Latest / North Shore News / September 27th, 2024

Transcript

September 27th, 2024 · North Shore News

• 0:00
  Welcome to North Shore News and Interviews on Amherst Island Radio.
• 0:13
  Each week we keep you updated on newsworthy events, happenings, and conversations that
• 0:18
  we've had with people in the local community and beyond.
• 0:27
  The Boylist Township has agreed on a $5,000 annual operating fee to be paid to the Amherst
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  Island Recreation Association.
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  This is part of a three-year agreement which will automatically renew for an additional
• 0:38
  one-year term.
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  The money will be funded from the township's annual operating budget.
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  According to staff's report, the delivery of recreation and leisure programming on the
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  island has provided challenges in the past.
• 0:49
  Previously, the Amherst Island Recreation Committee would organize and implement various
• 0:53
  programming on the island suitable for all ages and abilities.
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  The committee recently reestablished itself as a not-for-profit volunteer organization
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  now known as the Amherst Island Recreation Association.
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  Originally, the recommendation included the $5,000 annual operating fee to be prorated.
• 1:10
  Councillor Lorna Willis explained the change to the recommendation.
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  The report suggests that the $5,000 2020 work will be prorated, so they would essentially
• 1:22
  be given four months to work with it.
• 1:24
  The concern I have with that is because there were so many moving parts to get these agreements
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  together, it took longer than we expected.
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  And the group's ability to fundraise during that time was curtailed because there was
• 1:39
  no advance space for them.
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  However, they had incurred costs assuming that what would be coming in this year is
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  the $5,000.
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  It was the budgeted amount, so I am asking the council to consider it full $5,000.
• 1:54
  Willis notes the amount of work by staff and volunteers over the years.
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  It has been six years of discussions with the former Amherst Island Recreation Committee
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  and now the new association.
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  And a lot of it hinged on previous council decision that supported reclaiming the Amherst
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  Island Community Center in the use of it.
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  So much, much work has been done in a year where this department is very busy.
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  I also want to acknowledge past and current volunteers who are running the renovation
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  of the Amherst Island.
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  Councillor Paul Prottar spoke about the importance of backing a project like this one.
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  Anytime a community group not broadly wants to provide services that, to be honest, we
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  struggle to provide the staff and give them the time that we should support them as best
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  we can.
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  For Amherst Island Radio and the Local Journalism Initiative, I'm Ted Evans.
• 2:54
  This is North Shore News.
• 3:04
  Voidless Township Council agreed to include lower bulk water rates for users of a new
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  water station that's expected to be fully operational this fall.
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  The new low volume bulk water station will be located alongside the existing bulk water
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  station at County Road 6 and Taylor Kid Boulevard.
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  This site was selected for the convenience of vehicles being able to fill up their containers
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  and existing infrastructure to support the installation.
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  The existing bulk water station isn't capable of filling low volume containers due to the
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  high rate of flow.
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  The station will be open year round with the ability to fill containers up to 1,000
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  liters.
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  We are expecting significant interest in the station as many members of the public have
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  requested the service specifically.
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  Since 2016, residents have been able to fill small containers of water at the Odessa office
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  during the summer months.
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  The original intent of this tap being turned on was to provide relief to rural residents
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  during drought conditions.
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  But according to staff's report, the local demand for a station that can fill small containers
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  has grown steadily over the past years.
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  The tap is now in full time use by residents as well as some commercial businesses and
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  farms.
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  Director of Economic Growth and Community Development Services at Loyalist Township,
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  Marie-José Merritt, explains that public needs have outgrown the old process.
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  Well, we've noticed here in the second or third year that we've altered the tap outside
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  is we can't really control where the residents are coming from.
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  At some point, it's even in some sort of community areas that advertise free water.
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  We're a list of people from all over the place where we can water, same with landscaping
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  companies.
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  So I would imagine that for the long water, the long volume water stations, you're going
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  to have the smaller tanker, like with one cubic meter of toast that you have in the back
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  of the pickup truck.
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  They will be using a smaller station.
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  So it's not really for the residents, but you can control where people are coming from
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  and you're going to have some commercial use.
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  The current bulk water rate was initially approved by council at 77 percent of the overall consumption
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  rate to produce water.
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  This number has escalated annually.
