Wednesday, November 3rd, 2021

Several municipal projects continue to be underway as the world emerges from the pandemic, including airport upgrades, an addition to the arena, and a hotel development. While the hotel development is not a municipal project, a great deal of work went into assisting the developers to secure land.  Watch for future updates on the hotel project as the construction phase nears.

For more details on current municipal projects and general information, feel free to check out their site.

https://www.townshipofhornepayne.ca/home

Municipal council met tonight for a special meeting, to discuss the proposed budget, water and sewer rates as well as support for a Bell Canada project relating to fibre optic service in Hornepayne.

To view all the appropriate documents and the agenda for the meeting, please click here:  https://townshipofhornepayne.civicweb.net/Portal/MeetingInformation.aspx?Org=Cal&Id=199

As well, to view the meeting on youtube, you can go here:   Township of Hornepayne - YouTube .  You can also view past meetings as well.

The municipality is in the process of setting the budget and water and sewer rates.  Treasurer Melissa Chenier presented the overall budget plan as well as water and sewer rates.  The entire presentation can be found on the youtube video when it is posted in a day or two.

As well, as an introduction to her remarks she also played two very informative videos helping to explain the municipal budget process as well as taxation.  They are very informative videos.

Any citizens wanting to provide feedback on the budget or water and sewer rates can do so by providing comments in writing, or via email.  You mail via traditional post, or you can email Ms. Chenier here:  chenier.hpayne@bellnet.ca

Citizens have until the 17th of March to submit comments.

Check out the Municipal Youtube page for the Mayoral Address, recounting the municipal events of the year.  You can find the youtube page here:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCadf3N_laZb4I0RyLp5G96A/videos

Hornepayne Council met tonight in a special meeting, to discuss a proposal by The North Superior Broadband Network and their goal of providing 9 communities in the North, high speed broadband service, most likely through access to fibre optic service.

The goal is to establish five points within the municipality for municipality use, and to bring fibre right to households and businesses, with competitive pricing. Households would chose whether to purchase the service, but speeds would be equal to or better than those found in more urban areas.

The NSBN has a fairly aggressive goal of continuing the process involved and completing the project by late 2021 or early 2022. The municipality would become a one 9th owner of the business as well, eventually after appropriate funds have been put into reserves, earning revenue from the services provided. 

Council also discussed the appropriation of funds from the NWMO Community Well-Being Funds and have proposed the following breakdown: 

Recommendation: That Council allocate the $700,000 in Community Well Being Funds (Reserve) as follows: 

$ 50,000 Hornepayne Community Hospital Generator (done) 

$350,000 Levy Stabilization Fund $ 

75,000 Economic Development Fund 

$ 50,000 Municipal Services Corporation Start-Up Funds $ 

50,000 Community Improvement Plan Fund 

$ 50,000 Landfill Reserve 

$ 10,000 100th Anniversary Fund 

$ 65,000 Municipal Portion of Grant Applications $700,000

For further information on each of these funds, please use the following link: https://townshipofhornepayne.civicweb.net/document/25176/CAO%202021-01%20CWB%20Funds%20Jan%2011-20%20SP.pdf?handle=210B468C4F944357A2ADC63D286A192B

Council closed at 8:08 PM.

Municipal Council met tonight for their regular meeting. Meeting agenda can be found here: https://townshipofhornepayne.civicweb.net/Portal/MeetingInformation.aspx?Org=Cal&Id=169. 

There were several items on tonight’s agenda of importance. The first item was a presentation from Chief Ron Kocsis, to support Hornepayne First Nation’s request for assistance in completing their application for funds, to build affordable housing for Indigenous community members. HFN has put forward a request to purchase surplus properties on Spruce Street, for the goal of building affordable housing. Chief Kocsis spoke to the requests made to the municipality and answered questions. Details on the proposal by HFN can be found on the municipal site, in the agenda posted above. 

The next order of business was to award the contract for the municipal landfill, garbage pickup and related duties. Hornepayne Service Centre Inc. was awarded the contract at $2300.00 bi-weekly, which is a small increase from the last contract. HSC will have seamless transition to running the landfill site, and the timing of the contract fits well with a  planned study on the future of the dumpsite and transfer station.

