PECRA Strategy & Action Plan Blueprint

Draft plan

For Advisory Council and Councillor Engagement

I. Governance & Transparency

Objective: Improve public accountability and access to information in municipal government.

Key Actions:

1. Advocate for creation of a lobbyist registry and meeting log for all councillors (Q3 2025).
2. Push for mandatory publication of all closed meeting summaries within 7 days (Q4 2025).
3. Request council adopt a “Transparency Scorecard” tracking public communication practices (Q1 2026).
4. Councillor Focus: Propose a motion to implement council meeting logs and third-party audit of closed sessions.
5. Champion community town halls in each ward twice per year.

Timeline:

• Q3 2025: Submit motion for lobbyist registry; begin resident engagement.
• Q4 2025: Monitor closed meeting practices and scorecard compliance.
• Q1 2026: Review outcomes and propose enhancements.

DETAILED OUTLINE

Objective:
To enhance public trust, democratic participation, and accountability in municipal decision-making by increasing the transparency of County Council operations and elected officials’ interactions with developers, contractors, and advocacy groups.

Key Actions

A. Lobbyist Registry and Meeting Logs (Q3 2025)

1. Advocate for the County to establish and maintain a public-facing Lobbyist Registry—modelled on Toronto and Ottawa’s systems—to record meetings between elected officials and individuals or organizations seeking to influence municipal decisions.
2. Require councillors and senior staff to log all meetings with developers, consultants, external legal counsel, and major interest groups.
3. Ensure registry entries include the date, participants, subject matter, and outcome of each meeting.
4. Develop and submit a model bylaw for council consideration.

B. Closed Meeting Accountability (Q4 2025)

1. Push for the mandatory publication of all closed (in camera) meeting summaries within 7 days, except where disclosure is prohibited by law.
2. Propose an annual third-party review of closed sessions to evaluate whether discussions met legal exemption criteria under the Municipal Act, 2001, s. 239.

C. Transparency Scorecard (Q1 2026)

1. Create and present a PECRA “Transparency Scorecard” evaluating councillors on public accessibility, meeting attendance, open communication practices, and voting records.
2. Request Council to formally adopt a Transparency Framework incorporating scorecard metrics into municipal performance reporting.
3. Encourage the publication of councillor expenses and committee meeting summaries on the County website.

D. Councillor Focus

Policy Advocacy:

• Table a motion at Council to adopt a meeting disclosure bylaw that mandates monthly reporting of councillor and senior staff meetings with stakeholders.
• Propose an independent transparency audit conducted by a recognized municipal governance expert.

Community Engagement:

• Host biannual ward town halls with full agendas, attendee reports, and feedback summaries publicly posted.
• Support resident-led advisory groups within each ward to gather input and report back to Council quarterly.

Legislative Compliance:

• Align County practices with provincial best practices and recommendations issued by the Ontario Ombudsman and Information and Privacy Commissioner on closed meetings and public access.

Timeline

Timeframe	Milestone
Q3 2025	Submit formal proposal for lobbyist registry; host 1st ward town hall; begin consultations on closed meeting reform
Q4 2025	Monitor Council response; begin tracking closed meeting summary releases; publish PECRA draft scorecard
Q1 2026	Present findings at Council; recommend adoption of PECRA scorecard; support amendments to Council’s Procedure Bylaw

II. Infrastructure Renewal

Objective: Prioritize road repair, water systems, and capital planning.

Key Actions:

• Identify top 10 road segments requiring urgent repair per ward (Q3 2025).
• Conduct ward-level infrastructure audits with resident input (Q4 2025).
• Create a capital investment roadmap with clear priorities and timelines (Q1 2026).

Councillor Focus:

• Push for an annual Infrastructure Accountability Report.
• Champion increased transparency around use of capital reserves.

Timeline:

• Q3 2025: Ward reps submit priority road list to Council.
• Q4 2025: Community audit results presented.
• Q1 2026: Advocate for budget aligned with findings.

DETAILED OUTLINE

II. Infrastructure Renewal

Objective:

To ensure that Prince Edward County’s physical infrastructure—particularly roads, bridges, and water systems—is maintained to a safe and reliable standard, with transparent budgeting, equitable investment, and proactive long-term planning that reflects resident needs across all wards.

Key Actions

1. Targeted Road Repair Program (Q3 2025)
   • Initiate a resident-informed review of deteriorating road infrastructure to identify the 10 worst-performing road segments per ward, using a combination of public input, local councillor observations, and Public Works data.
   • Use publicly accessible mapping tools to document road conditions and create a digital dashboard to track progress.

