Council Highlights

Council Meeting Agenda
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Potential speed hump on Quaker Road flattened by tie vote

In the summer of 2023, residents in the area of Quaker Road, between St. Lawerence Drive and Towpath Road, petitioned Council for speed humps to alleviate concerns about speeding vehicles in the area. Council referred the matter to staff for review and recommendation on several occasions, with the last being on Nov. 21, 2023.

To address concerns regarding vehicular speeds on Quaker Road, a three-day speed study was conducted in December 2023. In such studies, the 85th percentile of speeds is monitored, or, the speed at which 85 per cent of the total traffic volume on a road is travelling at or below. In considering the need for traffic calming, the 85th percentile speed must exceed the posted speed limit by a minimum of 10 km/h.

Analysis of the speed data collected revealed that the 85th percentile speed in EB/WB direction was 55/56 km/h respectively. Whereas the average speed of the vehicles recorded in EB/WB direction was 46/47 km/h. Based on the results of speed data, staff did not recommend the installation of speed humps on Quaker Road.

Council voted on both options, with each resulting in a 6-6 vote, meaning the motions were lost.

City lands declared surplus for affordable housing

Council approved a staff recommendation to declare land surplus for affordable housing 0.39 hectares (0.96 acres) of land, east of Denistoun Street, south of Hooker Street and currently forming part of Hooker Street Park.

The lands were identified as suitable for affordable housing in the City’s Affordable Housing Site Evaluations, which was completed as part of the creation of the Affordable Rental Housing CIP. Staff reviewed the suitability of these lands for affordable housing, including proximity to the following:

• Existing high-density development to the south;
• Shopping amenities (Pupos Food Market, St. Charles Plaza);
• Schools (Fitch Street School, Plymouth School); and
• Proximity to parks and open space (Hooker Street Park, Rotary Park, Welland Recreation).

Council approved the recommendations that the land be declared surplus and the sale or lease of the lands be reserved for an affordable housing project subject to Council approval.

Council Meeting Agenda
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Council supports notice of motion to ask the Mayor not to invoke strong mayor powers

A notice of motion brought forward by Councillor Fokkens received support to ask the Mayor not to use the strong mayor powers when they are set to take effect on Oct. 31 and instead delegate powers back to Council. The Mayor disclosed a conflict of interest and did not take part in the consideration or discussion, and did not vote on the motion. In a requested recorded vote, Councillors Green, Speck, Chiocchio, Richard, Setaram, and Fokkens voted in favour of the motion, while Councillors McLeod, Grimaldi, Moote, and Van Vliet voted against it.

Plymouth Park lighting comes in approximately $50K under budget

Located on Plymouth Road between Lincoln Street to the north and Ontario Road to the south, Plymouth Park is a popular park for baseball and soccer and is well-used by many leagues and clubs. Council awarded Nadelec Contracting Inc. at the tendered price of $231,500 plus HST for the supply and installation of the Plymouth Park Ball Diamond Sports Field Lighting Renewal project.

The remaining 50-year-old sports field lighting system on the baseball field are now at the end of its useful life and cannot support the users’ needs in the current condition and is beginning to fail. In 2023, The MBTW Group was retained to oversee the design and implementation of new sports field lighting for the park, including all associated electrical requirements. The proposed design will bring the lighting up to the current standard, support user group participation, and improve user experience. During the 2022 budget deliberations, funding was requested and approved for the remaining lighting upgrades to the slo-pitch baseball diamond. The funding request is supported by recommendations within the Parks, Recreation & Culture Master Plan by the continued development of sports parks.

Inspection and Preventative Maintenance Program tender awarded to Tektum Consulting Group

The Facilities Division of the City of Welland currently oversees the operations and maintenance of 60 facilities. In 2022 a Building Condition Assessment (BCA) was completed to provide a snapshot of the current condition of the facilities. Regular inspections, preventative maintenance and repairs must be performed to maintain, and improve the state of the facilities and extend the lifespan of the facilities.

The next step needed to implement the practice of comprehensive inspections and maintenance is to develop a preventative maintenance program, as part of the approved 2023 capital project, that is specific to each of the facilities including scheduled inspection, maintenance, and replacements.

On Tuesday night, Council awarded the work to Tektum in the amount of $56,445.25.

