I knew they couldn’t do it. They couldn’t get through the meeting without personal anecdotes, posturing, and not so subtle campaign plugs: I coached baseball (Courtney), when I first got elected, I advocated for baseball (Courtney), I heard when I was knocking on doors last election (Crain), and I played ball as a kid (McArthur). Campaign points deducted for Prue’s mansplaining to Pouget and Allaire’s offhand comments about Kingsbridge traffic – just distracted, there’s accidents everywhere. The hot topic was the concerted effort to avoid public disclosure of the number of lawsuits pending against the town and the associated legal fees.

These are council meetings to discuss council business, but they appear to be meetings between council and admin, who are welcome to participate. Admin whispers into the mayor’s ear and he announces they have something to say.

The perception in the community is that admin directs council – not the other way around.

Shawn Wilkie certainly gave the impression that admin deserves to be recognized, even before members of council. Delegates are there to address council, but Wilkie, a Royal Canadian Legion Fort Malden Branch 157 delegate, greeted, “honourable mayor, deputy mayor, CAO, town of Amherstburg administration and esteemed councillors for the residents of Amherstburg.” (Only serving MPPs are honourable).

Admin are not elected officials – they can’t ask delegates questions, they can’t grant or deny a delegate’s request. Civil servants serve the public by implementing council’s decisions.

Wilkie requested perpetuity for the annual Legion Week parade event permit requirement and all fees associated with the annual event.

Councillor Pouget did not ask if waiving the fees in perpetuity meant forever, as was erroneously written elsewhere.

VERBATIM TRANSCRIPT:

Councillor Pouget: just one question – the Legion is requesting it to be waived in perpetuity, forever; is that correct?

Prue: I believe that’s what’s been requested, yes.

Pouget: okay, thank you.

Prue waited almost five seconds and then mansplained: What that means is it never has to come back again. It doesn’t mean that council, 30 years from now might say, no, we don’t want to do this anymore. That’s still within that realm of possibility, but up until then, it just keeps going. Okay, all right.

Listen to the audio.

I don’t recall Prue doing this to his male colleagues. Same for when he tells Pouget, “I don’t know if that was a question or simply a statement.”

Borrowing By-law and Delegation of Authority By-law

Prue invited Deputy CAO Melissa Osborne to make a presentation that might’ve been meant to reassure everyone that all is well with town finances. Confusion followed.

Councillor Crain was the first to raise his hand. Of course he offered kudos to “Deputy CAO Melissa: very helpful report, very positive report. I think online, we see a lot of misinformation. I have lately a lot of AI driven, and it’s very helpful to see the stats on screen. I think this council, past councils, have been making great strides,” said Crain.

There will always be misinformation; I’ve seen it from admin too. For example, when the town erroneously advertised for appointments to the accessibility committee, which I repeatedly pointed out to admin and council, including Crain; he never responded.

Artificial Turf Fields, Premier Baseball Diamond issue. As he usually does, Prue asks if there are any questions of staff before members of council debate the issue. (I’ve watched other municipal council meetings and they are so much more efficient and professional).

• Councillor Crain questions the impact of not approving the project on baseball Canada standards and public use.
• Admin (didn’t say his name) confirms the field would still be usable for general play but not for hosting tournaments or official leagues. The field is used by the University of Windsor, Windsor Select, North Star High School, and local minor baseball teams.

Crain said I’m not sure I can make a decision, which seems inconsistent given that Crain, along with the majority of council, approved almost $500,000.00 for pickleball. In fact, council waived rules of order to hear the plea for pickleball in June 2023 when it wasn’t on the radar. Prue even asked the audience what their preferred location was. And then, “the motion has passed; now the thorny issue of how do we pay for it?” said Prue.

Almost a half hour later, after all the ‘what if’ questions, the motion to approve staff recommendation carried.

Kingsbridge Traffic Calming Review

Prue once again asks if there are any questions of staff before members of council debate the issue.

Councillor Allaire said she had a follow up, although there was no initial question.

“It was an old report, so we didn’t have new numbers. We did look at the numbers and asked how many new accidents have happened near and around this intersection? And it was quite high. We have received nine since like 2025 however, I want to back that up with eight of the nine were people just either distracted driving or just hitting cars, parked cars, one backed into a boat; I mean a parked boat, I might add. So I think when you look at things as a whole and as an intersection, it didn’t meet any of these policy standards. …great now that we have a policy, we can see where we should increase the speed and decrease it. So now that we have a baseline, this is great to see, but there’s accidents everywhere, and people are distracted everywhere. So I think enforcement is a huge thing that we could step up on and hopefully work on. But I’m going to move the staff recommendation,” said Allaire.

