Fence Viewers

The Committee shall be composed of five appointed non-elected members from the following wards:

• 1 member from Ward 1 - Vankleek Hill
• 1 member from Ward 2 - L'Orignal
• 1 member from Ward 3 - Longueuil
• 2 members from Ward 4 - West Hawkesbury

A general understanding of the Planning Act, the Official Plan of the Urban Areas of Township of Champlain, the Official Plan of the United Counties of Prescott and Russell and the Zoning By-Law of the Township of Champlain is preferred.

Appointment shall be concurrent with the term of Council, unless otherwise decided by Council. Members hold office until their successors are appointed.  If a member ceases to be a member before expiration of his/her term, Council will appoint another eligible person for the remainder of the term.

The mandate of a member ends when he or she is absent for three consecutive meetings without a valuable excuse. The mandate ends at the end of the third meeting of which the member did not assist. Furthermore, the mandate of a member ends when a member is no longer a resident of the Township. Finally, any member can resign from the Committee by forwarding a written resignation letter to the Secretary-Treasurer of the Committee.

A vacancy in the membership or the absence or inability of a member to act does not impair the powers of the Committee or of the remaining members.

The remuneration of the Members of the Committee of Adjustment for the Township of Champlain shall be at the same rate as the remuneration of Members of Council for attendance at their respective liaison committee meetings. 

The Committee is composed of five members, hence three members shall constitute a quorum.

Meetings will be scheduled upon receipt of an application for a minor variance and will usually take place on a Tuesday commencing at 6:00 p.m. at the Township Office at 948 Pleasant Corner Road East.

The Committee will appoint one of its members to act as Chair.  When the Chair is absent through illness or otherwise, the Committee may appoint another member to act as Acting Chair.  The Chair has no authority to make decisions on his or her own, he or she can only run a meeting in a fair and efficient manner so that the will of the majority prevails after the minority has had a fair chance to present its point of view.

The Secretary-Treasurer of the Committee of Adjustment for the Township of Champlain shall be the Clerk of the Township of Champlain. The Secretary-Treasurer shall keep on file minutes and records of all applications and the decisions thereon and of all other official business of the Committee.

The Chief Executive Officer shall call the inaugural meeting of the Champlain Township Public Library Board in each new term upon receipt of the confirmation of Board appointments from the Municipal Clerk and a by-law from the Municipal Council.

The annual meeting of the Champlain Township Public Library Board shall be held in December of each year. The Secretary shall preside and conduct the elections every four years for the position of Chairperson in accordance with Robert's Rules of Order and the Municipal Act of Ontario. The Chairperson shall assume the chair for the appointment of committee members.

Regular meetings of the Champlain Township Public Library Board shall be held each month from January to June and September to December, unless such day shall be a legal, public or civic holiday, in which case the Board shall meet at the same hour on a date agreed upon at the preceding meeting of the Board. Regular meetings will be held in the Champlain Township Municipal offices.

The Chairperson or any two members of the Board may summon a special meeting of the Board by giving each member reasonable notice in writing, specifying the purpose for which the meeting is called which shall be the sole business transacted at the meeting. Despite any other Act,  board meetings shall be open to the public, except where the Board is of the opinion that intimate financial or personnel matters may be disclosed at a meeting.

When the Board determines that matters should be dealt with in the absence of the public or a staff member, a motion to move into in-camera session must be moved, seconded and approved by a majority vote. Motions to move in-camera are not debatable. At the conclusion of the in- camera session, a motion must be moved, seconded and approved by a majority vote to return to public session. A motion to confirm any motions approved during the in-camera session shall be made.

Regular attendance of all Board members at Board meetings is vital to the satisfactory conduct of Board business. In the event that a member must be absent from any meeting, that member shall notify the Secretary prior to the day of the meeting.

Should a member be absent for two (2) consecutive meetings, the Board shall consider the circumstances of the absence and either notify the Municipal Council that the seat is vacant, or pass a resolution authorizing that person to continue as a Board member until the next meeting.

The Chairperson of the Champlain Township Public Library Board acts as an official representative of the library and in a leadership role to the Board, ensures the proper functioning of the Board and the proper conduct of Board business, in accordance with appropriate legislation and prescribed rules of procedure.

