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170123 Council AGDTable of Contents Agenda 2 Minutes, January 9, 2017 Minutes, January 9, 2017 8 Traffic Island at the OPP Office Delegation Request 18 PRA 17-01 - Committee Motions Committee request form 22 PRA 17-01 - Committee Motions 24 CASPO Report 2017-19- Proposed Norfolk County Official Plan Changes- Norfolk Mall CASPO 2017-19 -Proposed Changes to Norfolk OP- twn_rpt 25 Proposed Submission 29 Report Mapping 31 CL 17-01 Voting Methods - 2018 Municipal Election CL 17-01 Mun Election voting methods 2018 33 2018 Municipal Election Survey 40 IVP_Report 43 CL 17-02 Ranked Ballot Voting CL 17-02 RBV 113 RCP 17-11 – Memorial Park Revitalization Project Update RCP 17-11 - Memorial Park Revitalization Project Update 118 Memorial Park Revitalization Project Subcommittee TOR 122 RCP 17-12 – Celebration Plaza Project Update RCP 17-12 - Celebration Plaza Project Update 123 Canada 150 Infrastructure Grant Application 126 Letter from FedDev Southern Ontario 132 Minutes, Canada 150 Committee & Joint Canada 150 Committee 170117 Joint Canada 150 Committee MIN 133 170116 Canada 150 MIN 137 Minutes, Heritage, Beautification & Cemetery Advisory Committee 170105 HBC MIN 142 Minutes, Police Services Board 161019 Police Services Board MIN 144 161116 Police Services Board MIN 149 170118 Police Services Board MIN 154 Minutes, LPRCA Minutes, December 7, 2016 160 By-Law 4074, To confirm the proceedings of Council By-Law 4074 167 1 = 1. Call to Order 2. Closed Session Proposed Resolution #1 Moved By: Seconded By: THAT Council move into Closed Session to consider: A proposed or pending acquisition or disposition of land by the municipality or local board (Rokeby Road). 3. Adoption of Agenda Proposed Resolution #2 Moved By: Seconded By: THAT the Agenda as prepared for the Council meeting of Monday, January 23, 2017, be adopted. 4. Moment of Silence 5. Disclosures of Pecuniary Interest and the General Nature Thereof 6. Adoption of Council Minutes of Previous Meeting 6.1. Minutes of the Meeting of January 9, 2017 Minutes, January 9, 2017 Proposed Resolution #3 Moved By: Seconded By: THAT the Minutes of the Council Meeting of January 9, 2017, be approved. The Corporation of the Town of Tillsonburg COUNCIL MEETING Monday, January 23, 2017 6:00 PM Council Chambers 200 Broadway, 2nd Floor AGENDA 2 Council Meeting – Agenda - 2 - 7. Delegations and Presentations 7.1. Traffic Island at the OPP Office Delegation By: Larry Scanlan, Chair - Police Services Board Delegation Request Proposed Resolution #4 Moved By: Seconded By: THAT Council receive the delegation regarding the Traffic Island at the OPP Office, as information. 8. Committee Reports & Presentations 8.1. PRA 17-01 - Committee Motions Presentation By: Mel Getty, Chair – Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee Committee Request Form PRA 17-01 - Committee Motions Proposed Resolution #5 Moved By: Seconded By: THAT Council receive Report PRA 17-01, Committee Motions, as information; AND THAT the resolution from the November 22, 2016 Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee meeting, be referred to staff for review and a report be brought back to Council for consideration; AND THAT the resolution from the January 17, 2017 meeting of the Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee meeting, be forwarded to Agenda Item 10.2.2, Report RCP 17-12, Celebration Plaza Project Update for deliberation. 9. Planning Applications 9.1. CASPO Report 2017-19 - Proposed Norfolk County Official Plan Changes - Norfolk Mall CASPO 2017-19 - Proposed Changes to Norfolk OP -Town Report Proposed Submission Report Mapping 3 Council Meeting – Agenda - 3 - Proposed Resolution #6 Moved By: Seconded By: THAT Council receive CASPO Report 2017-19, Proposed Norfolk County Official Plan Changes - Norfolk Mall; AND THAT the Town of Tillsonburg endorse the attached comments, which outline the Town’s concerns regarding the proposed re-designation of the Norfolk Mall site; AND THAT the said comments be submitted to Norfolk County in response to the ‘Grow Norfolk’ Issues and Options Report dated October 2016. 10. Reports from Departments 10.1. Clerk’s Office 10.1.1. CL 17-01 - Voting Methods - 2018 Municipal Election CL 17-01 Mun Election voting methods 2018 2018 Municipal Election Survey IVP_Report Proposed Resolution #7 Moved By: Seconded By: THAT Council endorse Option 3 – Internet/Telephone Voting, as the preferred voting method for the 2018 Municipal Election, for both Advance and Voting Day polling; AND THAT staff be directed to develop the 2018 Election Work Plan based on the preferred method of voting; AND THAT staff bring back a report regarding final quotes for procuring equipment and services for the preferred voting method. 10.1.2. CL 17-02 - Ranked Ballot Voting CL 17-02 RBV Proposed Resolution #8 Moved By: Seconded By: THAT Council receive Report CL 17-02, Ranked Ballot Voting; 4 Council Meeting – Agenda - 4 - AND THAT Council maintain the existing vote counting method for the 2018 municipal election. 10.2. Recreation, Culture & Park Services 10.2.1. RCP 17-11 – Memorial Park Revitalization Project Update RCP 17-11 - Memorial Park Revitalization Project Update Memorial Park Revitalization Project Subcommittee TOR Proposed Resolution #9 Moved By: Seconded By: THAT Council receive Report RCP 17-11, Memorial Park Revitalization Project Update, as information. 10.2.2. RCP 17-12 – Celebration Plaza Project Update RCP 17-12 - Celebration Plaza Project Update Canada 150 Infrastructure Grant Application Letter from FedDev Southern Ontario Proposed Resolution #10 Moved By: Seconded By: THAT Council receive Report RCP 17-12, Celebration Plaza Project Update; AND THAT Council authorizes staff to initiate procurement of the site works required to remove the portions of the racetrack that need to be removed to facilitate the Celebration Plaza; AND THAT Council authorizes staff to continue working with RKLA and the Memorial Park Revitalization Project Subcommittee to finalize the design of the Celebration Plaza project and bring this to Council for approval. 11. Committee Minutes & Reports 11.1. Minutes, Canada 150 Committee & Joint Canada 150 Committee 170117 Joint Canada 150 Committee MIN 170116 Canada 150 MIN 11.2. Minutes, Heritage, Beautification & Cemetery Advisory Committee 170105 HBC MIN 5 Council Meeting – Agenda - 5 - Proposed Resolution #11 Moved By: Seconded By: THAT Council receive the Minutes of the Canada 150 Committee for January 16, 2017, the Joint Canada 150 Committee for January 17, 2017 and the Heritage, Beautification & Cemetery Advisory Committee for January 5, 2017, as information. 11.3. Minutes, Police Services Board 161019 Police Services Board MIN 161116 Police Services Board MIN 170118 Police Services Board MIN Proposed Resolution #12 Moved By: Seconded By: THAT Council receive the Minutes of the Police Services Board for October 19, 2016, November 16, 2016 and January 18, 2017, as information. 11.4. Minutes, LPRCA 161207 LPRCA MIN Proposed Resolution #13 Moved By: Seconded By: THAT Council receive the Minutes of the LPRCA for December 7, 2016, as information. 12. Notice of Motions 12.1. Moved By: Councillor Esseltine Seconded By: Proposed Resolution #14 Moved By: Seconded By: THAT Tillsonburg Council endorse the placement of a multi-purpose Central Lawn open space area as identified in the February 2015 Conceptual Master Plan for Memorial Park and Lake Lisgar; AND THAT the existing ball diamond in this area be removed. 6 Council Meeting – Agenda - 6 - 13. By-Laws By-Laws from the Meeting of Monday, January 23, 2017 Proposed Resolution #15 Moved By: Seconded By: 13.1. THAT By-Law 4074, To confirm the proceedings of Council at its meeting held on the 23rd day of January, 2017, be read for a first, second and third and final reading and that the Mayor and the Clerk be and are hereby authorized to sign the same, and place the corporate seal thereunto. 14. Items of Public Interest 15. Adjournment Proposed Resolution #16 Moved By: Seconded By: THAT the Council Meeting of Monday, January 23, 2017 be adjourned at _____ p.m. 7 = ATTENDANCE Mayor Stephen Molnar Councillor Maxwell Adam Councillor Penny Esseltine Councillor Chris Rosehart Regrets: Deputy Mayor Dave Beres, Councillor Jim Hayes, Councillor Brian Stephenson Staff: David Calder, CAO Dave Rushton, Director of Finance/Treasurer Rick Cox, Director of Recreation, Culture & Parks Tricia Smith, Deputy Clerk Regrets: Donna Wilson, Town Clerk, Kevin DeLeebeeck, Director of Operations 1. Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m. 2. Adoption of Agenda Resolution #1 Moved By: Councillor Rosehart Seconded By: Councillor Esseltine THAT the Agenda as prepared for the Council meeting of Monday, January 09, 2017, be adopted. Carried 3. Moment of Silence 4. Disclosures of Pecuniary Interest and the General Nature Thereof There were no disclosures of pecuniary interest declared. The Corporation of the Town of Tillsonburg COUNCIL MEETING Monday, January 09, 2017 6:00 PM Council Chambers 200 Broadway, 2nd Floor MINUTES 8 Council Meeting Minutes, January 09, 2017 - 2 - 5. Adoption of Council Minutes of Previous Meeting 5.1. Minutes of the Meeting of December 12, 2016 Minutes, December 12, 2016 Resolution #2 Moved By: Councillor Rosehart Seconded By: Councillor Esseltine THAT the Minutes of the Council Meeting of December 12, 2016, be approved. Carried 6. Delegations and Presentations 6.1. Tillsonburg Tri-County Fair Update Presentation By: Rosemary Dean, President Mike Dean, Committee Member Delegation Request Presentation A request was made to Council for $12,000 to assist with entertainment costs for Saturday night of the Fair. Council requested a copy of the Tillsonburg Fair business plan to be included as part of the 2017 budget deliberations. The Tri-County Agricultural Society is seeking photographs of the Crystal Palace. Resolution #3 Moved By: Councillor Esseltine Seconded By: Councillor Rosehart THAT Council receive the presentation regarding the Tillsonburg Tri-County Fair Update; AND THAT the information, be referred to the 2017 budget deliberations for consideration. Carried 7. Information Items 7.1. 11th Annual Oxford Invitational Youth Robotics Challenge OIYRC wrap up letter 9 Council Meeting Minutes, January 09, 2017 - 3 - 7.2. AMO, 2017-18 Strategic Objectives AMO Strategic Objectives 7.3. Township of McMurrich & Monteith, Municipal Fire Service Infrastructure Resolution Resolution - McMurrich Monteith Resolution #4 Moved By: Councillor Esseltine Seconded By: Councillor Adam THAT Council receive items 7.1 to 7.3, as information. Carried 8. Reports from Departments 8.1. Development and Communication Services 8.1.1. DCS 17-01 - Sign Variance – 49 Brock Street East DCS 17-01 Sign Variance - 49 Brock Street East Resolution #5 Moved By: Councillor Adam Seconded By: Councillor Rosehart THAT Council receive Report DCS 17-01, Sign Variance – 49 Brock Street East; AND THAT a variance to Sign By-Law 3798 as amended, be denied for the construction of a 3’ x 6’ digital L.E.D animated sign to be located on the west side of the building at 49 Brock Street East (Plan 500 PT LOT 1140). Carried 8.1.2. DCS 17-02 - Amendment to Agreement – 253 Broadway Report DCS 17-02 Amendment to Agreement Resolution #6 Moved By: Councillor Adam Seconded By: Councillor Rosehart THAT Council receive Report DCS 17-02, Amendment to Agreement – 253 Broadway, as information. Carried 10 Council Meeting Minutes, January 09, 2017 - 4 - 8.2. Finance 8.2.1. FIN 17-01 - Interim Tax Levy By-Law FIN 17-01 Interim Tax Levy By-law report 2017 Interim By-law 4070 Resolution #7 Moved By: Councillor Rosehart Seconded By: Councillor Esseltine THAT Council receive Report FIN 17-01, Interim Tax Levy By-Law; AND THAT the 2017 Interim Levy By-Law No. 4070, be brought forward for Council’s consideration. Carried 8.2.2. FIN 17-02 - Building Permit Cost Stabilization Reserve Fund FIN17-02 Building Permit Cost Stabilization Reserve Fund Staff will be bringing forward a recommendation regarding Building Permit Rates at the January 23, 2017 meeting of Council. Resolution #8 Moved By: Councillor Rosehart Seconded By: Councillor Adam THAT Council receive Report FIN 17-02, Building Permit Cost Stabilization Reserve Fund; AND THAT any direction, be referred to the 2017 Business plan and budget deliberation. Carried 8.3. Operations 8.3.1. OPS 17-01 - Water/Wastewater Rate Review OPS 17-01 Water/Wastewater Rate Review OPS 17-01 Attachment 1 - Oxford County Report PW 2016-58 Staff to prepare a report in consultation with the Economic Development Committee regarding the current net capacity of the Town and ability to accommodate potential growth demands. 11 Council Meeting Minutes, January 09, 2017 - 5 - Resolution #9 Moved By: Councillor Esseltine Seconded By: Councillor Rosehart THAT Council receive Report OPS 17-01, Water/Wastewater Rate Review; AND THAT Town Council request a detailed review and report from the County regarding the total contribution and payments made under the CSAP program specific to Tillsonburg; AND THAT the review include an assessment of both potential and existing remaining eligible customers to determine if the existing balance of Tillsonburg contributions to the CSAP program is sufficient such that the continued collection of CSAP charges in Tillsonburg can be suspended; AND THAT Town Council request a review and report from the County regarding the status of identified projects under the Reg 170 program specific to Tillsonburg; AND THAT any outstanding Tillsonburg Reg 170 projects, be completed so as to maximize the benefit of the Reg 170 program prior to the transfer of any funds from the Reg 170 program to the CSAP program; AND THAT Report OPS 17-01 Water/Wastewater Rate Review, be referred to the Economic Development Committee for review. Carried 8.3.2. OPS 17-02 - Hanger 6 - Wilkins Land Lease Agreement OPS 17-02 Hanger 6 - Wilkins Land Lease Agreement OPS 17-02 Attachment 1 - Hanger 6 - Wilkins Land Lease Agreement Resolution #10 Moved By: Councillor Esseltine Seconded By: Councillor Adam THAT Council receive Report OPS 17-02 Hanger 6 - Wilkins Land Lease Agreement; AND THAT the Mayor and Clerk, be authorized to execute the Land Lease Agreement with Jeffery Wilkins; AND THAT a By-Law, be brought forward for Council’s consideration. Carried 12 Council Meeting Minutes, January 09, 2017 - 6 - 8.4. Recreation, Culture & Park Services 8.4.1. RCP 17-01 - Kolin Smith Memorial Skatepark & Pumptrack RCP 17-01 - Kolin Smith Memorial Skatepark & Pumptrack Staff to review sizing options and locations for the Skatepark & Pumptrack signage and circulate information to council in advance of construction. Moved By: Councillor Adam Seconded By: Councillor Rosehart THAT Council receive Report RCP 17-01, Kolin Smith Memorial Skatepark and Pumptrack; AND THAT the facility be officially named the Kolin Smith Memorial Skatepark and Pumptrack; AND FURTER THAT the addition of a shade sail structure to the facility, be referred to 2017 Business Plan and Budget deliberations. Motion for Division of a Question: Moved By: Councillor Adam Seconded By: Councillor Rosehart THAT the addition of the shade sail structure, be referred to the 2017 business plan and budget deliberations, be removed from the original motion and voted on separately. Carried Moved By: Councillor Adam Seconded By: Councillor Esseltine THAT the addition of the shade sail structure, be referred to the 2017 business plan and budget deliberations. Defeated Moved By: Councillor Rosehart Seconded By: Councillor Esseltine THAT the addition of the shade sail structure, be referred to staff for further comment. Carried 13 Council Meeting Minutes, January 09, 2017 - 7 - Moved By: Councillor Adam Seconded By: Councillor Rosehart THAT Council receive Report RCP 17-01, Kolin Smith Memorial Skatepark and Pumptrack; AND THAT the facility, be officially named the Kolin Smith Memorial Skatepark and Pumptrack. Carried 8.4.2. RCP 17-04 - Memorial Park Hardball Diamonds RCP 17-04 - Memorial Park Hardball Diamonds RCP 16-38 - Memorial Park Diamond Relocation By-Law 2284 - To Authorize an Agreement with the Tri-County Agricultural Society Resolution #12 Moved By: Councillor Adam Seconded By: Councillor Esseltine THAT Council receive Report RCP 17-04, Memorial Park Hardball Diamonds; AND THAT the recommendation on the relocation of the Hard Ball Diamond, be referred to 2017 Business Plan and Budget deliberations; AND FURTHER THAT staff, be directed to prepare a comprehensive report on the status of Memorial Park Revitalization Committee, including proposed projects, partners, funding options and governance reporting structure to Council, and that Report be provided for Council consideration in January 2017. Motion for Division of a Question: Moved By: Councillor Esseltine Seconded By: Councillor Rosehart THAT bullet item 2 be separated and voted on separately. Carried Moved By: Councillor Adam Seconded By: Councillor Rosehart THAT the recommendation on the relocation of the Hardball Diamond, be referred to 2017 Business Plan and Budget deliberations. Defeated 14 Council Meeting Minutes, January 09, 2017 - 8 - Moved By: Councillor Adam Seconded By: Councillor Rosehart THAT Council receive Report RCP 17-04, Memorial Park Hardball Diamonds; AND FURTHER THAT staff be directed to prepare a comprehensive report on the status of the Memorial Park Revitalization Committee, including proposed projects, partners, funding options and governance reporting structure to Council, and that a Report be provided for Council consideration in January, 2017. Carried 9. Staff Information Reports 9.1. RCP 17-05 - Canada 150 Infrastructure Grant Update RCP 17-05 - Canada 150 Infrastructure Grant Update Letter from Fed Dev Southern Ontario Resolution #13 Moved By: Councillor Rosehart Seconded By: Councillor Adam THAT Council receive Report RCP 17-05, Canada 150 Infrastructure Grant Update, as information. Carried 10. Committee Minutes & Reports 10.1. Minutes, Canada 150 Committee & Joint Canada 150 Committee Minutes, December 19, 2016 Minutes, December 5, 2016 10.2. Minutes, Cultural Advisory Committee Minutes, December 7, 2016 10.3. Minutes, Development Committee Minutes, October 18, 2016 10.4. Minutes, Heritage, Beautification & Cemetery Advisory Committee Minutes, Beautification Working Group Minutes, December 1, 2016 Minutes, May 9, 2016 Minutes, July 6, 2016 Minutes, July 27, 2016 Minutes, September 14, 2016 15 Council Meeting Minutes, January 09, 2017 - 9 - 10.5. Minutes, Museum Advisory Committee Minutes, November 24, 2016 10.6. Minutes, Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee Minutes, November 22, 2016 Resolution #14 Moved By: Councillor Esseltine Seconded By: Councillor Rosehart THAT Council receive the Minutes of the Canada 150 Committee for December 19, 2016, the Joint Canada 150 Committee for December 5, 2016, the Cultural Advisory Committee for December 7, 2016, the Development Committee for October 18, 2016, the Heritage, Beautification & Cemetery Advisory Committee for December 1, 2016 and the Beautification Working Group for May 9, 2016, July 6, 2016, July 27, 2016 and September 14, 2016, the Museum Advisory Committee for November 24, 2016, and the Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee for November 22, 2016, as information. Carried 10.7. Minutes, LPRCA Minutes, November 2, 2016 Minutes, Budget Meeting Resolution #15 Moved By: Councillor Esseltine Seconded By: Councillor Adam THAT Council receive the Minutes of the LPRCA for November 2, 2016 and the Budget Meeting Minutes of November 18, 2016, as information. Carried 11. Notice of Motions 16 Council Meeting Minutes, January 09, 2017 - 10 - 12. By-Laws By-Laws from the Meeting of Monday, January 09, 2017 Resolution #16 Moved By: Councillor Adam Seconded By: Councillor Esseltine 12.1. THAT By-Law 4070, To provide for an Interim Tax Levy for the year 2017; AND THAT By-Law 4071, To enter into an Airport Hanger Land Lease Agreement with Jeffrey Wilkins, be read for first, second and third and final reading and that the Mayor and the Clerk be and are hereby authorized to sign the same and place the corporate seal thereunto. Carried Resolution #17 Moved By: Councillor Adam Seconded By: Councillor Esseltine 12.2. THAT By-Law 4072, To confirm the proceedings of Council at its meeting held on the 9th day of January, 2017, be read for a first, second and third and final reading and that the Mayor and the Clerk be and are hereby authorized to sign the same, and place the corporate seal thereunto. Carried 13. Items of Public Interest 14. Adjournment Resolution #18 Moved By: Councillor Rosehart Seconded By: Councillor Adam THAT the Council Meeting of Monday, January 09, 2017 be adjourned at 8:03 p.m. Carried 17 18 19 20 21 Council Committee Request Council Committee Request forms and any written submissions or background information for consideration by Council must be submitted to the Clerk's office by the following deadline: 4:30 P.M. ON THE MONDAY PRIOR TO THE REQUESTED MEETING DATE Committee Information Committee Name Committee Chair Phone Number E-mail Request Details Desired Council meeting date (Council regularly meets the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month) Subject and comments for the Request Dollar Amount Requested, if applicable: __________________________________________________________________________________ Should you require assistance completing this form, please contact: Deputy Clerk at 519-688-3009 Ext. 3221 or jbunn@tillsonburg.ca Please note that submission of this form does not guarantee the approval of the request. The Clerk's office will confirm the request by e-mail after receiving this form. PLEASE COMPLETE PAGE TWO 22 Name of Staff Liaison Is there any supporting documentation you will be providing to Council? Will there be a Power Point presentation accompanying the request? I acknowledge that the Chair of the Committee (or representative) must be in attendance of the Council meeting to speak and answer questions Council may have: I acknowledge that all supporting documentation must be submitted by 4:30 p.m. to the Deputy Clerk by Monday before the meeting date: Personal information on this form is collected under the legal authority of the Municipal Act, as amended. The information is collected and maintained for purpose of creating a records that is available to the general public, pursuant to Section 27 of the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. Questions about this collection should be directed to the Municipal Clerk, Town of Tillsonburg, 200 Broadway Street, 2nd Floor, Tillsonburg, ON, N4G 5A7, Telephone 519-688-3009 Ext. 3224. Copy of the Resolution as passed by the Committee Acknowledged Acknowledged Yes No Yes No Please forward completed forms to the Deputy Clerk at jbunn@tillsonburg.ca 23 Report Title Committee Motions Report No. PRA 17-01 Author Mel Getty – Chair, Parks & Recreation Advisory Meeting Type Council Meeting Council Date January 23, 2017 Attachments • RECOMMENDATION THAT Report PRA 17-01 – Committee Motions be received for information. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee is requesting Council consider several recommendations from recent Committee meetings. BACKGROUND At the Committee meeting on November 22, 2016 the following motions were passed: Moved By: P. Esseltine Seconded By: D. Scanlan THAT the Advertising signs in the outfield of Kiwanis Ball Diamond be removed. Signs do not fit with the concept of the Memorial Park Master Plan Carried. At the Committee meeting on January 17, 2017, the following motion was passed: Moved By: S. Wray Seconded By: B. McCormick THAT the Parks & Recreation Committee endorse the resolution received from the Memorial Park Revitalization Subcommittee and it be forwarded to council for approval. Carried. At the Subcommittee meeting on January 16, 2017 the following motion was passed: Moved By: D. Scanlan, Seconded By: T. Smith THAT this resolution to be forwarded to the Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee: the Memorial Park Revitalization Subcommittee endorse the immediate focus of the Memorial Park Master Project to be shifted to the Celebration Plaza project to be located at the South end of the park; to be further reviewed by the staff and the staff to provide a detailed proposal and pricing of the groundwork needed for this project. Carried. Page 1 / 1 PRA 17-01 - Committee Motions 24 Report No: CASPO 2017-19 COMMUNITY AND STRATEGIC PLANNING Council Date: January 23, 2017 To: Mayor and Members of Tillsonburg Council From: Eric Gilbert, Senior Planner, Community and Strategic Planning Proposed Norfolk County Official Plan Changes- Norfolk Mall REPORT HIGHLIGHTS • Norfolk County has initiated a review of their Official Plan and have prepared an issues and options report entitled “Grow Norfolk”. As part of the review, changes are proposed to the Official Plan policies respecting the Norfolk Mall, located at the easterly edge of the Town of Tillsonburg and immediately adjacent to the Township of Norwich. • A draft Issues and Options report proposes to re-designate the Norfolk Mall site from ‘Hamlet Area - special policy area’ to ‘Shopping Centre Commercial Area - special policy area’. • Planning staff recommend that Town Council provide comments to Norfolk County staff and Council, requesting that the current site-specific Hamlet Area designation remain unchanged. DISCUSSION BACKGROUND Issues related to inter-municipal boundaries and development on the urban fringe between the Town of Tillsonburg and Norfolk County (and its predecessor municipalities) have been discussed as far back as the 1960s. In 1985, after significant effort locally and Provincially, the government jurisdictions involved reached an agreement which resulted in a boundary adjustment to the Town of Tillsonburg for industrial lands and which established a policy framework creating ‘Special Hamlet Areas’ for certain lands including the Hamlet of Norfolk North. The intent of this designation was to recognize existing development (including a shopping centre approved in 1973 by the former Township of Middleton), provide the Region of Haldimand-Norfolk and Township of Norfolk with opportunities for small-scale industrial and non-retail commercial development and reduce land fragmentation outside of settlement areas. The boundary agreement formed the basis for the designation of Norfolk North as a settlement area. Special policies with respect to uses and limitations on retail use were established to reflect the relationship of this area to the Town of Tillsonburg. The Norfolk Mall site is comprised of two parcels, totalling approximately 15.2 ha (38 ac) in area. The lands are situated on the north side of Simcoe Street, where it intersects with Highway #3, within the Hamlet of Norfolk North. The Norfolk Mall was established in 1973 and currently comprises a total gross floor area of approximately 13,100 m2 (141,000 ft2). The Mall is Page 1 of 4 25 Report No: CASPO 2017-19 COMMUNITY AND STRATEGIC PLANNING Council Date: January 23, 2017 anchored by a 5,680 m2 (61,100 ft2) Zehrs supermarket, and a vacant space totalling approximately 5,444 m2 (58,601 ft2) which was last used by Wal-Mart. The two larger spaces are connected by a number of smaller retail-oriented uses. An ancillary pad containing a Harvey’s / Swiss Chalet restaurant is also located on the site. Plate 1- Location Map, depicts the location of the Norfolk Mall and the municipal boundaries in the immediate vicinity. Plate 2- Existing Norfolk County Official Plan Designations & Location Map, depicts the current Official Plan designation and extent of the existing site specific special policy area. In 2005, and subsequently in 2011, Norfolk County approved Official Plan Amendment and Zone Change applications for the Norfolk Mall site to allow for the expansion of the Wal-Mart and Zehrs Stores and the ‘de-malling’ of the former interior mall area. The site specific Official Plan policies and zoning approved for the site limited the shopping mall to a maximum total floor area of 23,780 m2 (255,966 ft2), as well as limiting the maximum floor area for the various uses on the site as follows: department store 11,165 m2 (120,179 ft2), supermarket 9,300 m2 (100,107 ft2), commercial retail unit space 2,335 m2 (25,134 ft2) and restaurant 465 m2 (5,005 ft2). The above noted maximum floor area limitations were implemented in response to concerns raised by the Town and the County with respect to the potential impact of this development on the Town’s commercial areas. Municipal water and wastewater service was subsequently extended to the site by the County of Oxford to address concerns regarding the potential contamination of nearby municipal wells serving the Town of Tillsonburg from the private services on the site. To date, neither Wal-Mart (nor any department store) or Zehrs have acted upon these approved floor area expansions. Recognizing the nature of and the manner in which the site has developed, previous planning approvals, OMB decisions and agreements for the site, Section 3.9 of the Norfolk County Official Plan states: “The northwestern corner of Norfolk County abuts the Town of Tillsonburg. The Town of Tillsonburg provides a broad range of services such as shopping and other urban facilities. Because of the interdependence of the Town and the adjacent fringe are within the County, it is deemed important that the development of these areas should include early consultation with neighbouring municipalities. Past experience has demonstrated that the Councils of the two municipalities, as well as the County of Oxford, are able to develop mutually satisfactory planning objectives and effective policies. The County fully supports perpetuating this cooperative approach”. NORFOLK OFFICIAL PLAN REVIEW The Norfolk County Official Plan was adopted by Norfolk County Council in 2006 and was approved by the Ministry of Municipal Affairs in 2008. The current Official Plan policies respecting the Norfolk Mall were carried forward from the Township of Norfolk Official Plan, and through amendments approved by Norfolk County Council and the Ontario Municipal Board. Norfolk County is undertaking a 5 year review of the Official Plan and a draft Issues and Options report was received by Norfolk County Council and released for public consultation in October, 2016. Page 2 of 4 26 Report No: CASPO 2017-19 COMMUNITY AND STRATEGIC PLANNING Council Date: January 23, 2017 The current Official Plan designation for the Norfolk Mall site is “Hamlet, Special Policy Area”. The special policy area permits a shopping centre as an additional permitted use on the property, subject to a number of floor area caps, ensuring appropriate market impact studies have been prepared to address the impact on Central Business Areas (particularly Town of Tillsonburg Central Area), and also permits ancillary commercial uses including retail establishments, restaurants, real estate offices, service shops, funeral homes, laundromats, hotels, motels, places of entertainment and recreation, automobile service stations, commercial garages and other similar uses. The Draft Issues and Options Report includes an option for consideration to re-designate the Norfolk Mall site from “Hamlet-Special Policy Area” to “Shopping Centre Commercial”, carrying forward the existing site specific policies. The limited rationale offered for this change is that the current shopping centre is a form of development that is ‘inconsistent with the policies relating to hamlet development’ and is more appropriately designated as a shopping centre. While it would appear that the proposed re-designation to Shopping Centre Commercial would include all text from the current special policy area, planning staff have concerns with the proposed re-designation, particularly with respect to the policies of the Shopping Centre Commercial designation, which imply a broader range of permitted uses should an Official Plan Amendment be proposed in the future to expand the current permitted uses. Based on aerial photography, there appears to be in excess of 6.1 ha (15 ac) of vacant land within the Norfolk Mall special policy area. The land use policies within the Shopping Centre Commercial designation include different review criteria than the land use policies of the Hamlet designation. There are also concerns with the ‘implied’ uses that could be considered appropriate for a Shopping Centre, which could be detrimental to the planned function of Downtown Tillsonburg. The list of permitted uses in the Shopping Centre Commercial designation is much broader than that of the Hamlet designation and the special policies which currently apply to the site. Additionally, if the existing uses of the site should fail or cease, the policies of the Hamlet designation should continue to apply to any proposed re-development of the site, which would not appear to be the case if the designation were to be changed to Shopping Centre Commercial. Planning staff also note that the proposed re-designation is neither required nor necessary to be consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement or any other recent change in Provincial policy. While the existing development of the site exceeds that typically found within a Hamlet, the site is unique and has evolved through a number of planning approvals, Ontario Municipal Board hearings, negotiations and agreements and is appropriately recognized by the existing designation and site-specific policies. The Norfolk Mall site would be the only shopping centre designation that is not located within a serviced urban area, and is the only large commercial development in Norfolk located in close proximity to another municipality and Central Business District. Therefore, recognizing the Norfolk Mall site with an urban land use designation would not be appropriate in this situation. In addition to the foregoing, Planning staff are also concerned that re-designating the Norfolk Mall site from Hamlet to Shopping Centre Commercial would effectively remove the lands from the settlement (i.e. Hamlet) designation. If the designation of the lands for shopping centre use proceeds, it may be necessary to include additional policies that clearly identify the lands as being within the Hamlet designation going forward. Page 3 of 4 27 Report No: CASPO 2017-19 COMMUNITY AND STRATEGIC PLANNING Council Date: January 23, 2017 In light of the above, staff recommend that the Town of Tillsonburg endorse the proposed comments regarding the Norfolk County Official Plan review which request that the lands remain in the Hamlet designation, with special policies for reasons explained previously in this report. RECOMMENDATIONS It is recommended that the Council of the Town of Tillsonburg receive CASPO Report 2017-19, Proposed Norfolk County Official Plan Changes - Norfolk Mall, as information; AND THAT the Town of Tillsonburg endorse the attached comments, which outline the Town’s concerns regarding the proposed re-designation of the Norfolk Mall site, and that the said comments be submitted to Norfolk County in response to the ‘Grow Norfolk’ Issues and Options Report dated October 2016. SIGNATURES Authored by: Eric Gilbert, MCIP RPP, Senior Planner Approved for submission: Gordon K. Hough, RPP, Director Page 4 of 4 28 Oxford County P. O. Box 1614, 21 Reeve Street Woodstock Ontario N4S 7Y3 Phone: 519-539-9800 • Fax: 519-421-4712 Web site: www.oxfordcounty.ca Our File: D08 Norfolk County Official Plan Review January 26, 2017 Via Email Mary Elder BES MCIP RPP Principal Planner Norfolk County 22 Albert Street Langton ON N0E 1G0 Re: ‘Grow Norfolk’ Official Plan Review Issues and Options Report- Proposed Changes to Norfolk Mall The County of Oxford and Town of Tillsonburg have reviewed the document titled ‘Grow Norfolk Five Year Official Plan Review, Issues and Options Report’ dated October 2016, which outlines proposed changes to the existing Official Plan Designation and Site Specific Policy Area affecting lands commonly referred to as the Norfolk Mall site in the Hamlet of North Norfolk. The Town of Tillsonburg and County of Oxford have significant interest in the development of, and any changes to, the land use policies applicable to the Norfolk Mall site, as the mall represents a large commercial development in an urban fringe area, immediately adjacent to the Town of Tillsonburg. The policies of Section 3.9 of the Norfolk County Official Plan affirm the existing and long standing working relationship between Oxford County and Norfolk County and support mutually compatible planning policies and controls to ensure that development of the Norfolk Mall site does not compromise the planned function of Tillsonburg’s Central Area. Special policies with respect to uses and limitations on retail use have been established to reflect the relationship of this area to the Town of Tillsonburg. The Issues and Options Report prepared by Matt Reniers & Associates identifies, as an ‘option for consideration’, the re-designation of the Norfolk Mall site from “Hamlet - Special Policy Area” to “Shopping Centre Commercial”, and a ‘carry forward’ of the existing site specific policies affecting the mall site. The limited rationale offered in the report for this change is that the location of the mall in a hamlet designation is ‘inconsistent with the policies related to hamlet development’ and the scale of the mall is such that it is more appropriately designated as a shopping centre. It would appear that the proposed re-designation is neither required nor necessary to be consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement or any other recent change in Provincial policy. While the existing development of the site exceeds that typically found within a Hamlet, the site is unique and has evolved through a number of planning approvals, Ontario Municipal Board hearings, negotiations and agreements and is appropriately recognized by the existing designation and site-specific policies. The Norfolk Mall site would appear to be the only shopping centre designation in Norfolk County that is not located within a serviced urban area, 29 Response to Norfolk County Official Plan Review- Issues and Options Report Page 2 January 26, 2017 and is the only large commercial development in close proximity to another municipality and Central Business District. Recognizing the Norfolk Mall site with an urban land use designation would not appear to be appropriate in this situation. Further, notwithstanding that the proposed re-designation to Shopping Centre Commercial would appear to include all of the text from the current special policies that apply to the lands, the land use policies related to Shopping Centre Commercial uses include different review criteria than the land use policies of the Hamlet designation. The County of Oxford and Town of Tillsonburg remain concerned that the proposed re-designation to Shopping Centre Commercial may imply a broader range of permitted uses for the site which could be detrimental to the planned function of Tillsonburg’s Central Business District. The list of permitted uses in the Shopping Centre Commercial designation is much broader than that of the Hamlet designation and the current site. Additionally, if the existing uses of the site should fail or cease, the policies of the Hamlet designation should be the underlying designation and still apply to any proposed re-development of the site, which would not appear to be the case if the designation were to be changed to Shopping Centre Commercial. Based on aerial photography, there appears to be in excess of 6.1 ha (15 ac) of vacant land within the Norfolk Mall special policy area, which could represent significant opportunity for redevelopment or expansion of the site. Further, the County and Town are concerned that re-designating the Norfolk Mall site from Hamlet to Shopping Centre Commercial would effectively remove the lands from the settlement (i.e. Hamlet) designation, which could impact the future development of the lands with respect to servicing and permitted uses. If the designation of the lands for shopping centre use proceeds, it may be necessary to include additional policies that clearly identify the lands as being within the Hamlet designation going forward. In light of the foregoing, the County and Town do not support the proposed changes to the designation and special policy area for the Norfolk Mall. The existing Hamlet Designation and special policy area are products of a long-standing cooperative relationship between the Town/ County and Norfolk County and amending the current designation would not appear to be supported by any compelling land use rationale. The County of Oxford and Town of Tillsonburg respectfully request to be notified of any further action by Norfolk County regarding this matter, including Council’s decision with respect to any amendments to the Official Plan. Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this document. Yours Truly, Gordon K. Hough, RPP Director Community and Strategic Planning 30 January 11, 2017 This map is a user generated static output from an Internet mapping site and is for reference only. Data layers that appear on this map may or may not be accurate, current, or otherwise reliable. This is not a plan of survey Legend 3330 Notes NAD_1983_UTM_Zone_17N 166 Meters Environmental Protection/Flood Overlay Flood Fringe Floodway Environmental Protection (EP1) Environmental Protection (EP2) Zoning Floodlines/Regulation Limit 100 Year Flood Line 30 Metre Setback Conservation Authority Regulation Limit Regulatory Flood And Fill Lines Zoning (Displays 1:16000 to 1:500) 31 Norfolk Mall Lands Queen's Printer for OntarioNorfolk GIS Site Specific Policy Area Special Policy Areas Downtown Area January 12, 2017 0 0.065 0.130.0325 mi 0 0.1 0.20.05 km 1:4,000 © Norfolk CountyNorfolk GIS32 Report Title Voting Methods – 2018 Municipal Election Report No. CL 17-01 Author Donna Wilson Meeting Type Council Meeting Council Date January 23, 2016 Attachments Election Survey Report – Internet Voting Project RECOMMENDATION THAT Council endorse Option 3 – Internet/telephone Voting, as the preferred voting method for the 2018 Municipal Election, for both advance and voting day polling; THAT staff be directed to develop the 2018 Election Work Plan based on the preferred method of voting; That staff bring back a report regarding final quotes for procuring equipment and services for the preferred voting method. OBJECTIVE To provide Council with options regarding voting methods and to seek Council’s authorization to utilize an alternative voting method for the 2018 Municipal Election. BACKGROUND A detailed Municipal Election 2018 Work Plan with timelines will be developed throughout 2017. The decision regarding the method of vote is fundamental to all next steps in the Election Plan as the final date to pass a by-law regarding alternate voting and vote counting equipment is May 1, 2017 pursuant to Section 42(1) of the MEA. This report presents various options for voting methods and summarizes the rationale for the proposed method of vote to be used during the 2018 Municipal Election. A report was provided to Council at the October 11, 2016 Council meeting regarding the Municipal Election Modernization Act and the numerous changes to the Municipal Elections Act (MEA). A report was also provided on the Deputy Mayor position and council approved in principle that the Deputy Mayor position be removed from the ballot for the 2018 Municipal Election. Council provided staff with direction to consult with the public regarding the Deputy Mayor position and the possible “ranked ballot voting” method. Staff initiated a survey, which also polled interest for internet voting, in November 2016 which carried through until January 12, 2016. The survey is attached for your reference. The results of the survey are as follows: Page 1 / 7 CL 17-01 Mun Election voting methods 201 33 A total of (53) Municipal Election Surveys were received - (46) surveys were received electronically through the Town’s website and (7) surveys were received in paper format. Results: 1. Should the Deputy Mayor position on Council be eliminated? (22) Voted in favour of eliminating the position. (30) Voted against eliminating the position. (1) Inconclusive. 2. Would you use internet voting if it was offered in the next Municipal Election? (42) Voted in favour of using internet voting. (11) Voted against the use of internet voting. How would you prefer to vote: (6) Paper ballots; (1) Touch Screen. 3. Would you prefer the use of Ranked Ballots for the 2018 Municipal Election? (32) Voted in favour of the use of Ranked Ballots. (14) Voted against the use of Ranked Ballots. (4) Undecided. (3) I don’t know – Please send me information on Ranked Ballots. 4. Would you use the on-line tool “VoterLookup.ca” to confirm that you are Registered to Vote in the next Municipal Election? (42) Voted yes. (10) Voted no. (1) I don’t know what this is. Please send me information on VoterLookup.ca. As indicated above, 42 of the 53 surveys received indicated they would use internet voting if it was offered in the next Municipal Election. The voting options detailed in this report are presented as appropriate methods of voting for the Town of Tillsonburg. The Vote-by-Mail voting method has not been included in this report as a possible voting method due to its inappropriateness for the Town of Tillsonburg as it typically is used by remote municipalities servicing large geographic areas. The option for a Voting Place based method with manual count has not been used in Tillsonburg since the 2003 Municipal Election and is considered an out-of-date method which would result in significant delays in reporting the results. Regardless of which voting method is selected, staff intends to utilize a Live Voters’ List, Voterview from Datafix. Voterview is a program provided by Datafix which records voting in the voters list in real time and is among the best ways of improving convenience to electors. Voterview was first used in Tillsonburg in the 2006 Municipal Election along with paper ballots and vote counting tabulators. Page 2 / 7 34 Consideration has been given to the following three options for the 2018 Election: Option 1 – Voting Place Based Method with paper ballots & Tabulators, for both advance polls & Voting Day (Status Quo – not recommended) The majority of Canadian municipalities, including the Town of Tillsonburg, have traditionally used a voting place based model with paper ballots. Ballot scanning equipment is often used in order to expedite the tabulation of results. Tabulators provide controls to reduce the number of spoiled ballots and increase the overall efficiency of the voting process. This option was employed during the 2006 election. The use of electronic tabulators was satisfactory for Tillsonburg. In 2014, the town ordered approximately 12,000 ballots @ $0.25 each, approximately 7000 of which went un-used. The town subsequently paid for the shredding of those un-used ballots. Estimated Cost per elector: $3.50 Option 2 – Internet Voting for advance polls + Voting Place Internet-Voting Kiosks on Voting Day(not recommended) For this option, internet-voting kiosks (laptops) would be provided at the voting location on Voting Day and at advance polls, as opposed to the more traditional paper ballot & tabulator model. A typical internet voting process is one where a voter information letter is mailed to qualified electors on the Voters’ List. From here there is a choice of a single step process or a two-step process. In the single step process a letter goes out to each elector on the voters list which contains information for logging on and includes voter credentials. When the voter logs on, they combine those credentials along with some information that is not on the letter (i.e. date of birth) that only the elector knows. For two step method a letter would go out and an ID code is provided which is required in order to register for internet voting. At the time of registration, further steps may be required to help validate the elector’s identity. Following registration, additional information including a PIN is forwarded to the elector either by mail or by way of an encrypted email. The ID code, PIN and personal security word/phrase are then used to access the online ballot during the internet voting period. A voter will have an opportunity to review his/her completed ballot and make changes prior to its submission. Controls are in place to warn the voter of any over-votes or blank offices. Voting data is encrypted and stored in a secure database and tabulated at the end of voting period. Voter information is severed from an internet ballot after it has been cast (therefore, there is no way to link a voter with his/her ballot). Essentially, the entire election is taking place over the internet. The voting place component is included to offer the social component of Election Day that many electors continue to value, and to accommodate those without internet access, or those requiring assistance. Internet-voting kiosks allow voters to make their selections much like one might fill out an online survey. This technology has developed significantly over the years and is considered extremely user friendly to electors of all ages and technological abilities. The added bonuses of electronic voting technologies are the abilities to create audio ballots for persons with visual impairments, to increase font size instantly, and to very easily offer ballots in many languages at the touch of a button. Also a 10 day open advance vote would reduce the requirement for scheduled advance polls at various locations within the municipality. Page 3 / 7 35 The replacement of paper ballots and tabulators by internet-voting kiosks solves the aforementioned problem of having to over-order ballots and destroy a large number of unused ballots. This method allows for disabled electors, retirees, shift workers and electors travelling to easily vote from any location in the world with internet access. This method offers electors a new degree of convenience and secrecy not offered in traditional balloting at a polling location. This option would provide enhancement of accessibility and convenience for Tillsonburg Electors. Estimated cost per elector - $3.15 Option 3 – Internet/Telephone Voting for advance polls + Voting Place Internet-Voting Kiosks and telephone voting on Voting Day (recommended) Option 3 would provide for an internet voting solution for the advance polls (10 day period) and election day as detailed in Option 2 as well as a telephone voting option for both advance polls and election day voting. The telephone option is virtually the same process as the internet version except that this option provides a voice to talk the elector through the whole voting process. The telephone number provided would be a 1-800 number which could be used at no cost anywhere in North America. Estimated cost per elector - $3.25 Internet voting has been used by many municipalities in Ontario since 2003. While some people have expressed concerns with respect to the security of internet voting, such concerns seem generally unfounded to date. Of the 97 Ontario municipalities to utilize internet voting to date, none have experienced a case of voter fraud or other process challenges sufficient to invalidate an election. For many electors, particularly those who are comfortable using the internet to transact business, do their banking, pay bills, and make travel arrangements, internet voting is user friendly and convenient. Should the implementation of internet voting be selected as the preferred method, it will afford all electors the ability to cast their ballot from computers, smart phones and tablets. The voting system chosen must facilitate ease of access to voting at a time and place convenient to the elector. The integrity of a vote and voter confidence is important to consider when selecting a method of vote. The method of vote selected should accurately register and report the record of each vote cast. It should also be easy to use and easy to understand for election workers and for all voters, regardless of language skills and understanding of the electoral process and should enable independent, accessible voting by everyone. The method chosen must also be cost effective and affordable for the municipality. Internet voting is being recommended given the additional convenience and accessibility that it offers voters. Page 4 / 7 36 Benefits of Internet/telephone voting: • Voter choice, flexibility and convenience – enhances service delivery • Immediate, auditable accurate results • Voter intent is clear: no spoiled ballot issues, positive ballot configuration • Potential to increase voter participation • Potential Increased participation of older voters (45-65 age group) • Opportunity to engage younger voters • Addresses provincial accessibility requirements • Cost Effective • Opportunity to vote at polling place continues • Reduce number of staff required • Mitigates long line-ups at voting stations • Eliminates the need for travel Further, staff believes that security and integrity concerns around internet voting are mostly exaggerated or unfounded. When casting a ballot, privacy and security or the secrecy of the vote is paramount. Similar to the paper voting experience, the electronic voting process disassociates the voter’s identity from the cast ballot when it is “deposited” into the system. The system takes the encrypted ballot information from the voter’s electronic or phone vote and creates a voter receipt. This is similar to the paper ballot being inserted into the vote counting tabulator, severing the relationship between the voter and the ballot. The receipt is the mechanism that ensures the ballot was successfully recorded in the system. This combination of processes coupled with the security of the system results in the trusted and secure status of the system. The use of internet voting as the method of voting often raises questions about the risk posed by power outages or loss of internet access at a voting location. These are both manageable risks. A loss of internet access at a voting location would require a “back-up” source of internet, the utilization of a back-up voting method, or in the very worst-case scenario, the need to direct voters to a backup voting location. A loss of power would also require appropriate emergency back-up plans, however such a scenario would cause no greater issue than if it were to occur at a traditional paper-and tabulator polling location. Both of these risks would be mitigated through the preparation of proper emergency management procedures, and providing for redundancies in the voting location (i.e., multiple sources of internet access, or secondary methods such as touch-screen voting available in the event of a temporary outage). It should also be noted that internet voting would be available from any personal computer or similar device with internet access for a 10 day voting period, up to and including Election Day, until the close of polls. Selection of Option 3 as the preferred voting method will require candidates and electors to accept that there will be no option to mark a paper ballot. While this may be a difficult adjustment for some, it should be acknowledged that there is a clear trend in Ontario toward this type of voting, given the many benefits detailed above. More than 97 Ontario municipalities have now successfully run municipal elections free of paper ballots. Therefore, Option 3 is being recommended for the 2018 election as a cost-effective method that provides convenience, accessibility and integrity in the voting process and is consistent with Tillsonburg’s motto CONNECTED, ENRICHED, INSPIRED and our reputation as being technologically savvy, progressive, sustainable, and a fiscally responsible organization. Page 5 / 7 37 CONSULTATION/COMMUNICATION The Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMCTO) reported at the Fall Zone meeting that 250 plus municipalities are looking at internet voting for the 2018 municipal election. A session provided at the AMCTO Zone 3 meeting in November was very informative as there was a panel discussion from Clerks who used internet voting in the 2014 Municipal Election. Staff attended a session on the various changes to the Municipal Elections Act in October 2016 in which the facilitator polled the room to determine how many were looking at internet voting for 2018. The poll indicated that there was an increase in interest in this method from the majority of municipalities present. Staff has reviewed a report by Nicole Goodman, The Centre for e-Democracy & The University of Toronto called, Internet Voting Project Report. The report was prepared to inform governments, stakeholders and the public of the effects of internet voting on elections. The document has been attached for Council’s review. NEXT STEPS: Pending a selection of a voting method and vote counting process for the 2018 Election, staff will proceed with obtaining final quotes for equipment and services for the selected methods. Staff will report back to Council with quotes and a recommended provider for election services and equipment. Prior to May 1, 2017 staff will bring forward a by-law to provide for the voting method for Tillsonburg. Throughout the remainder of 2017 staff will finalize a detailed work plan and Election Procedures for the 2018 Municipal Election. Public engagement and education will be a part of the plan moving through 2018 prior to Election Day. FINANCIAL IMPACT/FUNDING SOURCE The costs listed in this report are estimated costs based on preliminary estimates from the service providers. Once Council decides on the voting method as well as the vote counting method staff will provide a report with final quotes and recommend a service provider. If choosing option 2 or 3 the operating costs will be similar however there will be cost savings in terms of staffing by reducing the number of people required from 25 to 5 or 6. Also an additional benefit is that the results will be more immediate with this method. All municipal election expenses will be funded by the Election Reserve Fund. Funds have been budgeted and allocated to the Election Reserve fund in each of the years between elections, in the amount of $22,000 per year for 2015 & 2016 and $10,000 for 2017. Should Council pursue the recommended option, with the regular vote counting method and not rank ballot vote counting, the cost of the election will be covered by this reserve fund. The quotes from the service providers could be reduced if other municipalities within Oxford County utilize the same voting method as Tillsonburg and we secure the same service provider through reduced training costs, templates, etc. Page 6 / 7 38 COMMUNITY STRATEGIC PLAN (CSP) IMPACT Section 1 – Excellence in Local Government 1.3 Demonstrate accountability – provide the public with updates and information on election methods for the next municipal election Section 3 – Demographic Balance 3.1 Make Tillsonburg attractive for youth and young professionals – modern and accessible voting methods provide an attractive and familiar method for voting for youth and may enhance voter turnout. 3.3 Support the aging population and an active senior citizenship – Allows for an accessible voting method for shut-ins as well as snow birds. Section 4 – Culture & Community 4.1 Promote Tillsonburg as a unique and welcoming community – provide for a modern and accessible voting method. Page 7 / 7 39 Municipal Election Survey The 2018 Municipal Election is fast approaching! We would like to hear from you in regards to possible changes to the Town of Tillsonburg's Municipal Election process. Are you a Tillsonburg resident? □ Yes □ No Are you an eligible voter? (i.e. Canadian Citizen, 18 years of Age, Resident of Tillsonburg, Own or Rent Property in Tillsonburg, Spouse of a Non-Resident Elector) □ Yes □ No Should the Deputy Mayor position on Council be eliminated? (Council would then consist of the Mayor and six Councillors) □ Yes □ No Would you use internet voting if it was offered in the next Municipal Election? (Allows electors to vote on-line from any location) □ Yes □ No Would you prefer the use of Ranked Ballots for the 2018 Municipal Election? (Electors would rank each candidate running for council in order of preference - 1st, 2nd, 3rd) □ Yes □ No □ Undecided □ I don't know what this is. Please send me information on Ranked Ballots. Would you use the on-line tool "VoterLookup.ca" to confirm that you are Registered to Vote in the next Municipal Election? □ Yes □ No □ I don't know what this is. Please send me information on VoterLookup.ca. 40 Page 2 of 3 If you require further information, please provide your contact information. Name: _______________________ Mailing Address: __________________________________________________________ Email: ___________________________________________________________________ Thank you! 41 Page 3 of 3 42 Internet Voting Project Report Authored by: Nicole Goodman, The Centre for e-Democracy & The University of Toronto Heather Pyman, Carleton University 43 Page 2 of 70 TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Figures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Note to the Reader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 1 . Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 2 . Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 3 . Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 4 . Internet Voters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 4.1 Satisfaction with the online voting process ...................16 4.2 Other aspects of the voter experience .......................19 4.3 Why are Internet voters drawn to the voting method? ..........21 4.4 Internet voter profiles: Past voting behaviour and digital literacy ...23 4.5 Sociodemographic profiles of Internet voters..................28 4.6 Section summary ......................................32 5 . Paper Voters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 5.1 Satisfaction with the in-person, paper ballot voting process.......33 5.2 Impressions of online voting ..............................33 5.3 Would paper voters use Internet voting in the future?...........36 5.4 Paper voter profiles: Past voting behaviour and digital literacy .....38 5.5 Socio-demographic profiles of paper voters compared to Internet voters ..................................................42 5.6 Section summary ......................................45 44 Page 3 of 70 6 . Candidates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 6.1 Satisfaction with the online voting process ...................46 6.2 Internet voting and candidates’ campaigns ...................48 6.3 Candidates’ opinions of Internet voting use ..................50 6.4 Section summary ......................................51 7 . Election Administrators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 7.1 Who was represented in the Election administrator survey?.......52 7.2 Why Internet voting for municipal elections?..................53 7.3 Satisfaction with the online voting process ...................53 7.4 Benefits and challenges of using Internet voting in local elections ..55 7.5 Cost: Does Internet voting break the bank or save money?.......57 7.6 Other perceived impacts of Internet voting ...................60 7.7 Section summary ......................................62 8 . Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64 Appendix A: List of Participating Municipalities ...................68 Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69 About the Centre for e-Democracy ...........................69 About Nicole Goodman ....................................69 Contact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70 45 Page 4 of 70 TABLE OF FIGURES Figure 1: Satisfaction with the online voting process ................................. 18 Figure 2: Internet voter satisfaction by age* ....................................... 19 Figure 3: Source of online voting information ...................................... 21 Figure 4: Source of online voting information by age................................. 22 Figure 5: Internet voting location ............................................... 23 Figure 6: Reasons for voting online .............................................. 24 Figure 7: Reasons for voting online by age ........................................ 25 Figure 8: Reported voting record in past elections................................... 25 Figure 9: Reported voting behaviour in the 2010 municipal election ..................... 26 Figure 10: Voting method in the 2010 municipal election ............................. 27 Figure 11: Type of Internet connection at home .................................... 28 Figure 12: Reported Internet usage.............................................. 29 Figure 13: Internet usage by age................................................ 29 Figure 14: Internet voters by age group........................................... 30 Figure 15: Interest in politics ................................................... 31 Figure 16: Interest in politics by age ............................................. 32 Figure 17: I feel I have a pretty good knowledge of computers and the Internet ............ 33 Figure 18: Knowledge about computers and the Internet by age........................ 34 Figure 19: Satisfaction with the paper ballot voting process............................ 35 Figure 20: Do you have concerns about Internet voting and if so, what is your top concern? ... 36 Figure 21: Do you perceive telephone voting to be a safer option than Internet voting?....... 37 Figure 22: Do you perceive mail-in ballots to be a safer option than Internet voting?......... 38 Figure 23: Under what circumstances would you use Internet voting in a future election? ..... 39 Figure 24: If you were unable to make it to the polls would you prefer to… ............... 40 Figure 25: Reported voting record in past elections.................................. 41 46 Page 5 of 70 Figure 26: Reported voting behaviour in 2010 municipal election ....................... 42 Figure 27: Internet connection at home .......................................... 43 Figure 28: Frequency of Internet access........................................... 43 Figure 29: Age comparison of paper and Internet voters .............................. 44 Figure 30: Area paper and Internet voters reside in .................................. 45 Figure 31: Paper and Internet voters identifying as having a disability .................... 46 Figure 32: Satisfaction with online voting process ................................... 48 Figure 33: How did you hear about Internet voting for the 2014 municipal election?......... 49 Figure 34: When campaigning how many people did you encounter that had already voted? .. 51 Figure 35: How many of these people indicated they had voted online? .................. 51 Figure 36: How do you feel about having Internet voting as an additional voting method? .... 52 Figure 37: How do you feel about having Internet voting as the only option ............... 53 Figure 38: Permanent population of the municipality ................................ 54 Figure 39: Electorate size of municipality.......................................... 54 Figure 40: Top reasons municipalities adopted Internet voting.......................... 55 Figure 41: Overall satisfaction with Internet voting .................................. 56 Figure 42: Main benefits of Internet voting from an administrative perspective ............. 57 Figure 43: Challenges of Internet voting from an administrative perspective ............... 58 Figure 44: Main benefits of Internet voting for electors ............................... 58 Figure 45: Main challenges of Internet voting for electors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Figure 46: Since introducing Internet voting election costs have... ....................... 60 Figure 47: How much would you say the cost to run an election per elector has changed since Internet voting was introduced?................................................ 61 Figure 48: Would you recommend Internet voting In the next municipal, provincial and federal elections? ....................................................... 62 Figure 49: Agreement with statements about Internet voting .......................... 64 47 Page 6 of 70 NOTE TO THE READER This report was prepared for municipal partners to help synthesize the findings collected from the Ontario, Canada component of the Internet Voting Project with the goal of helping to better inform governments, stakeholders, and the public of the effects of Internet voting on elections. The research study informing this report was generously funded by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council through an Insight Development Grant. Other sponsors that made the project possible include contributions from AskingCanadians, the Centre for e-Democracy, Environics Analytics, and the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto. I would like to extend special thanks to Jon Pammett, Andrew Sancton, Larry LeDuc, Bernard Grofman, Rodney Smith, André Blais, Karen Bird, Alexander Trechsel, and Nicole Wellsbury for their advice and guidance during survey design phase of the project; to Theo Nazary and Stéphanie Plante for their research assistance and help in the execution of the project; and to all those who participated in survey recruitment on Election Day. 48 Page 7 of 70 FOREWORD The adoption of technology in elections has become a trend worldwide. Elections are modernizing by incorporating digital technology in different stages of the election process including poll worker training, compilation of voters’ lists, voter registration, and the casting and counting of ballots. Knowledge from these developments can be leveraged to determine what works and what does not with respect to implementation, and to answer pressing questions about the impacts of technology on elections, such as whether online voting adoption can improve voter participation or strengthen voter confidence in the election process, how it affects candidates and campaigns, and what sort of impacts are felt by election administration. Internet voting is one part of the trend to modernize elections that has become popular in Europe, Latin America and North America. At the local level municipalities in Canada have deployed online voting in more elections than anywhere else in the world. Despite growth in adoption and use, however, modest academic study has been carried out to understand the impacts of Internet voting in Canada. Funding provided by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and contributions from AskingCanadians and the Centre for e-Democracy supported the study of 47 Ontario municipalities that used Internet voting in the 2014 municipal elections. Participation in the project included surveys of Internet voters, Candidates, and Election Administration. Paper voters were also surveyed in several municipalities. This study provides valuable information from a diverse group of communities across the province. Although this analysis has a local focus, much of the discussion in the report is applicable to elections at higher levels of government. It is my hope that this knowledge will inform citizens, governments, academics, and others about the effects of this technology on local elections in Canada and that these findings, and any lessons learned, will be considered as the modernization of elections evolves. I would like to thank the Centre for e- Democracy for translating and disseminating this information to a wider audience. The farther the reach of this knowledge, the greater the impact it might have. I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to the 47 local governments across Ontario that participated in the research and made the project possible. I hope you find value in the report. I am excited to share these stakeholder experiences with you. Sincerely, Dr. Nicole Goodman 49 Page 8 of 70 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report presents findings from surveys of Internet voters, paper voters, candidates, and election administrators in the 2014 Ontario municipal elections carried out as part of the Internet Voting Project. A total of 47 municipalities participated in the research providing sizeable samples from all stakeholder groups. Previous studies of municipalities in Canada had looked at Internet voters in a few select communities. By incorporating a larger group of Internet voters, and the perspectives of other election stakeholders, this study presents new knowledge about municipal use of Internet voting in Canada. The report provides detailed analysis of the overall findings from each survey group and concludes with lessons learned for future Internet voting development at the municipal level in Canada and elsewhere. Broadly the study finds support among stakeholders for Internet voting in local elections. Surveyed groups are satisfied with Internet voting and voters and election administrators would like to see it used in elections at higher levels of government. When offered alongside other voting methods, Internet voting is Ontario voters’ preferred method for municipal elections and a strong majority of users say they would recommend its use to others. Among paper voters there is also a desire to see Internet voting continue. Many paper voter respondents say they would vote online in a future election, particularly in situations where circumstances may prevent them from attending a physical poll location. Voters who are older, educated, wealthier, interested in politics, and report voting in past elections primarily use Internet voting for reasons of convenience. These voters are regular users of the Internet and have fast Internet connections at home. There is evidence that a small proportion of non-voters are inclined to participate electorally at the municipal level because of Internet voting, but this group is modest. Municipalities primarily adopt Internet voting to enhance voter accessibility and convenience, and to increase voter turnout. While this study cannot comment on its effect on turnout based on the survey data used, Internet voting seems to have a noticeable impact on voting patterns by increasing the number of votes cast during the advance voting period. In addition to these findings, the report presents the following additional lessons: • Some non-voters may be encouraged to participate online, but it is not a solution to 50 Page 9 of 70 counter declining voter turnout or to engage young people; • Older voters are the biggest users of the service and can present a challenge to deployment; • Internet voting impacts voting patterns, especially when offered in the advance portion of the election; • The cost of Internet voting depends on the model and approach used; and • Education and outreach are the biggest challenges for implementation. Although there are challenges that need to be worked through, and impacts that must be better understood, Internet voting is desired and viewed positively by election stakeholders. Based on these findings prospects for future use and growth in Ontario are promising. 51 Page 10 of 70 1 . INTRODUCTION In the 2014 Ontario municipal elections 97 municipalities adopted Internet voting, making the voting mode available to approximately 2 million electors. This election represented the largest deployment of Internet voting in binding local elections and a significant shift toward electoral modernization at the municipal level in Canada. Despite widespread use of online voting municipally, and the international importance of the Ontario case, there has not been much examination of how online ballots impact local elections in Canada. In an effort to better understand how Internet voting affects the election process and its stakeholders, voters, candidates, and election administration were surveyed in the 2014 Ontario municipal elections to learn about how online voting might be changing things, for better or worse. Between October 2, 2014 and November 21, 2014 four stakeholder groups were surveyed, these include: (1) Internet voters, (2) Paper ballot voters, (3) Candidates, and (4) Election administrators involved in the planning and execution of the election. This report presents descriptive findings from this research. Specifically, it presents results about voters’ satisfaction with the online voting experience, information about the sociodemographic characteristics and digital literacy of online and paper voters; the effects on local campaigns; and effects on the administration of the election, notably whether online voting adoption breaks the bank or can save money. The report proceeds in seven parts. The first portion provides historical context about Internet voting in Canada, explaining how it started, how it has grown, why so many local governments have adopted it, and why others have not. Second, information about the data used to inform this report is explained including who participated in the research and how the data was collected. Third, we take a look at the results from the Internet voter survey and what can be learnt from this information. This portion examines online voter satisfaction, likelihood of using online voting in the future, and the sociodemographic characteristics and reported digital literacy of online voters. Fourth, results from the survey carried out with paper voters are presented. Items such as satisfaction with paper voting at the polls, concerns about online voting, sociodemographic traits and digital literacy profiles are examined. This section is written comparatively, evaluating the results of paper voter survey alongside those from the survey of Internet voters. The fifth and sixth sections discuss findings from the candidate and election administrator surveys respectively, exploring issues such as the effects 52 Page 11 of 70 of Internet voting on local campaigns, whether these stakeholder groups are supportive of Internet voting and would like to see it used in future elections, municipal rationales for adoption, the efficiency of local elections with Internet voting, and its impact on election budgets. Finally, we present some overall conclusions regarding what these findings mean for our understanding of how Internet voting changes elections and what this means for electoral modernization in Canada. 53 Page 12 of 70 2 . CONTEXT Internet voting is presently used in local Canadian elections in the provinces of Ontario and Nova Scotia. Twelve Ontario cities and townships first introduced the voting technology in the 2003 municipal elections. By the 2006 elections 20 communities offered it as an alternative voting method, and adoption further expanded to 44 municipalities in 2010. With each election the number of local governments deploying Internet voting in municipal elections has about doubled in Ontario, with a similar increase in adoption anticipated for the 2018 elections. Generally municipalities have been pleased with the outcomes and effects of Internet voting. Only two of the municipalities that have adopted the policy reform since 2003 stopped using it in a subsequent election and one of those reintroduced it in 20141. Ontario communities that have not yet adopted the voting technology have not proceeded for a variety of reasons such as a lack of political will from municipal councils, insufficient bureaucratic backing, financial constraints or inadequate resources required to support the change, concerns about security and fraud, hesitation to adopt the technology too quickly without first learning from municipalities that have used it, and a reluctance to modernize. Internationally, studies and deployments of Internet voting over the past fifteen years have made clear that online voting technology is not a magic bullet solution that will fix electoral ills such as drastically improve rates of voter participation or remarkably boost public trust in elections. However, as the results of this report indicate, the technology offers significant benefits from the perspectives of some voters, candidates, and election administrators, which explain why the voting method has become so popular in Ontario. These benefits, as well as the challenges and drawbacks of using Internet voting for local level elections, are outlined in this report. Before explaining the findings it is important to mention that there are an array of voting models in Ontario municipalities. Models differ in three primary ways: (1) the online voting period, (2) the online voting process, and (3) the ballot types offered. For example, some municipalities offer Internet voting in the advance portion of the election only, whereas 1 These include the communities of North Glengarry (which adopted it again in 2014) and Huntsville. 54 Page 13 of 70 others make it available for the full election period including Election Day. In terms of the online voting process, municipalities currently use either a 1-step or 2-step model. A 1-step approach allows electors to cast a ballot online without registering to do so first, while the 2-step model requires prior registration. The items required for authentication (proving the voter is indeed who they say they are) also vary. Some approaches, for example, require only a secret PIN, while others call for a secret PIN, birth date, email confirmation, and the creation of, and response to, a secret question. Finally, the types of voting methods offered differ based on the unique needs of the community. Generally municipalities use different combinations of the following four voting methods: in-person paper ballots, mail-in ballots, Internet ballots, and voting by telephone. In 2014, 59 municipalities ran fully electronic elections, offering electors either Internet voting only or a combination of Internet and telephone voting2. The implications of this discretion on the part of local government are a variety of models throughout the province. This has allowed for the testing of an array of approaches, but it also means a lack of consistency across communities, which could be positive or negative. It is important to take these contextual differences into consideration when reading and interpreting the findings presented in this report. 2 The municipality of Leamington was the first municipality to offer a fully online election, using the Internet voting method only. 55 Page 14 of 70 3 . DATA This report includes data collected from four surveys administered in conjunction with the 2014 Ontario municipal elections. Each of the 97 local governments that used Internet voting was invited to participate in the research. A total of 47 communities elected to take part (please see the Appendix A of this report for a complete list of municipal partners). Participating municipalities have varied sociodemographic profiles, are located in different parts of the province, range in population size from small (500 persons) to large (300,000 persons +) and in density from urban to rural, or a combination of the two. Groups surveyed included: Voters (1) Internet and (2) Paper, (3) Candidates, and (4) Election Administration. There were 43 municipalities that took part in the online voter survey. Upon casting a ballot voters were prompted with a thank you screen that included brief details about the survey. If they were interested, online voters were taken to a consent page that provided additional details about the study3. Voters were able to complete the survey while Internet voting was active in their community, which meant the dates a respondent could complete a survey varied based on the Internet voting period in their municipality. The survey was active from 12:00am on October 2nd to 9:00pm on October 27th. Of the 196,447 persons that voted online in these 43 communities, 33,090 of them participated in the survey for a response rate of 17 percent. Four municipalities took part in the survey of paper voters: City of Greater Sudbury, City of Guelph, City of Markham, and Township of Springwater4. Data was collected at select polls on Election Day and voters were offered the option of participating once they had cast a ballot. Paper surveys were administered in Sudbury and Guelph ,whereas in Markham and Springwater respondents completed the questionnaire on iPads5. A total of 1,766 paper voters took part in the research. The candidate and election administrator surveys were administered to all 47 municipalities. These were made available online after the election from 4:00pm on November 7, 2014 to 3 The online voting experience and exit survey were completely separate. 4 The paper voter survey was made available to a limited number of communities due to cost. 5 A small number of surveys in Markham were also completed by paper. 56 Page 15 of 70 11:59pm on November 21, 2014 and completion was voluntary6. Survey links were circulated to staff and candidates by email correspondence from the municipal clerk’s office, along with one reminder message. Candidates from 44 of the participating communities completed 299 surveys. A total of 164 election administrator surveys were completed in 46 municipalities7. 6 The original plan was to make these surveys available for a two-week period, but this was extended by a week upon requests from municipalities. 7 No candidate surveys were completed in the municipalities of Huron Kinloss, South Glengarry, and West Elgin. No election administrator surveys were attempted in the municipality of Frontenac Islands. 57 Page 16 of 70 4 . INTERNET VOTERS This portion of the report explores what we can learn about Internet voters from the information collected in this study. 4 .1 Satisfaction with the online voting process Internet voters report high levels of satisfaction with the online voting process, see Figure 1. Across the 43 municipalities represented in the survey, 95 percent of respondents report being satisfied with the online voting process. A majority of these answers (80 percent) represent people who chose the ‘very satisfied’ option, suggesting a degree of enthusiasm, rather than just acceptance, with the Internet voting option. Figure 1: Satisfaction with the online voting process Examining satisfaction by age we see that older voters report being slightly more satisfied with online voting than the youngest cohort of voters, Figure 2. In particular, older voters are more likely to say they were ‘very satisfied’ with the voting method. On the whole, however, a majority of voters from all age groups express strong levels of satisfaction with the online voting services offered in the 2014 Ontario municipal elections. Reasons for differences in satisfaction are explored below. When asked to explain satisfaction with the online voting process a majority of respondents said that they found the process to be “easy”, “simple”, “straightforward”, “convenient” and “private”. Many commented how much easier it was to vote in the 2014 municipal election with busy work schedules, being away from the municipality, or because of mobility 58 Page 17 of 70 or transportation issues. Respondents remarked on the convenience of not having to wait in line, deal with poll clerks, and how they perceived this method of voting to be more private than voting by paper ballot in a polling station. It is interesting that many respondents in this study said they believe voting online made their voting experience more private since privacy is often cited as a concern in debates about Internet voting since families could observe each other voting at home. Figure 2: Internet voter satisfaction by age* *Totals may not add to 100 due to rounding In terms of criticism, some of those who chose ‘fairly satisfied’ explained that they were less satisfied than they could have been had there been fewer steps involved in the voting process. Some municipalities opted for a 1-step approach to Internet voting whereby voters are able to go online and vote without having to pre-register, whereas others opted for a 2-step model that requires registration first. The 2-step process is often regarded as delivering added security because it allows for additional layers in the voting process. These added steps, however, increase the opportunity cost of voting online, and were a factor in why some respondents did not choose the ‘very satisfied’ option. Those who said they were ‘not satisfied’, by contrast, expressed frustration in learning a new 59 Page 18 of 70 voting method and some cited concerns about the security of the online voting system. In communities that used the 2-step online voting model respondents commented on having to wait too long for their PIN to arrive after registering, and said there were too many procedures involved, which made the voting method overly complicated especially for those with low levels of computer or Internet literacy. The vast majority of respondents, however, praised the option of Internet voting as making their lives easier and better enabling their voting rights. Strong satisfaction with Internet voting is also reflected in questions which ask how likely respondents would be to vote in various types of elections - municipal, provincial and federal - and how likely they would be to recommend online voting to others. • 98 percent of respondents say they would be likely to vote online in future municipal elections (93 percent report being ‘very likely’ to do so). • 95 percent report being likely to vote online in a provincial election (89 percent indicate they would be ‘very likely’ to do so). • 94 percent indicate they would be likely to vote online in a federal election (89 percent say they would be ‘very likely’ to do so). Support for Internet voting in elections at all levels of government is quite strong, suggesting the adoption of the voting method would be a welcome service change for this group in all Canadian elections. It may be significant that there seems to be little differentiation between the level of government and intended use of Internet ballots. These voters are oriented toward Internet voting and willing to use it when a voting opportunity arises. When asked how likely respondents would be to recommend online voting to others over 95 percent say they would recommend Internet voting, with less than 5 percent saying they would ‘definitely’ or ‘probably’ not do so. Looking at responses to this question by age all age groups are equally likely to say they would encourage others to use Internet ballots. Once again, this seems to be an indication of enthusiastic support, as there would be no tendency to try to get others to follow suit if Internet voting were not perceived as a desirable method of voting. Internet voting was the preferred voting method in the majority of municipalities that participated in this study. This is consistent with data from previous municipal elections 60 Page 19 of 70 in Ontario, which found that when a combination of voting methods were offered Internet voting was the preferred way to cast a ballot. In a majority of cases where Canadian voters are given an option between Internet voting and other ballot types, they overwhelmingly choose the online ballot. This not only implies that Ontario electors will make use of the service, but it also illustrates satisfaction with the voting method especially since, for those communities that have offered it in more than one election, we typically see growth in voter uptake with each election. Overall then, users are satisfied with the Internet voting experience, they would use it again for all types of elections, and would recommend it to others. 4 .2 Other aspects of the voter experience When asked how voters heard about Internet voting for the 2014 election8 the largest group of respondents, 34 percent, said they learnt of Internet voting from the Voter Information Packages they had received, followed by the newspaper/TV/radio, 14 percent and local newspaper notices, 12 percent, Figure 3. Interestingly, very few respondents (10 percent in total) had heard about Internet voting from web-based sources such as municipal websites, social media, Internet voting vendors, or other websites. The fact that voters paid attention to official information from the election authorities may indicate that this source has particular credibility. Figure 3: Source of online voting information 8 ‘How did you hear about Internet voting for the 2014 Municipal election’ is a multiple response question. 61 Page 20 of 70 Examining sources of information by age we see that 18 to 24 year olds and voters over 65 were less likely than the other age groups to have obtained information about online voting from Voter Information Packages, Figure 4. Younger people aged 18 to 24 were more likely than the older voters to have learnt about Internet voting through word of mouth. This may be a reflection of young adults living in family households, or possibly their late addition to voting lists. Social media was also a slightly more effective information source for voters under the age of 44 years. While it was not one of the most popular sources of information, the data collected suggests it is a useful means of reaching the younger demographic. Finally, those falling into older age groups were more likely than younger voters to have found information about online voting through the newspaper, TV, radio or local newspapers. This is not surprising given known patterns of media consumption. Figure 4: Source of online voting information by age* *Totals may not add to 100 due to rounding Looking now to where Internet voters voted from, Figure 5, the majority of respondents, 88 percent, cast their ballots from home, followed by work, 7 percent. Less than 5 percent of respondents selected other locations such as public Internet access points, out of town locations, a friend or family members home, mobile device, municipal polling place, or another site. 62 Page 21 of 70 Figure 5: Internet voting location In terms of devices used to cast a ballot, 85 percent of respondents took the survey using a desktop computer and so likely voted using a desktop as well. The remaining 15 percent was split between the iPad, 11 percent, while iPod, iPhone, and Android devices all occupied less than 1 percent respectively. This suggests that the preferred way to vote remotely online is from home using a desktop computer. 