All townships within Peterborough County have been given the opportunity to join forces with the county in retaining joint procurement consulting services.
The County is redoing the official plan and each township must update it’s bylaws.
Once the new county official plan is completed and in effect each of the townships in the county will have to update their zoning bylaws to conform to and implement the new official plan.
The county is in the process of developing an RFP (request for proposal) to obtain the services of a single planning consultant to update the bylaws of each lower tier municipality that wants to proceed with joint procurement.
Emily Fitzgerald, the planner submitting the report, told council that they have yet to receive the RFP from the county, but the deadline to take part in the process was September 3, 2025, the day after the meeting.
The ask from staff was whether council wanted to take part in the RFP process.
Fitzgerald made it clear that the choice to participate at this point is not a commitment to the hire, but merely a first step in the process.
Fitzgerald told council that the township’s Comprehensive Zoning By-law was passed in 1996. There have been many changes to the plan since it’s inception mostly for housekeeping purposes.
The report submitted to council listed both pros and cons of taking part in the hire.
The pros in the report are listed below:
• Recognition that the on-going direction by the Province of Ontario is to eliminate all barriers to development, consistency where possible through-out Peterborough County supports this type of direction.
• Opportunities to standardize formatting and definitions across a series of Townships that would support a more common understanding of terms currently being used in local zoning.
• Cost savings for the individual townships who would be contributing to this project instead of funding individual projects.
Fitzgerald said that staff recognized the potential opportunities, but cautioned that it is important to identify omissions and essential improvements needed in the current Zoning By-law which may not relate to the implementation of the new Official Plan.
Staff also requested that there be opportunities for ratepayers to voice their concerns with the updated bylaws with the goal of ensuring that Douro-Dummer is properly represented in the finished product.
Staff is also concerned that the creation of one RFP document to serve multiple municipalities could present challenges. It was feared that certain unique qualities of the township could be lost.
Councillor Ray Johnston asked if they could do the work in house.
Fitzgerald replied that it would be a significant amount of work since it was last updated in 1996.
Councillor Watt said that he can see the advantages, especially with four townships touching the lakes.
Watt also acknowledged that Douro-Dummer has specific requirements which must be a caveat with any contract.
Deputy Mayor Harold Nelson commented that there are lots of advantages of joining the County with cost savings being paramount.
Nelson also stressed that there are some things that are unique to Douro-Dummer and said any contract should have caveats carving out the townships specific needs.
Fitzgerald said that caveats can be requested but ultimately it is the County’s RFP. Fitzgerald reiterated that the decision made at the council meeting does not amount to a commitment, but rather the first step in the process.
Watt moved that Douro-Dummer proceed with the County in their joint procurement RFP, stating that the township has concerns with local inputs and wants certain caveats recognized.
Mayor Heather Watson spoke to the motion stating she was in support. She said that there are opportunities to save costs and make development easier. It also creates some standardization which makes it easier for people to navigate the process.
Watson said she equally sees that there are aspects of Douro-Dummer that are specifically unique and need to be recognized in the RFP.
Watson said “We need a voice. Local context is incredibly important for our community.”
The motion passed.
