CARRIED

1. RESPONSE TO OUTSTANDING INQUIRY No. P&E-38 INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS - SMYTH ROAD AREA,

OTTAWA-CARLETON HOSPITALS

- Committee Co-ordinator’s report dated 24 Feb 98

- Planning and Development Approvals Commissioner’s memorandum dated 11 Dec 97 originally issued as "Information Previously Distributed"

- request from Committee member to add this item to the Agenda

Joyce Wright, President, Faircrest Heights Community Association, indicated her community was deeply affected by anything done to the General Hospital site, and had been concerned with the traffic on Smyth Road for many years. She said the Community Association had first requested construction of another roadway into the health complex over ten years ago. At the time, the Association was told it would be difficult to put a roadway in for all vehicles, but that a temporary road to handle construction trucks would be considered. As safety was the main concern, she felt this would be needed if construction were to proceed at the General Hospital site. Ms. Wright estimated there were between two to three thousand schoolchildren within a two to three block radius of the Smyth Road General Hospital site, and felt there was a danger due to the high volume of general traffic and from ambulances driving through the area. Ms. Wright said she had invited Councillor Hume to witness peak-hour traffic and noted she felt that walking along Smyth Road can be very dangerous. She also warned that health restructuring will worsen the situation, estimating an additional one to two million vehicles per year would be coming to the health complex. The speaker declared the community would not tolerate this, and felt the option of another roadway into the health complex from Riverside Drive must be explored. Ms. Wright noted Riverside Drive was a Regional Road, with the transitway in close proximity. She felt a new road leading into the health complex from Riverside Drive would take the majority of traffic away from Smyth Road.

Responding to questions from Councillor Hume, Ms. Wright said a left turn lane into the complex on Smyth Road (installed by the Region at a cost of $280,000.00), worked to an extent, however, with current bumper-to-bumper rush hour traffic, her community could not imagine it functioning adequately if the number of hospital beds were increased due to health restructuring.

When asked how the community would respond should the Region expropriate land to widen intersections at Alta Vista and Smyth Roads in both east- and west-bound lanes as mentioned in one City of Ottawa study, Ms. Wright indicated the community would not stand for this, and affirmed that another roadway into the health complex was an absolute necessity. She felt emergency vehicles were experiencing difficulties entering the site due to current traffic, and would also benefit from the construction of another roadway, allowing them access while diverting their traffic from residential areas.

Councillor Hill said she shared the speaker’s concerns, and was also concerned that the Hospitals Restructuring Committee (HRC) was adding more facilities to the General Hospital while leaving the Civic Hospital vacant and unused. She noted this could add 20 minutes or more to emergency ambulance transportation for residents from the Western Townships. The Councillor indicated she would support the community’s requests for changes to hospital restructuring in Ottawa-Carleton and would try to get the HRC to recognize there was a use left for the Civic Hospital.

Ms. Wright also pointed out that the helicopter pad, or helipad, for the area is located at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO); patients arriving by helicopter must then be transferred to the General Hospital by ambulance. She said the community would like all emergency facilities, with the exception of CHEO, at the Civic Hospital where helicopters will not cause problems to residential areas and patients can go directly across Carling Avenue to the Civic Hospital emergency. She noted there have been many problems with vibration, noise and pollution for area residents with helicopters coming into the General Hospital site. She felt the possibility of relocating the helipad and making the Civic Hospital the trauma unit for Ottawa-Carleton should be considered.

Councillor Hill pointed out the HRC is not finished its work and said she understood the final decision will be made in April of 1998. She encouraged Ms. Wright and her community to continue lobbying for these changes and again offered her support.

The Committee Chair thanked the speaker and introduced Councillor Hume’s motion regarding health restructuring in Ottawa-Carleton and the necessary costs for infrastructure changes needed to accommodate all health facilities at the General Hospital site.

