This is the link to the livestream of the February 27th meeting - remember that it will only be live for two weeks.
The evening’s events started with a special working session to hear a presentation on King’s new Affiliation Policy.
King is introducing a new Affiliation Policy so that local organizations will have access to subsidized rates for use of indoor and/or outdoor municipally owned facilities. This will include free meeting space for planning meetings, executive meetings, and AGMs.
Affiliates will also be eligible for support from Township staff in an advisory capacity, facility allocation priority, as well as marketing, training and workshop opportunities.
To be a King Affiliate groups will need to meet the following criteria:
1) Have a primary mandate to provide recreational, cultural, heritage, social and/or sport programs and services that meet community needs.
2) The group's membership must be comprised of a minimum of 60% King Township residents
3) Services and programs must be offered and available to King Township.
4) Must be a designated not-for-profit or charitable organization.
5) Registration or participation in the group must be open to all King Township residents.
For further information, please contact: Amanda Hicks-Whitty, Manager of Community Services at ahicks@king.ca; 905-833-5321 ext. 6553
Mayor's Comments:
New Online Booking Tool for Planning - Offering online bookings for those looking for general planning information. Ideal for residents, builders, realtors, architects etc. looking for information.
York Region Police will be holding a policing activity update on Tuesday, February 28, 2023, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm at the King Municipal Centre.
The Mayor’s Celebration of Youth Arts presented by the Art Society of King kicks off this year with an opening reception and open mic/talent show on Thursday, March 9 from 6-8 pm at the King Township Municipal Centre and runs until April 13. Anyone attending the exhibit can vote for their favourite artworks for the People’s Choice Award. The student artist with the most votes wins a $100 Michaels gift card.
Cold Creek Maple Syrup Fest - Enjoy a pancake breakfast, learn about the process of syrup making, guided hikes to the sugar bush, tree tapping demonstrations and a variety of vendors. Cost: $10/per person or $35 for a family of four.
Summer Camp Registration open March 1st. Check out the Recreation Program Guide for a complete listing of all the available camps.
Stereotype Smash @ the King Heritage & Cultural Centre presents the 2nd annual art exhibit in recognition of International Women's Day. Displaying the art of 39 established and emerging artists, the exhibit contains entries from King Township, the GTA and as far away as the Maritimes. Meet some of the artists on Saturday March 4th from 1-3pm - 10 at Laskay Hall at 2920 King Rd.
Nominations for Volunteer Appreciation Awards - Each year, the King hosts a Volunteer Appreciation Night to honour and celebrate one of the Township’s most important resources: its volunteers. Categories include Citizen of the Year, Special Recognition Award, Non-Resident, Senior Citizen Award of Merit, Lifetime Achievement, and Youth Award of Merit. Nominations close on March 13, 2023.
AGENDA HIGHLIGHTS
1) Planning Report in Response to Bill 23
- King staff have outlined the many modifications and impacts that Bill 23 will have on various aspects of Township operations.
As there are so many impacts, it's a long report but following are a few key changes and actions:
a) Conservation Authorities - The province now prevents CAs from entering into agreements with municipalities regarding the review of planning proposals or applications. This is a service that many municipalities, including King, have relied on and do not have the in-house expertise to perform. Council endorsed Staff’s recommendation to use a third-party to undertake ecological and natural heritage peer-reviews when necessary to commence immediately in instances where the Conservation Authority is unable to provide the review, and that the costs of these reviews be recovered from the applicant. The province has also taken away the power of CAs to regulate or prohibit development that negatively impacts wetlands, rivers or streams. Further, CAs would no longer be able to consider pollution or the conservation of lands when issuing or refusing to issue permits.
b) Ontario Heritage Act – There are changes to the criteria used to evaluate properties and districts for heritage listing and designation, as well as new requirements and limitations for the inclusion of non-designated “listed” properties on the municipality’s Heritage Register. Currently, King has 35 “designated” properties and 166 “listed” on the Township’s Heritage Register. King has an additional 300 properties on the Township’s Built Heritage Inventory, which is a list of properties that may have heritage potential and may be recommended for inclusion on the Township’s Heritage Register. A property on the Built Heritage Inventory has no status or restriction under the OHA, but it is a useful screening tool to identify which properties should be prioritized for review.
Bill 23 requires that “listed” properties be “designated” within two years or they will be removed from the Heritage Register. Once removed they cannot be added back for five years during which time properties cannot be protected from alteration or demolition.
Staff has determined that it takes four to six weeks to review the potential designation of a single property, and prepare a Designation By-law and the associated Report to Council. As such, with one full-time Staff member allocated to Heritage, that person will be able to prepare approximately eight Designation Reports and Bylaws per year, or approximately 14 – 15 before the deadline of January 1, 2025.
With no new resources to hire additional staff, the current Heritage Coordinator will devote a majority of time on the designation of “Listed” properties and will work with the Heritage Advisory Committee to rank properties in order of priority.
c) Wetlands - Bill 23 is proposing to completely overhaul the Ontario Wetland Evaluation System for identifying Provincially Significant Wetlands (PSWs), ensuring that very few wetlands would be deemed provincially significant in the future. Further, many if not most existing PSWs could lose that designation because of the changes, and if so, would no longer benefit from the high level of protection that PSW designation currently provides.
Council directed Staff to develop a Wetland Offset Program in response to these changes which involves recreating an existing natural areas elsewhere. Though this appears to be the only option available to the township, Ontario Nature notes that the concept of offsetting is seldom successful in fully compensating for the loss of wetland area, functions and values. Mary Muter of the Kingscross Rate Payers Association and Chair of the Georgian Bay Great Lakes Foundation provided this deputation about the ramifications of these changes:
d) Financial Considerations
- Bill 23 amended 10 separate Provincial Acts. The changes made to The Development Charges Act have the most significant financial impact to Township. Preliminary analysis estimate that the reduction in the amount of Development Charges could be as high as 20% - 30% over the next 10 years. In King, this would equate to approximately $3,000,000 - $4,000,000 in lost DC revenues a year which would require a 10+% increase in your municipal taxes to offset.
Ontarians should be outraged at the additional expense that the loss of Development Charges will cost municipal taxpayers. This policy will save developers billions over the next decade while municipalities will be forced to either reduce services (Fewer library hours? Fewer camps? Less park amenities? etc.) or increase taxes.
2) Janeking Holdings
Council approved the draft plan of this subdivision which includes 155 single-detached homes, 56 townhouses, as well as 65 “Lifestyle” townhouse units geared towards seniors, for a total of 276 units. This development represents the maximum density for the number of units on a per hectare basis according to King's Official Plan.
3) Monetary Penalty System for By-law Offences
A great example of efficiencies proposed by staff where King will use the Hearing Officers appoint by Newmarket to conduct hearings on behalf of King.
Thank you, Jennifer, for keeping us abreast of this IMPORTANT info. And where is King's MPP? our conservative, developer friendly provincial government must be held accountable for its POOR long range vision.