City of Peterborough

05/13/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/13/2024 10:31

Council overview package for May 13, 2024

City Council will consider the following items during its General Committee meeting in the Council Chambers, City Hall, 500 George St. N., Peterborough, starting at 6 p.m. on Monday, May 13, 2024:

Council agenda

Items endorsed by General Committee on May 13 will be considered by Council for final approval on Tuesday, May 21, 2024.

To register as a delegation for a City Council meeting, individuals must complete the online form at peterborough.ca/delegations or phone 705-742-7777 ext. 1820 by 11 a.m. on the day of the meeting.

Delegation registration form

Video recordings of Council meetings are posted at peterborough.ca/agendas following the meeting.

Community Housing Strategic Plan

Council will consider receiving for information a Housing Needs Assessment and approving key strategic priorities in order to maximize funding and provide the most value in achieving legislated housing targets.

The City of Peterborough, as the Service Manager for Housing for the City and County of Peterborough, oversees the delivery and administration of Rent Geared to Income (RGI) housing programs by Community Housing Providers.

Community Housing Providers operating under Operating and Mortgage Agreements for RGI housing are approaching, or have reached, expiry and new service agreements or exit agreements must be signed under the new amendments made to the Housing Services Act, 2011.

The City hired TWC Inc. to do a comprehensive review of the community housing portfolio and provide recommendations on how to continue to support community housing providers.

The City is taking a two-stage approach to the next steps for the review. The current report represents the first phase of this overall study, which provides the overall legislative framework, analysis of the City's housing needs, and recommends key strategic recommendations to maximize funding and achieve legislated housing targets. Phase two will be presented during the last quarter of 2024 and provide additional detailed funding formulae and agreement framework details.

The City's Service Level Standard - the total number of RGI units that need to be provided - is 1569. As provincially funded projects transition into the End of Mortgage period, the City's primary objective is to support and protect them, to ensure the ongoing availability of 1569 RGI housing units.

Post End of Mortgage, the provincial subsidy provided for Provincial Reformed Housing Providers will not be provided, but the constraints of the Housing Services Act's funding formula will also not apply. It is up to the City to develop new agreements that support these projects to sustain their affordability into the future. The conclusion of both End of Agreement and End of Mortgage arrangements presents municipalities with a unique challenge, one they have not encountered previously. How to maintain the legislated service level standards of number of units in the overall system, at the same time that senior government funding for these units ends and maintaining these units in the most optimal means possible from both a financial and operational perspective.

For Housing Providers at End of Mortgage/End of Agreement who wish to enter the 'new' community housing framework, the regulations require new operating agreements to provide for the sustainability of the physical asset and affordability for existing tenants. At a minimum, this means that the City must provide funding to subsidize RGI housing units, and housing providers must agree to select tenants from the Centralized Waiting List for RGI Housing.

The potential financial impact to the City is enormous. The impending capital liability and renewal costs to be upwards of $45 million by 2031. The City net municipal budget contribution for Federal and Provincial housing portfolio is $2.1 million and without proper planning, this annual budget could more than double. As with all housing and homelessness programs, staff would continue to pursue all senior government funding options as they become available to offset the future operating and capital liabilities.

Committee appointments

Council will consider citizen appointments to various committees.

Council will consider the following recommended appointments:

  • That Larry MacDonald be appointed to serve as a member of the Transit Liaison Committee with a term until December 2026
  • That Mauricio Interiano be approved as the EC3 representative on the Arts and Culture Advisory Committee (ACAC) with a term until December 2026
  • That Doug Armstrong and Kate Ahrens be appointed to serve as members of the Airport Strategic Initiatives Committee (ASIC) with terms until December 2026
  • That Bhisham Ramoutar be appointed to sever as a member of the Community Investment Grants Advisory Committee with a term until December 2025

Maria Street pedestrian crossover

Council will consider creating a pedestrian crossover on Maria Street at Mark Street.

The City did a traffic study to review the need for a pedestrian crossing on Maria Street in the vicinity of Rogers Cove splash pad, in response to resident concerns. The study found that a pedestrian crossover is warranted based on the criteria outlined in the Ontario Traffic Manual.

The City recommends creating a pedestrian crossover with rapid flashing beacons on Maria Street at Mark Street and enhanced ladder crosswalk pavement markings on the north leg of the intersection.

A pedestrian crossover will provide the right-of-way to pedestrians to cross the road and the legislation requires drivers to stop until all pedestrians have cleared the crosswalk.

Maria Street is a high-capacity collector roadway that runs from Engleburn Avenue in the west to Walker Avenue in the east. Maria Street is a two-lane road with sidewalks on both sides of the street and has a maximum speed limit of 50 kilometres per hour.

Affordable housing incentives

Council will consider approving Affordable Housing Community Improvement Plan program incentives to support the development of affordable housing homes being built by Habitat for Humanity Peterborough and Kawartha Region at 21 Leahy's Lane.

An application for Affordable Housing Community Improvement Plan (CIP) program incentives was received from Habitat for Humanity Peterborough and Kawartha Region. Phase I construction started in August of 2020 and the project was occupied in April 2022.

Now that Phase 1 is complete and having achieved occupancy, Habitat is set to commence Phase 2 of the project. Since the original report for municipal incentives that was approved in June of 2022, when the initial municipal fees were calculated, there are additional charges that are required to be paid, based on 2023 rates. These annual development fee increases increase the requested incentive refund from $298,195.31 to a revised incentives total for Phase 2 of $351,990.31.

