Part 1: Environmental Committee Pushes Transit Reform and Climate Action Despite Planning Delays - 09/02/2025

This meeting marked the Environmental Advisory Committee’s first session after the summer break, and it was both wide-ranging and unusually substantive. While there were routine approvals at the front end, the bulk of the meeting focused on transit planning, climate adaptation funding, and how to move climate action forward despite delays in the Climate Action Plan.

© PEC Council (YouTube)

View the entire PEC Council meeting, or continue to Part 2 for speaker comments and councillor votes>

After quorum was confirmed, the committee approved the agenda, declared no pecuniary interests, and adopted the previous meeting minutes without amendment. Announcements followed, including notice of the West Lake Community Association’s Environmental Symposium on September 27, updates on local events like the Picton Fair, and a broader caution about emerging climate disinformation from the U.S. Department of Energy, which the Chair committed to circulating with expert rebuttals.

A notable introduction was Lindsay Nash, the new Outreach and Stewardship Coordinator at Quinte Conservation, who replaces Mark Boone. Lindsay outlined her role connecting conservation work with community education, youth engagement, and hands-on stewardship across the watershed, including Prince Edward County.

The central presentation of the meeting came from Julianne Sepps (Program Supervisor, Community Services) and Vincent (Transit Coordinator), who walked the committee through the County’s Transit Strategy Refresh. The refresh follows the original 2018 study and reflects four and a half years of operating experience, post-pandemic travel patterns, and new data from public consultation involving roughly 250 participants.

They outlined the current transit system, including: 

• the weekday fixed route between Picton, Bloomfield, and Belleville 

• the new summer weekend connector between Wellington, Bloomfield, Picton, and Belleville 

• specialized transit for seniors and residents with disabilities 

• county-wide on-demand service using spare capacity on specialized vehicles

The proposed changes focus on keeping what works while refining efficiency. Consultants recommended shifting weekday fixed routes toward peak commuting hours, introducing a dedicated on-demand service within Picton, and eventually establishing a more reliable connection between Picton, Bloomfield, and Wellington. The Picton on-demand model would gather data that could later support a future fixed route, particularly as new housing developments come online.

From an environmental perspective, staff emphasized reducing empty buses, using on-demand services to cut unnecessary mileage, integrating transit with walking and cycling infrastructure, expanding bike rack availability, implementing greener driving practices, and potentially introducing hybrid vehicles for smaller on-demand services.

Full electrification was explicitly identified as out of scope in the short term, due to fleet ownership, cost, infrastructure requirements, and the current lack of suitable rural-scale vehicles.

The committee then spent significant time discussing climate adaptation funding, particularly the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Adaptation in Action Program. Members expressed frustration that a motion passed a year earlier had stalled due to staff turnover and delays in finalizing the Climate Action Plan. The conversation shifted toward practical next steps, including identifying specific, budget-ready projects that could qualify for FCM funding and inserting placeholder funding into the 2026 municipal budget.

This led into a broader discussion on extreme heat risks, particularly for low-income and vulnerable residents. Members connected public health data, cooling centre limitations, and demographic trends, raising the possibility of direct cooling assistance programs such as air conditioner or fan distribution, potentially using existing means-tested municipal programs or foundation support.

The final major policy discussion focused on implementing a climate and environmental lens for staff reports. Members emphasized that waiting for the Climate Action Plan should not delay incorporating climate considerations into everyday decision-making. The committee agreed that staff reports should include a dedicated section addressing climate and environmental impacts, similar to financial or risk considerations.

The meeting concluded with working group updates, approval of the work plan, and a move into closed session related to working group appointments.

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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.