Electronic General Committee Meeting Minutes

Meeting Number: 3

Tuesday, February 16, 2021 at 9:30 A.m. - 1:00 P.m.

Live streamed

Roll Call

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

Staff

• Andy Taylor, Chief Administrative Officer
• Trinela Cane, Commissioner, Corporate Services
• Arvin Prasad, Commissioner, Development Services
• Claudia Storto, City Solicitor and Director of Human Resources
• Joel Lustig, Treasurer
• Bryan Frois, Chief of Staff
• Kimberley Kitteringham, City Clerk
• Martha Pettit, Deputy City Clerk
• Mary Creighton, Director, Recreation Services
• Graham Seaman, Director, Sustainability & Asset Management
• Alex Moore, Manager of Purchasing & Accounts Payable
• Meg West, Manager of Business Planning and Projects
• Shane Manson, Senior Manager, Revenue & Property Taxation
• Hristina Giantsopoulos, Election/Council & Committee Coordinator
• Scott Chapman
• John Wong, Technology Support Specialist II
• Eddy Wu, Manager, Operations & Maintenance
• Sara Tam, Manager, Business Planning ＆ Innovation
• Loy Cheah, Senior Manager, Transportation
• David Porretta, Manager, Traffic Engineering
• Claudia Marsales, Senior Manager Waste Management & Environment
• Rob Cole, Manager, Applications

---

1.

CALL TO ORDER

Under the authority of the COVID-19 Economic Recovery Act, 2020 (Bill 197) and the City of Markham's Council Procedural By-law 2017-5, and in consideration of the advice of public health authorities, this meeting was conducted electronically with members of General Committee, staff, and members of the public participating remotely.

General Committee convened at 9:33 AM with Regional Councillor Jack Heath presiding as Chair for all items on the agenda. 

Mayor Scarpitti arrived at 10:24 AM.

2.

DISCLOSURE OF PECUNIARY INTEREST

There were none disclosed.  

3.

APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS MINUTES

3.1

MINUTES OF THE FEBRUARY 1, 2021 GENERAL COMMITTEE (16.0)

• Moved by Councillor Alan Ho
  Seconded by Councillor Isa Lee
  1. That the minutes of the February 1, 2021 General Committee meeting be confirmed.
  Carried

4.

DEPUTATIONS

There were no deputations.  

5.

COMMUNICATIONS

5.1

YORK REGION COMMUNICATIONS (13.4)

The Committee discussed item 1a. Proposed Regulation to Transition Blue Box Program to Full Producer Responsibility, and noted that the City requested an early transition date in 2023 and that the Region requested a later transition date in 2025.    

• Moved by Councillor Andrew Keyes
  Seconded by Deputy Mayor Don Hamilton
  1. That the following communications dated February 2, 2021 and February 3, 2021, from York Region be received for information purposes:
     1. Proposed Regulation to Transition Blue Box Program to Full Producer Responsibility
     2. Rapid Housing Initiative - Projects Submitted for Funding and Authority for Agreements
     3. Submission to Ontario Long-Term Care COVID-19 Commission
     4. Whistle Cessation on Ninth Line - City of Markham
     5. Upper York Sewage Solutions Individual Environmental Assessment - Approval Status Update
     6. Regional Official Plan Update - Housing Challenges and Opportunities
  Carried

6.

PETITIONS

There were no petitions. 

7.

CONSENT REPORTS - FINANCE & ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUES

7.1

MINUTES OF THE OCTOBER 22, 2020 AND NOVEMBER 26, 2020 MARKHAM ENVIRONMENTAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE (16.0)

• Moved by Councillor Keith Irish
  Seconded by Councillor Karen Rea
  1. That the minutes of the October 22, 2020 and November 26, 2020 Markham Environmental Advisory Committee meetings be received for information purposes. 
  Carried

7.2

MINUTES OF THE NOVEMBER 2, 2020, DECEMBER 7, 2020 AND JANUARY 12, 2021 RACE RELATIONS COMMITTEE (16.0)

• Moved by Councillor Keith Irish
  Seconded by Councillor Karen Rea
  1. That the minutes of the November 2, 2020, December 7, 2020 and January 12, 2021 Race Relations Committee meetings be received for information purposes. 
  Carried

7.3

MINUTES OF THE NOVEMBER 23, 2020 MARKHAM PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD (16.0)

• Moved by Councillor Keith Irish
  Seconded by Councillor Karen Rea
  1. That the minutes of the November 23, 2020 Markham Public Library Board meeting be received for information purposes. 
  Carried

