The Warden of Bruce County says that he’s happy with the many things that were accomplished in the region during his first year in the role.
Chris Peabody says that through a busy year, he’s proud of accomplishments such as attending the MIPIM Conference in France, going on a trade mission to Finland for the proposed deep geologic repository near Teeswater, and the opening of the new Paisley bridge.
Peabody says that there have been several triumphs for Bruce County and his first year as warden, including an invite to the MIPIM conference.
He says that it felt like a gamble to attend the 4-day real estate event in Cannes, France, but the delegation being sent by the county felt it was a good choice as it would draw attention — and investors — to the county.
“I knew when the federal government gave us the grant to go over there, thought ‘Well, we’ll give it a try but we’re definitely — being Bruce County — a little fish in a big pond.’”
As a result, there was interest from a company based in Quebec, which ended up investing in land within Bruce County.
Another memory that Peabody has from 2023 involves the opening of the new bridge in Paisley after the original bridge had to be torn down because it had reached the end of its lifespan.
He says that one of his favourite moments was at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new bridge.
“They had a huge ceremony put together. Two women who were there at the opening of the [original] bridge in the 1930s were there and they were the first to walk across the new bridge in 2023.”
He says that it was special to see such a display of community support.
Although many parts of the past year have been successful, it wasn’t without its challenges. The most significant one revolves around meeting housing demands, which are being felt across Ontario and all of Canada.
Peabody says that even with provincial legislation, namely Bill 23, the More Homes Built Faster Act on paper seems like a good way to get more dwelling units built, but clearing red tape for construction isn’t as straightforward as it feels it should be.
“All the stops and starts with that legislation has, for example, led to the delay of our Official Plan. And we’ve been working at it for five years now.”
Bruce County’s Official Plan is touted to be a guide of strategic approaches to growth and development in the community.
With constant tweaks and changes, he says that more needs to be done.
He says that larger population centres around Canada have been getting announcements from the federal government to help fund housing initiatives, but he’s waiting for a time when such an announcement would be made within the region.
Peabody also agrees with his Grey County counterpart, Warden Brian Milne, that simply building houses for people to live in does not equate to developing communities where people want to call home.
Along with housing, community needs such as schools and healthcare need to be taken into account as well, and those are under the purview of the Ontario government.
Peabody says that some other highlights include:
-The county named Christine MacDonald as the new CAO after the retirement of Derrick Thomson.
– Bruce County introduced development charges for new building projects, which in turn would help the county pay for things like roads and water main infrastructure to those new developments, rather than further needing to increase property taxes for residents and businesses.
– A committee development office was formed to help with large energy projects and housing projects within the county.
– Bruce County decided to invest in a network of charging stations for electric vehicles, which is important given the federal government making the push for all new vehicles to be emissions-free by the year 2035.
- Bruce County Warden Reflects On Trip To MIPIM Conference In France
- Bruce County’s Warden To Travel To Finland With NWMO Delegation
- South Bruce Plans Public DGR Presentation Following Finland Trip
- Bruce County Approves Scaled Implementation Of Development Charges
- New Electric Vehicle Chargers Unveiled In Brockton, Hanover
