March 17, 2020: Mayor's Report
March 3rd
I was present at the Council Meeting
March 7th
I attended the Wellness Fair at the Community Centre to support Women in Wellness
In the evening I was invited by the Warden to attend the annual fund raising event for the Children’s Aid Foundation with He and his wife Cheryl, Cheryl’s Mother, Jim and Susan Pine, Bob and Shirley Mullen. There were approximately 400 in attendance. There was a dinner, an auction, a silent auction and a dance.
March 11th
I was present at the Special Closed Meeting of Council.
March 12th
with great in trepidation I went to Toronto to attend a ROMA meeting.
March 13th
I attended the ROMA Meeting. Some of the agenda items were:
The Deputy Minister of Government and Consumer Services (MGCS), along with Patrick Chan and Clare Dale attended the ROMA Meeting.
The Ministry (MGCS) is consulting with municipal institutions to address possible areas of improvement in the Freedom of Information program which was enacted in 1991. Many things have changed with regard to record keeping and communication particularly with new technology which render the legislation outdated. We have an opportunity to provide input and share experiences that we have here at the municipality. I will be referring the matter to staff to provide our comments.
The ROMA Conference feedback was discussed and the Treasurer provided a financial statement. It was agreed that overall the conference was a great success. The venue at the Sheraton is suitable in size and location and the program was excellent, the trade show was sold out and financially the conference revenue exceeded 2019. There were over 300 delegations with ministries. The timing of the conference is ideal because it happens just before the legislature resumes and ministers are already in Toronto so it is convenient for them to attend.
There was a presentation on Flooding. Existing properties that flood are a challenge to resolve. Going forward, it appears that the only viable solution is to restrict development in flood prone areas. There has been much discussion about conservation authorities, however, I think that any major changes have been put on hold based on consultations with the ministry.
The consultation for the Health Modernization was scheduled for March 19th. It has once again been postponed due to the work load generated by the coronavirus situation.
The ROMA Board Member from Minden Hills made a presentation to the Board regarding Light Pollution and how it is affecting the atmosphere and people’s enjoyment of watching the night sky. This presentation was prepared by the Minden Hills Climate Change Action Committee. Some municipalities have by-laws regulating the type of lighting that can be used. There is a copy of the presentation on the municipal web site.
March 15th
I participated in a conference call arranged by the Hastings Prince Edward Board of Health and Dr. Piotr Oglaza. Staff provided updated information regarding the efforts to contain the spread of the Coronavirus. The Board advised that they are in full emergency response mode.
The country is facing a major pandemic crisis and our municipality of Marmora and Lake are not exempt. It was determined on Monday that municipal public buildings will be closed. Council meetings, programs and activities in our facilities are cancelled and/or postponed. Staff will continue to perform the work of the municipality with reduced hours.
It is important that our staff must be kept as safe as possible while doing their jobs. Staff collaborated with our neighboring municipalities and determined that they are taking the same preventative action regarding public buildings programs and facilities.
These announcements are posted on marmoraandlake.ca and signs are on the entrance to all facilities. The public are encouraged to pay their taxes, water bills or whatever purpose brings them into the Town Hall, online, placing their payment preferably by cheque in the locked drop box at the town hall or by mail. If this is not possible, you can call and make an appointment with staff. The Public are requested to not enter the public buildings if they have symptoms of the virus.
This is a crisis. Our main objective is to keep the public safe. Please follow the instructions of the Medical Officers of Health and members of the medical profession if you suspect that you have symptoms of the virus. Please ensure that you adhere to the recommendations for prevention. Please remember to refer to the Municipal web site as that is the official web site of the municipality. The web site will be updated regularly.