County Council Highlights for Feb. 4, 2026

Warden honours contributions and legacy of Black Canadians

Warden Hilda MacDonald in her opening remarks to Council reminded everyone that February is Black History Month – “a time to celebrate and honour the legacy and contributions of Black Canadians” to not only our nation, but “to our diverse and dynamic County.”

Nowhere, the Warden said, has “that history been more significant than here in Windsor-Essex – the terminus of the Underground Railroad – where tens of thousands of formerly enslaved people found freedom and built new lives. Their stories are woven into our region, and reminders of their impact are all around us.”
MacDonald pointed County residents interested in learning more about Black History Month, or about local events celebrating it, to the Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island website.

The Warden also thanked the Province of Ontario and Ministry of Health for fast-tracking Essex-Windsor EMS into the Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS) rollout, by this coming September. This modernized 911 dispatch system will help ensure that paramedics are sent more quickly, and efficiently, to the most urgent, life-threatening emergencies across Windsor-Essex.

Development Charges approved, with delayed five-year phase-in

Council voted to approve the establishment of Development Charges for the County of Essex. Development Charges are fees paid by developers to help ensure growth pays for growth and that the costs of expanded County services and infrastructure related to growth are not borne by current residents. Development charges are commonly applied in local municipalities but have never been levied by the County of Essex.

County administration presented for Council’s consideration a final report on Development Charges that offered two options.

Option A was the original draft By-law as presented on October 1, 2025 – a five-year term of Development Charges with no charges applied until January 2027 and then phased in at 25 per cent annual increments over the following four years, reaching full rates by 2030. That option was approved by Council, but with an amendment to delay everything by one year. Thus, no Development Charges on new residential construction in the County will be applied until January 2028, with full rates – after 25 per cent annual increases – being reached in 2031.

The full Development Charge for each qualifying, new, single or semi-detached residential home in the County will be $8,589 at the conclusion of the phase-in period. Development charges are triggered when a building permit is issued, so only those permits issued on or after January 1, 2028, will be subject to the charges, with collection on the following phased-in schedule (showing aggregate payments for qualifying single or semi-detached residential homes):

No affordable-built homes will incur this charge.

Option B would have extended the phase-in term from five to 10 years. Development Charges on qualifying newly built dwellings would have begun in January 2027, then been phased in at 11.11 per cent per year over the following nine years, reaching full rates by 2035.

Both options were prepared in compliance with the Development Charges Act, 1997, and maintained the same overall scope, methodology and service inclusions. The County carried out extensive engagement throughout the process, with public information sessions in each local municipality and targeted consultations with developers, planners and municipal treasurers.

Read the report!

Council seeks further info from EWSWA on Green Bin Program

Council supported a Notice of Motion from Councillor Sherry Bondy to direct County staff to request that the Essex-Windsor Solid Waste Authority provide the following in writing to the County for Council’s information:

• Available statistics to date on the effectiveness of the Green Bin Program in each of the County’s seven (7) local municipalities;
• Available statistics to date on the effectiveness of the Green Bin Program in urban areas and in rural areas;
• Details of the public education campaign to date for the Green Bin Program and details of future planned public education campaigns;
• Details about the cost of the Green Bin Program to each of the seven (7) local municipalities.

As well, Council voted to receive as information a report providing an overview of the key Council decisions, directions and communications that have shaped the current scope, funding, billing and implementation of the Regional Food and Organics Waste (Green Bin) Program.

Read the report!

Council receives report on 2026 Property Tax Policies

Council voted to receive as information a report from the County’s Director of Financial Services/Treasurer about 2026 Property Tax Polices.

Per the Municipal Act, the County of Essex is responsible for establishing tax ratios and property tax policy for the local municipalities within the geographic boundaries of the County of Essex for the current year. Following the approval of the Budget, an administrative report is prepared that presents recommendations for County Council to set the tax policy that the County, and all local municipalities, will follow to determine the relative tax burden of each class of property for the current taxation year.

Read the report!

Council approves funding of additional IT costs

Council voted to approve a request from the County’s Director of Information Technology for additional funding of $457,500 over and above the budgeted 2026 amount of $197,600 to replace the County’s virtualized computing environment. The shortfall emerged in the new year due to unexpected market realities and will be funded from the County’s Rate Stabilization Reserve. In accordance with Section 4.7 of the Procurement Policy, Council approval is required for procurements exceeding the approved budget by more than 10 per cent and above $500,000.

Read the report!

Video recordings sought for board, committee meetings

Councillor Sherry Bondy introduced a Notice of Motion to direct administration to request that boards and committees on which County Councillors serve, such as the Essex County Library Board and the Essex-Windsor Solid Waste Authority, consider recording their meetings and posting them online so that “members of the public can become more engaged and educated on issues important to them.”

The Notice of Motion will be debated at a future meeting of Council.