Council Meeting

THAT the draft agenda presented to Council and dated the 24th day of February, 2026 be adopted as prepared.

THAT the Minutes of the Regular Council Meeting of February 10th, 2026 be adopted as circulated.

THAT the Minutes of the Special Council Meeting of February 17th, 2026 be adopted as circulated.

THAT the Council for the Municipality of East Ferris approve the sale of the road allowance shown on Schedule A , generally in accordance with the layout shown on Schedule B, subject to minor changes where one abutting owner does not wish to purchase, and the other abutting owner wishes to purchase the entire width of road allowance; AND FURTHER THAT the lands be transferred to adjacent owners as per the provisions of the municipal Disposition of Land By-law 2218.

THAT the Council for the Municipality of East Ferris approve the sale of the road allowance shown on Schedule A to Mackenzie Whyte, the owner of 19 Sunrise Lane.

That the Council for the Municipality of East Ferris directs staff to amend section 3.2.8 of Zoning By-Law 2021-60 to permit the placement and use of freight containers within Rural, Commercial, Institutional and Industrial Zones subject to the conditions outlined in Report No. BL-2026-01.

THAT the Council for the Municipality of East Ferris direct staff to draft a By-law to formalize filming regulations in East Ferris, based on the Filming Handbook, attached as Appendix One to Report No. COMM-2026-06.

WHEREAS improved financial stability allows municipal residents to participate, contribute, and invest in their local economies and communities; AND WHEREAS poverty puts additional pressure on municipalities, who are responsible for delivering necessary public and social services to support residents who are struggling with the consequences of inadequate income; AND WHEREAS poverty, homelessness and food insecurity have detrimental impacts on physical and mental health; AND WHEREAS income is an important social determinant of health that greatly impacts a household’s ability to pay for the basic costs of living, including housing and food; AND WHEREAS the 2025 North Bay Parry Sound food affordability results show that households reliant on social assistance do not have enough money for the costs of living; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Municipality of East Ferris supports the efforts to raise awareness about, and the works to reduce poverty, homelessness and food insecurity; FURTHERMORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Municipality endorses the recommendations from the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit and calls on the Province of Ontario to increase the Ontario Works and Ontario Disability Support Program rates to reflect the costs of living, and index Ontario Works rates to inflation going forward; FINALLY BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Municipality of East Ferris provides copies of this resolution to the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit, Victor Fedeli, MPP (Nipi

THAT the Council of the Municipality of East Ferris supports the Municipality of Magnetawan calling upon the Government of Canada,including ISED, to strengthen affordability requirements tied to federal broadband funding and universal access programs; AND FURTHER THAT this resolution be circulated to the Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney, the Honourable Premier Doug Ford, the Honourable Melanie Joly, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, the Honourable Kinga Surma, Minister of Infrastructure, the Honourable Rob Flack, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Bell Canada, and the CRTC.

THAT Council approve the Correspondence and Information as circulated with the agenda of February 24th, 2026.

THAT Council approve the general accounts for the Municipality of East Ferris as indicated in the cheque register(s) dated February 24th, 2026 in the amount of $150,790.46.

WHEREAS In 2021, a Universal Broadband Fund (UBF) and ICON-supported project for Bell Canada was announced for East Ferris, with funding committed by the federal and provincial governments to improve broadband connectivity in the community; AND WHEREAS to the best of our knowledge, this project has not yet started, and there has been no visible progress on deployment. As a result, many residents in East Ferris remain without access to the standard broadband service level of 50/10 Mbps; NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Council for the Municipality of East Ferris forwards a letter to the appropriate ministries requesting that they: Review the status of the UBF/ICON-funded Bell project in the Municipality of East Ferris. Clarify whether the project is still proceeding, and if so, the expected timelines for design, construction, and service availability. Identify any barriers that are preventing this project from moving forward and outline what steps the federal and provincial governments will take to address them. Provide a clear update that can be shared with East Ferris residents and municipal leaders, so that expectations and timelines are transparent BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT a social media campaign be created requesting residents to participate in a Speed Test, hosted by Connected North and Blue Sky Net to determine areas with poor service in the municipality.

WHEREAS Council for the Municipality of East Ferris deems it expedient to pass three readings of the following by-law at this session; BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED THAT a By-law to confirm the proceedings of Council from February 11th, 2026 to February 24th, 2026, BE READ a first, second and third time, passed and numbered 2026-12; AND THAT said by-law be signed by the Mayor and Clerk and sealed with the Seal of the Corporation.

THAT we do now adjourn at 6:14 p.m. and meet again on March 10th, 2026.