COMMUNITY SURVEY - Municipal Core Services and Organization Review

Updated: December 12, 2022

The Survey submission deadline is passed and the survey is no longer active. Thank you to all who took the time to provide your feedback.

Date: November 22, 2022

The Municipality of St.-Charles (the “Municipality”) recently engaged KPMG LLP to undertake a Municipal Core Services and Organization Review (the “Review”) and assist in an objective evaluation of its municipal service offerings and operations currently provided by the Municipality.

This is being done with the view of identifying potential opportunities intended to maximize value-for-money, minimize pressure on taxes and contribute towards the long-term sustainability of the Municipality.

As part of the Review, we are seeking your feedback about Municipal services to assist KPMG in their work. We greatly appreciate the time and effort you will put into completing this survey.

The online survey can be accessed here:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TQC92ZK

If you would prefer a paper copy please contact the Municipal Office and we would be happy to send one can to you.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION – December 9, 2022

2022 Inaugural Meeting

Sudbury East Planning Board - Notice of Open House - Official Plan Review

TAKE NOTICE that the Sudbury East Planning Board will hold an Open House for the review of the draft Official Plan for the Sudbury East Planning Area. The Sudbury East Planning Area includes the Municipalities of French River, Killarney, Markstay-Warren, and St.-Charles and the unincorporated townships of Burwash, Cox, Davis, Hawley (except northeast corner), Henry (except Concessions 1 and 2), Hendrie, Janes (west half), Laura, Loughrin (except Concessions 1-3), Secord, Servos, Street (east of the Wanapitae River), and Waldi.

The purpose of the Open House is to provide the public with an opportunity to review the draft document, ask questions, and provide feedback on the proposed document. There are three options for participation, drop-in anytime:

Section 26(1.1) of the Planning Act requires that Official Plans be reviewed and updated at least every five years unless the plan has been replaced by a new Official Plan. The Board’s current Plan was approved in 2010. The Official Plan Review has updated and refined the goals, objectives, policies, and schedules to create a new Official Plan for the Planning Area to ensure that it: conforms with Provincial Plans; has regard to matters of provincial interest; is consistent with the 2020 Provincial Policy Statement; and updates matters of local interest.

The proposed Official Plan applies to the entire Planning Area.

IF YOU WISH TO BE NOTIFIED of the decision of the Sudbury East Planning Board or its member municipalities on the proposed official plan, you must make a written request to the Sudbury East Planning Board: 39 Lafontaine St, Unit 4, Warren, ON P0H 2N0

IF A PERSON OR PUBLIC BODY would otherwise have an ability to appeal the decision of the Sudbury East Planning Board or its member municipalities to the Ontario Land Tribunal but the person or public body does not make oral submissions at a public meeting or make written submissions to the Sudbury East Planning Board or a member municipality before the proposed official plan is adopted, the person or public body is not entitled to appeal the decision.

IF A PERSON OR PUBLIC BODY does not make oral submissions at a public meeting or make written submissions to the Sudbury East Planning Board or a member municipality before the proposed official plan is adopted, the person or public body may not be added as a party to the hearing of an appeal before the Ontario Tribunal unless, in the opinion of the Tribunal, there are reasonable grounds to add the person or public body as a party.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION and copies of the draft Official Plan are available at the Sudbury East Planning Board: 39 Lafontaine St, Unit 4, Warren, ON P0H 2N0, Tel: 705-967-2174, and on the Board’s website http://www.sepb.org

DATED at the Municipality of Markstay-Warren this 25^th day of October, 2022.

