County Council Highlights for Oct. 15, 2025

Warden Praises Municipal Staff Ahead of Local Government Week

Warden Hilda MacDonald opened Wednesday’s meeting by praising municipal workers ahead of next week’s Local Government Week, calling them “the heart and soul” of the County of Essex and its local municipalities.

“Municipal government is the level of government closest to the people. It’s where decisions about our roads, emergency services, public health, housing, and recreation are made,” said MacDonald. “It’s where we see democracy in action every day — where our residents have a voice, and where collaboration and discussion build the foundation for stronger, safer, and more vibrant communities.”

The Warden encouraged high school and university students to consider a career in the municipal sector, saying it was “rewarding, fulfilling work that makes you feel like you are part of something greater than yourself.”

She also encouraged residents to get more involved in their local communities by going to council meetings, volunteering to serve on committees and even running for office.

“Thank you to all the workers at the County of Essex and all our local municipalities for everything you do every day to make our communities a better place,” said MacDonald.

Council Receives 2026 Budget Update

Council received a report from Director of Financial Services/Treasurer Melissa Ryan about upcoming budget deliberations.

“The draft 2026 budget currently reflects a tax rate increase of about 3%, following departmental and senior leadership reviews,” said a report to Council. “Of this, contractual and legislated cost increases represent roughly 2.81% (or $3.97 million in additional costs for 2026). Assessment growth in the region, estimated at 1.13%, helps offset these pressures and reduces the overall impact on existing taxpayers.”

The draft budget includes the addition of eight paramedic positions, one human resources assistant and one human resources generalist. It also includes an increase to per diem funding for residential services, an expansion of the County’s overnight program, increased funding for EMS station maintenance and investments in emergency management, workforce planning and information technology.

Several proposed positions and items were not included in the draft budget or had funding levels trimmed after a review in order to meet Council direction. The items are listed in an appendix to the report for Council’s information.

“While these items are not included in the draft 2026 budget, many represent important investments that support the long-term sustainability of the County, and Council should remain mindful of their potential impacts,” said the report. “Should Council feel strongly about advancing any of these items there is the opportunity to incorporate them during Budget deliberations. Administration has excluded them in order to align with Council’s direction to remain at or below inflation; however, we recognize the value they bring and encourage consideration of bringing these items back into the budget should council wish to prioritize them.”

Council also received a report from Director of Human Resources Kyla Pritiko detailing the new positions being sought by Administration as well as positions that were proposed but ultimately not included in the draft budget.

Administration will provide the draft budget to Council at least three weeks prior to deliberations on Dec. 3. The budget will be released to the public one week after it has been released to Council, “allowing for broad consultation and transparency in line with the County’s commitment to open and inclusive decision-making.”

County Presented with Prestigious Planning Award

Representatives from the Ontario Professional Planners Institute presented a prestigious award to Rebecca Belanger, Manger of Planning Services, and her team for the work they did on the County’s Official Plan, titled “One Land, One Climate, One Future, Together.”

The Official Plan was named Project of the Year after having already been announced as one of only six projects across the province to be honoured with the 2025 PlanOn Vision Award. The Official Plan was developed with extensive community consultation by Belanger and Mary Lou Tanner, from NPG Planning Solutions, and Larry Silani of Miller Silani Consulting.

“This plan is a land stewardship plan to protect the agricultural and natural heritage systems in Essex County while addressing significant growth,” OPPI said on its website, in lauding the County for its award. “The growth is focused on complete communities – a full range of housing and jobs, active transportation focused, transit-ready, at greater housing and employment densities to minimize the impact on the agricultural and natural heritage systems. The Official Plan is a hallmark of County collaboration with lower-tier municipalities and First Nations – integrating the community growth needs of all within a framework of communities.”

Read the County of Essex’s Official Plan.

Council Pre-Approves Two Road Projects, Receives Report on Proposed 2026 Road Rehabilitation Program

The County’s proposed road rehabilitation program for 2026 calls for an investment of $21 million to pave 31.6 km of road and an additional $3.6 million to construct about 16 km of paved shoulders to expand the County Wide Active Transportation Network.

The funding for the proposed program represents a two per cent increase over 2025 but “higher construction costs and reduced external funding mean the program will deliver 4 per cent less paving than in 2025 and require the deferral of three culvert projects,” said a report to Council.