Agreement of Purchase and Land Sale for City-Owned Property Located at 882 Schisler Road

At its meeting on April 5, 2022, Council declared surplus to the City’s needs at 882 Schisler Road. The property is 1.67 acres in size. The property is designated Agriculture and Core Natural Heritage in the Official Plan and zoned A1 – Agricultural and ECA – Environmental Conservation Area. The property contains 28 lots of record 25’ x 100’ but would not be developable individually as the property is outside the urban area and no municipal services are available. The Welland Fire Department formerly used this building; however, with the completion of the new Fire Station #1 and #2, it is no longer required.

On September 19, 2023, the Committee of the Whole Meeting Council directed staff to proceed with the offer to purchase from 613284 Ontario Limited O/A Weed Man Niagara Falls Region for city-owned property located at 882 Schisler Road.

Council Meeting Agenda
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Hybrid Council meetings report referred back to staff

A report recommending that, unless afflicted with a contagious illness or travelling on official public business, City Council members will be required to attend meetings in person, was referred back to staff.

In May 2022, Welland City Council approved a hybrid model for council meetings, which permitted members of council, staff and the public the option to attend meetings of council virtually or in-person.

The previous staff report presented regarding in-person attendance and hybrid council meetings did not include exceptions for members of council. During the discussions regarding the hybrid meetings, it was identified that staff would be coming back with a report in the future to identify exceptions for council consideration.

The referred reported included a recommendation that all members of council return to in-person attendance during meetings of council effective October 17, 2023.

In-person attendance will improve engagement with members of the public during presentations, delegations and public meetings, reduce technology issues and distractions, and increase engagement and participation between the members.

In addition, staff are recommending the following two (2) exceptions for members of council to attend virtually:

• Contagious illness.
• Traveling on official public business.

If a member of council is attending virtually, they are required to:

• Keep their video feed on and be visible during the entire meeting.
• Notify the Clerk if they are required to step away from their computer/laptop.

The recommendations, once approved, are the final step in progressing to post-covid practices for meetings of council, with two exceptions for virtual attendance.

Assumption of Clare Estates 3 Subdivision – Phases 3, 4, and 5

The Developers of the subdivision have fulfilled their obligations as outlined in the Subdivision Agreement and have submitted all necessary documentation required to support assumption.

Through the assumption of the subdivision, the City will assume direct responsibility for the operation and maintenance of the municipal infrastructure summarized below.

Lands east of Viger Drive accepted

The subject lands immediately abut Memorial Park and will increase the size of the park, helping to create more opportunities for open space and recreation.

1650672 Ontario Ltd. (owner of the subject lands) approached the City of Welland to see if the City would agree to accept the transfer of lands shown in Appendix I for a nominal cost of $2. The subject lands are located on the east of Viger Drive and Memorial Park and north of Lincoln Street and are described as Blocks 74 and 78. The lands have an area of 11,727.55 square metres (2.897 acres) and a frontage of 3 metres (9.84 feet).

The property is entirely designated Low-Density Residential in the Official Plan. The property is primarily zoned H-RL2-86, and a very small portion (Block 78) is zone O2. The lands have limited to no development potential as they are within the Ministry of Transportation protected corridor for the potential future extension of Highway 406.

The lands will form part of the City’s open space and park network and will benefit the community as a whole.

Council Meeting Agenda
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Same faces, different places – Council seating arrangements on the move

You may notice that Councillor seating has changed when tuning into Council meetings or viewing them in person. Approving a report by City Clerk Tara Stephens, Council chose Option 2 (amended as per the image below) between two options:

Option 1 - Pairing the ward members together around the council chamber.

The pairing of ward members would result in wards 1 - 3 being to the right of the Mayor, and wards 4 - 6 being to the left of the Mayor.

Option 2 - Splitting the ward members around the council chamber.

Splitting the ward members would result in having one ward member to the left and right of the Mayor. Ward 1 would sit closest to the Mayor, which would result in ward 6 sitting furthest from the Mayor.

Council chooses hiring committee for CAO search

On August 24, 2023, Welland City Council approved a motion that the CAO Hiring Committee be comprised of the Mayor and four members of council. Those members of council are required to be appointed by majority vote and were selected Tuesday night. The City Clerk received interest from the following members of council to be considered for appointment to the CAO Hiring Committee (chosen members bolded):

• Councillor Sharmila Setaram
• Councillor Graham Speck
• Councillor Claudette Richard
• Councillor Bonnie Fokkens
• Councillor Leo Van Vliet
• Councillor Adam Moote

Three parks and a parkette - playground consultants chosen

The MBTW Group has been named the consultants to move Deere Street Park, St. George Park, Memorial Park, and the Michael Drive parkland area forward.

