Part 1: Accessibility, the Picton Marina, and an Integrity Commissioner – 02/13/2025
- PECConnect
- Feb 13, 2025
- 4 min read
The County’s Committee of the Whole met at Shire Hall in Picton on February 13, 2025. The meeting was chaired by Councillor Roy Pennell who opened with standard meeting instructions about livestreaming, public participation, and the fact that Committee decisions are not final until confirmed by Council. Pennell also added a short announcements section to the agenda and used it to point residents toward Family Day activities and to thank the Roads Department for storm response.
View the entire PEC Council meeting, or continue to speaker comments and councillor votes.
A clear message from the Accessibility Advisory Committee
The meeting’s early focus was accessibility, starting with a presentation from Irene Harris on the committee’s 2024 annual update and report to Council. Harris set the context by noting Ontario’s long-standing goal of being fully accessible by January 1, 2025, and stated the goal had not been met, including in the County. She pointed to progress over time, but returned repeatedly to what she described as the practical issue: accessibility cannot be treated as a separate project to address later.
Harris urged Council to apply an “accessibility lens” every time the municipality spends money or designs infrastructure, whether that is roads, sidewalks, parks, beaches, facilities, or programs. She highlighted work referenced in her remarks such as the Access the County Project aimed at supporting businesses in understanding accessibility requirements, a non-profit engagement session called 'Forward Together', and improvements like additional accessible parking. She also referenced the KPMG 2021 facilities review as a “shopping list” for upgrades, including issues at Shire Hall. Committee extended Harris’s presentation time by motion, then carried a motion to receive the presentation.
Discussion following Harris’s presentation stayed on the same pressure point: Shire Hall itself. Councillor Bill Roberts asked about the cost of addressing the ramp and elevator at Shire Hall. Harris said she did not know the cost, explaining that the KPMG report identified that the ramp does not meet code and that the elevator is a service elevator, not intended for public access.
In later discussion on the accessibility portfolio, Adam Goheen (Director of Housing and Acting CAO) indicated staff would look for any prior preliminary assessment information and report back.
The County’s Multi Year Accessibility Plan
Committee then received a staff report tied to the 2022-2026 Multi-Year Accessibility Plan, including a progress update. The discussion broadened accessibility beyond physical barriers to include technological, organizational, and attitudinal barriers, and it included a brief example from the County’s feedback process about accessibility formatting for tax bills. Councillor Kate MacNaughton (Ward 1, Picton) asked about improving plain language in municipal writing and procedures, and staff described internal training aimed at writing more clearly and accessibly. Committee’s decision on this item included receiving the report and directing staff to report back in Q2 2026 with the 2025 progress report on the plan.
Picton Marina and the push for a reset
One of the most time-sensitive items was the Picton Marina. Troy Gilmour (Director of Operational Services) told Committee staff had made repeated attempts to obtain compliance from the tenant under the marina agreement without success, and recommended ending the current agreement and proceeding legally. The report also proposed issuing an Expression of Interest to find a new operator for the 2025 season.
Councillors asked about timing, fairness, and what alternatives existed if a new operator could not be secured quickly. Councillor Phil St-Jean raised the question of what it would look like for the County to operate the marina in-house, and staff indicated they could return with information. Committee ultimately carried an amendment requesting that staff report back with all viable options for Picton Marina operations for 2025, then carried the main motion as amended, including terminating the current arrangement, rescinding By-Law 174-2020, and moving forward with the Expression of Interest process.
Integrity Commissioner appointment
The meeting also dealt with the County’s Integrity Commissioner transition. David Boghosian appeared as an audience commenter to introduce himself as the incoming Integrity Commissioner and briefly described his municipal-law background and approach to the role. Committee then received the staff report appointing him and ending the interim Integrity Commissioner arrangement, including direction to bring a confirming by-law to Council and to organize refresher training for Council on the Integrity Commissioner role, the Code of Conduct, and the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act.
Committee adjourned at 2:31 p.m. The carried items, including accessibility reporting direction, the Picton Marina next steps, and the Integrity Commissioner appointment process, were positioned to move forward through the County’s next procedural steps at Council.
Key Takeaways
The County’s accessibility work is moving forward, but the message from the Accessibility Advisory Committee was that progress needs to be built into everyday spending decisions through an accessibility lens, not treated as an occasional add on.
Picton Marina operations are being reset ahead of the 2025 season, with council directing staff to end the existing agreement, issue an Expression of Interest, and come back with all viable options for how the marina can run this year.
A new Integrity Commissioner is being put in place for the next term, with council confirming the appointment path and planning for training and more structured annual reporting on the work of the role.
Disclaimer: This article is based on a meeting with an approximate duration of 1:32:19. 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.
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