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11 - June 9, 2020 County Council Agenda Package
000* llgin n Table of Contents I. Orders — June 9, 2020....................................................................... 2 II. Elgin County Council Minutes — May 26, 2020........................................ 3 III. Delegation — Thames Valley District School Board.................................. 16 IV. Reports Index — June 9, 2020.............................................................. 17 V. Report — COVID-19 Update............................................................... 18 VI. Report — Tree Inspector/Weed Inspector Quarterly Report, January — March 2020.............................................................................................. 21 VI I. Report — Homes — Notice of Extension of Service Accountability Agreement (s) SAA — Extending Letter................................................................. 25 Vill. Report — Elgin County Library Performance Analysis............................... 29 IX. Report —Wide Area Network Services — RFP Contract Award..................... 50 X. Report — Quarterly Information Report — Contract Awards — January 1, 2020 to March 31, 2020............................................................................. 83 XI. Report — Capping and Claw-back......................................................... 85 XII. Report —Contract Award —Administration Building Cooling Tower and South Wing Roof Replacement Project.......................................................... 87 XIII. Report — Elgin County 2020-2022 Strategic Plan Promotion....................... 89 XIV. Report — New Council Committees: Environmental Committee Update and 93 Connectivity Committee Terms of Reference.......................................... XV. Report — COVID-19 Business Continuity Planning — May 2020................... 99 XVI. Correspondence — Items for Information............................................... 123 XVI I. A Report from the Conservative Party of Canada — Connect Canada — Conservative Call to Action on Rural Internet Access.................................... 124 XVIII. The June Newsletter from Homes and Senior Services............................ 133 XIX. A Letter from the Ministry of Education.................................................. 135 XX. A Letter from the Municipality of Central Elgin......................................... 137 XXI. Closed Meeting Agenda..................................................................... 138 XXI I. By-Law No. 20-27 — Being a By-Law to Adopt Optional Tools for the Purposes of Administering Limits for the Commercial, Industrial and Multi- Residential Property Classes ............................................................. 139 1 Elgi I . ORDERS OF THE DAY FOR TUESDAY, June 9, 2020 - 9:00 A.M. ORDER 1 st Meeting Called to Order 2nd Adoption of Minutes — May 26, 2020 3rd Disclosure of Pecuniary Interest and the General Nature Thereof 4th Presenting Petitions, Presentations and Delegations DELEGATIONS: 9:00 a.m. Meagan Ruddock and Bruce Smith, Thames Valley District School Board 5th Motion to Move Into "Committee Of The Whole Council" 6th Reports of Council, Outside Boards and Staff 7th Council Correspondence 1) Items for Consideration 2) Items for Information (Consent Agenda) 8th OTHER BUSINESS 1) Statements/Inquiries by Members 2) Notice of Motion 3) Matters of Urgency 9th Closed Meeting Items 10th Recess 11 th Motion to Rise and Report 12th Motion to Adopt Recommendations from the Committee Of The Whole 13th Consideration of By-laws 14th ADJOURNMENT Video Conference Meeting — IN-PERSON PARTICIPATION RESTRICTED NOTE FOR MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC: Please click the link below to watch the Council Meeting: hops://www.facebook.com/Elc�inCountyAdmin/ Accessible formats available upon request. 2 P ragressrve by Nature ELGIN COUNTY COUNCIL MINUTES May 26, 2020 Council Present: Warden Dave Mennill (electronic) Deputy Warden Duncan McPhail (electronic) Councillor Bob Purcell (electronic) Councillor Sally Martyn (electronic) Councillor Tom Marks (electronic) Councillor Mary French (electronic) Councillor Grant Jones (electronic) Councillor Dominique Giguere (electronic) Councillor Ed Ketchabaw(electronic) Staff Present: Julie Gonyou, Chief Administrative Officer(in-person) Jim Bundschuh, Director of Financial Services (electronic) Brian Lima, Director of Engineering Services (electronic) Steve Gibson, County Solicitor(in-person) Brian Masschaele, Director of Community and Cultural services (electronic) Amy Thomson, Director of Human Resources (electronic) Alan Smith, General Manager of Economic Development (electronic) Jeff Lawrence, Tree Commissioner/Weed Inspector(electronic) Natalie Marlowe, Library Coordinator(electronic) Carolyn Krahn, Legislative Services Coordinator(in-person) 1. CALL TO ORDER Elgin County Council met this 26th day of May, 2020 in the Administrative Boardroom, at the County Administration Building, St. Thomas at 9:00 a.m.with Warden Mennill in the chair. The Councillors and some staff participated electronically by video conference. 2. ADOPTION OF MINUTES Moved by: Councillor Purcell Seconded by: Councillor Ketchabaw Resolved that the minutes of the meeting held on May 12, 2020 be adopted. Recorded Vote Yes No Abstain West Elgin Duncan McPhail Yes Dutton Dunwich Bob Purcell Yes Central Elgin Sally Martyn Yes Central Elgin Tom Marks Yes Southwold Grant Jones Yes Aylmer Mary French Yes Malahide Dominique Gi uere Yes Ba ham Ed Ketchabaw Yes Malahide Warden Dave Mennill Yes 9 0 0 - Motion Carried. 3. DISCLOSURE OF PECUNIARY INTEREST AND THE GENERAL NATURE THEREOF None. 4. COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE Moved by: Councillor Martyn Seconded by: Councillor Jones Resolved that we do now move into Committee of the Whole Council. 3 Recorded Vote Yes No Abstain West Elgin Duncan McPhail Yes Dutton Dunwich Bob Purcell Yes Central Elgin Sally Mart n Yes Central Elgin Tom Marks Yes Southwold Grant Jones Yes Aylmer Mary French Yes Malahide Dominique Gi uere Yes Ba ham Ed Ketchabaw Yes Malahide Warden Dave Mennill Yes 9 0 0 - Motion Carried. 5. REPORTS OF COUNCIL, OUTSIDE BOARDS AND STAFF 5.1 Warden's Activity Report—May 2020—Warden The Warden provided County Council with a brief update on his recent activities,and he thanked the many organizations and individuals who have very generously donated supplies, food, and gifts to the County's Long-Term Care Homes. Moved by: Councillor Giguere Seconded by: Councillor McPhail Resolved that the report titled "Warden's Activity Report—May 2020"from Warden Mennill dated May 20,2020 be received and filed. Recorded Vote Yes No Abstain West Elgin Duncan McPhail Yes Dutton Dunwich Bob Purcell Yes Central Elgin Sally Mart n Yes Central Elgin Tom Marks Yes Southwold Grant Jones Yes Aylmer Mary French Yes Malahide Dominique Gi uere Yes Ba ham Ed Ketchabaw Yes Malahide Warden Dave Mennill Yes 9 0 0 - Motion Carried. 5.2 Elgin County 2020 Grant and Festival Events Partnership Program Allocations —Recommendation—Councillor Ketchabaw Councillor Ketchabaw, Chair of the Rural Initiatives and Planning Advisory Committee, provided an overview of the Committee's most recent meeting, held on May 12, 2020. Several events and programs have been cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Committee reviewed status updates from the applicants. Two (2)grant proposals were withdrawn, some applicants indicated that they required more time to adjust their plans, and a revised proposal was received from Eat2Learn.With the closure of schools, this organization has partnered with several local food banks to assist families who need food at this time. Moved by: Councillor Marks Seconded by: Councillor Giguere Resolved that Elgin County Council provide $6250 in funding to Eat2Learn through the 2020 Grant and Festival Events Partnership Program, providing 90%of funding up front with the remaining funds to be paid upon receipt of a final report; and that 4 Elgin County Council provide $150 in funding to support tourism signage for the Aylmer-Malahide Museum through the 2020 Elgin County Tourism Directional Signage Grant Program. Recorded Vote Yes No Abstain West Elgin Duncan McPhail Yes Dutton Dunwich Bob Purcell Yes Central Elgin Sally Mart n Yes Central Elgin Tom Marks Yes Southwold Grant Jones Yes Aylmer Mary French Yes Malahide Dominique Gi uere Yes Ba ham Ed Ketchabaw Yes Malahide Warden Dave Mennill Yes 9 0 0 - Motion Carried. 5.3 Tree Commissioner/Weed Inspector Year End Report for 2019 — Tree Commissioner/Weed Inspector The Tree Commissioner/Weed Inspector presented a summary of activity related to the Elgin Woodlands Conservation By-Law for the period of November 1, 2018 to October 31, 2019 and weed inspection activity for the 2019 season. Moved by: Councillor Jones Seconded by: Councillor French Resolved that the report titled "Tree Commissioner/Weed Inspector Year End Report for 2019"from the Tree Commissioner/Weed Inspector, dated May 19, 2020 be received and filed;and that the Tree Commissioner/Weed Inspector be directed to provide an activity report covering the first quarter of 2020 (January 1 to March 31, 2020)at the June 9, 2020 meeting of County Council; and that the Tree Commissioner/Weed Inspector be directed to provide quarterly activity reports to Council as follows: Quarter 2 (April, May, June), Quarter 3 (July, August, September), Quarter 4 (October, November, December)as well as a Year End Report for 2020. Recorded Vote Yes No Abstain West Elgin Duncan McPhail Yes Dutton Dunwich Bob Purcell Yes Central Elgin Sally Mart n Yes Central Elgin Tom Marks No Southwold Grant Jones Yes Aylmer Mary French Yes Malahide Dominique Gi uere Yes Ba ham Ed Ketchabaw Yes Malahide Warden Dave Mennill Yes 8 1 0 - Motion Carried. 5.4 Elgin-St. Thomas Economic Resiliency and Recovery Taskforce — General Manager of Economic Development The General Manager of Economic Development presented a report regarding the formation of the Elgin-St. Thomas Economic Resiliency and Recovery Taskforce. The Taskforce was formed as a collaboration between stakeholders within the Elgin-St. Thomas area and the Economic Development Department in order to determine how best to respond to the economic crisis that is currently impacting the local business community. 5 Moved by: Councillor Ketchabaw Seconded by: Councillor Purcell Resolved that the May 18, 2020, report titled, "Elgin-St. Thomas Economic Resiliency and Recovery Taskforce,"submitted by the General Manager of Economic Development, be received and filed for information. Recorded Vote Yes No Abstain West Elgin Duncan McPhail Yes Dutton Dunwich Bob Purcell Yes Central Elgin Sally Mart n Yes Central Elgin Tom Marks No Southwold Grant Jones Yes Aylmer Mary French Yes Malahide Domini ue Gi uere Yes Ba ham Ed Ketchabaw Yes Malahide Warden Dave Mennill Yes 8 1 0 - Motion Carried. 5.5 Emergency Communications Summary Report — Director of Community and Cultural Services The Director of Community and Cultural Services presented a summary of pandemic related communications activity. The Chief Administrative Officer reassigned COVID-19 related communications to the Community and Cultural Services Department under the leadership of the Director of Community and Cultural Services. The communications team will remain active throughout the emergency response and recovery period. Moved by: Councillor Giguere Seconded by: Councillor Jones Resolved that the report titled "Emergency Communications Summary Report" from the Chief Administrative Officer and Director of Community and Cultural Services dated May 26,2020 be received and filed. Recorded Vote Yes No Abstain West Elgin Duncan McPhail Yes Dutton Dunwich Bob Purcell Yes Central Elgin Sally Mart n Yes Central Elgin Tom Marks Yes Southwold Grant Jones Yes Aylmer Mary French Yes Malahide Dominique Gi uere Yes Ba ham Ed Ketchabaw Yes Malahide Warden Dave Mennill Yes 9 0 0 - Motion Carried. 5.6 April 2020 Budget Performance—Director of Financial Services The Director of Financial Services presented a report regarding the budget performance for April 2020. The budget comparison for the County shows a favourable performance of $87,000 for the month of April, primarily the result of favourable wage performance stemming from the COVID shortage-of-work, bringing year-to-date performance to$294,000. 6 Moved by: Councillor Martyn Seconded by: Councillor McPhail Resolved that the report titled "April 2020 Budget Performance"from the Director of Financial Services dated May 19, 2020 be received and filed. Recorded Vote Yes No Abstain West Elgin Duncan McPhail Yes Dutton Dunwich Bob Purcell Yes Central Elgin Sally Mart n Yes Central Elgin Tom Marks Yes Southwold Grant Jones Yes Aylmer Mary French Yes Malahide Dominique Gi uere Yes Ba ham Ed Ketchabaw Yes Malahide Warden Dave Mennill Yes 9 0 0 - Motion Carried. 5.7 Centennial Road/Elm Line Intersection Improvements—Online Public Information Centre—Director of Engineering Services The Director of Engineering Services provided an overview of the ongoing online Public Information Centre,which presents background information, evaluation of alternatives, and a Technically Preferred Alternative for intersection improvements at Centennial Road and Elm Line. The intersection is a four-way intersection currently only controlled at its north and south approaches with stop conditions. Existing conditions require significant driver concentration to navigate the intersection during peak vehicular periods, and improvements of this intersection are required prior to full subdivision build-out. Moved by: Councillor Marks Seconded by: Councillor Jones Resolved that the report titled "Centennial Road/Elm Line Intersection Improvements—Online Public Information Centre"from the Director of Engineering Services, dated May 19, 2020, be received and filed. Recorded Vote Yes No Abstain West Elgin Duncan McPhail Yes Dutton Dunwich Bob Purcell Yes Central Elgin Sally Mart n Yes Central Elgin Tom Marks Yes Southwold Grant Jones Yes Aylmer Mary French Yes Malahide Dominique Gi uere Yes Ba ham Ed Ketchabaw Yes Malahide Warden Dave Mennill Yes 9 0 0 - Motion Carried. 5.8 Operation of the Elgin Manor Wastewater Treatment Plant - Services Agreement Renewal—Director of Engineering Services The Director of Engineering Services presented a report on the County's current agreement with Ontario Clean Water Agency(OCWA)to operate the Wastewater Treatment Plant located behind Elgin Manor. The OCWA has operated the plant since it was opened in 2006.The County's current agreement term with OCWA expires on December 31, 2020. Moved by: Councillor Purcell Seconded by: Councillor Jones Resolved that Staff be authorized to extend the contract with Ontario Clean Water Agency for an additional two-year term; and,that the Warden and Chief Administrative Officer be authorized to sign a renewal services agreement as prepared to the satisfaction of the County Solicitor. Recorded Vote Yes No Abstain West Elgin Duncan McPhail Yes Dutton Dunwich Bob Purcell Yes Central Elgin Sally Mart n Yes Central Elgin Tom Marks Yes Southwold Grant Jones Yes Aylmer Mary French Yes Malahide Dominique Gi uere Yes Ba ham Ed Ketchabaw Yes Malahide Warden Dave Mennill Yes 9 0 0 - Motion Carried. 5.9 Contract Award—Culvert Sliplining and Culvert Replacement Tender No.2020- T13—Director of Engineering Services The Director of Engineering Services presented details of a tender that was advertised and issued for Culvert Sliplining and Culvert Replacement on Wellington Road (CR25), John Wise Line (CR45)and at nine (9)other locations throughout the County. Two (2)contractors submitted electronic bids. Moved by: Councillor Ketchabaw Seconded by: Councillor McPhail Resolved that Gary D. Robinson Contracting be selected for the Culvert Sliplining and Culvert Replacement Project, Tender No. 2020-T13 at a total price of $399,900.00, inclusive of a contingency allowance and exclusive of H.S.T.; and, that the Warden and Chief Administrative Officer be authorized to sign the contract Recorded Vote Yes No Abstain West Elgin Duncan McPhail Yes Dutton Dunwich Bob Purcell Yes Central Elgin Sally Mart n Yes Central Elgin Tom Marks Yes Southwold Grant Jones Yes Aylmer Mary French Yes Malahide Dominique Gi uere Yes Ba ham Ed Ketchabaw Yes Malahide Warden Dave Mennill Yes 9 0 0 - Motion Carried. 5.10 Addressing Elgin County's Connectivity Challenqes — Chief Administrative Officer The Chief Administrative Officer presented a report on the connectivity challenges in Elgin County.Accessible high-speed internet is no longer a luxury, but a basic 8 requirement for everyday economic,social and cultural activities, and effective implementation can result in new and improved online services, including commerce, government, health and education. Through their support of equitable access initiatives and collaborative efforts, including private sector investments, Council can help stimulate a healthy, competitive market. Moved by: Councillor Purcell Seconded by: Councillor Giguere Resolved that the report titled "Addressing Elgin County's Connectivity Challenges" from the Chief Administrative Officer, dated May 26, 2020, be received and filed. Recorded Vote Yes No Abstain West Elgin Duncan McPhail Yes Dutton Dunwich Bob Purcell Yes Central Elgin Sally Mart n Yes Central Elgin Tom Marks Yes Southwold Grant Jones Yes Aylmer Mary French No Malahide Dominique Gi uere Yes Ba ham Ed Ketchabaw Yes Malahide Warden Dave Mennill Yes 8 1 0 - Motion Carried. 5.11 Terms of Reference: Environmental Committee and Connectivity Committee— Chief Administrative Officer The Chief Administrative Officer presented a report recommending that Elgin County Council establish two (2) new Committees: 1. Environmental Committee; and 2. Connectivity Committee. The report also presented, for Council's review and approval, Terms of Reference to support each of the new Committees. Moved by: Councillor Jones Seconded by: Councillor Martyn Resolved that the report from the Chief Administrative Officer, titled "Terms of Reference: Environmental Committee and Connectivity Committee"dated May 18, 2020 be received and filed; and that the Chief Administrative Officer be directed to present revised Terms of Reference which reflect Council's feedback at a future meeting. Recorded Vote Yes No Abstain West Elgin Duncan McPhail Yes Dutton Dunwich Bob Purcell Yes Central Elgin Sally Mart n Yes Central Elgin Tom Marks Yes Southwold Grant Jones Yes Aylmer Mary French Yes Malahide Dominique Gi uere Yes Ba ham Ed Ketchabaw Yes Malahide Warden Dave Mennill Yes 9 0 0 - Motion Carried. 9 5.12 Rural Connectivity Conference—General Manager of Economic Development The General Manager of Economic Development provided information on a virtual "rural connectivity" conference proposed by Information Technology and Economic Development staff. The conference would be part of the Economic Development Department's yearly conference series.Although still in the early planning stages, a key component of this conference would be to have Internet Service Providers (ISPs) present various ideas or solutions for rural communities struggling to provide high speed internet to their residents. Moved by: Councillor Giguere Seconded by: Councillor Jones Resolved that the May 18, 2020, report titled, "Rural Connectivity Conference," from the Director of Finance and the General Manager of Economic Development, be received and filed for information; and that Elgin County host a virtual conference to address the challenges of rural connectivity as part of the Elgin County Conference Series as described in the May 18, 2020, report titled "Rural Connectively Conference." Recorded Vote Yes No Abstain West Elgin Duncan McPhail Yes Dutton Dunwich Bob Purcell Yes Central Elgin Sally Mart n Yes Central Elgin Tom Marks Yes Southwold Grant Jones Yes Aylmer Mary French Yes Malahide Dominique Gi uere Yes Ba ham Ed Ketchabaw Yes Malahide Warden Dave Mennill Yes 9 0 0 - Motion Carried. 5.13 Electronic Meeting Provisions—post pandemic—Chief Administrative Officer The Chief Administrative Officer presented a report on the continued importance of virtual meetings in a post-pandemic society. In light of the pandemic, municipalities were expected to adopt a virtual format for the majority of their meetings and services, to minimize travel and gathering of large crowds. The flexibility afforded to Council through the changes to the Municipal Act during a declared state of emergency would be helpful on a go-forward basis. Moved by: Councillor Purcell Seconded by: Councillor Marks Resolved that the report entitled "Electronic Meeting Provisions—post pandemic" dated May 20,2020 from the Chief Administrative Officer be received and filed; and that the Warden be directed to send a letter to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Hon. Steve Clark, requesting that the Province of Ontario amend Section 238 (3.1)of the Municipal Act,to allow Members to participate electronically in a meeting either in full or in part on an ongoing basis as is currently happening during the Provincial and Municipal Declarations. Recorded Vote Yes No Abstain West Elgin Duncan McPhail Yes Dutton Dunwich Bob Purcell Yes Central Elgin Sally Mart n Yes Central Elgin Tom Marks Yes Southwold Grant Jones Yes Aylmer Mary French Yes Malahide Dominique Gi uere Yes 10 Ba ham Ed Ketchabaw Yes Malahide Warden Dave Mennill Yes 9 0 0 - Motion Carried. 6. COUNCIL CORRESPONDENCE 6.1 Items for Consideration None. 6.2 Items for Information (Consent Agenda) 6.2.1 The Elgin Business Resource Centre with a news release announcing the New Regional Relief& Recovery Fund (RRRF)to provide financial assistance to small and medium-sized businesses affected by COVID-19 crisis. 6.2.2 Warden Mennill with a letter to Elgin County's Local Municipal Partners and the City of St. Thomas providing an update on Elgin-St. Thomas Emergency Medical Service (EMS)staffing enhancements. 6.2.3 Warden Mennill with a letter to Karen Vecchio, Member of Parliament—Elgin Middlesex-London, regarding connectivity challenges in Elgin County. 6.2.4 Warden Mennill with a letter to Jeff Yurek, Member of Provincial Parliament —Elgin—Middlesex—London, regarding connectivity challenges in Elgin County. Moved by: Councillor French Seconded by: Councillor Martyn Resolved that Correspondence Items#1-4 be received and filed. Recorded Vote Yes No Abstain West Elgin Duncan McPhail Yes Dutton Dunwich Bob Purcell Yes Central Elgin Sally Martyn Yes Central Elgin Tom Marks Yes Southwold Grant Jones Yes Aylmer Mary French Yes Malahide Dominique Gi uere Yes Ba ham Ed Ketchabaw Yes Malahide Warden Dave Mennill Yes 9 0 0 - Motion Carried. 7. OTHER BUSINESS 7.1 Statements/Inquiries by Members Councillor Martyn provided an update on the COVID-19 Assessment Centre at the St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital.Anyone who is worried that they have been exposed to or have contracted COVID-19, even if they do not have symptoms, can be tested. The Assessment Centre has expanded its hours of operation, and residents of St. Thomas and Elgin County no longer need a referral to visit. Residents will require an appointment to be tested. Councillor Purcell announced that the Terrace Lodge Redevelopment Steering Committee will have a virtual meeting on Tuesday, May 26, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. 11 7.2 Notice of Motion None. 7.3 Matters of UrgencV 7.3.1 The Chief Administrative Officer requested that two (2) items be added to the Closed Meeting Agenda in accordance with the Municipal Act Section 239 (2): Addition#1 (e)litigation or potential litigation, including matters before administrative tribunals, affecting the municipality or local board—Wide Area Network Addition#2 (a) the security of the property of the municipality or local board(VERBAL) Moved by: Councillor Ketchabaw Seconded by: Councillor Martyn Resolved that the Wide Area Network and the property matter be added to the Closed Meeting Agenda in accordance with the Municipal Act Section 239 (2) (e) and (a). Recorded Vote Yes No Abstain West Elgin Duncan McPhail Yes Dutton Dunwich Bob Purcell Yes Central Elgin Sally Mart n Yes Central Elgin Tom Marks Yes Southwold Grant Jones Yes Aylmer Mary French Yes Malahide Dominique Gi uere Yes Ba ham Ed Ketchabaw Yes Malahide Warden Dave Mennill Yes 9 0 0 - Motion Carried. 8. CLOSED MEETING ITEMS Moved by: Councillor Giguere Seconded by: Councillor Jones Resolved that we do now proceed into closed meeting session in accordance with the Municipal Act to discuss the following matters under Municipal Act Section 239 (2): In-Camera Item#1 (e)litigation or potential litigation, including matters before administrative tribunals, affecting the municipality or local board—Wide Area Network In-Camera Item#2 (a) the security of the property of the municipality or local board(VERBAL) In-Camera Item#3 (b)personal matters about an identifiable individual, including municipal or local board employees, (d)labour relations or employee negotiations (VERBAL) 12 Recorded Vote Yes No Abstain West Elgin Duncan McPhail Yes Dutton Dunwich Bob Purcell Yes Central Elgin Sally Mart n Yes Central Elgin Tom Marks Yes Southwold Grant Jones Yes Aylmer Mary French Yes Malahide Dominique Gi uere Yes Ba ham Ed Ketchabaw Yes Malahide Warden Dave Mennill Yes 9 0 0 - Motion Carried. 9. RECESS Council recessed at 10:25 a.m. and reconvened at 10:30 a.m. 10. MOTION TO RISE AND REPORT Moved by: Councillor Purcell Seconded by: Councillor French Resolved that we do now rise and report. Recorded Vote Yes No Abstain West Elgin Duncan McPhail Yes Dutton Dunwich Bob Purcell Yes Central Elgin Sally Mart n Yes Central Elgin Tom Marks Yes Southwold Grant Jones Yes Aylmer Mary French Yes Malahide Dominique Gi uere Yes Ba ham Ed Ketchabaw Yes Malahide Warden Dave Mennill Yes 9 0 0 - Motion Carried. In-Camera Item#1 —Wide Area Network Moved by: Councillor Jones Seconded by: Councillor Martyn Resolved that staff proceed as directed. Recorded Vote Yes No Abstain West Elgin Duncan McPhail Yes Dutton Dunwich Bob Purcell Yes Central Elgin Sally Mart n Yes Central Elgin Tom Marks Yes Southwold Grant Jones Yes Aylmer Mary French Yes Malahide Dominique Gi uere Yes Ba ham Ed Ketchabaw Yes Malahide Warden Dave Mennill Yes 9 0 0 - Motion Carried. 13 In-Camera Item#2—Property Matter Moved by: Councillor Jones Seconded by: Councillor McPhail Resolved that staff proceed as directed. Recorded Vote Yes No Abstain West Elgin Duncan McPhail Yes Dutton Dunwich Bob Purcell Yes Central Elgin Sally Mart n Yes Central Elgin Tom Marks Yes Southwold Grant Jones Yes Aylmer Mary French Yes Malahide Dominique Gi uere Yes Ba ham Ed Ketchabaw Yes Malahide Warden Dave Mennill Yes 9 0 0 - Motion Carried. In-Camera Item#3—Verbal Report Moved by: Councillor Ketchabaw Seconded by: Councillor Marks Resolved that the report from the Chief Administrative Officer and Director of Human Resources be received. Recorded Vote Yes No Abstain West Elgin Duncan McPhail Yes Dutton Dunwich Bob Purcell Yes Central Elgin Sally Mart n Yes Central Elgin Tom Marks Yes Southwold Grant Jones Yes Aylmer Mary French Yes Malahide Dominique Gi uere Yes Ba ham Ed Ketchabaw Yes Malahide Warden Dave Mennill Yes 9 0 0 - Motion Carried. 