The Council of
The Regional Municipality of York
Revised Agenda
February 26, 2015
9:30 a.m.
Council Chambers
York Region Administrative Centre
17250 Yonge Street
Newmarket, Ontario
Quorum: 11
[Accessible formats or communication supports are available upon request
Contact: Regional Clerk’s Office, regional.clerk@york.ca, 18774649675 extension 71320]
A. Disclosures of Interest
B. Minutes of Council
B.1 Council Meeting held on January 22, 2015
C. Presentation
C.1 Pan Am Games
Brenda Librecz, Commissioner, Community and Fire Services, City of Markham to provide an overview regarding the Pan Am Games
C.2 2015 - 2018 Regional Budget
Bill Hughes, Commissioner of Finance
D. Deputations
(Subject to Council granting deputant status.)
None
[The titles of the following Communications, Reports and Bylaws are links that will open the items]
E. Communications
E.1 Appointment of Members to the 2015-2018 York Region Accessibility Advisory Committee
Adelina Urbanski, Commissioner of Community and Health Services dated February 26, 2015
E.2 March - Red Cross Month
Beverly Verwey, Branch Council Chair, Canadian Red Cross, dated January 9, 2015, requesting that Council recognize March as Red Cross Month.
E.3 April 2, 2015 - World Autism Day
Autism Ontario's Raise the Flag Committee dated January 21, 2015, requesting that Council recognize April 2, 2015 as World Autism Awareness Day.
E.4 Environmental Services Budget - Upper York Sewage Solutions (UYSS) Project - Town of East Gwillimbury
Please refer to Clause 2 of Committee of the Whole Report No. 4.
E.5 Environmental Services Budget - Water and Wastewater Investment Deferrals – BILD
Please refer to Clause 2 of Committee of the Whole Report No. 4.
F. Consideration and Adoption of Reports
F.1 Report No. 3 - Committee of the Whole - February 12, 2015
F.2 Report No. 1 - Audit Committee - February 12, 2015
F.3 Report No. 4 - Committee of the Whole - February 19, 2015
F.4 Report No. 2 - Commissioner of Finance - 2015-2018 Regional Budget
F.5 2015 Regional Fiscal Strategy
Please refer to Clause 6 of Committee of the Whole Report No. 4.
F.6 Report No. 1 of the Regional Chair - Committee Structure
G. Introduction and Consideration of Bylaws
G.1 Bylaw 2015-8
2015 Interim Tax Levy
To levy against the lower-tier municipalities on an interim basis the sums of monies required during the year 2015 for the purposes of The Regional Municipality of York
G.2 Bylaw 2015-9
2015 Tax Ratio Bylaw
A bylaw to establish tax ratios and to specify the percentage by which tax rates are to be reduced for prescribed property subclasses for 2015
H. Motions
H.1 Earth Hour - 2015
Moved by: Regional Councillor Taylor
Seconded by:
Whereas climate change is the biggest environmental threat to our planet and a major concern for all Canadians; and
Whereas at exactly 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 28, 2015, major cities around the world will turn off their lights and electrical power for one hour to raise awareness about climate change and to symbolize that, working together, the people of the world can make a difference in the fight against global warming; and
Whereas the event, called “Earth Hour”, began in Sydney, Australia in 2007 as 2.2 million people turned off their lights to take a stand against climate change; and
Whereas since then, it has become an annual, globally observed event; and
Whereas participating in Earth Hour sends a powerful message to every citizen and business around the world that it’s possible to take action on climate change and that switching off our lights and electrical power is just one simple action we can take to help make a difference;
Therefore be it enacted by the Council of The Regional Municipality of York as follows:
That at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 28, 2015, The Regional Municipality of York will join other municipalities and cities around the world in literally “turning out the lights” by shutting off all non-essential lighting and electrical power in all of its facilities, where feasible, and without jeopardizing safety, for one full hour.
