Mayor DeViet opened the meeting by recognizing Professional Municipal Clerks Week, and in particular James Hutson, Clerk, and Megan Kamermans, Deputy Clerk, for Middlesex Centre. Municipal clerks organize council and public meetings, maintain municipal records, and offer legislative services including marriages, lottery licenses, and freedom of information requests, among a host of other duties.
The mayor’s remarks were to be followed by a presentation from Sarah Savoie, Accessibility Coordinator with the County of Middlesex regarding the Joint Accessibility Status Report for Middlesex County, however this was postponed to a future meeting.
During the meeting, council:
- Received a first-quarter building activity summary. Building permit activity continued to reflect the significant slowdown started in mid-2022, with new residential units and construction value reduced to 14 dwellings and $11 million in construction value in the first quarter of 2023, compared to 103 dwellings and $65 million construction value in the first quarter of 2022.
- Received an overview of the proposed Less Red Tape, Strong Economy Act, put forward by the Ontario government in April of this year.
- Learned about a partnership among Toronto Metropolitan University, Middlesex Centre, and other partners to study the accuracy and reliable quantification of greenhouse gases in municipal wastewater systems. The partnership received a $1.5 million grant from Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) for this research.
- Received an update on a webinar hosted by the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) on regional energy planning processes and their impact on municipal governments.
- Learned that Rogers Communications will be expanding their fibre optic network in the north-east part of the municipality over the next few years. More than 130 km of fibre optic lines are planned and are expected to service more than 500 homes.
- Received an update on the First Annual National Symposium on Agricultural Mental Health held by the Farmer Wellness Initiative on March 30, 2023, in Guelph.
- Authorized Middlesex Centre’s continued participation in the Middlesex County Mutual Aid Plan. The plan allows participating fire departments to request assistance from neighbouring departments.
- Directed staff to notify affected landowners and appropriate agencies of Council’s decision to proceed with drainage works on the McQueen-Kenning Drain and the Fellows Drain.
- Directed staff to review the funding allocated to gravel road maintenance as part of the 2024 budget deliberations in the fall.
Council then moved into closed session to discuss staffing matters. Later in the afternoon, council held a special closed session to discuss an economic investment matter. Any questions about these closed session meetings can be directed to the Office of the Clerk.
Next Council Meeting
The next regularly scheduled Middlesex Centre Council Meeting is set for Wednesday, May 17, 2023, at 6:00pm. Meeting times are subject to change, so please confirm with the meeting agenda when posted.
For More Information
For more details on any of these items, see the full meeting agenda or contact the Municipal Clerk. You can view the meeting on YouTube.
Note - Unfortunately the audio is missing for a portion of this recording. Alternatively, an audio recording was made by the Middlesex Centre Municipal Clerk and can be made available for those who wish to come into the office. Please contact the Clerk to make an appointment.
Meeting highlights are prepared to give residents timely updates on council decisions. The Council Meeting Minutes are the official record of the meeting.