Councillor Hume provided the Committee with background information regarding the funding of required infrastructure changes. He indicated a new watermain to the site would cost approximately one million dollars; transportation infrastructure modifications, i.e. intersection improvements, would be in the range of two million dollars, which he noted did not address how to increase public transit to an appropriate level in order to provide only those intersection improvements. He indicated that linking the transitway to the hospital complex would increase costs to approximately 30 million dollars. The Councillor felt that placing all tertiary care and trauma beds in Ottawa-Carleton at one site, with one Regional Road servicing the area, cannot work.

Councillor Hume said Smyth Road does not function well at this time and would be unable to accommodate the increase in usage. He felt if the Region was to provide, at a cost of millions of dollars, all of the infrastructure to make this the properly functioning, key health care site in Ottawa-Carleton, the cost should not be borne by the Regional taxpayer. He felt that, as the Provincial Government wanted the health restructuring changes, it should be required to provide the necessary funding.

Councillor Munter supported Councillor Hill’s statements, and expressed his view that the health care restructuring being imposed on Ottawa-Carleton would not improve, but might rather jeopardize health care for many residents. He offered the Region was currently struggling to deal with a massive bill for tens of millions of dollars in services downloaded from the Province, beyond the Region’s capacity to pay; in addition, the Province now wanted to create a "mega-hospital" in Ottawa-Carleton, without being willing to provide any funding. He added the Province had not factored into the equation the 30 million dollar cost of infrastructure changes described by Councillor Hume.

Councillor Munter felt the Region should send a clear and simple message to the Province, that the Region would not build the infrastructure or add to public transit if the Province was not prepared to pay the majority of the costs. He said health restructuring imposed by Queen’s Park was being done to help cut the Province’s health budget; therefore, the Province should be prepared to pay for this element of the restructuring.

Councillor Legendre expressed his support for Councillor Hume’s Motion, and asked whether Regional staff would be interacting with Provincial staff to ensure the Province respected the Motion’s intent that additional funds were required, and not have the Province respond that the Region had already been provided with 18 million unallocated dollars. Mike Sheflin, Commissioner, Environment and Transportation Department, responded that the monies received from the Province to date would not cover a 39 million dollar shortfall on the existing downloaded Provincial facilities.

Councillor Hill felt the Motion implied the Region accepted the health restructuring proposals and said she would rather that the Region ask the HRC to reconsider their recommendations or look at the Civic Hospital as an alternative for some of the services.

Councillor Munter, responding to Councillor Hill’s comments, felt this was a separate issue. He believed the issue before Committee was that the Province had an obligation to pay for expansion of the Civic Hospital, or any other scenario proposed by the HRC.

Councillor Bellemare suggested adding "Should the Province proceed with the creation of a mega-hospital..." to the beginning of the Motion, thereby implying that a final decision had not yet been made by the Province or the Region.

Councillor Hume agreed.

Councillor van den Ham agreed with the spirit of the Motion and the concerns expressed regarding what might happen at the General Hospital site and surrounding area.

In response to questions from Councillor van den Ham as to whether development charges are paid by hospitals and similar institutions, Mr. Sheflin explained there are two aspects; the development itself is supposed to install all features directly related to the development, including turn lanes, intersections, etc. Nick Tunnacliffe, Commissioner, Planning and Development Approvals Department, added that development charges are paid to fund off-site costs.

Councillor van den Ham noted that in the Region’s financial statements, there was funding in a reserve account for hospitals, and inquired if any of those funds could be used for off-site works such as expansion of these facilities. Mr. Tunnacliffe explained the funds are part of the development charges to fund expansion of hospitals.

Further responding to questions from Councillor van den Ham, Mr. Tunnacliffe clarified the planning approval required for the hospital site would be a local site plan approval in the City of Ottawa; the Region would input its conditions of development to the City and the legislation provided that the requirements should be met. Disputes regarding the conditions would automatically go before the Ontario Municipal Board for resolution.

