Part 1: PEC Council Advances Youth Strategy, Reviews Municipal Operations and Housing Work - 09/22/2026
Updated: Sep 23
Prince Edward County Council met on September 22, 2026, for a regular meeting that covered youth engagement, municipal finances, road work, housing services and several decisions heading into the final months of the current Council term. Mayor Steve Ferguson chaired the meeting, which began with a closed session concerning personnel and labour-related matters. When Council returned to open session, Ferguson reported that there were no reports arising from the closed meeting and clarified that the final Council meeting of the term would be November 10.
View the entire PEC Council meeting, or continue to speaker comments and councillor votes>
Supporting Local Agriculture Through GRIT
One of the evening's first major discussions came through a deputation from Kanwar Gill, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Technology Officer of GRIT, short for Grown in the County. Gill introduced the online platform as a way for residents and visitors to find food and other locally grown products directly from Prince Edward County growers. The service is free for growers and users, does not require public user accounts and includes tools for searching products, receiving alerts, planning routes and matching grocery lists with available local products. Gill said the platform had grown from 16 growers when it launched in April to 89 by the time of the meeting.
Council members responded with questions and comments about how the platform could connect with the agricultural community. The deputation was ultimately received by Council, leaving GRIT as an independent local initiative rather than introducing a new municipal program or funding commitment at this meeting.
Council Endorses a Youth Engagement Strategy
The evening's most detailed discussion centred on Prince Edward County's Youth Engagement Strategy. The strategy was developed after several months of conversations with young people, community organizations and municipal staff. It is intended to strengthen youth engagement, belonging and opportunities while creating more regular ways for young people to participate in municipal discussions. Council was asked to endorse the strategy, incorporate its priorities into municipal work and partnerships, continue consultation and consider up to $30,000 in the draft 2027 budget for implementation.
Staff described several ideas already underway or planned, including Municipal Mondays at PECI, where municipal staff could meet informally with students during lunch, as well as career-focused field trips, youth programming, public art and intergenerational activities. Staff stressed that the strategy is meant to remain flexible as the needs of local youth change. Annual progress reporting was also proposed so Council could follow how the strategy and its action items develop.
The discussion also raised an important County-wide question about young people who live in Prince Edward County but attend school outside the municipality. Staff said work was underway to understand how many students fall into that group and how future programs could reach them.
Council also heard that the proposed $30,000 would only be placed in the draft 2027 budget for consideration, rather than being approved spending at this stage. Council endorsed the strategy and its recommendations.
Finance, Roads and Municipal Services
Council also received departmental updates showing where several major municipal services stand. The Finance and Information Technology update reported that the 2025 audit and financial statements had been completed, work on the 2027 budget was underway and staff were implementing a modernized procurement process. Council also heard that a cyberattack attempt between August 30 and September 1 had been prevented with no breach. Finance and IT staff are now preparing mock exercises intended to keep payroll, vendor payments and tax services operating if a future cyber incident occurs.
Operational Services reported that almost all capital projects were complete and within budget, although some operating accounts were showing overages because of unexpected equipment repairs and coding errors that staff said were being corrected.
Councillors discussed road work completed across the County, including County Roads 13 and 49, Morrison Point Road and work around Victoria Road, while also suggesting easier ways for residents and Council to find project schedules and departmental reports. The department update was received.
Housing and Heritage Work Continues
The Housing Services update highlighted work with people experiencing homelessness, tenants, property owners and the Affordable Housing Corporation, including the recent housing summit involving senior government representatives and local affordable rental housing builders. Discussion turned to how future incentives for affordable housing should be structured, particularly development-related incentives and the need to manage municipal risk. Staff said these issues, including possible changes through a community improvement plan, would be part of discussions with the next Council.
Council also approved Heritage Permit Application HP-17-2026 for Wellbanks House at 1972 County Road 13 in South Marysburgh, along with a Heritage Property Grant of up to $5,000. The motion carried without further discussion.
3 Key Takeaways for PEC Residents
Youth engagement is moving into implementation. Council endorsed a County-wide strategy, with up to $30,000 to be considered during the 2027 budget process.
Municipal departments are preparing for the next year and the next Council. Budget planning, road work, housing programs, cybersecurity preparation and future municipal incentives were all part of the meeting.
Several local initiatives continue to move forward. GRIT is connecting residents with County growers, housing work remains active, and Council approved the Wellbanks House heritage permit and grant before wrapping up the September 22 meeting.
Disclaimer: This article is based on a meeting with an approximate duration of 3:39:24. 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.
Comments