Council has asked for input from Sarnia residents on City/County Councillor Bill Dennis' motion urging the Federal government to cancel the carbon tax.
Staff have been directed to post the topic for discussion on the Speak Up Sarnia website and report back.
Council previously asked the Sarnia Environmental Advisory Committee to present its findings on carbon pricing. Council had asked for public consultation, but it was not completed.
After speaking on behalf of the committee October 16, member Greg McConkey was berated by Dennis for not including more information in his presentation.
The meeting stopped as a result of the outburst.
Dennis apologized for his behavior on October 27, but council asked staff to report back on their experience at the meeting, safety concerns and potential measures to increase security if needed.
----------------------------------
Sarnia council has approved its meeting schedule for 2024.
Council will continue meeting in predominately four-week intervals.
Pre-scheduled corporate priorities/strategic planning meetings will be eliminated and replaced with special meetings at the call of the mayor, on advice of the chief administrative officer, or as directed by council.
No dates for budget input or budget consideration were included, due to pending changes in the budget process.
--------------------------------------
A pilot project has been approved for the intersection of Brock and George Streets.
A temporary curb bump out will be installed, and dedicated left hand turn lanes will be created from Cromwell Street to London Road.
The solution is hoped to address a high number of collisions at the intersection.
-----------------------------------------
Council authorized the creation of a five-year agreement, with the Bluewater Cycling Organization, for the use of the newly built storage shed at the Strangway Centre. The group uses the shed to store bicycles, trishaws, and bicycle accessories.
The agreement would be exclusive to the cycling organization, which offered to cover insurance costs and maintenance of the building after its warranty had expired.
----------------------------------------
Minor hockey parents unable to watch their kids games in person in Sarnia, will have the option of watching a live stream, at some point in the future.
Only Lambton Junior AAA hockey games will be live-streamed. All other events and games would be blacked out.
----------------------------------------------
After further review, Sarnia council has decided to waive the arena rental fees Tourism Sarnia-Lambton is being charged to host a holiday show at Progressive Auto Sales Arena.
A Christmas Rock Story: A Holiday Circus Spectacular! will be held on Friday, December 22.
Councillor Terry Burrell said there seems to have been a misunderstanding and because they are an allied organization he would like to see the issue settled.
Burrell asked his colleagues "let it go" this time and make sure the fees are clear in the future.
Mayor Mike Bradley, and councillors Brian White and George Vandenberg opposed the move.
---------------------------------------
Increased safety measures at the intersection of Modeland and Blackwell Roads will be explored.
Council directed staff to investigate the possibility of installing traffic lights or a roundabout and report back.
---------------------------------------
Council agreed to post a draft Affordable Rental Housing Community Improvement Plan on Speak Up Sarnia for public review and comments.
The plan seeks to incentivize the development of affordable rental housing within the city. If adopted, the plan would include Development Charge payment exemptions, and grants to offset taxes, planning and building permit fees, renovations/accessibility and new accessory units. A parking reduction program is also proposed. Staff will report back on that consultation with a revised report.
Council provided that direction at its October 16 meeting.