News

At its Regular Meeting on March 2, 2026, South Huron Council:

·         Received staff reports/memos on topics including:

o   OTF-Funded Recreation Coordinator Update, outlining the new programs launched and initiatives taken during the first month of this contract position

o   Summer Programming and the requirements of running a municipal day camp program

o   Exeter Wastewater Treatment Facility 2025 Annual Performance Assessment

o   2025 Annual Report for the South Huron Wastewater System

o   Tender Results - 2026 Provision of Crushed Granular "M" for Road Maintenance

§  accepted the tender received from the low bidder McKenzie & Henderson Ltd. and authorized award of a contract in the amount of $533,679.00 (excluding HST)

o   Tender Results - 2026 Supply and Application of Dust Suppressant on Gravel Roads

§  accepted the tender received from the low bidder, Clayton Holland (552976 Ontario Limited) and authorized the award of a contract in the amount of $148,176.00 (excluding HST)

o   Tender Results - Hot Mix Paving Parr Line, Woodham Road and Environmental Services Parking Lot at 82 Nelson Street

§  accepted the tender received from the low bidder Ekum-Seckum Inc. o/a Brantco Construction for resurfacing Parr Line, Woodham Road and Environmental Services Parking Lot at 82 Nelson Street in the amount of $652,660.10 (excluding HST)

o   Tender Results for Main Street South Reconstruction, Ausable River to Victoria Street - **Budget Amendment**

§  accepted the tender from the low bidder GHN Infrastructure Inc. and authorized award of a contract in the amount of $6,510,537.09 (including HST); approved a Budget Amendment and authorized the transfer of $504,522.22 from the Transportation Services Capital Replacement Reserve to fund the additional tendered costs of the roads portion of the project

o   Proposed Amendments to Curbside Garbage and Recycling Fees

o   Water and Wastewater Rate Study Final Report

§  received Water and Wastewater Rate Study Final Report; adopted the Water and Wastewater Rate Study as prepared by Watson and Associates Economists Limited dated January 19, 2026; and approved the Financial Plan covering the period from 2025 to 2036 for the South Huron Water Distribution System as prepared by Watson and Associates Economists Limited in accordance with Subsection 3.(1) 1. of Ontario Regulation 453/07

§  The water and wastewater rate by-law will be brought back to Council for the required three readings.

o   2026 -2027 (Intake 11) Ministry of Transportation Connecting Links Program - **Budget Amendment**

§  received 2026-2027 (Intake 11) Ministry of Transportation Connecting Links Program report; and approved an “Amendment to the Budget” to add a capital budget for the Main Street South Reconstruction (Victoria Street to Sanders Street) in the amount of $5,322,282.71

§  authorized the use of funds from the Transportation Capital Replacement Reserve to fund the municipal portion of roadworks on the Main Street South Reconstruction (Victoria Street to Sanders Street) in the amount of $1,000,301.90; and the use of funds from the Sewer Capital Replacement Reserve to fund the sanitary sewer work on the Main Street South Reconstruction (Victoria Street to Sanders Street) in the amount of $633,769.31; and the use of funds from the Water Capital Replacement Reserve to fund the watermain replacement on the Main Street South Reconstruction (Victoria Street to Sanders Street) in the amount of $923,102.30.

o   Municipal Election 2026 Restricted Acts of Council (Lame Duck Period)

§  If Council is in a restricted position (Lame Duck) after Nomination Day (August 21, 2026), Council will delegate authority to the Chief Administrative Officer to take action, where necessary, on certain restrictions listed in Section 275(3) of the Municipal Act. This delegation will be finalized through a by-law approved by Council, with delegation expiring on November 15, 2026 (Commencement of New Council term).

o   Facility Booking Policy

§  Council requested more information from staff

o   Public Consultations re: Proposed Casino Development

§  Staff contacted the Ontario Lottery Gaming Corporation (OLG) for input on this proposal. OLG confirmed there are no plans to expand the number of casinos in the area of South Huron. Further, adding new gaming sites in locations governed by OLG's existing casino operating agreements requires amendments to commercial terms of those agreements that OLG is not in a position to explore, or to unilaterally make. Therefore, staff are pausing the public consultation process until such time that a joint proposal is brought forward between the developer proponents and Gateway Casinos – the operator in this region.

For a full review of the agenda, including items not listed here such as those under Communications, please see the Agendas and Minutes page at SouthHuron.ca. A video recording of the meeting is available on the municipal Youtube channel. The official meeting minutes will be included in the next regular Council meeting agenda.

The Ontario Heritage Act, R.S.O.1990, c. O.18 as amended, provides that an owner of property designated under the Ontario Heritage Act may apply to Municipal Council to repeal the by-law or part thereof designating the property.

Take Notice that at its regular meeting of Council on February 17, 2026, the Council of the Municipality of South Huron adopted By-Law #13-2026 being a By-Law to repeal By-Law 23-1993 which designated 12 Victoria Avenue East, Crediton, Plan 211, Part Lot 5, Stephen Ward, Municipality of South Huron, under section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act.

