General Committee Minutes

Meeting #:	Meeting Number: 20
Date:	Tuesday, September 03, 2019 at 9:45 A.m. - 3:00 P.m.
Location:	Council Chamber

Roll Call

• Mayor Frank Scarpitti
• Deputy Mayor Don Hamilton
• Regional Councillor Joe Li
• Regional Councillor Jim Jones
• Councillor Keith Irish
• Councillor Reid McAlpine
• Councillor Andrew Keyes
• Councillor Amanda Collucci
• Councillor Khalid Usman
• Councillor Isa Lee

Regrets

• Regional Councillor Jack Heath
• Councillor Alan Ho
• Councillor Karen Rea

Staff

• Andy Taylor, Chief Administrative Officer
• Trinela Cane, Commissioner, Corporate Services
• Brenda Librecz, Commissioner of Community & Fire Services
• Claudia Storto, City Solicitor and Director of Human Resources
• Joel Lustig, Treasurer
• Dave Decker, Fire Chief
• Hristina Giantsopoulos, Elections & Council/Committee Coordinator

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1.

CALL TO ORDER

​

The General Committee meeting convened at the hour of 10:02 AM with Councillor Khalid Usman in the Chair.  
General Committee recessed at 11:58 AM and reconvened at 1:04 PM.  

2.

DISCLOSURE OF PECUNIARY INTEREST

None disclosed.

3.

APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS MINUTES

3.1

MINUTES OF THE JUNE 17, 2019 GENERAL COMMITTEE (16.0)

• Moved by Deputy Mayor Don Hamilton
  Seconded by Councillor Andrew Keyes
  1. That the minutes of the June 17, 2019 General Committee meeting be confirmed.
  Carried

3.2

MINUTES OF THE JUNE 17, 2019 SPECIAL GENERAL COMMITTEE (16.0)

• Moved by Deputy Mayor Don Hamilton
  Seconded by Councillor Andrew Keyes
  1. ​That the minutes of the June 17, 2019 Special General Committee meeting be confirmed.
  Carried

3.3

MINUTES OF THE JULY 22, 2019 SPECIAL GENERAL COMMITTEE (16.0)

• Moved by Deputy Mayor Don Hamilton
  Seconded by Councillor Andrew Keyes
  1. ​That the minutes of the July 22, 2019 Special General Committee meeting be confirmed.

   

  Carried

4.

DEPUTATIONS

There were no deputations.

5.

COMMUNICATIONS

5.1

YORK REGION COMMUNICATIONS (13.4)

• Moved by Deputy Mayor Don Hamilton
  Seconded by Regional Councillor Joe Li
  1. That the communication dated June 21, 2019 from York Region regarding Position and Mandate for a Restructured York Region Public Health be received for information purposes; and,
  2. That the following communications dated June 28, 2019 from York Region be received for information purposes:
     1. ventureLAB 2018 Results and 2019 Agreement
     2. Bill 108, More Homes, More Choice Act, 2019: Implications for the Development Charges Act and the Planning Act
     3. Planning for Agriculture Background Report
     4. Potential Financial Incentives for Office Buildings
     5. Court Services Annual Report 2018
     6. Greater Toronto Area West Highway, Highway 400-404 Connecting Link and Highway 404 Extension Update
     7. Lane Designations to Operate Rapidways in the Cities of Makrham, Richmond Hill and Vaughan
     8. Pedestrian and Cyclist Safety Improvements
     9. SM4RT Living Waste Management Plan 2018 Annual Update; and further,
  3. That the following communications dated July 4, 2019 from York Region be received for information purposes: 
  1. Note of Decision - Amendment No. 26 to the Official Plan of the City of Markham (2014), as amended Robinson Glen Secondary Plan
  2. Note of Decision - Amendment No. 24 to the Official Plan of the City of Markham (2014), as amended Berczy Glen Secondary Plan
  Carried

5.2

LETTER FROM MINISTRY OF MUNICIPAL AFFAIRS AND HOUSING (12.2.6)

• Moved by Deputy Mayor Don Hamilton
  Seconded by Regional Councillor Joe Li
  1. That the letter dated August 8, 2019 from Minister Steve Clark, Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing regarding the submission to the Audit and Accountability Fund be received for information purposes.
  Carried

5.3

CYRUS CULTURAL SOCIETY - UPDATE ON COMMUNITY FACILITY LOCATED AT 160 DUDLEY AVENUE (8.0)

• Moved by Deputy Mayor Don Hamilton
  Seconded by Regional Councillor Joe Li
  1. That the letter dated August 28, 2019 from Cyrus Foundation and Cyrus Community Centre  be received for information purposes.
  Carried

6.

PETITIONS

There were no petitions. 

7.

