On Tuesday, October 13, Haldimand County Council formally adopted a new Forest Conservation By-Law (No. 2204/20) to replace regional forest conservation by-laws that have been in effect since prior to 1981. The new by-law is aligned with current forestry standards and demonstrates Haldimand’s ongoing commitment to protecting natural resources.

Over the past two decades there have been many changes in the realm of forest management and certain activities permitted under the former Regional Forest Conservation By-law (enacted in 2000) are no longer considered best practices in the forestry industry. In 2017, staff initiated the forest conservation by-law review process to bring Haldimand’s forestry regulations up to contemporary standards.

The Forest Conservation By-law review was conducted over a 3-year period and largely informed by consultations with Haldimand’s Agricultural Advisory Committee, conservation authorities/committees, forestry industry experts, neighbouring municipalities, private landowners and the broader community. The new by-law sets out tree cutting regulations that balance the ecological need for woodland conservation with landowners’ property management and/or agricultural needs.

The new Forest Conservation By-Law:

• promotes Good Forestry Practices to assist landowners, staff and forestry professionals when planning for and conducting tree cutting activities;
• introduces a simple, straightforward permitting system that offers landowners more flexibility to meet personal land management objectives while protecting woodland habitats;
• deregulates isolated woodlands that are less than one (1) hectare in size and provides additional exemptions for tree cutting;
• sets out a defined approval and appeal process for regulated woodland clear-cutting;
• implements harsher penalties for tree-cutting activities that contravene the by-law.

Forestry staff will be working closely with the community and private woodland owners to implement the new by-law and provide ongoing education with respect to tree conservation in Haldimand.

More information on the new Forest Conservation By-law (No. 2204/20) – including a new permit application form  – will be available shortly on the County’s Foresty web page. 

On July 19, 2020, Haldimand County Council was informed of a protest taking place on the McKenzie Meadows development site. As of July 30, 2020, protestors remain on the property and construction work continues to be halted as a result.

Haldimand County Council stands with the developer, Foxgate Developments Inc., and Six Nations of the Grand River, who have a pre-established agreement regarding the development lands. Given that all proper approval processes have been followed and the rule of law has been disrupted by illegal activity,  Council urges the Ontario Provincial Police – Haldimand County Detachment to enforce the law and take all necessary actions to end the occupation.

Protestors on site are not supported by Six Nations of the Grand River governing bodies.

Background information

The McKenzie Meadows development project in south Caledonia dates back to 2003 when development approvals were initially obtained for a 200+ unit residential project.

In 2015, Foxgate Developments Inc. purchased the lands and proceeded to re-initiate the development plans which included securing a new set of planning approvals for a redesigned residential project consisting of 218 units (single detached homes and townhouses).

In May 2018, representatives of Foxgate commenced its’ consultation, discussion, and negotiation with with Six Nations of the Grand River Elected Council. In October 2018, a term sheet was prepared and presented to Six Nations Elected Council.

In November 2018, Six Nations Elected Council considered the term sheet and authorized it for signature. In May 2019 a written agreement was reached between Foxgate and the Six Nations Elected Council, confirming that the Six Nations supported the Development.

In late 2019 and early 2020 Foxgate obtained all of its approvals for servicing installation and construction commencement at the site. Foxgate then proceeded to pre-grade and construct primary services on the land in support of the delivery of new homes to the families who were expecting closing dates in the Fall of 2020.

In June 2019, Haldimand County Council finalized its corporate priorities for the 2018-2022 term. One of the key priorities identified was an initiative to bring high speed internet access to underserviced areas of the County. Since then, staff have been working through complex legal, technical and financial processes to procure a vendor capable of delivering this service. On June 30, KWIC Internet was announced as the successful proponent.

In order to select the most qualified internet service provider, Council approved a 2-step competitive bid process including: (1) the pre-qualification of interested providers and (2) the issuance of Negotiated Request for Proposal (NRFP). With assistance from a third-party consultant, proposals were rated on a pre-determined scale evaluating various technical and financial components.