“Just distracted driving. Just hitting cars.” Sounds dismissive.

A pedestrian was hit; several people were taken to hospital.

According to data from Transport Canada’s National Collision Database, distracted driving contributed to an estimated 22.5% of fatal collisions and 25.5% of serious injury collisions in 2021. These statistics are part of an upward trend of distracted driving-related collisions, up from 21.3% of fatal collisions and 23.8% of serious injury collisions a decade earlier(2011).

“There’s accidents everywhere. People are distracted everywhere.“

Exactly. Reason enough to take action. Distracted driving is a leading cause of traffic collisions in Ontario, with one person injured in a related collision every 30 minutes. In 2022, 105 deaths were recorded in the province due to distracted driving, and about 25% of all fatal collisions in Canada involve distracted drivers.

But Allaire moved admin’s recommendation to receive the report from the Director of Infrastructure Services regarding the 2025 Kingsbridge Traffic Calming Review.

Of course, Crain offered kudos to staff. “Appreciate staff sharing the report. We definitely face traffic issues across town, not just in Kingsbridge. And I understand that the based on the study Kingsbridge Drive, McClellan, Lavers, Whalen did not meet the 35 point threshold. However, what I am hearing from residents, and I know there’s no recommendations to come out of this inside of Kingsbridge, but what I’ve heard when I was knocking on doors last election, I’m hearing it now is a three way stop at Texas, and I believe it’s not maybe Knobb Hill if I’m not mistaken; that intersection is, is there, is it possible on the south end for a three way stop to be there? Is it warranted?”

Admin’s answer was that three or four way stops fall under provincial regulations and a different warrant system, but it’s council’s prerogative.

Crain asked about a third exit out of Kingsbridge and admin said they’ve looked at that a few times with previous councils. It is a very costly endeavor. I don’t recall the number, but it was in the millions of dollars. And those traffic studies did not warrant a third exit. And so when that was presented to previous councils, it was determined that we would not move forward with that expenditure. Once again, council’s prerogative to take a look at it again, but I know that in my time here, we’ve looked at it at least twice, and just the cost and the warrants that didn’t dictate that we required it. Councils decided not to go forward with it.

Pouget responded. I believe one of the objections, or when we did try to get another exit from Kingsbridge was an objection from the Canada Railway Company, because they said it was either we were going to have to have them cross over to exit out of the second concession, or when we are trying to have another exit off Texas. I believe the railway interfered with that also, so I think that was why we couldn’t get the second exit on that. My other concern is that Amherstburg Police is well aware of all the problems within this community and the speeding and the distracted driving, there is nothing here that stops us from requesting them to do more surveillance in those areas, to try and get people to be more knowledgeable about how they should be driving and more aware of the safety factors in that community.

“I don’t know if that was a question or simply a statement,” said Prue. (It would be so refreshing, and fair, if he would do that to McArthur, Gibb and Courtney).

Pouget asked if a letter could be sent to Amherstburg Police, asking them to be more aware of the situation and to periodically send out more patrol cars. Appropriate action taken, as opposed to the usual ‘support the recommendation of administration.’ Motion amended and carried.

Unfinished Business

Pouget wondered when the illegal driveway on Dalhousie Street was going to come before council. She said they dealt with that in planning, it’s got to be a couple months ago,

Osborne very concisely said, it’s coming back on May 25.

Pouget then asked about the 208 St. Arnaud Street issue (the warehouse turned arena).

Osborne very briefly said, as per the question at the last meeting, we advised Council in an email of what the status update is and that an application is to be received from the property owner for a minor variance.

(Council received an email, but the public is not privy to it).

Pouget asked but when will that be held? Because committee of adjustment just had their meeting.

Osborne said administration has to review the application to make sure it’s a complete application, and then they will schedule it for the meeting. Once they do, the proper notices will go out.

Allaire said she “received like three or four emails this past week with regards to the closing of Murray Street. Is there an update coming back on that anytime soon?”

Osborne’s answer was a little bit more forthcoming than her answer to Pouget:

“No, there is not. This matter came up at the Economic Development Committee meeting as well, and what we clarified is with the new unexpected project associated with closing Richmond, that’s going to be a substantial one. We’re focusing first on the businesses associated with that required closure. It will also help to inform how we approach the businesses on Murray at some point in the future when we have that discussion,” said Osborne.

Prue asked if there were any notices of motion but then realized he skipped new business.

New Business

Crain mentioned an email to all Council and staff but wanted to ask publicly for feedback. With regards to incentives for ADUs, permit fee rebates, development charge exemptions, reductions, forgivable loan programs, community improvement incentives and streamlined approvals for compliant units; have they considered any incentives for ADUs?

