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Upcoming Council Meetings:
All meetings are held in the Council Chambers in the Municipal Office located at 330 Hwy. 595. Council welcome your involvement and interest in Council meetings.
Welcome to O'Connor Township
Office Hours
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday - 9:00 a.m. to Noon, 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Fridays - 9:00 a.m. to Noon
NOTICE
A FIRE BAN HAS BEEN ISSUED
AS OF MONDAY, MAY 14TH AT 10:00 A.M. FOR
THE TOWNSHIP OF O'CONNOR.
MINISTRY OF NATURAL RESOURCES & FORESTRY HAS ALSO IMPLEMENTED A RESTRICTED FIRE ZONE FOR NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO
EFFECTIVE NOON MAY 15TH FOR ALL NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO.
* MEANING NO OUTDOOR BURNING IS PERMITTED*
ALL BURNING PERMITS ARE SUSPENDED AND NO OPEN FIRES
ARE ALLOWED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.
FIRE CHIEF HENRY MATTAS THANKS YOU FOR YOUR CO-OPERATION.
PLEASE WATCH OUR WEBSITE FOR FURTHER UPDATES.
2018 Municipal Election
In accordance with the Municipal Elections Act, the Clerk as Returning Officer conducts elections for the offices of one Mayor and four Councillors. The term of the new office commences Monday, December 3, 2018 and serves for four years. Regular meetings of Council shall be held on the second Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m., except for the month of December, when the meeting will be held on the first Monday of the month. A meeting of Council shall be held on the fourth Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m. except during the months of July, August and December. Only during the month of December, a meeting will be held on the third Monday. Where any of the meeting dates fall on a statutory holiday the meeting will be held on the Tuesday of that week at 7 p.m.
Candidates Packages for the 2018 Municipal Election, as well as Third Party Advertisers Packages are now available for pick up at the Township of O'Connor Municipal Office during regular office hours at 330 Highway 595.
The nomination form shall be in the prescribed Form 1 (Nomination Paper); the nomination fee is to be paid in cash or certified cheque or money order or electronic transfer fund (on-line banking); the fee is $100 for Councillors and $200 for Head of Council/Mayor. Facsimile signatures are not acceptable.
The nomination form may be filed at the Township of O'Connor Municipal Office at any time during normal office hours beginning Tuesday, May 1, 2018 up to Thursday, July 26, 2018, and on Nomination Day, Friday, July 27, 2018 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
Anyone interested in running for office in the 2018 Municipal Election or School Board Elections or becoming a Third Party Advertiser is encouraged to attend an Information Session Tuesday, June 12, 2018 at Kakabeka Legion. This session is being hosted in partnership with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs. To register for this session, please contact the Township of O'Connor Municipal Office at twpoconn@tbaytel.net or 476-1451 by May 29, 2018. For more information on this session, please refer to the Candidate & Third Party Advertisers Information Session Poster.
Please refer to the Municipals Elections page under the Council tab on this website for more information.
TOWNSHIP OF O'CONNOR - OFFICIAL PLAN
The Township of O'Connor has adopted and submitted the Official Plan to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs for approval.
Click below on the links to view the:
Township of O'Connor - Council Adopted Official Plan (April 2018)
FUNDRAISER FOR O’CONNOR FIRE DEPARTMENT AUXILIARY
The O'Connor Fire Department is a volunteer run service for the Township of O'Connor and its residents. Having a local Fire Department gives our residents access to immediate fire and emergency response.
Come out to our paint nite to help fundraise for the Fire Department Auxiliary so that we may continue to upgrade our equipment, keep our volunteers well trained and safe and help community members who suffer loss from a fire.
SATURDAY, JUNE 2, at 7:00 PM
KAKABEKA FALLS HOTEL
4756 HWY 11/17, KAKABEKA FALLS
TICKETS ARE $45, SMOCKS & FUN PROVIDED!!!
For registration and full poster details, see our Paint Nite Poster.
Council Meeting
The next regular meetings for Council will be held on Monday, May 28, and June 11 & 25, 2018. These meetings will be held at 7:00 p.m. in Council Chambers located in the Municipal Office located at 330 Hwy 595.
Councillor Chantal Alkins has submitted her resignation and Council have accepted and declared her office vacant on the Monday, April 9, 2018 Council Meeting. Council and staff would like to thank Ms. Alkins for her dedication and time spent on Council for the past two years and wish her well in her future endeavours.
Council have appointed Wendy Handy to fill the vacant office and would like to welcome her to Council for the balance of the term.
Load Restrictions in Effect (Half Loads)
As of 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, March 27, 2018 load restrictions will be applied to all municipal roads within the Township of O’Connor and will continue during the period designated by the Ministry of Transportation (MTO). The Township of O’Connor reserves the right to extend the load restrictions due to the weather and/or road condition after the MTO has lifted their restrictions. MTO has also placed load restrictions on Hwy 595 & 588.
Fire Department News
Fire permits are required for burning during starting April 1st and may be picked up at the O'Connor Municipal Office during regular office hours or from Fire Chief Henry Mattas, but please call first to ensure he is available - 628-3523.
