After a July break, the membership of the Grand River Conservation Authority will take part in a late August meeting in what looks like a pretty straightforward agenda with the usual financial and watershed condition updates. In terms of new material, we’ve got the cost of tree planting, a once-in-a-decade report, and an update about the changes to how the GRCA is managed with its member municipalities. Let us preview the meeting…
NOTE: This meeting will be in a hybrid format, broadcast from the GRCA Admin Centre on YouTube starting at 9:30 am.
Correspondence – The one letter this month is from Halton Region Council who are asking the Grand River Conservation Authority to keep any proposed budget increase for the next fiscal year under 5.7 per cent. “A key priority for the Region is to maintain tax increases at or below the rate of inflation. The 2024 budget is to be prepared such that the tax increase does not exceed 4.0%, after budgeted assessment growth of 1.7%,” the letter says.
Ad-hoc Conservation Authorities Act Regulations Committee: August 16, 2023 – The most recent meeting of the committee reviewed the progress of discussions with municipalities about signing the new memorandum of understanding (MOU). Feedback from staff at many of the member municipalities is that they’re apparently ready to recommend approval of the new MOU, there are still a few points of concern, and it may require an appeal to the Ontario government to extend the deadline till the end of the year. The committee approved a motion to direct staff to seek just such an extension.
Cash and Investment Status – As of the end of May, the GRCA has Notes Receivable in the amount of $59,770,256 with outstanding cheques written in the amount of $50,965.
Financial Summary – The GRCA still has a relatively good fiscal outlook for the year thanks to an overall decrease in operating expenses to the tune of $90,000 and an increases in self generated revenue, which added $650,000 due to added income in environmental education and conservation area entry fees. Overall, the GRCA is projected a positive variance of $435,000 for 2023.
2023 and 2024 Tree Nursery Plan and Tree Planting Fees – This item deals with a couple of couple things. First, there was a kind of boo-boo with the tree nursery fee schedule approved by the membership in the 2023 budget, so that has to be corrected. As for the Tree Nursery and Tree Planting schedule of fees in 2024, this program will no longer be eligible for funding through the municipal levy due to changes to the Conservation Act approved by the Ontario government. This will mean that the GRCA won’t be able to offer bulk order discounts, but the program will continue in 2024. More details will be brought to the board with the budget later this year.
Development, Interference with Wetlands and Alterations to Shorelines Regulation – Once a quarter, the GRCA staff release the stats for the all permits approved and issued under the Administration of Development, Interference with Wetlands and Alterations to Shorelines and Watercourses Regulation Ontario Regulation 150/06. There were 238 permits issued in April, May and June, including seven for Guelph.
Review of Proposed Policies Adapted from A Place to Grow and Provincial Policy Statement – The Province is developing a plan that will integrate both the Provincial Policy Statement and A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe. The Government of Ontario has been collecting feedback the last few months, and the GRCA noted the need to have prescriptive policies to protect natural heritage systems, and the need to protect flood plains even as growth pressures continue.
Canadian Heritage River: 30th Anniversary Report – Every 10 years, a full report has to be prepared for Parks Canada to outline the events, actions, stewardship, studies and changes to the cultural and recreation heritage of the GRCA properties. The reporting here will cover everything from 2014 to 2024, and will affirm the status of the Grand River, and its various tributaries, as a Canadian Heritage River.
Current Watershed Conditions – As the report says, “July was a wet month”, and it also had average temperatures, so the reservoirs were able to be filled to normal summer operating levels. Since rainfall was more than 150 per cent of the long-term average, ground water levels are showing signs of recovering from record lows in 2022. Having said that, the watershed is still at Level 1 Low Water, but the GRCA is anticipating the full recovery by early September.
CLOSED MEETING:
The membership will meet in-camera under seconf 239(2) of the Municipal Act in order to talk about a “Personal matter about one or more identifiable individuals.”
Guelph Politico 