Councillor wish lists for this fall include roads, healthcare and housing

Article by Keely Ross, in the Kawartha Lakes Weekly

Local councillors have big plans for this fall with some well-trodden issues they are looking to support, including road maintenance. Kawartha Lakes Weekly checked in with a handful of councillors to see what their priorities are in the coming months.

Ward 3 Councillor Mike Perry will be chairing council’s new task force on roads. Ward 6 Councillor Ron Ashmore is also part of this initiative that is working to improve infrastructure and maintenance.

Ashmore says that widening Highway 35 is something he’s looking into and bringing more public transportation to Lindsay is something he’s also passionate about.

“We need to put much more pressure on getting GO Transit to Lindsay. I have always been an advocate for rural transit to be restored, as we need to include all of Kawartha Lakes as we continue to grow.”

Ward 5 Councillor Eric Smeaton agrees with Ashmore and says that he will be tracking the master plans for transit and transportation. He also wants to focus on public awareness of healthcare initiatives.

“Although healthcare is generally seen to be a heavily-weighted provincial issue, our municipality has already demonstrated initiatives that are designed to alleviate stresses – so making sure the public are informed as to what these are is an important role for a councillor.”

Councillor Pat Warren, from Ward 2, agrees that healthcare is a top priority and will be looking to advance more primary healthcare for Kinmount, Bobcaygeon and the city overall. And Ward 4 Councillor Dan Joyce says healthcare is also a primary issue for him but also singles out property taxes and road maintenance. Joyce doesn’t want to see tax levels move above 4.5 percent in the coming year.

Warren is now part of a new affordable housing project for Bobcaygeon and that’s a major focus for Perry, too. He says that along with chairing the road task force, he is helping bring rental housing units to Fenelon Falls.

“Road repair, speeding, and property issues remain top of list,” says Perry.

Warren has also recently put forward a memo for the September committee in hopes that Kawartha Lakes will be a host for Green Energy projects again.

“Previous councils made motions to stop green energy. We are in a climate emergency and we have to change course to help us adapt and mitigate climate change. Canada’s temperature has risen by three degrees,” saying she and others will work to ensure the Healthy Environment Plan gets implemented.