Permits are required during the fire season which runs April 1st - October 31st. FIRE BAN currently in effect! See notice above.
O'Connor Township News
Food Strategy Connecting Food and Community
Thunder Bay and Area Food and Agriculture Market Study: What is it?
The Thunder Bay and Area Food Strategy is excited to be carrying out a major Priority Project of our 2015 Implementation Plan: The Thunder Bay Food and Agriculture Market Study. With the support of 13 local agricultural associations and economic development organizations, the market study will provide a comprehensive picture of the local food economy in Thunder Bay and the surrounding area. The Food Strategy Coordinator spoke with CBC's Lisa Laco about the purpose and goals of the study. Listen here.
Currently, there is a critical shortage of information regarding the agri-food sector within the Thunder Bay area. A number of major studies have certainly provided a broad picture of agriculture in Northwestern Ontario and have demonstrated the importance of the agriculture sector for the regional economy. However, while our community has information regarding the importance of agriculture as an economic driver, there is little information that would assist in the growth of agricultural businesses.
The Market Study will fill the gap left by insufficient information by producing a detailed analysis of Thunder Bay’s food economy. Specifically, the market study will discover the demand for locally grown and processed food by sector. Research will be conducted on the size of the existing market as well as the types and volumes of locally grown food being processed and purchased. Additionally, the market study will determine critical price points, general purchasing habits and preferences, and the overall patterns of consumption. Further, the market study will seek to determine the interest in and capacity for procuring more locally grown and processed foods. The market study will conduct research by sector to give a more context-specific overview of the local food system.
The results of the study won’t only provide a greater understanding of the demand for local food in Thunder Bay, but they will also provide insight into opportunities for supplying the local market. The gathered information will enable farmers and other food businesses to act on locally relevant information to create strategies for expansion, better plan for future growing seasons, strategically construct business plans, and connect with other food businesses to better supply market demand and develop efficiencies. Furthermore, banks can make use of the data to issue loans, government officials can better understand and support local businesses, farmers can plan their crops for future growing seasons, and economic development organizations can better target funding opportunities and effectively evaluate business proposals. In the long term, the market study is expected to support local job creation and retention while boosting economic activity within the agri-food sector through the expansion of current farming and processing businesses and the development of new businesses to fill gaps in the market.
This project was funded in part through Growing Forward 2 (GF2), a federal-provincial-territorial initiative. The Agricultural Adaptation Council assists in the delivery of GF2 in Ontario.
Thunder Bay & Area Food Strategy needs your participation in the survey (link below) to gather ideas from Thunder Bay residents and surrounding municipalities on developing a Northwestern Ontario Regional Food Charter.
Please take 15 minutes of your time to help us better understand what is important to you in building a regional food charter that can provide the vision and direction towards ensuring a vibrant and resilient local food system that respects culturally appropriate foods and enhances communities, local economies and the environment.
Researchers at Lakehead University are working with Cloverbelt Local Food Co-op and their community partners including the Thunder Bay & Area Food Strategy to ensure we have broad participation in viewpoints on a Northwestern Ontario Regional Food Charter. We invite your participation along with ALL residents of Northwestern Ontario. Please share the link to this survey with others.
Responses to this survey are confidential. The name of your community will be made public in the study, but specific comments will not be connected to you when the data is summarized. There are no anticipated risks from filling out the survey, but lots of potential benefits in you adding your voice to the content of a Regional Food Charter. As you fill out this survey, keep in mind that you do not have to answer any question you are uncomfortable with and you are free to withdraw from the survey at any time.
If you have any questions or concerns please contact Ashley Boudreau at aboudrea@lakeheadu.ca.
You may also contact my co-research supervisors Dr. Connie Nelson at cnelson@lakeheadu.ca or by phone at (807) 627-1721 and Dr. Charles Levkoe at clevkoe@lakeheadu.ca or by phone at (807) 346-7954.
This research has been approved by the Lakehead University Research Ethics Board. If you have any questions related to the ethics of the research and would like to speak to someone outside of the research team, please contact Sue Wright at the Research Ethics Board at 343-8283 or swright@lakeheadu.ca.
Thank you in advance for ensuring all residents of Northwestern Ontario have a chance to share their viewpoints on the content of a Regional Food Charter.
Click here to proceed Regionalfoodcharter or cut and paste the following address into your web browser: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Regionalfoodcharter
Clean Water Waste Water Fund (CWWF)
The Township of O’Connor was fortunate this year to receive funding from the Clean Water Wastewater Fund (CWWF), through both the Federal and Provincial governments, to replace several road culverts throughout the Township. This fund covers 50% of the total cost of the project.
To cover the Township’s share of the project we will also be using funds from the Federal Gas Tax Fund (FGT) and the Ontario Community Infrastructure Fund (OCIF) to change approximately 60 culverts in our road system.
