Learn about the advantages of communal water and wastewater services

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Communal water systems provide water and wastewater treatment to clusters of residences or businesses. At the June 2019 Council meeting, the Council for the Corporation of the County of Frontenac approved the Communal Services Study. The main purpose of the study was to demonstrate that the perceived obstacles — engineering, financial, risk management, planning — are just that, and to equip Frontenac with the tools necessary to enable redevelopment and new development on the basis of communal services approaches. Communal services have the potential to support more compact, land-efficient development than is possible with private servicing, at a lower cost than is possible with centralized municipal services, and to enable revitalization of the Frontenacs' communities. WSP Consulting was retained to complete the study and employed a team comprised of planners, engineers and financial risk analysts.

The Communal Service Governance/Operation Model Review Committee was established, comprised of the Mayors from all four Townships as well as citizens with expertise in financial management, communal servicing engineering, and land development, to assist and advise on the best approach the County and its member municipalities should take in terms of a governance model for communal services in Frontenac. Watch video of committee proceedings in the widgets column or by clicking HERE.

The Frontenac Municipal Services Corporation (FMSC) was incorporated on November 7, 2023. The inaugural FMSC board meeting was held in Sydenham on January 15, 2024.

WHAT ARE COMMUNAL SERVICES?

Communal services approaches and technologies are shared drinking water and sewage systems that provide water and wastewater treatment to clusters of residences and businesses. The approach is increasingly called "communal services" among professional planners and municipal leaders in Ontario. The approach is also sometimes referred to as "distributed water systems" in engineering circles, and variously as “cluster systems,” or included in the broader "decentralized systems," definition in the U.S. and elsewhere depending on the use case and audience. While operating on the same basic principles as conventional municipal services, communal water and wastewater systems are not connected to a single central facility. Instead, ‘right-sized’ facilities treat water and wastewater close to where it is needed or created. Communal services can be less expensive than centralized municipal services and reduce the need to pipe water or wastewater over long distances. They are also more environmentally-friendly than private on-site services (i.e. well and septic).

The three types of systems are shown schematically below:

Many different options exist within the broad category of communal services. Systems may be municipally- or privately-owned, using several different ownership and operation models. There is a growing range of treatment technologies that can be used for communal servicing. The distinguishing feature is that communal systems provide for water and wastewater treatment close to where it is needed.

COMMUNITY BENEFITS

A key benefit of communal systems is that they represent alternative water and wastewater servicing approaches that can provide the County and Townships with the innovative technology and flexibility to accommodate growth and achieve planning, environmental, and economic development objectives.

Communal services can provide numerous community benefits and opportunities:

  • New development on smaller lot sizes that are a better ‘fit’ into the existing fabric of a village or hamlet;

  • Developments within villages or hamlets that are dense enough to promote walkability, lower-carbon lifestyles, and efficient use of other municipal services and infrastructure;

  • More housing within walking distance of mainstreets and commercial cores, to assist in strengthening the local economy;

  • Infilling and redevelopment along mainstreets, to promote vibrant community hubs, and on brownfield sites;

  • Commercial or industrial development and possible creation of a business park;

  • Development of a broader range of housing types, such as seniors’ Communal System homes and outdoor lifestyle communities to support aging in place;

  • Increased opportunities for mixed-use development, and for home-based businesses; and

  • Rural and waterfront development that protects the County's water quality and natural heritage.


Communal water systems provide water and wastewater treatment to clusters of residences or businesses. At the June 2019 Council meeting, the Council for the Corporation of the County of Frontenac approved the Communal Services Study. The main purpose of the study was to demonstrate that the perceived obstacles — engineering, financial, risk management, planning — are just that, and to equip Frontenac with the tools necessary to enable redevelopment and new development on the basis of communal services approaches. Communal services have the potential to support more compact, land-efficient development than is possible with private servicing, at a lower cost than is possible with centralized municipal services, and to enable revitalization of the Frontenacs' communities. WSP Consulting was retained to complete the study and employed a team comprised of planners, engineers and financial risk analysts.

The Communal Service Governance/Operation Model Review Committee was established, comprised of the Mayors from all four Townships as well as citizens with expertise in financial management, communal servicing engineering, and land development, to assist and advise on the best approach the County and its member municipalities should take in terms of a governance model for communal services in Frontenac. Watch video of committee proceedings in the widgets column or by clicking HERE.

