Part 1: Council Confronts Economic Loss, Approves Friendship City Agreement, and Advances Key Infrastructure - 09/23/2025

Council reconvened in open session after an earlier closed meeting, with Mayor Steve Ferguson setting a calm but serious tone for the evening. The agenda was confirmed, pecuniary interests were disclosed for a rezoning item, and council moved quickly through procedural matters.

Photo: PEC Council/ YouTube

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The early part of the meeting focused on announcements and notices of motion, many of which reflected growing economic and social pressure in the County. Councillor Branderhorst gave notice of a future motion to create an Economic Development Task Team, citing rising uncertainty for residents and businesses and the need for stronger coordination between tourism, agriculture, business, and municipal leadership. Councillor Pennell foreshadowed a future motion calling for at least one council meeting dedicated solely to identifying cost savings for taxpayers ahead of the next budget cycle.

Proclamations, Reflection, and Community Acknowledgement

Several community announcements followed, including reminders about county-wide cleanups, promotion of the County Adaptation Film Festival, and multiple proclamations recognizing National Seniors Day, Fire Prevention Week, British Home Child Day, and National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The mayor delivered a full proclamation acknowledging the legacy of residential schools and encouraging residents to reflect and learn.

The mood shifted when Mayor Ferguson addressed two major community losses. He spoke at length about the closure of Highline Mushrooms, which will result in the loss of 125 permanent jobs and the eventual departure of 150 temporary workers.

He emphasized that the closure was not due to worker performance but infrastructure challenges, acknowledged the emotional and economic impact on the County.

Council also observed a moment of silence for Steve Campbell, a longtime journalist, publisher, and historian whose work helped define how the County tells its own story.

Friendship City Agreement With Krasiliv Approved

The sole public comment came from Roxanne McKenzie, Vice Chair of the Krasiliv Friendship City Working Group. She provided an update on the group’s work to formalize a friendship agreement between the County and Krasiliv, Ukraine. She outlined proposed cultural, educational, and humanitarian support initiatives and emphasized that the relationship would remain non-political and non-military.

That deputation set the stage for one of the most emotionally charged items of the night. Council considered a report approving the Friendship City Agreement with Krasiliv, along with a proposal to allocate $5,000 in the 2026 budget to support the program. Councillor Roberts delivered an extended and deeply personal speech connecting the agreement to broader democratic values and the realities of the war in Ukraine. Debate followed, with Councillor Pennell supporting the relationship but questioning whether direct taxpayer funding was appropriate given upcoming budget pressures.

Staff clarified that the $5,000 would function as seed funding, covering modest operating needs such as translation, outreach, and fundraising support, and that not all of it might be used. Council ultimately approved the agreement and funding on a recorded vote, with strong majority support.

Rights-of-Way By-law Strengthens Enforcement, Protects Farming

The second major policy item was approval of a new bylaw regulating access to and use of municipal rights of way. Staff explained that the bylaw strengthens enforcement tools for unauthorized encroachments, while explicitly exempting normal farm practices. Councillors asked detailed questions about unopened road allowances, farming access, hedgerows, and complaint-based enforcement. The bylaw was framed as largely educational, with enforcement focused on safety and repeated non-compliance rather than punishment. Council approved the bylaw unanimously.

York Street Reconstruction Moves Forward

Council then approved the York Street Reconstruction project in Picton, including significant additional funding from water, wastewater, and roads reserves. Staff explained the technical challenges of replacing a critical trunk sewer beneath a narrow heritage street and the risks of failure if the project were delayed.

Temporary lane closures on Picton Main Street are expected, with a commitment to extensive communication with businesses and residents. Councillors acknowledged the high cost but agreed the work is unavoidable and long overdue.

Later in the meeting, council addressed Emergency Management governance, appointing Councillor Sam Branderhorst as an alternate head of council for emergency declarations and to the Emergency Management Program Committee.

Consent items were approved with two pulled for discussion. One involved adoption of Planning Committee minutes, and the other prompted a detailed update on the Prince Edward County Affordable Housing Corporation. Staff and councillors outlined challenges facing both the Wellington and Picton housing projects, including soil conditions, funding gaps, and rising construction costs. Council heard cautiously optimistic updates about potential partnerships with the Wellington Storehouse Food Bank and ongoing efforts to attract private-sector partners for housing development.

The meeting concluded with adoption of multiple bylaws and adjournment just after 8:30 p.m.

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Disclaimer: This article is based on a meeting with an approximate duration of 3:08:058. 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.