With the new year right around the corner, CollingwoodToday asked elected representatives in the Town of The Blue Mountains 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?
Deputy Mayor Peter Bordignon: 2025 gives The Blue Mountains an opportunity to work through some long-standing projects and to bring forward a succinct and positive plan on many projects. The 2025 fiscal budget will be very challenging and we need to move forward cautiously to identify core services and continue to bring continuity to our residents. Working with funds from our new Municipal Accommodation Tax will provide many opportunities to provide more enhanced experiences and amenities for both our visitors and especially our residents.
Councillor Paula Hope: From a world view, 2025 will bring a lot of change. With pending elections on the federal and provincial levels, we could experience further dissonance. With this potentially tumultuous backdrop in 2025, on a municipal level in our lovely town, I am looking forward to watching the effective implementation of two thoughtful major plans, the completed town official plan, and the water allocation program. Effective development of these two powerful tools will assist considerably in preserving our beautiful municipality and ensuring that its growth aligns well with the values of our community. As the council chair for planning and development services for 2022 – 2026, I will be very pleased to be a part of supporting these controls, and many more initiatives from the town, that will protect and preserve the delightful character of the Town of The Blue Mountains, a goal that I know is warmly shared with all members of our municipality. On a personal level, 2025 will bring the publishing of my book with a current working title of Paradise Lost: The Last Untold Story of WW2. The book subject is the 1942 expropriation of 150 farm families which led to the creation of the Meaford Tank Range. Our family farm was located near the Tank Range, and I grew up with the booms of the Range during my summer visits. Finally, I am excited to add that there are rumours that I might have a new son-in-law before the year is out.
Councillor Alex Maxwell: 2025 may prove challenging, even to a small municipality like the Town of The Blue Mountains, as Canada and Ontario face new economic realities and shifting political winds. This will most likely produce several new challenges well beyond our control. I look forward to these challenges as they potentially impact our local decision making.
Councillor June Porter: Starting in 2025 I assume Chair of Strategic Initiatives for the remaining term of council and am looking forward to working with Mr. Tim Hendry, Director of Strategic Initiatives and his team. It will be a wonderful opportunity to be involved as he shapes this new department. A key project of this new department is the new Strategic Plan, therefore 2025 is an exciting year for council, the community and town staff. The Accountability and Transparency committee is also looking to review a number of policies and bylaws through the lens of the new Accountability and Transparency of Town Actions to the Public Policy.
Councillor Gail Ardiel: What I look forward to in 2025, is having the Strategic Plan 85 per cent completed or totally completed, so we can move forward in a balance between preserving tradition and embracing innovation. The Strategic Plan must ensure that the plan reflects a small community's desires and values. We must involve the residents actively in the planning process early. With many of our sustainable goals in the Strategic Plan we should be able to achieve our big ideas and make our town as vibrant as we can. I would like to continue with our small-town feel, with a focus on quality of life.
Where do you see the Town of The Blue Mountains going in terms of overall direction in 2025?
Deputy Mayor Peter Bordignon: With a new corporate organizational structure in place, I believe that we will be able to work with all departments in a positive go forward manner. The 2025 direction needs to reflect what is good for the town today and many tomorrows from now. Carefully guiding new development and infrastructure will be the catalyst that provides positive growth and planning for decades. I would also like to see continued recreation opportunities for our residents.
Councillor Paula Hope: With the recent addition of highly qualified members to the town staff leadership team, I am excited to witness the initiatives and improvements they will bring to the management of the town. This additional expertise to the town bench will generate lots of new ideas and enhancements for improved service delivery to residents, along with developing policies and initiatives that will support the further positive evolution of our unique town. I am confident that these new team members will assist the town in its overall direction to manage its financial resources carefully while delivering on its promises to its taxpayers. These promises include effective affordable/attainable housing solutions while preserving its many natural (green) and infrastructure (grey) assets, to name a few. Speaking of initiatives, I would like to recognize the arrival of the strategic initiatives department to the town’s organization chart. This brand-new department will be charged with bringing forward exciting new projects that will further enhance the experience of town residents and visitors. Finally, 2025 will bring welcome additional revenue to the town budget in the form a MAT (Municipal Accommodation Tax). This tax, which will be levied on all visitors who use short-term accommodations in the municipality, will add handsomely to the town’s coffers and local promotional budgets.
Councillor Alex Maxwell: I see the compass needle clearly setting direction for the delivery of core and non-core services, using strong financial principles, as we deal with the new economic realities on the horizon.
Councillor June Porter: There are several key projects and initiatives that are progressing and need to be completed as this will position the town to begin to operationalize a new strategic plan.
Councillor Gail Ardiel: For the overall direction of council, I would like to have the official plan approved by Grey County, and the province with a clear direction on how the TBM will manage sustainable growth for the next 20 years. Once the strategic plan is completed this will fit into the official plan to ensure we have a well-rounded plan for our community.
