Election Day in Halton Hills

Today is Election Day in all municipalities across Ontario. For candidates the last month has been intense, as they all rush to get information into the hands of the electorate.

As a candidate for the position of Regional Councillor representing Wards 3 and 4 (Georgetown) I either delivered or had volunteers deliver 12,000 brochures to residents' doors.

I have heard some complaints that residents received their brochure but the candidate didn't knock on the door. What the resident doesn't realize is that it would require starting the campaign in June for the candidates to knock on all the doors at a time of day when people might actually be home. For new candidates who are working full time this would be impossible. The compromise is to find helpers and then do as much door knocking as possible in order to find out what is on people's minds in different parts of the town.

My own door knocking revealed that growth is still the primary concern. Residents perceive the town to be growing quickly and fear where we are going in the future.

I chose this particular picture to illustrate the point because it seemed that people were really saying they valued the small town atmosphere surrounded by landscapes such as the one pictured.

This attitude stands in stark contrast to the attitude found in Milton where the growth is more welcome.

At this point Town Council and Halton Regional Council have approved growth for Georgetown to take place in the timeframe 2021 to 2031 that will add 20,000 new residents to a 1000 acre block bounded by Main Street South, 15th Sideroad, 10th Sideroad and Trafalgar Road. However, this growth area will be challenged at the Ontario Municipal Board by landowners south of the 10th Sideroad. They will argue that we need to approve more land for development.

The approval by local Council for this growth was a strategic decision based on knowledge that we would be taken to the OMB regardless. It was felt that by taking some growth we could avoid having massive growth, perhaps tripling what we have accepted. I believe that this was a sound decision.

I also think that we now need to be working on a strategy to further protect the farmland around Georgetown in anticipation of the next growth plan to be thrust on us by the province.

I would be interested in your comments on growth in and around Georgetown.