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28TH REPORT OF THE

 

Corporate Services Committee

 

meeting held on November 12, 2013, commencing at 1:01 PM, in Committee Room #5, Second Floor, London City Hall. 

 

PRESENT:  Mayor J.F. Fontana (Chair), Councillors N. Branscombe, J.P. Bryant, B. Polhill and J.B. Swan and L. Rowe (Secretary).

 

ALSO PRESENT:  Councillor J.L. Baechler, A. Zuidema, J.P. Barber, S. Datars Bere, M. Hayward, G.T. Hopcroft, V. McAlea Major, R. Sharpe, J. Tansley, C. Saunders, M. Turner and B. Warner.

 

 

I.

CALL TO ORDER

 

1.

Disclosures of Pecuniary Interest

 

Recommendation:  That it BE NOTED that no pecuniary interests were disclosed.

 

II.

CONSENT ITEMS

 

2.

Council Policy - Illumination of City of London Buildings and Amenities with Multi-Colour Capable LED Lighting Installations

 

Recommendation:  That, on the recommendation of the City Clerk, the attached revised by-law to implement a Council policy pertaining to approvals for the illumination of City of London buildings and amenities with multi-colour capable LED lighting installations BE INTRODUCED at the Municipal Council meeting to be held on November 19, 2013; it being noted that the City Clerk will provide the London Life Insurance Company with a copy of the approved Council Policy, so that it is aware of the City’s intentions with respect to the illumination of City of London buildings and amenities; it being further noted that the Corporate Services Committee (CSC) received a written communication and heard a verbal delegation from Megan Walker, Executive Director, London Abused Women's Centre, appealing for the inclusion of  “Shine the Light Purple” for the month of November on a recurring basis.

 

Motion Passed

 

YEAS: J.F. Fontana, J.B. Swan, N. Branscombe, J.P. Bryant, B. Polhill (5)

 

3.

Council Policy - Amendment of Flags at City Hall Policy

 

Recommendation:  That, on the recommendation of the City Clerk, the attached revised by-law to amend Council Policy 16(21) entitled “Flags at City Hall” BE INTRODUCED at the Municipal Council meeting to be held on November 19, 2013; it being noted that the Corporate Services Committee heard a verbal delegation from G. Rancourt requesting an exemption to the proposed policy in order to permit the raising of a flag which depicts a blue cross on a white background, and emphasizing the need to uphold and protect Christian values.

 

Motion Passed

 

YEAS: J.F. Fontana, J.B. Swan, N. Branscombe, J.P. Bryant, B. Polhill (5)

 

4.

City of London Days - Budweiser Gardens

 

Recommendation:  That, on the recommendation of the City Clerk, and in accordance with the policy for City events at the Budweiser Gardens, the following event BE APPROVED as a City of London Day at the Budweiser Gardens:

 

Showdown in the Downtown

October 18, 2014

 

Motion Passed

 

YEAS: J.F. Fontana, J.B. Swan, N. Branscombe, J.P. Bryant, B. Polhill (5)

 

5.

Agreement with the Province of Ontario to Enhance the London and Middlesex Immigration Portal Labour Market Section

 

Recommendation:  That, on the recommendation of the Director of Intergovernmental and Community Liaison, the proposed by-law (Appendix 1) appended to the staff report dated November 12, 2013 BE INTRODUCED at the Municipal Council meeting of November 19, 2013 to :

 

a)         approve the Amending Agreement (Schedule 1 to the by-law) of October 8, 2013, amending the Agreement of February 4, 2013 with Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Ontario, as represented by the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, to obtain  additional Provincial funding of $22,000 to enhance the London and Middlesex Immigration Portal; and

 

b)         authorize the Mayor and the City Clerk to execute the Amending Agreement of October 8, 2013 in (a) above.

 

Motion Passed

 

YEAS: J.F. Fontana, J.B. Swan, N. Branscombe, J.P. Bryant, B. Polhill (5)

 

6.

Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement with the European Union

 

Recommendation:  That, on the recommendation of the Director of Intergovernmental and Community Liaison, the staff report dated November 12, 2013, with respect to the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement with European Union (CETA), BE RECEIVED for information.

 

Motion Passed

 

YEAS: J.F. Fontana, J.B. Swan, N. Branscombe, J.P. Bryant, B. Polhill (5)

 

7.

FCM's National Housing Campaign - Fixing Canada's Housing Crunch

 

Recommendation:  That, on the recommendation of the Director of Intergovernmental and Community Liaison, the following motion BE ADOPTED in support of FCM’s National Housing Campaign – Fixing Canada’s Housing Crunch.  

