HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014-06-05 Minutes
SUSTAINABLE CLARINGTON COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Minutes of Meeting of June 5, 2014 at 6:00 p.m.
Clarington Older Adult Association, Beech Centre, Bowmanville
Present:
Michael Patrick, Chair
Mike Dymarski
Suzanne Elston
Lorraine Jones
Ian Kruis
Kerry Meydam
Kira Nowick
Councillor Ron Hooper
Absent: Allan Hewitt
Mayor Adrian Foster
Also Present: Curry Clifford, Corporate Initiatives Officer
Linda Coutu, Executive Assistant to the Mayor
Guests: Chris Newman, Firehouse Youth Centre
Martin Wind, Durham Regional Police Service – Community liaison
Angie Darlison, Executive Director, Clarington Older Adult Association
Marion Saunders, Past President, Newcastle Ratepayers Association
Sheila Hall, Executive Director, Clarington Board of Trade
Justin Barry, Member of the Bowmanville BIA and Owner, Justin Barry Optical
Petra Schwirtz, Chair of the Clarington Tourism Marketing Board (CTMB) and
Owner, Our Valley View Bed and Breakfast
Sandy Archibald, Vice-Chair of the CTMB and Owner, Archibald Orchards &
Estate Winery
Jennifer Cooke, Manager, Communication & Tourism
Carlos Salazar, Manager of Community Planning & Design, Planning Services
1. WELCOME
Chair Michael Patrick welcomed the committee members and guests to the meeting.
2.APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF MAY 15, 2014
Moved by Suzanne Elston, seconded by Mike Dymarski
THAT the minutes of the May 15, 2014 meeting be approved.
CARRIED.
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3. BUSINESS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES
These items were dealt with later in the meeting so as to not delay the guests. The results
then were as follows:
Moved by Suzanne Elston, seconded by Kerry Meydam
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THAT Libby Racansky be thanked for meeting with the committee on May 15 to
discuss natural green space and for providing a subsequent written submission on June
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2 and that Ms. Racansky be advised of the advice received from the Municipality’s
Planning Service Department on this matter.
CARRIED
There was a brief discussion pertaining to the goal of Natural Green Space and the fact
that Conservation Authorities don’t organize their goals by municipal boundaries but by
watersheds, so it’s a bit difficult for them to answer the question of what their goals are
for Clarington. It was decided to thank the Conservation Authorities for their
contribution to the Committee’s work and that the Committee in its final report would
recommend that Council ask the conservation authorities for measurable outcomes for
each of their watersheds in Clarington.
4. OVERVIEW AND CONTEXT FOR THIS EVENING’S DISCUSSION OF FOUR
OF THE COMMITTEE’S GOALS
Michael Patrick invited committee members and guests to introduce themselves then
gave a brief overview of the context for this evening’s meeting. Michael advised that the
committee has identified nine goals and will be reviewing four of them here this evening.
5. DISCUSSION OF GOALS
Guests were invited to discuss four of the committee’s goals as follows:
#2 An Engaged Community
#7 An Attractive Business Environment
#3 Unique, Vibrant Downtowns
#1 Self-Sufficient Neighbourhoods
#2 An Engaged Community:
Youth
Chris Newman and Martin Wind gave a presentation on behalf of a larger group,
Leading Youth
, established 1 ½ years ago involving the Firehouse Youth Centre,
Durham Region Police Services (DRPS), Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board,
local youth, Boys and Girls Club of Durham Region and the Municipality of Clarington.
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The goal of the group is to offer increased leadership and engagement opportunities for
local youth throughout the Municipality.
Goal (Question 1)
What measurable outcomes do you believe the Clarington Community should be seeking
to achieve by 2019?
Close the gap between actual and perceived knowledge when it comes to youth based
services
Connect more local youth to their community
Increase leadership and engagement opportunities for non-traditional youth leaders
Alter community perceptions on youth
Current State (Question 2)
Where is the community now relative to these goals?
Clarington as a whole has a wide variety of youth related services that often operate
in isolation of one another
As such we are lacking a degree of community cohesion and connectivity
Suggested Actions (Question 3)
What actions should be taken to close the gap between 1 and 2?