2. Ward-Level Infrastructure Audits (Q4 2025)
   • Facilitate community infrastructure audits by hosting forums and surveys to collect feedback on roads, culverts, sidewalks, street lighting, and stormwater systems.
   • Collaborate with engineers and local contractors to perform visual assessments and rank urgency of repairs.
   • Identify where County roads intersect with school zones, emergency service access routes, or tourist corridors and prioritize accordingly.

3. Capital Investment Roadmap (Q1 2026)
   • Develop a 10-year capital planning roadmap detailing when and how critical infrastructure upgrades will be completed, broken down by year, ward, and funding source.
   • Request inclusion of this roadmap in the County’s official budget and asset management strategy.
   • Map all capital projects to budget line items and require public quarterly updates on project status and expenditures.

Councillor Focus

• Accountability & Reporting:
  • Table a motion to create an Infrastructure Accountability Report, published annually, outlining progress, delays, cost overruns, and project completions.
  • Recommend that staff provide real-time dashboards on road conditions, service requests, and planned maintenance, similar to open-data models in other Ontario municipalities.

• Fiscal Oversight:
  • Demand a line-by-line breakdown of the Capital Reserves Fund, clarifying which allocations are committed vs. discretionary.
  • Champion reallocating discretionary or “miscellaneous” spending toward shovel-ready infrastructure needs identified by the community.

• Intergovernmental Funding:
  • Advocate for increased provincial infrastructure investment through the Ministry of Transportation’s Connecting Links Program, the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund (OCIF), and federal gas tax allocations.
  • Request County staff prepare shovel-ready applications in advance of annual funding calls.

Timeline

Timeframe	Milestone
Q3 2025	PECRA ward reps submit road repair priority list to Council; initiate councillor-led public infrastructure walks
Q4 2025	Host ward-level forums; complete infrastructure audits; submit findings and maps to Council
Q1 2026	Propose a motion for inclusion of a capital investment roadmap in the 2026 budget; publish PECRA monitoring template for residents

III. Housing Affordability & Planning

Objective: Ensure inclusive and sustainable land use planning.

Key Actions:

• Demand updates to zoning bylaws to permit more affordable housing types (Q3 2025).
• Require all major developments to undergo environmental and servicing capacity review (Q4 2025).
• Push for inclusionary zoning targets in Official Plan updates (Q1 2026).

Councillor Focus:

• Support mixed-income and rental housing in all new planning applications.
• Hold developers accountable to servicing and environmental guidelines.

Timeline:

• Q3 2025: Begin zoning amendment advocacy.
• Q4 2025: Monitor and comment on large development proposals.
• Q1 2026: Track inclusionary housing results.

DETAILED OUTLINE

III. Housing Affordability & Planning

Objective:

To promote inclusive, sustainable land use policies that expand the supply of affordable and attainable housing while protecting Prince Edward County’s rural identity, environmental integrity, and infrastructure capacity.

Key Actions

1. Modernize Zoning to Enable Diverse Housing Forms (Q3 2025)
   • Advocate for a comprehensive update to the Zoning Bylaw to allow for a broader mix of housing options—such as secondary units, laneway homes, triplexes, and low-rise apartments—particularly in villages and growth areas.
   • Encourage flexible lot sizes and height allowances in designated settlement areas to enable smaller footprint, lower-cost homes.
   • Introduce “as-of-right” permissions for gentle density projects, especially near public transit stops and employment hubs, to reduce red tape for builders of affordable units.

2. Strengthen Environmental and Servicing Oversight (Q4 2025)
   • Demand that all major residential or mixed-use developments undergo formal Environmental Impact Studies (EIS) and Servicing Capacity Reports before rezoning or subdivision approval is granted.
   • Require developers to provide peer-reviewed evidence that water, wastewater, road, and emergency services can support new builds without compromising existing infrastructure.
   • Call for third-party audits of developer-submitted environmental data and enforce penalties for non-compliance.

3. Embed Inclusionary Zoning in the Official Plan (Q1 2026)
   • Push for mandatory inclusionary zoning targets in all new subdivision or condo approvals, ensuring a percentage of units are affordable to low- and moderate-income households.
   • Advocate that the County adopt an Affordability Impact Statement requirement for planning staff reports, showing how proposals meet or miss housing need benchmarks.
   • Propose a regional affordability benchmark based on 30% of median household income to define local affordability thresholds.

Councillor Focus

• Legislative Action:
  • Bring forward a motion to initiate zoning reform consultations with the public and County Planning Department.
  • Champion adoption of green development standards in all Official Plan reviews to ensure that densification does not compromise wetlands, tree cover, or agricultural lands.

