadian Home Builders' Association (CHBA) "the group", regarding post-COVI D-1 9 recovery to staff. 1.2 The presentation laid out proposed liquidity and recovery measures by the various levels of government. Federal Government 1.3 The group suggested the following: a. Adjust the Canadian Mortgage Stress Test for both insured and uninsured mortgages, making the benchmark more dynamic and reducing it for longer -term mortgages; b. Introduce 30-year amortizations for insured mortgages; c. Remove GST on the purchase of new homes for 2020 and 2021, then index it to reflect current home prices; d. Introduce a home renovation tax credit for 2020 and 2021, plus a permanent energy retrofit tax credit; and e. Remove GST from the construction costs of new rental housing and costs of renovating rental housing. Municipality of Clarington Report FND-028-20 Page 3 1.4 None of the above proposals have a direct impact to the Municipality. They are macro- economic policy issues and could result in decreased funding to municipalities in the long-term. Provincial Government 1.5 The group suggested the following: a. Transfer mortgage financing for new condominium units to date of occupancy; b. Removing of GST/HST on new home purchases and related rebates; c. Accelerate timing of approvals and construction on key provincial and regional infrastructure projects such as the GTA West Corridor, LINK427 and the Upper York Water Reclamation Centre; d. Eliminate Ontario Land Transfer Tax to the end of 2021; e. Eliminate security deposits on Ontario Land Transfer Tax Deferrals on affiliated transfers; Remove provincial sales tax and rebate on the purchases of new homes; g. Refundable tax credit for expenses upgrading buildings in Ontario because of COVI D-19; h. Refundable tax credit for expenses repurposing buildings in Ontario because of COVID-19; Expansion of Opportunities Investment Tax Credit (RITC) to all regions of Ontario; Accelerate movement on key elements of the Housing Supply Action Plan related to the speed of approvals and reduced costs, including a cap on cash -in -lieu of parkland; k. Use existing planning policies, procedures and tools that will assist in the acceleration of housing supply and employment opportunities; and Require municipalities to accept surety bonds as a form of security for municipal agreements. 1.6 Similar to the recommendations to the Government of Canada, many of these issues have a broader macro -economic impact and are beyond the scope of staff recommendations. There are limited resources in Canada and a change in priorities would result in resources being removed from one area and redistributed to another. It Municipality of Clarington Report FND-028-20 Page 4 is also unclear how these changes will increase the ability of developers to build and thus create supply, which would drive down housing prices and increase affordability. 1.7 The items of impact to the Municipality of Clarington would be items j, k, and I as noted above. Staff will comment in Section 2 below on these recommendations. In addition, the Municipally initiated a COVID Community Improvement Plan (CIP) to address the upgrading of buildings in response to COVID business requirements. The CIP eligibility criteria will address the possibility of a tax credit to ensure businesses cannot claim funding from both sources. Municipal Governments 1.8 The group suggested the following: a. Freeze Municipal Property Assessment Corporation property value assessments for the next four years. b. If it appears that the residential home sales market drops greater than 5%, the City of Toronto should consider eliminating the Land Transfer Tax to the end of 2021. c. Provide financial relief from development charges and other planning and related fees. d. Enhance municipal service delivery efficiencies. 1.9 As the City of Toronto is the only municipality in Ontario which may charge a land transfer tax, that recommendation has no impact to the Municipality Clarington. 2. Staff Response to Recommendations Overall 2.1 While it is recognized that COVID-19 has had an impact on many industries, businesses and hundreds of thousands of Canadians, it is unclear how these recommendations assist in providing affordable housing without direct taxpayer subsidization. 2.2 The removal of sales taxes does not impact the developers directly as these taxes are paid by purchasers who are able to mortgage these costs over a 25-year period. The removal of these taxes would hinder the governments' ability to provide services to citizens across Canada. It is possible that home prices would not decline as a result of a change to the sales tax on new home purchases, if the developers were to increase the price of the homes. Municipality of Clarington Report FND-028-20 Page 5 2.3 The recommendations j, k and I is section 1.55 above, shift the cost of growth, or the risk of growth, to the municipalities. Growth should pay for growth to the extent possible in order to maintain equity amongst taxpayers. Surety Bonds 2.4 The Group is requesting that the Province of Ontario mandate that municipalities must accept surety bonds as a form of security for municipal agreements. Currently most municipalities take security through letters of credit or cash. There is an argument made that this change does not cost the government anything but will free up billions of dollars tied up in letters of credit or working capital. 