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  Staff compiled bulk water rates of neighboring municipalities and provided analysis on the
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  overall cost of producing water.
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  They also looked at factors that may not allow for competitive rates unless a discount is
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  provided.
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  Merritt describes the decision to keep costs low for users.
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  It is a discount rate, the last time that the rates were looked at in 2019.
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  We knew that the bulk water water was about 77 percent of the rates for the users in the
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  system.
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  So you wouldn't have necessarily 100 percent of the distribution cost when you're using
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  the water bottle station.
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  So it makes sense to have a discount rate for that type of use.
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  Staff estimated that upwards of 140 cubic meters of water per season was dispensed at the Odessa
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  office location, with most of the containers being one cubic meter or less.
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  This amount of usage created traffic issues in the area that staff are hoping to eliminate
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  with the new location.
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  The new station will only accept electronic payment methods via a simple card tap system.
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  This is to mitigate any risk of vandalism or any attempts to break into the station with
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  the handling of currency.
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  For Amherst Island Radio and the Local Journalism Initiative, I'm Tat Evans.
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  This is North Shore News.
• 6:36
  Lenox and Addington County will be exploring a partnership with one or more of its lower
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  tier municipalities for a $15.7 million affordable housing project in the area.
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  With a 42-unit building consisting of all one-bedroom units mentioned in the report,
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  staff also spoke to Council about other multi-unit options in one or more of the municipalities.
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  The estimated total cost is based on the partnership including the donation of land and an exemption
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  for all development charges.
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  According to the report, the largest need based on the centralized wait list is for
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  one-bedroom units.
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  A staff working group was put together and reviewed existing county-owned properties
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  but noted no suitable properties for this type of project.
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  Director of Social Services, Atlantic and Addington County, Lynn Chenye, describes the
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  report and the nature of staff's estimates.
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  This is very high level.
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  It includes estimates and it's kind of the worst case scenario if that it had to be funded
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  100% by the municipality.
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  We have tried to look at what the best mix of units could be in terms of market rent,
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  affordable housing rents or RGI which is not included in this report because that brings
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  the income down to try and make the building sustainable.
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  Even with just a mix of market and affordable, it does not fully pay for itself.
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  So these estimates are really as if it's 100% funded by the municipality.
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  Chenye explains that the project could include more than one building in more than one municipality.
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  I don't think we're necessarily targeting municipality.
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  We probably are with this particular size of build in terms of 42 units.
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  That is up to council's will.
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  So if council would like to see a smaller building or build happen in a more rural population,
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  it's we're really open to whatever council decides.
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  A 42 unit building in Caledon or Flinten probably would not be the most appropriate in Napañí
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  or Amherství or Odessa.
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  It very well could be.
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  But again, it's up to council's will if they would like to choose two projects.
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  We're more than happy to pursue that as well.
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  Chenye notes how regulations for some funding opportunities could change the scope of the
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  project.
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  We would, of course, if the project was to go forward to any next steps, we would be
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  applying for any and all funding opportunities available.
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  Any opportunities through CMHC or municipal affairs and housing, of course, could change
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  the mix of the unit types, meaning affordable or market, because they may have to include
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  rank year to income as well.
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  So that could change numbers moving forward.
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  However, it could be offset if we were able to receive capital investment for that.
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  To apply for funding through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, projects must be
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  shovel ready.
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  CMHC funding programs are Canada wide and cannot be relied on to offset any of the capital
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  costs due to funding limits and the competitive nature of the programs.
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  CAO Brenda Orchard noted that they might be leaning towards Napañí or Loyalist Township.
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  What we're thinking about with the next steps to explore partnership with the lower tiers
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  and we didn't specify one because really there is no plan for it to be one or another.
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  I mean, one would figure if it's a 42-unit building, it needs servicing of water and
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  sewer, not well-inceptic, so that automatically suggests Napañí or Loyalist.
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  Orchard also noted the possibility of multiple units in one or more of the municipalities.
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  There's nothing to say that we couldn't do two, four units in Addington Highlands the
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  way we did in Snowmills.
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  Maybe it's a 30-unit building and then two, four-unit buildings somewhere else.
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  I mean, that's still on the table.
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  Deputy Warden Nathan Townend brought forth the original motion for staff to explore these
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  options and explains why the report is an important starting point for a conversation.
