Learn about the advantages of communal water and wastewater services

The Highlander 17 October, 2024 - County of Frontenac staffer, Joe Gallivan, spoke to County councillors more than a year ago about communal water and sewer systems that could help with the Highlands’ housing woes.

The director of economic development and planning will be back Oct. 17 at an all-day housing summit in Minden.

Glenburnie, ON – The Eastern Ontario Regional Network (EORN), 2B Developments, the Frontenac Municipal Services Corporation (FMSC) and the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (EOWC) announced today the awarding of Stage 1 funding from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC) Housing Supply Challenge to EORN and 2B Developments. EORN and 2B Developments will be working together through a new collaboration known as Rural Impact. The funding totals $1 million to support water and wastewater management via the creation of municipal services corporations, supporting communal servicing in rural and small municipalities.

Front: Frances Smith EORN Vice Chair and FMSC President, Lindsay Blair 2B Developments, Bonnie Clark EOWC Director. Rear: Danielle Millett Specialist Innovation and Partnerships CMHC , Gracen Johnson Senior Specialist Housing Programs CMHC, Peter Emon EOWC Chair, Jason St.Pierre EORN CEO, Kevin Farrell CAO County of Frontenac.

Communal servicing is a way for clusters of homes and businesses to share dedicated and local water and wastewater treatment facilities. Communal services approaches and technologies represent an alternative middle ground to the large-lot and well-and-septic approach traditional to rural areas, and to the hugely expensive centralized water and sewer systems approach used in cities.

Communal servicing has several advantages for rural and small municipalities including lower cost, time, and regulatory barriers for developers as well as new possibilities for economic growth through construction of mixed-use-development of residential, public, and commercial units for residents of small towns and hamlets. Communal servicing is a fair and sensible way to grow and build much-needed public tax base for rural municipalities, and regulated and professionally operated and overseen systems to help protect the natural environment in ways well and septic may not.

Today also marks the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the FMSC and EORN who will be working together with 2B Developments to understand FMSC’s experience in establishing a municipal services corporation, and to integrate lessons learned into a program to share with other municipalities.

Bonnie Clark EOWC Director, Gracen Johnson Senior Specialist Housing Programs CMHC, Frances Smith FMSC President.

Quotes

“I am very excited about the partnership with FMSC and the funding that was received,” said Jennifer Murphy, chair of the EORN board of directors. “This will enable us to use municipal service corporations and study how decentralized communal systems can be effectively managed within this framework to enable dense and diverse housing development in rural and small municipalities. We greatly appreciate the support of the EOWC and its members as Stage 1 moves forward,” Murphy said.

“We’re very grateful to the CMHC for their confidence in the communal services initiative and for helping to fund these important next steps,” said Frances Smith, FMSC president and board chair, EORN vice-chair, and warden of the County of Frontenac. “Shared water and wastewater systems represent a safe, clean, and reliable alternative to complex and prohibitively expensive centralized systems. This is a bold and novel solution to a whole basket of issues facing residents of rural municipalities, like us,” Smith said.

"On behalf of the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus, this is an exciting step forward for our region to unlock water and wastewater infrastructure that will help build housing in small and rural communities," said Peter Emon chair of the EOWC and warden of Renfrew County. "We are pleased to continue to work in partnership with our municipal members, like Frontenac County, as well as the Eastern Ontario Regional Network, to advocate for and deliver projects that enhance our region’s growth and prosperity, such as this communal services initiative. Thanks to funding from the Canada Mortgage Housing Corporation and to all involved,” Emon said.

About EORN

Eastern Ontario Regional Network strives to fuel economic development and growth by working regionally to improve and leverage broadband access and cell connectivity. EORN is a non-profit organization created by the Eastern Ontario Wardens’ Caucus. Since 2010, it has helped bring hundreds of millions of dollars in federal, provincial and private sector investment to improve connectivity across the rural region.

EORN is currently completing a $300 million Cell Gap Project which is funded in partnership with federal, provincial and municipal governments and Rogers Communications. The project is to be finished by 2026. While EORN’s historical focus has been on broadband and cellular services, its expertise transcends the telecommunications sector. EORN possesses the capability to amalgamate diverse expertise required to deliver solutions while aligning with the unique needs of municipalities and their residents.

About 2B Developments

2B Developments works with public, non-profit, and private sector clients providing comprehensive project management, construction management, development consulting and development design services. With over 15 years of experience delivering projects and helping client obtain funding, we help our clients from A to Z. 2B Developments is actively involved in several housing projects and initiatives in Lanark County, Frontenac County, Ottawa, and surrounding regions.

