ELORA – The gallery was full and boisterous on Feb. 24 at Centre Wellington’s council meeting.
Gallery members waited patiently while the new Centre Wellington Youth Council was introduced and laid out its action plan.
And they listened quietly while council asked questions of staff about planned infrastructure work along Highway 6 and a new roof for the digester at the Fergus wastewater treatment plant.
But residents were mainly there for councillor Kirk McElwain’s notice of motion to get the municipality moving on the growing termite problem plaguing the community.
They applauded when McElwain finished reading the notice of motion and called out “It’s not enough,” when Mayor Kelly Linton expressed concern about moving forward on the motion without understanding the costs involved.
And they were unhappy when council eventually decided to refer the motion to staff, to return with a full report in three months’ time.
“You guys have been ignoring this for 20 years,” someone called out.
McElwain’s notice of motion acknowledges termites have been a growing problem for homeowners in Fergus and Elora and that since 2015, the onus has been on homeowners to deal with and cover the cost of termite extermination on their own.
McElwain proposed that Centre Wellington reach out to Dr. Tim Myles, an entomologist who has had great success in treating Guelph’s termites and almost eradicating them.
And he suggested that since Centre Wellington has a surplus from the 2019 budget, there are funds to cover termite control activities this year.
“I have received a lot of comments about this issue and the problem seems larger than we realize,” McElwain told his fellow councillors.
“Our maps are out of date. We have new development going up close enough to termite zones to pose a risk. We need the township to lead the process.”
Councillor Ian MacRae didn’t disagree the township should take a leadership role and said it’s not just individual homes that need treatment, but township-owned property as well.
But he urged a cautious approach based on facts and read a long list of questions that should be answered before plunging into a termite control program including costs, consideration of a cost-sharing with homeowners, multi-year programs and updating termite zone maps to understand the scope of the problem.
Councillor Neil Dunsmore introduced a friendly amendment to McElwain’s motion to refer it back to staff for a full report, including costs, treatment options and experts who can lead a termite eradication program.
Linton had to caution the gallery not to disrupt discussion, noting it was not a meeting for delegations.
Council eventually voted to refer the matter to staff with a full report expected in May. Outside the council chamber, citizens were angry.
“I don’t have termites but my neighbours do, so I’m afraid,” said Penny Pollock of Fergus. “Mulch was mentioned a lot but I don’t know what to do in my own garden. I think I’ll go to Dr. Myles myself and see if there’s a safe mulch to use.”
“These people are disgusted,” agreed Billy Jones of Fergus, who also doesn’t have a termite problem yet.
“You feel for these folks. This has been a long-standing issue and there is still nothing to feel good about.”
