Mayor and Council

Ward One

Email Councillor Wagner

Phone: 519-503-0657

Ward Two

Email Councillor Sebben

Phone: 519-504-7707

Ward Three

Email Councillor Brick

Phone: 519-503-0618

Ward Four

Email Councillor Hergott

Phone: 519-503-0826

Statement Regarding the 215 Remains of Indigenous Children Found in Kamloops, BC.

May 31, 2021

I have asked that all flags in the Township of Wellesley be lowered to half-mast to honour the 215 children whose remains were found at a former residential school in Kamloops, B.C., and for all Indigenous children who never made it home, the survivors and their families.

All of us have been affected by this horrific discovery and emotions are now conflicted between anger and sadness. This is a terrible reminder of the reprehensible legacy of assimilation imposed upon Indigenous children in residential schools and the thousands of innocent children who died.

2019 Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund (OMPF)

February 15, 2019

On February 5th, Council passed your 2019 budget. That meeting was well published and was open to anyone who wished to seek clarification, support, oppose, or ask questions. As with all our budget deliberations, they are open for public scrutiny. No one attended. The day after, it was posted on Facebook that the Council passed a misleading, inaccurate budget, that this budget was an insult to your intelligence, that passing this budget was irresponsible, and that passing this inaccurate budget sent a clear message to the government that they can’t manage their own. Harsh words from ill- informed. The author’s claim was that, because our Treasurer had budgeted for the full amount of 2018 OMPF (Provincial Grant) funding, knowing that it may be reduced as had been suggested by the government, we were in some way putting the Township in a precarious situation. Our sources had suggested a potential alternative scenario which is why OMPF funding was budgeted as it was. I believe the following letter from the Minister of Finance explains the outcome. Wellesley Township is blessed with knowledgeable and dedicated staff willing to answer your questions at anytime. We have a history of strong fiscal management. As I said repeatedly throughout the election, “PLEASE GET THE FACTS”.

February 13, 2019

Dear Head of Council: We are writing to provide you with an update on the 2019 Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund (OMPF). Recognizing that we are already well into the municipal budget year, the government will be maintaining the current structure of the OMPF for 2019 as well as Transitional Assistance. This means that the program and funding will remain virtually the same as in 2018, while allowing for annual data updates and related adjustments. We heard the concerns of municipalities and that is why we are now providing the certainty they need to begin finalizing their budgets.

Ministry staff are working to finalize data updates to ensure the OMPF continues to be responsive to changing municipal circumstances as is the case under the current program. Allocation notices with funding details for each municipality, as well as supporting material, will be available in mid-March. At that time, the final 2019 funding envelope will also be announced. Consistent with prior years, Transitional Assistance will continue to gradually decline as fewer municipalities require this funding. As we communicated previously, Ontario inherited a $15 billion deficit. The rising cost of servicing our massive debt, if left unchecked, will imperil our hospitals, schools and other public services. We cannot allow this to happen. We continue to review government transfer payments, including the OMPF, as we work to put our province back on a sustainable and responsible fiscal path.

In the coming months, we will continue to consult with municipalities to ensure the OMPF program is sustainable and focused on the Northern and rural municipalities that need this funding the most. As we noted in December, the OMPF will be reviewed. For this reason, we are committed to announcing 2020 allocations well in advance of the municipal budget year so that municipalities have appropriate time to plan.

Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing Funding Announcement

April 1, 2019
As Mayor of Wellesley Township, I believe that it would be irresponsible and misleading of me to suggest that the monies we have received ($676,040) through the Ministry of Municipal Affairs, could be used for anything other than what has been prescribed by the Province. When the Ministry suggests that these funds are “unconditional”, THERE ARE EXPECTATIONS. As stated in the announcement, these funds are intended to help modernize service delivery and reduce future costs through investments in projects such as: “service delivery reviews, development of shared services agreements, and capital investments”. It has been made quite clear that these funds should not be used for infrastructure projects like road maintenance or recreational enhancements. There are other funding streams that can be applied for in those regards.