I. Notice of Motion
I.1 Region Administrative Annex Expansion Building
Moved by: Regional Councillor Jones
Seconded by: Regional Councillor Di Biase
Whereas, we are in the midst of unprecedented growth in our Region; and
Whereas, in a very short time, we have seen our population grow to the point that our population is now larger than the Province of Nova Scotia, the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Province of New Brunswick and is about the same as the Province of Saskatchewan; and
Whereas, our population is just over one million one hundred and fifty thousand residents today and is projected in the Provincial Growth Plan to exceed two million residents in the next twenty-five years; and
Whereas, we the elected Council for York Region have a duty and obligation to provide all Regional services to those that need them in as convenient location as possible; and
Whereas, we are seeing an aging population and more people requiring services that must rely on public transit and would benefit if they had better transit access to the new Regional facility; and
Whereas, we also have an obligation to our employees to have our facilities in a convenient location so that transit is a viable option; and
Whereas, our residents’ needs are changing from the Region providing predominantly hard services such as roads, water, sanitary sewers and treatment systems to a Region that is also becoming increasingly involved in the delivery of public transit, social housing and expanding social services; and
Whereas, the large population of our Region is provided with services such as healthy living services, child and family health services, speech and language therapy, dental and many more social services; and
Whereas, for generations the Town of Newmarket had been the County Seat for the County of York including Toronto, and continues to be the centre of Regional government, which will not change; and
Whereas, about three quarters of the residents we serve reside in the southern portion of the Region and seventy eight per cent of the assessment resides in the City of Vaughan, the Town of Richmond Hill and the City of Markham; and
Whereas, the Provincial Growth Plan recognizes that growth has been and will continue to be centred in the three southern municipalities and has designated three major Growth Centres in the Highway 7 Corridor, the Vaughan Corporate Centre, the Markham City Centre and the Richmond Hill/Langstaff Gateway. There is a fourth Regional Growth Centre designated in Newmarket on Yonge Street and Davis Drive; and
Whereas, the Regional Official Plan also recognizes the tremendous growth and the importance of the node and transit mobility hubs in Markham, Vaughan and Richmond Hill; and
Whereas, the majority of the planned growth in the Region will be Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) in the south, served by the Richmond Hill/Langstaff Mobility Hub. This Hub will be the interface of York Region Transit, Viva, the Yonge Street subway, the Richmond Hill all day GO rail and the MTO 407 High-Speed Rail Transit-Way and possibly the high-speed rail from Quebec City to Windsor Rail Express, that being six individual services interfacing at one location which is unparalleled in this country; and
Whereas, the intersection of Yonge Street and Highway 7 is also where Vaughan, Markham and Richmond Hill all intersect; and
Whereas, this location has been identified as an Urban Growth Centre and a Major Regional Transit Hub joining the Yonge Street Subway extension, the Richmond Hill GO Train, the Provincial 407 Rail Transit- Way, Viva Yonge Street BRT, Viva Highway 7 BRT and YRT services; and
Whereas, the intersection of Yonge and Highway 7 is central and accessible by public transit to a much larger population than the proposed annex building expansion to the existing Regional headquarters; and
Whereas, there are approved planning permissions in place at the Yonge and Highway 7 intersection to house a major Regional presence and assist in the delivery of services to those that need them in a more convenient location; and
Whereas, this is an ideal location to consolidate other regional, provincial and federal government services in the area to one central and accessible location; and
Whereas, we are faced budget pressures at present due to growth pressures and the increasing needs of our residents;
Now therefore be it resolved:
That staff be directed to meet with the Highway 7 and Yonge Street landowners to explore building the Regional Building Annex in the Richmond Hill Centre/Langstaff Gateway area and to consolidate other Regional leased sites in the area into one building and present options to Council for build to own, lease, or lease to purchase;
And that a report on the progress be presented to Council at the April 2015 meeting of Council.
J. Other Business
K. Private Session
Motion to resolve into Private Session to consider the following:
K.1 Private Attachment - Appointment of Members to the 2015-2018 York Region Accessibility Advisory Committee - Personal matters about identifiable individuals
K.2 Update on Rapid Transit Matters - Potential Litigation
L. Public Session
Motion to reconvene in Public Session
Adoption of recommendations from Private Session
M. Confirmatory Bylaw
Introduction of Bylaw 2015-10 to confirm the proceedings of Council at this meeting
N. Adjournment