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  I'm grateful to the director for bringing the report because it answers what I wanted
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  to be out there in the public domain as to what the costs are.
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  And obviously, I think all of us are kind of balking at even the estimated cost to our
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  taxpayers of funding this completely by ourselves.
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  But that said, I don't want this to stop here.
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  I want us to continue to have this conversation.
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  Townend notes the need for housing in Napañí and how staff at the county need to stay
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  realistic in their planning.
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  There are particular needs that are unique to particular municipalities.
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  And I think it's no secret that Napañí is struggling with a lot of these issues.
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  And we have to have a team LNA approach.
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  And I think Napañí has very clear needs that I am happy for the county to address.
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  Obviously, the high-level price tag to this is a lot for everybody.
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  But I want to see something continue to go forward.
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  But I think this is a good base and does what I wanted it to do in the initial motion back
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  in the early summer in terms of having it be out there in the public's mind just exactly
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  what these things cost and that we are trying as the county to be proactive.
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  But we also need to be realistic about what we're looking at.
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  Shenye describes how county staff will be approaching and conversing with the lower-tier
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  municipalities.
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  It would be an open conversation.
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  We're not going in and saying, do you have three acres of service land with a road?
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  And all of that kind of stuff.
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  It would be very open conversation because really ultimately it's up to council to decide.
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  And we know that there is a housing need in all of the lower-tier municipalities.
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  That's just a fact of life.
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  It's right across the province and right across the county.
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  So we would definitely want it to be a very open conversation between us, the county,
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  and the lower-tier municipalities to see what's out there, what can be done, who's willing
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  to partner.
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  Who's not willing to partner and bring those options back to council.
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  Shenye explains how wait lists work for affordable housing and notes current statistics in the
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  area.
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  People apply basically for every available unit size that they need.
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  So they're on the list.
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  There's 400 and some individuals, but they're on multiple lists.
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  And it doesn't track where they're from necessarily.
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  Anybody in the province can apply in any municipality for rank-year-to-income housing.
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  The by-name list, we can pull it off by county only.
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  So we would know the numbers.
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  So it's actually 70 in Lenox and Addington, and I believe it's 22 in Prince Edward County.
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  The bulk of the by-name list numbers are in Greater Napa Nih, but they're not 100% in
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  Greater Napa Nih because that by-name list also includes people who are couch surfing,
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  living with family, living in overcrowded conditions, and all of those kinds of things.
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  Shenye notes that wait lists include people from all over the area and beyond.
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  Most of the people who are on our centralized wait lists, yes, live within LNA, Prince Edward
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  County, probably Kingston, Hastings, our neighbors, because it's fairly close and they don't mind
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  traveling that distance.
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  But I can't guarantee that it would be specifically for people who are from LNA only.
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  The shortage of affordable housing results in a wide range of negative impacts both to
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  individuals as well as to broader systems such as industry, healthcare, emergency services,
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  and businesses.
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  Shenye explains how rent geared to income housing could see benefits as well, even though
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  it wasn't included in the report.
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  This proposed model that's included in this report is for market and affordable housing.
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  It does not include rent geared to income housing, so it likely would not assist anyone
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  who's currently homeless on the streets.
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  However, it would potentially free up rent geared to income units that are already in
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  place.
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  So what we did with Tamworth is we went to our existing tenants who were paying market
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  rent in our rent geared to income housing buildings and offered, you know, as long as
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  they were in good standing, we would offer them, hey, would you like to move to this
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  new building and your rent would be the same or similar to what you're paying here.
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  So we easily found six people who wanted to move from the existing rent geared to income
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  building to the affordable housing.
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  It freed up those units to then open those up to rent geared to income again, which
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  so it helps down the pipeline.
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  Shenye explains that rent for the units would be 80 percent of CMHC's average market rent.
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  I took the full market rent from the rural housing information system which scans retail
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  listings of apartments.
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  So for a one bedroom, it would be 1450.
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  The affordable rent is 80 percent, which would bring it to 899.25 a month.
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  Councillor Terry Richardson notes the reality of the situation for individuals in the community.
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  I don't think it's any price to anybody that our municipality has now been struck by this
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  homeless situation where we have folks living in tents.
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  I'm sure that the numbers are as accurate as they can be.
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  But you know, we have folks living in the cars, driving to work, and they're living
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  in parking lots.