Matthew Dumont

Director of Planning/Secretary Treasurer

Sudbury East Planning Board

39 Lafontaine St, Unit 4

Warren, ON P0H 2N0

Tel: 705-967-2174

STATEMENT ISSUED BY LEGAL COUNSEL - OCTOBER 6, 2022

STATEMENT ISSUED BY LEGAL COUNSEL FOR THE MUNICIPALITY OF ST.-CHARLES REGARDING LITIGATION INVOLVING ARENA PROPERTY

Released: October 6, 2022

The Municipality of St.-Charles is currently involved in legal proceedings in which it seeks the return of municipal lands that were transferred to William Simpson as a result of an inadvertent error made by St.-Charles’ real estate solicitor. Included on the lands transferred by the lawyer’s error were a municipal arena, garage, roads, a helicopter pad used by Ornge for providing air ambulance service, and public recreational lands including a playground, tennis courts, and baseball diamonds. St.-Charles’ former real estate solicitor is a named defendant in the legal proceedings, along with Mr. Simpson. In his Statement of Defence, the lawyer has acknowledged the error leading to the mistaken transfer of municipal lands to Mr. Simpson.

St.-Charles has obtained an Injunction Order from the Court preventing Mr. Simpson from dealing with the lands and permitting St.-Charles to continue using and accessing the municipal lands uninterrupted. Moreover, St.-Charles obtained a certificate of pending litigation with respect to the lands. In his endorsement, Justice Gordon observed that “it is unlikely the plaintiff would have transferred crucial municipal infrastructure such as the helipad, the municipal garage, and the salt dome without written assurances for their continued use.” He further noted “the town infrastructure included in the lands is relied upon by upwards of 1000 municipal residents for the safety of their roads, recreational pursuits, access to hospital care and safe operation of their wastewater disposal system.”

The legal proceedings are ongoing. While certain information is publicly available through the court, the parties to the litigation are bound by a deemed undertaking rule. That rule provides that all parties and their lawyers are deemed to undertake not to use evidence or information in the litigation which is not publicly available for any purposes other than those of the legal proceeding in which the evidence was obtained.

NOTICE TO RESIDENTS - July 4, 2022

As a result of strike action by the unionized employees of the municipality, residents may experience some delays / disruptions in service:

• The landfill site will remain open for its regularly scheduled hours on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. However, when visiting the landfill site residents may encounter some delays
• Garbage & recycling collection will remain on schedule
• Some municipal services like road maintenance may be delayed however, if you have any road maintenance concerns please call 705-561-1123
• Cemetery operations (i.e. burials) will continue uninterrupted
• Fire services remain uninterrupted –  in an emergency please dial 9-1-1
• Building and By-Law Enforcement remain open however, some delays maybe be encountered
• Service Ontario will be closed for the duration of the strike. Residents are encouraged to go to Sturgeon Falls or Sudbury if they require this service or visit serviceontario.ca to access online services
• The Municipal Office remains open however, when visiting the office residents may encounter some delays. For payment of property taxes, we encourage everyone to take advantage of online payment options

We apologize for an inconvenience this may cause you. Any questions or concerns please call the office at 705-867-2032.

News Release - St.-Charles Receives Support for Stronger Asset Management Practices

Updated – May 6, 2022

Nickel Belt – Greater Sudbury – From roads and buildings, to waste water systems – strong asset management is key to building strong communities. Municipalities of all sizes need the tools and support to make evidence-based decisions that can help them plan a a healthier, safer and more prosperous future for everyone. …

Click here for the full Press Release (English) (French)

Survey - Sudbury East Community Safety and Well Being Plan

We are currently developing a Safety and Well-Being Plan that will be used to guide our work toward a safe and healthy community for all! As part of our research phase, we invite you to take part in a survey that will help us identify priority areas for this plan. We ask that you take about 5 minutes to complete this survey and share your thoughts about what matters most to you. Your survey responses are anonymous. The data collected from this survey will be used to inform the development of this Community Safety and Well-Being Plan for our area.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/F2DGVPD (English)

