The conversation on school crossing guards wasn't exactly the result some Tecumseh residents were looking for, but will see council revisit the need for the guards when the time comes.
Council met on Monday evening, with one report on the agenda to speak on phasing out the seven crossing guards in the Town.
There was a handful of delegates at the meeting, all who stated they did not want to see this program phased out as the safety of children is crucial - with some delegates speaking about how many drivers speed even when they're in school zones.
The Town is proposing in these locations to add measures such as new traffic signals, new signage, ladder cross walks, reduced speed limits, designating these areas as school safety zones and community safety zones.
The proposed recommendation was altered, with council asking that once these measures are implemented to see their effectiveness before deciding if school crossing guards should be phased out. Council voted unanimously in favour.
However, the crossing guard at Tecumseh Road and Estate Park will be phased out this June with the closure of DM Eagle School.
Tecumseh resident Jillian Butler says there are a lot of resident who want this program to stay.
"I don't believe you're responsible for the traffic problems, I don't believe you're responsible to save the kids, but taking away the safety measure that is in existence right now is really concerning."
Avery, a student at St. Peter Catholic Elementary School, says she and her brother cross at a light with a button and she wishes there was a guard there as many people have nearly hit them.
"Knowing that most of the time people don't stop, it scares me because when my brother has to walk home by himself and I'm not at school, I want my brother to be safe. And knowing that there's not a crossing guard there, I think it just scares me a little bit more because I know that people would stop for an actual person."
Michelle Drouillard, Director of People and Culture with the Town of Tecumseh, says they can't find people to work the crossing guard positions, and some of the current guards are retiring.
"And there are occasions, more than you would think, where we cannot find a guard and we need to notify the school principal that we cannot find coverage, and sometimes that's not even possible as that occurs at early in the morning. So, I will say in the near future in the next coming years due to the demographics of our current guards we anticipate several more retirements."
Tecumseh councillor Rick Tonial says he doesn't want to see these guards phased out.
"I believe in this human element of having our employees there to help a child that might need help, another eye for the community as a kid walks home. There is a safety feature, there is a trouble trying to hire them and retain them, I understand that, but we need to do our due diligence.")
Councillor Brian Houston says the local traffic issue is disheartening.
"It's the school community, and it's our community who is the traffic issue. And we hear it around here all the time, there's speeding everywhere, and we all need to slow down."
Council also approved to coordinate information sessions with the local school and boards that will be affected by this change no later than June 2024.
The annual budget of the current program is $85,000 for 2024, nearly $88,000 in 2025 if continued, and $90,500 in 2026, with an administrative budget of $27,000.
The phasing out of the guard at St. Thomas Street and Michael Drive will be reassessed.
The guard at Tecumseh Road and Arlington Boulevard, and the guard at Lesperance Road and St. Thomas Street could potentially be phased out in June 2025 if council decides to do so at a later date.
Meanwhile the guard at Lacasse Boulevard and Clapp Street, and the guard at Lacasse Boulevard and St. Thomas Street could potentially be phased out if council decides to do so in June 2026.