Osborne answered; again, a little more forthcoming than her very brief answers to Pouget:

“So if Council will recall, there was housing accelerator funding which had come to council in that particular incentive program, those funds were allotted to municipalities that were willing to make adjustments in their zoning by laws unilaterally to allow for buildings as of right and other provisions. So this council in advance of the official plan amendment that was going to happen, as well as the zoning elected to allow those to happen, rather than making a decision on those matters at that meeting in order to apply for those funding sources. So we’ve not put forward any new incentive programs. And the email you’re referring to, the municipalities that they’re talking about did make those changes in their communities. They’re not funded directly only from the municipality. They’re part of the housing accelerator funding.”

So, no.

Courtney gave a speech about supporting Amherstburg Minor Baseball Association and said he had a question, but he continued his speech. Then he said he had a question, continued speaking and finally asked, what does staff need to let them know, to put this back on the radar? And, more speech.

(Prue didn’t announce it was a statement like he did for Pouget).

Osborne answered: the current capital budget does have identified in future years funding under the parks master plan so that council can determine which next set of amenities as approved in the parks master plan should move forward. It is a place holder values, so I would suggest that there is opportunity in the next capital budget cycle for those directions to be provided.

Courtney asked for help in wording a motion, which Osborne supplied: if I may assist in that – that council direct administration to identify for the 2027-28 year capital budget, funding currently in the parks master plan, placeholder values which would address washroom and canteen facility at that park.

Pouget read a prepared motion: to direct administration to provide council with a full report at our next public council meeting, the status of a motion that was passed unanimously in May of 2016 for the town of Amherstburg to fund and erect a plaque in front of the former Senator Eugene Whelan and his wife Mrs. Elizabeth Whelan’s home on Front Road North for their role in hosting the former Soviet Ambassador Alexander Yakovlev and Mikhail Gorbachev while visiting our historic town, marking the location of the historic, historically known as ‘the walk that changed the world.’

Pouget mentioned this motion was passed in May of 2016 and it was unanimous. And somehow or other, this motion got lost. It was never reconsidered, and I’m asking for a full report to come back to council regarding the status of this motion, I do have all the documentation that was presented at that time, all the newspaper reports, the actual pictures of them with Senator Whelan, and what brought it to light is that Kirk Walstedt, who used to work for Senator Whelan and is Deputy Mayor of Lakeshore, asked county council to provide that information. I went back and received it all, contacted the Whelen family, and also Paul Hertel’s wife for her permission to forward it, because he did all the research, and I’m prepared to present it so that you, the clerk, may look it up and see why we haven’t acted on that thing from 10 years. It’s only been 10 years and it was passed; it was unanimous.

Also see: In 1983, Gorbachev took a stroll in small-town Ontario that helped shape the future of the Soviet Union – TVO.

Admin said they could bring back that information and mentioned there was a plaque installed in the Navy Yard Park.

Pouget said they only recognized Senator Whelan that day with a rock, and the rock remains in the park. But this was to be put up at the beginning of the driveway of his house, because he actually took the two Soviet Union leaders at a time that there were a lot of problems in that area, and that’s when they claimed that it was the ‘walk that changed the world.’ I think that’s really, really important, that we acknowledge that historical function in the town of Amherstburg.

Prue said it was a fairly simple request, just bring back something that’s 10 years old and find out what happened to it. Motion carried.

And then the mood changed.

Pouget said she had a motion to direct administration to provide council with a complete report of any pending lawsuits against the town of Amherstburg, the estimated cost to date to defend our town and how we will pay for these possible expenses.

Allaire seconded the motion.

Alarms sounded, security doors closed, and window bars were activated. No, not really, but that’s how the scene played out.

Pouget explained in the past few weeks, she’s been getting the same question over and over again – how many lawsuits do we have? And they are specifically referring to the lawsuit that is being brought before us in the Superior Court Toronto on May 15, filed October 2025. It currently says the town of Amherstburg is unrepresented, and I think it’s very unfair that the public knows about this, and yet I as a councillor, have to say I know nothing about it, and that’s why I’m asking for this report to come back to council. I think we are entitled to know when we have major lawsuits against us.

(Of course council is entitled to know; so is the public).

Prue’s dissuasion seemed obvious.

“I mean, I don’t know whether this, we live in the litigious society, and I’m not sure whether the staff can report on every person or group of persons who wants to sue us. Very often, they just end up being there for years, and there’s nothing to them, and they’re not defended, and they’re eventually thrown out…but I’ll let staff answer this question. I think Mr. Clerk has something to say, and I think Madam Deputy CEO also has something to say on this,” said Prue.

