Aug. 11 city council briefs: New licensing appeal committee just narrowly filled

CONNOR LUCZKA, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Stratford city council narrowly filled a new committee just struck to handle short-term accommodation licensing appeals.

During the council meeting on Aug. 11, Coun. Jo-Dee Burbach, Coun. Harjinder Nijjar and Mayor Martin Ritsma put their names forward for the committee, though there was a period where it looked like no councillor would raise their hand for the posting.

Coun. Cody Sebben voiced why he in particular didn’t raise his hand: he didn’t support the composition of the committee at all, thinking that it should be members of the public rather than councillors that sit on it.

“I think there's a lot of value in having trained members of the public who know about that type of thing and have the right criteria,” Sebben said.

He wasn’t the only one to voice that opinion that night. Barb Shaughnessy, herself an accommodation-owner, delegated to council and agreed with Sebben’s position. She asserted that other area municipalities with similar licensing bylaws have citizen-filled appeal committees, made up of people with knowledge of law and licensing, industry stakeholders and experts in mediation, among other qualities.

Interim chief administrative officer Adam Betteridge, on the city’s part, said the committee was straight forward.

“I'm seeing the reluctance of councillors to put up their hand and add themselves to this committee,” Betteridge said. “I would think that this is relatively straightforward exercise. When the applications come in, it's not going to be too time consuming. It's essentially taking what the appellant is not agreeing with and staff bringing forward a recommendation and making a decision. So I do think it's relatively straightforward at this point, and if council deems it ever appropriate in the future to move forward to another arrangement, that can be explored as well.”

The new committee is set to handle appeals for when appellants are denied a short-term accommodation license, with its first hearing tentatively scheduled for Sept. 3. Council was asked to name three members and an alternate for the committee, though only named Burbach, Nijjar and Ritsma.

Anne Hathaway Daycare adding two full-time teaching assistants

Council unanimously voted to add two full-time teaching assistants to Anne Hathaway Day Care’s complement.

According to the staff report presented that evening, 8,136 hours of supply teachers are used each year at the day care, equal to 3.9 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions. By utilizing 4,500 hours, the organization can supply two permanent FTE positions that “ensures stable delivery of program services, reduces stress,and mitigates burnout among full-time staff and ensures that Ministry guidelines for child-to-teacher ratios can be met.”

It won’t be without cost, however. The staffing shift is expected to cost the city $28,600 a year due to benefit costs, though the report notes that there may be indirect savings due to lower turnover rates, training and integration costs.

Coun. Geza Wordofa to make motion for a temporary shelter at Rotary Complex during winter

Before council adjourned, Coun. Geza Wordofa put forward two motions he intends to bring forward in September: that a traffic light be installed at the George and Downie Street intersection and that a temporary homeless shelter at the Stratford Rotary Complex be included in the 2026 municipal budget.

That motion will come forward for council consideration at the Sept. 8 council meeting.