The Frontenac Municipal Services Corporation (FMSC) was incorporated on November 7, 2023. The inaugural FMSC board meeting was held in Sydenham on January 15, 2024.

WHAT ARE COMMUNAL SERVICES?

Communal services approaches and technologies are shared drinking water and sewage systems that provide water and wastewater treatment to clusters of residences and businesses. The approach is increasingly called "communal services" among professional planners and municipal leaders in Ontario. The approach is also sometimes referred to as "distributed water systems" in engineering circles, and variously as “cluster systems,” or included in the broader "decentralized systems," definition in the U.S. and elsewhere depending on the use case and audience. While operating on the same basic principles as conventional municipal services, communal water and wastewater systems are not connected to a single central facility. Instead, ‘right-sized’ facilities treat water and wastewater close to where it is needed or created. Communal services can be less expensive than centralized municipal services and reduce the need to pipe water or wastewater over long distances. They are also more environmentally-friendly than private on-site services (i.e. well and septic).

The three types of systems are shown schematically below:

Many different options exist within the broad category of communal services. Systems may be municipally- or privately-owned, using several different ownership and operation models. There is a growing range of treatment technologies that can be used for communal servicing. The distinguishing feature is that communal systems provide for water and wastewater treatment close to where it is needed.

COMMUNITY BENEFITS

A key benefit of communal systems is that they represent alternative water and wastewater servicing approaches that can provide the County and Townships with the innovative technology and flexibility to accommodate growth and achieve planning, environmental, and economic development objectives.

Communal services can provide numerous community benefits and opportunities:

  • New development on smaller lot sizes that are a better ‘fit’ into the existing fabric of a village or hamlet;

  • Developments within villages or hamlets that are dense enough to promote walkability, lower-carbon lifestyles, and efficient use of other municipal services and infrastructure;

  • More housing within walking distance of mainstreets and commercial cores, to assist in strengthening the local economy;

  • Infilling and redevelopment along mainstreets, to promote vibrant community hubs, and on brownfield sites;

  • Commercial or industrial development and possible creation of a business park;

  • Development of a broader range of housing types, such as seniors’ Communal System homes and outdoor lifestyle communities to support aging in place;

  • Increased opportunities for mixed-use development, and for home-based businesses; and

  • Rural and waterfront development that protects the County's water quality and natural heritage.


  • County council dives into communal services

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    MINDEN - THE TIMES - It’s been a hot topic for a long time, and some of the wheels were set in motion for shared services at a special meeting of county council on Sept. 13.

    Councillors were joined by the County of Frontenac representatives Joe Gallivan, the director of planning and economic development, and Kelly Pender, CAO.


  • Communal services key to housing crisis

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    HALIBURTON - THE HIGHLANDER - Haliburton County CAO Mike Rutter believes communal water and sewer systems may be the missing piece to help leaders address the Highlands’ housing woes.

    Representatives from Frontenac County explained the potential solution to County council Sept. 13. Staffers Joe Gallivan and Kelly Pender said the plan, which took around seven years to develop, has helped the municipality progress three housing projects they say will bring more than 200 units over the next few years.


  • Members sought for Communal Service Technical Advisory Committee

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    The County of Frontenac is seeking qualified members to sit on its Communal Service Technical Advisory Committee.

    The committee is responsible for beginning the process of establishing standards and protocols for installations, plus the investigation of various operational models/opportunities of communal servicing in Frontenac County.

    Information about Communal Services in Frontenac, including relevant studies and reports, can be found at https://engagefrontenac.ca/communal-services

    Skills: Those wishing to be considered for membership on the Communal Services Technical Advisory Committee must have a sufficient level of expertise in financial management, communal servicing engineering, and land development.

    To apply: Applications must be submitted by 3pm on Friday, October 13.

    Click here to apply online.

