Council Highlights for May 7, 2025

View the full agenda package for Council. 

The Town of Pelham's regular council meeting was held on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. in the Council Chambers at the Pelham Municipal Building at 20 Pelham Town Hall.

Video recording and live stream of the meeting can be viewed at www.pelham.ca/live 

Ward One Councillor 

Bryce Brunarski, the councillor appointed to fill the vacancy in Ward One, was officially sworn in and took the oath of office at the beginning of the May 7, 2025, council meeting.

Committee of Council Appointments

The Town of Pelham Council appointed the following councillors to fill vacancies on committees of council.

• Shellee Niznik, Town of Pelham Councillor, Ward Three, Pelham Finance and Audit Committee
• Bryce Brunarski, Town of Pelham Councillor, Ward One, Pelham Environmental and Climate Adaptation Advisory Committee 
• Wayne Olson, Regional Councillor, Transportation Strategy Steering Committee (Niagara Region)
• Wayne Olson, Regional Councillor, Niagara Transit Commission (Niagara Region)

Winter Operations

Council received report 2025-0114 “2024-2025 Winter Operations Report,” for information. Between January 1 and April 1, 2025, the Town of Pelham recorded 140 cm of accumulation and performed 41 winter weather response operations. Throughout the 2024-2025 winter maintenance seasons, the Town of Pelham met the level of service prescribed by Policy S802-04 and the minimum maintenance standards. The 2025 Winter Control budget for the Town of Pelham has been exceeded by 24%, resulting in an unfavourable budget variance of $178,400. Any budget shortfall will be taken from the roads reserve in accordance with the reserve and reserve fund policy. www.pelham.ca/winter

Spongy Moth in Pelham

Council received memo 2025- 0110 “2025 Spongy Moth Treatment Schedule,” for information. Following the spongy moth egg mass surveys, Hillcrest Park (199 Pancake Lane) was identified as a location that would benefit from aerial application to reduce the impact of the invasive species, in accordance with the Spongy Moth Management Procedure PW-IS-01. The aerial application has two applications, with the first application taking place following the leaf emergence, typically the last week of May or the first week of June, between 5:30 a.m. and 6:30 a.m., with the second application occurring seven days later. Properties within the buffer area surrounding the park will receive hand-delivery notices outlining the program and the anticipated timeline for the aerial treatment. www.pelham.ca/invasivespecies

Town of Pelham Official Plan

Council received report 2025-0015 “Recommendation Report – Town of Pelham Official Plan,” for information. Council directed planning staff to update Section 4 of the final Official Plan to administratively clarify that no new substantial development is permitted in natural feature buffers, that other natural features are mapped as an overlay and reflected in policy accordingly and that farming uses are exempt from the adjacent lands of a significant natural feature within lands outside the urban areas. Council also directed Planning Staff to prepare the by-law for adoption of the Town of Pelham Official Plan and directed Ssaff to forward the adopted Official Plan to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing for approval. The Official Plan is prepared under the requirements of Section 26 of the Planning Act, which guides the short—and long-term development of a community. It provides direction for the size and location of land uses and descriptive policies to control the development and use of all land in the Town of Pelham.  www.pelham.ca/officialplan

Video Surveillance Policy

Council received report 2025-0085, “Video Surveillance Policy” for information and Council approved the Video Surveillance Policy S203-19. The Policy includes the procedures required for legislative compliance, such as Notice of Collection signage, retention, and access. The policy also included recommendations and privacy considerations provided by the Information and Privacy Commissioner (IPC) for the use of a video surveillance system. The Policy outlines Staff roles and responsibilities, public consultation and video surveillance program reviews and audits.

Blue Jays Foundation – Field of Dreams Grant 

Council received report 2025-0113 “Blue Jays Foundation – Field of Dreams Grant – Centennial Park Diamond 1 Upgrade,” for information. The Town of Pelham was notified of a successful application totalling $88,355 of funding support for upgrades at Diamond 1 at Centennial Park. The total project cost for the upgrades, which include clay conversion, dugout enhancements and LED lighting enhancement,  is estimated at $405,000. The clay conversion is expected to occur as soon as possible, depending on the impact on youth sports and contractor availability. Council will fund the Town’s portion of the project in the amount of $320,000 through the deferral of the capital project approved in 2025 PRK-01-25 North Pelham Multipurpose court redevelopment for $400,000 to 2026 and use these deferred funds for the Centennial Park upgrades. The unspent $80,000 would be transferred back to the Parks Reserve.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Leah Letford, Communications Specialist | 905-980-6653 | lletford@pelham.ca