by Sylene Argent, Local Journalism Initiative
Town to work with Sanford and Son Supermarket
to install “no parking” signs on Walnut
Administration for the Town of Essex was directed to work with the owner of Sanford and Son Supermarket to install “no parking” signs on Walnut Street, down to the two houses.
The decision was made during the January 13 regular Council meeting, after hearing Dane Sanford, owner of Sanford and Son Supermarket, voice parking concerns regarding Walnut Street, near the store’s east entrance.
The parking-by-law will also be amended to authorize the restriction, when it is updated. Council will need to approve that with three readings.
“We have always been kind of bottlenecked by a residential street that runs alongside us,” Sanford explained to Council. He said they have been landlocked on that property, as it is also surrounded by King Street, a cemetery in behind, and Shoppers adjacent.
“So, [transport] trucks pulling from the residential side have to maneuver and jackknife around the corner telephone pole that’s been wiped-out before, but we paid to have it replaced.”
He wanted to make it more demarcated right up to the sidewalks to accommodate the trucks. There is a tenant on the east-side of Walnut, across from the shipping entrance. Often, the drivers try to back-up the transports, which is difficult to navigate.
Mayor Sherry Bondy sees the issue often, and noted it is a congested corner.
“If we had a road with curbs and gutters, I don’t know if people would actually even be able to park there,” Bondy added. She views the issue as similar to the area around the Tim Hortons on Talbot Street in Essex Centre, there is no parking where the banks are on the other side. “I view it as something similar to that.”
She asked if the tenant needed the space to park, if Sanford would be willing to allow them to park in his lot. Generally, there isn’t a lot of daytime parking in that area. He noted there is no problem with people parking on the property.
In answering Councillor Katie McGuire-Blais’s question on what Administration would recommend, Director of Infrastructure Services, Kevin Girard, noted that typically staff would ask businesses to make amendments where needed to facilitate their operations.
The Town’s Road Superintendent attended the site earlier that day to observe a delivery. The driver did not appear to have any issue accessing the property from Walnut. It is within Council’s authority to make that change, he added.
The two residential lots on Walnut on the opposite side of the road do not have a lot of onsite parking in their driveways. Girard cautioned Council may cut off needed parking.
Councillor Rodeny Hammond was in favour of finding a solution. He said he was familiar with the corner, and the landscape has changed over the years, resulting in parking out front, where there never used to be.
ERCA presents 2025 Draft Budget to Essex Council
Council for the Town of Essex received and approved the correspondence and presentation from Tim Byrne, CAO of the Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA), which contained ERCA’s 2025 Draft Budget discussion and analysis.
In the report Byrne provided Essex, it notes ERCA’s 2025 Budget represents the municipal cost apportionment of $3,053,491, for mandatory programs and services is (+2.8% increase or $82,403), and $327,262 restricted to the seven unanimously supported Category 3 non-mandatory programs and services (3.2%, $10,000).
It adds its Budget of $12 million will be funded with around $3.5M in current year cost apportionment, approximately $7.9 million in non-municipal sources, $223k from previous years’ revenues, and $587,000 in transfers from reserves.
Essex’s portion of mandatory services is $149,888, and non-mandatory services is $16,064. The optional land acquisition was set at $24,543.73.
The ERCA Board of Directors approved the 2025 Draft Budget for circulation at the regular meeting on December 12, 2024.
In these challenging times, ERCA attempted to be most responsible with respect to managing what it needed to deal with in terms of increases, Byrne said.
He also took the time to speak about last year’s accomplishments.
2024 was quite a year with significant success and significant challenges, Byrne, told members of Essex Council.
Major accomplishments included updating the stormwater standards for the entire region, which Byrn acknowledged Essex Director of Infrastructure Services, Kevin Girard, for his efforts towards the initiative.
That puts an even playing field on developments, development reviews, and development consultants, he said.
In addition, the coastal hazard mapping was completed for the Lake St. Clair, Detroit River, and Lake Erie shoreline. County Council spearheaded this initiative, with leadership and advice provided by ERCA staff.
That mapping had not been updated since 1976.
Funding was secured to complete the project.
“We unfortunately saw some significant flooding in the region,” Byrne added, including flooding that impacted Essex specifically. He commended Essex’s staff for their response and County staff in dealing with it. ERCA staff assisted in providing advisories, warnings, and issuing follow-up surveys.
Significant development has taken place throughout the region and within the Town of Essex, Bryne said. ERCA staffers have met with Essex’s staff and developers. “We’ve enjoyed the working relationship we have had.”
