Thread by @LoveWilmot

This evening's Wilmot council meeting is preceded by a closed session, which sometimes means the open session starts late. Watch live at youtube.com/channel/UCcA8f…. Full agenda (450 pages!), and I'll be a delegation, so apologies if this tweet thread is a bit disjointed 👇

Looks like we're good to go. Mayor Armstrong gets things going, with a motion to reconvene in open council.

He asks for a moment to remember the senseless act of violence 31 years ago at Ecole Polytechnique.

Coun Gordijk reads the land acknowledgement. She mentions that this is the anniversary of the Between the Lakes Treaty, which was signed on Dec 7, 1792.

Coun Hallman asks for a correction to the minutes to the previous council meeting's minutes. Dawn Mittelholtz (Director of Clerk's Services/Director of Information and Legislative Services) says she'll check the video for confirmation. Minutes are carried.

Andrew Martin (Manager of Planning/EDO) is discussing a zone change application on Laschinger Boulevard, New Hamburg.

The application is approved by council.

Mayor Armstrong is now announcing the Wilmot Citizen of the Year. There is only one category this year - community builder. The winner is...Mike Schout! The mayor is listing Mr Schout's many community contributions. 👏👏👏

Mr Schout is unable to attend the virtual meeting, but council members are applauding anyway.

Rod Leeson (Fire Chief) is giving a presentation about the Fire Master Plan. The report is on p29 of the agenda package, and the full plan is on pp34-385.

The mayor commends the chief and the committee for their hard work.

Coun Fisher says he was on the committee with Coun Gordijk, and he thinks it is a good plan in the short, medium and long term.

Coun Gerber asks if there is consideration for having one station to serve Baden and New Hamburg. Chief Leeson says that is off the table due to response times for Wilmot's volunteer fire service.

Coun Pfenning thanks the chief and committee for their work and effort. She asks for support from the rest of council to make Station 3 New Hamburg a near term project (1-3 years), rather than medium term (4-7 years).

The chief says he stands by the timeline in the report, but will move it at the will of council. He says that moving it may impact other projects.

Patrick Kelly (Director of Finance) suggests making that kind of change during the budget process, rather than here.

Coun Pfenning follows up and says she recognizes the other coming financial burdens for infrastructure investment. She says she regards moving up the Station 3 plans due to risk assessment. This should be a priority.

Coun Gordijk agrees that the plan should be moved up, too, a point she made during the committee. She refers to the three floods that have affected the New Hamburg station in the past 10 years or so.

Coun Gordijk also suggests moving up some of the hiring for positions as they will assist the chief.

Coun Hallman seconds Coun Pfenning's amendment, but she supports the plan overall.

Coun Fisher says it would be irresponsible to change this plan since so much work has already gone into it. He suggests waiting a month for the budget process.

Coun Hallman says this is the plan that will guide the next 10 years, so the proposed changes should be considered now.

Chief Leeson thinks the Township should stand back and do careful planning. In response to Coun Hallman, the chief clarifies an issue about how the plan will be used in the future.

Coun Hallman asks for planning within the year for finding a temp location for Station 3, in the case of serious flooding.

Coun Pfenning says she raised the issue of delaying this process during last year's budget deliberations. She says delaying doesn't make sense in either a risk assessment nor fiscal situation. "I can't live with that risk."

Coun Gerber says he understands Coun Pfenning and Coun Hallman's sense of urgency, and he's comfortable making these changes. Acknowledges that the budget process will drive them.

Mr Kelly says that he thinks the best way would be to address Station 3 during the budget discussions, as changing the plan means going back to the consultant.

Coun Hallman and Coun Gordijk agree with the clerk's recommendation for the procedural process to include the requested changes.

Coun Pfenning and the clerk are drafting a recommendation amendment on the Zoom split screen, with input from Mr Kelly and Chief Leeson.

(Kudos to Ms Mittelholtz for managing to do this while listening to other members of staff and members of council at the same time.)

We're having a five minute recess so the clerk can refine the wording of this amendment.

