Council Highlights - May 1, 2024

Wyoming, ON – At its regular meeting on Wednesday, May 1, Lambton County Council:

• Received presentations from:
  • Alison Maxwell and Larry Swart regarding the "POGG Primer: Ending the Public/Private Partnership Fraud."
  • Dr. Katherine Albion, Executive Director, Western Sarnia-Lambton Research Park and Derrek Lennox, Managing Partner, Kewin Consulting, on behalf of the County of Lambton Community Development Corporation (CLCDC) Board, regarding an update on CLCDC and seeking financial support in the amount of $1,350,000.
  • Rob Kardas, President and CEO, Lambton College, Dr. David Muir, Associate Vice-President, Innovation and Strategic Partnerships, Western University, Kelly Provost, Director of Economic Development, City of Sarnia, and Matthew Slotwinski, Interim CEO, Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership, regarding the importance of the Western Sarnia-Lambton Research Park to the economic and innovation ecosystems of the region.
• Agreed to provide financial support to the CLCDC and Western Sarnia-Lambton Research Park in the amount of $675,000. The CLCDC will return to Council in September 2024 to present a progress update, including its financial status, at which time County Council will consider providing additional financial support to CLCDC in the amount of $675,000.
• Requested staff report back to Council on the County’s funding and financial obligations to both the CLCDC and Tourism Sarnia-Lambton.
• Requested correspondence be sent to the Province of Ontario seeking that encampments be addressed as an urgent issue at the provincial level, and bring all municipalities and public health units together to devise a comprehensive plan to address this issue.
• Approved the County of Lambton Agricultural Advisory Committee updated Terms of Reference and directed County staff and associated resources to assemble and facilitate the Committee under these new Terms of Reference.
• Changed the Tax Class Ratio for the Landfill Property Class to be set at the maximum value as permitted in Subsection 10.2(3) as described in O.Reg. 385/98, as amended, being 22.035526 for the 2024 taxation year.
• Approved proceeding with the design, engineering, and construction of up to 50 affordable housing units on the County’s Kathleen Avenue property in the City of Sarnia at an estimated cost of $16.5 million. Council requested that staff provide quarterly project updates, including confirmation of the number of affordable housing units to be constructed and capital budget monitoring updates.

Council will next meet at 9:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June 5, 2024. The meeting will begin with a Closed Session, if necessary, followed immediately by the Open Session.

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Please contact:

Lisa Leggate
Communications & Marketing Coordinator
County of Lambton
519-845-0801 ext. 5214
Email Lisa Leggate