7.4

SCHOOL CROSSING GUARD PROGRAM CONTRACT EXTENSION (CITY WIDE) (7.4, 7.12)

• Moved by Councillor Keith Irish
  Seconded by Councillor Karen Rea
  1. That the report entitled “ School Crossing Guard Program Contract Extension (City Wide)” be received; and

  2. That the contract for school crossing guard services be extended for one (1) year with Staffing Services Inc. from September 2021 to June 2022 in the amount of $718,753.65 (inclusive of HST); and

  3. That the tendering process be waived in accordance with the City’s Purchasing By-law # 2017-8, Part II, Section 11.1(c), Non Competitive Procurement which states, “when the extension of an existing Contract would prove more cost-effective or beneficial”; and

  4. That the award in the amount of $718,753.65 inclusive of HST be funded from Operating Budget #740-998-5642 “School Crossing Guards”; and further

  5. That Staff be authorized and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.

  Carried

7.5

OPTIONAL SMALL BUSINESS SUBCLASS UPDATE (7.0)

The Committee made the following inquiries in relation to the report:

• Whether the optional property subclass for small business can be implemented in 2021;
• The establishment of the definition of small business; and,
• Consideration to send the report to Regional Council and to expresses the City's disappointment that the regulations have not yet been decided on to provide relief to small businesses from this initiative.

Shane Manson, Senior Manager, Revenue & Property Taxation addressed the Committee and confirmed that it is unlikely that a new property subclass for small business can be implemented for the 2021 taxation year.  He indicated that the Province has not yet issued the program regulations and that staff are not able to establish a process or evaluate the impact until they are.  The Region will bring forward a report with input from the nine lower tiered municipalities on the definition of small business and recommended tax relief approach.  

• Moved by Councillor Keith Irish
  Seconded by Councillor Isa Lee
  1. That the report entitled Optional Small Business Subclass Update be received; and,

      

  2. That staff be authorized and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.
  Carried
• Moved by Councillor Keith Irish
  Seconded by Councillor Isa Lee
  1. That this report, Optional Small Business Subclass Update, February 16, 2021, be forwarded to the Region; and,
  2. That the report express the City's disappointment that the Province has not yet provided the regulations for this initiative; and further,
  3. That staff be authorized and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.  
  Carried

8.

PRESENTATIONS - FINANCE & ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUES

8.1

CANADA HEALTHY COMMUNITIES INITIATIVE (7.6)

Meg West, Manager of Business Planning and Projects addressed the Committee to deliver a presentation entitled, Canada Healthy Communities Initiative, and provided an overview of this $31 million federal investment program designed to transform public spaces in response to needs arising from COVID-19. 

The Committee expressed their support of the program and inquired about the number of applications that the City can submit and the best way in which to proceed with project application submissions.

Staff reviewed the eligibility criteria and confirmed the process for project submissions.  Members of Council may forward project ideas to the Chief Administrative Officer by Tuesday February 23, 2021, and the Executive Leadership Team will present options at the General Committee meeting on March 1, 2021.  It was confirmed that the City may only submit one application to the program funder by March 9, 2021, for Round One and June 25, 2021, for Round Two.  

• Moved by Councillor Khalid Usman
  Seconded by Councillor Andrew Keyes
  1. That the presentation titled, “Canada Healthy Communities Initiative”, be received; and,
  2. That staff be authorized to submit one project in Round One and one project in Round Two; and,
  3. That Council members forward their project ideas to the Chief Administrative Officer for consideration by Tuesday, February 23, 2021; and,
  4. That staff report back to General Committee on March 1st with the prioritized list of project options; and further,
  5. That Staff be authorized and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.
  Carried

9.

REGULAR REPORTS - FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION ISSUES

9.1

STAFF AWARDED CONTRACTS FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY 2021 (7.12)

The Committee made inquiries on the following staff awarded contracts: 

• 257-T-20 Grass Cutting and Maintenance Services for Cemeteries; 
• 268-Q-20 Rouge River Community Centre Building Automation System Replacement; and,
• 188-R-20 Consulting Engineering Services for a Municipal Class Environmental Assessment Study for Denison Street Extension.

Staff provided information in relation to the inquiries.   

The Committee requested that staff provide a presentation on how part of the Rouge Valley Trail connection to the Rouge National Urban Park may be defined through the environmental assessment study for the Denison Street extension.

