Now, with draft budgets available, phase two offers residents a chance for further feedback. This survey will be open until 9 a.m. Nov. 22, with staff collecting feedback to forward to council for their Nov. 26 budget meeting.

EarlyOn programming offers families play-based learning activities as well as the chance to connect with other local families.

A lengthy motion was put on the floor to take steps to comply with requirements, subject to exemptions to the bylaw's provisions already granted by the town Oct. 7. These involved requirements for policing and addressing litter within a 500-metre radius of the shelter's location, but no exemptions were granted on the county's concerns for the bylaw's liability provisions.

This annual campaign has worked to raise awareness of the issue since 2013. In the year since the last campaign, the Ontario Association of Interval and Transition Houses has reported more than 52 femicides. Last year in Ontario, on average, a woman or child died due to gender-based violence every six days.

The correspondence termed this issue a Humanitarian Crisis and called on both provincial and Federal governments for action as homelessness, mental health and addiction crises grow – the letter cites 3,432 drug-related deaths and more than 1,400 homeless encampments across the province in 2023.

Noronha added that she is proud to be part of Provincial Leader Bonnie Crombie's team, whose members come from all walks of life and backgrounds - “outstanding individuals with dynamic skill sets, who will bring these talents to bear every day for the people they will represent,”