11. MOTION TO ADOPT RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE Moved by: Councillor Martyn Seconded by: Councillor Ketchabaw Resolved that we do now adopt recommendations of the Committee Of The Whole. Recorded Vote Yes No Abstain West Elgin Duncan McPhail Yes Dutton Dunwich Bob Purcell Yes Central Elgin Sally Mart n Yes Central Elgin Tom Marks Yes Southwold Grant Jones Yes Aylmer Mary French Yes Malahide Dominique Gi uere Yes 14 Ba ham Ed Ketchabaw Yes Malahide Warden Dave Mennill Yes 9 0 0 - Motion Carried. 12. CONSIDERATION OF BY-LAWS 12.1 By-law 20-26—Confirming all Actions and Proceedings BEING a By-law to Confirm Proceedings of the Municipal Council of the Corporation of the County of Elgin at the May 26, 2020 Meeting. Moved by: Councillor Jones Seconded by: Councillor French Resolved that By-Law No. 20-26 be now read a first, second and third time and finally passed. Recorded Vote Yes No Abstain West Elgin Duncan McPhail Yes Dutton Dunwich Bob Purcell Yes Central Elgin Sally Mart n Yes Central Elgin Tom Marks Yes Southwold Grant Jones Yes Aylmer Mary French Yes Malahide Dominique Gi uere Yes Ba ham Ed Ketchabaw Yes Malahide Warden Dave Mennill Yes 9 0 0 - Motion Carried. 13. ADJOURNMENT Moved by: Councillor Purcell Seconded by: Councillor Marks Resolved that we do now adjourn at 11:45 a.m. to meet again on June 9, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. Recorded Vote Yes No Abstain West Elgin Duncan McPhail Yes Dutton Dunwich Bob Purcell Yes Central Elgin Sally Mart n Yes Central Elgin Tom Marks Yes Southwold Grant Jones Yes Aylmer Mary French Yes Malahide Dominique Gi uere Yes Ba ham Ed Ketchabaw Yes Malahide Warden Dave Mennill Yes 9 0 0 - Motion Carried. Julie Gonyou, Dave Mennill, Chief Administrative Officer. Warden. 15 Greetings, Our Thames Valley District School Board families have faced many challenges during the past few months balancing working from home and emergency learning at a distance. As a board, it was necessary for us to follow government and public health directives to keep students, staff and families safe and as a result, important graduation and commencement ceremonies have been postponed. Though our ceremonies are postponed,we have a number of system-wide and school-level activities planned to celebrate and recognize the Class of 2020 in June. We are reaching out to you today as a community partner to help us congratulate ALL our students and recognize this milestone in a special way. During the week of June 22"d,the last week of school,we will celebrate the end of this school year for our students by asking for your support in championing your community by lighting yards and business with decorative lights. We are asking for your support in sharing and encouraging your communities to participate in this kind endeavour. If your community is able to join in this celebration, kindly please confirm with Dawn Brereton-Young at (d.breretonyoungtvdsb.ca or 519-630-1249). Our goal is to show our Thames Valley students how supported, celebrated and recognized they are for their achievements in the midst of an historic time. Sincerely, Mark Fisher Arlene Morell Director of Education Chair of the Board 16 REPORTS OF COUNCIL AND STAFF June 9, 2020 Council Reports — ATTACHED Warden — COVID-19 Update Staff Reports —ATTACHED Tree Commissioner/Weed Inspector— Tree Commissioner/Weed Inspector Quarterly Report January— March 2020 Director of Homes and Senior Services — Homes — Notice and Extension of Service Accountability Agreement(s) SAA— Extending Letter Director of Community and Cultural Services — Elgin County Library Performance Analysis Manager of Information Technology —Wide Area Network Services — RFP Contract Award Purchasing Coordinator— Quarterly Information Report - Contract Awards - January 1, 2020 to March 31, 2020 Director of Financial Services — Capping and Claw-back Director of Engineering Services — Contract Award —Administration Building Cooling Tower and South Wing Roof Replacement Project - Tender No. 2020- T23 Supervisor of Legislative Services and Community Relations — Elgin County 2020 — 2022 Strategic Plan Promotion Chief Administrative Officer— New Council Committees: Environmental Committee Update and Connectivity Committee Terms of Reference Chief Administrative Officer— COVID-19: Business Continuity Planning — May 2020 17 m REPORT TO COUNTY COUNCIL FROM: Warden Mennill DATE: June 2, 2020 SUBJECT: COVID-19 Update RECOMMENDATION: THAT the report from Warden Mennill, titled "COVID-19 Update" dated June 2, 2020 be received and filed. BACKGROUND: Long-Term Care Homes— Canadian Armed Forces Report On April 22, 2020, the Ontario Government formally requested assistance from the Federal Government, specifically from the Canadian Armed Forces to support five (5) Long-Term Care Homes that were in crisis. The Canadian Military Medical Teams were sent to dozens of LTCHs to provide support during the pandemic. On May 10, 2020, the Canadian Armed Forces reported 15 out of 20 categories being in "high-risk". On May 26, 2020, the Ontario Government called on the Federal Government and the Canadian Armed Forces to extend their current mission for at least an additional 30 days. Recently, a report was shared from the Canadian Armed Forces that revealed a number of findings in the five (5) LTCH in Ontario and Quebec. The high-risk situations described by the Military were deeply concerning and disturbing. No one should have to suffer in the conditions that this report has described. Elgin County Council has a long history of providing enhanced support for our 247 residents who live in Elgin's three (3) LTCHs. The conditions described in the report are in no way reflective of the conditions at Terrace Lodge, Elgin Manor and Bobier Villa. At all times, our entire LTCH team are deeply committed to providing the highest level of care and service possible. During these times, our Homes have taken all precautions possible to do everything they can to stop the spread of COVID-19. At this point, our homes have had no positive cases, either with residents or staff— and we continue to be hyper-vigilant to ensure this is the case moving forward. Our LTCH team has taken great pride in an excellent compliance record with the Long- Term Care Homes Act and Regulations, strong infection prevention and control measures and an outstanding infection control history in recent years. In our Elgin County Homes, we are fortunate to have qualified, educated and amazing staff who make this possible. 18 Elgin County is proud of the care that our LTCH team continues to provide to our residents living in our LTCHs during these very difficult times. Elgin is in an advantageous position as the Provincial Government commences a new wave of in- person inspections at Ontario's LTCHs. The Provincial Government has stated that they will take immediate action to ensure the safety of residents in Homes across the province. This will include an independent commission into Ontario's Long-Term Care sector beginning in July 2020. The County's Administration and Long-Term Care Homes Management and all Homes staff have worked tirelessly over the past three (3) months to ensure enhanced staffing, infection prevention and control measures and general support to residents is in place. Additionally, County staff have worked closely with Southwestern Public Health, St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital and other community agencies to ensure community supports are in place. We continue to take action to ensure our 247-residents living in Elgin's three (3) LTCHs are receiving safe and high-quality care. Elgin County Administration Building The County of Elgin remains open for business but in a manner that continues to allow the public we serve and our employees to be safe and productive. Residents can call 519-631-1460 for general assistance between 8.30 am —4.30 pm, Monday through Friday, or visit our website www.elgincounty.ca and access our Live Chat to speak directly with a service representative. Collective Actions Elgin County's local administrators continue to meet on a weekly basis. As well, Elgin County's Mayors, Chief Administrative Officers/Clerks and Community Emergency Management Coordinators meet weekly as a joint-Emergency Control Group. The County's Emergency Management Team meets at least twice/week and more frequently as needed. Reopening Plan— Elgin County Administration Staff continue to develop a plan for a gradual, safe and measured reopening of municipal facilities and restart of County services and programs. The plans will align with the Province's framework for Reopening Ontario after COVID-19 and will use a phased approach, enabling both the Province and the County to ensure there are appropriate measures in place to reopen safely and limit risks to public health. CONCLUSION: Elgin County will forever be changed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the impacts it has had on our families, our businesses and our community in general. Since COVID-19 began to spread in Elgin County in March 2020, the County has taken steps to prioritize the health and safety of our residents and our employees. We closed municipal facilities and cancelled programming and events. We changed the way we delivered services to allow the majority of our operations to continue as much as possible. We also found new and different gays to continue to offer as many services as possible. While the pandemic is not over yet, staff are beginning to look ahead and build the roadmap to our new reality — one where COVID-19 is present in our community. All of which is Respectfully Submitted Dave Mennill Warden 20 E '�� REPORT TO COUNTY COUNCIL Nrr�a:xtir.vrr uxs FROM: Jeff Lawrence, Tree Commissioner/Weed Inspector DATE: June 1, 2020 SUBJECT: Tree Commissioner/Weed Inspector Quarterly Report January - March 2020 RECOMMENDATION: THAT the report titled "Tree Commissioner/Weed Inspector Quarterly Report January - March 2020" from the Tree Commissioner/Weed Inspector, dated June 1, 2020 be received and filed. INTRODUCTION: The following is a summary of activity related to the Elgin Woodlands Conservation By- Law for the period of January 1, 2020 to March 31, 2020 and weed inspection activity for the first quarter. DISCUSSION: Logging Activity/Applications to Harvest: A total of 18 applications to harvest were submitted from January 1, 2020 to March 31, 2020. Applications were filed by municipality as follows: West Elgin-4, Dutton/Dunwich- 2, Southwold-2, Central Elgin-2, Malahide-3, and Bayham-5. The total volume for harvest was approximately 578 thousand board feet. The total forested area involved in these harvests was approximately 458 acres. Two (2) applications were received and permitted for tree cutting on identified slopes in the Municipality of Central Elgin. Applications for Woodland Clearings: Two (2) applications to clear portions of woodlands within the county were received in the first quarter of 2020, for a total area to be cleared of 1.9 hectares (-4.7 acres). Decisions are pending. Violations: Discussions regarding non-compliance with the court ordered reforestation order are ongoing with a landowner charged with violations of the Elgin Woodlands Conservation By-law in 2015. 21 Weed Complaints, Orders and Updates: Due to COVID-19 restrictions regarding large gatherings and meetings, the province cancelled the annual weed inspectors meeting usually held in mid-April. As a result, the annual reminders to partner municipalities to place weed destruction notifications in local newspapers and on websites were sent in March. Industry News: Many councillors and landowners across Elgin County will likely hear of"Oak Wilt" in the near future. Oak Wilt is a vascular disease of oak trees caused by a fungus that grows on the outer sap wood, underneath the bark, and restricts the movement of water and nutrients through the tree. Although all Oak trees are at risk, the trees within the red oak group, such as red oak, black oak and pin oak are the most susceptible, with mortality often occurring within one growing season. Oak trees within the white oak group (white oak, bur oak) are also impacted, but have shown some resistance. Oak Wilt has spread throughout the Eastern United States and was confirmed on Belle Isle in the Detroit River in 2016, a few hundred metres outside of Windsor. As of the date of this report, the fungus has not been detected in Canada. The fungus spreads from tree to tree through three different methods. Trees growing relatively close together often have interconnected root systems and the disease can spread from infected trees to uninfected trees through this root to root contact. The fungus is also spread by sap-feeding nitidulid beetles that move fungal spores from infected trees. Similar to many other tree diseases, Oak Wilt is also spread through human movement of infected wood products, such as firewood. An Oak Wilt Fact Sheet is attached to this report. Additional information on Oak Wilt can be found at the Forest Invasives Canada website at http-//forestinvasives.ca/ All of which is Respectfully Submitted Approved for Submission Jeff Lawrence Julie Gonyou Tree Commissioner/Weed Inspector Chief Administrative Officer 22 OAK W 1 LT Invasive Species Centre ri [zeja,Foiest f Iealth Division,Michigan D.N.R. (w alk wdt'is a vaSCLJlar dsease c)f c)al< AH c)al<spedes are SLJscept'ilble and at r'islk. (w alk wdt has spread thr0LJqh0LJt trees,caused by the fUnqUS Bretziella The red c)al<qr0LJP(red, lblaclk, 1p'in) 'is the the Eastern Uri'ited States. In 2016, fag ace arurn. I he foongoos grows c)n the rnc)st SLJscept'ilble,with rnc)rta ty frecUendy c)ak wilt was confirmed()n Belle Isle OUter sapwc)c)cl c)f c)al<trees restftt'inq OCCLjrr'inq w'itHri cme qrc)w'inq seascm. Oalks (Un'ited States), 'in the rn dcfle c)f the the flow()f water and nutrients in the wh'ite c)al<qr0LJP(wh'ite, bUr) are raise) Detr6t R ver,579 rneters frc)rn the through the tree. affected IbUt are r-nc)re resistant. shores c)f Winds(xl Ontario . ............................................................................................................................................ . Signs and Symptoms: Impacts: 0 1 eaves turn CILA green, brc)wn 0 Impacts prc)perty vakies and (x yell()w neighlb(�)oorh(x)(1 aesthetics 0 Dsc6c)raticm c)f leaves 0 Increased cc)sts w'ith tree prc)qress�nq frc)rn the edge n-4riteriance, rernc)val ()f the leaf to the middle and rel,-)Iacement 0 Wdtinq and brcmz nq c)f 1`6�aqe 0 1 c)ss c)f a vakied shade tree starting at tc)p c)f the tree and 0 Neqative �rnpacts tc)the fc)restry moving d(�)wnwards industry and prc)dUct'icm c)f Ngh 0 PrernatUre leaf frail (indUdrig value c)al< prc)dLJCtS green leaves) 0 Redi,Jcticm in fc)c)d Scarce fc)r 0 WNte, grey c)r black fUrigal rnats fc)rest arft-na s prc)v'ided by Gust Under the bark that ern t a ()ak trees frojity smell 0 1 c)ss c)f halbitat fc)r sc)r-ne species 0 Verftal bark cracks in the trunk Redi,Jct'icm c)f ecc)Ic)q'ical serv'ices and large branches as a reSLJlt (air and water filtering) c)f the fUrigal spc)re rnats(alsc) es Centro referred tc)as pressure pads) D.W.Fiench, Safety and ialbdity issues Invasive Speciexerting outward pressure c Univeishy of Minnesota, 41 m the bark Bugwood.o[q A 23 Sri 'a How is oak wilt spread? 1 , A„ The cl'isease spreads frorn'infected trees Insects such as sap feed'ing rr'it'idul'id MM>vernent of wood prcxducts, tO urr'infected trees of the sarne spcydes beetles can rnove spores frorn'infected (p art'iculaHy those vv'ith bark), such as thrOU,gh root to root contact. trees to healthy trees. Firewood can sl,-)read the I-)athogen over long clistances as they can harbor fungal mats. Il��i I 71�{ II I r �rl 'NAIIIII 10 I�O%� [ µ 711 imm imm HARD „ts t Jarnes`„olornon,USDA Forest`;service, USDA Forest`service,Northeastern � � .Joseph OBrien,USDA Forest`service, Bugrnood.org Area `;state and Private Forestry Bugrnood.org ............................................................................................................................................ . What can you do? There is no cure for oak wilt infected trees. The best approach is to avoid or reduce infection in areas where disease occurs by: • Identifying and rernoving diseased trees • Prevent'ing the forrnat'ion of, or severing ex'ist'ing root connections 130 Illd "d prune c>al<trees frorn Apr'i I to • Minimizing wounds on healthy trees during the flight I-)eriod of I-Dotential July. If prurr'ing rnust occur,or'if atree Insect carriers is 'inaured, apply a thin layer Of v OUnd ................................................................................ . I,-)alnt immediately. 0 130 Ill move Firewood. Oalk wvv t'is If you see signs and symptoms of oak wilt, report sl,-)read by the movement of infected wood. the sightings to: The Canadlan Food Inspection Agency((`u CIA) • lnv aging Suer es Hotline Jp ` For more information on oak wilt, visit: Forest lava Ivc s Canada Invasive II Produced in collaboration with: Species Canada Centre llu 24 m m^"mxiwr EIgt-11CU"tuu�� REPORT TO COUNTY COUNCIL FROM: Michele Harris, Director of Homes and Seniors Services DATE: June 2, 2020 SUBJECT: Homes — Notice and Extension of Service Accountability Agreement(s) SAA— Extending Letter RECOMMENDATIONS: THAT the report titled: "Homes — Notice and Extension of Service Accountability Agreement(s) SAA— Extending Letter" dated June 2, 2020 be received and filed; and, THAT Council authorize the Warden and Chief Administrative Officer to sign the Notice and Extension of Service Accountability Agreement(s) SAA Extending Letter. INTRODUCTION: It is a requirement under the Local Health System Integration Act, 2006 (LHSIA) that the South West Local Health Integration Network (SWLHIN) enters into a service accountability agreement (SAA) with each health service provider (HSP) which it funds. DISCUSSION: The County of Elgin has a Multi-Sector Service Accountability Agreement (M-SAA) for Bobier Villa and Terrace Lodge; and, a Long-Term Care Service Accountability Agreement (L-SAA) for Bobier Villa, Elgin Manor and Terrace Lodge. As announced earlier this year, the 2019/20 Service Accountability Agreements (SAAs) were extended from April 1, 2020 to June 30, 2020 to allow additional time to develop and negotiate new service, financial and performance commitments. In light of the current COVID-19 environment, the Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) and Ontario Health (OH) recognize it is not realistic to press ahead and engage in a SAA refresh process that would further pressure health service providers and the system as a whole, knowing that the SAA renewal process requires significant resources and time to outline operational assumptions, complete planning submissions, undertake a review and negotiation process, and attain necessary approvals. The LHINs and OH have received Ministry of Health (MOH) endorsement to continue with the extension of the 2020/21 fiscal year SAA for the period of July 1, 2020 to March 31, 2021. 25 The "Notice and Extension of Service Accountability Agreement(s) SAA— Extending Letter" is attached for your reference and outlines the terms and conditions in the SAA as amended. All of which is Respectfully Submitted Approved for Submission Michele Harris Julie Gonyou Director of Homes and Seniors Services Chief Administrative Officer 26 iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiillillillillillillilliillillillillillillilliillillillillilillillillillillillilliillillillillillillilliillillillillillillilliillillililllillillillillillillilliillillillillillillilliillillillillillillilliillillililllillillillillillillilliillillillillillillilliillillillillillillilliillillililllillillillillillillilliillilI DocuSign Envelope ID:F19B3EC8-9DAA-4FA5-9AF2-BB150CB264ii�� I �1111� E9 Toil � a June 1, 2020 Ms. Julie Gonyou Chief Administrative Officer The Corporation of the County of Elgin 29491 Pioneer Line Dutton, ON NOL 1 JO DELIVERED ELECTRONICALLY Dear Ms. Gonyou: Re: LHSIA s. 20 Notice and Extension of Service Accountability Agreement(s) ("Extending Letter") The Local Health System Integration Act, 2006 requires the South West Local Health Integration Network (the "LHIN") to notify a health service provider when the LHIN proposes to enter into, or amend, a service accountability agreement with that health service provider. In this COVID-19 outbreak, the LHIN hereby gives notice and advises The Corporation of the County of Elgin - Bobier Villa(the "HSP") of the LHIN's proposal to amend each and every service accountability agreement (as described in the Local Health System Integration Act, 2006) currently in effect between the LHIN and your HSP (each a "SAX). Subject to the HSP's acceptance of this Extending Letter, each SAA will be amended with effect on June 30, 2020. All other terms and conditions of the SAA remain in full force and effect. The terms and conditions in the SAA are amended as follows. 1) Term —With respect to a SAA that is a hospital service accountability agreement only, in section 2.2, "June 30, 2020" is deleted and replaced by "March 31, 2021". 2) Schedules - The Schedules in effect on June 29, 2020 shall remain in effect until March 31, 2021, or until such other time as may be agreed to by Parties. Unless otherwise defined in this letter, all capitalized terms used in this letter have the meanings set out in the SAA. Please indicate the HSP's acceptance and agreement to the amendment of the SAA as described in this Extending Letter by signing below and returning one scanned copy of this letter by e-mail no later than the end of business day on June 19, 2020, to: SWlhinreporting@lhins.on.ca, (the "LHIN Contact"). The HSP and the LHIN agree that the Extending Letter may be validly executed electronically, and that their respective electronic signature is the legal equivalent of a manual signature. The electronic signature of a party may be evidenced by one of the following means and transmission of the Extending Letter may be as follows: Ontario 27 DocuSign Envelope ID: F19B3EC8-9DAA-4FA5-9AF2-BB150CB264E9 1) a manual signature of an authorized signing representative placed in the respective signature line of the Extending Letter and the Extending Letter delivered by facsimile transmission to the other party; 2) a manual signature of an authorized signing representative placed in the respective signature line of the Extending Letter and the Extending Letter scanned as a pdf and delivered by email to the other party; 3) a digital signature, including the name of the authorized signing representative typed in the respective signature line of the Extending Letter, an image of a manual signature or an Adobe signature of an authorized signing representative, or any other digital signature of an authorized signing representative with the other party's prior written consent, placed in the respective signature line of the Extending Letter and the Extending Letter delivered by email to the other party; or 4) any other means with the other party's prior written consent. Should you have any questions regarding the information provided in this Extending Letter, please contact Sandra Smith, Director, Performance and Evaluation at sandra.smith lhins.on.ca. Sincerely, I1�e 4��L Zeynep Danis Vice President, Finance & Corporate Services Ontario Health c. Dave Mennill, Warden, The Corporation of the County of Elgin - Bobier Villa c. Bruce Lauckner, Transitional Regional Lead (West and CEO of Erie St. Clair, South West, Hamilton Niagara Haldimand Brant and Waterloo Wellington LHINs) Ontario Health AGREED TO AND ACCEPTED BY The Corporation of the County of Elgin - Bobier Villa By: Date: Julie Gonyou mm/dd/yyyy Chief Administrative Officer I have authority to bind the HSP And By: Date: Dave Mennill mm/dd/yyyy Warden I have authority to bind the HSP Page 12 28 ,lord S�NINWv�i EI REPORT TO COUNTY COUNCIL FROM: Brian Masschaele, Director of Community and Cultural Services DATE: June 9, 2020 SUBJECT: Elgin County Library Performance Analysis RECOMMENDATION: THAT the report titled "Elgin County Library Performance Analysis" from the Director of Community and Cultural Services dated June 9, 2020 be received and filed. INTRODUCTION: County Council requested a follow up report to the "2019 Annual Library Performance Measurements" report received and filed on April 28, 2020 to further contextualize the figures presented relative to performance measurement tools and peer statistics. This report provides further context on the library's recent performance based on annual statistics complied by the Ontario Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries (MHSTC). DISCUSSION: Elgin County Library (ECL) utilizes statistics and performance measurement tools to analyze effectiveness of current operations and to plan for future services. One such resource is the Guidelines for Rural/Urban Public Library Systems (3rd edition) produced by the Administrators of Rural and Urban Public Libraries of Ontario (commonly referred to as the "ARUPLO Guidelines"). This resource provides guidelines in key operational areas of facility size, hours of operation, staffing levels, collection size and technology deployment. Benchmarking data among peer systems is shared on a regular basis relative to these guidelines. A report on the library's individual performance relative to these guidelines was received by County Council at the November 27, 2018 meeting (attached to this report as "Appendix A"). These guidelines are available on the I��URI Q (,A„ iif.(,A,. Another tool that the library uses for performance measurement is ...... provided through rdect Outcome, which is led by the Public Library Association in the United States. Results of applying this tool were included in the "2019 Annual Library Performance Measurements" report received by County Council on April 28, 2020. 29 However, the most comprehensive source for library performance indicators is the MHSTC's annual statistics, the submission of which is a requirement to receive the annual Public Libraries Operating Grant (approximately $117,000 annually for ECL). The most recent statistics available are for the 2018 year and can be viewed ,Ihere on the IMHSTC websiite. 