Strategic Decisions by Council - February 24, 2025

Council Meeting Date: February 24, 2025 

Strategic Decisions from Council

Consent Agenda Items

Community Heritage Grant Program Update
Township of Centre Wellington Source Protection 2024 Annual Report

Home Energy Efficiency Transition Program
The Home Energy Efficiency Transition (HEET) program as proposed by the County of Wellington is an important initiative that will provide financial assistance to homeowners in Wellington County who wish to make energy-efficient upgrades to their homes. By reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the residential sector, we can move closer to achieving net-zero targets and support energy affordability. 

The HEET program will make a variety of incentives and services available to homeowners, while promoting low-carbon resilience approaches and practices more broadly through awareness and education, in addition to workforce development. The program will leverage the municipal Local Improvement Charge (LIC) mechanism enabled under provincial legislation to unlock access to competitive financing, and to offer longer repayment terms and other advantages to homeowners. The Township would be responsible for administering the LICs. The County is expected to borrow substantial funds to capitalize on the HEET program and will rely on LIC payments from residents to repay its loan.

Council supports the implementation of the Home Energy Efficiency Transition Program within the Township of Centre Wellington and directed staff to prepare the necessary Local Improvement Charge bylaw for the implementation of the Home Energy Efficiency Transition Program to be presented to Council for consideration at a future meeting.

Report to Council

Ontario Heritage Act Alternative Notice Policy
In November 2022, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing passed Bill 23, enacting the More Homes Built Faster Act. The Bill included several amendments to the Ontario Heritage Act (OHA), including a new two-year time limit for listed (nondesignated) properties on municipal heritage registers. This change means that more than 1,000 listed properties on the Township's Municipal Heritage Register must be removed by January 1, 2027, if they are not designated before the deadline. Initially, the deadline for removal was January 1, 2025, however, a two-year extension was granted. In response to this amendment, planning staff initiated a Heritage Designation Project in 2024 to designate as many of the Township’s listed properties as possible, before the removal deadline of January 1, 2027. 

Given the scale of the task, staff is looking at ways to streamline the designation process for efficiency and cost savings to the extent possible. This includes an alternative process for issuing notices under the OHA. 

Council adopted the Ontario Heritage Act Alternative Notice Policy, which will allow municipalities to adopt policies to publish notices in alternative media sources, such as the Township’s website.

Report to Council

Second Line Reconstruction Road Base Stabilization - BDT Product Procurement
In 2023 and 2024, the Township collaborated with BioDiffusion Technologies Inc. ('BDT') of Cambridge, Ontario to trial an innovative road-based treatment method to extend the expected service life of asphalt-paved surfaces. This partnership with BDT is part of a study to develop an innovative technology, which is also being tested in other municipalities throughout Ontario. 

Overview of Testing Results and BDT Benefits
Both the 2023 and 2024 application areas have been subjected to extensive testing to assess the pre and post-application strength of the road. To test the road strength, the deflection of the road surface was measured using a Multi-Speed Deflectometer and a Light-Weight Deflectometer at different time intervals before and after BDT application. Note that a decrease in measured deflection implies that the road is stronger and more resilient to cycles of loading and unloading over time, resulting in longer expected service life. The testing has demonstrated that:

• Bioresin improved the structural capacity of the unbound granular base by about 18 per cent based on testing 1 week after construction.
• Application of 100 millimetres (mm) of asphalt further reduced the pavement surface deflection by approximately 50 per cent, from an average of 2.2 mm to an average of 1.1 mm (note that a deflection less than 2 mm is considered to be a well-performing road); and,
• In the case of the 2023 trial segment, a further reduction in deflection was observed one year after the trial application (measured in the summer of 2024).

Due to the ongoing success of the road base treatment, Council approved a single source contract to BioDiffusion Technologies for Second Line (former West Garafraxa) from 500 m north of Wellington Road 18 to Wellington Road 19. This 2.4 km segment has average daily traffic counts that exceed 2,500 vehicles per day. Geotechnical investigation of this road segment and observed patterns of pavement failure suggest that the road base is structurally deficient, and that failure of the road base is reducing the expected service life of the asphalt-paved surface. These attributes make this segment an ideal candidate for the application of BDT bio-resin since the application is expected to increase the strength of the road base in advance of asphalt repaving without the need to replace the road base fully. 