Council approved the award in the amount of $81,224.83, inclusive of the City’s portion of the tax, to The MBTW GROUP for professional services and oversight of the three playground replacements that were approved in the 2023 capital budget along with professional services for the future Michael Drive Parkette as approved in the Playground Renewal Advancement.

Council Meeting Agenda
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Playground Enhancements

City Council pre-approved three 2024 park playground renewal projects for Maple Park, Bemus Park and Manchester Park and preapproved two 2025 playground renewal projects for River Road Park and John Deere Park, as all parks have been deemed at the end of life, requiring renewals.

With aging equipment, damaged and decaying retaining walls, and requiring surface upgrades, the playgrounds do not accommodate mobility devices and are not AODA compliant.

Pre-approval for the capital projects outlined below utilizes the Cash in Lieu of Parkland Reserve in the amount of $2.3 million.

Budget Breakdown Amount

Maple Park Playground and Related Landscaping $400,000

Bemus Park Playground and Related Landscaping $400,000

Manchester Park Playground and Related Landscaping $400,000

River Road Park Playground and Related Landscaping $400,000

John Deere Park Playground and Related Landscaping $400,000

Proposed allowance budgeted for Michael Drive Parkette $300,000

Total $2,300,000

Parks are dynamic places. They are hubs for community gatherings, physical activity, and fresh air. Well-designed parks offer social, environmental, health, and economic benefits and have the potential to bring people together.

Short-Term-Rental Update: Licencing Bylaw

The City’s short-term-rental (STR) licensing bylaw received an update at council this week to include regulations surrounding recreational vehicles. When the STR Licensing By-law was passed, it only focused on using dwelling units and did not consider using recreational vehicles as STRs. The proposed amendments will prohibit the use of a recreational vehicle as a STR and will prohibit anyone from advertising a recreational vehicle as a STR. The proposed penalty for each offence is $1,000. The amendments also align with the City of Welland Comprehensive Zoning By-law which prohibits the use of a boat, trailer or recreational type vehicle for human habitation.

Affordable Housing Community Improvement Plan

Council adopted the Affordable Housing Community Improvement Plan. This CIP establishes the City’s commitment to supporting the creation of new affordable housing in partnership with a variety of housing providers. This CIP and the programs created from the plan are a series of financial incentive programs for private property owners and non-profit housing providers interested in developing affordable housing. The financial incentive programs outlined in this Plan will largely be used by the developers/owners of new affordable housing, including those in the private and non-profit sectors.

*Special Council meeting with agenda items from the timed-out regular meeting from June 20.

Council Meeting Agenda
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Physician Recruitment incentive program moves forward

The City of Welland approved a budget of $1M for a physician recruitment incentive program; the Economic Development Reserve Fund will provide the funds.

The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care has deemed Welland an area of high physician need, and as of February 2023, documented the city is 17 family physicians short. Given the projected population growth and slate of family physicians retiring, this shortage is anticipated to increase.

The recruitment incentive is designed to bring 10 new doctors to the city, with $100K for each new family physician starting their own or taking over an existing practice. Economic Development staff will work closely with the Physician Recruitment and Retention Specialist with Regional Health Initiatives, Niagara Region Public Health, on the Niagara Physician Recruitment Program.

Physician shortages are not unique to Welland; several municipalities in Niagara and across the country are finding unique approaches to recruit new practices or entice practitioners to take over existing practices.

• In the past five years, Welland has lost six physicians and added three.
• 34 per cent of Welland family doctors are over the age of 65.
• Welland has the lowest family physician per 10,000 population ratio in Niagara (4.3 doctors per 10,000 people).

Implementing this initiative will support residents’ quality of life and ensure Welland continues to be seen as a progressive City to live, work, play, and invest.

Live streaming services coming to Welland Arena

The City of Welland will soon offer live streaming services from its arenas after Council approved an agreement to be entered into with LIVEBARN, a recreational faclilty streaming service. Live streaming in recreation facilities has become popular for busy families with children in sports. In 2021, a Regional group of recreation, facilities and purchasing staff was established to review streaming company proposals to determine the best fit as a Region.

The intent is to utilize this service in as many facilities in the Niagara Region as possible to allow our users to view various sports and activities throughout the region.

