Council Meeting Highlights: April 22, 2024

Integrity Commissioner delivers annual report to the City of Pickering

The purpose of an Integrity Commissioner’s annual report is to provide the public with the opportunity to understand the ethical well-being of the City’s elected and appointed officials through the lens of their activities.

The Report covers the period from November 2022 to the end of March 2024. Read Corr.11-24 for details (page 77 of 127).

Heritage Pickering Advisory Committee presents 2023 accomplishments and 2024 Workplan

Accomplishments included reviewing and making recommendations related to heritage permit application information, advising Council on listing or designation of heritage properties, consulting and commenting on Planning Applications & Infrastructure Projects, implementing Heritage Programs and more.

Read Corr.12-24 for details (page 84 of 127).

Council approves amendments to Traffic and Parking By-law 6604/05 providing more flexibility for driveway parking

These amendments allow residents to park on the apron (boulevard portion) of their driveway, providing certain criteria are met.

Due to the increase in smaller housing units and greater density of residential development, residents are experiencing increasing difficulty finding sufficient vehicle parking. The driveway apron (the portion of a driveway located on the boulevard) is an additional area that will be made available for parking vehicles.

Read Report BYL 01-24 for details.

Council approves new Ratepayer Association Policy

Ratepayer Associations play an important role in the process of civic engagement through community initiatives and raising awareness about matters affecting a defined geographic neighborhood or community. The City currently maintains an informal Ratepayer Association list of five Associations, however, there is no formal Policy in place for the registration of new Ratepayer Associations.

A Ratepayer Association Policy will provide the framework for formal registration of those groups who will be added to the City’s Registry for Ratepayer Associations. The Registry will be contained on a dedicated webpage on the City’s website, and will raise public awareness of Ratepayer Associations in general, providing residents with a resource for important matters within their communities. The Policy will also provide benefits to a Ratepayer Association that may alleviate some administrative costs and increase their opportunities for public engagement.

Read Report CLK 02-24 for details.

Council approves asphalt resurfacing on various City streets

The total net project cost of $3,230,389.00 was approved in the 2024 Roads Capital Budgets.

Asphalt resurfacing will take place for the following 11 locations:

• Hillcrest Road
• Storrington Street
• Heathside Crescent
• Foxwood Trail
• Bushmill Street
• Denvale Drive
• Pickering Parkway
• Yeremi Street
• Bainbridge Drive
• Old Orchard Avenue
• Edmund Drive

The roads selected for asphalt resurfacing in 2024 align with the priorities of
the 2016 Road Needs Study.

The 2016 Road Needs Study is used by staff as a resource document for identifying and planning maintenance, rehabilitation and reconstruction strategies, programs and projects for all Pickering roads.

Read Report ENG 05-24 for details.

Council receives progress update on Draft Recreation & Parks Ten-Year Plan & Draft Arena Strategy

Staff initiated the development of a new Recreation & Parks Ten-Year Plan and Arena Strategy in May 2023 to support the planning and provision of the City’s recreation programs, parks, facilities, and evolution of services over the next ten-year timeline (2024-2034).

Staff provided Council with a progress update on this initiative and will report on the final Draft Plan and Strategy in June 2024.

Read Report CS 07-24 for details.

Council approves Fire Communications Services Agreement to outsource fire call taking and dispatch services to the City of Oshawa

Moving from the current Ajax-Pickering shared fire dispatch costing agreement to the new Oshawa model will streamline dispatching and emergency communications and save money.

Current Budget actuals in 2023 for dispatch were $1,059,383.00. As a result of this new agreement, the estimated 2024 dispatch costs will be $827,080.00. This is a reduction of $280,160.00 from the 2023 budget. The 2024 Current budget year will consist of a blended costing with four months allocated to the Ajax/Pickering model, and eight months allocated to the new Oshawa model. The 2025 dispatch cost are estimated to be $824,000.00.

Read Report FIR 03-24 for details.

Council approves seasonal patio operations for Open Studio Art Café (OSAC), from May 1, 2024 until November 30, 2024

Open Studio Art Café (OSAC), located at 617 Liverpool Road in the Nautical Village will operate a Seasonal Patio on the City-owned boulevard in front of their establishment.

Seasonal Patios were previously approved for this location in 2020, 2021 and 2022, through the City’s Temporary Patio Program, a business continuity program implemented by the City during the period of pandemic restrictions for restaurants.

The Temporary Patio Program is now closed, however, OSAC wishes to continue the practice of operating a Seasonal Patio on the City’s boulevard, using the same location and patio design as approved under previous Licence Agreements submitted in 2023.

This year’s Seasonal Patio would continue to be subject to the requirements of the Ontario Fire Code, the Ontario Building Code, the Accessibility For Ontarians with Disabilities Act, and all Provincial and Regional Health Department regulations.

Read ECD 01-24 for details.

Council approves 2024 Tax Rates and Final Tax Due Dates

This approval is required to raise the levy as reflected in the Mayor’s 2024 Current Budget and to levy taxes for School Boards and for the Region of Durham.

The 2024 Budget levy of $87,429,155 plus assessment growth of $3,393,000 translates into a total property tax levy of $90,822,155. The Region’s tax increase for Pickering is 4.17 percent  and the School Board increase is zero, resulting in a total average residential increase of approximately 5.42 percent.

The due dates for the payment of taxes for all tax classes are June 26, 2024 and September 26, 2024.

Read Report FIN 07-24 for details.