 

“Development of a New Long-Term Federal Plan to Fix Canada’s Housing Crunch

 

WHEREAS a stable and secure housing system that creates and maintains jobs and allows for a range of living options is essential to attracting new workers, meeting the needs of young families and supporting seniors and our most vulnerable citizens;

 

AND WHEREAS the high cost of housing is the most urgent financial issue facing Canadians with one in four people paying more than they can afford for housing, and mortgage debt held by Canadians now standing at just over $1.1 trillion;

 

AND WHEREAS housing costs and, as the Bank of Canada notes, household debt, are undermining Canadians’ personal financial security, while putting our national economy at risk;

 

AND WHEREAS those who cannot afford to purchase a home rely on the short supply of rental units, which is driving up rental costs and making it hard to house workers in regions experiencing strong economic activity;

 

AND WHEREAS an inadequate supply of subsidized housing for those in need is pushing some of the most vulnerable Canadians on to the street, while $1.7 billion annually in federal investments in social housing have begun to expire;

AND WHEREAS coordinated action is required to prevent housing issues from being further offloaded onto local governments and align the steps local governments have already taken with regard to federal/provincial/territorial programs and policies;

 

AND WHEREAS the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) has launched a housing campaign, “Fixing Canada’s Housing Crunch,” calling on the Federal Government to increase housing options for Canadians and to work with all orders of government to develop a long-term plan for Canada’s housing future;

 

AND WHEREAS the FCM has asked its member municipalities to pass a Council resolution supporting the campaign;

 

AND WHEREAS our community has continuing housing needs, such as the gap between the market price of a housing unit and the price that someone in housing need is able to pay, the different and varying housing needs of an aging population and the ability to attract private sector investment in housing, that can only be met through the kind of long-term planning and investment made possible by Federal leadership;

 

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Municipal Council of the City of London endorses the FCM housing campaign and urges the Minister of Employment and Social Development to develop a long-term plan for housing that puts core investments on solid ground, increases predictability, protects Canadians from the planned expiry of $1.7 billion in social housing agreements and ensures a healthy stock of affordable rental housing for Canadians;

 

AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the Minister noted above, to the Minister of Municipal Affairs & Housing, The Hnourable Linda Jeffrey, to London Members of Parliament and the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, the FCM and to the Association of Municipalities of Ontario.

 

Motion Passed

 

YEAS: J.F. Fontana, J.B. Swan, N. Branscombe, J.P. Bryant, B. Polhill (5)

 

III.

SCHEDULED ITEMS

 

None.

 

IV.

ITEMS FOR DIRECTION

 

8.

Request by Councillor H.L. Usher  to Update the Councillor's Lounge

 

Recommendation:  That the request dated November 4, 2013, from Councillor H.L. Usher, to renovate the Councillor’s Lounge BE NOTED AND FILED; it being noted that funds are accumulating in a reserve fund, which is anticipated to be sufficient by 2015, to undertake the necessary renovations.

 

Motion Passed

 

YEAS: J.F. Fontana, J.B. Swan, N. Branscombe, J.P. Bryant, B. Polhill (5)

 

9.

Appointment  of Voting Member to the Animal Welfare Advisory Committee

 

Recommendation:  That Christine Schmidt BE APPOINTED to the Animal Welfare Advisory Committee as a Voting Member, representing the London Dog Owners Association, for the term ending February 28, 2015.

 

Motion Passed

 

YEAS: J.F. Fontana, J.B. Swan, N. Branscombe, J.P. Bryant, B. Polhill (5)

 

 

 

 


10.

Appointment of Non-Voting Member to the Community Safety and Crime Prevention Advisory Committee

 

Recommendation:  That Kevin Labonte BE APPOINTED to the Community Safety and Crime Prevention Advisory Committee as a Non-Voting Member, representing London and Area Active and Safe Routes to School, for the term ending February 28, 2015.

 

Motion Passed

 

YEAS: J.F. Fontana, J.B. Swan, N. Branscombe, J.P. Bryant, B. Polhill (5)

 

V.

DEFERRED MATTERS/ADDITIONAL BUSINESS

 

  None.

 

VI.

CONFIDENTIAL

 

(See Confidential Appendix to the 28th Report of the Corporate Services Committee enclosed for Members only.)

 

The Corporate Services Committee convened in camera from 2:04 PM to 2:05 PM after having passed a motion to do so, with respect to the following matter:

 

C-1.

A matter pertaining to instructions and directions to officers and employees of the Corporation pertaining to a proposed acquisition of land; advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege, including communications necessary for that purpose; reports or advice or recommendations of officers and employees of the Corporation pertaining to a proposed acquisition of land; commercial and financial information supplied in confidence pertaining to the proposed acquisition the disclosure of which could reasonably be expected to prejudice significantly the competitive position or interfere significantly with the contractual or other negotiations of the Corporation, result in similar information no longer being supplied to the Corporation where it is in the public interest that similar information continue to be so supplied, and result in undue loss or gain to any person, group, committee or financial institution or agency; commercial, information relating to the proposed acquisition that belongs to the Corporation that has monetary value or potential monetary value; information concerning the proposed acquisition whose disclosure could reasonably be expected to prejudice the economic interests of the Corporation or its competitive position; information concerning the proposed acquisition whose disclosure could reasonably be expected to be injurious to the financial interests of the Corporation; and instructions to be applied to any negotiations carried on or to be carried on by or on behalf of the Corporation concerning the proposed acquisition.

 

VII.

ADJOURNMENT

 

  The meeting adjourned at 2:06 PM.

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