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 in to 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.
When asked about surprises and challenges they’ve faced in office so far, Mayor Yvonne Hamlin says she’s surprised at how recognizable she has become in the community. As Hamlin is the first mayor in Collingwood’s history that is officially performing the role in a full-time capacity, she says the change has been working well for her so far.
“Fitting into the routine of town hall and having sufficient support for the office of the mayor has been an adjustment for everyone,” she said.
Deputy Mayor Tim Fryer and Coun. Brandon Houston said their biggest shock in office has been the cost of the water treatment plant expansion. On Sept. 12, the town announced the estimated costs for the project have gone up from the previous estimate of $121 million to a whopping $270 million.
“Without question what has been a major surprise has been the ballooning cost of the proposed expansion,” said Fryer. “It has put council in a difficult position of having to concentrate effort on determining how best to finance the project, to minimize the negative impact on ratepayers as much as possible.”
While Coun. Kathy Jeffery has spent 17 years serving as a councillor, she says she has learned that a major part of the job is managing surprises.
“If you were asking my greatest disappointments in the surprises thus far, I would have to isolate the volatility created by the province with the planning policy changes and potential changes to governance structures such as the County of Simcoe,” said Jeffery.
“Council and our support staff are having to spend far too much time on the changes and not being able to entirely focus on moving the community forward as much as would otherwise be possible,” she added.
Now in her fourth term, Coun. Deb Doherty says she feels she’s hitting her stride at this point, but this term still hasn’t come without surprises.
“The cost of the new drinking water treatment plant has been an exceptional challenge,” she said.
Coun. Christopher Baines, Coun. Rob Ring and Coun. Steve Perry all noted they’ve been surprised by the sheer volume of reading required of complex reports.
“(It’s an) unexpected challenge (to have) too many expenditure demands/requirements from many sources on our limited budget,” said Baines.
“Although, not completely unexpected, it is somewhat frustrating how long it takes to finalize all the approvals to complete some developments and projects,” said Ring.
Perry says the number of community events he attends has also been an eye-opener.
“These events are very enjoyable as we have the opportunity to meet a lot of the amazing people that make Collingwood such a great community,” said Perry. “I wouldn’t say there are any unexpected challenges, but I’ve learned that it is important to try and ignore some the things that we read on social media.”
On the other hand, Houston says he fully expected the amount of reading the job requires.
“I think, if there is one thing that I could possibly say was a pleasant surprise was the amount of public engagement we would get,” said Houston. “It's heartening to hear from so many residents who are passionate about this community and engaged in the things the town does.”
Coun. Chris Potts says he hasn’t had any surprises so far.
“I don’t feel there have been any unexpected challenges. Having excellent time management skills, a solid understanding of the community and passion to help residents makes the job enjoyable,” he said.
This is the third 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. Part four will run later this week.
