Centre Wellington candidates face questions on growth, taxes, development

FERGUS – Introductions alone took about an hour to get through at an all-candidates event at the Fergus Legion on Sept. 26.

Seated along tables facing a group of more than 150 people at the Riverside Events Centre were 19 of 22 candidates vying to govern Centre Wellington.

The Wellington Advertiser hosted the event, which was moderated by newspaper humour columnist Kelly Waterhouse.

Candidates used their opening statements to ask for votes, detailing local histories, resumes and motivations for putting their names on the ballot. Growth, affordability and promises to listen to constituents were recurring themes.

Candidates drew randomly from a list of questions sent to them in advance, with topics ranging from tourism to data centres. Most responded by reading from prepared statements.

Mayoral candidates

Former mayor Kelly Linton said strong mayor power “blurs the line” between council governance and staff management, but that he would consider using them to advance council’s strategic plans and propose budgets at or below inflation.

“What I would not do is use strong mayor powers to sideline council,” Linton said, adding the powers “should never be used to weaken democracy.”

Current Ward 5 councillor Bronwynne Wilton outright objected to the powers.

“I believe they are an attack on democracy,” she said, in part.

“I would do everything I could to maintain the democracy at the council table."

Current mayor Shawn Watters was asked about balancing efficient decision making with giving room for councillors to speak their mind.

Watters said a council must learn to listen and communicate with each other.

“I always gave the opportunity for the council to work and take more time to make critical decisions in the community; it was never a rush to get to the end,” Watters said, adding democracy done right is a slow process.

If council isn’t ready to move forward on an issue, it won’t be pushed, he said, using a short-term rental bylaw as an example.

Asked about personal and financial conflicts, former councillor Neil Dunsmore said he would step away from chairing the trustee board at Melville United Church where an affordable housing project he helped organize is going up next door.

Asked the same, former councillor Stephen Kitras said he has no conflicts to disclose, but took the time to say the township’s relationship with county government needs more scrutiny, and a closer look at where local tax dollars go.

Development Charges

Five candidates were asked how to cover development charge shortfalls, with most rejecting the choice between cutting services or raising taxes.

Ward 4 candidate Maddy Smith said the township needs to diversify its revenue sources.

“We cannot put the full burden onto you through tax increases,” she said, suggesting partnerships with other municipalities and businesses could be the answer, along with looking internally for cost savings.

Ward 1 candidate Erika Montero said the first response shouldn’t be looking to taxpayers, rather plans need to adjust to reality.

“We can go back through the capital budget and look at what absolutely needs to happen now, what can be phased, what can be redesigned more simply and what can wait,” she said.

Ward 3 candidate David DeWitt said a shortfall isn’t expected because of federal funding, but if that didn’t pan out, he would lobby Ottawa and Queen’s Park instead, supporting neither cuts nor increases.

Ward 6 candidate Matt Bunch said the best route is downloading expenses onto developers while identifying grants, incentives and offsets.

“I think council has the ability to weigh all these different possibilities and do what they can to manage these cost cuts,” he said.

Pamela Brown-Wass, also a Ward 6 candidate, said the first step is looking at what projects – outside of essential roads, bridges and water – can be phased or delayed.

“I believe in fiscal discipline, but I also believe in maintaining the infrastructure our community depends on,” she said.

Cannabis stores

Three candidates were asked about allowing cannabis retailers, something that was rejected by two previous councils.

Current Ward 3 councillor Barbara Lustgarten-Evoy said though she supports the stores, downtown business owners don’t want them, and rules about minimum distances from schools aren’t strict enough.

“If it should come up again next term … I will again ask the people who work and live there and vote according to their wishes,” she said.

Former Ward 3 councillor Bob Foster voted to opt out of having the stores in 2019, citing opinions from police and public health leadership about the dangers of marijuana use. He said he would vote no again.

Ward 5 candidate Julie Charbonneau, a former OPP officer, said she strongly supports the stores despite not being a user herself.

“What concerns me most about the history of this issue is that the township asked residents what they wanted,” she said, adding residents are largely in favour of local cannabis retailers.

“I don’t see a compelling reason why residents should have to leave our community to purchase it legally,” she said.

Data centre policy

Three candidates were asked about a data centre policy following the expiry of a one-year moratorium. Waterloo-based Spur Innovation is moving forward with plans for a data centre on a Gartshore Street property in Fergus.

Current Ward 2 councillor Kimberly Jefferson said decisions “must be grounded in environmental stewardship and community protection” and that “robust public consultation is essential.”

Ward 6 candidate Richard Pinder said any policy should begin with protecting “the public interest” and include “consultation, strong technical reviews, defined approval criteria and full transparency about all impacts across all areas of interest.”

Current Ward 1 councillor Lisa MacDonald said residents in Ward 5, where Spur’s data centre is proposed, could use a break from development. MacDonald said she’s hopeful staff will give council something to work with.

“I also am hoping maybe we can talk the owner of the data centre property into something better, maybe some housing,” she added.

Traffic, tourism, business

Three candidates had one-off questions about traffic volume, the impact of tourism, and plans for the first six months if they’re elected.

Ward 1 candidate Sophie Hogan was asked how to make it easier for commuters and commercial trucks to navigate urban centres in Fergus and Elora.

Hogan didn’t directly answer the question, saying traffic woes have been a longstanding issue dating back to the 1960s.

She said the Wellington Road 7 bridge over the Grand River outside Elora, built in the ’70s, is correctly positioned and being used as an alternative route while another bypass is undecided.

Current Ward 4 councillor Jennifer Adams was asked about balancing tourism and local interests.

Adams said residents feel they’re carrying the cost without the benefits. She pointed to three measures: paid parking (free for residents), a forthcoming 5% tax on short-term stays, and a township-owned economic development and tourism corporation.

“It means tourism that pays its own way, an economy people can build a career in, and a council that remembers who lives here 52 weeks a year, not just our six busiest weekends,” she said.

Ward 5 candidate Elnor Walsh was asked to name a project or initiative she would champion within the first six months, if she were elected.

Walsh said she would advocate for a business partnership program that would bring better communication, clearer timelines, support during construction and a stronger voice for businesses.

“I want the township to be known not just as a regulator, but as a trusted partner that helps local businesses survive and thrive,” she said.

For the remaining hour of the three-hour event, many candidates stayed to speak one-on-one with constituents.

Absent from the event were candidates Darcy Saunders (Ward 2), Shivam Taneja (Ward 3) and Matt LeBeau (Ward 5).

Election day is Oct. 26.