    Applications may also be submitted to:

    Jannette Amini, Manager of Legislative Services/Clerk
    County of Frontenac
    2069 Battersea Road
    Glenburnie ON K0H 1S0
    Or email to: jamini@frontenaccounty.ca


    Personal information, as defined in the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA), is collected under the authority of the Municipal Act, 2001, and in accordance with MFIPPA. Personal information collected on the application form will be used to assist in selecting appointees for Advisory Committees and may form part of the publicly available meeting agendas and minutes. If appointed to an Advisory Committee, your personal information may also be used by County staff to conduct committee and County business. Questions regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of this personal information may be directed to Jannette Amini, Manager of Legislative Services/Clerk, 613-548-9400 ext. 302

  • NOTICE: Public meeting, Official Plan amendment, October 4

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    Take Notice that the Council of The Corporation of the County of Frontenac is proposing to adopt an Official Plan Amendment in accordance with Section 17 of the Planning Act, RSO 1990, as amended, to make changes to the County Official Plan.

    The County of Frontenac’s Planning and Economic Development Advisory Committee will be hosting the statutory public meeting on Wednesday, October 4, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. County staff will provide a brief presentation and the committee will invite comments and questions from the public. Please note that there may be more than one public meeting scheduled, and they will be heard in the order that they appear on the committee’s agenda. The agenda will be available online on the County’s civic web portal in advance of the meeting (https://frontenac.civicweb.net/portal/).

    Public Meeting: Wednesday, October 4, 2023, at 10:00 a.m., in person at the Township of South Frontenac Council Chambers, 4432 George Street, Sydenham, ON and via electronic participation.

    Electronic Participation: The public meeting will also be available to the public virtually as a Zoom webinar. Members of the public can participate by registering for the Zoom meeting by computer, tablet, or smartphone or by calling in. To register, please visit the following link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_kgeAQjnVTymEYfKcJVrJCQ or contact planning@frontenaccounty.ca. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

    Purpose and Effect: The purpose of the Official Plan Amendment is to make changes to the County’s Official Plan to include policies related to the delivery of communal water and wastewater services and to recognize the creation of a Municipal Service Corporation to oversee this infrastructure. The amendment will include policies in the County Official Plan regarding how communal services can be used and provide enabling policies so that local townships can implement their own policies for how communal services will be used to guide growth and development in their communities.

    Lands Affected: The draft Official Plan Amendment applies to all properties within the County; therefore, no key map is provided.

    Other Applications: Currently, there are no other County-wide Planning Act applications.

    Additional Information about this matter, including information about appeal rights, is available by contacting County planning staff at planning@frontenaccounty.ca or 613-548-9400, extension 350. The draft of the Official Plan Amendment is also available online at the following link: https://www.frontenaccounty.ca/en/business/current-planning-applications.aspx. For background information about the County’s work on communal services, please visit: https://engagefrontenac.ca/communal-services.

    Notice of Adoption: If you wish to be notified of the decision of the County of Frontenac on the proposed official plan amendment, you must make a written request to Jannette Amini, County Clerk, County of Frontenac, 2069 Battersea Road, Glenburnie, ON K0H 1S0 or jamini@frontenaccounty.ca.

    Notice of Collection: Personal information collected as a result of this public meeting is collected under the authority of the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the Planning Act and will be used to assist in making a decision on these matters. All names, addresses, opinions and comments may be collected and may form part of the minutes which will be available to the public. Questions regarding this collection should be forwarded to Jannette Amini, County Clerk.

    Dated at the Township of Frontenac Islands this 14th day of September, 2023.

    Jannette Amini, County Clerk

    County of Frontenac

  • Township of North Frontenac Council votes to support communal services

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    Township of North Frontenac Council voted to join a soon-to-be-formed Frontenac municipal service corporation at a special Council meeting, June 20. The move is a necessary and critical step toward bringing development projects involving communal services in Frontenac to fruition.

    Watch Frontenac County Director of Planning and Economic Development Joe Gallivan and Frontenac County CAO Kelly Pender present the plan to Township of North Frontenac Council, June 9.



  • Communal systems could create more development potential in Frontenac County

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    FRONTENAC NEWS - Joe Gallivan, Manager for Planning and Economic Development for Frontenac County, briefed Frontenac County Council last week on a communal services report that will be coming their way next month. This is a file that Gallivan has been working on for years, but he wanted some of the newer members of the council to be more familiar with the issues in the report in advance of its release.

  • Frontenac presents communal services plan at AMO Conference

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    Frontenac County Warden Denis Doyle, Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark, and South Frontenac Mayor Ron Vandewal at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario Conference in Ottawa, August 17. (File photo)


    Frontenac County Warden Denis Doyle and Township of South Frontenac Mayor Ron Vandewal met with Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs Steve Clark in Ottawa, Wednesday. The discussion centered around how a plan for communal services in Frontenac could help to make housing more affordable here and in other rural areas of Ontario that are not served by municipal water and sewer systems.