4 .3 Why are Internet voters drawn to the voting method? Looking at why voters are drawn to cast their ballots online is important for understanding the usefulness of the service option and to see if the reasons municipalities are adopting the technology are consistent with the explanations voters give for using it. The primary reason respondent’s say they voted online was convenience, 66 percent, Figure 6. These results are consistent with the comments voters provided to explain their satisfaction with the online voting process. Ten percent of respondents said that Internet or telephone ballots were their only choices, which was the case in 31 of the 43 municipalities that participated in this survey9. The fact that more voters did not choose this option suggests that even though only Internet and telephone voting methods were available to them, they opted for Internet voting specifically because of its convenience or another rationale. Six percent of respondents communicated that they were motivated to vote online because of added accessibility, 6 percent opted to use it because of a desire to try something new, and 5 percent reported using it because it was the only method offered in their municipality. Less than 5 percent of online voter respondents said they voted by Internet because of suggestions from others, a past positive experience, or other reason. Although there are synergies between the 9 These municipalities offered fully electronic elections. 63 Page 22 of 70 convenience and accessibility response options, voters seem to gravitate toward convenience as the primary reason they chose to vote online. This response is consistent with previous research in Canada that has looked at voters’ rationales for voting online in local elections. Figure 6: Reasons for voting online Looking at the reasons for voting online by age in Figure 7, we see there is some difference by age group in the category of ‘convenience’. The youngest group, 18 to 24 years, and the oldest group, 65+, are less likely to say they voted online for reasons of convenience than voters that fall into the middle age groups. Sixty-three percent of the youngest group and 58 percent of the oldest group say they voted online for convenience. In comparison, 73 percent of the middle three age categories comment having chosen to vote online because of convenience. The oldest and youngest age groups are also slightly more likely to say that they opted for Internet voting because of the added accessibility they believe it offers. The rationale of accessibility could be a better fit for students away at university or seniors who may be away or have mobility issues that could prevent them from making it to traditional poll locations. Overall those that used the online voting process were satisfied with it, would use it again in other elections and would recommend it to others. Online voters primarily learned about the option from municipal Voter Information Packages, and voted from home by desktop for reasons of convenience. Voters that used 2-step systems of online voting report being less satisfied to varying degrees than those whose municipalities offered a 1-step model of Internet voting. 64 Page 23 of 70 Figure 7: Reasons for voting online by age 4 .4 Internet voter profiles: Past voting behaviour and digital literacy To understand the online voting experience further, it is helpful to examine Internet voters’ past voting behaviour, perceived computer and Internet literacy, and personal characteristics such as age, education and income. Figure 8: Reported voting record in past elections 65 Page 24 of 70 Past Voting Behaviour Respondents were asked to recall whether they had voted in all government elections since they had become eligible to vote, Figure 8. The majority of respondents said they had voted in all elections (municipal, provincial and federal) since they became eligible. Over 90 percent said they had voted in ‘most’ elections, with 60 percent of these reporting having voted in ‘all’ elections. This indicates that for most online voters the decision to use vote by Internet is one made by the regular voter and is consistent with the continual mention of “convenience” as the main reason for this choice. Respondents were then asked if they had voted specifically in the past municipal election of 2010, Figure 9. Figure 9: Reported voting behaviour in the 2010 municipal election The vast majority of respondents, 80 percent, said they had voted in the past municipal election. Only 11 percent said they had not voted, 3 percent reported not being eligible, and 6 percent could not remember whether they had participated in the 2010 election or not. Respondents who said they did not vote were asked a follow-up question about why they had not voted. The most common responses included being ‘too busy’, 23 percent, not feeling sufficiently informed to vote, 21 percent, and not being present in the municipality to vote, 20 percent. Although those that report having not voted in the previous municipal election are a modest group, it is interesting that the reasons many indicate as their basis for not voting had to 66 Page 25 of 70 do with the accessibility or convenience of the voting options in 2010. Rationales such as being ‘too busy’, ‘out of the municipality’, ‘voting locations being too inconvenient’, ‘mobility issues’, ‘transportation issues’, and ‘illness’ comprise 58 percent of these responses. It could be that the perceived added convenience and/or accessibility of Internet voting encouraged these electors to participate in the 2014 election given that the remote voting method is intended to make the voting process easier and to counteract these types of explanations. To support this thinking we can look at responses from another question, which asked respondents whether they would have voted if Internet voting had not been offered. While 84 percent said they would have, 14 percent of online voters indicate they either ‘definitely’ or ‘probably’ would not have cast a ballot had it not been for Internet voting. This is a small group, but lends support for the fact that some voters find benefits in Internet voting which motivates their electoral participation. Of those that report having voted in 2010, respondents were then asked how they voted in the past municipal election, Figure 10. Figure 10: Voting method in the 2010 municipal election The majority of respondents, 70 percent, report having voted at the polling station on Election Day in 2010. Fifteen percent of online voters voted in person at the advance polls, 8 percent voted online, and less than 5 percent voted by phone or mail10. Generally, online voters self-report as people who vote in most elections, voted in the past municipal election and for the most part voted using the traditional, in-person mode, either 10 16 of the 43 municipalities that participated in this part of the research offered Internet voting to electors in the 2010 municipal election. 67 Page 26 of 70 on Election Day or in the advance polls. Very few voters used other methods of voting in the past election. These individuals are relatively committed voters who would be likely to participate in elections regardless of the voting method. A small proportion, however, may have been motivated to participate because of the added convenience or accessibility they perceive remote Internet voting to offer. Digital Literacy Looking now to the perceived digital literacy of online voters and their access to an Internet connection, respondents were asked what type of Internet connection they have at home and how often they access the Internet, Figures 11 and 12. Figure 11: Type of Internet connection at home The majority of respondents report having DSL or cable, 83 percent, (with 40 percent of these respondents indicating they connect their device wirelessly) or a Fiber-optic/Optical connection, 9 percent. A small percentage of respondents have a Mobile Internet connection, 2 percent. Less than 1 percent have a Dial-up connection and less than 1 percent say they do not have Internet access at home. Although we know that Internet penetration is quite high in Canada, and in Ontario specifically, it is important to question whether so few respondents said they do not have the Internet because penetration is just very high and so access is widespread, or whether Internet voting is more likely to attract voters who have access to an Internet connection at their home. If the latter situation is the case, certain electors who may not have access to these technological resources at their place of residence could be disadvantaged from using this method at election time. These electors could be disadvantaged because they have to travel to another location to access the Internet, have 68 Page 27 of 70 lower digital literacy because they do not have access to a regular connection at their home, or in the event that they do not have access to the Internet or electronic device outside of the home and are therefore unable to use the Internet voting service. Figure 12: Reported Internet usage When asked how often online voters use the Internet, not surprisingly a majority report being frequent users, Figure 12. Ninety-three percent report accessing the Internet at least every day, with 69 percent of these voters saying they access the Internet several times a day. Less than 2 percent of respondents report accessing the Internet once a month or less, suggesting that those who are active Internet users are more likely to make use of Internet voting when it is offered. Figure 13: Internet usage by age* *Totals may not add to 100 due to rounding Looking at Internet usage by age we see that while all age groups are likely to access 69 Page 28 of 70 the Internet several times a day, younger online voters are more likely than older people to do so, Figure 13. In fact, 85 percent of the youngest online voters say they use the Internet several times a day, while 59 percent of the oldest category report using the Internet several times a day. 4 .5 Sociodemographic profiles of Internet voters Sociodemographic Characteristics What are the personal characteristics of an Internet voter? Is he or she old or young, interested in politics, highly educated, married or single? The average age of the online voter respondent is 53 years old, which is consistent with previous research examining age groups and use of Internet voting, Figure 14. The online voters in the survey ranged in age from 18 to 99 years. The majority of online voters are 45 years of age or older, 74 percent. Only 4 percent of online voters are aged 18 to 24 years, 8 percent are 25 to 34, and 14 percent are 35 to 44. Considering this data with information collected on age from municipalities that used Internet voting in past elections, it is clear that those over the age of 50 years are the most likely users of Internet voting. From this group, for example, 65 percent of Internet voter respondents report being over the age of 50 and 35 percent between the ages of 18 and 49 years. Figure 14: Internet voters by age group Considering these results in combination with previous research on age and Internet voting usage over the past four municipal elections in Ontario, it is clear that young people are not the primary users of Internet voting. This has less to do with the appeal 70 Page 29 of 70 of Internet voting for youth (it does attract them) but is more a consequence of the non-voting behaviour of the age group. Put simply, young people vote less than their older counterparts and so are less likely to be users of Internet voting. If you do something less, in some cases far less, than other age groups it is no surprise that young electors in Ontario are not the primary users of the voting method. This is also consistent with the finding that online voters are typically committed voters – those that vote in all elections – which many young people do not. In some ways it is rather reassuring that older voters are willing to cast their ballots online. There have been concerns expressed about older electors not having sufficient digital literacy or access to electronic devices with an Internet connection, which could be deterrents from using Internet voting. The fact that the largest portion of Internet voting users are over the age of 50 suggests that if these barriers are a factor they may not be marginalizing older electors as much as was originally thought. It could also be that older electors either have more access to the Internet, better digital literacy (or both), or are willing to make use of online voting in spite of these handicaps. Turning now to the educational background of an Internet voter, we see that a majority of respondents have at least some university education, 57 percent, and report an annual household income of over $80,000, 58 percent. Seventy-two percent of respondents are married and report living in an urban or suburban area. Finally, with respect to gender, 55 percent of the online voters in the survey were female and 45 percent were male. These results indicate that the Internet voter is, on average, likely to be more educated, wealthier, married, and live in an area with denser housing. Figure 15: Interest in politics 71 Page 30 of 70 Finally, interest in politics is useful to understand voting and non-voting behavior as well as the profile of voters. Figure 15 illustrates responses to the question, ‘How interested in politics are you?’ The majority of respondents report being at least ‘somewhat’ interested in politics, 89 percent. Forty-four percent of respondents say they are very interested in politics. Only 6 percent of respondents indicate they are ‘somewhat’ or ‘very’ uninterested in politics. Typically those that shy away from voting or other acts of political participation exhibit lower levels of interest in politics. The fact that this group reports a strong interest for politics is consistent with the fact that they report being habitual voters and suggests that this is a relatively engaged group of citizens. This is not a surprising finding for advance voters, who are typically engaged, and makes sense since a lot of online ballots are cast during the advance voting period. Figure 16: Interest in politics by age* *Totals may not add to 100 due to rounding Knowledge of computers and the Internet Taking a look at interest in politics by age, older online voters are more likely than younger ones to say they are interested in politics, Figure 16. Eighty-one percent of people over the age of 65 say they are ‘very interested’ in politics while 75 percent of the youngest age 72 Page 31 of 70 category, 18 to 24 year olds, say they are ‘very interested’ in politics. It is important to note, however, that the majority of all age groups say they are very interested in politics. These differences in levels of interest by age are consistent with previous research which shows that younger electors are less likely to be as interested in politics as their older counterparts. The fact that these young online voters express strong levels of interest in politics implies that they are a relatively engaged group. Knowledge of Computers and The Internet An additional factor in the Internet voting experience is computer and Internet knowledge, Figure 17. Of the Internet voters surveyed, 85 percent agree they have good knowledge of computers and the Internet. Only 5 percent of Internet voters disagree with the question. Taking a look at agreement with this statement, by age, younger voters 34 years and under are much more likely to strongly agree that they have good knowledge of computers and the Internet, Figure 18. This is consistent with results on reported Internet usage among online voters and shows that the youngest voters have the strongest digital literacy profiles. While older online voters are slightly less confident in their knowledge of computers and the Internet they remain the biggest users, suggesting that self-assurance of understanding electronic devices and the Internet does not have to be very strong for electors to use the Internet voting option. While these findings support the fact that for the most part Internet voters have reasonable digital literacy, they also highlight that older voters are willing to cast their votes online in spite of lower confidence in their knowledge of the technology. Figure 17: I feel I have a pretty good knowledge of computers and the Internet 73 Page 32 of 70 Figure 18: Knowledge about computers and the Internet by age 4 .6 Section summary To summarize, Internet voters are very satisfied with the voting method and express strong support for its continued use in local elections and elections at higher levels of government. A majority of voters cast their ballots online remotely from home because it is convenient. When offered alongside other ballot types, voting online is the preferred voting method. This last point is true in a majority of communities that offered Internet voting in 2014, including those that participated in this study. In terms of profiling, a majority of online voters are educated, wealthier, married, and live in urban and suburban settings. The largest proportion of online voters are over the age of 50 years, interested in politics, and report relatively committed voting histories, suggesting that most probably would have voted without online voting. It is interesting to note, however, that a modest group, 14 percent, of online voters did say that they ‘probably’ or ‘definitely’ would not have voted if Internet voting had not been in place. Finally, the online voter has a good knowledge of computers and the Internet, uses the Internet frequently, and has access to a connection from their home. 74 Page 33 of 70 5 . PAPER VOTERS This portion of the report explores what we can learn about paper voters and their opinions about Internet voting based on the information collected in this study. 5 .1 Satisfaction with the in-person, paper ballot voting process In contrast with the extremely high levels of satisfaction of the online voters, those that voted in-person using paper ballots say they are generally satisfied with the process, Figure 19. Sixty-eight percent of paper voters report being ‘very satisfied’ or ‘fairly satisfied’ with the voting process (compared to 95 percent of Internet voters). Thirty percent of respondents said they were either ‘not very satisfied’ or ‘not at all satisfied’ with the process. Figure 19: Satisfaction with the paper ballot voting process On the whole then, Internet voters report being more satisfied with the voting method than those who cast ballots by paper, albeit a majority of both groups of voters report being satisfied. The greater satisfaction of Internet voters could be a consequence of the perceived convenience of the method. 5 .2 Impressions of online voting When asked whether they were aware Internet voting was offered in the 2014 municipal election, the overwhelming majority (89 percent) said they knew about it. This suggests that many of these voters made a conscious decision to not use online ballots and instead opt to vote by paper. When looking at the proportion of satisfied voters with awareness of the 75 Page 34 of 70 Internet option, 72 percent of those who said they were not satisfied with the process said they were aware of the option. Of this group over half, 53 percent, said they would have been somewhat or very likely to have voted by Internet. Generally, paper voters were satisfied with the voting process and were aware of the Internet option. Since these voters were aware of the voting options it is important to understand their objections to voting online. Respondents were asked about their top concerns of Internet voting, Figure 20. Figure 20: Do you have concerns about Internet voting and if so, what is your top concern? The top concern expressed by voters was issues related to security of the voting process, 37 percent. Next, nearly one-third of respondents, 32 percent, reported having no concerns about the technology. A smaller percentage, 13 percent, said they had concerns about privacy. Concerns such as fraud, lack of computer knowledge, insufficient Internet access, or loss of the voting tradition were identified, albeit to a lesser extent as they each occupied less than 5 percent of responses. These results suggest that some voters are not voting online because of these concerns and that they are areas, particularly security and privacy, wherein governments should evaluate the risks and mitigate them if possible when considering adoption. The fact that nearly one-third of respondents express no concern about voting online is interesting and raises questions about why they did not use it. While a small percentage of those who do not have concerns were not aware of the voting option, others remarked they did not use Internet voting because they “forgot” or “waited too long”, received a late voter card, were 76 Page 35 of 70 not on the voters’ list, needed to change their address, or had not decided on their preferred candidates by the Internet voting deadline11. Not being on the voters’ list, not receiving a timely voter card, or requiring other administrative changes (e.g. change of address) could be barriers to accessing online ballots. Turning back to security, respondents were asked about the perceived safety of other remote voting methods, such as voting by telephone and mail-in ballots, in comparison to Internet voting. When asked if they thought telephone voting was safer than Internet voting 66 percent said they believe telephone voting to be less safe than voting by Internet, Figure 21. Twenty-three percent of this group said they did not know whether it was safer or not, and 11 percent said they thought voting by telephone was more safe. Asking about mail-in ballots, by comparison, 54 percent of respondents said they believe voting by mail is less safe than by Internet, 28 percent feel it is safer, and 18 percent were not sure, Figure 22. With respect to remote voting options then, the majority of paper voters surveyed in this study express that they believe Internet voting to be the safest of these alternatives. This finding is consistent with the fact that when Ontario voters are offered a combination of these three voting methods, they overwhelmingly choose the Internet method to cast their ballot municipally. Figure 21: Do you perceive telephone voting to be a safer option than Internet voting? 11 The persons impacted by a ‘deadline’ came from communities where Internet voting was offered in the advance poll portion of the election and not on Election Day. 77 Page 36 of 70 Figure 22: Do you perceive mail-in ballots to be a safer option than Internet voting? 5 .3 Would paper voters use Internet voting in the future? It is helpful to know if those that vote by paper are committed to that voting method, or if they would be willing to vote online in a future election, Figure 23. To get a sense of this willingness respondents were asked whether they would be inclined to vote online under particular circumstances. Forty-seven percent said they would use Internet voting in a future election under special circumstances such as in cases of illness, inclement weather, mobility issues, or because they were traveling. This speaks to both the convenience and accessibility of Internet voting as a remote voting method, which can make casting a ballot easier in situations where an elector is not able to make it to the polls. About one-third (30 percent) of respondents said they would use Internet voting in future ‘no matter what’ and 16 percent commented they would not use it at all. While some paper voters are inclined to vote by Internet in a future election then, the majority of this group would elect to make use of the voting method under particular situations where they could not physically make it to a poll location. A smaller group would not use the voting method under any circumstances and is committed to the traditional approach. The fact that a majority of these voters say they would make use of online ballots suggests it is a useful alternative voting method to ensure voting is convenient, but also accessible for electors who may face special conditions at election time. Respondents were then asked about the main reason they would opt to vote online. The primary explanation given was ‘convenience’, 64 percent, which is consistent with the main 78 Page 37 of 70 reason Internet voters give for making use of the voting method. A further 8 percent said they would be inclined to vote by Internet because of its added accessibility. Twenty-two percent emphasized they would not vote online. Clearly, while the accessibility of Internet voting is perceived as a benefit, the primary reason Internet voters choose to cast online ballots and the main motive for paper voters to use the electronic voting method is the perception of added convenience. This may be an important consideration for governments thinking of adopting Internet voting in future elections. Figure 23: Under what circumstances would you use Internet voting in a future election? Finally, paper voters were questioned about their preferred method of voting in the event that they could not make it to the polls physically on Election Day, Figure 24. Sixty-four percent said they would vote by Internet, 11 percent would appoint a proxy to vote on their behalf, and another 10 percent indicated they would vote by mail. A smaller percentage, 6 percent, would be inclined to vote by telephone, and 4 percent said they would abstain from voting altogether. Overall, a good portion of paper voters says they would use Internet voting in a future election, especially if faced with special circumstances that prevented or limited them from physically attending a polling location. In fact, if not able to attend the polls and faced with all the remote voting options available in Ontario municipal elections currently, a majority of these voters would pick the Internet option as the preferred method to cast their ballot. This suggests that the perceived convenience and accessibility Internet voting provides could be important for enabling voting rights in cases where an elector finds themselves unable to visit a poll personally. There are also a good number of respondents (one-third) who, for 79 Page 38 of 70 one reason or another, simply missed out on the service this time around but look forward to trying it in the future. Finally, it is important to note that a small percentage of paper voters are unwilling to use Internet voting in any circumstance and prefer to cast their vote by paper at a polling station. To ensure voters of all types are accommodated these results suggest that eliminating paper voting altogether in favour of a solely electronic election might leave some voters feeling excluded and unhappy with available voting methods, which may limit perceived accessibility of the voting process. This finding is consistent with responses from a majority of municipal candidates who, while supportive of Internet voting as a complementary voting method, are not in favour of having online voting as the only method available at election time. Figure 24: If you were unable to make it to the polls would you prefer to… 5 .4 Paper voter profiles: Past voting behaviour and digital literacy Past Voting Behaviour To learn more about their profiles as voters, respondents were asked about their voting histories; specifically how frequently they had voted since they became eligible, Figure 25. Ninety-four percent indicated they had voted in ‘most’ elections, with 69 percent of this group reporting having voted in ‘all’ elections. Responses suggest these persons are regular voters. Responses from Internet voters asked the same question were similarly high, although not quite as strong. It may be that a slightly greater proportion of regular voters are attracted to paper ballots compared with those who are inclined to vote online. This difference is 80 Page 39 of 70 also supported by the fact that a modest proportion of Internet voters say they ‘definitely’ or ‘probably’ would not have voted had the Internet option not been available in the 2014 municipal election. Figure 25: Reported voting record in past elections When asked about voting in the 2010 municipal election specifically, a majority of respondents said they had participated, 79 percent, while 11 percent said had not voted, Figure 26. Five percent could not remember and an additional 5 percent reported not being eligible to vote. These percentages are very similar to the data collected from Internet voters for this same question. Among those paper voters who said they did not vote in 2010 the following reasons were cited most frequently for not participating: not in the municipality or out of the country, 18 percent, not feeling informed about candidates or elections issues, 18 percent, not being on the voters’ list, 15 percent, and being too busy, 10 percent. There are some small differences between paper ballot and Internet voters that reported not having voted in the 2010 municipal election. Namely, Internet voters were more likely to say they had not voted because they were ‘too busy’ and a small percentage more said they had not been in the municipality to vote. Certainly, the option of remote Internet voting from home has been communicated by electors as making the voting process more accessible when they are out of town and when being busy may prevent them making from it to the polls. Issues such as not feeling informed about candidates or election topics, or administrative issues such as not being on the voters’ list are not addressed by the option of the voting method. That said, a 81 Page 40 of 70 number of Internet voters commented in the open-ended questions of the survey that they felt voting from home by Internet allowed them to research candidates and platforms more thoroughly than under traditional circumstances. Figure 26: Reported voting behaviour in 2010 municipal election Digital Literacy Looking now at perceived digital literacy of paper voters, respondents were asked about the quality of the Internet connection they have at home, if they have one, and how frequently they use the Internet. The majority of respondents said they have access the Internet via DSL or cable, 72 percent, Figure 27, with 40 percent stating they access their Internet with a wireless device. A smaller group, 15 percent, report having a fiber-optic Internet connection, 2 percent have mobile connections, and 1 percent use dial-up. Six percent of voters surveyed said they do not have the Internet at home. Access to home Internet for paper voters is somewhat consistent with Internet voters’ access. A majority of respondents from both groups (Internet and paper voters) report having Internet access at home via wireless or DSL connections, with a smaller proportion subscribing to a fiber optic connection. There is a 5 percent difference, however, for those who claim they do not have Internet access at home, with paper voters reporting less access. Albeit very small, this could mean access to the Internet is an issue for some voters and may be why they choose to vote by paper. When it comes to use of the Internet, paper voters report accessing it less than Internet 82 Page 41 of 70 voters but can still be considered regular users of the technology. Eighty-two percent, for example, said they use the Internet every day, 57 percent of which access the Internet several times daily, Figure 28. Eight percent of paper voter respondents said they use the Internet once a month or less (7 percent of this group reporting they do not use it at all) compared to 2 percent of Internet voters. This tells us that active Internet users are still drawn to paper voting, but are slightly less engaged with the technology than those who voted by Internet. A small percentage of paper voters do not access the Internet, which might suggest digital literacy plays a role in voting method selection for those electors. Figure 27: Internet connection at home Figure 28: Frequency of Internet access Generally, paper voters have fast Internet connections at home and are regular users of the Internet, however, connectivity at home and frequency of Internet use is not quite as strong as it is among those that voted by Internet in the 2014 Ontario municipal elections. 