Nous élaborons actuellement un plan de sécurité et de bien-être qui servira à guider notre travail vers une communauté sûre et saine pour tous! Dans le cadre de notre phase de recherche, nous vous invitons à participer à un sondage qui nous aidera à identifier les axes prioritaires de ce plan. Nous vous demandons de prendre environ 5 minutes pour répondre à ce sondage et partager vos réflexions sur ce qui compte le plus pour vous. Vos réponses au sondage sont anonymes. Les données recueillies à partir de cette enquête seront utilisées pour éclairer l’élaboration de ce plan de sécurité et de bien-être communautaires pour notre région.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/27NGP6G (French)

News Release - Enbridge Gas Helps St. Charles Fire Department Reduce Fire and Carbon Monoxide Deaths through Safe Community Project Zero

Click here for Press Release

News Release

Municipality of St. Charles, January 10, 2022 – Today, Enbridge Gas, the Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Council and the St. Charles Fire Department announced they are working to improve home safety and bring fire and carbon monoxide-related deaths down to zero.

St. Charles Fire received 96 combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms through Safe Community Project Zero–a public education campaign that will provide over 16,600 alarms to residents in 70 municipalities across Ontario.

This year, Enbridge Gas invested $500,000 in Safe Community Project Zero, and over the past 13 years, the program has provided more than 68,000 alarms to Ontario fire departments.

When properly installed and maintained, combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms help provide the early warning to safely escape from a house fire or carbon monoxide exposure. Carbon monoxide is a toxic, odourless gas that is a by-product of incomplete combustion of many types of common fuels.

“Carbon monoxide is known as the ‘silent killer’ for a reason, and we have proof that prevention saves lives. We know that the best way to avoid carbon monoxide exposure is to eliminate it at the source by properly maintaining fuel-burning equipment, and that the alarms are a critical second line of defense to protect against carbon monoxide poisoning,” says Peter Jurgeneit, Director, Transmission Compression & LNG Operations, Enbridge Gas.

“The objective of Safe Community Project Zero is to deliver combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms to Ontario communities who need them the most,” says Jon Pegg, Ontario Fire Marshal and Chair of the Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Council. “It’s a program that fire departments can adopt to help educate their communities about the requirement for all Ontario homes to have a CO alarm if they have a fuel-burning appliance or an attached garage.”

“Project Zero greatly assists us in our fire prevention and life safety education initiatives by allowing us to supply zero cost combination alarms to those in need,” says Fire Chief James Bertoia. “Since 2019, we have distributed 180 free alarms to those in need. Our community members are safer as a direct result of this grant opportunity.”

About the St. Charles Fire Department

The St. Charles Fire Department is a fully volunteer department providing realistic fire prevention, education and protection for life and property to the residents of St. Charles. Through community involvement, continued education, innovation, aggressive and compliant leadership, the department protects citizens, property, and the environment from many hazards.

About the Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Council

The Fire Marshal’s Public Fire Safety Council (Council) is a registered charity established in 1993 with a mission to help create “a world where no one is hurt by fire.” Chaired by the Ontario Fire Marshal, the Council promotes fire prevention and public education through sponsorships and partnerships with various groups and individuals with an interest in public safety. Follow the Council on Twitter @FMPFSC.

About Enbridge Gas

Enbridge Gas Inc., formed on January 1, 2019 from the amalgamation of Union Gas Limited and Enbridge Gas Distribution, is Canada’s largest natural gas storage, transmission and distribution company based in Ontario with a more than 170-year history of providing safe and reliable service to customers. The distribution business serves about 3.8 million customers, heating over 75 per cent of Ontario homes. The storage and transmission business offers a variety of storage and transportation services to customers at the Dawn Hub, the largest integrated underground storage facility in Canada and one of the largest in North America. Enbridge Gas Inc. is owned by Enbridge Inc., a Canadian-based leader in energy transportation and distribution.

For more information, visit www.enbridgegas.com or follow us on Twitter @EnbridgeGas.

CANCELLED - Significant Weather Event

Updated: December 16, 2021

The declaration of a Special Weather Event issued by the Municipality of St.-Charles on December 15, 2021 is now lifted.

We would like to thank the residents for your understanding and trust that all remained safe during this event.