Overall, an available streaming service in a recreation facility for municipalities can

provide a range of benefits that can enhance the visitor experience, generate revenue, and attract new visitors

Hospital Task Force

Dissolved in March, a new Hospital Task Force will take shape with the mandate to:

• Review health and healthcare delivery from the Welland Hospital.
• Collaborate with community partners, Welland City Council and staff, to identify steps required to secure a fully functional hospital in Welland.
• Review and compile data and information that supports the requirement for the hospital in Welland.
• Present information to Welland City Council regarding the Welland hospital, to protect the integrity and availability of health care services in Welland.

The membership composition recommended allows for the Mayor and community

representatives to carry out the responsibilities of the task force. The task force will work

together as a team for the purpose of achieving positive outcomes related to health care

that will benefit the Welland community.

Road Resurfacing Tender

The 2023 Road Resurfacing project proposed surface asphalt and minor concrete improvements to nine road segments through the milling and paving of the road surface and replacement of areas of broken curb and sidewalk. The following road segments were included in the approved 2023 budget, with the tender awarded to Rankin Construction for $1.5 million.

Council Meeting Agenda
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Citizen Committee Appointments

The City of Welland has announced the new citizen appointments for various committees:

• Accessibility Advisory Committee – Ather Shabbar, Terry Scott, Melissa Graham and Steven Soos
• Active Transportation Advisory Committee – Stacey Baker, Phill Gladman, Dawn Elliott and James Takeo
• Arts & Culture Advisory Committee – Aldo Parrotta, Shari Sacco, James Takeo, Olivia Hope, Jeff Etling
• Committee of Adjustment/Court of Revision – Diane Zakraysek-Bourque, Mamdouh Abdelmaksoud, Jared Preston and Kristen Hayley McNutt
• Heritage Committee – Mary Adelle Patterson, Therese DeAgazio, John Thomas Higginbotham, Adam Godo, and Connie McCutcheon
• Green Advisory Committee – James Takeo, Sydney Tomaino, Phill Gladman, Therese DeAgazio and Carolyn Fast
• LGBTQ2+ Advisory Committee – Alexis Higginbotham

Congratulations to all the new appointees, and thank you for your contribution to the City of Welland.

Strategic Plan Adopted

Council adopted the 2023-2026 Strategic Plan: Charting our Future. The City of Welland’s 2023-2026 Strategic Plan: Charting our Future is a bold, innovative, and trailblazing commitment focusing on economic growth, environmental stewardship, health and well-being, and liveability.

A strategic plan is a city’s aspirational, future-focused, and actionable roadmap. The City of Welland’s Strategic Plan results from collaborative discussions, open dialogue, and consensus building amongst Council, staff, and everyone in our community. Strategic planning is an ongoing process, which means the plan will remain live and dynamic, used daily to guide our work, advance and shape decision-making, and be reviewed and updated annually. The plan also assists city staff in their projects and initiatives by understanding the direction of Council and how best to prioritize. Moreover, this plan will help shape and align all city services in each department to a common vision.

The City’s adopted vision is to inspire and promote an active, resilient, and sustainable community delivering the best quality of life possible for all.

The City’s mission is to trailblaze a path toward a future-ready city founded on good governance, exceptional public service, and trustworthy public safety.

This mission and vision will be carried out with the values of Efficiency, Innovation, Integrity, and Resiliency.

You can read the full strategic plan at www.engagewelland.ca/strategic-plan-2023-2026.

Road Reconstruction

The City of Welland has accepted Rankin Construction's tender of $2.4 million for the 2023 road reconstruction project.

Road reconstruction is undertaken annually to extend asset life and improve the quality of existing roads within the City of Welland. Road sections are selected each year using a risk-based approach, applying criteria such as pavement condition, state of underground utilities and maintenance history. Road reconstruction entails the full-depth excavation of the existing road structure and the replacement of the granular road base and asphalt lifts. In all cases, subdrain is added to improve drainage. An opportunity to coordinate the replacement of concrete sidewalks as part of the works serves to minimize future disruption to residents while maximizing savings through economies of scale.

The five prioritized roads for reconstruction included in the project are Sherwood Forest Trail, Maureen Avenue, Cummington Place, Dieppe Street, and Wavell Court.

Sidewalk condition replacements and missing links

Council accepted the CTC Contracting tender for $251,741.90 for the 2023 Condition Related Replacements and Missing Links project.

