Collingwood's Town Council, elected one year ago on Oct. 24, 2022, is celebrating their first year in office as a group.
With that in mind, we canvassed Mayor Yvonne Hamlin, Deputy Mayor Tim Fryer and all seven town councillors to answer key questions one year into their mandate.
Questions ranged from asking about their accomplishments to-date, how this council feels they’ve set themselves apart, and surprises they’ve experienced so far in their terms.
Over the next three years of their term, all nine councillors say they have some lofty goals, and all mentioned the revitalization of the Terminals.
Mayor Yvonne Hamlin points to the Poplar Regional Health & Wellness Village as a project she’d like to see make strides.
“Is anyone other than me hoping the province will make a big announcement for our hospital soon?” said Hamlin. “It will allow us to get working on the site planning for the new hospital and start discussions on the future of the current site.”
Deputy Mayor Tim Fryer agrees with Hamlin on the Terminals and the hospital being at the top of his wish list. Work on the affordable housing master plan is also top of mind for Fryer.
He has his sights set on completing an update on the Official Plan, a goal he talked about when he threw his name in the ring for a vacant council seat nearly two years ago.
“It is hard to comprehend that I continue to point to that goal now, almost two years later,” said Fryer. “The provincial government hurdles that keep being dropped on us is the reason. Our OP work has to be done as quickly as possible so that is the immediate need.”
Coun. Kathy Jeffery says her key priorities over the next three years will be planning for the water treatment plant expansion, pushing forward on affordable housing and the Terminals project, stabilizing the municipal labour force challenges, exploring a stormwater management project and moving forward on a climate action plan.
“Yes, it’s a lot!” said Jeffery. “It is on top of all the other day-to-day monitoring and policy development for which council is responsible.”
Coun. Deb Doherty also points to the big projects on the go mentioned by the other councillors. She says she’d also like to bring forward a private tree preservation bylaw and see work completed on a new, progressive transportation master plan.
“In general, I want to ensure that everything we do will contribute positively to our quality of life, protect our small-town feel, make real contributions to climate change mitigation and preserve and enhance our exceptional natural heritage,” said Doherty.
Coun. Christopher Baines and Coun. Rob Ring both pointed to the development of an arts centre in Collingwood as a key goal.
“I would also like to see if the town can be provided the tools from the province to incentivize developers to utilize heat pumps rather than current heat sources to tangibly lower our community’s carbon footprint,” said Baines.
“Hopefully, we can find the financial funding, without adding more tax burden on the ratepayers, to start constructing the much-needed multi-use recreation facility and/or an arts, culture, and entertainment centre,” said Ring.
Coun. Chris Potts says he’s focused on the affordable housing issue.
“Over the next three years my goals are to have affordable housing shovel-ready, continue to assist the homeless with a goal to minimize the crisis, have remote staff return to the office, continue to build stronger trust with our residents and continue to hold town hall accountable,” said Potts.
In addition to the goals listed by other councillors, Coun. Steve Perry says he’d like to see more trail connections made.
“I’d like for parents to feel comfortable enough to be able to let their children ride a bike or walk to school but that won’t happen if they feel there isn’t a safe route for the kids to travel on,” he said.
“I feel very honoured to have been voted in by the residents of Collingwood. This is a privilege that very few people are lucky enough to have and I take it very seriously but also try to make it as enjoyable and educational as possible. Over the next three years, I will continue to expand my municipal education.”
This is the fourth in a four-part series asking council to reflect on one year in office. To read part one, click here. To read part two, click here. To read part three, click here.