And we're back. Here's the proposed motion amendment to the Fire Master Plan.

With that, the new Fire Master Plan has been carried.

We've moved on to reports.

Sandy Jackson (Director of Facilities & Recreation Services) discusses the Major Ice Users COVID-19 RED ZONE Fee Reduction. Report is on p386.

Ms Jackson gives a shoutout to her "superstar" staff, as well as the volunteers who run the local rec and sport groups.

COVID restrictions mean that fewer participants on the ice at a time, so the recommendation is to halve the cost for ice time usage.

This would be an emergency rate during the Red Zone that the Region of Waterloo is currently in.

Coun Pfenning thanks Ms Jackson and asks her to pass thanks on to her staff, as they're facing considerable stress right now.

Mayor Armstrong also thanks Ms Jackson and her team.

The recommendation is carried.

Andrew Martin (Manager of Planning/EDO) is sharing an update about the Sandhills Road Multi-Use Trail and Trails Trust Fund. Report on p391.

Coun Pfenning praises Mr Martin for spearheading this work. She says she's heard a lot of positive comments from the public already, and she thinks this is a good use of the available money.

Coun Fisher says it's really exciting to see these trails coming to fruition. He says he bumped into a former co-worker who is looking for a home in Morningside, because of the proximity to the trails.

Coun Hallman is reading an email from a resident who is enjoying the trails.

Mayor Armstrong thanks the committee and says he appreciates all of the hard work that Mr Martin has done.

The recommendation is carried.

Next: Ashton Romany (Manager of Finance/Deputy Treasurer) is discussing the Wilmot Water Financial Plan report (p395).

The recommendation is approved.

On to the Billboard Sign Renewals report (p405), which is being discussed by Andrew Martin (Manager of Planning/EDO). Recommendation is to renew licenses for another year: Carried.

Chief Leeson is sharing an update about two new Fire Department ¾ Ton Pickups (p409).

The recommendation is carried.

Now we're on to the Drainage Engineer’s Report, which is being discussed by Ms Mittelholtz (report on p412).

Curtis Mcintyre (sp?) is presenting his report about the Glen Shantz Drain 2020.

This is the area that is being discussed by Mr Mcintyre.

Sorry, that should be Macintyre; I omitted an "a".

Gary Roth is a delegation on this matter. He says he's pleased with the report.

Gloria Richardson is next to speak. She, too, says she approves of the report.

There are no questions from delegations or council.

Recommendation: carried.

Ms Mittelholtz is discussing the Award of Contract for the Prime Ministers Path Consultation. The recommendation is to award the contract to National FPG Inc. (“First Peoples Group), for the Prime Ministers Path Stakeholder Consultation. (pp415-418)

There were no bidders for this contract in the original RFP, but two companies did express an interest. After the deadline for applications had passed, the Township negotiated with one of the firm that showed interest.

National FPG expressed a firm interest, as long as the deadline could be moved, in part to accommodate COVID imposed work restrictions.

Council is being asked to approve extending the deadline for completing the consultation from March 1, 2021 to July 31, 2021.

Coun Hallman says that this shows that moves Wilmot down the path towards reconciliation.

Coun Pfenning thanks staff for their excellent work.

Recommendation to award the contract to National FPG Inc and extend the deadline of the consultation presentation: Carried.

Mayor Armstrong calls on Coun Fisher to take over the role of chairing this section of the meeting.

We're on to the Integrity Commissioner's report into Mayor Armstrong's actions over the summer; re: the anti-BLM video he shared on his Facebook page and he subsequent apology. The staff report is on p419; the IC report is on pp421-433.

The IC's investigation follows a number of formal complaints from members of the public. This was handled on behalf of both the Township and Reg of Waterloo, where the mayor serves as a regional councillor.

I'm one of the delegations on this topic, so tweets might be sporadic...

Chair Fisher lays out the guidelines for delegations.

Here is the transcript from my delegation.

John Bailey is the next delegation. He says that the system of a white man investigating another white man is working as it is designed to.