Council voted to pre-approve funding of $4.76 million in the 2026 Budget for two projects, the Big Creek Bridge, which has an anticipated completion timeline of nine months, and the Lonsberry Drain Culvert, a project that will have an impact on wineries in the area.

The County’s State of Good Repair Program aims to maintain and improve the condition of County roads using a three-tiered approach of reconstruction, rehabilitation, and preventative maintenance.

Review a list of the projects proposed for 2026.

Review a list of the paved shoulder projects proposed for 2026.

Council Receives County Road 46 Environmental Assessment Report

Council voted to receive a County Road 46 Environmental Assessment Report and endorsed its recommendations. Council then directed Administration to initiate the mandatory 30-day public review period of the Environmental Study Report.

The study was carried out in consultation with staff from the County of Essex and the Town of Tecumseh, external agencies, stakeholders and the public. Three public consultation events were held.

As background, municipalities in Ontario must complete a Municipal Class Environmental Assessment (MCEA) before proceeding with a project to ensure compliance with the Environmental Assessment Act, and to facilitate informed decision-making. This process assesses environmental impacts, manages risks and aligns projects with sustainability goals. It also involves public and stakeholder engagement, enhancing transparency and trust.

The needs and opportunity statement for this MCEA assessment state:

“Road network improvements are required within the western sectors of the County to accommodate proposed development and improve traffic operations and safety.”

Preliminary Design Alternatives under review are as follows:

• County Road 46 Alignment Alternatives. Options include widening to the north, on-centre, to the south, or using a meandering alignment to avoid constraints.
• Concession Roads 8 and 9 Alternatives. Including potential right-of-way widening to accommodate active transportation facilities.
• Cross-Section Alternatives. Evaluating rural and urban cross-sections, roadway widening, and the integration of active transportation elements.
• Intersection Alternatives. Comparing conventional intersection layouts with roundabout designs.

For more information, read the report!

2026 EWEMS Response Time Performance Plan Approved

Council voted to receive a report from Essex-Windsor EMS Chief Justin Lammers, and to approve the 2026 Land Ambulance Response Time Performance Plan.

“Unit down-staffing, periods of limited ambulance resources (excluding code blacks), and offload delays are all trending down. Conversely, call volumes are trending up. As call volumes continue to grow, resource enhancements will be required to maintain, and ideally, improve response times,” said a report to Council. “Ongoing partnerships with local fire departments through our tiered response agreement and innovative initiatives such as our Public Access Defibrillator (PAD) program aim to find opportunities to improve our [Sudden Cardiac Arrest arrival] times while adequate resource levels are secured.”

Essex-Windsor EMS is scheduled to transition to a new dispatching system, said the report, that “provides better accuracy in dispatching by reducing over-triaging, which keeps ambulances available for critical cases, such as sudden cardiac arrest. It is the international gold standard, used in much of North America and beyond. It is evidence-based, regularly updated, and much more detailed.”

Read the report!

County Road Safety Management Program Update

Council voted to receive a report about the Road Safety Management Program Plan.

“The County’s network of roads has 1084 intersections and 1085 interconnecting segments. To establish a base plan and awareness, the complete network was screened in February 2025,” said the report. “The screening process at the that time included an analysis of collision data, and prioritized locations based on their potential for safety improvement.”

In addition to the review of the top 10 intersections and road segments in the County, Council previously had directed Administration to proceed with design of traffic signals at the following locations, for which work already is underway:

• County Road 9 and Alma Street
• County Road 20 and County Road 23
• County Road 20 And Martin Lane

The report notes that there are no immediate financial impacts, as ongoing work is being completed within the approved 2025 Road Safety budget, which includes an allocation of $400,000 for the design and construction of road safety improvements.

Administration has proposed $400,000 in the 2026 Budget for design and construction of road safety measures, such as enhanced signage, pavement markings, improved illumination or minor intersection modifications.

Read the report!

Council Invites Social Housing Service Manager to Meeting

Council approved a Notice of Motion from Councillor Sherry Bondy to direct Administration to invite the Service Manager for Windsor/Essex social housing to an upcoming meeting of County Council to discuss concerns and opportunities related to its operations and social housing stock.