2.5 Staff argue that this recommendation shifts the risks of development from the developers to the municipality. Surety bonds are similar to insurance policies that can be triggered under certain circumstances. It would require a municipality to place a claim with the surety company and hope to collect on the policy. The risks are increased to municipalities if there are not minimum financial requirements of the surety companies that ensure that funds are there if they are needed. Further, there is increased administrative costs in going to the surety company and waiting for settlement versus drawing on the letter of credit. 2.6 If the Province were to mandate surety bonds, the Municipality should advocate that there be strong financial requirements of the guarantor and that the bonds be insured by the Province to ensure that if the municipality requires the funds they are there. If the funds are not there to cover the bond this is a direct shift in costs from the developer to the tax base. 2.7 Finance staff did a poll of municipalities in the region to determine how security deposits are handled. The following shows the deposits accepted by municipality in the Region of Durham Municipality of Clarington I No City of Oshawa I No Town of Whitby I No Municipality of Clarington Report FND-028-20 Town of Ajax I No City of Pickering I Yes Municipality of Uxbridge I No Township of Scugog No Township of Brock No Region of Durham No Page 6 2.8 Region of Durham staff shared that they had spoken with municipalities in western Canada that have transitioned away from accepting surety bonds as a result of having difficulties receiving payment from the surety company. Compared to letters of credit, surety bonds have a higher payment risk and credit risk. 2.9 Staff recommend Council not support this proposal as it will force municipalities to transfer the cost of the risk of development to the tax base. A municipality should be free to determine the amount of risk that it wants to take on. Freeze Municipal Assessments for Four Years 2.10 The Province of Ontario postponed the planned property tax reassessment for 2021 which will result in 2021 property assessments remaining at the 2020 levels. The group is proposing that this remain frozen until 2024. The argument being that this will provide liquidity to overcome any hardship resulting from COVID-19. 2.11 This is short sighted and could it be argued that it will exacerbate financial hardships to those impacted by COVID-19. Municipalities will levy in taxes each year what is necessary to provide the service and capital investment needed regardless of how the assessment is calculated. Tax assessments are used to attribute the share of the required levy to each property, freezing the assessment freezes the share (absent of new growth) of taxes paid. Municipality of Clarington Page 7 Report FND-028-20 2.12 The last assessment date was January 1, 2016 and was phased in over the years 2017 to 2020. This means that the property assessment used to attribute your 2020 taxes is the value of your home on January 1, 2016. As is widely known, the fair market value of homes has changed since that date which is why MPAC does a reassessment every four years; this ensures that the attribution of taxes fairly represents the value of the property compared to the rest of the municipality. If a reassessment is deferred to 2024 that means that the value has not been reviewed in over 8 years and isn't fully implemented for 12 years. It is very possible lower value homes will be paying more than their fair share as a result of the deferral of a reassessment, particularly in high growth municipalities like Clarington. 2.13 The assessment of a home does not impact developers' ability to develop. Most tax assessments are below the market value. The assessment is used solely to apportion the tax levy on an equitable basis. By reviewing the assessments as planned, lower income families may benefit as the tax burden is shifted to those homes with a higher fair market value and, presumably, more fiscal capacity. 2.14 Staff recommends Council not support this request from the Group as it does not provide related support to developers but may actually impact those residents at most financial risk. Provide Financial Relief from Development Charges and Other Planning and Related Charges 2.15 The group states that GTA regions' and municipalities' current DC by-laws are slated for their required five-year review in 2020. Many are also scheduled to apply regular indexing which increases current development charges. The Province did pass an order which allowed a municipality to continue their current by-law until six months after the pandemic (the group stated six months post expiry). It is asking the Province to consider extending this order to the end of 2021. 2.16 The group is also asking municipalities to contemplate rebates or discounts related to road occupancy permits, phasing or deferring permit fees to building permit issuance and planning application fees should be deferred until applications are approved. The argument made is that waiving or deferring fees will assist consumers in managing costs and increases liquidity and housing affordability to residents of Ontario. 