Latest news with #DennisRogers
CTV News
19 hours ago
- Business
- CTV News
Kingsville council unanimously approves motion for vacant storefront fee report
Coun. Thomas Neufeld brought forward a motion at Kingsville Council Monday night asking administration prepare a report on the feasibility of implementing a vacant storefront fee. Neufeld wants a penalty or fee associated with prolonged vacancies within the downtown Kingsville commercial district. Council heard that Neufeld wanted the report brought back by Q4 of 2025, with an implementation date of Jan. 1, 2026. The motion was supported by council, however deputy mayor Kimberly DeYong took issue with the proposed timeline and the current workload administration already faces. 'To come in with something new that's not already on 2025 is concerning to me because I'm not sure it warrants it being at the top of the list, so I'm happy to support it, I think the date needs to come off, and I think we need to talk about it in August, and then put it in the proper slot of where we're willing to make the space for it,' DeYong said. Mayor Dennis Rogers agreed with DeYong in not handcuffing administration on the proposed timeline. 'I think you're seeing full support across the board on this item, I think it's something that we've talked about, it's been on our list, it's on our list for years right, and I'm to hear and see the BIA supporting this, but again I look to the councillor, there is a tremendous amount of work that's happening right now,' Rogers said. Coun. Tony Gaffan saw the motion as a positive step for downtown. 'Not only are these landlords empty, they don't seem to really want tenants, so if there's a way of controlling this, this would definitely benefit the downtown core,' Gaffan said. 'Also I've had two other businesses try to negotiate with these empty buildings, there's like zero negotiations, yet, you're losing money month, month, year, decade, so, we definitely need to do something,' he added. The motion passed unanimously with the timeline removed, and it will be discussed in August when council meets to map out their priorities for 2026. — Dustin Coffman/AM800 News
Hamilton Spectator
13-06-2025
- General
- Hamilton Spectator
Open Door Kingsville connects residents to municipal operations
Every homeowner pays taxes to their municipality, but many may likely not know all the services their township provides. Last Thursday, the Town of Kingsville tried to bridge that informational gap by hosting its first Open Door Kingsville event at the Grovedale Arts & Culture Centre, which offered an open house-style format with an afternoon and evening session to accommodate resident schedules. Kingsville Mayor Dennis Rogers said the open house showcased all of the Town's different departments to be open and transparent with the services it provides. Residents might not know all of the services the town provides, so the event offered an opportunity for each department to set up a booth and for attendees to walk around the facility and speak with staff. Rogers noted most residents know the town provides things like road maintenance and winter services, but may not know it also oversees infrastructure for wastewater and water, drainage operations, planning services, and engineering. 'There's a lot of different parts,' Rogers said of municipal operations. 'We have a great team, a strong team.' He said it was nice to be able to put a face to emails that have come through in the past with residents having a chance to engage in-person during an informal open house. The event was also designed to get young people thinking about municipal careers. 'We are always looking for great people,' Rogers said, noting it would be good to set high school students on a path that would lead them to a fulfilling municipal career. Though this is the first public event of its kind in Kingsville, Rogers noted something similar was hosted at the beginning of this Term of Council for the newly elected municipal reps. That gave them the opportunity to learn about the organization and all its departments. Jen Galea, Manager of Human Resources, organized the event in collaboration with Kingsville's Senior Management Team, inviting not only municipal staff to engage with residents, but representatives from various community partners, such as the Essex County Library, Ontario Clean Water Agency, Essex-Windsor EMS, and the OPP. For Galea, the event was an open invitation for residents to 'come talk to us.' It was also an opportunity to let the community know Kingsville is currently recruiting volunteer Firefighters for its Cottam and Kingsville Fire Stations. To help explain the role Firefighters play in fire prevention and emergency response, Kingsville Fire and Rescue was onsite with a fire truck to answer any questions. Youths onsite were also able to play with activities the Recreation Department organized. Staff from the Recreation Department found various ways to promote its programming and community events, such as the multi-week summer Kingsville Block Party, the Live at the Lighthouse music series, and the Fantasy of Lights. Each visitor walked away with a Kingsville-themed grab bag. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
CTV News
08-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Essex County gives initial approval to ‘Buy Canadian' policy
Essex County Council has given initial approval to a policy prioritizing the purchase of Canadian goods and services when possible. The Buy Canadian Procurement Strategy was presented to council at Wednesday night's meeting. Similar to strategies adopted by other Canadian municipalities, the county has set limitations to avoid breaking international trade agreements. 'So the intent is to strengthen support for Canadian businesses, especially those right here in our community, while staying within the boundaries of legislation and aligning with Ontario's broader public sector response to international trade dynamics,' Melissa Ryan, the county's financial services director, told council. Essentially under certain financial amounts, Essex will favour Canadian providers. However, over those amounts, they must stick to the typical bidding process. In the event a supplier's costs are impacted by tariffs, the business will have to provide notice and documentation to the county. 'So, the process would require justification and documentation of mitigation efforts from the vendors, so helping us to manage the long-term financial risks while treating vendors fairly and consistently,' Ryan said. Council also approved a motion put forward by Kingsville Mayor Dennis Rogers to look at targeted municipal tax deferrals for Canadian businesses impacted by tariffs. When questioned by councillors about the risk of passing on cost increases to taxpayers, Ryan said there are few U.S. bidders for applicable projects. The procurement strategy stems from a notice of motion created in February by Michael Akpata, the deputy mayor of LaSalle, in the face of U.S. tariffs and annexation rhetoric. On Wednesday, Akpata said he believes the policy serves a purpose despite the fact that it may not affect many U.S. businesses. 'In the absence of policy, you go by past practice,' Akpata said. 'We've listened to people doing their best to buy Canadian, and we, who are spending their dollars, have a responsibility to make sure that we echo the sentiment that's currently going on in this country.' When it comes to potentially increasing costs, Akpata said he's comfortable having that conversation with constituents, rather than keeping the status quo. 'We have to decide right now. This is about economic stability. This is about economic independence, and this is about the fact that there's another country that has said over and over and over again that they want to take us over,' he explained. The procurement policy will now return as a bylaw for council's approval at a future meeting.
