HomeMy WebLinkAboutMarch 20, 2023 - Special Council Special Council Meeting Minutes
March 20, 2023
Hybrid Electronic Meeting
The Lake House, 600 Liverpool Rd.
11:00 am
Present:
Mayor Kevin Ashe
Councillors:
M. Brenner
S. Butt
L. Cook
M. Nagy
D. Pickles
L. Robinson
Also Present:
M. Carpino -Chief Administrative Officer
K. Bentley -Director, City Development & CBO
P. Bigioni -Director, Corporate Services & City Solicitor
S. Boyd -Fire Chief
S. Douglas-Murray - Director, Community Services
B. Duffield -Director, Operations
J. Eddy -Director, Human Resources
J. Flowers -CEO & Director of Public Libraries, Pickering Public Library
R. Holborn -Director, Engineering Services
F. Jadoon -Director, Economic Development & Strategic Projects
S. Karwowski -Director, Finance & Treasurer
S. Cassel -City Clerk
M. Guinto -Division Head, Public Affairs & Corporate Communication
C. Rose -Chief Planner
R. Perera -Deputy Clerk
1.Roll Call
The City Clerk certified that all Members of Council were present and participating in-
person.
2.Disclosure of Interest
No disclosures of interest were noted.
3.Reports – New and Unfinished Business
3.1 Karen Wianecki, Director, Practice Planning Solutions Inc.
Re: City of Pickering Strategic Plan - Council Workshop
Special Council Meeting Minutes
March 20, 2023
Hybrid Electronic Meeting
The Lake House, 600 Liverpool Rd.
11:00 am
Mayor Ashe welcomed Members of Council and City Staff to the Meeting to
discuss the City of Pickering Strategic Plan. Mayor Ashe noted that the workshop
intended to establish goals and priorities for the city and to provide a clear future
to address the evolving needs of the community. He added that community
engagement was vital and inclusive opportunities to comment on the Plan would
be provided to all stakeholders.
Marisa Carpino, Chief Administrative Officer, provided remarks on the importance
of a Corporate Strategic Plan, stating that the Plan would be both aspirational and
tackle the challenges the City was facing in a rapidly changing environment. She
further provided an overview of the challenges and the opportunities that the City
would be facing from a staff perspective.
Karen Wianecki, Director, Practice Planning Solutions Inc., appeared before
Council to conduct the City of Pickering Strategic Plan Council workshop. Through
the aid of a PDF presentation, Ms. W ianecki walked Council and staff through the
strategic planning process, global, provincial, and local environmental trends, as
well as the vision, mission, and values for the City.
It was the consensus of Council to recess for lunch.
Council recessed at 1:00 p.m. and reconvened at 1:40 p.m.
Ms. Wianecki continued with her presentation and invited Members of Council and
City staff to provide feedback on several key areas. Highlights of the discussion
included:
•trends in technology and how Artificial Intelligence (AI) could be used to
enhance decision making;
•impacts of the aging and racialized population in Pickering;
•discovering ways to intersect technology with environment to address
climate change;
•the COVID-19 pandemic having introduced convenient service delivery
models and the need to continue this trend to create livable and convenient
cities;
•the importance of affordability and affordable housing;
•the importance of equity and inclusivity;
•creating a complete, livable, friendly, and walkable city;
•the benefits of attracting a post-secondary institution in Pickering;
•being a sustainable city that was inviting to individuals;
•the need to identify the right type of industries that should be invited to
Pickering to create more employment opportunities;
•identifying other municipalities with similar population numbers to create
benchmarks for City priorities that were measurable;
Special Council Meeting Minutes
March 20, 2023
Hybrid Electronic Meeting
The Lake House, 600 Liverpool Rd.
11:00 am
•the importance of understanding the uniqueness of Pickering and its unique
assets;
•creating connectivity in terms of public transit, trails, and broadband, which
would simultaneously assist in addressing climate change;
•staff’s commitment to responding to resident needs and keeping
communication channels accessible;
•Members of Council being stewards and working for the good of the public;
•the need to enhance and renew municipal infrastructure;
•increasing the non-residential tax base in Pickering;
•addressing health care needs and the need for more medical facilities in
Pickering;
•promoting community safety and community well-bring;
•the need to ensure that decision making is based on facts and critical
thinking;
•the need for Council direction on the City Centre project to assist with
decision making on other City projects;
•the importance of being open and flexible when addressing capital needs to
ensure that the City remains below its debt limit;
•the need for a decision from the Federal Government regarding the use of
the Federal lands and the need to investigate ways to maximize the use of
the Federal lands in the interim; and,
•top priorities for the City including the development of a new downtown and
civic facilities within the City Centre, public ownership of the waterfront,
commitment from the Province for a hospital in Pickering, infrastructure
renewal and enhancement, creating jobs, and completing pending City
infrastructure projects.
During the above discussion, it was the consensus of Council to take a short
recess. Council recessed at 2:34 p.m. and reconvened at 2:47 p.m.
Upon conclusion of the discussion, Ms. Wianecki provided a brief overview of the
comments she had heard and the important overarching themes discussed. Ms.
Wianecki thanked Members of Council and staff for their input on the Corporate
Strategic Plan.
Mayor Ashe provided closing remarks and thanked Karen Wianecki for leading the
City’s Corporate Strategic Plan workshop.
4.Confirmation By-law
By-law Number 7995/23
Councillor Brenner, seconded by Councillor Nagy moved for leave to introduce a By-law
of the City of Pickering to confirm the proceedings of March 20, 2023.
Special Council Meeting Minutes
March 20, 2023
Hybrid Electronic Meeting
The Lake House, 600 Liverpool Rd.
11:00 am
Carried
5.Adjournment
Moved by Councillor Cook
Seconded by Councillor Butt
That the meeting be adjourned.
Carried
The meeting adjourned at 4:24 p.m.
Dated this 20th of March, 2023.
Original Signed By
Kevin Ashe, Mayor
Original Signed By
Susan Cassel, City Clerk