About FMSC

Frontenac Municipal Services Corporation is part knowledge base, part public utility. It is the administrative organization created to implement and oversee communal servicing in Frontenac County and to help guide other municipalities as they explore the advantages of similar approaches in their own jurisdictions. FMSC shareholders are the Township of Frontenac Islands, the Township of South Frontenac, the Township of Central Frontenac, the Township of North Frontenac, and the County of Frontenac. The Board of Directors are Frances Smith, Ron Vandewal, Gerry Lichty, and Mike Jablonicky. Learn more about the communal services initiative in Frontenac County: https://engagefrontenac.ca/communal-services.

About the EOWC

Eastern Ontario Wardens' Caucus is the regional voice for 103 municipalities across rural eastern Ontario, representing one quarter of Ontario’s municipalities. The EOWC is an incorporated non-profit organization representing 800,000 residents covering an area of 50,000 square kilometres from Northumberland County to the Québec border. The EOWC has gained support and momentum by speaking with a united voice to champion regional municipal priorities and work with the government, business leaders, the media, and the public. For more information, visit eowc.org.

Media contact:

Lisa Severson
Eastern Ontario Regional Network
Director of Communications
613-213-8520
lseverson@eorn.ca

The Water and Wastewater Study for the Verona Housing Plan is complete. The preferred servicing solution includes a groundwater well and large subsurface sewage disposal system on site, complete with the respective treatment systems.

Written by: Nathan Smith, SVP, Marketing & Lifecycle Leader – Newterra

In the landscape of American infrastructure, rural communities often find themselves on the periphery, grappling with outdated or non-existent wastewater systems. The shift toward centralized treatment facilities in the past half-century, while beneficial for urban centers, has frequently overlooked these less populated areas, leaving them with a legacy of environmental and economic challenges. Yet, there is a growing recognition of the potential in decentralized wastewater systems, which promise a more sustainable and self-reliant future for these rural settings.

Frontenac County Director of Planning and Economic Development Joe Gallivan was presented with the Ontario Onsite Wastewater Association (OOWA) Corporate Innovator Award at the Frontenac County Council meeting, March 20. He received the accolade from OOWA Director Brady Straw, and Operations Coordinator Kelly Andrews.

The Corporate Innovator Award is presented for innovation and advancement of solutions that add value to decentralized wastewater management and treatment and that strengthen the industry and the OOWA.

Frontenac County Deputy Warden Ron Vandewal, Frontenac County Director of Planning and Economic Development Joe Gallivan, Frontenac County Warden Frances Smith.

"This group developed a local solution to overcome constraints and a standalone Municipal Services Corporation to be responsible for communal services," says Straw. "This innovative solution will help other municipalities and rural developers to successfully grow rural Ontario."

Gallivan earned the award on behalf of Frontenac County for spearheading the communal services water and wastewater initiative in Frontenac County, and for encouraging other planning officials and municipal leaders in rural areas to examine and adopt the approach in their jurisdictions. Straw and Andrews attended the meeting and commended Gallivan and Frontenac County virtually. The award was presented in-person by Frontenac County Warden Frances Smith, and Frontenac County Deputy Warden Ron Vandewal.

“Thank you for acknowledging the work that all of us at Frontenac County have done,” says Gallivan. “This is a true example of a project where, if we all pull together across the region, we can make a difference for citizens. I especially want to thank the political leadership over the years.”

Communal water and wastewater systems, sometimes called decentralized systems, are shared water and wastewater treatment for clusters of residences and businesses. The approach is an innovative alternative to the traditional arrangement of separate-well-and-septic for each building lot.

The communal services approach carries many advantages for residents of rural areas including making way for new construction on smaller lot sizes in villages or hamlets, more and less-expensive housing options, new possibilities for mixed-use development and home-based business, and rural and waterfront projects that protect water quality and natural heritage.

“Joe has been instrumental in putting Frontenac County on the map,” says Smith. “He has attended conference after conference, spoken to so many people, spent hours and hours learning systems, and then trying to teach Council about systems. This is just a small token of thanks from us and the Ontario Onsite Wastewater Association for all that work.”

