Municipality of the District of Clare
REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING
Wednesday, October 17, 2018 at 7:00 pm
PRESENT: Council: Warden Ronnie LeBlanc, Deputy Warden Nil Doucet; Councillors, Hector Thibault, Carl Deveau, Brian Comeau, Eric Pothier and Danny Hill
Staff: CAO Stéphane Cyr, Executive Assistant, Ashley Hanks and Communications Officer, Amy Paradis
ABSENT: Yvon LeBlanc
1) Call to Order
Warden Ronnie LeBlanc called the Council meeting to order at 7:00 pm.
2) (a) Approval of the Agenda
The Warden asked that the following item be corrected in the Agenda.
- 11.3 – Letter of Support - Change 2020 to 2024
MOVED BY Councillor Brian Comeau and SECONDED BY Councillor Danny Hill that the proposed agenda be approved with the above noted correction.
MOTION CARRIED
(b) Declaration of Conflict of Interest
Warden LeBlanc asked for any declarations of conflict of interest.
None declared.
3) Presentations
None.
4) Adoption of the Minutes from Previous Council Meetings
4.1 Sept 19, 2018 - Regular Council Meeting
The motion pertaining to section 5.3 Culvert Repair – Rails to Trails Association was in fact a motion to recommend. Warden Leblanc asked that the minutes be revised accordingly and the wording changed from “motion” to “motion to recommend”.
MOVED BY Councillor Danny Hill and SECONDED BY Councillor Carl Deveau that the minutes of September 19, 2018 be accepted with the above noted change.
MOTION CARRIED
4.2 October 3, 2018 - Council-In-Committee Meeting
MOVED BY Councillor Danny Hill and SECONDED BY Councillor Hector Thibault that the minutes of October 3, 2018 be accepted as circulated.
MOTION CARRIED
5) Business Arising from Previous Meetings
None.
6) Warden’s Activity Report – Warden Ronnie LeBlanc
The Warden provided a summary of the meetings and events the he attended since the last Council meeting:
September 25 - Attended the Board of Directors meeting of the Harbourside Lodge in Yarmouth.
September 26 & 27 - Attended the Board of Directors meeting of the CDÉNÉ in Halifax.
October 4 - Attended the Digby Community-NSHA Stakeholders Group meeting in Digby.
October 11 - Attended a session organized by the NSFM and Develop NS to discuss the provincial approach to rural Internet.
October 15 - Attended the WREN Summit on immigration in Yarmouth.
October 15 - Attended a WREN consultation session for their next strategic plan.
7) Official Statements from Members of Council
Councillor Eric Pothier read a certificate from Council to be presented to A.F. Theriault & Son Ltd. in celebration of their 80th anniversary on October 20, 2018.
Councillor Carl Deveau provided a summary of the meetings and events that he attended since the last meeting:
October 3 – Went on a tour of the Acadian Seaplants facility in Cornwallis Park.
October 11 – Attended an energy symposium in Digby.
October 13 – Attended the 40th anniversary celebrations of the song “Saulnierville Station” and unveiling of the new sign.
Deputy Warden Nil Doucet provided a summary of the meetings and events that he attended since the last meeting:
October 5 - Presented a 100th birthday certificate on behalf of Council to Rosalind Saulnier.
October 13 – Gave a speech at the 40th anniversary celebration of the song “Saulnierville Station” and unveiling of the new sign.
Warden LeBlanc asked that congratulation letters be sent to the three students from Université Sainte-Anne that have been accepted into medicine at the University of Sherbrooke. These students are Jessica Deveau, Justyce Delaney-Smith and Casandra Wareham. Deputy Warden Doucet asked that a fourth student from Université Sainte-Anne be added to this list and agreed to provide staff with the student’s name once confirmed.
