Council

That the following Minutes of previous Council meetings be adopted: • Regular Meeting November 16, 2020 • Closed Session November 16, 2020 • Special Meeting November 18, 2020 • Closed Session November 18, 2020 • Special Meeting November 24, 2020 • Closed Session November 24, 2020 • Special Meeting December 7, 2020

Town of Ajax Council Meeting – December 14, 2020 That the Correspondence report dated December 14, 2020 containing Items of Correspondence be received for information.

That Item 6.4 of the General Government Committee Report of December 14, 2020 be amended as follows: • Removing recommendation #4; and • Adding a new recommendation #6 as follows: Staff be directed to review the Annandale site and report back to the January 2021 GGC Meeting with options for a potential trail connection across the Annandale lands.

That the Resolutions of the General Government Committee Meeting dated December 14, 2020, be ratified, as amended.

That the Regional Councillors’ Report of December 14, 2020 be received for information.

That the rules of procedure be suspended to allow the introduction of three motions without notice: • Upper York Sewage Solutions Project • Support of High Intensity Supports At Home • Lower Harwood Avenue South Corridor – Westney Road/Dreyer Drive and McRae Road Segment

WHEREAS Promoting local businesses has been a central priority for Ajax Council, the Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade, and the Town’s Economic Development team throughout the COVID-19 crisis, leveraging #shoplocal messaging and promoting local groups (like the Durham Region Eats group, boasting almost 17,000 members) to amplify support for our extensive and diverse restaurant industry; AND WHEREAS The Canadian Federation of Independent Business estimated in July that 158,000 small- and medium-sized businesses are at risk of closing (which will include family-owned and small chain restaurants), and asserted in November that this number will certainly be higher following second wave closures (CTV News, Nov. 2020); AND WHEREAS Restaurants Canada reports that “prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ontario’s foodservice sector was a $37 billion industry, employing more than 480,000” people but is “on track to lose as much as $17.8 billion in annual sales” due to COVID-19 closures and lockdowns; AND WHEREAS in order to reduce the burden on Ajax restaurants, the Town’s Economic Development team refreshed our restaurant guide, making it available for the first time online, supported by engagement and promotion activities and extended temporary patio permitting policies; AND WHEREAS Throughout mandatory lockdowns imposed by the Province of Ontario, residents and restaurants have relied on third-party delivery services, including Skip the Dishes, DoorDash, and UberEats (and others), but restaur

WHEREAS the need for Upper York Sewage Solutions (UYSS) project has been discussed since 2004; and WHEREAS the UYSS Environmental Assessment (EA) identifies the Lake Simcoe Water Reclamation Centre Alternative as the preferred solution (2014); and WHEREAS the EA process has cost upwards of $100M, and no decision has been made on this EA for a project with a timeline of completion (in-service date) for 2026 in order to adequately service York Region growth (Aurora, Newmarket and East Gwillimbury); and WHEREAS a discharge to Lake Ontario option, which requires twinning pipes from York - through the protected Oak Ridges Moraine - to be treated at the Duffin Creek Water Pollution Control Plant (DCWPCP) in Pickering is being reconsidered, as outlined in Minister Yurek’s July 2020 letter to Chair Emmerson; and WHEREAS sewage at the DCWPCP does not go through a tertiary treatment process before effluent is released into Lake Ontario, which is already negatively impacting water quality, and remains a top concern for the Town of Ajax; and WHEREAS the Town of Ajax has spent in excess of $2M advocating to the Province of Ontario (successive governments over 10+ years) about the need for tertiary treatment at the DCWPCP at current effluent levels, and in 2019 Hon. Jeff Yurek, Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks issued a Minister’s Order allowing expansion (up to 630 mL/d) of the DCWPCP without implementation of tertiary treatment processes to mitigate negative impacts to

WHEREAS there is a growing need and an opportunity for home and community care to undertake an enhanced role in supporting overall healthcare system capacity as beds have been reduced in order to maintain infection control (long-term care homes) and support COVID/flu surges (hospitals); AND WHEREAS Covid-19 has created a tremendous strain on the health system and increased the need for safe and adequately funded home support services for high risk older adults and people with disabilities in Ajax and across the Region; AND WHEREAS Ontario Health, Local Health Integration Networks (LHINs) and service providers are working to expand the capacity of home and community care services (known as High Intensity Supports At Home Programs - HISAHPs) to relieve capacity pressures in hospitals and long-term care homes; AND WHEREAS HISAHPs support patients in acute care hospitals with a discharge destination of a Long-Term Care (LTC) Home, or people residing in the community on a wait-list for an LTC Home who are at risk of requiring hospitalization, ensuring high-needs patients continue to receive premium care when beds are in short supply or wait-lists are long; AND WHEREAS a public opinion poll conducted by Campaign Research for Home Care Ontario found that 95% of seniors believe that staying in their own home with the support of home care is the safest environment for them to live during a pandemic and 91% want to stay in their own home or apartment as long as possible; AND WHEREAS se

WHEREAS cycling facility and parking improvements for Harwood Avenue South were identified in the 2013 Lower Harwood Avenue Study and Street Treatment Design Recommendation Report, and reconfirmed in the Active Transportation Network which was approved by Council as part of the 2019 Integrated Transportation Management Plan (ITMP); AND WHEREAS the first phase of work along Harwood Avenue South was implemented from Westney Road/Dreyer Drive to Lake Driveway in 2016, which included reducing the number of motor vehicle lanes between Westney Road/Dreyer Drive to Lake Driveway from four lanes to two lanes, installing buffered on-road bike lanes between Westney Road/Dreyer Drive to McRae Road, and adding bump outs and on-street parking with off- road cycle tracks between McRae Road and Lake Driveway; AND WHEREAS this work was undertaken to enhance the cycling network, provide traffic calming, and provide additional parking for waterfront users without having to use waterfront lands to expand parking; AND WHEREAS since the segment between Westney Road/Dreyer Drive and McRae Road was reduced to two lanes and on-road bike lanes were added, the Town and Council Town of Ajax Council Meeting – December 14, 2020 have received persistent complaints about the transition from four lanes to two lanes, along with the safety of the two-lane segment of road; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT: 1. Staff be directed to present a report to the appropriate standing committee of Council in April 2021

That By-law numbers 54-2020 to 61-2020 be read a first, second and third time and passed.

That By-law number 62-2020 being a by-law to confirm the proceedings of the Council of the Corporation of the Town of Ajax at its meeting held on December 14, 2020 be read a first, second and third time and passed.

That the December 14, 2020 meeting of the Council of the Town of Ajax be adjourned. Town of Ajax Council Meeting – December 14, 2020 (6:02 p.m.)