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  We have many, many more folks that are one paycheck away from being there.
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  And we have to create as much housing as possible.
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  Richardson describes the importance of tackling the issue despite the costs.
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  I think we need to overturn every stone that's out there, not just, you know, whether we
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  can get free land here or free land there, I think we have to overturn every stone to
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  see what we can do to try and bring and be quite honest.
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  I'm not even sure what affordable housing is anymore.
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  I really don't.
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  But what I do know is that we need housing.
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  And at this point, we'll take any type of housing we can get.
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  So I think we're moving in the right direction.
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  I would just don't want to lose any momentum because there's a lot of big numbers on a
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  piece of paper.
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  And I can appreciate following budgets and we have to stay within our means.
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  But can we afford not to do it?
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  For Amherst Island Radio and the Local Journalism Initiative, I'm Ted Evans.
• 16:55
  This is North Shore News.
• 17:06
  The John M. Parett Center has been funded for over $400,000 to update and replace a
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  range of equipment and infrastructure around the center.
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  This one-time funding from the Ministry of Long-Term Care has seen all long-term care
• 17:17
  homes in Ontario receive $2,543 per bed for installation of sprinklers.
• 17:23
  The initiative is designed to help homes meet Ontario fire code requirements by January
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  1, 2025.
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  The John M. Parett Center already had sprinklers installed and were able to use the funds elsewhere
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  to address key priorities in the home.
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  Having received $427,224, the center will be undergoing a number of upgrades.
• 17:43
  Director of Long-Term Care Services, Atlantic and Addington County, Angela Malcolm, explains
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  how they chose where to spend the funding.
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  What I've tried to do is balance things that we had anticipated from a 10-year capital
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  plan, so things that we know are upcoming, and then also try to look at things that we
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  wouldn't have normally considered because we just didn't have the funds in which to
• 18:06
  do, so it's trying to balance both of those things.
• 18:09
  The phones the center currently uses are at the end of their life, and replacement parts
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  are no longer available.
• 18:14
  Malcolm breaks down the costs for the new wireless phone system.
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  The wireless phone system would be using $50,000, which we had already planned for within our
• 18:22
  2024 capital budget, and then $40,000 would be used out of the one-time funding.
• 18:27
  Malcolm notes the center's need for the new digital call bell displays.
• 18:31
  Two years ago we put in a new call bell system, and so these digital call bell displays will
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  be down each of the hallways so that the staff can see what is, see who is being called,
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  which room is calling, and they wouldn't have to be wearing pagers and losing pagers, and
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  we go through a lot of pagers, so this would help eliminate that issue as well.
• 18:54
  Director of Infrastructure Services, Atlantic and Addington County, Chris Wager, explains
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  why staff chose to go with one company for both the new phone system and the digital
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  call bell displays.
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  This wireless phone system has been in place for over 20 years, almost 25 years.
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  Most municipalities have replaced those about 10 years ago, and I've actually even further
• 19:16
  replaced, started replacing those replacements, so we've got extended lifespan out of our
• 19:21
  existing infrastructure, but we're at the point where we can't even get backups or hardware
• 19:26
  to support that.
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  So we really need to replace the entire system.
• 19:31
  So tying into the call bell system with the Simtel, staff's recommending that we sole
• 19:38
  source so it's a better service for residents.
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  That way if we go with a different company and there's a hardware patch or a software
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  patch, you run the risk of the two systems not being compatible and they need to talk
• 19:53
  to each other.
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  So that's why we're suggesting we go with the one system, one supplier, and they'll
• 20:01
  build and meet all of our needs, whether it's for the call bell system or the wireless
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  phone system.
• 20:07
  Malcolm describes how the funding will go towards new chairs for residents' bedrooms.
• 20:11
  The resident bedroom chairs, this would purchase 70 chairs.
• 20:16
  The number that we require changes from year to year.
• 20:19
  Many families like to bring, or residents like to bring in their own lazy boy chairs,
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  so depending on what the mix is at the time, I thought we would start with 70.
• 20:28
  The chairs that I've quoted here are very IPAC friendly, very wipeable.
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  The ones we currently have are most certainly not and require a lot of dry cleaning and
• 20:40
  steam cleaning in order to maintain them.
• 20:42
  Malcolm explains why they need to replace handrails in the center as well.