• Planning Committee Engagement:
  • Insist on public participation early in the development application process—not just after technical reports are submitted.
  • Encourage Planning Committee to issue development scorecards that measure each proposal against affordability, servicing, and environmental impact criteria.

• Equity & Inclusion:
  • Actively support non-profit housing partners and co-op models, including land trusts and modular construction techniques.
  • Ensure housing strategy considers seniors, seasonal workers, newcomers, and young families—groups often underserved in rural municipalities.

Timeline

Timeframe	Milestone
Q3 2025	Launch public campaign for zoning bylaw amendments and “gentle density” advocacy
Q4 2025	Monitor new large-scale development applications for servicing and environmental compliance; issue PECRA reviews
Q1 2026	Engage with County planners on Official Plan update; push for inclusionary housing and affordability benchmarks

IV. Healthcare Access

Objective: Advocate for better rural healthcare access and provincial support.

Key Actions:

• Submit formal petition to MPP for a rural healthcare action plan (Q3 2025).
• Conduct resident survey on access gaps and needs (Q4 2025).
• Engage local clinics for partnership on physician recruitment campaigns (Q1 2026).

Councillor Focus:

• Reject local use of property tax funds for physician recruitment.
• Support calls for MPP accountability and provincial funding.

Timeline:

• Q3 2025: Deliver petition and engage local media.
• Q4 2025: Share survey results with Council and Province.
• Q1 2026: Partner with regional healthcare networks.

DETAILED OUTLINE

Objective:

To ensure timely, equitable, and sustainable healthcare access for all Prince Edward County (PEC) residents by holding the Province accountable for its constitutional and legislative obligations under the Canada Health Act and Ontario’s Commitment to the Future of Medicare Act, 2004. This includes ending the municipal subsidization of healthcare services that are a provincial responsibility, and advocating for a long-term rural healthcare funding and recruitment plan.

Key Actions

1. Submit Formal Petition to MPP Tyler Allsopp and Ontario Ministry of Health (Q3 2025)
   • Draft and circulate a formal petition calling for a Rural Healthcare Action Plan tailored to Prince Edward County’s unique needs. The petition will:
     • Demand targeted investments in local clinics, emergency services, and chronic care management.
     • Request the creation of a permanent rural health task force for PEC.
     • Propose annual healthcare workforce targets to reduce physician shortages.
   • Launch a public signature campaign, both online and in person, with community partners to demonstrate broad grassroots support.

2. Conduct Resident Survey to Identify Access Gaps (Q4 2025)
   • Launch a county-wide resident health access survey in collaboration with local clinics and advocacy organizations.
   • Collect data on:
     • Wait times for primary and specialist care.
     • Distances traveled for urgent care and diagnostics.
     • Gaps in mental health, seniors care, and maternal health services.
3. Use this data to create a Healthcare Needs Assessment Report to share with Council and the Province, providing an evidence-based case for funding reform.

3. Establish Physician Recruitment Support Partnerships (Q1 2026)
   • Work with clinics, hospitals, and universities to create a regional rural physician attraction strategy, focusing on:
     • Return-of-service agreements for medical graduates.
     • Providing housing incentives and community orientation programs for new doctors.
     • Promoting telemedicine infrastructure and shared service models.
   • Seek provincial funding for these initiatives through the Ontario Health regional networks and Ministry of Health’s Rural and Northern Physician Incentive Program.

Councillor Focus

• Uphold Jurisdictional Boundaries and Fiscal Fairness
  • Publicly oppose the use of municipal property tax dollars to subsidize physician salaries or recruit medical staff, as this violates the principle of equitable healthcare access funded by the Province.
  • Pass a motion stating that future recruitment efforts must be funded and led by the Province, not by local governments diverting funds from core infrastructure and services.
• Pressure for Provincial Leadership
  • Call for regular reporting from the MPP on healthcare recruitment outcomes, investments, and plans affecting PEC.
  • Push for Council to adopt a formal resolution urging the Province to fulfill its rural healthcare obligations under Section 10 of the Commitment to the Future of Medicare Act, which requires accessibility and equitable service provision.

Timeline

Timeframe	Milestone
Q3 2025	Launch and submit petition to MPP and Ontario Ministry of Health; coordinate media coverage across PEC
Q4 2025	Deploy county-wide resident survey; compile and present results to County Council and Ministry of Health
Q1 2026	Build physician recruitment partnerships with regional healthcare networks and apply for provincial incentive support