2019 data will not be available until early 2021. ECL is listed under the "County libraries and county co-operative" section. This report focuses on peer data from those systems that directly border on the County of Elgin so that a regional comparison can be made. Attempts at province-wide comparisons are more problematic given major differences in the way libraries are governed and administered across the province, as well as inconsistencies in the data that is posted by the Ministry. Further elaboration on this matter is covered later in this report. Elgin County Library Total Operational Cost ECL's total operating budget in 2019 was $2,755,336. This figure includes costs for staffing, branch leases, telecommunications and subscriptions to electronic resources and magazines. The capital budget was $372,732 which encompasses costs for physical collections and accessibility/renovation improvements to branch facilities. Total Number of Library Users In 2019, ECL had 10,900 active users as presented in the "2019 Annual Library Performance Measurements" report received by County Council on April 28, 2020. Total Potential Library Users According to the last available census (2016), there are 50,069 residents and 19,499 households in the County of Elgin. Using these figures, active cardholders represent 21.8% of the total population; however, an important distinction needs to be made that is unique to ECL's service area. For service purposes, the library realistically has a primary catchment area of approximately 45,000 residents, given that the neighbourhoods of Lynhurst (Central Elgin), Ferndale (Southwold) and Talbotville (Southwold) are in closer proximity to St. Thomas Public Library (STPL). A reciprocal borrowing agreement exists between the two systems, meaning that residency in the City of St. Thomas is not required to take out a card with STPL. (It should be noted that a reciprocal borrowing agreement also exists with London Public Library which further impacts library usage options for Elgin County residents). While these agreements are very positive and progressive, they do have an impact on the number of County residents that consider themselves primary users of the ECL system. Most residents in these neighbourhoods are active cardholders of STPL and not ECL. 30 Active Cardholders as a Percentage of Total Population Elgin County Library 21.8% of total population; 24.2% of residents in catchment area St. Thomas Public Library 33.5% Middlesex County Library 27.6% Chatham-Kent Public Library 31.3% Norfolk County Public Library 28.1% Oxford County Library 25.4% An active cardholder is a person that has used their assigned card in the past two years, or has expressly renewed the card even if they have not used it during the past two years. Comparison to Sector Standards How does the County of Elgin's spending on library service compare to other municipalities on a per capita and per user basis? Comparing total cost for library service between different systems is problematic given that governance and administration vary widely across the province. For instance, almost all systems are governed by a library board and operate as separate corporations from the municipality. This means that costs for support functions such as human resources, finance and information technology (IT) are often part of the library's direct budget. In Elgin's case, the library does not have a board and is completely integrated into the County's municipal structure, with costs for the aforementioned support services integrated into cost centres for other departments. For instance, IT is a major cost centre for any library system but the County's IT department does not apportion cost just to the library in its approach to capital or operating budgets. At one time, the Ontario Ministry of Finance did require libraries to submit a Financial Information Return specific to the sector which analyzed performance that attempted to factor in these value-added considerations. This ceased in 2013 given that the data was inconsistent and unreliable for these very reasons relative to the effort to produce. Another factor that is problematic is that each system has different ownership or lease arrangements for its facilities, and different service models impacting the number of branches they choose to operate. Many urban and single-tier systems own their buildings and do not pay a formal lease (such as Norfolk County Public Library), but it is more common in county library systems to lease these building from local municipal partners. Even under this model, the lease rates paid by each county system can vary widely, with some only paying nominal amounts. ECL pays the highest average lease rate (a base rate of$12 per square foot indexed annually to the consumer price index) of any county system in Ontario and within the peer group below. Leasing is the second highest budget item for ECL after staffing, amounting to approximately $440,000 in 2019. These higher lease rates serve to inflate operating costs for library service in Elgin County when analyzed strictly from a financial perspective. However, these transfers have served a very positive role in making investments back into library 31 facilities on a regular basis and this partnership is working well for both the County and local municipal partners. Nevertheless, the MHSTC's annual statistics for 2018 do provide some means to compare operating costs for various systems. These are summarized below, specifically for the "Total Operating Revenues" for the neighbouring peer group category: Operating Cost per Resident (Based on total operating expenses per capita). Elgin County Library $57.58 St. Thomas Public Library $59.79 Middlesex County Library $57.77 Chatham-Kent Public Library $42.73 Norfolk County Public Library $50.96 Oxford County Library $66.32 Obtaining meaningful figures on operating cost per user is much more difficult to determine as the number of active card holders does not necessarily reflect the total number of active users of the library when program attendance is considered. Many residents use the library without being an active cardholder which is not reflected in any data sets available. Circulation Rates Are circulation rates extraordinary or poor relative to how much the County of Elgin spends and how many people live in the County? Every system is at liberty to determine what constitutes a circulated item —from item type to loan period and number of item renewals — and there is not a complete consistency across library systems on this metric. For ECL, overall circulation includes both physical and electronic items. These physical items can be checked out for a prescribed length of time and can include traditional items such as books (with a loan period of four weeks), but can also include non-traditional items such as seed packages (with an open-ended loan period, with the understanding that customers will return new seeds in the fall season). In comparison to peer systems, ECL has the longest loan period for books at four weeks (as opposed to three weeks). Like many peer systems, ECL also has a non-circulating reference book collection which, as indicated, is not loaned at all. Usage of this collection, as well as items read/browsed or used in-branch, is captured during MHSTC's Annual Survey under the "re-shelved items" category. Physical item circulation tends to be one of ECL's top library uses. Another factor that influences circulation rates when it comes to electronic content is consortia participation. Some library systems, such as ECL, participate in consortia for certain digital collections such as those for a-books and e-audiobooks (OverDrive), which can make it difficult to obtain an accurate count of items circulated. Although ECL has created a curated collection for ECL membership only within this product to mitigate this, circulation specific to ECL users is still linked to provincial availability which is 32 beyond the Library's direct control. Also, some digital collections for movies, tv shows and music are unable to be curated for a specific library system's membership (Hoopla, Kanopy) which influences circulation rates for ECL. Despite this, the circulation of online content continues to rise as Elgin County residents find value and entertainment in the products offered. Another factor that is problematic is that some systems consider the usage of public access computers and wireless networks as circulated items while others do not count this. For ECL, public access computer use is captured as a circulated item, with a loan period of one hour. Wireless network use in branches is captured not as a circulated item, but as a session use. For ECL, mobile device use is increasing the number of library wireless sessions. Circulation per Capita Elgin County Libra 5.36; 5.96 within catchment area St. Thomas Public Library 8.05 Middlesex County Library 5.34 Chatham-Kent Public Library 7.93 Norfolk County Public Library 4.01 Oxford County Library 8.47 Circulation per Active Cardholder Elgin County Library 24.44 St. Thomas Public Library 24.04 Middlesex County Library 19.38 Chatham-Kent Public Library 25.39 Norfolk County Public Library 14.26 Oxford County Library 33.33 Circulation rates are a product of the quality and extent of the collection. Strategic investments need to be made to ensure that new and high demand materials are added in a timely fashion. The County's current investment levels are holding up well in this regard which is reflected in ECL's solid performance in this category, but a new ten-year capital plan for library materials is required after 2020. Program Attendance Is ECL's attendance extraordinary or poor relative to the number of programs and number of families In Elgin County? Is ECL's programming extraordinary or poor relative to how many staff are employed by ECL? 33 Program Attendance per Capita Elgin County Libra 0.58; 0.65 within catchment area St. Thomas Public Library 0.20 Middlesex County Library 0.62 Chatham-Kent Public Library 0.32 Norfolk County Public Library 0.55 Oxford County Library 0.48 Program Attendance per Active Cardholder Elgin County Library 2.63 St. Thomas Public Library 0.60 Middlesex County Library 2.24 Chatham-Kent Public Library 1.01 Norfolk County Public Library 1.96 Oxford County Library 1.87 ECL's programming statistics are the highest within the peer group and are very high relative to other systems in Ontario. Answering the question on value relative to staffing levels is more difficult to discern. Deployment of staff within each system for programming purposes must take into consideration factors such as the needs of the community, number of branches in the system, proximity to local schools, size of each location to run large-scale events and the amount of community support (including monetary donations) to support programming activities. Impact and reach of programs through social media must also be assessed. The library does report both quantitative and qualitative information to County Council through the annual statistics report and bi- annual reports on library programs and activities. These reports continue to indicate good value relative to staffing levels, time associated to develop and deliver programs and impact on users, but this is a matter under continuous evaluation. Performance Targets What are ECL's membership, circulation and programming attendance targets? Do results show that ECL landed below, at or above target? What are ECL's membership, circulation, programming and attendance targets for 2020? Although formal performance targets for the library are not set on an annual basis, library staff regularly review peer statistics and adapt services and resources not only to meet user needs, but also to address any shortcomings or trends that become apparent in the annual statistics report ("2019 Annual Library Performance Measurements") presented to County Council and in the MHSTC's statistics. In recent years, it has become apparent that the number of cardholders relative to population has remained static and is at lower levels than peer systems. For this reason, the library has shifted existing resources in its budget to include a project devoted towards library marketing. In 2020, $3,250 has been devoted towards this purpose. These funds are being used 34 to develop new user kits and also a marketing campaign aimed at increasing library membership. One particular focus of the campaign is increasing the number of cards distributed to students through local schools. For 2020, the goal is to maintain current membership levels given the temporary closure of library facilities due to COVID-19. As the "2019 Annual Library Performance Measurements" report presented to County Council on April 28, 2020 demonstrated, overall circulation statistics are clearly shifting towards more usage of online and electronic resources, with print materials showing a gradual decline. This is a common trend within all public libraries and will only continue going forward. Nevertheless, establishing performance targets for circulation is difficult to contemplate given volatility in the electronic resources' marketplace where ownership models for loaning items such as a-books are constantly changing with often little notice. Generally, staff project that overall circulation growth will occur at a rate of approximately 1% per year moving forward, for planning purposes. As the "2019 Annual Library Performance Measurements" report indicated, this overall circulation growth was achieved by combining physical circulation (decreasing 6.8% over a five-year period) and electronic circulation (increasing 78.1% over a five-year period) together. Attendance continues to show healthy growth year-over-year. The goal is to at least maintain ECL's leading statistics in this regard. Projecting attendance targets and indeed any target for 2020 is now dramatically impacted by the closure of library facilities and services due to the global pandemic brought on by COVID-19. Performance target considerations will be integrated into the annual statistical reports presented to County Council in future years. CONCLUSION: All of the resources referenced in this report have been provided to StrategyCorp as part of the comprehensive Service Delivery Review that Council is currently undertaking. The results of this review should give Council further insight into the library's performance relative to the sector. All of which is Respectfully Submitted Approved for Submission Brian Masschaele Julie Gonyou Director of Community and Cultural Services Chief Administrative Officer 35 Appendix A— Received and filed November 27, 2018 �m,� Ill r,::�s1111ts„ REPORT TO COUNTY COUNCIL FROM: Brian Masschaele, Director of Community and Cultural Services DATE: September 27, 2018 SUBJECT: Library Guidelines Performance INTRODUCTION: At the November 14t", 2017 meeting, Council received Guidelines for Rural/Urban Public Library Systems (3rd Edition, 2017) produced by the Administrators of Rural and Urban Public Libraries of Ontario (ARUPLO), the organization representing most County library systems in Ontario. The Elgin County Library utilizes the "ARUPLO Guidelines" (as they are known) for planning purposes on matters such as space needs, hours of operation, staffing levels, collection sizes and levels of technology. The ARUPLO Guidelines are the most comprehensive tool to assess performance of multi branch, rural / urban systems in Ontario. This report analyses Elgin County Library's performance relative to these guidelines for Council's information. A similar benchmarking analysis was presented to Council in 2012 after the release of the 2nd edition of the guidelines. DISCUSSION: The 3rd edition of the ARUPLO Guidelines marks a major change in how they can be utilized by member systems for planning purposes. For the first time, the catchment area for each branch (i.e. population served) is no longer the main determinant behind whether a branch is considered small, medium, large or urban. Rather, it is now up to each system to make that determination based on the strategic role that each branch plays in the system as a whole. Catchment area is still a significant factor in making that determination but it is not the only one. The following is a breakdown of the categories for each branch of the Elgin County Library system based on the level of service and strategic role that each serves: Large branch: Aylmer Medium branches: Dutton, Port Stanley and Straffordville Small branches: Belmont, Port Burwell, Rodney, Shedden, Springfield and West Lorne For the purposes of this report, staff are focusing on the following six core factors for benchmarking purposes: Catchment area / population served, facilities, hours of operation, staffing, collections and technology. In engaging in this analysis, it should be 36 noted that the library's total population served for guideline purposes is 46,000 even though the County's total population according to the 2016 census is 50,069. The discrepancy between these two numbers is based on the fact that a proportion of County residents live in close proximity to a library service provided by another municipality, particularly St. Thomas Public Library. Determining the population served by each branch is strictly an estimate given that census figures are largely available only for the municipality as a whole as opposed to villages or regions within a municipality. As a result, staff have had to rely on additional information such as usage patterns and the County's planning data to determine the estimated catchment area for each branch. Below is a table summary and analysis of the library's cumulative performance for all ten branches relative to the aforementioned categories, after which is attached an analysis of each branch's individual performance. GUIDELINE BRANCHES WITHIN GUIDELINE Catchment Area / Population Served 9 of 10 Facilities 4 of 10 Hours of Operation 9 of 10 Staffing 8 of 10 Collections 9 of 10 Technology 8 of 10 TOTAL GUIDELINES MET 47 of 60 Catchment Area / Population Served 9 of 10 branches have an appropriate catchment area relative to the branch's classification. Port Burwell's catchment area of 1,400 is on the low-end of a sustainable population base to maintain full branch status. Facilities Minimum recommended guideline: 40,000 square feet Elgin County Library total: 29,448 square feet 4 out of 10 branches meet this guideline. As a whole, Elgin County Library is operating at 74 per cent of the minimum benchmark. This marks an improvement since the last benchmarking exercise in 2012 when only one branch met the guideline (Dutton) and the library was operating at 59 per cent of the recommended total. This is largely attributable to recent facility expansions in Belmont and Shedden. However, further increases to facility size at some branches need to be considered going forward. Hours of Operation Recommended guideline: 240 to 350 hours Elgin County Library total per week: 302 hours 37 Elgin County Library is operating well within the recommended guideline. 9 out of 10 branches meet the minimum requirement, with the exception being Port Burwell. However, it is associated with Straffordville in terms of staffing and hours of operation and taken together; these two branches meet the minimum guideline. Staffing Minimum recommended guideline: 18.5 FTE Elgin County Library total: 19.6 FTE Elgin County Library is operating slightly above the minimum guideline as a whole, including at 8 out of 10 branches. This marks an improvement from 2012 when the system was slightly below the minimum guideline. This can be attributed to recent increases in staffing hours at Belmont, Springfield and Shedden. Straffordville and Port Burwell have staffing levels below the minimum guideline. Collections Minimum recommended guideline: 96,000 physical items Elgin County Library total: 175,518 physical items Elgin County Library is operating well above the minimum guideline and at ninety per cent of the recommended maximum of 194,000 items. Collection size remains strong and is consistent with figures presented in the 2012 analysis. It should be noted that minimum collection size has been drastically reduced in the most recent version of the guidelines to incorporate accessibility considerations such as lower shelving, better marketing of collections and also to provide more space for programming. 9 out of 10 branches meet the minimum guideline, with the exception being Port Burwell. However, given that items are available from across the system, the inability to meet the guideline at any one location is less of a concern. Technology Minimum recommended guideline: 51 public access workstations + Wi-Fi Elgin County Library total: 47 public access workstations + mobile workstations + Wi-Fi Elgin County Library is operating close to the minimum ARUPLO guideline, including at 8 out of 10 branches. These numbers have remained largely consistent with the last analysis completed in 2012. Aylmer and Belmont currently do not meet the minimum guideline. However, the attached branch-by-branch analysis also lists the number of tablets and laptops available to the public at each location. These devices play an important role in connecting patrons to on-line resources via Wi-Fi. When these devices are considered, all branches meet the minimum requirement. Overall, the County's technology infrastructure remains solid. Staff continually monitor network speeds to ensure appropriate levels of service at each location through both wired and 38 wireless connections. Rodney and West Lorne remain the biggest challenges in this regard, with relatively slow speeds at the present time. Staff will investigate the option of switching to fibre-optics in the coming months given infrastructure upgrades currently taking place in each community. CONCLUSION: In summary, the library's performance against the most recent edition of the ARUPLO Guidelines can be considered solid with the exception of facilities. Even here, significant improvements have been made since Council last received a benchmarking analysis in 2012. The information presented in this report, along with the library's annual statistical report, gives Council and staff a good overview of how each branch is performing relative to others in the system and relative to recommended guidelines. The results also demonstrate that recent revisions as represented in the 3rd edition of the guidelines have been set at a reasonable level to achieve compliance. Staff will continue to rely upon the ARUPLO Guidelines for planning purposes at each branch as needs arise. This includes further input into the appropriate size of facility to serve a community beyond minimum requirements. It should be noted that the guidelines are largely intended to gauge individual branch performance and do not encompass system-wide support functions such as inter-library loan or collection processing functions. Guidelines for these functions will hopefully be considered in the next revision. Furthermore, staff will continue to advocate for benchmarking data that includes all ARUPLO members so that performance can be assessed relative to other systems. Such an analysis has not been completed for several years and would be highly useful, not only in gauging peer performance, but also to identify aspects of the guidelines that may need further revision or refinement in the future. RECOMMENDATION: THAT the report titled "Library Guidelines Performance" from the Director of Community and Cultural Services dated September 27, 2018 be received and filed. All of which is Respectfully Submitted Approved for Submission Brian Masschaele Julie Gonyou Director of Community and Cultural Services Chief Administrative Officer 39 ARUPLO GUIDELINES FOR RURAL/URBAN PUBLIC LIBRARY SYSTEMS AYLMER - LARGE BRANCH CATEGORY GUIDELINE REQUIREMENTS EXISTING MEETS GUIDELINES? CATCHMENT Generally serve catchment AREA/ areas of 10,000 to 35,000 14,800 Yes POPULATION population as determined by SERVED each system FACILITIES: 10,000 to 35,000 square 3,081 No feet HOURS OF 45 to 65 hours per week 48 Yes OPERATION PER WEEK: STAFFING 5 to 17.5 FTEs, including 5 FTEs, supervisor with Yes professional librarian as library science degree supervisor COLLECTIONS 24,000 to 50,000 items 31,906 items Yes TECHNOLOGY 12 public access work 7 work stations No stations + Wi-Fi (+ 2 Pads, 1 Chromebook, 2 laptops) + Wi-Fi 40 DUTTON - MEDIUM BRANCH CATEGORY GUIDELINE REQUIREMENTS EXISTING MEETS GUIDELINES? CATCHMENT Generally serve catchment AREA/ areas of 5,000 to 10,000 5,000 Yes POPULATION population as determined by SERVED: each system 5,000 — 10,000 square feet 5,000 Yes FACILITIES: HOURS OF 25 to 45 hours per week 42 Yes OPERATION PER WEEK: STAFFING 2.5 to 5 FTEs, including 3.3 FTEs, supervisor Yes professional librarian or with library training library training as supervisor COLLECTIONS 12,000 to 24,000 items 30,212 items Yes TECHNOLOGY 5 public access work 7 work stations Yes stations + Wi-Fi (+ 1 Chromebook, 1 Pad, 2 laptops) + Wi-Fi 41 PORT STANLEY - MEDIUM BRANCH CATEGORY GUIDELINE REQUIREMENTS EXISTING MEETS GUIDELINES? CATCHMENT Generally serve catchment AREA/ areas of 5,000 to 10,000 5,000 Yes POPULATION population as determined by SERVED: each system FACILITIES: 5,000 — 10,000 square feet 4,640 Yes HOURS OF 25 to 45 hours per week 39.5 Yes OPERATION PER WEEK: STAFFING 2.5 to 5 FTEs, including 2.5 FTEs, supervisor Yes professional librarian or with library training library training as supervisor COLLECTIONS 12,000 to 24,000 items 25,689 items Yes TECHNOLOGY 5 public access work 5 work stations Yes stations + Wi-Fi + Wi-Fi 42 STRAFFORDVILLE - MEDIUM BRANCH CATEGORY GUIDELINE REQUIREMENTS EXISTING MEETS GUIDELINES? CATCHMENT Generally serve catchment AREA/ areas of 5,000 to 10,000 6,000 Yes POPULATION population as determined by SERVED: each system FACILITIES: 5,000 — 10,000 square feet 4,000 No HOURS OF 25 to 45 hours per week 40 Yes OPERATION PER WEEK: STAFFING 2.5 to 5 FTEs, including 2.25 FTEs, supervisor No professional librarian or with library training library training as supervisor COLLECTIONS 12,000 to 24,000 items 20,521 items Yes TECHNOLOGY 5 public access work 5 work stations Yes stations + Wi-Fi (+ 1 Chromebook, 3 Pads, 2 laptops) + Wi-Fi 43 BELMONT - SMALL BRANCH CATEGORY GUIDELINE REQUIREMENTS EXISTING MEETS GUIDELINES? CATCHMENT Generally serve catchment AREA/ areas of up to 5,000 as 4,000 Yes POPULATION determined by each system SERVED: FACILITIES: 2,500 — 5,000 square feet 3,199 Yes HOURS OF 20 to 25 hours per week 30.5 Yes OPERATION PER WEEK: STAFFING 1 to 2.5 FTEs, supervisor 1.6 FTEs, supervisor Yes with library competency with library science degree COLLECTIONS 6,000 to 12,000 items 14,599 items Yes TECHNOLOGY 4 public access work 3 work stations No stations + Wi-Fi (+ 1 Chromebook, 3 Pads) + Wi-Fi 44 PORT BURWELL - SMALL BRANCH CATEGORY GUIDELINE REQUIREMENTS EXISTING MEETS GUIDELINES? CATCHMENT Generally