Part 1: Fire Negotiations, Housing Pressure, AMPS Changes, and 2026 Ballot Question – 02/24/2026
- PECConnect
- Feb 24
- 4 min read
The County Council had their Regular meeting on February 24, 2026, at Shire Hall. The meeting began with a closed session at 5:30 p.m. before resuming in open session at 7:00 p.m., as outlined in the published agenda. Mayor Steve Ferguson chaired the meeting.
While much of the evening focused on housing and homelessness, Council also made decisions about firefighter negotiations, administrative penalties, open-air burning fees, and a proposed question for the 2026 municipal ballot.
View the entire PEC Council meeting, or continue to speaker comments and councillor votes.
Firefighter Negotiation Working Group
Coming out of closed session, Council approved the terms of reference for a negotiating working group between the County and the Volunteer Firefighters Association.
Council directed the Interim Chief Administrative Officer to share the terms with firefighter bargaining representatives as part of negotiations toward a new memorandum of understanding. Once received by the Association, the terms will be made public on the County website.
Council then appointed Councillor Maynard and Councillor Nieman to serve as Council’s representatives on that working group. Both were acclaimed after nominations closed. This marks the formal start of a new negotiation phase with volunteer firefighters.
Housing and Homelessness: A System Under Pressure
The main presentation of the evening came from Scott Robertson, Manager of Social Services with Prince Edward–Lennox & Addington Social Services.
Robertson walked Council through the current housing landscape across both counties, explaining how the shared service model operates and what pressures are growing locally.
Some key numbers stood out. There are 520 households currently on the centralized waiting list in the County. The wait time for subsidized housing is now five to eight years. Approximately 1,200 people each night rely on housing supported through the service manager. A one-bedroom apartment in Picton averages around $1,400 per month, while Ontario Works shelter allowance for a single person remains $390 per month.
Robertson emphasized that homelessness is rarely caused by a single issue. Relationship breakdowns, job loss, mental health challenges, addiction, and acquired brain injuries all contribute. He also noted that preventing someone from becoming homeless is far less costly than managing chronic homelessness through emergency health care and judicial systems.
Council members raised questions about funding stability, the provincial role in social supports, and the need for stronger advocacy. Staff highlighted that Prince Edward County’s Community Safety and Well-Being framework is further along than many comparable municipalities in coordinating housing responses.
Following the presentation, Council received a formal Housing and Homelessness Update report for information .
Administrative Monetary Penalties
Council next debated updates to the County’s Administrative Monetary Penalties (AMP) system. Council next debated updates to the County’s Administrative Monetary Penalties (AMP) system. The proposed amendments focused on procedural improvements, including expanding how notices of hearings can be served, clarifying screening and hearing officer appointments, and allowing for reopening a hearing in limited circumstances where someone misses it through no fault of their own.
Staff provided financial context showing that parking AMPs generated over $130,000 in 2025, while short-term accommodation AMPs generated $25,000 in levied penalties.
Several councillors raised concerns about fairness, communication, and costs. Others stressed the importance of ensuring residents have a reasonable opportunity to appeal penalties.
After discussion, Council voted 8 to 6 in favour of proceeding with the bylaw amendments.
Open-Air Burning Fee Correction
Council approved a housekeeping amendment to the Open Air Burning By-Law .
The current schedule listed a burn permit fee of $20, while the County’s Fees and Services By-Law had set the amount at $25 since 2023. The amendment corrects the discrepancy to reflect the approved $25 fee.
2026 Ballot Question By-Law
Council also considered a bylaw to place a question on the ballot for the October 26, 2026 municipal election .
The bylaw was pulled for a separate recorded vote. Discussion touched on concerns about voter understanding and potential ward boundary implications. Council ultimately passed the bylaw 10 to 4, allowing the question to proceed.
Details of the ballot wording will shape how residents engage with that issue during the next election cycle.
Key Takeaways
Housing pressures are intensifying. Wait times remain long, rents continue to outpace income supports, and both prevention and long-term solutions require stronger provincial and federal involvement.
Firefighter negotiations are formally underway. Council has established a working group to negotiate a new agreement with volunteer firefighters.
Administrative and governance changes are moving ahead. Updates to the AMP system, a corrected burn permit fee, and a ballot question for 2026 were all approved.
The meeting adjourned at 9:21 p.m.
Disclaimer: This article is based on a meeting with an approximate duration of 2:04:043 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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