Sarah Williams
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
A varied discussion was had by the Town of Greater Napanee Council during their Oct. 22 Regular Council Meeting. From an Official Plan review to a steep rise in OPP expenses, and more, town council had a full agenda.
The Official Plan (OP), a document that guides growth and development for municipalities across Ontario, is a multi-faceted document reviewed every five years. After the draft OP was released to the public for comment, one resident raised issues pertaining to three particular sections of the document. These issues were reviewed by Arcadis IBI Group and staff. The areas of concern were downtown building height and land uses, modifications to the urban boundary, and fringe area policies.
When it came to downtown building height and land uses, Hubert Hogle questioned why the OP only cites nine “permitted” uses in the core business district and suggested the term “encouraged” should be used instead.
“The OP is supposed to be aspirational, a guideline….it shouldn’t restrict uses to nine things in the downtown area,” Hogle argued.
Arcadis, in their response, noted language could be added to be more inclusive, such as “including, but not limited to”.
At the crux of Hogle’s argument was that several items listed in the OP did not need to be there at all. Instead, he argued, many issues could be confined to the zoning bylaw.
In response, Michael Nobes, General Manager of Growth and Infrastructure; Growth and Development Services pointed to the need for the OP to be “specific and meaningful”.
“The OP gives weight to zoning bylaws and ensures those bylaws conform to the high level of the OP,” said Nobes, “Applications to amend zoning bylaws are more difficult to evaluate and may result in undesirable development.”
Nobes also noted that any modification to urban boundaries is intended to provide homeowners with more flexibility when it comes to severances. With regard to fringe area policies, he added that it simply “makes sense to grow where services are already planned”.
Mayor Terry Richardson noted he appreciates the work of staff in addressing issues brought forward by the public and that he appreciates the OP is “restrictive enough to manage but flexible enough to make changes down the road.”
Another issue top of mind for many residents and council alike is the Parks Bylaw and Encampment Protocol.
Up for discussion was the results of the consultation, which included public meetings and a survey.
The report lists several factors that contribute to the nationwide rise in homelessness, including the cost of living crisis, lack of affordable housing and shelter space, and the ongoing opioid crisis. The report is also careful to mention that superior court justices have determined that, in communities where adequate shelter is not available, community members have a constitutional right to shelter themselves.
Overall, the public’s willingness to participate in consultation about this issue has been significant.
CAO Matthew Grant noted the initial meeting drew 300 residents, with the more recent meeting drawing well over 200.
The survey drew 1,300 people to the Town’s consultation page, of which 550 responded. Notably, 17 per cent of respondents said they, or someone in their family, had experienced homelessness.
With regard to the results of the public consultation, Grant pointed to a large number of people who did not want to see encampments anywhere in Napanee. With case law in mind, Grant noted “this doesn’t mean they can shelter anywhere, but they are allowed to shelter themselves.”
“It also came out that there is a great desire to protect vulnerable citizens, and a particular desire not to have encampments near areas where children would congregate,” added Grant. “These areas include daycares, schools, playgrounds, and splash pads.”
The consultation also showed a public desire for management strategies regarding sharps and garbage containers, limiting tent clusters, and more.
In order to increase predictability surrounding encampments, Grant noted staff are recommending that Conservation Park be designated an area where encampments are not allowed.
“The intent is to create predictability, so individuals know that is an area where they won’t encounter encampments,” he explained.
Several councillors expressed concern that this suggestion regarding Conservation Park might negatively affect Springside Park, an area beloved by many in town and beyond. Among them was councillor Bill Martin.
“We don’t want to discourage visitors,” said Martin. “We’re throwing Springside Park away by designating Conservation Park as a no encampment zone.”
Grant responded by pointing out that the town’s response needs to be viewed as reasonable, should the bylaw be challenged in court.
“Our perspective is, if we had both parks designated, it might unnecessarily limit the space available. If this bylaw is challenged in court, we want to be deemed reasonable,” he explained.
Council accepted the report and expects the new Parks Bylaw and Encampment Protocol, along with an accompanying staff report, to be available as early as the next Regular Council Meeting on Nov. 6.
In other news, while bills for many services appear to be rising, so too are those for the local OPP services. Across the province, as Grant pointed out, the rising cost of OPP services has affected many communities.
Annually, the town is billed a base rate and a rate based on the number of calls for service.
For 2025, the OPP price tag has increased by 23 per cent, or $928,000. The total bill, as Grant stated, is up to $5,041,653 from $4,113, 260 in 2024.
“This will make it a very tough budget year,” he expressed.
Bringing more bad news to the table, Grant noted that this increase in cost will mean council will be required to start the budget at 6.1 per cent in advance of capital needs, operating needs, etc.
“The burden on the taxpayer is front of mind,” he added.
For Pinnell, as with many, there were more questions than answers. Namely, he inquired as to who is overseeing the OPP budget and whether or not there are checks in place to ensure accountability.
“Who is their watch dog? Who is overseeing their budget the same as is done in local government? Who is responsible for these numbers?” he asked.
Grant responded that, ultimately, the costs for services, and how those are decided, would be at the purview of the Solicitor General but that changes to funding formulas etc. would come from the provincial government.
Richardson noted the burden this places on taxpayers, mentioning it is “a little heartbreaking that we’ve worked so hard to make things better and now we have to work even harder.”
Council voted to note and receive the OPP costs report.
Council approved a number of recommendations brought forward by The Market Square Advisory Committee.
These recommendations include, but are not limited to: that council adopt the vision for Town Hall put forward by the Market Square Advisory Committee, that council direct staff to develop an affordable costing structure and booking model that would allow community and arts groups to use the space and the town to achieve cost recovery, that council identify which recommended capital improvements it would like staff to include as recommendations in the 2025 budget process, and that council directs staff to pursue partnerships for capital improvements to the facility, particularly related to the creation of a space that would accommodate market activities in Market Square as well as entities that could set up and run market activities in the Market Square precinct.
These recommendations are in response to the committee’s mandate, which includes making changes to the building to support community activities, providing the space as a venue that celebrates diverse talents, improving the aesthetics of the building, and creating a sustainable vendors market, including seeking partnerships.
Falling on the heels of their discussion surrounding rising OPP costs, Pinnell noted any improvements to the town hall will be paid for using money already set aside for this purpose.
“There’s money set aside-over $400,000-so this should not have any impact on the levy,” said Pinnell. “The committee has an idea that this space will be a destination and, from there, people can enjoy other aspects of the downtown core.”