City of Cornwall Council Meeting Notes – October 26, 2020

Full Agenda and supporting documents: https://pub-cornwall.escribemeetings.com/FileStream.ashx?DocumentId=3556

Re-watch the meeting: https://youtu.be/n75io1iNv04

City Council received an update from Eastern Ontario Health Unit’s Dr. Paul Roumeliotis on the COVID cases in Cornwall, SDG, and Prescott-Russel, and discussed the desire for lights in Lamoureux Park over the Christmas season and beyond.

Dr. Paul Roumeliotis gave an update on COVID-19 in Cornwall, SDG, and Prescott-Russel

·        There are currently 14 active cases in Cornwall. There are more cases in September and October than in March and April, with two outbreaks in SDG.

·        Dr. Paul expressed concern over the spike in September and October cases, which led him to consider recommending more restrictions.

·        Dr. Paul explained that Cornwall, SDG, and Prescott-Russell approached a “high zone” but not fast enough to trigger shops and restaurants’ shut-downs. Instead, he put more restrictions into place:

• Limit table sizes in restaurants to 6 people
• Limit total numbers in restaurants to 100 people
• Staff to collect information from guests for contract tracing
• Limit the size of fitness classes to 10 people
• Limit the number of people in a gym to 50 people

Additional recommendations include:

• Stay with your bubble of those in your household, businesses should screen their staff, and we should not travel to places we do not need to.

·        Councilor MacDonald asked for clarification on Halloween. Dr. Paul recommended no Halloween parties, discouraged trick-or-treating, and discouraged gathering with other people. Plan virtual activities instead. Visit their website to learn more: https://eohu.ca/en  

·        Councilor McIntosh asked if numbers increased in Prescott-Russel triggering a shut-down, would that also activate a shut-down in Cornwall? Dr. Paul clarified that yes, if he were to recommend shut-downs in Prescott-Russell, he would do the same for the whole region, including Cornwall and SDG.

·        Dr. Hollingsworth asked about the plan to protect Cornwall from Montreal, where they are experiencing a high amount of cases of COVID-19. Dr. Paul confirmed that he is advising the proper authority figures that the Ontario/Quebec border should be closed to prevent further issues.

·        Councilor Grant asked for clarification on the enforcement of masks. Dr. Paul confirmed that the provincial government has made wearing masks in businesses enforceable by law (with exceptions). It is the right of the businesses to say, “no mask, no entry.”

·        Councilor Bennett noted that Sundays are an incredibly busy day for Quebecers coming to Cornwall. Dr. Paul will bring this information back to Jim McDonnell tomorrow and ask for direction on addressing this concern.

·        Mayor Clement asked for clarification on the availability of the flu shot this year. Dr. Paul confirmed that there would be supply available this year.

Shared Services Agreement – United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry, 2020-217-CAO

·        Council adopted the Shared Services Agreement document with SDG, which will allow for a collaborative approach between the City of Cornwall and SDG regarding shared services and conducting meetings.

Proclamation of National Francophone Immigration Week in Cornwall

·        Council approved the proclamation to declare November 01-07, 2020, as “National Francophone Immigration Week.” There will be activities during this week to help celebrate.

PAC Report No. 1 – Rezoning of 822 Marlborough Street building

·        Council approved the rezoning of 822 Marlborough Street from Residential 20 to Residential 40 to allow for a multi-residential development.

Request for Proposal 20-P11 Engineering and Architectural Services for the New Fire Station Headquarters and Training Station

·        Council approved that the RFP be rewarded to J.L. Richards & Associates Limited, from Ottawa, at the total cost of $667,163.30, being the best proposal submitted and meeting the specifications.

·        Councilor Grant raised the concern about travel costs and re-zoning costs included in the RFPs. It was confirmed that all additional charges would be included in the submitted RFPs.

·        Councilor McIntosh inquired about the projected timeline and costs of the project. The next steps will be to go to tender, and the total price of the project will include the cost to construct and the cost of the land.

Lights in Lamoureux Park for the Christmas Season

·        Councilor Hollingsworth and Bergeron expressed interest in installing lighting in the downtown core to increase attraction (such as what is in Brockville).

·        Councilor McIntosh brought up the issue of available power to make this work. He also expressed concerns over the timeline to get this done in time for the Christmas season. Mr. Fawthrop said that to purchase the lights and install them could take upwards of 4 weeks, making this challenging to complete before the Christmas season.

·        Councilor Gardiner, McIntosh and Dupelle would like to see a report about the costs associated with putting lights in the park in the future, if not this year.

·        Councilor MacDonald invited the public to reach out to Council members and offer suggestions on other possible activities in the park for Christmas that would be inexpensive and timely for the City to execute.

·        Councilor Hollingsworth would like to see two reports: one report with suggestions on quick and inexpensive solutions for lights in the park and a second report with recommendations on year-round, permanent attractions that could be implemented in the park to draw interest and tourism to Cornwall.

The next regular meeting will be held on November 09, 2020.

				Prepared By: Shannon Tierney Executive Assistant Cornwall And Area Chamber of Commerce tierney@cornwallchamber.com