He also spoke of ERCA receiving the single largest grant from the federal government, outside the Golden Triangle in 2024. That $14M will reestablish Watershed Stewardship Programming. This is a multi-year grant. $6.3M will go towards rural areas of this region.
Last year, ERCA also completed its 20-year Clean Water, Green Spaces summary. Over those two-decades, there has been a $14.8M municipal contribution from all municipalities, from Windsor to Pelee Island. With that funding ERCA brought back an additional $15.2M.
“That $30M is an investment in our future, and our children’s futures,” Bryne said. It allows the Conservation Authority to purchase at-risk properties threatened by development, and undertake reforestation and restoration throughout the region.
The program is still moving forward. It now falls under the “non-mandatory” category under the Conservation Act. Because of that, Byrne has to approach municipalities for financial support.
“We wish to continue with that program as having that reserve in place allows us, when we access these grants, to immediately have matching funds available to immediately access grants that are available,” Bryne explained.
Essex has supported it. A few area municipalities did reconsider support.
ECRA still requires support, and Essex always shows great support, he added.
For some time, ERCA has been in discussion with the previous Administration with the Town of Essex regarding expansion to its flood forecasting system for the region.
There is a data system ERCA accesses to gain information about antecedent conditions regarding when and how much rain is falling throughout the region. There are areas in Essex that have historic drainage and flooding problems, that being in the McGregor and Sucker Creek area.
“We put together a proposal some time ago – almost a decade ago – to again increase the numbers of flood forecasting stations throughout our region. We had suggested two additional stations for Essex proper,” Bryne explained. That will help ERCA in how it can assist the municipality with advanced warning and data for future engineering and design purposes.
The technology provides a record of rainfall, data that is useful to ERCA for future flood forecasting purposes and for Essex’s technical staff with respect to the type of storm systems being dealt with and planning for design capabilities in the future.
Councillor Kim Verbeek likes the idea of the additional stations.
She asked if there has ever been a partnership with farmers, like a subsidy or discount, to plant treelines as it helps minimize loss of topsoil and helps keep blowing snow from getting on the roads, in her experience.
Byrne responded ERCA does have subsidies and assistance towards tree planting on private lands. Unfortunately, the province has made that a non-mandatory service. The region currently has 8% tree coverage and should be 12-15%.
Essex Council updated on holiday garbage
collection calendar misprint, proactive measures
A scheduling discrepancy was identified in the 2024 waste collection calendar following the Christmas holidays, Essex CAO Doug Sweet told members of Essex Council at the January 13 meeting.
His verbal report noted that misprint affected residents in Essex Centre and McGregor in the municipality. It also affected parts of neighbouring Lakeshore.
“Through this error, many residents were unaware of the correct pick-update and did not put their garbage out on time,” Sweet added.
The garbage collection calendar advised the pick-up was December 27, when it was actually the day before.
The next regular collection was scheduled for the following week, “causing further inconvenience,” Sweet added.
Once the discrepancy was discovered, the Town of Essex, the Essex Windsor Solid Waste Authority (EWSWA), and the garbage contractor, GFL, worked swiftly to address the situation.
There were multiple calls between the three parties to help identify solutions.
A special garbage collection was arranged for Monday, December 30, before the next scheduled regular pick-up on Thursday, January 2.
Updates were posted on the Town’s social media and Council was informed.
That additional pick-up occurred without additional cost to the Town, Sweet said.
An internal debrief was also held with the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, and staff to review the incident and its handling.
Sweet explained the annual waste collection calendar is developed by the Solid Waste Authority for all local municipalities. It includes information for yard and waste pick-up dates, recycling schedules, and town promotions.
The Town pays for the printing and distribution of the waste collection calendars. Each municipality is responsible for verifying the accuracy of the information related to their area. Information is provided by the recycling and garbage contractors.
Historically, information regarding pick-up adjustments was forwarded, based on the number of days it would take place after the holidays. That led to potential misinterpretation, Sweet said.
Proactive measures Town Administration is looking at taking to prevent errors in future calendars includes providing specific dates for pick-up adjustments, instead of the days delayed due to the holidays, and EWSWA will ensure updated contact information for all municipalities is provided annually to avoid delays or miscommunication caused by staff turnover.
Town Administration, he added, already provided a thorough review of the 2025 calendar to confirm accuracy with each of the external contractors.
The Town of Essex, he added, sincerely apologizes for the inconvenience caused over the holiday season.
“We remain committed to learning from this incident and continuing to implement best practices to prevent similar issues in the future,” Sweet said.
Deputy Mayor Rob Shepley appreciated Sweet’s verbal report and all the effort everyone put into helping to solve the issue when it came about.