Council also discussed a proposal by the developer of the Studio 6 Hotel for Hornepayne, for the Municipal Services Corporation (when established) to have an opportunity to invest in the Hotel project. Council, not wanting to tie the hands of the MSC which has not yet been created, decided to support the idea, but not commit to becoming involved.

The next portion of the meeting was related to staff reports and determining various meeting attendees into the late summer of 2021, as well as a discussion about proposed changes to access to, and parking for the Centre of Ontario project. 

General resolutions, which can be found in the agenda above were dealt with. 

After a closed session (closed sessions of council follow all provincial regulations and are regulated by the Municipal Act) council ) council approved two resolutions. The first resolution approved the sale of land to HFN for the price of $800.00. 

The second resolution related to the concessions that HFN was looking for, to assist them in their project. 1. Waive 100 of permit fees. 2. Waive landfill fees for derelict buildings. Other concessions were not agreed to and these concessions are for this project only, not binding on other projects.

At 9 AM tomorrow morning, on the Township Facebook page, Mayor Fort will host a Facebook Live  session to speak in more detail to the decisions made tonight around the sale of the land to Hornepayne First Nation..

Municiipal Council met tonight in a special meeting to consider several items related to user fees, including Airport fees, Fitness room fees and a new parking bylaw. Each of the proposed fees and the new parking bylaw, can be found here: https://townshipofhornepayne.civicweb.net/Portal/MeetingInformation.aspx?Org=Cal&Id=184

Council reviewed the proposals and solicited questions from citizens who attended the meeting. The community may continue to make submissions on the proposed user fees, by contacting Melissa Chenier at the municipality. Ms. Chenier’s contact information can be found at the municipal site, at www.townshipofhornepayne.ca. 

Submissions to the municipality in regards to these policies can be made up to Wednesday, December 2nd. The final bylaws will be brought to the next regular council meeting.

As always, municipal council meetings can be viewed live through Go To Meetings, or Youtube, and also viewed after the fact, through the municipal youtube page, which can be found here: 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCadf3N_laZb4I0RyLp5G96A

Please continue to follow www.hornepayne.comfor more local news and events!

Hornpayne Municipal Council held their regular meeting last night. A packed agenda meant a long, but fruitful meeting. You can view the agenda here, to get an idea of the scope of business that is often attended to at busy meetings. 

A few key points from last night’s meeting, are summarized below. Hornepayne.com encourages all citizens to take part in council meetings, and the pandemic has made it even easier, as for now at least, all meetings are conducted online. Any citizen can log on, and listen to the proceedings. You can mute your microphone (you actually need to) and you can close off your camera, and simply take in the meeting. It is a great way to stay informed, and to learn more about the workings of the municipality.

The first important event at the meeting, was a presentation by the Alberta Rural Development Network, who is interested in working with the municipality to develop a vision for revitalizing our community, moving forward. You can learn more about the Alberta Rural Development Network, by going to their website, at: www.ardn.ca. While the municipality’s relationship with ARDN is in its early stages, there is a great deal of positivity and optimism around moving our community forward, with their assistance. If you view the meeting agenda above, you can scroll to that section of the agenda and view their powerpoint.

Also presenting at last night’s meeting, was the CEO of the hospital, Mrs. Heather Jaremy-Berube, to bring council up to date on the hospital’s search for funding for a new emergency generator. They have secured $500 000 in funding, but require a little over a million dollars. In conjunction with Drago Stefanic, who has volunteered to spearhead a fundraising campaign, the hospital is looking for some financial assistance in order to kick start a fundraising campaign. Keep an eye out here for further details on this very important fundraising venture, as the weeks progress.

Several other discussions ensured during the meeting, including a discussion of possibly opening the arena, as well as the purchase of outdoor exercise equipment. Municipal council also met in camera, to discuss the sale of property for a proposed hotel development in Hornepayne, which is also great news! Below, you will find the language pertaining to the movement into an in camera session:

21.1.

Open Closed Session

Be It Resolved that the next portion of the   meeting at p.m. be closed to the Public in order to discuss:

• a proposed or pending   acquisition or disposition of land by the municipality or local board; and,

• advice that is subject   to solicitor-client privilege, including communications necessary for that   purpose;

Pursuant to Sections 239 (2) (c) (f) of the   Municipal Act 2001.

21.2.

