CHANTRY — Rideau Lakes Township committee of the whole recommended at its Jan. 26 meeting that two ballot questions related to the Chantry municipal office project and battery energy storage systems move forward to the October municipal election ballot.
Mayor Arie Hoogenboom relinquished the chair to Deputy Mayor Sue Dunfield to participate in debate.
“I don’t support any question on the ballot,” Hoogenboom said. “I think the election will be the question that will answer those questions. I do not think that we should be tying the hands of the future council.”
Other councillors said residents should have a say on a project that has remained unresolved.
Coun. Jeff Banks said the issue was already well understood.
“It’s a simple question and the public can say yes or no,” he said. “Everybody knows what we’re trying to do.”
Coun. Paula Banks said placing the question on the ballot would give residents the right to decide the path forward.
“This question actually puts the decision in the hands of the taxpayer,” she said.
Following a vote on two choices of wording, the committee recommended advancing the following draft: “Should Rideau Lakes Township proceed with the new 21-office complex and the refurbish of Chantry using the current design?”
Staff noted during discussion that, if ultimately approved and supported by voters, the result would be binding on a future council.
During the discussion, committee members also considered alternate wording proposed by Coun. Dustin Bullock, who asked whether voters support keeping the municipal office in Chantry and moving forward to tender using the 99 per cent construction drawings presented to council on May 12, 2025.
CAO Shellee Fournier cautioned that a binding ballot question tied specifically to tendering could limit council’s discretion if costs came back higher than anticipated.
Fournier advised that if voters approved a question directing council to proceed to tender, a future council could be obligated to follow through even if the tender price was significantly higher than expected, using a hypothetical multi-million-dollar cost scenario to illustrate the risk.
Councillors supporting the final wording said that concern was a key reason for preferring a broader question focused on whether to proceed with the redevelopment using the current design, rather than committing council to a specific procurement step.
The committee also recommended advancing a second ballot question related to battery energy storage systems.
Coun. Debbie Hutchings said residents should be given an opportunity to express their views.
“At least the people get to have their say,” Hutchings said. “That’s all I want. The public to have their say.”
Several councillors raised concerns that approval of battery energy storage projects ultimately rests with provincial authorities.
Coun. Jeff Banks said planning tools are the appropriate mechanism.
“I think the right way to control future potential battery energy storage systems is through restrictive policies,” he said.
Fournier advised the committee that approval authority for battery energy storage projects rests with the province, limiting the township’s ability to determine whether such facilities proceed.
Council voted to go with the following question on the ballot related to battery storage: “Do you as a taxpayer want battery farms to be built in the Township of Rideau Lakes?”
Earlier veto on Chantry retrofit noted during committee debate
Later in the meeting, council received for information a written veto dated Jan. 16 from Hoogenboom related to a retrofit decision approved earlier this month.
The veto applied to By-law 2026-08, to the extent it adopted Motion 114-2025 directing staff to proceed with tendering for the municipal office infrastructure retrofit.
When asked whether council could attempt to overturn the veto at the meeting, P. Banks was advised by Fournier that any such motion must be brought forward at a formal council meeting.
Fournier said that would need to occur at the next council meeting scheduled for Feb. 2.
Banks said she would submit a notice of motion to the clerk to bring the matter forward at that meeting.
The committee also supported moving a previously scheduled special council meeting from Feb. 23 to Feb. 17.
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Not able to attend the meeting.
I vote “No questions on the Ballot”. Do NOT want to tie the hands of future Councils.