CENTRE WELLINGTON – With the province mandating significant growth within the Township of Centre Wellington, the mayoral candidates said council will need strong leadership to properly manage this growth before it gets out of control.
Talk of the township’s ongoing population and housing boom was a primary topic throughout Tuesday evening’s Centre Wellington mayoral debate at the Grandway in Elora.
According to the 2021 census, Centre Wellington’s population grew by 10 per cent over a five year period and this is projected to continue as the township takes on a lion’s share of the County of Wellington’s mandated growth over the next 30 years.
Neil Dunsmore said growth is getting out of control because of “cookie cutter subdivisions from Brampton” and getting a community planning permit system (CPPS) — a land use planning tool municipalities can put in place to streamline desired types of development — is a top priority.
“We come together as a community and decide what a subdivision should look like, we decide what kind of housing goes in that subdivision, we decide what the parks and roads in that subdivision look like,” Dunsmore said.
“Yes, we’re going to have to start going up because the numbers that are being forced on us are going to eat up 1,000 acres of farmland and we can’t let that happen.”
Bob Foster noted this election is a critical time for maintaining the small town look and feel of Fergus and Elora as they grow but considered a CPPS to be the wrong approach.
“We need more council oversight, not less, on any planning matters, the CPPS will limit council input and in my view will kick open the door to urban sprawl,” Foster said.
“As mayor I will ensure that we have a balanced and sustainable growth strategy in place that maintains the small town feel of our historic community and sustains Elora’s tourist based economy.”
Shawn Watters said the community needs a clear vision as the town builds upwards, outwards, or inwards. He highlighted following an attainable housing strategy is crucial because the town is lacking in options which is impacting the local workforce.
“I feel really sad for young people right now because they have no place to live here, if you wanted to come to Elora or Fergus right now you can’t find accommodations anywhere,” Watters said.
“I look around here, we’ve all enjoyed this beautiful place but we cannot share that with anyone, especially our young folks.”
All agreed tackling these problems requires strong leadership from council and the mayor as the chair of it.
Watters said in his view, the last term of council has been ineffective and often divisive with regular split votes which he found disrespectful to the electorate.
“We must come back together as a community that works for a common good and build a more inclusive and resilient township,” Watters said.
“I want to build a collaborative team, which includes council, staff and the input of the public. We need to be able to reach across the table and work with our fellow councillors to accomplish a common goal.”
Foster also said the last term of council was divisive and felt some councillors’ views were ignored which hindered them.
“I’ll ensure that all councillors speak their minds, that’s how you build consensus, that’s how you make good decisions and that’s how you build a strong and cohesive council,” Foster said.
“The mayor should encourage countervailing points of view to have equal time.”
Dunsmore said a cohesive council ultimately boils down to respect and an understanding that things aren’t personal when it comes to disagreements.
“It is a lot easier when you show respect to everybody and you talk to each other, in this environment this is what we need so we can move forward and communicate together,” Dunsmore said.
“If we can have those conversations we can resolve issues and not make it personal. So my core value, respect and you need to know from the start I respect each and every one of you, even the ones I disagree with.”
There are two more Centre Wellington debates scheduled before the election. On Oct. 12, there is a heritage focused debate at Knox Presbyterian Church in Elora starting at 7 p.m. and the following day a mayor’s debate hosted by the Centre Wellington Black Committee at the Central Pentecostal Church in Elora.