Attempt to attain Play Works Youth Friendly Recognition Program Designation
(some 40 other municipalities, including ones of Clarington’s size or smaller have
this designation, e.g., Port Hope, Caledon, Halton Hills, Whitchurch-Stouffville)
Create a central HUB of Information regarding local opportunities for youth in
partnership with local business, community groups and YOUTH
Introduce the opportunity for youth to guide the development and sustainability plans
for youth related initiatives
Develop mechanisms for local youth to support other youth
Fitting together the puzzle pieces that already exist.
Michael Patrick thanked Mr. Newman and Mr. Wind for their presentation.
Clarington Older Adult Association
Angie Darlison, Executive Director of the
provided a brief presentation in response to the questions posed by the Committee.
Goal (Question 1):
What measurable outcomes do you believe the Clarington Community should be seeking
to achieve by 2019?
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Increased engagement & support of community organizations by Municipal Staff &
Council
Increased local transit to/for older adults
Increased accessibility for all
Reduction of waste & increased recycling
Increased marketing & promotions of community organizations
Current State (Question 2):
Where is the community now relative to these goals?
This is difficult to judge based on different topics- some we see advances, others
we see digression and others we see or hear nothing due to lack of communication
Suggested Actions (Question 3):
What actions should be taken to close the gap between 1 and 2?
Increased communication and support of community organizations
Increased partnerships & collaborative groups
Increased recognition of volunteers.
Michael Patrick thanked Angie Darlison for her presentation.
Newcastle and Bond Head Ratepayers
Marion Saunders, Past President of the
Association
gave a brief presentation from a volunteer’s perspective.
Mrs. Saunders advised that she was first invited to this meeting as Chair of the Newcastle
and Bond Head Ratepayers’ Association, a position now held by Robert Malone, who has
submitted his own response to the three questions. Mrs. Saunders has been an active
member of the community since arriving in Newcastle in the spring of 1998. She has
served for 9 years on the Lakeridge Health Board of Trustees, three of those years as
Chair; she was Chair of the Newcastle Bond Head Ratepayers’ for several years until last
November; she is Vice President of the Newcastle Village and District Historical Society;
President of the Association of Hospital Volunteers Bowmanville and Vice President of
the provincial Hospital Auxiliaries Association of Ontario. Until a year ago, she was
very active in St. George’s Anglican Church where her husband was the Rector.
Goal (Question 1):
What measurable outcomes do you believe the Clarington Community should be seeking
to achieve by 2019?
To obtain a clear answer to Question 1 there needs to be an understanding of
why people chose to live in their community – is it convenient for work?;
because the schools are great? ; close by?; because of availability of
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recreation programs?; affordable? close to family? etc.? The answer(s) to this
question will certainly affect the engagement of the person/family within the
community. For instance, with family members close by, will that be the
primary focus of their available time?
There needs to be a clear understanding of the words:
“community” – an area within Clarington or Clarington as a whole or not
geographically based at all?
“Engaged” – can range in meaning from actively participating to just being
aware of what is going on. Does being engaged refer to volunteering ? to
attendance at Municipal meetings? At open houses and consultations? At
participating in children’s sports? School activities? Etc. Levels of
engagement vary by capacity and interest.
Current State (Question 2):
Where is the community now relative to these goals?
There is a very supportive business community, called upon time and time again
to assist with numerous community fundraisers and events.
The communities are also provided opportunities to gather together through
varied events sponsored and run by the BIA’s- an encouragement to be part of the
larger whole.
Suggested Actions (Question 3):
What actions should be taken to close the gap between 1 and 2?
If the Municipality wishes to support and encourage voluntarism within the
various organizations and its own committees and boards, it would be helpful to
provide opportunities to the public to know how and where to volunteer.
Communication is a key factor in having a knowledgeable and engaged
community
Perhaps then, the Municipality should have a clear communication plan that
reaches the community in many different ways. How much more convenient it
would be if there were localized and coordinated ways to consolidate this
information (from Municipal open houses, consultations etc. to local sports
events, to fundraisers of all sorts.) . Maybe have a site that people could subscribe
to have events and info pop into their email from a single source.
The local newspapers do a great job in advertising for many different events, but
again, there are those who discard these publications without even opening them.
Reading is almost getting to be a lost art.
As well, workshops on leadership, governance etc. could be offered from time to
time.
It would be interesting if a survey of the residents could be taken to determine:
a.Why they moved/live here.
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b.What skills and resources they might be interested in sharing with the community
c.What they would like to see in their community and how this might be brought
about
d.How they learn about events etc.