Of the three proponents, the submission from 676766 Ontario Limited (o/a KWIC Internet) was the highest scoring and advanced to the negotiations procurement stage.

KWIC Internet’s proposal meet all minimum technical and financial requirements outlined in the original NRFP and aligns with feedback obtained from public consultation, including:

• The ability to provide required minimum download/upload speeds of 50/10 Mbps (in line with minimum speeds identified by the CRTC)
• The ability to provide unlimited broadband internet service to 100% of the County’s underserviced areas (customers currently without access to unlimited internet with download/upload speeds of minimum 50/10 Mbps). Priority service is being granted to these underserviced areas first;
• Specific construction timelines ensuring the complete network is built and operational within 5 years from execution of the Project Agreement;
• Regular progress reporting and testing/monitoring of quality of service and customer satisfaction during construction;
• Competitive pricing – KWIC Internet’s Proposal met or was lower than the established target price point of $115 per month as required by the NRFP;
• Financial assistance in the form of an interest free loan amount set at $15,000,000 with the full principal balance of the loan to be repaid within 12 years from the execution of the Project Agreement;
• Alignment with the County’s financial principles and the ability to demonstrate financial security to protect/ensure repayment of the County’s loan.

It is important to note that the provision of telecommunication systems – which includes internet services – are eligible for the above-noted financial incentives under the Municipal Act. As required under the Act, a Municipal Capital Facilities by-law was passed by Council authorizing the County to provide financial assistance to KWIC for the purpose of delivering broadband internet services.

“Staff, in conjunction with feedback from legal, technical and financial consultants, are confident that KWIC Internet is well-aligned to provide internet access to all underserviced areas of the County,” said Mark Merritt, General Manager of Financial and Data Services. Merritt noted that with Council’s approval, staff now have an agreement in principle and will work to finalize and execute the Project Agreement with KWIC Internet.

“This is incredibly positive news that has been long-awaited by many. Bringing high speed internet to rural communities will help bridge the ‘digital divide’ and have long-lasting impacts for residents, businesses and potential economic development across Haldimand,” said Haldimand County Mayor Ken Hewitt. “I look forward to the construction stage and seeing this critically important project come to fruition,” he added.

More information will be shared with the community as the project moves forward. All project-related information is available at HaldimandCounty.ca/broadband/.

Haldimand County’s Broadband Internet Project is moving ahead. Currently, individual consultations are being facilitated with the 3 pre-qualified internet service providers (ISPs) – KWIC Internet, Metroloop Inc. & Xplornet. In conjunction with this consultation process, a public survey has been launched to collect resident feedback on technical, financial and service-related aspects of internet service.

The Broadband Internet Project was initiated in 2019 after Haldimand County Council formally adopted 8 corporate priorities for the 2018-2022 term – one of these being facilitating the delivery of high-speed, reliable internet service to all Haldimand County residents.

With assistance from a third party Technical Consultant, staff have prepared a draft Project Agreement (PA) and Negotiated Request for Proposal Agreement (NRFP) outlining all technical and financial project requirements including: 1) the technical feasibility of proposed service deployment, 2) service deployment timelines and 3) a comprehensive cost analysis. These components are of critical importance and will guide evaluations of all pre-qualified internet service providers (ISPs) moving forward.

The public survey is intended to gather feedback on community needs and what is important in terms of high-speed internet access. The survey asks residents to provide information about their current internet service, including average monthly cost, data limits, reliability and customer service satisfaction.
Residents are encouraged to have their latest bill or service contract on hand to answer some of the questions in greater detail.

Residents who do not currently have internet access may request a physical copy by calling 905-318-5932. Staff will send copies via mail and residents may return completed surveys to the Haldimand County Administration Building in person (via the secure drop box located on the Chippewa St. side of the Administration Building) or mail.

Community feedback collected from the survey will be used to inform & finalize the Project Agreement & Negotiated Request For Proposal documents, which will be issued to the successful proponent in late May. The survey will remain open until April 17.