He says that Mr Armstrong should have used critical thinking when considering whether or not to share the video.

Mr Bailey says that this community is changing rapidly and will continue to change over the next few years. He also refers to the PM Path and its repercussions.

Mr Bailey talks about the hateful posters and graffiti that has appeared recently, as well as the white supremacists who came to the SJAM statue.

BTW, This is the IC report that council is considering.

More from the IC report...

David Atkinson is the next delegation. He says that there has been a lot of negative coverage in the media. He also talks about an unnamed Facebook group that contains a lot of negative language, and he says that three councillors are featured on the FB page.

He doesn't name the page nor the councillors.

Mr Atkinson mentions that he has seen some councillors not paying attention during meetings.

He said that people are saying it's time to put this behind us.

Ms Mittelholtz reminds council that the motion is to receive the report only. It doesn't indicate agreement.

Chair Fisher invites Mayor Armstrong to address council. He says that he accepts the IC report, and stands by his comments on Friday.

Coun Hallman asks if the IC can comment before voting on the recommendation. Ms Mittelholtz says his role this evening is to provide clarity and discuss process.

Coun Hallman has questions.

The IC, Dr Robert Williams, says that the public files complaints through the clerk. For the sake of privacy, they are remain anonymous. He says that all of the complaints came from members of the public, not any members of council or staff.

Coun Hallman says that some residents aren't aware of the powers that are available to the IC. Dr Williams says that the most extreme sanction is a 90-day suspension. He says that some of the suggestions that came from complainants are simply not available to him.

Dr Williams says he was trying to find remedial actions.

Coun Gerber asks the IC if the mayor's statement that was released to the public on Friday meets the requirements of his report. Dr Williams said that he hasn't seen it because it wasn't sent to him. It's up to council to decide if it meets the needs of the report.

Coun Gerber asks for clarification of what a reprimand means. The IC says that the spontaneous comments from council back in June could be considered a reprimand.

The IC stresses that he can only make recommendations. It's up to council how it chooses to act. They can step back or go further, if it wishes.

Dr Williams says he suggested 60 days for the mayor to read his apology into the record in an open council meeting.

The mayor is now reading the statement that he released to the media last week.

Coun Gerber thanks the mayor for reading his apology. He also thanks everyone who has spoken since June. He says that he doesn't think any sanctions would be helpful. He suggests a "BIPOC committee" that would meet quarterly.

Chair Fisher is now making a statement about Les Armstrong, which is a character endorsement. He refers to the Township's reputation for being debt free. Chair Fisher says he has caused a lot of stress to fellow council members and staff.

Chair Fisher says that Mayor Armstrong has done a lot of work reading and attending webinars on racism.

He says he accepts the IC report.

Coun Pfenning says that on one side are people who have been hurt by the mayor's actions and have called for suspension or resignation. On the other side are people who are not in the group that was offended, and they see the mayor as a victim.

She says that she has never attacked the mayor, despite goading, and she does not post on social media anonymously.

People who have asked council to forgive are not in any of the groups that were offended. No IBPOC have asked for forgiveness.

Coun Pfenning says that the current turmoil has put people she loves at risk, and she talks about racism across the region. "We must lead by making it clear that there is no room for racist content anywhere."

Coun Pfenning acknowledges that the Municipal Act (which is written by the province) has limitations. She quotes directly from the act.

She thinks that there are no actions that are adequate to her. She doesn't believe that punitive measures are very effective at affecting people's behaviour choices.

"I'm asking you, Mayor Armstrong, to let us support you in this. God knows that none of us is perfect."

She asks for everyone listening to come together.

Coun Pfenning praises Coun Gerber's suggestion on a committee of council for IBPOC community representatives.

Coun Gordijk says she appreciates that the mayor sent out an apology, but she has problems with some of the language. She says that she still hasn't seen condemnation of the White Lives Matter people, nor the white supremacists who came to the township.

She's spoken to family members who are people of colour and other township residents who are upset that the mayor's statement was released before it was discussed at council.

