December 27, 2015
1320
Wrapping up a busy year in 2015, Huron-Kinloss Township has lots of opportunities in store for next year.
That's the word from mayor Mitch Twolan who is also warden of Bruce County, and chairman of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative.
One great achievement this year, said Twolan, was the culmination of four-and-a-half years of work on the natural gas project. In September, Huron-Kinloss joined Kincardine and Arran-Elderslie, in announcing that EPCOR Utilities Inc. of Edmonton, was selected to build the natural gas pipeline that will service this area.
"That was a major milestone," Twolan said. "Our taxpayers are struggling to pay their hydro bills. Once we get natural gas here, which is a couple of years down the road, that's good news for residential homeowners." He added that natural gas will prompt the construction of more residential and multi-unit residential in the township.
"This fall, we've seen a lot of construction still going on later in the year because of the good weather," said Twolan.
Another achievement for 2015, was the opening of the Point Clark Lighthouse which had been closed to tourists and visitors for the past five years. "That project took a long time to complete, but we had to make sure we did it right," said Twolan.
Music in the Fields, the famous two-day country music festival in Lucknow, is putting Huron-Kinloss and Bruce County on the map, Twolan said. "It's a first-rate event, and the campsites are selling out quickly because people are coming to it and having such a great time, they're telling other people. It's become a destination for that last weekend in August."
The Ice Cream Trail was a great success for the third year in a row, he added.
"A lot of my time this year was consumed by the natural gas project," Twolan said. "My council supported me through all that. Bringing natural gas to this area will not only save money for our residential homeowners, but also for the municipality, itself, and for industrial and commercial customers.
"The price of oil and propane is so volatile. There is a great long-term supply of natural gas and once we get pipes in the ground, we can phase-in the project and get the natural gas flowing. And that will spur on economic development in this whole region."
More good news, said Twolan, came with the announcement that Bruce Power had secured a long-term agreement to supply electricity to the province through 2064 at the Bruce Nuclear site, and will go ahead with the refurbishment of Units 3-8.
"That's an investment of hundreds of millions of dollars," said Twolan, "and that provides a stable workforce of 4,200 employees, and hundreds more during the refurbishment, plus the economic spin-offs."
With this boost to the Bruce Nuclear site, there will be an increase in nuclear-related businesses in the region, he said.
"We are so fortunate to live here. We have safe communities, safe water, clean drinking water, clean air, and so much more. We have wonderful volunteers, service clubs, referees, umpires - everyone who contributes to this great community we have."
Speaking of volunteers, Twolan said the Ripley Reunion was a huge success this year. "The committee did a wonderful job. It was nice to see friends come back and visit with them all again. It brought back some great memories. Now, the committee is putting money back into community groups."
On a disappointing note, the township continues to await a decision on Ontario Power Generation (OPG)'s proposed Deep Geologic Repository (DGR) for low-level and intermediate-level nuclear waste at the Bruce Nuclear site. A decision by the federal environment minister was expected in December, but was then postponed to March, 2016.
"Our council believes the project is safe; otherwise, we would not be supporting it," said Twolan, adding the township also continues to work through the Adaptive Phased Management process for siting a high-level nuclear waste DGR in Huron-Kinloss.
As for next year, Twolan said the first thing on the agenda will be the budget. Already, the township has had some good news - there is a savings of $92,000 in the Ontario Municipal Partnership Fund grant for this year, plus the new OPP funding formula will be phased in. That equates to about two percentage points on the tax rate.
"We don't have all the numbers in yet, but the township is in good financial shape for the year," said Twolan. "That's because we increased taxes seven to eight per cent each year. The easiest thing to do is bring in a zero-increase budget, but that's not always the right thing to do."
This is Twolan's 17th year in politics and he said the sky's the limit for 2016.
"There is so much opportunity in this region, with the Bruce Power announcement and the prospect of natural gas," he said. "I'm not sure people realize how important these announcements are."
Another priority for the township is to develop a more defined Official Plan which should be completed by next summer. "This will provide a better road map for developers and spur more development in Huron-Kinloss."
Twolan expects 2016 will be another great building year for the township. It will also be a banner year for Music in the Fields which is expanding to a three-day event, with tickets and campsites are already on sale.
"To everyone in the township and across the region, Happy New Year," said Twolan.
Written ByLiz Dadson is the founder and editor of the Kincardine Record and has been in the news business since 1986.
Related Stories
No related stories.