November 13 Meeting Highlights

Grey County Council met on November 13, 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 October 23 County Council and Committee of the Whole meetings. Council   Committee

Committee of the Whole

• Council received a delegation from Keystone Child, Youth & Family Services President, David Willis. Mr. Willis spoke about the services Keystone provides as the region’s lead agency for child and youth mental health, including counselling and treatment, community support, groups and workshops, respite programs, and more. Keystone serves more than 2,500 clients per year. Grey County supports Keystone through Grey County Early Years and Building Resiliency funding. The programs operate in a deficit each year.  Presentation
• Council received a delegation from SkyDev President Greg Jones. Mr. Jones spoke about SkyDev’s projects in Grey County and around the province. SkyDev is proposing building 712 purpose built rental units in Owen Sound and requested a development charge exemption agreement for the entire development that exceeds the current terms of Grey County’s development charges deferral policy.  Presentation
• Council discussed a staff report on the SkyDev development in Owen Sound known as Bayshore Street Developments and the request for a development charge deferral exemption agreement. The value of the deferral exceeds the threshold of the current Grey County Development Charges Deferral and Conditional Exemption Policy. After discussion, Council voted to grant a development charge exemption agreement for the first phase of the development. Report
• The Province is asking municipalities to provide comments on Bill 60, Fighting Delays, Building Fasters Act 2005. County staff outlined several proposed comments and Council supported sending these comments to the Province.  Summary of Act  Briefing Deck  Staff Presentation
• In 2020, Grey County transferred land in Markdale beside Grey Gables to Brightshores Health System as part of the new Markdale Hospital build. Grey County staff are in the process of optioning back around 4 acres of unused land directly south of Grey Gables, as per the land transfer agreement. Council approved a staff report recommending the creation of easements for Brightshores. Further, council approved a draft memorandum of understanding outlining the terms for a potential sale of a portion of the land to Grey Highlands for the purpose of building an OPP station. Report
• Council supported recommended updates to the Delegations of Duties By-Law. This by-law allows municipal councils to delegate some authority of powers to committees, staff and others. The updates reflect adjustments from recent policy decisions, organizational structure changes, and administrative housekeeping. Report
• Council approved the continuation of the Grey Transit Route (between Dundalk and Orangeville) and GOST transit service for 2026. Both services will be funded through the Ontario Transit Investment Fund and there is no further financial impact on the Grey County levy beyond previous commitments. Report
• Council accepted the minutes of the October 29 Budget and Finance Committee. Council discussed the minutes and the motions recommended by the committee. Council did not support the recommendation to remove funding for Experimental Acres from the 2026 budget, and amended a motion about the Going Green in Grey climate action plan to provide clarity in directing staff to prepare a report prior to the 2027 budget that highlights the impacts of the plan and progress on targets, as well as information about the impact of maintaining or discontinuing the actions within the plan.  Minutes
• The Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) conference happens in mid-January and provides an opportunity for municipalities to delegate to the province about important issues. Council agreed to put forward 8 delegation requests. Staff will provide an update to Council when responses are received.

The Clerk’s Department maintains the official records 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.