Part 1: Cell Gap Update, Strong Mayor Powers, and Provincial Bill Debate - 05/27/2025

The County Council held a regular meeting on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, beginning at 5:30 p.m. at Shire Hall in Picton. The meeting brought councillors together to address a wide-ranging agenda that included a closed session, multiple public proclamations, a detailed deputation on cellular service expansion, public comments on proposed provincial legislation, and reports dealing with municipal governance and finances. Mayor Steve Ferguson chaired the meeting, which was livestreamed and open to the public, with participation forming part of the official public record.

Mayor Ferguson opened the meeting with a traditional land acknowledgement and welcomed members of the public who were watching or attending. He outlined how the meeting would proceed, including procedural reminders about public participation and decorum. Council then confirmed the agenda with Councillor Roberts and Councillor Pennell moving and seconding the motion. With no declarations of pecuniary interest, Council moved into a closed session to consider matters related to a waste disposal dispute, including litigation, solicitor client advice, and negotiation strategy, as permitted under the Municipal Act.

© PEC Council (YouTube)

View the entire PEC Council meeting, or continue to speaker comments and councillor votes.

Council reconvened in open session at 7:00 p.m., with Mayor Ferguson noting that there were no reports arising from the closed meeting. The meeting then moved into announcements. Several councillors gave notice of upcoming motions. Councillor MacNaughton advised Council she would be bringing forward a future motion related to provincial legislation, including Bill 17 on development charges and potential work around a proposed agricultural food belt under Bill 21. Councillor Pennell signaled his intention to seek support for establishing a working group of councillors and residents to address the condition of County roads. Councillor Roberts announced a forthcoming motion focused on the financial realities facing residents with disabilities, particularly in relation to ODSP and the new federal Canada Disability Benefit.

© Legislative Assembly of Ontario

Mayor Ferguson also shared that he had recently attended an Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus meeting at Queen’s Park, where he met with Premier Doug Ford and members of Cabinet. He indicated that Council would receive a fuller update at a future meeting. The Mayor then read several formal proclamations recognizing Pride Month, Stroke and Aphasia Awareness Month, Seniors’ Month, National Indigenous History Month and National Indigenous Peoples Day, and 99.3 County FM Week, highlighting the importance of community inclusion, public health awareness, Indigenous history, and local media in the County.

With no formal presentations scheduled, Council moved into deputations. Jason St. Pierre, representing the Eastern Ontario Regional Network, addressed Council with an update on the EORN Cell Gap Project. St. Pierre outlined the scope and progress of the multi year initiative aimed at improving cellular coverage across Eastern Ontario. He reported that the project was approximately 80 percent complete overall and more than 82 percent complete within the County specifically. Of the eight new sites planned in the County, five had already been completed, with remaining sites scheduled for completion in 2025 and 2026. He explained that all planned upgrades to existing towers in the County were finished and described the significant infrastructure investment achieved through the program relative to the County’s financial contribution.

St. Pierre walked Council through projected coverage maps and drive test results, explaining how service gaps along major roadways had already been reduced since the project began. He emphasized that while the current build primarily involved Rogers Communications infrastructure, the towers were designed to allow for co location by other carriers should they choose to participate in the future. Councillors asked detailed questions about carrier competition, coverage in remote areas, cross border signal issues, and the limitations of the project in addressing fibre internet service. St. Pierre responded by clarifying the distinction between cellular and broadband infrastructure and acknowledged that some outcomes would only be fully understood once the network was complete. Council formally received the deputation following the discussion.

The meeting then moved to comments from the audience, where residents addressed upcoming Council resolutions tied to provincial legislation. Penny Morris spoke about Bill 5, expressing concerns about environmental protection, local planning authority, and the implications for Picton Terminals and nearby sensitive areas. Annette MacIntosh followed, urging Council to support opposition to Bill 5 and referencing concerns raised by Indigenous leaders regarding consultation. Ian Beveridge also addressed Council, focusing on democratic principles and expressing support for opposition to recent governance changes. Council voted to receive the public comments as part of the official record.

Council then began its consideration of reports, starting with a report from the Corporate and Legislative Services Department on Strong Mayor Powers, presented by Victoria Leskie, Municipal Clerk. Leskie explained that the report provided an overview of recently enacted provincial legislation granting enhanced powers to mayors, which came into force on May 1, 2025. She described the scope of the powers, their connection to provincial housing and infrastructure priorities, and the administrative implications for the County. Leskie noted that the legislation could not be refused, though some powers had already been delegated, and that further procedural updates would come before Council in June.

Councillors asked questions about how the new powers could affect budgeting, staff direction, and governance safeguards. Mayor Ferguson responded by emphasizing his commitment to collaborative decision making and explained that, in practice, he expected County processes such as budget preparation and committee formation to continue much as they had in the past. Council received the report for information, recognizing that further clarification and policy work would follow.

The meeting continued with a report from the Finance and IT Department, presented by Rebecca Carter, Financial Services Supervisor, on the Municipal Accommodation Tax for 2024. Carter outlined how the tax was collected, how compliance was monitored in connection with short term accommodation licensing, and how new software tools would improve oversight. Councillors discussed tourism trends, enforcement challenges, and the relationship between booking platforms and tax remittance. Council received the report for information.

As the meeting progressed into later agenda items, Council prepared to debate resolutions related to provincial legislation and governance, setting the stage for decisions and recorded votes that would follow. The meeting would later recess again into closed session, with Mayor Ferguson advising that no further open session motions were expected before adjournment.

Key Takeaways

1. The EORN Cell Gap Project is more than 80 percent complete in the County, with five of eight new tower sites already built and remaining sites scheduled through 2026. Council heard that roadway coverage has improved significantly, though some rural gaps may remain until final testing is complete.

   
   

2. New Strong Mayor Powers came into force on May 1, giving Mayor Steve Ferguson expanded authority tied to provincial housing and infrastructure priorities. While Council was told the powers cannot be declined, further procedural updates are expected as the County adapts to the new framework.

   
   

3. Public comments focused on concerns about Bill 5, environmental protections, Indigenous consultation, and democratic governance. Council formally received these comments, signaling that provincial legislation and its local consequences are front of mind for many residents.

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Disclaimer: This article is based on a meeting with an approximate duration of 3:05:03. 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.