General Committee Meeting Minutes

Meeting Number: 1

Tuesday, January 30, 2024 at 9:30 A.m. - 1:00 P.m.

Live streamed

Roll Call

• Mayor Frank Scarpitti
• Deputy Mayor Michael Chan
• Regional Councillor Jim Jones
• Regional Councillor Joe Li
• Regional Councillor Alan Ho
• Councillor Keith Irish
• Councillor Ritch Lau
• Councillor Reid McAlpine
• Councillor Karen Rea
• Councillor Andrew Keyes
• Councillor Amanda Collucci
• Councillor Juanita Nathan
• Councillor Isa Lee

Staff

• Andy Taylor, Chief Administrative Officer
• Trinela Cane, Commissioner, Corporate Services
• Morgan Jones, Commissioner, Community Services
• Arvin Prasad, Commissioner, Development Services
• Claudia Storto, City Solicitor and Director of Human Resources
• Joseph Silva, Treasurer
• Kimberley Kitteringham, City Clerk
• Alice Lam, Acting Commissioner, Community Services
• Alex Moore, Manager of Purchasing & Accounts Payable
• Chris Bullen, Manager, By-Law Services
• Hristina Giantsopoulos, Election/Council & Committee Coordinator
• Tharsikaa Irajeswaran, Assistant to Council/Committee
• Jason Yang, Information Technology Services
• Jeffrey Rahim, Supervisor, Municipal Law Enforcement By-Law Enforcement

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1.

CALL TO ORDER

INDIGENOUS LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We begin today by acknowledging the traditional territories of Indigenous peoples and their commitment to stewardship of the land. We acknowledge the communities in circle. The North, West, South and Eastern directions, and Haudenosaunee, Huron- Wendat, Anishnabeg, Seneca, Chippewa, and the Mississaugas of the Credit peoples. We share the responsibility with the caretakers of this land to ensure the dish is never empty and to restore relationships that are based on peace, friendship, and trust. We are committed to reconciliation, partnership and enhanced understanding.

General Committee convened at 9:45 AM.  Councillor Keith Irish presided as Chair for all items on the agenda. 

2.

DISCLOSURE OF PECUNIARY INTEREST

There were no disclosures of pecuniary interest.  

3.

PRESENTATION

3.1

2023 MARKHAM SANTA CLAUS PARADE - RECOGNITION OF PARADE WINNERS AND CONTRIBUTORS (12.2.6)

The 49th Markham Santa Claus Parade was held in-person on November 25, 2023.
Council recognized the following parade winners, volunteers, Rotary Club Members and City Staff who contributed to this successful community event:

Awards

Commercial Entry:

1. 1. School of Rock
   2. Miller Waste

Non-Commercial Entry

1. 1. Rotary Clubs of Markham
   2. Markham Fair

Marching Group:

1. 1. 748 Army Cadets
   2. St. Andrews Co-op Play School

Band

1. 1. Philippines Heritage Band
   2. Neil McNeil High School Band

School

1. 1. North Toronto Collegiate Band
   2. Michael Power/St. Joseph School

Theme

1. 1. Chapel Place Presbyterian Church/St. Maurice & St. Verena
   2. Centre for Dreams

Sunrise Rotary Club Volunteers  

1. 1. Cheryl Petruk, Co-Chair
   2. Tina Martin, Co-Chair
   3. Jim Sandiford, Past Chair
   4. Susan Peterson
   5. Gare Peterson  
   6. CJ Jones.
   7. Jon Stevens
   8. Roger Bynoe
   9. Sean King
   10. Howard Waiser
   11. Joe Chen
   12. Pauline Lai
   13. Brendan Pilgram
   14. Peter Still
   15. Charles Martin
   16. Rachel Martin
   17. Marlene Waiser
   18. Adam Waiser
   19. Jeff Nezon
   20. Ross Bowser
   21. George Scott
   22. Lee Jones
   23. Cecilia Yung
   24. Margot Bynoe
   25. Darlene McLeod
   26. Mabel Gu
   27. Avery Wislesky
   28. Terry Meades
   29. Albert Lenz
   30. Cameron Humphries
   31. David Flood, York Regional Police
   32. Warren Owen, York Regional Police
   33. Domenic Crupi
   34. Bernie Tanunagara

