With the new year right around the corner, CollingwoodToday asked elected representatives in the Municipality of Grey Highlands to look forward to the coming year and tell us about their top priorities and how they would like to see their community progress in the coming year.
Their answers are included below, with part two of this two-part series running tomorrow.
The answers have been published verbatim, with the only corrections being for spelling and grammar. We have published the answers in the order we received them. Not all members of council responded to the questions.
What are you looking forward to most in 2025?
Councillor Joel Loughead: There’s lots to look forward to in Grey Highlands for the coming year! The new Beavercrest Community School will finally be open to students after a long planning and construction project. Downtown revitalization discussions are progressing in Markdale, as well as a potential King Edward Park master plan, and I’m hopeful we will see some transformative ideas begin to take real shape. The Lake Eugenia Management Taskforce will also begin work to strategize and implement programs and solutions to bring back the health of the lake.
Councillor Nadia Dubyk: Working together for better results – while building momentum. We are two years into the term, the halfway point, and there is much to do. We are fortunate to have an engaged community that proactively organizes to jumpstart and work on initiatives with the municipality to enrich the lives of our residents – such as building new pavilions, planning and fundraising for a splashpad, requesting changes to bylaws to make our streets safer and neighbourhoods walkable, stewarding our rivers and watersheds for a healthy environment as we grow. By continuing to strengthen the “glue” between community, council and the municipality, we can accomplish much together.
Deputy Mayor Dane Nielsen: 2025 is set to be a very interesting year. With the possibility of a federal and provincial election I will be looking to see what the candidates say about how their party will help municipalities. We know we are not receiving the funding we need for roads, water and sewer pipes etc. Elections bring times for influence.
Where do you see the Municipality of Grey Highlands going in terms of overall direction in 2025?
Councillor Joel Loughead: Local improvements of all kinds. Focusing on more walkable communities, better pedestrian safety, and enhanced parkland. A more careful eye towards protecting our environment, especially sensitive cold water river systems. Revitalizing downtowns to attract new small businesses and improve the local economy. Saying yes to innovative affordable housing solutions, so that we can make Grey Highlands one of the premier places to live and grow in all of Ontario.
Councillor Nadia Dubyk: Grey Highlands is at a turning point. Families are choosing to move to the area, previously empty storefronts are opening doors, plans to revitalize the downtown cores are being made. Being budget season, how to sustainably support and fund our vision of a healthy and livable community is top of mind. We are all feeling the economic pinch at home, and council is feeling it at the budget table. Investing in our future to service community needs, protect the health of our environment and maintain fiscal discipline will require some hard decisions. Together, we will have those dialogues and move forward to make this the best place to live.
Deputy Mayor Dane Nielsen: It is tough to say, with interest rates coming back down growth should pick up and the new homes expected in Markdale should be bought up quicker. As readers may know we are facing a tough budget year trying to balance the current expected level of service with minimal tax dollars.
What would you like to see as priorities for council/the municipality in 2025?
Councillor Joel Loughead: Affordable housing—that means building smaller homes, allowing innovative construction techniques (such as mobile and modular), and long-term rentals in walkable neighbourhoods. Managing development and growing sustainably so we neither lose our rural small-town charm, nor degrade the natural beauty we are so lucky to live within. Finishing our new zoning bylaw, and moving forward with a renewed and rebuilt downtown in Markdale. Keeping our arenas and town halls open by making them more efficient, more accessible, and better used by our communities.
Councillor Nadia Dubyk: A healthy and livable community continues to be the top priority for me, and that includes:
- Making strides to revitalize the Markdale downtown core and reimagine King Edward Park – a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and we need to get it right.
- Building up our mix and affordability of housing stock – continues to be a high priority for community members to work and live here.
- Launching the lake management task force – moving solutions forward to help protect the health of our lakes.
- Creating a long-term municipal asset plan and processes – sustainably manage our numerous assets such as roads, halls, arenas and predictably spend our tax dollars wisely.
Deputy Mayor Dane Nielsen: Grey Highlands should be looking at how we plan to support recreation in the future. Community groups are looking for enhancements like pickleball and splash pads while keeping what we already have. This means significant investments but a great community and place to live.
You are now two years into this term of council, what do you think is the most surprising part of the job as an elected member of Grey Highlands council?
Councillor Joel Loughead: Just how much support I’d receive as a councillor! When you’re newly elected, a lot of what you hear is the negative – that the job is hard and thankless and people can be rude, or mean. I haven’t experienced that at all. The people of Grey Highlands have been nothing but respectful, constructive, and caring for the people and wellbeing of our little municipality. After all, we all want the same thing: what’s best for Grey Highlands, and for our communities to be at their safest, happiest, and healthiest.
Councillor Nadia Dubyk: As a first-term councillor, the support and camaraderie with other elected council members at the Grey Highlands table and across the county, province and country has been enriching, heartwarming and energizing. Conferences, and board and committee work with conservation authorities, Association of Municipalities of Ontario and others provide forums for continuous learning and information exchange to bring back ideas to your own municipality. It’s a privilege to serve as a member on Federation of Canadian Municipalities committees and help provide a rural lens to the national voice of local governments. This inter-connectedness serves all councillors well.
Deputy Mayor Dane Nielsen: This is my second term, but first sitting at Grey County council. I am finding the difference of how things are done at the county vs Grey Highlands council table very interesting. Working on social services is very rewarding evening though it can be difficult to understand our limits. Learning about growth taking place all over the county and how that will impact us in the next 20-30 years. Ultimately I am very grateful to be part of the discussions that are taking place. Putting my thoughts into how our community will look in the future and as far as I can see we have a fantastic future to look forward to.