Report to Council

Active Transportation Fund Grant Application
Based on the eligibility criteria, staff recommended, with Council approval that the Township apply for Elora Cataract (EC) Trail improvements on a new alignment through Fergus. The proposed improvements consist of:

• Realignment of the existing EC Trail through streets with lower traffic volumes and gentle topography, utilizing existing controlled crossings at Victoria Terrace/ Garafraxa St., and St. George St./ St. David St. North;
• Installation of a new controlled crossing at Beatty Line and Frederick Campbell St., allowing trail users to safely cross Beatty Line;
• New north-south trail connections via multiuse paths on Beatty Line, connecting the EC Trail and the Trestle Bridge Trail to the new controlled crossing location;
• Hard surfacing the existing gravel portion of St. George St. West from Maple St. to Beatty Line;
• Implementation of traffic calming measures along the new trail route through Fergus; and,
• New and improved wayfinding signage through Fergus and to key destinations (i.e., downtown, cultural heritage areas, etc.), and amenities such as benches and bike storage locations.

Learn more about the grant in the Report to Council

Fergus Grand Theatre: Operations and Community Impact Report
In December 2023, Council passed the following resolution: That the Council of the Township of Centre Wellington direct staff to investigate the profitability of the Fergus Grand Theatre and report back to Council.

Some of the items in the Work Plan targeted for 2025 need to be planned and designed immediately. The Pre-approvals that staff are seeking are for the following Key Actions in the Work Plan:

• Work with the DEI Advisory Committee and Community Groups of Interest to ensure programming takes place during culturally significant times. (Recommendation 1)

• Add a Theatre for Young Audiences (TYA) presenting function for local schools. (Recommendations 1)
• Implementation of new rates and fees as approved through the 2025 budget. (Recommendation 2)
• Implement staffing recommendations as per the report using funding already approved in the 2025 Staffing Strategy and approved in the 2025 Budget. (Recommendation 3)

The report to Council summarizes the analysis completed by Township staff and provides recommendations for moving forward as a Theatre that aligns with Council's Strategic Plan and that better serves the community, as it enters its second century in downtown Fergus. 

The Fergus Grand Theatre: Operations and Community Impact Report will be posted on www.ConnectCW.ca for public feedback and it will be shared with the Economic Prosperity and Growth, Healthy Communities and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advisory Committees for feedback before returning to Council for final approval. 

Fergus Grand Theatre Operations and Community Impact Report and Report to Council

Community Improvement Program 2025
Council authorized the use of the Façade and Property Improvement Grant, Study Grant, Building Improvement Grant, Rental Housing Grant, Rental Housing Development Charge Deferral, Tax Increment Equivalent, and Brownfields Tax Assistance incentive programs for 2025 as part of the Community Improvement Plan as recommended by the Economic Prosperity & Growth Advisory Committee.

Report to Council

Tobogganing in Centre Wellington Parks
In response to concerns raised regarding the health and safety of residents using Township parks for tobogganing, “No Tobogganing” signs were installed on January 7, 2025, as an immediate measure to mitigate potential risks. This temporary action allowed staff time to coordinate with the Township’s insurance provider and conduct a comprehensive risk assessment of designated tobogganing hills and outdoor ice rinks in Centre Wellington. Following consultations with the Township’s legal and insurance providers, staff have identified key risk exposure areas and determined the necessary service level requirements to facilitate tobogganing and community outdoor ice rinks. 

The following next steps were approved by Council:

• Staff to implement a formalized Winter Activities Risk Management Program including Tobogganing and Community Ice Rinks. 
• Delegated authority to the Managing Director of Community Services to approve the locations in the Township where a tobogganing and community ice rink program will be implemented.
• Staff to return to Council with a final report on the Winter Activities Risk Management Program for Council approval by June 2025.
• Additional staffing requirements for the Winter Activities Risk Management Program.
• Tobogganing to be permitted at Foote Park and Southridge Park, inclusive of the interim risk management practices identified in Report CS2025-10, for the remainder of the 2025 February to April winter season.
• Tobogganing to be temporarily prohibited on the high-risk areas of Ferrier Park as indicated by the red arrows on the map included in Report CS2025-10 until a final report is considered by Council.

Report to Council