83 Page 42 of 70 5 .5 Socio-demographic profiles of paper voters compared to Internet voters Finally, what are the socio-demographic characteristics of paper voters and, after looking at the profile of Internet voters, how do these two groups compare? This section outlines the profile of paper voters as observed in the municipalities of Guelph, Markham, Springwater, and Sudbury at the polls on Election Day and compares the information collected from those who responded to the Internet voter survey in the 43 participating municipalities. Analyzing responses from four communities with those offered from voters in 43 may not allow for a direct comparison, but is is helpful in understanding basic demographic differences between the two types of voters and gaining insights as to what these might be on a larger scale. Figure 29: Age comparison of paper and Internet voters Fifty-three percent of paper voters surveyed were female, and 47 percent were male. The average age of a paper voter respondent is 44 years, which is slightly younger than the average age of an Internet voter (53 years). Looking at the percentage of voters by age group it is interesting to observe that, of those surveyed, voters under 44 years of age were more likely to vote by paper, while those over the age of 45 years voted more frequently by Internet, Figure 29. As noted earlier this casts doubt on theories that older electors are not as drawn to Internet voting as younger ones, and speculation that the youngest electors would be the biggest users of the voting method. These results are supported with data from Ontario municipalities that have used Internet voting in past elections. After four consecutive municipal elections, it is reasonable to conclude that in Ontario older electors embrace Internet voting more so than young ones. Part of this has to do with the fact that young people vote less overall than their older counterparts and so use any voting method 84 Page 43 of 70 less frequently. It is interesting though that, of those surveyed in this study, younger people (in the communities of Markham, Guelph, Springwater, and Sudbury) made more use of paper ballots than they did of Internet voting in the 43 participating municipalities. In terms of education and income, the average paper voter surveyed had completed technical or community college and reports an annual household income between $60,000-$79,999 before taxes. The average respondent is also married, 59 percent, and say they live in an urban or suburban area. This group is somewhat less educated than the average Internet voter and falls into a slightly lower household income bracket. The majority of respondents in both groups report being married and residing in areas that are urban or suburban. Looking more closely at the data regarding the type of area voters report living in we see that a much larger number of urban voters cast their ballots by paper, while a greater proportion of suburban or rural voters were inclined to vote by Internet, Figure 30. Although rural voters were not the biggest users of either method, they were much more likely to opt for Internet voting. This could be because voters living in rural areas often have to travel farther to the polls than those living in urban centers and so voting remotely from home or work is more convenient, and in some cases, more accessible. Figure 30: Area paper and Internet voters reside in Although this needs to be investigated further, the fact that urban voters made much less use of Internet voting (25 percent difference) and rural voters from the sample gravitated more towards Internet voting (18 percent difference) suggests the added ease of access 85 Page 44 of 70 remote Internet voting offers might appeal more to those who are less likely to live in areas with public transit and have a longer travel distance to poll locations. Living in an urban centre likely means voters are closer to poll locations and have better public transportation to get there, lowering the opportunity cost of traveling to a polling station. Impact on Those with Disabilities Finally, voters from both surveys were asked if they self-identified as having a disability. Part of the rationale for asking this question was to see if persons with disabilities were more inclined to vote by Internet based on its perceived added accessibility, and in some cases because the addition of certain applicators can provide persons with disabilities with greater privacy. Nine percent of paper voting respondents reported having a disability compared to 7 percent of those that voted by Internet, Figure 31. Although more paper voters indicated they prefer not to answer, the percentage of persons self-identifying as having a disability is close between the two groups not suggesting a particular affinity to one method or the other. Figure 31: Paper and Internet voters identifying as having a disability Respondents from each voter group were also asked questions about whether they felt the method of voting they used was accessible. In response to the statement “Voting in-person at the polls by paper ballot is accessible for me” 71 percent of respondents agreed, while 24 percent disagreed. Internet voters, by contrast, were asked the degree to which they agreed with the phrase, “Being able to vote online made the voting process more accessible for me.” Seventy-seven percent of Internet voters agreed that the option of casting a ballot online made the voting process more accessible for them, while 9 percent said it did not. This tells 86 Page 45 of 70 us that a majority of those voting by paper ballot at the polls believe this method of voting is accessible for them, but about one-quarter of respondents disagree that it is, suggesting work could be done to improve voting accessibility at paper poll locations. Although asked a different question about perceptions of access, a majority of Internet voters report that this option enhanced their accessibility of the voting process, making casting a ballot easier. 5 .6 Section summary Overall, paper voters are satisfied with the voting method, albeit considerably less so than those who used the Internet voting method. The top concern regarding voting by Internet for this group is security of the voting process, although there is a similar sized group that reports having no concerns. Of the remote voting methods available, paper voters perceive Internet voting to be the safest option. Many of them would vote online in a future election, especially in cases where special circumstances arose and they could not as readily make it to a traditional poll location. There remains, however, a small group that is not inclined to use Internet voting and for whom it would be important to maintain traditional voting methods. Maintaining traditional methods will also ensure voting accessibility is being facilitated for those without access to Internet. Generally, paper voters are slightly more likely to have committed voting histories than Internet voters and report marginally weaker digital literacy. These voters are more likely to live in urban centers, are younger, somewhat less educated, and fall into a lower household income bracket than their Internet voter counterparts. An important point for consideration is how much more likely those who chose to vote by Internet were to come from rural areas. This point merits further investigation and is something governments should take into account when planning for elections and accommodating electors from different areas. Finally, although Internet voters were slightly more likely to believe that voting online made the voting process more accessible, similar proportions of paper and Internet voters felt the respective voting methods were accessible for them. This is consistent with the mention of convenience as the primary reason for voting online and again should be a consideration as governments decide whether to introduce online voting or not. 87 Page 46 of 70 6 . CANDIDATES This portion of the report explores what we can learn about candidates’ experiences and opinions regarding the use of Internet voting in the 2014 Ontario municipal election. 6 .1 Satisfaction with the online voting process Candidates in the 2014 municipal election report high levels of satisfaction with the voting process on a number of dimensions, Figure 32. Figure 32: Satisfaction with online voting process • 69 percent of candidates report being satisfied with Internet voting process (47 percent say they were ‘very satisfied’). • Although 36 percent of candidates say the in-person voting process was not applicable to them, of those that it was applicable to, 80 percent were satisfied with the process. • Over 75 percent of candidates surveyed say they were satisfied with early voting opportunities. • 73 percent of candidates were satisfied with the security of the election. • 64 percent of candidates were satisfied with posting of election results. 88 Page 47 of 70 Candidates were asked whether they were aware Internet voting was available in the 2014 municipal election in their municipality. Almost all of the candidates who responded to this question, 99 percent, said they were aware of it. For candidates that said they were aware of the Internet voting option there was a follow-up question asking where the candidate had heard about online voting, Figure 33. Figure 33: How did you hear about Internet voting for the 2014 municipal election? Candidates heard about Internet voting from a range of sources. The most popular information source was the municipality website, 16 percent, followed by the Voter Information Package (VIP),14 percent, the candidate information session, 13 percent, and local newspaper notices, 12 percent. Newspaper, TV, and radio articles or clips, 8 percent, as well as word of mouth, 8 percent, were also among these more popular information options. This suggests that information sources administered by municipalities (e.g. the local government website, VIP, and candidate information session), or initiated by them (e.g. newspaper notices) are important for educating candidates about voting options and should be paid attention to, to ensure these stakeholders are well-informed about voting options or changes to the election process. While there is no overwhelming medium responsible for informing candidates those that are municipal-led appear to have the greatest impact on candidates’ knowledge of the Internet voting option. Governments looking at introducing Internet voting in future elections should consider the importance of municipal-led information sources for educating candidates about the online voting system. Voters too favoured information methods initiated by election authorities. 89 Page 48 of 70 6 .2 Internet voting and candidates’ campaigns Candidates were asked whether they felt that Internet voting had an affect on their campaign. Sixty-four percent of respondents said they thought it had, 20 percent said it had not, and 17 percent they did not know whether it had. In an open-ended follow up question that asked candidates to comment on how they thought Internet voting had affected their campaign, a range of viewpoints were offered. In general, the comments were more positive, 50 percent, than negative, 33 percent, while a few comments were neutral, 17 percent, and simply described how the candidate changed the way they approached campaigning. Positive comments primarily focused on how Internet voting allowed voters who were not in the municipality at election time (e.g. students, seasonal residents) to vote easily; making the beginning of the campaign more crucial for attracting and mobilizing supporters; increases in voter turnout; a larger number of young voters; and how generally the option of Internet voting made the voting process easier. Negative comments, by comparison, focused on how Internet voting negatively impacted seniors; those who did not have access to computers; or those who did not trust in the security of the process. Quite a few comments also referenced the fact that while canvassing or attending campaign events, talks with electors often focused on the voting method instead of election issues. This could be a negative effect since understanding candidates’ positions on municipal issues and priorities are important for casting an informed vote and choosing someone the voter feels will adequately represent their interests. One of the most interesting influences of Internet voting on campaigns, now documented over multiple municipal elections, has to do with how it changes voting patterns. While some communities permit voting by Internet on Election Day, others make it available in the advance portion of the election only. In many communities the online advance voting period has meant large increases in advance voter turnout, as electors gravitate toward the voting method. This means that when candidates canvass and try to mobilize voters they encounter many more electors who have already cast a ballot than in past elections where paper ballots were the only advance voting option. To get a sense of how often this happened in the 2014 Ontario municipal election candidates were asked to recall how many people said they had already voted when they were campaigning, Figure 34. 90 Page 49 of 70 Figure 34: When campaigning how many people did you encounter that had already voted? Just under half of the respondents, 45 percent, said they had encountered 10 or more voters that had already voted while canvassing or at campaign functions. Candidates were then asked how many of these people had indicated they had voted online, Figure 35. Figure 35: How many of these people indicated they had voted online? According to nearly one-third, 31 percent, of candidate respondents, all of the voters they encountered said they had already voted online. An additional 29 percent of candidates said more than half of the voters they met indicated they had already voted online. Only 5 percent of candidates said that ‘none’ of the voters said they voted online. This finding is consistent with comments from candidates in previous municipal elections where online ballots were used, and indicates that Internet voting promotes voting in the advance portion of the election. The fact that a greater number of voters cast their ballots 91 Page 50 of 70 early on in the election campaign means that candidates need to be well-prepared going into an election to be able to target potential supporters. It also increases the importance of the beginning of the election period, and depending on how many voters are drawn to advance voting, could lessen the importance of the end of the campaign - a time which has traditionally been crucial to garner votes. This finding means that in communities offering online voting in advance polls, especially those making it available for advance voting only, candidates need to re-think the timelines of traditional campaign strategies to ensure they are able to reach electors before they cast a ballot. 6 .3 Candidates’ opinions of Internet voting use To get a better sense of how candidates feel about the addition of Internet ballots in local elections they were asked whether they are in favour of, or against, its use as an additional voting method, Figure 36, and their feelings about having Internet ballots as the only voting method, Figure 37. Nearly 80 percent of candidates express that they feel favourably about having Internet voting as an additional voting method. A majority of candidates, 51 percent, say they are ‘completely in favour’ of Internet ballots being offered as a complementary voting method, while an additional 28 percent of candidates say they are ‘mostly in favour’ of adding the method. A total of 18 percent of candidates said they are ‘mostly’ or ‘completely’ against Internet voting being offered as an alternate method of voting. This indicates strong support among candidates for the introduction of Internet voting as a complementary voting method. Figure 36: How do you feel about having Internet voting as an additional voting method? 92 Page 51 of 70 Figure 37: How do you feel about having Internet voting as the only option Candidates, however, are not in favour of having Internet voting as the only voting option. Sixty percent of respondents say they are ‘completely against’ having Internet voting as the only option, 21 percent say they are mostly against. Only 16 percent of candidates report being ‘mostly’ or ‘completely’ in favour of Internet voting as the exclusive voting method in local elections. So, while candidates embrace having Internet voting as an additional voting method, they are not in favour of it being the only voting option. While surveyed candidates do not support Internet voting replacing existing voting approaches, they are comfortable with it as an addition to current voting processes. 6 .4 Section summary Overall, candidates are satisfied with Internet voting and see more positive than negative influences from the inclusion of the voting option. Candidate respondents communicate that Internet voting has an impact on the campaign period, notably by encouraging early voter participation, which seems to change voting patterns. Other opinions about the impact on campaigns note that online voting improves voter accessibility for those who out of town during election time, increases the ease of the voting process, and has a positive effect on voter turnout and the voter engagement of young people. In terms of concerns, candidates remark how online voting negatively affects some seniors and those without access to an electronic device with an Internet connection, and comment on public worries about voting security. Candidates strongly support the adoption of Internet voting as a complementary voting method, but are not in favour of it being the only option. These results indicate strong support for the voting method from this stakeholder group, although there is caution to be mindful of some challenges that arose in the 2014 elections to ensure an equitable election process. 93 Page 52 of 70 7 . ELECTION ADMINISTRATORS This portion of the report explores what we can learn about the effects of Internet voting on elections from the perspective of election administrators and their experience in the 2014 Ontario municipal election. 7 .1 Who was represented in the Election administrator survey? Of the municipalities that participated in the election administration component of the research 60 percent used Internet voting for the first time in the 2014 election, while the remaining 40 percent had used it once or more in the past. The largest group of administrative participants, 43 percent, was from municipalities with permanent populations between 10,000 and 25,000, Figure 38. When asked about electorate size, the largest group of administrators, 41 percent, reports a municipal electorate size between 2,000 and 10,000 persons, Figure 39. Though a good proportion of respondents come from smaller municipalities this is somewhat characteristic of the municipalities in the province, since 70 percent of Ontario municipalities have populations of 10,000 persons or less. Figure 38: Permanent population of the municipality Figure 39: Electorate size of municipality 94 Page 53 of 70 7 .2 Why Internet voting for municipal elections? Administrators were asked to select the top reasons their municipality opted to offer Internet voting, Figure 40. Figure 40: Top reasons municipalities adopted Internet voting The most common responses include accessibility, improvements in voter turnout, and convenience. Twenty-five percent of administrators said accessibility is the main reason their municipality chose Internet voting, 22 percent said it was to improve voter turnout, and 17 percent report using it for reasons of convenience. All three of these responses focus on making it easier for voters to cast a ballot or encouraging voter participation, as opposed to reducing costs or improving efficiencies. 7 .3 Satisfaction with the online voting process Administrators report being ‘very satisfied’ with the Internet voting process, Figure 41. Ninety-six percent of administrators were ‘very’ or ‘fairly’ satisfied with the process, and none say they were ‘not at all’ satisfied with the process. Administrators were asked to explain their level of satisfaction with the voting process in an open-ended follow-up question. The majority of comments from satisfied respondents focus 95 Page 54 of 70 on the convenience and speed of the process. Here are a few examples of the open-ended comments that came from respondents who said they were satisfied: • “Internet voting made it easy for non-resident voters to participate in the election if they were already on the voters list. Voting was convenient from home at any time of day.” • “Was able to use far less staff to run the election. Instant results. Great feedback from residents.” • “Quicker to complete for the user and administrative governance rules that require management by election officials.” Figure 41: Overall satisfaction with Internet voting Of those who were not very satisfied, by contrast, the issue of dealing with seniors’ unfamiliarity with computers, issues with the voters’ list, and the timeliness of results were common responses. The following comments were characteristic of those who said they were not satisfied with Internet voting: • “It took over 3 hours for the results to be released from the company operating the Internet/telephone voting. Had the results been available in a more timely manner I would have been very satisfied.” • “Many errors due to an inaccurate voters’ list.” • “As an assistant it was beyond brutal assisting seniors who immediately rebelled against using computers.” In general, administrators are very satisfied with the Internet voting process. They do, however, recognize that educating some seniors, or those with limited knowledge or access to an electronic device with an Internet connection, presents a challenge for the 96 Page 55 of 70 implementation of Internet voting. While educating seniors seemed to be a challenge for some administrators, overall those over the age of 65 years were more likely to make use of Internet voting than electors under 50 years of age suggesting this limitation is not pervasive among the age group. As noted earlier for example, 65 percent of Internet voters who participated in this study said they were over the age of 50. Also, although concerns regarding the voters’ list did not emerge as readily in the survey findings, subsequent discussions with municipal officials indicates that gaining access to an accurate voters’ list is a key challenge moving forward both for the implementation of alternative voting methods and for elections that continue to operate using traditional processes and ballot types. 7 .4 Benefits and challenges of using Internet voting in local elections To get a sense of the advantages and obstacles faced by election administrators, respondents were asked to identify the main benefits and challenges of Internet voting from an administrative point of view, Figures 42 and 43. Figure 42: Main benefits of Internet voting from an administrative perspective The main benefits of Internet voting from election administrator’s perspective include convenience, accessibility, and counting efficiency. These three categories accounted for 43 percent of the responses. Close to 50 percent of the responses in total (10 percent each) encompassed items such as impact on voter participation, equality of the election process, reliability of results, cost savings, and promotion of youth involvement. The greatest challenges administrators communicated are public education and outreach, 23 percent, managing negative media, 16 percent, and potential for fraud, 15 percent. 97 Page 56 of 70 Figure 43: Challenges of Internet voting from an administrative perspective Overall election administrators express that Internet voting makes the act of voting easier for electors and improves the quality of the voting process, both from an administrative perspective and with regards to cost. Primary challenges, according to this group, include getting information out to the electorate and managing the media. Administrators also recognize that the Internet must be accessible and secure for all voters. To gain an understanding of how election administrators perceive the electorate to be affected by Internet voting, respondents were also asked to identify what benefits and challenges they believe Internet voting poses for electors, Figures 44 and 45. Figure 44: Main benefits of Internet voting for electors 98 Page 57 of 70 Figure 45: Main challenges of Internet voting for electors Administrators recognize the main benefits of Internet voting for electors as being convenience and accessibility, 26 and 21 percent respectively. Close to 40 percent of the responses in total focused on improvements to the voting process, such as improving technology, saving money, and improving efficiency. The main challenges administrators believe electors faced with the option of Internet voting include familiarity with computers, 22 percent, learning a new voting method, 19 percent, and potential for fraud, 14 percent. In general, election administrators communicated that their municipality chose Internet voting to make voting more accessible and convenient for voters. Increases in electoral participation were seen as a desired consequence of making these improvements to the voting process. From their point of view improved access to voting and convenience are the main benefits of Internet voting for both administrators and electors. The obstacles they encountered relate to meeting the challenges of introducing a new method of voting to voters from older age cohorts, and those who may not have the digital literacy to make use of the voting method or the desire to change to an alternative ballot form. 7 .5 Cost: Does Internet voting break the bank or save money? Given that cost is a major factor in determining whether governments will move ahead with Internet voting deployment, a few questions sought to get a sense of what the cost impact of implementation was for these municipalities in the 2014 elections. Conventional 99 Page 58 of 70 wisdom used to be that introducing Internet voting was quite costly and meant election budgets would have to be extended significantly for the first few elections until voters felt more comfortable with the method and uptake increased. In 2012, however, some Nova Scotia communities successfully offered Internet voting in their municipal elections without increasing budgets from the previous election. Cape Breton Regional Municipality in particular, managed to keep the budget consistent with that of the previous election while adding an Internet voting component and maintaining paper voting at the polls. These cost savings were achieved based on the approach and implementation strategy used. To gain insight from the 2014 municipal election, administrators were asked to estimate whether election costs had increased or decreased since the introduction of Internet voting, Figure 46. They were then asked to estimate how much the cost per voter had increased or decreased, Figure 47. Figure 46: Since introducing Internet voting election costs have... The largest group of administrators said they did not know whether costs had increased or decreased with the addition of the Internet voting option, 38 percent. This likely has to do with the fact that municipal clerks and deputy clerks are typically in charge of budgets and though these officials took part in the survey many respondents included other permanent or contract election staff that were not involved as much in the budgetary portion of election planning. Thirty-one percent of this group thought costs had decreased, 18 percent thought they had increased, and 14 percent believed they stayed the same. To examine the issue of cost further, a cross-tabulation of overall satisfaction with Internet voting and whether Internet voting has increased or decreased election costs was produced to determine if those who were less satisfied with Internet voting were more likely to have 100 Page 59 of 70 said that election costs had increased. There was no difference between administrators who said they were ‘satisfied’ with Internet voting and those who were ‘dissatisfied’ with Internet voting and their opinions of whether Internet voting had increased or decreased costs12. Figure 47: How much would you say the cost to run an election per elector has changed since Internet voting was introduced? Probing the impact of cost more specifically, Figure 47, 20 percent of administrators thought that election expenditures decreased by 20 percent or more per elector and an additional 12 percent thought the costs would have decreased between 1 and 19 percent. Eighteen percent of administrators said they believe election costs had stayed the same. With respect to increases, 27 percent of administrators thought costs increased by up to 20 percent and an additional 20 percent thought costs would have increased by more than 20 percent. This mixture of responses is not surprising given that a range of municipalities that participated in the research, some with electorates of a few thousand and others responsible for over 100,000 electors. Municipal budgets for elections depend on size and so there is a considerable difference in what the average cost to run an election might be, based on the particular municipality. Furthermore, the Internet voting vendor chosen, the model or approach used (for example, including registration or not), and other changes made to traditional components of the process play a role in cost variance across communities. Depending on these elements, Internet voting can be introduced and cost savings realized, even from previous election budgets, or election expenditures can increase slightly or significantly 13. 