It’s been a busy couple of months at membership board of the Grand River Conservation Authority, so by comparison November’s meeting is going to be a little bit lighter. (Also, the annual general meeting is next month so it’s a small respite.) For this meeting there’s the usual financial updates, some tenders to approve, plus some human resources policies to update, but the big thing, again, has to do with outdoor education.
NOTE: This meeting will be in a hybrid format, broadcast from the GRCA Admin Centre on YouTube starting at 9:30 am.
Minutes of the Ad-hoc CA Act Review Committee from November 8, 2023 – As the committee aims to get the new municipal agreements complete in time for the start of the new year (the provincial government’s deadline to adapt the new models per their legislated changes to the Conservation Act), there seems to be one sticking point. At October’s meeting, the board passed a motion to defer a request to members to include outdoor education under category two (or municipally-funded) till January, but the review committee affirmed that they need to make a final decision on that by the end of the year. The board will have to talk about next moves.
Cash and Investment Status – As of the end of October, the GRCA had Notes Receivable in the amount of $61,057,915 with outstanding cheques written in the amount of $250,035.
Reserves 2023 – The motion for this is almost two pages long (starting on page 21 of the agenda package if you want to read it in full) because this is the annual confirmation of the transfers to the reserve funds. The reserves are forecast to be $50.5 million for this year, which represents an increase of $1.8 million over the last fiscal year.
Financial Summary – Getting another step closer to the year end, staff are anticipating a surplus of $614,000 for 2023. Although operating expenses increased slightly, capital expenses were down by the nearly the same amount, but the biggest driver for the positive variance seems to be the self-generated revenue.
Human Resources Policies Update – Periodically, the Human Resources Policies are updated due to legislative changes, new best practices. or new directives and policies that affect human resources. Among these changes are a new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policy, modifications to uniform and safety equipment requirements, use of equipment, reporting, and other conditions for employment.
Rockwood Bridge No.5 Replacement – O/A R&M Construction is the winning tender to replace the old bridge on the Rockwood Woolen Mill in the Conservation Area. A temporary bridge was erected after the current bridge was condemned and closed off to public use due to severe scouring on the abutments. There were 10 companies that put in a bid for the $270,000 job.
Shand Dam Isolation Stoplogs Procurement Tender Award – Although they were the one company that bid on the job, staff are convinced that Embertech Industrial Inc. checks all the boxes for this $523,600 upgrade to the reservoir.
Current Watershed Conditions – The good news is that the watershed got more rain in October than it did in September, but the bad news is that it’s still below long-term average rainfall levels. The precipitation we got in the summer improved groundwater conditions, but those improvements are under threat from the relatively dry fall we’ve had so far. The long-term forecast for the next few months does promise above normal temperatures and precipitation.
CLOSED MEETING:
It looks like there are two matters again that need to be discussed in-camera, one concerning labour relations or employee negotiations, and the other about litigation or potential litigation.
Guelph Politico 