Learn more about communal services in Frontenac here: https://engagefrontenac.ca/communal-services

Visit the OOWA webpage here: https://www.oowa.org/

Frontenac Municipal Services Corporation (FMSC) officials have asked the Ontario Government to consider adjustments to a proposed Environmental Assessment Act regulation.The FMSC recommendations will further clear the way for shared water and wastewater services, reduce the time and cost it takes to approve new development projects, and help make new development more affordable for families and businesses across Frontenac County.

Despite recent and ongoing improvements, Ontario lags behind the rest of Canada and the developed world in the time and cost it takes to get new building projects approved. The environmental assessment process, even for modest development projects in Frontenac, can take up to two years.

As part of ongoing reform, the Ontario Government has proposed a change to the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act (EAA) aimed at streamlining the regulatory process and ultimately reducing costs for builders and homebuyers. In a March 7 letter to Ontario Environment Minister Andrea Khanjin, FMSC President Frances Smith asks for adjustments to the proposed regulation that will further facilitate the efficient construction and operation of communal water and wastewater systems in Frontenac.

Among the FMSC recommendations are:

• That two required approval processes that are regulated under separate Acts be harmonized into one process regulated under the Ontario Planning Act.
• That service corporations like the FMSC be acknowledged as leading experts and authorities in developments that employ communal services approaches and technologies, and that the FMSC help guide developers through the approval process.
• That specific, well-iterated, and expertly tested communal water and wastewater system designs be identified and evaluated as safe and standard approaches rather than requiring that each communal service installation be evaluated and approved as a one-off prototype.

Phil Tibble, Jim McIntosh, Dan Hulton, and Roy Huetl are members of the FMSC Technical Advisory Committee. Mike Jablonicky, and Jerry Lichty are members of the FMSC Board.

Read the FMSC letter to Minister Khanjin.

Read about the proposed changes to the Ontario Environmental Assessment Act.

The Ontario Government invites further input on the proposed regulatory changes to the Environmental Assessment Act before March 18.

UPDATE: 31 January 2024 – The Eastern Ontario Warden's Caucus (EOWC) made a 2024 Ontario Pre-budget Consultation submission that included a recommendation that the Province provide programs, funding, and policies to support rural municipalities with innovative housing and infrastructure development to build more housing faster. Communal services in small towns and rural areas is a key land-use development innovation to that end. The recommendation is presented in the context of the EOWC's 7 in 7+ Regional Housing Plan.

Click here to see the EOWC Pre-budget Consultation submission.

UPDATE: 25 January 2024 – The Eastern Ontario Wardens' Caucus (EOWC) continues to advocate strongly for regional priorities at the Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) 2024 Conference held in the City of Toronto from January 21 to 23, 2024.

From across Ontario, the EOWC joined over 2,000 rural municipal colleagues at the conference to participate in meetings with provincial Ministers, Members of Provincial Parliament, and the Ontario New Democratic and Liberal opposition parties to discuss critical priorities including:

• Affordable and attainable housing
• Next generation infrastructure funding
• Long-term care
• Modernizing the construction approval process

For the priorities package, visit the EOWC website at www.eowc.org.

“The EOWC believes that strong partnerships between government are needed to tackle housing, health and economic challenges across the region. The ROMA Conference was a success in building upon our relationships to better serve our 103 communities across rural eastern Ontario.” - EOWC Chair, Peter Emon

Warden Nancy Peckford, United Counties of Leeds and Grenville; Warden; Liz Danielsen, Haliburton County; EOWC Vice-Chair, Bonnie Clark, Peterborough County; Minister Paul Calandra, Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing; EOWC Chair, Peter Emon, Renfrew County; Mayor Steve Ferguson, Prince Edward County.

MPP Stephane Sarrazin, Glengarry-Prescott-Russell; MPP Laurie Scott, Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock; Warden Jamie MacDonald, United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry; EOWC Vice-Chair, Bonnie Clark, Peterborough County; Minister Kinga Surma, Ministry of Infrastructure; MPP John Yakabuski, Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke; Chair Peter Emon, Renfrew County; Warden Pierre Leroux, United Counties of Prescott & Russell; MPP John Jordan, Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston; MPP Dave Smith, Peterborough-Kawartha; Warden Brian Ostrander, Northumberland County.

The Eastern Ontario Wardens' Caucus is excited to launch our Advocacy Briefing Package ahead of the 2024 Rural Ontario Municipal Association Conference.

Click here to download the Advocacy Briefing Package👉 https://lnkd.in/g2jH8AYD

We are heading to the City of Toronto to advocate of behalf of 103 of the 300+ rural municipalities at #ROMA2024.

