Council Info

From the June 5, 2013 Regional Council meeting:

Council Info is a summary of discussion and the major items presented at Council meetings. It is circulated immediately following each meeting. You are encouraged to quote from and copy this information. Please refer to the minutes for an official record of the meeting. Watch the Regional Council webcast.

Council approves measures to increase Green Bin participation
While the amount of Green Bin material diverted from the landfill since the program began has gradually increased with 132,000  households having access to the program, collection appears to have levelled off at approximately 10,000 tonnes collected annually.Regional Council has approved the expansion of the current Green Bin promotional campaign to allow residents the option to use certified, compostable plastic bags to line green bins, beginning July 1, 2013. Council has asked that staff investigate and report back in the fall of 2013, the possibility of curbside collection service changes (e.g. bag limits, bi-weekly garbage collection) as a way to increase green bin participation. Council has also approved the extension of the Green Cart demonstration project to align with the end of the Region-wide collection contract, to further evaluate this program with the use of certified, compostable plastic bags.

Safety Measures for Roseville Road Turtle crossings explored

The Region has received numerous concerns from residents with regard to turtles being struck by motorists along Roseville Road in the vicinity of Barrie’s Lake, in the Township of North Dumfries. Signage indicating that turtles are crossing in this area has been erected. Regional Council has also directed staff to investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of various options to keep the turtles safe, such as erecting temporary fencing that would prevent the turtles from entering the roadway; investigate if suitable turtle breeding habitat conditions could be created along the south side of Roseville road, this would eliminate the need for the turtles to cross the road; and investigate the possibility of construction one or more eco-passages north of Barrie’s Lake across Roseville Road. Up to $10,000 from the environmental stewardship stream of the Community Environmental Fund will be allocated for the costs of this initiative. A report considering a speed reduction to 60 km/h will be present to Planning and Works Committee on August 13, 3013.  .

 Council approves next step for Rapid Transit

Regional Council has approved the release of the Request for Proposal (RFP) to three shortlisted teams in the running to implement Stage 1 light rail transit in Waterloo Region. The three shortlisted teams will have approximately six months to prepare and submit their proposals. The successful team will be announced in early 2014.

Grass and weed cutting on Regional Roads reinstated
Regional Council has reconsidered budget reductions for weed cutting and maintenance on Regional roads (urban and rural). The grass and weed cutting program in 2013 for all Regional roads will be reinstated at a budgeted cost of $400,000 with funding from under expenditures in the Winger Maintenance Program, other program areas or from the Winter Maintenance Reserve Fund.

Service Manager Housing Software initiative
The Region will participate in an initiative to develop and implement an IT solution to coordinate the administration of community housing. This process will improve efficiency and data reliability and reduce errors. The system will allow easy access to information on housing provider performance, funding, demographics, subsidy allocation, tenant surveys, etc.

Two additional EMS staff approved
Council approved the addition of two Emergency Medical Services (EMS) schedulers. These staff will provide scheduling support in order to allow current EMS supervisors to shift to on-road supervision of paramedics and optimize EMS management.

Library changes approved
Council approved Region of Waterloo Library service improvement recommendations, including optimized hours of operation, increased collections and expanded programming. The Region of Waterloo Library has 10 branches located in the Region’s townships.

Tenders/Contracts:

The following tenders/contracts were approved by Council:

·       $26,786,899.73 to Steed & Evans Ltd. For the widening and reconstruction of Weber Street from College Street to Union Street in Kitchener and Waterloo.

·        $3,059,502.69 to Brantford Engineering & Construction Ltd. for the construction of the Cambridge organics transfer facility and compost pad improvements.

·        $2,382,551.38 to Brantco Construction for improvements to Hespeler Road and Water Street in Cambridge.

·        $1,887,964.45 to Veolia Water Solutions and Technologies Canada Inc. for the supply of ballasted flocculation with sludge thickening system equipment for the Mannheim Residuals Management Plant in Kitchener.

·        $675,409.54 to Engineered Concrete Ltd. for bridge rehabilitation on Floradale Road in Woolwich Township.

·        $850,000 to Hydro One Networks Inc. plus an additional $320,000 on their initial contract to remove the existing overhead transmission lines and relocate Hydro One infrastructure underground between Courtland Avenue and Fairview Park Mall.

·        $291,859 to Stantec Consulting Limited to provide engineering services for the construction of the Municipal Wells Phase II Project.

·        $324,187.42 to IBI Group to provided consulting engineering services for preliminary design, detailed design, contract administration and construction inspection for King Street from Bishop Street to Eagle Street in the City of Cambridge.

Next Meeting…

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

at 7 p.m.