Part 2: Parks Plan, Youth Engagement, Trail Concerns, and Labour Agreements – 05/29/2025

The Committee of the Whole meeting on May 29, 2025 was chaired by Councillor Janice Maynard (Ameliasburgh) with other councillors present. Senior staff in attendance included Adam Goheen, Interim Chief Administrative Officer, Victoria Leskie, Municipal Clerk, and directors responsible for recreation, community services, and human resources.

During the Parks and Recreation Master Plan presentation, consultant Jonathan Hack of Sierra Planning and Management outlined a County-wide framework intended to guide recreation decisions over the next decade. Hack emphasized that the plan was strategic rather than site-specific and focused on service delivery, facility sustainability, and long-term planning. In response, Councillor David Harrison (North Marysburgh) raised concerns about the growing demand for pickleball, particularly indoor access for seniors during winter months. Hack replied that pickleball was captured within the broader framework and would be addressed during implementation.

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Councillor Roy Pennell (Ameliasburgh) questioned how County-funded facilities are used by residents from outside the County and whether that creates cost-sharing concerns. Maynard challenged how recreation hub classifications might affect smaller communities over time, using Consecon as an example where recreation relies on partnerships rather than County-owned buildings. Council voted to extend the presentation beyond its time limit and to formally receive it. Both motions carried.

The meeting then heard from Gregor Stuart, Chair of the PEC Trails Committee, who spoke about the Millennium Trail in Wellington and the impacts of the ongoing trunk water main and sanitary sewer project. Stuart focused on safety during construction, lack of clear signage, uncertainty around restoration timelines, and the need for clarity on who will be responsible for post-construction maintenance. Councillor Corey Engelsdorfer (Wellington) asked staff how they intended to proceed. Adam Goheen responded that staff would coordinate stakeholders, clarify commitments, and return to Council with a restoration plan. Roy Pennell added that Council needed visibility into the financial side of the restoration. Council directed staff to continue working with the Trails Committee and to report back once a plan is complete, and also voted to receive the deputation. Both motions carried.

Christine Everall and Janet MacGillivray then addressed Council on behalf of the Greater Than County Youth Collective, presenting findings from their work on youth engagement in the County. They described barriers such as rural isolation, financial constraints, and limited awareness of participation opportunities, while also pointing to successful engagement models.

Councillor Phil St-Jean (Picton) spoke in support and referenced challenges engaging schools and youth institutions. Maynard emphasized that municipal decisions are generational and that engagement needs to meet youth where they already are. Council voted to direct staff to investigate creating a youth engagement strategy in partnership with Greater Than and the Students Commission of Canada, and to receive the deputation. Both motions carried.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, Sue Mathieu, speaking for the Prince Edward Fitness and Aquatic Centre, highlighted PFAC’s role as the County’s only publicly accessible indoor pool. She described increased usage, rising operating costs, and PFAC’s own long-term planning work, which includes exploring expanded aquatic and fitness facilities. Council voted to receive the public comment. The motion carried.

Council then moved into closed session to discuss industrial land matters and labour negotiations. When Council returned to open session, motions authorizing the sale of municipal industrial land in the Picton Industrial Park and approving collective agreements with CUPE Local 2275 and the Ontario Nurses Association Local 31 were carried, with direction for authorizing by-laws to return at a subsequent Council meeting. The Committee of the Whole adjourned at 3:25 p.m. All recorded motions during the meeting carried, with no vote splits recorded in the minutes. 

What This Means for the Locals

For residents, the takeaway is steady movement rather than sudden change.

If you live in North Marysburgh or Wellington, you are likely to see continued discussion about indoor recreation space and trail restoration in the months ahead. If you are in a smaller hamlet like Consecon, the recreation hub model could shape how facilities are funded and maintained long term.

Youth may soon have more formal ways to influence decisions, which could shift how Council approaches planning, services, and community programs over time.

Staff now have marching orders on recreation planning, trail restoration, youth engagement, labour agreements, and industrial land sales. For locals, that means these issues are moving forward and will return to Council with more detail and potentially bigger financial implications in the near future.

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Disclaimer: This article is based on a meeting with an approximate duration of 2:25:16 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.