Your Council will be tasked with approving how this money is spent. Some suggestions that I have been made aware of are improved connectivity to all Township facilities including firehalls and community centers, completion of our asset management plan so that we are able to continue to apply for funding when announced or an improved communication plan, an issue that I heard a lot about during the election.

I have followed, with interest, some suggestions posted on social media. In response to some suggestions, Boomer Line will be paved this year from Herrgott to Moser-Young as part of our Roads Capital Program. The Region has agreed to do a further review of the intersection at Herrgott and Lobsinger Line considering the additional heavy-truck traffic generated by the new Chervin plant. This is strictly a Regional responsibility. With regards to recreational enhancements, I would suggest you contact your Community Center Board Chairs with your wishes and, better still, join the boards as a volunteer.

Sign up for Council agenda notifications at http://calendar.wellesley.ca/council/Subscription so that you can be informed of discussions and decisions at the Council table.

2020 Budget Approved for the Township of Wellesley

January 8, 2020

Message from the Mayor, Joe Nowak

At last night’s Council meeting, Council of the Township of Wellesley passed your 2020 Budget.The 2020 Budget acts as our business plan for the year, demonstrating the costs associated with providing municipal services and the revenues required to sustain these services. It also aims to continue with the mission and vision set by Council in the Strategic Plan and continues to provide the high levels of service that residents of the Township of Wellesley both expect and enjoy.

Township Staff are always looking for funding opportunities and innovative approaches to make the best use of the funds that we have available and to minimize the burden on taxpayers. For 2020, we have applied for Provincial and Federal funding for a new Township Recreation Complex. We are hopeful that this application will be successful and will continue to look into other funding opportunities as they become available.

Extreme weather events, such as the current bush fire crisis in Australia, severe floods, droughts and excessively high temperatures across the world,have made climate change hard to ignore. In October 2019, Council of the Township of Wellesley passed a resolution endorsing the Declaration of a Climate Emergency, with the directive to provide continued support to corporate and community climate action at the Township and to work towards improved targets where possible.

In order to support the reduction of our carbon emissions, the 2020 budget includes three green initiatives for Wellesley Township:

1. 0.5% Greening Levy (approximately $25,000) towards the purchase of trees that would be available to residents throughout the Township for planting to replace trees that were affected by the emerald ash borer and to support the reduction of our carbon footprint. More details on this project to come;

2. The purchase of an electric ice resurfacing machine for the St. Clements Arena; and

3. The installation of 3 Electric Vehicle Charging Stations throughout Wellesley Township in collaboration with the Region of Waterloo through grant money awarded from Natural Resources Canada.

Climate Action Waterloo Region is leading the creation of a long-term Climate Action Strategy and Carbon Budget for the municipalities of the Region of Waterloo with a goal of reducing local greenhouse gas emissions by 80 per cent below 2010 levels by the year 2050. These projects are in their early planning stages, but are a positive step towards doing our part as global citizens to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the effects of climate change on the environment.

Wellesley Township Council would also like to investigate ways to make more employment/industrial land available and develop more affordable housing in the Township of Wellesley. The joint service delivery review being done by the four Waterloo Region townships by KPMG should also help identify any areas where efficiencies could be found in the study areas and possible cost reductions for our residents.

Council approved a 2020 Budget with a 3.355per cent tax increase plus a 0.5% Greening Levy. For a typical home assessed at $399,038, this means approximately $3.01 more per month than 2019 property taxes.

I believe this is a fair and balanced budget that allows the municipality to acquire new infrastructure, repair existing assets and provide the daily services that significantly impact the quality of life in the Township of Wellesley, while also preparing for a bright and prosperous future.

As always, I welcome your feedback. Township Staff, Councillors and myself can be reached by email or telephone through the Township of Wellesley Website. On behalf of Council and Staff of the Township of Wellesley, we wish you all the best in 2020 and we thank you for being a part of making the Township of Wellesley a great place to live, work and play!