Council Highlights - September 6, 2023

Wyoming, ON – At its regular meeting on Wednesday, September 6, Lambton County Council:

• Heard presentations from:
  • Jacob Hanlon, Food Cycle Science, regarding Food Cycle Science's Municipal Food Waste Diversion program.
  • Nathan Colquhoun, Storyboard Solutions, regarding decentralized affordable housing solutions and how Council can support these types of initiatives.
  • Jason Vaillant, General Manager, Bluewater Association for Safety, Environment and Sustainability (BASES) regarding the restructuring of BASES.
  • Jennifer Vansteenkiste, Executive Director, Women’s Interval Home, regarding Intimate Partner Violence.
• Requested staff to bring a report to Council regarding the feasibility of a decentralized affordable housing incentive program.
• Declared Intimate Partner Violence as an epidemic in Sarnia-Lambton, and agreed to advocate for the proper funding of The Women’s Interval Home, Sexual Assault Survivors Center, and Victim Services.
• Subject to securing external funding, authorized staff to work with a consultant to develop a corporate Climate Change Adaptation Strategy, assemble an internal staff Climate Change Working Group, and support the County’s involvement in the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and ICLEI–Local Governments for Sustainability Partners for Climate Protection program.
• Agreed to continue the moratorium on any new capital grant requests for the 2024 County Budget.
• Tabled the motion regarding rural/inter-community transit until Council’s regularly scheduled meeting on November 29, 2023, so that staff can bring a report to Council following consultations with local municipalities on the need and support for a rural/inter-community transit system within Lambton County.
• Requested that Huron Shores Area Transit be invited to speak to County Council regarding their current service model.
• Approved the hiring of one full-time temporary affordable housing development project coordinator and the creation of an Affordable Housing Seed Funding Program.
• Approved making the current Homelessness Community Outreach Services pilot program a permanent program to be offered by the County’s Homelessness Prevention and Children’s Services Department.

Council will next meet in Open Session at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, October 4, 2023.

-30-

Please contact:

Lisa Leggate
Communications & Marketing Coordinator
County of Lambton
519-845-0809 ext. 5214
Email Lisa Leggate