12 Cell sizes were small. 13 A further analysis will be carried out down the road to highlight strategies governments can implement to maintain cost efficiencies while preserving paper ballot voting and introducing Internet voting. 101 Page 60 of 70 Cost increases or decreases aside, however, the majority of administrators said they would recommend Internet voting in subsequent municipal, provincial and federal elections, Figure 48. Support is highest for recommending Internet voting in the 2018 municipal election with 81 percent of administrators saying they would ‘definitely’ recommend Internet voting. Overall, 97 percent of administrators surveyed say Internet voting should ‘definitely’ or ‘probably’ be used in the next municipal election, 96 percent support its use in future provincial elections, and 95 percent would recommend its deployment in federal elections; finding strong support for the inclusion of Internet voting in binding elections. Internet voters surveyed for this report echo these feelings of support for the voting method (details of this support is explored above in Section 4). Figure 48: Would you recommend Internet voting In the next municipal, provincial and federal elections? 7 .6 Other perceived impacts of Internet voting To learn more about administrators’ attitudes and opinions toward Internet voting they were asked to agree or disagree with a series of statements that touched upon some potential impacts earlier research suggested online voting may have, and how respondents feel about the risks of Internet voting compared to other methods, Figure 49. Responses to these opinion questions indicate that administrators are very positive about the Internet voting option. • Over half of the group, 58 percent, agree that voter turnout was positively affected because of the extension of Internet voting, while 12 percent disagree with the statement. 102 Page 61 of 70 ᴏ Since almost 30 percent of this group did not agree or disagree with the statement, it is possible this information was not available to the administrators at the time of the survey, notably for those communities that had used the voting method for the first time in 2014. While this does not mean Internet voting increases voter turnout, there is the perception among the stakeholder groups studied in this research that it does. • Seventy-four percent of administrators agree with the statement, ‘The tabulation of election results is more efficient with Internet voting’, while 14 percent disagree. ᴏ This indicates a majority of administrators feel Internet voting delivers efficiencies to vote tabulation and end of election wrap-up. • Over 90 percent of administrators agree with the statement, ‘Internet voting makes the voting process more accessible for electors’, while less than 2 percent of this group disagree. ᴏ There are strong feelings among stakeholder groups surveyed here that Internet ballots improve voting accessibility. • Over 70 percent of administrators disagree with the statement, ‘There are more risks with Internet voting than with mail-in ballots’. Only 8 percent of the group agree, and 21 percent neither agree nor disagree with this statement. • Asked the same question about telephone voting 52 percent disagree that voting by Internet carries greater risks than casting a ballot by phone. A further 43 percent neither agree nor disagree, while only 4 percent agree. • Forty-four percent of administrators disagree with the statement, ‘There are more risks with Internet voting than in person paper ballots’, while 22 percent of the group agree. When it comes to perceived risks of voting methods then, administrators seem most confident in the risk level of Internet voting when compared with other remote voting options such as voting by mail and telephone voting. Specifically, there are strong feelings that voting by Internet is not riskier than voting by mail. In fact, many comments from administrators communicate that they believe Internet voting is actually safer from a security and fraud perspective that mail-in ballots. While they are less certain about telephone voting, a majority still agrees voting by Internet is not riskier. These feelings about risk are not the same when administrators compare paper and Internet voting. Although there is not strong agreement that ‘there are more risks with Internet voting’, 103 Page 62 of 70 strong levels of disagreement are not present as they are with the other two statements. This suggests administrators are less certain that Internet voting does not have as many risks as voting by paper ballot. Figure 49: Agreement with statements about Internet voting 7 .7 Section summary In general, administrators are very positive about the impact, security, efficiency and value of online voting. Respondents communicate that municipalities decided to use Internet voting to make voting more convenient and accessible for voters, and in the end, felt that this had been achieved. Increasing voter turnout was another common motivation and a majority of administrators surveyed believed the option of online ballots had positively affected electoral participation. Administrators showed confidence and satisfaction with the voting method by strong majorities recommending adding it for future municipal, provincial and federal elections. Administrators also acknowledged challenges with implementing a new process and voting method. Specifically, many felt that seniors were resistant to learning a new way of voting and expressed concern about those who may not have access to computers or the Internet. Given that we know seniors are likely users of Internet voting, this seems to be a concern 104 Page 63 of 70 that can be managed. Access to, and familiarity with, the Internet, however, should probably be more of a concern since most Internet voters have access to an Internet connection at home and use it daily. Finally, concerns regarding potential for fraud, the voters’ list, and some delays in results were also communicated. 105 Page 64 of 70 8 . CONCLUSION The results of this study strengthen our understanding of how the use of Internet voting in local Ontario elections impacts stakeholders and teach us about their attitudes and opinions of the technology. These findings also allow us to extrapolate some broader lessons learned that are particularly important for local governments to pay attention to as they adapt existing Internet voting programmes or consider deployment of the technology in future elections or other types of votes. Commonalities Among Stakeholders Overall this study finds strong support for Internet voting among voters, candidates, and election administrators in Ontario. In addition to high levels of satisfaction among all three groups, voters and local government administrators say they would like to see online ballots offered in elections at all levels of Canadian government. This suggests the incorporation of the voting technology would be a welcome service change. With respect to paper voters, though some prefer the traditional voting method and would like to stick with it, a sizeable proportion say they would use Internet voting in a future election. Some say they would vote online ‘no matter what’, while others indicate they would use the service under special circumstances which may prevent them from making it to a physical poll location. Altogether, there is strong support for the deployment of Internet voting in local elections. Even among non-users of the service there is a desire to see it continue as a complementary voting option to ensure voting accessibility and convenience for electors. When it comes to the effects of Internet voting, commonalities between Internet voters, candidates and election administration include perceptions of improved electoral accessibility and convenience. Convenience is the biggest motivation for voters (both Internet and paper) and is identified as a benefit by electoral administrators. All three groups clearly communicate that Internet voting makes the voting process ‘easier’ and adds efficiencies to the election process more generally. Finally, comments suggest Internet voting delivers improvements in voter turnout. While in some cases the deployment of Internet voting is accompanied by increases in voter participation, it is more likely this observation is a reflection of changes in turnout patterns brought about by Internet voting, particularly when it is only offered 106 Page 65 of 70 in the advance portion of an election. It is likely this is what many stakeholders (e.g. candidates) observed as opposed to increases in overall turnout14. This report cannot make a determination as to whether Internet voting delivers increases in turnout as there are many contextual factors that impact the number of electors who turn out, such as the salience of election issues, closeness of the race, acclamations, and other factors15. Certainly Internet voting seems to attract those who already identify as committed voters and therefore are likely to vote anyway. For a small group of reported non-voters, however, the option of Internet voting seems to be sufficiently motivating to engage them in the voting process. Internet ballots are also the preferred remote voting method for those who are unable to make it to a physical poll location. What Can We Learn from This Research? There are several lessons we can take away from the Internet Voting Project findings. The first is that Internet voting is desirable for election stakeholders in Ontario and is a welcome addition to keep pace with societal changes, accommodate electors’ increasingly busy schedules, and to help mitigate factors that may limit voter accessibility of physical poll locations. Use of this technology in elections is not only desirable for local elections, but provincial and federal races also. When offered it is almost always the preferred voting method over other ballot types, and is the favoured remote voting option. Second, despite comments about observed improvements in turnout, this study, and other research, clearly indicates that Internet voting is not the magic bullet solution to improve voter participation or to engage young people. This research suggests there is modest potential to engage some non-voters and that Internet voting might enable the act of voting when attending a physical poll location may not be possible. While these could deliver improvements in turnout, they are modest, and technology is not a band-aid solution for other institutional or cultural factors that affect citizens’ willingness to participate. Finally, findings show that remote Internet voting is particularly desirable for the youngest and oldest electors, although the youngest group is less likely to actually use it. 14 When a voting method is offered in advance polls only it is not possible to determine what the effect on overall turnout is, since it is not made available on Election Day. 15 Additional research is being done regarding the turnout question as part of this project. An analysis of the 44 Ontario municipalities that used Internet voting in 2010 compared with a matched sample of 44 communities that did not showed a 3.5% increase controlling for other factors. 107 Page 66 of 70 Third, older electors are cited as a challenge to deployment, but at the same time they are the biggest users. Some older electors experience challenges using the technology and learning about a new voting method, or feeling comfortable making use of it. This is an observation for governments to be mindful of as they integrate technology in elections to ensure they are equally enabling voting for electors of all ages. While some seniors experience difficulty, however, voters over 50 years of age are the most likely to vote by Internet, even if they do not use the Internet everyday or feel confident in their knowledge of computers and the Internet. This indicates that older electors are inclined to vote by Internet and, in fact, many are willing to use the service despite having low digital literacy. It is important to recognize this groups’ attraction to Internet voting and work to ensure these electors have access to the tools needed to participate electronically if they wish to do so. Fourth, Internet voting has an impact on voting patterns, especially when offered as a voting option in advance polls only. Using Internet voting in this way not only delivers increases in advance voter participation, as many voters decide to cast their ballots early, but it also affects the campaign period and local government resources. An increased number of electors voting in the advance portion of the election make the front portion of the campaign more crucial for candidates to get out their messaging and platform, talk to electors, and mobilize support. At the same time, it means the end of the campaign period lessens in importance since many voters have already cast a ballot. This is important for candidates to understand as they campaign in a changing voting environment. Finally, an increase in voters casting ballots in advance of Election Day means that administrative resources can be more evenly spread over the entire election period. Additional resources may be required during advance polling periods, while the traditional staff requirements are not needed on Election Day. Fifth, the inclusion of Internet voting in elections does not have to break the bank, as was previously thought. Though the approach and model used greatly affects the cost of the election, there are many instances in which Internet voting deployment has reduced election budgets or kept them consistent with accounting from previous years – while maintaining physical poll locations and paper voting. The cost of an election with this technology really rests in the design and approach a government chooses. At the local level, this varies based on contextual factors that influence the nature of the election and the goals of the administering government. 108 Page 67 of 70 Sixth, the biggest challenge to implementation is sufficient education and outreach to election stakeholders, particularly electors. It is important governments have a robust communications plan in place and engage stakeholders early and often. Seniors in particular, may require additional outreach. Next, although it was more muted in survey findings, an accurate voters’ list presents significant challenges for use of Internet voting. An accurate voters’ list helps to ensure that voter cards or packages are sent to appropriate parties, which are required for both 1-step and 2-step Internet voting approaches. Post-election many clerks commented that the 2014 voters’ list was one of the more challenging lists to work with, despite new tools that were introduced to improve voter registration. Though list accuracy is a challenge at all levels of government this will be an important area of focus in the coming years to ensure deployment of this type of election technology works as it is designed to, and appropriately enables electors. Seventh, the primary reasons to use Internet voting include convenience and accessibility. A majority of voters are attracted to the voting method because of the perceived convenience it provides at election time. Paper voters are inclined to say they would use the service for the same reason. For a smaller portion of voters, the added accessibility of voting online is the attraction because it is perceived as better enabling voting rights under certain conditions. Candidates and election administrators echo these qualities as being benefits of the technology and as a rationale for its inclusion in elections. This report finds Internet voting is fulfilling these goals in the minds of stakeholders. Consideration should be given to these two reasons, notably the continual mention of convenience, as governments develop approaches to electoral modernization. If added convenience for the electorate is not a priority in election frameworks, and if sufficient improvements in accessibility cannot be realized, election officials may think twice about online voting adoption. Overall Internet voting receives positive reviews from the election stakeholders surveyed here and is embraced as a welcome addition to traditional election processes. In Ontario it appears Internet voting uptake will continue to grow and become part of electoral modernization at the local level so long as there remains demand from citizens, candidates, and the bureaucratic will to innovate the administration of elections. 109 Page 68 of 70 Appendix A: List of Participating Municipalities The following 47 municipalities across Ontario took part in this research. • Addington Highlands • Ajax • Archipelago • Brockton • Brockville • Burlington • Cambridge • Carling • Central Huron • Cobourg • Deep River • Frontenac Islands • Grimsby • Guelph • Huron East • Huron Kinloss • Innisfil • Kenora • Kingsville • Laurentian Valley • Leamington • Lucan-Biddulph • Markham • McKellar • Middlesex Centre • Minden Hills • Mulmur • North Dundas • North Frontenac • North Glengarry • North Stormont • Port Hope • Quinte West • Shuniah • South Dundas • South Frontenac • South Glengarry • South Stormont • Southwest Middlesex • Springwater • Strathroy-Caradoc • Sudbury • Tay Valley • Tecumseh • Wasaga Beach • West Elgin • West Perth 110 Page 69 of 70 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS About the Centre for e-Democracy The Centre for e-Democracy is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to initiating, translating and disseminating research and knowledge on the impact of digital technologies on politics and democracy. Founded by Delvinia CEO Adam Froman in collaboration with Nicole Goodman, PhD, the Centre is the first of its kind in Canada and will be a hot spot for e-democracy research with aim of making a real, practical impact on Canadians’ knowledge and understanding of the use of technology in society and politics. For more information about the Centre, or to donate to the organization, please visit centreforedemocracy.com. About Nicole Goodman Dr . Nicole Goodman serves as Director of the Centre for e-Democracy with a concurrent appointment as Assistant Professor at the Munk School of Global Affairs. Her current research largely focuses on the impacts of digital technology on Canadian political behaviour and public policy. Internet voting in a Canadian context is one of her subject specialities and she is recognized as the leading expert in Canada. She has co-authored multiple academic papers and reports for EMBs and governments across Canada on the topic and has provided advice internationally regarding the adoption of online voting in elections. Nicole recently led a study of online voting in the 2014 Ontario municipal elections and its effects of technology on voters, candidates, and election administrators. She is currently part of three SSHRC-funded research projects to understand the impact of digital technology on municipalities and First Nations in Canada. About Heather Pyman Heather Pyman is a graduate of the Communication programme at Carleton University. She is currently the Director of Research in the Carleton University Survey Centre, a research unit in the School of Journalism and Communication. She is also a lecturer in the School of Journalism and Communication and teaches courses on research methods. 111 Page 70 of 70 CONTACT For more information about this report, please contact: Nicole Goodman, Director ngoodman@centreforedemocracy.com The Centre for e-Democracy 370 King Street West, 5th Floor, Box 4 Toronto, ON, Canada, M5V 1J9 P (416) 364-5085 F (416) 364-9830 www.thecentreforedemocracy.com 112 Report Title Ranked Ballot Voting Report No. CL 17-02 Author Donna Wilson, Town Clerk Meeting Type Council Meeting Council Date January 23, 2017 Attachments Link to e-laws regulations Link to simple video on RBV process RECOMMENDATION THAT Council receives Report CL 17-02 Ranked Ballot Voting; AND THAT Council maintain the existing vote counting method for the 2018 municipal election. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY At the Council meeting of October 11, 2016 staff provided a report on the Municipal Election Modernization Act and the numerous changes to the Municipal Elections Act (MEA). Staff indicated that an additional report would be provided on “Ranked Ballot Voting” (RBV) as an alternative to the current election system of “First-Past-The-Post” method. BACKGROUND The Ontario government passed the Municipal Elections Modernization Act (MEMA), 2016, on June 7, 2016, which amends the Municipal Elections Act (MEA). Amongst the various amendments made through the MEMA, municipalities were provided the option of allowing “Ranked Ballot Voting” (RBV), as an alternative to the current election system of “First-Past-The- Post” (FPTP). Staff attended a full day session in October hosted by AMCTO regarding the various changes to the MEA under the MEMA which included “Ranked Ballot Voting”. In September of 2016 the regulations which bring ranked ballot voting into force under the MEMA were posted. Provided is the link to the regulations. https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/160310 DISCUSSION The concept of RBV, including the many pros and cons of this form of election system, has been widely detailed in the media. In essence, RBV allows a voter to rank candidates in order of preference - first choice, second choice, third choice, etc. - instead of just voting for one candidate. Under this election system, if one’s first choice candidate is eliminated, RBV takes Page 1 / 5 CL 17-02 RBV 113 into account the next choices on their ballot, which is meant to ensure that the winning candidate(s) receive, more often, support from a majority of voters. While it may not yet be fully understood what this type of election system may look like for an Ontario municipal election, some of the key requirements to consider, as per Ontario Regulation 310/16, are as follows: Municipalities must pass a by-law to authorize RBV: • The by-law must be passed no later than May 1 in the year before the year of the election (e.g. May 1, 2017, for the 2018 election). • Before passing a by-law, the Council must consider:  The costs of conducting the election;  The availability of technology, including vote counting equipment and software;  The impact the proposed by-law would have on election administration. • The by-law may specify the maximum number of rankings that an elector may make. The maximum number of rankings may be different for each office being elected. If the by-law does not specify the maximum number of rankings, the default maximum is three. Public consultation must occur prior to deciding to implement RBV: • Before passing a by-law, the municipality must hold at least one open house to provide the public with information about:  How elections would be conducted, including a description of vote counting;  Estimated costs of conducting the election;  Any voting and vote-counting equipment that is being considered for use in the election;  Any alternative voting method being considered for use in the election. • Notice of the open house shall be published at least 30 days prior to the event • Following the open house, the municipality must hold a public meeting to allow the public to speak to council about the proposed by-law:  The public meeting must be held at least 15 days after the open house is held.  Notice of the public meeting shall be provided 30 days prior to the event. Which offices on a municipal council may be elected using RBV: • If a by-law is passed, RBV must be used to elect all members of a Council; • If RBV is authorized for a regular election, RBV must also be used in any by-elections that are held to fill council vacancies during the council term. Page 2 / 5 114 Ballot requirements: • The general rules for what can appear on a ballot set out in the Municipal Elections Act would continue to apply to RBV; • In addition to being required to be available in the voting place, the ballots to be used in a RBV election must contain the following information:  The number of candidates to be elected for each office;  Instructions to the voter on how to mark the ballot to rank their preferences;  The maximum number of candidates that may be ranked on the ballot for each office. Vote counting in a RBV election: • Various items to consider depending on the particular election being for one candidate, or more than one (multiple) candidates. • How Rankings will be Interpreted:  The voter's preference will be determined by looking at the rankings given to candidates;  If a voter gives the same candidate more than one ranking, only the highest of those rankings will be considered;  If a voter skips a ranking, the next highest ranking will be considered.  If a voter gives two candidates the highest ranking, so that it is not possible to determine which candidate is the voter's first preference, the ballot will be rejected;  In any round of counting after the first round, if a ballot is to be transferred, but it is not possible to determine which candidate is the voter's next preference, the ballot becomes exhausted;  A voter does not have to rank the maximum number of preferences. For example, if a voter only ranks one candidate, that candidate would be the voter's highest preference. If the ballot is to be transferred in a later round, it would become exhausted because it would not be possible to determine the voter's next preference. • Elimination of candidates:  Candidates may be eliminated either using “single elimination” or “batch elimination”;  The clerk has the authority to decide which elimination method will be used. The same elimination method must be used for all offices, and all rounds of vote counting;  In the single elimination method, the candidate who has the lowest number of votes is eliminated, and those votes are distributed to the remaining candidates according to the next preference shown on each ballot;  In the batch elimination method, all candidates who do not have a mathematical chance of being elected are eliminated at the same time, and those votes are distributed to the remaining candidates according to the next preference shown on each ballot. Page 3 / 5 115 • Calculation of the threshold:  A candidate must receive a predetermined number of votes for that office in order to be elected. The regulation will set out the mathematical formula for calculating this number for each office to be elected. Information about Election Results: • As soon as possible after voting day, the Clerk shall make the following information about the election available to the public:  The number of ballots cast;  The number of ballots declined;  The number of ballots in which the votes for the office were rejected;  The threshold calculated to determine the election of a candidate to office;  The number of votes cast for each candidate at the first round of vote counting;  The results of each round of vote counting, including the number of votes received by each continuing candidate for the round, and the number of exhausted ballots. In order to decide as to whether or not to provide for RBV in the 2018 municipal election, Council must really consider this item now. As noted above, given the date of May 1, 2017, as the absolute deadline to pass a by-law, and in consideration of the required public notice periods and public consultation, it is necessary for Council to firmly decide on a direction as soon as possible. At first glance, and especially when reviewing the various requirements and other information in the Regulation, RBV appears to be a more complicated election system. Depending on whether the particular office to be elected is for a single candidate or multiple candidates, the complexity appears to grow. The following videos provided by Minnesota Public Radio attempt to explain RBV election systems in a simplified manner, for both single and multiple candidate elections: • Single - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5SLQXNpzsk • Multiple - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNxwMdI8OWw For clarification, the single candidate system would be used for the Mayor race and the Deputy Mayor race (if include a Deputy Mayor) and the multiple candidate system would be used for the remaining councillors. The concept seems to be more straightforward with the simplified video, however for a municipal election with up to 12,000 ballots cast the system could be very complicated and time consuming to count. Nonetheless, substantial public consultation and engagement would be required, above and beyond the legislated requirements, before implementing such a significant change to our current electoral system. Also, there are Clerks and other municipal staff not yet entirely comfortable with understanding how an RBV election would actually function, so it is entirely understandable that the general public would require additional consultation on the matter. Without sufficient public consultation, a change to RBV could lead to public confusion, Page 4 / 5 116 which may have a negative impact on completed ballots and ultimately, voter turnout. The public consultation process would require significant staff resources, particularly for the next few months. As well, while all of the costs are not known, the general consensus is that greater financial resources will be required to host an RBV election. At minimum, there will be additional costs required for: • Hosting Public Open House(s)/ Public Meeting(s); • Various communications and other materials to provide to the public; • Ballots (formatting, additional communication, additional electronic counting requirements etc.); • Additional staff time related to training, preparation, consultation etc. Further, the lack of current adoption by others remains a significant issue to be considered. No provinces or municipalities across Canada are currently using this election system, nor has anyone yet committed to this election system. Further, only a small handful of municipalities in the United States have implemented multi-member RBV processes. 2018 is the first year that Ontario municipalities would actually have the option of implementing an RBV election. Staff is recommending that the Town monitor and learn from the implementation experiences of other municipalities in Ontario to ensure that additional costs, considerations of public interest and risks are identified and mitigated prior to implementing such a system in Tillsonburg. CONSULTATION/COMMUNICATION MMA/AMCTO presentations at their workshop in October and the zone meeting in November, 2016. A public survey was conducted from the beginning of November 2016 until January 12, 2017. The survey included a question regarding RBV whether residents would like to implement this method in the 2018 Municipal Election. Residents were also given the opportunity to learn more about the process; however no one indicated that they would like additional information. 