In response to questions from Councillor Beamish regarding whether hospitals are exempt from development charges, Mr. Tim Marc, Solicitor, Legal Department, indicated that the charges are institution-specific. For example, the Ontario Cancer Centre has legislation specifically exempting it from paying development charges; the Ottawa Civic Hospital, owned by the City, would also not pay development charges if it is considered to be used for a municipal purpose.

The Committee Chair directed Mr. Marc to investigate the issue of development charges for hospitals in Ottawa-Carleton and provide an information report to the Committee.

There being no further discussion, the Committee considered Councillor Hume’s Motion.

Moved by P. Hume

CARRIED

The Committee then received the staff report.

That the Planning and Environment Committee receive this report for information.

of deferral no. 16, goulbourn official plan

- Planning and Development Approvals Commissioner’s report

dated 19 Feb 98

Moved by P. Hume

CARRIED

ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES ITEM

3. AMENDMENT TO PART 5.2 OF THE REGIONAL REGULATORY CODE - SEWER, SEWAGE WORKS & CONTROL OF DISCHARGES

Councillor van den Ham inquired if there were any major changes with respect to the new Provincial Development Charges Act and how the Region was responding to adhere to this Act.

Mr. Marc indicated this had been the subject of prior reports to the Corporate Services and Economic Development Committee, and noted there were no significant changes to the Act since staff had provided a summary to Committee and Council in 1997. In 1998, staff would be undertaking to review development charges under direction from Council to look at area-specific development charges. Mr. Marc said the Region must adopt a new bylaw within 18 months of the Provincial Act coming in effect, 1 March 98. He added a report will be forthcoming to Corporate Services and Economic Development Committee towards the end of 1998 or early 1999.

Councillor Legendre, referring to a memo to Members of Council entitled "Options for Compost Product", requested clarification regarding page 2 which stated in one instance, "RMOC is now in a position to tender out the sale of the finished compost..." and then the paragraph following appeared to state the department was prepared to do marketing by in-house staff and currently had the infrastructure in place to administer the sale of the compost material etc. The Councillor expected that no staff would be required once the tender had been awarded.

Pat McNally, Director, Solid Waste Division, Environment and Transportation Department, confirmed that the intention would be to tender out the sale of finished compost and attract bids from landscapers, golf courses, etc. The reference with respect to ongoing marketing dealt more with other blue-box recyclable materials. The statement regarding marketing was included for information only.

Councillor Stewart raised a concern regarding the program of installing new septic fields in Ottawa-Carleton. She indicated about 200 septic fields are replaced annually, a number which will increase, as many are 20 years old and in need of replacement. She noted once material is removed from an old septic field, it comes under Part 5 of the Environmental Protection Act administered by the Ministry of the Environment (MOE), but that MOE was not enforcing the dumping of contaminated soil from remediated beds, and that the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority and the Region had no jurisdiction in this area. The Councillor recalled discussions with ETD several years ago regarding the possibility of getting a reduced rate to use the contaminated fill as cover at Trail Road. At that time, the charge was $40 a ton for disposal. She believed that if the Region could give the customer a break, system improvements could be encouraged. Subsequently, the Councillor learned that the disposal fee at Trail Road was tripled to $116 per ton, and the facility was not receiving any contaminated soil. The Councillor said she understood an average system, requiring 100 tons, would work out to approximately 11,000 dollars per house, to dispose of the contaminated soil. The Councillor was concerned as to where the contaminated soil was ending up if it was not going to Trail Road as it was too expensive to dispose of at such licensed facilities.

Mr. Sheflin indicated that the issue would need to be investigated and a report will be brought back to the Committee.

1. Biodiversity in the Rideau River Ecosystem

- Director, Water Environment Protection Division, Environment

and Transportation Department memorandum dated 2317 Feb 98

2. Planning - Regional Official Plan Amendment No. 51

Application for Judicial Review

- Deputy Regional Solicitor’s memorandum dated 10 Mar 98