Returning councillor Deb Doherty is predicting progression as she returns to the council table for four more years.
“We’re growing like a weed,” said Doherty. “Growth was what I was hearing about more than anything else [on the campaign trail]. How we grow and how we manage growth, and how we manage small-town culture, the trees, and the green space and all the reasons why we moved here.”
Doherty was elected to her first term of Collingwood council in 2014. Since then, she said the steepest learning curve was the planning process and the documents that govern planning and building in Collingwood. She predicts more learning in the same field as the town faces growth over the next four years.
“It’s a process, there’s no question,” said Doherty, adding part of council’s early planning work will be to look at urban design guidelines and the town’s official plan to incorporate more rules and direction for infill development. “They were designed for a community that’s building on greenfields.”
Greenfield development refers to building residential or commercial buildings on empty space outside of existing residential areas, and usually not already services by town utilities. Infill development refers to building residential or commercial units within previously built-up areas, often increasing the density of those areas.
Doherty said she’d like to see more naturalized parkland that won’t require property maintenance and maybe doesn’t fit in a square mold, but still allows for green space in developed communities.
“I had been advocating since the very beginning on better property standards and better site maintenance standards with new developments and infill developments,” said Doherty.
As more units are built in Collingwood and growth continues, there’s an issue Doherty said hasn’t received enough action.
“I think we’ve been very passive when it comes to affordable housing and how that happens,” she said. “Everybody’s talking about it, but we have never been actively pursuing it, and I think the message now is we’re kind of hitting a critical point where young families or singles coming into our community to work just literally can’t find anywhere to live and if they do, it’s not affordable.”
As the community continues to grow, so will transportation needs, and the way forward, according to Doherty, is on two wheels.
The returning councillor has been a cyclist since 2008 when she completed the Ride to Conquer Cancer from Toronto to Niagara Falls.
“I’m a strong advocate for cycling, and I think that resonated with a lot of people,” said Doherty. “And along with cycling goes cycling infrastructure … cycling infrastructure needs to be everywhere … if you want people to cycle, if you want to have an impact on traffic … the infrastructure has to be pervasive.”
She said there is a plan in the works for cycling infrastructure in Collingwood and she’s looking forward to seeing the recommendations in it.
“I have a dream for downtown, and of course this is just my dream, but I would love to see a bikeway in the middle of the street,” said Doherty.
Part of Doherty’s dream also includes working with Ontario Small Urban Municipalities (OSUM) to find out more about what other communities similar to Collingwood are doing for cycling infrastructure and other issues like managing growth and asset management plans.
She said she “may very well” put her name forward for an OSUM committee during her next term of council.
In the meantime, there's one pressing issue she's hoping to see on the decision-making table sooner rather than later.
Doherty said Collingwood Terminals building presents an urgent priority for council.
“We really don’t have the luxury of time to make some decisions on what we’re going to do,” said Doherty. “We have an engineering report that has basically told us it’s got good bones, but it needs some work and some of that work is fairly urgent.”
The engineering report did not include an assessment of the pile foundation that is underwater, but suggested the building was still structurally sound. The urgent work is mostly clean-up of bird waste and replacing windows to close the building to the elements and birds.
“We’re going to have to have a look at repurposing as opposed to just repairing or remediating,” said Doherty. “Because it’s a lot of money and it’s got to have a payback of some description.”
She said there may be an opportunity to pursue partnerships to help cover the costs of the repairs and repurposing the terminal building.
“I think the community would be more comfortable with an investment in the terminals if it’s not coming out of their tax dollars,” said Doherty.
Doherty and the rest of the newly elected council will be sworn in at an inauguration ceremony on Monday, Dec. 3 at 10 a.m. at the Collingwood Legion.
