Council

That the minutes of the Regular Meeting of Council held on February 22, 2021 be adopted.

That the Rules of Procedure be suspended in order to add an item of correspondence from Ontario’s Big City Mayors regarding their March 19th meeting.

That the balance of the report (Items 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 6.5, 6.6, 6.7, 6.8, 6.10, 6.11, 6.12, 6.13, 6.14, 6.15 and 6.16) dated March 22, 2021 containing Items of Correspondence be received for information.

That Item 6.9 (“Township of Brock – Request for an Interim Cap on Gas Plant and Greenhouse Gas Pollution and the Development and Implementation of a Plan to Phase- Out-Gas-Fire Electricity Generation”) of the Correspondence Report be endorsed.

That Item 6.17 (“Ontario’s Big City Mayors – COVID Business Restrictions”) of the Correspondence Report be endorsed.

That the Community Affairs & Planning Report dated March 1, 2021, be adopted.

That the General Government Committee Report dated March 8, 2021, be adopted.

That the Summary of Advisory Committee Activities Report dated March 22, 2021, as attached to the meeting agenda be received for information, and that the recommendations contained therein be

That the Town of Ajax 5-Year (2021-2025) Economic Development Action Plan be endorsed.

That the Regional Councillors’ Reports of March 22, 2021 be received for information.

WHEREAS the Town of Ajax is rapidly growing but constrained by a fixed urban boundary and limited greenfield remaining for new development; AND WHEREAS employment and economic development are a primary focus of Council’s mandate for the 2018-2022 term, laying the groundwork for long-term, sustainable growth toward a community vision supported by appropriate transportation, housing and employment options for residents; AND WHEREAS some landowners hold on to employment lands over the medium or long- term without plans for development, in order to benefit from increasing land values (known as the practice of land banking); AND WHEREAS land banking does not assist Council in achieving the best outcomes for Ajax, and action is necessary in order to encourage landowners to work with Planning and Development staff and Council to plan strategic, appropriate development to the 2051 horizon achieving densities and intensification as required under the Places to Grow Act; THEREFORE BE IT NOW RESOLVED THAT: Staff be directed to investigate a land banking levy and report back financial, legal and strategic implications of a land banking levy program and recommendations for consideration prior to the 2022 budget process.

WHEREAS Ajax Council believes in sustainable growth, following principles of intensification and density outlined in A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, 2020, in strategic growth areas including Downtown Ajax; AND WHEREAS the Town’s downtown area will exceed growth targets, reaching growth numbers in line with GTHA urban growth centres - even without a formal designation - based on applications currently under review alone, helping the Region of Durham grow in a sustainable and transit-supportive way, up to and beyond the 2051 planning horizon; AND WHEREAS a lack of sanitary capacity in our downtown core is the largest barrier to development for the Town of Ajax. This barrier was identified to Council early in the 2018- 2022 term, and has been a central focus of Council’s transportation, growth, and connectivity planning (through the Central Ajax Intensification, Servicing and Transportation Study currently underway) and advocacy (this issue has been flagged for five provincial Ministers, as well as the Region of Durham); AND WHEREAS the Town’s Transportation Master Plan identified the need for an extension of Hunt Street to Westney Road to support increased transportation connectivity and alleviate servicing constraints in the downtown area, and an environmental assessment and preliminary design for the extension were completed in 2016; AND WHEREAS 285-289 Hunt St. and 232-234 MacKenzie Avenue (totaling 22.95 acres) have recently been listed for sa

WHEREAS best practices in the field of Human Resources (HR) and specifically in hiring processes are continually evolving; AND WHEREAS the Town has onboarded a new Manager of HR Services and several other expert HR staff in this term of Council; AND WHEREAS several examples of racism and racial injustice throughout 2020 shone a light on institutional and systemic biases, and the need to actively re-evaluate processes to uncover and eliminate built-in bias; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT HR Services staff be directed to present an update at the May 2021 meeting of Council on process improvements and upcoming initiatives as they relate to the Town’s commitment to inclusive hiring practices.

WHEREAS Ajax Council believes in smart, sustainable development that is directed away from and protects natural heritage features and their functions; AND WHEREAS the Town makes land use planning and development decisions that encourage complete communities and that protect the natural environment consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement (PPS), and in conformity with the Greenbelt Plan and Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe; AND WHEREAS the PPS is a consolidated statement of the province’s policies on land use planning and development that provides for appropriate development while protecting resources of provincial interest, public health and safety, and the quality of the natural and built environment; AND WHEREAS section 3(5) of the Planning Act requires municipal and provincial decisions to be consistent with the PPS; AND WHEREAS Schedule 3 of Bill 257 (Supporting Broadband and Infrastructure Expansion Act, 2021) would remove the requirement for a Minister’s Zoning Order to be consistent with the PPS; reducing the efficacy of the PPS and overall contradicting the intent and principles of the Planning Act and PPS; AND WHEREAS the provincial government is seeking comments on the proposed changes to Minister’s Zoning Orders in the Planning Act (Bill 257, Schedule 3) until April 3 through ERO posting #019-3233; THEREFORE BE IT NOW RESOLVED THAT: 1. Ajax Council believes the province should maintain its commitment to land use planning for the lo

WHEREAS the Greenbelt is an integral component of land use planning across the Greater Golden Horseshoe and in Durham Region, encouraging smart growth and protecting key natural heritage and hydrological features and areas, and agricultural lands; AND WHEREAS the Town has been and continues to be a supporter and champion of the Greenbelt, to improve the quality of life for the residents of Ajax, Durham Region and the Greater Toronto Area; AND WHEREAS the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) has used a science-based approach to study the watersheds in west Durham, identifying key natural heritage and hydrological features, and have a solid scientific understanding about the current and future health of these watersheds; AND WHEREAS the Province of Ontario released posting ERO #019-3136 on the Environmental Registry of Ontario seeking feedback on growing the size and enhancing the quality of the Greenbelt; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT: 1. The Town commends the province for exploring options to increase the size and quality of the Greenbelt; 2. The Town requests that the on-the-ground knowledge and scientific understanding of conservation authorities be leveraged by the province in order to make the best science-informed decisions and remove political bias regarding what lands should be protected by the Greenbelt; 3. Staff be directed to submit comments on the following matters through ERO #019- 3136 by the submission deadline: • the addition of the headwaters o

That By-law number 19-2021 being a by-law to confirm the proceedings of the Council of the Corporation of the Town of Ajax at its meeting held on March 22, 2021 be read a first, second and third time and passed.

That the March 22, 2021 meeting of the Council of the Town of Ajax be adjourned (8:53 p.m.)