City of Markham Staff

1. 1. Eric Lizotte, Manager, Corporate Security
   2. Renee Zhang, Manager, Corporate and Community Events
   3. Alex Moore, Manager, Procurement & Accounts Payable
   4. Lisa Cerone, Culture and Economic Development
   5. Ceilidh Stringer, Exhibition Engagement Administrator
   6. Linda Stott, Senior Advisor, Corporate Communications
   7. Ryan McCluskey, Lead, Sponsorship, Marketing & Advertising, Corporate Communication
   8. Daniel Epton, Senior Graphic Designer, Corporate Communications
   9. Kisha Powell, Media Relations & Communications Specialist, Corporate Communications
   10. Lloyd Tran, Specialist, Corporate Communications
   11. Maxine Roy, Manager, Corporate Communications
   12. Melissa Ho, Event Coordinator, Corporate & Community Events
   13. Koby Yung, Event Coordinator, Corporate & Community Events
   14. Jon Angrove, Supervisor, Road Operations
   15. Arpad Toplak, Sign Maintenance
   16. Joe Basque, Sign Maintenance
   17. Andrew Eng, Sign Technician, Operations
   18. Mike Conway, Operations, Working Supervisor
   19. Trevor Gauthier, Operations, Labourer/Road Patrol
   20. Bryan Fuglerud, Truck Driver, Operations
   21. Mark Leadbetter, Facility, Yard Maintenance
   22. Pat Fry, Working Supervisor, Roads
   23. Jim Cass, Truck Driver, Operations
   24. Cynthia Szeto, Markham Museum
   25. Chris Bullen, Manager, By-Law Services
   26. Jeffrey Rahim, Supervisor, By-Law Services

• Moved by Mayor Frank Scarpitti
  Seconded by Councillor Karen Rea
  1. That Council congratulate all parade winners and to extend thanks to all those who participated in the Santa Claus Parade.
  Carried

4.

APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS MINUTES

4.1

MINUTES OF THE DECEMBER 5, 2023 GENERAL COMMITTEE (16.0)

• Moved by Regional Councillor Alan Ho
  Seconded by Regional Councillor Jim Jones
  1. That the minutes of the December 5, 2023 General Committee meeting be confirmed.
  Carried

5.

DEPUTATIONS

There were no deputations. 

6.

COMMUNICATIONS

6.1

YORK REGION COMMUNICATIONS (13.4)

• Moved by Mayor Frank Scarpitti
  Seconded by Councillor Isa Lee
  1. That the following communications dated November 30, 2023 from York Region be received for information purposes:
     1. Homelessness in York Region and Development of a Homelessness Service System Plan
     2. Waterloo Court Decision and Homeless Encampments
     3. 2023 Servicing Capacity Assignment
     4. Update on Implementation of the Community Safety and Well-Being Plan for York Region
     5. York Region's 2023 to 2027 Multi-Year Accessibility Plan
     6. Vacant Home Tax Update
  Carried

7.

PETITIONS

There were no petitions. 

8.

CONSENT REPORTS - FINANCE & ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS

8.1

MINUTES OF THE SEPTEMBER 11, 2023 RACE RELATIONS COMMITTEE MEETING (16.0)

• Moved by Councillor Ritch Lau
  Seconded by Deputy Mayor Michael Chan
  1. That the minutes of the September 11, 2023 Race Relations Committee meeting be received for information purposes.
  Carried

8.2

MINUTES OF THE NOVEMBER 2, 2023 MARKHAM SANTA CLAUS PARADE COMMITTEE MEETING (16.0)

• Moved by Councillor Ritch Lau
  Seconded by Deputy Mayor Michael Chan
  1. That the minutes of the November 2, 2023 Markham Santa Claus Parade Committee meeting be received for information purposes. 
  Carried

8.3

268-R-23 CONSULTING ENGINEERING SERVICES FOR SHORT TERM FLOW MONITORING, DATA COLLECTION AND DELIVERY (2024 – 2028) (7.0)

• Moved by Councillor Ritch Lau
  Seconded by Deputy Mayor Michael Chan
  1. That the report entitled “Award of RFP 268-R-23 Consulting Engineering Services for Short Term Flow Monitoring, Data Collection and Delivery (2024 – 2028)” be received; and, 
  2. That Contract 268-R-23 Consulting Engineering Services for Short Term Flow Monitoring, Data Collection and Delivery (2024 – 2028) be awarded to the highest ranked/ lowest priced bidder “AECOM Canada Ltd.” in the 2024 amount of $123,445.36, inclusive of HST; and,
  3. That a 10% contingency in the amount of $12,344.54 inclusive of HST, be established to cover any additional costs in 2024 and that authorization to approve expenditures of this contingency amount up to the specified limit be in accordance with the Expenditure Control Policy; and,
  4. That the total cost for 2024, in the amount of $135,789.90 ($123,445.36 + $12,344.54), be funded from Capital Project 23266 “Wastewater Flow Monitoring” with an available budget of $261,800.00; and,
  5. That the remaining budget in the amount of $126,010.10 ($261,800.00 - $135,789.90) be returned to the original funding source; and,
  6. That Staff be authorized to exercise the option to renew the contract for four (4) additional years (2025 - 2028), subject to performance and adoption of the 2025 - 2028 capital budgets as follows:
              2025: $96,421.69 (Inclusive of Contingency and HST)
              2026: $99,437.14 (Inclusive of Contingency and HST)
              2027: $102,554.08 (Inclusive of Contingency and HST)
              2028: $105,775.18 (Inclusive of Contingency and HST), and further, 
  7. That Staff be authorized and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.
  Carried

8.4

RFP 255-R-23 MARKHAM PUBLIC LIBRARY MATERIAL AND PROCESSING SERVICES (7.12)

