Municipality of the District of Clare
COUNCIL-IN-COMMITTEE MEETING
Wednesday, December 7, 2022, at 7:00 pm
Meeting held at 1185 Highway 1, Little Brook
PRESENT: Council: Warden Yvon LeBlanc, Deputy Warden Eric Pothier, Councillors Nil Doucet, Danny Hill, Philippe Gaudet, Brian Comeau, and Nadine Comeau
Staff: CAO, Stéphane Cyr, Director of Finance, Ginette Cheff, Executive Assistant, Nicole Comeau, and Communications Officer, Amy Paradis
Presenters: Steven Comeau
ABSENT: Councillor Carl Deveau
1) Call to Order
The Warden called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm.
2) Approval of the Agenda
The Warden asked that the following revisions be made to the agenda:
- Remove 7.3 Public Works – Transfer to Capital Fund
- Add 7.3 Clare for the Holidays – Community Christmas Meal
MOVED BY Councillor Danny Hill and SECONDED BY Councillor Nadine Comeau that the proposed agenda be approved with the above noted revisions.
MOTION CARRIED
3) Declaration of Conflict of Interest.
None declared.
4) Presentations
4.1 Steven Comeau – Cell Phone Service
Mr. Steven Comeau, spoke with Council regarding the poor cell phone service in Clare. As a business owner (Acadian Fuels Ltd.), he relies heavily on cell service and is both concerned and frustrated with the current availability of service or lack thereof. According to Mr. Comeau, several business owners and community members share this sentiment. The issue is not solely one of inconvenience but more importantly, a public safety issue (noting for example the growing unreliability of the 911 service).
Council thanked Mr. Comeau for his presentation and agreed to send a letter to the Province of Nova Scotia underscoring the seriousness of this issue.
5) Staff Reports
5.1 Financial Update – Ginette Cheff, Director of Finance
The Director of Finance provided an overview of the Municipality’s financial position. (See attached)
Further to the report, the Director of Finance also recommended that Council approve the transfer of $1,000,000 from the Operating Reserve to the Capital Reserve. Council agreed and made the following motion to recommend:
PROPOSED BY Councillor Philippe Gaudet and SECONDED BY Deputy Warden Eric Pothier that the Council for the Municipality of the District of Clare recommend transferring $1,000,000 from the Operating Reserve to the Capital Reserve.
MOTION CARRIED
6) Business Arising from Previous Meetings
None
7) New Business
7.1 Tender – Clare Health Centre Expansion
A tender was issued for the expansion of the Clare Health Centre. The closing date for the tender was November 8, 2022. A total of four bids were received. After a thorough review of the bids by both the CAO and Grey Cardinal Management Inc. (the project management firm assigned to this project), it was recommended the tender be awarded to Rikjak Construction Ltd. in the amount of $6,248,730 plus HST. Council agreed and made the following motion to recommend:
PROPOSED BY Deputy Warden Eric Pothier and SECONDED BY Councillor Brian Comeau that the Council for the Municipality of the District of Clare recommend awarding the tender for the Clare Health Centre Expansion to Rikjak Construction Ltd. in the amount of $6,248,730 plus HST.
MOTION CARRIED
- Naming Requests for Municipal Facility – Cultural Hub
A letter was received from la Baie en Joie requesting the building housing the Cultural Hub be named after the danse troop’s founder, Anne-Marie Comeau. An earlier request to rename this building is currently under consideration and additional information pertaining to said request is forthcoming. In light of this forthcoming information, the CAO is recommending this item be deferred until January 2023 so as to allow Council to review all available information and make an informed decision. Council agreed.
- Clare for the Holidays – Community Christmas Meal
Spearheaded by Shane Robicheau, with the support of many community partners, including the Municipality of Clare, the first Clare for the Holidays - Community Christmas Meal will take place December 24th, from 11:00 am to 1:00pm, at the Clare Veterans Centre.
Council offered to help spread the word regarding this event.
8) Questions and Comments from the Public
Gilles Saulnier from Radio CIFA asked if the tender for the Clare Health Centre Expansion was being awarded to the lowest bidder. The CAO confirmed that was the case. It was however noted that all four bids were quite close, with only a 5% variance between the low and high bids.
Mr. Saulnier also inquired as to the amount of provincial funding being requested. Whereas negotiations are ongoing, the CAO could not disclose this information but qualified the discussions to date as positive.
9) Closed Session
PROPOSED BY Councillor Nil Doucet and SECONDED BY Councillor Brian Comeau that Council proceed to an In-Camera Session.
MOTION CARRIED
Topics Discussed:
9.1 Contract Negotiations
PROPOSED BY Councillor Nil Doucet and SECONDED BY Councillor Nadine Comeau that Council proceed to the Regular Council Meeting.
MOTION CARRIED
10) Date and time of the next Council-in-Committee Meeting
The next Council-in-Committee Meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 4th, 2022, at 7:00 pm.
11) Adjournment
PROPOSED BY Councillor Nil Doucet to adjourn the meeting at 8:25 pm.
Submitted by
Nicole Comeau,
Executive Assistant