City of Kenora Council Summary for February 15, 2023

This summary is a snapshot of the decisions made by City of Kenora Council at the February 15, 2023 meeting. Please review the Minutes for an official record of the meeting proceedings.

Council approves the terms of reference for Kenora Crime and Community Well-Being Advisory Committee

Council approved the proposed amendments to the Terms of Reference for the Kenora Crime and Community Well-Being Advisory Committee. With the approval, recruitment of additional committee members can begin to fill seats from various sectors. Recruitment is underway for the Community Safety and Well-Being Coordinator position. View the February 17 Media Release for more details.

Council approves five-year capital budget

Council approved the 2023 Five-Year Municipal Capital Budget. City staff can begin to plan for the capital projects included in the budget. The following are changes made during Council’s review:

Defer Down Town Revitalization Matheson and First Street South design and tender to 2026 and 2027 respectively.
Additional Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund of $1,224,862 be allocated to roads infrastructure replacing Net Tax Levy funding.
Replace Office Renovation and Expansion Net Tax Levy funding of $242,000 with Reserve funding.

Note that Council will review the 2023 Municipal Operating Budget in the coming month which will determine property tax rates. View the February 16 Media Release for more details on this resolution.

Council commits contributing to All Nations Hospital project

Council committed to a contribution to the All Nations Hospital project as follows:

Installation of water and sewer servicing on the selected new site
Development of an intersection off the main roadway into the new selected site
Development of road connect between the site entry and the new hospital site.

The City’s commitment is a positive contribution towards the development of a new hospital that will benefit the entire community and surrounding area.

Council authorizes agreement for forest fire management

Council authorized entering into an agreement with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry to March 31, 2028. This current agreement extends the previous agreement to ensure the resources are available to protect the municipality should a forest fire threaten the municipality.

Council receives Fire and Emergency Services update and summary report

Council received Fire and Emergency Services 2022 fourth quarter report and 2022 annual summary report. The reports look at current staffing levels, call volumes, response times, significant incidents, fire prevention and training initiatives. 2022 fourth quarter key stats include total call volume of 112 calls (104 in Kenora and 8 outside the municipal boundary), as follows:

31 Fire Alarm Activations (28%)
20 Motor Vehicle Collisions (19%)
7 Carbon Monoxide Alarm Activations (6%)
5 Structure Fires (4%)
15 Medical First Response (13%)
10 Other (9%)
8 Human Perceived Emergencies (7%)
3 Rescues (3%)
1 Hazardous Materials Emergencies (1%)
11 Outdoor Fires (9%)
1 Vehicle Fires (1%)

View the full report attached to the February 8, 2023 Committee of the Whole Agenda.

Council received Engineering and Infrastructure Services quarterly update

Council received Engineering and Infrastructure Services report ending December 2022.

Sewer and Water Rehab Project –replacement of surface works, streetlight improvements, and value-added features where possible completed November 2022:
- Second Street South from Fifth Avenue South to Seventh Avenue South
- Second Avenue South from Mike Richards Way to Sixth Street South
- Seventh Avenue South from Sixth Street South to Eight Street South
Municipal Paving Project – rehabilitation of right o ways, including surface works and associated civil infrastructure completed December 2022:
- First Avenue South from Matheson Street South to 322 First Avenue South
- HWY 17 E from River Drive to Fifth Street South
- Railway Street from 1077 Railway Street to Sedesky Road (Railway Street Phase 2)
- Ninth Street North from Houghton to Artillery Way
- Laneway East of Eighth Avenue North between Third and Fourth Street North
Municipal Storm Sewer Works - rehabilitation of existing municipal storm mains located between Fifth Avenue North and Sixth Avenue North completed December 2022
Pinecone Drive Failure Rehabilitation - investigative geotechnical drilling, analysis, design and construction works completed October 2022
Coker Road Settlement Analysis - investigative geotechnical drilling, analysis and recommendations to be completed March 2023
Detailed Visual Bridge and Structure Inspections – inspections of 21 bridges, the downtown Parkade and the waste transfer facility tipping floor structures as required by Ontario Regulations completed December 2022. The OSIM reports will include recommendations for maintenance and associated costs, updated condition index and a proposed 10-year bridge replacement schedule. Findings were present to Council on February 8, 2023.

Solid waste highlights from October to December 2022 include stats on service, collection and waste types including:

11,327 customers served at the Transfer Station
Tipping fees revenue generated $671,614
46,325 bag tags sold
244 tons of garbage collected at curbside
109.9 tons of Blue Box recycling collected at curbside
8.9 tons of electronic waste diverted from the landfill
311.3 tons of blue box recycle waste materials transported to the recycling facility (Cascades Inc.) in Winnipeg

Fleet services from October to December 2022 highlights include:

2488 hours on 179 vehicles and pieces of equipment for almost every division
23 annual safety inspections and 88 preventative maintenance services in addition to regular repairs and maintenance

The fourth quarter was busy with preparing for the upcoming winter months. A significant amount of time and effort going through and repairing all of our equipment and attachments to bring them back up to standard conditions from last year’s harsh winter and heavy snow accumulation. Fleet has outfitted all the vehicles and equipment with their required plows, wings, sanders, snow blowers and any other attachments required.

Roads highlights focused on sidewalk and asphalt repairs, ditching, hazardous tree removal, and winter maintenance activities, including plowing, sanding, removal on streets, roads and sidewalks.

Water and wastewater highlights include:

Dig and repair water main and sewer main breaks
Snow clearing at water booster stations and sewer lift stations
Grinder pump servicing
Seasonal water service turn offs for Coney Island, ball fields, Anishinabe Park, Keewatin
New water service connections
Repair and winterize fire hydrants
Sewer rodding
Service grinder pumps

View the full report attached to the February 8, 2023 Committee of the Whole Agenda.

Council receives Community Services Division quarterly report

Council received the 2022 fourth quarter report for Community Services Division.

Parks and facilities highlights include:

Central Community Club construction of the club house and installation of the rink.
Baseball fields upgrades to create better playing surfaces at Kenora Recreation Centre small diamond, Portage Bay and Central Park.
Coney Island beach upgrades, including accessibility upgrades to washrooms, boardwalk replacement, boat parking and seating.
Coney Island footbridge installation of new walkway and lighting.
Dog Park enhancements to fence line and walking surface

Tourism highlights focused on the Experience the Lake campaign in partnership with Sioux Narrows-Nestor Falls, Matiowski Farmers’ Market conclusion with a customer appreciation day on September 28, followed by a Matiowski Winter Market on December 10. The Lake of the Woods Discovery Centre hosted Indigenous Ingenuity September 16th to November 3rd. This exhibit presented a clever and novel mix of science and culture intended to share First Nation, Inuit and Métis innovation and ingenuity along with celebrating the diversity, interconnectedness, and resourceful ways of knowing and being, that Indigenous knowledge and innovations provide in the global community.

Recreation highlights include participant numbers by activity, programs offered and attendance, and facility rentals, as well as maintenance projects at both the Keewatin Memorial Arena and Kenora Recreation Centre. The facilities are now open at full capacity with no restrictions.

View the full report attached to the February 8, 2023 Committee of the Whole Agenda.