Coun Gordijk also says that she has not posted on an anonymous social media account, and she calls out the misogyny that has been directed at her and the other women councillors.

She says that they mayor needs to do more work on his apology.

Coun Hallman thanks the mayor for acknowledging his white privilege. She says she's read a lot of the books that the mayor listed in his reading list a few months ago.

She asks if the mayor can share one thing that he's learned from his reading. (She shares the casual racism of "skin coloured" band aids.)

Mayor Armstrong says that one of the things he's learned is that he doesn't have to fear being stopped when he's driving because of his colour. He also mentions that he knows IBPOC can hear car doors being locked as they walk past. That's not something he's experienced.

Coun Hallman thanks the mayor for that step forward.

Coun Hallman is reading a proposed amendment to the motion to accept the IC report. She asks for the Township to support training for all members of council.

Coun Gerber: "We are all white voices." He says that it looks as if we're heading to a three-pronged approach: accept the IC report and recommendations, a BIPOC committee where members are paid an honorarium, and council training.

Ms Mittelholtz has drafted an amendment that is being discussed.

Coun Gordijk mentions that the order of initials is now recognized as being IBPOC.

Coun Hallman comments that the mayor's apology might be more personal if it listed his own personal accomplishments, rather than listing combined council successes, such as raising the Pride flag. She says she thinks that members of council should pay for their own training.

Council has voted to receive the IC report and its recommendations.

Coun Fisher hands the chair back to Mayor Armstrong, and he thanks Dr Williams for his help clarifying the IC process and duties.

Mayor Armstrong moves us on to the next agenda item - a letter and report from the Grand River Conservation Authority, which is concerned about the provincial government's Bill 229: Protect, Support and Recover from COVID-19 Act (Budget Measures).

The omnibus bill has repercussions for conservation authorities’ ability to "to manage watershed natural resources and ensure people and property are safe from natural hazards."

Harold O'Krafka (Director of Development Services) says that the activities over the weekend - namely, seven resignations from the province's Greenbelt council speaks volumes.

Announcements: Coun Fisher mentions the Baden food drive. He says that an 8 x 12 trailer was completely full.

He pays tribute to former councillor Mark Murray, who passed away two weeks ago.

Coun Gerber echoes Coun Fisher's comments about Mark Murray. "Passed away at 58, way too soon." He says he was pleased to hear all of the stories about Mark from members of the public. "Thank you so much for your service to the community. You'll be missed."

Coun Hallman thanks Ms Jackson for ensuring that Township flags were lowered yesterday in commemoration of the massacre at Ecole Polytechnique.

She also thanks all the volunteers at the reverse Santa parade in new Dundee.

Coun Hallman expresses her sorrow for the families of several community members who have passed away recently.

Coun Gordijk thanks Mike Hallman for his volunteer work at the Santa parade, too.

She welcomes Nina De Shane, the Indigenous Elder who has just been hired by the Wilmot Family Resource Centre.

Coun Gordijk mentions that Richard Cressman recently died by suicide. She hopes that people know that there are resources available locally if they need to reach out.

Coun Pfenning says she knows from personal experience about Mark Murray's kindness. She thanks the Cressman family for their courage in talking about mental health.

Mayor Armstrong thanks all Township staff for their work during the pandemic. He lists some people who have retired from the Township, and welcomes those who have joined.

He mentions a number of Township staff who have passed milestones.

Mayor Armstrong is giving his quarterly report about his anti-racism education. He mentions an Indigenous awareness seminar that he attended this morning with Couns Hallman, Gordijk and Pfenning.

Coun Gordijk asks if the slide presentation that was shown at this morning's Indigenous workshop can be included on the Township's website. Ms Mittelholtz has to check intellectual property rights first.

Coun Hallman asks if the mayor will be taking the second course. He says he will be looking into it.

The mayor is talking about accepting donated land from Viola Erb, which is what was discussed in the closed meeting earlier this evening.

We're adjourned at 10:49pm.