    Communal services are shared drinking water and wastewater systems that service clusters of residences and businesses. As it stands now, residences either need to be on municipal systems, which are cost prohibitive for most rural municipalities, or on private septic and well which limits development.

    Since 2018, the County and Township have taken a leadership role in Eastern Ontario to promote the use of communal services to support broader, more affordable housing choices in rural regions to meet critical needs, such as seniors’ housing. The delegation asked for funding to establish a municipally owned regional utilities corporation that would oversee communal water and sewage systems.

    “We laid it all out for Minister Clark, who said he is impressed with the range of our proposed projects in Marysville, Verona, and Sharbot Lake,” says Frontenac County Warden Denis Doyle. “We’ve been working on this idea for four years now and we’re confident that it is a game-changer for new development in Frontenac and across rural Ontario. We’re hopeful that Minister Clark and the Government of Ontario will support the idea in Frontenac and champion it at Queen’s Park for other rural municipalities.”

    “With the government’s support, the communal services approach could quickly make way for more than 300 mixed-use and affordable housing units in Sharbot Lake, Verona, and Marysville,” says Township of South Frontenac Mayor Ron Vandewal. “Only a fraction of that number of homes could be built without communal services and government support. We are confident that this initiative will change our ability to meet the need for affordable housing in South Frontenac and the Frontenacs.”


    To learn more about communal water and wastewater services in Frontenac click here.

    Wednesday’s meeting was part of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) 2022 Conference.


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  • Watch the live stream of the June 13 special council meeting re. the communal services business case study

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    Click here to read the business case study.


  • Notice of public meeting for the Business Case Study on Communal Services, July 13

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    The Council of the County of Frontenac will be holding a public meeting on Wednesday, July 13, 2022 at 6:00 p.m. in the Township of South Frontenac Council Chamber, 4432 George Street, Sydenham, ON to permit citizens, businesses and other Frontenac stakeholders to come to Council to learn about and provide input into the Business Case Study on Communal Services for the Frontenacs.

    The meeting will also be held in combination of virtual electronic format. For those who wish to attend virtually, please register for the meeting by clicking the link below for computer /tablet /smartphone connection (microphone and audio). Registration will be available until the start of the meeting. https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_gtfC88LUS7yKKjHLswdILw

    Additional information about communal services may be found on the County’s website at www.frontenaccounty.ca.

    Notice of collection: Personal information collected as a result of this public meeting is collected under the authority of the Municipal Act, the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA), the Planning Act, and all other relevant legislation, and may be used to assist in making a decision on this matter. All personal information (as defined by MFIPPA), including (but not limited to) names, addresses, opinions and comments collected will be made available for public disclosure to members of the public, at the meeting, through requests, and through the website of the Corporation of the County of Frontenac. Questions regarding the collection, use, and disclosure of this personal information may be directed to the Manager of Legislative Services/Clerk, 2069 Battersea Rd. Glenburnie, ON K0H 1S0.

    Dated at Glenburnie, Ontario

    This 7th day of July, 2022.

    Jannette Amini
    County Clerk

  • Sharbot Lake – Former Public School Site Communal Services Feasibility Study Virtual Open House

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    Virtual Open House

    Sharbot Lake – Former Public School Site

    Communal Services Feasibility Study

    Date: Thursday, February 17, 2022

    Time: 4:00 p.m.

    Location: Via Zoom (online – refer to registration link below)

    Purpose: The purpose of this virtual open house is to review the draft work done by the consulting team that is looking at the feasibility of developing the former school site in Sharbot Lake on communal services (well and septic). The study will help determine the maximum number of residential units that could be supported when the site is redeveloped. There will be a presentation by staff and the consulting team, and a question-and-answer session after the presentation.

    Registration and access to materials: Register for the virtual open house at the following link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_9Gm1LfwdQzuXHRXCxoB6VQ(External link). The open house will be livestreamed on Youtube and the recording, along with presentation materials, will be posted on EngageFrontenac.ca following the session on February 17.

Page last updated: 25 Nov 2024, 02:22 PM