Council is committed to better communicating with the public. As a result, summaries of the main points of council meetings will now be published a few days after the meeting.
Nominations and establishment of committees
At the Council meeting, Council members were nominated to various committees. Two new committees were also established: the Active Transportation and Sustainable Mobility Committee (ATSM) and the Environmental Protection and Climate Change Advisory Committee (EPCCAC).
The Advisory Committees will now be held behind closed doors to allow committee members and municipal staff to make their recommendations without influence or pressure. Residents will be able to provide their views and ask questions of the Councillors on the committees prior to the start of the meeting.
Postponement of Dock By-Law
The Council has decided to postpone the application period of the dock by-law. Originally scheduled for January 2022, the by-law will be delayed for one year and implemented in January 2023. Council members determined that it was best to delay the application of the regulations in order to study the by-law in detail over the next year.
Legal Action in Federal Court against the NCC
Council mandated Paul Wayland, lawyer and managing partner of DHC Avocats, to take the appropriate legal action in Federal Court and to represent the Municipality of Chelsea in order to overturn the NCC's decision and to ensure that the advice issued unanimously by the pan-Canadian experts on the Payments in Lieu of Taxes Dispute Advisory Panel for Gatineau Park.
The NCC's decision has a significant economic impact of approximately $1.4M for Chelsea taxpayers and the advice of the Payments in Lieu of Taxes Dispute Advisory Panel was unanimous and supported almost the entire position of the municipal authorities.
Wastewater Treatment Plant Expansion
Following the adoption of the 2022 Three-Year Capital Plan (PTI), Council awarded the contract to the engineering firm Tetra Teq Qi Inc. for the expansion of the Centre-Village wastewater treatment plant. At a cost of 374 588, 55$, the project remains conditional on the approval of the borrowing bylaw number 1233-21 by the Ministère des Affaires municipales et de l'Habitation.
It should be noted that when the wastewater treatment plant was originally designed, the Municipality had planned to upgrade its sludge treatment system, which was initially designed to treat 50% of the plant's maximum capacity by 2022. Over time, this capacity was reached. The system will need to be modified to meet the demands of current and future projects. The cost of the expansion will be paid 80% by the area served and 20% to the whole.
Adoption postponed to a later meeting
During the meeting, it was agreed by the members of council to postpone the following items to a later meeting so that they could obtain more information on these files.
- 7.1E) Minor exemption – Maximum height of an accessory building – 15 chemin Birch
- 7.1H) Minor exemption – Distance between a porch and its steps and the allowance of Route 105 – 664 Route 105
- 7.2B) Site planning and architectural integration program – Single family detached dwelling – 31 chemin Nordik
The recording of the council meeting is now available.