Any person who objects to the decision may, within 30 days after the date of this Notice, file a notice of appeal under Section 32, subsection (8) of the Act setting out the objection to the decision and the reasons in support of the objection, accompanied by the fee charged by the Tribunal. The appeal is to be filed with the Municipal Clerk either via the Ontario Land Tribunal e-file service (first time users will need to register for a My Ontario Account at https://olt.gov.on.ca/e-file-service) by selecting South Huron as the Approval Authority or by mail to Alex Wolfe, Clerk, Municipality of South Huron, 322 Main Street South, Exeter, ON N0M 1S6. If the e-file portal is down, you can submit your appeal at clerk@southhuron.ca

More details on the appeal process can be found at https://olt.gov.on.ca/file-an-appeal/.

Appeals must be filed with the Municipal Clerk and Tribunal by Friday, April 3, 2026.

Alex Wolfe, Clerk

Dated: March 4, 2026

Municipality of South Huron, 322 Main St S, Exeter, ON N0M 1S6

clerk@southhuron.ca, 519-235-0310 x224

At its Regular Meeting on February 17, 2026, South Huron Council:

·         Received staff reports on topics including:

o   Sign Variance Request for 10 Lawrence Street, Exeter

§  At the entrance to the new long-term care facility, Council approved the variance request to increase the height of the ground sign to 2.36 metres and increase the ground sign area to 6.73 square metres

o   2025 Annual Report for the South Huron Drinking Water System

§  Servicing approximately 8000 residences with 209km of distribution main within the municipality, South Huron’s water system received an inspection rating of 100%. This is the municipality’s 16^th consecutive year in the 100% percentile and the 14^th time we have received a 100% inspection rating from the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks

o   2025 Federal Wastewater System Effluent Reporting for the Exeter Wastewater Treatment Facility, for information

o   2025 Mandatory reporting of Commercial and Industrial water consumption information to the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks, for information

o   Community Safety and Well-being (CSWB) for Huron 2025 Year in Review and 2026-2029 Action Plan; and Council approved the 2026-2029 CSWB Action Plan and Allocation, as presented

o   Annual Communications Update, for information

§  South Huron’s Communication Program is guided by the municipality’s Communication Policy and uses the municipal website, social media, newsletters and radio to promote awareness of municipal services, catalyze dialogue, and solicit public input. Staff are always open to feedback on how to improve communications with our community!

For a full review of the agenda, including items not listed here such as those under Communications, please see the Agendas and Minutes page at SouthHuron.ca. A video recording of the meeting is available on the municipal Youtube channel. The official meeting minutes will be included in the next regular Council meeting agenda.

The Municipality of South Huron has initiated a review and update of the South Huron Zoning By-law. Following the hosting of open houses in January 2026, a public meeting will be held pursuant to Section 34 of the Planning Act on Monday, March 16^th, 2026, at 5pm at the South Huron Council Chambers at 322 Main Street South, Exeter.

The purpose of the update is to implement the five-year review of the South Huron Official Plan which came into effect on May 13, 2025. The focus of the updates is ensuring compliance with Provincial legislation, consistency with Provincial policy, and conformity with the Huron County and South Huron Official Plans. The text for the general provisions and housing provisions has also been reviewed for improvement and clarification. The mapping updates will implement the changes made during the Official Plan Review, including settlement area boundaries and environmental zone boundaries.

Have Your Say:

Persons wishing to participate in the planning process are strongly encouraged to send their comments, or concerns via email or mail to Victor Kloeze, Senior Planner at vkloeze@huroncounty.ca or to Vanessa Polselli, Planning Coordinator at planning@southhuron.ca. Written comments may also be hand delivered or mailed to the Municipal Office: 322 Main Street South, Exeter, ON, N0M 1S6, Attention: Vanessa Polselli. Oral comments may also be expressed at the meeting.

Please note that comments and opinions submitted on these matters, including the originator’s name and address, become part of the public record and may be viewed by the general public and maybe published in a Planning Report, Council Agenda or Council Minutes

Your Rights:

Third parties do not have the right to appeal the decision; only the Municipality, property owners, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, a specified person under the Planning Act or public body that has an interest in the matter may appeal the decision. Please refer to the County of Huron website for details about appeal rights.

Alex Wolfe, Clerk,

Municipality of South Huron

Dated at the Municipality of South Huron this 18^th day of February, 2026

322 Main Street S, P.O Box 759, Exeter ON N0M 1S6

Phone: 519-235-0310    Fax: 519-235-3304

South Huron Council has allocated $15,000 for the Private Cemetery Framework in 2026. This framework establishes guidelines and procedures for the consistent handling of requests and distribution of financial support for non-municipally owned cemeteries within the geographic boundary of the Municipality of South Huron. 2026 Applications are due February 28, 2026. As a reminder, successful applicants who received funds in 2025 are required to submit a follow-up report on or before February 28, 2026.

More information about this framework can be found on the Cemetery page of South Huron's website or by reaching out to the Clerk's Department at 519-235-0310 x232 or cemetery@southhuron.ca

At its Regular Meeting on February 2, 2026, South Huron Council:

·         Received staff reports/memos on topics including:

o   Building and Planning 2025 4th Quarter Activity and Year End Summary

Please be advised that the Mayor’s Task Force on Regional Health Meeting originally scheduled for January 28, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. in the Verity Room at Town Hall has been cancelled at the call of the Chair. This meeting will be rescheduled at a later date. 

If you have any questions regarding the cancellation of this meeting or require further information, please contact Alex Wolfe, Clerk.

Dated: January 28, 2026

clerk@southhuron.ca

519-235-0310

322 Main St S, Exeter, ON N0M 1S6