Terrace Bay Council reviews Results of Strategic Plan Survey

The Terrace Bay Council meeting of December 4, 2023 features a presentation of the results of the Strategic plan survey circulated to residents of Terrace Bay, what the people deemed of importance to the community and areas of concern.

The meeting opened with the usual land acknowledgement and then updated the agenda for the evening with 3 additional items. The minutes of the previous meetings were approved as presented.

There was an earlier meeting to discuss some changes to the shared Handi Transit bus which included a fee hike and possible raises to drivers wages. The new Handi Transit vehicle will also go into operation on the first week in December.

The ongoing battle on road completion on Scott Avenue in the Hydro Bay subdivision was brought up. When the previously zoned recreational cottage area was incorporated there was a discussion on who would be responsible for road maintainence and more specifically if any road projects would be completed by the municipality of Terrace Bay.

Previous councils had argued that Scott Avenue in particular, was classified as a private roadway and was the responsibility of the owners. Residents of the area argued that when the township took over, it had agreed to finish and maintain the existing roads. Council has decided that it will assume the costs of any updates and that the road remain a private road. 

The Strategic Planning survey was then presented. With only 12% of residents responding it can be difficult to gauge what the actual numbers mean but the outcome of the survey will be used as a guide going forward with any changes in the strategic plan.

Health and safety topped the list of priorities while inclusion and diversity seems to be a lower priority as shown in the lower rating of attracting newcomers. Overall it would seem that most people living in Terrace Bay feel that they have a good quality of life in a comfortable and safe community.

The treasurer report highlighted the need for a reassessment of current user fees. A bylaw to increase user fees in order to offset costs was deferred to a later date. One of the items affected would be a rental fee for use of the community gardens boxes to cover fertilizer and maintenance costs. Roof repairs to affected municipal buildings was also highlighted in the treasurers report. 

A letter of support for conservation officers compensation was penned and will be submitted to the appropriate people. 

There were no questions for question period.

The meeting moved into an in camera session to resolve outstanding private issues and was then adjourned.