{"id":6327,"date":"2025-05-16T15:11:45","date_gmt":"2025-05-16T19:11:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thisiswilmot.ca\/?page_id=6327"},"modified":"2025-05-16T15:58:18","modified_gmt":"2025-05-16T19:58:18","slug":"webmasters-rebuttal-recommendations","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/thisiswilmot.ca\/?page_id=6327","title":{"rendered":"Webmaster’s Rebuttal & Recommendations"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pr\u00e9cis of delegation submission.<\/p>\n

A complete document will be submitted to the Clerk on Tuesday, May 13th for further consideration by councilors and the public.<\/p>\n

2025.05.12 PMP Delegation<\/p>\n

Good evening, Council and all<\/p>\n

The consultants have produced a voluminous 3-part report with recommendations for Council\u2019s consideration. It reflects dozens of methods of getting public input from many hundreds of citizens, elders, experts from Wilmot and afar.\u00a0 The sources list is apparently impressive. And tonight, you hear from only 9 more.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, I suggest that the Report before Council tonight, CAO-2025-10, be considered in the context that it was prepared by, reviewed by, and submitted by 3 roles, but one person only.<\/p>\n

\u00a0On page 2 of the Report, CAO-2025-10, Background section, the writer makes reference to an interim<\/strong> motion from a February 26, 2024 Council meeting but for some reason has omitted reference to the final<\/strong> direction given by Council on September 23, 2024.<\/strong> The writer\u2019s rationale for that omission would be informative.<\/p>\n

On page 2 of the cover report named CAO-2025-10, the writer opines that,<\/p>\n

\u201cThe current report is in response to the removal of the statues in 2021,<\/em><\/p>\n

But<\/u> I suggest that is it supposed to be a staff report that introduces<\/u> the Working Group\u2019s and Consultants\u2019 combined efforts to address the direction given by Council at its September 23, 2024<\/strong> Council meeting?<\/p>\n

3-part Motion: 1) RFP > hire LURA, 2) Terms of Reference, and 3)\u2026<\/p>\n

THAT the Terms of Reference comment on all options with respect to the future of the Prime Ministers Path Project,<\/strong> including asking the question Does the Township dispose of the statues and if so, how? or alternatively, does the Township continue to display the statues, and if so, how? and all other options considered.<\/p>\n

Motion Carried Unanimously<\/strong><\/p>\n

After reading the 3-part report, I conclude that the product before us tonight attempts to address the 3rd<\/sup> \u201cTHAT\u201d. Councilor Cressman added the final part, \u201c\u2026and all other options considered<\/em>\u201d, which brought Council into unanimity, and it appears to me that the working group has addressed all three parts \u2013 as directed by Council.<\/p>\n

Pages 2 and 3 of the CAO\u2019s cover report, Staff Feedback section, outline some concerns that Council can address successfully. This Corporation is responsible for providing a safe workplace, and that can be assured with Council\u2019s appropriate directives. However, the Corporation has already spent tens of thousands of dollars for security strategies since 2020.<\/p>\n

The cover report also opines that the recommendations of the Working Group, \u201c\u2026is (sic) beyond the capacity of the current organization<\/em>.\u201d That may be true given the current organization of the corporation.\u00a0 But it should be recognized that the Township has been able to compile between 2015 and 2019, over 700 PMP related documents (400 of which it finally released to me via an FOI appeal process) that include educational resources from places like Nipissing University, architectural landscape drawings of variations of a site plan and schedules of presentations involving well-known Canadians. (Margaret Trudeau?)<\/p>\n

This project is do-able!<\/p>\n

It should be noted that Report CAO-2024-03, February 26, 2024, CAO Chambers reported that, \u201cThe Manager of Communications and Strategic Initiatives position has been hired. The Manager of Communications and Strategic Initiatives has experience in community engagement, \u2026.\u201d<\/em> That position has been restructured away, and I advocate that Council should direct staff to again reorganize, within existing FTE, to re-create that position, but with a new person.<\/p>\n

This skilled professional may provide leadership, and coordination on tasks such as developing an in-house Strategic Plan and liaise with any structures Council may create to implement suggestions and recommendations in this 3-part report.<\/p>\n

It appears to me that the working group has addressed all three options \u2013 as directed by Council \u2013 in this package, and the recommendations deserve close review and feedback from Wilmot\u2019s citizens.<\/p>\n

THE REPORTS<\/u><\/p>\n

There is a lot of excellent material in these 3 documents. My comments\/suggestions below are intended to build on them as Council deliberates.<\/p>\n

I recommend that Council:<\/p>\n