Municipality of the District of Clare
REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING
Wednesday, October 28, 2020 at 8:10 p.m.

Meeting held at 1185 Highway 1, Little Brook, NS

PRESENT: Council: Warden Ronnie LeBlanc; Deputy Warden Yvon LeBlanc; Councillors, Nil Doucet, Carl Deveau, Danny Hill, Brian Comeau, Philippe Gaudet, and Eric Pothier
Staff: CAO Stéphane Cyr, Executive Assistant, Ashley Hanks, and Communications Officer, Amy Paradis
Presenters:

ABSENT:

1) Call to Order
Warden Ronnie LeBlanc called the Council meeting to order at 8:10 pm.

2) (a) Approval of the Agenda

MOVED BY Councillor Danny Hill and SECONDED BY Councillor Carl Deveau that the proposed agenda be approved as presented.
MOTION CARRIED

(b) Declaration of Conflict of Interest
Councillor Philippe Gaudet declared a conflict of interest with item 11.3 Motion to Award Tender – Energy Efficient Lighting, Clare Health Centre.

3) Presentations
None.

4) Adoption of the Minutes from Previous Council Meetings

4.1 September 16, 2020 – Regular Council Meeting

Councillor Brian Comeau asked that a name in Section 7 be corrected to Marie Adèle.

MOVED BY Councillor Carl Deveau SECONDED BY Deputy Warden Yvon LeBlanc that the minutes of September 16, 2020 be accepted with the above noted correction.
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 he attended since the last Council meeting.

September 24 – Attended a special meeting of the Liaison and Oversight Committee of the WREN.

September 26 – Attended a virtual meeting of the Board of Governors of Université Sainte-Anne

September 29 – Attended a virtual meeting for the Yarmouth Hospital Foundation.

October 14 – Attended a meeting with Mainland Telecom at the Municipal Office.

October 26 – Attended a meeting with Mayors, Wardens and CAOs to discuss the lobster fishing crisis in South West Nova Scotia.

Councillor Brian Comeau stressed the importance of the lobster fishery for the region and suggested Council advocate for measures to ensure its protection.

Warden LeBlanc spoke in favor of Council meeting with Allister Surette so as to ensure the Municipality’s views and concerns are reflected in his report.

7) Official Statements from Members of Council
Warden LeBlanc welcomed Councillor Philippe Gaudet to Council.

Councillor Gaudet expressed his gratitude to the residents of District 3, stating he is happy to be able to sit as a municipal councillor and that he is ready to get to work.

8) Correspondence
8.1 The Honourable Lloyd Hines – Minister, Nova Scotia Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal
The CAO read a letter from the Honourable Lloyd Hines, Minister of the Nova Scotia Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal. (pdfSee attached)

Councillor Nil Doucet suggested that each Councillor look in their district for areas that may need signs and report these to the CAO.

9) CAO Report – Chief Administrative Officer - Stéphane Cyr
The CAO presented his report for the month of October 2020. (pdfSee attached)

10) Committee Reports
10.1 Building Permits Report – Councillor Danny Hill
Councillor Danny Hill read the building permits report for the month of September.

September 2020
YearPermitsConstructionValue Year to Date
2019 14 $554,180 $7,037,754
2020 30 $1,071,600 $7,838,560

 11) New Business
11.1 Motion to Approve Policy – Asset Management Policy
As part of the Asset Management Cohort Program the Municipality is participating in, an Asset Management Policy is required. This policy will become part of the Municipality’s Asset Management Plan and help guide future capital planning efforts. Council passed the following motion:

MOVED BY Councillor Carl Deveau and SECONDED BY Councillor Danny Hill that the Municipality of the District of Clare adopt the Asset Management Policy as presented.
MOTION CARRIED

11.2 Motion to Award Tender – Civil Engineering Services, Meteghan Sidewalks
The Municipality of Clare is looking to:

  • Repair 2 km of sidewalk along Highway 1, from civic #8438 to #8070
  • Repair 0.8 km of sidewalk and curbing along the Peter Dugas Road, from Highway 1 to the Stella Maris School
  • Extend Sidewalk 1 by an additional 1 km, from civic #8070 towards the Highway 101 Connector, up to the Meteghan Firehall.