• Moved by Councillor Khalid Usman
  Seconded by Councillor Reid McAlpine
  1. That the report entitled “Staff Awarded Contracts for the Month of January 2021” be received; and,

      

  2. That Staff be authorized and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.
  Carried

9.2

AWARD OF PROPOSAL 102-R-20 CONSULTING SERVICES -SUPPLY, IMPLEMENTATION, AND ONGOING SUPPORT OF A PARKING ENFORCEMENT E-TICKETING AND PAYMENT SOLUTION (2.17)

The Committee made the following inquiries in relation to this award:

• The requirement of a ten month contract staff position that is in addition to the vendor contract; 
• The cost of renewal options and the services included; 
• Consideration of the potential Rouge National Urban Park joint parking system initiative; and,
• The current ticket volumes and the benefit this solution will provide.

Staff responded to the inquiries made by the Committee and indicated that a subject matter expert from the City's by-law enforcement team is critical to the success of the implementation of this program with the vendor and that their position would be temporarily backfilled for a ten month period.  Staff also indicated that information on ticket volumes will be provided to Committee Members and that this solution will allow for administration of all penalties and improve current service levels.  

• Moved by Councillor Reid McAlpine
  Seconded by Regional Councillor Jim Jones
  1. That the report entitled “Award of Proposal 102-R-20 Consulting Services -Supply, Implementation, and Ongoing Support of a Parking Enforcement E-Ticketing and Payment Solution” be received; and,

  2. That the contract 102-R-20 for Supply and Implementation of a Parking Enforcement E-Ticketing and Payment Solution (One time - hardware, implementation and training costs) (Recurring - software licenses, ongoing support and maintenance) be awarded to the highest ranked/lowest priced bidder, Groupe Techna Inc. in the amount of $210,996.28 inclusive of HST; and,

  3. That a contingency in the amount of $21,099.63 inclusive of HST be established to cover any additional project costs be approved, and that authorization be granted to approve expenditures of this contingency amount up to the specified limit in accordance with the Expenditure Control Policy; and,

  4. That staff be authorized to hire a Business Support project resource for 10 months at a cost of $104,032.82 to support the project implementation; and,

  5. That the capital costs be funded from capital project GL account 400-101-5399-20053 and GL account 049-6150-18316-005, with a combined available budget of $623,745.00; and,

  6. That the remaining budget in the amount of $287,616.27 ($623,745.00 - 336,128.73) be returned to the original funding source; and,

  7. That the contract for software licenses, ongoing support and maintenance costs for 9 years be awarded to Groupe Techna Inc. in the amount of $385,073.44, inclusive of HST ($199,001.60 fee for 5 years + $186,071.84 fee for the 4 renewal options) to be funded from 400-400-5361 with a current annual budget of $15,526.54, and subject to Council approval of the 2022-2030 operating budgets in the amounts of:
     1. Year 2 (2022) - $ 39,800.32 
     2. Year 3 (2023) - $ 39,800.32 
     3. Year 4 (2024) - $ 39,800.32  
     4. Year 5 (2025) - $ 39,800.32  
     5. Year 6 (2026) - $ 39,800.32  
     6. Year 7 (2027) - $ 46,517.96 *
     7. Year 8 (2028) - $ 46,517.96 *
     8. Year 9 (2029) - $ 46,517.96 *
     9. Year 10 (2030) - $ 46,517.96 *

        Total - $385,073.44

        * Optional Year Renewal

  8. That the Chief Administrative Officer and Commissioner, Corporate Services be authorized to approve the additional renewal years (Years 7 to 10) on behalf of the City (in its sole discretion), and execute any required documentation in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor; and,

  9. That Groupe Techna Inc. be designated as the preferred vendor for the City’s Parking Enforcement E-Ticketing and Payment Solution service needs at the sole discretion of the City and for Groupe Techna Inc. software products for the term of this contract; and,

  10. That the Chief Administrative Officer and Commissioner, Corporate Services be authorized to approve any new purchases related to this contract needed due to growth and/or future Parking Enforcement E-Ticketing and Payment Solution upgrades due to change in technology or system integration with other applications related to the project during the term of this contract, subject to the Expenditure Control Policy and budget approval, in a form satisfactory to the City Solicitor and at the sole discretion of the City; and further,

  11. That Staff be authorized and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.
  Carried

10.

MOTIONS

There were no motions. 

11.

NOTICES OF MOTION

There were no notices of motion.

12.

NEW/OTHER BUSINESS

There was no new or other business.

13.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

There were no announcements.

14.

ADJOURNMENT

• Moved by Deputy Mayor Don Hamilton
  Seconded by Councillor Khalid Usman

  That the Electronic General Committee meeting adjourn at 10:26 AM.  

  Carried