32 of the 53 surveys received indicated they would prefer the use of Ranked Ballots. This result may not be a true indication of support for this method of vote counting as there have been no public open houses or public sessions to explain the RBV process, costs and to provide an informed level of understanding. These results may be different under those circumstances. FINANCIAL IMPACT/FUNDING SOURCE Not yet know and will have to be determined if RBV is implemented. COMMUNITY STRATEGIC PLAN (CSP) IMPACT Section 1 – Excellence in Local Government 1.3 Demonstrate accountability – provide the public with updates and information on election methods for the next municipal election. Page 5 / 5 117 Report Title Memorial Park Revitalization Project Update Report No. RCP 17-11 Author Rick Cox, Director of Recreation, Culture & Parks Meeting Type Council Meeting Council Date January 23, 2017 Attachments • Memorial Park Revitalization Project Subcommittee Terms of Reference RECOMMENDATION THAT Report RCP 17-11 – Memorial Park Revitalization Project Update be received for information. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Council has requested a comprehensive report on the status of the Memorial Park Revitalization Project. BACKGROUND At the Council meeting of January 9, 2017 Council passed the following motion: Moved by: Councillor Adam Seconded by: Councillor Rosehart THAT Council receive Report RCP 17-04, Memorial Park Hardball Diamonds; AND FURTHER THAT staff be directed to prepare a comprehensive report on the status of the Memorial Park Revitalization Committee, including proposed projects, partners, funding options and governance reporting structure to Council, and that Report be provided for Council consideration in January 2017. Status The Memorial Park Revitalization Project Subcommittee (MPRPS) membership and Terms of Reference were established by Council Resolution on April 25, 2016: Moved By: Councillor Esseltine Seconded By: Councillor Stephenson THAT Council receives the request from the Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee; AND THAT Council endorses the Terms of Reference for the Sub-Committee; AND THAT Council appoints Mike Cerna, Mel Getty, Susan Labanich, Dace Zvanitajs, Rosemary Dean, Scott Vitias, Derek Partlo, Trevor Lamb, Chris Parker, John Glass, Shane Curtis, Lance McKenzie, Cedric Tomico, Scott McKenzie and Terry Smith to the Memorial Park Revitalization Project Sub-Committee. The MPRPS is a subcommittee of the Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee (P&RAC) and reports to the P&RAC. The MPRPS has been meeting more or less bi-weekly since June 2016. In addition to 3 members of the P&RAC, the MPRPS currently includes representation from the Agricultural Society, the Lions, Kinsmen & Rotary Clubs, the Lake Lisgar Revitalization Page 1 / 4 RCP 17-11 - Memorial Park Revitalization 118 Committee, skatepark users, Tillsonburg Minor Ball, and the J. Scott McLean Legacy Fund. Softball user groups and the Optimist Club were invited but have not participated so far. The MPRPS was tasked through the Terms of Reference (attached) to “provide recommendations on all aspects of the planning, design and construction of the Revitalization project” and do this through the P&RAC to Council. In order to accomplish that mission, the MPRPS has been attempting to identify and determine locations for ‘anchor’ infrastructure elements that will constrain other components of the revitalization. To date, the MPRPS has made recommendations to Council regarding the establishment of a pumptrack, the removal of the racetrack, and the relocation of Hardball Diamond #1. Council endorsed the pumptrack but has not yet made final decisions regarding the racetrack and ball diamond. It is not possible to proceed with implementing the Celebration Plaza project without removing some portions of the racetrack. (See Report RCP 17-12 – Celebration Plaza Update). A Council decision on the number and nature of hardball diamonds is essential to enable the rest of the site configuration to proceed as referenced in the Conceptual Master Plan for Memorial Park & Lake Lisgar. Proposed projects Within the overall parameters of achieving the theme of “groomed nature” expressed through the recommendations in the Conceptual Master Plan, the MPRPS discussions have included the following projects to some degree or another (in alphabetical order): • A bandshell or similar purposed structure; • A clay-infield, full-size hardball diamond; • A clay-infield, little league size hardball diamond; • A fieldhouse for ball users including storage & shade and possibly washrooms & a canteen; • A gateway arch and parkette at the intersection of Lisgar and Hardy Avenues; • A grove of memorial trees; • A hard surface suitable for derby & tractor-pull style events; • A landscaped gateway at the East end of the pedestrian bridge on Delevan St.; • A large open grass field; • A new agricultural building incorporating exhibit space, washrooms, office & canteen; • A pumptrack and associated amenities like shade sails and seating in the area between the existing skatepark and Lisgar Avenue; • A splash pad integrated with a seasonal, artificial ice pad; • A variety of picnic pavilion configurations, locations and sizes; • An active walking trail along the West side of the property extending from Lisgar Avenue along behind the tennis courts and around the edge of the SW gravel parking area including outdoor exercise equipment, playground enhancements and a proposed yoga platform; • An area suitable for holding equestrian events; • An enhanced entrance from Lisgar Avenue to the North East corner of the park; • An enhanced playground in the North East corner of the park; • An expanded footprint for the Lake Lisgar Waterpark; Page 2 / 4 RCP 17-11 - Memorial Park Revitalization 119 • An outdoor, seasonal, artificial ice pad which would be used for other purposes (e.g. basketball, ball hockey, vendors) during the spring, summer & fall; • Enhanced gateways at Sanders & John Streets; • Parking improvements in various areas of the park; The MPRPS has also discussed the need for the utility and access infrastructure to serve the long-term needs of the site, and how planning for that should take place in advance of any construction. Partners & Funding Options Funding partners that have made commitments to date include the Government of Canada ($128,300 from the Canada 150 Infrastructure Fund towards a Celebration Plaza) and the Tillsonburg Kinsmen Club ($50,000 towards a bandshell/performance space). The Tillsonburg Rotary Club is discussing contribution of approximately $30,000 towards the active trail & tennis court area. The Tillsonburg Lions Club and the J. Scott McLean Legacy Fund have not made a formal commitment. In addition to their cash contribution, the Tillsonburg Kinsmen Club has made a commitment to support a splash pad, either as part of this project or perhaps elsewhere in Town. TMBI has indicated a desire to support certain ‘extras’ associated with a full-size hardball diamond, like irrigation. In addition to the above, $37,225 in donations has been received by the Town towards the pumptrack. Committee Structure & Governance The MPRPS is structured with 2 co-Chairs from the P&RAC. One of the co-chairs is also the Chair of the P&RAC. Recommendations are made by resolution at the MPRPS and forwarded to the P&RAC. There is no direct Council representation on the MPRPS, but Councillor Esseltine serves on the P&RAC. In late November, some discussion was held at the P&RAC about whether to consider changing the overall governance structure, but in the end the P&RAC decided that the status quo was appropriate. As a result, the MPRPS has not discussed this issue. The MPRPS continues to meet bi-weekly and the P&RAC will call special meetings to review recommendations if timely decisions are required. As a result of the recent funding commitments, the short timelines associated with the Canada150 funding, and the high visibility of the project, Council may prefer to elevate the MPRPS to an Advisory Committee of Council and add direct Council representation. Advantages of taking this step include having a direct communication path to Council and reducing the length of time it takes for recommendations to reach Council. Disadvantages include removing the P&RAC from the process and the increased workload for the designated Council representative(s). CONSULTATION/COMMUNICATION N/A Page 3 / 4 RCP 17-11 - Memorial Park Revitalization 120 FINANCIAL IMPACT/FUNDING SOURCE The Memorial Park Revitalization Project funding to date has included $150,000 from Town funds ($50,000 in each of 2015, 2016 and 2017), Federal grant funds (CIF Intake 2 results of $128,300) and funds from community partners. So far a commitment has been made by the Kinsmen Club for $50,000 towards a bandshell/performance space in the Celebration Plaza. COMMUNITY STRATEGIC PLAN (CSP) IMPACT This issue paper provides information in alignment with the following Objectives of the Community Strategic Plan: • Objective 1 – Excellence in Local Government • Objective 2 – Economic Sustainability • Objective 3 – Demographic Balance • Objective 4 – Culture & Community Page 4 / 4 RCP 17-11 - Memorial Park Revitalization 121 Memorial Park Revitalization Project Subcommittee Terms of Reference The Subcommittee (The “Committee”) is a sub-committee of the Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee (“P&RAC”). The Committee will be responsible for recommendations regarding the Memorial Park Revitalization Project and will provide regular updates to the Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee. Mandate 1. To provide recommendations on all aspects of the planning, design and construction of the Revitalization project making recommendations to Council through the P&RAC as appropriate. 2. The Committee will have responsibility over the planning, development and construction of an overhaul of the Memorial Park area (the “Memorial Park Revitalization Project”). The Committee will also provide a regular forum in which stakeholders of the Memorial Park may meet to discuss items and share information and other issues and events of mutual interest and/or concern as they relate to the planning, design and construction of the Revitalization Project. 3. The Committee’s recommendations will take into consideration such things as heritage, efficiency, current and projected use, budget, architectural and landscape design, environmental impact, aesthetics, active transportation principles, accessibility guidelines, municipal policy and building code issues. 4. User group and funding partner representatives shall report to their respective organizations and only have the ability to make decisions based on the authority of their elected, delegated or administrative position within their respective organization. 5. The Committee will have authority as delegated by the P&RAC and decisions will be made by mutual consent. Responsibilities 6. Determine the recommended overall layout and implementation phases of the Memorial Park Revitalization Project and recommend same to Council through the P&RAC. 7. Provide input and advice as requested to the professional design and consultant services secured by the Town to complete the Project. 8. Ensure that planning and design processes consider the aspirations and objectives of the Community and other stakeholders. 9. Town staff will provide the Committee with access to relevant information and documentation as necessary to facilitate participation and discussion at meetings of the Committee. Composition 10. The Committee will include four members of the P&RAC, two of which will serve as co-chairs. 11. The Committee will include representatives of funding partners and user groups. Funding partners are considered organizations or individuals that pledge or contribute more than $25,000 to the Project. User groups represented shall include at minimum the Tri-County Agricultural Society, the Lake Lisgar Revitalization Committee, and Tillsonburg Minor Ball Inc. 12. One representative will be sought from each of the following: • Tri-County Agricultural Society • Tillsonburg Minor Ball Inc. • Tillsonburg Mens’ Slo-Pitch • Tillsonburg Ladies’ Slo-Pitch • Park Event Organizers • Lake Lisgar Revitalization Committee • Tillsonburg Kinsmen Club • Tillsonburg & District Lions Club • Tillsonburg Rotary Club • J. L. Scott McLean Legacy Fund • Kolin Smith Memorial Skatepark & Tillsonburg Pumptrack 122 Report Title Celebration Plaza Project Update Report No. RCP 17-12 Author Rick Cox, Director of Recreation, Culture & Parks Meeting Type Council Meeting Council Date January 23, 2017 Attachments • Canada 150 Infrastructure Intake II Application • Letter from FedDev Southern Ontario RECOMMENDATION THAT Report RCP 17-12 – Celebration Plaza Project Update be received for information; AND THAT Council authorize staff to initiate procurement of the site works required to remove the portions of the racetrack that need to be removed to facilitate the Celebration Plaza; AND THAT Council authorize staff to continue working with RKLA and the Memorial Park Revitalization Project Subcommittee to finalize the design of the Celebration Plaza project to bring back for Council approval. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In order to have the Celebration Plaza project ready for use in time for Turtlefest and Canada Day 2017, the design must be completed and the site work must begin as soon as possible. BACKGROUND In Report RCP 2017-05 – Canada 150 Infrastructure Grant Update provided to Council as information at the their meeting of January 9, 2017, Council was advised that "Staff will work with the Memorial Park Revitalization Subcommittee and the consultants from RKLA to finalize the required design work as quickly as possible for Council’s review and approval”. Since January 9, the project has been reviewed with RKLA to establish a preliminary schedule and scope of work for implementation. The design will need to be approved at the March 2nd Council meeting and site work will need to begin on or around March 1. The cost profile of the project submitted for the successful funding application included a breakdown of cost categories totalling $385,000. The application requested a 33% contribution towards the project which included work on the implementation of the Memorial Park Revitalization Project. The approved project outline includes: • Installation of Celebration Plaza including commemorative plantings, flags, and space for outdoor performances; • Upgrades to Trans-Canada Trail and pedestrian connections through site to barrier-free status; • Creation of a formal gateway including Confederation Rose Garden; • Reconfiguring and improving hardball diamond to make it accessible to all ages; • Naturalizing pathway corridors with native species; Page 1 / 3 RCP 17-12 - Celebration Plaza Project Up Cost categories Budget Spent to date Project Design/Management 35,000$ 6,780$ Construction 315,000$ 8,240$ Contingency 35,000$ Total 385,000$ 15,020$ 123 Other benefits of the project were identified as: • Improved access for persons with disabilities; • Walkways that provide improved service to the residents who use the site as an active transportation route to school, shopping and work; • Improvements that help event organizers reduce costs and attract more visitors and vendors; • Use of solar and LED site lighting to improve energy efficiency; • Improvements to the cost effectiveness of maintenance activity. If the hardball diamond element does not remain part of the project, staff will need to advise the granting agency (FedDev Ontario) and seek approval before proceeding with the redefined project. If the hardball diamond is part of the project, the most cost-effective approach to construction will result in the reconfigured diamond not being available for use at least until later in the season and potentially not until the 2018 season. A decision on this element is required as soon as possible so the appropriate design can be prepared, and if necessary, approval obtained for the amended project plan. Once it has been received from the granting agency, staff will be providing Council with a report seeking authority for the Mayor & Clerk to sign a Contribution Agreement. As part of that Agreement, a resolution is required from Council referencing the contribution agreement, the project name and the approved funding amount. CONSULTATION/COMMUNICATION Discussion at the staff level with RKLA & CJDL, and by the Memorial Park Revitalization Subcommittee (meeting January 16, 2017) and the Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee (meeting January 17, 2017) has concluded that: 1. Having the Celebration Plaza ready for use in time for Canada Day really means that it has to be ready for use by Turtlefest weekend as there is a very short time between the two events; 2. Starting the initial groundwork does not have to wait for the weather to break or the final design to be approved; 3. It may be possible to remove the sections of the racetrack that need to be removed to create the space for the Celebration Plaza without removing Hardball Diamond #1; 4. It is possible to leave sections of the racetrack suitable for the Agricultural Society to hold their derby event and for the Turtlefest ATV drag/pull event. 5. Turtlefest, Canada Day, the Ribfest and the Agricultural Fair would all benefit from having the performance space component of the Celebration Plaza to host the outdoor music components of the events; FINANCIAL IMPACT/FUNDING SOURCE The project anticipated securing $106,700 towards the project from community partners. To date, a commitment of $50,000 has been made by the Tillsonburg Kinsmen Club towards the bandshell/performance space incorporated into the plaza. The Tillsonburg Rotary Club has yet to finalize their commitment but their current estimate is approximately $30,000 focused on pedestrian connections and walkway components along the Western edge of the property. The Town will need to ensure the community commitments are secured or will have to increase the Page 2 / 3 RCP 17-12 - Celebration Plaza Project Up 124 Town’s contribution to make up the 67% match to the 33% approved grant. Any cost overruns and ineligible expenditures will also be the responsibility of the Town. In addition to the above, grant funds of $128,300 have been approved, and the Town’s contribution of $150,000 will come from reserve ($100,000) and 2017 taxation ($50,000). COMMUNITY STRATEGIC PLAN (CSP) IMPACT This Report provides information in alignment with the following Objectives of the Community Strategic Plan: • Objective 1 – Excellence in Local Government • Objective 2 – Economic Sustainability • Objective 4 – Culture & Community Page 3 / 3 RCP 17-12 - Celebration Plaza Project Up 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 Mr. David Calder Chief Administrative Officer The Corporation of the Town of Tillsonburg 200 Broadway Street, Second Floor Tillsonburg, ON N4G 5A7 Re: Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program Project Application #810431 - Improvement of Memorial Park and Tillsonburg Fairgrounds Dear Mr. Calder: I am pleased to inform you that the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) has approved your application for project funding under the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program (CIP 150). Your CIP 150 project has been approved for a non-repayable contribution of up to $128,300, representing 33% of total eligible project costs for the above-noted project. You will be contacted in the near future to complete the CIP 150 contribution agreement for your project. This agreement will outline the contracting details, claims information, and communication opportunities for your funded project. Also, if you have not already submitted one with your application, a resolution of your Council duly authorizing or endorsing your CIP 150 project must be provided along with the signed contribution agreement. Please ensure that the resolution demonstrates that it has been passed and references FedDev Ontario, the CIP 150 contribution agreement, the CIP 150 project title, and the approved CIP 150 funding amount. Should you have any immediate questions, please feel free to contact FedDev Ontario toll-free at 1-866-593-5505. The FedDev Ontario team is looking forward to working with you on your project. Regards, Frank Lofranco Vice President Business Innovation and Community Development Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario 132 = Attendance: Jami Stephenson – Tillsonburg Lisa VanderWallen – SWOX Loralee Heemkerk – Township of Norwich Meredith Maywood – Oxford Tourism Bonnie Ward – Ingersoll Karen Martin – Township of Zorra Karen Houston – City of Woodstock Valerie Durston – SWOX David Mayberry – SWOX/County of Oxford Linda Collier – Zorra (Weanerfest) Donna Wilson - Tillsonburg 1. Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 5:06 p.m. 2. Canada 150 Event Promotion & Marketing 2.1 Tourism Oxford Website – Meredith Maywood Everyone to complete the provided spreadsheet for events within communities in Oxford County. No flyers are to be completed, links to websites or photos will be accepted. 2.2 Website Links Meredith provided a copy of a flyer that provided information on a website for various Canada 150 events that could be done throughout the year. The Corporation of the Town of Tillsonburg Canada 150 Joint Committee Meeting Tuesday, January 17, 2017 5:00 p.m. Engineering Board Room 130 Oxford Street, Ingersoll (Town Hall) MINUTES 133 Joint Canada 150 Committee Meeting Minutes, January 17, 2017 - 2 - 3. Canada 150 Events 3.1 Possible Joint Events/Activities (i.e. Scavenger Hunt, Self-Serve Passport Program, Road Rally, Contests, etc.) Municipalities are waiting for the Celebration grant results prior to planning events for their communities. Once grant decisions are made then municipalities can discuss joint events. Possible partners could be car clubs, bike clubs or service clubs within each community. Jami Stephenson to contact local car clubs to determine if they would be interested in hosting an event such as a rally. Youth engagement is a plan that the Township of Norwich is working on and they are planning a Norwich History Contest Questionnaire. It was suggested that there be a place to find the answers of the various questions and possibly set it up as a scavenger hunt. Tillsonburg is proposing a day in the life of/history of Tillsonburg - It was suggested that “a day in the life of” could be used as a common hashtag – oxford creative connections could put out tweets in addition to municipalities. Instagram Oxford 150 hashtag – Tourism Oxford to put together all the hashtags that are currently being used for events. 4. Canada 150 Community Leaders 3.1 Joint Training Session & Media Interviews – Tillsonburg No other community leaders were appointed in Oxford County other than Tillsonburg. 5. Canada 150 Merchandise 5.1 Bulk Purchase – Canada 150 T-shirts/Pins, Hats, etc. Committee members to let Tillsonburg know if they are interested in any bulk orders for merchandise. Most municipalities are waiting to hear about grant results prior to committing to any purchase of merchandise. 134 Joint Canada 150 Committee Meeting Minutes, January 17, 2017 - 3 - 6. Round Table Advertising must be approved by Canada 150 prior to using that symbol/logo. SWOX - Salford and mount Elgin waiting for grant results but are planning a few events. They are meeting next week and the events will be provided to this joint committee. Walker transport ran a contest – Weanerfest won and will receive free advertising on one of their trucks for the entire year. Zorra Canada 150 Committee will be meeting for the first time next week. They are already reaching out to community groups to determine events that will be provided to promote Canada 150. Ingersoll is doing a Canada Day event only. Oxford Tourism is ready to attend events and will be focusing on promoting Canada 150 events. Township of Norwich – Otterville is hosting the Canada day event this year, they have support from community groups. The theme is youth, senior engagement and multiculturalism. Southwest Oxford – communities within the municipalities are planning various events including Mount Elgin, Beachville and Brownsville. Canada 150 events all inclusive - which includes events that are not sanctioned by the committees can be provided to Tourism Oxford for their website promotion. It was suggested that cross promotions of events be done within each community in Oxford County. It was suggested that the group do a blog – every municipality provide a first for their community. There is an issue that there is a record being provided that Ingersoll is the home of the first baseball game. This could be rectified in this blog as it was Beachville not Ingersoll. 135 Joint Canada 150 Committee Meeting Minutes, January 17, 2017 - 4 - Facebook calendar of events – if have a business Facebook page then this will keep people current on what is going on. To provide Tourism Oxford with those links. Monday, January 30, 2017 at 4:30 p.m. is the next Tillsonburg Canada 150 meeting and anyone interested in attending is welcome. 7. Adjournment The meeting was adjourned at 6:10 p.m. 136 = ATTENDANCE Jami Stephenson, Chair, Councillor Brian Stephenson, Virginia Armstrong, Mariana Carson, Tabitha Dalm, Josiane DeCloet, Irene Hurley, Jessica Mello, Tricia Smith, Sarah Wade Community Leaders: Penny Esseltine, Paul Weaver MEMBERS ABSENT/REGRETS Patty Phelps, Aleksandra Webber 1. Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 4:35 p.m. 2. Adoption of Agenda Resolution #1 Moved By: Virginia Armstrong Seconded By: Councillor Stephenson THAT the Agenda as prepared for the Canada 150 Committee meeting of Monday, January 16, 2017, be adopted. Carried 3. Disclosures of Pecuniary Interest and the General Nature Thereof There were no disclosures of pecuniary interest declared. 4. Adoption of the Committee Minutes of Previous Meeting Resolution #2 Moved By: Councillor Stephenson Seconded By: Virginia Armstrong THAT the Minutes of the Canada 150 Committee meeting of December 19, 2016 be approved. Carried The Corporation of the Town of Tillsonburg Canada 150 Committee Monday, January 16, 2017 4:30 p.m. Committee Meeting Room 200 Broadway, 2nd Floor MINUTES 137 Canada 150 Committee Meeting Minutes, January 16, 2017 - 2 - 5. Canada 150 Marketing & Promotion 5.1 Canada 150 Marketing & Merchandise – Marketing & Communications Officer The Marketing & Communications Officer provided a presentation of the Canada 150 section on the Town website and showed the link to the Community Calendar. The calendar will have a Canada 150 category. Updates to the Canada 150 section of the website have been made to include a section on Canada 150 Experiences. Additional details/information will be uploaded to the website as received. It was recommended that the calendar be utilized to limit and/or avoid duplication of Canada 150 events/activities in the Town. Staff to forward a listing of submissions to the calendar for review by the committee. The Marketing & Communications Officer also spoke to Canada 150 branded merchandise and utilizing a supplier with authorization to use the official Canada 150 logo. Merchandise can be sourced through a partner of the Town’s marketing supplier. Any items using the Town’s logo must first be approved to ensure compliance with the Town’s Branding Policy. Celebrate Canada promotional material can be ordered through the Department of Canadian Heritage for Canada Day events and activities (i.e. Canadian flag pins, hand flags, etc.) Canada 150 flags and banners can be ordered through Flags Unlimited. A request can be made through the Marketing & Communications Officer. Councillor Stephenson approached Glendale High School regarding the design of a badge in commemoration of Canada 150 for local sports team jerseys. The Marketing & Communication Officer recommended having a graphic designer tidy up any drawings received in preparation for use on team jerseys and if the Town name is to be included must first be approved to ensure compliance with the Town’s Branding Policy. 5.2 Update on Town Monitors/Social Media Sites/Community Contact List – Culture & Heritage Projects Coordinator Canada 150 event information continues to be posted on the Town’s social media feeds, Town monitors and will be reposted on the Cultural Improvement Alliance (CIA) website. 138 Canada 150 Committee Meeting Minutes, January 16, 2017 - 3 - Canada 150 events may be submitted for inclusion in the Cultural Corner of the Tillsonburg Update. The deadline for submissions is the Thursday of the week before the publication and space is limited. 5.3 Tillsonburg News & Rogers Television Interview The Deputy Clerk provided a review of the proposed Joint Training session with Community Leaders which will take place in late January/early February. Community Leaders from across Oxford County are being invited to attend. The local media will be invited to the session to interview the group. Staff is looking into pricing for t-shirts/sweaters for the Tillsonburg Community Leaders. 6. Canada 150 Event Discussion 6.1 Town Events/Exhibits/Activities – Curator & Recreation Programs Supervisor The committee reviewed the exhibit/event listing in celebration of Canada 150 for Annandale National Historic Site. A number of events and activities will be offered throughout 2017 and posted to the Town’s Community Calendar. The Recreation Programs Supervisor provided a review of the (3) events being planned for the Community Centre to commemorate Canada 150. The first week of summer camp will be centred around celebrating Canada’s 150th birthday. The Community Centre is awaiting confirmation of funding for (4) bus trips for the Tillsonburg Youth Camp which would educate Tillsonburg youth on Canadian culture and history. Lake Lisgar Waterpark will be offering $1.50 Saturday swims for the first 150 swimmers on Canada Day. 6.2 Review of proposed Canada 150 events/activities Mariana Carson & Tabitha Dalm presented various ideas to the committee to engage and involve local youth in Canada 150 celebrations. 139 Canada 150 Committee Meeting Minutes, January 16, 2017 - 4 - Suggestions included an elementary school colouring contest, outdoor movie night, winter carnival, Town-wide garage sale; haunted house; pumpkin painting contest; Trivia Night; and Community-wide treasure hunt. They have offered to assist with advertising in the schools (i.e. poster, announcements) and will approach the High School History department regarding putting together questions for the Trivia contest. It was suggested that the contest could include weekly questions and be hosted on the Town website or in the local newspaper and would focus on local history. The Sea Scouts are looking to host a sailing regatta as part of Canada 150. 7. Community Leaders 7.1 Training & Orientation 7.2 Canada 150 Events – Community Leader Assignments The committee will discuss the assignment of the Community Leaders to local Canada 150 events at a future meeting date once submissions have been received. 