In order to move this file forward, a tender was issued for civil engineering services including a topographical survey, design plans, tender phase services, and inspection services during the construction phase. The tender closed on October 23 and a total of 6 bids were received. Following a review of these bids, the CAO is recommending the contract be awarded to ABLE Engineering Services Inc. in the amount $53,100 plus HST. Council agreed and passed the following motion:

MOVED BY Councillor Eric Pothier and SECONDED BY Councillor Carl Deveau that the Municipality of the District of Clare award the tender for Civil Engineering Services for the Meteghan Sidewalks to ABLE Engineering Services Inc. in the amount of $53,100 plus HST and that these funds be taken from the Municipality’s Capital Reserve.
MOTION CARRIED

11.3 Motion to Award Tender – Energy Efficient Lighting, Clare Health Centre
The Municipality’s 2020-21 Capital Budget included $30,000 for the installation of energy efficient lighting at the Clare Health Centre. Due to growing challenges surrounding staff’s ability to source bulbs and other replacement parts for the Centre’s existing light fixtures, an energy audit was conducted and determined that the conversion to LED lighting would provide substantial gains in efficiency and pay for itself within five years. Rexel Canada Electrical Inc. was recommended to supply the materials for the proposed lighting upgrade. The total for these materials was quoted at $13,790.18 plus HST. An invitational tender for the associated electrical work was issued. Upon review of the bids, both the CAO and staff are recommending the contract be awarded to B. LeBlanc Electrical in the amount of $4,005.00 plus HST. Council agreed and passed the following motion:

MOVED BY Deputy Warden Yvon LeBlanc and SECONDED BY Councillor Danny Hill that the Municipality of the District of Clare award the tender for the purchase and installation of Energy Efficient Lighting at the Clare Health Centre to Rexel Canada Electrical Inc. and B. LeBlanc Electrical in the amount of $13,790.18 plus HST and $4,005.00 plus HST, respectively, and that these funds be taken from the Municipality’s Capital Reserve.
MOTION CARRIED

11.4 Motion to Correct Spelling of Road Name – Eustache Comeau Road
The CAO was advised that the road sign for Eustache Comeau Road contained a spelling error. NSTIR acknowledged the error and suggested the process to correct it would be expedited with a formal motion from Council. Council passed the following motion:

MOVED BY Councillor Brian Comeau and SECONDED BY Councillor Danny Hill that the Municipality of the District of Clare send a letter to the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal to confirm the proper spelling of Eustache Comeau Road, which is as follows:

In English: Eustache Comeau Road
In French: chemin Eustache Comeau
MOTION CARRIED

11.5 Motion to Correct Spelling of Road Name – Cottreau Road
The CAO was advised that the road sign for Cottreau Road contained a spelling error. NSTIR acknowledged the error ands suggested the process to correct it would be expedited with a formal motion from Council. Council passed the following motion:

MOVED BY Councillor Philippe Gaudet and SECONDED BY Deputy Warden Yvon LeBlanc that the Municipality of the District of Clare send a letter to the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal to confirm the proper spelling of Cottreau Road, which is as follows:

In English: Cottreau Road
In French: chemin Cottreau
MOTION CARRIED

11.6 Ground Search and Rescue Building – Access to Water
The municipal building which currently houses Clare Ground Search and Rescue (CGSR) is currently without water. The water for this building is provided by Sea Crest Fisheries Ltd. However, due to significant water leak at their facility, the company was left with no option but to close the affected valves until such time as the needed repairs can be made. Despite Sea Crest’s much appreciated cooperation in addressing this issue in a timely manner, the Municipality’s dependence on a private sector business to provide water to the tenants in one of its buildings is less than ideal. As such, in addition to apprising Council of the situation, the CAO is requesting their support to explore the possibility of drilling a well onsite. Assuming Council is supportive, the CAO will report back at the November 4, 2020 Council-in-Committee meeting with additional information on pricing and timelines. Council agreed.

11.7 Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities – Long Service Award
Every year at the NSFM Fall Conference, councillors are recognized for their years of service in municipal government. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, there was no in-person conference this year. As such, long service award recipients received their certificates via mail. This year, Warden LeBlanc was recognized by the NSFM for his 20 years of service to the Municipality of Clare. The certificate was read aloud and presented to him by the CAO.

Warden LeBlanc thanked the NSFM for the certificate and said that it has been an honor to serve and to continue to serve the Municipality of Clare.

12) In Camera Session

PROPOSED BY Councillor Nil Doucet and SECONDED BY Deputy Warden Yvon LeBlanc that Council proceed to an In-Camera Session.
MOTION CARRIED

Topics discussed:
12.1 Personnel Matters

PROPOSED BY Councillor Nil Doucet and SECONDED BY Deputy Warden Yvon LeBlanc that Council proceed to the Regular Council Meeting.
MOTION CARRIED

PROPOSED BY Councillor Eric Pothier and SECONDED BY Councillor Danny Hill that the Manager position at the Clare Health Centre, currently classified as a Level 6 on the Municipality’s salary scale, by re-classified as a Level 7 in order to better reflect the responsibilities and demands inherent in the position.
MOTION CARRIED

13) Date and Time of the next Regular Council Meeting
The next Regular Council Meeting will be held on November 18, 2020 at 7:00 pm.

14) Adjournment
MOVED BY Councillor Nil Doucet to adjourn the meeting at 10:00 p.m.

Submitted by:

Ashley Hanks
Executive Assistant