2017 was a great year for Kincardine, and this year will be even better, says mayor

2017 was a great year for Kincardine, says mayor Anne Eadie (above), and next year will be even better.

Sitting in her office at the municipal administrative centre, Eadie took a few moments to reflect on last year and consider what's coming up this year.

She said great progress was made on two major projects last year: economic development and natural gas; and the conversion of Bruce Telecom to a municipal services corporation.

As for natural gas, “Working with Huron-Kinloss and Arran-Elderslie, we introduced competition into Ontario,” she said. “The Ontario Energy Board (OEB) is looking over the proposals (by Union Gas and EPCOR) and it's up to the OEB when natural gas happens and who will be our service provider.

“We were hoping to have a decision before Christmas, but now we're hoping by the spring.”

The other main project was the conversion of the Bruce Telecom board, which should be completed by early 2018, said Eadie.

“It's quite a process,” she said. “We are pleased with the results – the shareholder agreements, asset transfer, and the board of directors. We have quite a depth and breadth of technical experience on that board to grow Bruce Telecom as a leader in the telecommunications industry.”

Eadie gave credit to the Bruce Telecom staff. “This new model will give staff the chance to take this company to a higher level.”

Among other achievements in 2017, Eadie said the iconic Kincardine Lighthouse was fixed up and looks great; the airport runway was repaired; Walsh Street was reconstructed; and economic development is taking off, thanks to the Life-Extension Project and Major Component Replacement project at Bruce Power.

“I have to give credit to Mike Rencheck (Bruce Power president and chief executive officer) and his team at Bruce Power, for urging their suppliers to have a local presence and invest in this community,” said Eadie, “and for building an office complex and training centre at the north end of the Town of Kincardine which will rejuvenate that whole area.

“Thanks to Bruce Power and to Bruce County for the economic initiative that is making a real difference in the local economy.

“These are exciting times, and they require extensive planning to get the servicing done at the property at the corner of Highways 9 and 21, and at the Ontario Peninsula Farms property behind the Sutton Park Mall.”

Other economic development achievements, said Eadie, include 7Acres in the Bruce Energy Centre which is expanding and doing well, along with such businesses as Superheat, Special Electronics and Design, and Presto-Crest.

“It's great to have all this growth on the nuclear side,” she said, “but we need other businesses to serve this influx of people, such as restaurants and stores. We've been discussing this with our community economic development committee which includes representatives from the Kincardine and District Chamber of Commerce, the Kincardine Business Improvement Area (BIA), the municipality, real estate, and others. This way, we don't duplicate our efforts, and we work together to make good use of resources.

“It's important to discover where the gaps in service are, and work together to fill those gaps.”

The municipality is already committed to the Connaught Park sewer upgrades, in order to encourage residential development north of Huron Ridge, said Eadie.

Last year, the municipality marked special events in light of Canada's 150^th birthday, including having Paul Henderson at Canada Day, said Eadie. There was also the ceremony marking the installation of the Sports Wall of Fame at the Davidson Centre; and the new driveway entrance to the Davidson Centre was completed, with angle parking on both sides, and no parking to the corner.

Eadie mentioned the great collaboration, led by EMC, to get lighting at the adult soccer field at the south end of Kincardine; as well as the master parks and recreation plan, and the master water and wastewater plan, both of which are to come to council in 2018. “They will be very helpful in planning.”

Staff-wise, Kincardine welcomed new chief administrative officer Sharon Chambers, and said goodbye to CAO Murray Clarke who retired at the end of June.

Kincardine won an environmental award, a tourism award, and has made inroads on phragmites eradication.

Eadie said she would like to see the province conduct a pilot project about the two wind farms in Kincardine – Enbridge and Armow Wind. “The province could do a broader project than what the municipality can do.”

As for 2018, Eadie said the biggest project is to have the base servicing ready in response to the growth coming in the next few years.

“We hope to get approval for natural gas this year,” she said, “ and get that project under way.”

As the current council finishes up its term, with an election slated for the fall, Eadie said she anticipates more growth at the north end of the municipality, closer to the nuclear plant. She would also like to see a resolution to the Whitney Crawford Community Centre issue.

“That community centre serves more than just the Village of Tiverton,” she said. “It's a hub for all the concessions around it, the people of Armow, those in Wards 2 and 3, and Inverhuron.”

As for the election, Eadie said she has not decided if she will run for re-election.

“I have enjoyed being mayor,” she said. “It's an exciting time to be mayor of the Municipality of Kincardine. There are so many things I love about this municipality, and as mayor, I get to hear from so many people about how to improve our community.”

She said there are a lot of people making a difference in this community.

“We wouldn't have the quality of life we have without the many, many volunteers donating their time to put on events; to help out; to fill in the gaps in the system, such as the Huron Shores Hospice committee,” she said. “As mayor, you become acutely aware of it.

“The best thing about our municipality is the people. I have new people approaching me who want to get involved, so I ask them what they're interested in, and direct them to that group or organization.”

Looking forward, Eadie wished everyone a prosperous and healthy 2018, and urged all to join in the excitement of the new year, looking forward to the fun of the Kincardine Reunion in August.