Hotel/Accommodations

Offer to Purchase - 240-250 Front Street

A meeting or part of a meeting may be closed to the     public if the subject matter being considered is,

· a proposed or pending acquisition of land by the     municipality or local board; and,

advice     that is subject to solicitor-client privilege, including communications     necessary for that purpose;

Pursuant to Sections 239 (2) (c) (f) of the Municipal     Act, 2001.

21.3.

Municipal Services Corporation - Draft Business Case

A meeting or part of a meeting may be closed to the     public if the subject matter being considered is,

· advice that is subject to solicitor-client privilege,     including communications necessary for that purpose;

Pursuant to Section 239 (2) (f) of the Municipal Act,     2001.

The meeting closed at just after 10 PM. Also a reminder that you can access municipal meetings online, on their youtube channel, which you can find here: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWgW_cDoDFQ&list=PLBYmMS1yS-iI8l9qN_vQKxl9ZcjULf4Gr

Www.hornepayne.com thanks you for your continued patronage! 

As our province continues to work its way through the pandemic and prepares for the fall, the municipality is also staying busy, with several projects on the go, and continual discussions about our own activities, coming out of the pandemic.

On that front, there is a council meeting (virtual) on Wednesday, to discuss the opening of the arena for the 20-21 season.  You can find more information on the town website here and to get connected remotely, you need to contact the municipality and they will send you a link

At hornepayne.com, we urge all citizens to stay involved and informed of what is happening at the municipal level, as it impacts our daily lives more than any other level of government.

Stay tuned for upcoming information about municipal activities right here!  

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Hornepayne Municipal Council met tonight at a special meeting, to have a presentation and subsequent discussion in regards to the municipality's plan to update its Official Plan and proceed with land use and other elements of the Official Plan, including zoning.

A presentation by  J.L. Richards & Associates Limited  was followed by questions from council as staff, as well as citizens who had joined the meeting.  The process is just beginning, however, it is crucial for citizens to get involved.  You can get more information on the process here:   https://www.townshipofhornepayne.ca/news/what_s_new/official_plan_and_comprehensive_zoning_by-_law  and citizens can contact the Municipal EDO, Mrs. Stacey Rendell at edo.hpayne@bellnet.ca for more information, as well as to leave your thoughts about the OP process and zoning.  There will be multiple opportunities for consultation and interested citizens can contact Mrs. Rendell, or municipal staff for more information.

The second item on the meeting agenda, was a discussion about the property 180 Front Street, better known as the "Old Northern Store".  There have been many discussions in past years, by past councils and citizens on a good use for this property, which belongs to the municipality.  After a lengthy discussion and many ideas with pros and cons, municipal council has come to a conclusion that it is not in the interest of the taxpayers to continue to support this property, and they will seek to sell or lease it.  

Furthemore, it was determined that with appropriate renovations and structural changes, the weight room can be moved back to its area in the old arena viewing room, and the process to begin these changes will begin shortly.  

Citizens can all watch the meetings by contacting the municipal staff and also viewing the town's Youtube Channel, here:   https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCadf3N_laZb4I0RyLp5G96A 

Www.hornepayne.com continues to urge citizens to take advantage of the opportunities to stay informed and involved in our own community.  It can only be better as a result.  

Join municipal council tonight in its special meeting as it begins the process of updating its official plan.  You can find details in the link below and join the meeting in its livestream.

 http://hornepayne.hosted.civiclive.com/news/what_s_new/official_plan_and_comprehensive_zoning_by-_law?fbclid=IwAR3weND4M2LxmSsj5yfZVCklfjAcXnyoRbMvllxksmD4TERtycJrlV4V678 

Last evening, municipal council met for its regular meeting. It was a fairly light agenda, highlighted by the presentation of the audit findings for the fiscal year 2019.  

The municipality’s focus, continues to be responding to the COVID-19 crisis amid all the other regular business that must continue to go on. Topics that continue to be big files, include what is to come of the old Northern store property, as well as planning for the impending end of our landfill site. Access to affordable housing and housing in general, continues to be on the front burner.

Of particular note, however, is that last night’s meeting was the first meeting at which, citizens could join the meeting live and watch it online, from the comfort of their own home. While this is a feature that certainly works well during the pandemic, it is going to continue when our lives are back to normal, or at least a new normal. 