CONSENT REPORTS - FINANCE & ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUES

7.1

MINUTES OF THE JUNE 11, 2019 CANADA DAY CELEBRATION ORGANIZING COMMITTEE (16.0)

• Moved by Councillor Amanda Collucci
  Seconded by Councillor Isa Lee
  1. That the minutes of the June 11, 2019 Canada Day Celebration Organizing Committee meeting be received for information purposes.
  Carried

7.2

MINUTES OF THE MAY 16, 2019 MARKHAM ENVIRONMENTAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE (16.0)

• Moved by Regional Councillor Jim Jones
  Seconded by Councillor Isa Lee
  1. ​That the minutes of the May 16, 2019 Markham Environmental Advisory Committee meeting be received for information purposes.

   

  Carried

7.3

MINUTES OF THE MAY 27, 2019 AND JUNE 17, 2019 MARKHAM PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD (16.0)

• Moved by Councillor Keith Irish
  Seconded by Deputy Mayor Don Hamilton
  1. That the minutes of the May 27, 2019 and June 17, 2019 Markham Public Library Board meeting be received for information purposes.

   

  Carried

8.

CONSENT REPORTS - COMMUNITY SERVICES ISSUES

8.1

APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS TO THE MARKHAM MAYOR’S YOUTH COUNCIL FOR THE PERIOD OF SEPTEMBER 3, 2019 TO JUNE 30, 2020 (5.0)

• Moved by Deputy Mayor Don Hamilton
  Seconded by Regional Councillor Joe Li
  1. That the Report Appointment of Members to the Markham Mayor’s Youth Council for the period of September 3, 2019 to June 30, 2020 be received; and,
  2. That the following Appointments of Members to the Markham Mayor’s Youth Council be confirmed for the term September 3, 2019 to June 30, 2020

  Name	High School	Grade	Ward
  Karina Florea	Thornhill S.S.	9	1
  Marissa Wang	Bayview S.S.	10	2
  Evan Qi	Bayview S.S	12	2
  Kelly Hu	Bayview S.S	12	2
  Sidd Mittal	Unionville H.S	12	2
  Justine Lin	Unionville H.S	10	3
  Patrick Ang	St. Brother Andre C.H.S	11	3
  Selina Qiu	Markville S.S	11	3
  Boris Lam	Markville S.S	12	3
  Hana Almofti	Markville S.S	12	3
  Mankaran Pahwa	Unionville H.S.	10	4
  Olivia Chan	Unionville H.S.	10	4
  Maxine Bisera	St. Brother Andre C.H.S	11	4
  Johnny Wong	Markville S.S.	12	4
  Gloria Huang	Bill Hogarth S.S.	9	5
  Bryant Zheng	Markville S.S.	10	6
  Kara Yang	Markville S.S.	10	6
  Ernest Wong	St Robert CHS	11	6
  Seethaa Manoharan	Bayview S.S.	11	6
  Eddy Guo	Bayview S.S	12	6
  Ashwin Suganthan	Markham District H.S.	10	7
  Chloe Vanderlugt	Town Centre P.H.S.	11	7
  Anjali Singh	Markham District H.S.	12	7
  Richard Chen	Middlefield C.I.	12	7
  Ira Chandershekar	Markville S.S.	12	8

       ; and further,
  3.  That Staff be authorized and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.

   

  Carried

9.

PRESENTATIONS - COMMUNITY SERVICES ISSUES

9.1

FLOOD CONTROL PROGRAM AND STORMWATER FEE UPDATE (5.3)

Rob Grech, Environmental Services Coordinator and Mike Matthews, Senior Vice President Network Services, Alectra delivered a PowerPoint presentation regarding Alectra Rear Lot Conversion Initiatives and Stormwater Fee Update.  

There was discussion regarding Stormwater rate impacts, and the Committee inquired how the rate increase will be communicated.  Staff advised that once the Flood Control Program and Stormwater Fee is approved there will be a communication plan to ensure Markham constituents are aware of the increase, and this includes communication included in the tax notices. 

The Committee discussed that the cost of the Rear Lot Conversion Initiative should be covered by the distribution company and not the City.  The Committee suggested that further discussion on Rear Lot Conversion Initiative should wait until all Members of Council are present.  

• Moved by Mayor Frank Scarpitti
  Seconded by Councillor Reid McAlpine
  1. That the presentation entitled "Alectra Rear Lot Conversion Initiative & Stormwater Fee Update" be received; and,
  2. That the report “Stormwater Fee Update” be received; and,
  3. That an annual stormwater fee continue to be imposed on all property within the municipal boundaries of the City of Markham, save and except those noted in the Stormwater Fee By-law 2020-XXX as outlined in Appendix “A” to this staff report; and, 
  4. That the annual stormwater fee for Residential properties be increased in year 2020 from $47 to $50 per property; and further be increased by $1 per year, each year thereafter; and,
  5. That the annual stormwater fee rate for Non-Residential properties be increased in year 2020 by $2 per $100,000 of current value assessment (CVA); and further be increased by 2% per year, each year thereafter; and,
  6. That the annual stormwater fee rate for Vacant Land properties be increased in year 2020 by $2 per $100,000 of current value assessment (CVA) and further be increased by 2% per year, each year thereafter; and,
  7. That the Treasurer continue to be authorized to adjust the annual stormwater fee rate for both Non-Residential and Vacant Land properties to compensate for the average annual change in City-wide CVA; and, 
  8. That the annual stormwater fee levied continue to be included as a separate line item on the final tax bill of the property; and, 
  9. That the City continue to allocate $2,000,000 per year of Federal Gas Tax funding to the Flood Control Program;
  10. That By-law 2015-130 be repealed in its entirety and replaced with the Stormwater Fee By-law 2020-XXX as outlined in Appendix “A” to this staff report; and,
  11. That staff report back to Council in 2024 with any required update to the annual Stormwater Fees, for implementation in 2025, to ensure that the Flood Control Program is adequately funded; and further,
  12. That Staff be authorized and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.
  Carried

10.

