March 27 Council Highlights

Grey County Council met March 27, 2025, in the Grey County Council Chamber and virtually on Zoom. The meeting was immediately followed by a session of Committee of the Whole. A recording of the meeting can be found on the Grey County YouTube Channel.

County Council

• Council accepted the minutes of the March 13 Grey County Council and Committee of the Whole meetings.  Council  Committee
• Council accepted the minutes of the March 20 Long-Term Care Committee of Management meeting. Director Cornell spoke to highlights of the meeting which included the Colour It Coach program. Grey County has been asked to present about the program, which supports student placements, at an upcoming Advantage Ontario conference. Minutes
• Warden Matrosovs and Director of Paramedic Service Kevin McNab presented OSHaRE with a certificate of appreciation for the organization’s support of the SOS program. OSHaRE provides meals for the SOS community outreach markets in Owen Sound and Hanover. OSHARE provided more than 212,000 meals in 2024. OSHaRE has also been providing their space in Owen Sound as the site of the Owen Sound SOS market for one year.
• Francesca Dobbyn, executive director of The United Way Grey Bruce, presented Grey County Director of Paramedic Services Kevin McNab with a 2024 King Charles III Coronation Medal.
• Applications will open in April for the 2025 Summer Company program. Summer Company provides funding and mentorship to students looking to run a summer business. More information is available at https://www.grey.ca/business-services/business-enterprise-centre.
• Staff shared that the application deadline for the Youth Climate Action Fund has been extended to April 8. More information is available on the Town of The Blue Mountains website.
• CAO Wingrove provided a verbal update about a collaborative project with Bruce and Dufferin counties to examine regional rural transportation. The project was successful in receiving funding from the Federal government and is waiting to learn the status of a Provincial funding applications.

Committee of the Whole

• Council approved the 2025 tax policy. Tax policies are set annually to distribute the tax burden across different property classes, such as residential, commercial, industrial and farm.   Presentation   Report
• Council received a report on drafted Future Ready Development Standards. The draft standards will apply to developments of 10 or more homes with the goal of reducing construction emissions and preparing for upcoming changes to the Building Code. Staff have been engaging the development community and the public on the draft standards. The project is being undertaken jointly with Dufferin and Wellington Counties to create consistent standards for developers across borders.  Report
• Council supported the proposed Official Plan Amendment 23. The amendment focuses on permitted uses on Rural designated land. These amendments will better reflect the goals of Grey County’s official plan and the need to balance development with the protection of our natural spaces and agricultural land. Report
• Grey County is taking a step forward towards transferring some roads between the County and some local municipalities. Council approved a funding model for the transfers which would include approximate 50 km of roads, primarily in urban areas. Council also directed staff to move forward with organizing public engagement opportunities for the project. Council will consider increasing the 2026 budget by $1,240,000 later in the year during budget deliberations. No final decisions have been made at this time. Grey County formed an Urban Roads Exchange Taskforce earlier in the council term with the goal of examining the County road network and finding opportunities to make long-term improvements. Urban road transfers are a consideration of Grey County’s larger Transportation Master Plan.  Task Force Minutes

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.