Habitat has begun accepting applications for households interested in becoming "partner families" who will live in the new Phase 2 build. The planned mix of household types includes 1 single-bedroom unit and 11 two-bedroom units. The income limits for partner families was established to be between $30,000 and $84,400.

Habitat's model for affordable homeownership involves no down payment. Mortgage payments are geared to income, and residents will be responsible for heating/cooling costs for their home and condo fees (which are estimated at $250/month). This new build, like Phase 1, will utilize materials and construction approaches that will result in lower energy costs to cool and heat each home/unit.

The City has supported Habitat projects since 2010, in a variety of forms including relief from Development Charges, land made available at low or no cost, and Homeownership Assistance Loans provided directly to Habitat home purchasers.

Child Care system growth plan

Council will consider approving the Canada Wide Early Learning and Child Care Growth Plan 2023-2026.

The City of Peterborough is the Consolidated Municipal Service Manager (CMSM) for child care and the early years in the City and County of Peterborough and as such is legislatively responsible for implementing the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care (CWELCC) system. The CWELCC system has been commonly referred to in the media as "the $10/day child care program".

The current system includes 4,466 total licensed spaces operated by 21 child care agencies (19 center-based operators and 2 home child care operators). Together they provide services at 59 sites/locations plus an additional 73 licensed Home Child Care providers across the City and County.

The new system will lower child care costs and improve access, quality and inclusion across Ontario's child care and early years sector. Child care is foundational to supporting early childhood development, learning, well-being, and student success. It is a key enabler of workforce participation, especially for women, both as parents and providers.

Under the CWELCC Agreement, Ontario will support the creation of 86,000 new licensed child care spaces by the end of 2026. More specifically, the Province has committed funding to the City of Peterborough to support the creation of 485 net new licensed child care spaces for children 0-5 in identified neighborhoods in the City and County that need them most.

To support the creation of the new spaces, the Province is providing the City with 100% start-up grant funding annually from 2023 - 2026. Interested child care service providers may apply to the City to create new spaces through an open application process that is available on the City website.

Ontario Heritage Act deadline extension

Council will consider a Notice of Motion by Councillor Alex Bierk that the City of Peterborough formally requests the Province of Ontario to extend the deadline to process listed properties under the Ontario Heritage Act from January 1, 2025 to January 1, 2030.

The motion reads:

Whereas the Ontario Heritage Act amendments instituted by the provincial government in 2022 require municipalities to either designate properties listed under the Act or remove them from the heritage register by January 1, 2025;

Whereas the City of Peterborough has 795 listed properties under this act, a volume that presents substantial logistical challenges to process within the prescribed timeframe, with the limited municipal resources available;

Whereas municipalities across the province face similar challenges, casting doubt on the feasibility of the current deadline;

Whereas the Architectural Conservancy Ontario (ACO) has urgently requested an extension of the deadline, emphasizing the near impossibility of municipalities meeting the current timeline without compromising the due process and integrity of heritage preservation;

Therefore, be it resolved that the City of Peterborough formally requests the Province of Ontario to extend the deadline to process the listed properties under the Ontario Heritage Act from January 1, 2025, to January 1, 2030;

Be it further resolved that this extension will allow the City of Peterborough, along with other municipalities, to more effectively engage with community stakeholders and property owners, ensuring that significant heritage properties are properly recognized and preserved;

Be it finally resolved that a copy of this motion be sent to Premier Ford, the Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism, and relevant provincial officials to underscore the urgency and necessity of this request for the protection of Ontario's heritage.

Bonnerworth site plan

Council will consider a Notice of Motion by Councillor Joy Lachica that Council be granted final approval authority for the Bonnerworth Park redevelopment plan after being provided with the following:

  • the recommended site plan;
  • final technical studies for traffic, parking, noise, stormwater management and geotechnical;
  • a record of the input of stakeholder and community consultation including First Nations engagement;
  • a list of revisions made to the technical studies and the changes to the draft site plan; and
  • the assigned budget apportioned to each aspect of the work to be contracted for construction.

The motion reads:

WHEREAS, the Bonnerworth redevelopment project is multi-faceted in scope and has implications for a wide range of park users, neighbourhood residents, and the environment;

WHEREAS, the redevelopment project for Bonnerworth Park has generated significant concern over the loss of greenspace, its impacts on current park users, and its compatibility with surrounding residential neighbourhoods;

WHEREAS, the city has acknowledged that the public engagement process for the redevelopment of Bonnerworth Park could have been improved and been more inclusive of park neighbours;

WHEREAS, the City's Strategic Plan promotes a corporate culture of transparency, engagement and openness, collaboration, and partnership;

WHEREAS, the City can foster public trust and confidence by adapting the current approval process for Bonnerworth Park;

WHEREAS, it is the fiduciary duty of members of Council to ensure that budget-approved resources are safely and responsibly applied to any approval of the redevelopment plan;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED:

That Council be granted final approval authority for the Bonnerworth Park redevelopment plan after being provided with the following via a Report of the Commissioner which includes:

  • the recommended site plan
  • the final technical studies identified in the Invitation to Tender, for traffic and parking, noise, stormwater management, and geotechnical
  • a record of the input of stakeholder and community consultation, including First Nations engagement, on these studies as well as on the final draft plan
  • a list of revisions made to the technical studies and the changes to the draft site plan as reflected in the site plan presented for Council approval
  • the assigned budget apportioned for each aspect of the work to be contracted for construction

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