serve catchment AREA/ areas of up to 5,000 as 1,400 No (according to POPULATION determined by each system previous guidelines) SERVED: FACILITIES: 2,500 — 5,000 square feet 800 No HOURS OF 20 to 25 hours per week 16 No OPERATION PER WEEK: STAFFING 1 to 2.5 FTEs, supervisor 0.6 FTEs, supervisor No with library competency with library training COLLECTIONS 6,000 to 12,000 items 5,862 items No TECHNOLOGY 3 public access work 3 work stations Yes stations + Wi-Fi (+ 1 Chromebook, 1 Pad, 1 laptop) + Wi-Fi 45 RODNEY - SMALL BRANCH CATEGORY GUIDELINE REQUIREMENTS EXISTING MEETS GUIDELINES? CATCHMENT Generally serve catchment AREA/ areas of up to 5,000 as 2,500 Yes POPULATION determined by each system SERVED: FACILITIES: 2,500 — 5,000 square feet 1,428 No HOURS OF 20 to 25 hours per week 21 Yes OPERATION PER WEEK: STAFFING 1 to 2.5 FTEs, supervisor 1.0 FTEs, supervisor Yes with library competency with library training COLLECTIONS 6,000 to 12,000 items 13,142 items Yes TECHNOLOGY 3 public access work 4 work stations Yes stations + Wi-Fi (+ 1 Chromebook, 1 Pad, 1 laptop) + Wi-Fi 46 SOUTHWOLD TOWNSHIP LIBRARY, SHEDDEN - SMALL BRANCH CATEGORY GUIDELINE REQUIREMENTS EXISTING MEETS GUIDELINES? CATCHMENT Generally serve catchment AREA/ areas of up to 5,000 as 2,500 Yes POPULATION determined by each system SERVED: FACILITIES: 2,500 — 5,000 square feet 3,657 Yes HOURS OF 20 to 25 hours per week 21 Yes OPERATION PER WEEK: STAFFING 1 to 2.5 FTEs, supervisor 0.9 FTE, supervisor with Yes (within close range) with library competency library training COLLECTIONS 6,000 to 12,000 items 8,953 items Yes TECHNOLOGY 4 public access work 4 work stations Yes stations + Wi-Fi + Wi-Fi 47 SPRINGFIELD - SMALL BRANCH CATEGORY GUIDELINE REQUIREMENTS EXISTING MEETS GUIDELINES? CATCHMENT Generally serve catchment AREA/ areas of up to 5,000 as 2,300 Yes POPULATION determined by each system SERVED: FACILITIES: 2,500 — 5,000 square feet 1,850 No HOURS OF 20 to 25 hours per week 23 Yes OPERATION PER WEEK: STAFFING 1 to 2.5 FTEs, supervisor 1.0 FTEs, supervisor Yes with library competency with library science degree COLLECTIONS 6,000 to 12,000 items 12,253 items Yes TECHNOLOGY 3 public access work 4 work stations Yes stations + Wi-Fi (+ 2 Pads) + Wi-Fi 48 WEST LORNE - SMALL BRANCH CATEGORY GUIDELINE REQUIREMENTS EXISTING MEETS GUIDELINES? CATCHMENT Generally serve catchment AREA/ areas of up to 5,000 as 2,500 Yes POPULATION determined by each system SERVED: FACILITIES: 2,500 — 5,000 square feet 1,793 No HOURS OF 20 to 25 hours per week 21 Yes OPERATION PER WEEK: STAFFING 1 to 2.5 FTEs, supervisor 1.4 FTE, supervisor with Yes with library competency library training COLLECTIONS 6,000 to 12,000 items 12,381 items Yes TECHNOLOGY 3 public access work 5 work stations Yes stations + Wi-Fi (+ 1 Chromebook, 2 Pads, 2 laptops) + Wi-Fi 49 E '�� REPORT TO COUNTY COUNCIL Nrr�a:xtir.vrr uxs FROM: Al Reitsma, Manager of Information Technology Mike Hoogstra, Purchasing Coordinator DATE: May 27, 2020 SUBJECT: Wide Area Network Services — RFP Contract Award RECOMMENDATIONS: THAT Eastlink be selected to provide Wide Area Network Services to the County's four facilities identified in the RFP for a three (3) year term for a total price of$54,000 per year with the option to extend the current agreement for an additional two (2) years; and, THAT the Warden and Chief Administrative Officer be authorized to sign the supporting agreement. INTRODUCTION: This report provides details on Request for Proposal (RFP) No. 2020-P28 recently issued by the County to prospective Proponents to submit proposals for providing High-Speed Wide Area Network (WAN) connectivity between existing facilities and seeks Council's approval to award the contract. DISCUSSION: The County currently operates a WAN that connects thirteen locations to one central location being the administration building in a hub and spoke configuration. The RFP requested that Proponents submit a proposal to provide WAN connectivity between the administration building and the three long term care homes. As an option, Proponents could also propose to provide services to the County's library branches. The complete RFP document and one supporting addendum are attached to this report as Attachment 1. Information that was advertised and posted on the County's Bid Portal page https://elgincounty.bidsandtenders.ca including RFP dates, proposals submitted and a complete plan takers list is attached to this report as Attachment 2. The RFP process began on April 29 and closed on May 20, 2020. Questions were received during the process from Proponents and Addendum 1 was issued. An extension for the RFP was not requested during the question period. 50 The County received two electronic submissions. Upon further review of the proposals received, one complete proposal was received from Eastlink and one partial proposal was received from Packet-Tel Corp to service one of the four facilities. Due to the fact that only one complete submission was received, a formal RFP evaluation was not conducted. It should be noted however that both proposals were reviewed in depth by the Information Technology Department. Staff has reviewed the Eastlink proposal and is recommending that a new agreement be entered into with Eastlink for a new three-year term. Eastlink has provided excellent service in the past and the pricing received is favourable. The new agreement provides the County with double the current connection speeds (1 Gbps to 2 Gbps) and internet bandwidth speeds of 600 Mbps at the administration building. The new agreement also provides for dedicated internet service at each of the three long term care home, something we currently do not have in place, and also gives us fault tolerance in the event that the internet at the administration building fails. The total cost for the enhanced services from Eastlink is $54,000 per year; the previous agreement was $48,000 per year. The pricing is guaranteed for the term of the agreement, which is three (3) years. CONCLUSION: As detailed above, one complete proposal submission was received in accordance with Request for Proposal No. 2020-P28, and after review the submission from Eastlink was deemed the successful service provider and is recommended for award. All of which is Respectfully Submitted Approved for Submission Al Reitsma Julie Gonyou Manager of Information Technology Chief Administrative Officer Mike Hoogstra Purchasing Coordinator Jim Bundschuh Director of Financial Services 51 Attachment 1 010s�,0 011� i Progfressive. by Nature WIDE AREA NETWORK SERVICES REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL No. 2020-P28 1ELAECIFIR MIC SUBMISSIONS ONLY Proposals shall be received by the Bidding System no later than: May 20, 2020 at 3:00:00 p.m. (local time) Issue Date: April 30, 2020 52 Attachment 1 a 4 g REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. 2020-P28 °...... "'""" WIDE AREA NETWORK SERVICES INDEX DEFINITIONS AND INTERPRETATIONS.................................................................................................... 3 SECTION 1.0 - INFORMATION TO PROPONENTS ................................................................................... 4 1.1 Invitation to Proponents................................................................................................ 4 1.2 Proposal Submission ...................................................................................................... 4 1.3 Designated Official ......................................................................................................... 5 1.4 Questions/ Inquiries...................................................................................................... 5 1.5 Addenda.......................................................................................................................... 5 1.6 RFP Schedule .................................................................................................................. 6 1.7 Notice of No Response................................................................................................... 6 SECTION 2.0 -TERMS OF REFERENCE..................................................................................................... 7 2.1 Introduction.................................................................................................................... 7 2.2 Scope of Services............................................................................................................ 7 2.3 Locations......................................................................................................................... 8 2.4 Bandwidth Requirements.............................................................................................. 8 2.5 Term of Contract............................................................................................................ 9 SECTION 3.0 - PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS.......................................................................................... 10 3.1 Proposal Submission Requirements............................................................................ 10 3.2 Evaluation Process........................................................................................................ 11 3.3 Evaluation Criteria........................................................................................................ 12 3.4 Ratings........................................................................................................................... 12 3.5 Presentation and Interview......................................................................................... 13 SECTION 4.0 -GENERAL CONDITIONS.................................................................................................. 15 4.1 Rights of the County..................................................................................................... 15 4.2 Conflict of Interest........................................................................................................ 16 4.3 Modified Proposals ...................................................................................................... 16 4.4 Disqualification of Proponents.................................................................................... 16 4.5 Confidentiality.............................................................................................................. 16 4.6 Proposal Assignments.................................................................................................. 16 4.7 Purchasing Policy.......................................................................................................... 17 4.8 Failure to Perform ........................................................................................................ 17 4.9 Award and Agreement................................................................................................. 17 4.10 Insurance Requirements.............................................................................................. 17 4.11 Indemnification ............................................................................................................ 18 4.12 Compliance with the Accessibility for Ontario with Disabilities Act 2005 ................ 18 4.13 Disqualification............................................................................................................. 18 4.14 Record and Reputation................................................................................................ 19 Page: 1 53 Attachment 1 a 4 g REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. 2020-P28 °...... "'""" WIDE AREA NETWORK SERVICES 4.15 Proponent's Costs ........................................................................................................ 19 4.16 Legal Matters and Rights of the County...................................................................... 20 4.17 Human Rights, Harassment and Occupational Health and Safety............................ 21 4.18 Clarification................................................................................................................... 21 4.19 Supplementary Information ........................................................................................ 21 4.20 Default/Non-Performance......................................................................................... 21 APPENDIX A—SAMPLE AGREEMENT.................................................................................................... 22 Page:2 54 Attachment 1 a 4 g REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. 2020-P28 °...... "'""" WIDE AREA NETWORK SERVICES DEFINITIONS AND INTERPRETATIONS The following definitions apply to the interpretation of the Request for Proposal Documents; 1. Addenda or Addendum means such further additions, deletions, modifications or other changes to any Request for Proposal Documents. 2. Authorized Person means; i. For a Proponent who is an individual or sole proprietor that person. ii. For a Proponent which is a partnership, any authorized partner of the Proponent. iii. For a Proponent which is a corporation: a) any officer of director of the corporation; and b) any person whose name and signature has been entered on the document submitted with the Request for Proposal, as having been authorized to participate in the completion, correction, revision, execution, or withdrawal of the submission, whether that person is or is not an officer or director. iv. For a Proponent that is a joint venture, the submission shall be signed by a person for and on behalf of each joint venture or, if they warrant that they have the authority vested in them to do so, one person so authorized may sign on behalf of all joint ventures. 3. Bidding System means the County's bid portal website operated by bids&tenders'"and posted as https://elgincounty.bidsandtenders.ca/Module/Tenders/en 4. County refers to the Corporation of the Corporation of the County of Elgin. 5. Designated Official refers to the Purchasing Coordinator for the County of Elgin. 6. Proposal means the Response in the form prescribed by this Request for Proposal Document and completed and submitted by a Proponent in response to and in compliance with the Request for Proposal. 7. Proponent means the legal entity submitting a proposal. 8. Request for Proposal (RFP) means the document issued by the County in response to which Proponents are invited to submit a proposal that will result in the satisfaction of the County's objectives in a cost-effective manner. 9. Successful Proponent means the Proponent whose proposal has been approved by the County. Page:3 55 Attachment 1 a 4 g REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. 2020-P28 °...... """""" WIDE AREA NETWORK SERVICES SECTION 1.0- INFORMATION TO PROPONENTS 1.1 Invitation to Proponents This Request for Proposals (the "RFP") is an invitation by the Corporation of the County of Elgin (the "County")to prospective Proponents to submit proposals for providing High-Speed Wide Area Network (WAN) connectivity between existing facilities and possible future additions, as further described in Section 2.0—Terms of Reference. It is the intent of the County to contract with one (1) service provider for Wide Area Network connectivity for the County's facilities identified in this RFP. The initial term of contract will be a three (3) year term with options to extend the contract. 1.2 Proposal Submission ELECTRONIC PROPOSAL SUBMISSIONS ONLY, shall be received by the Bidding System. Hardcopy submissions not permitted. All Proponents shall have a Bidding System Vendor account with bids&tenders'" and be registered as a Plan Takerforthis RFP opportunity,which will enable the Proponent to download the Request for Proposal document, download Addendums, receive email notifications pertaining to this RFP and to submit their proposal electronically through the Bidding System. Proponents are cautioned that the timing of their Proposal Submission is based on when the proposal is RECEIVED by the Bidding System, not when a proposal is submitted, as proposal transmission can be delayed due to file transfer size,transmission speed, etc. For the above reasons, it is recommended that sufficient time to complete your proposal submission and attachment(s) (if applicable) and to resolve any issues that may arise. The closing time and date shall be determined by the Bidding System's web clock. Proponents should contact bids&tenders'" support listed below, at least twenty-four (24) hours prior to the closing time and date, if they encounter any problems. The Bidding System will send a confirmation email to the Proponent advising that their proposal was submitted successfully. If you do not receive a confirmation email, contact bids&tenders'"support at support@ bidsandtenders.ca. Late Proposals are not permitted by the Bidding System. To ensure receipt of the latest information and updates via email regarding this RFP, or if a Proponent has obtained this RFP document from a third party, the onus is on the Proponent to create a Bidding System Vendor account and register as a Plan Taker for the RFP opportunity. Proponents may edit or withdraw their proposal submission prior to the closing time and date. However, the Proponent is solely responsible to ensure the re-submitted proposal is received by the Bidding System no later than the stated closing time and date. Page:4 56 Attachment 1 a 4 g REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. 2020-P28 °...... "'""" WIDE AREA NETWORK SERVICES The onus unequivocally remains with the Proponent to ensure that the proposal is submitted electronically prior to the deadline and in accordance with the submission instructions. The County, its elected officials, employees and agents shall not be responsible for any liabilities, costs, expenses, loss or damage incurred, sustained or suffered by any Proponent, prior or subsequent to, or by reason of the acceptance, or non-acceptance by the County of any proposal, or by reason of any delay in the acceptance of any proposal. 1.3 Designated Official For the purpose of this contract Mike Hoogstra, Purchasing Coordinator for the County is the "Designated Official" and shall perform the following functions: releasing and receiving electronic proposals, checking of electronic submissions; answering questions from perspective proponents, considering extensions of time, reviewing electronic proposals, ruling on those not complete or not meeting the requirements and coordinating the evaluation of the electronic proposals. 1.4 Questions/Inquiries All inquiries regarding this RFP shall be directed through the Bidding System online by clicking on the "Submit a Question" button for this bid opportunity. Questions submitted through the bidding system are directed to the Designated Official. The deadline for submitting questions is May 13, 2020 at 4:00 p.m. If during the period prior to submission of proposals, the County determines, in its sole and unfettered discretion, that part of the RFP requires formal amendment or clarification, written addenda to this RFP will be distributed to all registered Proponents. No clarification requests will be accepted by telephone. Responses to clarification requests will be provided to all interested parties. Inquiries must not be directed to other County employees or elected officials. Directing inquiries to other than the Designated Official may result in your submission being rejected. 1.5 Addenda The County, may at its discretion, amend or supplement the RFP documents by addendum at any time prior to the closing date. Changes to the RFP documents shall be made by addendum only. Such changes made by addendum shall be supplementary to and form an integral part of the RFP documents and should be allowed for in arriving at the total cost. Proponents shall acknowledge receipt of any addenda through the Bidding System by checking a box for each addendum and any applicable attachment. Page:5 57 Attachment 1 a 4 g REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. 2020-P28 °...... "'""" WIDE AREA NETWORK SERVICES It is the responsibility of the Proponent to have received all Addenda that are issued. Proponents should check online at https://elgincounty.bidsandtenders.ca/Module/Tenders/en prior to submitting their proposal and up until the RFP closing time and date in the event additional addenda are issued. If a Proponent submits their proposal prior to the RFP closing time and date and an addendum has been issued, the Bidding System shall WITHDRAW the proposal submission and the bid status will change to an INCOMPLETE STATUS and Withdraw the proposal. The Proponent can view this status change in the "MY BIDS" section of the Bidding System. The Proponent is solely responsible to: • make any required adjustments to their proposal; and • acknowledge the addenda; and • Ensure the re-submitted proposal is RECEIVED by the Bidding System no later than the stated RFP closing time and date. 1.6 RFP Schedule The RFP process will be governed according to the following schedule. Although every attempt will be made to meet all dates,the County reserves the right to modify or alter any or all dates at its sole discretion by notifying all Proponents in writing at the address indicated in the completed RFP submitted to the County. Issue RFP: April 30, 2020 Last Date for Questions: May 13, 2020 RFP Close: May 20, 2020 Award of Contract: June 2, 2020 *Dates noted above are an approximation only and are subject to change. 1.7 Notice of No Response If you are unable, or do not wish to provide a proposal, please complete a notice of no response form in the bidding system. It is important to the County to receive a reply from all Proponents. Page:6 58 Attachment 1 a 4 g REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. 2020-P28 °...... "'""" WIDE AREA NETWORK SERVICES SECTION 2.0-TERMS OF REFERENCE 2.1 Introduction The County of Elgin (the "County") is an upper-tier municipality situated in the heart of southwestern Ontario along the north shore of Lake Erie and due south of Highway 401 in what can be best described as a rich agricultural zone complemented by industry.The County is an upper-tier municipality comprised of seven local municipalities covering an area of 460,000 acres, with a population of approximately 50,000 people.The County has undergone significant growth and development over the past 30 years. With population growth has come enhanced expectation from residents of the type and quality of municipal services. 2.2 Scope of Services a) The County of Elgin currently operates a WAN that connects 13 locations to one central location being the County of Elgin Administration Building is a hub and spoke configuration. Locations have existing internet services provided by Internet Service Providers(ISP). The County of Elgin is inviting Proponents to submit a Proposal to provide internet connectivity between the County of Elgin Administration Building and our three long term care homes. b) The County of Elgin has an existing WAN that has been in place for ten years. At each location the WAN is comprised of: ➢ a Cisco 1841 or 3825 router ➢ one or more HP switches and ➢ an ISP modem/media converter c) The scope of this RFP is not to replace the routers or switches at each location. Instead, the scope is to replace (or maintain) and upgrade the internet service that connects the locations through the internet. d) The current topology is partial mesh, each site is only connected to the County administration building. e) The EVC's/paths to the head office are dropped off a single port. f) The current configuration uses trunked VLANs, dedicated CoS, 1440 MTU. g) The current service provider provides dual powered NID, which is the preferred solution. h) The location of the WAN connection (Demarcation Point)for each facility will be specified by the County. i) The Service Provider is responsible for communications wiring up to but not including the router(s) at each location. The service provider can assume that space and AC power is available at each location. Page:7 59 Attachment 1 a 4 g REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. 2020-P28 °...... "'""" WIDE AREA NETWORK SERVICES j) All current sites have 110V/15A circuits supplied with most being dedicated. 2.3 Locations This contract will provide services to the County Administration Building, Bobier Villa, Elgin Manor and Terrace Lodge. The County's Library branches are not included in this RFP however a Proponent may propose to provide service to these branches. The list of library branches is located on the County's website by clicking on the following link www.elgincounty.ca/library The following table specifies the locations to be served: Location Address Elgin County 450 Sunset Drive Administration Building St.Thomas, ON N5R 5V1 Bobier Villa 29491 Pioneer Line Dutton, ON NOL 1J0 Elgin Manor 39262 Fingal Line St.Thomas, ON N5P 3S5 Terrace Lodge 475 Talbot St. E. Aylmer, ON N5H 3A5 2.4 Bandwidth Requirements The following table specifies the locations to be served and the bandwidth requirements for each site. Location Connection and Speed Elgin County Two (2) circuits: Administration Building - TLS & GRE connection: 2000 Mbps - Dedicated Internet: 600 Mbps (synchronous service) Bobier Villa Two (2) circuits: - TLS connection: 100 Mbps - Dedicated Internet: 25 Mbps (synchronous service) Elgin Manor Two (2) circuits: - TLS connection: 1000 Mbps - Dedicated Internet: 25 Mbps (synchronous service) Terrace Lodge Two (2) circuits: - TLS connection: 100 Mbps - Dedicated Internet: 25 Mbps (synchronous service) If the proposal includes services to the libraries, the minimum service level is 25 Mbps asynchronous. Page:8 60 Attachment 1 a 4 g REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. 2020-P28 °...... "'""" WIDE AREA NETWORK SERVICES 2.5 Term of Contract The term of contract is for a three-year term, commencing on or about July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2023. The County at its discretion may extend the contract up to an additional two (2)years upon mutual agreement between both parties. Page:9 61 Attachment 1 a 4 g REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. 