Council Meeting Highlights: March 27, 2023

At the Special In-Camera Council meeting of March 11, 2022, Pickering Council received a significant update related to the long-term fiscal and economic impacts of the City Centre project and decided to defer all work on the project pending further review.
The City retained KPMG and Hariri Pontarini Architects to complete this review and present options for the next phase of the City Centre Project, based on cost estimates and financial implications.
At the March 27, 2023 Special Meeting of Council, Council were presented with four City Centre options and endorsed Option D.

Option A – (Recap) Legacy Concept
Option B – Legacy Revisited Concept: The City and PTC would swap the City owned lands with PTC owned lands and the City receive the lands (west of Glenanna Road) as parkland dedication from PTC. This option is subject to negotiation and agreement between PTC ownership and the City.
Option C – Multiplex Concept: The City receives parkland dedication lands (west of Glenanna Road) as part of PTC development and City would sell South Block (south of Esplanade South) to subsidize project costs.
Option D – Facilities on the Park Concept: The City connects Esplanade Park, an important component to establishing a City Centre, by relocating Esplanade South to the south and introducing the Library and Seniors & Youth Centre adjacent to the park, creating a view from Glenanna Road.

City Centre Concept Image - Option D

The options presented were generally consistent with the City’s original City Centre vision, which included a new Central Library, new Seniors & Youth Centre, new Performing Arts Centre, new Public Square, new Administration Space Expansion, and residential development. View details and concepts of each option in Report CAO 05-23.

March 27, 2023 – Regular Meeting of Council

Council authorizes donations of $10,000 to support Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and $10,000 to support earthquake recovery efforts in Turkey and Syria

The City of Pickering joins municipalities throughout the Region to support Ukraine and the Ukrainian people through a $10,000 donation to support the provision of generators to ease the pressure on Ukraine’s electric grid.
Council also approved a $10,000 donation to the Canadian Red Cross to support recovery efforts in areas impacted by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria.

Council received memo and end of term recommendations from the Pickering Anti-Black Racism Taskforce

The Taskforce members identified several areas to address in order to continue to build upon the work of the first term of Taskforce. It noted that as the City prepares to welcome new members to the new term of the PABRT, the challenges encountered during the existing term must be seriously evaluated alongside these recommendations. In this way, Council and City staff can continue improve the capacity of the Taskforce, and foster a more rewarding experience for its members, in order to meaningfully achieve its mandate around anti-Black racism and the City’s broader commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. The new Citizen Appointments to the Pickering Anti-Black Taskforce were made during the March 27, 2023 Meeting of Council.

Council approves recommended changes to the City’s Waterfront Permit Parking Program

In 2021, the City introduced paid waterfront permit parking for May 1st to October 1st annually. Following the end of the program’s first season, staff completed a review and prepared a number of recommendations, with the community’s input, to improve the program for 2023.  These recommendations were outlined in Report BYL 02-23 and included actions such as (but not limited to) the following:

• Reduce the hourly rate from $5.00 to $2.50 per hour, Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm at all program locations.
• Provide two hours of free parking Monday to Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm within the waterfront permit parking area, except for Beachpoint Promenade, Front Street and the municipally-operated waterfront parking lots (in addition to the two hour free parking already allowed in the Liverpool Road lay-by spaces).
• Provide non-resident seniors, age 65 years and older to park at no cost at the waterfront (amendment made to the Staff Report at the Executive Committee Meeting and then ratified at the Council Meeting).
• Provide residents the ability to obtain a no-charge daily permit for visitors parking on their street.

Please refer to Report BYL 02-23 for more details, including a full list of recommendations.

Council endorses a 5-year Corporate Geographic Information System Strategic Plan

The City developed a Geographic Information System (GIS) Strategy to guide further implementation of GIS technology and ensure that the continued investment in GIS service delivery is effectively managed.
GIS is a technology that uses location as a common frame of reference, allowing individuals and departments to share information about places. A GIS allows a local government to visualize, search, analyze, and interpret data to understand relationships, patterns, and trends contained within location-based information.

Council approves staff to implement Lobbyist Registry

Council approved By-law No. 8003/23, being a by-law to establish and maintain a Lobbyist Registry for The Corporation of the City of Pickering. The Lobbyist Registry will provide transparency about people who lobby the City of Pickering’s Public Office Holders. "Lobby" or “Lobbying” means any communication with a Public Office Holder by an individual who is paid or who represents a business or financial interest with the goal of trying to influence any legislative action including development, introduction, passage, defeat, amendment or repeal of a by-law, motion, resolution or the outcome of a decision on any matter before Council, a Committee of Council, or a staff member acting under delegated authority.
Out of the 444 municipalities in Ontario, 9 currently have a lobbyist registry framework in place.

City Council provides pre-budget approval for the installation of a Hopes Cradle in a Pickering Fire Hall

Hopes Cradle is a non-profit organization that is managed and operated under the larger charitable organization – Gems for Gems based in Calgary, Alberta. The mission of Hope’s Cradle is to provide collaborative support to new mothers in need and to save new born infants from unsafe abandonment. Hopes Cradle provides the safe surrender process for infants through specialized drop-off installations of which the majority are situated in municipal fire halls across North America.
Given its proximity to the Pickering/Toronto border, the access to bus routes, and the adaptive and suitable design of the building, Fire Station 2 located at 553 Kingston Road in Pickering was identified as the best suited location for an installation of a Hopes Cradle.

Council approves enhancement to the City’s Seniors and Persons with Disabilities Snow Clearing Program

The enhancements include an increase to the registration capacity from 500 to 750 annually, changes to registration fees according to net income, and enhanced promotions, targeted to seniors and persons with disabilities and their families.

Youth/community program locations

Seaton is a growing community within central Pickering. As a new Recreation Complex and Library is not expected to be constructed/open for a number of years, staff will explore opportunities with the commercial/retail plazas and developers/owners for the interim use of space to deliver City recreation and leisure programming to better serve residents of this area. Staff will report back to Council with opportunities and recommendations by the end of second quarter 2023.

Enhanced Blue Box and Green Bin Availability motions

The closest blue and green bin exchange/purchase location is the Durham Region Depot in Whitby. As such, staff have been directed to work with Region of Durham Waste Management to explore opportunities for more local and convenient locations for Pickering residents to have access to the blue and green bin replacements. Staff will report back to Council by end of second quarter 2023.

View the March 27, 2023 Meeting Video
View the March 27 Meeting Minutes