The whole question of involvement and participation will always be one that is
“out there” with no definitive answer to solve it all!
Michael Patrick thanked Mrs. Saunders for her presentation.
The committee recessed for 5 minutes at 7:40 p.m.
#7 An Attractive Business Environment & #3 Unique, Vibrant Downtowns
the Clarington
Sheila Hall, Executive Director and Economic Development Officer of
Board of Trade (CBOT)
gave a brief presentation pertaining to goal #7 An Attractive
Business Environment and #3 Unique, Vibrant Downtowns.
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Ms. Hall also provided a detailed hand-out summarizing the results of a May 23 half-
day workshop held to gather input on the Committee’s questions on these two topics as
well as the committee’s goal of a Sustainable Agricultural base. The workshop attracted
some 20 business people.
The CBOT overview indicated,
Goal (Question 1)
What measurable outcomes do you believe the Clarington Community should be seeking
to achieve by 2019?
Business success means community success and community success means
business success
. Community agreement on this is the outcome this Committee
should be urging the Municipality and the community to achieve by 2019.
Having this clear “community” vision is the first step to be able to deliver on
sustainability goals.
It is important to develop a clear understanding of the inter-connection between
business and the community.
It is important to then take actions that recognize and promote this. These actions
need to be:
practical, e.g., the Municipality’s Official Plan and its zoning by-law need
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to be consistent
prioritized in order to efficiently use resources. Matters like having the OP
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completed and the zoning by-law updated needs to be a priority
backed by a culture that is aligned with delivering on this outcome.
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Current State (Question 2):
Where is the community now relative to these goals?
There are multiple plans - a fire plan, a recreation plan, a tourism plan, an Official
Plan, a Transportation Master Plan and an economic development plan. These
don't necessarily support each other and they may even be in conflict. If no one is
accountable to set priorities among these, then there is a risk that nothing will get
done. The municipality simply doesn't have the resources to operate in silos like
this- or develop studies that are just that studies.
The plans aren't costed or tied to a longer term financial plan. So again they
become studies and the community is left confused as to whether a plan is ever
really going to happen.
Suggested Actions (Question 3):
What actions should be taken to close the gap between 1 and 2?
An integration of the various plans, costing of them and then priority setting
among the elements of them followed by a supportive culture as noted is
necessary.
Developing a more collaborative, integrated relationship between the Regional
government and the Clarington municipal government is also important. The
former control key elements of Clarington's business growth - water and sewer,
arterial roads, transit, growth planning, development charges and waste
management. So this overall philosophy we have of business success is dependent
on community success and vice versa needs to be identified and rectified in not
just Clarington's approach, but the Region's approach. How these two municipal
governments can better collaborate and integrate their efforts and focus them
around the outcome we've set out is the key challenge going forward. Again, we
can't afford to have silo focused action.
Michael Patrick thankedSheila Hall for her presentation.
Sandy Archibald, Petra Schwirtz and Jennifer Cooke gave a brief presentation on behalf
Clarington Tourism Marketing Board
of pertaining to #7 An Attractive Business
Environment and #3 Unique Vibrant Downtowns with the focus largely on the latter.
Goal (Question 1)
What measurable outcomes do you believe the Clarington Community should be seeking
to achieve by 2019?
Complimentary look to exterior of buildings
Consistent seasonal décor
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Benches
No vacant stores; if empty, provide attractive, information window displays
A variety of unique retail businesses
Public washrooms
Co-operative events
Co-operative advertising initiatives including other tourism businesses outside of
the downtown cores
Enhanced visitor/customer experience
Co-operative initiatives with all of the downtowns within Clarington.
Current State (Question 2):
Where is the community now relative to these goals?
There are many unique stores in the various downtowns
Summer planters and holiday lights give great eye appeal and consistency
However, there is some inconsistency in outward appearance of certain buildings.
Also, store vacancies are an eye sore
There are few public washrooms. Those existing are not marked well.
In terms of the three downtowns working together, there is little action.
Also, there is little co-operation with tourism players outside of the downtown
cores.
Suggested Actions (Question 3):
What actions should be taken to close the gap between 1 and 2?
Consistent/complimentary exteriors: something that could be discussed with BIA?
Vacant Stores: work with local schools and art centres to provide art and other
displays.
Unique Stores: Is there a way of attracting certain retail and discouraging other?
