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Highlights of the November 1st, 2022 Council Meeting
Tuesday evening was the final meeting for the 2018-2022 Mississippi Mills Council. The inaugural meeting of the 2022-2026 Council will take place on Tuesday, November 15th, 2022 at 6:00 pm at Almonte Old Town Hall.
Mayor Lowry presented her Annual Address. She thanked Council for their hard work and dedication over the last four years, especially when faced with some of the toughest events in local and global history, including the loss of Deputy Mayor John Levi, record-breaking flooding in 2019, the COVID-19 Pandemic, the significant windstorm in May 2022 and exceptional levels of growth. She highlighted some of the major projects Council tackled in the last year of its term including seven initiatives to help remove barriers to affordable housing development. She thanked staff for their hard work, and commended the community for their perseverance and acts of kindness and service to one another. As this was the last meeting of the 2018-2022 term, Mayor Lowry thanked Council for their efforts, dedication and commitment over the last four years, and recognized the good work accomplished despite the challenges and extraordinary times. Read the full address here.
In recognition of Veteran’s Week, Council viewed a Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) video as part of its Speaker Series. Later, Major Indira Thackorie, CD joined Committee of the Whole to talk about her experience in the CAF. As principal of IDM Communications, Major Indira is a dynamic public affairs and strategic communications professional. The last two years were spent proudly working on programs and policies that help foster a more inclusive and diverse military at the Directorate of Human Rights and Diversity. Currently she is deployed on her second UN mission in Cyprus as the Chief Intelligence Officer.
Stemming from the October 4th, 2022 Committee of the Whole meeting, Council directed staff to undertake consultation with Lanark County staff to develop a Mississippi Mills Affordable Housing Grant Program as a supplement to the recently approved County Affordable Housing Capital Grant Program. Staff will report back to Council during the 2023 budget deliberations.
Council also approved one-time funding of $6,250 from reserves for a Project Concentrator as part of the Digital Strategy, which aims to modernize and streamline services, processes, and communications. The Concentrator will automate the processing and recording of payments made through digital channels.
Council welcomed Cyndy Woods as the new Human Resources Business Partner. Cyndy has lived in Mississippi Mills since 2006 and most recently worked as an Integrated Human Resources Manager of Labour Relations providing support to the Carleton Place & District Memorial Hospital and Almonte General Hospital/Fairview Manor and Lanark County Paramedic Service.
The Committee of the Whole heard the following items, which will be brought forward and approved at a future Council meeting:
- Amend Animal Control Bylaw 14-21 to include the definition of Livestock Guardian Dogs and eliminate municipal licensing fees and requirements.
- The Planning Department presented a report on Bill 23, More Homes Built Faster, 2022. It will be brought forward to Council at the special meeting on November 16th, 2022 for further direction.
- Approve the Electronic Monitoring of Employees Policy in order to be compliant with legislative requirements of the Employment Standards Act, 2000. It would include things such as Automatic Vehicle Location tracking system, periodic checks of computers and information technology equipment as part of maintenance and security processes, building and property security cameras.
Upcoming Meetings:
- Inaugural Council Meeting – Almonte Old Town Hall – November 15th, 2022 at 6:00 p.m.
- Special Hybrid Council Meeting – November 16th, 2022 at 9:00 a.m.
- Hybrid Council Meeting – December 6th, 2022, at 6:00 p.m.
- Hybrid Committee of the Whole Meeting – December 6th, 2022 immediately following the Council meeting