The format for the meeting, at least during these times (not sure how it will work when council are once again meeting in council chambers) was that citizens were emailed a link and a password, and they joined the meeting, as a participant. The municipal bylaw governing the meeting is in place, so viewers are not able to participate in the meeting, but the system allows council to see and know who is watching, as well, does allow for participation, if in future meetings, there was a question and answer period, or someone on council, wanted to ask a member of the audience a question.

As referenced, regular municipal and provincial laws are in effect, not only during the pandemic, but also whenever regular meetings are to be on live stream. In that vein, municipal council, according to the municipal act, entered an in camera meeting, at which point, the live stream was closed and council met separately in the closed portion of the meeting, as per regulations. When council emerges from the in camera portion, citizens are once again welcome to join the meeting as it finishes up.

Last night’s inaugural live stream was joined by two citizens. For those of you who are interested in following the events of municipal council, there are instructions on the municipal website to request access to the meetings. You can find those here: https://townshipofhornepayne.civicweb.net/Portal/.

As well, livestreams and other municipal videos are posted on their YouTube channel, which can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCadf3N_laZb4I0RyLp5G96A

The foundation of democracy is the participation of its citizens. These changes to the operating procedures of the municipality allow even more participation by citizens. Www.hornepayne.com urges you to stay involved and stay informed, in order to participate more fully. The next regular council meeting will be May 20th.

As many readers are aware, the Township of Hornepayne has been moving towards providing for its citizens, a live stream of council meetings. This is in addition to their youtube channel for recordings of past meetings as well as more information pertaining to the council meetings, available online, ahead of the meetings.

To learn more about the live streaming and how to view the feed, go to the Township page at: https://townshipofhornepayne.civicweb.net/Portal/

For details on the meetings, including agendas and documents associated with the agendas, you can use this link: https://townshipofhornepayne.civicweb.net/Portal/MeetingTypeList.aspx

The township website has a great deal of information, including financial data. You can find that here: https://www.townshipofhornepayne.ca/town_hall/budget_financials. I would strongly encourage all citizens to view this information and become informed about the operation of the municipality, as opposed to relying on rumour and induendo on social media. The information is there at our fingertips, and our elected representatives, are accessible to answer questions around this data, and to explain their vision and the reasoning behind decisions and expenses incurred.

An informed citizen is an asset to our community.

As many of you know, the municipality has been working for some time on different ways to engage the community.  Among these new additions, will be live-streaming of council meetings.  Live-streaming is not yet in place, and  COVID-19 restrictions may affect the timing, however, the municipality now has a Youtube channel.  There are a few past meetings already published on the channel, and all future meetings will be posted there.  You can find the Municipal Youtube channel here:   https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCadf3N_laZb4I0RyLp5G96A 

Hornepayne town council met for their regular  council meeting on Wednesday, January 29th, 2020 at Hornepayne Elementary and Secondary School.  The reason for the venue change, was to allow for public input on the topic of a possible motel development in Hornepayne.  

An investor has contacted the municipality and is interested in securing land to build a motel, and the municipality wanted to begin initial consultations by hearing citizens' opinions on a few different places, in consideration.

In very preliminary planning, three particular properties were identified:

1.  The corner of Leslie Ave and Front Street.

2.  The Pavillion Area (the old YMCA property for our readers who lived here years ago)

3.  The old MNR property at the top of 3rd Avenue, just before Second Government Lake Road.

It is important to remember, that the municipality is in the early stages of discussion, and the intent of the evening was to simply get some thoughts and hear opinions to help guide their discussions moving forward.

Most of the discussion revolved around the challenges that would arise if the park area had to be moved, and where it would be moved to.  There was certainly some support for option 1, and concerns around the moving of the park areas, as well as noise from the trains.  Option B also received a fair degree of support, especially from the point of view, of rebuilding the old downtown core of the town.

Much discussion also ensued around moving park equipment to the pavilion area, as well as to the arena, and concentrating it there.  

Council closed the discussion by thanking everyone for their participation and have indicated they will continue to inform the community as they move forward with the plans. 

For further information, feel free to contact your mayor and council.

On Thursday, January 9th, Mayor Cheryl Fort held a public meeting to highlight the progress that council and staff have made in the last year, and laid out some priorities for the coming year. Mayor Fort’s address was well over and hour and had a great deal of detail. 

