An abbreviated and official report of the Pickering Council Meeting of Jan. 22,2024
[The summary is primarily a summary of the delegations who addressed the Council. For a full view of the meeting, confer with YouTube by clicking on MEETING ]
Delegations
- Clint Scott
Re: increase in funds for Paramarine Search and Rescue
Asking for more money for the work of the para marine services: maintenance, new vessel, new equipment.
Scott requests consideration of more money, a million dollars over a period of time to update vessel and marine equipment. - Eileen Higdon
Re: council decorum
An integrity commissioner has been requested to examine council procedures based on Councilor Robinson’s recent council activity;
Court case pending regarding Council’s policies relating to Robinson’s actions;
Higdon is critical of court costs responsibility;
She pleads for:
> the case to be brief to save costs;
> clear designation and transparency of costs be reflected in the City’s budget; - Darshan Sritharan
Treasurer, Pickering Rotary Club
Re: Ribfest…seeking City support
> Thanks mayor for $5000 donation to the Pickering Rotary Club;
Request for an increase in City grant to $12K to cover city fees in sponsoring the ribfest event;
Mayor response: The matter will need to be put to council for consideration;
Robinson: how much more is being requested?
Sritharan: in total, $12,000 and further describes other sources of funds,
seeking charity donations has had limited success;
Butt: costs summary?
Cook: ancillary expenses? Gross revenue impact benefitting the city?
attract approx. 80K people over the 3-day event;
impact on the community: an opportunity for retailers, local entertainers; local hotels and local retailers;
Brenner: how much revenue was generated in the past:
rough net income 5 years ago, approx. $100K but cautioned that the event needs rebuilding as this one is solely Pickering, not split with Ajax.
PRC generates income of approx. $48K which is spent in the community. - Joe Ingino
The Central newspaper [ The Central Newspaper ]
Re: publication of future material in this publication
>Addressing transparency and accountability to the municipality in light of bankruptcy and publication termination of Metroland news in print form;
>Problem: seems to be that there is no clear source of community news that is transparent and comprehensive in information relating to the municipality at this time;Request seems to be to create a united team to get the information out to the community;
>There is a need for a community vehicle to inform residents about community news and community services.
> Nothing like this exists at the moment;
> The Pickering website incorrectly assumes residents have and use Internet service;
Butt: what is your readership? Hard copy is costly.
> Central is the only newspaper to serve the community;
Robinson: Door-to-door delivery: how to develop?
Ingino: > Aggressive development…to get more carriers;
> Looking to increase size/volume of current paper;
> Competing with larger newspaper corporations?
> In competition now; we are servicing the region now;
Robinson: comment on social media use:
Ingino: > Internet use is extremely limited if effective at all;
> City is discriminatory now; very few people access social media;
> Bulletin brds, newslttrs ineffective as people don’t travel to access;
> The Central is a bargain $1; very effective best bang for buck;
> The problem is lack of a concrete community news source;
Brenner: Kinds of news that needs to be in print?;
> Develop a specialized section for Pickering. - Margaret Bowie
Tree bylaw
Re: protection of tree canopy in Pickering
Plea is to prevent the destruction of the Pickering tree canopy;
Look for planning to protect our trees.
Robinson: City of Brampton received federal grant in 2023…confirmed - Gary Winsor
Executive Fairport Neighbourhood Association
Re: modification of City’s tree protection by law to increase diameter and height of protected trees;
Land developers should submit tree protection plans.
Other agenda items:
Bill #3 Strong Mayor and Housing Act:
Brenner opposed to the act as it mutes councillor voices by Bill #3;
Collective voices must be heard;
Cook: Supportive of Councillor Brenner;
Robinson: consistently opposed to Bill #3;
Bill #3 contravenes democratic principles and potential risks;
Strong Mayor powers is a power grab jeopardizing democratic principles.
The meeting went on for much longer. For full video click –> MEETING