2020-P28 °...... """""" WIDE AREA NETWORK SERVICES SECTION 3.0- PROPOSAL REQUIREMENTS 3.1 Proposal Submission Requirements ELECTRONIC PROPOSAL SUBMISSIONS ONLY, shall be received by the Bidding System per the instructions included in Section 1.2. Hardcopy submissions not permitted. The proposal submission shall be no longer than ten (10) single sided pages(Arial 12 font or equivalent),excluding the Curricula Vitae. The proposal submissions must include at a minimum the following information and shall be submitted in the same sequence in order to be considered responsive. a) Section 1: Overview A narrative demonstrating the firm's understanding of the full scope of services, a brief overview of your company, reasons why the Proponent is interested in taking on this project and its familiarity with the County. b) Section 2: Implementation Plan/Work Program The Proponent shall provide a detailed work plan summarizing the approach and methodology for implementing the Wide Area Network services required. c) Section 3: Technical ➢ Identify power, environmental and space requirements for equipment and all related components of the new WAN. ➢ Indicate how requests for bandwidth changes (either increased or decreased) will be handled during the term of the contract. ➢ Proponents will provide detailed information describing all makes and models of any"end point" premise equipment being recommended including all software and firmware levels. ➢ Proponents must clearly define the penalty for early cancellation of the contract. ➢ Provide a Service Level Agreement (SLA) with your response. The SLA must include the following: a) Network latency: average round-trip time objective b) Network Packet Delivery: successful packet delivery objectives (i.e. 99.99%) c) Mean Time to Restore (MTTR) of service objective d) Packet loss objective e) Scheduled Maintenance Process f) Remedies for each of the above in the event that an objective is not met. d) Section 4: Project Team Identify the Project Manager proposed for the assignment. Identify the Customer Relationship Management Team and their roles in project implementation and maintenance. Also identify support resources available for trouble resolution (Help Desk, technicians). In the event that the router or switch changes are required, please identify one or more individuals that will be qualified to make modifications or upgrades to Cisco or HP switches. Please provide the names and years of experience that will be assigned to the work if it is required. Page: 10 62 Attachment 1 a 4 g REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. 2020-P28 °...... "'""" WIDE AREA NETWORK SERVICES e) Section 5: Project Schedule Provide a comprehensive project timeline/schedule in the form of a Gantt chart(or equal). Provide an estimate timeline for completing the cutover from existing services. f) Section 6: Client References Provide at least three (3) references the County may contact. References should be from sources of similar project experience relevant to the requirements of this project. References must include the name of the organization, contact person, phone/fax numbers, email address. g) Section 7: Pricing Complete the Schedule of Prices as part of your proposal submission in the Bidding System. A copy of the Schedule of Prices is attached to the RFP document for information only. Your Proposal must clearly state which services are not included. 3.2 Evaluation Process Each proposal will be evaluated on its clarity and the demonstrated understanding of the project requirements, the services proposed and timeframes, as well as the proponent's experience and the anticipated benefit to the County. A short list of firms may be created for purposes of an interview or presentation, should this be required. Proponents may be contacted to explain or clarify their proposals; however,they will not be permitted to alter information as submitted. An Evaluation Committee will be established from members of the County or any others as deemed necessary. Proposals will be evaluated on the basis of all information provided by the Proponent. Each proposal will be reviewed to determine if the proposal is responsive to the submission requirements outlined in the RFP. Failure to comply with these requirements may deem the proposal non-responsive. Selection of a proposal will be based on (but not solely limited to) the following criteria and any other relevant information provided by the Proponent at the time of submission as well as any additional information provided during subsequent meetings with the Proponent. In recognition of the importance of the procedure by which a Proponent may be selected,the following criterion outlines the primary considerations to be used in the evaluation and consequent awarding of this project(not in any order). The County reserves the right to evaluate and rank each submission using criterion noted. Actual scores will be confidential. The Owner reserves the right to request confidential references for any of the proponent's projects listed, as well as any of the proponent's other projects, and factor the ratings from all references, whether completed or in progress. Page: 11 63 Attachment 1 a 4 g REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. 2020-P28 °...... "'""" WIDE AREA NETWORK SERVICES 3.3 Evaluation Criteria Proposals will be evaluated based on the following weighted evaluation factors: Maximum Rated Criteria Weight Points Implementation/Service/Bandwidth Offering 30 Project Manager and Project Team 10 Service Level Agreement 10 Technical and Support 10 Pricing 40 References Pass/ Fail TOTAL SCORE 100 3.4 Ratings For consistency,the following table describes the characteristics attributable to particular scores between 0-10. 0 Unacceptable Did not submit information 1-2 Unsatisfactory Very poor to unsatisfactory 3 Unsatisfactory Minimally addresses some, but not all of the requirement of the criteria. Lacking in critical areas 4 Somewhat Addresses most of the requirements of the criteria to the minimum Unsatisfactory acceptable level. Lacking in critical areas. Somewhat Addresses most, but not all, of the requirements of the criteria to the 5 Satisfactory minimum acceptable level. May be lacking in some areas that are not critical. 6 Satisfactory Adequately meets most of the requirements of the criteria. May be lacking in some areas that are not critical. 7 Good Meets all requirements of the criteria. 8 Very Good Somewhat exceeds the requirements of the criteria. 9 Excellent Exceeds the requirements of the criteria in ways that are beneficial. 10 Outstanding Proposal exceeds the requirements of the criteria in superlative ways/ very desirable. Page: 12 64 Attachment 1 a 4 g REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. 2020-P28 °...... "'""" WIDE AREA NETWORK SERVICES The lowest cost proposed shall be awarded the full amount of points available for the fee portion of the evaluation. All higher fees proposed shall be awarded points, rounded to the closest full point for the fee portion of the evaluation by the following: Lowest Fee_Proposed Fee x Maximum Points=Total Cost Points. It should be emphasized that pricing is only one of the factors being considered in determining the most suitable Service Provider. In submitting a proposal,the Proponent acknowledges the County's right to accept other than the lowest priced proposal and expressly waives all rights for damages or redress as may exist in common law stemming from the County's decision to accept a proposal which is not the lowest price proposal, if it is deemed to be in the County's best interest to do so. All qualified proposal submissions will be reviewed and evaluated. Additional information may be requested if necessary. Only the proposal response and Curricula Vitae requested will be evaluated. Proponents must include all relevant information in the required ten (10) page limit restriction. 3.5 Presentation and Interview The County may have the two highest scoring Proponents attend an interview to present the evaluation team with additional insight into the Proponent's ability to meet the requirements as requested in the RFP.The County reserves the right to interview more or fewer than two Proponents based on the scoring results. Note- If the Owner elects to interview short listed proponents, the proposed Project Manager is required to attend. The interviews would be conducted by the representatives of the Evaluation Committee at the County Administration Building, 450 Sunset Drive, St.Thomas, Ontario. Senior staff members to be assigned to this project must attend the interview. Presentations shall follow this general format: ➢ Introduction of Proponents Project Team (5 minutes) ➢ Proponent Presentation of the Proposal (15 minutes) ➢ Questions from Interview Committee (10 minutes) ➢ Questions from Proponents(5 minutes) The Proponents will be notified of the final format and exact date and time for interviews/presentations in advance. For the interview portion of the evaluation (if required),the County of Elgin will be using the rating criteria shown below and will evaluate each short-listed Proponent only. Page: 13 65 Attachment 1 a 4 g REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. 2020-P28 °...... "'""" WIDE AREA NETWORK SERVICES Interview Criteria and Weighting(Second Stage if required): Criteria Category Weighted Points Presentation 25 Response to Questions 10 Total Weighted Points 35 The score from the proposal evaluations and the Interview will be combined to determine an overall score. Page: 14 66 Attachment 1 a 4 g REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. 2020-P28 °...... "'""" WIDE AREA NETWORK SERVICES SECTION 4.0-GENERAL CONDITIONS 4.1 Rights of the County The County is not liable for any costs incurred by the Proponent in the preparation of their response to the RFP or selection interviews, if required. Furthermore,the County shall not be responsible for any liabilities, costs, expenses, loss or damage incurred, sustained or suffered by any Proponent, prior or subsequent to, or by reason of the acceptance, or non-acceptance by the County of any proposal or by reason of any delay in the award of the contract. The County reserves the right to accept any proposal, in whole or in part, that it feels most fully meets the selection criteria.Therefore,the lowest cost proposal, or any proposal may not necessarily be accepted. County staff shall evaluate all compliant proposals received by the closing time and make evaluations and recommendations for acceptance. The County reserves the right to request specific requirements not adequately covered in their initial submission and clarify information contained in the Request for Proposal. The County reserves the right to modify any and all requirements stated in the Request for Proposal at any time prior to the possible awarding of the contract. The County reserves the right to cancel this Request for Proposal at any time, without penalty or cost to the County. This Request for Proposal should not be considered a commitment by the County to enter into any contract. The County reserves the right to enter into negotiations with the selected Proponent. If these negotiations are not successfully concluded, the County reserves the right to begin negotiations with the next selected Proponent. Proposals shall remain open and subject to acceptance for a period of ninety(90) days from closing date. In the event of any disagreement between the County and the Proponent regarding the interpretation of the provisions of the Request for Proposal, the Director of Financial Services or an individual acting in that capacity, shall make the final determination as to interpretation. No proposal shall be accepted from any person or Proponent who, has a claim or has instituted a legal proceeding against the County or against whom the County has a claim or has instituted a legal proceeding, without the prior approval of County Council.This applies whether the legal proceeding is related or unrelated to the subject matter of this RFP. Page: 15 67 Attachment 1 a 4 g REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. 2020-P28 °...... "'""" WIDE AREA NETWORK SERVICES 4.2 Conflict of Interest The Proponent declares that no person,firm or corporation with whom or which the Proponent has an interest, has any interest in this RFP or in the proposed contract for which this proposal is made.The Proponent further declares that no member of the Council of the County and no officer or employee of the County will become interested directly or indirectly as a contracting party, partner, shareholder, surety, or otherwise in or in the performance of the Contract or in the supplies, work or business to which it relates, or in any portion of the profits thereof, or in any of the money to be derived there from. Should the Proponent feel that a conflict of interest or potential conflict of interest exists; the Proponent must disclose this information to the County prior to the submission of a proposal. The County may, at its discretion, delay any evaluation or award until the matter is resolved to the County's satisfaction.The County may allow a conflict of interest or potential conflict of interest to exist if it is satisfied that there are adequate safeguards in place and if the County determines that it is in its best interests to do so. The County reserves the right to disqualify a proposal where the County believes a conflict of interest or potential conflict of interest exists. 4.3 Modified Proposals In the event that a preferred proposal does not entirely meet the requirements of the County, the County reserves the right to enter into negotiations with the selected Proponent, to arrive at a mutually satisfactory arrangement and to make any modifications to the proposal as are in the best interests of the County. 4.4 Disqualification of Proponents More than one proposal from an individual firm, partnership, corporation or association under the same or different names will not be considered. Collusion between Proponents will be sufficient for rejection of any proposals so affected. 4.5 Confidentiality The proposal must not be restricted by any statement, covering letter or alteration by the Proponent in respect of confidential or proprietary information.The County will treat all proposals as confidential. The County will comply with the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, and its retention by-law pursuant to the Municipal Act, in respect of all proposals. All Public Reports approved by the Council of the County will become public information. 4.6 Proposal Assignments The successful Proponent will not be permitted to assign or transfer any portion of the proposal as submitted or the subsequent agreement without prior written approval from the County. Page: 16 68 Attachment 1 a 4 g REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. 2020-P28 °...... "'""" WIDE AREA NETWORK SERVICES 4.7 Purchasing Policy Submissions will be solicited, received, evaluated, accepted and processed in accordance with the County's Purchasing Policy as amended from time to time. In submitting a proposal in response to this RFP,the Proponent agrees and acknowledges that it has read and will be bound by the terms and conditions of the County's Purchasing By-law. The Purchasing By-Law can be viewed on the County's website, www.elgincounty.ca 4.8 Failure to Perform Failure to comply with all terms and conditions of this proposal, and failure to supply all documentation, as required herein, shall be just cause for cancellation of the award. The County shall then have the right to award this contract to any other Proponent or to re-issue this RFP. 4.9 Award and Agreement The Proponent that fully meets the requirements and scores the highest based on the evaluation criteria, will be recommended for award. Once the award is made and approved by the County or County Council, the report recommending such award including the total cost of the awarded project shall be a matter of public record, unless otherwise determined by Council. A written agreement, prepared by the County shall be executed by the County and the successful Service Provider.The complete proposal package submitted by the successful proponent, together with the RFP documents prepared by the County, shall form part of the Agreement (see attached sample of agreement in Appendix A). 4.10 Insurance Requirements Any agreement resulting from this RFP will contain at a minimum the following insurance requirement: a) Comprehensive general liability insurance including bodily injury, property damage liability, personal injury liability, completed operations liability, blanket contractual liability, non-owned automobile and shall contain a severability of interest and cross liability clause to a limit of no less than five million ($ 5,000,000) dollars in respect to any one occurrence. The above-mentioned policy shall be endorsed to include the County of Elgin as an Additional Insured. b) Standard OAP 1 Automobile liability policy. c) The aforementioned policies of insurance shall contain or shall be subject to the following terms and conditions: ➢ be written with an insurer licensed to do business in Ontario; ➢ be non-contributing with, and will apply only as primary and not excess to any other insurance or self-insurance available to Elgin County; ➢ contain an undertaking by the insurer to notify the County in writing not less than sixty(60) days before any material change in risk or cancellation of coverage. ➢ any deductible amounts shall be borne by the Proponent. Page: 17 69 Attachment 1 a 4 g REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. 2020-P28 °...... "'""" WIDE AREA NETWORK SERVICES ➢ Priorto the execution of the Agreement and within fifteen(15)business days of the placement, renewal, amendment, or extension of all or any part of the insurance, the Proponent shall promptly provide the County with confirmation of coverage insurance and, if required, a certified true copy(s) of the policy(s) certified by an authorized representative of the insurer together with copies of any amending endorsements applicable to the Agreement. 4.11 Indemnification The successful Proponent shall indemnify and hold harmless the County, its officers, Municipal Council, Employees and volunteers from and against any liabilities, claims, expenses, demands, loss, cost, damages, suits or proceedings by whomsoever made, directly or indirectly arising directly or indirectly by reason of a requirements of this agreement save and except for damage caused by the negligence of the County or their employees. 4.12 Compliance with the Accessibility for Ontario with Disabilities Act 2005 The Proponent shall ensure that all its employees and agents receive training regarding accessibility as outlined in the Accessible Customer Service Standard (Ontario Regulation 429/07) and the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation (Ontario Regulation 191/11). The Proponent is responsible to ensure that all of its employees,volunteers and others for which the Proponent is responsible are adequately trained. In accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 20051ntegrated Accessibility Standards,the County requires content created for the municipality that is to be posted on our website to be provided in a format which is compliant with WCAG 2.0 Level AA requirements. As required under Section 14 of the regulation, any content published on our website after January 1, 2012 needs to be compliant with the WCAG requirements by the timelines set out in the Act. It is the successful Proponent's responsibility to produce the required documents in an accessible format. Inaccessible documents will not be accepted or posted on our website. 4.13 Disqualification The County may, in its sole discretion, disqualify a proposal or cancel its decision to make an award under this RFP, at any time prior to the execution of the Agreement by the county, if, ➢ the Proponent fails to cooperate in any attempt by the County to verify any information provided by the Proponent in its proposal; ➢ the Proponent contravenes one proposal per Person or Entity; ➢ the Proponent fails to comply with the laws of Ontario or of Canada, as applicable; ➢ the Proposal contains false or misleading information; ➢ the Proposal, in the opinion of the County, reveals a material conflict of interest; ➢ the Proponent misrepresents any information contained in its proposal. Page: 18 70 Attachment 1 a 4 g REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. 2020-P28 °...... "'""" WIDE AREA NETWORK SERVICES 4.14 Record and Reputation Without limiting or restricting any other right or privilege of the County and regardless of whether or not a proposal or a Proponent otherwise satisfies the requirements of this RFP, the County may disqualify any proposal from any Proponent, where; ➢ In the opinion of the County Solicitor or the Purchasing Coordinator for the County,the commercial relationship between the County and the Proponent has been impaired by the prior and/or current act(s) or omission(s) of each Proponent, including but not limited to: a) Litigation with the County; b) The failure of the Proponent to pay, in full, all outstanding accounts due to the County by the Proponent after the County has made demand for payment; c) The refusal to follow reasonable directions of the County or to cure a default under a contract with the County as and when required by the County or it's representatives; d) The Proponent has previously refused to enter into an Agreement with the County after the Proponent's proposal was accepted by the County; e) The Proponent has previously refused to perform or to complete performance of contracted work with the County after the Proponent was awarded the contract; f) Act(s) or omission(s) of the Proponent has resulted in a claim by the County under a bid bond, a performance bond, a warranty bond or any other security required to be submitted by the Proponent on an RFP within the previous five years. ➢ In the opinion of Elgin County, by its the Chief Administrative Officer, or their designate, there are reasonable grounds to believe that it would not be in the best interests of the County to enter into an Agreement with the Proponent,for reasons including but not limited to the conviction or finding of liability of or against the Proponent or its officers or directors and any associated entities under any taxation legislation in Canada, any criminal or civil law relating to fraud,theft, extortion,threatening, influence peddling and fraudulent misrepresentation,the Environmental Protection Act or corresponding legislation in other jurisdictions, any law regarding occupational health or safety or the Securities Act or related legislation. 4.15 Proponent's Costs The Proponent shall bear all costs and expenses incurred by the Proponent relating to any aspect of its participation in this RFP process, including all costs and expenses related to the Proponent's involvement in; ➢ the preparation, presentation and submission of its proposal; ➢ the Proponent's attendance at the Proponent's meeting; ➢ due diligence and information gathering processes; ➢ site visits and interviews; ➢ preparation of responses to questions or requests for clarification from the County; ➢ preparation of the Proponent's own questions during the clarification process; and, ➢ agreement discussions. Page: 19 71 Attachment 1 a 4 g REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. 2020-P28 °...... "'""" WIDE AREA NETWORK SERVICES The County is not liable to pay such costs and expenses or to reimburse or compensate a Proponent under any circumstances, regardless of the conduct or outcome of the RFP Process, including the rejection of all proposals or the cancellation of the RFP, and including any negligence of the County in the conduct of the RFP process. 4.16 Legal Matters and Rights of the County This RFP is not an offer to enter into either a bidding contract(often referred to as"Contract A") or a contract to carry out the project (often referred to as"Contract B"). Neither this RFP nor the submission of a proposal by a Proponent shall create any contractual rights or obligations whatsoever on either the Proponent or the County. The County may at its sole discretion change or discontinue this RFP process at any time whatsoever. The County may in its sole discretion enter into negotiations with any person, whether or not that person is a Proponent or a Short-Listed Proponent with respect to the work that is the subject of this RFP. The County may at its sole discretion decline to evaluate any proposal that in the County's opinion is incomplete, obscure or does not contain sufficient information to carry out a reasonable evaluation. Without limiting the generality of the RFP, the County may at its sole discretion and at any time during the RFP process; ➢ reject any or all of the Proposals; ➢ accept any Proposal; ➢ if only one Proposal is received, elect to accept or reject it; ➢ elect not to proceed with the RFP; ➢ alter the timetable,the RFP process or any other aspect of this RFP; and ➢ cancel this RFP and subsequently advertise or call for new Proposals for the subject matter of this RFP. In addition to and notwithstanding any other term of this RFP, the County shall not be liable for any damages resulting from any claim or cause of action, whether based upon an action or claim in contract, warranty, equity negligence, intended conduct or otherwise, including any action or claim arising from the acts or omissions, negligent or otherwise of the County and including any claim for direct, indirect or consequential damages, including but not limited to damages for loss of profit, loss of reputation, injury to property and bodily injury that results from the Proponents' participation in the RFP process, including but not limited to; ➢ the disclosure of a Proponent's confidential information; ➢ the costs of preparation of a Proponents Proposal, whether it is accepted, disqualified or rejected; ➢ any delays, or any costs associated with such delays, in the RFP process; ➢ any errors in any information supplied by the County to the Proponents; ➢ the cancellation of the RFP; and ➢ the award of the contract to a Proponent other than the Proponent recommended by the Proposal Review Committee. Page:20 72 Attachment 1 a 4 g REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. 2020-P28 °...... "'""" WIDE AREA NETWORK SERVICES 4.17 Human Rights, Harassment and Occupational Health and Safety The Proponent shall be required to comply with the County's policies regarding Human Rights, Harassment in the Workplace and Occupational Health and Safety. 4.18 Clarification The County may require the Proponent to clarify the contents of its proposal, including by the submission of supplementary documentation, or seek a Proponent's acknowledgement of the County's interpretation of the Proponent's proposal. The County is not obliged to seek clarification of any aspect of a proposal. 4.19 Supplementary Information The County may, in its sole discretion, request any supplementary information whatsoever from a Proponent after the submission deadline including information that the Proponent could or should have submitted in its proposal prior to the submission deadline.The County is not obliged to request supplementary information from a Proponent. 