Clearview Council Meeting 2026-01-26 | Part 2

Township leasing building to fire-displaced seniors, with rent escalating if rebuild drags past a year

Other · Significant

Council approved a lease to Belmont Stainer Inc. for part of the Highway 26 building to house seniors displaced by a recent fire. The rent is $7,000/month for the first year, jumping to $10,500 for months 13-18 and $14,000 thereafter, capping at two years total.

A week and a half ago, a fire displaced seniors living at a Belmont Stainer facility in Stayner. Council voted to lease part of the township-owned building at 7308 Highway 26 to keep those residents in the community and preserve local jobs.

The lease runs one year at $7,000 per month. If the rebuild takes longer, rent climbs to $10,500/month for the six-month extension (months 13-18), then $14,000/month for a final six months. The arrangement terminates at two years, full stop.

Deputy Mayor Van Stavern proposed the escalating rent structure during the meeting, noting the township had originally planned the space for a youth centre and office use. "It's going to cause our staff quite a shift in gears," he said, "but it's well worth supporting the community." The Mayor emphasized keeping residents and jobs local: "It's important to our community... that's where they want to be."

The rent works out to about $7.67 per resident per day, assuming 30 people. The property owner and business are expected to rebuild within a year using qualified trades. Council discussed the arrangement in closed session earlier in the day before bringing it forward publicly.

The escalating rent reflects council's desire to help in the short term without indefinitely delaying their own plans for the building. The two-year hard stop is the leverage: if the rebuild isn't done by then, the arrangement ends regardless.

It's important I believe to our community that the opportunity to keep these residents in our community and keep these jobs in our community is a critical part of the fabric of who we are as a community.
— Mayor

We are setting aside a lot of our programs which are going to become more costly to our community. So it's fair in what we're looking at.
— Deputy Mayor (County)

County Housing Corporation taking over property management for Wilcox Place building

Infrastructure · Standard

Council approved paying Simcoe County Housing Corporation $33,781 annually to manage the Wilcox Place building at 7308 Highway 26. The fee comes from rental revenue; township staff acknowledged they don't want to be landlords.

The township is handing property management for Wilcox Place—the building at the front of the 7308 Highway 26 site—to the Simcoe County Housing Corporation. Annual cost: $33,781 plus HST, funded from rental income.

CAO Ferguson explained the county already manages the building behind the former Stayner Care Centre on the same property, so this extends that arrangement to the front building. "We're not in this business, so to speak," he said. Deputy Mayor Van Stavern called it a smart move: "One situation could make that seem minuscular."

The Mayor chairs the County Housing Corporation as part of his county council role, a detail he disclosed during the discussion. Councillor Walker raised a practical issue: both buildings share the same municipal address, which could confuse emergency services. Ferguson noted there's an unofficial A/B designation but agreed the township should formalize it.

The arrangement passed unanimously with no debate. Council clearly preferred paying the county to handle tenant issues rather than building in-house capacity for a single property. Staff credited the clerk's office and county liaisons for pulling the agreement together quickly.

We met with the county and they have somebody that looks after the building behind the former Stayner Care Center and so we would be paying for that individual to look after our front our front-facing property of Wilcox building.
— CAO

We do not want to be in the rental business and this is a perfect opportunity because if more opportunities come forward in situations, the county knows now that we're willing to cooperate.
— Deputy Mayor (County)

Farm consolidation approved despite 10 km distance between properties

Planning · Standard

Council approved a zoning amendment allowing Colin Walker to consolidate farm parcels 10 kilometres apart, rendering an existing farmhouse surplus. It's the first time Clearview has approved a consolidation with properties that far apart under the new Official Plan.

Planning staff recommended approval for a farm consolidation that would combine properties separated by 10 km direct distance—15 km by road. The application renders the house at 1952 Concession 6 North surplus to the farm operation.

Planner Nick Anley flagged the distance as unusual. Clearview's old Official Plan required consolidated farms to be abutting; the new one allows "reasonable distance" without defining it. Staff interpreted "reasonable" as whatever allows "efficient and effective management" of the consolidated operation, based on reports from the applicant's agricultural and planning consultants.

The Mayor noted council has dealt with distance issues on farm consolidations before, so this wasn't uncharted territory. The applicant, Colin Walker, wasn't present—he's apparently in Florida or possibly Mexico, prompting some jokes about snowblowers. His planning consultant attended and thanked council afterward.

The zoning bylaw will come back for final approval at the February 9 meeting. Council waved it through with no dissent and minimal discussion. A public meeting was held back in November; no concerns were raised Monday night.

This will be the first one where they are separated by approximately 10 km direct distance and approximately 15 km by road.
— Planning Director

Climate committee getting free student labour to research what other municipalities are doing

Delegations · Minor

Council approved the Climate Action Advisory Committee working with Seneca Polytechnic students on a fall research project comparing climate strategies from other Ontario municipalities. No cost to the township; final report due October 2026.

