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The following is a summary of the proceedings of the Regular Council Meeting held September 21st, 2022:

  • Mr. Douglas Semple, President & CEO of Sioux Lookout Meno-Ya-Win Health Centre made a presentation to Council on Long Term Care Bed Status.
  • Council also received letters regarding Long Term Care Updates on behalf of Kevin Queen, CEO and District Administrator, District of Kenora Home for the Aged.
  • Council passed By-law No. 61-22, Being a By-law to Amend By-law No. 50-05, Being a By-law to Adopt The Corporation of the Municipality of Sioux Lookout Policy No. 3-59 (Electronic Monitoring).
  • Council authorized and directed staff to complete a Fire Master Plan including a Community Risk Assessment for 2023 as outlined in the Emergency Services Manager/Fire Chief’s Report.
  • Council received the 2022 Municipal Operating Budget to Actual update.
  • Council authorized two applications to the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC) Rural Enhancement Funding Stream for the Arena Roof and Wall Insulation and for the Arena Heating for Spectators projects.
  • Council received the Recommendation Report respecting Zoning By-law Amendment No. Z02-2022 and passed By-law No. 25-22, Being a By-law to Amend Zoning By-law No. 85-18 for 104 Third Street, Hudson to be rezoned property from the Hudson Residential (HR) Zone to the Hudson Residential Exception Two (HR-2) Zone. The owner of the subject property is proposing to construct a single-detached dwelling that will be used as a Group Home for SLAAMB training program participants.
  • Council adopted the Joint Compliance Audit Committee Terms of Reference for the 2022-2026 Term of Council. The regional joint committee includes partnerships with the Cities of Dryden and Kenora; the Municipalities of Machin, Red Lake and Sioux Lookout; and the Townships of Ear Falls, Ignace and Pickle Lake; and the regional participating clerks are delegated the joint authority to make the appointments to the committee through mutual consensus.
  • Council supported the following Ontario Bill 7, More Beds, Better Care Act, 2022 Resolution:
    • WHEREAS the Ontario Bill 7, More Beds, Better Care Act, 2022, (“the Act”) has received Royal Assent; and
    • WHEREAS, the Act allows for hospitals to transfer persons in Alternate Level of Care (ALC) beds to Long Term Care (LTC) facilities not of their choice; and
    • WHEREAS, persons who do not consent to such placements will be billed $400 a day for subsequent days in hospital; and
    • WHEREAS, while government officials have stated that the maximum distance from home that an ACL resident in Southern Ontario would be expected to move is 70km, the maximum distance for Northern Ontario has been stated to be 150km; and
    • WHEREAS, the Sioux Lookout service area has a population of 30,000 and currently has only 20 LTC beds which is one tenth the provincial average, the implications of this legislation for Northwestern Ontario is unknown given the dearth of LCT facilities in the area and could have dire consequences;
    • NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Council of The Corporation of the Municipality of Sioux Lookout requests that the implementation of the More Beds, Better Care Act, 2002, be suspended for the Sioux Lookout area until a consultation process, that is satisfactory to Sioux Lookout and Northern Communities and all stakeholders within the catchment area, has occurred and suitable regulations to protect residents from placement unreasonable distance from their homes or face unreasonable financial penalties; and
    • BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Province of Ontario fulfill its promise to construct the allocated LTC beds in Sioux Lookout to increase LTC beds to 96 as promised in 1997 in the Four Party Agreement, 2018 by the Liberal government, and in 2018 by Premier Doug Ford personally while seeking his election.
  • Council supported the following Potential Redistribution of Federal Ridings Advocacy Resolution:
    • WHEREAS the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Ontario (“Commission”) released its proposed redistribution of federal riding boundaries in August 2022;
    • WHEREAS Northern Ontario would lose a seat in the House of Commons under the proposed redistribution;
    • WHEREAS the proposed distribution would combine most of the population of the existing Kenora and Thunder Bay – Rainy River ridings into Kenora – Thunder Bay – Rainy River and would create the new riding of Kiiwetinoong – Mushkegowuk, a large and sparsely populated far north riding spanning from the Manitoba to Quebec borders;
    • WHEREAS the current proposal has been criticized as impractical and unfair for northern communities by both current and former MPs from across Northern Ontario, from all three major political parties;
    • WHEREAS the proposed redistribution fails to recognize the economic, historic, and cultural distinctions across Northwestern Ontario and the separation of interests between the City of Thunder Bay and the other, smaller communities in the region;
    • WHEREAS the Northern Policy Institute has published research that confirmed that the Kenora and Rainy River districts are in a distinct economic region from Thunder Bay, and these districts generally fall into separate Indigenous treaty territories; and
    • WHEREAS the Commission has called for written submissions from citizens and stakeholders on its proposed redistribution by September 25, 2022

Council Briefs are provided in this format for convenience only and are not approved Minutes of the Council Meeting.  For more information, please contact Brian P. MacKinnon, Manager of Corporate Services/Municipal Clerk at [email protected].

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