Resolution found for 33 Irwin driveway
Council approved the construction for approximately two-feet of additional driveway with a one-foot flare on the south-side of the existing driveway at 33 Irwin Avenue from the Irwin Avenue Reconstruction project budget.
The property owner appeared before Council previously, noting the road reconstruction affected the width of his driveway access.
At the November 4 2024 Council Meeting, Council directed Administration to meet with John Fraser, property owner of 33 Irwin Avenue, to review the permit details from the curb cut permit that was awarded in 2019 and return to Council with a resolution at such time.
The report highlights the Town and the property owner were able to find an agreement.
ZBA amended for 0 Maidstone Avenue West
Council gave third and final reading to By-Law Number 2400, amending Essex’s Comprehensive Zoning By-Law for 0 Maidstone Avenue West.
The adoption of site-specific Zoning By-Law will permit site-specific uses and regulations, including a bakeshop, drive-through restaurant, a drive-through food outlet, health studio, micro-brewery, veterinary office, or whole food store.
It also provides relief from the Zoning By-Law which limits the Maximum Gross Floor Area of a business, financial, or medical office, light repair shop, personal service shop, professional studio, retail store, restaurant, and takeout food outlet to 2,700 square-feet.
An application for a site-specific amendment to the Comprehensive Zoning By-Law for the Town of Essex has been received by the Town for the commercial lands located in the Primary Settlement Area of Essex Centre at the southwest corner of the intersection between Maidstone Avenue West, and Peters Street, the report notes.
A statutory meeting was held on December 16. No comments from the public or Council were received, the report adds. At the time, the first two readings were approved.
In addition, Site Plan Control will be required for the respective development, which will require the applicants to finalize the development layout in accordance to Town standards.
Amherstburg Access Agreement for Ducharme Lane approved
Council for the Town of Essex authorized Administration to enter into the Authorization Agreement for Phase 2 of the Ducharme Lane Development with the Town of Amherstburg.
This will allow the Town of Amherstburg to grant such approval for infrastructure located outside of its geographical boundary.
In June 2023, the Town was downloaded with the responsibility of environmental approvals for stormwater and sanitary infrastructure expansions that meet certain pre-approval criteria known as Consolidated Linear Infrastructure-Environmental Compliance Approvals (CLI-ECA), Director of Infrastructure Services, Kevin Girard, noted.
The Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks downloaded the CLI-ECA
approval requirement to municipalities in 2022, the report notes.
The Ducharme Lane phase two subdivision is the first development requiring an expansion to proceed in McGregor since these downloaded responsibilities were put in place.
The Town of Essex and the Town of Amherstburg geographically share their respective areas of the hamlet of McGregor, the Report to Council adds. Amherstburg owns, operates, and maintains the sanitary system. That includes the infrastructure located within the geographical boundary of the Town of Essex.
Girard added Essex owns and maintains the stormwater infrastructure in the area, Essex has to issue the CLI-ECA, but the sanitary sewers being owned and operated by Amherstburg would require approvals from them.
The development could not proceed without the approval, Girard noted.
Flextime Policy
to have a trial period of 18 months
The Personnel Committee recommended Council adopt the Flextime Policy for a trial period of 18-months, by resolution at the next regular Council meeting.
Council approved this.
NoM: report to outlining initiatives and projects
completed and planned to address flooding
At the December 16, 2024 meeting Mayor Sherry Bondy made a Notice of Motion to request a report from Administration be created to outline the initiatives and projects completed in 2024 and planned for in 2025 to help address flooding in the municipality.
The motion was put on the table at the January 13 meeting.
Bondy said she thought it would be good to get all that information packaged up for members of Council, so they can provide the information if a resident asked what is being done or what has been done in terms of addressing flooding since the last flood.
It would also help to identify gaps that perhaps can be considered in 2026 Budgets and beyond.
“I know we are doing everything we can and no amount of municipal money would have solved the flood that happened in August, but we are making gains and we are trying,” she said.
Notices of Motion to considered at the February 3 meeting:
• Councillor Katie McGuire-Blais will ask Council to direct Administration to provide a report on the status of negotiations with the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) on the sidewalk expansion on South Talbot, from the Cypher Systems Group Greenway to Reed Street, and the Hanlan Road Expansion. The report should include information and timelines on the funding the Town is expected to receive from the MTO for both
projects.
• Councillor Katie McGuire-Blais will ask Council to direct Administration to send a letter to the local MPP office, MPAC representatives, and the office of the Minister of Finance, with AMO included for receipt, requesting a status update on the property taxation and assessment review and timelines for the introduction of the next reassessment cycle.