Board of Directors Meeting Highlights – July 15, 2022
On Friday, July 15, 2022, the Board of Directors of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (NPCA) held its regular monthly meeting in a hybrid electronic format with a limited number of Board Members attending proceedings at the Ball’s Falls Centre for Conservation. Highlights from the meeting included:
Contract Award – Gonder’s Flats Wetland Enhancement Project
The Board of Directors approved the contract award for the work taking place as part of the Gonder’s Flats Wetland Enhancement Project adjacent to the Niagara River in the Town of Fort Erie. The contract in the amount of $122,600 was awarded to Anthony’s Excavating Central Inc..
The NPCA partnered with several local organizations and successfully secured $80,000 toward the implementation of this project thanks to contributions from Ducks Unlimited Canada, Land Care Niagara, and the Niagara Community Foundation.
2022 NPCA Conservation Awards
The Board of Directors were updated on the NPCA Conservation Awards and were requested to share the application process for the Award of Merit with a broad network of stakeholders, community groups, general public and partners in conservation. Nominations for the Award of Merit were open as of July 11, 2022 and are set to close on August 5, 2022. Award of Merit recipients are to be recognized at the Conservation Awards event on September 21, 2022.
Conservation Authorities Act Transition Quarterly Progress Report Ontario Regulation 687/21: Transition Plan and Agreements for Programs and Services
The Board of Directors were updated on the NPCA’s first quarterly progress report under Ontario Regulation 687/21 submitted to the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP). The first quarterly report outlined the consultation steps that have been undertaken to date with the NPCA’s three participating municipalities, the City of Hamilton, Haldimand County and the Regional Municipality of Niagara. These meetings have consisted of discussion on cost apportionment agreements for Category 3 Services such as restoration and stewardship and Category 2 Services such as plan reviews.
NPCA Section 28 Compliance and Enforcement Procedure Manual
The Board of Directors approved the NPCA Section 28 Compliance and Enforcement Procedural Manual following a presentation from Jason Culp, Manager, Compliance & Enforcement. The Procedural Manual is to serve as an internal NPCA guidance document and training resource and as a valuable reference and communications tool for NPCA staff, Board members, NPCA agency partners, residents and the general public. The Procedural Manual will be made available to the public through the Compliance and Enforcement webpage on the NPCA website.
Single Source Contracts for the NPCA Policy Document Review and Procedural Manual Phase 2 Project
In the absence of bids and in order to move forward with the Phase 2 workplan and deliver an updated Policy Document and new Procedural Manual by the end of 2022, the Board approved two consultant firms through its Non-Competitive Procurement process.
Planning Solutions Inc. was retained at a cost of $68,000 to undertake the Policy Document Review Phase 2 to lead the public and stakeholder engagement and assist staff with preparing the policies and manual.
North-South Environmental Inc. was retained for $62,983 to lead the work on the Buffer Width Discussion Paper and advise staff on any revisions to the buffer policies and development of technical guidance documents related to buffers.
Links to Agendas, Minutes and Video:
https://npca.ca/about/board-meetings