Mayor Fort began her address by welcoming new staff who have recently joined the Municipality and made a point of thanking current staff for their hard work and dedication. Mayor Fort then spoke briefly about council as a team, by introducing each councilor and highlighting the strengths they bring to the municipal team. Councillors Stefanic, Peroff and Peter Kistemaker were in attendance, with councilor Belinda Kistemaker was absent with regrets.

As a way to highlight the dedication and work ethic of the current council, some statistics about meetings were shared. Council has met for more than 78 hours for  regular meetings, with several meetings having gone well past 10 PM. Mayor Fort outlined how councilors, in an attempt to bring their strengths to the table, have aligned themselves into certain teams, to work on projects as they move forward, in order to leverage the skills they bring to the table. 

Mayor Fort reflected on several of the complex, on-going committees, including waste management, the housing task force and the centre of Ontario. The municipality and its volunteers continue to pursue solutions to issues that these committees focus on, and to find ways to promote Hornepayne as the Centre of Ontario, as a tourist destination.

Mayor Fort also reflected on the cycle of training and learning for staff and council, and how it drives what the municipality does. She outlined many of the training initiatives taken by staff and council and referenced how they relate to the business of the municipality. Current council clearly believes in the value of training for staff and for council, in order to be able to make the best decisions.

It was also revealed, that there is an investor currently looking to build a small motel in Hornepayne. The investor has looked at several options, including renovations to the old Hallmark Hotel, but is also looking at property in town, to build new. Two of the options suggested were the current corner with the tennis courts and RW Anderson Park. If this was to become the spot for a new hotel, council would consult with the community for thoughts on the project, as well as options for moving the current park and tennis courts.

Mayor Fort then reflected on council’s relationship with major employers, Hornepayne Lumber and CN Rail, and outlined some of the meetings they have had with these employers, as they continue to work towards building even better relationships that can assist the community to grow and prosper. 

Mayor Fort closed with a passionate appeal to the citizens to continue to focus on the positive, and to work together to help Hornepayne continue to prosper. All ideas are good ideas and no council, or person has them all, so she encouraged people to continue to come forward with ideas, and thoughts and questions as the municipality moves forward.

The township will host a meeting near to the end of January to discuss the potential hotel investment and as always, council meetings are open to the public and the public are encouraged to attend. There are also plans in the near future to stream meetings and to have them available for download, for those who cannot attend. Watch www.hornepayne.com for more information in the near future, as well as the municipal site, www.townshipofhornepayne.ca.

Approximately 35 people gathered in the HESS Forum tonight, to listen to Mayor Cheryl Fort address the last year and speak of future directions.  Mayor Fort covered many topics and spoke highly of the Township Staff, as the municipality meanders its way into this new decade, and Mayor and Council work hard to build our community.

Mayor Fort spoke for about an hour and a half, accompanied by a power point presentation.  She took questions after the meeting and several residents asked questions and shared their thoughts and feelings.  Hornepayne.com will provide a more detailed review of the information presented in the coming days.  Please check back here for more detail in the near future.  We will post on our Facebook page when we have a more detailed story to post!

HORNEPAYNE, Ont., Nov 26, 2019 - "The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) has decided to withdraw Hornepayne from the site selection process for a potential host area for a deep geological repository for Canada's used nuclear fuel. This time involved with the NWMO has been a tremendous learning experience for our community and I am grateful for the time that we have been in the Learn More Process and the generous financial contributions that have been made to our Community. Hornepayne is proud of the role that we and our neighbours have played in the process including taking on leadership positions with our local Community Nuclear Liaison Committee and volunteering time to learn more.

It has been a pleasure to work with, and partner with, our neighbouring Indigenous and municipal communities, including Constance Lake First Nation, Ginoogaming First Nation, Long Lake #58 First Nation, Missanabie Cree First Nation, Chapleau Cree First Nation, the Red Sky Metis Independent Nation, Manitouwadge and White River.

Our heartfelt congratulations go out to those communities remaining in the process - Ignace, Huron­ Kinloss and South Bruce . This will be an exciting time for you all and we wish you all the best of luck.

This decision by the NWMO does not change that we have a wonderful, caring community which will continue to be a great place to call home."

Mayor Cheryl Fort, Township of Hornepayne #lovewhereyoulive