Part 2: New Heritage Committee Launches Amid Bill 23 and Cemetery Licences - 03/22/2023

Deputy Clerk Anne Kantharajah, Deputy Clerk opened the meeting and confirmed it would be livestreamed and run as an electronic meeting under the County’s procedural rules. When it came time to lock in the agenda, Sandra Latchford moved the motion and Ben Thornton seconded it, and the agenda confirmation was carried.

The leadership votes were straightforward and fully recorded in the minutes.

For chair, John Hirsch nominated Sandy Latchford in the meeting discussion. The minutes show Councillor John Hirsch moved to close nominations for chair and Mayor Steve Ferguson seconded, and that closure motion was carried. Latchford was then formally appointed chair through a motion moved by Monica Alyea and seconded by R. John Garside, and that appointment motion was carried.

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For vice chair, Hirsch was nominated. The minutes show R. John Garside moved to close nominations for vice chair and Ross Hamilton seconded, and that closure motion was carried. The same appointment motion that seated Latchford as chair also appointed Hirsch as vice chair, and it was carried.

Clearing old business, and who drove those approvals

A string of votes followed to adopt minutes from earlier committees, which mattered because this new committee is essentially inheriting work from three separate groups.

For the Heritage Advisory Committee minutes from September 15, 2022, Councillor John Hirsch moved adoption and Ross Hamilton seconded, and it was carried.

For the Cemetery Advisory Committee minutes from July 19, 2022, Ross Hamilton moved adoption and Monica Alyea seconded, and it was carried.

For the Museum Advisory Committee minutes from July 25, 2022, R. John Garside moved adoption and Monica Alyea seconded, and it was carried.

So if someone is scanning for patterns, Alyea’s name shows up repeatedly as seconder during the reset phase, while Hirsch, Hamilton, and Garside each took turns moving the approvals.

Orientation presentation, and who put it on the record

Kantharajah delivered the orientation on procedures and best practices, and the committee formally received it through a recorded vote. Ben Thornton moved the motion to receive the presentation and David Smith seconded, and it was carried.

In the discussion portion after the presentation, Hirsch flagged the idea of adding youth members, noting there is room for youth participation on committees and encouraging people to spread the word. Monica Alyea raised a practical concern about meeting timing for youth, asking whether evening meetings could be used if the committee ever did recruit youth members. Kantharajah responded that timing could be discussed if youth members were appointed and scheduling became an issue.

Bill 23 and the work plan conversation, and who pushed the next steps

The correspondence list included an Ontario Historical Society submission connected to Bill 23 More Homes Built Faster Act 2022, and the meeting later circled back to how big the overall workload could become.

On the memos to file from the previous committees, the minutes show the committee agreed to defer the real discussion to the next meeting, with the idea of drafting a work plan and possibly setting up working groups. That decision was formalized by a motion moved by Ross Hamilton and seconded by R. John Garside, and it was carried.

Near the end of the meeting, Hirsch laid out why he thought the next meeting should be a strategy session, pointing to Bill 23 impacts and the likely need to organize into working groups. Latchford, as chair, agreed the committee would need to get organized and start prioritizing the inherited list of issues. Ferguson asked for clarity that working group formation would be placed on the next agenda, and staff confirmed it would be.

Cemetery files, and who asked the questions

Goheen presented the update on potential cemetery acquisitions and the licensing issues that had come to the municipality’s attention. The minutes capture the basics, including that the County has many cemeteries under municipal control and that three of four licensing issues raised through the provincial audit process had been resolved, with one still outstanding.

That cemetery update was received through a motion moved by Michael Miller and seconded by Monica Alyea, and it was carried.

In discussion, Alyea asked about West Lake Cemetery and whether it is still an active cemetery. Goheen responded that it is still active, with limited plots remaining. Latchford added an important clarification from a cemetery operations standpoint, explaining why the committee should be careful with labels like active and inactive, since burial rights and future interments can still exist even when new plot sales are limited.

Heritage permits, and who got appointed to the task team

Overholt explained the purpose of re-establishing the Heritage Permit Task Team, focusing on how permits can be classified as major or minor and how that affects the approval path.

The actual decision was made through a single recorded motion that did three things. It approved the draft terms of reference, sent them to council for final approval, and appointed task team members. The motion was moved by Lorri Bruch and seconded by R. John Garside, and it was carried.

The people appointed to the task team were Michael Miller, Councillor Chris Braney, and Ross Hamilton.

Permits tracking and the membership renewal vote

The updated Master List of Permits was received through a motion moved by R. John Garside and seconded by Michael Miller, and it was carried. Overholt explained what the list is for, essentially a tracking record that captures key dates and status updates for permit applications.

The committee also voted to renew the Community Heritage Ontario membership. That motion was moved by Ross Hamilton and seconded by Lori Busch, and it was carried. Kantharajah explained the role of the organization and that the fee is paid through the operating budget.

The meeting ended with a standard adjournment motion moved by David Smith and seconded by Michael Miller, and it was carried, with the minutes recording adjournment at 10:50 am.

What this means for locals

Heritage and permit decisions in places like Picton and Wellington will keep moving through this committee, with Michael Miller, Councillor Chris Braney, and Ross Hamilton now positioned to help sort out how heritage permit applications are classified before they become bigger public files, and cemetery conversations will stay relevant across rural wards because the County is still dealing with licensing and long term maintenance responsibilities that can land back on the municipality when ownership is unclear.

The Bill 23 discussion also signals that residents who care about listed heritage properties and heritage conservation districts will likely see more organized work planning and more committee focus on what gets protected and how fast, particularly as Wellington related heritage planning pressures build.

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Disclaimer: This article is based on a meeting with an approximate duration of 1:16:32. Due to the length of the meeting, our team was not able to independently review the full recording in its entirety. As a result, we relied on software-generated transcription, automated summarization, and automated recognition of speakers and participants, which may not be entirely accurate. All transcriptions, summaries, and related content are prepared by our team in good faith and on a reasonable best-efforts basis. The content is provided for general informational purposes only and is intended to support public understanding of the topics discussed. While reasonable efforts have been made to present the information accurately, automated processes may result in errors, omissions, or unintended misinterpretations. This article does not constitute an official, certified, or verbatim record of the meeting, and it should not be relied upon as such. Readers are encouraged to consult original source materials, official minutes, or recordings where available for confirmation or clarification. Questions, requests for clarification, or suggested corrections may be submitted to hello@pecconnect.ca for review and consideration.