January 9, 2016
552
Kincardine council had many major issues to deal with in 2015, and mayor Anne Eadie expects 2016 will be just as busy.
"The new council had to tackle such things as the budget, the natural gas project, and Bruce Telecom right at the beginning," she said, "as well as the regular functions of council."
Natural gas was a big focus for Eadie throughout most of last year, with Kincardine joining Huron-Kinloss and Arran-Elderslie in announcing that EPCOR Utilities Inc. of Edmonton, was selected to build the natural gas pipeline that will service this area.
"I think people are now realizing that the Municipality of Kincardine was acting as a facilitator for this project," said Eadie. "We've been working hard at it for four-and-a-half years. The municipality is not an investor, but money had to be spent on research and consultation. Ultimately, this project could mean about $27-million in savings for our residents, businesses, industries and the municipality, itself.
"Our little investment will pay big dividends down the road. Once we have natural gas, that will factor into bringing new business to Kincardine and retaining the businesses we have."
Eadie said a further delay (until March, 2016) on a decision about Ontario Power Generation (OPG)'s proposed Deep Geologic Repository (DGR) for low-level and intermediate-level nuclear waste at the Bruce Nuclear site, put stress on the 2015 budget. With the project in limbo, the annual payments to the municipality have been suspended.
"Our portion of the budget increased about seven per cent last year, but the overall increase, including Bruce County and the education tax, was two per cent," said Eadie. "I hope we can maintain a reasonable increase in taxes for 2016."
The decision on what to do with Bruce Telecom was a major one for the new council, Eadie said. The previous council had announced the sale of the company in January, 2014, but that was quashed by the Competition Bureau in August, 2014. So, it was up to the new mayor and council to determine the future of the business.
"I was hoping we could have made a decision quickly," said Eadie, "but I also had to respect that the new members of council needed time to hear from the consultants and look through all the information. Ultimately, we agreed to keep the company and look at ways to make it better and more competitive. We will continue that through 2016."
Regarding wind turbines, Eadie is excited that Kincardine is a leader in having baseline testing done for audible noise and infrasound, prior to an industrial wind development being up and running. Council agreed last year to have this work done before Armow Wind was commissioned in December.
"I believe we are being proactive with this development," she said. "All the collector lines are buried which eliminates the problems that other wind farms had. And with this baseline testing, we have valuable information we did not have before. I'm glad council supported it."
The baseline study report is slated to come to council in late January or early February, she said.
Also coming forward around the same time, said Eadie, is the Royal Lifesaving Society's safety audit for Station Beach which was prompted by the drowning of a Goderich teen, near the south pier at Kincardine Harbour, in August, 2015.
BRUCE POWER ANNOUNCEMENT
Last year brought a major announcement from Bruce Power that it has 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.
"Anything that happens at Bruce Power is always very important to the Municipality of Kincardine," said Eadie. "This is an exciting announcement because it ensures we will have good jobs for a lot of people through the coming decades. Our young people can stay here and work. There will be spin-offs with nuclear-related businesses, and economic spin-offs for all other businesses."
The combination of natural gas and the Bruce Power announcement bodes well for economic development in Kincardine, Eadie said, particularly for business retention and expansion.
Last year saw the completion of the renovations to the municipal administrative centre. "In December, 2014, I was in a make-shift office and our staff was all over the place," said Eadie. "This is a vast improvement."
The municipality also purchased a new fire rescue vehicle and mobile command unit, she said, and supported the Kincardine Lions Club in the development of a Splash Pad at the Lions Park in front of the Davidson Centre.
In addition, last year, the development of a trail along the B-line (Bruce County Road 23) north of Kincardine, was facilitated amongst Kincardine, Bruce County, the Kincardine Trails Association and various stakeholders and landowners along the route, said Eadie, noting that the trails are great for residents and visitors, alike.
A highlight as mayor, said Eadie, is attending all the wonderful events in the municipality. "It's one of the perks of the job, going to all the festivals and activities, and birthday parties for those who are over 100 years old.
"I can't thank the volunteers enough for all they do in the municipality. They are the ones who help put on the events that make Kincardine such a special place for us all."
Another big project for Kincardine is beach management and the eradication of phragmites. "We have to keep that moving along," said Eadie. "I give our recreation director, Karen Kieffer, credit for keeping our beaches in good condition and working to control the phragmites along the beaches."
Also working with the municipality in the fight against phragmites, are the Saugeen Valley Conservation Authority (SVCA), the Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation, phragmites expert Janice Gilbert, and Enbridge which has sponsored the eradication of phragmites at the Brucedale Conservation Area.
A priority for council in 2016, said Eadie, will be a decision on the Whitney Crawford Community Centre in Tiverton. The previous council already agreed to demolish the current building, and an ad hoc committee is working on a proposal for a new community centre in Tiverton. "I hope we can have a decision during this term of council and by 2017 get shovels in the ground," said Eadie.
Also, this year, the new leachate treatment facility at the Armow landfill site should be up and running which will be an improvement over trucking the waste to the Ward 1 treatment facility.
In 2016, Kincardine will begin a review of the Official Plan, said Eadie, and the municipality hopes to hire a new public works director, which will free up the chief administrative officer to take on economic development.
In health care, Kincardine lost three doctors and a surgeon last year, but the remaining physicians and two nurse practitioners are working to maintain those practices intact, with a new doctor slated to arrive in August of 2016, said Eadie. Also, an announcement last month brought good news about regular cardiology consulting services in Kincardine through the London Health Sciences Centre, and surgeons from Hanover and Goderich providing regular days of operating and surgical consulting each week at the Kincardine hospital.
During the election campaign in 2014, there was emphasis placed on improved communication, said Eadie. The clerk's department is working with councillor Linda McKee and they will bring a report forward later this year.
As for Eadie, she is at the Underwood office at least once per month if residents want to meet with her, and she is at the municipal administrative centre regularly, available to meet with those who have questions and concerns. Besides the Kincardine council meetings, she attends Bruce County council meetings three Thursdays per month.
She said her first year as mayor of Kincardine was very busy and a huge learning curve. "At times, it was more work than I anticipated. I thank everyone who has supported me as mayor - council and staff, and my family and friends, especially my husband, Doug.
"And I wish everyone a great 2016."
Written ByLiz Dadson is the founder and editor of the Kincardine Record and has been in the news business since 1986.
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