Council Rundown
January 24, 2022
Community Safety and Well-being Plan Implementation Update
A special meeting was held from 6:30 to 7:00 pm on the evening of the 24th for a presentation by Jennifer Lagrandeur, Community Health Navigator and Joseph Burke, Town Clerk and Manager of Planning Services, regarding work on the implementation of the Community Safety and Well-being Plan. Highlights include:
- The hiring of the Community Health Navigator by the Espanola Regional Hospital through a partnership with the Town to work on the implementation of the plan for the LaCloche Foothills communities.
- The establishment of a planning and leadership framework with the Community of Care Planning Network, a network made up of over 40 members representing all local social and health services providers and municipal governments.
- The development of a “red book” to be distributed widely once developed to provide critical information about which phone numbers and agencies to contact in various critical situations when individuals are in need.
- The organization of a bike exchange for youth to receive free bicycles and a bike rodeo in collaboration with the OPP to provide safe bicycle use demonstrations this spring/summer.
- The purchase of bicycles for OPP Officers to allow for OPP bicycle patrols in the LaCloche Foothills communities.
- Continued work on exploring options for a regional transportation option for seniors to medical appointments.
Geographical Information System (GIS)
Town Clerk and Manager of Planning Services, Joseph Burke, provided a demonstration of the Town’s new GIS system and public tool available on the Town’s website. The tool enables members of the public to navigate an overhead Town map and access publicly available information regarding properties including zoning information. The system can be accessed by clicking the Town GIS Map icon at the following link: https://www.espanola.ca/explore-espanola.
Mayor and Councillor Reports and Announcements
Councillor Massicotte commended the Espanola Minor Hockey Association (EMHA) for their work putting on the EMHA Paper Town Half Time U7 & U9 Tournament. The Tournament included two breakfasts hosted at the Complex and Councillor Massicotte reported that the Arena was packed which was very nice to see.
Deputy Mayor Kelly commented on having attended the Rural Ontario Municipal Association Conference with fellow Council Members Mayor Gervais and Councillor Kallionen, held in Toronto from January 22nd to 24th. Deputy Mayor Kelly thanked the Town for the opportunity to attend and looks forward to providing a fulsome report on her attendance at the next Regular Meeting of Council.
Mayor Gervais echoed the comments made by Deputy Mayor Kelly.
Appointment of new Chief Building Official as of March 6th, 2023
Following the closed session in the Special Meeting of Council following the Regular Meeting, Council passed a motion to appoint Marc Leclair as Chief Building Official, effective March 6th, 2023. Mr. Leclair is currently the Town’s Building Inspector/Property Standards Officer and has been working with the current Chief Building Official since 2019. Mr. Leclair has completed all Ontario Building Officials Association (OBOA) educational requirements for Chief Building Officials. Current Chief Building Official, Mr. Dan Rivet will be retiring in the coming months after 35+ years of service to the Town. The Town has recently posted for a Building Inspector/Property Standards Officer to replace Mr. Leclair in his current role. The application deadline for this position is February 3rd, 2023.
The Council Rundown provides a summary of each Council Meeting. The official record of each meeting is the Meeting Minutes and can be found in the Council Meetings section of the website. Any questions regarding Council Meetings can be directed to Joseph Burke, Town Clerk at [email protected] or by calling 705-869-1540.