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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOctober 2, 2013 Final Page 1 CORP0228—2/02 Minutes/Meeting Summary Sustainable Pickering Advisory Committee Wednesday, October 2, 2013 12:30 pm CAO Boardroom Attendees: Dave Ryan, Mayor Doug Dickerson, Chair, City Councillor, Ward 2 David Pickles, Vice-Chair, City Councillor, Ward 3 Peter Rodrigues, Regional Councillor, Ward 3 Tom Melymuk, Director, City Development Grant McGregor, Manager, Sustainability & Special Projects Gilbert Boehm, Supervisor, Energy Management Jesse St. Amant, (Acting) Coordinator, Environmental Awareness Programs Shauna Muir, (Acting) Coordinator, Sustainability Carol Redmond, (Acting) Executive Assistant, Council (Recording Secretary) Absent: Catherine Rose, Chief Planner Item/ Ref # Details & Discussion & Conclusion (summary of discussion) Action Items/Status (include deadline as appropriate) 1. Municipal (Corporate) Energy Plan Update Gilbert Boehm Councillor Dickerson called the meeting to order at 12:30 pm. G. Boehm provided an update to the Municipal (Corporate) Energy Plan. He advised that pursuant to Ontario Regulation 397/11 of the Green Energy Act, 2009, municipalities are required to have a corporate energy plan completed by July 1, 2014. The portion of the act relevant to the City only pertains to heated or cooled facilities. He advised that the City is seeking the services of a consultant to assist with the development of the plan with integrated implementation strategies. A discussion ensued regarding the need to hire a consultant. It was decided that the decision would be determined after Page 2 CORP0228—2/02 reviewing the consultant’s proposals. G. Boehm advised that the City has received the first level of approval regarding the solar panels for the Claremont Community Centre and that he will be the liaison for the project. Scheduling the installation will begin around mid-December once all approvals are in place. T. Melymuk commented that a media release will be issued once the project implementation has been confirmed. 2. Sustainable Pickering Day 2014: Potential Dates Shauna Muir S. Muir advised that Sustainable Pickering Day is scheduled for Saturday, March 29, 2014 in conjunction with Earth Day and suggested that the theme be ‘Natural Environment’ The set-up will be similar to last year and they are looking to invite key City staff and external partners to participate. Councillor Dickerson commented that he would like to see more stage presence for some of the participants/presenters and reminded Committee Members to review their options for music next year. Councillor Pickles suggested inviting Bloomers & Britches and Councillor Rodrigues suggested including vermicomposting (worms). A discussion ensued regarding ideas for future themes. T. Melymuk suggested a 2015 healthy active community theme in consideration of the upcoming Pan American Games. Councillor Dickerson suggested energy saving devices at home. S. Muir advised that she would take their suggestions into consideration. 3. Celebrating Sustainable Neighbourhoods Shauna Muir Mayor Ryan arrived at the meeting at 1:00 pm S. Muir distributed a chart outlining the participating neighbourhood groups’ projects. The 8th group recently registered and is comprised of a group of staff from Ontario Power Generation (OPG) and students from Bayview Heights Public School that have taken on a neighborhood beautification Page 3 CORP0228—2/02 project. Groups have up to the end of November to finish their projects. Each group is profiled on the City’s website. A celebration event is scheduled for February 12, 2014 from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. An agenda will be sent to Committee Members once finalized. Each participating group will share information about their project and vote on a winner. Councillor Rodrigues asked how the amount of $10,000 was derived. T. Melymuk responded that it came out of discussions from previous Sustainable Pickering Advisory Committee meetings. The success of the program will be reviewed after the celebration event. 4. Sustainable Community Survey: Results Shauna Muir S. Muir provided an overview of the Sustainable Community Survey results. The survey objective is to obtain information for sustainability indicators in areas that either information is not available or areas that require community perceptions. It is also to provide means for community feedback. She noted that 160 people responded to the survey. A summary of the indicators is listed below: Survey Respondents Demographics  age, gender and education of respondents was populated Survey Delivery  respondents heard about the survey through eNewsletters and forwarded emails, local media, social media, word of mouth, City facility and website Sense of Belonging Respondents were asked to rate their sense of belonging to Pickering.  the majority felt a strong or very strong sense of belonging to Pickering, which was an increase of 13% from last year Perception of Community Safety Respondents were rated on how safe they felt: Page 4 CORP0228—2/02  walking along during the day  being alone in your home after dark  walking alone after dark  walking alone to your car in a parking lot after dark  waiting for and riding public transit alone after dark Mayor Ryan suggested including a ‘not applicable’ option for the public transit question, as not all respondents use public transit. A discussion ensued regarding the survey design and it was decided that location, a comment box and a ‘not applicable’ choice would be taken into consideration for future surveys. Perception of Pickering and its neighbourhoods  most respondents felt very safe or reasonably safe  sense of change in Pickering since moving here was about the same  most were satisfied or very satisfied with their neighbourhood Pickering’s Sustainability Efforts  most were satisfied or very satisfied with the City’s sustainability efforts Locally Grown Food Respondents were rated on how often they:  bought locally grown food  shopped at local farmers’ markets or bought food directly from a farmer  attended the Pickering Town Centre Farmers’ Market Volunteer Hours Respondents were rated on the number of hours they spent volunteering in Pickering, outside of Pickering and the type of volunteerism they participated in. Feedback Respondents were asked to share any further information that would help capture their experience living in the City of Pickering. S. Muir advised that she has feedback comments if Committee Members are interested in seeing them. S. Muir to action. Page 5 CORP0228—2/02 S. Muir advised that the results would be detailed in the next Sustainability Report in 2015. A discussion ensued regarding how the survey results are analyzed. Hiring a professional in statistical analysis can be costly. 5. Illegal Dumping/Sign Update Jesse St. Amant J. St. Amant advised that he has developed new ‘Eyes on the Street’ and illegal dumping signs, and is working with G. McGregor to secure funding for the signs for 2014. He distributed examples of the proposed designs that have been reviewed by staff. J. St. Amant noted that K. Thompson is looking into increasing the fine amounts, but that the process may be lengthy. J. St. Amant provided an overview of the cost to have two cameras installed at one location determined to be a hot spot for illegal dumping sites, and the difference between leasing and purchasing surveillance cameras. The cost to purchase the units is $9,330.22 (plus HST), and a 24 month lease is $464.38/month (plus HST). Prices subject to power availability. After discussion, it was decided to pursue the possibility of a 3 month trial demonstration at one of the illegal dumping locations to determine if the cameras would be worthwhile. J. St. Amant to action. 6. Other Business All Mayor Ryan asked that staff review the illegal sign issue in Pickering and report back to the Committee. Councillor Dickerson adjourned the meeting at 1:35 pm G. McGregor to action. Meeting Adjourned: 1:35 pm. Next meeting: Wednesday, December 11, 2013 at 11:30 am, Main Committee Room Copy: City Clerk