Toys for Tickets and Food for Fines Holiday program
- Program runs: 27 – Dec. 20.
- Toys or groceries in lieu of payment for parking tickets.
- Toy or food donations must be dropped off to City Hall, and a receipt must be presented to confirm that the value of the donation equals or exceeds the fine.
- Tickets for parking in an accessible parking space, not eligible for the program.
Read Report BYL 07-23 for details.
Black Joy Holiday Market
- Hosted by Pickering Anti-Black Racism Taskforce (PABRT):
- Nov 24, 5:30-8:30 to Nov 26, 12:00-5:00pm
- Local Black-owned businesses present their information in partnership with Durham Family and Cultural Centre (DFCC) and the City of Pickering
- Black Joy Holiday Market will be integrated into the existing “Winter Nights, City Lights” community initiative
Read Report CAO 10-23 for details.
DARS program partnership renewed
- The City agreement with DARS Inc. (Dedicated Advocacy Resource Support) exte4ned for another one-year term
- Shower and hygiene services to support the basic needs of the most vulnerable in our community are part of the DARS program
- DARS provides community outreach and support to vulnerable individuals.
- Shower facilities will be available at Chestnut Hills Development Recreation Complex (CHDRC) in the Arena Dressing Rooms of the O’Brien Rink
- Wednesday afternoons, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
- DARS Inc. will provide onsite supervision, towel and hygiene packages, and will oversee the use of the facilities.
Read Report CS 27-23 for details.
Battery Energy Storage System site in Pickering approved
- Plus Power, LLC has proposed a Battery Energy Storage System, Trillium Energy Storage
- The site will be located at 2310 Fairport Road
- Storage facility will be used to store a maximum of 300 megawatts of energy in over 200 Lithium-Ion battery packs.
- Public open house meeting
Public open house meeting, will be held held Sept. 21, 2023
Read Report ECD 06-23 for details.
Fire Services Master Plan and Community Risk Assessment project
- Behr Integrated Solutions Inc. Fire Services Consultants awarded this project in the amount of $102,765.00.
- City to receive a strategic seven to ten year guide to future needs with respect to community fire risk, staffing, deployment, station location, and overall ability to respond to community emergencies.
- The Master Plan will be adapted in relation to changes in the City’s demographics, future growth, and varied building stock profile.
Read Report FIR 04-23 for details.
Noise By-law Updates recommended
- Noise Control By-law recently reviewed and updated by City staff.
- Updates include better clarification of the regulation in regard to:
construction noise,
vehicle alarm systems noise,
noises caused by places of worship,
municipality or utility company work site noise,
railroad noise, common household noises.
Read Report BYL 06-23 for details.
Snow Clearing for Seniors & Persons with Disabilities Contract
- Gray’s Landscaping & Snow Removal Inc. awarded three-year contract for the City’s Seniors & Persons with Disabilities Snow Clearing Program in the amount of $168,017.40.
Read Report OPS 25-23 for details.
Retail Market Study Contract
- Parcel Economics Inc., awarded this project in the amount of $72,750.00.
- The study will assist the City in review of high priority development applications, long-term land use planning.
Read Report PLN 33-23 for details.
View the October 23, 2023 Meeting Video
View the October 23, 2023 Meeting Minutes
Past highlights are shown below.
Council Meetings video recordings available on City’s YouTube channel.
Please note, this is not an official record of the Council Meeting. Meeting minutes and agendas are posted under each meeting date through the calendar and are also available through Corporate Records.
Lobbyist Registry Training
A Special Meeting of Council was held from 5 pm to 6 pm for ‘Education and Training’ to allow for the City’s Integrity Commissioner to educate Council, staff, and the public on the City’s new Lobbyist Registry.
Urban farming pilot project
Council decides not to implement urban farming pilot project at this time
Backyard egg production (Chicken farming)
This pilot project has not been implemented because of the public safety risks due to the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAI).
Read Report AS 01-23.
West Shore Community Centre Skate Spot Art piece
- Commission of new public art piece for West Shore Community Centre Skate Spot endorsed;
- The art piece, a community mural, has been awarded to ‘fatspatrol’ (Fathima Mohiuddin) & Mural Routes in the amount of $31,979.00.
- This public art piece will be created with the help of the community (West Shore Neighborhood Association, local youth, and the City’s programming team)
- The art piece will reflect the neighborhood and the recreational activities that take place in this location;
- Completion and unveiling scheduled for by October 2023.
Read Report CS 18-23 for details.
Rotary Frenchman’s Bay West Park art piece commissioned
- Artwork reflective of the Rotary Frenchman’s Bay West Park (RFBWP) Master Plan will be located in one of the eight designated interpretative nodes.
- SpruceLab Inc. has been awarded the project in the amount of $80,000.00.
- The submission by SpruceLab Inc. is in collaboration with the Indigenous-led artist collective Dbaajmowin.
- SpruceLab Inc. made the following statement:
“The art installation is inspired by the principle of ‘respect’, and the Haudenosaunee Teaching to think and act in ways that consider seven generations back and seven generations into the future. Dkibi (‘a spring’, in Anishinaabemowin, Eastern dialect, ‘kih-bih’) is a story about Water, which has always played a critical role in the natural and cultural histories of the Pickering area. Water is a creative force through time, from carving the nearby slopes of the ancient Lake Iroquois, to the ever-flowing groundwater that replenishes wells. When water rises to the surface, a spring is formed, showing it as a life force.”
- The installation will take place in fall 2023.
Read Report : CS 20-23 for details.
Millennium Square, temporary public art, commissioned as part of the Winter Wonderland event
Studio Jordan Shaw has be awarded the project in the amount of $25,000.00.
Winter Wonderland
- Dates: Saturday, Dec. 2 and Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023
- Included:
a vendor’s market
ice carving and sculptures
fire pits with s’mores
wagon rides
roaming characters - Art to remain on site until January 31st, 2023.
- The artist proposes:
‘Same Material/Different Time’ – an analog interactive light installation that invites participants to explore the physicality of their surroundings and experience the transformation of a tree to a sail using a technique called anamorphic projection.
- Installation to take place in November 2023.
Read Report CS 21-23 for details
Recreation & Parks Master Plan and Arena Strategy moved forward:
- Monteith Brown Planning Consultants to be awarded this project in the amount of $224,820.00.
- The plan to provide a strategy and direction for future recreation and parks facilities;
- The plan is designed to adapt to changes in the City’s demographics and growth areas, as well as the social, educational, cultural, and sport and recreational needs of the community, with a focus on accessibility, diversity and inclusion.
Phase two of asphalt resurfacing of various City streets approved:
The following streets are in this approval:
- Gwendolyn Street – from Rouge Valley Drive to Fawndale Road
- Fuschia Lane – from Grenoble Boulevard to Modlin Road
- Petunia Place – from Gwendolyn Street to North Terminus
- Falconcrest Drive – from Dunbarton Road to Rambleberry Avenue
Read Report ENG 10-23 for details.
Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) recognized as Epidemic by City
- The City has declared an IPV epidemic
- The City calls on the Ontario Government to do the same, as per recommendation #1 of the Renfrew County Inquest.
- The City will also integrate this into its Community Safety and Well-Being Plan.
Outdoor pickleball court in Pickering to be explored
The following locations will be considered for possible construction of eight Pickleball courts (equivalent to the space required for two tennis courts):
- Alex Robertson Park
- Diana Princess of Wales Park
- Petticoat Creek Conservation Park
Staff report scheduled for late 2023.