2.17 The Municipality of Clarington has deferred the new development charges study until after the emergency order is lifted and will utilize the six month extension provided by the Province. The Municipality intends to harmonize indexing dates with the Region of Durham, moving from January 15 to July 1 annually; given the six month extension this may be feasible as the new development charges rates could be implemented effective July 1, 2021. Municipality of Clarington Page 8 Report FND-028-20 2.18 It is important that development charges be indexed as they are established on a certain date assuming costs of development at that date. As projects occur in the future, the costs of those projects will be impacted by inflation and other factors. It is therefore necessary to increase development charges ensure that growth pays for growth. Deferring or eliminating increases will result in a shift of cost to either future developers (for other projects), shift the cost to the tax base or result in the Municipality being unable to build the infrastructure that is required to support development due to lack of funding sources. 2.19 Planning and building fees are on a cost recovery basis and represent the cost of providing those services to developers. Building fees are mandated to be fully cost - recoverable and reserve funds have been established to maintain service levels in down years. A rebate or deferral of costs represents taxpayer support for those services which will put increased strain on municipal budgets. There have already been mandated changes to the collection of development charges to occupancy for certain types of development, this should provide fiscal capacity to developers as development charges represent a larger cost than planning fees. 2.20 Staff recommend Council not support this recommendation from the group as further deferral or freezing of development charges will shift the cost of growth from developers to the tax base. Enhance Municipal Service Delivery Efficiencies 2.21 The group is asking the Province to ensure that municipal offices continue to operate and process applications, continue building inspections and permitting services by: a. Opening all municipal offices to allow for the submission of new planning applications including adopting innovative models to foster efficient methods to process related payments including technology enabled processes; b. Encouraging municipalities to use effective means of inter -departmental communication, communication between staff and applicants, and ensure that all departments involved in completing applications operate efficiently; c. Encouraging municipalities to adopt different business models to improve operational efficiencies and enhance all processes related to building permit issuance and application approvals; and d. Encouraging the delegation of certain decision -making authority to municipal staff to achieve greater efficiency in the development approval process and to avoid unnecessary delays for various items such as lane occupancy permits. Municipality of Clarington Page 9 Report FND-028-20 2.22 The Municipality of Clarington remained open throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and continued to provide all planning and building services mentioned above. The Planning Services Department held public meetings virtually utilizing online conferencing technologies, shifted pre -consultation meetings from in -person to virtual again utilizing appropriate technologies. Similarly, the Building Division has continued, as allowed by regulations, to conduct inspections and approve permits throughout the pandemic. The Municipality saw an increase in activity during the pandemic as compared to 2019. Attachment 1 to this report is a letter from BILD thanking the Municipality for its efforts in response of COVID-19. 2.23 Planning and Engineering Services, in the early days of the pandemic, undertook site inspections to partially or fully release letters of credit and securities being held by the Municipality for development works. This initiative returned to developers just over $8 million dollars to assist them with continuing other works. 2.24 During the pandemic, the Municipality finalized its MBS project to adopt AMANDA software for corporate wide property information purposes. This software will automate and provide on-line capabilities that will improve and enhance the service provided to developers utilizing on-line technologies. Electronic plan submission will be facilitated through this investment in IT which will provide developers increased opportunities to complete necessary submissions remotely. 2.25 Finance staff have worked with departments to establish processes to allow for customers to pay for fees through Electronic Funds Transfer. This has allowed customers to pay for permits and applications without having to mail a cheque or physically come to the Municipal Administration Centre to pay. Staff are exploring other alternative means of payment including online options for other services. The land development and building processes at the Municipality of Clarington have been part of a continuous improvement approach for a number of years. 2.26 In 2017, Planning and Engineering Services, with input provided by other Departments, and the development community, undertook a deep review of the land development process referred to as the Process Enhancement Project or PEP. Attachment 2 to this Report is a detailed listing the Land Development Process Enhancements and the Business Continuity Measures undertaken to specifically address maintaining services. 2.27 Staff are supportive of this recommendation as we are already doing it. This recommendation may result in increased funding opportunities from the Province, as was previously promised, to look at ways to make municipal service delivery more efficient. Municipality of Clarington Report FND-028-20 3. Concurrence Page 10 This report has been reviewed by the Acting Director of Planning and Development Services who concurs with the recommendations. 