8. Canada 150 Contests & Opportunities The Deputy Clerk reviewed (3) new Canada 150 opportunities and experiences that are being offered through the Federation of Canadian Municipality website. Links to the information have been posted on the Canada 150 section of the Town website, which will be updated as new information is received. 8.1 Here’s My Canada Video Contest - http://www.heresmycanada.ca/ 8.2 Experiences Canada 150&Me - http://canada.pch.gc.ca/ 8.3 150 years of history – Today in History 9. Other Business A recommendation was made for the development of a flyer or brochure that would list upcoming Canada 150 events in Tillsonburg for circulation to the public. It was suggested that a seasonal calendar would be most beneficial. The Lion’s Club is planning Canada 150 events. The Music Club will be playing at the Museum to commemorate Canada 150. 140 Canada 150 Committee Meeting Minutes, January 16, 2017 - 5 - Committee members were assigned to make contact with various local groups/schools/organizations to share information about Canada 150 and will report back to the committee at the next meeting. Committee members to bring a list of confirmed Canada 150 events to the next meeting. The committee extended an invitation to the Senior Centre to appoint a member(s) to the Canada 150 committee. 10. Next Meeting The next meeting of the Canada 150 Committee will be held on Monday, January 30, 2017 at 4:30 p.m. in the Committee Room. 11. Adjournment The Meeting of the Canada 150 Committee was adjourned at 5:55 p.m. 141 = ATTENDANCE MEMBERS PRESENT: Paul DeCloet, Penny Esseltine, Corey Hill, Robert Marsden, Christine Nagy, Sue Saelens, Marian Smith, Tricia Smith, Janet Wilkinson, Rick Cox MEMBERS ABSENT/REGRETS: Charles Baldwin, Ken Butcher, Maurice Verhoeve, Paul Wareing 1. Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 9:00 a.m. 2. Adoption of Agenda Moved By: P. Esseltine Seconded By: S. Saelens Proposed Resolution #1_ THAT the Agenda for the Heritage, Beautification & Cemetery Advisory Committee meeting of January 5, 2017, be adopted. Carried. 3. Disclosures of Pecuniary Interest and the General Nature Thereof: None 4. Adoption of Minutes of Previous Meeting 4.1. Minutes of the Meeting of December 1, 2017 Moved By: C. Nagy Seconded By: S. Saelens Proposed Resolution #2 THAT the minutes for the December 1, 2017 meeting be approved with correction - 8.1 Scattering Gardens: Staff to provide a copy of the “Cemetery” Master Plan. Carried 5. Delegations and Presentations 5.1. R. Cox presented the Cemetery Master Plan. Priorities are 1. Scattering Garden adjacent to existing columbaria. Budget allowing, it will begin 2015 & subsequent years. Landscaping needs to be done prior to construction of the Garden. 2. Cremation burial plots with smaller plots and flat markers. 3. Cremation niches in the southwest corner near Catholic area. After discussion, the committee suggested Scattering Garden be located in the forested area near old office building. Moved By: P. Esseltine Seconded By: P. DeCloet Proposed Resolution #3 THAT the Heritage, Beautification & Cemetery Advisory Committee recommend that the space for a Scattering Garden be removed from columbaria area and relocated to the wooded area adjacent to the old cemetery office. Carried. The Corporation of the Town of Tillsonburg HERITAGE, BEAUTIFICATION & CEMETERY ADVISORY COMMITTEE January 5, 2017 9:00 a.m. Marwood Lounge Community Centre MINUTES 142 6. General Business & Reports 6.1. Report from Beautification Working Group and Tillsonburg Horticultural Society – At the Council meeting on December 1, C. Nagy requested $8,000 for downtown beautification but was informed that the Heritage, Beautification & Cemetery Committee is an advisory committee and therefore has no budget. Councillor Esseltine will clarify at the next budget meeting that the requested money would go into the Parks & Recreation budget for parkette improvements. Tillsonburg Horticultural Society is going ahead with offering planters to business owners regardless of other beautification funding Moved By: C. Nagy Seconded by S. Saelens Proposed Resolution #4 THAT the Heritage, Beautification & Cemetery Advisory Committee accept the report as submitted and be presented to Council for consideration. Carried 7. Correspondence - none 8. Other Business 8.1. Heritage Designations. R. Marsden informed that Don Millman is willing to discuss the proposed Millman house designaton and they will meet. Staff will send a letter to McLaughlins to inquire if they would consider having Seven Gables designated as Heritage. Moved By: S. Saelens Seconded By: C. Nagy Proposed Resolution #4 THAT staff prepare and send a letter to the McLaughlin family, owners of Seven Gables, requesting consideration to process a heritage designation. Carried. 8.2. P. Wareing is arranging a possible tour to a Kitchener cemetery for the members of this committee. 9. Next Meeting The next meeting of the Heritage, Beautification & Cemetery Advisory Committee will be on February 2, 2017 at 9:00 a.m. in the Annex Meeting Room. 10. Adjournment Moved By: C. Nagy Seconded By: S. Saelens Proposed Resolution # THAT the Meeting of Heritage, Beautification & Cemetery Advisory Committee on January 5, 2017 be adjourned at 9:51a.m. Carried. 143 TILLSONBURG POLICE SERVICES BOARD Minutes MEETING: GENERAL MEETING PLACE: Tillsonburg, OPP Detachment Boardroom DATE: Wednesday, October 19, 2016 TIME: 8:00 a.m. AGENDA ITEM DISCUSSION OUTCOME/ACTION 1 Call to Order The Chair called the General session of the Board to order at 7:55am. 2 Attendance Present: Regrets: Larry Scanlan, Chair Interm Insp Nash Ann Loker Becky Turrill, Secretary Mayor Steve Molnar Councillor Chris Rosehart John Smith None 3 Declaration of Pecuniary Interest None declared 4 Approval of Agenda The Agenda was presented to the Board for approval. On motion made by Ann Loker, seconded by John Smith, and carried, the Agenda was approved. 5 Approval of Previous Minutes The Minutes of a meeting of the Board held on September 21, 2016 were presented to the Board for approval. On motion made by Steve Molnar, seconded by Ann Loker and carried the Minutes of the meeting held on September 21, 2016 were approved. 6 Issues Arising from previous minutes None 7 8 9 10 Presentations/Delegations Correspondence Financial Detachment Commander Reports  OPP contract Policing - Tillsonburg Interm Insp Nash presented the September 2016 contract statistics and memorandum which reported members of the OPP attended 524 calls for service with an 86.9% clearance rate. In comparison None None None 1 144 AGENDA ITEM DISCUSSION OUTCOME/ACTION 10con’t Members of the OPP attended 670 calls for service with an 90.1% clearance rate in 2015. The most serious of these calls were 3 break & enter and 4 random acts of mischief. Foot Patrol Hours: • 70.5  Interm Insp Nash presented the Tickets Written in Tillsonburg for the months of September 2016 report: • Speeding, 23 • Fail to Stop, 11 • Plate/Permit/Insurance, 17 • Trespass/Intox in Public, 6 • Careless,4 • Seatbelt, 12 • Hand Held Device, 5 • Fail to Yield / Improper turn, 4 • Other, 3 • Total for September, 85  Interm Insp Nash presented the High School Resource Officer Month End Report for September 2016 Proactive Duties • Foot patrol downtown Tillsonburg & Mall • Patrolled interior, exterior, gullies and parks surrounding Glendale High School • Attended Upper Deck during Annandale’s second nutrition break • Engaged in conversations with parents, youth and staff regarding youth issues Reactive Duties • 29 Calls For Service completed • 8 involving Glendale Students and 2 involving Annandale • 4 Mischiefs Investigated – 18yr old charged for damaging a student’s bike • 1 arson at Annandale investigated resulting in youth diversion • Assisted Annandale in Crossing Guard duty • Was assigned to investigate lost/stolen IPad from playground at St Joseph’s School, later recovered by Custodian • Currently investigating 1 sexual assault, occurring off school property • Also currently investigating 1 domestic/sexual where youth and parent do not want to co-operate with police 2 145 AGENDA ITEM DISCUSSION OUTCOME/ACTION 10con’t • 2 Trouble with youth at Glendale, 1 regarding bullying in smoking area • 1 youth warned for trespassing on nearby residences lawn, parent notified but uncooperative with police • The remaining incidents involved the Town of Tillsonburg, South West Oxford Twp and Zorra Twp, and Civilian Fingerprinting • Was also involved in OSOR duties and Crime Stoppers as well • 8 tickets issued for month of September Presentations / Meetings: • Attended Crime Stoppers Monthly Meeting in Woodstock • Attended Oxford Suicide Prevention Committee meeting • Presented to TVDBS Vice Principals with PC Allard of WPS Regarding Youth trends in Drugs • Sat on Panel for Traumatic Event Response Team for TVDSB regarding police role in staff member criminal investigations against students • Assisted Glendale with Code Red Drill. PC KEMPF attended • Attended Glendale Parent Council Meeting • Participated in Cops For Kids event at Mount Elgin, annual BBBS Baseball game  Interm Insp Nash Presented CDAT & Street team report for September 2016  Crime Stoppers of Oxford Inc. Report Monthly Tip Statistics for September 2016 Total Calls received, 23 Woodstock PS, 9 OPP Tips, 10 Assigned to other Crime Stoppers programs, 4 Events Attended in September • Oxford County Farm Show, EZT • Embro Fair – Touch a Truck display • Plattsville Fire Safety Day – October 1 – supplied flyers for this event Upcoming Events • Heart FM Gala • 25th Anniversary Gala – October 27, 2016 • SW zone meeting – October 11 in London 3 146 AGENDA ITEM DISCUSSION OUTCOME/ACTION 10con’t CS Statistics (YTD= Year To Date / SI = Since Inception) Tips Received, 23/ YTD 195 /SI 9,472 Arrests, 0 / YTD 6 /SI 1063 WPS Arrests, 0/ YTD 5/ SI, N/A OPP Arrests,0 / YTD 1 / SI, N/A Other Arrests (Immigration), 0 / YTD, 0 / SI, 2 Web Tips, 6 / YTD 69 / SI, 676(2006) In House, 4 /YTD 52 / SI, 1336 (2004) Call Centre, 9/ YTD 77 SI, 1867 (2004) E-Transfer, 2/ YTD 21/ SI, 1248 (2004) Cases Cleared (YTD= Year To Date / SI = Since Inception) Total Cleared, 0/ YTD6 / SI, 1,370 Total Charges Laid, 0/ YTD 16 / SI, 2,590 WPS Charges, 0 / YTD 12/ SI, N/A OPP Charges, 0/ YTD 3 / SI, N/A Rewards Approved, 0/ YTD 3 / SI, 1461 Property Recovered, $0/ YTD $65 / SI, $2,179,931 Narcotics Recovered,$0YTD$1450./ SI $7,285,809 Total value $0/ YTD $1515 / SI $9,465,515.  Acting Insp Nash presented the Haldiman-Norfolk and Tillsonburg Crime Stoppers Report for September 2016. 11 Committee Reports None 12 OAPSB None 13 Other Business/Public Discussion  Commander Replacement – Anthony Hymers is the successful candidate. Anthony will start November 21, 2016  2017 OPP Costing - $64 thousand dollars higher than 2016  Oxford Situation Table – 112 at risk clients have gone through the program. This has been very well attended  OPP North Parking Lot – “Authorized Vehicles Only” Signage to be put up with room for a by- law number to be added to the sign once passed by council.  Projector, speakers and case. Items to be purchased to be used at Tillsonburg Police Service Board monthly meetings On Motion made by John Smith, SECONDED by Chris Rosehart and CARRIED it was RESOLVED that the TPSB purchase a digital projector, speakers and case not to exceed $1200.. 4 147 AGENDA ITEM DISCUSSION OUTCOME/ACTION 13con’t  Stickers and Tattoos. On Motion made by Mayor Molnar, SECONDED by Ann Loker and CARRIED it was RESOLVED that the TPSB purchase stickers and tattoos to be used by the Community Services Officer  New CDAT Member – Happy with the results so far. Member is on a 3 month “interview”  Board Vacancy - No news on new member or extension of the current member’s extension.  Crime Stoppers Gala – John Smith and Chris Rosehart to attend  Zone 4 Meeting – John Smith, Ann Loker and Larry Scanlan to attend  County Housing – Discussion on large number of calls for service to these locations.  Board Dinner November 5, 2016 at the Bridges. B. Turrill to send out invitations 14 Date of Next Meeting Wednesday December 21, 2016 15 Adjournment On motion made by Mayor Molnar, seconded by Chris Rosehart and carried, the meeting was adjourned at 9:28 a.m. __________________________________ __________________________________ Larry Scanlan, Chair Becky Turrill, Secretary 5 148 TILLSONBURG POLICE SERVICES BOARD Minutes MEETING: GENERAL MEETING PLACE: Tillsonburg, OPP Detachment Boardroom DATE: Wednesday, November 16, 2016 TIME: 8:00 a.m. AGENDA ITEM DISCUSSION OUTCOME/ACTION 1 Call to Order The Chair called the General session of the Board to order at 7:58am. 2 Attendance Present: Regrets: Larry Scanlan, Chair In term Insp Nash Ann Loker Becky Turrill, Secretary Mayor Steve Molnar Councillor Chris Rosehart John Smith Inspector Hymers None 3 Declaration of Pecuniary Interest None declared 4 Approval of Agenda The Agenda was presented to the Board for approval. On motion made by Ann Loker, seconded by Chris Rosehart, and carried, the Agenda was approved. 5 Approval of Previous Minutes The Minutes of a meeting of the Board held on October 19, 2016 were presented to the Board for approval. On motion made by Ann Loker, seconded by Chris Rosehart and carried the Minutes of the meeting held on October 19, 2016 were approved. 6 Issues Arising from previous minutes None 7 8 9 10 Presentations/Delegations Correspondence Financial Detachment Commander Reports  OPP contract Policing - Tillsonburg Interim Insp Nash presented the October 2016 contract statistics and memorandum which reported members of the OPP attended 486 calls for service with an 85.2% clearance rate. In comparison None None 2017 Budget Presented to Corporate 1 149 AGENDA ITEM DISCUSSION OUTCOME/ACTION 10con’t Members of the OPP attended 546 calls for service with an 87.2% clearance rate in 2015. The most serious of these calls were 6 break & enter and 10 random acts of mischief. Foot Patrol Hours: • 107.25  Interim Insp Nash presented the Tickets Written in Tillsonburg for the months of October 2016 report: • Speeding, 13 • Fail to Stop, 11 • Plate/Permit/Insurance, 21 • Trespass/Intox in Public, 7 • Careless,2 • Seatbelt, 11 • Hand Held Device, 1 • Fail to Yield / Improper turn, 7 • Other, 3 • Total for October, 77  Interim Insp Nash presented the High School Resource Officer Month End Report for October 2016 Proactive Duties • Patrolled interior, exterior, gullies and parks surrounding Glendale High School • Foot Patrol Downtown Tillsonburg and mall • Attended Upper Deck during Annandale’s second nutrition break • Engaged in conversations with parents, youth and staff regarding youth issues Reactive Duties • 21 Calls For Service completed • 9 involving Glendale Students • 2 sexual assaults, 1 being currently investigated the other did not want charges pursued • 1 MVC investigated in Norwich Township • Focused Patrol conducted in Burgessville 1 driver charged with speeding • 7 Trouble with youth at Glendale all involving conflict with other students. One student warned regarding her aggressive behavior. • Investigated a theft of a baler in Norwich Twp • Investigated two suspicious vehicles around Glendale • Took traffic complaint regarding vehicles failing to stop at 4way stop at North St and Quartertown Line 2 150 AGENDA ITEM DISCUSSION OUTCOME/ACTION 10con’t • 2 Calls for service dealing with members of the public asking questions about the law • Assisted Guelph PS in faxing court documents to them • Assisted Glendale Youth regarding family dispute from the night before where he left home and had slept under Lake Lisgar Bridge. School social worker working with youth to assist in housing and possible MHA issues as well. • Was also involved in OSOR duties, Crime Stoppers and assisting with front desk duties • 5 tickets issued for month of September Presentations / Meetings: • Attended Crime Stoppers Monthly Meeting in Woodstock, Zone Meeting in London and the Gala in Ingersoll • Participated in Cops For Kids event at Mount Elgin, annual BBBS Baseball game • Conducted Traffic Control for Terry Fox Run Glendale Student Participants • Presented at OPP Auxiliary meeting seeking more volunteers for Cops for Kids program • Attended Glendale Commencement  Interim Insp Nash Presented CDAT & Street team report for October 2016  Crime Stoppers of Oxford Inc. Report Monthly Tip Statistics for October 2016 Total Calls received, 17 Woodstock PS, 7 OPP Tips, 8 Assigned to other Crime Stoppers programs, 2 Events Attended in October • SW zone meeting – October 11 in London • 25th Anniversary Gala – October 27, 2016 Upcoming Events • Woodstock and Ingersoll Christmas Parades – November 19 3 151 AGENDA ITEM DISCUSSION OUTCOME/ACTION 10con’t CS Statistics (YTD= Year To Date / SI = Since Inception) Tips Received, 17/ YTD 226 /SI 9,372 Arrests, 2 / YTD 8 /SI 1063 WPS Arrests, 2/ YTD 7/ SI, N/A OPP Arrests,0 / YTD 1 / SI, N/A Other Arrests (Immigration), 0 / YTD, 0 / SI, 2 Web Tips, 6 / YTD 75 / SI, 682(2006) In House, 2 /YTD 54 / SI, 1338 (2004) Call Centre, 8/ YTD 85 SI, 1875 (2004) E-Transfer, 1/ YTD 22/ SI, 1249 (2004) Cases Cleared (YTD= Year To Date / SI = Since Inception) Total Cleared, 1/ YTD 7 / SI, 1,371 Total Charges Laid, 13/ YTD 29 / SI, 2,603 WPS Charges, 13 / YTD 25/ SI, N/A OPP Charges, 0/ YTD 3 / SI, N/A Rewards Approved, 0/ YTD 3 / SI, 1461 Property Recovered, $21,000/ YTD $26,615 / SI, $2,206,501 Narcotics Recovered,$0YTD$2800./ SI $7,287,159 Total value $21,000/ YTD $29,415 / SI $9,465,515.  Acting Insp Nash presented the Haldiman-Norfolk and Tillsonburg Crime Stoppers Report for October 2016. 11 Committee Reports None 12 OAPSB None 13 Other Business/Public Discussion  Zone 4 Meeting – Tour of the new facility was awesome Member replacement is worse now than ever  School Radar Zone – Camera and Software $110 thousand dollars. Revenue to the Town of Tillsonburg Suggestion to have Parent Council reps from all elementary schools in Tillsonburg as well as member from TVDSB to address safety concerns  Restricted Access Entrance Signs 1 sign is up, waiting on locates for the additional 3 signs  Crime Stoppers – H/N and Tillsonburg Possibility of Tillsonburg to be removed  Domestic Violence Flashlights – Donation Request On Motion made by Chris Rosehart, SECONDED by Ann Loker and CARRIED it was RESOLVED that the TPSB purchase flash lights for Domestic Violence Awareness 4 152 AGENDA ITEM DISCUSSION OUTCOME/ACTION 13con’t  Oxford County Situation Table Information Cards – Donation request On Motion made by Ann Loker, SECONDED by Chris Rosehart and CARRIED it was RESOLVED that the TPSB purchase Information Cards for the Oxford County Situation Table  Plaque Presentation – Inspector Clark On Motion made by Larry Scanlan, SECONDED by Ann Loker and CARRIED it was RESOLVED that the TPSB reimburse Inspector Clark for 2 plaques purchased on behalf of the board. 14 Date of Next Meeting Wednesday December 21, 2016 15 Adjournment On motion made by Ann Loker, seconded by Chris Rosehart and carried, the meeting was adjourned at 8:47 a.m. __________________________________ __________________________________ Larry Scanlan, Chair Becky Turrill, Secretary 5 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 FULL AUTHORITY COMMITTEE MEMBERS Leroy Bartlett, Dave Beres, Doug Brunton, Robert Chambers, Michael Columbus, Roger Geysens, Craig Grice, Noel Haydt, David Hayes, John Scholten, Tom Southwick - 1 - LONG POINT REGION CONSERVATION AUTHORITY BOARD OF DIRECTORS MINUTES - December 7, 2016 (as approved at the Board of Directors meeting on January 18, 2017) Members in attendance: Leroy Bartlett, Dave Beres, Doug Brunton, Robert Chambers, Michael Columbus, Roger Geysens, Noel Haydt, David Hayes, Tom Southwick and John Scholten Staff in attendance: C. Evanitski, J. Robertson, J. Maxwell, D. Holmes, L. Bower and D. McLachlan Regrets: Craig Grice The LPRCA Chair called the meeting to order at 6:30 pm Wednesday, December 7, 2016 in the Tillsonburg Administration Office Boardroom. ADDITIONAL AGENDA ITEMS None DISCLOSURES OF INTEREST None . PRESENTATION a) Sheila Johnson, LPRCA Curator re: Draft Backus Heritage Village Strategic Plan Ms. Johnson was tasked with assessing the operation of the Village for all compliance and the requirements needed to bring the operation up to standards to possibly regain access to the Community Museums Operating Grant (CMOG) Program, and develop an action plan to achieve those goals. Her presentation began with a history of the Village and the methodology of the study. Upon completion of her assessment and input from the community, Ms. Johnson noted three key issues: 1. Broken community connection; 2. Threatened artifact and archival collection; 3. Limited staffing. Her recommendations to address the issues included; redefining the museum, including changing the name to Backhouse Historic Site; narrow the focus by telling the story of the Backhouse family; create a new strategic direction; and increase staffing to increase hours of operation. MOTION A-186/16 moved: L.Bartlett seconded: R. Geysens THAT the LPRCA Board of Directors receives the Draft Backus Heritage Village Strategic Plan presented by S. Johnson as information; AND THAT staff be directed to prepare a costing/options report to get the village to 160 FULL AUTHORITY COMMITTEE MEMBERS Leroy Bartlett, Dave Beres, Doug Brunton, Robert Chambers, Michael Columbus, Roger Geysens, Craig Grice, Noel Haydt, David Hayes, John Scholten, Tom Southwick - 2 - CMOG standards. CARRIED DELEGATIONS a) Mike Ross – Owner of William J. Ross Construction Ltd. re: development matters Mr. Ross has been working with staff to create an industry liaison committee to increase communication between LPRCA and those served by the CA. M. Ross noted that the current LPRCA Shoreline Management Plan created in 1989 is out-of-date and causing issues for builders and property owners. MOTION A-187/16 moved: R. Geysens seconded: L. Bartlett THAT the LPRCA Board of Directors receives the deputation from Mike Ross regarding development matters as information; AND THAT staff be directed to take LPRCA’s Draft Planning Policies to the proposed builders’ association/liaison committee as soon as possible. CARRIED MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETINGS MOTION A-188/16 moved: L. Bartlett seconded: D. Beres THAT the minutes of the LPRCA Board of Directors Regular Meeting held November 2nd, 2016 and the LPRCA Budget Meeting held November 18th, 2016 be adopted as circulated. CARRIED BUSINESS ARISING a) 2017 Promotion Report Staff presented an overview of promotions and promotional tools to be utilized in 2017. Of note, increased signage is required for Backus and Deer Creek as well as increased social media initiatives. The Chair requested a banner on the administration building advertising office space for lease. MOTION A-189/16 moved: D. Beres seconded: L. Bartlett THAT the 2017 Promotion Plan for LPRCA conservation areas be received as information. 161 FULL AUTHORITY COMMITTEE MEMBERS Leroy Bartlett, Dave Beres, Doug Brunton, Robert Chambers, Michael Columbus, Roger Geysens, Craig Grice, Noel Haydt, David Hayes, John Scholten, Tom Southwick - 3 - CARRIED REVIEW OF COMMITTEE MINUTES MOTION A-190/16 moved: D. Brunton seconded: L. Bartlett THAT the minutes from the Backus Museum Committee meeting of October 25th, 2016 be received as information. CARRIED CORRESPONDENCE None DEVELOPMENT APPLICATIONS a) Staff Approved applications Planning staff approved 12 applications over the past month. Applications are assigned a log number as soon as they are received but may require a longer time frame to conclude if the application is not complete or further information is required. Violation notices and penalties were explained by staff. MOTION A-191/16 moved: L. Bartlett seconded: N. Haydt That the LPRCA Board of Directors receives the Staff Approved Section 28 Regulation Applications report dated November 23, 2016 as information. CARRIED b) New Applications The Planning Department recommended the approval of four applications. MOTION A-19216 moved: N. Haydt seconded: D. Brunton THAT the LPRCA Board of Directors approves the following Development Applications contained within the background section of the report: A. For Work under Section 28 Regulations, Development, Interference with Wetlands & Alterations to Shorelines and Watercourses Regulations (R.R.O. 1990 Reg. 178/06), 162 FULL AUTHORITY COMMITTEE MEMBERS Leroy Bartlett, Dave Beres, Doug Brunton, Robert Chambers, Michael Columbus, Roger Geysens, Craig Grice, Noel Haydt, David Hayes, John Scholten, Tom Southwick - 4 - LPRCA-201/16 LPRCA-207/16 LPRCA-206/16 LPRCA-213/16 B. That the designated officers of LPRCA be authorized to complete the approval process for this Development Application, as far as it relates to LPRCA’s mandate and related Regulations. CARRIED NEW BUSINESS a) CALENDAR REVIEW There are no events scheduled for the month of December. The final Owl Prowl of the season attracted 150 people prompting staff to add a third date in 2017 for this very successful event. MOTION A-193/16 moved: D. Brunton seconded: L. Bartlett THAT the Calendar of Events Report for December be received as information. CARRIED b) GENERAL MANAGER’S REPORT The GM explained his role with the Joint Advisory Committee (JAC) and provided an update on the status of the Conservation Authorities Act review. MOTION A-194/16 moved: D. Brunton seconded: D. Hayes THAT the LPRCA Board of Directors receives the General Manager’s Report for November 2016 as information. CARRIED c) 2017 MEETING SCHEDULE The first Board of Directors meeting will be held Wednesday, January 18, 2017. MOTION A-195/16 moved: D. Brunton seconded: D. Hayes That the LPRCA Board of Directors approves the proposed 2017 meeting schedule. CARRIED 163 FULL AUTHORITY COMMITTEE MEMBERS Leroy Bartlett, Dave Beres, Doug Brunton, Robert Chambers, Michael Columbus, Roger Geysens, Craig Grice, Noel Haydt, David Hayes, John Scholten, Tom Southwick - 5 - d) LPRCA COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS Committees will be appointed at the January meeting after the Chair and Vice-Chair elections. Member appointments are required for the Land Acquisition, Lee Brown Marsh Management, Audit and Backus Museum committees. MOTION A-196/16 moved: D. Beres seconded: R. Chambers THAT the LPRCA Board of Directors receives the 2017 LPRCA Committee Appointments Report for information. CARRIED e) SEASONAL STAFF APPRECIATION It has been a long-standing tradition that the LPRCA Board of Directors considers presenting staff with a gift card at the holiday season. Last year the tradition was broken and the GM requested that it be reinstated for 2016. MOTION A-197/16 moved: D. Beres seconded: R. Chambers THAT LPRCA Board of Directors authorizes the purchase of a $25 gift card for staff employed this time of year. CARRIED f) A.D. LATORNELL CONFERENCE UPDATE The theme of this year’s AD Latornell Conference was Green Infrastructure: Collaborating with Nature. Staff met with various federal and provincial employees, other CA staff and board members, and students. The GM was informed by various sources that climate change is happening faster than anyone realizes. It was the Chair’s first time at the conference and both he and R. Chambers encouraged others to attend in the future if the opportunity is available. MOTION A-198/16 moved: D. Beres seconded: R. Chambers THAT the LPRCA Board of Directors receives the verbal report on the AD Latornell Conference as information. CARRIED MOTION A-199/16 moved: D. Brunton seconded: N. Haydt THAT the LPRCA Board of Directors does now enter into an “In Camera” session to 164 FULL AUTHORITY COMMITTEE MEMBERS Leroy Bartlett, Dave Beres, Doug Brunton, Robert Chambers, Michael Columbus, Roger Geysens, Craig Grice, Noel Haydt, David Hayes, John Scholten, Tom Southwick - 6 - discuss: personal matters about an identifiable individual, including Conservation Authority employees; a proposed or pending acquisition or disposition of land by the Conservation Authority CARRIED MOTION A-200/16 moved: J. Scholten seconded: T. Southwick THAT the LPRCA Board of Directors does now adjourn from the “In Camera” session. CARRIED A motion was read and carried in-camera to conduct business beyond the 3-hour time limit as set out in the Administration Policy. MOTION A-201/16 moved: R. Chambers seconded: D. Brunton THAT the LPRCA Board of Directors approves the extension of the Interim Manager of Watershed Services contract for the 2017 season as per the GM’s confidential report of November 28th, 2016 for the services of Lorrie Minshall. CARRIED MOTION A-202/16 moved: D. Beres seconded: D. Hayes THAT the LPRCA Board of Directors approves the sale of the Port Burwell Conservation Area described as Part of Lots 11 & 12, Concession 1 as in PB357 and BM30514 except registered Plan 11R7457 in the Municipality of Bayham, County of Elgin, Ontario to 552855 Ontario Ltd. for $800,000 as per the Agreement of Purchase and Sale (attached); AND THAT LPRCA’s signing authorities complete the necessary actions to finalize the disposition. CARRIED MOTION A-203/16 moved: J. Scholten seconded: D. Hayes THAT the LPRCA Board of Directors confirms the GM’s verbal report regarding a human resources matter. CARRIED 165 FULL AUTHORITY COMMITTEE MEMBERS Leroy Bartlett, Dave Beres, Doug Brunton, Robert Chambers, Michael Columbus, Roger Geysens, Craig Grice, Noel Haydt, David Hayes, John Scholten, Tom Southwick - 7 - The Chair adjourned the meeting at 9:35pm. Michael Columbus Dana McLachlan Chair Administrative Assistant 166 THE CORPORATION OF THE TOWN OF TILLSONBURG BY-LAW NUMBER 4074 BEING A BY-LAW to confirm the proceedings of Council at its meeting held on the 23rd day of January, 2017. WHEREAS Section 5 (1) of the Municipal Act, 2001, as amended, provides that the powers of a municipal corporation shall be exercised by its council; AND WHEREAS Section 5 (3) of the Municipal Act, 2001, as amended, provides that municipal powers shall be exercised by by-law; AND WHEREAS it is deemed expedient that the proceedings of the Council of the Town of Tillsonburg at this meeting be confirmed and adopted by by-law; NOW THEREFORE THE MUNICIPAL COUNCIL OF THE CORPORATION OF THE TOWN OF TILLSONBURG ENACTS AS FOLLOWS: 1. All actions of the Council of The Corporation of the Town of Tillsonburg at its meeting held on January 23, 2017, with respect to every report, motion, by-law, or other action passed and taken by the Council, including the exercise of natural person powers, are hereby adopted, ratified and confirmed as if all such proceedings were expressly embodied in this or a separate by-law. 2. The Mayor and the Clerk are authorized and directed to do all the things necessary to give effect to the action of the Council of The Corporation of the Town of Tillsonburg referred to in the preceding section. 3. The Mayor and the Clerk are authorized and directed to execute all documents necessary in that behalf and to affix thereto the seal of The Corporation of the Town of Tillsonburg. 4. This by-law shall come into full force and effect on the day of passing. READ A FIRST AND SECOND TIME THIS 23rd DAY of January, 2017. READ A THIRD AND FINAL TIME AND PASSED THIS 23rd DAY of January, 2017. ________________________________ MAYOR – Stephen Molnar ________________________________ TOWN CLERK – Donna Wilson 167