Clerk: “I have heard from a resident about, you know, claims that exist, that they say are before the courts, for which the town has no notice and no record previously, when we received that months ago, you know, we investigated that. We sent somebody down to the courts. We looked into it. There was no validity to the claims. So certainly, you know, happy to look into this again and pursue it, but sometimes, you know, there’s some mistakes that are made in terms of what people believe might be before the courts. We are required by law to receive formal notice that does come to me as the clerk. So if something were to be filed with the courts, they would have to duly serve notice and prove that they had served that notice upon me. So if that notice hasn’t been provided, then you know they wouldn’t have met the requirements in law.”

Pouget said she had the case in front of her and will send it to him, and it says it was filed the 29th day of October, 2025; the file is active. And it it goes on to say, well, who the parties are and it says the town of Amherstburg is currently not being represented at this time, and it’s before the courts on the 15th in Toronto, Superior Court.

Prue asked, is it just the one case?

Pouget said she only had the one case be in front of her.

Prue: “Well, I mean, the motion is asking for a staff report on all the cases, so it’s just one case. I think the clerk can clear it up whether we’ve actually been served, and sometimes in these court cases, if it’s a damage claim, they will sue everything from the King down to the school board and everybody in between, you know. And if that’s what it is, I don’t know. I just don’t know what this one is. But is it all right just for the clerk to answer your question?”

Pouget thought it should come back to the public, to council; “if it’s a public document and we have to pay fees for representation, I think public business is public business”, said Pouget.

Prue: “okay, but we wouldn’t pay a fee. I’m just trying to understand this. We would not pay a fee if we have not been served. So first of all, I need to find out from the clerk whether we’ve been served, and if we’ve been served, who our solicitor is and how much it’s going to cost. That would have to come back in camera as well.”

(Pouget asked for a report, so admin would’ve obtained all the information requested. In-camera would maintain confidentially; however, public disclosure of the number of lawsuits and associated legal fees would be allowed and would be transparent).

Pouget said no.

Prue asked, should that be the report?

Pouget said no.

Prue said, “I’m not trying to stop it. I’m just trying to tell you. But you have to finesse it a little bit. You ask the clerk to find out. You look at it if we have, if we have been served, he will, he will tell you. And so, and then, and then, then we’ll have to determine if we’re hiring a solicitor to defend us, and then Council will be informed in camera of the cost and the likelihood of success, as we do other in camera.”

Clerk: rather than the motion that’s before us tonight, you know, happy to provide a confidential email to council on the status of the particular one that is of concern. The motion before us is rather vast and would take a lot of time to gather all the potential lawsuits. As you know, anybody can sue anybody for anything. It doesn’t mean it has merit. And I think probably in this case, you have a more pointed answer, happy to provide those details to council.

(If anyone is to determine if a motion is appropriate, it’s the chair, in this case Prue – it’ s not admin’s role. If a duly moved and seconded motion is vast, then it is what it is and it gets voted on).

Prue asked, is that sufficient?

“I guess it has to be,” said Pouget.

“Well, it doesn’t have to be. I mean, if you and the seconder wanted to proceed to a vote, it can; you risk it not being passed, but, but you also risk, but you also have the potential of Council, all of Council, wanting this, or you can just get the information you want with no risk at all. So it’s your choice,” said Prue.

(Yes, Pouget, consider your options with an emphasis on the risk).

“No, I would like this to be made public,” said Pouget.

“All right, then we have a motion moved and seconded. Any other discussion? All those in favour? Opposed; the motion is lost,” said Prue.

(I can imagine the sigh of relief).

McArthur thought “it would it be in order to make a motion that the clerk respond to Councillor Pouget’s specific email about a specific case, because that’s something that can assuage concerns without wasting a significant amount of resources. If that’s proper, considering the vote just failed, I’ll make that motion. That’s what I offered.”

(I wonder what significant amount of resources would be required, given a computer search should return results within minutes).

(Pouget’s motion was in order; it just lacked the political will to commit to transparency).

Prue didn’t think he could do that again today on the same issue. (Why not? New motion).

Pouget appreciated McArthur’s effort but said if the clerk provides her with his legal opinion about this, she can’t share it with anybody.

McArthur told Pouget she could share the public document with anyone. (technically, copyright of court documents belongs to the Queen’s Printer so you need permission to publish).

Gibb chimed in with, “we could have talked about it tonight. It’s a public document. You know, I don’t know why there’s any secrecy to it. We could have just discussed what was in that document. So I’m not sure why it’s gone this far, but I guess we’ll wait to hear back from the clerk.”

(If Gibb doesn’t know why there’s any secrecy to it, why didn’t he vote in favour of Pouget’s motion to get a report back on ALL lawsuits against the town?)

Meeting adjourned at 7:52 pm.