8) Correspondence
8.1 Letter - Clare Health Foundation, Lionel d’Entremont, Event Coordinator
The CAO read a letter from Lionel d’Entremont, Event Coordinator for the Clare Health Foundation. (
See attached)
8.2 Letter - Office of Acadian Affairs and Francophonie, Tracey Taweel, Deputy Minister
The CAO read a letter from Tracey Taweel, Deputy Minister of Acadian Affairs and Francophonie (See attached)
The CAO will prepare a letter in response and present it to Council for approval before sending it to the Office of Acadian Affairs and Francophonie. The letter will highlight the additional operational costs incurred by the Municipality to deliver its services in both French and English.
8.3 Invitation - Opening Ceremony and Family Day, A.F. Theriault & Son Ltd.
The CAO read a letter from A.F. Theriault & Son Ltd. inviting Council to their Opening Ceremony and Family Day. (See attached)
9) CAO Report – Chief Administrative Officer - Stéphane Cyr
The CAO presented his report for the month of October 2018. (See attached)
10) Committee Reports
10.1 Building Permits – Councillor, Danny Hill
Councillor Danny Hill read the building permits report for the month of September.
August 2018
Year Permits Construction Value
2017 33 $ 1,236,345
2018 21 $ 2,089,900
10.2 Western Counties Regional Library - Councillor Carl Deveau
Councillor Carl Deveau informed Council about the recent meeting of the Western Counties Regional Library. Their goal is to bring more people into the libraries. Libraries are no longer just for books, they offer many more services. The committee would like to be able to partner with the Province of Nova Scotia for funding to bring more people into the libraries. In closing, Councillor Deveau invited residents to make use of public libraries.
11) New Business
11.1 Motion to Refinance Capital Debt – Clare Health Centre
PROPOSED BY Deputy Warden Nil Doucet SECONDED BY Councillor Eric Pothier that the Municipality of the District of Clare provide $1,250,000 in bridge financing from its capital reserve to refinance the outstanding capital debt on the Clare Health Centre, until such time as new capital funding in the amount of $1,250,000 is received from the Municipal Finance Corporation as part of the Fall 2018 debenture process.
MOTION CARRIED
11.2 Motion to award Tender – Volunteer Fire Service – Capital and Operational Review
As of October 17, 2018, only one company has responded to this tender; Kelton Chertow & Boyd Inc. (KCB) of Mississauga, Ontario. Unfortunately, their submission is much higher than what was budgeted for by the Municipality and covers more than what the Municipality was requesting. The Municipality has budgeted $15,000 for this project. The CAO asked KCB for a cost breakdown of the two sections of the tender. The vehicle assessment represents $18,300 of their quote and the operational review is $16,200. The representative from KCB advised that the operational review would provide a clearer picture of the needs of the fire departments and what vehicles could better serve them in the future. He recommends doing the operational review first, followed by the vehicle assessment.
Since the study proposed by KCB is above budget, Council would like to narrow the scope of the tender to better reflect their needs and re-submit this tender with the hope of getting more bids.
11.3 Letter of Support – 2019-2024 Programming – Société acadienne de Clare
The CAO was contacted by Natalie Robichaud, Executive Director – Société acadienne de Clare, as she forgot to include her request for a letter of support during her presentation to Council earlier this month. Mrs. Robichaud sends her apologies and is asking for a letter of support from Council, to be included as part of her request to Heritage Canada for 5-year operational funding (2019-2024).
PROPOSED BY Councillor Hector Thibault SECONDED BY Councillor Danny Hill that the Municipality of the District of Clare write a letter of support for the Société acadienne de Clare.
MOTION CARRIED
12) In Camera Session
PROPOSED BY Deputy Warden Nil Doucet SECONDED BY Councillor Eric Pothier that
Council proceed to an in-camera session.
MOTION CARRIED
12.1 Eco-Parc
12.2 Rural Internet
12.3 Human Resources
PROPOSED BY Deputy Warden Nil Doucet and SECONDED BY Councillor Eric Pothier that Council proceed to the Regular Council Meeting.
MOTION CARRIED
13) Date and time of the next Regular Council Meeting
The next Regular Council Meeting will be held on November 21, 2018 at 7:00 pm.
14) Adjournment
MOVED BY Councillor Nil Doucet to adjourn the meeting at 8:55 pm.
Submitted by:
Ashley Hanks,
Executive Assistant