Body: Council Type: Minutes Meeting: Regular Date: December 2, 2025 Collection: Council Minutes Municipality: South Frontenac
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Minutes of Council December, 2, 2025
Township of South Frontenac Council Meeting Minutes
Meeting #2025-22 Time: 7:00 PM Location: Council Chambers/Virtual Via Zoom Present: Ray Leonard, Doug Morey, Steve Pegrum, Norm Roberts, Randy Ruttan, Ron Sleeth, Scott Trueman, Adam Turcotte, Mayor Ron Vandewal Staff: Louise Fragnito - Chief Administrative Officer, James Thompson - Clerk, Heather Woodland - Deputy Clerk, Kyle Bolton - Director of Public Services, Stephanie Kuca Director of Finance and Treasurer, Troy Dunlop - Manager of Engineer and Capital Projects, Melia Edgar - Deputy Treasurer
1
Meeting to Order
a)
Resolution Resolution No. [2025-22]-01 Moved by Councillor Pegrum Seconded by Councillor Turcotte That the Council meeting of December 2, 2025 be called to order at 7:00 p.m. Carried
2
Roll Call
3
Approval of Agenda (and Addendum)
a)
Resolution Resolution No. [2025-22]-02 Moved by Councillor Roberts Seconded by Councillor Leonard That the agenda be approved, as presented. Carried
4
Deputy Mayor - Oath of Office
a)
Resolution Councillor Pegrum undertook the Declaration of Office regarding the position of Deputy Mayor as outlined in Section 232 of the Municipal Act, 2001. Resolution No. [2025-22]-03 Moved by Councillor Morey Seconded by Councillor Sleeth That Councillor Pegrum be appointed as Deputy Mayor for the remainder of the current term of Council. Carried
5 a)
Disclosure of Pecuniary Interest There were none.
Minutes of Council December, 2, 2025 6
Committee of the Whole “Closed Session”
7
Recess (If Required)
8
Ceremonial Presentations
9
Public Meeting
10
Delegations
a)
Representatives from Ontario for Alto’s Hight Speed Rail were present to speak to Council regarding a project overview for a proposed electrified passenger rail services proposed between Toronto and Quebec City.
11
Briefings
12
Reports from Administration
a)
Close Out Report – 2025 Private Lane Upgrade Assistance Program Resolution No. [2025-22]-04 Moved by Councillor Trueman Seconded by Councillor Turcotte That Council receive the close out summary report for the 2025 Private Lane Upgrade Assistance Program for information. Carried
b)
Pavement Condition Rating Updates 2025 Resolution No. [2025-22]-05 Moved by Councillor Roberts Seconded by Councillor Leonard That Council receive staff report 2025-161 Pavement Condition Rating Updates 2025 for information; and That Council direct staff to prepare an update to the 5-year plan for hard surfaced roads covering the period of 2026 to 2030 for review and consideration. Carried
13
Reports from Advisory Committees
14
Information Reports
a)
2026 Budget Direction
b)
2026 Budget Survey Results
15
Committee of the Whole
16
Communications
17
Tabling of Documents
18
New Business
19
Notice of Motion
a)
Moved by Councillor Turcotte Seconded by That Council direct staff to prepare and submit a formal letter of objection to the Premier of Ontario and the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, expressing our profound concern that the “Strong Mayor” model, the proposed
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Minutes of Council December, 2, 2025 consolidation of Conservation Authorities, and the municipal planning implications of Bill 60, the Fighting Delays, Building Faster Act, represent a systematic erosion of municipal democratic agency and local environmental oversight, and further, that this letter be shared with the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), our local Conservation Authorities and all neighbouring municipalities. b)
Moved by Councillor Ruttan Seconded by Whereas the Conservation Authorities Act (1946) established Conservation Authorities (CAs) as local, watershed-based bodies to manage natural resources in partnership with municipalities; Whereas Conservation Authorities are governed by Boards of Directors comprised of municipally elected officials or appointees, ensuring direct accountability to the local tax base; Whereas the current funding model relies heavily on municipal levies and selfgenerated revenue, with the Province of Ontario contributing approximately 5% or less to operating budgets (e.g., Cataraqui Conservation receives ~48% from municipalities and only ~5% from the Province); Whereas the Province of Ontario has introduced Schedule 3 of Bill 68 and Environmental Registry of Ontario (ERO) posting 025-1257, which proposes to amalgamate Ontario’s 36 Conservation Authorities into seven (7) centralized regional entities governed by a new “Ontario Provincial Conservation Agency”; Whereas this forced amalgamation threatens to dilute local decision-making, sever the critical link between local property taxes and local service delivery, and ignore the unique hydrological and environmental differences between our distinct watersheds; Therefore be it resolved that the Council of South Frontenac Township formally opposes the proposed amalgamation of Conservation Authorities as outlined in ERO 025-1257; And further that Council calls upon the Province of Ontario to:
- Pause the implementation of Bill 68, Schedule 3;
- Maintain the current watershed-based governance model that ensures local accountability; and
- Engage in meaningful consultation with municipalities to address specific concerns regarding efficiency without dismantling local governance; And further that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Premier of Ontario, the Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, our local MPP John Jordan, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), and all Conservation Authorities within our region.
c)
Moved by Councillor Leonard Seconded by That Council request the Bank of Montreal to reconsider the proposed closure of the Verona BMO Branch due to the anticipated growth to occur in Verona in the near future (Verona Housing Project, McMullen Manor); and
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Minutes of Council December, 2, 2025 That a copy of the resolution be provided to MPP John Jordan and the Bank of Montreal. 20
Approval of Minutes
a)
Resolution Resolution No. [2025-22]-06 Moved by Councillor Sleeth Seconded by Deputy Mayor Pegrum That the minutes of the November 18, 2025 Council meeting be approved. Carried
21
Approval of By-laws
22
Committee of the Whole “Closed Session”
23
Confirmation By-law
a)
Resolution Resolution No. [2025-22]-07 Moved by Councillor Leonard Seconded by Councillor Morey That By-law 2025-76, being a by-law to confirm generally all actions and proceedings of the Council of the Township of South Frontenac, be given first and second reading. Carried Resolution No. [2025-22]-08 Moved by Councillor Ruttan Seconded by Councillor Roberts That By-law 2025-76, being the confirmatory by-law, be given third reading, signed and sealed. Carried
24
Date of Next Meeting
a)
The next Council meeting is scheduled for December 9, 2025 at 7:00 p.m.
25
Adjournment
a)
Resolution Resolution No. [2025-22]-09 Moved by Councillor Trueman Seconded by Councillor Ruttan That the Council meeting of December 2, 2025 be adjourned at 8:04 p.m. Carried
Ron Vandewal, Mayor James Thompson, Clerk South Frontenac is a welcoming and thriving rural community
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