‘Collaborative effort’

Dear Editor:

With the upcoming municipal election, this seems like a fitting time to acknowledge the elected officials and municipal staff who, over the past three terms, worked alongside the community to protect our local drinking water when it was threatened by commercial water-taking.

As mayor, Kelly Linton listened to residents and he worked with them, municipal staff and the ministry to advocate for local water security. That work helped lead to a moratorium and, ultimately, municipal veto power over water bottlers.

Shawn Watters, first as a county councillor and then as mayor, consistently used his platform to speak publicly about the issue, to raise awareness of the township’s water history and encourage residents to become involved. When the opportunity arose, he worked with council and municipal staff to acquire the Middlebrook well property.

Councillors also lent their support. Ward 1 councillors Don Fisher and Ian MacRae met often with residents and helped ensure we had access to the strategic and technical information we needed to make our messages well-informed and effective.

The outcomes were not the work of one person or one council. They came from years of sustained community engagement and collaborative effort. This is an important community story, but equally important are the lessons we learned about the value of residents and government working together.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this effort. And best wishes to all those putting their names forward for the next term.

Jan Beveridge,
Elora