The Next 4 Years

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My goals with council for the next 4 years: 

Review of Internal Processes

1. Conduct a review of internal processes to identify gaps and redundancies in efforts to streamline processes and look for opportunities to save money. Consider internal operational caps.

2. Review and re-assess our future capital projects in attempts to align with our financial goals 

and pressures.

3. Enhance localized by-law enforcement during high-occupancy months will offer a proactive solution to ongoing parking and noise complaints. This strategic shift aims to optimize municipal resources and curb expenditures tied to OPP calls for service. In tandem, council must review the operational effectiveness of our after-hours dispatch and enforcement partners, TAS-Page Communication Services and Maxama Protection Inc.  

Emergency Preparedness and Extreme Weather Resilience

4. To better safeguard our community, the municipality must prioritize publishing real-time emergency notifications on its public website. Local anxiety surrounding the 2025 Burnt River wildfire off of County Road 49 highlighted the clear necessity for synchronized, timely public safety broadcasts. Adapt municipal community centres to better provide shelter and safety to Trent Lakes residents during emergency situations,  adapting our community to better address severe weather events.

5. Request that staff research grant opportunities to harden our municipality against extreme weather events. We have seen more frequent ice storms, unpredictable wind events, and prolonged power outages that leave our residents, especially our seniors and those in isolated rural areas, vulnerable. As a municipality, our top priority has to be emergency preparedness and asset resilience. When the power grid goes down for days, our residents need to know exactly where they can go to get warm, fill up water bottles, charge their devices, and access emergency communications.  I will request that staff look at our existing municipal footprint such as, our municipal libraries, our municipal community centres, and determine what it would take to formally establish them as designated Municipal Emergency Relief Hubs.

6. Hardening the Electrical Grid Against Ice Storms: Trent Lakes has requested major provincial financial assistance for severe ice storms in the past. I will request that staff coordinate with Hydro One to map out and prioritize tree trimming and line-hardening schedules along vital municipal emergency routes.

7. Pavement Selection for Freeze-Thaw Cycles: More frequent winter thaws rapidly degrade rural roads. I will request that our public works study the return-on-investment of polymer-modified asphalt or unpaved road stabilization methods that resist frost-heave.

8. Promote Private Property FireSmart and Flood Preparedness: Use building permit packages to distribute educational resources to residents and waterfront owners on how to protect their own lots using rain gardens, proper septic grading, fire-stop methods and Emergency Preparedness Plans. 

Responsible Community Development 

9. Research the potential for a retirement residence, similar to the Abbeyfield Retirement Development in Selwyn.

10. Explore the potential for the development of a Dog Park.

11. To foster long-term fiscal sustainability, the municipality should investigate strategic land banking in designated hamlets for sustainable development. Allocating the revenue generated from the Deer Bay School property sale toward acquisitions will generate non-tax revenue and mitigate the long-term taxation burden on ratepayers. Consider developing a real estate management plan/fund to take timely advantage of the purchase of key real estate location properties.

Tourism

12. Look to working with our County and Municipal Economic Development Directors and small businesses in developing a strategy to promote Trent Lakes as a winter destination.

Communication

13. We must schedule and publicize all major municipal and public meetings between spring and fall, ensuring our seasonal residents are included. This shift actively promotes transparency and guarantees procedural fairness for every property owner.