Over the course of the past 12 months, a lot of big news stories have emerged in The Blue Mountains, Grey Highlands and Grey County.
In many cases, these stories will take months and even years to tell completely. Some are big issues that won’t be solved immediately, some are long-term tales that will play out during the current term of the present councils and some will feature tough decisions for local leaders.
Here is a list of stories from 2023 we predict will carry over into 2024 headlines.
Financial changes coming to Grey County?
There is no doubt, the 2024 budget process was a struggle for Grey County council. One year after settling on a 1.48 per cent budget increase for the county’s operations, county councillors were struggling with a tax increase initially projected at more than 12 per cent.
Cuts were made, tough decisions were debated and county council eventually settled on a 6.3 per cent increase for 2024.
With the budget now set, the question remains: will there be more cuts coming? Is Grey County about to enter an era of significant changes to its finances? Only time will tell and this is definitely a story to watch.
A provincial park in Grey Highlands?
The idea of a provincial park in Grey Highlands isn’t new, many locals have bantered about the possibility for many years.
In 2023, Grey Highlands councillor Joel Loughead said he wanted to pursue the possibility even further. The idea of the formation of a local provincial park is an intriguing one that has the potential to make headlines in 2024.
How to service development that is coming?
With growth continuing, how will The Blue Mountains and Grey Highlands pay for servicing infrastructure?
Growth in the local area continues. There is no doubt of that. The Blue Mountains and Grey Highlands are both facing development pressures. That is not going to slow down as the province continues to push for more houses to be built faster.
Those homes will need to be serviced and there is limited current available capacity in both communities. With infrastructure costs rising substantially one of the biggest questions the councils of Grey Highlands and The Blue Mountains face is: how are they going to afford to expand service capacity?
How will the Beaver Valley Sustainable Tourism Strategy unfold?
By the end of 2023, Grey Highlands, The Blue Mountains and Grey County had all endorsed the Beaver Valley Sustainable Tourism Strategy. The strategy was the culmination of many months of work by many different organizations and representatives.
Now the hard work begins with the actual implementation of the strategy.
Will The Blue Mountains implement a municipal accommodation tax (MAT)?
During the 2023 budget process, The Blue Mountains council tasked town staff to research and report back on the possibility of implementing a MAT in the town. Such a tax raises money for tourism initiatives and also general town revenues.
With municipalities facing rising costs across the board, there are few revenue opportunities available to cash-strapped communities like a MAT.
Will 2024 be the year the tax is implemented in The Blue Mountains? It will certainly be a hot topic in 2024.
Rockwood Terrace project in Grey County
Grey County will be responsible for managing one of its biggest construction projects ever in 2024 – the construction of the new Rockwood Terrace long-term care facility in Durham.
Rising costs have already forced the county to eliminate some aspects of the project to keep it affordable. Tenders and construction are expected in 2024 and the project will be one to keep an eye on.
The Blue Mountains Official Plan review
The second phase of the town’s review of its official plan is going to kick into high gear in 2024. Big decisions about the future will be made during the process. Some will be controversial. There will be lots of debate about the subject as the town inches towards the finish line on this major project.