Sidewalks are important municipal assets that promote active transportation, pedestrian safety and connectivity. Staff have completed a citywide sidewalk network inspection and prioritized locations requiring rehabilitation to conform to minimum maintenance standards (O.Reg. 239/02).

The 2023 sidewalk program will also include installing missing links, which are prioritized within road allowances where connections are missing to access schools, community facilities and institutions. Using the tools available within the City’s Geographic Information System (GIS), an assessment of the City’s sidewalk network was completed to identify missing link sections. The 2023 missing sidewalk links include Summit Avenue – Summit Circle to Armour Drive and Rosemount Drive – Summit Avenue to Rosemount Circle.

Council Meeting Agenda
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Firefighter Memorial Gardens

The move to the new Headquarters building at 400 East Main St. provides a beautiful setting for a nicely designed memorial, and that is precisely what's coming after Council approved entering into an agreement with the Welland Professional Firefighters Association IAFF Local #481 and the United Steelworkers Local #1-1000 to locate a Monument, Memorial Stones, and similar benches in the South East Corner of the property at 400 East Main St.to honour past members.

Approximately 10 years ago, the Welland Professional Firefighters purchased and installed a stone monument at the former headquarters building. With the support of Council and Staff, it proudly remained there until the ultimate construction began. The monument has since been moved to temporary and safe storage.

The Parks Division has provided landscape design and can help install vegetation and provide ongoing maintenance to the property.

The location allows members and citizens to enjoy the beauty of the features while reflecting on the sacrifices of Welland Firefighters over the years. The Memorial Gardens' design, construction, and maintenance fall within budget and maintenance allocations, and the firefighter unions will contribute to the construction and ongoing maintenance requirements. The Memorial Gardens will be a beautiful venue to host the department's memorial services. They will be an attractive landscape feature rightly positioned at the front of our main facility.

Love My Park

If you love your park, now's the time to speak up. Starting with park selections, Staff are asking each pair of ward councillors to choose one park in their ward for the 2023 Love My Park – Neighbourhood Improvement Campaign. The chosen park should be one Councillors hear most from their constituents on that needs some care or improved amenities (e.g., more benches, better lighting etc.). Once the parks are chosen, public engagement activations will occur, from onsite activities in the park facilitated and animated by city staff to online voting and idea sharing.

This engagement will give each neighbourhood resident input on improving their park. It will also encourage families, children, adults, and seniors to share their experiences and ideas. By engaging the community, the City gets an actual perspective on how the park is currently used and how residents envision the park to be. Love My Park is intended to be a high-profile campaign developed in partnership with councillors, residents, and staff within the City of Welland. It aspires to enhance the City's current park and open spaces by improving accessibility, usability, quality, and appearance of our vast parkland for use by residents and visitors of the City of Welland.

*Tentative schedule.

Engagement sessions will be hosted in the park chosen by each of the ward councillors. Details and dates would then be published through the City's website and Engage Welland.

The main objective of the Love My Park program is to ensure parks provide quality places for people to play of all ages through meaningful engagement opportunities. Social cohesion is central to a safe, strong community and encourages quality, inclusion, and diversity. Furthermore, opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds to come together around a common interest are highly rewarding, creating lasting bonds, mutual understanding, community pride, and ownership. Should this program be successful in 2023, Staff may continue with this work in future years.

Council Supports Bill 5

Welland City Council supports Ontario's Bill 5, Stopping Harassment and Abuse by Local Leaders Act. The Bill amends the Municipal Act, 2001 and the City of Toronto Act, 2006. The amendments require the code of conduct for municipal councillors and members of local boards to include a requirement for those councillors and members to comply with workplace violence and harassment policies. The amendments also permit municipalities and local boards to direct the Integrity Commissioner to apply to the court to vacate a member's seat if the Commissioner's inquiry determines that the member has contravened the code of conduct by failing to comply with the workplace violence or harassment policies. These applications may not be made during regular elections. Where a member's seat on the Council of a municipality or a local board is vacated, the amendments contemplate restrictions on the member's ability to subsequently stand for election and be reappointed to the Council of the municipality or the local board.

Cash in Lieu of Parking Referred back to Staff

An information report which would have directed Staff to consult with the development community and public regarding the proposed Cash-in-Lieu of Parking by-law has been referred back to Staff.

The initial report outlines unique physical limitations regarding development and redevelopment, specifically the lack of adequate land to provide parking on existing sites. The City's current zoning provisions require a specific parking rate based on the type of use. The effect is that certain properties are limited in the range of commercial and residential uses that can locate on an existing property, notwithstanding that the property is permitted to have a wide range of uses.