4.20 Default/Non-Performance The County will reserve the right to determine "non-performance"or"poor quality" of service and further reserves the right to cancel any or all of this contract at any time should the Proponent's performance not meet the terms and conditions of the RFP upon 30 days written notification to the Proponent. "Non-performance" shall mean the failure to meet the complete terms and conditions of this Contract including, but not limited to, the response time. In the event of such cancellation,the County retains the right to claim damages as a result of such default. If the County terminates the Contract, it is entitled to: a) withhold any further payment to the Proponent until the completion of the work and the expiry of all obligations under the Contract; and b) recover from the Proponent any loss, damage and expense incurred by the County by reason of the default (which may be deducted from any monies due or becoming due to the Proponent). Page:21 73 Attachment 1 a 4 g REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. 2020-P28 °...... "'""" WIDE AREA NETWORK SERVICES APPENDIX A—SAMPLE AGREEMENT THIS AGREEMENT made in duplicate this day of 2020. -BETWEEN - CORPORATION OF THE COUNTY OF ELGIN 450 Sunset Drive, St.Thomas, Ontario N5R 5V1 Hereinafter called the "County" (of the first part) -AND— <SERVICE PROVIDER> Address Hereinafter called the "Service Provider"(of the second part) WHEREAS on (date), the County issued Request for Proposal # (insert number) (if applicable and Addendum#(insert number) dated (date) for(enter the description of work) (the "RFP"); AND WHEREAS on (enter date of Service Provider's proposal) the Service Provider submitted a proposal in response to the RFP (the "proposal"); AND WHEREAS the County wishes to enter into an agreement with the Service Provider for the services, as more particularly described in the RFP and the proposal, attached hereto as Schedule "A" and forming part of this Agreement(the "Services"); NOW THEREFORE THIS AGREEMENT WITNESSETH that in consideration of the premises and other good and valuable consideration, the sufficiency whereof is acknowledged hereby by the parties, the parties hereto agree with each other as follows: 1. The Service Provider shall provide the Services pursuant to all the terms and specifications set out in Schedule "A". If there should be any conflict between the provisions of this Agreement and the provisions of Schedule "A",the provisions of this Agreement shall prevail. 2. The term of this Agreement shall commence 3. If either party, acting reasonably, determines that the other party has failed to perform its obligations pursuant to this Agreement, then such party may terminate this Agreement upon giving at least thirty(30) days' written notice to the other party. 4. The Service Provider shall indemnify and save harmless the Owner, its elected officials, officers, employees and agents from and against any and all claims of any nature, actions, causes of action, losses, expenses, fines, costs (including legal costs), interest, or damages of every nature and kind whatsoever arising out of the negligence, errors, omissions, fraud or willful misconduct of the Service Provider its Page:22 74 Attachment 1 a 4 g REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL NO. 2020-P28 °...... "'""" WIDE AREA NETWORK SERVICES officers, employees, agents and sub-consultants, or any of them, attributable to or connected with the performance, non-performance or purported performance of the Service Provider obligations pursuant to this Agreement, except to the extent that same is attributable or caused by the negligence of the Owner, its officers, employees and agents, or any of them. Further, this indemnity shall survive the expiration or early termination of this Agreement and continue in full force and effect. 5. This Agreement together with its schedule constitutes the entire understanding between the parties. Any change, addition to, or waiver of the terms hereof must be specifically agreed upon, in writing, and signed by both parties. Failure on the part of either party to insist upon the strict observance of any of the terms and/or conditions herein shall not operate as a waiver of such party's right to require the future observance of any such terms or conditions. 6. This Agreement shall not be assigned, in whole or in part, by either party hereto without the prior written consent of the other party. This Agreement,all its covenants, promises and conditions shall ensure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto and their respective permitted successors and assigns. 7. Either party may terminate this Agreement at any time, without notice, for just cause which shall include, without limitation, dishonesty, fraud, willful deceit or failure to properly fulfill the obligations hereunder where such failure is not remedied within ten (10) days after notice of same is given. 8. This Agreement shall be construed and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the Province of Ontario, Canada. IN WITNESS WHEREOF the parties hereto have duly executed this Agreement. "Service Provider's name Per: DATE Name: Position: I have the authority to bind the corporation" "The Corporation of the County of Elgin Per: DATE Name:Julie Gonyou Position: Chief Administrative Officer Per: Name: Dave Mennill Position: Warden We have the authority to bind the corporation" Page:23 75 Attachment I Addendum No. 1 E I gi ffLuk Pro gres,sware by Nature Request for Proposal No. 2020-P28 Wide Area Network Services ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... This addendum forms part of the contract documents and is to be read, interpreted and coordinated with all other parts of the Request for Proposal. The following questions have been received; the County's response follows each question. Question 1: Kindly clarify definition of TSL. If this is referring to Transport layer security please clarify if this configuration needs to be done by the vendor considering the fact that the CPE equipment is out of scope of this RFP. Answer 1: Transparent LAN Service (TLS) is a service from a carrier linking together remote Ethernet networks. It is called "transparent" because the connected networks are viewed as one contiguous network by the customer, regardless of the deployed technology by the carrier in between. Question 2: GRE - please clarify if this configuration needs to be done by the vendor considering the fact that the CPE equipment is out of scope of this RFP Answer 2: GRE tunnels are configured by IT Department staff and are outside the scope of the RFP. Question 3: How are the libraries are currently connected and details of CPE equipment. Answer 3: The libraries connect back using site to site VPN. 76 Attachment 1 Addendum No. 1 RFP No. 2020-P28 Question 4: Is there a network diagram that describe how the Administrative Building Connects to Bobier Villa, Eglin Manor and Terrace Lodge? Answer 4: No Question 5: Do you have 2 x 1000 Mbps ports available at the Administrative site CPE device to accommodate the 2000 Mbps (TLS connection) or is there a 10 G port available? Answer 5: Yes Question 6: Under Elgin Manor it showing as Two (2) circuits: - TLS connection: 1000 Mbps, Is 1000MPS a typo and actual requirement is 100Mbps, please clarify. Answer 6: 1000 Mbps Question 7: Would Elgin County be able to disclose any type of budgetary goals for this project? Answer 7: No, we are unable to provide this information. Question 8: Given that the Cisco gear will not be displaced as per the RFP, would the County be willing to consider a wireless solution or not? Answer 8: We are not considering a wireless solution. 77 Attachment 1 Addendum No. 1 RFP No. 2020-P28 Question 9: If a wireless solution would be considered, does the County have access to County-owned assets for mounting of wireless technology i.e. on Water Towers; taller buildings, existing towers, etc.? Answer 9: We are not considering a wireless solution. Question 10: The Cisco 1841 and 3825 have maximum throughput values of 38 and 180Mbps respectively, naturally this could limit performance. Is there an effort underway to replace these devices? Answer 10: Yes, however we do not have a specific timeline. Question 11: As these are long-term care homes, are there any special considerations around resident vs. facility traffic? Answer 11: We have systems in place to administer resident vs. facility traffic in relation to security and bandwidth usage. Question 12: In section 2.4 Bandwidth Requirements, can you describe the GRE connection (GRE over the Internet?)? Answer 12: GRE = Generic Routing_Encapsulation This is how the current WAN is setup. Proponents can propose a different solution in their proposal response. Question 13: What firewall is currently in place at each of the 3 sites? 78 Attachment 1 Addendum No. 1 RFP No. 2020-P28 Answer 13: Bobier Villa: Cisco 1841 Router Elgin Manor: Cisco 3925 Router Terrace Lodge: Cisco 1841 Router End of Addendum No. 1 Addendum Issued: May 14, 2020 Regards, Mike Hoogstra, CPPB I Purchasing Coordinator P: 519-631-1460, extension 129 1 E: mhoogstra(a)elgin.ca 79 Attachment 2 i n. 0���m�o��n�tis,wri �11�� � Prrrgvessa'e by Nature View Details Return to the Bids Homepage(https://elgincounty.bidsandtenders.ca/Module/Tenders/en) Bid Details Bid Services Classification: Bid Type: Request For Proposal Bid Number: 2020-P28 Bid Name: Wide Area Network Services Bid Status: Closed Bid Closing Wed May 20, 2020 3:00:59 PM (EDT) Date: Question Wed May 13, 2020 4:00:00 PM (EDT) Deadline: Time-frame for delivery or the Refer to project document duration of the contract: Negotiation Refer to project document Type: Condition for Participation: Refer to project document Electronic Auctions: Not Applicable Language for Bid English unless specified in the bid document Submissions: Submission Online Submissions Only Type: Submission Online Submissions Only Address: Public No Opening: Description: This Request for Proposals (the"RFP'� is an invitation by the Corporation of the County of Elgin (the "County' to prospective Proponents to submit proposals for providing High-Speed Wide Area Network (WAN) connectivity between existing facilities and possible future additions. Bid Document Bid document preview, bid opportunity, and award notices are available on the site free of charge. Access: Proponents are not required to register for a bid opportunity prior to previewing the bid documents. To obtain an unsecured version of the bid document and/or to participate in this opportunity, an annual or a per bid fee must be paid (annual fee - $175.05, per bid fee - $52.38). Trade CFTA Agreements: Categories: Show Categories [+] 80 Register for this Bid Download Bid Documents Documents File Name Attachment 2 2020-11228 Wide Area Network Services.pdf Wednesday April 29, 2020 03:58 PM Addenda File Name Addendum No. 1 Thursday May 14, 2020 02:03 PM Bids Submitted The following are the unofficial bid results Company Contact R, Marcil, Victoria EASTLINK 155 Chain Lake Drive, HALIFAX NS, CANADA B3K 5M3 Fagg, John Packet-Tel Corp. 7 - 515 Dotzert Court, Waterloo Ontario, Canada N2L 6A7 Plan Takers The following are the plan takers for the bid: Company Contact Croghan, Robert 9876669 Canada Corp 720 King St West,Toronto Ontario, Canada M5V3S5 Hameed, Asif Activo 161 Alden Road, Unit 6, Markham Ontario, Canada L3R3W7 Gomm, Ian BroadConnect Canada. 151 North Rivermede Rd., Vaughan Ontario, Canada L4K OC4 Dallaire, Marie-Claude Cisco Systems Canada Co. 500 Grande-Allee Est, suite 201 , Quebec Quebec, Canada G1R 2H8 Picu, Jennifer Cogeco Connexion Inc. 950 Syscon Rd., Burlington Ontario, Canada L7R 4S6 Gracey, Marianne CONNEX TELECOMMUNICATIONS INC. 44 EAST BEAVER CREEK RD., Richmond Hill ONTARIO, CANADA L4B 1G8 81 Marcil, Victoria EASTLINK 155 Chain Lake Drive, HALIFAX NS, CANADA Attachment 2 B3K 5M3 Pearlstein, Mike Fusion Computing Limited 100 King St W, Toronto Ontario, Canada M5X 1A9 Fa99, John Packet-Tel Corp. 7 - 515 Dotzert Court, Waterloo Ontario, Canada N2L 6A7 Luckman, Glenn Scientel Solutions 3500 Steeles Ave E, Markham Ontario, Canada L3R OX1 Cantin, Cheryl Telcom Enterprises 338 Oxbow Park Drive, Wasaga Beach Ontario, Canada L9Z 2T9 Bursey, Lewis Trispec Communications Inc. 6305 Northam Drive, Unit 3, Mississauga ON, Canada L4V 1W9 salam, Kashif Vertical Sice Consulting Services Inc. 18 Gushan Road, Mount Pearl NL, Canada Al H OA1 Helmer, Leo Westower Communications Ltd 60 South Field Drive, Elmira Ontario, Canada N3B 2Z2 Campbell, Patrick WinLAN Networking Inc. 340 HENRY ST, BRANTFORD ON, Canada N3S7V9 82 m m^"mxiwr EIgt-11CU"tuu�� REPORT TO COUNTY COUNCIL FROM: Mike Hoogstra, Purchasing Coordinator DATE: May 28, 2020 SUBJECT: Quarterly Information Report - Contract Awards January 1, 2020 to March 31, 2020 RECOMMENDATION: THAT the report titled "Quarterly Information Report - Contract Awards, January 1, 2020 to March 31, 2020" dated May 28, 2020 be received and filed. INTRODUCTION: As per the County of Elgin's Procurement Policy, an information report containing the details relevant to the exercise of delegated authority for all contracts awarded that exceed $15,000 including amendments and renewals is to be prepared and reported to Council. This report covers the period from January 1, 2020 to March 31, 2020 DISCUSSION: The Council of the Corporation of the County of Elgin delegated authority to the Directors to award contracts as follows: Value Report Status Greater than $15,000 No report to Council required if within 10% of the but less than $50,000 approved budget allocation Greater than $50,000 No report to Council required if within approved but less than $100,000 budget Council also approved that an information report would be brought forward containing details of the award of contracts including amendments and renewals. The detailed report of the award of contracts is attached as Appendix A. All of which is Respectfully Submitted Approved for Submission Mike Hoogstra Julie Gonyou Purchasing Coordinator Chief Administrative Officer Jim Bundschuh Director of Financial Services 83 APPENDIX A Purchases/Projects greater than $15,000 January 1, 2020 to March 31, 2020 Department Budget Project Supplier/ Amount Allocation Contractor (HST excluded) Information Capital SolarWinds Network Performance Central $24,268 Technology Monitor— software license + 1-year Technology maintenance Services Homes & Operating Equipment Maintenance Contract ARJO Canada $18,930 Seniors for Nursing Equipment (Elgin Manor) Services Homes & Operating Equipment Maintenance Contract ARJO Canada $13,340 Seniors for Nursing Equipment (Bobier Villa) Services Community & Operating Library E-Resource Licensing for Southern Ontario $23,109 Cultural 2020 (includes Overdrive Shared E- Library Service Services Book collection) Community & Operating Library Sierra Subscription Annual Innovative $28,430 Cultural Renewal Interfaces Global Services Ltd. Engineering Capital Heat Pump Replacements (7) — Carrier Enterprise $22,316 Administration Building Canada Engineering Capital Building Commissioning Consulting Jones Lang $54,350 Services for Terrace Lodge Lasalle Real Redevelopment Estate Services 84 _Y`�� REPORT TO COUNTY COUNCIL FROM: Jim Bundschuh — Director of Financial Services DATE: June 9, 2020 SUBJECT: Capping and Claw-back RECOMMENDATIONS: THAT County tax policy set the annualized tax limit increase at 10%; the prior years current value assessment (CVA) tax limit increase at 10%; the CVA threshold for protected (increasing) properties at $500; the CVA threshold for clawed-back (decreasing) properties at $500; exclude properties that were at CVA tax in the previous year from the capping and claw-back calculation in the current year; and exclude properties that would move from being capped in the previous year to be clawed back in the current year or from being clawed back in the previous year to be capped in the current year as a result of the changes to the CVA tax; and, exclude reassessment related increases from the capping calculation; and, THAT the necessary by-law be adopted. INTRODUCTION: Each year Council has the opportunity to review its current tax policy. DISCUSSION: When CVA assessment was introduced in 1998, the goal was to have fair taxation in which properties of equal value would pay equal taxes. This new system created an outcry amongst property owners that had previously enjoyed relatively lower taxes in comparison to their neighbours. Despite the fact that this new system was ultimately fairer than the prior system, the significant increase in taxes for some properties caused by the transition was a concern. As a result, the province introduced a capping/claw-back program to soften the blow. Under the capping program, properties owners that previously were paying taxes lower than their property's CVA taxes had their tax increases capped to a manageable increase. Since the capping/claw-back program is revenue neutral, those properties that had been paying taxes below their CVA tax level bear the cost of the capping program through claw-backs. These properties are enjoying reductions in their taxes, but not to the full extent due to this claw-back feature of the program. The workload of the program becomes less each year. In 2019, only six commercial properties remained in the program and the County entered the four year phase-out of the commercial program. Elgin County exited the multi-residential capping program in 2016 and the industrial capping program in 2019. The province introduced a new tax tool in 2017 to allow municipalities to exclude reassessment related increases from the capping calculation. The other tools previously utilized by Elgin County include excluding properties from the program if they crossed over from capped to clawed-back, or vice v@'sa. Once a property is at CVA tax, they will stay at CVA tax. The county also selected the option that would exclude properties from the capping program if the amount of the cap was below $500. Also selected was the option that would exclude properties from a claw-back if the amount of the claw-back was below $500. Previously the maximum for the Prior Year CVA Tax Limit was set to 10%. The local treasurers recommend that once again all these optional tools be utilized to their full extent. The six remaining properties have reached full CVA tax in 2020 using the above- mentioned options. For 2020, the commercial class will be eligible for the exit capping immediately option. CONCLUSION: The local treasurers were polled regarding the capping options and all agree upon maintaining the following options: a) Set the annualized tax limit increase to a maximum of 10%; and b) Set an upper limit on annual increases at the greater of the amount calculated under a) and up to 10% of the previous year's annualized CVA tax; and c) Establish a capping adjustment threshold of up to $500 for increasing properties, decreasing properties or both, whereby no capping/claw-back adjustments less than the threshold amount would be applied; and d) Exclude properties that were at CVA tax in the previous year from the capping and claw-back calculation in the current year; and e) Exclude properties that would move from being capped in the previous year to be clawed back in the current year or from being clawed back in the previous year to be capped in the current year as a result of the changes to the CVA tax. f) Exclude reassessment related increases from the capping calculation. g) Exit the industrial capping program. h) Enter the four-year phase-out of the commercial capping program. All of which is Respectfully Submitted Approved for Submission Jim Bundschuh Julie Gonyou Director of Financial Services Chief Administrative Officer 86 E '�� REPORT TO COUNTY COUNCIL Nrr�a:xtir.vrr uxs FROM: Brian Lima, Director of Engineering Services Mike Hoogstra, Purchasing Coordinator DATE: June 2, 2020 SUBJECT: Contract Award —Administration Building Cooling Tower and South Wing Roof Replacement Project - Tender No. 2020-T23 RECOMMENDATIONS: THAT Triumph Roofing & Sheet Metal Inc. be selected for the Administration Building Cooling Tower and South Wing Roof Replacement Project, Tender No. 2020-T23 at a total price of$497,000.00 (exclusive of HST), and that the funding deficit be funded from the Exterior Building Repair Capital Project; and, THAT the Warden and Chief Administrative Officer be authorized to sign the contract. INTRODUCTION: As part of the approved 2020 Capital Budget, a tender was advertised and issued as per the County's Procurement Policy for the Administration Building Cooling Tower and South Wing Roof Replacement Project. DISCUSSION: A total of twenty-seven (27) contractors downloaded tender documents for this project. Seven (7) contractors submitted electronic bids for this tender which closed on May 29. Bids were received as follows: Company Bid Price (exclusive of taxes) Triumph Roofing & Sheet Metal Inc. $4977000.00 Smith-Peat Roofing & Sheet Metal Ltd. $5157669.00 Keller Roofing & Sheet Metal Inc. $5197756.00 Atlas-Apex Roofing Inc. $5217222.00 T. Hamilton & Son Roofing Inc. $5397500.00 Solar Roofing & Sheet Metal Inc. $6357300.00 Neptune Security Services Inc. Disqualified One bid was disqualified for submitting an incomplete bid. 87 Triumph Roofing & Sheet Metal Inc. submitted the lowest compliant bid for the project at a total price of$497,000.00 exclusive of HST. The following summary of projected estimated costs is provided for review and will be confirmed throughout the project: Construction $ 497,000.00 Engineering' $ 33,350.00 Net HST (1.76%) $ 9,334.16 Total Projected Costs $ 539,684.16 Combined 2019/2020 Approved Capital Budget $ 450,000.00 Forecast Budget Surplus/(Deficit) $ (89,684.16) 'Includes detailed design, tender preparation, construction administration, and inspection services. All tenders received were checked by VR Engineering and found to be compliant with the tender response requirements. Triumph Roofing & Sheet Metal Inc.'s bid price is $37,000.00 (8%) higher than the County's consultant's Pretender Engineer's Estimate of$460,000.00 finalized in March. Despite higher than expected tender results, staff recommends that Triumph Roofing & Sheet Metal Inc. be awarded the Administration Building Cooling Tower and South Wing Roof Replacement Project as the roof continues to leak and the cooling tower has reached the end of its lifecycle, and that the funding deficit be funded from the Exterior Building Repair Capital Project. CONCLUSION: Work on this project is expected to begin in September with completion scheduled for the end of November. As per the County of Elgin's Purchasing Policy, if change orders are required and the cost increases above the tender amount approved by Council by less than 10%, and the amount is within the overall budgeted project amount, work will proceed upon authorization by the Director. However, if the cost increases above the tender amount approved by Council by more than 10%, the Director will prepare a further report to Council outlining the expenditures. All of which is Respectfully Submitted Approved for Submission Brian Lima Julie Gonyou Director of Engineering Services Chief Administrative Officer Mike Hoogstra Purchasing Coordinator 88 m m^"mxiwr EIgt-11CU"tuu�� REPORT TO COUNTY COUNCIL FROM: Katherine Thompson, Supervisor of Legislative Services and Community Relations DATE: June 1, 2020 SUBJECT: Elgin County 2020 — 2022 Strategic Plan Promotion RECOMMENDATIONS: THAT the June 1, 2020, report titled, "Elgin County 2020-2022 Strategic Plan Promotion," submitted by the Supervisor of Legislative Services and Community Relations, be received and filed for information; and THAT Elgin County Council provide feedback regarding the promotion of the Elgin County 2020-2022 Strategic Plan. INTRODUCTION: County Council has approved a Strategic Plan for 2020-2022 and a corresponding staff operational plan that aligns with Council's strategic priorities. This Strategic Plan is designed to act as a roadmap for serving, growing and investing in the community. The Plan seeks to align the County's efforts and resources in support of Council's strategic goals. A key step in the development of this strategy was consultation and gathering of feedback from several different stakeholders. Council, County staff, Local Municipal Partners and the community at large were asked to provide input on Council's direction moving forward. The goal of this consultation was to ensure that Elgin County is responsive to the needs of the broader community and to strengthen trust and relationships with key stakeholders. Now that the development process has been finalized, it is important that Elgin County reveal the final results of the strategic development process. This promotional process will ensure that meaningful progress is made towards these strategic objectives over the course of the next two years and that traditional municipal functions are aligned with the strategic goals and objectives contained in the Plan. DISCUSSION: Staff has begun to develop a promotional strategy with identified audiences, goals, key promotional messages, methodology and timelines. Please see a high-level version of this plan below. 89 Elgin County 2020- 2022 Strategic Plan Promotional Strategy 1. Audiences/Stakeholders a. County Council b. Local Municipal Councils and CAOs c. Elgin County Employees d. Residents 2. Goals a. Awareness —to create stakeholder awareness around the existence and content of the Strategic Plan. b. Accountability and Transparency— to ensure transparency of the implementation process and hold Elgin County accountable for achieving deliverables. c. Alignment— to ensure that priorities at the corporate, departmental and job level are in alignment with Council's strategic priorities as set out in the Plan. 3. Key Promotional Messaging a. Excellence— The Strategic Plan is a guiding document for excellence. This document will provide a roadmap for Elgin County to consistently improve the efficiency and effectiveness of its service delivery, while taking into consideration quality and financial responsibility. b. Responsiveness— The Strategic Plan was designed to be responsive to the needs of the community and to take into consideration important stakeholder feedback. Throughout the implementation of this plan, two- way communication will remain vital. c. Collaboration/Cooperation— The Strategic Plan was developed with a focus on collaboration with community stakeholders, particularly Elgin's Local Municipal Partners. d. Innovation and Creativity— The Strategic Plan was developed to have a focus on finding innovative and creative methods of delivering new and traditional services, while embracing the latest technologies for a more sustainable future. 