Central Frontenac Re-Drafts Safe Yards Bylaw

Apr 30, 2025

A streamlined version of the controversial draft Safe Yards Bylaw was presented to Central Frontenac Council at their regular meeting on April 22.  

In receiving the draft bylaw, Council members assured the public that they had received the feedback given to township staff about the Safe Yards By-Law the bylaw has been re-drafted accordingly. The new bylaw will come back to the next meeting, on May 22, for adoption.

The updated draft has removed or altered a number of conditions from earlier versions that sparked charges of over-reach by members of the public, including a provision that “All furniture used for exterior use shall be of an exterior grade material that readily repels water”, a provision that “All lawns, hedges and shrubs shall be kept trimmed and in a slight and neat condition to prevent undue overgrowth, and a provision that “Firewood shall be neatly piled and secured from collapse on lands abutting to a sidewalk.”

Councillor Duncan McGregor said he believes “the staff who updated the bylaw draft have done an excellent job in revising the draft and including the feedback from the public.”

While a specific number of comments was not provided, the number of comments received online was around 200 comments from members of the public regarding the bylaw. Many emails were received from members of the public as well as in-person visits, according to Deputy Clerk Jody Legue.

“It was a bit of a tedious job applying that feedback to each section, but we hope we got it a little more right this time,” said Jody Legue,

Most of the concerns from the public about the draft were that the first draft was more focused on property standards than health and safety. Council believes that the staff involved has done a good job at taking this feedback into account while balancing the original bylaw purpose.

“I would like to thank the public for submitting their comments, but I would like to again remind people that the staff are not to be blamed for anything. We, around this table, are the ones that make the decisions, so we’re the ones, if you don’t like something, let us know, we’re the ones who can change things, not staff,” said Francis Smith.

April Fire report

According to Fire Chief Chris Mcdonough, the implementation of the emergency alert subscription service has been successful so far. 45 people have subscribed to the service and while there is an annual fee of $3500 for having the fire department attached to this subscription service, he believes it will save the township money in the long run because it can be used to communicate fire bans to the public without having to spend $1800 every time, like in previous circumstances. The fire deputy also made presented an update on the implementation of the tiered emergency response system.

New Dispatch System

A Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS) is been implemented by Frontenac Paramedic Services to alleviate strain and provide for quicker response to life threatening medical emergencies.  The tiered system is a gauge of colours that dispatchers communicate to the emergency personnel the severity of an emergency situation. McDonough is unsure what the impact of the system will be in a rural community due to the distance EMS need to travel to each patient and how a situation can change within that time frame.  

“It’s early in the process, we’re still running some minimal calls, we’re seeing more of that coming back. Maybe it’s staffing levels with the paramedics. This program has been built around the cities. I can’t say we will run less calls because of this.”

Bylaw Officer. 

By-law officer Nicole Shorts has given out $7900 in bylaw fines this year.  Shorts reminded residents that they have 30 days to pay these fines. If the fines are not paid, they will be added to their taxes.

There has also been an increase in Freedom of Information Requests in different areas, such as bylaw decisions. There was no determined reason for this.

Marriage Officiant

Jody Legue is now able to officiate marriages in the township office. The decision was made after it was determined that there would be no extra cost to the township and that there was a demand for it from the community.

Deadline extended for comment

Council extended the deadline for providing feedback on a revised list of bylaws presented to council in March. Four of the nine council members provided feedback on the deadline that was originally set. The deadline is now set for May 11, 2025.

Heating Costs

There was some discussion on the budget and a request from Councillor Phillip Smith to look into other companies for heating services because the heat cost $50,000 for this month.

Org Review

Council has approved the recommendation to hire Capital Park Consulting to commence the Organizational and Delivery Services review for $33,173 before HST after receiving six proposals from consulting firms. This firm was chosen because they have already worked with the township and because of this they were able to cut costs down.

Grounds Maintenance Contracts

Council has awarded three contracts to bidders for public works and grounds maintenance. Kennebec Tree and Lawn has a contract for Kennebec, Nedow Property Management will be responsible for Arden and Hamilton Carpentry was the successful bidder for Oso and Hinchinbrooke.

Delegation, re – Strong Mayors.

There was a well-received presentation in opposition of the strong mayor powers by 18 year-old Meredith Peters.

Councillor Nicki Gowdy said she as in awe of Peters, and Mayor Smith said there may be an opening for a Chief Administrative Officer by the time Peters graduates from university.