• Moved by Councillor Ritch Lau
  Seconded by Deputy Mayor Michael Chan
  1. That the report entitled “RFP 255-R-23 Markham Public Library Material and Processing Services” be received; and,
  2. That the contract # 255-R-23 for Markham Public Library Material and Processing Services be awarded to the two (2) highest ranked/lowest priced bidders:
            Library Bound Inc. - $1,535,016.02 (All print, talking books, nonfiction DVDs, multilingual CDs and video games)
            CVS Midwest Tape - $156,128.33 (Fiction DVDs & CDs); and, 
  3. The term of the Contract is for three (3) years commencing on January 1, 2024 and ending on December 31, 2026 with the option to renew for two (2) additional one year periods in the annual amount of $1,691.144.35 (inclusive of HST);
            2024 - $1,691,144.35*
            2025 - $1,691,144.35*
            2026 - $1,691,144.35*
            2027 - $1,691,144.35**
            2028 - $1,691,144.35**
             Total: $8,455,721.75 ; 
     *For the three (3) year contract term (January 1, 2024 – December 31, 2026), costs will be at the same itemized pricing.
     **The two (2) optional renewal years (January 1, 2027 – December 31, 2028), costs will be adjusted based on the Consumer Price Index for All Items Ontario for the twelve (12) month period ending December in the applicable year; and,
  4. That the contract in 2024 will be funded from project #23462 - Library Collections approved as part of the 2023 in-year capital additions. Funding for 2025 – 2028 collections are subject to adoption of the 2025 - 2028 budgets; and,
  5. That the Director of Library Administration & Operational Support, and Senior Manager of Procurement & Accounts Payable be authorized to exercise the option to renew the contract in year 4 and 5 subject to performance and Council adoption of the annual budget; and further,
  6. That staff be authorized and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.
  Carried

9.

MOTIONS

There were no motions.  

10.

NOTICES OF MOTION

There were no notices of motion. 

11.

NEW/OTHER BUSINESS

11.1

PROCLAMATION REQUEST FOR CHINESE HERITAGE MONTH IN FEBRURARY 2024

Regional Councillor Joe Li addressed the Committee to request that February be proclaimed as Chinese Heritage Month.

The Committee discussed the cultural significance of the request and also expressed concerns regarding the urgency of the request, the current procedure in which to request a proclamation and that proclamations are made at Council. 

There was a suggestion to defer the matter in order to provide appropriate notice of the request and to follow existing protocol, however the Committee endorsed the request and will be placed on the January 31, 2024, Council Meeting Agenda for consideration.  

• Moved by Councillor Amanda Collucci
  Seconded by Councillor Juanita Nathan

  That the Committee add this matter to the agenda for consideration.

  Carried by a Two Thirds Vote
• Moved by Councillor Andrew Keyes
  Seconded by Councillor Karen Rea

  That this matter be deferred to an upcoming meeting to allow time to provide notice to the public and follow existing proclamation procedures.   

  Lost
• Moved by Regional Councillor Joe Li
  Seconded by Councillor Juanita Nathan
  1. That the City proclaim February 2024 as Chinese Heritage Month; and, 
  2. That this proclamation request be added to the City of Markham's five year proclamation list; and further,
  3. That staff be directed and authorized to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution. 
  Carried

12.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

There were no announcements.

13.

CONFIDENTIAL ITEMS

General Committee convened into Confidential Session at 11:10 AM.  

• Moved by Mayor Frank Scarpitti
  Seconded by Councillor Karen Rea

  That, in accordance with Section 239 (2) of the Municipal Act, General Committee resolve into a confidential session to discuss the following matters:

  Carried

13.1

FINANCE & ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS

13.1.1

GENERAL COMMITTEE CONFIDENTIAL MINUTES- NOVEMBER 21, 2023 (16.0) [Section 239 (2) (c)(b)(k)]

The Committee confirmed the General Committee Confidential Minutes of November 21, 2023.   

13.1.2

PERSONAL MATTERS ABOUT AN IDENTIFIABLE INDIVIDUAL, INCLUDING MUNICIPAL OR BOARD EMPLOYEES (BOARD/ COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS); (16.24) [Municipal Act 2001, Section 239 (2) (b)]

The Committee consented that this item be deferred to a future meeting.

13.1.3

PENDING LEASE OF REAL PROPERTY, WARD 8 (8.2)

The Committee consented to place this item on the January 31, 2024, Confidential Council Meeting Agenda for consideration.

13.1.4

VERBAL UPDATE FROM CITY SOLICITOR ON A LITIGATION MATTER; (WARD 3) (8.7) 

The Committee consented to defer this matter to the January 31, 2024, Confidential Council Meeting Agenda for consideration.  

14.

ADJOURNMENT

• Moved by Councillor Juanita Nathan
  Seconded by Regional Councillor Joe Li

  That General Committee adjourn from confidential session at 12:36 PM and not return to open session or report out on any matter. 

  Carried