Boards, Committees and Appointments

The Committee of Adjustment is established under the authority of The Planning Act and its regulations, The Statutory Powers Procedure Act, The Municipal Conflict of Interest Act, Building Code Act, The Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the common law concept of natural justice. The Committee of Adjustment considers and may authorize minor variances from the zoning by-law, review and permit extensions and enlargements to legal nonconforming uses and can grant consent for severances (land division), when the severance application involves a variance and/or when the consent is in dispute and cannot be resolved without a hearing.

These decisions are made as follows:

• in the case of severances (consent to sever), variances and permissions, the Committee’s decisions must be consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement, conform to Provincial Plans and comply with the County and the Township Official Plans;
• in the case of minor variances and permissions under Section 45(1) and (2) the Committee must consider the applications in light of the requirements as laid out in the Planning Act;
• in the case of severances, the Committee must have regard to the matters under section 51(24) of the Planning Act;
• the Committee must also be aware of Council decisions when making its decisions and must consider and apply the Township Official Plan policies; and
• comply with the Statutory Powers Procedure Act.

All decisions are subject to notice of the decision and all decisions made under the Planning Act are subject to appeal to the Local Planning Authority Tribunal (LPAT).

The Committee meets on a monthly basis or as needed. Applications for severance, lot adjustments or other matters are heard by the Committee at a “public hearing”. If you are considering making an application for Consent or Minor Variance, please contact the Planning Department to schedule a Pre-Consultation Meeting. Doing so will save you time and money and help the process go smoothly. The usual schedule for this Committee is the 4th Wednesday of the month in the Council Chambers (Hopeville Administration Office) at 9 am. Other meetings may be called at an as-needed basis. In the event of no applications in any given month, no meeting will be called.

The Property Standards Committee is a quasi-judicial body that hears appeals to orders issued by Property Standards Officers for violations of certain Ontario Building Code and municipal by-law standards for residential, multiple residential and commercial properties.

The Committee also sits as the "Appeal Committee" to hear Muzzle Order appeals issued pursuant to the Township of Southgate Canine Control By-law currently in effect which is a by-law to license and regulate the keeping of dogs and dog kennels and for the control of dogs within the Township of Southgate.

The Committee is a local board of the Township. It conducts itself in accordance with the Statutory Powers Procedure Act, and is also governed by the Property Standards By-law.

Composition
The Property Standards Committee consists of 3 citizen members.  The term of office is four years coincident with the term of Council.

Meetings

The Property Standards Committee hearings are open to members of the public. If a member of the public would like to speak at a panel hearing, they can contact the Municipal Clerk for information. Hearings are held at the Municipal Office and called as required.

Please view the Property Standards Appeal Committee Terms of Reference for further information. 

The Government of Ontario establishes the framework for policing through the Police Services Act, and imposes more detailed requirements through prescribed standards and regulations for police services. The Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services has the statutory authority to establish guidelines and directives for the administration of law enforcement and public safety in Ontario. At the local level, each municipality maintaining a police service is required through legislation to establish a structure, commonly known as a Police Services Board, through which these standards and regulations are administered.

Police Services Board Structure:

The Township of Southgate Police Services Board meets four (4) times per year. All meetings begin at 9:00 AM and are held at the Township of Southgate Municipal Office in Council Chambers.  As outlined in the Police Services Act, the Township of Southgate method of providing municipal police services is through an agreement under Section 10, jointly with one or more other Councils to have police services provided by the Ontario Provincial Police. Often, this type of arrangement is called a "Section 10 Police Service Board."

The Township of Southgate Police Services Board consists of four (4) members in addition to a non-voting recording secretary.  Board members include:

• the head of the municipal council or, if the head chooses not to be a member of the board, another member of the council appointed by resolution of the council;
• one member of the council appointed by resolution of the council;
• one person appointed by resolution of the council, who is neither a member of the council nor an employee of the municipality; and
• two persons appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council. If an appointee of the Lieutenant Governor in Council is unable to serve, the Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services may appoint a replacement to serve until the Lieutenant Governor in Council selects a new appointee. For more information view the provincial Public Appointments website.

For further information, please view the Police Services Board's Procedural By-law.

The Recreation Advisory Committee was established by Council to provide guidance to Council and to make recommendations on recreation initiatives and programs in the Township of Southgate. 

The Seniors Advisory Committee was established by Council to:

• Represent the our seniors' perspectives on municipal and other key seniors' issues (i.e. transportation, affordability, parks, cultural, and recreation services, and service delivery);
• Provide a voice for our seniors, exchanging information about current issues and emerging concerns;
• Provide input to Township staff as requested;
• Work toward identified goals as outlined in an annual work plan (work plan may include hosting seniors discussion forums, support strategic planning for development of local senior services, public information, etc.);
• Make recommendations to Council on related matters.

Please view the Senior's Advisory Committee Terms of Reference for further information.

The Southgate Affordable-Attainable Housing Advisory Committee will provide recommendations and an overall strategy for Council’s consideration regarding the implementation of a Community Affordable-Attainable Housing Plans to support homelessness prevention in the Township of Southgate.

Please view the Southgate Affordable-Attainable Housing Advisory Committee Terms of Reference for further information.

The Southgate Community Foundation (SCF) is a permanent endowed community fund, managed by Community Foundation of Grey Bruce. This fund was initiated to provide perpetual support to projects and programs of non-profit organizations within the Township of Southgate. The Southgate Community Foundation Management Committee has been created to further the goals of creating a sustainable granting system for non-profit groups within the Township.

Please view the Southgate Community Fund Management Committee Terms of Reference for further information and Community Foundation Grey-Bruce website for other information.

The Township of Southgate Youth Action Committee (YAC) works towards creating a positive environment for youth in our community to be empowered, use their voices, and create meaningful change!

Please view the Youth Action Committee Terms of Reference for further information.

The Township of Southgate has appointed Fence Viewers whose role is to enforce the Line Fences Act.

The Lined Fences Act provides a procedure for resolution of line fence disputes between the owners of adjoining properties. Line fences are fences that mark the boundary between properties; they are often referred to as boundary or division fences. The Act applies to both residential and non-residential fences.

Please visit our Fence Viewers page for further information about the Fence Viewers Committee.

The Ontario Wildlife Damage Compensation Program (OWDCP) provides financial assistance to owners whose livestock, poultry and/or honey bees have been damaged or killed by wildlife.  Livestock owners must notify their municipality within 48 hours of discovering the injury or death of livestock or poultry, or discovering damage to beehives.

For more information about the program please contact the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs or visit our Ontario Wildlife Damage Compensation Program page for more information on Livestock Evaluators.