4. Conclusion The majority of the recommendations by the group as contained within the correspondence are outside of the scope of the Municipality. Those recommendations within scope could have long-term negative impacts on the Municipality if implemented. It is respectfully recommended Council receive the correspondence and this Report as information. Staff Contact: Trevor Pinn, Director of Finance/Treasurer, 905-623-3379 ext. 2602, tpinn@clarington.net Attachments: Attachment 1 — Letter from BILD dated May 19, 2020 regarding COVID-19 Response Attachment 2 — Land Development Process Enhancements Interested Parties: The following interested parties will be notified of Council's decision: • BILD; • O H BA; • CHBA; and • Durham Region Home Builders Association Attachment 1 to FND-028-20 BILIY6VFL vdA0ff TEffGTA Building Industry and Land Denlopmam Association May 19, 2020 Mayor Foster and Members of Council Municipality of Clarington 40 Temperance Street Bowmanville, ON L1C 3A6 Dear Mayor Foster and Members of Council, RE: COVID-19 Response and Recovery - Thank -you In Durham region, the building and renovation industry provides over 4.4 billion in investment value and employs over 34,000 people'. As a simple rule of thumb one crane in the sky is equal to 500 jobs. With approximately 1,500 member companies, BILD is the voice of the home building, land development and professional renovation industry in the Greater Toronto Area and Simcoe County. Residential Construction is a key economic driver to every community in Canada. We would like to take this opportunity to thank you and staff for the strong leadership and guidance that you have shown throughout this pandemic. We have a shared interest in keeping business moving by ensuring that development services continue to be carried out remotely - your municipality has been a great example of this best practice. We applaud you for taking the steps you have to ensure safe services for the employees and the business of the Municipality of Clarington. We greatly respect your governance in keeping people safe, and this is our industry's first priority too. Construction sites have instituted various health and safety measures, such as splitting crews into staggered shifts, utilizing the extended start and closing times, only allowing one trade in an area at a time, limiting no more than 3 people in an open air hoists, and every construction site in Ontario that has 20 or more people has a joint health and safety committee - to ensure all employees have a voice. BILD and its members want to be a part of the solutions during this difficult time. To assist our members and municipal partners, BILD has put together resources on all the latest information that directly affects the building, land development and professional renovation industry. This includes a Status of Municipal Services Tracking List and a Municipal Meetings & Public Engagement Protocols. Both documents can be found on BILD COVID-19 page on our website. This information sharing has been greatly valued by our membership and we hope it serves to be a resource to our municipal partners as well. We hope that this situation will continue to subside and that we have all done our part to flatten the curve. Our industry is facing unprecedented times and many of our members are concerned about the viability of existing and future projects, as well as the overall health of our industry. We will now need to focus on our recovery efforts, both during the after the pandemic. One of the immediate actions that can be taken to streamline processes during this emergency situation is expanding the use of delegated authority for minor development decisions that would ordinarily require Council's approval. When this is all behind us, we will need to focus on restarting the economic and recovery efforts. BILD and its members are here to assist you in those conversations when they are initiated. 1 Based on 2018 Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation and Statistics Canada data 2DUpjohn Rd, Suiteloa NorthYDrk ON M3R M TO: 41 e,391.3W www.gthha.ca Again, thank you for your leadership during these trying times. We are your partners in prosperity and within this turmoil, if there is anything we can do at BILD or with our members to be of service to you - we welcome that discussion. Stay safe and healthy, Frank Filippo BILD Durham Chapter Chair CC: BILD Durham Chapter Members Michael Seaman, Municipality of Clarington Attachment 2 to FND-028-20 Land Development Process Enhancements and Business Continuity Measures Implemented by Planning & Development Services Current as of: July 27, 2020 The land development and building processes at the Municipality of Clarington have been part of a continuous improvement approach for a number of years. In 2017, Planning and Engineering Services, with input provided by other Departments, undertook a deep review of the land development process referred to as the Process Enhancement Project or PEP. More recently, staff have received formal training in the Lean Six Sigma methodology. A list of land development and building process enhancements implemented over the past five years by the Municipality is provided below, organized based on three of the four functional areas cited by the BILD/CHBA/OHBA joint submission. The fourth