Bluewater council briefs

By Dan Rolph

Clerk-administrator appointed

Chandra Alexander was appointed as Bluewater’s new clerk-administrator during the Aug. 10 council meeting, marking the merging of the clerk and chief administrative officer (CAO) roles into one position.

Alexander has served as Bluewater’s clerk since 2017 and became the municipality’s acting CAO last October after the departure of former CAO Laurie Spence Bannerman.

Councillors began exploring alternatives to hiring a new chief administrator last year in the hopes of finding savings for the municipality, as the role is the highest paid of Bluewater’s staff positions.

Mayor Paul Klopp said he and the rest of council look forward to continuing to work with Alexander, and he noted that he was happy to see a local candidate stepping into the role.

“We wish you all the best,” he said.

Development charges study

The contract to begin a study on development charges in Bluewater was awarded to DFA Infrastructure International Inc. for $27,350 excluding HST.

The DFA bid for the project was the highest ranked of four bids received for the project, scoring 92 of 100 possible points on their proposal.

The study will include designation of services, application of bylaw rules, areas development charges apply, exemptions, the amount of charges and more.

Council previously earmarked $40,000 for the study project in the 2026 budget, which is being paid entirely through development charges.

Fire protection grant application

Councillors directed staff to apply for the provincial Fire Protection Grant for a new self-contained breathing apparatus filling station.

According to a report presented during the meeting, each fire department can expect to receive about $16,000 per station through the grant program.

A new self-contained breathing apparatus filling station would be compatible with 4,500 psi bottles and help with firefighter health and safety.

The cost of the filling station is estimated to be around $69,000 plus installation fees and taxes.

Bylaw enforcement activity

Lot maintenance complaints have made up the largest chunk of bylaw enforcement activity so far in 2026.

There have been 23 lot maintenance complains opened this year, while 17 property standards complaints were opened in that same period.

Additionally, there have been 10 short-term rental licencing complaints, six noise complaints, four traffic and parking complaints, three animal control complaints and one encroachment on municipal lands complaint.

July proved to be a busy month for bylaw officers in Bluewater in 2026, with the municipality receiving more than double the number of complaints when compared to July 2025. The lion’s share of complaints for that period were regarding lot maintenance and short-term rental licensing