March 13 Grey County Council Highlights

County Council

• Deputy Warden Brian Milne, chairing the Council meeting, opened with a patriotic message to Grey County residents and Canadians.
• Council accepted the minutes of the February 26 Official Plan Amendment 25 Public Meeting.  Minutes
• Council accepted the minutes of the February 27 County Council and Committee of the Whole meetings.   Council   Committee
• Council accepted the minutes of the December 20 Board of Health meeting. Medical Officer of Health Dr. Ian Arra provided a verbal update noting there is some circulation of measles in southern Ontario but no confirmed cases in our region since November. That case was contained.  Minutes
• Paramedic Chief Kevin McNab announced six recipients of the Exemplary Service Medals. The awards, received from the Governor General, recognize experienced paramedics who consistently perform at an exceptional level. This year’s recipients are Sherry Foster, Melissa Kaufman, Paul Sollors, Stephany Wilson, Shaunna Schafer, and Bradi Watson.
• Director Savanna Myers acknowledged Grey County has once again been named to the Top21 Intelligent Communities of the year by the Intelligent Communities Forum.  News

Committee of the Whole

• Council supported a notice by Councillor Boddy to form a committee to examine opportunities for joint municipal services. The purpose of the committee would be to look for ways to collaborate to deliver services better. Staff were directed to prepare a Terms of Reference for council’s consideration at a future meeting.
• Council accepted the minutes of the March 5 Agricultural Advisory Committee meeting. Staff provided a verbal summary of the meeting which included the election of Lorie Smith as Chair, a delegation on plastic bale wrap recycling, the proposed regional agriculture learning and demonstration site, a share the road campaign, the Gather campaign and more.  Minutes
• Council accepted the minutes of the March 6 Community Services Committee meeting.  Staff provided a verbal summary of the meeting which included the election of Chair Dane Nielsen, a Public Health delegation about the need to modernize the Smoke Free Municipal Space by-law, an update from the Canadian Mental Health Association on the 14^th Street Supportive Housing program success, the 2025 Ontario Works service plan, Last Mile Funding to support a renovation, community housing waitlist, 2024 year-in-review of community services and more.  Minutes
• Council received the 2024 Paramedic Services response time results. Grey County met or exceeded response time targets for all call classes.  Report  Media Release
• Council received a report with details about costs to plow a parking lot in Markdale beside the CP Rail Trail. The trail is used in all seasons and in the Winter permits snowmobiles. Council discussed the economic benefits as well as the winter maintenance costs and voted not to add it back into the 2026 budget. Following the discussion, a new motion directed staff to prepare a report prior to the 2026 about considerations and options for paid parking along the CP rail trail and other County-owned parking areas.  Report
• Warden Matrosovs read a statement announcing Grey County CAO Kim Wingrove will be stepping down on May 2 and Deputy CAO Randy Scherzer has been appointed to fill the role. CAO Wingrove expressed her gratitude for her time serving Grey County and Warden Matrosovs thanked her for her years of leadership.
• Warden Matrosovs noted there will be a joint virtual meeting of all Grey County municipal councils on March 21 at 10 a.m. to discuss planning services. Details will be posted to the Grey County website. 

The Clerk’s Department maintains the official record for Grey County. This publication is intended to provide meeting highlights only. For official records, please refer to the meeting minutes, or contact the Clerk’s Department at 1-800-567-4739.