functional area, Business Continuity, is addressed separately. Communications • Integrated development application file/document storage into a single location accessible to development review staff from all departments, reducing time spent on document management and sharing and eliminating risks associated with file redundancy. • Commenced the implementation of the new Municipal Business Solution, AMANDA and E-plan software, which will align the business processes of departments, enhance the customer experience and provide demonstratable gains in efficiency and effectiveness. • Instituted customer service policies (Planner of the Day) that provide the best initial inquiry experience in the Greater Toronto Area. • Created an online inquiry form. • Revised newspaper notices to improve the communication of Planning Act approvals to the public. • Adopted "plain language" use in correspondence and reports. • Prepared brochures to answer common Planning -related questions. • Created a new public notice sign template to more clearly convey information about a proposal and to incorporate Municipal branding. • Improved public access to Municipal planning information by being available at public events (Home and Garden Show, Applefest, Family Safety Day, Orono Fair). • Website postings of the more complex development application material. • Improved Planning e-Update reporting. The e-Update is a tri-weekly electronic publication for the development community and interested stakeholders that announces public meetings, new applications, approved applications, and provides updates on on -going projects and new initiatives. Land Development Process Enhancements and Business Continuity Measures Implemented by Planning & Development Services Current as of: July 27, 2020 • Revised the public meeting standard recommendation statement to make it clearer that the report is not being recommended for approval, but rather for continued processing of the application, taking into account comments received from residents. • Established a requirement that all supporting reports for submitted applications now be compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 Standard. Process • Developed, and continue to review and update, internal Planning Services procedural manuals for various land development processes. • Developed the Site Plan Approval Handbook and the Site Plan Approval Handbook for Agricultural & Residential Buildings & Structures in the Oak Ridges Moraine to help guide prospective proponents through the application process. • Standardized the pre -consultation process. • Established a pre-screening process for Minor Variance applications, which has improved the quality of applications, reduced staff time to prepare for hearings, and contributed to fewer appeals to LPAT. • Streamlined/reduced hard copy material needed for applications - augmented by digital copy. • Developed terms of reference for the various studies that may be required as part of a complete application that are provided to prospective applicants during the pre - consultation, providing clear direction on application requirements from the outset of the development process. • Established a collaborative screening process, involving Planning staff and the applicable Conservation Authority staff, for site plan applications on the Oak Ridges Moraine. Through the screening process, select applications are exempted from requiring a formal pre -consultation and necessary modifications to the application are determined at the outset. Processing time and meeting between Planning/Conservation staff and applicants are reduced where an exemption is applied. • Updated and simplified the Subdivision Agreement and conditions. • Developed a checklist companion document for Subdivision Agreements. The checklist serves to guide developers through the registration process and clearly provides Municipal points of contact. Templates for specific requirements are included. The checklist simplifies and streamlines the execution process for developers and frees up Staff time for other responsibilities. • Streamlined the removal of holding process to the greatest extent possible within the bounds of provincial legislation, including: Land Development Process Enhancements and Business Continuity Measures Implemented by Planning & Development Services Current as of: July 27, 2020 o Council pre -authorizes the removal of the holding symbol at the time of original rezoning provided that staff are satisfied that all the conditions have been met; o No staff report to Planning and Development Committee is required with preauthorization. The removal of holding by-law goes directly on the Council agenda without delay; and o No application form needs to be filled out by the applicant and no fee is charged. Converted the Clerk's roles to new Planning Development Application Coordinators roles, enhancing and improving the efficiency of support required by Planners throughout the development application review process, and providing more time to focus on the technical rather than the administrative components of development applications. Created a new Senior Plans Examiner role within the Building Division, which has reduced the length of time required to review and provide comments or issue a permit, and allows the Division to review and issue minor building permits, decks, sheds, etc. on the spot if they are in compliance with the OBC, zoning, etc.. This position also provided coverage as Acting Chief Building Official in