City staff were recommending that the initial fee structure be a set value of $15,000 per deficient parking space. This covers the cost of constructing a surface parking space and purchasing land for the space.

Council Meeting Agenda
Full Video

LemonAID Day

Prepare your glasses to have your thirst quenched as LemonAID Day for FACS (Family and Child Services) Niagara. Mountainview LemonAID Day is a community-driven event encouraging kids to help kids by raising funds to send children to summer camp. On Saturday, June 10, teams of kids will set up lemonade stands across Niagara, including Welland, to ask for donations.

Last year, $85,000 was raised to send more than 400 local children to summer camp, both day and overnight.

Those looking to participate this year will be provided, free of charge, a stand and banner, four t-shirts and hats, lemonade concentrate, pitchers, 100 cups and stickers, and more. Council received the presentation for information and will declare June 10 LemonAID Day.

Art Gallery Proposal

Why does Welland need a centre for creativity and innovation to fuel economic growth, cultural development, quality of life, business investment, and more? Aldo Parotta, resident and member of the Arts and Culture Committee, presented to Council outlining the answers to those questions.

As noted in the presentation package, “an art gallery serves as a concrete reflection of the commitment of the City of Welland to the development and support of local artists and a way to introduce the residents of Welland to the creations of artists from abroad”.

Council received the presentation for information.

Vanier Estates (Phases 1 and 2) Assumed by the City

With the developer’s obligations fulfilled, the City of Welland has assumed the Vanier Estates subdivision. As a result, the City will now assume direct responsibility for the operation and maintenance of roadways, sidewalks, sanitary sewers, storm sewers, and watermains in the area.

Council Meeting Agenda

Full Video

YMCA

After a tri-party agreement failed to materialize, the City of Welland entered into a contribution agreement with the Niagara Centre YMCA. The proposed updated contribution framework is underpinned by the expectation that the YMCA will return to a self-sustainable operation over five years. The five-year annual contribution amounts are intended to help the YMCA in Niagara recover to a more optimal position.

The identical financial contribution remains in this refreshed report to support only the portion of need as related to Welland resident participation (e.g. 66%). Below identifies the City of Welland's annual contribution amount, trending downwards over the five-year term.

The YMCA Niagara Centre has been a valued service provider for abundant recreational, health, and social services in the City of Welland for nearly 20 years. The recovery from the pandemic has had a tremendous impact on many YMCA locations across the country, with the Welland location no different. Staff understands the positive impacts that the YMCA has made on our community and are interested in creating a proactive approach to ensure the YMCA remains in Welland. We believe moving into an operating contribution agreement working towards self­ sustainability is the best approach for the City of Welland and our residents. With the decline of Pelham to support a tri-party relationship, staff have renegotiated terms and conditions with the YMCA, which include an annual performance management provision, a refund provision, and early-bird registration for Welland residents. These additional conditions will ensure that should the unexpected occur, protections are in place for the City of Welland, with an opportunity for future discussions with Niagara College.

2023 Crack Sealing Program

The City of Welland has several tenders that comprise the annual road maintenance program, including asphalt patching, road resurfacing, surface treatment and crack sealing. The purpose of crack sealing is to seal early-stage longitudinal and transverse cracking on a road that is otherwise in good condition. The seal prevents water and non-compressible debris, such as rocks, from causing further road deterioration, thus providing an economical alternative for extending the road's lifespan.

Crack Sealing is essential to the City of Welland's annual roadway maintenance programs. Applying rehabilitation techniques such as crack sealing at the appropriate stage of pavement deterioration is an economical way to extend the life of the road.

This year's program was tendered for $24,000, with work completed on 27 sections of road with an estimated 12,000m of crack sealing.

Sand/Salt Storage Dome Design/Build Award

A mandatory requirement from the Ministry of Environment (MOE) dictates that salt storage is contained inside a structure to prevent erosion of the product and leaching into and contaminating the soil. Currently, the City of Welland stores all the winter control salt and sand/salt mixtures outdoors and the Municipal Service Centre and needs to meet the MOE requirements.

Council approved the tender award to Van Pelt Construction Inc. at the cost of $2.8M. The building will be constructed and operational for the 2023/24 winter control season.

Councillor Appointment

Councillor Bonnie Fokkens has been appointed to the Accessibility Advisory Committee for the term of April 4, 2023, to November 14, 2026.