REGULAR REPORTS - COMMUNITY SERVICES ISSUES

10.1

PROPOSED PROVINCIAL BLUE BOX PROGRAM CHANGES (5.1)

Claudia Marsales, Senior Manager, Waste Management delivered a PowerPoint presentation regarding the Proposed Provincial Blue Box Program changes.  

The Committee discussed the following relative to the proposed Provincial Blue Box Program Changes:

• Garbage that is incinerated and how it does not count as part of a diversion rate,
• Potential savings to the municipality with the change to curb side collection,
• Efficiencies with current municipal co-collection system,
• Supply and demand of recycled products,
• Markham's net diversion rate of 74% (highest in Ontario),
• Primary goal should remain to increase the diversion rate, and
• Potential impact on future Automated Vacuum Collection Systems (AVAC)

The Committee suggested that staff formulate a resolution outlining City of Markham's concerns and any suggestions that will help reduce potential negative impacts regarding the Proposed Provincial Blue Box Program.  

• Moved by Regional Councillor Jim Jones
  Seconded by Deputy Mayor Don Hamilton
  1. That the report entitled “Proposed Provincial Blue Box Program Changes” be received; and,
  2. That staff be directed to formulate a resolution outlining Council's concerns and suggestions that will reduce any potential negative impacts relative to the Proposed Provincial Blue Box Program; and further,
  3. That Staff be authorized and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.
  Carried

10.2

MASTER FIRE PLAN, TASK FORCE TERMS OF REFERENCE (SECOND CREW AT STATION 99 (CORNELL))  (7.15)

The Committee suggested that this matter be postponed to the last General Committee Meeting in November 2019.

• Moved by Mayor Frank Scarpitti
  Seconded by Deputy Mayor Don Hamilton
  1. That the report entitled “Master Fire Plan, Task Force Terms of Reference Second Crew at Station 99 (Cornell)” be received;

      

  2. That Council approve the attached Terms of Reference for the creation of a Council Task Force to review the recommendations from the Fire Chief for the second crew at Station 99 (Cornell) to improve fire response times for that area; and further,

      

  3. That Council appoint members of Council to the Committee as outlined in the Terms of Reference.

      

  Postponed

11.

REGULAR REPORTS - FINANCE & ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUES

11.1

TRANSFER PAYMENT AGREEMENT FOR THE PROVINCIAL AUDIT AND ACCOUNTABILITY FUND (7.0)

Joel Lustig, Treasurer, addressed the Committee and briefly summarized the details of the report.

• Moved by Mayor Frank Scarpitti
  Seconded by Regional Councillor Jim Jones
  1. That the report dated September 3, 2019 entitled “Transfer Payment Agreement for Provincial Audit and Accountability Fund” be received; and,
  2. That the Mayor and Clerk be authorized to execute the Ontario Transfer Payment Agreement with Her Majesty the Queen in right of Ontario as represented by the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing (the “Province”) for funding an assessment of the development review process, provided the agreement is in a form satisfactory to the Commissioner of Development Services and the City Solicitor; and,
  3. That a new capital project named, “Development Review Process” be created in the amount of $150,000 to be funded from the Provincial Audit and Accountability Fund; and further,
  4. That staff be authorized and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.
  Carried

12.

MOTIONS

There were no motions.

13.

NOTICES OF MOTION

There were no notices of motion.

14.

NEW/OTHER BUSINESS

There was no new/other business.

15.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

There were no announcements.

16.

CONFIDENTIAL ITEMS

That, in accordance with Section 239 (2) of the Municipal Act, General Committee resolve into a confidential session to discuss the following matters (1:04 PM).

• Moved by Councillor Isa Lee
  Seconded by Councillor Amanda Collucci
  Carried

16.1

FINANCE & ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUES

16.1.1

GENERAL COMMITTEE CONFIDENTIAL MINUTES- JUNE 11, 2019 AND JUNE 17, 2019 (16.0) [ Section 239 (2) (a) (b) (c) (d) (j)]

16.2

LAND, BUILDING & PARKS CONSTRUCTION ISSUES

16.2.1

SECURITY OF A PROPERTY OF THE MUNCIPALITY OR LOCAL BOARD (WARD 1) (8.2) [ Section 239 (2) (a)]

17.

ADJOURNMENT

General Committee adjourned at 1:38 PM.