For more information on the Broadband Internet Project, visit HaldimandCounty.ca/broadband/. To access the survey directly, visit surveymonkey.com/r/HCbroadband/.

During Council in Committee on Tuesday, March 3, staff provided a verbal update regarding the County-wide broadband internet project. Substantial progress has been made to date and the County is on track to secure an internet service provider (ISP) capable of delivering county-wide broadband internet by spring 2020.

With assistance from a third party Technical Consultant, staff have prepared a draft Project Agreement (PA) outlining all technical and financial project requirements including: 1) the technical feasibility of proposed service deployment, 2) service deployment timelines and 3) a comprehensive cost analysis. These components are of critical importance and will guide evaluations of all ISPs moving forward.

Next steps involve finalizing the draft PA, issuing the Negotiated Request For Proposal (NRFP) and facilitating individual consultations with the 3 pre-qualified ISPs – KWIC Internet, Metroloop Inc. & Xplornet. Consultations are expected to take place over the next several weeks and will provide valuable insight into the technical and financial feasibility of all ISP proposals.

“Council is committed to finding a financially sound, practical solution that makes internet connectivity attainable and sustainable for everyone,” said Haldimand County Mayor Ken Hewitt. “We’re taking all steps necessary to ensure we find the right provider that is capable of delivering these services in the long-term,” he added.

The draft PA and NRFP will be shared with the public once finalized. Once available, residents will be invited to review these documents and provide input on technical and financial components of the project (e.g: minimum download speeds, service costs, etc). More information regarding this community consultation will announced shortly.

Staff intend to issue the NRFP in April and negotiate an agreement with the successful ISP by the end of May.

Construction on Haldimand County’s new administration building is wrapping up and the building will be open to the public for service on February 25, 2020.

“The new administration building is a reflection of the County’s long-term, strategic focus on continued service excellence and efficient, transparent government. The building design is community-focused, cost-effective and well-equipped to lead our growing County into the future,” said Mayor Ken Hewitt.

Staff will be permanently relocated to the new administration building at 53 Thorburn St. S throughout February on the dates highlighted below.

‘myHaldimand’ or ‘myHC’ community hubs will soon be open for use at all local libraries. Dunnville, Caledonia & Hagersville hubs are now available for use and Selkirk, Cayuga & Jarvis hubs will be open shortly. ‘myHC’ community hubs are computer and information stations designed to connect residents with County news, information and access to online services. For residents who are not familiar with online services offered, such as paying taxes or water bills online, library staff will be available to provide guidance on how to utilize them. Additional 24/7 online services (such as applications for certain permits) will be introduced in the near future.

“The new building is a one stop shop. Under the new centralized service delivery model, there’s no longer a need to visit multiple offices for specific services, and many services can be accessed online,” Mayor Hewitt noted. “This is an exciting moment for Haldimand County and I look forward to welcoming and serving the community in this new space.”

Other key dates & information

• All satellite offices, with the exception of the old Cayuga Administration Building (45 Munsee St. N., Cayuga), will be permanently closed as of Friday, February 21 at 12pm. Residents who require in-person service between Friday, February 21 at 12pm and Tuesday, February 25 at 8:30am may visit the old Cayuga Administration Building.
• The first Council in Committee meeting in the new Haldimand County Administration Building is expected to be held on Tuesday, March 31.
• Court will begin operating in the new building as of Wednesday, March 4.
• Service enhancements that residents and contractors will experience immediately in the new administration building will be the provision of full day permit application intake, general inquires and building inspections (Monday to Friday 8:30 am to 4:00 pm). Inspection requests can be made by calling 905-318-5932 or emailing inspections@haldimandcounty.on.ca. As of February 25, building inspections received prior to 3:00 pm will be scheduled for the next business day.

Plans for the new building and centralized service delivery model have been in the development stages since their approval by Council in early 2016, with a focus on enhancing customer service, maximizing administrative/operational efficiencies and ensuring long-term cost effectiveness. More information about the new administration building, including a project timeline, is available at HaldimandCounty.ca/HCAB.