4. Methodology a. Webpage - A dedicated page on the elgincounty.ca website has been developed to showcase the Strategic Plan and provide updates regarding implementation. b. Video - Staff will work with Council to create a promotional/educational video regarding the Strategic Plan and its goals and objectives. This video will be similar to the one created to promote the Community Safety and 90 Well-Being Plan. This video will be shared on the Elgin County website, used in presentations to Local Municipal Partner Councils, and shared through various social media channels. c. Reporting to County and Local Councils L County Council 1. Throughout the year, Administrative Services will report on the progress of strategic plan initiatives at Council meetings and will provide an annual update in December. 2. Each staff report included on a County Council agenda will indicate which of the three strategic goals and which related objective the actions contained in the report are in alignment with. ii. Local Municipal Councils 1. The Warden, Local Mayor and CAO will arrange to present the finalized Strategic Plan at each local Municipal Council, providing the opportunity for local Councillors to ask questions. 2. Elgin County will provide local municipal Councils with an annual report detailing the progress of initiatives in the Strategic Plan each December. d. Media Campaign — The above mentioned video, website and informational materials (including media releases) created in-house will be shared with traditional media and through the County's social media channels. There will be an initial push to promote the newly finalized Plan and its content and then additional promotional efforts annually to promote progress. e. Internal Education and Promotion - The Administrative Services Team in conjunction with Departmental Directors and Managers will utilize informational emails, virtual presentations and team meetings to make staff aware of the Strategic Plan and its associated goals. Directors will engage their staff and come up with ways that departmental activities can be adjusted to align with the goals and objectives set out by Council. 5. Timelines COVID-19 has made in-person meetings and presentations impossible; however, staff see no reason to delay the roll out of this promotion. 91 Method Timeline Webpage A dedicated webpage has been created and will be updated accordin I................9, , y......................................................................................................................................... Video Mid-June 2020 Reporting 0 Regular Update Reports — Monthly • Local Municipal Council Presentations — Summer 2020 (dependent on COVI D-1 9 and Local Municipal Scheduling Capacity) • Year End Progress Report — December 2020, 2021, 2022. .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. Media Campaign 0 Initial media releases, video promotion and social media roll-out — June and July 2020 0 Annual progress report promotion — December 2020, 2021, 2022. Internal Education and Promotion 0 Summer/Fall 2020 (COVID-19 dependent). CONCLUSION: Council has distilled its vision for an effectively run local government into a concise and manageable strategic plan that prioritizes accountability, collaboration and efficiency. In order to ensure the smooth and effective implementation of this important plan, Elgin County will need to promote this plan to various stakeholders to ensure that both Council and staff are held accountable and that all County activities align with the objectives set out in the plan. Staff welcome Council feedback regarding the elements of this draft promotional plan and will adjust it according to Council's direction. All of which is Respectfully Submitted Approved for Submission Katherine Thompson Julie Gonyou Supervisor of Legislative Services Chief Administrative Officer and Community Relations 92 m REPORT TO COUNTY COUNCIL FROM: Julie Gonyou, Chief Administrative Officer DATE: June 2, 2020 SUBJECT: New Council Committees: Environmental Committee Update and Connectivity Committee Terms of Reference RECOMMENDATIONS: THAT the report from the Chief Administrative Officer, titled "New Council Committees: Environmental Committee Update and Connectivity Committee Terms of Reference" dated June 2, 2020 be received and filed; and THAT Council approve the Terms of Reference for the Connectivity Committee as presented and direct staff to amend Council's Committee By-Law 19-40 to include the Terms of Reference for the Connectivity Committee; and further THAT Council appoint Councillor Marks and Councillor Giguere to the Connectivity Committee, as recommended by Warden Mennill. INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this report is to seek Council's approval to establish a Connectivity Committee, approve associated Terms of Reference and appoint two Members of Council to serve on the Committee. BACKGROUND: Environmental Advocacy Committee - Update As part of County Council's Strategic Planning Process, Council established the priority "Growing Elgin: to be the place where people want to live, work and play". The objective associated with this priority is "fostering a healthy environment". A report including a staff recommendation that a Committee of Council be formed to support this strategic priority along with a draft Terms of Reference for the Environmental Advocacy Committee was presented to County Council on May 26, 2020. At its meeting on May 26, 2020, Council discussed staff's recommendation and indicated that further refinement to the mandate, purpose and Committee responsibilities was required prior to establishing the Committee. Council has plans to continue their work to develop a set of Council Actions/Objectives to support the Strategic Plan in mid-June. As such, it is recommended that Council determine the ways in which an Environmental Advocacy Committee can support its strategic priority through its continued work on the Strategic Plan. 93 Connectivity Committee — Terms of Reference The priority "Growing Elgin: To be the place where people want to live, work and play" also includes the objective "enhancing quality of place". Staff's action plan to support this priority includes: • Develop a business case with private providers to ensure wider access to reliable, affordable internet. • Connect with businesses to identify gaps in service and opportunities for joint ventures. • Host a local Internet Summit. On May 26, 2020, the Chief Administrative Officer presented a report that recommended that Elgin County Council form a Connectivity Committee to provide guidance on the delivery of Council's strategic priority "Growing Elgin" and to help ensure objectives are met in an inclusive manner that accounts for the needs of the various stakeholders across Elgin County. The Connectivity Committee Terms of Reference are attached and remain unchanged from the report presented to Council on May 26, 2020. It is recommended that an inaugural meeting with Council appointed Members be scheduled in late-June 2020 or as determined by a majority based on the availability of members. Pursuant to Committee By-Law 19-40, staff will advertise for the remaining vacancies and provide a report to Council recommending appointments at a future meeting. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS Resources allocated to the development and ongoing support of the Connectivity Committee and any associated action-items will be implemented primarily through the budget of Administrative Services and Economic Development, in partnership with external program delivery partners, when possible. LOCAL MUNICIPAL IMPACT Ongoing participation by and partnerships with and amongst the local municipalities are critical to the execution of any outcomes resulting from the Committee's work and will continue to be key in successfully identifying and implementing broader priorities for their respective communities. Once the Connectivity Committee is established and work has commenced, the Committee may determine that there is a need to formalize the role of local municipal partners, regional municipalities or other key stakeholders on the Committee. It is recommended that the Committee structure be re-evaluated at the end of 2020 and that the Committee make recommended revisions to the Committee Terms of Reference along with their year-end report. CONCLUSION: The Connectivity Committee will provide the most efficient and effective mechanism to facilitate Council's involvement in the implementation of any local connectivity solutions. This structure will also assist in soliciting and managing engagement from local municipalities and other stakeholders. The formation of a Connectivity Committee will support staff efforts to deliver on the priorities identified by Elgin County Council by 94 acting as a resource to provide input on policy, interface with stakeholders and assist in gathering industry insight. All of which is Respectfully Submitted Julie Gonyou Chief Administrative Officer 95 Schedule B -2 -Advisory Committee _ Connectivity Committee TERMS OF REFERENCE Up n Qii� Committee N Connectivity Committee Committee Type: Advisory Committee Role: To provide r000nnnnondotions, advice and information to Council on those specialized matters which ro|oto to the purpose of the Advisory Committee, to facilitate public input to County Council on programs and ideas to assist in enhancing the quality of life of the Connnnunity, in keeping with Counoi|'s Strategic Plan principles. Advisory committees shall not give direction to staff, nor shall Advisory Committees naquost, without the approval of Council, the preparation of any administrative reports, research orwork assignments. Reporting to: Elgin County Council The Advisory Committee has no binding decision making authority. The Advisory Committee will, with openness and transparency, share their subject matter expertise with Elgin County Council. Enabling Legislation/ ° n/o By—Law Staff Support: Chief Administrative Offioor/C|ork, General Monogor— Economic Oovo|opnnont, Director ofFinancial Services (resource: County IT Department and G|STechnician) * The CA[VC|ork, in consultation with the Director of Finon000ndGonoro| Monogor— EoononnioOovo|opnnont will solicit agenda items and prepare meeting agendas and minutes. * Finance and Economic Development staff will bo responsible for meeting-related ootivitios, including: workp|on dovo|opnnont, monitoring, nnointononoo and reporting; activities to support completion of deliverables of the Connectivity Committee; and overall administration of the Connectivity Committee. * Connectivity Committee input will guide staff recommendations and will be integrated into staff work plansd reportst Council, as appropriate. Department Linkage: Administration & Financial Services Term of Appointment: Term Coincides with that of Elgin County Council Financial I Staff Resources Meeting Frequency: Approximately 1 mooting/month; meetings will be ooUod at the discretion of the Chair. When possible, input and consultation of the Committee will take place in a virtual manner by engaging 96 subject matters one on one, via electronic communication and feedback and/or via teleconference. Chair8MceChair A Chair will bo appointed by the Committee ot the first meeting. Committee Choir will be reappointed annually. Skills/Qualifications Members shall bo selected and recruited on the basis ofthe following characteristics: * Technical knowledge of broadband and intonnotservices (information toohno|ogy, vvinad intornotsorvioo provision, vvina|oss intornotsorvioo provision) is preferred; and • Finance d Membership/Composition The Advisory Committee will bo comprised of members who are identified to reflect o wide range of relevant knowledge, expertise and experience with oross-sootoro| representation. The Advisory Committee must, ot minimum, consist ofthe following members: * Two (2) Members of Elgin County Council * Warden * Uptofour (4) nnonnbora-ot-|orgo—oitizon appointees * Upto four (4) representatives from the business community Mandate: The need to increase high-speed intornot connectivity throughout Elgin County was identified oso key priority in Elgin County Counoi|'s Strategic Plan 2O2O-2O22. The Connectivity Committee will boo resource that can: * Identify broadband and intornot initiatives; * Champion high-speed connectivity across the County; * Interface with and consult with stokoho|dora� . * Provide feedback and input into policy development, os required; * Encourage investments that will provide higher connectivity speeds within Elgin County; * Create on environment that facilitates open, competitive and innovative services and applications; * Maximize the efficient investment ofboth public and private sector funding to improve connectivity throughout Elgin County. * Develop tools to assist with attraction of broadband infrastructure investments. * Work with local municipal partners, schools and health sector throughout Elgin to improve research, innovation and education capabilities in the County. ° Engage public and private sector stakeholders to investigate opportunities for partnerships that promote Broadband development and access for residents, businesses and institutions. * Investigate infrastructure investment priorities. * Review and refine specific goals, outcomes and timelines for short-term and medium-term priorities. Compensation: /a Objectives: Members of the Advisory Committee shall: * Develop program to help solve E|gin'soonnootivity oho||on 97 ........ ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... • Facilitate and enable stakeholder engagement and consultation sessions. Ensure the engagement and creation of opportunities for involvement of residents, stakeholders and businesses across Elgin County; • Work in collaboration with staff and County Council in developing possible solutions and programs to support enhanced connectivity in Elgin County. • Develop a plan for implementing the goals and directions recommended by the Committee, including metrics and deliverables. ........ ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... Link to Council's Strategic The priority"Growing Elgin: To be the place where people want to Priorities: live, work and play" also includes the objective "enhancing quality of place." ........ ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... Reporting Requirements: Report to Elgin County Council at a frequency determined by the Chair. No less than once/year. ........ ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... Sub-Committees/Working n/a Groups: ........ ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... Timeline for Completion of the December 31, 2020 (year 1) Assicined Tasks: ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... Council Review: November 2020 ........ ................. ..............._._ ................. ................. ..............._._ ................. ..............._._ ................. ................. ..............._._ ................. ..............._._ ................. ................. ......... 98 i lil p. 0>= N O Z LU Lu O n O CN O 0 Cie -? 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'o U C `m U ice+ B, aJ s- / ai i C m o u 3 U bn a w � � =' o � a, a, L bn> K o .Yu aJ aJ bz o o o a U o C aJ = C — C i E a m O a e, N E / (p �rii C N Cn O C O C N W d � Q t '2 O E N O O Q C Q J J LL J J V1 Q Q E N O O �p N � � N .-. 0 0 (6 J N Q N U (6 00 U C C U M O O Q— — (6 Q O N (6 'O E rill / (D O E "O (0 O O) jp O (6 `6 a) Y O o rn E rn o 5 n`_ o `o O cy) v x N � c > m O 0 U) 0 0 a) a cn a LU o a s ci fn rrrr � v � N Q O p C U Ecn U U to //////////////////////// (0 O a- G `r C) O O15 U U U V1 m N � ii���j/// ili� � • • • • � N � Vj � E V1 O (6 O (6 0 O CORRESPONDENCE — June 9, 2020 Items for Information — (Attached) 1. Karen Vecchio, Member of Parliament— Elgin-Middlesex-London, with a report entitled "Connect Canada — Conservative Call to Action on Rural Internet Access." 2. Homes and Senior Services with their June Newsletter. 3. The Ministry of Education with a letter regarding internet connectivity for students. 4. The Municipality of Central Elgin with a letter endorsing correspondence sent from the County of Elgin to the Honourable Ernie Hardeman supporting Bill 156. 123 / e ///// � ���� MAN LJ � �Uf i gib ti ref %i , ", ofinarini Ir/e/p I if Connect Canada — Conservative Call to Action on Rural Internet Access Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has served to underscore and exacerbate the already significant inequalities between rural and urban Canada, in terms of access to reliable and fast internet. With work from home orders leading to an increased requirement for network access, geography is becoming an even bigger barrier to equality of opportunity for rural Canadians. Now more than ever, Canadians are looking for solutions to fix this problem and ensure rural communities are not left behind. That is why Conservatives are putting forward solutions to end the digital divide in our country. This report includes feedback from several rural Conservative Members of Parliament who have also advised their regional caucuses of this initiative and solicited their approval. In short, the ideas and principles included herein have broad support within the caucus. The Issue Internet access is an essential service. Access to affordable, reliable, and fulsome connectivity is a determinant of productivity, economic growth, and equality. While this is a challenge for every Canadian, it is particularly acute in rural Canada. For most rural Canadians, internet service is inadequate at best, but the requirement to work from home, precipitated by COVID-19, shows it is unreasonably inadequate. Even after the pandemic, internet reliance is increasing exponentially. The World Economic Forum predicts more reliance on the internet for economic and social interactions. This situation should be a major wakeup call for all policymakers. Rural and remote communities in Canada are hit hard with inferior internet performance and low data caps. It is an equality issue. In the face of COVID-19, the way Canadians work is changing rapidly. Working from home is the new normal and it is rapidly spiking the decline of brick-and-mortar retail, education, and commercial real estate, amongst other industries. Broadband infrastructure is essential for working from home, telehealth, education, public safety, and communications. Under Canada's current regulatory regime, regions with lower population density, such as rural and remote communities, end up underserviced because less density means less customers, which may not fit with the business models of large incumbent providers. Additionally, Canada's telecommunications industry landscape is not competitive enough to incentivize the market to increase speed and access. This is evidenced by the fact that investments in rural broadband by successive governments and incumbent providers over nearly two decades have not solved the problem. Investment is needed, but first the system needs to change. To encourage economic productivity, and to provide all Canadians this essential service, the government must develop a new approach to this issue that includes changes to the regulatory system. Furthermore, government investment in this essential service will lower the consumptive cost of providing these services over the long-term, benefiting all Canadians. 125 Background The CRTC designated broadband as an essential service in 2015, defining broadband to be a 50 megabytes per second (MBPS) download speed and a 10 MBPS upload speed. Over 60% of Canadian households do not reach that standard, and rural Canadians are significantly more likely to be underserved than their urban counterparts. Mobile wireless has a fixed bandwidth capacity and is therefore vulnerable to major reductions in capacity as the number of users increases. "Cottage country," an area where urbanites vacation in the summer, can have user increases of 3-4 times during the summer months. If the community is along one of the major trans Canada highways, the numbers increase exponentially. All of these additional visitors and traffic create a drain on the mobile wireless internet bandwidth capacity: performance degrades and fails to meet guaranteed or federally mandated minimums. Bell, Rogers, and TELUS have received billions of public dollars, through direct and indirect means, yet the resultant infrastructure is owned by those companies and not by the Canadian taxpayer. First Nations are disproportionately impacted by this inequality of access. The First Nations Technology Council estimates that 75% of communities do not have broadband access that meets the CRTC 50/10 MBPS requirement. This is unacceptable. Some jurisdictions have taken it upon themselves to deliver telecommunications service to their residents as they recognize the failings of the big telcos to meet the need. Saskatchewan was the last province in which telecommunications became federally regulated and the last province in which the incumbent communication carrier, SaskTel, is fully owned by the provincial government. Since Saskatchewan is a geographically large province but has a relatively small population — many of whom still live in rural communities, it makes sense why the government decided it needed to ensure the need was being met. In light of COVID-19, Bell, Rogers, and TELUS announced they would eliminate overage charges for"home internet" customers. The term "home internet" refers to fibre, cable, and DSL consumers, but does not apply to mobile wireless internet customers. A majority of rural internet is either satellite or mobile wireless internet, meaning that rural residents will be disproportionately impacted during an already trying time for all Canadians. Furthermore, these forms of service are typically unreliable, with inadequate bandwidth and low data caps. During these unprecedented times, the government needs to immediately step in to ensure broadband infrastructure is available to all Canadians. Historical Policy Failures For years, this Liberal government has touted their goal of connecting Canadians from coast-to- coast-to-coast to fast internet access. In 2015, newly elected Prime Minister Justin Trudeau released his ministerial mandate letters. In Minister Navdeep Bains' letter, the Prime Minister tasked him with increasing high-speed broadband coverage nearly five years ago.' Yet, we continue to hear from Canadians outside of city centres that they are still not receiving adequate access to reliable and fast service. ' "ARCHIVED- Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Mandate Letter", httEL.//Dm.gc.ca/en/mandate-letters/2015/11/12/archived-minister-innovation-science-and-economic- development-mandate 126 Past attempts to fund rural and remote networks have been fraught with problems. In 2018, the Auditor General found several issues with the rollout of the government's Connect to Innovate program. This program invests hundreds of millions with the goal of bringing "high-speed Internet to 300 rural and remote communities in Canada. In these communities, challenging geography and smaller populations present barriers to private sector investment in building, operating and maintaining infrastructure."2 Some of the Auditor General's findings included issues with program design which led to failures in outcomes: We found that Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (the Department) did not implement its Connect to Innovate program for broadband improvement in a way that ensured the maximum broadband expansion for the public money spent. The program did not include a way of mitigating the risk of government funds displacing private-sector investment.3 The Auditor General found that the Connect to Innovate Program did not require applicants to demonstrate that their projects would not be feasible without public funding. He also identified that Industry Canada did not "allocate funding for projects in underserved communities in areas that would otherwise not benefit from independent, private-sector investment. Instead, the Department determined that communities were eligible for Connect to Innovate funding if they were more than two kilometres away from existing fibre backbone infrastructure.114 It is important that future initiatives do not repeat the same mistakes as previous attempts to serve rural and remote communities. The underlying assumption must be that while legislators are managing to ensure universal access, large telcos are managing to profit-and-loss. This delta must be bridged within the program design itself. Policy Recommendations In light of the current operating environment and the historical failures of government policy aimed at connecting Canadians, we are putting forward policy solutions to address the lack of access for all Canadians. We are recommending the following policies be adopted by the federal government: Recommendation 1: Alleviate Short Term Bandwidth Shortages Slow internet in rural areas is a significant problem that needs to be immediately addressed. This poses large problems, especially in times of emergency. To alleviate the current bandwidth shortage in the short term to emergent situations such as COVID-19, we propose that the government request ISPs or other entities to deploy portable Cell on Wheels (COWS) with a priority to those areas where residents don't have internet. The government should work with ISPs to ensure there is an adequate supply of these devices available to deploy under a framework for who can use them and under what circumstances. This would act as a quick mechanism to immediately deliver better service to rural communities in urgent need of access in light of COVID-19. It should be noted this is not intended to fix long term bandwidth shortages. 