In addition, the Chairperson is responsible for:

• Presiding at regular and special meetings of the Board in accordance with the Public Libraries Act,1990, chapter P.44 and other relevant legislation, and with the rules of procedure adopted by the Board. 
• Serving as an ex-officio member of all Board committees. 
• Acting as an authorised signing officer of all documents pertaining to Board business. 
• Representing the Board, alone or with other members of the Board, at any public or private meetings for the purpose of conducting, promoting or completing the business of the Board. 
• Determining the responsibility of committees to deal with matters which arise where it is unclear which committee has responsibility, subject to eventual confirmation by the Board. 
• Ensuring that vacancies on Board committees are filled as expeditiously as possible.  The Chairperson shall not commit the Board to any course of action in the absence of the specific authority of the Board. 
• The term of office for the Chairperson of the Champlain Township Public Library Board shall be four years. The election shall take place at the inaugural meeting of the Board.

As the Champlain Township Public Library Board is composed of a not less that 4 and mot more than 7 members plus the Mayor of Champlain Township (or another member of Champlain council) three or more members shall constitute a majority of the members of the board. No business of the board shall be transacted except at a meeting at which a majority of the board is present.

Where a quorum is not present within thirty minutes after the hour fixed for a meeting, the Secretary shall record the names of the Board members present and the meeting shall stand adjourned until the next meeting or until a special meeting is called.

If notified by a majority of board members of their anticipated absence from a meeting, the Secretary shall notify all members of the Board that the meeting is cancelled.

Fence Viewers are appointed by Council pursuant to the provisions of The Line Fences Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. L. 17, a Provincial law that provides a dispute resolution procedure between the owners of adjoining properties in most of Ontario. Line fences are fences that mark the boundary between properties and are often referred to as boundary or division fences. The Act does not deal with disputes about fences that are not on a boundary line.

 The responsibilities of the Fence Viewers for Champlain Township are those set out in the Line Fences Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. L. 17.

1. Council shall appoint at least four (4) and not more than five (5) citizen appointees as Fence Viewers.
2. Resignations from the Fence Viewers must be in writing.
3. The Fence Viewers shall be appointed for the term of Council but shall continue until such time as new members are appointed by a new Council following an election. Members may be reappointed at the discretion of Council.
4. Recognizing that vacancies may arise; Council will request submissions from the public and will appoint citizens to fill such vacancies. 

The remuneration of the Fence Viewers for the Township of Champlain shall be at the same rate as the remuneration of members of Council for attendance at their respective committee meetings.

 All members should reflect appropriate conduct when attending meetings and/or representing the Township of Champlain in public. 

 All Fence Viewers will abide by the Township of Champlain Council Code of Conduct and other applicable Township policies and guidelines. 

The Fence Viewers shall work within the scope of their responsibilities as set out in this Terms of Reference and the Line Fences Act.

The Municipal Act, S.O. 2001, c. 25, shall bind the Fence Viewers as it relates to confidentiality, conflict of interest, closed sessions, and other any other requirements under the Act, which pertain to the conduct of officials. 

 By-Law to appoint Fence Viewers 2024-18. Available from Clerk’s office upon request.

 n/a

Police service boards oversee how policing is provided in communities. They contribute to their community’s safety and well-being by working with local citizens and organizations to ensure their community receives appropriate policing needs.

The Community Safety Policing Act, 2019 comes into force on April 1, 2024.  Section 67(1) of the Act states that there shall be an OPP detachment board for each detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP). OPP police services boards are responsible for determining objectives and priorities for police services, in consultation with the detachment commander, establishing local policies on police services, participate in the regular selection of the detachment commander, receive regular reports from the detachment commander and monitor the performance of the detachment commander.

The Hawkesbury O.P.P Detachment Board will include two (2) provincially appointed representatives, council representatives from each of the participating municipalities, and three (3) community members (one from the Township of Alfred-Plantagenet, one from Champlain Township and one from the Town of Hawkesbury).

One Community Representative for Champlain Township and one Community Representative for the Township of Alfred-Plantagenet.

Previous experience on boards or committees is considered an asset. To qualify as a board member, you must:

• Be a resident of the Township of Alfred-Plantagenet or a resident of the Township of Champlain.
• Pass a comprehensive police record check.
• Understand the role of a police services board.
• Be involved in their community.
• Be bilingual (French/English) and have good communication skills.

Board members are expected to complete training as assigned, participate in the election of a Chair at the first meeting in each year, follow and adhere to the Members of Police Services Boards Code of Conduct and attend meetings as determined by the board with no fewer than four meetings each year. Members will serve for the remainder of the 2022-2026 term of Council.