We look forward to being around the table with our provincial partners and municipal colleagues to ensure the region of rural eastern Ontario, and our communities and residents, are represented.

The EOWC will be meeting with:

Infrastructure | Infrastructure
Municipal Affairs and Housing / Affaires municipales et Logement
Ontario Ministry of Long-Term Care | Ministère des Soins de longue durée de l'Ontario
Ontario Ministry of Energy
Ontario Liberal Party
Ontario New Democratic Party

#onpoli #ruralmatters #cdnmuni #EOWC7in7

Frances Smith, Frontenac County Warden and Township of Central Frontenac Mayor, was elected President and Board Chair of the new Frontenac Municipal Services Corporation (FMSC) at the group’s inaugural meeting in Sydenham, January 15.

"The FMSC and communal services is an example of people from all of Frontenac’s municipalities working together to effect practical solutions to some of the social and land-use issues faced by rural communities everywhere,” says Smith. “Our work now and over the next few years lays the foundation for a bright future in Frontenac.”

Frances Smith, Frontenac County Warden and Mayor of the Township of Central Frontenac, was elected FMSC President and Board Chair, January 15.

Township of North Frontenac Mayor Gerry Lichty was elected FMSC Vice Chair.

The FMSC was incorporated November 7 to oversee the implementation and operation of communal water and wastewater services in Frontenac. Communal services are innovative technologies and approaches to water and wastewater treatment for clusters of residences and businesses especially suited to small communities and rural areas. They bridge a gap of unmet needs between the limitations of installing separate well-and-septic on each lot; and the financial impracticalities of building large, centralized treatment facilities found in more densely populated areas.

Communal services make way for smaller lot sizes across Frontenac that will help stimulate local economies, provide for less expensive housing options, build upon livability, protect water quality and the natural environment, and more.

The implementation of these new water and wastewater treatment possibilities by the FMSC initially clears the way for a much wider range of land use possibilities in three pilot projects across Frontenac: Development of the former Sharbot Lake Public School site in Central Frontenac, expected growth of the village of Marysville on Wolfe Island, and development of 10 largely unused hectares in the village of Verona in South Frontenac.

The inaugural meeting of the FMSC was held at the municipal offices of the Township of South Frontenac, January 15.

Funding for the FMSC – $700,000 for the first five years of operation – is divided equally among the five founding municipalities: The County of Frontenac, The Township of Central Frontenac, The Township of Frontenac Islands, The Township of North Frontenac, and the Township of South Frontenac.

Members of the board of the Municipal Services Corporation are South Frontenac Mayor Ron Vandewal, North Frontenac Mayor Gerry Lichty, Central Frontenac Mayor Fran Smith, and Township of Frontenac Islands Councillor Mike Jablonicky.

Members of the FMSC Technical Support Committee are Jim McIntosh (Chair), Roy Huetl (Vice Chair), Dan Hulton, Stephen Keeley, and Phil Tibble.

Follow developments on the Verona Master Plan.

See the Marysville planning information hub.

Visit the Former Sharbot Lake Public School project.

Return to the Communal Services in Frontenac page.

Register for EngageFrontenac.ca to participate in and stay informed on this and other initiatives happening in Frontenac.

Members of the new committee along with members of the board of the new municipal services corporation gathered in Sydenham, November 20, to begin discussing next steps in bringing communal water and wastewater services to Frontenac.

If you haven't heard or read about communal services in Frontenac yet, it's a way for small clusters of residences or businesses to share water and wastewater services in areas where traditional municipal water and sewer systems aren't available. There are a whole host of possible advantages to communal services including new affordable housing options, new mixed-use development possibilities, new environmental protections, and much more.

The Communal Services Technical Advisory Committee members are Roy Huetl, Dan Hulton, Stephen Keeley, Jim McIntosh, and Phil Tibble.

Members of the Municipal Services Corporation are South Frontenac Mayor Ron Vandewal, North Frontenac Mayor Gerry Lichty, Central Frontenac Mayor Fran Smith, and Township of Frontenac Islands Councillor Mike Jablonicky.

Phil Tibble, Jim McIntosh, Dan Hulton, Roy Huetl, Mike Jablonicky, and Jerry Lichty.

The Committee met at the Township of South Frontenac council chambers in Sydenham.

Watch video from the meeting below. Click here to read the official meeting announcement. Click here to learn more about communal services in Frontenac County.