Mayor's Report for June 7, 2022

May 17th

I attended Hastings County Finance Property and Personnel Committee Meeting, in person. At 6:30 I presided over the regular Meeting of Council

May 18th

I attended the office to sign cheques.

May 21st

I attended the first annual Lumberjack event at Memorial Park. Thank you to Mary Provost, Bernie Donaldson, and all organizers, vendors and volunteers of the event.

And then the storm of the century happened in Marmora and Lake.

Marmora Village faired quite well with minimal damage and short term power outage. Locations throughout the former Marmora township had extreme damage and road access and egress was temporarily blocked by fallen trees and downed power lines. This was in the area of Twin Sisters Lake Road and surrounding area. The former Lake Township, experienced complete devastation to cottages, homes and properties. Hydro poles were snapped off, power lines were down on roads, driveways and in some cases, power sources were snapped from buildings.

Unfortunately, there was one casualty in the area of Mud Turtle Lake and a number of injuries. On behalf of the Council and staff, I would like to extend my sincere condolences to the family and friends of the deceased and a quick recovery to those who were injured.

May 22nd

Staff arranged a meeting of the Emergency Control Group to determine the extent of damage and initiate a plan to mobilize staff and equipment to ensure the safety and well being of all residents/property owners.

The Manager of Transportation declared a “significant weather event” in accordance with the municipal act. This allows the municipality to commit to services in response to the damage and reduce levels of service normally provided as standard maintenance.

The Roads Crew, Fire Department, and management staff and numerous volunteers worked the entire long weekend. Volunteers worked and used their personal equipment to clear roadways and assist those who were trapped in their locations. Charging stations and potable water locations were established in the village. Thank you to all staff and volunteers for your dedication and long hours of work. It is wonderful that the community works together in times of disaster and I appreciate your help and again, thank you.

I know the cleanup schedule, especially where there was extreme damage, has been frustrating for everyone. The residents of the Dickey Lake, Thanet Lake and the area of Old Hastings Road is severely impacted by the damage. Cleanup is hampered by the downed power lines and just the huge number of large trees to be cleared in order to access power lines. Approximately 300 hydro poles required replacement. In discussion with one employee, he stated that this was the worst he had ever seen, even worse than the ice storm a few years ago. His first impression when sent to the site was “where do we even start”. Hydro One requested that we step back in our road clearing efforts until they could remove downed lines, replace poles and restring lines. Hydro One Employees were working along the roadways with large equipment and requested that only local traffic be on the road to ensure the safety of all workers and the public. My information is that hydro has been restored to most of the community.

I also contacted Tim Pidduck, Manager, Crowe Valley Conservation Authority. Tim advised that his observation was that the storm generally followed the Crowe Watershed from Vansickle Road north. The Conservation Authority advised that the McGeachie Conservation Area and trails were closed and that the Gut Conservation Area was closed to the public.

I urge you to review the webpage created specifically to communicate storm updates. It is updated regularly as information becomes available. This web page provides accurate information.

May 24th

I called an Emergency Control Group Meeting to review the state of affairs and determine a plan going forward. Staff provided updates, were completely prepared and had responded to the emergency efficiently. Their first priority was to ensure that everyone was safe.

That evening, I attended the All Candidates Meeting in Centre Hastings. I met the candidates serving this riding. By now, we all know the results of the election. Rick Bresee, Conservative Party, was elected in this riding.

May 25th

Dylan, Tonia and I toured the area to the north around Dickey Lake and Thanet Lake. It was total devastation in some areas and many properties had damage to their homes/cottages, vehicles and properties. I can fully understand the frustration expressed by the residents in the area. I want to assure you that everything that could be done was being done. As stated earlier, Hydro One recommended that we stand back and let them clear the areas of emergency to ensure public safety. Dylan was immediately acquiring equipment needed to proceed with the cleanup and dispatched work crews to different locations on a priority basis.

May 26th

I attended Hastings County Council. At that meeting I expressed my concerns over the devastation to the north end of Hastings County and specifically to the Dickey Lake area. Staff of Hastings County offered to attend the area and obtain drone coverage of the damage. We received a video and pictures of the area. I have to say that the pictures do not reveal the extent of the damage but if and when we are in a position to apply for funding, they will definitely be helpful information.

May 27th

I attended the office to respond to e-mails and telephone calls. I, personally had no hydro, internet or telephone service until Sunday, May 29th.

May 30th

I participated in a teleconference with Hastings County. Doug Socha, Chief Paramedic Officer has tendered his resignation. Doug is resigning to assist with his family business. Congratulations to Doug on his new venture and thank you for your contribution to Hastings County.

I attended a joint meeting of Boards of Health in Napanee.

That afternoon, we convened an Emergency Control Group Meeting to review the ongoing events of the storm.

I declared a State of Emergency, not because it was essential but because it gave attention and recognition of the extent of the damage and destruction caused by the storm and in discussion with other elected officials in Hastings County, a show of solidarity and support for the residents and businesses impacted by the storm. In response to this, the ministry was immediately in touch with the Fire Chief, and Emergency Coordinator for the municipality to obtain specific details on our response to the emergency.

June 1st

I attended the regularly scheduled meeting of the Board of Health, in person. Provincial funding may be reduced in 2023 which will have a severe financial impact on local municipalities. Staff are already working on 2023 Budget and will be reporting on this issue at the next meeting in September.

At the end of the meeting I approached the reporter for the newspaper who was present to enquire if he had considered reporting or writing an article regarding the devastating storm and how it had impacted the northern part of Marmora and Lake and surrounding areas. He replied he did not.

June 2nd

Following my discussion on the previous day, the reporter called me and I explained the enormity of the storm and the areas most affected by the storm. The media had referred to Bancroft, Perth and Tweed as being the areas with the most damage. That information was incorrect. Hydro One has yards in those locations. I believe the reporters were referring to the Hydro dispatch locations rather than the actual geographic locations where the damage occurred. I provided detailed information on the impact to the north part of Marmora and Lake and encouraged him to contact Deputy Mayor Stevens for first hand information as he resides in the most affected area. Residents were feeling alienated in that attention was being focused on those areas and the public, particularly in the south, had no idea of the mass devastation in their locations. I expect there will be an article in this week’s newspaper.

June 2nd

I met with staff on a number of issues.

June 3rd

Staff toured the Dickey Lake/Thanet Lake area with representatives of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Staff pointed out the most devastated areas in an effort to appeal for the Minister to open up the Disaster Relief Fund. Currently, there is no funding available. Staff, however, have established accounts to document all expenses and recorded pictures and requests for service should the fund be made available.

Staff also posted paper copies of the storm announcements and messages to the works yard at Dickey Lake for those residents without computer and/or technical equipment to access the web page.

June 7th

The Emergency Control Group met today. It was determined that the State of Emergency would remain in effect until we have been advised by the Ministry if we have been approved for funding.

Deputy Mayor Stevens has provided a video taken by a resident in the Dickey Lake and surrounding area. The video shows the extent of the damage. It is obvious that the cost of restoration of the road system will be significant. A report to Council is proposed at the next meeting.