• 20:46
  The Clorox and all of the cleaning that we're doing is taking the surface right off of our
• 20:50
  handrails and so they're becoming a significant infection control issue.
• 20:55
  So we budgeted 28,000 and that was actually to start this year and then moving forward
• 21:01
  for the next six years.
• 21:03
  But the quote actually came in at 54,000, so there was a significant increase in that.
• 21:08
  So we thought we would start with the core, the center core up and down, and then we would
• 21:13
  start with three RHAs, one of them being our secure unit because they do tend to hold
• 21:18
  onto the handrail the most and then two other areas.
• 21:21
  So that would leave us with three RHAs left to do that we would again plan for within
• 21:26
  the capital moving forward.
• 21:28
  Lennox and Addington County Council approved staff spending report at their meeting this
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  week.
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  For Amherst Island Radio and the Local Journalism Initiative, I'm Ted Evans.
• 21:38
  This is North Shore News.
• 21:50
  Loyalist Township has launched a new online engagement platform for members of the public.
• 21:55
  The Engage Loyalist platform features a number of initiatives that the Township has opened
• 21:59
  up for public input.
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  Along with each initiative, users can find background information, current statistics,
• 22:05
  a project timeline, and see who among Township staff will be hearing their input.
• 22:10
  Councillor Paul Praterick explains the idea behind Engage Loyalist and notes some of
• 22:14
  the current initiatives on the platform.
• 22:17
  Engage Loyalist is just one of the many methods that we are trying to use to communicate with
• 22:21
  the local population.
• 22:23
  They can learn about the projects ongoing, give feedback on some of the initiatives that
• 22:26
  happen in the Township.
• 22:29
  With the local media and the loss of the newsprint, we have to be proactive versus reactive in
• 22:35
  some of our planning.
• 22:38
  To give people an idea of what's on the site right now, you've got the Waste Management
• 22:42
  Master Plan that people can comment on.
• 22:44
  The Ward Boundary Review, which will be hopefully in place for the next election.
• 22:49
  Babcock Mill, the Reading Garden, Main Street Bath, the Reconstruction, the changes in
• 22:54
  public transit that just happened in the last week or so.
• 22:57
  One that I would encourage people to comment on is the 2025 budget process as we move through
• 23:02
  it.
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  A lot of times people maybe have questions, but usually it's after the fact, well after
• 23:08
  it's established, I'm still getting questions about some spending, and that's six months,
• 23:13
  eight months later, so get involved and Engage Loyalist is just one of the many ways we
• 23:18
  try to engage with the local population.
• 23:20
  The platform asks users to sign up in order to have their say and stay up to date.
• 23:25
  For Amherst Island Radio and the Local Journalism Initiative, I'm Tad Evans.
• 23:30
  This is North Shore News.
• 23:40
  I'm Sarah Bridge with Kinksness News and here are the top headlines that you need to know.
• 23:44
  The temporary bridge connecting both sides of the LaSalle Causeway will not be opening
• 23:48
  to traffic on Monday, September 3rd, as previously announced.
• 23:51
  PSPC has confirmed that the opening of the bridge, which is meant to alleviate traffic,
• 23:55
  is being delayed until October 3rd, 2024.
• 23:59
  Kingston Police continue to investigate following a violent home invasion earlier this week
• 24:02
  that sent two people to hospital.
• 24:04
  The incident, which took place at a home on Frontenac Street, is now being described as
• 24:08
  targeted.
• 24:09
  Anyone with information or security or doorbell camera footage is asked to contact Kingston
• 24:13
  Police.
• 24:14
  A high level staff report from the City of Kingston lays out the massive investment it
• 24:17
  would take to actually meet the city's current affordable housing needs.
• 24:21
  The report estimates it would cost as much as $600 million to construct enough housing
• 24:26
  to address the current demand.
• 24:28
  In June of 2021, the federal government announced the creation of a new statutory holiday known
• 24:32
  as the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation to be recognized each year on September 30th,
• 24:37
  and the city will also unveil its newest bus, the Every Child Matters bus.
• 24:42
  The Kingston Police Services Board has announced the appointment of Scott Guy as Deputy Chief
• 24:45
  of the Kingston Police Force.
• 24:47
  He will assume the position effective January 1st, 2025.
• 24:51
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