Tree planting, poverty reduction, the Champlain Monument pedestal, and other topics are set for discussion at Monday’s city council meeting, which kicks off at noon with a public meeting related to two proposed developments in the council chamber at the Orillia City Centre.
Public meeting
Orillia Harvie Partnership will request zoning bylaw amendments for a proposed 6,400-square-foot commercial building at 21 Diana Dr., next to Costco.
Planning documents on the city’s website say an LCBO is planned for the site, but LCBO officials recently told OrilliaMatters they have no plans to open a third store in the city, and the PowerPoint presentation included in the meeting’s agenda package makes no mention of an LCBO for the site.
Zoning bylaw amendments, a draft plan of subdivision, and other planning documents will also be presented to council regarding a proposed 20-townhouse development on land spanning 406 and 410 Gill St. and 152 Oxford St.
The proposed development lays out the townhomes in four blocks across the property, which includes plans for 48 parking spaces, an outdoor amenity area and private backyards.
Tree planting
Councillors Jay Fallis, David Campbell and Janet-Lynne Durnford hope to celebrate National Tree Day with a tree-planting event Sept. 28.
If approved by council, the plan is to collaborate with Sustainable Orillia and city staff to find a suitable location for the trees, with Sustainable Orillia providing $1,200 to purchase saplings, supplies, and refreshments for the event.
The councillors also hope to make saplings available for residents during the event to plant on their own properties.
While National Tree Day is Sept. 25, the councillors have proposed the event for the 28th, a Saturday, as it “may be much easier to have volunteers available” on that day.
Poverty reduction action plan
After working in partnership with Lakehead University over the past year, the city’s draft poverty reduction action plan will be presented for council’s consideration.
Beginning with core questions to define poverty, and identify how to reduce it, the plan outlines how Orillia faces “significant socioeconomic challenges as a city.”
With 14 per cent of the population living below the Market Basket Measure — a measure of poverty based on the cost of certain necessities — and the highest rate of single-parent households in Simcoe County, the plan identifies an “urgent need for a targeted poverty reduction strategy.”
Housing, food security, employment, education, and more are identified as target areas to help reduce poverty, with short-, medium- and long-term goals proposed across each category — such as hiring a community food strategy co-ordinator for food security in the short term, to exploring “the idea of urban farming” in the long term.
It will be presented by the Orillia poverty reduction strategy municipal advisory committee, and the group will also seek council’s support to create a poverty reduction working group with a member of council, and a community member representing each of the target areas outlined in the plan.
The advisory committee will also seek support to allocate $47,500 to hire a part-time staff member for the working group for up to one year.
Vac-truck replacement and rental
City staff will request council’s approval for a new, $850,000 vac-truck, a vehicle frequently needed for a variety of city operations such as excavating for infrastructure repairs, removing sewage, flushing culverts, and more.
The city’s current vac-truck is 18 years old, obsolete, and irreparable, city staff report, adding the replacement term for such a vehicle is generally 10 years.
As the new vehicle will not be delivered until next year — should council agree to replace it — staff are also requesting $45,000 to rent a vac-truck in the interim.
Champlain Monument pedestal
Mayor Don McIsaac, along with Lauer and Durnford, will request council’s approval to send a letter to the Parks Canada Agency requesting the land holding the Champlain Monument pedestal be transferred back to the city.
The monument has been a controversial topic in town since it was removed in 2017 for restoration and repairs. The controversy continued when Parks Canada announced a reconfigured monument would return.
To date, only a new base for the monument has returned. That base was vandalized in the summer of 2020 and the fate of the monument has been a divisive source of controversy since it was removed.