Ontario Trillium Foundation Ontario 150 Community Capital Program
ONTARIO 150 COMMUNITY CAPITAL PROGRAM GRANT
March 1, 2017 - Ontario is celebrating its 150th anniversary as a province by improving and renovating over 200 sports facilities, parks, seniors centres, and other community spaces, bringing positive changes to communities and families across the province. The Township of O’Connor would like to announce that our application to the Ontario Trillium Foundation ( OTF ) Ontario 150 Community Capital Program grant has been approved and we will be receiving $34,500.00 to upgrade the HVAC system and make other interior upgrades to the O’ Connor Community Centre. This will include air conditioning in the centre.
Thank you to the Ontario Trillium Foundation for this opportunity.
Update July 10, 2017 - A public announcement of this funding was made at the O'Connor Community Club's annual Strawberry Festival held on July 8, 2017 in the O'Connor Community Centre. A banner and plaque, also announcing this funding, are being displayed in the Centre as well.
Update September 30, 2017 - The Township would like to announce that the Ontario 150 Community Capital Program Grant renovations are complete. The O'Connor Community Centre now has new energy efficient propane furnaces and air conditioning, new washroom partitions have been installed in the basement washrooms and the storage room has been repainted and new shelving installed, along with better air circulation. Thank you to the Ontario 150 Community Capital Program Grant once again for this opportunity to continue to approve our O'Connor Community Centre and make it a more inviting public space to come to for all social events, both public or private in our community.
Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care
The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care has developed communications material to promote awareness of the change to income thresholds under Seniors Co-Pay Program (SCP) and encourage eligible seniors to apply.
Updated income thresholds:
- Single senior - an income of less than or equal to $19,300; or
- Senior couple - a combined income of less than or equal to $32,000.
Patient benefits:
Eligible seniors:
- Can save an average of $130 per year in out-of-pocket drug costs
- Pay no annual deductible and a co-payment of up to $2 for each prescription.
To find out more go to Ontario.ca/SeniorDrugSavings
DRAFT OFFICIAL PLAN AND ZONING BY-LAW
April 9, 2018 - Special Meeting held for the draft Official Plan and Zoning By-law. This meeting was open for the public to make comment on the draft Official Plan and Zoning By-law. This meeting was the last opportunity for the public to participate and provide input on the draft Official Plan which was adopted April 23, 2018. The draft Official Plan will be submitted to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs (MMA) for approval. Once the draft Official Plan has been approved by the MMA, reviews will commence for the Zoning By-Law. Copies of the draft Official Plan are available for pick up at the Township of O'Connor Municipal Office during regular office hours or can be found on this website. Please watch our website for further updates.
> draft Official Plan - April 2018
> Land Use Schedule A - March 2018
> Development Constraints Schedule B - March 2018
March 13, 2017 - Ministry comments have arrived on the draft Official Plan and are currently being considered by Council. The review began at the March 13, 2017 Council meeting and will continue at the March 27, 2017 meeting.
November 9, 2016- The draft Official Plan for the Township of O'Connor was submitted to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs for a One-Window Review.
OFFICIAL PLAN REVIEW
The Township of O’Connor invites you to become engaged in planning for the Township’s future. On June 25, 2016 the Township hosted an Public Open House to present, review and receive input on changes to the Township’s Draft Official Plan and Zoning By-law. The Official Plan provides the overall policy direction for development in the municipality, and the Zoning By-law implements the policies through regulations. These documents apply to the entire municipality.
The Open House was the first public consultation event of the review process, however there will be additional opportunities for input at later stages of the process.
If you wish to be notified of the adoption of the proposed official plan, or of the refusal of a request to amend the official plan, you must make a written request to the Township of O’Connor.
If a person or public body does not make oral submissions at a public meeting or make submissions to the Township of O’Connor before the proposed Official Plan is adopted, the person or public body is not entitled to appeal the decision of the Township of O’Connor to the Ontario Municipal Board. If a person or public body does not make oral submissions at a public meeting or make written submissions to the Township of O’Connor before the proposed official plan is adopted, the person or public body may not be added as a party to the hearing of an appeal before the Ontario Municipal Board unless, in the opinion of the Board, there are reasonable grounds to add the person or public body as a party.
For more information on the Township Official Plan and Zoning By-law review process, please contact Lorna Buob, Clerk-Treasurer at twpoconn@tbaytel.net or 807-476-1451.
NorWest Community Health Centres – Mobile Health Services
A video produced by the Canadian Institute for Health Innovation and funded by the Ontario Government was filmed in the Township of O'Connor and surrounding area. This video details the need for their mobile service and the services they do provide. To view this video please click on this link. Password is "thunderbay".
Service Ontario Launches Not-For-Profit
Service Ontario has launched a new section for not-for-profits in Ontario making it faster and easier for organizations to get the services and information they need to start, operate and grow their NFPs.
The new site features information on government open call programs for funding, ideas on how to start and manage a not-for-profit organization, a section to help organizations understand the laws that affect the sector, research about the sector, government initiatives that support the sector, and much more.
Please follow the link to visit this new resource: www.ServiceOntario.ca/NotForProfits