Regular Council Meeting

That Council adopt the minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of November 11, 2024, and note and file the minutes of the Committee of the Whole Meeting of November 11, 2024, as presented.

That Council move into a Closed to Public Session in accordance with the Municipal Act, 2001, Section 239 (2): (b) personal matters about an identifiable individual, including municipal or local board employees; (c) a proposed or pending acquisition or disposition of land by the municipality or local board; (d) labour relations or employee negotiations; and (k) a position, plan, procedure, criteria or instruction to be applied to any negotiations

That Council arise from the Closed to Public Session and resume the Regular Council Meeting.

That Council receive the draft Aquatic and Wellness Centre Operations and Management Plan report for information. That Council receive the Introduction to Proposed Levels of Service for Asset Management report for information. That Council receive the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund (OCIF) Update report for information.

official statistics from the Government of Ontario confirm that rural roads are inherently more dangerous than other roads; and Whereas despite only having 17% of the population, 55% of the road fatalities occur on rural roads; and Whereas, rural, northern, and remote municipalities are fiscally strained by maintaining extensive road networks on a smaller tax base; and Whereas preventing crashes reduces the burden on Ontario’s already strained rural health care system; and Whereas roadway collisions and associated lawsuits are significant factors in runaway municipal insurance premiums. Preventing crashes can have a significant impact in improving municipal risk profiles. Now therefore be it resolved that the Town of Saugeen Shores requests that the Government of Ontario take action to implement the rural road safety program that Good Roads has committed to lead. It will allow Ontario's rural municipalities to make the critical investments needed to reduce the high number of people being killed and seriously injured on Ontario’s rural roads; and further That this resolution be circulated to Premier Doug Ford, Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Sarkaria, Minister of Infrastructure King a Surma, Minister of Agriculture , Food and Agribusiness Rob Flack, Minister of Rural Affairs Lisa Thompson, Associate Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Response Trevor Jones, Minister of Health Sylvia Jones, and Good Roads.

That Council adopt the revised Integrated Accessibility Standards Policy .

more than 4 in 10 Canadian women have experienced some form of intimate partner violence in their lifetime, and 1 in 10 experience it almost daily; and Whereas while one-third of men have also experienced intimate partner violence, women disproportionately experience the most severe forms. According to the Government of Canada, between 2014 and 2019 there were 497 cases of intimate partner homicide nationally and 80% of the victims were women; and Whereas rates of intimate partner violence are nationally 75% higher for rural women compared to urban women; and Whereas although IPV is not a pathogen, it is appropriate to label IPV as an epidemic because it has ripple effects causing future poor health outcomes for affected victims and their families, which negatively affect community health, policing, and social services resources; and Whereas in Saugeen Shores, police-reported Domestic Violence incidents increased between 2018/04/01 to 2024/04/01 by an average of 55.4%; and Whereas in Bruce and Grey Counties, domestic violence calls between 2018 and 2020 to police increased by 133%; and Whereas members of the Saugeen Shores Police have been enrolled in the collaborative Police Action on Intimate Partner Violence course, training which improves their policy and action to keep individuals, families, and communities safe; and Whereas all programs in the Grey-Bruce Health Unit, especially the clinical ones, have components to identify and report any type of violence, including IPV

That By-law 91-2024 being a By-law to confirm the proceedings of the Council of the Town of Saugeen Shores is hereby read a first, second, and third time and finally passed and sealed this 25th day of November, 2024.

That this Regular Council meeting of November 25, 2024, hereby adjourns at 10:57 p.m.

Whereas official statistics from the Government of Ontario confirm that rural roads are inherently more dangerous than other roads; and Whereas despite only having 17% of the population, 55% of the road fatalities occur on rural roads; and Whereas, rural, northern, and remote municipalities are fiscally strained by maintaining extensive road networks on a smaller tax base; and Whereas preventing crashes reduces the burden on Ontario’s already strained rural health care system; and Whereas roadway collisions and associated lawsuits are significant factors in runaway municipal insurance premiums. Preventing crashes can have a significant impact in improving municipal risk profiles. Now therefore be it resolved that the Town of Saugeen Shores requests that the Government of Ontario take action to implement the rural road safety program that Good Roads has committed to lead. It will allow Ontario's rural municipalities to make the critical investments needed to reduce the high number of people being killed and seriously injured on Ontario’s rural roads; and further That this resolution be circulated to Premier Doug Ford, Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Sarkaria, Minister of Infrastructure Kinga Surma, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness Rob Flack, Minister of Rural Affairs Lisa Thompson, Associate Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Response Trevor Jones, Minister of Health Sylvia Jones, and Good Roads.

Whereas more than 4 in 10 Canadian women have experienced some form of intimate partner violence in their lifetime, and 1 in 10 experience it almost daily; and Whereas while one-third of men have also experienced intimate partner violence, women disproportionately experience the most severe forms. According to the Government of Canada, between 2014 and 2019 there were 497 cases of intimate partner homicide nationally and 80% of the victims were women; and Whereas rates of intimate partner violence are nationally 75% higher for rural women compared to urban women; and Whereas although IPV is not a pathogen, it is appropriate to label IPV as an epidemic because it has ripple effects causing future poor health outcomes for affected victims and their families, which negatively affect community health, policing, and social services resources; and Whereas in Saugeen Shores, police-reported Domestic Violence incidents increased between 2018/04/01 to 2024/04/01 by an average of 55.4%; and Whereas in Bruce and Grey Counties, domestic violence calls between 2018 and 2020 to police increased by 133%; and Whereas members of the Saugeen Shores Police have been enrolled in the collaborative Police Action on Intimate Partner Violence course, training which improves their policy and action to keep individuals, families, and communities safe; and Whereas all programs in the Grey-Bruce Health Unit, especially the clinical ones, have components to identify and report any type of violence, inclu