2 httg�se//wwweicegceca/eic/site/119.nst/enq/hone a htt�se//wwwecaq-bvgeqceca/internet/English/earl caq 201811 01 e 43199.html 4 htt�se//wwwecaq-bvgeqceca/internet/English/earl caq 201811 01 e 43199.html 127 Recommendation 2: Develop a Canadian Broadband Strategy Conservatives believe that from coast-to-coast-to-coast, Canadians should be able to connect. With the current system, this is not the case. Our goal is to ensure that Canadians are able to connect, whether it be via phone or online. The current situation, where many Canadians remain unconnected and do not have reliable access, is not good enough and we will change this. This strategy should be in place prior to the government spending tax dollars within the existing regulatory system, or the risk of nothing changing will persist, especially given the lack of clear and coherent broadband strategy. The big telcos have also failed to deliver for Canadians on time and on budget. The government must articulate a clear plan on broadband by developing a holistic Canadian Broadband Strategy for rural internet. The CRTC has established the benchmark of access speeds of at least 50 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload.'The CRTC stipulates that these speeds are to be the actual speeds delivered, not merely those advertised. Yet, the speeds available to customers only have to be POSSIBLE to achieve, not necessarily consistently available. This means that customers can regularly experience much lower speeds for which they are paying.6 The strategy to address these and other issues could include: • Ensuring that government infrastructure funding purchases a stake in the infrastructure (funding as an interest-free loan perhaps) to increase accountability and ensure a measure of public input. • Increasing the capacity of regional ISPs by mandating preference or set asides for them in competitions for spectrum. • Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) are an important tool for combining the reach and backing of government with the expertise and ingenuity of the private sector. PPPs give the government a chance to overturn the current natural monopoly big telcos have in broadband infrastructure by funding regional ISPs to build infrastructure or having the government build the infrastructure and wholesaling network access. o By routing the funding through regional ISPs, we create competition that forces big telcos to reduce their prices. o Therefore, PPPs can be used to roll-out broadband infrastructure in a far- reaching, cost-effective way that increases the competitiveness of the market. • All government infrastructure projects like roads, pipelines, wind energy projects, etc. could be asked to include conduit for future fibre or they will not receive any public funding. • Proper advertisement and enforcement of speed benchmarks. Given the urgency of the situation, this strategy should be delivered by the end of June 2020. Recommendation 3: Local Connectivity Infrastructure Fund Infrastructure in rural Canada remains a barrier to better internet access. To incentivize rural infrastructure the government could: • Allow individuals to voluntarily contribute to a local connectivity infrastructure fund in exchange for a tax credit. o The government could also potentially match the contribution. ' htts://crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2016/2016-496.htm 6 https://pub.ccts-cprst.ca/2018-2019-annual-re ort/topics-and-trends/ 128 All contributions would stay in the region which would be a combination of municipalities. Therefore, such a region would be able to use the funds to contract out the construction of infrastructure owned by the region/community. This would ultimately allow connectivity providers to use the infrastructure. Recommendation 4: Stop Big Telecoms from Profiting off of Small Business Government Funds There is a growing concern with small ISPs who have been recipients of government connectivity program funds and sell their business to large telecoms, profiting from such funds. Additionally, there is concern that when a small company is bought out, the buyer shutdowns a service/piece of infrastructure they have bought as they deem it unprofitable. The rationale behind such a proposal is because it contradicts the intent of the funding and the programs. Funding initiatives for broadband providers is to assist with helping smaller players enter the market by diluting some of the financial barriers to entry and provide broadband access to unserviced regions. These markets that the smaller companies want to do business in are deemed 'unprofitable' by the big telcos. Option 1:Any internet providers who have received over ($100,000) in government funding for connectivity must pay back (75%) of government grants if they sell their business to a large telecom provider. Option 2:Any internet provider who has received over ($100,000) in government funding for connectivity must allow existing infrastructure to be shared in perpetuity with the local region if they sell their business to a large telecom provider. Recommendation 5: Accurate Reporting, Transparency with Canadians, and Accountability Consumers should have real-time information available to them on their speeds and bandwidths. Many customers, especially in rural areas, have raised concerns about the quality of coverage and performance they currently receive; contradicting the quality they are paying for. In the interest of consumer protection and information, we propose that the government take decisive action to ensure that Canadians' access to connectivity is independently verified and fairly reviewed. It is necessary to distinguish theoretical LTE coverage and speeds from what is actually available for customers in terms of volume, usage, and proximity. That is why we propose that the government work with service providers to: • Ensure Canadians have access to accurate, real-time information regarding speed and bandwidth. • Inform consumers when a website is being traffic-shaped (i.e. with a pop up). • Call for a nation-wide audit on both 'High Signal Reception*' coverage and speed/performance to compare with telco's claims and over-promising marketing statements. This may also be a method of identifying dead-zones. • Review the mandate, dispute process and board appointment process of the Commission for Complaints for Telecom-Television Services to ensure independence of consumer dispute resolutions. • Review performance of CRTC related to the desired outcomes and priorities of connectivity. • Require ISPs to advertise average speeds, not best-case scenario speeds. 129 *Certain cellular providers diminish the dead zones in their coverage maps because they use `low signal' mapping. This makes a provider look like they have superior coverage; however, areas with `low signal' would result in around one bar of service that can barely send a text or hold calls. This highlights the difference between theoretical and practical speeds and coverage. Recommendation 6: Simple Consumer Contracts Many consumers are unaware of the language used in ISP contracts. They are also unaware of the technical practices allowed and implemented. This results in many consumers becoming frustrated when they experience slower speed or limits to bandwidth that results in queuing. They then contact their ISP to be informed that fine print and jargon was agreed to when they signed their contract. • Telecom providers must use language and details in contracts that are easily understandable for consumers. This includes describing use of traffic-shaping and list websites that are prone to it. It would also need to describe the internet terminology used such as speed and bandwidth and inform the potential consumer of what bandwidth is needed for webs ites/programs. This description/information would be formed/standardized by the government to ensure consistency and truth in possible conjunction with the Canadian Standards Association. • The goal is to provide consumers with accurate, descriptive and non-bias information so they can make smart choices when signing up for internet services that reflect their personal/household needs. Recommendation 7: A Municipal Ownership Model A municipal ownership model may be the solution to fill in the gaps in rural Canada where Internet Service Providers (ISP) are not interested in expanding, even with the existing federal program. As of right now, municipalities are unable to access the existing rural internet program, as only existing ISPs can apply. If an ISP does not want to expand their infrastructure in a community or to connect more individuals to their existing network, there is nothing a municipality can do. • Municipalities would apply for public funding to build the necessary broadband or fixed wireless infrastructure if no existing ISP is willing to do so. • With this model, it is up to municipal leaders and local ratepayers to determine if this is a priority and the onus is on their municipal leaders to start the process. This model would function similarly to infrastructure projects, where the federal government could partner with either the province or just the municipality. The program could be run out of Infrastructure Canada or Regional Economic Development Agencies. • Furthermore, the government could do a 50/50 model or another appropriate predetermined equation to get smaller communities to buy in. • As we are not encouraging municipalities to start their own ISP, extensive consultations must be undertaken with ISPs to ensure any new infrastructure built is universally accessible for their customers. Moreover, discussions will have to take place if a municipality wants to build on an existing network and form a partnership with an existing ISP. Without ISPs cooperating and agreeing on the equipment/technology being installed, a private-public model will not work. Recommendation 8: Changes to Spectrum Auctioning Many small ISPs help connect rural Canadians, yet they face a number of challenges in the current operating environment. With very small margins to begin with, and now the added unknowns of the abilities of customers to pay their bills, the price of a Radio Frequency Licence, 130 and the reserve bid deposit required, the cost of participating in the upcoming spectrum auction may be prohibitive. For these reasons, the government should hold a secondary spectrum auction at reduced prices for the spectrum set aside allocated to small ISPs. There are also problems with the way in which our current spectrum auctions function. Spectrum pricing for smaller communities are lumped together with major cities in the tier system. For example, communities within a 45-minute drive from Ottawa have no access to the internet. The proximity from the main highway, the topography and low population density means that the big telcos will not bother with these communities, but the spectrum is lumped in with that of Ottawa. Furthermore, reserve funding is very expensive and unavailable to smaller ISPs. For these reasons, this is why we urge the government in upcoming spectrum auctions to redesign the tiers. Recommendation 9: Addressing Infrastructure Concerns Inquiries about infrastructure leasing from secondary providers to major telcos are either highly overpriced or go unanswered until the telco has already run fibre to the area in question. Charges of anti-competitive practices cannot be proven because the telcos say the expansion was part of their business plans already or coincidence. For these reasons, the government should set a required response time and a price cap per km on infrastructure leasing by the major telcos. Access to passive infrastructure is often a barrier to ISPs. For example, in Ontario many poles are owned by Hydro One or large telcos. The telcos increase charges excessively to secondary ISPs. Government could have CRTC set a cap on telephone pole user fees for secondary ISPs or establish a dispute mechanism. Additionally, Ontario Hydro One requires secondary ISPs to pay for a new pole ($5,000-$10,000) in order to have fibre attached. The government could work with the provincial government to find a balance between costs of replacing Hydro One infrastructure and rural access to high speed internet. Recommendation 10: Industry-Specific Relief in Light of COVID-19 We have heard many concerns by ISPs in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and their ability to weather this storm. Small ISPs do not necessarily qualify for federal emergency loan provisions because the scope of the service increases for customers working from home, and customers who do not pay cannot be disconnected due to 911 access requirements. The government is not providing industry specific relief and should develop a plan on this immediately, for example by backstopping these ISPs. Recommendation 11: Extension of CRTC Deadlines Many deadlines have shifted in our country due to the COVID-19 pandemic. CRTC applications are due shortly, but we are hearing that ISPs are having difficulty communicating with municipalities because staff are working from home, and do not have access to the internet in order to transfer information. In light of this current pandemic situation, the CRTC should extend their deadlines. Recommendation 12: Protecting Consumers and Competition Against Predatory Regional Pricing When regional price wars happen, in which a big telco will deliberately undercut other regional carriers to try and eliminate the competition, consumers in another region of the country should be able to have their rates be lowered to the same rate available in the region being undercut. If not, the telco should keep their rates consistent with their prices across the country. If they are 131 able to offer a rate considerably lower in Saskatchewan to try and undercut the local provider, then as a customer in Muskoka, one should be able to get that same price. Our goal is to benefit all consumers, regardless of their rural or urban location in any region of Canada. Protecting consumers and competition in the same market can be done simultaneously and efficiently. We must ensure equal access to a competitive market for both service providers and consumers. The potential for practices where large providers seek to artificially and deliberately manipulate their prices to undercut the equal opportunity of competitors should be thoroughly reviewed and checked. We propose that regional price differences for national providers should not exceed 10%. Recommendation 13: Incentivize Rural Internet Build Outs Through Licensing Often, access to spectrum is a barrier to ISPs who would like to offer networks in rural Canada. To address this, spectrum licenses can be revised to make benchmarks for offering rural connectivity a condition of use. The license can be redesigned to be auctioned at lower rates in exchange for targets for investment, connected users, and/or speeds in rural broadband. Companies that failed to meet targets could have spectrum clawed back. Recommendation 14: Government Investment The government does have a role to significantly invest in rural broadband access, especially if it is considered as a public good. That said, expenditures should be made in a system that will clearly, in a stage-gated results-oriented framework, deliver access as defined in this document. Pouring tax dollars into a system that has not worked in the past and expecting different results is not acceptable. Conclusion In order for Canada to maintain a competitive knowledge economy, our citizens must have access to high-speed broadband. High-speed broadband allows citizens the opportunity to develop intellectual property, increases innovation and entrepreneurship, and allows our citizens access to education, telehealth, and telecommuting. It also reduces brain-drain, equalizing economic opportunity in rural communities and ensuring the sustainability of rural communities. The Rural Broadband Working Group was struck with the hopes that we can solve this untenable divide. Thank you to all the Conservative members who contributed to this document and are advocating for their communities to finally connect Canadians. 132 r j j j j j j j j j r r iiirHE coum"I'llitry aF El...GIN HOMES AND SENIORS SERVICES JUNE NEWSLETTER Figul sum ( ameHotodwid �J�rr i �a County of Elgin Homes mmi1�r,�ir����� p�muuyuiu»v 1u1tlllti �i sr pry.. Under the guidance of Southwestern i °36iii J Public Health and with infection ll ( control practices in place i i To bask your window visit please contact the 1-Tonne specific Recreation Department; Eobier Villa bwrec g1gin_ca r Elgin Manor imree(�glgin_ta Terrace Lodge drec(eaelgin_ca Please ensure window visits are pre-booked and we ask that family not approach residents while they are enjoying outdoor time. Please limitvisits to individuals residing in the same househiold. IN THE NEWS a,� s Michele Harris Director of Homes and Seniors Services Guy Like many of you, I'm deeply concerned by the recent report, revealing what the military found when they went into five Long-Term Care Homes in Ontario and Quebec. n � I want to assure all loved ones of residents that in no way are the D • conditions described in the report reflective of the conditions at Terrace Lodge, Elgin Manor and Bobier Villa. At all times, our entire ETCH team are deeply committed to providing the highest level of ^^^ ;, care and service possible. During these times, our Homes have taken all precautions possible to do everything we can to stop the spread of COVID-19. At this point, our Homes, have had no positive cases either with residents or staff- we continue to be hyper-vigilant to V ensure this continues to be the case moving forward. Our ETCH / RSING WE j r�YEnNAnDNne YEAR OF THE NNNt� team has taken great pride in an excellent compliance record with AND THE MIDWIFE 2020 i a the Long-Term Care Homes Act and Regulations, strong infection prevention and control measures and an outstanding infection �� NJ control history in recent years. In our Elgin County Homes, we are fortunate to have qualified, educated and dedicated staff who make MAY 11-17 this possible. 133 j j j j j j j j jj j / l//; ..a � mummovomum�umiru�wwl l r coming Soon An 5,191vi Manor 11acreatlon Production of s � 6 r, Support to Music The Movie I THANK YOU VIRTUAL PET VISITS rrlrrQ c- �� wIIIV�hI I 'V �Gu G I , For your generosity l fl% The County of Elgin Homes continue to receive generous donations which demonstrate the wonderful support and dedication that our community and resident's loved ones provide to our Homes and staff. Each gesture is a treasured reminder of our extended community and their ongoing support. q We Thank you all ° n� Mai xz I r� a / y �r. - Ministry of Education Minist6re de i'tducation MOVM44w mmWre 315FrVMU1mVtWVA 315 rw F4,PM Ovest Rmao ON WA 068 Tcrwgo ON M7A OBS oft Jo May 31,2020 Honourable Navdeep Bains Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry Innovation,Science and Economic Development Canada 235 Queen Street Ottawa ON KIIA OHS Honourable Catherine McKenna Minister of Infrastructure and Communities Suite 1100, 180 Kent Street Ottawa ON K 1 P 0 B6 Honourable Maryarn Monsef Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development House of Commons Ottawa ON K 1 A OA6 Dear Ministers, The future success of Ontario's students, and ultimately the prosperity of Ontario's economy.depends on achieving the required internet connectivity in all areas of the province. We are calling for your immediate, urgent support to increase and expedite federal funding to address the current need and lack of access to broadband. As the provincial response to the COVID-1 9 outbreak continues,people across Ontario are relying on access to the internet to maintain normalcy, including learning and working from home,ordering household essentials and connecting with friends and family. Over the next months and years, internet access will also be central to the recovery and growth of our economy. We are advocating for immediate action to improve internet connectivity and broadband access for students across Ontario. Affordable,dependable and secure internet service is the backbone of the Ontario Ministry of Education's Learn at Home strategy which focuses Gn enabling the province's close to 2.000,000 students' access to online learning materials and tools to continue their learning journey from home,, —/p2 135 -3- The Government of Ontario is committed to addressing these gaps to ensure that all Ontarians have access to affordable and quality broadband internet connectivity_ To support this commitment,we have targeted S315 million over five years to expand broadband and cellular infrastructure in those unserved and underserved areas, including S150 million program expected to launch this summer. Our total provincial investment is designed to leverage over S1 billion from industry and other levels of government to connect and improve connections for as many people as possible.Federal and provincial governments cannot tackle this challenge alone, making our collaboration instrumental for the people of Ontario, Thank you for your attention to this request. Together. Ontario and Canada will ensure a stable future for our children and students. Sincerely, The Honourable Stephen Lecce The Honourable Laurie Scott Minister of Education,Ontario Minister of Infrastructure,Ontario 136 The Corporation of the Municipality of ent 111{firC -ral Eig" 1 450 Sunset Drive,l st Floor,St.Thomas,Ontario N5R 5V1 P:519.631.4860 F:519.631.4036 : < May 27th, 2020 Dave Mennill Warden County of Elgin 450 Sunset Drive St. Thomas, ON N5R 5V1 Dear Warden Mennill: Re: Bill 156—Security from Trespass and Protecting Food Safety Act Please be advised that Central Elgin Council discussed correspondence respecting the above noted matter at their Regular Meeting dated Monday, May 25, 2020 and the following resolution was passed: THAT: Correspondence sent from the County of Elgin to the Honourable Ernie Hardeman supporting Bill 156 be endorsed. CARRIED. Please feel free to contact me at the municipal office should you have any questions regarding this information. Kind Regards, Dianne Wilson Deputy Clerk/Records Management Coordinator �M M CLOSED MEETING AGENDA June 9, 2020 Staff Reports: 1) Chief Administrative Officer— Municipal Act Section 239 (2) (b) personal matters about an identifiable individual, including municipal or local board employees, (d) labour relations or employee negotiations— Service Delivery Review 138 COUNTY OF ELGIN By-Law No. 20-27 "BEING A BY-LAW TO ADOPT OPTIONAL TOOLS FOR THE PURPOSES OF ADMINISTERING LIMITS FOR THE COMMERCIAL, INDUSTRIAL AND MULTI-RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY CLASSES" WHEREAS the County of Elgin (hereinafter called the "Municipality"), in accordance with Section 329.1 of the Municipal Act, 2001, S.O. 2001, c.25, as amended (hereinafter called the "Act"), may modify the provisions and limits as set out in Section 329 of the Act, with respect to the calculation of taxes for municipal and school purposes payable in respect of property in the commercial, industrial and multi-residential property class; and WHEREAS the Municipality must similarly modify the provisions and limits as set out in Section 332 of the Act with respect to the "tenant cap" calculations; and WHEREAS this by-law shall only apply to properties in any of the Commercial, Industrial and Multi-Residential property classes to which Part IX of the Act applies; and WHEREAS for the purposes of this by-law the commercial classes shall be considered a single property class and the industrial classes shall be deemed to be a single property class; and WHEREAS"CVA taxes" means, the taxes for municipal and school purposes that would be levied for the taxation year, but for the application of Part IX of The Act; and AND WHEREAS "capped taxes" means, the taxes for municipal and school purposes that shall be levied for the taxation year as a result of the application of Part IX of The Act; and WHEREAS the Council may pass a by-law to apply any one or any combination of the following options: a) Set the annualized tax limit increase to a maximum of 10%; and/or b) Set an upper limit on annual increases at the greater of the amount calculated under a)and up to 10%of the previous year's annualized CVA tax; and/or c) Establish a capping adjustment threshold of up to$500 for increasing properties, decreasing properties or both,whereby no capping/claw-back adjustments less than the threshold amount would be applied; and/or d) Exclude properties that were at CVA tax in the previous year from the capping and claw-back calculation in the current year; and/or e) Exclude properties that would move from being capped in the previous year to be clawed back in the current year or from being clawed back in the previous year to be capped in the current year as a result of the changes to the CVA tax; and/or f) Exclude Reassessment related increases from the Capping Calculation. WHEREAS a by-law passed to adopt the provisions of Subsection 329.1 paragraphs 1 and 2 of the Act, provides that such provisions shall also apply to Section 332 of the Act with respect to the "tenant cap" calculations; and WHEREAS the Council has reviewed the provisions of Section 329.1 of the Act and hereby deems it necessary and appropriate to adopt optional tools for the purpose of administering limits for the Commercial, Industrial and Multi-Residential property classes. NOW THEREFORE the Municipal Council of the Corporation of the County of Elgin hereby enacts as follows: 139 1. THAT paragraphs 1, 2, and 3,of Subsection 329.1(1)of the Act shall apply to the Commercial property class for 2020. 2. THAT: a) In determining the amount of taxes for municipal and school purposes for the year under Subsection 329(1)and the amount of the tenant's cap under Subsection 332(5), the greater of the amounts determined under paragraphs i) and ii)as set out below shall apply in determining the amount to be added under paragraph 2 of Subsection 329(1), and the increasing amount under paragraph 2 of Subsection 332(5), i) The percentage set out in Subsection 329(1)paragraph 2 and in Subsection 332(5) paragraph 2 shall be ten per cent(10%), and ii) The amount of the CVA taxes for the previous year multiplied by ten per cent(10%). b) The amount of the taxes for municipal and school purposes for a property for a taxation year shall be the amount of the uncapped taxes for the property for the year if the amount of the uncapped taxes exceeds the amount of the taxes for municipal and school purposes for the property for the taxation year as determined under section 329, as modified under section 329.1 of The Act and this By-law, by five-hundred dollars ($500.00)or less. c) The amount of the taxes for municipal and school purposes for a property for a taxation year shall be the amount of the uncapped taxes for the property for the year if the amount of the taxes for municipal and school purposes for the property for the taxation year as determined under section 330, as modified under section 329.1 of The Act and this By-law exceed the uncapped taxes, by five-hundred ($500.00)or less. d) Exclude properties that were at CVA tax in the previous year from the capping and claw-back calculation in the current year. e) Exclude properties that would move from being capped in the previous year to be clawed back in the current year or from being clawed back in the previous year to be capped in the current year as a result of the changes to the CVA tax. f) Exclude Reassessment related increases from the Capping Calculation. 3. THAT this By-Law shall come into force and take effect upon its passing. READ A FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD TIME AND FINALLY PASSED THIS 9th DAY OF June 2020. Julie Gonyou, Dave Mennill, Chief Administrative Officer. Warden. 140