GUELPH/ERAMOSA – It was not a normal year by any stretch, but Guelph/Eramosa mayor Chris White summed up 2021 as “steady as you go” in the township.
COVID is a challenge in any township but White said they had more or less figured out how to safely deliver services in 2020 and carry on in 2021.
“We’ve learned to adapt, we’ve learned to work from home, do meetings on Zoom,” White said.
The mayor said the township had a goal to become more online-friendly but COVID had pushed this ahead sooner than expected.
“We’re a small township, we don’t have a lot of resources that big townships have, we can’t just throw $100,000 at a software package … it’s a long-term investment,” White said, adding the township has had great support from the province in this regard.
“Simple things like bringing dog tags online, allowing to do some phases of building permits online, those are really good long-term efficiencies, some of which was forced out by COVID.”
White noted the planning department as having a particularly busy year as the township continues to see commercial and industrial growth and interest.
In a 4-1 vote, council paved the way for a controversial fridge manufacturing plant on Jones Baseline that had opposition from nearby neighbours who have now appealed to the land tribunal.
“We’ll just let the process play out,” White said of the appeal, adding the planning process went through the normal process as well.
The township has a desirable location in White’s view and he noted new subdivisions sell out quickly. However, residential growth should be slowing as White said there’s limited sewer capacity in Rockwood and no plans in the foreseeable future to add any.
“That would require a brand new plant and that’s not in the works, we have to focus on our commercial and industrial (growth),” White said.
“We’ve got several hundred privately held acres in the township and that will be where our future growth goes.”
This works fine for the mayor as he said the rural qualities of the township are what attracts new residents or visitors and he respectfully doesn’t wish the town to grow in the way Milton or Mississauga did.
In between restrictions, White said he was very pleased to the township could hold their first Christmas in the Park event at Rockmosa Park, which he compared to the usual Party in the Park held in usual summers.
“We’re hoping very much that takes place next year in August,” White said. “Several thousand people, it’s a big community event gives us a chance to do something locally.”
White said in 2022 the township will be updating their 10-year parks master plan which is a big project.
“You want to reach out and find out what people are looking for and then you want to be able to indicate what we can and can’t do,” White said. “In previous master plans, there are some big asks and things like arenas and pools that are beyond our reach unless we can find big grants and other users.”
White said he was happy the tax increase stayed relatively low this year as some residents continue to struggle depending on what industry they are in but they do need to go ahead with public works projects.
“We’re keeping the budgets below inflation but we're doing a lot of infrastructure,” White said with projects including road work, culvert replacement and expanding parks and recreation even considered as infrastructure in his view.
