Part 1: PEC Council Backs Fisheries, Health, and Safety Moves - 10/10/2023
- PECConnect
- Oct 10, 2023
- 5 min read
The County Council met on the evening of October 10, 2023 at Shire Hall in Picton, bringing together council members, staff, deputants, and residents for a long meeting that touched on community events, food security, public health governance, infrastructure spending, and a sustained focus on the future of the County’s commercial fishery.
The meeting was chaired by Mayor Steve Ferguson, who guided Council through a full agenda that blended ceremonial items with several emotionally charged deputations and substantive policy decisions.
View the entire PEC Council Meeting, or continue to speaker comments and councillor votes>
Mayor Ferguson opened the meeting with a land acknowledgement recognizing the County as traditional Indigenous territory, followed by welcoming members of the public, media, and those watching online. He confirmed that the meeting was being livestreamed and that participation would form part of the public record. Council confirmed the agenda without amendments and reported no disclosures of pecuniary interest.
Before turning to formal business, Council shared community announcements. Councillor Phil St-Jean highlighted the upcoming Picton Farmers Market hot sauce competition in support of the Prince Edward Learning Centre, while Councillor Corey Engelsdorfer invited residents to attend Pumpkinfest in Wellington. These announcements set a community focused tone before the meeting shifted to more weighty matters.
Commercial Fisheries Take Centre Stage
The heart of the meeting was a series of deputations focused on commercial fisheries, particularly activity at Point Traverse and the long term recognition of fishing within County policy.
The first deputation came from Rosalind Adams, a County resident, who spoke at length about the cultural, economic, and historical importance of the local commercial fishery. Adams described fishing as a multi generational way of life tied to food security, sustainability, and local knowledge. She raised concerns about federal actions affecting infrastructure at Point Traverse and argued that the County’s Official Plan fails to explicitly recognize commercial fishing despite its long history. Her remarks prompted questions from Council about how fisheries might be better reflected in planning documents.
In response, Councillor John Hirsch brought forward a motion directing staff to explore the inclusion of commercial fisheries in the Official Plan and report back to the Planning and Development Committee by early 2024. Council supported the motion, marking a clear outcome tied directly to the deputation.
The second deputation was delivered by Jordan McCormick, a sixth generation commercial fisherman, who spoke emotionally about the impacts of federal decisions on fishing families and infrastructure at Point Traverse. McCormick urged Council to advocate more forcefully and expressed frustration with the uncertainty facing leaseholders. Council members asked clarifying questions, including about legal avenues and ongoing discussions with federal representatives. Mayor Ferguson confirmed that conversations were already underway with the local Member of Parliament and that further updates were expected.
The third deputation came from Amy Bodman, speaking on behalf of the South Shore Joint Initiative. Bodman focused on documenting and preserving the history of commercial fishing through an oral history and archival project, while also emphasizing that conservation goals and commercial fishing need not be in conflict. Her presentation highlighted the depth of historical evidence connecting Point Traverse to fishing activity over more than a century.
Following Bodman’s deputation, Councillor David Harrison introduced an advocacy motion requesting that the Mayor draft a letter to the federal Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard in support of commercial fishing at Point Traverse. Council approved the motion, adding another concrete action tied to the evening’s recurring theme.
Public Comments Reinforce the Message
During the public comment portion of the meeting, multiple residents echoed support for the commercial fishery and urged Council to intervene where possible. Speakers linked fishing to sustainability, climate resilience, and local history. One speaker addressed unrelated concerns about public health governance, while others focused squarely on Point Traverse, reinforcing the sense that this issue resonated broadly within the community.
Financial Reports and Infrastructure Decisions
Council then turned to a series of financial and operational reports. The 2022 Development Charges Financial Statement and the year end financial report for 2022 were both received without major debate, providing Council with background information ahead of future budget discussions.
Council also approved a resolution supporting a rural primary care strategy, aligning with a request from Hastings County. Mayor Ferguson emphasized that rural health care challenges differ from urban ones and require provincial level solutions. Council agreed to forward the resolution to provincial and regional stakeholders.
Later in the meeting, Council addressed operational items including awarding a two year cold patch supply contract and extending a coarse highway salt contract. Councillors raised questions about costs, comparisons to other municipalities, and budget timing, but ultimately approved both items while requesting additional financial clarity moving forward.
Public Health Board Appointments
One of the more procedural but notable discussions involved the resignations from the Hastings Prince Edward Public Health Board. After hearing from a resident about the importance of strong advocacy at the Board of Health, Council opened nominations. Councillor Hirsch and Councillor Kate MacNaughton both declined reappointment. Council ultimately appointed Councillor St-Jean and Councillor Roberts to fill the roles.
Accessibility, Traffic, and Local Safety
Council also considered detailed reports from advisory committees. Discussions around the Accessibility Advisory Committee focused on how accessibility considerations are integrated earlier into site plan reviews, with Council approving updated processes while acknowledging current limits on enforcement and reporting.
Traffic and road safety issues were addressed through the Traffic Advisory Committee report, including seasonal parking restrictions, speed limits near schools, temporary speed humps, and future traffic calming studies. Council agreed to refer some matters to the upcoming Tourism Management Plan and deferred any renaming of the committee pending further review of its terms of reference.
Key Takeaways
Three themes stood out clearly by the end of the night.
Commercial fisheries emerged as a major priority, with Council committing to Official Plan review work and direct federal advocacy.
Health care access and public health governance continue to be pressing concerns, especially for rural communities like the County.
Infrastructure and safety decisions, from road maintenance to accessibility planning, are increasingly tied to long term budgeting and early planning rather than one off fixes.
Council adjourned at 9:05 p.m., closing a meeting that blended community storytelling with concrete policy direction and set the stage for follow up discussions in the months ahead.
Disclaimer: This article is based on a meeting with an approximate duration of 2:05:28. 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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