the absence of the CBO. Realigned and converted the duties of building inspection staff, which has contributed to increasing the efficiency of the inspection staff, including reduced overtime, and improving customer service, inspection coverage during absences and application plan review time. Delegated Authority • Delegated Site Plan Approval authority for applications in the Oak Ridges Moraine to the Manager of Development Review. • Delegated the Official Registrar for Apartments -in -Houses from the Director of Planning to the Manager of Development Review. • Delegated to the Director of Planning Services authority to: o Execute agreements imposed or required in satisfaction of any condition of approval under the Planning Act regarding the development of land including plans of subdivision, plans of condominium, land division, exemption from part lot control, site plans and rezoning; o Approve releases from agreements where development has not proceeded; o Refuse a planning application where the file has remained inactive for more than one year (subject to the applicant notice requirements); o Approve draft plans of condominium where a public meeting is not required; and o Approve part lot control applications (the by-law still approved by Council, however no report required). Land Development Process Enhancements and Business Continuity Measures Implemented by Planning & Development Services Current as of: July 27, 2020 • Delegated responsibility for counter enquiries and building permit review for decks and accessory buildings to the Building Division — Plans Examiner, freeing up Planning staff time for other responsibilities. • Granted signing authority for letters of credit to the Planner overseeing a development application and signing authority for withdrawals granted to Planning Services Manager's, thus eliminating time associated with waiting for sign off by the Director of Planning Services. Business Continuity Measures In addition, at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, business continuity measures were quickly established by the Municipality. Despite Municipal offices being closed to the public, the Municipality's land development and building services adapted to ensure continuous service provision. Business continuity has included the following: • Transitioning staff to work from home to avoid any work stoppages. • Addressing inquiries from residents, real estate agents, developers and builders by telephone and email. • Acceptance of submissions of revisions to existing applications and plans via electronic means and courier, and payments by electronic means or certified cheque. • On -going review of existing applications and interactions with applicants for modifications. • Acceptance of new applications electronically and electronic circulation to commenting agencies. • Continued acceptance, review and processing of building permit applications via regular mail, courier, or electronically. • Establishment of a new process for virtual statutory public meetings, Committee of Adjustment, and Council Advisory Committee meetings with all materials made available online. • Continuation of inspections for all permits during regular inspection hours, with the exception of inspections of occupied dwellings (e.g. finished basement, additions, etc.). Adaptation of necessary inspections of occupied dwellings to use Facetime, videos, and photos. • Continued provision of support to other interdepartmental projects that rely on planning analysis and information (e.g. Development Charges Review). • Electronic processing and issuing of temporary sign permits, community improvement grants, and heritage grants. • Continuation of work on Secondary Plans, including: Land Development Process Enhancements and Business Continuity Measures Implemented by Planning & Development Services Current as of: July 27, 2020 o Transforming in -person public information centres to virtual events; o Holding virtual steering committee meetings; o Increasing newspaper circulation of secondary plan public meeting notices from two to three; and o Increased circulation area for mailed secondary plan public meeting notices to include 120 metres beyond project area. • Continuation of work on the comprehensive zoning by-law review project, Zone Clarington, including responding to public inquiries, urban phase research and required studies (e.g. intensification requirements, second units, Neighbourhood Character Study, parking), drafting of urban regulations, and desktop step of rural area site -specific Environmental Protection zoning reviews. • On -going review and processing of invoices for the large number of consultants working on secondary plans. • On -going coordination of projects with outside agencies like Metrolinx (planning for the station areas of the GO Train extension), area Conservation Authorities (Lake Ontario Shoreline Hazards Management Plan Update), and the Region of Durham (Envision Durham). • Preparing comments on projects that affect the Municipality (Region of Durham Pre - Sort / Anaerobic Digestion Facility, Region of Durham — Durham York Energy Centre 160K Expansion, St. Marys Cement Alternative Low Carbon Fuels Permit), and others. • Facilitated temporary restaurant patios on private property with a simple application and no processing fees. The Municipal Administrative Centre re -opened its doors to the public on July 13, 2020 with appropriate health and safety measure in place to allow us to resume in person customer service.