The Climate Action Advisory Committee is partnering with a Seneca Polytechnic environmental program to have students research what other Ontario municipalities are doing on emissions, renewables, transportation, waste, and climate adaptation. The deliverable: a fall report with "evidence-informed recommendations."

Committee member Kim Pickett, who teaches part-time at Seneca, pitched it as a win-win: students get real project experience, and the volunteer committee gets research legwork done that they don't have time for. "The handful of us that sit on the committee, we have jobs, we have families," Pickett said.

Deputy Mayor Van Stavern asked whether the final report could serve as a template for other municipalities struggling with climate plans. Pickett said yes, comparing it to a 2006 Simcoe groundwater study that became a reference document across the region. Council encouraged the students to interview councillors if needed.

Pickett will act as liaison between the committee and the students, who are based in North York and likely won't need office space in Clearview. The project uses publicly available data and studies. Council approved it unanimously with enthusiasm and no skepticism—a rarity.

Our students at Seneca will get the opportunity to work with a real climate action committee. They'll get to look at real data and Clearview Township gets the free labor of the six or seven students.
— Kim Pickett (Climate Action Advisory Committee)

If they create a template that's usable for all communities, it'd be kind of nice to see.
— Deputy Mayor (County)

Council approved applying for county entrepreneurship fund, cut ask to $14,500

Budget · Minor

The township applied for $14,500 from the Simcoe County Entrepreneurial Innovation Fund, down from an initial $16,900 request. Total project cost is $20,800; staff and in-kind contributions cover the rest.

Economic development staff submitted an application to the Simcoe County entrepreneurship fund on the January 23 deadline. The original staff report pegged the ask at $16,900, but that was adjusted down to $14,500 before submission.

Economic Development Officer Breyer told council the total project cost is $20,800, with township staff time and in-kind contributions making up the $6,300 difference. She didn't specify what the project entails in the verbal update, and council didn't ask.

The report notes more funding requests and alternative funding searches are coming as economic development ramps up programming through 2026. Council received it for information with no debate. The Mayor thanked staff for the work. Breyer's year-in-review report, presented immediately after, outlined broader plans but was similarly light on specifics during the verbal portion.

Council waved both economic development items through unanimously in under two minutes combined.

There will be a lot more information coming through as we dive into these projects.
— Economic Development Officer

Development charge reserve earned interest in 2024, all goes back into same pot

Budget · Minor

Treasurer Kelly McDonald presented the 2024 development charge statement, a legislated annual report. Deputy Mayor confirmed interest earned on DC reserves must be reinvested proportionally back into those reserves.

The township's 2024 development charge statement outlined revenue, spending, and reserve balances. It's a mandatory annual report under provincial law.

Deputy Mayor Van Stavern asked whether interest earned on DC reserves could be used for general budget purposes. Treasurer McDonald clarified that provincial rules require interest to be added back to the development charge reserves proportionally. "It's very specific about the proportion of balances," she said.

Council received the report for information with no further questions. The verbatim discussion didn't include dollar figures or details on how much was collected or spent in 2024—those are presumably in the written report, which wasn't read aloud.

It's a routine compliance report, and council treated it that way.

As it's legislated, interest that's earned on the development charges is added back to that development charge reserve. So it's very specific about the proportion of balances.
— Treasurer

Noise bylaw update and Highway 26 lease discussed in closed session, no details

Procedural · Procedural

Council passed two motions directing staff to act on closed-session discussions: one on a noise bylaw update, the other on a lease agreement for 7308 Highway 26. No public details provided.

After an in-camera session that started at 3:30 p.m., council brought forward two boilerplate resolutions directing staff to "act in accordance with the direction provided in closed session." One dealt with a noise bylaw update; the other concerned a lease agreement for 7308 Highway 26.

The Highway 26 lease resolution appears connected to the Belmont Stainer lease discussed later in the meeting, though that's not stated explicitly. The Mayor noted the lease would "be discussed a little later as well," and it was.

The noise bylaw update had no public context. Council passed both motions unanimously with no questions and no explanation of what direction was given behind closed doors.

These kinds of post-camera resolutions are standard procedural plumbing, but they're also a reminder that the substantive debate happened where residents couldn't hear it.

Councillor MacArthur proposes reestablishing agricultural advisory committee, debate deferred to February 9

Procedural · Minor

A notice of motion from Councillor MacArthur (who wasn't present) will come forward February 9 to reestablish a Clearview Agricultural Advisory Committee. No details or debate yet.

Councillor MacArthur, absent from Monday's meeting, filed a notice of motion to reestablish an agricultural advisory committee. The motion is listed for debate and decision at the February 9 council meeting.

No details were discussed. The Mayor simply noted the motion was on the agenda and moved on. It's unclear whether the township previously had such a committee, or what its mandate would be.

Notices of motion are procedural: they give council and staff advance warning of what's coming so everyone can prepare. This one will get its hearing in two weeks.