city council group pictureThe Centennial Hall is back on city council’s agenda.

Council will decide whether or not to lease the building, instead of selling it or tearing in down.

Stay up to the minute with our live blog starting at 6pm.

(Keep refreshing the page as the night goes along for updates.)

Just a beginning note, Campbell is not here tonight.

Starting off with the Timmins Ringette team, looking for some funding.

The U16A Timmins Tornadoes won the provincial championships this year, and will represent Ontario at the 2015 Eastern Canadian Ringette Championships from April 16-19 in Moncton, New Brunswick.

They say it will cost each player around $2,000 to participate, which rounds out to be around $26,000 in total.  Parents and coaches aren’t included in the total.

The team will be doing a dinner buffet at the Dante Club on April 7th, a fitness challenge and a bottle drive.

They are asking for a $3,000 donation from the city.

After co-captains Tara Jensen and Veronique Gagne made their presentation, council chambers erupted in applause and council is speaking very much in favour of this request.

Black asks if they can wear a Timmins branding patch on their All-Ontario jerseys, which will be looked into.

As well, the Ontario Provincial Ringette Championships are coming to Timmins in March 2016.

It will take place the five days of March Break.

To close it off, a video is being shown to promote the event.

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Next up is Greg Garner and Nicole Graham with the Mountjoy Farmers Market.

They would like to purchase Centennial Hall from the city.

In a release, they say they understand that the building is more of a liability to the city, than an asset.

It’s estimated repairs to the building will cost around $170,000.

Bamford asks if they could do a 1-4 year lease of the building.

In terms of the site itself, Black says he doesn’t think a new aquatic centre or multi-use complex would go on this site and is in favour of looking at a four-year lease.

Rinaldo says she wasn’t under the impression we’d see a four-year option.

Doody proposes a two-year lease, and see where things end up.  Rinaldo agrees.

Council agrees to a two-year lease, and a report will come back to make it official in the coming weeks.

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Next is a zoning by-law from Randy McMaster, in regards to Iroquois Road.

This will allow for single family housing south of Sterling Avenue.  The new subdivision would extend Iroquois Road and would create two apartment buildings, and a number of single detached houses, semi-detached housing and duplexes.

Barry Martin says the project would be done in two phases, and could take 2-3 years to complete and could start this fall.

This will also require upgrading Iroquois Road to appropriate municipal standards.

A resident from Sterling Avenue is asking Martin a number of questions to clarify the process.

Grzela asks about senior’s housing.  Martin says the apartments are more than likely going to be two-bedroom housing and geared towards families and seniors.

This will come back in a report.

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Next is correspondence on the Housing Services Corporation Accountability Act.

This will come back.

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Now a letter from the Town of Iroquois Falls to Resolute Forestry regarding the Mill closure.

In it, they state how the company left the town high and dry, and are looking to delay site demolition until July 2016.

This will come back in a resolution in the next meeting.

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Next is FONOM on proposed changes to Bill 52 for Northern Ontario concerns.  Again, this will come back.

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Now a deeming by-law for Toals Management Inc. on Vimy Avenue.

This will come back.

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Luc Duval is up on the Airport Road Bridge preliminary design.

The prelim design contract is recommended to go to McIntosh Perry for $129,161.

Doody asks about the timeframe, and Duval replies that they would like to start this next year.

This will come back for formal approval.

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Onto suspended officers, passed by the Timmins Police Services Board recently.

Now, it’s up for approval at city hall.

To review, they want to suspend officers without pay when:

  • A police officer is charged with a serious offense contrary to the Criminal Code of Canada, the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act or any other Act, that is not related to the performance of the officers duties
  • A pofice officer is charged with an offense and is held in custody, or is charged with an offense and is subject to a judicial interim release order with such conditions that prevent the officer from carrying out the duties of a police officer

They would also reduce the with pay component of the suspension by 25% every three months on the understanding that if the police officer is found not guilty that they be fully reimbursed any loss of wages during the suspension.

If an officer is found guilty of an offence, they would be terminated.

Bamford says he understands the frustrations in the community, but it flies in the face of what Canadians stand for (that people are innocent until proven guilty in the court of law.)

He says we should find a way to have an officer do desk work, depending on the charge.  This way, taxpayers get some productivity out of it.

Grzela says he’d support this motion.

Black points out the suspension without pay is at the discretion of the Chief of Police and many things were taken into consideration.

Dubeau says he won’t support the motion as it’s worded, but the effort is a good start.

Bamford says he’d be disappointed if this paper lasted more than “a nanosecond” on the desk of a minister.

“I don’t want my name anywhere near this,” he said.

Black points out we have a split in support, and will look at re-wording the resolution.

He adds the process itself in reducing a pay by 25% every three months is intended to push the judicial process faster.

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Onto grants to organizations and policies behind it.

This is to see if grants should all be approved through council, with presentations or to just have requests go through the Mayor’s office.

This will come back in a report.

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Now onto the special meeting, and BUDGET TIME!

Treasurer Jim Howie is up to give an update on where the budget is at.

4.2% increase to the expenditure budget.

About $200,000 extra is being observed, and Marks says he’d be happy in putting the money away for future years.

A popular option is to put the money into future capital reserve fund for bridges.

Residents are looking at an increase between 1.88 to 2.8%; businesses from 0.29 to 1.36% and industrial 0.13 to 2.25%.

Council has passed the budget, and staff will come back with a resolution on the ratios.  There are starting ratios and alternative ratios being looked at, to ease the burden away from residents.

and time to go in-camera, so we are adjourned!