One of Collingwood’s deputy mayor candidates is eager to be part of what he thinks will be some major financial planning decisions for the town over the next four years.
Tim Fryer, a town councillor from 2014-2018 and the chief financial officer for the former Collingwood Public Utilities Corporation, has kept a close eye on town hall over the last term of council.
Fryer did file to run for deputy mayor in the 2018 municipal election, but switched to run for councillor before nominations closed. He finished eighth and only the top seven councillor candidates are elected. Fryer has regularly watched or attended council and committee meetings over the last four years.
Heading into this election, Fryer said he knew he wanted to run for deputy mayor because he wants a seat at the county council table.
Mayors and deputy mayors of municipalities within the County of Simcoe also sit as councillors at the county council table.
“I think there’s a lot of interaction with the county for Collingwood over the next while,” said Fryer.
In particular, he pointed to population growth, and the resulting increased need for dwellings in Collingwood.
The province sets population growth targets, and through the County of Simcoe assigns them to lower-tier municipalities including Collingwood. Those targets must then be reflected in a municipal official plan through policies covering intensification in urban areas, building height, employment lands, and more.
“We know the growth pressures there, we have to … know we’re making good long-term decisions to protect lands as best we can, to protect people’s backyards as best we can,” said Fryer.
Collingwood’s official plan is currently being updated and will require the approval of the next town and county council to pass.
“It’s an envious position to be in where the last person who moves here wants to be the last person who moves here, because they like Collingwood so much … and rightfully so,” noted Fryer. “We attract people, and that leads to more tax revenue coming in to help with tax rates on the current taxpayers, but it means you have to look at your infrastructure to make sure it’s able to handle the influx of people coming in.”
He said he thinks the town is in a “pretty good” place with its infrastructure, but he’d like to see more planning for 10, 15, and 20 years down the road.
Fryer is interested in learning more about the county’s $638 million budget (including the $132 million capital budget) and the way it’s allocating money to the various municipalities within the county. The county collects nearly $200 million in property taxes from residents.
He noted the county’s current municipal comprehensive review is looking at all services the county provides and that each municipality provides with a goal of making them more efficient.
His platform states he intends to use a strategic financial planning process and “comparison analysis” to help find efficiencies and savings in service delivery.
“Things like servicing … the county is wanting to see if there are efficiencies,” said Fryer. “That includes not just services they provide, but the services municipalities are also doing on their own.”
Fryer said the top priority for this election is easy to identify.
“Affordable, attainable housing is number one, two, or three on everyone’s priorities, it has to be,” said Fryer.
He said if he is elected, his work on housing will involve learning more about intensification and smaller-footprint options such as where they can go, and how they would be serviced.
Having three adult children wishing to buy homes in Collingwood has given Fryer a window into the challenges facing people who want to buy here.
“It’s the property values, but it’s also the cost of utilities and taxes on the property,” said Fryer. “It has to be affordable not only from a purchase standpoint, but maintaining it on a day-to-day basis.”
Then there are the people who won’t be able to buy a house, but still need somewhere to live in Collingwood, including the dozens living in tents within the municipalities boundaries.
“We know that’s not just in Collingwood, and that’s why we need to be involving other tiers of government, because we have to find solutions,” he said. “I know nobody has the straight-up answers. Some of them aren’t going to be enough in the initial stages, but you just have to keep working on it.”
Though the housing crisis won’t be solved in a single term of council, Fryer said there are other matters he thinks can be.
The province has postponed its five-year property reassessments, so 2024 will be the first time in eight years that properties are assessed for tax rates.
“That’s probably going to change the values on people’s properties significantly,” said Fryer. “That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to change taxes, because it’s relative.”
However, he noted it will exacerbate any existing “inequities” in taxation, which will have to be resolved by the town during the next council term.
“It’s all finance based and it’s all exactly stuff that I have wanted to be involved in,” said Fryer. “I look at my three priorities being housing, finances, and community health.”
Fryer does still work as the owner of his own admin and finance service consulting business with hydro and water utilities and is a member of the board for Centre Wellington Hydro. He said he has control over how busy those commitments make him.
Fryer is running against Bob Madigan for deputy mayor in the upcoming municipal election. Jordan Fleming will also appear on the ballot, but she announced shortly after the nomination period ended that she will not be running for deputy mayor because of family commitments.
The Collingwood Chamber of Commerce will be hosting all-candidates events on Sept. 27 for mayor and deputy mayor candidates and on Sept. 29 for councillor candidates. Both events will be at the Collingwood Legion starting at 7 p.m. Questions can be submitted in advance to Trish Irwin at the Chamber of Commerce at [email protected].
This year, Collingwood residents will have the option to vote online anytime between Oct. 8 at 10 a.m. and Oct. 24 at 8 p.m. There will also be paper ballot voting available at the Collingwood Public Library on Saturdays and Wednesdays in October leading up to and including voting day on Oct. 24.
You can confirm you are registered to vote in the Town of Collingwood for municipal and school board elections online at voterlookup.ca.