Co-operative Advertising: representation on CTMB from the downtowns within
Clarington would provide the opportunity to share information and participate in
advertising.
Co-operative Initiatives with all of the downtown cores within Clarington:
Communication between the different groups needs to happen. Again, if there
was representation on CTMB, this could be the vehicle to open discussion.
Enhanced Visitor/Customer Experience: this is what sets businesses and
communities aside from others. CTMB will be offering a “Wow-Customer
Service Workshop” in the future.
Michael Patrick thanked Sandy, Petra and Jennifer for their presentation.
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#1 Self-Sufficient Neighbourhoods
Carlos Salazar, Manager of Community Planning & Design, Planning Services gave a
brief presentation pertaining to self-sufficient neighbourhoods.
Goal (Question 1)
What measurable outcomes do you believe the Clarington Community should be seeking
to achieve by 2019?
Every trip begins and ends with pedestrian activity. Promoting and encouraging
walking throughout the entire trip can increase a community’s sustainability and
lead to more social interaction, improvements to health and diminish other social
problems.
Density: high population and employment density increases walkability
Proximity to services and land use mix: everyday destinations, such as work,
health care, entertainment, and schools, should be within a walking distance to
residents.
Pedestrian friendliness: identify barriers (wheelchairs and for the elderly),
aesthetics (streetscapes), and safety (crossing signals and reducing automobile
speeds).
Connections: direct connections/routes.
Perceptions: what are people’s perceptions on walkability? Is it safe? Is it
inviting? Does it motivate you to walk (mixed use and active streets) or explore
other areas? Are they aware of all the pedestrian networks that exist?
Example: A checklist should be established which includes many of the components
listed above in order to create walkable neighbourhoods. The Region of Peel has
established a good list of standards. It is found at:
http://www.peelregion.ca/health/resources/healthbydesign/pdf/Final_HBS_Framework_R
eport.pdf
Current State (Question 2):
Where is the community now relative to these goals?
Official Plan encourages:
Grid streets to support direct pedestrian connections
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Variety of land uses, housing types, densities, and tenure
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Higher densities, 32% Intensification (minimum)
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Walkability implemented through Secondary Plans
Different standards are applied to different neighbourhoods
Lack of information and analysis on current pedestrian connectivity and
pedestrian friendliness. More research and data collection needed to evaluate
Clarington’s neighbourhood walkability.
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Example: Chapter 9 Residential Neighbourhoods in Clarington’s Official Plan, Brookhill
Neighbourhood Secondary Plan
Suggested Actions (Question 3):
What actions should be taken to close the gap between 1 and 2?
Official Plan Review to implement policies on compact development, high
densities in intensification areas, such as Centres and Corridors, parks and trail
connections.
Priority Green will develop a handbook with standards/guidelines for sustainable
neighbourhood design
Create a checklist or ranking system to evaluate walkability of new developments
Develop performance measures/monitoring system to be reported yearly:
example, calculate the number of walking trips to work, school, amenities (mode
share analysis).
Michael Patrick thanked Mr. Salazar for his presentation.
6. PREPARATION FOR NEXT MEETING AND FINAL REPORT
There was a general discussion of how to prepare the final report. It was decided that
Curry would prepare for the next meeting a table consolidating the input received from
all of the guests organized by each of the nine goals. The committee would then discuss
common themes and finalize their own answers to the questions posed. Curry agreed to
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provide the table by June 13 for the Committee’s review prior to the next meeting on
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June 19.
The committee determined that it would aim to complete its report by the end of June as
called for by its terms of reference and thus present it to Council at its last meeting before
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the summer break- July 7. It therefore would need to submit its report by July 2.
Curry was asked if this was doable and indicated that it was feasible if the report was
scaled accordingly.
The next meeting will be held, as scheduled on Thursday, June 19th at 7:00 p.m. at the
Mezzanine Meeting Room at the Clarington Public Library.
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It was agreed that an additional meeting, Wednesday, June 25, be added in the event it is
needed to finalize the report.
7. OTHER BUSINESS
Kira Nowick briefly explained her flow chart pertaining to Youth Leading Youth.
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Michael Patrick thanked Kira for her presentation.
8. ADJOURNMENT
Moved by Suzanne Elston, seconded by Mike Dymarski
That the meeting adjourn at 9:05 p.m.
CARRIED
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